Violence in context: Embracing an ecological approach to violent media exposure.

PubMed

Glackin, Erin; Gray, Sarah A O

2016-12-01

This commentary expands on Anderson, Bushman, Donnerstein, Hummer, and Warburton's agenda for minimizing the impacts of violent media exposure (VME) on youth aggression. We argue that in order to effectively intervene in the development of aggression and other maladaptive traits, researchers and policymakers should take an ecological, developmental psychopathology approach to understanding children's exposure to VME within developmental, relational, environmental, and cultural contexts. Such a framework holds the most promise for identifying at-risk groups, establishing targets of intervention, and testing mechanisms of change.

Development of a Unix/VME data acquisition system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, M. C.; Ahern, S.; Clark, S. M.

1992-01-01

The current status of a Unix-based VME data acquisition development project is described. It is planned to use existing Fortran data collection software to drive the existing CAMAC electronics via a VME CAMAC branch driver card and associated Daresbury Unix driving software. The first usable Unix driver has been written and produces single-action CAMAC cycles from test software. The data acquisition code has been implemented in test mode under Unix with few problems and effort is now being directed toward finalizing calls to the CAMAC-driving software and ultimate evaluation of the complete system.

A CAMAC-VME-Macintosh data acquisition system for nuclear experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anzalone, A.; Giustolisi, F.

1989-10-01

A multiprocessor system for data acquisition and analysis in low-energy nuclear physics has been realized. The system is built around CAMAC, the VMEbus, and the Macintosh PC. Multiprocessor software has been developed, using RTF, MACsys, and CERN cross-software. The execution of several programs that run on several VME CPUs and on an external PC is coordinated by a mailbox protocol. No operating system is used on the VME CPUs. The hardware, software, and system performance are described.

Design of a ``Digital Atlas Vme Electronics'' (DAVE) module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodrick, M.; Robinson, D.; Shaw, R.; Postranecky, M.; Warren, M.

2012-01-01

ATLAS-SCT has developed a new ATLAS trigger card, 'Digital Atlas Vme Electronics' (``DAVE''). The unit is designed to provide a versatile array of interface and logic resources, including a large FPGA. It interfaces to both VME bus and USB hosts. DAVE aims to provide exact ATLAS CTP (ATLAS Central Trigger Processor) functionality, with random trigger, simple and complex deadtime, ECR (Event Counter Reset), BCR (Bunch Counter Reset) etc. being generated to give exactly the same conditions in standalone running as experienced in combined runs. DAVE provides additional hardware and a large amount of free firmware resource to allow users to add or change functionality. The combination of the large number of individually programmable inputs and outputs in various formats, with very large external RAM and other components all connected to the FPGA, also makes DAVE a powerful and versatile FPGA utility card.

VMEbus based computer and real-time UNIX as infrastructure of DAQ

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

Yasu, Y.; Fujii, H.; Nomachi, M.

1994-12-31

This paper describes what the authors have constructed as the infrastructure of data acquisition system (DAQ). The paper reports recent developments concerned with HP VME board computer with LynxOS (HP742rt/HP-RT) and Alpha/OSF1 with VMEbus adapter. The paper also reports current status of developing a Benchmark Suite for Data Acquisition (DAQBENCH) for measuring not only the performance of VME/CAMAC access but also that of the context switching, the inter-process communications and so on, for various computers including Workstation-based systems and VME board computers.

An OS9-UNIX data acquisition system with ECL readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziem, P.; Beschorner, C.; Bohne, W.; Drescher, B.; Friese, T.; Kiehne, T.; Kluge, Ch.

1996-02-01

A new data acquisition system has been developed at the Hahn-Meitner-Institut to handle almost 550 parameters of nuclear physics experiments. The system combines a UNIX host running a portable data buffer router and a VME front-end based on the OS9 real time operating system. Different kinds of pulse analyzers are located in several CAMAC crates which are controlled by the VME system via a VICbus connection. Data readout is performed by means of an ECL daisy chain. Besides controlling CAMAC the main purpose of the VME front-end is event data formatting and histogramming. Using TCP/IP services, the UNIX host receives formatted data packages for data storage and display. During a beam time at the antiproton accelerator LEAR/CERN, the PS208 experiment has accumulated about 100 Gbyte of event data [2

An OS9-UNIX data acquisition system with ECL readout

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

Ziem, P.; Beschorner, C.; Bohne, W.

1996-02-01

A new data acquisition system has been developed at the Hahn-Meitner-Institut to handle almost 550 parameters of nuclear physics experiments. The system combines a UNIX host running a portable data buffer router and a VME front-end based on the OS9 real time operating system. Different kinds of pulse analyzers are located in several CAMAC crates which are controlled by the VME system via a VICbus connection. Data readout is performed by means of an ECL daisy chain. Besides controlling CAMAC the main purpose of the VME front-end is event data formatting and histogramming. Using TCP/IP services, the UNIX host receivesmore » formatted data packages for data storage and display. During a beam time at the antiproton accelerator LEAR/CERN, the PS208 experiment has accumulated about 100 Gbyte of event data.« less

Lessons Learned Using COTS Electronics for the International Space Station Radiation Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blumer, John H.; Roth, A. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The mantra of 'Faster, Better, Cheaper' has to a large degree been interpreted as using Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components and/or circuit boards. One of the first space applications to actually use COTS in space along with radiation performance requirements was the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Rack program, for the International Space Station (ISS). In order to meet the performance, cost and schedule targets, military grade Versa Module Eurocard (VME) was selected as the baseline design for the main computer, the Rack Interface Controller (RIC). VME was chosen as the computer backplane because of the large variety of military grade boards available, which were designed to meet the military environmental specifications (thermal, shock, vibration, etc.). These boards also have a paper pedigree in regards to components. Since these boards exceeded most ISS environmental requirements, it was reasoned using COTS mid-grade VME boards, as opposed to designing custom boards could save significant time and money. It was recognized up front the radiation environment of ISS, while benign compared to many space flight applications, would be the main challenge to using COTS. Thus in addition to selecting vendors on how well their boards met the usual performance and environmental specifications, the board's parts lists were reviewed on how well they would perform in the ISS radiation environment. However, issues with verifying that the available radiation test data was applicable to the actual part used, vendor part design changes and the fact most parts did not have valid test data soon complicated board and part selection in regards to radiation.

Cam-driven monochromator for QEXAFS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caliebe, W. A.; So, I.; Lenhard, A.; Siddons, D. P.

2006-11-01

We have developed a cam-drive for quickly tuning the energy of an X-ray monochromator through an X-ray absorption edge for quick extended X-ray absorption spectroscopy (QEXAFS). The data are collected using a 4-channel, 12-bit multiplexed VME analog to digital converter and a VME angle encoder. The VME crate controller runs a real-time operating system. This system is capable of collecting 2 EXAFS-scans in 1 s with an energy stability of better than 1 eV. Additional improvements to increase the speed and the energy stability are under way.

A Timer for Synchronous Digital Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKenney, Elizabeth; Irwin, Philip

2003-01-01

The Real-Time Interferometer Control Systems Testbed (RICST) timing board is a VersaModule Eurocard (VME)-based board that can generate up to 16 simultaneous, phase-locked timing signals at a rate defined by the user. It can also generate all seven VME interrupt requests (IRQs). The RICST timing board is suitable mainly for robotic, aerospace, and real-time applications. Several circuit boards on the market are capable of generating periodic IRQs. Most are associated with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and Inter Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) time-code generators, whereas this board uses either an internal VME clock or an externally generated clock signal to synchronize multiple components of the system. The primary advantage of this board is that there is no discernible jitter in the output clock waveforms because the signals are divided down from a high-frequency clock signal instead of being phase-locked from a lower frequency. The primary disadvantage to this board, relative to other periodic-IRQ-generating boards, is that it is more difficult to synchronize the system to wall clock time.

Integrated tests of a high speed VXS switch card and 250 MSPS flash ADCs

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

H. Dong, C. Cuevas, D. Curry, E. Jastrzembski, F. Barbosa, J. Wilson, M. Taylor, B. Raydo

2008-01-01

High trigger rate nuclear physics experiments proposed for the 12 GeV upgrade at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility create a need for new high speed digital systems for energy summing. Signals from electronic detectors will be captured with the Jefferson Lab FADC module, which collects and processes data from 16 charged particle sensors with 10 or 12 bit resolution at 250 MHz sample rate. Up to sixteen FADC modules transfer energy information to a central energy summing module for each readout crate. The sums from the crates are combined to form a global energy sum that is used tomore » trigger data readout for all modules. The Energy Sum module and FADC modules have been designed using the VITA-41 VME64 switched serial (VXS) standard. The VITA- 41 standard defines payload and switch slot module functions, and offers an elegant engineered solution for Multi-Gigabit serial transmission on a standard VITA-41 backplane. The Jefferson Lab Energy Sum module receives data serially at a rate of up to 6 Giga-bits per second from the FADC modules. Both FADC and Energy Sum modules have been designed and assembled and this paper describes the integrated tests using both high speed modules in unison« less

Determination of an Optimal Commercial Data Bus Architecture for a Flight Data System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, Kevin; Johnson, Martin; Humphries, Rick (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is continually looking for methods to reduce cost and schedule while keeping the quality of work high. MSFC is NASA's lead center for space transportation and microgravity research. When supporting NASA's programs several decisions concerning the avionics system must be made. Usually many trade studies must be conducted to determine the best ways to meet the customer's requirements. When deciding the flight data system, one of the first trade studies normally conducted is the determination of the data bus architecture. The schedule, cost, reliability, and environments are some of the factors that are reviewed in the determination of the data bus architecture. Based on the studies, the data bus architecture could result in a proprietary data bus or a commercial data bus. The cost factor usually removes the proprietary data bus from consideration. The commercial data bus's range from Versa Module Eurocard (VME) to Compact PCI to STD 32 to PC 104. If cost, schedule and size are prime factors, VME is usually not considered. If the prime factors are cost, schedule, and size then Compact PCI, STD 32 and PC104 are the choices for the data bus architecture. MSFC's center director has funded a study from his discretionary fund to determine an optimal low cost commercial data bus architecture. The goal of the study is to functionally and environmentally test Compact PCI, STD 32 and PC 104 data bus architectures. This paper will summarize the results of the data bus architecture study.

SPring-8 beamline control system.

PubMed

Ohata, T; Konishi, H; Kimura, H; Furukawa, Y; Tamasaku, K; Nakatani, T; Tanabe, T; Matsumoto, N; Ishii, M; Ishikawa, T

1998-05-01

The SPring-8 beamline control system is now taking part in the control of the insertion device (ID), front end, beam transportation channel and all interlock systems of the beamline: it will supply a highly standardized environment of apparatus control for collaborative researchers. In particular, ID operation is very important in a third-generation synchrotron light source facility. It is also very important to consider the security system because the ID is part of the storage ring and is therefore governed by the synchrotron ring control system. The progress of computer networking systems and the technology of security control require the development of a highly flexible control system. An interlock system that is independent of the control system has increased the reliability. For the beamline control system the so-called standard model concept has been adopted. VME-bus (VME) is used as the front-end control system and a UNIX workstation as the operator console. CPU boards of the VME-bus are RISC processor-based board computers operated by a LynxOS-based HP-RT real-time operating system. The workstation and the VME are linked to each other by a network, and form the distributed system. The HP 9000/700 series with HP-UX and the HP 9000/743rt series with HP-RT are used. All the controllable apparatus may be operated from any workstation.

Concept and realization of a fully configurable and programmable data-acquisition system for the neutron scattering instruments at SINQ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greuter, U.; Buehler, C.; Rasmussen, P.; Emmenegger, M.; Maden, D.; Koennecke, M.; Schlumpf, N.

We present the basic concept and the realization of our fully configurable data-acquisition hardware for the neutron scattering instruments at SINQ. This system allows collection of the different data entities and event-related signals generated by the various detector units. It offers a variety of synchronization options, including a time-measuring mode for time-of-flight determinations. Based on configurable logic (FPGA, CPLD), event rates up to the MHz range can be processed and transmitted to a programmable online data-reduction system (Histogram Memory). It is implemented on a commercially available VME Power PC module running a real-time operating system (VxWorks).

An Experimental Testbed for a Free-Floating Manipulator

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

brushless servo amplifiers are four quadrant , 20 kHz PWM amplifiers that provide economical control of brushless motors rated from 1/3 to 2 Hp shaft Watts...backplanes that came out of the Versa-Module- Europa consortium [Ref. 15]. The VME is a bus that acts as the path and translator of information between

Fermilab Recycler Ring BPM Upgrade Based on Digital Receiver Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webber, R.; Crisp, J.; Prieto, P.; Voy, D.; Briegel, C.; McClure, C.; West, R.; Pordes, S.; Mengel, M.

2004-11-01

Electronics for the 237 BPMs in the Fermilab Recycler Ring have been upgraded from a log-amplifier based system to a commercially produced digitizer-digital down converter based system. The hardware consists of a pre-amplifier connected to a split-plate BPM, an analog differential receiver-filter module and an 8-channel 80-MHz digital down converter VME board. The system produces position and intensity with a dynamic range of 30 dB and a resolution of ±10 microns. The position measurements are made on 2.5-MHz bunched beam and barrier buckets of the un-bunched beam. The digital receiver system operates in one of six different signal processing modes that include 2.5-MHz average, 2.5-MHz bunch-by-bunch, 2.5-MHz narrow band, unbunched average, un-bunched head/tail and 89-kHz narrow band. Receiver data is acquired on any of up to sixteen clock events related to Recycler beam transfers and other machine activities. Data from the digital receiver board are transferred to the front-end CPU for position and intensity computation on an on-demand basis through the VME bus. Data buffers are maintained for each of the acquisition events and support flash, closed orbit and turn-by-turn measurements. A calibration system provides evaluation of the BPM signal path and application programs.

A systematic approach towards the identification and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ardron, Jeff A.; Clark, Malcolm R.; Penney, Andrew J.; Hourigan, Thomas F.; Rowden, Ashley A.; Dunstan, Piers K.; Watling, Les; Shank, Timothy M.; Tracey, Di M.; Dunn, Matthew R.; Parker, Steven J.

2014-01-01

The United Nations General Assembly in 2006 and 2009 adopted resolutions that call for the identification and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from significant adverse impacts of bottom fishing. While general criteria have been produced, there are no guidelines or protocols that elaborate on the process from initial identification through to the protection of VMEs. Here, based upon an expert review of existing practices, a 10-step framework is proposed: (1) Comparatively assess potential VME indicator taxa and habitats in a region; (2) determine VME thresholds; (3) consider areas already known for their ecological importance; (4) compile information on the distributions of likely VME taxa and habitats, as well as related environmental data; (5) develop predictive distribution models for VME indicator taxa and habitats; (6) compile known or likely fishing impacts; (7) produce a predicted VME naturalness distribution (areas of low cumulative impacts); (8) identify areas of higher value to user groups; (9) conduct management strategy evaluations to produce trade-off scenarios; (10) review and re-iterate, until spatial management scenarios are developed that fulfil international obligations and regional conservation and management objectives. To date, regional progress has been piecemeal and incremental. The proposed 10-step framework combines these various experiences into a systematic approach.

Soft Real-Time PID Control on a VME Computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karayan, Vahag; Sander, Stanley; Cageao, Richard

2007-01-01

microPID (uPID) is a computer program for real-time proportional + integral + derivative (PID) control of a translation stage in a Fourier-transform ultraviolet spectrometer. microPID implements a PID control loop over a position profile at sampling rate of 8 kHz (sampling period 125microseconds). The software runs in a strippeddown Linux operating system on a VersaModule Eurocard (VME) computer operating in real-time priority queue using an embedded controller, a 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (D/A) board, and a laser-positioning board (LPB). microPID consists of three main parts: (1) VME device-driver routines, (2) software that administers a custom protocol for serial communication with a control computer, and (3) a loop section that obtains the current position from an LPB-driver routine, calculates the ideal position from the profile, and calculates a new voltage command by use of an embedded PID routine all within each sampling period. The voltage command is sent to the D/A board to control the stage. microPID uses special kernel headers to obtain microsecond timing resolution. Inasmuch as microPID implements a single-threaded process and all other processes are disabled, the Linux operating system acts as a soft real-time system.

The DISTO data acquisition system at SATURNE

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

Balestra, F.; Bedfer, Y.; Bertini, R.

1998-06-01

The DISTO collaboration has built a large-acceptance magnetic spectrometer designed to provide broad kinematic coverage of multiparticle final states produced in pp scattering. The spectrometer has been installed in the polarized proton beam of the Saturne accelerator in Saclay to study polarization observables in the {rvec p}p {yields} pK{sup +}{rvec Y} (Y = {Lambda}, {Sigma}{sup 0} or Y{sup *}) reaction and vector meson production ({psi}, {omega} and {rho}) in pp collisions. The data acquisition system is based on a VME 68030 CPU running the OS/9 operating system, housed in a single VME crate together with the CAMAC interface, the triplemore » port ECL memories, and four RISC R3000 CPU. The digitization of signals from the detectors is made by PCOS III and FERA front-end electronics. Data of several events belonging to a single Saturne extraction are stored in VME triple-port ECL memories using a hardwired fast sequencer. The buffer, optionally filtered by the RISC R3000 CPU, is recorded on a DLT cassette by DAQ CPU using the on-board SCSI interface during the acceleration cycle. Two UNIX workstations are connected to the VME CPUs through a fast parallel bus and the Local Area Network. They analyze a subset of events for on-line monitoring. The data acquisition system is able to read and record 3,500 ev/burst in the present configuration with a dead time of 15%.« less

The DZERO Level 3 Data Acquisition System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angstadt, R.; Brooijmans, G.; Chapin, D.; Clements, M.; Cutts, D.; Haas, A.; Hauser, R.; Johnson, M.; Kulyavtsev, A.; Mattingly, S. E. K.; Mulders, M.; Padley, P.; Petravick, D.; Rechenmacher, R.; Snyder, S.; Watts, G.

2004-06-01

The DZERO experiment began RunII datataking operation at Fermilab in spring 2001. The physics program of the experiment requires the Level 3 data acquisition (DAQ) system system to handle average event sizes of 250 kilobytes at a rate of 1 kHz. The system routes and transfers event fragments of approximately 1-20 kilobytes from 63 VME crate sources to any of approximately 100 processing nodes. It is built upon a Cisco 6509 Ethernet switch, standard PCs, and commodity VME single board computers (SBCs). The system has been in full operation since spring 2002.

Slow Controls Using the Axiom M5235BCC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hague, Tyler

2008-10-01

The Forward Vertex Detector group at PHENIX plans to adopt the Axiom M5235 Business Card Controller for use as slow controls. It is also being evaluated for slow controls on FermiLab e906. This controller features the Freescale MCF5235 microprocessor. It also has three parallel buses, these being the MCU port, BUS port, and enhanced Time Processing Unit (eTPU) port. The BUS port uses a chip select module with three external chip selects to communicate with peripherals. This will be used to communicate with and configure Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The controller also has an Ethernet port which can use several different protocols such as TCP and UDP. This will be used to transfer files with computers on a network. The M5235 Business Card Controller will be placed in a VME crate along with VME card and a Spartan-3 FPGA.

Data acquisition architecture and online processing system for the HAWC gamma-ray observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abeysekara, A. U.; Alfaro, R.; Alvarez, C.; Álvarez, J. D.; Arceo, R.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Ayala Solares, H. A.; Barber, A. S.; Baughman, B. M.; Bautista-Elivar, N.; Becerra Gonzalez, J.; Belmont-Moreno, E.; BenZvi, S. Y.; Berley, D.; Bonilla Rosales, M.; Braun, J.; Caballero-Lopez, R. A.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carramiñana, A.; Castillo, M.; Cotti, U.; Cotzomi, J.; de la Fuente, E.; De León, C.; DeYoung, T.; Diaz-Cruz, J.; Diaz Hernandez, R.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dingus, B. L.; DuVernois, M. A.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Fiorino, D. W.; Fraija, N.; Galindo, A.; Garfias, F.; González, M. M.; Goodman, J. A.; Grabski, V.; Gussert, M.; Hampel-Arias, Z.; Harding, J. P.; Hui, C. M.; Hüntemeyer, P.; Imran, A.; Iriarte, A.; Karn, P.; Kieda, D.; Kunde, G. J.; Lara, A.; Lauer, R. J.; Lee, W. H.; Lennarz, D.; León Vargas, H.; Linares, E. C.; Linnemann, J. T.; Longo Proper, M.; Luna-García, R.; Malone, K.; Marinelli, A.; Marinelli, S. S.; Martinez, O.; Martínez-Castro, J.; Martínez-Huerta, H.; Matthews, J. A. J.; McEnery, J.; Mendoza Torres, E.; Miranda-Romagnoli, P.; Moreno, E.; Mostafá, M.; Nellen, L.; Newbold, M.; Noriega-Papaqui, R.; Oceguera-Becerra, T.; Patricelli, B.; Pelayo, R.; Pérez-Pérez, E. G.; Pretz, J.; Rivière, C.; Rosa-González, D.; Ruiz-Velasco, E.; Ryan, J.; Salazar, H.; Salesa Greus, F.; Sanchez, F. E.; Sandoval, A.; Schneider, M.; Silich, S.; Sinnis, G.; Smith, A. J.; Sparks Woodle, K.; Springer, R. W.; Taboada, I.; Toale, P. A.; Tollefson, K.; Torres, I.; Ukwatta, T. N.; Villaseñor, L.; Weisgarber, T.; Westerhoff, S.; Wisher, I. G.; Wood, J.; Yapici, T.; Yodh, G. B.; Younk, P. W.; Zaborov, D.; Zepeda, A.; Zhou, H.

2018-04-01

The High Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory (HAWC) is an air shower array devised for TeV gamma-ray astronomy. HAWC is located at an altitude of 4100 m a.s.l. in Sierra Negra, Mexico. HAWC consists of 300 Water Cherenkov Detectors, each instrumented with 4 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). HAWC re-uses the Front-End Boards from the Milagro experiment to receive the PMT signals. These boards are used in combination with Time to Digital Converters (TDCs) to record the time and the amount of light in each PMT hit (light flash). A set of VME TDC modules (128 channels each) is operated in a continuous (dead time free) mode. The TDCs are read out via the VME bus by Single-Board Computers (SBCs), which in turn are connected to a gigabit Ethernet network. The complete system produces ≈500 MB/s of raw data. A high-throughput data processing system has been designed and built to enable real-time data analysis. The system relies on off-the-shelf hardware components, an open-source software technology for data transfers (ZeroMQ) and a custom software framework for data analysis (AERIE). Multiple trigger and reconstruction algorithms can be combined and run on blocks of data in a parallel fashion, producing a set of output data streams which can be analyzed in real time with minimal latency (<5 s). This paper provides an overview of the hardware set-up and an in-depth description of the software design, covering both the TDC data acquisition system and the real-time data processing system. The performance of these systems is also discussed.

The third level trigger and output event unit of the UA1 data-acquisition system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cittolin, S.; Demoulin, M.; Fucci, A.; Haynes, W.; Martin, B.; Porte, J. P.; Sphicas, P.

1989-12-01

The upgraded UA1 experiment utilizes twelve 3081/E emulators for its third-level trigger system. The system is interfaced to VME, and is controlled by 68000 microprocessor VME boards on the input and output. The output controller communicates with an IBM 9375 mainframe via the CERN-IBM developed VICI interface. The events selected by the emulators are output on IBM-3480 cassettes. The user interface to this system is based on a series of Macintosh personal computer connected to the VME bus. These Macs are also used for developing software for the emulators and for monitoring the entire system. The same configuration has also been used for offline event reconstruction. A description of the system, together with details of both the online and offline modes of operation and an eveluation of its performance are presented.

Access to CAMAC from VxWorks and UNIX in DART

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streets, J.; Meadows, J.; Moore, C.; Pordes, R.; Slimmer, D.; Vittone, M.; Stern, E.

1996-02-01

As part of the DART Project [Data acquisition for the next Generation Fermilab Fixed Target Experiments] we have developed a package of software for CAMAC access from UNIX and VxWorks platforms, with support for several hardware interfaces. We report on developments for the CES CBD8210 VME to parallel CAMAC, the Hytec VSD2992 VME to serial CAMAC and Jorway 411s SCSI to parallel and serial CAMAC branch drivers, and give a summary of the timings obtained.

System architecture of a gallium arsenide one-gigahertz digital IC tester

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fouts, Douglas J.; Johnson, John M.; Butner, Steven E.; Long, Stephen I.

1987-01-01

The design for a 1-GHz digital integrated circuit tester for the evaluation of custom GaAs chips and subsystems is discussed. Technology-related problems affecting the design of a GaAs computer are discussed, with emphasis on the problems introduced by long printed-circuit-board interconnect. High-speed interface modules provide a link between the low-speed microprocessor and the chip under test. Memory-multiplexer and memory-shift register architectures for the storage of test vectors are described in addition to an architecture for local data storage consisting of a long chain of GaAs shift registers. The tester is constructed around a VME system card cage and backplane, and very little high-speed interconnect exists between boards. The tester has a three part self-test consisting of a CPU board confidence test, a main memory confidence test, and a high-speed interface module functional test.

A UNIX SVR4-OS 9 distributed data acquisition for high energy physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drouhin, F.; Schwaller, B.; Fontaine, J. C.; Charles, F.; Pallares, A.; Huss, D.

1998-08-01

The distributed data acquisition (DAQ) system developed by the GRPHE (Groupe de Recherche en Physique des Hautes Energies) group is a combination of hardware and software dedicated to high energy physics. The system described here is used in the beam tests of the CMS tracker. The central processor of the system is a RISC CPU hosted in a VME card, running a POSIX compliant UNIX system. Specialized real-time OS9 VME cards perform the instrumentation control. The main data flow goes over a deterministic high speed network. The UNIX system manages a list of OS9 front-end systems with a synchronisation protocol running over a TCP/IP layer.

On-line data analysis and monitoring for H1 drift chambers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Düllmann, Dirk

1992-05-01

The on-line monitoring, slow control and calibration of the H1 central jet chamber uses a VME multiprocessor system to perform the analysis and a connected Macintosh computer as graphical interface to the operator on shift. Task of this system are: - analysis of event data including on-line track search, - on-line calibration from normal events and testpulse events, - control of the high voltage and monitoring of settings and currents, - monitoring of temperature, pressure and mixture of the chambergas. A program package is described which controls the dataflow between data aquisition, differnt VME CPUs and Macintosh. It allows to run off-line style programs for the different tasks.

Digital Intermediate Frequency Receiver Module For Use In Airborne Sar Applications

DOEpatents

Tise, Bertice L.; Dubbert, Dale F.

2005-03-08

A digital IF receiver (DRX) module directly compatible with advanced radar systems such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The DRX can combine a 1 G-Sample/sec 8-bit ADC with high-speed digital signal processor, such as high gate-count FPGA technology or ASICs to realize a wideband IF receiver. DSP operations implemented in the DRX can include quadrature demodulation and multi-rate, variable-bandwidth IF filtering. Pulse-to-pulse (Doppler domain) filtering can also be implemented in the form of a presummer (accumulator) and an azimuth prefilter. An out of band noise source can be employed to provide a dither signal to the ADC, and later be removed by digital signal processing. Both the range and Doppler domain filtering operations can be implemented using a unique pane architecture which allows on-the-fly selection of the filter decimation factor, and hence, the filter bandwidth. The DRX module can include a standard VME-64 interface for control, status, and programming. An interface can provide phase history data to the real-time image formation processors. A third front-panel data port (FPDP) interface can send wide bandwidth, raw phase histories to a real-time phase history recorder for ground processing.

A Unix SVR-4-OS9 distributed data acquisition for high energy physics

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

Drouhin, F.; Schwaller, B.; Fontaine, J.C.

1998-08-01

The distributed data acquisition (DAQ) system developed by the GRPHE (Groupe de Recherche en Physique des Hautes Energies) group is a combination of hardware and software dedicated to high energy physics. The system described here is used in the beam tests of the CMs tracker. The central processor of the system is a RISC CPU hosted in a VME card, running a POSIX compliant UNIX system. Specialized real-time OS9 VME cards perform the instrumentation control. The main data flow goes over a deterministic high speed network. The Unix system manages a list of OS9 front-end systems with a synchronization protocolmore » running over a TCP/IP layer.« less

Kernel Density Surface Modelling as a Means to Identify Significant Concentrations of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem Indicators

PubMed Central

Kenchington, Ellen; Murillo, Francisco Javier; Lirette, Camille; Sacau, Mar; Koen-Alonso, Mariano; Kenny, Andrew; Ollerhead, Neil; Wareham, Vonda; Beazley, Lindsay

2014-01-01

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105, concerning sustainable fisheries in the marine ecosystem, calls for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) from destructive fishing practices. Subsequently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produced guidelines for identification of VME indicator species/taxa to assist in the implementation of the resolution, but recommended the development of case-specific operational definitions for their application. We applied kernel density estimation (KDE) to research vessel trawl survey data from inside the fishing footprint of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area in the high seas of the northwest Atlantic to create biomass density surfaces for four VME indicator taxa: large-sized sponges, sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals. These VME indicator taxa were identified previously by NAFO using the fragility, life history characteristics and structural complexity criteria presented by FAO, along with an evaluation of their recovery trajectories. KDE, a non-parametric neighbour-based smoothing function, has been used previously in ecology to identify hotspots, that is, areas of relatively high biomass/abundance. We present a novel approach of examining relative changes in area under polygons created from encircling successive biomass categories on the KDE surface to identify “significant concentrations” of biomass, which we equate to VMEs. This allows identification of the VMEs from the broader distribution of the species in the study area. We provide independent assessments of the VMEs so identified using underwater images, benthic sampling with other gear types (dredges, cores), and/or published species distribution models of probability of occurrence, as available. For each VME indicator taxon we provide a brief review of their ecological function which will be important in future assessments of significant adverse impact on these habitats here and elsewhere. PMID:25289667

Kernel density surface modelling as a means to identify significant concentrations of vulnerable marine ecosystem indicators.

PubMed

Kenchington, Ellen; Murillo, Francisco Javier; Lirette, Camille; Sacau, Mar; Koen-Alonso, Mariano; Kenny, Andrew; Ollerhead, Neil; Wareham, Vonda; Beazley, Lindsay

2014-01-01

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105, concerning sustainable fisheries in the marine ecosystem, calls for the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) from destructive fishing practices. Subsequently, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produced guidelines for identification of VME indicator species/taxa to assist in the implementation of the resolution, but recommended the development of case-specific operational definitions for their application. We applied kernel density estimation (KDE) to research vessel trawl survey data from inside the fishing footprint of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area in the high seas of the northwest Atlantic to create biomass density surfaces for four VME indicator taxa: large-sized sponges, sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals. These VME indicator taxa were identified previously by NAFO using the fragility, life history characteristics and structural complexity criteria presented by FAO, along with an evaluation of their recovery trajectories. KDE, a non-parametric neighbour-based smoothing function, has been used previously in ecology to identify hotspots, that is, areas of relatively high biomass/abundance. We present a novel approach of examining relative changes in area under polygons created from encircling successive biomass categories on the KDE surface to identify "significant concentrations" of biomass, which we equate to VMEs. This allows identification of the VMEs from the broader distribution of the species in the study area. We provide independent assessments of the VMEs so identified using underwater images, benthic sampling with other gear types (dredges, cores), and/or published species distribution models of probability of occurrence, as available. For each VME indicator taxon we provide a brief review of their ecological function which will be important in future assessments of significant adverse impact on these habitats here and elsewhere.

Cost effective, high performance transient recorder systems, utilizing the latest ADC`s, S/H`s, memories and PLA`s; Final report, May 14, 1987--February 14, 1990

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

Joerger, F. A.

1990-02-01

This project was to develop five transient recorder modules of various speeds and features. Four of the modules; TR200, 200MHZ recorder; TR2/25, Dual 25MHZ recorder; TR1012, 10MHZ, 12 bit recorder, and the ADC3216, 32 channel, 16 bit recorder were developed in the international CAMAC standard. The fifth unit, VTR1, 25MHZ recorder was packaged in the VME standard. Three of the modules, Models TR200, TR2/25 and VTR1 are already in Phase 3. The ADC3216 has been prototyped and successfully evaluated by a number of customers. The last module, Model TR1012, has been completely designed and the artwork completed. This module willmore » undergo tests shortly. 4 figs.« less

A Survey of Recent MARTe Based Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neto, André C.; Alves, Diogo; Boncagni, Luca; Carvalho, Pedro J.; Valcarcel, Daniel F.; Barbalace, Antonio; De Tommasi, Gianmaria; Fernandes, Horácio; Sartori, Filippo; Vitale, Enzo; Vitelli, Riccardo; Zabeo, Luca

2011-08-01

The Multithreaded Application Real-Time executor (MARTe) is a data driven framework environment for the development and deployment of real-time control algorithms. The main ideas which led to the present version of the framework were to standardize the development of real-time control systems, while providing a set of strictly bounded standard interfaces to the outside world and also accommodating a collection of facilities which promote the speed and ease of development, commissioning and deployment of such systems. At the core of every MARTe based application, is a set of independent inter-communicating software blocks, named Generic Application Modules (GAM), orchestrated by a real-time scheduler. The platform independence of its core library provides MARTe the necessary robustness and flexibility for conveniently testing applications in different environments including non-real-time operating systems. MARTe is already being used in several machines, each with its own peculiarities regarding hardware interfacing, supervisory control configuration, operating system and target control application. This paper presents and compares the most recent results of systems using MARTe: the JET Vertical Stabilization system, which uses the Real Time Application Interface (RTAI) operating system on Intel multi-core processors; the COMPASS plasma control system, driven by Linux RT also on Intel multi-core processors; ISTTOK real-time tomography equilibrium reconstruction which shares the same support configuration of COMPASS; JET error field correction coils based on VME, PowerPC and VxWorks; FTU LH reflected power system running on VME, Intel with RTAI.

Parallel processor for real-time structural control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tise, Bert L.

1993-07-01

A parallel processor that is optimized for real-time linear control has been developed. This modular system consists of A/D modules, D/A modules, and floating-point processor modules. The scalable processor uses up to 1,000 Motorola DSP96002 floating-point processors for a peak computational rate of 60 GFLOPS. Sampling rates up to 625 kHz are supported by this analog-in to analog-out controller. The high processing rate and parallel architecture make this processor suitable for computing state-space equations and other multiply/accumulate-intensive digital filters. Processor features include 14-bit conversion devices, low input-to-output latency, 240 Mbyte/s synchronous backplane bus, low-skew clock distribution circuit, VME connection to host computer, parallelizing code generator, and look- up-tables for actuator linearization. This processor was designed primarily for experiments in structural control. The A/D modules sample sensors mounted on the structure and the floating- point processor modules compute the outputs using the programmed control equations. The outputs are sent through the D/A module to the power amps used to drive the structure's actuators. The host computer is a Sun workstation. An OpenWindows-based control panel is provided to facilitate data transfer to and from the processor, as well as to control the operating mode of the processor. A diagnostic mode is provided to allow stimulation of the structure and acquisition of the structural response via sensor inputs.

Development of a Production Ready Automated Wire Delivery System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The current development effort is a Phase 3 research study entitled "A Production Ready Automated Wire Delivery System", contract number NAS8-39933, awarded to Nichols Research Corporation (NRC). The goals of this research study were to production harden the existing Automated Wire Delivery (AWDS) motion and sensor hardware and test the modified AWDS in a range of welding applications. In addition, the prototype AWDS controller would be moved to the VME bus platform by designing, fabricating and testing a single board VME bus AWDS controller. This effort was to provide an AWDS that could transition from the laboratory environment to production operations. The project was performed in two development steps. Step 1 modified and tested an improved MWG. Step 2 developed and tested the AWDS single board VME bus controller. Step 3 installed the Wire Pilot in a Weld Controller with the imbedded VME bus controller.

The contaminant analysis automation robot implementation for the automated laboratory

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

Younkin, J.R.; Igou, R.E.; Urenda, T.D.

1995-12-31

The Contaminant Analysis Automation (CAA) project defines the automated laboratory as a series of standard laboratory modules (SLM) serviced by a robotic standard support module (SSM). These SLMs are designed to allow plug-and-play integration into automated systems that perform standard analysis methods (SAM). While the SLMs are autonomous in the execution of their particular chemical processing task, the SAM concept relies on a high-level task sequence controller (TSC) to coordinate the robotic delivery of materials requisite for SLM operations, initiate an SLM operation with the chemical method dependent operating parameters, and coordinate the robotic removal of materials from the SLMmore » when its commands and events has been established to allow ready them for transport operations as well as performing the Supervisor and Subsystems (GENISAS) software governs events from the SLMs and robot. The Intelligent System Operating Environment (ISOE) enables the inter-process communications used by GENISAS. CAA selected the Hewlett-Packard Optimized Robot for Chemical Analysis (ORCA) and its associated Windows based Methods Development Software (MDS) as the robot SSM. The MDS software is used to teach the robot each SLM position and required material port motions. To allow the TSC to command these SLM motions, a hardware and software implementation was required that allowed message passing between different operating systems. This implementation involved the use of a Virtual Memory Extended (VME) rack with a Force CPU-30 computer running VxWorks; a real-time multitasking operating system, and a Radiuses PC compatible VME computer running MDS. A GENISAS server on The Force computer accepts a transport command from the TSC, a GENISAS supervisor, over Ethernet and notifies software on the RadiSys PC of the pending command through VMEbus shared memory. The command is then delivered to the MDS robot control software using a Windows Dynamic Data Exchange conversation.« less

Real-time separation of multineuron recordings with a DSP32C signal processor.

PubMed

Gädicke, R; Albus, K

1995-04-01

We have developed a hardware and software package for real-time discrimination of multiple-unit activities recorded simultaneously from multiple microelectrodes using a VME-Bus system. Compared with other systems cited in literature or commercially available, our system has the following advantages. (1) Each electrode is served by its own preprocessor (DSP32C); (2) On-line spike discrimination is performed independently for each electrode. (3) The VME-bus allows processing of data received from 16 electrodes. The digitized (62.5 kHz) spike form is itself used as the model spike; the algorithm allows for comparing and sorting complete wave forms in real time into 8 different models per electrode.

DART -- Data acquisition for the next generation of Fermilab fixed target experiments

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

Oleynik, G.; Anderson, J.; Appleton, L.

1994-02-01

DART is the name of the data acquisition effort for Fermilab experiments taking data in the '94--'95 time frame and beyond. Its charge is to provide a common system of hardware and software, which can be easily configured and extended to meet the wide range of data acquisition requirements of the experiments. Its strategy is to provide incrementally functional data acquisition systems to the experiments at frequent intervals to support the ongoing DA activities of the experiments. DART is a collaborative development effort between the experimenters and the Fermilab Computing Division. Experiments collaborating in DART cover a range of requirementsmore » from 400 Kbytes/sec event readout using a single DA processor, to 200 Mbytes/sec event readout involving 10 parallel readout streams, 10 VME event building planes and greater than 1,000 MIPs of event filter processing. The authors describe the requirements, architecture, and plans for the project and report on its current status.« less

Speckle interferometry. Data acquisition and control for the SPID instrument.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altarac, S.; Tallon, M.; Thiebaut, E.; Foy, R.

1998-08-01

SPID (SPeckle Imaging by Deconvolution) is a new speckle camera currently under construction at CRAL-Observatoire de Lyon. Its high spectral resolution and high image restoration capabilities open new astrophysical programs. The instrument SPID is composed of four main optical modules which are fully automated and computer controlled by a software written in Tcl/Tk/Tix and C. This software provides an intelligent assistance to the user by choosing observational parameters as a function of atmospheric parameters, computed in real time, and the desired restored image quality. Data acquisition is made by a photon-counting detector (CP40). A VME-based computer under OS9 controls the detector and stocks the data. The intelligent system runs under Linux on a PC. A slave PC under DOS commands the motors. These 3 computers communicate through an Ethernet network. SPID can be considered as a precursor for VLT's (Very Large Telescope, four 8-meter telescopes currently built in Chile by European Southern Observatory) very high spatial resolution camera.

NAS (Host/ARTS) IIIA to VME Modem Interface ATC Interface Hardware Manual

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-10-01

This document is reference material for personnel using the National Airspace : System (NAS) (HOST or ARTS IIIA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) Interface Subsystem. : It was originally developed to be part of the Data Link Test and Analysis System : (DATA...

Onboard spectral imager data processor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otten, Leonard J.; Meigs, Andrew D.; Franklin, Abraham J.; Sears, Robert D.; Robison, Mark W.; Rafert, J. Bruce; Fronterhouse, Donald C.; Grotbeck, Ronald L.

1999-10-01

Previous papers have described the concept behind the MightySat II.1 program, the satellite's Fourier Transform imaging spectrometer's optical design, the design for the spectral imaging payload, and its initial qualification testing. This paper discusses the on board data processing designed to reduce the amount of downloaded data by an order of magnitude and provide a demonstration of a smart spaceborne spectral imaging sensor. Two custom components, a spectral imager interface 6U VME card that moves data at over 30 MByte/sec, and four TI C-40 processors mounted to a second 6U VME and daughter card, are used to adapt the sensor to the spacecraft and provide the necessary high speed processing. A system architecture that offers both on board real time image processing and high-speed post data collection analysis of the spectral data has been developed. In addition to the on board processing of the raw data into a usable spectral data volume, one feature extraction technique has been incorporated. This algorithm operates on the basic interferometric data. The algorithm is integrated within the data compression process to search for uploadable feature descriptions.

Signal-Conditioning Amplifier Recorders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medelius, Pedro J.; Taylor, John

2003-01-01

Signal-conditioning amplifier recorders (SCAmpRs) have been proposed as a means of simplifying and upgrading the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Ground Measurement System (GMS), which is a versatile data-acquisition system that gathers and records a variety of measurement data before and during the launch of a space shuttle. In the present version of the GMS system, signal conditioning amplifiers digitize and transmit data to a VME chassis that multiplexes up to 416 channels. The data is transmitted via a high-speed data bus to a second VME chassis where it is available for snapshots. The data is passed from the second VME chassis to a high-speed data recorder. This process is duplicated for installations at two launch pads and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Since any failure of equipment in the data path results in loss of data, much of the system is redundant. The architecture of the existing GMS limits expansion or any modification to the system to meet changing requirements because of the cost and time required. A SCAmpR-based system is much more flexible. The basis of the simplification, flexibility, and reliability is the shifting of the recording function to the individual amplifier channels. Each SCAmpR is a self-contained single channel data acquisition system, which in its current implementation, has a data storage capacity of up to 30 minutes when operating at the fastest data sampling rates. The SCAmpR channels are self-configuring and self-calibrating. Multiple SCAmpR channels are ganged on printed circuit boards and mounted in a chassis that provides power, a network hub, and Inter-Range Instrument Group (IRIG) time signals. The SCAmpR channels share nothing except physical mounting on a circuit board. All circuitry is electrically separate for each channel. All that is necessary to complete the data acquisition system is a single master computer tied to the SCAmpR channels by standard network equipment. The size of the data acquisition system dictates the requirements for the specific network equipment.

Physical versus Virtual Manipulative Experimentation in Physics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Olympiou, Georgios

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical or virtual manipulative experimentation can differentiate physics learning. There were four experimental conditions, namely Physical Manipulative Experimentation (PME), Virtual Manipulative Experimentation (VME), and two sequential combinations of PME and VME, as well as a control condition…

Parallel processor for real-time structural control

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

Tise, B.L.

1992-01-01

A parallel processor that is optimized for real-time linear control has been developed. This modular system consists of A/D modules, D/A modules, and floating-point processor modules. The scalable processor uses up to 1,000 Motorola DSP96002 floating-point processors for a peak computational rate of 60 GFLOPS. Sampling rates up to 625 kHz are supported by this analog-in to analog-out controller. The high processing rate and parallel architecture make this processor suitable for computing state-space equations and other multiply/accumulate-intensive digital filters. Processor features include 14-bit conversion devices, low input-output latency, 240 Mbyte/s synchronous backplane bus, low-skew clock distribution circuit, VME connection tomore » host computer, parallelizing code generator, and look-up-tables for actuator linearization. This processor was designed primarily for experiments in structural control. The A/D modules sample sensors mounted on the structure and the floating-point processor modules compute the outputs using the programmed control equations. The outputs are sent through the D/A module to the power amps used to drive the structure's actuators. The host computer is a Sun workstation. An Open Windows-based control panel is provided to facilitate data transfer to and from the processor, as well as to control the operating mode of the processor. A diagnostic mode is provided to allow stimulation of the structure and acquisition of the structural response via sensor inputs.« less

A 128-channel Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) inside a Virtex-5 FPGA on the GANDALF module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büchele, M.; Fischer, H.; Gorzellik, M.; Herrmann, F.; Königsmann, K.; Schill, C.; Schopferer, S.

2012-03-01

The GANDALF 6U-VME64x/VXS module has been developed for the digitization and real time analysis of detector signals. To perform different applications such as analog-to-digital or time-to-digital conversions, coincidence matrix formation, fast pattern recognition and trigger generation, this module comes with exchangeable analog and digital mezzanine cards. Based on this platform, we present a 128-channel TDC which is implemented in a single Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA using a shifted clock sampling method. In contrast to common TDC concepts, the input signal is sampled by 16 equidistant phase-shifted clocks. A particular challenge of the design is the minimum skew routing of the input signals to the sampling flip-flops. We present measurement results for the differential nonlinearity and the time resolution of the TDC readout system.

MIL-STD-1553 dynamic bus controller/remote terminal hybrid set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, S. N.

This paper describes the performance, physical and electrical requirements of a Dual Redundant BUS Interface Unit (BIU) acting as a BUS Controller Interface Unit (BCIU) or Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) between a Motorola 68000 VME BUS and MIL-STD-1553B Multiplex Data Bus. A discussion of how the BIU Hybrid set is programmed, and operates as a BCIU or RTU, will be included. This paper will review Dynamic Bus Control and other Mode Code capabilities. The BIU Hybrid Set interfaces to a 68000 Microprocessor with a VME Bus using programmed I/O transfers. This special interface will be discussed along with the internal Dual Access Memory (4K x 16) used to support the data exchanges between the CPU and the BIU Hybrid Set. The hybrid set's physical size and power requirements will be covered. This includes the present Double Eurocard the BIU function is presently being offered on.

Implementation of a level 1 trigger system using high speed serial (VXS) techniques for the 12GeV high luminosity experimental programs at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

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

C. Cuevas, B. Raydo, H. Dong, A. Gupta, F.J. Barbosa, J. Wilson, W.M. Taylor, E. Jastrzembski, D. Abbott

We will demonstrate a hardware and firmware solution for a complete fully pipelined multi-crate trigger system that takes advantage of the elegant high speed VXS serial extensions for VME. This trigger system includes three sections starting with the front end crate trigger processor (CTP), a global Sub-System Processor (SSP) and a Trigger Supervisor that manages the timing, synchronization and front end event readout. Within a front end crate, trigger information is gathered from each 16 Channel, 12 bit Flash ADC module at 4 nS intervals via the VXS backplane, to a Crate Trigger Processor (CTP). Each Crate Trigger Processor receivesmore » these 500 MB/S VXS links from the 16 FADC-250 modules, aligns skewed data inherent of Aurora protocol, and performs real time crate level trigger algorithms. The algorithm results are encoded using a Reed-Solomon technique and transmission of this Level 1 trigger data is sent to the SSP using a multi-fiber link. The multi-fiber link achieves an aggregate trigger data transfer rate to the global trigger at 8 Gb/s. The SSP receives and decodes Reed-Solomon error correcting transmission from each crate, aligns the data, and performs the global level trigger algorithms. The entire trigger system is synchronous and operates at 250 MHz with the Trigger Supervisor managing not only the front end event readout, but also the distribution of the critical timing clocks, synchronization signals, and the global trigger signals to each front end readout crate. These signals are distributed to the front end crates on a separate fiber link and each crate is synchronized using a unique encoding scheme to guarantee that each front end crate is synchronous with a fixed latency, independent of the distance between each crate. The overall trigger signal latency is <3 uS, and the proposed 12GeV experiments at Jefferson Lab require up to 200KHz Level 1 trigger rate.« less

Developing Spatial Management Options for the Protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems in the South Pacific Ocean Region.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowden, A. A.; Lundquist, C. J.; Clark, M. R.; Anderson, O. F.; Guinotte, J. M.; Baird, S. J.; Roux, M. J.; Wadhwa, S.

2016-02-01

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention includes specific provisions to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). The SPRFMO Commission has determined that the interim measures put in place to protect VMEs would be replaced by an improved system of fishable and closed areas. These closures would effectively represent a preliminary spatial management plan, whereby conservation and management measures are implemented that will result in sustainable fisheries and benthic protection. We used the conservation planning tool Zonation to develop spatial management options that balance the protection of VMEs with utilisation of high value areas for fishing. Input data included habitat suitability maps, and uncertainties associated with these model predictions, for eleven VME indicator taxa (4 Scleractinian coral species; 3 other cnidarian groups (Family Stylasteridae, Order Antipatharia, Order Pennatulacea; 2 classes of sponges (Demospongiae, Hexactinellidae), and 2 echninoderm groups (Crinoidea and Brisingida)) at bathyal depths across the entire SPRFMO area (divided into 1 km2 grid cells); New Zealand fishing catch data (for two different time periods and trawl types); naturalness (represented by proxy variable using the number of trawl tows); and a bioregionalisation scheme. Running various scenario models for spatial planning allowed for the cost to fishing to be determined, in terms of the amount of the trawl catch footprint lost if high priority areas for VME indicator taxa are protected. Generally, the cost to fishing was low given the relatively high proportion of suitable habitat for VME indicator taxa protected. The main outcome of the present study is a demonstration of the practical utility of using available data, including modelled data, and the Zonation conservation planning software tool to develop options for the spatial management of the SPRFMO area.

The Quantum Dynamics of Chemical Reactions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-31

of the potential formed by taking a cut perpendicular to the minimum energy path (in Delves coordinates) V (s) = VmeP(s) + Ev(S) (5) ve sn where s is...current density and profiles of the component of jo normal to various straight-line cuts along the streamline field, for the H + H2(0) - H 2 + H...In order to visualize the nature of this topology, we display in Fig. 31 cuts of the equipotentials of V by the XZ. (y. - 0, x) and Y.Z, (’. - n/2, -x

Andic soil features and debris flows in Italy. New perspective towards prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scognamiglio, Solange; Calcaterra, Domenico; Iamarino, Michela; Langella, Giuliano; Orefice, Nadia; Vingiani, Simona; Terribile, Fabio

2016-04-01

Debris flows are dangerous hazards causing fatalities and damage. Previous works have demonstrated that the materials involved by debris flows in Campania (southern Italy) are soils classified as Andosols. These soils have peculiar chemical and physical properties which make them fertile but also vulnerable to landslide. In Italy, andic soil properties are found both in volcanic and non-volcanic mountain ecosystems (VME and NVME). Here, we focused on the assessment of the main chemical and physical properties of the soils in the detachment areas of eight debris flows occurred in NVME of Italy in the last 70 years. Such landslides were selected by consulting the official Italian geodatabase (IFFI Project). Andic properties (by means of ammonium oxalate extractable Fe, Si and Al forms for the calculation of Alo+1/2Feo) were also evaluated and a comparison with soils of VME was performed to assess possible common features. Landslide source areas were characterised by slope gradient ranging from 25° to 50° and lithological heterogeneity of the bedrock. The soils showed similar, i.e. all were very deep, had a moderately thick topsoil with a high organic carbon (OC) content decreasing regularly with depth. The cation exchange capacity trend was generally consistent with the OC and the pH varied from extremely to slightly acid, but increased with depth. Furthermore, the soils had high water retention values both at saturation (0.63 to 0.78 cm3 cm-3) and in the dryer part of the water retention curve, and displayed a prevalent loamy texture. Such properties denote the chemical and physical fertility of the investigated ecosystems. The values of Alo+1/2Feoindicated that the soils had vitric or andic features and can be classified as Andosols. The comparison between NVME soils and those of VME showed similar depth, thickness of soil horizons, and family texture, whereas soil pH, degree of development of andic properties and allophane content were higher for VME soils. Such results are consistent with the different soil environments; indeed, in VME a continuous soil enrichment of weatherable volcanic glass affects both soil pH and formation of short range order clay minerals. In conclusion, the direct relationship between debris flows and Andosols, previously found in the Campania VME, is confirmed in some NVME. These findings highlight the similarity of the materials involved by debris flows both in VME and NVME and suggest the existence of a pedological control on debris flow initiation. Furthermore, these results encourage a further extension of soil studies to other European mountain ecosystems. The evidence that andic soils may play a crucial role in debris flows initiation in Italy enables to develop a new strategy for debris flows forecasting. For the case of Sarno 1998 landslides, we provide an example of innovative approach exploring the results obtained by combining the spatial distribution of these andic soils with "on the fly" simulation modelling of the soil water balance, using real time weather forecasting data. The obtained results enable to develop promising Geospatial Decision Support Systems to improve our ability to predict debris flows on soil-covered slopes.

VME rollback hardware for time warp multiprocessor systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robb, Michael J.; Buzzell, Calvin A.

1992-01-01

The purpose of the research effort is to develop and demonstrate innovative hardware to implement specific rollback and timing functions required for efficient queue management and precision timekeeping in multiprocessor discrete event simulations. The previously completed phase 1 effort demonstrated the technical feasibility of building hardware modules which eliminate the state saving overhead of the Time Warp paradigm used in distributed simulations on multiprocessor systems. The current phase 2 effort will build multiple pre-production rollback hardware modules integrated with a network of Sun workstations, and the integrated system will be tested by executing a Time Warp simulation. The rollback hardware will be designed to interface with the greatest number of multiprocessor systems possible. The authors believe that the rollback hardware will provide for significant speedup of large scale discrete event simulation problems and allow multiprocessors using Time Warp to dramatically increase performance.

Adaptive Signal Processing Testbed: VME-based DSP board market survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingram, Rick E.

1992-04-01

The Adaptive Signal Processing Testbed (ASPT) is a real-time multiprocessor system utilizing digital signal processor technology on VMEbus based printed circuit boards installed on a Sun workstation. The ASPT has specific requirements, particularly as regards to the signal excision application, with respect to interfacing with current and planned data generation equipment, processing of the data, storage to disk of final and intermediate results, and the development tools for applications development and integration into the overall EW/COM computing environment. A prototype ASPT was implemented using three VME-C-30 boards from Applied Silicon. Experience gained during the prototype development led to the conclusions that interprocessor communications capability is the most significant contributor to overall ASPT performance. In addition, the host involvement should be minimized. Boards using different processors were evaluated with respect to the ASPT system requirements, pricing, and availability. Specific recommendations based on various priorities are made as well as recommendations concerning the integration and interaction of various tools developed during the prototype implementation.

Event-synchronized data acquisition system for the SPring-8 linac beam position monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masuda, T.; Fukui, T.; Tanaka, R.; Taniuchi, T.; Yamashita, A.; Yanagida, K.

2005-05-01

By the summer of 2003, we had completed the installation of a new non-destructive beam position monitor (BPM) system to facilitate beam trajectory and energy correction for the SPring-8 linac. In all, 47 BPM sets were installed on the 1-GeV linac and three beam-transport lines. All of the BPM data acquisition system was required to operate synchronously with the electron beam acceleration cycle. We have developed an event-synchronized data acquisition system for the BPM data readout. We have succeeded in continuously taking all the BPMs data from six VME computers synchronized with the 10 pps operation of the linac to continuously acquire data. For each beam shot, the data points are indexed by event number and stored in a database. Using the real-time features of the Solaris operating system and distributed database technology, we currently have achieved about 99.9% efficiency in capturing and archiving all of the 10 Hz data. The linac BPM data is available for off-line analysis of the beam trajectory, but also for real-time control and automatic correction of the beam trajectory and energy.

A Versatile Image Processor For Digital Diagnostic Imaging And Its Application In Computed Radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blume, H.; Alexandru, R.; Applegate, R.; Giordano, T.; Kamiya, K.; Kresina, R.

1986-06-01

In a digital diagnostic imaging department, the majority of operations for handling and processing of images can be grouped into a small set of basic operations, such as image data buffering and storage, image processing and analysis, image display, image data transmission and image data compression. These operations occur in almost all nodes of the diagnostic imaging communications network of the department. An image processor architecture was developed in which each of these functions has been mapped into hardware and software modules. The modular approach has advantages in terms of economics, service, expandability and upgradeability. The architectural design is based on the principles of hierarchical functionality, distributed and parallel processing and aims at real time response. Parallel processing and real time response is facilitated in part by a dual bus system: a VME control bus and a high speed image data bus, consisting of 8 independent parallel 16-bit busses, capable of handling combined up to 144 MBytes/sec. The presented image processor is versatile enough to meet the video rate processing needs of digital subtraction angiography, the large pixel matrix processing requirements of static projection radiography, or the broad range of manipulation and display needs of a multi-modality diagnostic work station. Several hardware modules are described in detail. For illustrating the capabilities of the image processor, processed 2000 x 2000 pixel computed radiographs are shown and estimated computation times for executing the processing opera-tions are presented.

Collaborative Software Development Approach Used to Deliver the New Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirby, Randy L.; Mann, David; Prenger, Stephen G.; Craig, Wayne; Greenwood, Andrew; Morsics, Jonathan; Fricker, Charles H.; Quach, Son; Lechese, Paul

2003-01-01

United Space Alliance (USA) developed and used a new software development method to meet technical, schedule, and budget challenges faced during the development and delivery of the new Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station at Kennedy Space Center. This method, called Collaborative Software Development, enabled KSC to effectively leverage industrial software and build additional capabilities to meet shuttle system and operational requirements. Application of this method resulted in reduced time to market, reduced development cost, improved product quality, and improved programmer competence while developing technologies of benefit to a small company in California (AP Labs Inc.). Many modifications were made to the baseline software product (VMEwindow), which improved its quality and functionality. In addition, six new software capabilities were developed, which are the subject of this article and add useful functionality to the VMEwindow environment. These new software programs are written in C or VXWorks and are used in conjunction with other ground station software packages, such as VMEwindow, Matlab, Dataviews, and PVWave. The Space Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station receives frequency-modulation (FM) and pulse-code-modulated (PCM) signals from the shuttle and support equipment. The hardware architecture (see figure) includes Sun workstations connected to multiple PCM- and FM-processing VersaModule Eurocard (VME) chassis. A reflective memory network transports raw data from PCM Processors (PCMPs) to the programmable digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, strip chart recorders, and analysis and controller workstations.

Access to CAMAC from VxWorks and UNIX in DART

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

Streets, J.; Meadows, J.; Moore, C.

1995-05-01

As part of the DART Project the authors have developed a package of software for CAMAC access from UNIX and VxWorks platforms, with support for several hardware interfaces. They report on developments for the CES CBD8210 VME to parallel CAMAC, the Hytec VSD2992 VME to serial CAMAC and Jorway 411S SCSI to parallel and serial CAMAC branch drivers, and give a summary of the timings obtained.

Electronics for a prototype variable field of view PET camera using the PMT-quadrant-sharing detector array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, H.; Wong, Wai-Hoi; Zhang, N.; Wang, J.; Uribe, J.; Baghaei, H.; Yokoyama, S.

1999-06-01

Electronics for a prototype high-resolution PET camera with eight position-sensitive detector modules has been developed. Each module has 16 BGO (Bi/sub 4/Ge/sub 3/O/sub 12/) blocks (each block is composed of 49 crystals). The design goals are component and space reduction. The electronics is composed of five parts: front-end analog processing, digital position decoding, fast timing, coincidence processing and master data acquisition. The front-end analog circuit is a zone-based structure (each zone has 3/spl times/3 PMTs). Nine ADCs digitize integration signals of an active zone identified by eight trigger clusters; each cluster is composed of six photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). A trigger corresponding to a gamma ray is sent to a fast timing board to obtain a time-mark, and the nine digitized signals are passed to the position decoding board, where a real block (four PMTs) can be picked out from the zone for position decoding. Lookup tables are used for energy discrimination and to identify the gamma-hit crystal location. The coincidence board opens a 70-ns initial timing window, followed by two 20-ns true/accidental time-mark lookup table windows. The data output from the coincidence board can be acquired either in sinogram mode or in list mode with a Motorola/IRONICS VME-based system.

Design of a Channel Error Simulator using Virtual Instrument Techniques for the Initial Testing of TCP/IP and SCPS Protocols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horan, Stephen; Wang, Ru-Hai

1999-01-01

There exists a need for designers and developers to have a method to conveniently test a variety of communications parameters for an overall system design. This is no different when testing network protocols as when testing modulation formats. In this report, we discuss a means of providing a networking test device specifically designed to be used for space communications. This test device is a PC-based Virtual Instrument (VI) programmed using the LabVIEW(TM) version 5 software suite developed by National Instruments(TM)TM. This instrument was designed to be portable and usable by others without special, additional equipment. The programming was designed to replicate a VME-based hardware module developed earlier at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and to provide expanded capabilities exceeding the baseline configuration existing in that module. This report describes the design goals for the VI module in the next section and follows that with a description of the design of the VI instrument. This is followed with a description of the validation tests run on the VI. An application of the error-generating VI to networking protocols is then given.

RASSP signal processing architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirley, Fred; Bassett, Bob; Letellier, J. P.

1995-06-01

The rapid prototyping of application specific signal processors (RASSP) program is an ARPA/tri-service effort to dramatically improve the process by which complex digital systems, particularly embedded signal processors, are specified, designed, documented, manufactured, and supported. The domain of embedded signal processing was chosen because it is important to a variety of military and commercial applications as well as for the challenge it presents in terms of complexity and performance demands. The principal effort is being performed by two major contractors, Lockheed Sanders (Nashua, NH) and Martin Marietta (Camden, NJ). For both, improvements in methodology are to be exercised and refined through the performance of individual 'Demonstration' efforts. The Lockheed Sanders' Demonstration effort is to develop an infrared search and track (IRST) processor. In addition, both contractors' results are being measured by a series of externally administered (by Lincoln Labs) six-month Benchmark programs that measure process improvement as a function of time. The first two Benchmark programs are designing and implementing a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processor. Our demonstration team is using commercially available VME modules from Mercury Computer to assemble a multiprocessor system scalable from one to hundreds of Intel i860 microprocessors. Custom modules for the sensor interface and display driver are also being developed. This system implements either proprietary or Navy owned algorithms to perform the compute-intensive IRST function in real time in an avionics environment. Our Benchmark team is designing custom modules using commercially available processor ship sets, communication submodules, and reconfigurable logic devices. One of the modules contains multiple vector processors optimized for fast Fourier transform processing. Another module is a fiberoptic interface that accepts high-rate input data from the sensors and provides video-rate output data to a display. This paper discusses the impact of simulation on choosing signal processing algorithms and architectures, drawing from the experiences of the Demonstration and Benchmark inter-company teams at Lockhhed Sanders, Motorola, Hughes, and ISX.

Data Telemetry and Acquisition System for Acoustic Signal Processing Investigations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-20

were VME- based computer systems operating under the VxWorks real - time operating system . Each system shared a common hardware and software... real - time operating system . It interfaces to the Berg PCM Decommutator board, which searches for the embedded synchronization word in the data and re...software were built on top of this architecture. The multi-tasking, message queue and memory management facilities of the VxWorks real - time operating system are

Study of run time errors of the ATLAS pixel detector in the 2012 data taking period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gandrajula, Reddy Pratap

The high resolution silicon Pixel detector is critical in event vertex reconstruction and in particle track reconstruction in the ATLAS detector. During the pixel data taking operation, some modules (Silicon Pixel sensor +Front End Chip+ Module Control Chip (MCC)) go to an auto-disable state, where the Modules don't send the data for storage. Modules become operational again after reconfiguration. The source of the problem is not fully understood. One possible source of the problem is traced to the occurrence of single event upset (SEU) in the MCC. Such a module goes to either a Timeout or Busy state. This report is the study of different types and rates of errors occurring in the Pixel data taking operation. Also, the study includes the error rate dependency on Pixel detector geometry.

Investigation on molecular interactions of binary mixtures of isobutanol with 1-alkanols (C1 - C6) at different temperatures. Application of the Peng-Robinson-Stryjek-Vera (PSRV) equation of state (EOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanlarzadeh, K.; Iloukhani, H.; Soleimani, M.

2017-07-01

Densities were measured for binary mixtures of isobutanol with 1-alkanols, namely: methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol and 1-hexanol at the temperatures of (288.15, 298.15 and 308.15) K and ambient pressure. Excess molar volumes, VmE , thermal expansion coefficients α, excess thermal expansion coefficients αE, and isothermal coefficients of pressure excess molar enthalpy, (∂HmE / ∂ P) T , x , were derived from the experimental data and the computed results were fitted to the Redlich-Kister equation. The Peng-Robinson-Stryjek-Vera (PRSV) equation of state was applied, in combination with simple mixing rules to predict the excess molar volume. The VmE results were positive for the mixtures of isobutanol with methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, and negative for isobutanol with 1-pentanol and 1-hexanol over the whole composition range. The results showed very small deviations from the behavior of ideal solutions in these mixtures and were analyzed to discuss the nature and strength of intermolecular interactions.

The Data Acquisition System for the AAO 2-Degree Field Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shortridge, K.; Farrell, T. J.; Bailey, J. A.

1993-01-01

The software system being produced by AAO to control the new 2-degree field fibre positioner and spectrographs is described. The system has to mesh cleanly with the ADAM systems used at AAO for CCD data acquisition, and has to run on a network of disparate machines including VMS Vaxes, UNIX workstations, and VME systems running VxWorks. The basis of the new system is a task control layer that operates by sending self-defining hierarchically-structured and machine-independent messages.

A 16 channel discriminator VME board with enhanced triggering capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borsato, E.; Garfagnini, A.; Menon, G.

2012-08-01

Electronics and data acquisition systems used in small and large scale laboratories often have to handle analog signals with varying polarity, amplitude and duration which have to be digitized to be used as trigger signals to validate the acquired data. In the specific case of experiments dealing with ionizing radiation, ancillary particle detectors (for instance plastic scintillators or Resistive Plate Chambers) are used to trigger and select the impinging particles for the experiment. A novel approach using commercial LVDS line receivers as discriminator devices is presented. Such devices, with a proper calibration, can handle positive and negative analog signals in a wide dynamic range (from 20 mV to 800 mV signal amplitude). The clear advantages, with respect to conventional discriminator devices, are reduced costs, high reliability of a mature technology and the possibility of high integration scale. Moreover, commercial discriminator boards with positive input signal and a wide threshold swing are not available on the market. The present paper describes the design and characterization of a VME board capable to handle 16 differential or single-ended input channels. The output digital signals, available independently for each input, can be combined in the board into three independent trigger logic units which provide additional outputs for the end user.

A Front-End electronics board for single photo-electron timing and charge from MaPMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, F.; Breton, D.; Beigbeder, C.; De Robertis, G.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Liuzzi, R.; Loparco, F.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Rizzi, V.; Tocut, V.

2013-08-01

A Front-End (FE) design based on commercial operational amplifiers has been developed to read-out signals from a Multianode PhotoMultiplier Tube (MaPMT). The overall design has been optimised for single photo-electron signal from the Hamamatsu H8500. The signal is collected by a current sensitive preamplifier and then it is fed into both a ECL fast discriminator and a shaper for analog output readout in differential mode. The analog signal and the digital gates are then registered on VME ADC and TDC modules respectively. Performances in terms of linearity, gain and timing resolution will be discussed, presenting results obtained on a test bench with differentiated step voltage inputs and also with a prototype electronic board plugged into the H8500 PMT illuminated by a picosecond laser.

DOC II 32-bit digital optical computer: optoelectronic hardware and software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, Richard V.; Zeise, Frederick F.; Guilfoyle, Peter S.

1991-12-01

This paper describes current electronic hardware subsystems and software code which support OptiComp's 32-bit general purpose digital optical computer (DOC II). The reader is referred to earlier papers presented in this section for a thorough discussion of theory and application regarding DOC II. The primary optoelectronic subsystems include the drive electronics for the multichannel acousto-optic modulators, the avalanche photodiode amplifier, as well as threshold circuitry, and the memory subsystems. This device utilizes a single optical Boolean vector matrix multiplier and its VME based host controller interface in performing various higher level primitives. OptiComp Corporation wishes to acknowledge the financial support of the Office of Naval Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Rome Air Development Center, and the Strategic Defense Initiative Office for the funding of this program under contracts N00014-87-C-0077, N00014-89-C-0266 and N00014-89-C- 0225.

Using Python Packages in 6D (Py)Ferret: EOF Analysis, OPeNDAP Sequence Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, K. M.; Manke, A.; Hankin, S. C.

2012-12-01

PyFerret was designed to provide the easy methods of access, analysis, and display of data found in the Ferret under the simple yet powerful Python scripting/programming language. This has enabled PyFerret to take advantage of a large and expanding collection of third-party scientific Python modules. Furthermore, ensemble and forecast axes have been added to Ferret and PyFerret for creating and working with collections of related data in Ferret's delayed-evaluation and minimal-data-access mode of operation. These axes simplify processing and visualization of these collections of related data. As one example, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis Python module was developed, taking advantage of the linear algebra module and other standard functionality in NumPy for efficient numerical array processing. This EOF analysis module is used in a Ferret function to provide an ensemble of levels of data explained by each EOF and Time Amplitude Function (TAF) product. Another example makes use of the PyDAP Python module to provide OPeNDAP sequence data for use in Ferret with minimal data access characteristic of Ferret.

Design of the Trigger Interface and Distribution Board for CEBAF 12 GeV Upgrade

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

Gu, Jianhui; Dong, Hai; Cuevas, R

The design of the Trigger Interface and Distribution (TID) board for the 12 GeV Upgrade at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at TJNAL is described. The TID board distributes a low jitter system clock, synchronized trigger, and synchronized multi-purpose SYNC signal. The TID also initiates data acquisition for the crate. With the TID boards, a multi-crate system can be setup for experiment test and commissioning. The TID board can be selectively populated as a Trigger Interface (TI) board, or a Trigger Distribution (TD) board for the 12 GeV upgrade experiments. When the TID is populated as a TI,more » it can be located in the VXS crate and distribute the CLOCK/TRIGGER/SYNC through the VXS P0 connector; it can also be located in the standard VME64 crate, and distribute the CLOCK/TRIGGER/SYNC through the VME P2 connector or front panel. It initiates the data acquisition for the front crate where the TI is positioned in. When the TID is populated as a TD, it fans out the CLOCK/TRIGGER/SYNC from trigger supervisor to the front end crates through optical fibres. The TD monitors the trigger processing on the TIs, and gives feedback to the TS for trigger flow control. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is utilised on TID board to provide programmability. The TID boards were intensively tested on the bench, and various setups.« less

The AD and ELENA orbit, trajectory and intensity measurement systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marco-Hernández, R.; Alves, D.; Angoletta, M. E.; Marqversen, O.; Molendijk, J.; Oponowicz, E.; Ruffieux, R.; Sánchez-Quesada, J.; SØby, L.

2017-07-01

This paper describes the new Antiproton Decelerator (AD) orbit measurement system and the Extra Low ENergy Antiproton ring (ELENA) orbit, trajectory and intensity measurement system. The AD machine at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is presently being used to decelerate antiprotons from 3.57 GeV/c to 100 MeV/c for matter vs anti-matter comparative studies. The ELENA machine, presently under commissioning, has been designed to provide an extra deceleration stage down to 13.7 MeV/c. The AD orbit system is based on 32 horizontal and 27 vertical electrostatic Beam Position Monitor (BPM) fitted with existing low noise front-end amplifiers while the ELENA system consists of 24 \\gls{BPM}s equipped with new low-noise head amplifiers. In both systems the front-end amplifiers generate a difference (delta) and a sum (sigma) signal which are sent to the digital acquisition system, placed tens of meters away from the AD or ELENA rings, where they are digitized and further processed. The beam position is calculated by dividing the difference signal by the sum signal either using directly the raw digitized data for measuring the turn-by-turn trajectory in the ELENA system or after down-mixing the signals to baseband for the orbit measurement in both machines. The digitized sigma signal will be used in the ELENA system to calculate the bunched beam intensity and the Schottky parameters with coasting beam after passing through different signal processing chain. The digital acquisition arrangement for both systems is based on the same hardware, also used in the ELENA Low Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) system, which follows the VME Switched Serial (VXS) enhancement of the Versa Module Eurocard 64x extension (VME64x) standard and includes VITA 57 standard Field Programmable Gate Array Mezzanine Card (FMC). The digital acquisition Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) firmware shares many common functionalities with the LLRF system but has been tailored for this measurement application in particular. Specific control and acquisition software has been developed for these systems. Both systems are installed in AD and ELENA. The AD orbit system currently measures the orbit in AD while the ELENA system is being used in the commissioning of the ELENA ring.

Control system for 5 MW neutral beam ion source for SST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, G. B.; Onali, Raja; Sharma, Vivek; Suresh, S.; Tripathi, V.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Singh, N. P.; Thakkar, Dipal; Gupta, L. N.; Singh, M. J.; Patel, P. J.; Chakraborty, A. K.; Baruah, U. K.; Mattoo, S. K.

2006-01-01

This article describes the control system for a 5MW ion source of the NBI (neutral beam injector) for steady-state superconducting tokamak-1 (SST-1). The system uses both hardware and software solutions. It comprises a DAS (data acquisition system) and a control system. The DAS is used to read the voltage and current signals from eight filament heater power supplies and 24 discharge power supplies. The control system is used to adjust the filament heater current in order to achieve an effective control on the discharge current in the plasma box. The system consists of a VME (Verse Module Eurocard) system and C application program running on a VxWorks™ real-time operating system. A PID (proportional, integral, and differential) algorithm is used to control the filament heater current. Experiments using this system have shown that the discharge current can be controlled within 1% accuracy for a PID loop time of 20ms. Response of the control system to the pressure variation of the gas in the chamber has also been studied and compared with the results obtained from those of an uncontrolled system. The present approach increases the flexibility of the control system. It not only eases the control of the plasma but also allows an easy changeover to various operation scenarios.

TRAMP; The next generation data acquisition for RTP

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

van Haren, P.C.; Wijnoltz, F.

1992-04-01

The Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project RTP is a medium-sized tokamak experiment, which requires a very reliable data-acquisition system, due to its pulsed nature. Analyzing the limitations of an existing CAMAC-based data-acquisition system showed, that substantial increase of performance and flexibility could best be obtained by the construction of an entirely new system. This paper discusses this system, CALLED TRAMP (Transient Recorder and Amoeba Multi Processor), based on tailor-made transient recorders with a multiprocessor computer system in VME running Amoeba. The performance of TRAMP exceeds the performance of the CAMAC system by a factor of four. The plans to increase the flexibilitymore » and for a further increase of performance are presented.« less

Front-end electronics and DAQ for the EURITRACK tagged neutron inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunardon, M.; Bottosso, C.; Fabris, D.; Moretto, S.; Nebbia, G.; Pesente, S.; Viesti, G.; Bigongiari, A.; Colonna, A.; Tintori, C.; Valkovic, V.; Sudac, D.; Peerani, P.; Sequeira, V.; Salvato, M.

2007-08-01

The EURopean Illicit TRAfficing Countermeasures Kit (EURITRACK) Front-End and Data Acquisition System is a compact set of VME boards interfaced with a standard PC. The system is part of a cargo container inspection portal based on the tagged neutrons technique. The front-end processes all detector signals and checks coincidences between any of the 64 pixels of the alpha particle detector and any gamma-ray signals in 22 NaI(Tl) scintillators. The system is capable of handling the data flow at neutron flux up to the portal limiting value of 108 neutrons/second. Some typical applications are presented.

Telemetry Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

In 1990, Avtec Systems, Inc. developed its first telemetry boards for Goddard Space Flight Center. Avtec products now include PC/AT, PCI and VME-based high speed I/O boards and turn-key systems. The most recent and most successful technology transfer from NASA to Avtec is the Programmable Telemetry Processor (PTP), a personal computer- based, multi-channel telemetry front-end processing system originally developed to support the NASA communication (NASCOM) network. The PTP performs data acquisition, real-time network transfer, and store and forward operations. There are over 100 PTP systems located in NASA facilities and throughout the world.

Reusable Rack Interface Controller Common Software for Various Science Research Racks on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, George C.

2003-01-01

The purpose of the EXPRESS (Expedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station) rack project is to provide a set of predefined interfaces for scientific payloads which allow rapid integration into a payload rack on International Space Station (ISS). VxWorks' was selected as the operating system for the rack and payload resource controller, primarily based on the proliferation of VME (Versa Module Eurocard) products. These products provide needed flexibility for future hardware upgrades to meet everchanging science research rack configuration requirements. On the International Space Station, there are multiple science research rack configurations, including: 1) Human Research Facility (HRF); 2) EXPRESS ARIS (Active Rack Isolation System); 3) WORF (Window Observational Research Facility); and 4) HHR (Habitat Holding Rack). The RIC (Rack Interface Controller) connects payloads to the ISS bus architecture for data transfer between the payload and ground control. The RIC is a general purpose embedded computer which supports multiple communication protocols, including fiber optic communication buses, Ethernet buses, EIA-422, Mil-Std-1553 buses, SMPTE (Society Motion Picture Television Engineers)-170M video, and audio interfaces to payloads and the ISS. As a cost saving and software reliability strategy, the Boeing Payload Software Organization developed reusable common software where appropriate. These reusable modules included a set of low-level driver software interfaces to 1553B. RS232, RS422, Ethernet buses, HRDL (High Rate Data Link), video switch functionality, telemetry processing, and executive software hosted on the FUC computer. These drivers formed the basis for software development of the HRF, EXPRESS, EXPRESS ARIS, WORF, and HHR RIC executable modules. The reusable RIC common software has provided extensive benefits, including: 1) Significant reduction in development flow time; 2) Minimal rework and maintenance; 3) Improved reliability; and 4) Overall reduction in software life cycle cost. Due to the limited number of crew hours available on ISS for science research, operational efficiency is a critical customer concern. The current method of upgrading RIC software is a time consuming process; thus, an improved methodology for uploading RIC software is currently under evaluation.

Comparison of results of fluconazole disk diffusion testing for Candida species with results from a central reference laboratory in the ARTEMIS global antifungal surveillance program.

PubMed

Pfaller, M A; Hazen, K C; Messer, S A; Boyken, L; Tendolkar, S; Hollis, R J; Diekema, D J

2004-08-01

The accuracy of antifungal susceptibility tests is important for accurate resistance surveillance and for the clinical management of patients with serious infections. Our main objective was to compare the results of fluconazole disk diffusion testing of Candida spp. performed by ARTEMIS participating centers with disk diffusion and MIC results obtained by the central reference laboratory. A total of 2,949 isolates of Candida spp. were tested by NCCLS disk diffusion and reference broth microdilution methods in the central reference laboratory. These results were compared to the results of disk diffusion testing performed in the 54 participating centers. All tests were performed and interpreted following NCCLS recommendations. Overall categorical agreement between participant disk diffusion test results and reference laboratory MIC results was 87.4%, with 0.2% very major errors (VME) and 3.3% major errors (ME). The categorical agreement between the disk diffusion test results obtained in the reference laboratory with the MIC test results was similar: 92.8%. Likewise, good agreement was observed between participant disk diffusion test results and reference laboratory disk diffusion test results: 90.4%, 0.4% VME, and 3.4% ME. The disk diffusion test was especially reliable in detecting those isolates of Candida spp. that were characterized as resistant by reference MIC testing. External quality assurance data obtained by surveillance programs such as the ARTEMIS Global Antifungal Surveillance Program ensure the generation of useful surveillance data and result in the continued improvement of antifungal susceptibility testing practices.

Preliminary Evaluation of Air Quality Model Performance Utilizing Measurements at the University of Houston Moody Tower and others during the TexAQS-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byun, D. W.; Rappenglueck, B.; Lefer, B.

2007-12-01

Accurate meteorological and photochemical modeling efforts are necessary to understand the measurements made during the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS-II). The main objective of the study is to understand the meteorological and chemical processes of high ozone and regional haze events in the Eastern Texas, including the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area. Real-time and retrospective meteorological and photochemical model simulations were performed to study key physical and chemical processes in the Houston Galveston Area. In particular, the Vertical Mixing Experiment (VME) at the University of Houston campus was performed on selected days during the TexAQS-II. Results of the MM5 meteorological model and CMAQ air quality model simulations were compared with the VME and other TexAQS-II measurements to understand the interaction of the boundary layer dynamics and photochemical evolution affecting Houston air quality.

The muon pretrigger system of the HERA-B experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bocker, M.; Adams, M.; Bechtle, P.; Buchholz, P.; Cruse, C.; Husemann, U.; Klaus, E.; Koch, N.; Kolander, M.; Kolotaev, I.; Riege, H.; Schutt, J.; Schwenninger, B.; van Staa, R.; Wegener, D.

2001-08-01

One of the main goals of the HERA-B experiment at DESY in Hamburg, Germany, is to study the properties of B-mesons with the emphasis on CP violation. B-mesons are produced in hadronic interactions of a 920-GeV proton beam with an internal wire target. An effective bunch crossing rate of about 8.5 MHz leads to about 200 charged tracks per event. Therefore, a highly selective and efficient trigger system providing high suppression of background events is required. The HERA-B trigger system consists of four levels. A rate reduction factor of 200 is aimed at by the first-level trigger (FLT). The muon pretrigger system, as a part of the FLT, is a modular system consisting of about 100 large-size VME modules of three different types: the pretrigger link board (PLB), the pretrigger coincidence unit (PCU), and the pretrigger message generator (PMG). The data rate processed by the pretrigger system is about 19.5 GByte/s. The PLBs process digitized hit information in eight independent electronic channels in parallel. Every electronic channel handles 32 bits of hit information received from the front-end driver buffer system. Optical links operating at 800 Mb/s transmit the data after serialization to PCUs, which calculate coincidences using complex programmable logic devices. The PMGs transform this coincidence information into messages for the FLT processors. The concept and design as well as results of the muon pretrigger running at HERA-B are presented.

Development of the integrated control system for the microwave ion source of the PEFP 100-MeV proton accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Young-Gi; Seol, Kyung-Tae; Jang, Ji-Ho; Kwon, Hyeok-Jung; Cho, Yong-Sub

2012-07-01

The Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP) 20-MeV proton linear accelerator is currently operating at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The ion source of the 100-MeV proton linac needs at least a 100-hour operation time. To meet the goal, we have developed a microwave ion source that uses no filament. For the ion source, a remote control system has been developed by using experimental physics and the industrial control system (EPICS) software framework. The control system consists of a versa module europa (VME) and EPICS-based embedded applications running on a VxWorks real-time operating system. The main purpose of the control system is to control and monitor the operational variables of the components remotely and to protect operators from radiation exposure and the components from critical problems during beam extraction. We successfully performed the operation test of the control system to confirm the degree of safety during the hardware performance.

Beam rider for an Articulated Robot Manipulator (ARM) accurate positioning of long flexible manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malachowski, M. J.

1990-01-01

Laser beam positioning and beam rider modules were incorporated into the long hollow flexible segment of an articulated robot manipulator (ARM). Using a single laser beam, the system determined the position of the distal ARM endtip, with millimetric precision, in six degrees of freedom, at distances of up to 10 meters. Preliminary designs, using space rated technology for the critical systems, of a two segmented physical ARM, with a single and a dual degree of freedom articulation, were developed, prototyped, and tested. To control the positioning of the physical ARM, an indirect adaptive controller, which used the mismatch between the position of the laser beam under static and dynamic conditions, was devised. To predict the behavior of the system and test the concept, a computer simulation model was constructed. A hierarchical artificially intelligent real time ADA operating system program structure was created. The software was designed for implementation on a dedicated VME bus based Intel 80386 administered parallel processing multi-tasking computer system.

Scintillating fiber-based photon beam profiler for the Jefferson Lab tagged photon beam line

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

Zorn, C.; Barbosa, F.J.; Freyberger, A.

2000-10-01

A scintillating fiber hodoscope has been built for use as a photon beam profiler in the bremsstrahlung tagged photon beam in Hall B of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). The device consists of a linear array of 64 2-2 mm2 scintillating fibers glued to a corresponding set of light guide fibers. Both fiber types use double-clad technology for maximum intensity. The light guide fibers are gently bent into a square array of holes and air-gap coupled to four compact position-sensitive photomultipliers (16 channel Hamamatsu R5900-M16). Custom electronics amplifies and converts the analog outputs to ECL pulses whichmore » are counted by VME-based scalars. The device consisting of the fibers, photomultipliers, and electronics is sealed within a light-tight aluminum box. Two modules make up a beam imaging 2-D system. The system has been tested successfully during an experimental run« less

The phase 1 upgrade of the CMS Pixel Front-End Driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedl, M.; Pernicka, M.; Steininger, H.

2010-12-01

The pixel detector of the CMS experiment at the LHC is read out by analog optical links, sending the data to 9U VME Front-End Driver (FED) boards located in the electronics cavern. There are plans for the phase 1 upgrade of the pixel detector (2016) to add one more layer, while significantly cutting down the overall material budget. At the same time, the optical data transmission will be replaced by a serialized digital scheme. A plug-in board solution with a high-speed digital optical receiver has been developed for the Pixel-FED readout boards and will be presented along with first tests of the future optical link.

Rate dependent effects of acute nicotine on risk taking in young adults are not related to ADHD diagnosis

PubMed Central

Ryan, Katherine K.; Dube, Sarahjane L.; Potter, Alexandra S.

2012-01-01

Beneficial effects of nicotine on cognition and behavioral control are hypothesized to relate to the high rates of cigarette smoking in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Given that ADHD is associated with both impulsivity and elevated risk taking, we hypothesized that nicotine modulates risk taking, as it does impulsivity. 26 non-smoking young adults (15 controls with normal impulsivity and 11 ADHD with high impulsivity) received 7 mg transdermal nicotine, 20 mg oral mecamylamine, and placebo on separate days, followed by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Statistical analyses found no group differences in baseline risk taking. Reexamination of the data using a median split on baseline risk taking, to create high (HRT) and low (LRT) risk taking groups, revealed significant effects of nicotinic drugs that differed by group. Nicotine reduced risk taking in HRT and mecamylamine increased risk taking in LRT. This finding supports the hypothesis that nicotinic receptor function modulates risk taking broadly, beyond those with ADHD, and is consistent with rate dependent cholinergic modulation of other cognitive functions. Further, the results demonstrate that high impulsivity is separable from high risk taking in young adults with ADHD, supporting the utility of these differential behavioral phenotypes for neurobiological studies. PMID:23159875

Incongruent genetic connectivity patterns for VME indicator taxa: implications for the management of New Zealand's vulnerable marine ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, M. R.; Gardner, J.; Holland, L.; Zeng, C.; Hamilton, J. S.; Rowden, A. A.

2016-02-01

In the New Zealand region vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are at risk from commercial fishing activity and future seabed mining. Understanding connectivity among VMEs is important for the design of effective spatial management strategies, i.e. a network of protected areas. To date however, genetic connectivity in the New Zealand region has rarely been documented. As part of a project developing habitat suitability models and spatial management options for VMEs we used DNA sequence data and microsatellite genotyping to assess genetic connectivity for a range of VME indicator taxa, including the coral Desmophyllum dianthus, and the sponges Poecilastra laminaris and Penares palmatoclada. Overall, patterns of connectivity were inconsistent amonst taxa. Nonetheless, genetic data from each taxon were relevant to inform management at a variety of spatial scales. D. dianthus populations in the Kermadec volcanic arc and the Louisville Seamount Chain were indistinguishable, highlighting the importance of considering source-sink dynamics between populations beyond the EEZ in conservation planning. Poecilastra laminaris populations showed significant divergence across the Chatham Rise, in contrast to P. palmatoclada, which had a uniform haplotypic distribution. However, both sponge species exhibited the highest genetic diversity on the Chatham Rise, suggesting that this area is a genetic hotspot. The spatial heterogeneity of genetic patterns of structure suggest that inclusion of several taxa is necessary to facilitate understanding of regional connectivity patterns, variation in which may be attributed to alternate life history strategies, local hydrodynamic regimes, or in some cases, suboptimal sample sizes. Our findings provide important information for use by environmental managers, including summary maps of genetic diversity and barriers to gene flow, which will be used in spatial management decision-support tools.

Real and hypothetical monetary rewards modulate risk taking in the brain.

PubMed

Xu, Sihua; Pan, Yu; Wang, You; Spaeth, Andrea M; Qu, Zhe; Rao, Hengyi

2016-07-07

Both real and hypothetical monetary rewards are widely used as reinforcers in risk taking and decision making studies. However, whether real and hypothetical monetary rewards modulate risk taking and decision making in the same manner remains controversial. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERP) with a balloon analogue risk task (BART) paradigm to examine the effects of real and hypothetical monetary rewards on risk taking in the brain. Behavioral data showed reduced risk taking after negative feedback (money loss) during the BART with real rewards compared to those with hypothetical rewards, suggesting increased loss aversion with real monetary rewards. The ERP data demonstrated a larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to money loss during risk taking with real rewards compared to those with hypothetical rewards, which may reflect greater prediction error or regret emotion after real monetary losses. These findings demonstrate differential effects of real versus hypothetical monetary rewards on risk taking behavior and brain activity, suggesting a caution when drawing conclusions about real choices from hypothetical studies of intended behavior, especially when large rewards are used. The results have implications for future utility of real and hypothetical monetary rewards in studies of risk taking and decision making.

Electronics of the data acquisition system of the DANSS detector based on silicon photomultipliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svirida, D.

2018-01-01

The electronics of the data acquisition system based on silicon photomultipliers is briefly described. The elements and modules of the system were designed and constructed at ITEP especially for the DANSS detector. Examples of digitized signals obtained with the presented electronic modules and selected results on processing of the DANSS engineering data-taking run in spring 2016 are given.

Instrument front-ends at Fermilab during Run II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, T.; Slimmer, D.; Voy, D.

2011-11-01

The optimization of an accelerator relies on the ability to monitor the behavior of the beam in an intelligent and timely fashion. The use of processor-driven front-ends allowed for the deployment of smart systems in the field for improved data collection and analysis during Run II. This paper describes the implementation of the two main systems used: National Instruments LabVIEW running on PCs, and WindRiver's VxWorks real-time operating system running in a VME crate processor. Work supported by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy.

Development of integrated control system for smart factory in the injection molding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, M. J.; Kim, C. Y.

2018-03-01

In this study, we proposed integrated control system for automation of injection molding process required for construction of smart factory. The injection molding process consists of heating, tool close, injection, cooling, tool open, and take-out. Take-out robot controller, image processing module, and process data acquisition interface module are developed and assembled to integrated control system. By adoption of integrated control system, the injection molding process can be simplified and the cost for construction of smart factory can be inexpensive.

Optimization of thermoelectric cooling regimes for heat-loaded elements taking into account the thermal resistance of the heat-spreading system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasil'ev, E. N.

2017-09-01

A mathematical model has been proposed for analyzing and optimizing thermoelectric cooling regimes for heat-loaded elements of engineering and electronic devices. The model based on analytic relations employs the working characteristics of thermoelectric modules as the initial data and makes it possible to determine the temperature regime and the optimal values of the feed current for the modules taking into account the thermal resistance of the heat-spreading system.

MECDAS: A distributed data acquisition system for experiments at MAMI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krygier, K. W.; Merle, K.

1994-02-01

For the coincidence experiments with the three spectrometer setup at MAMI an experiment control and data acquisition system has been built and was put successfully into final operation in 1992. MECDAS is designed as a distributed system using communication via Ethernet and optical links. As the front end, VME bus systems are used for real time purposes and direct hardware access via CAMAC, Fastbus or VMEbus. RISC workstations running UNIX are used for monitoring, data archiving and online and offline analysis of the experiment. MECDAS consists of several fixed programs and libraries, but large parts of readout and analysis can be configured by the user. Experiment specific configuration files are used to generate efficient and powerful code well adapted to special problems without additional programming. The experiment description is added to the raw collection of partially analyzed data to get self-descriptive data files.

Data storage and retrieval system abstract

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matheson, Barbara

1992-01-01

The STX mass storage system design is intended for environments requiring high speed access to large volumes of data (terabyte and greater). Prior to commitment to a product design plan, STX conducted an exhaustive study of the commercially available off-the-shelf hardware and software. STX also conducted research into the area of emerging technologies in networks and storage media so that the design could easily accommodate new interfaces and peripherals as they came on the market. All the selected system elements were brought together in a demo suite sponsored jointly by STX and ALLIANT where the system elements were evaluated based on actual operation using a client-server mirror image configuration. Testing was conducted to assess the various component overheads and results were compared against vendor data claims. The resultant system, while adequate to meet our capacity requirements, fell short of transfer speed expectations. A product team lead by STX was assembled and chartered with solving the bottleneck issues. Optimization efforts yielded a 60 percent improvement in throughput performance. The ALLIANT computer platform provided the I/O flexibility needed to accommodate a multitude of peripheral interfaces including the following: up to twelve 25MB/s VME I/O channels; up to five HiPPI I/O full duplex channels; IPI-s, SCSI, SMD, and RAID disk array support; standard networking software support for TCP/IP, NFS, and FTP; open architecture based on standard RISC processors; and V.4/POSIX-based operating system (Concentrix). All components including the software are modular in design and can be reconfigured as needs and system uses change. Users can begin with a small system and add modules as needed in the field. Most add-ons can be accomplished seamlessly without revision, recompilation or re-linking of software.

Data storage and retrieval system abstract

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matheson, Barbara

1992-09-01

The STX mass storage system design is intended for environments requiring high speed access to large volumes of data (terabyte and greater). Prior to commitment to a product design plan, STX conducted an exhaustive study of the commercially available off-the-shelf hardware and software. STX also conducted research into the area of emerging technologies in networks and storage media so that the design could easily accommodate new interfaces and peripherals as they came on the market. All the selected system elements were brought together in a demo suite sponsored jointly by STX and ALLIANT where the system elements were evaluated based on actual operation using a client-server mirror image configuration. Testing was conducted to assess the various component overheads and results were compared against vendor data claims. The resultant system, while adequate to meet our capacity requirements, fell short of transfer speed expectations. A product team lead by STX was assembled and chartered with solving the bottleneck issues. Optimization efforts yielded a 60 percent improvement in throughput performance. The ALLIANT computer platform provided the I/O flexibility needed to accommodate a multitude of peripheral interfaces including the following: up to twelve 25MB/s VME I/O channels; up to five HiPPI I/O full duplex channels; IPI-s, SCSI, SMD, and RAID disk array support; standard networking software support for TCP/IP, NFS, and FTP; open architecture based on standard RISC processors; and V.4/POSIX-based operating system (Concentrix). All components including the software are modular in design and can be reconfigured as needs and system uses change. Users can begin with a small system and add modules as needed in the field. Most add-ons can be accomplished seamlessly without revision, recompilation or re-linking of software.

The mass remote sensing image data management based on Oracle InterMedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xi'an; Shi, Shaowei

2013-07-01

With the development of remote sensing technology, getting the image data more and more, how to apply and manage the mass image data safely and efficiently has become an urgent problem to be solved. According to the methods and characteristics of the mass remote sensing image data management and application, this paper puts forward to a new method that takes Oracle Call Interface and Oracle InterMedia to store the image data, and then takes this component to realize the system function modules. Finally, it successfully takes the VC and Oracle InterMedia component to realize the image data storage and management.

A hardware/software environment to support R D in intelligent machines and mobile robotic systems

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

Mann, R.C.

1990-01-01

The Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) serves as a focal point at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for basic and applied research in intelligent machines. R D at CESAR addresses issues related to autonomous systems, unstructured (i.e. incompletely known) operational environments, and multiple performing agents. Two mobile robot prototypes (HERMIES-IIB and HERMIES-III) are being used to test new developments in several robot component technologies. This paper briefly introduces the computing environment at CESAR which includes three hypercube concurrent computers (two on-board the mobile robots), a graphics workstation, VAX, and multiple VME-based systems (several on-board the mobile robots).more » The current software environment at CESAR is intended to satisfy several goals, e.g.: code portability, re-usability in different experimental scenarios, modularity, concurrent computer hardware transparent to applications programmer, future support for multiple mobile robots, support human-machine interface modules, and support for integration of software from other, geographically disparate laboratories with different hardware set-ups. 6 refs., 1 fig.« less

Preliminary results on time-resolved ion beam induced luminescence applied to the provenance study of lapis lazuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czelusniak, C.; Palla, L.; Massi, M.; Carraresi, L.; Giuntini, L.; Re, A.; Lo Giudice, A.; Pratesi, G.; Mazzinghi, A.; Ruberto, C.; Castelli, L.; Fedi, M. E.; Liccioli, L.; Gueli, A.; Mandò, P. A.; Taccetti, F.

2016-03-01

This work will present preliminary results concerning the use of time-resolved ion beam induced luminescence applied to provenance studies of lapis lazuli. Measurements were performed at the pulsed beam facility at LABEC laboratory in Florence. Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious gemstone, used as ornament since the early civilizations that can be found in few places on Earth. The importance of this work lies in understanding the origin of various samples of lapis lazuli, from which it may be possible to gain insight into trade routes from ancient times. The samples studied in this work originated from Chile, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Myanmar, and Siberia. The stones were irradiated with 3 MeV protons and the resulting luminescence was detected by a photomultiplier tube, whose output was acquired using a sampling digitizer VME module (CAEN/V1720). Wavelength discrimination was performed at 430 nm utilizing a range of beam currents. The results showed that, by changing the beam current intensity, one can study different features of lapis lazuli, and this may aid in distinguishing lapis lazuli from different provenances.

Architectures for intelligent machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saridis, George N.

1991-01-01

The theory of intelligent machines has been recently reformulated to incorporate new architectures that are using neural and Petri nets. The analytic functions of an intelligent machine are implemented by intelligent controls, using entropy as a measure. The resulting hierarchical control structure is based on the principle of increasing precision with decreasing intelligence. Each of the three levels of the intelligent control is using different architectures, in order to satisfy the requirements of the principle: the organization level is moduled after a Boltzmann machine for abstract reasoning, task planning and decision making; the coordination level is composed of a number of Petri net transducers supervised, for command exchange, by a dispatcher, which also serves as an interface to the organization level; the execution level, include the sensory, planning for navigation and control hardware which interacts one-to-one with the appropriate coordinators, while a VME bus provides a channel for database exchange among the several devices. This system is currently implemented on a robotic transporter, designed for space construction at the CIRSSE laboratories at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The progress of its development is reported.

Use of small stand-alone Internet nodes as a distributed control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwin, Robert W.; Kucera, Michael J.; Shea, Michael F.

1994-12-01

For several years, the standard model for accelerator control systems has been workstation consoles connected to VME local stations by a Local Area Network with analog and digital data being accessed via a field bus to custom I/O interface electronics. Commercially available hardware has now made it possible to implement a small stand-alone data acquisition station that combines the LAN connection, the computer, and the analog and digital I/O interface on a single board. This eliminates the complexity of a field bus and the associated proprietary I/O hardware. A minimum control system is one data acquisition station and a Macintosh or workstation console, both connected to the network; larger systems have more consoles and nodes. An implementation of this architecture is described along with performance and operational experience.

System Architecture For High Speed Sorting Of Potatoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchant, J. A.; Onyango, C. M.; Street, M. J.

1989-03-01

This paper illustrates an industrial application of vision processing in which potatoes are sorted according to their size and shape at speeds of up to 40 objects per second. The result is a multi-processing approach built around the VME bus. A hardware unit has been designed and constructed to encode the boundary of the potatoes, to reducing the amount of data to be processed. A master 68000 processor is used to control this unit and to handle data transfers along the bus. Boundary data is passed to one of three 68010 slave processors each responsible for a line of potatoes across a conveyor belt. The slave processors calculate attributes such as shape, size and estimated weight of each potato and the master processor uses this data to operate the sorting mechanism. The system has been interfaced with a commercial grading machine and performance trials are now in progress.

Quantitative Comparison of Virtual Monochromatic Images of Dual Energy Computed Tomography Systems: Beam Hardening Artifact Correction and Variance in Computed Tomography Numbers: A Phantom Study.

PubMed

Wu, Rongli; Watanabe, Yoshiyuki; Satoh, Kazuhiko; Liao, Yen-Peng; Takahashi, Hiroto; Tanaka, Hisashi; Tomiyama, Noriyuki

2018-05-21

The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare the reduction in beam hardening artifact (BHA) and variance in computed tomography (CT) numbers of virtual monochromatic energy (VME) images obtained with 3 dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) systems at a given radiation dose. Five different iodine concentrations were scanned using dual-energy and single-energy (120 kVp) modes. The BHA and CT number variance were evaluated. For higher iodine concentrations, 40 and 80 mgI/mL, BHA on VME imaging was significantly decreased when the energy was higher than 50 keV (P = 0.003) and 60 keV (P < 0.001) for GE, higher than 80 keV (P < 0.001) and 70 keV (P = 0.002) for Siemens, and higher than 40 keV (P < 0.001) and 60 keV (P < 0.001) for Toshiba, compared with single-energy CT imaging. Virtual monochromatic energy imaging can decrease BHA and improve CT number accuracy in different dual-energy computed tomography systems, depending on energy levels and iodine concentrations.

Installation and management of the SPS and LEP control system computers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bland, Alastair

1994-12-01

Control of the CERN SPS and LEP accelerators and service equipment on the two CERN main sites is performed via workstations, file servers, Process Control Assemblies (PCAs) and Device Stub Controllers (DSCs). This paper describes the methods and tools that have been developed to manage the file servers, PCAs and DSCs since the LEP startup in 1989. There are five operational DECstation 5000s used as file servers and boot servers for the PCAs and DSCs. The PCAs consist of 90 SCO Xenix 386 PCs, 40 LynxOS 486 PCs and more than 40 older NORD 100s. The DSCs consist of 90 OS-968030 VME crates and 10 LynxOS 68030 VME crates. In addition there are over 100 development systems. The controls group is responsible for installing the computers, starting all the user processes and ensuring that the computers and the processes run correctly. The operators in the SPS/LEP control room and the Services control room have a Motif-based X window program which gives them, in real time, the state of all the computers and allows them to solve problems or reboot them.

Design of multifunction anti-terrorism robotic system based on police dog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Bo; Liu, Suju; Xu, Jun; Li, Dongjie

2007-11-01

Aimed at some typical constraints of police dogs and robots used in the areas of reconnaissance and counterterrorism currently, the multifunction anti-terrorism robotic system based on police dog has been introduced. The system is made up of two parts: portable commanding device and police dog robotic system. The portable commanding device consists of power supply module, microprocessor module, LCD display module, wireless data receiving and dispatching module and commanding module, which implements the remote control to the police dogs and takes real time monitor to the video and images. The police dog robotic system consists of microprocessor module, micro video module, wireless data transmission module, power supply module and offence weapon module, which real time collects and transmits video and image data of the counter-terrorism sites, and gives military attack based on commands. The system combines police dogs' biological intelligence with micro robot. Not only does it avoid the complexity of general anti-terrorism robots' mechanical structure and the control algorithm, but it also widens the working scope of police dog, which meets the requirements of anti-terrorism in the new era.

Specifications and implementation of the RT MHD control system for the EC launcher of FTU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galperti, C.; Alessi, E.; Boncagni, L.; Bruschi, A.; Granucci, G.; Grosso, A.; Iannone, F.; Marchetto, C.; Nowak, S.; Panella, M.; Sozzi, C.; Tilia, B.

2012-09-01

To perform real time plasma control experiments using EC heating waves by using the new fast launcher installed on FTU a dedicated data acquisition and elaboration system has been designed recently. A prototypical version of the acquisition/control system has been recently developed and will be tested on FTU machine in its next experimental campaign. The open-source framework MARTe (Multi-threaded Application Real-Time executor) on Linux/RTAI real-time operating system has been chosen as software platform to realize the control system. Standard open-architecture industrial PCs, based either on VME bus and CompactPCI bus equipped with standard input/output cards are the chosen hardware platform.

Application of SNMP on CATV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Hong-bin; Liu, Wei-ping; Chen, Shun-er; Zheng, Liming

2005-02-01

A new type of CATV network management system developed by universal MCU, which supports SNMP, is proposed in this paper. From the point of view in both hardware and software, the function and method of every modules inside the system, which include communications in the physical layer, protocol process, data process, and etc, are analyzed. In our design, the management system takes IP MAN as data transmission channel and every controlled object in the management structure has a SNMP agent. In the SNMP agent developed, there are four function modules, including physical layer communication module, protocol process module, internal data process module and MIB management module. In the paper, the structure and function of every module are designed and demonstrated while the related hardware circuit, software flow as well as the experimental results are tested. Furthermore, by introducing RTOS into the software programming, the universal MCU procedure can conducts such multi-thread management as fast Ethernet controller driving, TCP/IP process, serial port signal monitoring and so on, which greatly improves efficiency of CPU.

Latest developments on the loop control system of AdOpt@TNG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghedina, Adriano; Gaessler, Wolfgang; Cecconi, Massimo; Ragazzoni, Roberto; Puglisi, Alfio T.; De Bonis, Fulvio

2004-10-01

The Adaptive Optics System of the Galileo Telescope (AdOpt@TNG) is the only adaptive optics system mounted on a telescope which uses a pyramid wavefront snesor and it has already shown on sky its potentiality. Recently AdOpt@TNG has undergone deep changes at the level of its higher orders control system. The CCD and the Real Time Computer (RTC) have been substituted as a whole. Instead of the VME based RTC, due to its frequent breakdowns, a dual pentium processor PC with Real-Time-Linux has been chosen. The WFS CCD, that feeds the images to the RTC, was changed to an off-the-shelf camera system from SciMeasure with an EEV39 80x80 pixels as detector. While the APD based Tip/Tilt loop has shown the quality on the sky at the TNG site and the ability of TNG to take advantage of this quality, up to the diffraction limit, the High-Order system has been fully re-developed and the performance of the closed loop is under evaluation to offer the system with the best performance to the astronomical community.

People Patterns: Statistics. Environmental Module for Use in a Mathematics Laboratory Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zastrocky, Michael; Trojan, Arthur

This module on statistics consists of 18 worksheets that cover such topics as sample spaces, mean, median, mode, taking samples, posting results, analyzing data, and graphing. The last four worksheets require the students to work with samples and use these to compare people's responses. A computer dating service is one result of this work.…

CAMAC throughput of a new RISC-based data acquisition computer at the DIII-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanderlaan, J. F.; Cummings, J. W.

1993-10-01

The amount of experimental data acquired per plasma discharge at DIII-D has continued to grow. The largest shot size in May 1991 was 49 Mbyte; in May 1992, 66 Mbyte; and in April 1993, 80 Mbyte. The increasing load has prompted the installation of a new Motorola 88100-based MODCOMP computer to supplement the existing core of three older MODCOMP data acquisition CPU's. New Kinetic Systems CAMAC serial highway driver hardware runs on the 88100 VME bus. The new operating system is MODCOMP REAL/IX version of AT&T System V UNIX with real-time extensions and networking capabilities; future plans call for installation of additional computers of this type for tokamak and neutral beam control functions. Experiences with the CAMAC hardware and software will be chronicled, including observation of data throughput. The Enhanced Serial Highway crate controller is advertised as twice as fast as the previous crate controller, and computer I/O speeds are expected to also increase data rates.

Learning Environments and Inquiry Behaviors in Science Inquiry Learning: How Their Interplay Affects the Development of Conceptual Understanding in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumbacher, Engin; Salehi, Shima; Wierzchula, Miriam; Blikstein, Paulo

2015-01-01

Studies comparing virtual and physical manipulative environments (VME and PME) in inquiry-based science learning have mostly focused on students' learning outcomes but not on the actual processes they engage in during the learning activities. In this paper, we examined experimentation strategies in an inquiry activity and their relation to…

Renewal of the Control System and Reliable Long Term Operation of the LHD Cryogenic System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mito, T.; Iwamoto, A.; Oba, K.; Takami, S.; Moriuchi, S.; Imagawa, S.; Takahata, K.; Yamada, S.; Yanagi, N.; Hamaguchi, S.; Kishida, F.; Nakashima, T.

The Large Helical Device (LHD) is a heliotron-type fusion plasma experimental machine which consists of a fully superconducting magnet system cooled by a helium refrigerator having a total equivalent cooling capacity of 9.2 kW@4.4 K. Seventeenplasma experimental campaigns have been performed successfully since1997 with high reliability of 99%. However, sixteen years have passed from the beginning of the system operation. Improvements are being implementedto prevent serious failures and to pursue further reliability.The LHD cryogenic control system was designed and developed as an open system utilizing latest control equipment of VME controllers and UNIX workstations at the construction time. Howeverthe generation change of control equipment has been advanced. Down-sizing of control deviceshas beenplanned from VME controllers to compact PCI controllers in order to simplify the system configuration and to improve the system reliability. The new system is composed of compact PCI controller and remote I/O connected with EtherNet/IP. Making the system redundant becomes possible by doubling CPU, LAN, and remote I/O respectively. The smooth renewal of the LHD cryogenic controlsystem and the further improvement of the cryogenic system reliability are reported.

The GANDALF 128-Channel Time-to-Digital Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büchele, M.; Fischer, H.; Herrmann, F.; Königsmann, K.; Schill, C.; Schopferer, S.

The GANDALF 6U-VME64x/VXS module has been designed to cope with a variety of readout tasks in high energy and nuclear physics experiments, in particular the COMPASS experiment at CERN. The exchangeable mezzanine cards allow for an employment of the system in very different applications such as analog-to-digital or time-to-digital conversions, coincidence matrix formation, fast pattern recognition or fast trigger generation. Based on this platform, we present a 128-channel TDC which is implemented in a single Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA using a shifted clock sampling method. In this concept each input signal is continuously sampled by 16 flip-flops using equidistant phase-shifted clocks. Compared to previous FPGA designs, usually based on delay lines and comprising few TDC channels with resolutions in the order of 10 ps, our design permits the implementation of a large number of TDC channels with a resolution of 64 ps in a single FPGA. Predictable placement of logic components and uniform routing inside the FPGA fabric is a particular challenge of this design. We present measurement results for the time resolution and the nonlinearity of the TDC readout system.

Generic Module for Collecting Data in Smart Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, A.; Ramirez, F.; Estrada, H.; Torres, L. A.

2017-09-01

The Future Internet brings new technologies to the common life of people, such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing or Big Data. All this technologies have change the way people communicate and also the way the devices interact with the context, giving rise to new paradigms, as the case of smart cities. Currently, the mobile devices represent one of main sources of information for new applications that take into account the user context, such as apps for mobility, health, of security. Several platforms have been proposed that consider the development of Future Internet applications, however, no generic modules can be found that implement the collection of context data from smartphones. In this research work we present a generic module to collect data from different sensors of the mobile devices and also to send, in a standard manner, this data to the Open FIWARE Cloud to be stored or analyzed by software tools. The proposed module enables the human-as-a-sensor approach for FIWARE Platform.

FPGA-based firmware model for extended measurement systems with data quality monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojenski, A.; Pozniak, K. T.; Mazon, D.; Chernyshova, M.

2017-08-01

Modern physics experiments requires construction of advanced, modular measurement systems for data processing and registration purposes. Components are often designed in one of the common mechanical and electrical standards, e.g. VME or uTCA. The paper is focused on measurement systems using FPGAs as data processing blocks, especially for plasma diagnostics using GEM detectors with data quality monitoring aspects. In the article is proposed standardized model of HDL FPGA firmware implementation, for use in a wide range of different measurement system. The effort was made in term of flexible implementation of data quality monitoring along with source data dynamic selection. In the paper is discussed standard measurement system model followed by detailed model of FPGA firmware for modular measurement systems. Considered are both: functional blocks and data buses. In the summary, necessary blocks and signal lines are described. Implementation of firmware following the presented rules should provide modular design, with ease of change different parts of it. The key benefit is construction of universal, modular HDL design, that can be applied in different measurement system with simple adjustments.

An efficient coding theory for a dynamic trajectory predicts non-uniform allocation of entorhinal grid cells to modules.

PubMed

Mosheiff, Noga; Agmon, Haggai; Moriel, Avraham; Burak, Yoram

2017-06-01

Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex encode the position of an animal in its environment with spatially periodic tuning curves with different periodicities. Recent experiments established that these cells are functionally organized in discrete modules with uniform grid spacing. Here we develop a theory for efficient coding of position, which takes into account the temporal statistics of the animal's motion. The theory predicts a sharp decrease of module population sizes with grid spacing, in agreement with the trend seen in the experimental data. We identify a simple scheme for readout of the grid cell code by neural circuitry, that can match in accuracy the optimal Bayesian decoder. This readout scheme requires persistence over different timescales, depending on the grid cell module. Thus, we propose that the brain may employ an efficient representation of position which takes advantage of the spatiotemporal statistics of the encoded variable, in similarity to the principles that govern early sensory processing.

An efficient coding theory for a dynamic trajectory predicts non-uniform allocation of entorhinal grid cells to modules

PubMed Central

Mosheiff, Noga; Agmon, Haggai; Moriel, Avraham

2017-01-01

Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex encode the position of an animal in its environment with spatially periodic tuning curves with different periodicities. Recent experiments established that these cells are functionally organized in discrete modules with uniform grid spacing. Here we develop a theory for efficient coding of position, which takes into account the temporal statistics of the animal’s motion. The theory predicts a sharp decrease of module population sizes with grid spacing, in agreement with the trend seen in the experimental data. We identify a simple scheme for readout of the grid cell code by neural circuitry, that can match in accuracy the optimal Bayesian decoder. This readout scheme requires persistence over different timescales, depending on the grid cell module. Thus, we propose that the brain may employ an efficient representation of position which takes advantage of the spatiotemporal statistics of the encoded variable, in similarity to the principles that govern early sensory processing. PMID:28628647

Enhancement of CLAIM (clinical accounting information) for a localized Chinese version.

PubMed

Guo, Jinqiu; Takada, Akira; Niu, Tie; He, Miao; Tanaka, Koji; Sato, Junzo; Suzuki, Muneou; Takahashi, Kiwamu; Daimon, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Toshiaki; Nakashima, Yusei; Araki, Kenji; Yoshihara, Hiroyuki

2005-10-01

CLinical Accounting InforMation (CLAIM) is a standard for the exchange of data between patient accounting systems and electronic medical record (EMR) systems. It uses eXtensible Markup Language (XML) as a meta-language and was developed in Japan. CLAIM is subordinate to the Medical Markup Language (MML) standard, which allows the exchange of medical data between different medical institutions. It has inherited the basic structure of MML 2.x and the current version, version 2.1, contains two modules and nine data definition tables. In China, no data exchange standard yet exists that links EMR systems to accounting systems. Taking advantage of CLAIM's flexibility, we created a localized Chinese version based on CLAIM 2.1. Since Chinese receipt systems differ from those of Japan, some information such as prescription formats, etc. are also different from those in Japan. Two CLAIM modules were re-engineered and six data definition tables were either added or redefined. The Chinese version of CLAIM takes local needs into account, and consequently it is now possible to transfer data between the patient accounting systems and EMR systems of Chinese medical institutions effectively.

JPRS Report Science & Technology Japan Space Artificial Intelligence/Robotics/Automation Symposium.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-28

Kazuya Kaku, et al. ] 28 Spacecraft Automatic Monitoring System [Kazuya Kaku, et al. ] 36 Autonomous Space Robot, Related Computer ...type space vehicle Space station , orbital sup - lport systems Transport systems Ground Systems 1 et»*:«..,..... ri,(rn™ Communciations ...axis torque sensor. Motorola’s VME-10 is used as the computer . 5. Experimental Results To investigate the state of separation between the external

Performance of the EUCAST Disk Diffusion Method, the CLSI Agar Screen Method, and the Vitek 2 Automated Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing System for Detection of Clinical Isolates of Enterococci with Low- and Medium-Level VanB-Type Vancomycin Resistance: a Multicenter Study

PubMed Central

Giske, Christian G.; Haldorsen, Bjørg; Matuschek, Erika; Schønning, Kristian; Leegaard, Truls M.; Kahlmeter, Gunnar

2014-01-01

Different antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods to detect low-level vancomycin resistance in enterococci were evaluated in a Scandinavian multicenter study (n = 28). A phenotypically and genotypically well-characterized diverse collection of Enterococcus faecalis (n = 12) and Enterococcus faecium (n = 18) strains with and without nonsusceptibility to vancomycin was examined blindly in Danish (n = 5), Norwegian (n = 13), and Swedish (n = 10) laboratories using the EUCAST disk diffusion method (n = 28) and the CLSI agar screen (n = 18) or the Vitek 2 system (bioMérieux) (n = 5). The EUCAST disk diffusion method (very major error [VME] rate, 7.0%; sensitivity, 0.93; major error [ME] rate, 2.4%; specificity, 0.98) and CLSI agar screen (VME rate, 6.6%; sensitivity, 0.93; ME rate, 5.6%; specificity, 0.94) performed significantly better (P = 0.02) than the Vitek 2 system (VME rate, 13%; sensitivity, 0.87; ME rate, 0%; specificity, 1). The performance of the EUCAST disk diffusion method was challenged by differences in vancomycin inhibition zone sizes as well as the experience of the personnel in interpreting fuzzy zone edges as an indication of vancomycin resistance. Laboratories using Oxoid agar (P < 0.0001) or Merck Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar (P = 0.027) for the disk diffusion assay performed significantly better than did laboratories using BBL MH II medium. Laboratories using Difco brain heart infusion (BHI) agar for the CLSI agar screen performed significantly better (P = 0.017) than did those using Oxoid BHI agar. In conclusion, both the EUCAST disk diffusion and CLSI agar screening methods performed acceptably (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.94 to 0.98) in the detection of VanB-type vancomycin-resistant enterococci with low-level resistance. Importantly, use of the CLSI agar screen requires careful monitoring of the vancomycin concentration in the plates. Moreover, disk diffusion methodology requires that personnel be trained in interpreting zone edges. PMID:24599985

Dopaminergic Modulation of Risky Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Simon, Nicholas W.; Montgomery, Karienn S.; Beas, Blanca S.; Mitchell, Marci R.; LaSarge, Candi L.; Mendez, Ian A.; Bañuelos, Cristina; Vokes, Colin M.; Taylor, Aaron B.; Haberman, Rebecca P.; Bizon, Jennifer L.; Setlow, Barry

2012-01-01

Many psychiatric disorders are characterized by abnormal risky decision-making and dysregulated dopamine receptor expression. The current study was designed to determine how different dopamine receptor subtypes modulate risk-taking in young adult rats, using a “Risky Decision-making Task” that involves choices between small “safe” rewards and large “risky” rewards accompanied by adverse consequences. Rats showed considerable, stable individual differences in risk preference in the task, which were not related to multiple measures of reward motivation, anxiety, or pain sensitivity. Systemic activation of D2-like receptors robustly attenuated risk-taking, whereas drugs acting on D1-like receptors had no effect. Systemic amphetamine also reduced risk-taking, an effect which was attenuated by D2-like (but not D1-like) receptor blockade. Dopamine receptor mRNA expression was evaluated in a separate cohort of drug-naive rats characterized in the task. D1 mRNA expression in both nucleus accumbens shell and insular cortex was positively associated with risk-taking, while D2 mRNA expression in orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex predicted risk preference in opposing nonlinear patterns. Additionally, lower levels of D2 mRNA in dorsal striatum were associated with greater risk-taking. These data strongly implicate dopamine signaling in prefrontal corticalstriatal circuitry in modulating decision-making processes involving integration of reward information with risks of adverse consequences. PMID:22131407

Organizing Space Shuttle parametric data for maintainability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angier, R. C.

1983-01-01

A model of organization and management of Space Shuttle data is proposed. Shuttle avionics software is parametrically altered by a reconfiguration process for each flight. As the flight rate approaches an operational level, current methods of data management would become increasingly complex. An alternative method is introduced, using modularized standard data, and its implications for data collection, integration, validation, and reconfiguration processes are explored. Information modules are cataloged for later use, and may be combined in several levels for maintenance. For each flight, information modules can then be selected from the catalog at a high level. These concepts take advantage of the reusability of Space Shuttle information to reduce the cost of reconfiguration as flight experience increases.

Serial Back-Plane Technologies in Advanced Avionics Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varnavas, Kosta

2005-01-01

Current back plane technologies such as VME, and current personal computer back planes such as PCI, are shared bus systems that can exhibit nondeterministic latencies. This means a card can take control of the bus and use resources indefinitely affecting the ability of other cards in the back plane to acquire the bus. This provides a real hit on the reliability of the system. Additionally, these parallel busses only have bandwidths in the 100s of megahertz range and EMI and noise effects get worse the higher the bandwidth goes. To provide scalable, fault-tolerant, advanced computing systems, more applicable to today s connected computing environment and to better meet the needs of future requirements for advanced space instruments and vehicles, serial back-plane technologies should be implemented in advanced avionics architectures. Serial backplane technologies eliminate the problem of one card getting the bus and never relinquishing it, or one minor problem on the backplane bringing the whole system down. Being serial instead of parallel improves the reliability by reducing many of the signal integrity issues associated with parallel back planes and thus significantly improves reliability. The increased speeds associated with a serial backplane are an added bonus.

PCDAQ, A Windows Based DAQ System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogan, Gary

1998-10-01

PCDAQ is a Windows NT based general DAQ/Analysis/Monte Carlo shell developed as part of the Proton Radiography project at LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory). It has been adopted by experiments outside of the Proton Radiography project at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and at LANL. The program provides DAQ, Monte Carlo, and replay (disk file input) modes. Data can be read from hardware (CAMAC) or other programs (ActiveX servers). Future versions will read VME. User supplied data analysis routines can be written in Fortran, C++, or Visual Basic. Histogramming, testing, and plotting packages are provided. Histogram data can be exported to spreadsheets or analyzed in user supplied programs. Plots can be copied and pasted as bitmap objects into other Windows programs or printed. A text database keyed by the run number is provided. Extensive software control flags are provided so that the user can control the flow of data through the program. Control flags can be set either in script command files or interactively. The program can be remotely controlled and data accessed over the Internet through its ActiveX DCOM interface.

Real Time Control of the SSC String Magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calvo, O.; Flora, R.; MacPherson, M.

1987-08-01

The system described in this paper, called SECAR, was designed to control the excitation of a test string of magnets for the proposed Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and will be used to upgrade the present Tevatron Excitation, Control and Regulation (TECAR) hardware and software . It resides in a VME crate and is controlled by a 68020/68881 based CPU running the application software under a real time operating system named VRTX.

Real time control of the SSC string magnets

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

Calvo, O.; Flora, R.; MacPherson, M.

1987-08-01

The system described in this paper, called SECAR, was designed to control the excitation of a test string of magnets for the proposed Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) and will be used to upgrade the present Tevatron Excitation, Control and Regulation (TECAR) hardware and software. It resides in a VME orate and is controlled by a 68020/68881 based CPU running the application software under a real time operating system named VRTX.

Tabula diptycha: Differential HIV knowledge, stigma, and intended behavioural outcomes amongst visitors at Vietnam's Pain and Hope exhibition

PubMed Central

Nambiar, Devaki; Nguyen, Mai Huong; Giang, Le Minh; Hirsch, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Stigma reduction efforts in Vietnam have been encumbered by contradictory and dynamic views of People Living With HIV (PLWH) and the epidemic over the past two decades. World AIDS Day 2010 saw the launch of Pain and Hope, a museum exhibition showcasing the lives and experiences of Vietnamese People Living with AIDS at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VME). Between December 2010 and May 2011, a random sample of visitors completed exit surveys regarding attitudes towards the exhibition and Vietnamese living with HIV/AIDS. The survey sought to determine what kind of visitors the museum and exhibition attracted, and the stigma-related impacts of this kind of exposure and parasocial contact. Of 2,500 Vietnamese visitors randomly selected, 852 completed the computer surveys (response rate of 34.1%), 92.3% of whom had seen Pain and Hope. We found two sub-strata or types of visitors attending the exhibition, with varying demographic characteristics, HIV-related knowledge, some differences in stigma ideation, and clear differences in intended behaviours specifically attributable to the exhibition. Social desirability biases notwithstanding, there has emerged a diptych typology of visitors to the VME, for whom the experience of the exhibition is likely interacting with divergent prior knowledge, experiences, interests and motivations. PMID:22974183

Modernization of the NASA IRTF Telescope Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilger, Eric J.; Harwood, James V.; Onaka, Peter M.

1994-06-01

We describe the ongoing modernization of the NASA IR Telescope Facility Telescope Control System. A major mandate of this project is to keep the telescope available for observations throughout. Therefore, we have developed an incremental plan that will allow us to replace components of the software and hardware without shutting down the system. The current system, running under FORTH on a DEC LSI 11/23 minicomputer interfaced to a Bus and boards developed in house, will be replaced with a combination of a Sun SPARCstation running SunOS, a MicroSPARC based Single Board Computer running LynxOS, and various intelligent VME based peripheral cards. The software is based on a design philosophy originally developed by Pat Wallace for use on the Anglo Australian Telescope. This philosophy has gained wide acceptance, and is currently used in a number of observatories around the world. A key element of this philosophy is the division of the TCS into `Virtual' and `Real' parts. This will allow us to replace the higher level functions of the TCS with software running on the Sun, while still relying on the LSI 11/23 for performance of the lower level functions. Eventual transfer of lower level functions to the MicroSPARC system will then proceed incrementally through use of a Q-Bus to VME-Bus converter.

Data storage and retrieval system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamoto, Glen

1991-01-01

The Data Storage and Retrieval System (DSRS) consists of off-the-shelf system components integrated as a file server supporting very large files. These files are on the order of one gigabyte of data per file, although smaller files on the order of one megabyte can be accommodated as well. For instance, one gigabyte of data occupies approximately six 9 track tape reels (recorded at 6250 bpi). Due to this large volume of media, it was desirable to shrink the size of the proposed media to a single portable cassette. In addition to large size, a key requirement was that the data needs to be transferred to a (VME based) workstation at very high data rates. One gigabyte (GB) of data needed to be transferred from an archiveable media on a file server to a workstation in less than 5 minutes. Equivalent size, on-line data needed to be transferred in less than 3 minutes. These requirements imply effective transfer rates on the order of four to eight megabytes per second (4-8 MB/s). The DSRS also needed to be able to send and receive data from a variety of other sources accessible from an Ethernet local area network.

Data storage and retrieval system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamoto, Glen

1992-01-01

The Data Storage and Retrieval System (DSRS) consists of off-the-shelf system components integrated as a file server supporting very large files. These files are on the order of one gigabyte of data per file, although smaller files on the order of one megabyte can be accommodated as well. For instance, one gigabyte of data occupies approximately six 9-track tape reels (recorded at 6250 bpi). Due to this large volume of media, it was desirable to 'shrink' the size of the proposed media to a single portable cassette. In addition to large size, a key requirement was that the data needs to be transferred to a (VME based) workstation at very high data rates. One gigabyte (GB) of data needed to be transferred from an archiveable media on a file server to a workstation in less than 5 minutes. Equivalent size, on-line data needed to be transferred in less than 3 minutes. These requirements imply effective transfer rates on the order of four to eight megabytes per second (4-8 MB/s). The DSRS also needed to be able to send and receive data from a variety of other sources accessible from an Ethernet local area network.

Beyond Fine Tuning: Adding capacity to leverage few labels

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

Hodas, Nathan O.; Shaffer, Kyle J.; Yankov, Artem

2017-12-09

In this paper we present a technique to train neural network models on small amounts of data. Current methods for training neural networks on small amounts of rich data typically rely on strategies such as fine-tuning a pre-trained neural networks or the use of domain-specific hand-engineered features. Here we take the approach of treating network layers, or entire networks, as modules and combine pre-trained modules with untrained modules, to learn the shift in distributions between data sets. The central impact of using a modular approach comes from adding new representations to a network, as opposed to replacing representations via fine-tuning.more » Using this technique, we are able surpass results using standard fine-tuning transfer learning approaches, and we are also able to significantly increase performance over such approaches when using smaller amounts of data.« less

Oxytocin influences processing of socially relevant cues in the ventral tegmental area of the human brain.

PubMed

Groppe, Sarah E; Gossen, Anna; Rademacher, Lena; Hahn, Alexa; Westphal, Luzie; Gründer, Gerhard; Spreckelmeyer, Katja N

2013-08-01

Evidence accumulates that the neuropeptide oxytocin plays an important role in mediating social interaction among humans and that a dysfunction in oxytocin-modulated brain mechanisms might lie at the core of disturbed social behavior in neuropsychiatric disease. Explanatory models suggest that oxytocin guides social approach and avoidance by modulating the perceived salience of socially meaningful cues. Animal data point toward the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as the brain site where this modulation takes place. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and a social incentive delay task to test the hypothesis that oxytocin modulates the neural processing of socially relevant cues in the VTA, hereby facilitating behavioral response. Twenty-eight nulliparous women (not taking any hormones) received intranasal oxytocin or placebo in a double-blind randomized clinical trial with a parallel-group design. Oxytocin significantly enhanced VTA activation in response to cues signaling social reward (friendly face) or social punishment (angry face). Oxytocin effects on behavioral performance were modulated by individual differences in sociability with enhanced performance in women scoring low but decreased performance in women scoring high on self-reported measures of agreeableness. Our data provide evidence that the VTA is the human brain site where oxytocin attaches salience to socially relevant cues. This mechanism might play an important role in triggering motivation to react at the prospect of social reward or punishment. Copyright © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

``DMS-R, the Brain of the ISS'', 10 Years of Continuous Successful Operation in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, Bernd; Scheffers, Peter

2012-08-01

Space industries on both sides of the Atlantic were faced with a new situation of collaboration in the beginning of the 1990s.In 1995, industrial cooperation between ASTRIUM ST, Bremen and RSC-E, Moscow started aiming the outfitting of the Russian Service Module ZVEZDA for the ISS with computers. The requested equipments had to provide not only redundancy but fault tolerance and high availability. The design and development of two fault tolerant computers, (FTCs) responsible for the telemetry (Telemetry Computer: TC) and the central control (CC), as well as the man machine interface CPC were contracted to ASTRIUM ST, Bremen. The computer system is responsible e.g. for the life support system and the ISS re-boost control.In July 2000, the integration of the Russian Service Module ZVEZDA with Russian ZARYA FGB and American Node 1 bears witness for transatlantic and European cooperation.The Russian Service module ZVEZDA provides several basic functions as Avionics Control, the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) in the ISS and control of the docked Automatic Transfer Vehicle (ATV) which includes re-boost of ISS. If these elementary functions fail or do not work reliable the effects for the ISS will be catastrophic with respect to Safety (manned space) and ISS mission.For that reason the responsible computer system Data Management System - Russia (DMS-R) is also called "The brain of the ISS".The Russian Service module ZVEZDA, including DMS-R, was launched on 12th of July, 2000. DMS-R was operational also during launch and docking.The talk provide information about the definition, design and development of DMS-R, the integration of DMS-R in the Russian Service module and the maintenance of the system in space. Besides the technical aspects are also the German - Russian cooperation an important subject of this speech. An outlook finalises the talk providing further development activities and application of fault tolerant systems.The importance of the DMS-R equipment for the ISS related to availability and reliability is reported in paragraph 1.2, describing a serious incident.The DMS-R architecture, consisting of two fault tolerant computers, their interconnection via MIL 1553 STD Bus and the Control Post Computer (CPC) as man- machine interface is given in figure 1. The main data transfer within the ISS and therefore also the Russian segment is managed by the MIL1553 STD bus. The focus of this script is neither the operational concept nor the fault tolerant design according the Byzantine Theorem, but the architectural embedment. One fault tolerant computer consists out of up to four fault containment regions (FCR), comparing in- and output data and deciding by majority voting whether a faulty FCR has to be isolated. For this purpose all data have to pass the so-called fault management element and are distributed to the other participants in the computer pool (FTC). Each fault containment region is connected to the avionic busses of the vehicle avionics system. In case of a faulty FCR (wrong calculation result was detected by the other FCRs or by build-in self-detection) the dedicated FCR will reset itself or will be reset by the others. The bus controller functions of the isolated FCR will be taken over according to a specific deterministic scheme from another FCR. The FTC data throughput will be maintained, the FTC operation will continue without interruption. Each FCR consists of an application CPU board (ALB), the fault management layer (FML), the avionics bus interface board (AVI) and a power supply (PSU), sharing a VME data bus.The FML is fully transparent, in terms of I/O accessibility, to the application S/W and votes the data autonomously received from the avionics busses and transmitted from the application.

Focused Heavy Ion Nuclear Microprobe facility at the University of North Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, B. N.; Yang, C.; El Bouanani, M.; Duggan, J. L.; McDaniel, F. D.

1999-10-01

A Focused Heavy Ion Nuclear Microprobe facility has been constructed at the University of North Texas. The microprobe utilizes two separated Russian magnetic quadrupole quadruplets. The two identical magnetic quadrupole doublet lenses are separated by 2.61 meters. The lens system with ~ 80 times demagnification has the ability to focus proton, alpha particle, or heavier ions down to a spot size of ~ 1 μm. The microprobe components rest on a 7 meter steel beam support with vibration isolation. A computer provides control for the lens power supplies and also the parameters for a post-lens scanning coil to raster-scan the beam across the sample. Up to four detection channels can be used for simultaneous data acquisition under VME control. A RISC workstation is used to collect, display and analyze the data. The data is transferred via ethernet. A detailed description of the facility and data acquisition system along with preliminary testing results on TEM grids with Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry and the Ion Beam Induced Charge Collection techniques will be presented.

Upgrade to the control system of the reflectometry diagnostic of ASDEX upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graça, S.; Santos, J.; Manso, M. E.

2004-10-01

The broadband frequency modulation-continuous wave microwave/millimeter wave reflectometer of ASDEX upgrade tokamak (Institut für Plasma Physik (IPP), Garching, Germany) developed by Centro de Fusão Nuclear (Lisboa, Portugal) with the collaboration of IPP, is a complex system with 13 channels (O and X modes) and two types of operation modes (swept and fixed frequency). The control system that ensures remote operation of the diagnostic incorporates VME and CAMAC bus based acquisition/timing systems. Microprocessor input/output boards are used to control and monitor the microwave circuitry and associated electronic devices. The implementation of the control system is based on an object-oriented client/server model: a centralized server manages the hardware and receives input from remote clients. Communication is handled through transmission control protocol/internet protocol sockets. Here we describe recent upgrades of the control system aiming to: (i) accommodate new channels; (ii) adapt to the heterogeneity of computing platforms and operating systems; and (iii) overcome remote access restrictions. Platform and operating system independence was achieved by redesigning the graphical user interface in JAVA. As secure shell is the standard remote access protocol adopted in major fusion laboratories, secure shell tunneling was implemented to allow remote operation of the diagnostic through the existing firewalls.

Third generation of correlators for six antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Marc

2000-07-01

The technical evolution of the correlators of the Plateau de Bure interferometer since the first fringes, 14 years ago, is shortly presented. The progressive addition of antennas over this period has allowed the Grenoble correlator group to undertake several 'start-from-scratch' designs, which have replaced on-site equipment as it came obsolete. The tradeoff between design cycle time and lifetime of such equipment is discussed. The latest design is described in detail. The new correlator can be set to analyze up to eight simultaneous windows, adjustable in size and center frequency, thanks to a 2 X 220 MHz image rejection mixer. Advantages of analog IF processing are presented. The frequency plan of the IF processor has been designed to be fully compatible with MarkIV VLBI recording. The correlator is then used to sum up the signals of the 6 antennas over 256 MHz. The digital section mainly uses an IRAM-designed low-power, low-cost ASIC. Delay lines use FPGA's and phase rotators use DDS's. Surface-mount technology is used everywhere. A commercial CPU module runs the real-time software under Linux. A 21-slot VME chassis hosts the hardware. Test results and measurements of performance on the full-size machine are presented. The difficulties encountered in achieving this kind of machine within schedule in today's industrial environment are retrospectively analyzed.

Women's preferences for selective estrogen reuptake modulators: an investigation using protection motivation theory.

PubMed

Ralph, Angelique F; Ager, Brittany; Bell, Melanie L; Collins, Ian M; Andrews, Lesley; Tucker, Kathy; Phillips, Kelly-Anne; Butow, Phyllis

2014-07-01

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) reduce breast cancer risk by 38%. However, uptake is low and the reasons are not well understood. This study applied protection motivation theory (PMT) to determine factors associated with intention to take SERMs. Women at increased risk of breast cancer (N=107), recruited from two familial cancer clinics in Australia, completed a questionnaire containing measures of PMT constructs. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Forty-five percent of women said they would be likely or very likely to take SERMs in the future. PMT components accounted for 40% of variance in intention to take SERMs. Perceived vulnerability, severity and response efficacy appeared the most influential in women's decisions to take or not take SERMs. Many women are interested in SERMs as a risk management option. Accurate risk estimation and an understanding of the benefits of SERMs are critical to women's decision making. Health professionals need to explore women's perceptions of their risk and its consequences, as well as providing clear evidence-based information about the efficacy of SERMs. Exploring the source and strength of beliefs about SERMs may allow more effective, tailored counseling. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Miniature biotelemeter gives multichannel wideband biomedical data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carraway, J. B.

1972-01-01

A miniature biotelemeter was developed for sensing and transmitting multiple channels of biomedical data over a radio link. The design of this miniature, 10-channel, wideband (5 kHz/channel), pulse amplitude modulation/ frequency modulation biotelemeter takes advantage of modern device technology (e.g., integrated circuit operational amplifiers, complementary symmetry/metal oxide semiconductor logic, and solid state switches) and hybrid packaging techniques. The telemeter is being used to monitor 10 channels of neuron firings from specific regions of the brain in rats implanted with chronic electrodes. Design, fabrication, and testing of an engineering model biotelemeter are described.

Do you also have problems with the file format syndrome?

PubMed

De Cuyper, B; Nyssen, E; Christophe, Y; Cornelis, J

1991-11-01

In a biomedical data processing environment, an essential requirement is the ability to integrate a large class of standard modules for the acquisition, processing and display of the (image) data. Our approach to the management and manipulation of the different data formats is based on the specification of a common standard for the representation of data formats, called 'data nature descriptions' to emphasise that this representation not only specifies the structure but also the contents of data objects (files). The idea behind this concept is to associate each hardware and software component that produces or uses medical data with a description of the data objects manipulated by that component. In our approach a special software module (a format convertor generator) takes care of the appropriate data format conversions, required when two or more components of the system exchange data.

Web-based Traffic Noise Control Support System for Sustainable Transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Lisa; Dai, Liming; Li, Anson

Traffic noise is considered as one of the major pollutions that will affect our communities in the future. This paper presents a framework of web-based traffic noise control support system (WTNCSS) for a sustainable transportation. WTNCSS is to provide the decision makers, engineers and publics a platform to efficiently access the information, and effectively making decisions related to traffic control. The system is based on a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) which takes the advantages of the convenience of World Wide Web system with the data format of XML. The whole system is divided into different modules such as the prediction module, ontology-based expert module and dynamic online survey module. Each module of the system provides a distinct information service to the decision support center through the HTTP protocol.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Plug-in Conversation and Battery Monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntyre, Michael; Kessinger, Robert; Young, Maegan; Latham, Joseph; Unnikannan, Krishnanunni

2012-02-01

The objective of the project was to analyze the performance of a Toyota Hybrid. We started off with a stock Toyota Prius and taking data by driving it in city and on the highway in a mixed pre-determined route. The batteries can be charged using standard 120V AC outlets. First phase of the project was to increase the performance of the car by installing 20 Lead (Pb) batteries in a plug-in kit. To improve the performance of the kit, a centralized battery monitoring system was installed. The battery monitoring system has two components, a custom data modules and a National Instruments CompactRIO. Each Pb battery has its own data module and all the data module are connected to the CompactRIO. The CompactRIO records differential voltage, current and temperature from all the 20 batteries. The LabVIEW software is dynamic and can be reconfigured to any number of batteries and real time data from the batteries can be monitored on a LabVIEW enabled machine.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Plug-in Conversation and Battery Monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unnikannan, Krishnanunni; McIntyre, Michael; Harper, Doug; Kessinger, Robert; Young, Megan; Lantham, Joseph

2012-03-01

The objective of the project was to analyze the performance of a Toyota Hybrid. We started off with a stock Toyota Prius and taking data by driving it in city and on the highway in a mixed pre-determined route. The batteries can be charged using standard 120V AC outlets. First phase of the project was to increase the performance of the car by installing 20 Lead (Pb) batteries in a plug-in kit. To improve the performance of the kit, a centralized battery monitoring system was installed. The battery monitoring system has two components, a custom data modules and a National Instruments CompactRIO. Each Pb battery has its own data module and all the data module are connected to the CompactRIO. The CompactRIO records differential voltage, current and temperature from all the 20 batteries. The LabVIEW software is dynamic and can be reconfigured to any number of batteries and real time data from the batteries can be monitored on a LabVIEW enabled machine.

ATLAS particle detector CSC ROD software design and implementation, and, Addition of K physics to chi-squared analysis of FDQM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, Donovan Lee

In this thesis I present a software framework for use on the ATLAS muon CSC readout driver. This C++ framework uses plug-in Decoders incorporating hand-optimized assembly language routines to perform sparsification and data formatting. The software is designed with both flexibility and performance in mind, and runs on a custom 9U VME board using Texas Instruments TMS360C6203 digital signal processors. I describe the requirements of the software, the methods used in its design, and the results of testing the software with simulated data. I also present modifications to a chi-squared analysis of the Standard Model and Four Down Quark Model (FDQM) originally done by Dr. Dennis Silverman. The addition of four new experiments to the analysis has little effect on the Standard Model but provides important new restrictions on the FDQM. The method used to incorporate these new experiments is presented, and the consequences of their addition are reviewed.

ACS sampling system: design, implementation, and performance evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Marcantonio, Paolo; Cirami, Roberto; Chiozzi, Gianluca

2004-09-01

By means of ACS (ALMA Common Software) framework we designed and implemented a sampling system which allows sampling of every Characteristic Component Property with a specific, user-defined, sustained frequency limited only by the hardware. Collected data are sent to various clients (one or more Java plotting widgets, a dedicated GUI or a COTS application) using the ACS/CORBA Notification Channel. The data transport is optimized: samples are cached locally and sent in packets with a lower and user-defined frequency to keep network load under control. Simultaneous sampling of the Properties of different Components is also possible. Together with the design and implementation issues we present the performance of the sampling system evaluated on two different platforms: on a VME based system using VxWorks RTOS (currently adopted by ALMA) and on a PC/104+ embedded platform using Red Hat 9 Linux operating system. The PC/104+ solution offers, as an alternative, a low cost PC compatible hardware environment with free and open operating system.

Alignment of the Pixel and SCT Modules for the 2004 ATLAS Combined Test Beam

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

ATLAS Collaboration; Ahmad, A.; Andreazza, A.

2008-06-02

A small set of final prototypes of the ATLAS Inner Detector silicon tracking system(Pixel Detector and SemiConductor Tracker), were used to take data during the 2004 Combined Test Beam. Data were collected from runs with beams of different flavour (electrons, pions, muons and photons) with a momentum range of 2 to 180 GeV/c. Four independent methods were used to align the silicon modules. The corrections obtained were validated using the known momenta of the beam particles and were shown to yield consistent results among the different alignment approaches. From the residual distributions, it is concluded that the precision attained inmore » the alignmentof the silicon modules is of the order of 5 mm in their most precise coordinate.« less

The Pierre Auger Observatory scaler mode for the study of solar activity modulation of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierre Auger Collaboration; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Ahn, E. J.; Allard, D.; Allekotte, I.; Allen, J.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Ambrosio, M.; Aminaei, A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andringa, S.; Antičić, T.; Anzalone, A.; Aramo, C.; Arganda, E.; Arisaka, K.; Arqueros, F.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Aublin, J.; Ave, M.; Avenier, M.; Avila, G.; Bäcker, T.; Badagnani, D.; Balzer, M.; Barber, K. B.; Barbosa, A. F.; Bardenet, R.; Barroso, S. L. C.; Baughman, B.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, B. R.; Becker, K. H.; Bellétoile, A.; Bellido, J. A.; BenZvi, S.; Berat, C.; Bergmann, T.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Blanco, F.; Blanco, M.; Bleve, C.; Blümer, H.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Bonino, R.; Borodai, N.; Brack, J.; Brogueira, P.; Brown, W. C.; Bruijn, R.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Burton, R. E.; Busca, N. G.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Catalano, O.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cester, R.; Chauvin, J.; Chiavassa, A.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chou, A.; Chudoba, J.; Clay, R. W.; Colombo, E.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Contreras, F.; Cook, H.; Cooper, M. J.; Coppens, J.; Cordier, A.; Cotti, U.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Creusot, A.; Criss, A.; Cronin, J.; Curutiu, A.; Dagoret-Campagne, S.; Dallier, R.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; De Domenico, M.; De Donato, C.; de Jong, S. J.; De La Vega, G.; de Mello Junior, W. J. M.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Souza, V.; de Vries, K. D.; Decerprit, G.; del Peral, L.; Deligny, O.; Della Selva, A.; Dembinski, H.; Denkiewicz, A.; Di Giulio, C.; Diaz, J. C.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Diep, P. N.; Dobrigkeit, C.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dong, P. N.; Dorofeev, A.; dos Anjos, J. C.; Dova, M. T.; D'Urso, D.; Dutan, I.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Erdmann, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Etchegoyen, A.; Facal San Luis, P.; Falcke, H.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Ferguson, A. P.; Ferrero, A.; Fick, B.; Filevich, A.; Filipčič, A.; Fleck, I.; Fliescher, S.; Fracchiolla, C. E.; Fraenkel, E. D.; Fröhlich, U.; Fuchs, B.; Fulgione, W.; Gamarra, R. F.; Gambetta, S.; García, B.; García Gámez, D.; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Garrido, X.; Gascon, A.; Gelmini, G.; Gemmeke, H.; Gesterling, K.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giller, M.; Glass, H.; Gold, M. S.; Golup, G.; Gomez Albarracin, F.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gonçalves, P.; Gonzalez, D.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Gookin, B.; Góra, D.; Gorgi, A.; Gouffon, P.; Gozzini, S. R.; Grashorn, E.; Grebe, S.; Grigat, M.; Grillo, A. F.; Guardincerri, Y.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Hague, J. D.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harmsma, S.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Herve, A. E.; Hojvat, C.; Holmes, V. C.; Homola, P.; Hórandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Hrabovský, M.; Huege, T.; Insolia, A.; Ionita, F.; Italiano, A.; Jiraskova, S.; Kadija, K.; Kaducak, M.; Kampert, K. H.; Karhan, P.; Karova, T.; Kasper, P.; Kégl, B.; Keilhauer, B.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemp, E.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Knapp, J.; Koang, D.-H.; Kotera, K.; Krohm, N.; Krömer, O.; Kruppke-Hansen, D.; Kuehn, F.; Kuempel, D.; Kulbartz, J. K.; Kunka, N.; La Rosa, G.; Lachaud, C.; Lautridou, P.; Leão, M. S. A. B.; Lebrun, D.; Lebrun, P.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Lemiere, A.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Link, K.; López, R.; Lopez Agüera, A.; Louedec, K.; Lozano Bahilo, J.; Lucero, A.; Ludwig, M.; Lyberis, H.; Maccarone, M. C.; Macolino, C.; Maldera, S.; Mandat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Marin, V.; Maris, I. C.; Marquez Falcon, H. R.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martin, L.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Mathes, H. J.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Maurizio, D.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Melissas, M.; Melo, D.; Menichetti, E.; Menshikov, A.; Meurer, C.; Mičanović, S.; Micheletti, M. I.; Miller, W.; Miramonti, L.; Mollerach, S.; Monasor, M.; Monnier Ragaigne, D.; Montanet, F.; Morales, B.; Morello, C.; Moreno, E.; Moreno, J. C.; Morris, C.; Mostafá, M.; Mueller, S.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, G.; Münchmeyer, M.; Mussa, R.; Navarra, G.; Navarro, J. L.; Navas, S.; Necesal, P.; Nellen, L.; Nhung, P. T.; Nierstenhoefer, N.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Nožka, L.; Nyklicek, M.; Oehlschläger, J.; Olinto, A.; Oliva, P.; Olmos-Gilbaja, V. M.; Ortiz, M.; Pacheco, N.; Pakk Selmi-Dei, D.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Palmieri, N.; Parente, G.; Parizot, E.; Parra, A.; Parrisius, J.; Parsons, R. D.; Pastor, S.; Paul, T.; Pavlidou c, V.; Payet, K.; Pech, M.; Pękala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Pepe, I. M.; Perrone, L.; Pesce, R.; Petermann, E.; Petrera, S.; Petrinca, P.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, Y.; Petrovic, J.; Pfendner, C.; Phan, N.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pieroni, P.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Ponce, V. H.; Pontz, M.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Quel, E. J.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravel, O.; Ravignani, D.; Revenu, B.; Ridky, J.; Riggi, S.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rivera, H.; Rivière, C.; Rizi, V.; Robledo, C.; Rodriguez, G.; Rodriguez Martino, J.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Rodriguez-Cabo, I.; Rodríguez-Frías, M. D.; Ros, G.; Rosado, J.; Rossler, T.; Roth, M.; Rouillé-d'Orfeuil, B.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Salina, G.; Sánchez, F.; Santander, M.; Santo, C. E.; Santos, E.; Santos, E. M.; Sarazin, F.; Sarkar, S.; Sato, R.; Scharf, N.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schiffer, P.; Schmidt, A.; Schmidt, F.; Schmidt, T.; Scholten, O.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Schovancova, J.; Schovánek, P.; Schroeder, F.; Schulte, S.; Schüssler, F.; Schuster, D.; Sciutto, S. J.; Scuderi, M.; Segreto, A.; Semikoz, D.; Settimo, M.; Shadkam, A.; Shellard, R. C.; Sidelnik, I.; Sigl, G.; Śmiałkowski, A.; Šmída, R.; Snow, G. R.; Sommers, P.; Sorokin, J.; Spinka, H.; Squartini, R.; Stapleton, J.; Stasielak, J.; Stephan, M.; Strazzeri, E.; Stutz, A.; Suarez, F.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Šuša, T.; Sutherland, M. S.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Tamashiro, A.; Tapia, A.; Tarutina, T.; Taşcǎu, O.; Tcaciuc, R.; Tcherniakhovski, D.; Tegolo, D.; Thao, N. T.; Thomas, D.; Tiffenberg, J.; Timmermans, C.; Tiwari, D. K.; Tkaczyk, W.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Tomé, B.; Tonachini, A.; Travnicek, P.; Tridapalli, D. B.; Tristram, G.; Trovato, E.; Tueros, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van den Berg, A. M.; Vargas Cárdenas, B.; Vázquez, J. R.; Vázquez, R. A.; Veberič, D.; Venters, T.; Verzi, V.; Videla, M.; Villaseñor, L.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrlich, P.; Wainberg, O.; Warner, D.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weidenhaupt, K.; Weindl, A.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Wieczorek, G.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyńska, B.; Wilczyński, H.; Will, M.; Williams, C.; Winchen, T.; Winders, L.; Winnick, M. G.; Wommer, M.; Wundheiler, B.; Yamamoto a, T.; Younk, P.; Yuan, G.; Yushkov, A.; Zamorano, B.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zaw, I.; Zepeda, A.; Ziolkowski, M.

2011-01-01

Since data-taking began in January 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has been recording the count rates of low energy secondary cosmic ray particles for the self-calibration of the ground detectors of its surface detector array. After correcting for atmospheric effects, modulations of galactic cosmic rays due to solar activity and transient events are observed. Temporal variations related with the activity of the heliosphere can be determined with high accuracy due to the high total count rates. In this study, the available data are presented together with an analysis focused on the observation of Forbush decreases, where a strong correlation with neutron monitor data is found.

Crewmembers in the spacelab.

NASA Image and Video Library

1992-07-09

STS050-255-027 (25 June-9 July 1992) --- Payload specialist Eugene H. Trinh, left, and astronaut Carl J. Meade, mission specialist, go to work in the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1) science module as the blue shift crew takes over from the red. Trinh is working with an experiment at the Drop Physics Module (DPM) and Meade prepares to monitor an experiment in the Glovebox. The two joined four other astronauts and a second scientist from the private sector for 14-days of scientific data-gathering.

A versatile system for the rapid collection, handling and graphics analysis of multidimensional data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, P. M.; Moloney, G.; O'Connor, A.; Legge, G. J. F.

1993-05-01

The aim of this work was to provide a versatile system for handling multiparameter data that may arise from a variety of experiments — nuclear, AMS, microprobe elemental analysis, 3D microtomography etc. Some of the most demanding requirements arise in the application of microprobes to quantitative elemental mapping and to microtomography. A system to handle data from such experiments had been under continuous development and use at MARC for the past 15 years. It has now been made adaptable to the needs of multiparameter (or single parameter) experiments in general. The original system has been rewritten, greatly expanded and made much more powerful and faster, by use of modern computer technology — a VME bus computer with a real time operating system and a RISC workstation running Unix and the X Window system. This provides the necessary (i) power, speed and versatility, (ii) expansion and updating capabilities (iii) standardisation and adaptability, (iv) coherent modular programming structures, (v) ability to interface to other programs and (vi) transparent operation with several levels, involving the use of menus, programmed function keys and powerful macro programming facilities.

Student-Centered Modules to Support Active Learning in Hydrology: Development Experiences and Users' Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarboton, D. G.; Habib, E. H.; Deshotel, M.; Merck, M. F.; Lall, U.; Farnham, D. J.

2016-12-01

Traditional approaches to undergraduate hydrology and water resource education are textbook based, adopt unit processes and rely on idealized examples of specific applications, rather than examining the contextual relations in the processes and the dynamics connecting climate and ecosystems. The overarching goal of this project is to address the needed paradigm shift in undergraduate education of engineering hydrology and water resources education to reflect parallel advances in hydrologic research and technology, mainly in the areas of new observational settings, data and modeling resources and web-based technologies. This study presents efforts to develop a set of learning modules that are case-based, data and simulation driven and delivered via a web user interface. The modules are based on real-world case studies from three regional hydrologic settings: Coastal Louisiana, Utah Rocky Mountains and Florida Everglades. These three systems provide unique learning opportunities on topics such as: regional-scale budget analysis, hydrologic effects of human and natural changes, flashflood protection, climate-hydrology teleconnections and water resource management scenarios. The technical design and contents of the modules aim to support students' ability for transforming their learning outcomes and skills to hydrologic systems other than those used by the specific activity. To promote active learning, the modules take students through a set of highly engaging learning activities that are based on analysis of hydrologic data and model simulations. The modules include user support in the form of feedback and self-assessment mechanisms that are integrated within the online modules. Module effectiveness is assessed through an improvement-focused evaluation model using a mixed-method research approach guiding collection and analysis of evaluation data. Both qualitative and quantitative data are collected through student learning data, product analysis, and staff interviews. The presentation shares with the audience lessons learned from the development and implementation of the modules, students' feedback, guidelines on design and content attributes that support active learning in hydrology, and challenges encountered during the class implementation and evaluation of the modules.

High-speed Si/GeSi hetero-structure Electro Absorption Modulator.

PubMed

Mastronardi, L; Banakar, M; Khokhar, A Z; Hattasan, N; Rutirawut, T; Bucio, T Domínguez; Grabska, K M; Littlejohns, C; Bazin, A; Mashanovich, G; Gardes, F Y

2018-03-19

The ever-increasing demand for integrated, low power interconnect systems is pushing the bandwidth density of CMOS photonic devices. Taking advantage of the strong Franz-Keldysh effect in the C and L communication bands, electro-absorption modulators in Ge and GeSi are setting a new standard in terms of device footprint and power consumption for next generation photonics interconnect arrays. In this paper, we present a compact, low power electro-absorption modulator (EAM) Si/GeSi hetero-structure based on an 800 nm SOI overlayer with a modulation bandwidth of 56 GHz. The device design and fabrication tolerant process are presented, followed by the measurement analysis. Eye diagram measurements show a dynamic ER of 5.2 dB at a data rate of 56 Gb/s at 1566 nm, and calculated modulator power is 44 fJ/bit.

Monitoring the CMS strip tracker readout system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mersi, S.; Bainbridge, R.; Baulieu, G.; Bel, S.; Cole, J.; Cripps, N.; Delaere, C.; Drouhin, F.; Fulcher, J.; Giassi, A.; Gross, L.; Hahn, K.; Mirabito, L.; Nikolic, M.; Tkaczyk, S.; Wingham, M.

2008-07-01

The CMS Silicon Strip Tracker at the LHC comprises a sensitive area of approximately 200 m2 and 10 million readout channels. Its data acquisition system is based around a custom analogue front-end chip. Both the control and the readout of the front-end electronics are performed by off-detector VME boards in the counting room, which digitise the raw event data and perform zero-suppression and formatting. The data acquisition system uses the CMS online software framework to configure, control and monitor the hardware components and steer the data acquisition. The first data analysis is performed online within the official CMS reconstruction framework, which provides many services, such as distributed analysis, access to geometry and conditions data, and a Data Quality Monitoring tool based on the online physics reconstruction. The data acquisition monitoring of the Strip Tracker uses both the data acquisition and the reconstruction software frameworks in order to provide real-time feedback to shifters on the operational state of the detector, archiving for later analysis and possibly trigger automatic recovery actions in case of errors. Here we review the proposed architecture of the monitoring system and we describe its software components, which are already in place, the various monitoring streams available, and our experiences of operating and monitoring a large-scale system.

APNEA list mode data acquisition and real-time event processing

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

Hogle, R.A.; Miller, P.; Bramblett, R.L.

1997-11-01

The LMSC Active Passive Neutron Examinations and Assay (APNEA) Data Logger is a VME-based data acquisition system using commercial-off-the-shelf hardware with the application-specific software. It receives TTL inputs from eighty-eight {sup 3}He detector tubes and eight timing signals. Two data sets are generated concurrently for each acquisition session: (1) List Mode recording of all detector and timing signals, timestamped to 3 microsecond resolution; (2) Event Accumulations generated in real-time by counting events into short (tens of microseconds) and long (seconds) time bins following repetitive triggers. List Mode data sets can be post-processed to: (1) determine the optimum time bins formore » TRU assay of waste drums, (2) analyze a given data set in several ways to match different assay requirements and conditions and (3) confirm assay results by examining details of the raw data. Data Logger events are processed and timestamped by an array of 15 TMS320C40 DSPs and delivered to an embedded controller (PowerPC604) for interim disk storage. Three acquisition modes, corresponding to different trigger sources are provided. A standard network interface to a remote host system (Windows NT or SunOS) provides for system control, status, and transfer of previously acquired data. 6 figs.« less

CompactPCI/Linux Platform in FTU Slow Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iannone, F.; Wang, L.; Centioli, C.; Panella, M.; Mazza, G.; Vitale, V.

2004-12-01

In large fusion experiments, such as tokamak devices, there is a common trend for slow control systems. Because of complexity of the plants, the so-called `Standard Model' (SM) in slow control has been adopted on several tokamak machines. This model is based on a three-level hierarchical control: 1) High-Level Control (HLC) with a supervisory function; 2) Medium-Level Control (MLC) to interface and concentrate I/O field equipments; 3) Low-Level Control (LLC) with hard real-time I/O function, often managed by PLCs. FTU control system designed with SM concepts has underwent several stages of developments in its fifteen years duration of runs. The latest evolution was inevitable, due to the obsolescence of the MLC CPUs, based on VME-MOTOROLA 68030 with OS9 operating system. A large amount of C code was developed for that platform to route the data flow from LLC, which is constituted by 24 Westinghouse Numalogic PC-700 PLCs with about 8000 field-points, to HLC, based on a commercial Object-Oriented Real-Time database on Alpha/CompaqTru64 platform. Therefore, we have to look for cost-effective solutions and finally a CompactPCI-Intel x86 platform with Linux operating system was chosen. A software porting has been done, taking into account the differences between OS9 and Linux operating system in terms of Inter/Network Processes Communications and I/O multi-ports serial driver. This paper describes the hardware/software architecture of the new MLC system, emphasizing the reliability and the low costs of the open source solutions. Moreover, a huge amount of software packages available in open source environment will assure a less painful maintenance, and will open the way to further improvements of the system itself.

Part II: preparing and assessing first-year radiology resident on-call readiness technical implementation.

PubMed

Yam, Chun-Shan; Kruskal, Jonathan; Pedrosa, Ivan; Kressel, Herbert

2006-06-01

The effectiveness of using a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-based interactive examination system in evaluating the readiness of first year radiology residents before taking overnight call in the emergency department (ED) was reported in part I of this article. This report describes technical aspects for the design and implementation of this system. The examination system consists of two modules: Data Collection and Image Viewing. The Data Collection module was a personal computer (PC)-based DICOM storage server based on a free public domain software package, the Mallinckrodt Central Test Node. The Image Viewing module was a Java-based DICOM viewer created using another freeware package: zDicom ActiveX component. The examination takes place once a year at the end of the first 6-month rotation. Cases selected for the examination were actual clinical cases according to the American Society of Emergency Radiology core curriculum. In the 3-hour timed examination, each resident was required to read the cases and provide clinical findings and recommendations. Upper-level residents also participated in the examination to serve as a control. Answers were scored by two staff radiologists. We have been using this examination system successfully in our institution since 2003 to evaluate the readiness of the first-year residents before they take overnight call in the ED. This report describes a step-by-step procedure for implementing this system into a PC-based platform. This DICOM viewing software is available as freeware to other academic radiology institutions. The total cost for implementing this system is approximately 2000 US dollars.

Carbapenem Susceptibility Testing Errors Using Three Automated Systems, Disk Diffusion, Etest, and Broth Microdilution and Carbapenem Resistance Genes in Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus Complex

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

Phoenix, and Vitek 2 systems). Discordant results were categorized as very major errors (VME), major errors (ME), and minor errors (mE). DNA sequences...01 OCT 2011 2 . REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Carbapenem Susceptibility Testing Errors Using Three Automated...FDA standards required for device approval (11). The Vitek 2 method was the only automated susceptibility method in our study that satisfied FDA

Multiple Target Tracking in a Wide-Field-of-View Camera System

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

assembly is mounted on a Contraves alt-azi axis table with a pointing accuracy of < 2 Urad. * Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of... Contraves SUN 3 CCD DR11W VME EITHERNET SUN 3 !3T 3 RS170 Video 1 Video ^mglifier^ I WWV Clock VCR Datacube u Monitor Monitor UL...displaying processed images with overlay from the Datacube. We control the Contraves table using a GPIB interface on the SUN. GPIB also interfaces a

The Pierre Auger Observatory scaler mode for the study of solar activity modulation of galactic cosmic rays

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

Abreu, P.; /Lisbon, LIFEP /Lisbon, IST; Aglietta, M.

2011-01-01

Since data-taking began in January 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has been recording the count rates of low energy secondary cosmic ray particles for the self-calibration of the ground detectors of its surface detector array. After correcting for atmospheric effects, modulations of galactic cosmic rays due to solar activity and transient events are observed. Temporal variations related with the activity of the heliosphere can be determined with high accuracy due to the high total count rates. In this study, the available data are presented together with an analysis focused on the observation of Forbush decreases, where a strong correlation withmore » neutron monitor data is found.« less

Modelling of polymer photodegradation for solar cell modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guillet, J. E.

1982-01-01

A computer program which simulates the complex processes of photooxidation which take place in a polymer upon prolonged exposure outdoors causing it to fail in photovoltaic and other applications. The method calculates from an input data set of elementary reactions and rates the concentration profiles of all species over time.

Development Module Oriented Science Technology Society Indue Science Literacy Assessment for 7th-Grade Junior High School Students in 2nd -Semester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbi, Y. R.; Sumarmin, R.; Putri, D. H.

2018-04-01

The problem in the science learning process is the application of the scientific approach takes a long time in order to provide conceptual understanding to the students, there is no teaching materials that can measure students reasoning and thinking ability, and the assessment has not measured students reasoning and literacy skills.The effort can be done is to develop science technology society module indue science literacy assessment. The purpose of the research was to produce a module oriented society indue science science technology literacy assessment. The research is development research using Plomp model, consist of preliminary, prototyping, and assessment phase. Data collect by questionnare and documantion. The result there is science technology society module indue science literacy assessment is very valid.

Undergraduate teaching modules featuring geodesy data applied to critical social topics (GETSI: GEodetic Tools for Societal Issues)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratt-Sitaula, B. A.; Walker, B.; Douglas, B. J.; Charlevoix, D. J.; Miller, M. M.

2015-12-01

The GETSI project, funded by NSF TUES, is developing and disseminating teaching and learning materials that feature geodesy data applied to critical societal issues such as climate change, water resource management, and natural hazards (serc.carleton.edu/getsi). It is collaborative between UNAVCO (NSF's geodetic facility), Mt San Antonio College, and Indiana University. GETSI was initiated after requests by geoscience faculty for geodetic teaching resources for introductory and majors-level students. Full modules take two weeks but module subsets can also be used. Modules are developed and tested by two co-authors and also tested in a third classroom. GETSI is working in partnership with the Science Education Resource Center's (SERC) InTeGrate project on the development, assessment, and dissemination to ensure compatibility with the growing number of resources for geoscience education. Two GETSI modules are being published in October 2015. "Ice mass and sea level changes" includes geodetic data from GRACE, satellite altimetry, and GPS time series. "Imaging Active Tectonics" has students analyzing InSAR and LiDAR data to assess infrastructure earthquake vulnerability. Another three modules are in testing during fall 2015 and will be published in 2016. "Surface process hazards" investigates mass wasting hazard and risk using LiDAR data. "Water resources and geodesy" uses GRACE, vertical GPS, and reflection GPS data to have students investigating droughts in California and the High Great Plains. "GPS, strain, and earthquakes" helps students learn about infinitesimal and coseismic strain through analysis of horizontal GPS data and includes an extension module on the Napa 2014 earthquake. In addition to teaching resources, the GETSI project is compiling recommendations on successful development of geodesy curricula. The chief recommendations so far are the critical importance of including scientific experts in the authorship team and investing significant resources in data preparation (student interns can be excellent for this). GETSI also includes a research element on the way instructors adapt or adopt the resources. After publication, 4 additional testers will be recruited per module. They will provide feedback on how they choose to use the module elements in their courses.

Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prihtiadi, H.; Adhikari, G.; Adhikari, P.; Barbosa de Souza, E.; Carlin, N.; Choi, S.; Choi, W. Q.; Djamal, M.; Ezeribe, A. C.; Ha, C.; Hahn, I. S.; Hubbard, A. J. F.; Jeon, E. J.; Jo, J. H.; Joo, H. W.; Kang, W.; Kang, W. G.; Kauer, M.; Kim, B. H.; Kim, H.; Kim, H. J.; Kim, K. W.; Kim, N. Y.; Kim, S. K.; Kim, Y. D.; Kim, Y. H.; Kudryavtsev, V. A.; Lee, H. S.; Lee, J.; Lee, J. Y.; Lee, M. H.; Leonard, D. S.; Lim, K. E.; Lynch, W. A.; Maruyama, R. H.; Mouton, F.; Olsen, S. L.; Park, H. K.; Park, H. S.; Park, J. S.; Park, K. S.; Pettus, W.; Pierpoint, Z. P.; Ra, S.; Rogers, F. R.; Rott, C.; Scarff, A.; Spooner, N. J. C.; Thompson, W. G.; Yang, L.; Yong, S. H.

2018-02-01

The COSINE-100 dark matter search experiment has started taking physics data with the goal of performing an independent measurement of the annual modulation signal observed by DAMA/LIBRA. A muon detector was constructed by using plastic scintillator panels in the outermost layer of the shield surrounding the COSINE-100 detector. It detects cosmic ray muons in order to understand the impact of the muon annual modulation on dark matter analysis. Assembly and initial performance tests of each module have been performed at a ground laboratory. The installation of the detector in the Yangyang Underground Laboratory (Y2L) was completed in the summer of 2016. Using three months of data, the muon underground flux was measured to be 328 ± 1(stat.)± 10(syst.) muons/m2/day. In this report, the assembly of the muon detector and the results from the analysis are presented.

Semi-automated Modular Program Constructor for physiological modeling: Building cell and organ models.

PubMed

Jardine, Bartholomew; Raymond, Gary M; Bassingthwaighte, James B

2015-01-01

The Modular Program Constructor (MPC) is an open-source Java based modeling utility, built upon JSim's Mathematical Modeling Language (MML) ( http://www.physiome.org/jsim/) that uses directives embedded in model code to construct larger, more complicated models quickly and with less error than manually combining models. A major obstacle in writing complex models for physiological processes is the large amount of time it takes to model the myriad processes taking place simultaneously in cells, tissues, and organs. MPC replaces this task with code-generating algorithms that take model code from several different existing models and produce model code for a new JSim model. This is particularly useful during multi-scale model development where many variants are to be configured and tested against data. MPC encodes and preserves information about how a model is built from its simpler model modules, allowing the researcher to quickly substitute or update modules for hypothesis testing. MPC is implemented in Java and requires JSim to use its output. MPC source code and documentation are available at http://www.physiome.org/software/MPC/.

LAnd surface remote sensing Products VAlidation System (LAPVAS) and its preliminary application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Xingwen; Wen, Jianguang; Tang, Yong; Ma, Mingguo; Dou, Baocheng; Wu, Xiaodan; Meng, Lumin

2014-11-01

The long term record of remote sensing product shows the land surface parameters with spatial and temporal change to support regional and global scientific research widely. Remote sensing product with different sensors and different algorithms is necessary to be validated to ensure the high quality remote sensing product. Investigation about the remote sensing product validation shows that it is a complex processing both the quality of in-situ data requirement and method of precision assessment. A comprehensive validation should be needed with long time series and multiple land surface types. So a system named as land surface remote sensing product is designed in this paper to assess the uncertainty information of the remote sensing products based on a amount of in situ data and the validation techniques. The designed validation system platform consists of three parts: Validation databases Precision analysis subsystem, Inter-external interface of system. These three parts are built by some essential service modules, such as Data-Read service modules, Data-Insert service modules, Data-Associated service modules, Precision-Analysis service modules, Scale-Change service modules and so on. To run the validation system platform, users could order these service modules and choreograph them by the user interactive and then compete the validation tasks of remote sensing products (such as LAI ,ALBEDO ,VI etc.) . Taking SOA-based architecture as the framework of this system. The benefit of this architecture is the good service modules which could be independent of any development environment by standards such as the Web-Service Description Language(WSDL). The standard language: C++ and java will used as the primary programming language to create service modules. One of the key land surface parameter, albedo, is selected as an example of the system application. It is illustrated that the LAPVAS has a good performance to implement the land surface remote sensing product validation.

Health Instruction Packages: Consumer--Self-Examination.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maas, Carolyn; And Others

These three learning modules present text, illustrations, and exercises to teach lay persons to take and interpret a temperature, collect a urine specimen, and perform a breast examination. The first module, by Carolyn Maas, defines "temperature," describes the three body areas for temperature taking, distinguishes between normal and…

Galactic CR in the Heliosphere according to NM data, 3. Results for even solar cycles 20 and 22.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorman, L.; Dorman, I.; Iucci, N.; Parisi, M.; Villoresi, G.; Zukerman, I.

We found that the maximum of correlation coefficient between cosmic ray (CR) intensity and solar activity (SA) variations is occurred for even cycles 20 and 22 for about two-three times in the shorter time than for odd cycles 19 and 21. We came to conclusion that this difference is caused by CR drift effects: during even cycle drifts produced the small increasing of CR global modulation (additional to the caused by convection-diffusion mechanism) in the period from minimum to maximum of SA, and after the maximum of SA up to the minimum- about the same decreasing of CR modulation. This gives sufficient decreasing of observed time lag between CR and- SA in even solar cycles. We analyzed monthly and 11 months smoothed data of (CR) intensity observed by neutron monitors with different cut-off rigidities for even solar cycles 20 and 22. We use a special model described the connection between solar activity (characterized by monthly sunspot numbers) and CR convection- diff usion global modulation with taking into account time-lag of processes in the Heliosphere relative to the active processes on the Sun. For taking into account drifts we use models described in literature. In the first we correct observed long-term CR modulation on drifts with different amplitudes from 0 (no drifts), then 0.15%, 0.25%,... up to 4%. For each expected amplitude of drifts we determine the correlation coefficient between expected CR variations and observed by neutron monitors with different cut - off rigidities for different times of solar wind transportation from the Sun to the boundary of the modulation region from 1 to 60 average months (it corresponds approximately to dimension of modulation region from about 6 to 360 AU). We compare observed res ults for even solar cycles 20 and 22.

An adaptive, object oriented strategy for base calling in DNA sequence analysis.

PubMed Central

Giddings, M C; Brumley, R L; Haker, M; Smith, L M

1993-01-01

An algorithm has been developed for the determination of nucleotide sequence from data produced in fluorescence-based automated DNA sequencing instruments employing the four-color strategy. This algorithm takes advantage of object oriented programming techniques for modularity and extensibility. The algorithm is adaptive in that data sets from a wide variety of instruments and sequencing conditions can be used with good results. Confidence values are provided on the base calls as an estimate of accuracy. The algorithm iteratively employs confidence determinations from several different modules, each of which examines a different feature of the data for accurate peak identification. Modules within this system can be added or removed for increased performance or for application to a different task. In comparisons with commercial software, the algorithm performed well. Images PMID:8233787

Health Instruction Packages: How to Take a Blood Pressure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancaster, Carolyn; And Others

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in these four learning modules to teach dental hygiene students, nursing students, and the general public how to measure blood pressure. The first module, "Can You Take a Blood Pressure?" by Carolyn Lancaster, defines blood pressure, distinguishes between systolic and diastolic pressure and…

Excess thermodynamics of mixtures involving xenon and light linear alkanes by computer simulation.

PubMed

Carvalho, A J Palace; Ramalho, J P Prates; Martins, Luís F G

2007-06-14

Excess molar enthalpies and excess molar volumes as a function of composition for liquid mixtures of xenon + ethane (at 161.40 K), xenon + propane (at 161.40 K) and xenon + n-butane (at 182.34 K) have been obtained by Monte Carlo computer simulations and compared with available experimental data. Simulation conditions were chosen to closely match those of the corresponding experimental results. The TraPPE-UA force field was selected among other force fields to model all the alkanes studied, whereas the one-center Lennard-Jones potential from Bohn et al. was used for xenon. The calculated H(m)(E) and V(m)(E) for all systems are negative, increasing in magnitude as the alkane chain length increases. The results for these systems were compared with experimental data and with other theoretical calculations using the SAFT approach. An excellent agreement between simulation and experimental results was found for xenon + ethane system, whereas for the remaining two systems, some deviations that become progressively more significant as the alkane chain length increases were observed.

Development of a frequency-modulated ultrasonic sensor inspired by bat echolocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kepa, Krzysztof; Abaid, Nicole

2015-03-01

Bats have evolved to sense using ultrasonic signals with a variety of different frequency signatures which interact with their environment. Among these signals, those with time-varying frequencies may enable the animals to gather more complex information for obstacle avoidance and target tracking. Taking inspiration from this system, we present the development of a sonar sensor capable of generating frequency-modulated ultrasonic signals. The device is based on a miniature mobile computer, with on board data capture and processing capabilities, which is designed for eventual autonomous operation in a robotic swarm. The hardware and software components of the sensor are detailed, as well their integration. Preliminary results for target detection using both frequency-modulated and constant frequency signals are discussed.

Energy scavenging using piezoelectric sensors to power in pavement intelligent vehicle detection systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parhad, Ashutosh

Intelligent transportation systems use in-pavement inductive loop sensors to collect real time traffic data. This method is very expensive in terms of installation and maintenance. Our research is focused on developing advanced algorithms capable of generating high amounts of energy that can charge a battery. This electromechanical energy conversion is an optimal way of energy scavenging that makes use of piezoelectric sensors. The power generated is sufficient to run the vehicle detection module that has several sensors embedded together. To achieve these goals, we have developed a simulation module using software's like LabVIEW and Multisim. The simulation module recreates a practical scenario that takes into consideration vehicle weight, speed, wheel width and frequency of the traffic.

The upgraded data acquisition system for beam loss monitoring at the Fermilab Tevatron and Main Injector

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

Baumbaugh, A.; Briegel, C.; Brown, B.C.

2011-11-01

A VME-based data acquisition system for beam-loss monitors has been developed and is in use in the Tevatron and Main Injector accelerators at the Fermilab complex. The need for enhanced beam-loss protection when the Tevatron is operating in collider-mode was the main driving force for the new design. Prior to the implementation of the present system, the beam-loss monitor system was disabled during collider operation and protection of the Tevatron magnets relied on the quench protection system. The new Beam-Loss Monitor system allows appropriate abort logic and thresholds to be set over the full set of collider operating conditions. Themore » system also records a history of beam-loss data prior to a beam-abort event for post-abort analysis. Installation of the Main Injector system occurred in the fall of 2006 and the Tevatron system in the summer of 2007. Both systems were fully operation by the summer of 2008. In this paper we report on the overall system design, provide a description of its normal operation, and show a number of examples of its use in both the Main Injector and Tevatron.« less

The upgraded data acquisition system for beam loss monitoring at the Fermilab Tevatron and Main Injector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumbaugh, A.; Briegel, C.; Brown, B. C.; Capista, D.; Drennan, C.; Fellenz, B.; Knickerbocker, K.; Lewis, J. D.; Marchionni, A.; Needles, C.; Olson, M.; Pordes, S.; Shi, Z.; Still, D.; Thurman-Keup, R.; Utes, M.; Wu, J.

2011-11-01

A VME-based data acquisition system for beam-loss monitors has been developed and is in use in the Tevatron and Main Injector accelerators at the Fermilab complex. The need for enhanced beam-loss protection when the Tevatron is operating in collider-mode was the main driving force for the new design. Prior to the implementation of the present system, the beam-loss monitor system was disabled during collider operation and protection of the Tevatron magnets relied on the quench protection system. The new Beam-Loss Monitor system allows appropriate abort logic and thresholds to be set over the full set of collider operating conditions. The system also records a history of beam-loss data prior to a beam-abort event for post-abort analysis. Installation of the Main Injector system occurred in the fall of 2006 and the Tevatron system in the summer of 2007. Both systems were fully operation by the summer of 2008. In this paper we report on the overall system design, provide a description of its normal operation, and show a number of examples of its use in both the Main Injector and Tevatron.

Global integrated drought monitoring and prediction system

PubMed Central

Hao, Zengchao; AghaKouchak, Amir; Nakhjiri, Navid; Farahmand, Alireza

2014-01-01

Drought is by far the most costly natural disaster that can lead to widespread impacts, including water and food crises. Here we present data sets available from the Global Integrated Drought Monitoring and Prediction System (GIDMaPS), which provides drought information based on multiple drought indicators. The system provides meteorological and agricultural drought information based on multiple satellite-, and model-based precipitation and soil moisture data sets. GIDMaPS includes a near real-time monitoring component and a seasonal probabilistic prediction module. The data sets include historical drought severity data from the monitoring component, and probabilistic seasonal forecasts from the prediction module. The probabilistic forecasts provide essential information for early warning, taking preventive measures, and planning mitigation strategies. GIDMaPS data sets are a significant extension to current capabilities and data sets for global drought assessment and early warning. The presented data sets would be instrumental in reducing drought impacts especially in developing countries. Our results indicate that GIDMaPS data sets reliably captured several major droughts from across the globe. PMID:25977759

Global integrated drought monitoring and prediction system.

PubMed

Hao, Zengchao; AghaKouchak, Amir; Nakhjiri, Navid; Farahmand, Alireza

2014-01-01

Drought is by far the most costly natural disaster that can lead to widespread impacts, including water and food crises. Here we present data sets available from the Global Integrated Drought Monitoring and Prediction System (GIDMaPS), which provides drought information based on multiple drought indicators. The system provides meteorological and agricultural drought information based on multiple satellite-, and model-based precipitation and soil moisture data sets. GIDMaPS includes a near real-time monitoring component and a seasonal probabilistic prediction module. The data sets include historical drought severity data from the monitoring component, and probabilistic seasonal forecasts from the prediction module. The probabilistic forecasts provide essential information for early warning, taking preventive measures, and planning mitigation strategies. GIDMaPS data sets are a significant extension to current capabilities and data sets for global drought assessment and early warning. The presented data sets would be instrumental in reducing drought impacts especially in developing countries. Our results indicate that GIDMaPS data sets reliably captured several major droughts from across the globe.

A wideband analog correlator system for AMiBA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chao-Te; Kubo, Derek; Han, Chih-Chiang; Chen, Chung-Cheng; Chen, Ming-Tang; Lien, Chun-Hsien; Wang, Huei; Wei, Ray-Ming; Yang, Chia-Hsiang; Chiueh, Tzi-Dar; Peterson, Jeffrey; Kesteven, Michael; Wilson, Warwick

2004-10-01

A wideband correlator system with a bandwidth of 16 GHz or more is required for Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) to achieve the sensitivity of 10μK in one hour of observation. Double-balanced diode mixers were used as multipliers in 4-lag correlator modules. Several wideband modules were developed for IF signal distribution between receivers and correlators. Correlator outputs were amplified, and digitized by voltage-to-frequency converters. Data acquisition circuits were designed using field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). Subsequent data transfer and control software were based on the configuration for Australia Telescope Compact Array. Transform matrix method will be adopted during calibration to take into account the phase and amplitude variations of analog devices across the passband.

Comparison of cyclic correlation and the wavelet method for symbol rate detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Richard; Whitney, James

Software defined radio (SDR) is a relatively new technology that holds a great deal of promise in the communication field in general, and, in particular the area of space communications. Tra-ditional communication systems are comprised of a transmitter and a receiver, where through prior planning and scheduling, the transmitter and receiver are pre-configured for a particu-lar communication modality. For any particular modality the radio circuitry is configured to transmit, receive, and resolve one type of modulation at a certain data rate. Traditional radio's are limited by the fact that the circuitry is fixed. Software defined radios on the other hand do not suffer from this limitation. SDR's are comprised mainly of software modules which allow them to be flexible, in that they can resolve various types of modulation types that occur at different data rates. This ability is of very high importance in space where parameters of the communications link may need to be changed due to channel fading, reduced power, or other unforeseen events. In these cases the ability to autonomously change aspects of the radio's con-figuration becomes an absolute necessity in order to maintain communications. In order for the technology to work the receiver has to be able to determine the modulation type and the data rate of the signal. The data rate of the signal is one of the first parameters to be resolved, as it is needed to find the other signal parameters such as modulation type and the signal-to-noise ratio. There are a number of algorithms that have been developed to detect or estimate the data rate of a signal. This paper will investigate two of these algorithms, namely, the cyclic correlation algorithm and a wavelet-based detection algorithm. Both of these algorithms are feature-based algorithms, meaning that they make their estimations based on certain inherent features of the signals to which they are applied. The cyclic correlation algorithm takes advan-tage of the cyclostationary nature of MPSK signals, while the wavelet-based algorithms take advantage of the fact of being able to detect transient changes in the signal, i.e., transitions from `1' to'0'. Both of these algorithms are tested under various signal-to-noise conditions to see which has the better performance, and the results are presented in this paper.

Effect of noise on modulation amplitude and phase in frequency-domain diffusive imaging

PubMed Central

Kupinski, Matthew A.

2012-01-01

Abstract. We theoretically investigate the effect of noise on frequency-domain heterodyne and/or homodyne measurements of intensity-modulated beams propagating through diffusive media, such as a photon density wave. We assumed that the attenuated amplitude and delayed phase are estimated by taking the Fourier transform of the noisy, modulated output data. We show that the estimated amplitude and phase are biased when the number of output photons is small. We also show that the use of image intensifiers for photon amplification in heterodyne or homodyne measurements increases the amount of biases. Especially, it turns out that the biased estimation is independent of AC-dependent noise in sinusoidal heterodyne or homodyne outputs. Finally, the developed theory indicates that the previously known variance model of modulation amplitude and phase is not valid in low light situations. Monte-Carlo simulations with varied numbers of input photons verify our theoretical trends of the bias. PMID:22352660

Deep sea tests of a prototype of the KM3NeT digital optical module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adrián-Martínez, S.; Ageron, M.; Aharonian, F.; Aiello, S.; Albert, A.; Ameli, F.; Anassontzis, E. G.; Anghinolfi, M.; Anton, G.; Anvar, S.; Ardid, M.; de Asmundis, R.; Balasi, K.; Band, H.; Barbarino, G.; Barbarito, E.; Barbato, F.; Baret, B.; Baron, S.; Belias, A.; Berbee, E.; van den Berg, A. M.; Berkien, A.; Bertin, V.; Beurthey, S.; van Beveren, V.; Beverini, N.; Biagi, S.; Bianucci, S.; Billault, M.; Birbas, A.; Boer Rookhuizen, H.; Bormuth, R.; Bouché, V.; Bouhadef, B.; Bourlis, G.; Bouwhuis, M.; Bozza, C.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Cacopardo, G.; Caillat, L.; Calamai, M.; Calvo, D.; Capone, A.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, F.; Cecchini, S.; Ceres, A.; Cereseto, R.; Champion, C.; Château, F.; Chiarusi, T.; Christopoulou, B.; Circella, M.; Classen, L.; Cocimano, R.; Colonges, S.; Coniglione, R.; Cosquer, A.; Costa, M.; Coyle, P.; Creusot, A.; Curtil, C.; Cuttone, G.; D'Amato, C.; D'Amico, A.; De Bonis, G.; De Rosa, G.; Deniskina, N.; Destelle, J.-J.; Distefano, C.; Donzaud, C.; Dornic, D.; Dorosti-Hasankiadeh, Q.; Drakopoulou, E.; Drouhin, D.; Drury, L.; Durand, D.; Eberl, T.; Eleftheriadis, C.; Elsaesser, D.; Enzenhöfer, A.; Fermani, P.; Fusco, L. A.; Gajana, D.; Gal, T.; Galatà, S.; Gallo, F.; Garufi, F.; Gebyehu, M.; Giordano, V.; Gizani, N.; Gracia Ruiz, R.; Graf, K.; Grasso, R.; Grella, G.; Grmek, A.; Habel, R.; van Haren, H.; Heid, T.; Heijboer, A.; Heine, E.; Henry, S.; Hernández-Rey, J. J.; Herold, B.; Hevinga, M. A.; van der Hoek, M.; Hofestädt, J.; Hogenbirk, J.; Hugon, C.; Hößl, J.; Imbesi, M.; James, C.; Jansweijer, P.; Jochum, J.; de Jong, M.; Kadler, M.; Kalekin, O.; Kappes, A.; Kappos, E.; Katz, U.; Kavatsyuk, O.; Keller, P.; Kieft, G.; Koffeman, E.; Kok, H.; Kooijman, P.; Koopstra, J.; Korporaal, A.; Kouchner, A.; Koutsoukos, S.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kulikovskiy, V.; Lahmann, R.; Lamare, P.; Larosa, G.; Lattuada, D.; Le Provost, H.; Leisos, A.; Lenis, D.; Leonora, E.; Lindsey Clark, M.; Liolios, A.; Llorens Alvarez, C. D.; Löhner, H.; Lo Presti, D.; Louis, F.; Maccioni, E.; Mannheim, K.; Manolopoulos, K.; Margiotta, A.; Mariş, O.; Markou, C.; Martínez-Mora, J. A.; Martini, A.; Masullo, R.; Michael, T.; Migliozzi, P.; Migneco, E.; Miraglia, A.; Mollo, C.; Mongelli, M.; Morganti, M.; Mos, S.; Moudden, Y.; Musico, P.; Musumeci, M.; Nicolaou, C.; Nicolau, C. A.; Orlando, A.; Orzelli, A.; Papageorgiou, K.; Papaikonomou, A.; Papaleo, R.; Păvălaş, G. E.; Peek, H.; Pellegrino, C.; Pellegriti, M. G.; Perrina, C.; Petridou, C.; Piattelli, P.; Pikounis, K.; Popa, V.; Pradier, Th.; Priede, M.; Pühlhofer, G.; Pulvirenti, S.; Racca, C.; Raffaelli, F.; Randazzo, N.; Rapidis, P. A.; Razis, P.; Real, D.; Resvanis, L.; Reubelt, J.; Riccobene, G.; Rovelli, A.; Royon, J.; Saldaña, M.; Samtleben, D. F. E.; Sanguineti, M.; Santangelo, A.; Sapienza, P.; Savvidis, I.; Schmelling, J.; Schnabel, J.; Sedita, M.; Seitz, T.; Sgura, I.; Simeone, F.; Siotis, I.; Sipala, V.; Solazzo, M.; Spitaleri, A.; Spurio, M.; Stavropoulos, G.; Steijger, J.; Stolarczyk, T.; Stransky, D.; Taiuti, M.; Terreni, G.; Tézier, D.; Théraube, S.; Thompson, L. F.; Timmer, P.; Trapierakis, H. I.; Trasatti, L.; Trovato, A.; Tselengidou, M.; Tsirigotis, A.; Tzamarias, S.; Tzamariudaki, E.; Vallage, B.; Van Elewyck, V.; Vermeulen, J.; Vernin, P.; Viola, S.; Vivolo, D.; Werneke, P.; Wiggers, L.; Wilms, J.; de Wolf, E.; van Wooning, R. H. L.; Yatkin, K.; Zachariadou, K.; Zonca, E.; Zornoza, J. D.; Zúñiga, J.; Zwart, A.

2014-09-01

The first prototype of a photo-detection unit of the future KM3NeT neutrino telescope has been deployed in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This digital optical module has a novel design with a very large photocathode area segmented by the use of 31 three inch photomultiplier tubes. It has been integrated in the ANTARES detector for in-situ testing and validation. This paper reports on the first months of data taking and rate measurements. The analysis results highlight the capabilities of the new module design in terms of background suppression and signal recognition. The directionality of the optical module enables the recognition of multiple Cherenkov photons from the same $^{40}$K decay and the localization bioluminescent activity in the neighbourhood. The single unit can cleanly identify atmospheric muons and provide sensitivity to the muon arrival directions.

Multiplex gas chromatography for use in space craft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valentin, J. R.

1985-01-01

Gas chromatography is a powerful technique for the analysis of gaseous mixtures. Some limitations in this technique still exist which can be alleviated with multiplex gas chromatography (MGC). In MGC, rapid multiple sample injections are made into the column without having to wait for one determination to be finished before taking a new sample. The resulting data must then be reduced using computational methods such as cross correlation. In order to efficiently perform multiplexgas chromatography, experiments in the laboratory and on board future space craft, skills, equipment, and computer software were developed. Three new techniques for modulating, i.e., changing, sample concentrations were demonstrated by using desorption, decomposition, and catalytic modulators. In all of them, the need for a separate gas stream as the carrier was avoided by placing the modulator at the head of the column to directly modulate a sample stream. Finally, the analysis of an environmental sample by multiplex chromatography was accomplished by employing silver oxide to catalytically modulate methane in ambient air.

The ADRICOSM STAR GeoPortal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorgetti, Alessandra; Cesarini, Claudia; Gambetta, Marco; Reseghetti, Franco; Vinci, Matteo

2010-05-01

From Stockholm (1972) to Rio de Janeiro (1992) and to Johannesburg (2002), environmental protection objectives are related to the principles of sustainable development. This includes the following important components: participation, information, communication, training (capacity building) and education. Better information ensure more participation from individuals, and allows citizens to take part in many different actions that can influence the policy process. Participation to political decisions need access to reliable and quality controlled information. The ADRICOSM Portal was developed in order to manage data diversity, provide access to any kind of product, provide metadata completeness and accuracy. The product, as defined in ADRICOSM, is anything that can be offered to a client and that might satisfy a want or need. This implied the implementation of services that was taking into consideration the diversity of the objects to be provided to users: observations, model outputs, maps, etc. The implementation of the portal was based on two metadata levels: 1. Directory level - consisting of broad descriptions of the contents of data sets; used to locate data sets of potential interest and 2. Data level - consisting of the actual data objects. The portal was developed as a simplified front end for the partners data management systems, giving emphasis on federated access points focused on thematic aspects. This was based on the idea that specialized customer-related access points can be better carried out by delegated teams of experts who know the needs of different customers, define the user software which is most suited to them. The data management systems provide facilities for two data tracks, one in real-time (or near-realtime) and one in delayed mode. Both tracks are based on the same data sources and transmission systems, but the data follow different routes and are processed differently depending on user requirements. The real-time data and model products are checked after first use for up-grading and additional quality control to ensure that all relevant data are preserved for final archival. In summary the ADRICOSM Geoportal has: - the objective to support data exchange in Adricosm Star and the implementation of tools to facilitate the access to data and information through thematic portals, converting individual data provider systems into a federation. - provide the necessary information to users on content of data that can be accessed in the federated systems. The portal is organised in three modules and a catalog. The module 1 has been realized by giving information on the project and objectives, data policy, reasons to provide products and services, link to the themes. Skilled people can jump to the data/products/services provider by clicking on the geographical map. Module 2 is providing more specific information on centers providing data/products/services. Module 3 is providing a direct access to partners product. It contains a short description of the products and a link. Module 4 contain the catalog for each partner product and is based on What, Where, When and How.

New control system for the 1.5m and 0.9m telescopes at Sierra Nevada Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costillo, Luis P.; Ramos, J. Luis; Ibáñez, J. Miguel; Aparicio, Beatriz; Herránz, Miguel; García, Antonio J.

2006-06-01

The Sierra Nevada Observatory (Granada, Spain) has a number of telescopes. Our study will focus on two Nasmyth telescopes with apertures of 1.5m and 0.9m and an equatorial mount. The system currently installed to control these telescopes is a 1995 centralized VME module. However, given the problems which have arisen due to the number of wires and other complications, we have decided to change this control module. We will control each telescope with a distributed control philosophy, using a serial linear communication bus between independent nodes, although all system capabilities are accessible from a central unit anywhere and at any time via internet. We have divided the tasks and have one node for alpha control, another for delta control, one for the dome, one for the focus and the central unit to interface with a pc. The nodes for alpha, delta and the dome will be used by means of FPGA's in order to efficiently sample the encoders and the control algorithms, and to generate the output for the motors and the servo. The focus will have a microcontroller, and the system is easy to expand in the event of the inclusion of more nodes. After having studied several fieldbus systems, we have opted for the CAN bus, because of its reliability and broadcasting possibilities. In this way, all the important information will be on the bus, and every node will be able to access the information at any time. This document explains the new design made in the IAA for the new consoles of control whose basic characteristics are, the distributed control, the hardware simplify, the cable remove, the safety and maintenance improve and facilitating the observation improving the interface with the user, and finally to prepare the system for the remote observation.

Green Bank Telescope active surface system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacasse, Richard J.

1998-05-01

During the design phase of the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), various means of providing an accurate surface on a large aperture paraboloid, were considered. Automated jacks supporting the primary reflector were selected as the appropriate technology since they promised greater performance and potentially lower costs than a homologous or carbon fiber design, and had certain advantages over an active secondary. The design of the active surface has presented many challenges. Since the actuators are mounted on a tipping structure, it was required that they support a significant side-load. Such devices were not readily available commercially so they had to be developed. Additional actuator requirements include low backlash, repeatable positioning, and an operational life of at least 230 years. Similarly, no control system capable of controlling the 2209 actuators was commercially available. Again a prime requirement was reliability. Maintaining was also a very important consideration. The system architecture is tree-like. An active surface 'master-computer' controls interaction with the telescope control system, and controls ancillary equipment such as power supplies and temperature monitors. Two slave computers interface with the master- computer, and each closes approximately 1100 position loops. For simplicity, the servo is an 'on/off' type, yet achieves a positioning resolution of 25 microns. Each slave computer interfaces with 4 VME I/O cards, which in turn communicate with 140 control modules. The control modules read out the positions of the actuators every 0.1 sec and control the actuators' DC motors. Initial control of the active surface will be based on an elevation dependant structural model. Later, the model will be improved by holographic observations.Surface accuracy will be improved further by using laser ranging system which will actively measure the surface figure. Several tests have been conducted to assure that the system will perform as desired when installed on the telescope. These include actuator life tests, motor life test, position transducer accuracy test, as well as positioning accuracy tests.

Functional specification of the Performance Measurement (PM) module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berliner, J. E.

1980-01-01

The design of the Performance Measurement Module is described with emphasis on what the PM Module would do, and what it would look like to the user. The PM Module as described could take several man-years to develop. An evolutionary approach to the implementation of the PM Module is presented which would provide an operational baseline PM Module within a few months.

Synchronisation, acquisition and tracking for telemetry and data reception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandoninck, A.

1992-06-01

The important parameters of synchronization, acquisition, and tracking are addressed, and each function is highlighted separately. The following sequence is such as the functions occur in the system in time and for the type of data to be received, with distinction between telemetry and data reception, between direct carrier modulation or the use of a subcarrier, and between deep space and normal reception. For the telemetry reception the acquisition is described taking into account the difference in performances as geostationary or polar orbits, and the dependencies on the different Doppler offsets and rates are distinguished. The related functions and parameters are covered and the specifications of an average receiver are summarized. The synchronization of the valid data is described with a distinction for data directly modulated or via a subcarrier, the type of modulation and bitrate. The relevant functions and parameters of the average receiver/demodulator are summarized. The tracking of the signal in the course of the operational phase is described and relevant parameters of an actual system are presented. The reception of real data is handled and a sequence of acquisition, synchronization, and tracking is applied. Here higher bitrates and direct modulation schemes play an important role. The market equipment with the relevant parameters are discussed. The three functions in cases where deep reception is needed are covered. The high performance receiver/demodulator functions and how the acquisition, synchronization, and tracking is handled in such application, are explained.

Recurrence plot analysis of nonstationary data: the understanding of curved patterns.

PubMed

Facchini, A; Kantz, H; Tiezzi, E

2005-08-01

Recurrence plots of the calls of the Nomascus concolor (Western black crested gibbon) and Hylobates lar (White-handed gibbon) show characteristic circular, curved, and hyperbolic patterns superimposed to the main temporal scale of the signal. It is shown that these patterns are related to particular nonstationarities in the signal. Some of them can be reproduced by artificial signals like frequency modulated sinusoids and sinusoids with time divergent frequency. These modulations are too faint to be resolved by conventional time-frequency analysis with similar precision. Therefore, recurrence plots act as a magnifying glass for the detection of multiple temporal scales in slightly modulated signals. The detected phenomena in these acoustic signals can be explained in the biomechanical context by taking in account the role of the muscles controlling the vocal folds.

Activity‐Based Probes for HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligases

PubMed Central

Byrne, Robert; Mund, Thomas

2017-01-01

Abstract Activity‐based probes (ABPs) have been used to dissect the biochemical/structural properties and cellular functions of deubiquitinases. However, their utility in studying cysteine‐based E3 ubiquitin ligases has been limited. In this study, we evaluate the use of ubiquitin‐ABPs (Ub‐VME and Ub‐PA) and a novel set of E2–Ub‐ABPs on a panel of HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases. Our in vitro data show that ubiquitin‐ABPs can label HECT domains. We also provide the first evidence that, in addition to the RBR E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin, E2–Ub‐ABPs can also label the catalytic HECT domains of NEDD4, UBE3C, and HECTD1. Importantly, the endogenous proteasomal E3 ligase UBE3C was also successfully labelled by Ub‐PA and His‐UBE2D2–Ub‐ABP in lysate of cells grown under basal conditions. Our findings provide novel insights into the use of ABPs for the study of HECT E3 ubiquitin ligases. PMID:28425671

Development of 3He LPSDs and read-out system for the SANS spectrometer at CPHS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, T. C.; Gong, H.; Shao, B. B.; Wang, X. W.; Zhang, Y.; Pang, B. B.

2014-01-01

The Compact Pulsed Hadron Source (CPHS) is a 13-MeV proton-linac-driven neutron source under construction in Tsinghua University. Time-of-flight (TOF) small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) spectrometer is one of the first instruments to be built. It is designed to use linear position-sensitive detectors (LPSDs) of 3He gas proportional counters to cover a 1 m×1 m area. Prototypical LPSDs (Φ = 12 mm, L=1 m) have been made and read-out system is developed based on charge division. This work describes the in-house fabrication of the prototypical LPSDs and design of the read-out system including front-end electronics and data acquisition (DAQ) system. Key factors of the front-end electronics are studied and optimized with PSPICE simulation. DAQ system is designed based on VME bus architecture and FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) standard with high flexibility and extendibility. Preliminary experiments are carried out and the results are present and discussed.

Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benna, Mehdi; Nolan, Tom

2013-01-01

The Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Simulator (SAMSIM) is a numerical model dedicated to plan and validate operations of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the surface of Mars. The SAM instrument suite, currently operating on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), is an analytical laboratory designed to investigate the chemical and isotopic composition of the atmosphere and volatiles extracted from solid samples. SAMSIM was developed using Matlab and Simulink libraries of MathWorks Inc. to provide MSL mission planners with accurate predictions of the instrument electrical, thermal, mechanical, and fluid responses to scripted commands. This tool is a first example of a multi-purpose, full-scale numerical modeling of a flight instrument with the purpose of supplementing or even eliminating entirely the need for a hardware engineer model during instrument development and operation. SAMSIM simulates the complex interactions that occur between the instrument Command and Data Handling unit (C&DH) and all subsystems during the execution of experiment sequences. A typical SAM experiment takes many hours to complete and involves hundreds of components. During the simulation, the electrical, mechanical, thermal, and gas dynamics states of each hardware component are accurately modeled and propagated within the simulation environment at faster than real time. This allows the simulation, in just a few minutes, of experiment sequences that takes many hours to execute on the real instrument. The SAMSIM model is divided into five distinct but interacting modules: software, mechanical, thermal, gas flow, and electrical modules. The software module simulates the instrument C&DH by executing a customized version of the instrument flight software in a Matlab environment. The inputs and outputs to this synthetic C&DH are mapped to virtual sensors and command lines that mimic in their structure and connectivity the layout of the instrument harnesses. This module executes, and thus validates, complex command scripts prior to their up-linking to the SAM instrument. As an output, this module generates synthetic data and message logs at a rate that is similar to the actual instrument.

Approach for the Development of a Framework for the Identification of Activities of Daily Living Using Sensors in Mobile Devices.

PubMed

Pires, Ivan Miguel; Garcia, Nuno M; Pombo, Nuno; Flórez-Revuelta, Francisco; Spinsante, Susanna

2018-02-21

Sensors available on mobile devices allow the automatic identification of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This paper describes an approach for the creation of a framework for the identification of ADL, taking into account several concepts, including data acquisition, data processing, data fusion, and pattern recognition. These concepts can be mapped onto different modules of the framework. The proposed framework should perform the identification of ADL without Internet connection, performing these tasks locally on the mobile device, taking in account the hardware and software limitations of these devices. The main purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for the creation of a framework for the recognition of ADL, analyzing the allowed sensors available in the mobile devices, and the existing methods available in the literature.

Approach for the Development of a Framework for the Identification of Activities of Daily Living Using Sensors in Mobile Devices

PubMed Central

Pombo, Nuno

2018-01-01

Sensors available on mobile devices allow the automatic identification of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). This paper describes an approach for the creation of a framework for the identification of ADL, taking into account several concepts, including data acquisition, data processing, data fusion, and pattern recognition. These concepts can be mapped onto different modules of the framework. The proposed framework should perform the identification of ADL without Internet connection, performing these tasks locally on the mobile device, taking in account the hardware and software limitations of these devices. The main purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for the creation of a framework for the recognition of ADL, analyzing the allowed sensors available in the mobile devices, and the existing methods available in the literature. PMID:29466316

Taking a look at the calibration of a CCD detector with a fiber-optic taper

PubMed Central

Alkire, R. W.; Rotella, F. J.; Duke, N. E. C.; Otwinowski, Zbyszek; Borek, Dominika

2016-01-01

At the Structural Biology Center beamline 19BM, located at the Advanced Photon Source, the operational characteristics of the equipment are routinely checked to ensure they are in proper working order. After performing a partial flat-field calibration for the ADSC Quantum 210r CCD detector, it was confirmed that the detector operates within specifications. However, as a secondary check it was decided to scan a single reflection across one-half of a detector module to validate the accuracy of the calibration. The intensities from this single reflection varied by more than 30% from the module center to the corner of the module. Redistribution of light within bent fibers of the fiber-optic taper was identified to be a source of this variation. The degree to which the diffraction intensities are corrected to account for characteristics of the fiber-optic tapers depends primarily upon the experimental strategy of data collection, approximations made by the data processing software during scaling, and crystal symmetry. PMID:27047303

Novel Immune Modulating Cellular Vaccine for Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

transgenic mice are taking much longer than we anticipated. This is because the experiments start when mice are 12 weeks old...as they are harder to breed . Importantly, we cannot always stagger the experiments, because data from the preceding experiment is used to plan...description is below. Monitoring autoimmune prostatitis (lymphomononuclear cell infiltrates in prostate gland): Non- transgenic male mice (BL/6)

PET-Tool: a software suite for comprehensive processing and managing of Paired-End diTag (PET) sequence data.

PubMed

Chiu, Kuo Ping; Wong, Chee-Hong; Chen, Qiongyu; Ariyaratne, Pramila; Ooi, Hong Sain; Wei, Chia-Lin; Sung, Wing-Kin Ken; Ruan, Yijun

2006-08-25

We recently developed the Paired End diTag (PET) strategy for efficient characterization of mammalian transcriptomes and genomes. The paired end nature of short PET sequences derived from long DNA fragments raised a new set of bioinformatics challenges, including how to extract PETs from raw sequence reads, and correctly yet efficiently map PETs to reference genome sequences. To accommodate and streamline data analysis of the large volume PET sequences generated from each PET experiment, an automated PET data process pipeline is desirable. We designed an integrated computation program package, PET-Tool, to automatically process PET sequences and map them to the genome sequences. The Tool was implemented as a web-based application composed of four modules: the Extractor module for PET extraction; the Examiner module for analytic evaluation of PET sequence quality; the Mapper module for locating PET sequences in the genome sequences; and the Project Manager module for data organization. The performance of PET-Tool was evaluated through the analyses of 2.7 million PET sequences. It was demonstrated that PET-Tool is accurate and efficient in extracting PET sequences and removing artifacts from large volume dataset. Using optimized mapping criteria, over 70% of quality PET sequences were mapped specifically to the genome sequences. With a 2.4 GHz LINUX machine, it takes approximately six hours to process one million PETs from extraction to mapping. The speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness have proved that PET-Tool is an important and useful component in PET experiments, and can be extended to accommodate other related analyses of paired-end sequences. The Tool also provides user-friendly functions for data quality check and system for multi-layer data management.

DUMAND-II (deep underwater muon and neutrino detector) progress report

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

Young, K.K.; The DUMAND Collaboration

1995-07-10

The DUMAND II detector will search for astronomical sources of high energy neutrinos. Successful deployment of the basic infrastructure, including the shore cable, the underwater junction box, and an environmental module was accomplished in December, 1993. One optical module string was also deployed and operated, logging data for about 10 hours. The underwater cable was connected to the shore station where we were able to successfully exercise system controls and log further environmental data. After this time, water leaking into the electronics control module for the deployed string disabled the string electrical system. The acquired data are consistent with themore » expected rate of downgoing muons, and our ability to reconstruct muons was demonstrated. The measured acoustical backgrounds are consistent with expectation, which should allow acoustical detection of nearby PeV particle cascades. The disabled string has been recovered and is undergoing repairs ashore. We have identified the source of the water leak and implemented additional testing and QC procedures to ensure no repetition in our next deployment. We will be ready to deploy three strings and begin continuous data taking in late 1994 or early 1995. {copyright} {ital 1995} {ital American} {ital Institute} {ital of} {ital Physics}.« less

Predicting introductory programming performance: A multi-institutional multivariate study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergin, Susan; Reilly, Ronan

2006-12-01

A model for predicting student performance on introductory programming modules is presented. The model uses attributes identified in a study carried out at four third-level institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Four instruments were used to collect the data and over 25 attributes were examined. A data reduction technique was applied and a logistic regression model using 10-fold stratified cross validation was developed. The model used three attributes: Leaving Certificate Mathematics result (final mathematics examination at second level), number of hours playing computer games while taking the module and programming self-esteem. Prediction success was significant with 80% of students correctly classified. The model also works well on a per-institution level. A discussion on the implications of the model is provided and future work is outlined.

Survalytics: An Open-Source Cloud-Integrated Experience Sampling, Survey, and Analytics and Metadata Collection Module for Android Operating System Apps

PubMed Central

Mackey, Sean

2016-01-01

Background We describe here Survalytics, a software module designed to address two broad areas of need. The first area is in the domain of surveys and app analytics: developers of mobile apps in both academic and commercial environments require information about their users, as well as how the apps are being used, to understand who their users are and how to optimally approach app development. The second area of need is in the field of ecological momentary assessment, also referred to as experience sampling: researchers in a wide variety of fields, spanning from the social sciences to psychology to clinical medicine, would like to be able to capture daily or even more frequent data from research subjects while in their natural environment. Objective Survalytics is an open-source solution for the collection of survey responses as well as arbitrary analytic metadata from users of Android operating system apps. Methods Surveys may be administered in any combination of one-time questions and ongoing questions. The module may be deployed as a stand-alone app for experience sampling purposes or as an add-on to existing apps. The module takes advantage of free-tier NoSQL cloud database management offered by the Amazon Web Services DynamoDB platform to package a secure, flexible, extensible data collection module. DynamoDB is capable of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant storage of personal health information. Results The provided example app may be used without modification for a basic experience sampling project, and we provide example questions for daily collection of blood glucose data from study subjects. Conclusions The module will help researchers in a wide variety of fields rapidly develop tailor-made Android apps for a variety of data collection purposes. PMID:27261155

Survalytics: An Open-Source Cloud-Integrated Experience Sampling, Survey, and Analytics and Metadata Collection Module for Android Operating System Apps.

PubMed

O'Reilly-Shah, Vikas; Mackey, Sean

2016-06-03

We describe here Survalytics, a software module designed to address two broad areas of need. The first area is in the domain of surveys and app analytics: developers of mobile apps in both academic and commercial environments require information about their users, as well as how the apps are being used, to understand who their users are and how to optimally approach app development. The second area of need is in the field of ecological momentary assessment, also referred to as experience sampling: researchers in a wide variety of fields, spanning from the social sciences to psychology to clinical medicine, would like to be able to capture daily or even more frequent data from research subjects while in their natural environment. Survalytics is an open-source solution for the collection of survey responses as well as arbitrary analytic metadata from users of Android operating system apps. Surveys may be administered in any combination of one-time questions and ongoing questions. The module may be deployed as a stand-alone app for experience sampling purposes or as an add-on to existing apps. The module takes advantage of free-tier NoSQL cloud database management offered by the Amazon Web Services DynamoDB platform to package a secure, flexible, extensible data collection module. DynamoDB is capable of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant storage of personal health information. The provided example app may be used without modification for a basic experience sampling project, and we provide example questions for daily collection of blood glucose data from study subjects. The module will help researchers in a wide variety of fields rapidly develop tailor-made Android apps for a variety of data collection purposes.

TOPDAQ Acquisition Utility Beta version 1.0

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

MOreno, Mario; & Barret, Keith

2010-01-07

This TOPDAQ Acquisition Utility uses 5 digital cameras mounted on a vertical pole, maintained in a vertical position using sensors and actuators, to take photographs of an RP-2 or RP-3 module, one camera for each row (4) and one in the center for driving, when the module is at 0 degrees, or facing the eastern horizon. These photographs and other data collected at the same time the pictures are taken are analyzed by the TOPAAP Analysis Utility. The TOPCAT implemented by the TOPDAQ Acquisition Utility and TOPAAP Analysis Utility programs optimizes the alignment of each RP in a module onmore » a parabolic trough solar collector array (SCA) to maximize the amount of solar energy intercepted by the solar receiver. The camera fixture and related hardware are mounted on a pickup truck and driven between rows in a parabolic trough solar power plant. An ultrasonic distance meter is used to maintain the correct distance between the cameras and the RP module. Along with the two leveling actuators, a third actuator is used to maintain a proper relative vertical position between the cameras and the RP module. The TOPDAQ Acquisition Utility facilitates file management by keeping track of which RP module data is being taken and also controls the exposure levels for each camera to maintain a high contract ratio in the photograph even as the available daylight changes throughout the day. The theoretical TOPCAT hardware and software support the current industry standard RP-2 and RP-3 module geometries.« less

Proceedings of the Ship Control Systems Symposium (9th) Held in Bethesda, Maryland on 10-14 September 1990. Theme: Automation in Surface Ship Control Systems, Today’s Applications and Future Trends. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-14

transmission of detected variations through sound lines of communication to centrally located standard Navy computers . These computers would be programmed to...have been programmed in C language. The program runs under the operating system ,OS9 on a VME-bus computer with a 68000 microprocessor. A number of full...present practice of"add-on" supervisory controls during ship design and construction,and "fix-it" R&D programs implemented after the ship isoperational

A DSP equipped digitizer for online analysis of nuclear detector signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasquali, G.; Ciaranfi, R.; Bardelli, L.; Bini, M.; Boiano, A.; Giannelli, F.; Ordine, A.; Poggi, G.

2007-01-01

In the framework of the NUCL-EX collaboration, a DSP equipped fast digitizer has been implemented and it has now reached the production stage. Each sampling channel is implemented on a separate daughter-board to be plugged on a VME mother-board. Each channel features a 12-bit, 125 MSamples/s ADC and a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) for online analysis of detector signals. A few algorithms have been written and successfully tested on detectors of different types (scintillators, solid-state, gas-filled), implementing pulse shape discrimination, constant fraction timing, semi-Gaussian shaping, gated integration.

Real-Time Symbol Extraction From Grey-Level Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massen, R.; Simnacher, M.; Rosch, J.; Herre, E.; Wuhrer, H. W.

1988-04-01

A VME-bus image pipeline processor for extracting vectorized contours from grey-level images in real-time is presented. This 3 Giga operation per second processor uses large kernel convolvers and new non-linear neighbourhood processing algorithms to compute true 1-pixel wide and noise-free contours without thresholding even from grey-level images with quite varying edge sharpness. The local edge orientation is used as an additional cue to compute a list of vectors describing the closed and open contours in real-time and to dump a CAD-like symbolic image description into a symbol memory at pixel clock rate.

High-frequency modulation of the four states of polarization of light with a single phase modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Compain, Eric; Drevillon, Bernard

1998-04-01

A method for light polarization modulation is described. It allows us to independently modulate, at a high frequency, the four components of the Stokes vector of light using a single phase modulator. It works in a double-pass configuration: the polarization of light is modulated a first time by the phase modulator, and is then modified by a coupling object before being modulated a second time by the same modulator. The coupling object consists of multiple glass plates, oriented at the Brewster angle, acting as a partial polarizer and in a right angle prism acting as a phase shifter and back reflector. Its polarimetric properties are obtained from refractive index contrast effects, which provides optimized and constant properties over a wide spectral range. The phase modulator can be either an electro-optic modulator providing a very high-frequency capability (up to 100 MHz) or a photoelastic modulator providing a wide spectral range capability. It is robust because there is no moving part and simple to implement because of the presence of one modulation. It displays a high level of sensitivity because all the components are high-frequency modulated. Two applications using this modulator in a polarimeter or in a polarization states generator are described. The four modulations, having the same fundamental frequency, are easily demodulated by numerical data processing. Optimized demodulation processing, adapted to the different kind of phase modulator is described. Its adaptation taking into account the bandwidth limitation and the variation of the sampling phase, are finally presented in the case of a photoelastic modulator.

Bayesian module identification from multiple noisy networks.

PubMed

Zamani Dadaneh, Siamak; Qian, Xiaoning

2016-12-01

Module identification has been studied extensively in order to gain deeper understanding of complex systems, such as social networks as well as biological networks. Modules are often defined as groups of vertices in these networks that are topologically cohesive with similar interaction patterns with the rest of the vertices. Most of the existing module identification algorithms assume that the given networks are faithfully measured without errors. However, in many real-world applications, for example, when analyzing protein-protein interaction networks from high-throughput profiling techniques, there is significant noise with both false positive and missing links between vertices. In this paper, we propose a new model for more robust module identification by taking advantage of multiple observed networks with significant noise so that signals in multiple networks can be strengthened and help improve the solution quality by combining information from various sources. We adopt a hierarchical Bayesian model to integrate multiple noisy snapshots that capture the underlying modular structure of the networks under study. By introducing a latent root assignment matrix and its relations to instantaneous module assignments in all the observed networks to capture the underlying modular structure and combine information across multiple networks, an efficient variational Bayes algorithm can be derived to accurately and robustly identify the underlying modules from multiple noisy networks. Experiments on synthetic and protein-protein interaction data sets show that our proposed model enhances both the accuracy and resolution in detecting cohesive modules, and it is less vulnerable to noise in the observed data. In addition, it shows higher power in predicting missing edges compared to individual-network methods.

Small Data, Online Learning and Assessment Practices in Higher Education: A Case Study of Failure?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Cate; Wilson, Anna; Drew, Valerie; Thompson, Terrie Lynn

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present an in-depth case study of a single student who failed an online module which formed part of a master's programme in Professional Education and Leadership. We use this case study to examine assessment practices in higher education in the online environment. In taking this approach, we go against the current predilection…

Real world ocean rogue waves explained without the modulational instability.

PubMed

Fedele, Francesco; Brennan, Joseph; Ponce de León, Sonia; Dudley, John; Dias, Frédéric

2016-06-21

Since the 1990s, the modulational instability has commonly been used to explain the occurrence of rogue waves that appear from nowhere in the open ocean. However, the importance of this instability in the context of ocean waves is not well established. This mechanism has been successfully studied in laboratory experiments and in mathematical studies, but there is no consensus on what actually takes place in the ocean. In this work, we question the oceanic relevance of this paradigm. In particular, we analyze several sets of field data in various European locations with various tools, and find that the main generation mechanism for rogue waves is the constructive interference of elementary waves enhanced by second-order bound nonlinearities and not the modulational instability. This implies that rogue waves are likely to be rare occurrences of weakly nonlinear random seas.

Real world ocean rogue waves explained without the modulational instability

PubMed Central

Fedele, Francesco; Brennan, Joseph; Ponce de León, Sonia; Dudley, John; Dias, Frédéric

2016-01-01

Since the 1990s, the modulational instability has commonly been used to explain the occurrence of rogue waves that appear from nowhere in the open ocean. However, the importance of this instability in the context of ocean waves is not well established. This mechanism has been successfully studied in laboratory experiments and in mathematical studies, but there is no consensus on what actually takes place in the ocean. In this work, we question the oceanic relevance of this paradigm. In particular, we analyze several sets of field data in various European locations with various tools, and find that the main generation mechanism for rogue waves is the constructive interference of elementary waves enhanced by second-order bound nonlinearities and not the modulational instability. This implies that rogue waves are likely to be rare occurrences of weakly nonlinear random seas. PMID:27323897

Preliminary Development of an Object-Oriented Optimization Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pak, Chan-gi

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center has developed a FORTRAN-based object-oriented optimization (O3) tool that leverages existing tools and practices and allows easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. The object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines, as opposed to relying on one code to perform analysis for all disciplines. Optimization can thus take place within each discipline module, or in a loop between the central executive module and the discipline modules, or both. Six sample optimization problems are presented. The first four sample problems are based on simple mathematical equations; the fifth and sixth problems consider a three-bar truss, which is a classical example in structural synthesis. Instructions for preparing input data for the O3 tool are presented.

Instrumentation and control system architecture of ECRH SST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Harshida; Patel, Jatin; purohit, Dharmesh; Shukla, B. K.; Babu, Rajan; Mistry, Hardik

2017-07-01

The Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) system is an important heating system for the reliable start-up of tokamak. The 42GHz and 82.6GHz Gyrotron based ECRH systems are used in tokomaks SST-1 and Aditya to carry out ECRH related experiments. The Gyrotrons are high power microwave tubes used as a source for ECRH systems. The Gyrotrons need to be handled with optimum care right from the installation to its Full parameter control operation. The Gyrotrons are associated with the subsystems like: High voltage power supplies (Beam voltage and anode voltage), dedicated crowbar system, magnet, filament and ion pump power supplies and cooling system. The other subsystems are transmission line, launcher and dummy load. A dedicated VME based data acquisition & control (DAC) system is developed to operate and control the Gyrotron and its associated sub system. For the safe operation of Gyrotron, two level interlocks with fail-safe logic are developed. Slow signals that are operated in scale of millisecond range are programmed through software and hardware interlock in scale of microsecond range are designed and developed indigenously. Water-cooling and the associated interlock are monitored and control by data logger with independent human machine interface.

Brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) abnormalities in bipolar disorder

PubMed Central

Brady, Roscoe O; McCarthy, Julie M; Prescot, Andrew P; Jensen, J Eric; Cooper, Alissa J; Cohen, Bruce M; Renshaw, Perry F; Ongür, Dost

2017-01-01

Objectives Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) abnormalities have been implicated in bipolar disorder. However, due to discrepant studies measuring postmortem, cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and in vivo brain levels of GABA, the nature of these abnormalities is unclear. Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we investigated tissue levels of GABA in the anterior cingulate cortex and parieto-occipital cortex of participants with bipolar disorder and healthy controls. Methods Fourteen stably medicated euthymic outpatients with bipolar disorder type I (mean age 32.6 years, eight male) and 14 healthy control participants (mean age 36.9 years, 10 male) completed a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scan at 4-Tesla after providing informed consent. We collected data from two 16.7-mL voxels using MEGAPRESS, and they were analyzed using LCModel. Results GABA/creatine ratios were elevated in bipolar disorder participants compared to healthy controls [F(1,21) = 4.4, p = 0.048] in the anterior cingulate cortex (25.1% elevation) and the parieto-occipital cortex (14.6% elevation). Bipolar disorder participants not taking GABA-modulating medications demonstrated greater GABA/creatine elevations than patients taking GABA-modulating medications. Conclusions We found higher GABA/creatine levels in euthymic bipolar disorder outpatients compared to healthy controls, and the extent of this elevation may be affected by the use of GABA-modulating medications. Our findings suggest that elevated brain GABA levels in bipolar disorder may be associated with GABAergic dysfunction and that GABA-modulating medications reduce GABA levels in this condition. PMID:23634979

Improving quantitative skills in introductory geoscience courses at a four-year public institution using online math modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, E. S.

2011-12-01

Fitchburg State University has a diverse student population comprised largely of students traditionally underrepresented in higher education, including first-generation, low-income, and/or students with disabilities. Approximately half of our incoming students require developmental math coursework, but often enroll in science classes prior to completing those courses. Since our introductory geoscience courses (Oceanography, Meteorology, Geology, Earth Systems Science) do not have prerequisites, many students who take them lack basic math skills, but are taking these courses alongside science majors. In order to provide supplemental math instruction without sacrificing time for content, "The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN), a set of online math tutorials placed in a geoscience context, will be implemented in three of our introductory courses (Oceanography, Meteorology, and Earth Systems Science) during Fall, 2011. Students will complete 5-6 modules asynchronously, the topics of which include graphing skills, calculating rates, unit conversions, and rearranging equations. Assessment of quantitative skills will be tracked with students' pre- and post-test results, as well as individual module quiz scores. In addition, student assessment results from Oceanography will be compared to student data from Academic Year 2010-11, during which quantitative skills were evaluated with pre- and post-test questions, but students did not receive online supplemental instruction.

Multicenter Evaluation of the Accelerate PhenoTest BC Kit for Rapid Identification and Phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Using Morphokinetic Cellular Analysis

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT We describe results from a multicenter study evaluating the Accelerate Pheno system, a first of its kind diagnostic system that rapidly identifies common bloodstream pathogens from positive blood cultures within 90 min and determines bacterial phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results within ∼7 h. A combination of fresh clinical and seeded blood cultures were tested, and results from the Accelerate Pheno system were compared to Vitek 2 results for identification (ID) and broth microdilution or disk diffusion for AST. The Accelerate Pheno system accurately identified 14 common bacterial pathogens and two Candida spp. with sensitivities ranging from 94.6 to 100%. Of fresh positive blood cultures, 89% received a monomicrobial call with a positive predictive value of 97.3%. Six common Gram-positive cocci were evaluated for ID. Five were tested against eight antibiotics, two resistance phenotypes (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus spp. [MRSA/MRS]), and inducible clindamycin resistance (MLSb). From the 4,142 AST results, the overall essential agreement (EA) and categorical agreement (CA) were 97.6% and 97.9%, respectively. Overall very major error (VME), major error (ME), and minor error (mE) rates were 1.0%, 0.7%, and 1.3%, respectively. Eight species of Gram-negative rods were evaluated against 15 antibiotics. From the 6,331 AST results, overall EA and CA were 95.4% and 94.3%, respectively. Overall VME, ME, and mE rates were 0.5%, 0.9%, and 4.8%, respectively. The Accelerate Pheno system has the unique ability to identify and provide phenotypic MIC and categorical AST results in a few hours directly from positive blood culture bottles and support accurate antimicrobial adjustment. PMID:29305546

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cerebrospinal Fluid Procalcitonin in Bacterial Meningitis Patients with Empiric Antibiotic Pretreatment.

PubMed

Li, Wen; Sun, Xiaolong; Yuan, Fang; Gao, Qiong; Ma, Yue; Jiang, Yongli; Yang, Xiai; Yang, Fang; Ma, Lei; Jiang, Wen

2017-04-01

Accurate diagnosis of bacterial meningitis (BM) relies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Gram staining and bacterial culture, which often present high false-negative rates because of antibiotic abuse. Thus, a novel and reliable diagnostic biomarker is required. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been well demonstrated to be specifically produced from peripheral tissues by bacterial infection, which makes it a potential diagnostic biomarker candidate. Here, we performed a prospective clinical study comprising a total of 143 patients to investigate the diagnostic value of CSF PCT, serum PCT, and other conventional biomarkers for BM. Patients were assigned to the BM ( n = 49), tuberculous meningitis (TBM) ( n = 25), viral meningitis/encephalitis (VM/E) ( n = 34), autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) ( n = 15), or noninflammatory nervous system diseases (NINSD) group ( n = 20). Empirical antibiotic pretreatment was not an exclusion criterion. Our results show that the CSF PCT level was significantly ( P < 0.01) higher in patients with BM (median, 0.22 ng/ml; range, 0.13 to 0.54 ng/ml) than in those with TBM (median, 0.12 ng/ml; range, 0.07 to 0.16 ng/ml), VM/E (median, 0.09 ng/ml; range, 0.07 to 0.11 ng/ml), AIE (median, 0.06 ng/ml; range, 0.05 to 0.10 ng/ml), or NINSD (median, 0.07 ng/ml; range, 0.06 to 0.08 ng/ml). Among the assessed biomarkers, CSF PCT exhibited the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.881; 95% confidence interval, 0.810 to 0.932; cutoff value, 0.15 ng/ml; sensitivity, 69.39%; specificity, 91.49%). Our study sheds light upon the diagnostic dilemma of BM due to antibiotic abuse. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT02278016.). Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Low-power sensor module for long-term activity monitoring.

PubMed

Leuenberger, Kaspar; Gassert, Roger

2011-01-01

Wearable sensor modules are a promising approach to collecting data on functional motor activities, both for repeated and long-term assessments, as well as to investigate the transfer of therapy to activities of daily living at home, but have so far either had limited sensing capabilities, or were not laid out for long-term monitoring. This paper presents ReSense, a miniature sensor unit optimized for long-term monitoring of functional activity. Inertial MEMS sensors capture accelerations along six degrees of freedom and a barometric pressure sensor serves as a precise altimeter. Data is written to an integrated memory card. The realized module measures Ø25 × 10 mm, weighs 10 g and can record continuously for 27 h at 25 Hz and over 22 h at 100 Hz. The integrated power-management system detects inactivity and extends the operating time by about a factor of two, as shown by initial 24 h recordings on five energetic healthy adults. The integrated barometric pressure sensor allowed to identify activities incorporating a change in altitude, such as going up/down stairs or riding an elevator. By taking into account data from the inertial sensors during the altitude changes, it becomes possible to distinguish between these two activities.

Searching for statistically significant regulatory modules.

PubMed

Bailey, Timothy L; Noble, William Stafford

2003-10-01

The regulatory machinery controlling gene expression is complex, frequently requiring multiple, simultaneous DNA-protein interactions. The rate at which a gene is transcribed may depend upon the presence or absence of a collection of transcription factors bound to the DNA near the gene. Locating transcription factor binding sites in genomic DNA is difficult because the individual sites are small and tend to occur frequently by chance. True binding sites may be identified by their tendency to occur in clusters, sometimes known as regulatory modules. We describe an algorithm for detecting occurrences of regulatory modules in genomic DNA. The algorithm, called mcast, takes as input a DNA database and a collection of binding site motifs that are known to operate in concert. mcast uses a motif-based hidden Markov model with several novel features. The model incorporates motif-specific p-values, thereby allowing scores from motifs of different widths and specificities to be compared directly. The p-value scoring also allows mcast to only accept motif occurrences with significance below a user-specified threshold, while still assigning better scores to motif occurrences with lower p-values. mcast can search long DNA sequences, modeling length distributions between motifs within a regulatory module, but ignoring length distributions between modules. The algorithm produces a list of predicted regulatory modules, ranked by E-value. We validate the algorithm using simulated data as well as real data sets from fruitfly and human. http://meme.sdsc.edu/MCAST/paper

Upgrade of the Minos+ Experiment Data Acquisition for the High Energy NuMI Beam Run

DOE PAGES

Badgett, William; Hahn, Steve R.; Torretta, Donatella; ...

2016-03-14

The Minos+ experiment is an extension of the Minos experiment at a higher energy and more intense neutrino beam, with the data collection having begun in the fall of 2013. The neutrino beam is provided by the Neutrinos from the Main Injector (NuMI) beam-line at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). The detector apparatus consists of two main detectors, one underground at Fermilab and the other in Soudan, Minnesota with the purpose of studying neutrino oscillations at a base line of 735 km. The original data acquisition system has been running for several years collecting data from NuMI, but with themore » extended run from 2013, parts of the system needed to be replaced due to obsolescence, reliability problems, and data throughput limitations. Specifically, we have replaced the front-end readout controllers, event builder, and data acquisition computing and trigger processing farms with modern, modular and reliable devices with few single points of failure. The new system is based on gigabit Ethernet TCP/IP communication to implement the event building and concatenation of data from many front-end VME readout crates. The simplicity and partitionability of the new system greatly eases the debugging and diagnosing process. As a result, the new system improves throughput by about a factor of three compared to the old system, up to 800 megabits per second, and has proven robust and reliable in the current run.« less

CommWalker: correctly evaluating modules in molecular networks in light of annotation bias.

PubMed

Luecken, M D; Page, M J T; Crosby, A J; Mason, S; Reinert, G; Deane, C M

2018-03-15

Detecting novel functional modules in molecular networks is an important step in biological research. In the absence of gold standard functional modules, functional annotations are often used to verify whether detected modules/communities have biological meaning. However, as we show, the uneven distribution of functional annotations means that such evaluation methods favor communities of well-studied proteins. We propose a novel framework for the evaluation of communities as functional modules. Our proposed framework, CommWalker, takes communities as inputs and evaluates them in their local network environment by performing short random walks. We test CommWalker's ability to overcome annotation bias using input communities from four community detection methods on two protein interaction networks. We find that modules accepted by CommWalker are similarly co-expressed as those accepted by current methods. Crucially, CommWalker performs well not only in well-annotated regions, but also in regions otherwise obscured by poor annotation. CommWalker community prioritization both faithfully captures well-validated communities and identifies functional modules that may correspond to more novel biology. The CommWalker algorithm is freely available at opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/resources or as a docker image on the Docker Hub at hub.docker.com/r/lueckenmd/commwalker/. deane@stats.ox.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Modeling the photoacoustic signal during the porous silicon formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez-Gutierrez, C. F.; Castaño-Yepes, J. D.; Rodriguez-García, M. E.

2017-01-01

Within this work, the kinetics of the growing stage of porous silicon (PS) during the etching process was studied using the photoacoustic technique. A p-type Si with low resistivity was used as a substrate. An extension of the Rosencwaig and Gersho model is proposed in order to analyze the temporary changes that take place in the amplitude of the photoacoustic signal during the PS growth. The solution of the heat equation takes into account the modulated laser beam, the changes in the reflectance of the PS-backing heterostructure, the electrochemical reaction, and the Joule effect as thermal sources. The model includes the time-dependence of the sample thickness during the electrochemical etching of PS. The changes in the reflectance are identified as the laser reflections in the internal layers of the system. The reflectance is modeled by an additional sinusoidal-monochromatic light source and its modulated frequency is related to the velocity of the PS growth. The chemical reaction and the DC components of the heat sources are taken as an average value from the experimental data. The theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental data and hence provided a method to determine variables of the PS growth, such as the etching velocity and the thickness of the porous layer during the growing process.

Healthcare students' experiences when integrating e-learning and flipped classroom instructional approaches.

PubMed

Telford, Mark; Senior, Emma

2017-06-08

This article describes the experiences of undergraduate healthcare students taking a module adopting a 'flipped classroom' approach. Evidence suggests that flipped classroom as a pedagogical tool has the potential to enhance student learning and to improve healthcare practice. This innovative approach was implemented within a healthcare curriculum and in a module looking at public health delivered at the beginning of year two of a 3-year programme. The focus of the evaluation study was on the e-learning resources used in the module and the student experiences of these; with a specific aim to evaluate this element of the flipped classroom approach. A mixed-methods approach was adopted and data collected using questionnaires, which were distributed across a whole cohort, and a focus group involving ten participants. Statistical analysis of the data showed the positive student experience of engaging with e-learning. The thematic analysis identified two key themes; factors influencing a positive learning experience and the challenges when developing e-learning within a flipped classroom approach. The study provides guidance for further developments and improvements when developing e-learning as part of the flipped classroom approach.

Taking a look at the calibration of a CCD detector with a fiber-optic taper

DOE PAGES

Alkire, R. W.; Rotella, F. J.; Duke, Norma E. C.; ...

2016-02-16

At the Structural Biology Center beamline 19BM, located at the Advanced Photon Source, the operational characteristics of the equipment are routinely checked to ensure they are in proper working order. After performing a partial flat-field calibration for the ADSC Quantum 210r CCD detector, it was confirmed that the detector operates within specifications. However, as a secondary check it was decided to scan a single reflection across one-half of a detector module to validate the accuracy of the calibration. The intensities from this single reflection varied by more than 30% from the module center to the corner of the module. Redistributionmore » of light within bent fibers of the fiber-optic taper was identified to be a source of this variation. As a result, the degree to which the diffraction intensities are corrected to account for characteristics of the fiber-optic tapers depends primarily upon the experimental strategy of data collection, approximations made by the data processing software during scaling, and crystal symmetry.« less

Serotonin receptor gene (HTR2A) T102C polymorphism modulates individuals’ perspective taking ability and autistic-like traits

PubMed Central

Gong, Pingyuan; Liu, Jinting; Blue, Philip R.; Li, She; Zhou, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Previous studies have indicated that empathic traits, such as perspective taking, are associated with the levels of serotonin in the brain and with autism spectrum conditions. Inspired by the finding that the serotonin receptor 2A gene (HTR2A) modulates the availability of serotonin, this study investigated to what extent HTR2A modulates individuals’ perspective taking ability and autistic-like traits. To examine the associations of the functional HTR2A polymorphism T102C (rs6313) with individuals’ perspective taking abilities and autistic-like traits, we differentiated individuals according to this polymorphism and measured empathic and autistic-like traits with Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scale in 523 Chinese people. The results indicated that this polymorphism was significantly associated with the scores on Perspective Taking and Personal Distress subscales of IRI, and Communication subscale of AQ. Individuals with a greater number of the C alleles were less likely to spontaneously adopt the point of view of others, more likely to be anxious when observing the pain endured by others, and more likely to have communication problems. Moreover, the genotype effect on communication problems was mediated by individuals’ perspective taking ability. These findings provide evidence that the HTR2A T102C polymorphism is a predictor of individual differences in empathic and autistic-like traits and highlight the role of the gene in the connection between perspective taking and autistic-like traits. PMID:26557070

Breast Cancer Prevention

MedlinePlus

... estrogen-only hormone therapy after hysterectomy, selective estrogen receptor modulators, or aromatase inhibitors and inactivators Estrogen-only ... who take estrogen after a hysterectomy. Selective estrogen receptor modulators Tamoxifen and raloxifene belong to the family ...

NAS (HOST/ARTS IIIA) to VME Modem Interface ATC Interface Hardware Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-10-01

SIXT,RXSYNC,RXACTIVE,ALLOWI) IO,C,0,1,O,O1 - > [^bf,1,1,O,0J;vector 104 [o,c,0,1,o,0J -> [^hf,1,1,O,OJ;vector [I,C,0,1,O,0] -> [Abf,1,1,0,OJ;vector IO,C...VFU.T(R 501 C’-35 Io,c,1,1,o,o,o1 -> rhb ,0,01;i [X,C,1,1,0,O,1] -> ["hf,0,0; [1,C,1,I,0,1,01 -> [^ha,0,1];LACT (MTE)-S2 io,C,,1,0,1,01 -> I^ha,0,1; [1

AdA Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number: 910920W1. 11214 Verdix Corporation, VADS VAX VMS= AMD 29K, VAda-110-03525, Version 6.04, MicroVAX 3600 (Host) to Ironics IV9001 Board (Target). MVME147 (Target)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-20

Agreement Number: 91-07-16- VRX See section 3.1 for any additional information about the testing environment. As a result of this validation effort...Washington DC 20301 92-06991 AVF Control Number: AVF-VSR-511.0292 18 February 1992 91-07-16- VRX Ada COMPILER VALIDATION SUMMARY REPORT: Certificate Number...System: Ironics IV9001 board (AMD 29000) (Am29000 bare VME machine) Customer Agreement Number: 91-07-16- VRX See section 3.1 for any additional information

Computational Challenges in Processing the Q1-Q16 Kepler Data Set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaus, Todd C.; Henze, C.; Twicken, J. D.; Hall, J.; McCauliff, S. D.; Girouard, F.; Cote, M.; Morris, R. L.; Clarke, B.; Jenkins, J. M.; Caldwell, D.; Kepler Science Operations Center

2013-10-01

Since launch on March 6th, 2009, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has collected 48 months of data on over 195,000 targets. The raw data are rife with instrumental and astrophysical noise that must be removed in order to detect and model the transit-like signals present in the data. Calibrating the raw pixels, generating and correcting the flux light curves, and detecting and characterizing the signals require significant computational power. In addition, the algorithms that make up the Kepler Science Pipeline and their parameters are still undergoing changes (most of which increase the computational cost), creating the need to reprocess the entire data set on a regular basis. We discuss how we have ported all of the core elements of the pipeline to the Pleiades cluster at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division, the needs driving the port, and the technical challenges we faced. In 2011 we ported the Transiting Planet Search (TPS) and Data Validation (DV) modules to Pleiades. These pipeline modules operate on the full data set and the computational complexity increases roughly by the square of the number of data points. At the time of the port it had become infeasible to run these modules on our local hardware, necessitating the move to Pleiades. In 2012 and 2013 we turned our attention to the front end of the pipeline; Pixel-level Calibration (CAL), Photometric Analysis (PA), and Pre-Search Data Conditioning (PDC). Porting these modules to Pleiades will allow us to reprocess the complete data set on a more frequent basis. The last time we reprocessed all data for the front end we only had 24 months of data. We estimate that the full 48-month data set would take over 200 days to complete on local hardware. When the port is complete we expect to reprocess this data set on Pleiades in about a month. The NASA Science Mission Directorate provided funding for the Kepler Mission.

Contamination control and assay results for the Majorana Demonstrator ultra clean components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christofferson, C. D.; Abgrall, N.; Alvis, S. I.; Arnquist, I. J.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Barton, C. J.; Bertrand, F. E.; Bode, T.; Bradley, A. W.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Buuck, M.; Caldwell, T. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Chu, P.-H.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Dunagan, C.; Efremenko, Yu.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Gilliss, T.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guinn, I. S.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Haufe, C. R.; Hehn, L.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; Lopez, A. M.; Martin, R. D.; Massarczyk, R.; Meijer, S. J.; Mertens, S.; Myslik, J.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Othman, G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Reine, A. L.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Rouf, N. W.; Shanks, B.; Shirchenko, M.; Suriano, A. M.; Tedeschi, D.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhu, B. X.

2018-01-01

The Majorana Demonstrator is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment utilizing enriched Ge-76 detectors in 2 separate modules inside of a common solid shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The Demonstrator has utilized world leading assay sensitivities to develop clean materials and processes for producing ultra-pure copper and plastic components. This experiment is now operating, and initial data provide new insights into the success of cleaning and processing. Post production copper assays after the completion of Module 1 showed an increase in U and Th contamination in finished parts compared to starting bulk material. A revised cleaning method and additional round of surface contamination studies prior to Module 2 construction have provided evidence that more rigorous process control can reduce surface contamination. This article describes the assay results and discuss further studies to take advantage of assay capabilities for the purpose of maintaining ultra clean fabrication and process design.

Transportation. The Neglected Related Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Mary; And Others

This monograph presents a five-module staff training program used to improve the related service of transportation of children with disabilities in Union County, North Carolina. Each module takes from 4 to more than 8 hours of training and bus drivers and transportation safety assistants with current certificates in all five modules receive a…

Module Eight: Induction; Basic Electricity and Electronics Individualized Learning System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, DC.

The module covers in greater depth electromagnetic induction, its effects, and how it is used to advantage in electrical circuits; and the physical components, called inductors, designed to take advantage of the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. This module is divided into four lessons: electromagnetism; inductors and flux density, inducing…

Neurokernel: An Open Source Platform for Emulating the Fruit Fly Brain

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

We have developed an open software platform called Neurokernel for collaborative development of comprehensive models of the brain of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and their execution and testing on multiple Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Neurokernel provides a programming model that capitalizes upon the structural organization of the fly brain into a fixed number of functional modules to distinguish between these modules’ local information processing capabilities and the connectivity patterns that link them. By defining mandatory communication interfaces that specify how data is transmitted between models of each of these modules regardless of their internal design, Neurokernel explicitly enables multiple researchers to collaboratively model the fruit fly’s entire brain by integration of their independently developed models of its constituent processing units. We demonstrate the power of Neurokernel’s model integration by combining independently developed models of the retina and lamina neuropils in the fly’s visual system and by demonstrating their neuroinformation processing capability. We also illustrate Neurokernel’s ability to take advantage of direct GPU-to-GPU data transfers with benchmarks that demonstrate scaling of Neurokernel’s communication performance both over the number of interface ports exposed by an emulation’s constituent modules and the total number of modules comprised by an emulation. PMID:26751378

A compact 16-module camera using 64-pixel CsI(Tl)/Si p-i-n photodiode imaging modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choong, W.-S.; Gruber, G. J.; Moses, W. W.; Derenzo, S. E.; Holland, S. E.; Pedrali-Noy, M.; Krieger, B.; Mandelli, E.; Meddeler, G.; Wang, N. W.; Witt, E. K.

2002-10-01

We present a compact, configurable scintillation camera employing a maximum of 16 individual 64-pixel imaging modules resulting in a 1024-pixel camera covering an area of 9.6 cm/spl times/9.6 cm. The 64-pixel imaging module consists of optically isolated 3 mm/spl times/3 mm/spl times/5 mm CsI(Tl) crystals coupled to a custom array of Si p-i-n photodiodes read out by a custom integrated circuit (IC). Each imaging module plugs into a readout motherboard that controls the modules and interfaces with a data acquisition card inside a computer. For a given event, the motherboard employs a custom winner-take-all IC to identify the module with the largest analog output and to enable the output address bits of the corresponding module's readout IC. These address bits identify the "winner" pixel within the "winner" module. The peak of the largest analog signal is found and held using a peak detect circuit, after which it is acquired by an analog-to-digital converter on the data acquisition card. The camera is currently operated with four imaging modules in order to characterize its performance. At room temperature, the camera demonstrates an average energy resolution of 13.4% full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) for the 140-keV emissions of /sup 99m/Tc. The system spatial resolution is measured using a capillary tube with an inner diameter of 0.7 mm and located 10 cm from the face of the collimator. Images of the line source in air exhibit average system spatial resolutions of 8.7- and 11.2-mm FWHM when using an all-purpose and high-sensitivity parallel hexagonal holes collimator, respectively. These values do not change significantly when an acrylic scattering block is placed between the line source and the camera.

The design and development of a rectangular, shingle-type photovoltaic module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepard, N. F., Jr.

A shingle-type photovoltaic module has been designed and developed to meet the requirements of specifications for residential applications. The module is ideally suited for installation directly to the sheathing of a sloping, south-facing roof of a residential, industrial, or commercial building. The design requirements are examined, taking into account also module safety requirements. Aspects of module design and analysis are discussed, giving attention to installation details, solar cells and electrical circuit design, the encapsulation system, substrate lamination, and the module-to-module interconnecting cable. Details of module assembly experience and test and outdoor exposure experience are also considered.

The design and development of a rectangular, shingle-type photovoltaic module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepard, N. F., Jr.

1982-01-01

A shingle-type photovoltaic module has been designed and developed to meet the requirements of specifications for residential applications. The module is ideally suited for installation directly to the sheathing of a sloping, south-facing roof of a residential, industrial, or commercial building. The design requirements are examined, taking into account also module safety requirements. Aspects of module design and analysis are discussed, giving attention to installation details, solar cells and electrical circuit design, the encapsulation system, substrate lamination, and the module-to-module interconnecting cable. Details of module assembly experience and test and outdoor exposure experience are also considered.

SDR implementation of the receiver of adaptive communication system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skarzynski, Jacek; Darmetko, Marcin; Kozlowski, Sebastian; Kurek, Krzysztof

2016-04-01

The paper presents software implementation of a receiver forming a part of an adaptive communication system. The system is intended for communication with a satellite placed in a low Earth orbit (LEO). The ability of adaptation is believed to increase the total amount of data transmitted from the satellite to the ground station. Depending on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, adaptive transmission is realized using different transmission modes, i.e., different modulation schemes (BPSK, QPSK, 8-PSK, and 16-APSK) and different convolutional code rates (1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8). The receiver consists of a software-defined radio (SDR) module (National Instruments USRP-2920) and a multithread reception software running on Windows operating system. In order to increase the speed of signal processing, the software takes advantage of single instruction multiple data instructions supported by x86 processor architecture.

Modulation of Calcium Entry by Mitochondria.

PubMed

Fonteriz, Rosalba; Matesanz-Isabel, Jessica; Arias-Del-Val, Jessica; Alvarez-Illera, Pilar; Montero, Mayte; Alvarez, Javier

2016-01-01

The role of mitochondria in intracellular Ca(2+) signaling relies mainly in its capacity to take up Ca(2+) from the cytosol and thus modulate the cytosolic [Ca(2+)]. Because of the low Ca(2+)-affinity of the mitochondrial Ca(2+)-uptake system, this organelle appears specially adapted to take up Ca(2+) from local high-Ca(2+) microdomains and not from the bulk cytosol. Mitochondria would then act as local Ca(2+) buffers in cellular regions where high-Ca(2+) microdomains form, that is, mainly close to the cytosolic mouth of Ca(2+) channels, both in the plasma membrane and in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). One of the first targets proposed already in the 1990s to be regulated in this way by mitochondria were the store-operated Ca(2+) channels (SOCE). Mitochondria, by taking up Ca(2+) from the region around the cytosolic mouth of the SOCE channels, would prevent its slow Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation, thus keeping them active for longer. Since then, evidence for this mechanism has accumulated mainly in immunitary cells, where mitochondria actually move towards the immune synapse during T cell activation. However, in many other cell types the available data indicate that the close apposition between plasma and ER membranes occurring during SOCE activation precludes mitochondria from getting close to the Ca(2+)-entry sites. Alternative pathways for mitochondrial modulation of SOCE, both Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent, have also been proposed, but further work will be required to elucidate the actual mechanisms at work. Hopefully, the recent knowledge of the molecular nature of the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter will allow soon more precise studies on this matter.

Is autonomic modulation different between European and Chinese astronauts?

PubMed

Liu, Jiexin; Li, Yongzhi; Verheyden, Bart; Chen, Shanguang; Chen, Zhanghuang; Gai, Yuqing; Liu, Jianzhong; Gao, Jianyi; Xie, Qiong; Yuan, Ming; Li, Qin; Li, Li; Aubert, André E

2015-01-01

The objective was to investigate autonomic control in groups of European and Chinese astronauts and to identify similarities and differences. Beat-to-beat heart rate and finger blood pressure, brachial blood pressure, and respiratory frequency were measured from 10 astronauts (five European taking part in three different space missions and five Chinese astronauts taking part in two different space missions). Data recording was performed in the supine and standing positions at least 10 days before launch, and 1, 3, and 10 days after return. Cross-correlation analysis of heart rate and systolic pressure was used to assess cardiac baroreflex modulation. A fixed breathing protocol was performed to measure respiratory sinus arrhythmia and low-frequency power of systolic blood pressure variability. Although baseline cardiovascular parameters before spaceflight were similar in all astronauts in the supine position, a significant increase in sympathetic activity and a decrease in vagal modulation occurred in the European astronauts when standing; spaceflight resulted in a remarkable vagal decrease in European astronauts only. Similar baseline supine and standing values for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and respiratory frequency were shown in both groups. Standing autonomic control was based on a balance of higher vagal and sympathetic modulation in European astronauts. Post-spaceflight orthostatic tachycardia was observed in all European astronauts, whereas post-spaceflight orthostatic tachycardia was significantly reduced in Chinese astronauts. The basis for orthostatic intolerance is not apparent; however, many possibilities can be considered and need to be further investigated, such as genetic diversities between races, astronaut selection, training, and nutrition, etc.

Is Autonomic Modulation Different between European and Chinese Astronauts?

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiexin; Li, Yongzhi; Verheyden, Bart; Chen, Shanguang; Chen, Zhanghuang; Gai, Yuqing; Liu, Jianzhong; Gao, Jianyi; Xie, Qiong; Yuan, Ming; Li, Qin; Li, Li; Aubert, André E.

2015-01-01

Purpose The objective was to investigate autonomic control in groups of European and Chinese astronauts and to identify similarities and differences. Methods Beat-to-beat heart rate and finger blood pressure, brachial blood pressure, and respiratory frequency were measured from 10 astronauts (five European taking part in three different space missions and five Chinese astronauts taking part in two different space missions). Data recording was performed in the supine and standing positions at least 10 days before launch, and 1, 3, and 10 days after return. Cross-correlation analysis of heart rate and systolic pressure was used to assess cardiac baroreflex modulation. A fixed breathing protocol was performed to measure respiratory sinus arrhythmia and low-frequency power of systolic blood pressure variability. Results Although baseline cardiovascular parameters before spaceflight were similar in all astronauts in the supine position, a significant increase in sympathetic activity and a decrease in vagal modulation occurred in the European astronauts when standing; spaceflight resulted in a remarkable vagal decrease in European astronauts only. Similar baseline supine and standing values for heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and respiratory frequency were shown in both groups. Standing autonomic control was based on a balance of higher vagal and sympathetic modulation in European astronauts. Conclusion Post-spaceflight orthostatic tachycardia was observed in all European astronauts, whereas post-spaceflight orthostatic tachycardia was significantly reduced in Chinese astronauts. The basis for orthostatic intolerance is not apparent; however, many possibilities can be considered and need to be further investigated, such as genetic diversities between races, astronaut selection, training, and nutrition, etc. PMID:25799561

Performance measurements of the first RAID prototype

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, Ann L.

1990-01-01

The performance is examined of Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) the First, a prototype disk array. A hierarchy of bottlenecks was discovered in the system that limit overall performance. The most serious is the memory system contention on the Sun 4/280 host CPU, which limits array bandwidth to 2.3 MBytes/sec. The array performs more successfully on small random operations, achieving nearly 300 I/Os per second before the Sun 4/280 becomes CPU limited. Other bottlenecks in the system are the VME backplane, bandwidth on the disk controller, and overheads associated with the SCSI protocol. All are examined in detail. The main conclusion is that to achieve the potential bandwidth of arrays, more powerful CPU's alone will not suffice. Just as important are adequate host memory bandwidth and support for high bandwidth on disk controllers. Current disk controllers are more often designed to achieve large numbers of small random operations, rather than high bandwidth. Operating systems also need to change to support high bandwidth from disk arrays. In particular, they should transfer data in larger blocks, and should support asynchronous I/O to improve sequential write performance.

Results of scatterometer systems analysis for NASA/MSC Earth observation sensor evaluation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, K.; Vlahos, N.; Brandt, O.; Graybeal, G.

1970-01-01

A systems evaluation of the 13.3 GHz scatterometer system is presented. The effects of phase error between the scatterometer channels, antenna pattern deviations, aircraft attitude deviations, environmental changes, and other related factors such as processing errors, system repeatability, and propeller modulation, are established. Furthermore, the reduction in system errors and calibration improvement is investigated by taking into account these parameter deviations. Typical scatterometer data samples are presented.

Activities, Animations, and Online Tools to Enable Undergraduate Student Learning of Geohazards, Climate Change, and Water Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratt-Sitaula, B. A.; Walker, B.; Douglas, B. J.; Cronin, V. S.; Funning, G.; Stearns, L. A.; Charlevoix, D.; Miller, M. M.

2017-12-01

The NSF-funded GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) project is developing teaching resources for use in introductory and majors-level courses, emphasizing a broad range of geodetic methods and data applied to societally important issues. The modules include a variety of hands-on activities, demonstrations, animations, and interactive online tools in order to facilitate student learning and engagement. A selection of these activities will be showcased at the AGU session. These activities and data analysis exercises are embedded in 4-6 units per module. Modules can take 2-3 weeks of course time total or individual units and activities can be selected and used over just 1-2 class periods. Existing modules are available online via serc.carleton.edu/getsi/ and include "Ice mass and sea level changes", "Imaging active tectonics with LiDAR and InSAR", "Measuring water resources with GPS, gravity, and traditional methods", "Surface process hazards", and "GPS, strain, and earthquakes". Modules, and their activities and demonstrations were designed by teams of faculty and content experts and underwent rigorous classroom testing and review using the process developed by the Science Education Resource Center's InTeGrate Project (serc.carleton.edu/integrate). All modules are aligned to Earth Science and Climate literacy principles. GETSI collaborating institutions are UNAVCO (which runs NSF's Geodetic Facility), Indiana University, and Mt San Antonio College. Initial funding came from NSF's TUES (Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM). A second phase of funding from NSF IUSE (Improving Undergraduate STEM Education) is just starting and will fund another six modules (including their demonstrations, activities, and hands-on activities) as well as considerably more instructor professional development to facilitate implementation and use.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the STS-114 crew take a look at the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) pressure module in the Space Station Processing Facility. A research laboratory, the pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo and is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. The JEM also includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, a robotic manipulator system, and two logistics modules. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Members of the STS-114 crew take a look at the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) pressure module in the Space Station Processing Facility. A research laboratory, the pressurized module is the first element of the JEM, named "Kibo" (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near Tokyo and is Japan's primary contribution to the Station. The JEM also includes an exposed facility (platform) for space environment experiments, a robotic manipulator system, and two logistics modules. The various JEM components will be assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-03-03

The launch of the Apollo 9 (Saturn V launch vehicle, SA-504), with astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart, took place on March 3, 1968. The Apollo 9 spacecraft, in the lunar mission configuration, was tested in Earth orbit. The mission was designed to rehearse all the steps and reproduce all the events of the Apollo 11 mission with the exception of the lunar touchdown, stay, and liftoff. The command and service modules, and the lunar module were used in flight procedures identical to those that would later take similar vehicles to the Moon, and a landing. The flight mechanics, mission support systems, communications, and recording of data were tested in a final round of verification. Astronauts Scott and Schweickart conducted Extravehicular Activity during this mission.

Multiverse data-flow control.

PubMed

Schindler, Benjamin; Waser, Jürgen; Ribičić, Hrvoje; Fuchs, Raphael; Peikert, Ronald

2013-06-01

In this paper, we present a data-flow system which supports comparative analysis of time-dependent data and interactive simulation steering. The system creates data on-the-fly to allow for the exploration of different parameters and the investigation of multiple scenarios. Existing data-flow architectures provide no generic approach to handle modules that perform complex temporal processing such as particle tracing or statistical analysis over time. Moreover, there is no solution to create and manage module data, which is associated with alternative scenarios. Our solution is based on generic data-flow algorithms to automate this process, enabling elaborate data-flow procedures, such as simulation, temporal integration or data aggregation over many time steps in many worlds. To hide the complexity from the user, we extend the World Lines interaction techniques to control the novel data-flow architecture. The concept of multiple, special-purpose cursors is introduced to let users intuitively navigate through time and alternative scenarios. Users specify only what they want to see, the decision which data are required is handled automatically. The concepts are explained by taking the example of the simulation and analysis of material transport in levee-breach scenarios. To strengthen the general applicability, we demonstrate the investigation of vortices in an offline-simulated dam-break data set.

Intelligent Predictor of Energy Expenditure with the Use of Patch-Type Sensor Module

PubMed Central

Li, Meina; Kwak, Keun-Chang; Kim, Youn-Tae

2012-01-01

This paper is concerned with an intelligent predictor of energy expenditure (EE) using a developed patch-type sensor module for wireless monitoring of heart rate (HR) and movement index (MI). For this purpose, an intelligent predictor is designed by an advanced linguistic model (LM) with interval prediction based on fuzzy granulation that can be realized by context-based fuzzy c-means (CFCM) clustering. The system components consist of a sensor board, the rubber case, and the communication module with built-in analysis algorithm. This sensor is patched onto the user's chest to obtain physiological data in indoor and outdoor environments. The prediction performance was demonstrated by root mean square error (RMSE). The prediction performance was obtained as the number of contexts and clusters increased from 2 to 6, respectively. Thirty participants were recruited from Chosun University to take part in this study. The data sets were recorded during normal walking, brisk walking, slow running, and jogging in an outdoor environment and treadmill running in an indoor environment, respectively. We randomly divided the data set into training (60%) and test data set (40%) in the normalized space during 10 iterations. The training data set is used for model construction, while the test set is used for model validation. The experimental results revealed that the prediction error on treadmill running simulation was improved by about 51% and 12% in comparison to conventional LM for training and checking data set, respectively. PMID:23202166

Evaluation of the PV energy production after 12-years of operating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchakour, Salim; Arab, Amar Hadj; Abdeladim, Kamel; Boulahchiche, Saliha; Amrouche, Said Ould; Razagui, Abdelhak

2018-05-01

This paper presents a simple way to approximately evaluate the photovoltaic (PV) array performance degradation, the studied PV arrays are connected to the local electric grid at the Centre de Developpement des Energies Renouvelables (CDER) in Algiers, Algeria, since June 2004. The used PV module model takes in consideration the module temperature and the effective solar radiance, the electrical characteristics provided by the manufacturer data sheet and the evaluation of the performance coefficient. For the dynamic behavior we use the Linear Reoriented Coordinates Method (LRCM) to estimate the maximum power point (MPP). The performance coefficient is evaluated on the one hand under STC conditions to estimate the dc energy according to the manufacturer data. On the other hand, under real conditions using both the monitored data and the LM optimization algorithm, allowing a good degree of accuracy of estimated dc energy. The application of the developed modeling procedure to the analysis of the monitored data is expected to improve understanding and assessment of the PV performance degradation of the PV arrays after 12 years of operation.

Data Relay Board with Protocol for High-Speed, Free-Space Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Malcolm; Clare, Loren; Gould, Gary; Pedyash, Maxim

2004-01-01

In a free-space optical communication system, the mitigation of transient outages through the incorporation of error-control methods is of particular concern, the outages being caused by scintillation fades and obscurants. The focus of this innovative technology is the development of a data relay system for a reliable high-data-rate free-spacebased optical-transport network. The data relay boards will establish the link, maintain synchronous connection, group the data into frames, and provide for automatic retransmission (ARQ) of lost or erred frames. A certain Quality of Service (QoS) can then be ensured, compatible with the required data rate. The protocol to be used by the data relay system is based on the draft CCSDS standard data-link protocol Proximity-1, selected by orbiters to multiple lander assets in the Mars network, for example. In addition to providing data-link protocol capabilities for the free-space optical link and buffering the data, the data relay system will interface directly with user applications over Gigabit Ethernet and/or with highspeed storage resources via Fibre Channel. The hardware implementation is built on a network-processor-based architecture. This technology combines the power of a hardware switch capable of data switching and packet routing at Gbps rates, with the flexibility of a software- driven processor that can host highly adaptive and reconfigurable protocols used, for example, in wireless local-area networks (LANs). The system will be implemented in a modular multi-board fashion. The main hardware elements of the data relay system are the new data relay board developed by Rockwell Scientific, a COTS Gigabit Ethernet board for user interface, and a COTS Fibre Channel board that connects to local storage. The boards reside in a cPCI back plane, and can be housed in a VME-type enclosure.

Comparison of Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer (HKED) Performance Operating with the Canberra Lynx MCA and the Canberra ICB-NIM Electronics

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

McElroy, Robert Dennis

From the 1991 until 2008 the Canberra Hybrid K-Edge Densitometer systems were provided with ICB-NIM (Integrated Control Bus – Nuclear Instrument Module) acquisition electronics. Newer electronics modules, such as the Lynx, were not supported under the VMS based operating system. The LYNX module was provided as the standard acquisition electronics following the release of the Windows based CHKED software. This report compares the electronics dead-time, gain shifts, detector resolution and measurement performance of the HKED system operated with the two types of acquisition modules. The comparison was performed using measurements obtained with the ORNL HKED system. The original intent ofmore » this study was to take advantage of both the timing and energy outputs from the HPGE detector to acquire data with both sets of electronics in parallel. Although this approach has been applied successfully with other systems, in this case we found the timing output produced a significant amount of noise such that a comparison between the electronics would be invalid. So the comparative measurements were performed sequentially. The ICB-NIM data was acquired over the course of 12 months with 255 measurements while the LYNX data was acquired over a period of 10 months with 75 measurements. To simplify the comparison, all data used in this study was acquired using the Canberra CHKED (V1.0) software package. The performance analysis was based primarily on the peak locations, peak widths and concentration values reported by the CHKED software. The raw spectra from the XRF measurements were also examined to extract additional 109Cd peak location and width data for the hybrid measurements (the standard hybrid report template does not report these values).« less

Usachev takes notes in Service Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-26

ISS002-E-5773 (28 March 2001) --- Yury V. Usachev of Rosaviakosmos, Expedtion Two mission commander, scribbles down some notes at the computer workstation in the Zvezda Service Module. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Workers take off the protective covering on Cassini's propulsion module in SAEF-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Workers take off the protective covering on the propulsion module for the Cassini spacecraft after uncrating the module at KSC's Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2). The extended journey of 6.7 years to Saturn and the 4-year mission for Cassini once it gets there will require the spacecraft to carry a large amount of propellant for inflight trajectory- correction maneuvers and attitude control, particularly during the science observations. The propulsion module has redundant 445-newton main engines that burn nitrogen tetraoxide and monomethyl-hydrazine for main propulsion and 16 smaller 1-newton engines that burn hydrazine to control attitude and to correct small deviations from the spacecraft flight path. Cassini will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle. Liftoff is targeted for October 6 from Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station.

Academic Attainment in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, John T. E.

2017-01-01

This investigation studied attainment in students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) who were taking modules by distance learning with the UK Open University in 2012. Students with ASDs who had no additional disabilities were as likely as non-disabled students to complete the modules that they had taken, to pass the modules that they had…

The TOTEM DAQ based on the Scalable Readout System (SRS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinto, Michele; Cafagna, Francesco S.; Fiergolski, Adrian; Radicioni, Emilio

2018-02-01

The TOTEM (TOTal cross section, Elastic scattering and diffraction dissociation Measurement at the LHC) experiment at LHC, has been designed to measure the total proton-proton cross-section and study the elastic and diffractive scattering at the LHC energies. In order to cope with the increased machine luminosity and the higher statistic required by the extension of the TOTEM physics program, approved for the LHC's Run Two phase, the previous VME based data acquisition system has been replaced with a new one based on the Scalable Readout System. The system features an aggregated data throughput of 2GB / s towards the online storage system. This makes it possible to sustain a maximum trigger rate of ˜ 24kHz, to be compared with the 1KHz rate of the previous system. The trigger rate is further improved by implementing zero-suppression and second-level hardware algorithms in the Scalable Readout System. The new system fulfils the requirements for an increased efficiency, providing higher bandwidth, and increasing the purity of the data recorded. Moreover full compatibility has been guaranteed with the legacy front-end hardware, as well as with the DAQ interface of the CMS experiment and with the LHC's Timing, Trigger and Control distribution system. In this contribution we describe in detail the architecture of full system and its performance measured during the commissioning phase at the LHC Interaction Point.

Data-driven Inquiry in Environmental Restoration Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zalles, D. R.; Montgomery, D. R.

2008-12-01

Place-based field work has been recognized as an important component of geoscience education programs for engaging students. Field work helps students appreciate the spatial extent of data and the systems operating in a locale. Data collected in a place has a temporal aspect that can be explored through representations such as photographs and maps and also though numerical data sets that capture characteristics of place. Yet, experiencing authentic geoscience research in an educational setting requires going beyond fieldwork: students must develop data literacy skills that will enable them to connect abstract representations of spatio-temporal data with place. Educational researchers at SRI International led by Dr. Daniel Zalles, developer of inquiry-based geoscience curricula, and geoscientists at the University of Washington (UW) led by Dr. David Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, are building educational curriculum modules that help students make these connections. The modules concern the environmental history of the Puget Sound area in Washington State and its relevance for the American Indians living there. This collaborative project relies on environmental data collected in the Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM) and Puget Sound River History Project. The data sets are being applied to inquiry-based geoscience investigations at the undergraduate and high school level. The modules consist of problem-based units centered on the data sets, plus geographic and other data representations. The modules will rely on educational "design patterns" that characterize geoscientific inquiry tasks. Use of design patterns will enable other modules to be built that align to the modes of student thinking and practice articulated in the design patterns. The modules will be accompanied by performance assessments that measure student learning from their data investigations. The design principles that drive this project have already been used effectively in a prior SRI project reported about at AGU 2007 called Data Sets and Inquiry in Geoscience Education. The modules are being readied for pilot-testing with undergraduate students in a new environmental history course at the University of Washington and with students taking science courses in high schools serving American Indian students in the Puget Sound area. This NSF-funded project is contributing to our knowledge base about how students can become more engaged and more skilled in geoscience inquiry and data analysis and what variations in educational supports and expectations need to exist to build successful experiences for the students with the materials. It is also expanding our knowledge of how to better connect place-based education to inquiry tasks that expand students" quantitative reasoning skills. Lastly, it is providing a model of how scientists can work effectively with educational researchers to provide educational outlets for their research. We will report on the progress of the project so far, which is in its first year of funding.

Parallel image reconstruction for 3D positron emission tomography from incomplete 2D projection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, Thomas M.; Ricci, Anthony R.; Dahlbom, Magnus; Cherry, Simon R.; Hoffman, Edward T.

1993-07-01

The problem of excessive computational time in 3D Positron Emission Tomography (3D PET) reconstruction is defined, and we present an approach for solving this problem through the construction of an inexpensive parallel processing system and the adoption of the FAVOR algorithm. Currently, the 3D reconstruction of the 610 images of a total body procedure would require 80 hours and the 3D reconstruction of the 620 images of a dynamic study would require 110 hours. An inexpensive parallel processing system for 3D PET reconstruction is constructed from the integration of board level products from multiple vendors. The system achieves its computational performance through the use of 6U VME four i860 processor boards, the processor boards from five manufacturers are discussed from our perspective. The new 3D PET reconstruction algorithm FAVOR, FAst VOlume Reconstructor, that promises a substantial speed improvement is adopted. Preliminary results from parallelizing FAVOR are utilized in formulating architectural improvements for this problem. In summary, we are addressing the problem of excessive computational time in 3D PET image reconstruction, through the construction of an inexpensive parallel processing system and the parallelization of a 3D reconstruction algorithm that uses the incomplete data set that is produced by current PET systems.

Performance Enhancement of the RatCAP Awake Rate Brain PET System

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

Vaska, P.; Vaska, P.; Woody, C.

The first full prototype of the RatCAP PET system, designed to image the brain of a rat while conscious, has been completed. Initial results demonstrated excellent spatial resolution, 1.8 mm FWHM with filtered backprojection and <1.5 mm FWHM with a Monte Carlo based MLEM method. However, noise equivalent countrate studies indicated the need for better timing to mitigate the effect of randoms. Thus, the front-end ASIC has been redesigned to minimize time walk, an accurate coincidence time alignment method has been implemented, and a variance reduction technique for the randoms is being developed. To maximize the quantitative capabilities required formore » neuroscience, corrections are being implemented and validated for positron range and photon noncollinearity, scatter (including outside the field of view), attenuation, randoms, and detector efficiency (deadtime is negligible). In addition, a more robust and compact PCI-based optical data acquisition system has been built to replace the original VME-based system while retaining the linux-based data processing and image reconstruction codes. Finally, a number of new animal imaging experiments have been carried out to demonstrate the performance of the RatCAP in real imaging situations, including an F-18 fluoride bone scan, a C-11 raclopride scan, and a dynamic C-11 methamphetamine scan.« less

Using Perspective to Resolve Reference: The Impact of Cognitive Load and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cane, James E.; Ferguson, Heather J.; Apperly, Ian A.

2017-01-01

Research has demonstrated a link between perspective taking and working memory. Here we used eye tracking to examine the time course with which working memory load (WML) influences perspective-taking ability in a referential communication task and how motivation to take another's perspective modulates these effects. In Experiment 1, where there…

International Standard Payload Rack volume

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Outer dimensions of the International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) that will be used on the International Space Station (ISS) sets the envelope for scientists designing hardware for experiments in biological and physical sciences aboard ISS. The ISPR includes attachments to ISS utilities (electrical power, heating and cooling, data, fluids, vacuum, etc.) through standoffs that hold the racks in place in the lab modules. Usage will range from facilities that take entire racks to specialized drawers occupying a portion of a rack.

Microphysical modelling of volcanic plumes / Comparisons against groundbased and spaceborne lidar data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jumelet, Julien; Bekki, Slimane; Keckhut, Philippe

2017-04-01

We present a high-resolution isentropic microphysical transport model dedicated to stratospheric aerosols and clouds. The model is based on the MIMOSA model (Modélisation Isentrope du transport Méso-échelle de l'Ozone Stratosphérique par Advection) and adds several modules: a fully explicit size-resolving microphysical scheme to transport aerosol granulometry as passive tracers and an optical module, able to calculate the scattering and extinction properties of particles at given wavelengths. Originally designed for polar stratospheric clouds (composed of sulfuric acid, nitric acid and water vapor), the model is fully capable of rendering the structure and properties of volcanic plumes at the finer scales, assuming complete SO2 oxydation. This link between microphysics and optics also enables the model to take advantage of spaceborne lidar data (i.e. CALIOP) by calculating the 532nm aerosol backscatter coefficient, taking it as the control variable to provide microphysical constraints during the transport. This methodology has been applied to simulate volcanic plumes during relatively recent volcanic eruptions, from the 2010 Merapi to the 2015 Calbuco eruption. Optical calculations are also used for direct comparisons between the model and groundbased lidar stations for validation as well as characterization purposes. We will present the model and the simulation results, along with a focus on the sensitivity to initialisation parameters, considering the need for quasi-real time modelling and forecasts in the case of future eruptions.

Digital watermarking in telemedicine applications--towards enhanced data security and accessibility.

PubMed

Giakoumaki, Aggeliki L; Perakis, Konstantinos; Tagaris, Anastassios; Koutsouris, Dimitris

2006-01-01

Implementing telemedical solutions has become a trend amongst the various research teams at an international level. Yet, contemporary information access and distribution technologies raise critical issues that urgently need to be addressed, especially those related to security. The paper suggests the use of watermarking in telemedical applications in order to enhance security of the transmitted sensitive medical data, familiarizes the users with a telemedical system and a watermarking module that have already been developed, and proposes an architecture that will enable the integration of the two systems, taking into account a variety of use cases and application scenarios.

Tracking and data acquisition system for the 1990's. Volume 7: TDAS space technology assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khatri, R.

1983-01-01

The results of the TDAS and user spacecraft technology assessment effort are provided. For each TDAS Satellite enhancement and user spacecraft element previously enumerated, the technology issues are identified and the R&D needed to resolve these issues is delineated. Subsequently, taking into account developments taking place elsewhere, the addition unique TDAS satellite module and user spacecraft element R&D efforts needed are identified, and conclusions are drawn in each case. From these conclusions, it is evident that with additional unique R&D efforts carried out for TDAS and appropriate user spacecraft elements the desired TDAS' capabilities for the 1990's can be realized and user spacecraft can be implemented that adequately interface with the projected TDAS.

MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox Trim and Static Stability Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Sean P.; Crespo, Luis

2012-01-01

MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox (MASCOT) utilizes geometric, aerodynamic, and inertial inputs to calculate air vehicle stability in a variety of critical flight conditions. The code is based on fundamental, non-linear equations of motion and is able to translate results into a qualitative, graphical scale useful to the non-expert. MASCOT was created to provide the conceptual aircraft designer accurate predictions of air vehicle stability and control characteristics. The code takes as input mass property data in the form of an inertia tensor, aerodynamic loading data, and propulsion (i.e. thrust) loading data. Using fundamental nonlinear equations of motion, MASCOT then calculates vehicle trim and static stability data for the desired flight condition(s). Available flight conditions include six horizontal and six landing rotation conditions with varying options for engine out, crosswind, and sideslip, plus three take-off rotation conditions. Results are displayed through a unique graphical interface developed to provide the non-stability and control expert conceptual design engineer a qualitative scale indicating whether the vehicle has acceptable, marginal, or unacceptable static stability characteristics. If desired, the user can also examine the detailed, quantitative results.

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) data storage and analysis using a microcomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massey, D. E.

1986-01-01

A PCM storage device/data analyzer is described. This instrument is a peripheral plug-in board especially built to enable a personal computer to store and analyze data from a PCM source. This board and custom written software turns a computer into a snapshot PCM decommutator. This instrument will take in and store many hundreds or thousands of PCM telemetry data frames, then sift through them over and over again. The data can be converted to any number base and displayed, examined for any bit dropouts or changes in particular words or frames, graphically plotted, or statistically analyzed. This device was designed and built for use on the NASA Sounding Rocket Program for PCM encoder configuration and testing.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence manipulates part of a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Lawrence is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Wendy Lawrence manipulates part of a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. Lawrence is a new addition to the mission crew. The STS-114 crew is at KSC to take part in crew equipment and orbiter familiarization.

Reactor Operations Monitoring System

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

Hart, M.M.

1989-01-01

The Reactor Operations Monitoring System (ROMS) is a VME based, parallel processor data acquisition and safety action system designed by the Equipment Engineering Section and Reactor Engineering Department of the Savannah River Site. The ROMS will be analyzing over 8 million signal samples per minute. Sixty-eight microprocessors are used in the ROMS in order to achieve a real-time data analysis. The ROMS is composed of multiple computer subsystems. Four redundant computer subsystems monitor 600 temperatures with 2400 thermocouples. Two computer subsystems share the monitoring of 600 reactor coolant flows. Additional computer subsystems are dedicated to monitoring 400 signals from assortedmore » process sensors. Data from these computer subsystems are transferred to two redundant process display computer subsystems which present process information to reactor operators and to reactor control computers. The ROMS is also designed to carry out safety functions based on its analysis of process data. The safety functions include initiating a reactor scram (shutdown), the injection of neutron poison, and the loadshed of selected equipment. A complete development Reactor Operations Monitoring System has been built. It is located in the Program Development Center at the Savannah River Site and is currently being used by the Reactor Engineering Department in software development. The Equipment Engineering Section is designing and fabricating the process interface hardware. Upon proof of hardware and design concept, orders will be placed for the final five systems located in the three reactor areas, the reactor training simulator, and the hardware maintenance center.« less

General Conformity Training Module 2.5: Proactive Role for Federal Agencies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Module 2.5 explains how taking a proactive role will allow a federal agency to more effectively participate in newly promulgated programs under the General Conformity Regulations, such as the emission reduction credits and the emission budgets programs.

Triggerable electro-optic amplitude modulator bias stabilizer for integrated optical devices

DOEpatents

Conder, A.D.; Haigh, R.E.; Hugenberg, K.F.

1995-09-26

An improved Mach-Zehnder integrated optical electro-optic modulator is achieved by application and incorporation of a DC bias box containing a laser synchronized trigger circuit, a DC ramp and hold circuit, a modulator transfer function negative peak detector circuit, and an adjustable delay circuit. The DC bias box ramps the DC bias along the transfer function curve to any desired phase or point of operation at which point the RF modulation takes place. 7 figs.

Triggerable electro-optic amplitude modulator bias stabilizer for integrated optical devices

DOEpatents

Conder, Alan D.; Haigh, Ronald E.; Hugenberg, Keith F.

1995-01-01

An improved Mach-Zehnder integrated optical electro-optic modulator is achieved by application and incorporation of a DC bias box containing a laser synchronized trigger circuit, a DC ramp and hold circuit, a modulator transfer function negative peak detector circuit, and an adjustable delay circuit. The DC bias box ramps the DC bias along the transfer function curve to any desired phase or point of operation at which point the RF modulation takes place.

GRAPE-5: A Special-Purpose Computer for N-Body Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Atsushi; Fukushige, Toshiyuki; Makino, Junichiro; Taiji, Makoto

2000-08-01

We have developed a special-purpose computer for gravitational many-body simulations, GRAPE-5. GRAPE-5 accelerates the force calculation which dominates the calculation cost of the simulation. All other calculations, such as the time integration of orbits, are performed on a general-purpose computer (host computer) connected to GRAPE-5. A GRAPE-5 board consists of eight custom pipeline chips (G5 chip) and its peak performance is 38.4 Gflops. GRAPE-5 is the successor of GRAPE-3. The differences between GRAPE-5 and GRAPE-3 are: (1) The newly developed G5 chip contains two pipelines operating at 80 MHz, while the GRAPE chip, which was used for GRAPE-3, had one at 20 MHz. The calculation speed of GRAPE-5 is 8-times faster than that of GRAPE-3. (2) The GRAPE-5 board adopted a PCI bus as the interface to the host computer instead of VME of GRAPE-3, resulting in a communication speed one order of magnitude faster. (3) In addition to the pure 1/r potential, the G5 chip can calculate forces with arbitrary cutoff functions, so that it can be applied to the Ewald or P3M methods. (4) The pairwise force calculated on GRAPE-5 is about 10-times more accurate than that on GRAPE-3. On one GRAPE-5 board, one timestep with a direct summation algorithm takes 14 (N/128 k)2 seconds. With the Barnes-Hut tree algorithm (theta = 0.75), one timestep can be done in 15 (N/106) seconds.

“Beating speckles” via electrically-induced vibrations of Au nanorods embedded in sol-gel

PubMed Central

Ritenberg, Margarita; Beilis, Edith; Ilovitsh, Asaf; Barkai, Zehava; Shahmoon, Asaf; Richter, Shachar; Zalevsky, Zeev; Jelinek, Raz

2014-01-01

Generation of macroscopic phenomena through manipulating nano-scale properties of materials is among the most fundamental goals of nanotechnology research. We demonstrate cooperative “speckle beats” induced through electric-field modulation of gold (Au) nanorods embedded in a transparent sol-gel host. Specifically, we show that placing the Au nanorod/sol-gel matrix in an alternating current (AC) field gives rise to dramatic modulation of incident light scattered from the material. The speckle light patterns take form of “beats”, for which the amplitude and frequency are directly correlated with the voltage and frequency, respectively, of the applied AC field. The data indicate that the speckle beats arise from localized vibrations of the gel-embedded Au nanorods, induced through the interactions between the AC field and the electrostatically-charged nanorods. This phenomenon opens the way for new means of investigating nanoparticles in constrained environments. Applications in electro-optical devices, such as optical modulators, movable lenses, and others are also envisaged. PMID:24413086

Solar cycle modulation of Southern Annular Mode -Energy-momentum analysis-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Y.

2016-12-01

Climate is affected by various factors, including oceanic changes and volcanic eruptions. 11-year solar cycle change is one of such important factors. Observational analysis shows that the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) in late-winter/spring show structural modulation associated with 11-year solar cycle. In fact, SAM-related signal tends to extend from surface to upper stratosphere and persistent longer period in the High Solar (HS) years, whereas it is restricted in the troposphere and not persist in the Low Solar (LS) years. In the present study, we used 35-year record of ERA-Interim reanalysis data and performed wave-energy and momentum analysis on the solar-cycle modulation of the SAM to examine key factors to create such solar-SAM relationship. It is found that enhanced wave-mean flow interaction tends to take place in the middle stratosphere in association with enhanced energy input from diabatic heating on September only in HS years. The result suggests atmospheric and solar conditions on September are keys to create solar-SAM relationship.

Synchronization using pulsed edge tracking in optical PPM communication system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gagliardi, R.

1972-01-01

A pulse position modulated (PPM) optical communication system using narrow pulses of light for data transmission requires accurate time synchronization between transmitter and receiver. The presence of signal energy in the form of optical pulses suggests the use of a pulse edge tracking method of maintaining the necessary timing. The edge tracking operation in a binary PPM system is examined, taking into account the quantum nature of the optical transmissions. Consideration is given first to pure synchronization using a periodic pulsed intensity, then extended to the case where position modulation is present and auxiliary bit decisioning is needed to aid the tracking operation. Performance analysis is made in terms of timing error and its associated statistics. Timing error variances are shown as a function of system signal to noise ratio.

Extension of an Object-Oriented Optimization Tool: User's Reference Manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson S.

2015-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center has developed a cost-effective and flexible object-oriented optimization (O (sup 3)) tool that leverages existing tools and practices and allows easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. This object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines, as opposed to relying on one code to perform analysis for all disciplines. Optimization can thus take place within each discipline module, or in a loop between the O (sup 3) tool and the discipline modules, or both. Six different sample mathematical problems are presented to demonstrate the performance of the O (sup 3) tool. Instructions for preparing input data for the O (sup 3) tool are detailed in this user's manual.

Development of management information system for land in mine area based on MapInfo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shi-Dong; Liu, Chuang-Hua; Wang, Xin-Chuang; Pan, Yan-Yu

2008-10-01

MapInfo is current a popular GIS software. This paper introduces characters of MapInfo and GIS second development methods offered by MapInfo, which include three ones based on MapBasic, OLE automation, and MapX control usage respectively. Taking development of land management information system in mine area for example, in the paper, the method of developing GIS applications based on MapX has been discussed, as well as development of land management information system in mine area has been introduced in detail, including development environment, overall design, design and realization of every function module, and simple application of system, etc. The system uses MapX 5.0 and Visual Basic 6.0 as development platform, takes SQL Server 2005 as back-end database, and adopts Matlab 6.5 to calculate number in back-end. On the basis of integrated design, the system develops eight modules including start-up, layer control, spatial query, spatial analysis, data editing, application model, document management, results output. The system can be used in mine area for cadastral management, land use structure optimization, land reclamation, land evaluation, analysis and forecasting for land in mine area and environmental disruption, thematic mapping, and so on.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the inferior frontal cortex affects the "social scaling" of extrapersonal space depending on perspective-taking ability.

PubMed

Fini, Chiara; Bardi, Lara; Epifanio, Alessandra; Committeri, Giorgia; Moors, Agnes; Brass, Marcel

2017-03-01

When we have to judge the distance between another person and an object (social condition), we judge this distance as being smaller compared to judging the distance between two objects (nonsocial condition). It has been suggested that this compression is mediated by the attribution of a motor potential to the reference frame (other person vs. object). In order to explore the neural basis of this effect, we investigated whether the modulation of activity in the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) of the left hemisphere (recruited during visuospatial processes with a social component) changes the way we categorize space in a social compared with a nonsocial condition. We applied transcranial direct current stimulation to the left IFC, with different polarities (anodal, cathodal, and sham) while subjects performed an extrapersonal space categorization task. Interestingly, anodal stimulation of IFC induced an higher compression of space in the social compared to nonsocial condition. By contrast, cathodal stimulation induced the opposite effect. Furthermore, we found that this effect is modulated by interindividual differences in cognitive perspective taking. Our data support the idea that IFC is recruited during the social categorization of space.

SU-D-BRD-01: An Automated Physics Weekly Chart Checking System Supporting ARIA

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

Chang, X; Yang, D

Purpose: A software tool was developed in this study to perform automatic weekly physics chart check on the patient data in ARIA. The tool accesses the electronic patient data directly from ARIA server and checks the accuracy of treatment deliveries, and generates reports which summarize the delivery history and highlight the errors. Methods: The tool has four modules. 1) The database interface is designed to directly access treatment delivery data from the ARIA database before reorganizing the data into the patient chart tree (PCT). 2) PCT is a core data structure designed to store and organize the data in logicalmore » hierarchies, and to be passed among functions. 3) The treatment data check module analyzes the organized data in PCT and stores the checking results into PCT. 4) Report generation module generates reports containing the treatment delivery summary, chart checking results and plots of daily treatment setup parameters (couch table positions, shifts of image guidance). The errors that are found by the tool are highlighted with colors. Results: The weekly check tool has been implemented in MATLAB and clinically tested at two major cancer centers. Javascript, cascading style sheets (CSS) and dynamic HTML were employed to create the user-interactive reports. It takes 0.06 second to search the delivery records of one beam with PCT and compare the delivery records with beam plan. The reports, saved in the HTML files on shared network folder, can be accessed by web browser on computers and mobile devices. Conclusion: The presented weekly check tool is useful to check the electronic patient treatment data in Varian ARIA system. It could be more efficient and reliable than the manually check by physicists. The work was partially supported by a research grant from Varian Medical System.« less

Availability model of stand-alone photovoltaic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazurek, G.

2017-08-01

In this paper we present a simple, empirical model of stand-alone photovoltaic power system availability. The model is a final result of five-year long studies and ground measurements of solar irradiation carried out in Central Europe. The obtained results facilitate sizing of PV modules that have to be installed with taking into account system's availability level in each month of a year. The model can be extended to different geographical locations, with help of local meteorological data or solar irradiation datasets derived from satellite measurements.

The middleware architecture supports heterogeneous network systems for module-based personal robot system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choo, Seongho; Li, Vitaly; Choi, Dong Hee; Jung, Gi Deck; Park, Hong Seong; Ryuh, Youngsun

2005-12-01

On developing the personal robot system presently, the internal architecture is every module those occupy separated functions are connected through heterogeneous network system. This module-based architecture supports specialization and division of labor at not only designing but also implementation, as an effect of this architecture, it can reduce developing times and costs for modules. Furthermore, because every module is connected among other modules through network systems, we can get easy integrations and synergy effect to apply advanced mutual functions by co-working some modules. In this architecture, one of the most important technologies is the network middleware that takes charge communications among each modules connected through heterogeneous networks systems. The network middleware acts as the human nerve system inside of personal robot system; it relays, transmits, and translates information appropriately between modules that are similar to human organizations. The network middleware supports various hardware platform, heterogeneous network systems (Ethernet, Wireless LAN, USB, IEEE 1394, CAN, CDMA-SMS, RS-232C). This paper discussed some mechanisms about our network middleware to intercommunication and routing among modules, methods for real-time data communication and fault-tolerant network service. There have designed and implemented a layered network middleware scheme, distributed routing management, network monitoring/notification technology on heterogeneous networks for these goals. The main theme is how to make routing information in our network middleware. Additionally, with this routing information table, we appended some features. Now we are designing, making a new version network middleware (we call 'OO M/W') that can support object-oriented operation, also are updating program sources itself for object-oriented architecture. It is lighter, faster, and can support more operation systems and heterogeneous network systems, but other general purposed middlewares like CORBA, UPnP, etc. can support only one network protocol or operating system.

Design of single phase inverter using microcontroller assisted by data processing applications software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, K.; Muharam, A.; Amin; Widodo Budi, S.

2015-12-01

Inverter is widely used for industrial, office, and residential purposes. Inverter supports the development of alternative energy such as solar cells, wind turbines and fuel cells by converting dc voltage to ac voltage. Inverter has been made with a variety of hardware and software combinations, such as the use of pure analog circuit and various types of microcontroller as controller. When using pure analog circuit, modification would be difficult because it will change the entire hardware components. In inverter with microcontroller based design (with software), calculations to generate AC modulation is done in the microcontroller. This increases programming complexity and amount of coding downloaded to the microcontroller chip (capacity flash memory in the microcontroller is limited). This paper discusses the design of a single phase inverter using unipolar modulation of sine wave and triangular wave, which is done outside the microcontroller using data processing software application (Microsoft Excel), result shows that complexity programming was reduce and resolution sampling data is very influence to THD. Resolution sampling must taking ½ A degree to get best THD (15.8%).

Three-dimensional hydration layer mapping on the (10.4) surface of calcite using amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Marutschke, Christoph; Walters, Deron; Walters, Deron; Hermes, Ilka; Bechstein, Ralf; Kühnle, Angelika

2014-08-22

Calcite, the most stable modification of calcium carbonate, is a major mineral in nature. It is, therefore, highly relevant in a broad range of fields such as biomineralization, sea water desalination and oil production. Knowledge of the surface structure and reactivity of the most stable cleavage plane, calcite (10.4), is pivotal for understanding the role of calcite in these diverse areas. Given the fact that most biological processes and technical applications take place in an aqueous environment, perhaps the most basic - yet decisive - question addresses the interaction of water molecules with the calcite (10.4) surface. In this work, amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy is used for three-dimensional (3D) mapping of the surface structure and the hydration layers above the surface. An easy-to-use scanning protocol is implemented for collecting reliable 3D data. We carefully discuss a comprehensible criterion for identifying the solid-liquid interface within our data. In our data three hydration layers form a characteristic pattern that is commensurate with the underlying calcite surface.

Special Software for Planetary Image Processing and Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubarev, A. E.; Nadezhdina, I. E.; Kozlova, N. A.; Brusnikin, E. S.; Karachevtseva, I. P.

2016-06-01

The special modules of photogrammetric processing of remote sensing data that provide the opportunity to effectively organize and optimize the planetary studies were developed. As basic application the commercial software package PHOTOMOD™ is used. Special modules were created to perform various types of data processing: calculation of preliminary navigation parameters, calculation of shape parameters of celestial body, global view image orthorectification, estimation of Sun illumination and Earth visibilities from planetary surface. For photogrammetric processing the different types of data have been used, including images of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Phobos, Galilean satellites and Enceladus obtained by frame or push-broom cameras. We used modern planetary data and images that were taken over the years, shooting from orbit flight path with various illumination and resolution as well as obtained by planetary rovers from surface. Planetary data image processing is a complex task, and as usual it can take from few months to years. We present our efficient pipeline procedure that provides the possibilities to obtain different data products and supports a long way from planetary images to celestial body maps. The obtained data - new three-dimensional control point networks, elevation models, orthomosaics - provided accurate maps production: a new Phobos atlas (Karachevtseva et al., 2015) and various thematic maps that derived from studies of planetary surface (Karachevtseva et al., 2016a).

Retrospective Evaluation of Accelerate Pheno™ System (AXDX, Version 1.1) for Identification/Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (ID/AST) of Gram-Negative Bacilli (GNB) including Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms (CPO) from Seeded Blood Culture Bottles (SBCB) Tested using AXDX PhenoTestTM BC Kits

PubMed Central

Willey, Barbara M; Gascon, Bryan; Lee, Samantha; Koren, Vita; Surangiwala, Salman; Paterson, Aimee; Lo, Pauline; Boyd, David A; Mulvey, Michael; Mazzulli, Tony; Poutanen, Susan M

2017-01-01

Abstract Background AXDX reports ID/AST in <7h from positive blood cultures. Prospective pre-FDA clinical trials were conducted in areas where CPO bacteremia was rare. This study challenged AXDX to detect CPO from SBCB. Methods 53 GNB including 31 CPO (10 KPC, 8 OXA48-type, 4 NDM, 3 GES5, 3 VIM, 1 VIM/GES5, 1 IMP7, 1 SME) were tested in AXDX post SBCB incubation in BacT/Alert® (bioMérieux). Seeding suspensions were parallel-tested by CLSI M100-S27 broth microdilution (BMD) for cefazolin (CFZ), ceftriaxone (CRO), ceftazidime (CAZ), piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), ertapenem (ETP), meropenem (MEM), ciprofloxacin (CIP), gentamicin (GM), tobramycin (TOB), and amikacin (AN). With GNB-genera combined, AXDX-AST were assessed vs BMD using Cumitech 31A for ≥90% agreements [essential (EA); categorical (CA)] and errors [very major (VME) <3%; combined major/minor (ME/mE) <7%]. Results AXDX produced evaluable results (ID-correct/AST-reported) for 83% GNB (19 Klebsiella species; 13 Escherichia coli; 5 Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 4 Enterobacter cloacae, 2 Proteus mirabilis; 1 Serratia marcescens) tabulated below. Limits were exceeded for underlined values, but 95% confidence intervals (CI) overlapped acceptable limits except in values marked with astericks [95% CI: EA (CRO:58.8–85.6; ETP:31.6–61.4; MEM:62.8–87.3; GEN:48.8–76.3); VME (MEM:11.7–45.2); ME/mE (CAZ:7.8–30.3)]. Of 31 CPO, by BMD/AXDX respectively, 2 (6.5%; P. mirabilis NDM, E. coli KPC)/4 (12.9%; same 2 plus E. cloacae KPC, S. marcescens SME) were ETP+MEM=S, 23 (74.2%)/17 (54.8%) were ETP+MEM=I/R and 6 (19.4%; 5 OXA48; 1 KPC)/12 (38.7%; same plus 14 KPC, 1 NDM, 1 SME) were ETP = I/R but MEM=S. If ETP-I/R alone predicted CPO, BMD/AXDX detected 93.5% (95% CI: 78.3–99.2)/87.1% (95% CI: 70.5–95.5) CPO, respectively (P = 0.6713, NS). But as 3/5 (60%) ETP=R non-CPO were also MEM=S by BMD+AXDX, this rule would incur MEM ME. Conclusion Expert rules based on ETP enabled detection of 87.1% (70.5–95.5%) CPO by AXDX in <7h. But while this rule mitigates MEM VME, it risks introducing MEM ME. Further optimization of AXDX algorithms to distinguish challenging CPO growth patterns associated with low carbapenem MIC from non-CPO is underway. More CPO/non-CPO should be tested to tighten 95% CI obtained in this promising study. Disclosures B. M. Willey, Mount Sinai Hospital: Investigator, Educational support S. M. Poutanen, Accelerate Diagnostics: Research Contractor and Scientific Advisor, Consulting fee and Research support

Leadership development through action learning sets: an evaluation study.

PubMed

Walia, Surinder; Marks-Maran, Di

2014-11-01

This article examines the use of action learning sets in a leadership module delivered by a university in south east England. An evaluation research study was undertaking using survey method to evaluate student engagement with action learning sets, and their value, impact and sustainability. Data were collected through a questionnaire with a mix of Likert-style and open-ended questions and qualitative and quantitative data analysis was undertaken. Findings show that engagement in the action learning sets was very high. Action learning sets also had a positive impact on the development of leadership knowledge and skills and are highly valued by participants. It is likely that they would be sustainable as the majority would recommend action learning to colleagues and would consider taking another module that used action learning sets. When compared to existing literature on action learning, this study offers new insights as there is little empirical literature on student engagement with action learning sets and even less on value and sustainability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High spatial resolution distributed fiber system for multi-parameter sensing based on modulated pulses.

PubMed

Zhang, Jingdong; Zhu, Tao; Zhou, Huan; Huang, Shihong; Liu, Min; Huang, Wei

2016-11-28

We demonstrate a cost-effective distributed fiber sensing system for the multi-parameter detection of the vibration, the temperature, and the strain by integrating phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (φ-OTDR) and Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry (B-OTDR). Taking advantage of the fast changing property of the vibration and the static properties of the temperature and the strain, both the width and intensity of the laser pulses are modulated and injected into the single-mode sensing fiber proportionally, so that three concerned parameters can be extracted simultaneously by only one photo-detector and one data acquisition channel. A data processing method based on Gaussian window short time Fourier transform (G-STFT) is capable of achieving high spatial resolution in B-OTDR. The experimental results show that up to 4.8kHz vibration sensing with 3m spatial resolution at 10km standard single-mode fiber can be realized, as well as the distributed temperature and stress profiles along the same fiber with 80cm spatial resolution.

Online Remote Sensing Interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawhead, Joel

2007-01-01

BasinTools Module 1 processes remotely sensed raster data, including multi- and hyper-spectral data products, via a Web site with no downloads and no plug-ins required. The interface provides standardized algorithms designed so that a user with little or no remote-sensing experience can use the site. This Web-based approach reduces the amount of software, hardware, and computing power necessary to perform the specified analyses. Access to imagery and derived products is enterprise-level and controlled. Because the user never takes possession of the imagery, the licensing of the data is greatly simplified. BasinTools takes the "just-in-time" inventory control model from commercial manufacturing and applies it to remotely-sensed data. Products are created and delivered on-the-fly with no human intervention, even for casual users. Well-defined procedures can be combined in different ways to extend verified and validated methods in order to derive new remote-sensing products, which improves efficiency in any well-defined geospatial domain. Remote-sensing products produced in BasinTools are self-documenting, allowing procedures to be independently verified or peer-reviewed. The software can be used enterprise-wide to conduct low-level remote sensing, viewing, sharing, and manipulating of image data without the need for desktop applications.

Sex in the Curriculum: The Effect of a Multi-Modal Sexual History-Taking Module on Medical Student Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindau, Stacy Tessler; Goodrich, Katie G.; Leitsch, Sara A.; Cook, Sandy

2008-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a multi-modal curricular intervention designed to teach sexual history-taking skills to medical students. The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the National Board of Medical Examiners, and others, have identified sexual history-taking as a learning objective…

Strategy modulates spatial perspective-taking: evidence for dissociable disembodied and embodied routes

PubMed Central

Gardner, Mark R.; Brazier, Mark; Edmonds, Caroline J.; Gronholm, Petra C.

2013-01-01

Previous research provides evidence for a dissociable embodied route to spatial perspective-taking that is under strategic control. The present experiment investigated further the influence of strategy on spatial perspective-taking by assessing whether participants may also elect to employ a separable “disembodied” route loading on inhibitory control mechanisms. Participants (N = 92) undertook both the “own body transformation” (OBT) perspective-taking task, requiring speeded spatial judgments made from the perspective of an observed figure, and a control task measuring ability to inhibit spatially compatible responses in the absence of a figure. Perspective-taking performance was found to be related to performance on the response inhibition control task, in that participants who tended to take longer to adopt a new perspective also tended to show a greater elevation in response times when inhibiting spatially compatible responses. This relationship was restricted to those participants reporting that they adopted the perspective of another by reversing left and right whenever confronted with a front-view figure; it was absent in those participants who reported perspective-taking by mentally transforming their spatial orientation to align with that of the figure. Combined with previously published results, these findings complete a double dissociation between embodied and disembodied routes to spatial perspective-taking, implying that spatial perspective-taking is subject to modulation by strategy, and suggesting that embodied routes to perspective-taking may place minimal demands on domain general executive functions. PMID:23964229

A novel wavelength reused bidirectional RoF-WDM-PON architecture to mitigate reflection and Rayleigh backscattered noise in multi-Gb/s m-QAM OFDM SSB upstream and downstream transmission over a single fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Dhananjay; Dalal, U. D.

2017-05-01

A novel m-QAM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Single Sideband (SSB) architecture is proposed for centralized light source (CLS) bidirectional Radio over Fiber (RoF) - Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) - Passive Optical Network (PON). In bidirectional transmission with carrier reuse over the single fiber, the Rayleigh Backscattering (RB) noise and reflection (RE) interferences from optical components can seriously deteriorate the transmission performance of the fiber optic systems. These interferometric noises can be mitigated by utilizing the optical modulation schemes at the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Unit (ONU) such that the spectral overlap between the optical data spectrum and the RB and RE noise is minimum. A mathematical model is developed for the proposed architecture to accurately measure the performance of the transmission system and also to analyze the effect of interferometric noise caused by the RB and RE. The model takes into the account the different modulation schemes employed at the OLT and the ONU using a Mach Zehnder Modulator (MZM), the optical launch power and the bit-rates of the downstream and upstream signals, the gain of the amplifiers at the OLT and the ONU, the RB-RE noise, chromatic dispersion of the single mode fiber and optical filter responses. In addition, the model analyzes all the components of the RB-RE noise such as carrier RB, signal RB, carrier RE and signal RE, thus providing the complete representation of all the physical phenomena involved. An optical m-QAM OFDM SSB signal acts as a test signal to validate the model which provides excellent agreement with simulation results. The SSB modulation technique using the MZM at the OLT and the ONU differs in the data transmission technique that takes place through the first-order higher and the lower optical sideband respectively. This spectral gap between the downstream and upstream signals reduces the effect of Rayleigh backscattering and discrete reflections.

ANAIS: Status and prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaré, J.; Cebrián, S.; Cuesta, C.; García, E.; Ginestra, C.; Martínez, M.; Oliván, M. A.; Ortigoza, Y.; Ortiz de Solórzano, A.; Pobes, C.; Puimedón, J.; Sarsa, M. L.; Villar, J. A.; Villar, P.

2016-04-01

ANAIS (Annual modulation with NAI Scintillators) experiment aims to look for dark matter annual modulation with 250 kg of ultra-pure NaI(Tl) scintillators at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), in order to confirm the DAMA/LIBRA positive signal in a model-independent way. The detector will consists in an array of close-packed single modules, each of them coupled to two high efficiency Hamamatsu photomultipliers. Two 12.5 kg each NaI(Tl) crystals provided by Alpha Spectra are currently taking data at the LSC. These modules have shown an outstanding light collection efficiency (12-16 phe/keV), about the double of that from DAMA/LIBRA phase 1 detectors, which could enable reducing the energy threshold down to 1 keVee. ANAIS crystal radiopurity goals are fulfilled for 232Th and 238U chains, assuming equilibrium, and in the case of 40K, present crystals activity (although not at the required 20 ppb level) could be acceptable. However, a 210Pb contamination out-of-equilibrium has been identified and its origin traced back, so we expect it will be avoided in next prototypes. Finally, current status and prospects of the experiment considering several exposure and background scenarios are presented.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a technician takes readings for pre-assembly measurements on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the JEM will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, a technician takes readings for pre-assembly measurements on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the JEM will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians take readings for pre-assembly measurements on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the JEM will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Station Processing Facility, technicians take readings for pre-assembly measurements on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the JEM will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments.

Dielectric and physiochemical study of binary mixture of nitrobenzene with toluene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohod, Ajay G.; Deshmukh, S. D.; Pattebahadur, K. L.; Undre, P. B.; Patil, S. S.; Khirade, P. W.

2018-05-01

This paper presents the study of binary mixture of Nitrobenzene (NB) with Toluene (TOL) for eleven different concentrations at room temperature. The determined Dielectric Constant (ɛ0) Density (ρ) and Refractive index (nD) values of binary mixture are used to calculate the excess properties i.e. Excess Dielectric Constant (ɛ0E), Excess Molar Volume (VmE), Excess Refractive Index (nDE) and Excess Molar Refraction (RmE) of mixture over the entire composition range and fitted to the Redlich-Kister equation. The Kirkwood Correlation Factor (geff) and other parameters were used to discuss the information about the orientation of dipoles and the solute-solvent interaction of binary mixture at molecular level over the entire range of concentration.

Motion control of 7-DOF arms - The configuration control approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seraji, Homayoun; Long, Mark K.; Lee, Thomas S.

1993-01-01

Graphics simulation and real-time implementation of configuration control schemes for a redundant 7-DOF Robotics Research arm are described. The arm kinematics and motion control schemes are described briefly. This is followed by a description of a graphics simulation environment for 7-DOF arm control on the Silicon Graphics IRIS Workstation. Computer simulation results are presented to demonstrate elbow control, collision avoidance, and optimal joint movement as redundancy resolution goals. The laboratory setup for experimental validation of motion control of the 7-DOF Robotics Research arm is then described. The configuration control approach is implemented on a Motorola-68020/VME-bus-based real-time controller, with elbow positioning for redundancy resolution. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of configuration control for real-time control.

Dynamic thermal signature prediction for real-time scene generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christie, Chad L.; Gouthas, Efthimios (Themie); Williams, Owen M.; Swierkowski, Leszek

2013-05-01

At DSTO, a real-time scene generation framework, VIRSuite, has been developed in recent years, within which trials data are predominantly used for modelling the radiometric properties of the simulated objects. Since in many cases the data are insufficient, a physics-based simulator capable of predicting the infrared signatures of objects and their backgrounds has been developed as a new VIRSuite module. It includes transient heat conduction within the materials, and boundary conditions that take into account the heat fluxes due to solar radiation, wind convection and radiative transfer. In this paper, an overview is presented, covering both the steady-state and transient performance.

Wide swath imaging spectrometer utilizing a multi-modular design

DOEpatents

Chrisp, Michael P.

2010-10-05

A wide swath imaging spectrometer utilizing an array of individual spectrometer modules in the telescope focal plane to provide an extended field of view. The spectrometer modules with their individual detectors are arranged so that their slits overlap with motion on the scene providing contiguous spatial coverage. The number of modules can be varied to take full advantage of the field of view available from the telescope.

An Evaluation of Industrial/Organizational Psychology Teaching Modules for Use in Introductory Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maynard, Douglas C.; Bachiochi, Peter D.; Luna, Ana C.

2002-01-01

Evaluates four modules, created by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, for educating students about industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. Reports that students' knowledge about I/O increased, and their interest in taking an I/O psychology course also increased. (CMK)

Health Instruction Packages: Dental Assisting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEnery, Paula

Text, illustrations, and exercises are utilized in this set of four learning modules to instruct dental assisting students in various office skills. The first module, "Dental Office Telephone Techniques," examines the qualities of a good telephone voice and demeanor and provides guidelines for taking a message and handling various…

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

Lenee-Bluhm, P.; Rhinefrank, Ken

The overarching project objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of using an innovative PowerTake-Off (PTO) Module in Columbia Power's utility-scale wave energy converter (WEC). The PTO Module uniquely combines a large-diameter, direct-drive, rotary permanent magnet generator; a patent-pending rail-bearing system; and a corrosion-resistant fiber-reinforced-plastic structure

An automation of design and modelling tasks in NX Siemens environment with original software - cost module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbiciak, R.; Grabowik, C.; Janik, W.

2015-11-01

The design-constructional process is a creation activity which strives to fulfil, as well as it possible at the certain moment of time, all demands and needs formulated by a user taking into account social, technical and technological advances. Engineer knowledge and skills and their inborn abilities have the greatest influence on the final product quality and cost. They have also deciding influence on product technical and economic value. Taking into account above it seems to be advisable to make software tools that support an engineer in the process of manufacturing cost estimation. The Cost module is built with analytical procedures which are used for relative manufacturing cost estimation. As in the case of the Generator module the Cost module was written in object programming language C# in Visual Studio environment. During the research the following eight factors, that have the greatest influence on overall manufacturing cost, were distinguished and defined: (i) a gear wheel teeth type it is straight or helicoidal, (ii) a gear wheel design shape A, B with or without wheel hub, (iii) a gear tooth module, (iv) teeth number, (v) gear rim width, (vi) gear wheel material, (vii) heat treatment or thermochemical treatment, (viii) accuracy class. Knowledge of parameters (i) to (v) is indispensable for proper modelling of 3D gear wheels models in CAD system environment. These parameters are also processed in the Cost module. The last three parameters it is (vi) to (viii) are exclusively used in the Cost module. The estimation of manufacturing relative cost is based on indexes calculated for each particular parameter. Estimated in this way the manufacturing relative cost gives an overview of design parameters influence on the final gear wheel manufacturing cost. This relative manufacturing cost takes values from 0.00 to 1,00 range. The bigger index value the higher relative manufacturing cost is. Verification whether the proposed algorithm of relative manufacturing costs estimation has been designed properly was made by comparison of the achieved from the algorithm results with those obtained from industry. This verification has indicated that in most cases both group of results are similar. Taking into account above it is possible to draw a conclusion that the Cost module might play significant role in design constructional process by adding an engineer at the selection stage of alternative gear wheels design. It should be remembered that real manufacturing cost can differ significantly according to available in a factory manufacturing techniques and stock of machine tools.

Practical, redundant, failure-tolerant, self-reconfiguring embedded system architecture

DOEpatents

Klarer, Paul R.; Hayward, David R.; Amai, Wendy A.

2006-10-03

This invention relates to system architectures, specifically failure-tolerant and self-reconfiguring embedded system architectures. The invention provides both a method and architecture for redundancy. There can be redundancy in both software and hardware for multiple levels of redundancy. The invention provides a self-reconfiguring architecture for activating redundant modules whenever other modules fail. The architecture comprises: a communication backbone connected to two or more processors and software modules running on each of the processors. Each software module runs on one processor and resides on one or more of the other processors to be available as a backup module in the event of failure. Each module and backup module reports its status over the communication backbone. If a primary module does not report, its backup module takes over its function. If the primary module becomes available again, the backup module returns to its backup status.

Preparing teachers to address climate change with project-based instructional modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powers, S. E.; DeWaters, J.; Small, M.; Dhaniyala, S.

2012-12-01

Clarkson University's Project-Based Global Climate Change Education project funded by NASA has created and disseminated several instructional modules for middle and high school teachers. The modules were developed by a team of teachers and university students and faculty. Fundamental to these inquiry-based modules are questions about climate change or mitigation efforts, use of real-world data to explore historical climate changes, and review of IPCC model results to understand predictions of further changes over the next century. As an example, the Climate Connections module requires middle school students to investigate a geographic region, learn about the culture and likely carbon footprint, and then acquire and analyze data sets of historical and predicted temperature changes. The findings are then interpreted in relation to the impact of these changes on the region's culture. NOAA, NASA, IPCC and DOE databases are used extensively. The inquiry approach and core content included in these modules are well aligned with the new Framework for K-12 Science Education. The climate change science in these modules covers aspects of the disciplinary core subjects (dimension 3) and most of the cross cutting concepts (dimension 2). Our approach for inquiry and analysis are also authentic ways to include most of the science and engineering practices (dimension 1) included in the framework. Dissemination of the modules to teachers in New York State has been a joint effort by NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) and Clarkson. Half-day and full-day workshops and week-long institutes provided opportunities to either introduce the modules and the basics of finding and using temperature data, or delve into the science concepts and integration of the modules into an instructional plan. A significant challenge has been identified by the workshop instructors - many science teachers lack the skills necessary to fully engage in the science and engineering practices required for dimension 1 of the Framework for K-12 Science Education. Downloading data, using a spreadsheet to plot and analyze data and calculating basic statistical parameters are new skills for many of the teachers with whom we have worked. But our teacher professional development opportunities have been effective. 23 teachers attended the intensive one or two week-long institutes. A pre- and post-climate literacy survey administered to these teachers showed statistically significant gains (p <0.01) in their climate change content knowledge and attitudes. For example, the percentage of teachers who agreed or strongly agreed to the statement "Life on earth will continue without major disruptions only if we take immediate and drastic action to reduce global warming" increased from 52% to 90% (pre, post). Changes in responses to the behavior items were not significant. Presentation of this work will include a brief introduction to the instructional modules and climate literacy assessment as a basis for identifying the prerequisite skill sets needed by science teachers to effectively incorporate new content and engineering practices through projects that require accessing and analyzing real-world climate change and mitigation data.

A modular neural network scheme applied to fault diagnosis in electric power systems.

PubMed

Flores, Agustín; Quiles, Eduardo; García, Emilio; Morant, Francisco; Correcher, Antonio

2014-01-01

This work proposes a new method for fault diagnosis in electric power systems based on neural modules. With this method the diagnosis is performed by assigning a neural module for each type of component comprising the electric power system, whether it is a transmission line, bus or transformer. The neural modules for buses and transformers comprise two diagnostic levels which take into consideration the logic states of switches and relays, both internal and back-up, with the exception of the neural module for transmission lines which also has a third diagnostic level which takes into account the oscillograms of fault voltages and currents as well as the frequency spectrums of these oscillograms, in order to verify if the transmission line had in fact been subjected to a fault. One important advantage of the diagnostic system proposed is that its implementation does not require the use of a network configurator for the system; it does not depend on the size of the power network nor does it require retraining of the neural modules if the power network increases in size, making its application possible to only one component, a specific area, or the whole context of the power system.

A Modular Neural Network Scheme Applied to Fault Diagnosis in Electric Power Systems

PubMed Central

Flores, Agustín; Morant, Francisco

2014-01-01

This work proposes a new method for fault diagnosis in electric power systems based on neural modules. With this method the diagnosis is performed by assigning a neural module for each type of component comprising the electric power system, whether it is a transmission line, bus or transformer. The neural modules for buses and transformers comprise two diagnostic levels which take into consideration the logic states of switches and relays, both internal and back-up, with the exception of the neural module for transmission lines which also has a third diagnostic level which takes into account the oscillograms of fault voltages and currents as well as the frequency spectrums of these oscillograms, in order to verify if the transmission line had in fact been subjected to a fault. One important advantage of the diagnostic system proposed is that its implementation does not require the use of a network configurator for the system; it does not depend on the size of the power network nor does it require retraining of the neural modules if the power network increases in size, making its application possible to only one component, a specific area, or the whole context of the power system. PMID:25610897

Incentive-Related Modulation of Cognitive Control in Healthy, Anxious, and Depressed Adolescents: Development and Psychopathology Related Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardin, Michael G.; Schroth, Elizabeth; Pine, Daniel S.; Ernst, Monique

2007-01-01

Background: Developmental changes in cognitive and affective processes contribute to adolescent risk-taking behavior, emotional intensification, and psychopathology. The current study examined adolescent development of cognitive control processes and their modulation by incentive, in health and psychopathology. Predictions include 1) better…

Astronaut Blaha in the Priroda module

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-11-04

STS079-357-009 (16-26 Sept. 1996) --- Astronaut John E. Blaha, now a full-fledged crewmember of Mir-22, takes notes in the Priroda Module on one of the many experiments stored there. Shortly after assuming his new duties, Blaha's attention was directed toward a bio-reactor experiment, which he quickly repaired.

The Structure of Phonological Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Bridget D.

2009-01-01

This dissertation takes a Minimalist approach to phonology, treating the phonological module as a system of abstract symbolic computation, divorced from phonetic content. I investigate the position of the phonological module within the architecture of grammar and the evolutionary scenario developed by Hauser et al. (2002a) and Fitch et al. (2005).…

Oral contraceptives and neuroactive steroids.

PubMed

Rapkin, Andrea J; Biggio, Giovanni; Concas, Alessandra

2006-08-01

A deregulation in the peripheral and brain concentrations of neuroactive steroids has been found in certain pathological conditions characterized by emotional or affective disturbances, including major depression and anxiety disorders. In this article we summarize data pertaining to the modulatory effects of oral contraceptive treatment on neuroactive steroids in women and rats. Given that the neuroactive steroids concentrations are reduced by oral contraceptives, together with the evidence that a subset of women taking oral contraceptives experience negative mood symptoms, we propose the use of this pharmacological treatment as a putative model to study the role of neuroactive steroids in the etiopathology of mood disorders. Moreover, since neuroactive steroids are potent modulators of GABA(A) receptor function and plasticity, the treatment with oral contraceptives might also represent a useful experimental model to further investigate the physiological role of these steroids in the modulation of GABAergic transmission.

Athermal design for the potassium titanyl phosphate electro-optical modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Guoliang; Xu, Jie; Chen, Lixiang; Wang, Hongcheng; She, Weilong

2007-09-01

An athermal design for the KTP electro-optical modulator is presented. By using the wave coupling theory of linear electro-optic effect and taking account of thermal expansion, the more accurate athermal static phase retardation (ASPR) directions in potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) are found, and the optimized design for a transverse amplitude modulator at ASPR orientation is obtained. The numerical results show that the modulator with an athermal Soleil-Babinet compensator is of excellent thermal stability, and the acceptable error of the ASPR direction is less than 0.1°.

Loss aversion and 5HTT gene variants in adolescent anxiety.

PubMed

Ernst, Monique; Plate, Rista C; Carlisi, Christina O; Gorodetsky, Elena; Goldman, David; Pine, Daniel S

2014-04-01

Loss aversion, a well-documented behavioral phenomenon, characterizes decisions under risk in adult populations. As such, loss aversion may provide a reliable measure of risky behavior. Surprisingly, little is known about loss aversion in adolescents, a group who manifests risk-taking behavior, or in anxiety disorders, which are associated with risk-avoidance. Finally, loss aversion is expected to be modulated by genotype, particularly the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene variant, based on its role in anxiety and impulsivity. This genetic modulation may also differ between anxious and healthy adolescents, given their distinct propensities for risk taking. The present work examines the modulation of loss aversion, an index of risk-taking, and reaction-time to decision, an index of impulsivity, by the serotonin-transporter-gene-linked polymorphisms (5HTTLPR) in healthy and clinically anxious adolescents. Findings show that loss aversion (1) does manifest in adolescents, (2) does not differ between healthy and clinically anxious participants, and (3), when stratified by SERT genotype, identifies a subset of anxious adolescents who are high SERT-expressers, and show excessively low loss-aversion and high impulsivity. This last finding may serve as preliminary evidence for 5HTTLPR as a risk factor for the development of comorbid disorders associated with risk-taking and impulsivity in clinically anxious adolescents. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

An updated computational model of rabbit sinoatrial action potential to investigate the mechanisms of heart rate modulation

PubMed Central

Severi, Stefano; Fantini, Matteo; Charawi, Lara A; DiFrancesco, Dario

2012-01-01

The cellular basis of cardiac pacemaking is still debated. Reliable computational models of the sinoatrial node (SAN) action potential (AP) may help gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Recently, novel models incorporating detailed Ca2+-handling dynamics have been proposed, but they fail to reproduce a number of experimental data, and more specifically effects of ‘funny’ (If) current modifications. We therefore developed a SAN AP model, based on available experimental data, in an attempt to reproduce physiological and pharmacological heart rate modulation. Cell compartmentalization and intracellular Ca2+-handling mechanisms were formulated as in the Maltsev–Lakatta model, focusing on Ca2+-cycling processes. Membrane current equations were revised on the basis of published experimental data. Modifications of the formulation of currents/pumps/exchangers to simulate If blockers, autonomic modulators and Ca2+-dependent mechanisms (ivabradine, caesium, acetylcholine, isoprenaline, BAPTA) were derived from experimental data. The model generates AP waveforms typical of rabbit SAN cells, whose parameters fall within the experimental ranges: 352 ms cycle length, 80 mV AP amplitude, −58 mV maximum diastolic potential (MDP), 108 ms APD50, and 7.1 V s−1 maximum upstroke velocity. Rate modulation by If-blocking drugs agrees with experimental findings: 20% and 22% caesium-induced (5 mm) and ivabradine-induced (3 μm) rate reductions, respectively, due to changes in diastolic depolarization (DD) slope, with no changes in either MDP or take-off potential (TOP). The model consistently reproduces the effects of autonomic modulation: 20% rate decrease with 10 nm acetylcholine and 28% increase with 1 μm isoprenaline, again entirely due to increase in the DD slope, with no changes in either MDP or TOP. Model testing of BAPTA effects showed slowing of rate, −26%, without cessation of beating. Our up-to-date model describes satisfactorily experimental data concerning autonomic stimulation, funny-channel blockade and inhibition of the Ca2+-related system by BAPTA, making it a useful tool for further investigation. Simulation results suggest that a detailed description of the intracellular Ca2+ fluxes is fully compatible with the observation that If is a major component of pacemaking and rate modulation. PMID:22711956

Self-modulational formation of pulsar microstructures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.; Chian, A. C.-L.

1987-01-01

A nonlinear plasma theory for self modulation of pulsar radio pulses is discussed. A nonlinear Schroedinger equation is derived for strong electromagnetic waves propagating in an electron positron plasma. The nonlinearities arising from wave intensity induced particle mass variation may excite the modulational instability of circularly and linearly polarized pulsar radiation. The resulting wave envelopes can take the form of periodic wave trains or solitons. These nonlinear stationary waveforms may account for the formation of pulsar microstructures.

WEB-GIS Decision Support System for CO2 storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaitanaru, Dragos; Leonard, Anghel; Radu Gogu, Constantin; Le Guen, Yvi; Scradeanu, Daniel; Pagnejer, Mihaela

2013-04-01

Environmental decision support systems (DSS) paradigm evolves and changes as more knowledge and technology become available to the environmental community. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to extract, assess and disseminate some types of information, which are otherwise difficult to access by traditional methods. In the same time, with the help of the Internet and accompanying tools, creating and publishing online interactive maps has become easier and rich with options. The Decision Support System (MDSS) developed for the MUSTANG (A MUltiple Space and Time scale Approach for the quaNtification of deep saline formations for CO2 storaGe) project is a user friendly web based application that uses the GIS capabilities. MDSS can be exploited by the experts for CO2 injection and storage in deep saline aquifers. The main objective of the MDSS is to help the experts to take decisions based large structured types of data and information. In order to achieve this objective the MDSS has a geospatial objected-orientated database structure for a wide variety of data and information. The entire application is based on several principles leading to a series of capabilities and specific characteristics: (i) Open-Source - the entire platform (MDSS) is based on open-source technologies - (1) database engine, (2) application server, (3) geospatial server, (4) user interfaces, (5) add-ons, etc. (ii) Multiple database connections - MDSS is capable to connect to different databases that are located on different server machines. (iii)Desktop user experience - MDSS architecture and design follows the structure of a desktop software. (iv)Communication - the server side and the desktop are bound together by series functions that allows the user to upload, use, modify and download data within the application. The architecture of the system involves one database and a modular application composed by: (1) a visualization module, (2) an analysis module, (3) a guidelines module, and (4) a risk assessment module. The Database component is build by using the PostgreSQL and PostGIS open source technology. The visualization module allows the user to view data of CO2 injection sites in different ways: (1) geospatial visualization, (2) table view, (3) 3D visualization. The analysis module will allow the user to perform certain analysis like Injectivity, Containment and Capacity analysis. The Risk Assessment module focus on the site risk matrix approach. The Guidelines module contains the methodologies of CO2 injection and storage into deep saline aquifers guidelines.

Final design of a space debris removal system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlson, Erika; Casali, Steve; Chambers, Don; Geissler, Garner; Lalich, Andrew; Leipold, Manfred; Mach, Richard; Parry, John; Weems, Foley

1990-01-01

The objective is the removal of medium sized orbital debris in low Earth orbits. The design incorporates a transfer vehicle and a netting vehicle to capture the medium size debris. The system is based near an operational space station located at 28.5 degrees inclination and 400 km altitude. The system uses ground based tracking to determine the location of a satellite breakup or debris cloud. This data is unloaded to the transfer vehicle, and the transfer vehicle proceeds to rendezvous with the debris at a lower altitude parking orbit. Next, the netting vehicle is deployed, tracks the targeted debris, and captures it. After expending the available nets, the netting vehicle returns to the transfer vehicle for a new netting module and continues to capture more debris in the target area. Once all the netting modules are expended, the transfer vehicle returns to the space station's orbit, where it is resupplied with new netting modules from a space shuttle load. The new modules are launched by the shuttle from the ground, and the expended modules are taken back to Earth for removal of the captured debris, refueling, and repacking of the nets. Once the netting modules are refurbished, they are taken back into orbit for reuse. In a typical mission, the system has the ability to capture 50 pieces of orbital debris. One mission will take about six months. The system is designed to allow for a 30 degree inclination change on the outgoing and incoming trips of the transfer vehicle.

Instrumentation and optimization of intra-cavity fiber laser gas absorption sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Kun; Liu, Tiegen; Jiang, Junfeng; Liang, Xiao; Zhang, Yimo

2011-11-01

Detection of pollution, inflammable, explosive gases such as methane, acetylene, carbon monoxide and so on is very important for many areas, such as environmental, mining and petrochemical industry. Intra-cavity gas absorption sensing technique (ICGAST) based on Erbium-doped fiber ring laser (EDFRL) is one of novel methods for trace gas with higher precision. It has attracted considerable attention, and many research institutes focus on it. Instrumentation and optimization of ICGAST was reported in this paper. The system consists of five parts, which are variable gain module, intelligent frequency-selection module, gas cell, DAQ module and computer respectively. Variable gain module and intelligent frequency-selection module are combined to establish the intra-cavity of the ring laser. Gas cell is used as gas sensor. DAQ module is used to realize data acquisition synchronously. And gas demodulation is finished in the computer finally. The system was optimized by adjusting the sequence of the components. Take experimental simulation as an example, the absorptance of gas was increased five times after optimization, and the sensitivity enhancement factor can reach more than twenty. By using Fabry-Perot (F-P) etalon, the absorption wavelength of the detected gas can be obtained, with error less than 20 pm. The spectra of the detected gas can be swept continuously to obtain several absorption lines in one loop. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to show the repeatability of gas concentration detection. And results of CV value can be less than 0.014.

Final design of a space debris removal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Erika; Casali, Steve; Chambers, Don; Geissler, Garner; Lalich, Andrew; Leipold, Manfred; Mach, Richard; Parry, John; Weems, Foley

1990-12-01

The objective is the removal of medium sized orbital debris in low Earth orbits. The design incorporates a transfer vehicle and a netting vehicle to capture the medium size debris. The system is based near an operational space station located at 28.5 degrees inclination and 400 km altitude. The system uses ground based tracking to determine the location of a satellite breakup or debris cloud. This data is unloaded to the transfer vehicle, and the transfer vehicle proceeds to rendezvous with the debris at a lower altitude parking orbit. Next, the netting vehicle is deployed, tracks the targeted debris, and captures it. After expending the available nets, the netting vehicle returns to the transfer vehicle for a new netting module and continues to capture more debris in the target area. Once all the netting modules are expended, the transfer vehicle returns to the space station's orbit, where it is resupplied with new netting modules from a space shuttle load. The new modules are launched by the shuttle from the ground, and the expended modules are taken back to Earth for removal of the captured debris, refueling, and repacking of the nets. Once the netting modules are refurbished, they are taken back into orbit for reuse. In a typical mission, the system has the ability to capture 50 pieces of orbital debris. One mission will take about six months. The system is designed to allow for a 30 degree inclination change on the outgoing and incoming trips of the transfer vehicle.

Design and implementation of new control room system in Damavand tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasouli, H.; Zamanian, H.; Gheidi, M.; Kheiri-Fard, M.; Kouhi, A.

2017-07-01

The aim of this paper is design and implementation of an up-to-date control room. The previous control room had a lot of constraints and it was not apposite to the sophisticated diagnostic systems as well as to the modern control and multivariable systems. Although it provided the best output for the considered experiments and implementing offline algorithms among all similar plants, it needed to be developed to provide more capability for complex algorithm mechanisms and this work introduces our efforts in this area. Accordingly, four leading systems were designed and implemented, including real-time control system, online Data Acquisition System (DAS), offline DAS, monitoring and data transmission system. In the control system, three real-time control modules were established based on Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Thanks to them, implementation of the classic and linear and nonlinear intelligent controllers was possible to control the plasma position and its elongation. Also, online DAS was constructed in two modules. Using them, voltages and currents of charge for the capacitor banks and pressure of different parts in vacuum vessel were measured and monitored. Likewise, by real-time processing of the online data, the safety protocol of plant performance was accomplished. In addition, the offline DAS was organized in 13 modules based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). This system can be used for gathering all diagnostic, control, and performance data in 156 channels. Data transmission system and storing mechanism in the server was provided by data transmitting network and MDSplus standard protocol. Moreover, monitoring software was designed so that it could display the required plots for physical analyses. Taking everything into account, this new platform can improve the quality and quantity of research activities in plasma physics for Damavand tokamak.

Implementation of InTeGrate Modules into Introductory Courses in the El Paso Higher Education Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doser, D. I.; Villalobos, J. I.; Henry, I. E.

2014-12-01

InTeGrate (Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future) has developed teaching modules that focus on Earth sustainability and Earth-centered societal issues. We have begun to implement modules on climate change, earth materials and freshwater into introductory geology and environmental science courses taught at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), El Paso Community College (EPCC) and local early college high schools (ECHS) for classes of 20 to 220 students. Our eventual goal is to insure students taking introductory classes at any institution will be exposed to comparable content and be similarly prepared for advanced courses. Our initial results suggest that the modules' use of case studies and analysis of authentic data sets are very appealing to our student body (over 70% Hispanic). Since many students do not speak English at home, they were challenged by vocabulary presented in some modules. Modules containing glossaries and extensive background material (such as concept maps and annotated figures) proved very helpful to these students. The use of pre-activity quizzes insured that the students had mastered basic concepts needed for in-class activities. Modifications required to teach these modules in larger classes included condensing materials and reducing the amount of color figures to save paper and printer costs, streamlining dissemination/collection of in-class group assignments, and adapting assignments such as jigsaws and gallery walks to the confines of a large lecture hall with fixed seating. Student reflections indicated students were able to make connections to societal issues and retain these ideas through the end of the courses.

MoREK: The learning media to improve students understanding about electrical circuit in informatics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indrianto; Nur Indah Susanti, Meilia; Arianto, Rakhmat

2018-03-01

The needs for labor in the world is already increasing especially in Indonesia. According to the World Bank, Indonesia is a country that ranks 9th in the world’s largest economic growth. To meet that needs, Indonesia needs 55 million workers who are experts in the field of electricity. Therefore, it takes a lot of human resources and has been equipped with knowledge and expertise in the field of electricity. To be able to meet these needs, it takes a better method of learning to increase knowledge and expertise in the field of electricity since college, especially in the field of informatics. Prototype of Electrical Module (The MoREK) requires a Prototype method for the Practicum Module to be created as desired. This method is often used in the real world or it could be said Prototype method is part of the product that expresses the logic and physical external interface that is displayed. For data retrieval is used Pre-experimental method where students will be given pre-test and post-test. The Design of Electrical Module has a purpose to improve the students understanding of Electric Circuit Engineering Courses with the creation of The MoREK so that students are more competent to the course and can meet the needs of manpower or Human Resources (SDM) in the field of electricity. By using The Morek, the score of student learning outcomes increased by 7.8% and informatics students who conduct research in the field of electricity increased to 21%.

New data acquisition system for beam loss monitor used in J-PARC main ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satou, K.; Toyama, T.; Kamikubota, N.; Yoshida, S.; Matsushita, J.; Wakita, T.; Sugiyama, M.; Morino, T.

2018-04-01

A new data acquisition system has been developed continually as a part of the development of a new beam loss monitor (BLM) system for the J-PARC main ring. This development includes a newly designed front-end isolation amp that uses photo-couplers and a VME-based new analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system. Compared to the old amp, the new amp has a 10 times higher conversion impedance for the input current to the output voltage; this value is 1 M Ω. Moreover, the bandwidth was improved to from DC to 50 kHz, which is about two orders of magnitude greater than the previously used bandwidth. The theoretical estimations made in this study roughly agree with the frequency response obtained for the new system. The new ADC system uses an on-board field-programmable gate array chip for signal processing. By replacing the firmware of this chip, changes pertaining to future accelerator upgrade plans may be introduced into the new ADC system; in addition, the ADC system can be used in other applications. The sampling speed of the system is 1 MS/s, and it exhibits a 95 dBc spurious-free dynamic range and 16.5 effective number of bits. The obtained waveform and integrated charge data are compared with two reference levels in the ADC system. If the data exceeds the reference level, the system generates an alarm to dump the beams. By using the new data acquisition system, it was proved that the new BLM system shows a wide dynamic range of 160 dB. In this study, the details of the new data acquisition system are described.

H4DAQ: a modern and versatile data-acquisition package for calorimeter prototypes test-beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marini, A. C.

2018-02-01

The upgrade of the particle detectors for the HL-LHC or for future colliders requires an extensive program of tests to qualify different detector prototypes with dedicated test beams. A common data-acquisition system, H4DAQ, was developed for the H4 test beam line at the North Area of the CERN SPS in 2014 and it has since been adopted in various applications for the CMS experiment and AIDA project. Several calorimeter prototypes and precision timing detectors have used our system from 2014 to 2017. H4DAQ has proven to be a versatile application and has been ported to many other beam test environments. H4DAQ is fast, simple, modular and can be configured to support various kinds of setup. The functionalities of the DAQ core software are split into three configurable finite state machines: data readout, run control, and event builder. The distribution of information and data between the various computers is performed using ZEROMQ (0MQ) sockets. Plugins are available to read different types of hardware, including VME crates with many types of boards, PADE boards, custom front-end boards and beam instrumentation devices. The raw data are saved as ROOT files, using the CERN C++ ROOT libraries. A Graphical User Interface, based on the python gtk libraries, is used to operate the H4DAQ and an integrated data quality monitoring (DQM), written in C++, allows for fast processing of the events for quick feedback to the user. As the 0MQ libraries are also available for the National Instruments LabVIEW program, this environment can easily be integrated within H4DAQ applications.

Tweaked residual convolutional network for face alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Wenchao; Li, Ke; Zhao, Qijun; Zhang, Yi; Chen, Hu

2017-08-01

We propose a novel Tweaked Residual Convolutional Network approach for face alignment with two-level convolutional networks architecture. Specifically, the first-level Tweaked Convolutional Network (TCN) module predicts the landmark quickly but accurately enough as a preliminary, by taking low-resolution version of the detected face holistically as the input. The following Residual Convolutional Networks (RCN) module progressively refines the landmark by taking as input the local patch extracted around the predicted landmark, particularly, which allows the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to extract local shape-indexed features to fine tune landmark position. Extensive evaluations show that the proposed Tweaked Residual Convolutional Network approach outperforms existing methods.

MODUL-a multicenter randomized clinical trial of biomarker-driven maintenance therapy following first-line standard induction treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: an adaptable signal-seeking approach.

PubMed

Schmoll, Hans-Joachim; Arnold, Dirk; de Gramont, Aimery; Ducreux, Michel; Grothey, Axel; O'Dwyer, Peter J; Van Cutsem, Eric; Hermann, Frank; Bosanac, Ivan; Bendahmane, Belguendouz; Mancao, Christoph; Tabernero, Josep

2018-06-01

The old approach of one therapeutic for all patients with mCRC is evolving with a need to target specific molecular aberrations or cell-signalling pathways. Molecular screening approaches and new biomarkers are required to fully characterize tumours, identify patients most likely to benefit, and predict treatment response. MODUL is a signal-seeking trial with a design that is highly adaptable, permitting modification of different treatment cohorts and inclusion of further additional cohorts based on novel evidence on new compounds/combinations that emerge during the study. MODUL is ongoing and its adaptable nature permits timely and efficient recruitment of patients into the most appropriate cohort. Recruitment will take place over approximately 5 years in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. The design of MODUL with ongoing parallel/sequential treatment cohorts means that the overall size and duration of the trial can be modified/prolonged based on accumulation of new data. The early success of the current trial suggests that the design may provide definitive leads in a patient-friendly and relatively economical trial structure. Along with other biomarker-driven trials that are currently underway, it is hoped that MODUL will contribute to the continuing evolution of clinical trial design and permit a more 'tailored' approach to the treatment of patients with mCRC.

Advanced technologies for encryption of satellite links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahan, Sherry S.

The use of encryption on satellite links is discussed. Advanced technology exists to provide transmission security for large earth station with data rates up to 50 megabits per second. One of the major concerns in the use of encryption equipment with very small aperture terminals (VSAT) is the key management issue and the related operational costs. The low cost requirement and the lack of physical protection of remote VSATs place severe constraints on the design of encryption equipment. Encryption may be accomplished by embedding a tamper proof encryption module into the baseband unit of each VSAT. VSAT networks are usually star networks where there is a single large earth station that serves as a hub and all satellite communications takes place between each VSAT and the hub earth station. The hub earth station has the secret master key of each VSAT. These master keys are used to downline load encrypted session keys to each VSAT. A more secure alternative is to use public key techniques where each embedded VSAT encryption module internally generates its own secret and public numbers. The secret number never leaves the module while the public number is sent to the hub at the time of initialization of the encryption module into the VSAT. Physical access control to encryption modules of VSAT systems can be implemented using passwords, smart cards or biometrics.

Expert System Enhancement to the Resource Allocation Modules of the NCS Emergency Preparedness Management Information System (EPMIS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

after the MYCIN expert system. Host Computer PC+ is available on both symbolic and numeric computers. It operates on: the IBM PC AT, TI Bus- Pro (IBM PC...suppose that the data baseTool picks up pace contains 100 motors, and in only one case does a lightweight motor pro . duce more power than heavier units...every sor, ART 2.0. In the bargain it con - the figure). decision point takes time. More sub- sumes 10 times less storage. ART 3.0 reduces the comparison

Time-resolved experiments in the frequency domain using synchrotron radiation (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Stasio, Gelsomina; Giusti, A. M.; Parasassi, T.; Ravagnan, G.; Sapora, O.

1992-01-01

PLASTIQUE is the only synchrotron radiation beam line in the world that performs time-resolved fluorescence experiments in frequency domain. These experiments are extremely valuable sources of information on the structure and the dynamics of molecules. This technique measures fluorescence lifetimes with picosecond resolution in the near UV spectral range. Such accurate measurements are rendered possible by taking phase and modulation data, and by the advantages of the cross-correlation technique. A successful experiment demonstrated the radiation damage induced by low doses of radiation on rabbit blood cell membranes.

Potential Sabotage of Host Cell Physiology by Apicomplexan Parasites for Their Survival Benefits

PubMed Central

Chakraborty, Shalini; Roy, Sonti; Mistry, Hiral Uday; Murthy, Shweta; George, Neena; Bhandari, Vasundhra; Sharma, Paresh

2017-01-01

Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Babesia, and Theileria are the major apicomplexan parasites affecting humans or animals worldwide. These pathogens represent an excellent example of host manipulators who can overturn host signaling pathways for their survival. They infect different types of host cells and take charge of the host machinery to gain nutrients and prevent itself from host attack. The mechanisms by which these pathogens modulate the host signaling pathways are well studied for Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Theileria, except for limited studies on Babesia. Theileria is a unique pathogen taking into account the way it modulates host cell transformation, resulting in its clonal expansion. These parasites majorly modulate similar host signaling pathways, however, the disease outcome and effect is different among them. In this review, we discuss the approaches of these apicomplexan to manipulate the host–parasite clearance pathways during infection, invasion, survival, and egress. PMID:29081773

mTM-align: a server for fast protein structure database search and multiple protein structure alignment.

PubMed

Dong, Runze; Pan, Shuo; Peng, Zhenling; Zhang, Yang; Yang, Jianyi

2018-05-21

With the rapid increase of the number of protein structures in the Protein Data Bank, it becomes urgent to develop algorithms for efficient protein structure comparisons. In this article, we present the mTM-align server, which consists of two closely related modules: one for structure database search and the other for multiple structure alignment. The database search is speeded up based on a heuristic algorithm and a hierarchical organization of the structures in the database. The multiple structure alignment is performed using the recently developed algorithm mTM-align. Benchmark tests demonstrate that our algorithms outperform other peering methods for both modules, in terms of speed and accuracy. One of the unique features for the server is the interplay between database search and multiple structure alignment. The server provides service not only for performing fast database search, but also for making accurate multiple structure alignment with the structures found by the search. For the database search, it takes about 2-5 min for a structure of a medium size (∼300 residues). For the multiple structure alignment, it takes a few seconds for ∼10 structures of medium sizes. The server is freely available at: http://yanglab.nankai.edu.cn/mTM-align/.

Mechanical studies towards a silicon micro-strip super module for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade at the high luminosity LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbier, G.; Cadoux, F.; Clark, A.; Endo, M.; Favre, Y.; Ferrere, D.; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Hanagaki, K.; Hara, K.; Iacobucci, G.; Ikegami, Y.; Jinnouchi, O.; La Marra, D.; Nakamura, K.; Nishimura, R.; Perrin, E.; Seez, W.; Takubo, Y.; Takashima, R.; Terada, S.; Todome, K.; Unno, Y.; Weber, M.

2014-04-01

It is expected that after several years of data-taking, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) physics programme will be extended to the so-called High-Luminosity LHC, where the instantaneous luminosity will be increased up to 5 × 1034 cm-2 s-1. For the general-purpose ATLAS experiment at the LHC, a complete replacement of its internal tracking detector will be necessary, as the existing detector will not provide the required performance due to the cumulated radiation damage and the increase in the detector occupancy. The baseline layout for the new ATLAS tracker is an all-silicon-based detector, with pixel sensors in the inner layers and silicon micro-strip detectors at intermediate and outer radii. The super-module (SM) is an integration concept proposed for the barrel strip region of the future ATLAS tracker, where double-sided stereo silicon micro-strip modules (DSM) are assembled into a low-mass local support (LS) structure. Mechanical aspects of the proposed LS structure are described.

Modelling of aircrew radiation exposure from galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events.

PubMed

Takada, M; Lewis, B J; Boudreau, M; Al Anid, H; Bennett, L G I

2007-01-01

Correlations have been developed for implementation into the semi-empirical Predictive Code for Aircrew Radiation Exposure (PCAIRE) to account for effects of extremum conditions of solar modulation and low altitude based on transport code calculations. An improved solar modulation model, as proposed by NASA, has been further adopted to interpolate between the bounding correlations for solar modulation. The conversion ratio of effective dose to ambient dose equivalent, as applied to the PCAIRE calculation (based on measurements) for the legal regulation of aircrew exposure, was re-evaluated in this work to take into consideration new ICRP-92 radiation-weighting factors and different possible irradiation geometries of the source cosmic-radiation field. A computational analysis with Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended Code was further used to estimate additional aircrew exposure that may result from sporadic solar energetic particle events considering real-time monitoring by the Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellite. These predictions were compared with the ambient dose equivalent rates measured on-board an aircraft and to count rate data observed at various ground-level neutron monitors.

Gate modulation of proton transport in a nanopore.

PubMed

Mei, Lanju; Yeh, Li-Hsien; Qian, Shizhi

2016-03-14

Proton transport in confined spaces plays a crucial role in many biological processes as well as in modern technological applications, such as fuel cells. To achieve active control of proton conductance, we investigate for the first time the gate modulation of proton transport in a pH-regulated nanopore by a multi-ion model. The model takes into account surface protonation/deprotonation reactions, surface curvature, electroosmotic flow, Stern layer, and electric double layer overlap. The proposed model is validated by good agreement with the existing experimental data on nanopore conductance with and without a gate voltage. The results show that the modulation of proton transport in a nanopore depends on the concentration of the background salt and solution pH. Without background salt, the gated nanopore exhibits an interesting ambipolar conductance behavior when pH is close to the isoelectric point of the dielectric pore material, and the net ionic and proton conductance can be actively regulated with a gate voltage as low as 1 V. The higher the background salt concentration, the lower is the performance of the gate control on the proton transport.

Voss unpacks stowage bags in Destiny module

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-05-03

ISS002-E-5246 (03 May 2001) --- Astronaut James S. Voss (left), Expedition Two flight engineer, unpacks a stowage bag while cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev, Expedition Two mission commander, takes notes in the U.S. Laboratory / Destiny module of the International Space Station (ISS). This image was recorded with a digital still camera.

Ten Guiding Principles for Designing Online Modules That Involve International Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porcaro, David; Carrier, Carol

2014-01-01

As ideas and personnel flow across borders, there are many opportunities for instructional designers to collaboratively design online modules with international teams. These collaborations can take many shapes, as varying levels of localization and within-team communication are employed. This paper looks at ten guiding principles that are shaping…

Teaching High School Students Machine Learning Algorithms to Analyze Flood Risk Factors in River Deltas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, R.; Aizenman, H.; Mei, E.; Choudhury, N.

2013-12-01

High School students interested in the STEM fields benefit most when actively participating, so I created a series of learning modules on how to analyze complex systems using machine-learning that give automated feedback to students. The automated feedbacks give timely responses that will encourage the students to continue testing and enhancing their programs. I have designed my modules to take the tactical learning approach in conveying the concepts behind correlation, linear regression, and vector distance based classification and clustering. On successful completion of these modules, students will learn how to calculate linear regression, Pearson's correlation, and apply classification and clustering techniques to a dataset. Working on these modules will allow the students to take back to the classroom what they've learned and then apply it to the Earth Science curriculum. During my research this summer, we applied these lessons to analyzing river deltas; we looked at trends in the different variables over time, looked for similarities in NDVI, precipitation, inundation, runoff and discharge, and attempted to predict floods based on the precipitation, waves mean, area of discharge, NDVI, and inundation.

Flight Computer Processing Avionics for Space Station Microgravity Experiments: A Risk Assessment of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Howard; Liggin, Karl; Crawford, Kevin; Humphries, Rick (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is continually looking for ways to reduce the costs and schedule and minimize the technical risks during the development of microgravity programs. One of the more prominent ways to minimize the cost and schedule is to use off-the-shelf hardware (OTS). However, the use of OTS often increases the risk. This paper addresses relevant factors considered during the selection and utilization of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) flight computer processing equipment for the control of space station microgravity experiments. The paper will also discuss how to minimize the technical risks when using COTS processing hardware. Two microgravity experiments for which the COTS processing equipment is being evaluated for are the Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE) and the Self-diffusion in Liquid Elements (SDLE) experiment. Since MSFC is the lead center for Microgravity research, EDSE and SDLE processor selection will be closely watched by other experiments that are being designed to meet payload carrier requirements. This includes the payload carriers planned for the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of EDSE is to continue to investigate microstructural evolution of, and thermal interactions between multiple dendrites growing under diffusion controlled conditions. The purpose of SDLE is to determine accurate self-diffusivity data as a function of temperature for liquid elements selected as representative of class-like structures. In 1999 MSFC initiated a Center Director's Discretionary Fund (CDDF) effort to investigate and determine the optimal commercial data bus architecture that could lead to faster, better, and lower cost data acquisition systems for the control of microgravity experiments. As part of this effort various commercial data acquisition systems were acquired and evaluated. This included equipment with various form factors, (3U, 6U, others) and equipment that utilized various bus structures, (VME, PC104, STD bus). This evaluation of hardware was performed in conjunction with a trade study that considered over twenty (20) different factors relevant to the selection of an optimum design approach. These factors included; safety, sizing and timing, radiation hardness and single event upset, power consumption, heat dissipation, size and volume, expected service life, maintainability, heritage, operating systems, requirements for software reuse, availability of compatible interface boards, relative cost, schedule, reliability, EMI/EMC factors, "hot swap" capability, standards for conduction cooling, I/O capabilities, unique carrier requirements and operating system considerations. The approach to evaluate Safety as part of this study included a review of the Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) for each of the experiment designs and a determination of how each hazard could be addressed and eliminated when different processors were selected. This included evaluating various design approaches and trade-offs between fault tolerant designs and fail-safe designs in accordance with NSTS 1700.7B. This will include the results of radiation testing where available. Various operating systems, such as VxWorks, Linux, QNX, and Embedded NT are evaluated and the advantages and disadvantages of their utilization are also addressed. Design implementation strategies for the various operating systems are considered and discussed. This paper presents the results and recommendations from this trade study. Preliminary conclusions from this study are that safety concerns from lack or radiation testing on COTS equipment can be addressed by additional testing and design considerations, the PC104 bus provided adequate I/O for the SDLE and EDSE microgravity experiments, and PC104 bus components offered significant advantages over VME and cPCI for weight and space reductions.

Cortisol boosts risky decision-making behavior in men but not in women.

PubMed

Kluen, Lisa Marieke; Agorastos, Agorastos; Wiedemann, Klaus; Schwabe, Lars

2017-10-01

Acute stress may escalate risky decision-making in men, while there is no such effect in women. Although first evidence links these gender-specific effects of stress to stress-induced changes in cortisol, whether elevated cortisol is indeed sufficient to boost risk-taking, whether a potential cortisol effect depends on simultaneous noradrenergic activation, and whether cortisol and noradrenergic activation exert distinct effects on risk-taking in men and women is unknown. In this experiment, we therefore set out to elucidate the impact of cortisol and noradrenergic stimulation on risky decision-making in men and women. In a fully-crossed, placebo-controlled, double-blind design, male and female participants received orally either a placebo, hydrocortisone, yohimbine, an alpha-2-adrenoceptor-antagonist leading to increased noradrenergic stimulation, or both drugs before completing the balloon analogue risk task, a validated measure of risk-taking. Overall, participants' choice was risk-sensitive as reflected in reduced responding in high- compared to moderate- and low-risk conditions. Cortisol, however, led to a striking increase in risk-taking in men, whereas it had no effect on risk-taking behavior in women. Yohimbine had no such effect and the gender-specific effect of cortisol was not modulated by yohimbine. Our data show that cortisol boosts risk-taking behavior in men but not in women. This differential effect of cortisol on risk-taking may drive gender differences in risky decision-making under stress. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Taking Bioinformatics to Systems Medicine.

PubMed

van Kampen, Antoine H C; Moerland, Perry D

2016-01-01

Systems medicine promotes a range of approaches and strategies to study human health and disease at a systems level with the aim of improving the overall well-being of (healthy) individuals, and preventing, diagnosing, or curing disease. In this chapter we discuss how bioinformatics critically contributes to systems medicine. First, we explain the role of bioinformatics in the management and analysis of data. In particular we show the importance of publicly available biological and clinical repositories to support systems medicine studies. Second, we discuss how the integration and analysis of multiple types of omics data through integrative bioinformatics may facilitate the determination of more predictive and robust disease signatures, lead to a better understanding of (patho)physiological molecular mechanisms, and facilitate personalized medicine. Third, we focus on network analysis and discuss how gene networks can be constructed from omics data and how these networks can be decomposed into smaller modules. We discuss how the resulting modules can be used to generate experimentally testable hypotheses, provide insight into disease mechanisms, and lead to predictive models. Throughout, we provide several examples demonstrating how bioinformatics contributes to systems medicine and discuss future challenges in bioinformatics that need to be addressed to enable the advancement of systems medicine.

Research on the principle and experimentation of optical compressive spectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuheng; Chen, Xinhua; Zhou, Jiankang; Ji, Yiqun; Shen, Weimin

2013-12-01

The optical compressive spectral imaging method is a novel spectral imaging technique that draws in the inspiration of compressed sensing, which takes on the advantages such as reducing acquisition data amount, realizing snapshot imaging, increasing signal to noise ratio and so on. Considering the influence of the sampling quality on the ultimate imaging quality, researchers match the sampling interval with the modulation interval in former reported imaging system, while the depressed sampling rate leads to the loss on the original spectral resolution. To overcome that technical defect, the demand for the matching between the sampling interval and the modulation interval is disposed of and the spectral channel number of the designed experimental device increases more than threefold comparing to that of the previous method. Imaging experiment is carried out by use of the experiment installation and the spectral data cube of the shooting target is reconstructed with the acquired compressed image by use of the two-step iterative shrinkage/thresholding algorithms. The experimental result indicates that the spectral channel number increases effectively and the reconstructed data stays high-fidelity. The images and spectral curves are able to accurately reflect the spatial and spectral character of the target.

A full XML-based approach to creating hypermedia learning modules in web-based environments: application to a pathology course.

PubMed

Staccini, Pascal; Dufour, Jean -Charles; Joubert, Michel; Michiels, Jean -François; Fieschi, Marius

2003-01-01

Nowadays, web-based learning services are a key topic in the pedagogical and learning strategies of universities. While organisational and teaching requirements of the learning environment are being evaluated, technical specifications are emerging, enabling educators to build advanced "units of learning". Changes, however, take a long time and cost-effective solutions have to be found to involve our institutions in such actions. In this paper, we present a model of the components of a course. We detail the method followed to implement this model in hypermedia modules with a viewer that can be played on line or from a CD-ROM. The XML technology has been used to implement all the data structures and a client-side architecture has been designed to build a course viewer. Standards of description of content (such as Dublin Core and DocBook) have been integrated into the data structures. This tool has been populated with data from a pathology course and supports other medical contents. The choice of the architecture and the usefulness of the programming tools are discussed. The means of migrating towards a server-side application are presented.

Development and assessment of an efficient vadose zone module solving the 1D Richards' equation and including root extraction by plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varado, N.; Braud, I.; Ross, P. J.

2006-05-01

From the non iterative numerical method proposed by [Ross, P.J., 2003. Modeling soil water and solute transport—fast, simplified numerical solutions. Agronomy Journal 95, 1352-1361] for solving the 1D Richards' equation, an unsaturated zone module for large scale hydrological model is developed by the inclusion of a root extraction module and a formulation of interception. Two root water uptake modules, first proposed by [Lai, C.-T. and Katul, G., 2000. The dynamic role of rott-water uptake in coupling potential to actual transpiration. Adv. Water Res. 23: 427-439; Li, K.Y., De Jong, R. and Boisvert, J.B., 2001. An exponential root-water-uptake model with water stress compensation. J. Hydrol. 252: 189-204], were included as the sink term in the Richards' equation. They express root extraction as a linear function of potential transpiration and take into account water stress and compensation mechanism allowing water to be extracted in wetter layers. The vadose zone module is tested in a systematic way with synthetic data sets covering a wide range of soil characteristics, climate forcing, and vegetation cover. A detailed SVAT model providing an accurate solution of the coupled heat and water transfer in the soil and the surface energy balance is used as a reference. The accuracy of the numerical solution using only the SVAT soil module, and the loss of accuracy when using a potential evapotranspiration instead of solving the energy budget are both investigated. The vadose zone module is very accurate with errors of less than a few percent for cumulative transpiration. Soil evaporation is less accurately simulated as it leads to a systematic underestimation of soil evaporation amounts. The [Lai, C.-T. and Katul, G., 2000. The dynamic role of rott-water uptake in coupling potential to actual transpiration. Adv. Water Res. 23: 427-439] module is not adapted for sandy soils, due to a weakness in the compensation term formulation. When using a potential evapotranspiration instead of the surface energy balance, we evidenced a difference in partitioning the energy between the soil and the vegetation. A Beer-Lambert law is not able to take into account the complex interactions at the soil-vegetation-atmopshere interface. However, under field conditions, the accuracy of the vadose zone module is satisfactory provided that a correct crop coefficient could be defined. As a conclusion the numerical method proposed by [Ross, P.J., 2003. Modeling soil water and solute transport—fast, simplified numerical solutions. Agronomy Journal 95, 1352-1361] coupled with the [Li, K.Y., De Jong, R. and Boisvert, J.B., 2001. An exponential root-water-uptake model with water stress compensation. J. Hydrol. 252: 189-204] root extraction module provides an efficient and accurate solution for inclusion as a physically-based infiltration-evapotranspiration module into larger scale watershed models.

Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for Column CO2 Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, J. F.; Lin, B.; Obland, M. D.; Liu, Z.; Kooi, S. A.; Fan, T. F.; Nehrir, A. R.; Meadows, B.; Browell, E. V.

2016-12-01

Advanced Intensity-Modulation Continuous-Wave Lidar Techniques for Column CO2 MeasurementsJoel F. Campbell1, Bing Lin1, Michael D. Obland1, Zhaoyan Liu1, Susan Kooi2, Tai-Fang Fan2, Amin R. Nehrir1, Byron Meadows1, Edward V. Browell31NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 2SSAI, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 3STARSS-II Affiliate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 AbstractGlobal and regional atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements for the NASA Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) space mission and the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT) - America project are critical for improving our understanding of global CO2 sources and sinks. Advanced Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar techniques are investigated as a means of facilitating CO2 measurements from space and airborne platforms to meet the ASCENDS and ACT-America science measurement requirements. In recent numerical, laboratory and flight experiments we have successfully used the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation technique to uniquely discriminate surface lidar returns from intermediate aerosol and cloud returns. We demonstrate the utility of BPSK to eliminate sidelobes in the range profile as a means of making Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) column CO2 measurements in the presence of optically thin clouds, thereby minimizing bias errors caused by the clouds. Furthermore, high accuracy and precision ranging to the surface as well as to the top of intermediate cloud layers, which is a requirement for the inversion of column CO2 number density measurements to column CO2 mixing ratios, has been demonstrated using new sub-meter hyperfine interpolation techniques that takes advantage of the periodicity of the modulation waveforms. The BPSK technique under investigation has excellent auto-correlation properties while possessing a finite bandwidth. These techniques are used in a new data processing architecture written in the C language to support the ASCENDS CarbonHawk Experiment Simulator (ACES) and ACT-America programs. This software is about an order of magnitude faster than the Mathematica code previously used and uses multithreaded parallel processing code that takes advantage of multicore processors.

OSIRIS Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joven, E.; Gigante, J.; Beigbeder, F.

OSIRIS (Optical System for Imaging and Low-Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy) is an instrument designed to obtain images and low-resolution spectra of astronomical objects in the optical domain (from 365-1000 nm). It will be installed on Day One (2004) in the Nasmyth focus of the 10-m Spanish GTC Telescope. The mosaic is composed of two abuttable 2Kx4K CCDs to yield a total of 4Kx4K pixels, 15 μm/pixel, 0.1252 plate scale. The arrangement allows the linking of a classical ARC-GenII controller to a PMC frame-grabber, plugged into a VME-CPU card, where a RTOS (VxWorks from Wind River) is running. Some tests and results, carried out with a couple of MAT44-82 engineering grade devices at room temperature, are given.

Performance, throughput, and cost of in-home training for the Army Reserve: Using asynchronous computer conferencing as an alternative to resident training

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

Hahn, H.A.; Ashworth, R.L. Jr.; Phelps, R.H.

1990-01-01

Asynchronous computer conferencing (ACC) was investigated as an alternative to resident training for the Army Reserve Component (RC). Specifically, the goals were to (1) evaluate the performance and throughput of ACC as compared with traditional Resident School instruction and (2) determine the cost-effectiveness of developing and implementing ACC. Fourteen RC students took a module of the Army Engineer Officer Advanced Course (EOAC) via ACC. Course topics included Army doctrine, technical engineering subjects, leadership, and presentation skills. Resident content was adapted for presentation via ACC. The programs of instruction for ACC and the equivalent resident course were identical; only the mediamore » used for presentation were changed. Performance on tests, homework, and practical exercises; self-assessments of learning; throughput; and cost data wee the measures of interest. Comparison data were collected on RC students taking the course in residence. Results indicated that there were no performance differences between the two groups. Students taking the course via ACC perceived greater learning benefit than did students taking the course in residence. Resident throughput was superior to ACC throughput, both in terms of numbers of students completing and time to complete the course. In spite of this fact, however, ACC was more cost-effective than resident training.« less

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers install one of eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft on its deployment module. Processing activities will prepare the spacecraft for launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the rocket will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft with in its payload fairing. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one of eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft is installed on its deployment module. Processing activities will prepare the spacecraft for launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the rocket will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft with in its payload fairing. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Accommodating student learning styles and preferences in an online occupational therapy course.

PubMed

Doyle, Nancy Wolcott; Jacobs, Karen

2013-01-01

Occupational therapy's online education must be research-based and inclusive. One way to provide a more inclusive online learning experience is to attend to individual learning styles and preferences. This study uses the best available evidence on learning styles and online education to develop, implement, and study occupational therapy students' experiences with an online learning module and related assignment. Eight students consented to take an online survey after completing a learning module and related assignment in an online post-professional graduate course in occupational therapy. The survey explored their learning experience and its applicability to clinical work. Data gathered from multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions were descriptively analyzed. Results from this study suggest that students find the study of learning styles and preferences enjoyable and applicable to their clinical work, but are often motivated by factors such as time and technology when selecting the format of a course assignment.

Digital transceiver implementation for wavelet packet modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Alan R.; Dill, Jeffrey C.

1998-03-01

Current transceiver designs for wavelet-based communication systems are typically reliant on analog waveform synthesis, however, digital processing is an important part of the eventual success of these techniques. In this paper, a transceiver implementation is introduced for the recently introduced wavelet packet modulation scheme which moves the analog processing as far as possible toward the antenna. The transceiver is based on the discrete wavelet packet transform which incorporates level and node parameters for generalized computation of wavelet packets. In this transform no particular structure is imposed on the filter bank save dyadic branching, and a maximum level which is specified a priori and dependent mainly on speed and/or cost considerations. The transmitter/receiver structure takes a binary sequence as input and, based on the desired time- frequency partitioning, processes the signal through demultiplexing, synthesis, analysis, multiplexing and data determination completely in the digital domain - with exception of conversion in and out of the analog domain for transmission.

Biometrically modulated collaborative control for an assistive wheelchair.

PubMed

Urdiales, Cristina; Fernandez-Espejo, Blanca; Annicchiaricco, Roberta; Sandoval, Francisco; Caltagirone, Carlo

2010-08-01

To operate a wheelchair, people with severe physical disabilities may require assistance, which can be provided by robotization. However, medical experts report that an excess of assistance may lead to loss of residual skills, so that it is important to provide just the right amount of assistance. This work proposes a collaborative control system based on weighting the robot's and the user's commands by their respective efficiency to reactively obtain an emergent controller. Thus, the better the person operates, the more control he/she gains. Tests with volunteers have proven, though, that some users may require extra assistance when they become stressed. Hence, we propose a controller that can change the amount of support taking into account supplementary biometric data. In this work, we use an off-the-shelf wearable pulse oximeter. Experiments have demonstrated that volunteers could use our wheelchair in a more efficient way due to the proposed biometric modulated collaborative control.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK prepare to install the micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-12

A technician with Orbital ATK prepares to install another micro satellite on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK install the first two sets of micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-12-19

Pictured from left to right, the Apollo 9 astronauts, James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart, pause in front of the Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle that would launch the Apollo 8 crew. The launch of the Apollo 9 (Saturn V launch vehicle, SA-504) took place on March 3, 1968. The Apollo 9 spacecraft, in the lunar mission configuration, was tested in Earth orbit. The mission was designed to rehearse all the steps and reproduce all the events of the Apollo 11 mission with the exception of the lunar touchdown, stay, and liftoff. The command and service modules, and the lunar module were used in flight procedures identical to those that would later take similar vehicles to the Moon, and a landing. The flight mechanics, mission support systems, communications, and recording of data were tested in a final round of verification. Astronauts Scott and Schweickart conducted Extravehicular Activity during this mission.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

A technician with Orbital ATK prepares the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) for micro satellites installation in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

A technician with Orbital ATK checks out the micro satellites deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-13

All of the micro satellites have been fully installed on the deployment module by Orbital ATK for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK prepare the micro satellites for installation on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-12

Technicians with Orbital ATK continue to install the micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-12

Technicians with Orbital ATK continue to install micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

A technician with Orbital ATK assembles the micro satellites deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK check assemble the micro satellites deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK prepare a set of micro satellites for installation on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK check out the micro satellites deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK prepare to install micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-12

A technician with Orbital ATK checks the installation of the micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Technicians with Orbital ATK install the first set of micro satellites on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

A technician with Orbital ATK prepares a set of micro satellites for installation on the deployment module for NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. CYGNSS is being prepared at Vandenberg, and then will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket which will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

Temporal compression in episodic memory for real-life events.

PubMed

Jeunehomme, Olivier; Folville, Adrien; Stawarczyk, David; Van der Linden, Martial; D'Argembeau, Arnaud

2018-07-01

Remembering an event typically takes less time than experiencing it, suggesting that episodic memory represents past experience in a temporally compressed way. Little is known, however, about how the continuous flow of real-life events is summarised in memory. Here we investigated the nature and determinants of temporal compression by directly comparing memory contents with the objective timing of events as measured by a wearable camera. We found that episodic memories consist of a succession of moments of prior experience that represent events with varying compression rates, such that the density of retrieved information is modulated by goal processing and perceptual changes. Furthermore, the results showed that temporal compression rates remain relatively stable over one week and increase after a one-month delay, particularly for goal-related events. These data shed new light on temporal compression in episodic memory and suggest that compression rates are adaptively modulated to maintain current goal-relevant information.

Floor Identification with Commercial Smartphones in Wifi-Based Indoor Localization System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, H. J.; Liu, M. Y.; Shi, Y. M.; Zhao, J. Q.

2016-06-01

In this paper, we utilize novel sensors built-in commercial smart devices to propose a schema which can identify floors with high accuracy and efficiency. This schema can be divided into two modules: floor identifying and floor change detection. Floor identifying module starts at initial phase of positioning, and responsible for determining which floor the positioning start. We have estimated two methods to identify initial floor based on K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and BP Neural Network, respectively. In order to improve performance of KNN algorithm, we proposed a novel method based on weighting signal strength, which can identify floors robust and quickly. Floor change detection module turns on after entering into continues positioning procedure. In this module, sensors (such as accelerometer and barometer) of smart devices are used to determine whether the user is going up and down stairs or taking an elevator. This method has fused different kinds of sensor data and can adapt various motion pattern of users. We conduct our experiment with mobile client on Android Phone (Nexus 5) at a four-floors building with an open area between the second and third floor. The results demonstrate that our scheme can achieve an accuracy of 99% to identify floor and 97% to detecting floor changes as a whole.

Calculations of cosmogenic nuclide production rates in the Earth's atmosphere and their inventories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Obrien, K.

1986-01-01

The production rates of cosmogenic isotopes in the Earth's atmosphere and their resulting terrestrial abundances have been calculated, taking into account both geomagnetic and solar-modulatory effects. The local interstellar flux was assumed to be that of Garcia-Munoz, et al. Solar modulation was accounted for using the heliocentric potential model and expressed in terms of the Deep River neutron monitor count rates. The geomagnetic field was presented by vertical cutoffs calculated by Shea and Smart and the non-vertical cutoffs calculated using ANGRI. The local interstellar particle flux was first modulated using the heliocentric potential field. The modulated cosmic-ray fluxes reaching the earth's orbit then interacted with the geomagnetic field as though it were a high-pass filter. The interaction of the cosmic radiation with the Earth's atmosphere was calculated utilizing the Bolztmann transport equation. Spallation cross sections for isotope production were calculated using the formalism of Silberberg and Tsao and other cross sections were taken from standard sources. Inventories were calculated by accounting from the variation in solar modulation and geomagnetic field strength with time. Results for many isotope, including C-14, Be-7 and Be-10 are in generally good agreement with existing data. The C-14 inventory, for instance, amounts to 1.75/sq cm(e)/s, in excellent agreement with direct estimates.

New constraints and prospects for sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essig, Rouven; Volansky, Tomer; Yu, Tien-Tien

2017-08-01

We study in detail sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon, including the expected electron recoil spectra and annual modulation spectra. We derive improved constraints using low-energy XENON10 and XENON100 ionization-only data. For XENON10, in addition to including electron-recoil data corresponding to about 1-3 electrons, we include for the first time events corresponding to about 4-7 electrons. Assuming the scattering is momentum independent (FDM=1 ), this strengthens a previous cross-section bound by almost an order of magnitude for dark matter masses above 50 MeV. The available XENON100 data corresponds to events with about 4-50 electrons, and leads to a constraint that is comparable to the XENON10 bound above 50 MeV for FDM=1 . We demonstrate that a search for an annual modulation signal in upcoming xenon experiments (XENON1T, XENONnT, LZ) could substantially improve the above bounds even in the presence of large backgrounds. We also emphasize that in simple benchmark models of sub-GeV dark matter, the dark matter-electron scattering rate can be as high as one event every ten (two) seconds in the XENON1T (XENONnT or LZ) experiments, without being in conflict with any other known experimental bounds. While there are several sources of backgrounds that can produce single- or few-electron events, a large event rate can be consistent with a dark matter signal and should not be simply written off as purely a detector curiosity. This fact motivates a detailed analysis of the ionization-data ("S2") data, taking into account the expected annual modulation spectrum of the signal rate, as well as the DM-induced electron-recoil spectra, which are another powerful discriminant between signal and background.

High-efficiency THz modulator based on phthalocyanine-compound organic films

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

He, Ting; Zhang, Bo, E-mail: bzhang@cnu.edu.cn, E-mail: sjl-phy@cnu.edu.cn; Shen, Jingling, E-mail: bzhang@cnu.edu.cn, E-mail: sjl-phy@cnu.edu.cn

2015-02-02

We report a high efficiency, broadband terahertz (THz) modulator following a study of phthalocyanine-compound organic films irradiated with an external excitation laser. Both transmission and reflection modulations of each organic/silicon bilayers were measured using THz time-domain and continuous-wave systems. For very low intensities, the experimental results show that AlClPc/Si can achieve a high modulation factor for transmission and reflection, indicating that AlClPc/Si has a superior modulation efficiency compared with the other films (CuPc and SnCl{sub 2}Pc). In contrast, the strong attenuation of the transmitted and reflected THz waves revealed that a nonlinear absorption process takes place at the organic/silicon interface.

SeaDataNet network services monitoring: Definition and Implementation of Service availability index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lykiardopoulos, Angelos; Mpalopoulou, Stavroula; Vavilis, Panagiotis; Pantazi, Maria; Iona, Sissy

2014-05-01

SeaDataNet (SDN) is a standardized system for managing large and diverse data sets collected by the oceanographic fleets and the automatic observation systems. The SeaDataNet network is constituted of national oceanographic data centres of 35 countries, active in data collection. SeaDataNetII project's objective is to upgrade the present SeaDataNet infrastructure into an operationally robust and state-of-the-art infrastructure; therefore Network Monitoring is a step to this direction. The term Network Monitoring describes the use of system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages. Network monitoring is crucial when implementing widely distributed systems over the Internet and in real-time systems as it detects malfunctions that may occur and notifies the system administrator who can immediately respond and correct the problem. In the framework of SeaDataNet II project a monitoring system was developed in order to monitor the SeaDataNet components. The core system is based on Nagios software. Some plug-ins were developed to support SeaDataNet modules. On the top of Nagios Engine a web portal was developed in order to give access to local administrators of SeaDataNet components, to view detailed logs of their own service(s). Currently the system monitors 35 SeaDataNet Download Managers, 9 SeaDataNet Services, 25 GeoSeas Download Managers and 23 UBSS Download Managers . Taking advantage of the continuous monitoring of SeaDataNet system components a total availability index will be implemented. The term availability can be defined as the ability of a functional unit to be in a state to perform a required function under given conditions at a given instant of time or over a given time interval, assuming that the required external resources are provided. Availability measures can be considered as a are very important benefit becauseT - The availability trends that can be extracted from the stored availability measurements will give an indication of the condition of the service modules. - Will help in planning upgrades planning - and the maintenance of the network service. - It is a prerequisite in case of signing a Service Level Agreement. To construct the service availability index, a method for measuring availability of SeaDataNet network is developed and a database is implemented to store the measured values. Although the measurements of availability of a single component in a network service can be considered as simple (is a percentage of time in a year that the service is available to the users), the ipmlementation of a method to measure the total availability of a composite system can be complicated and there is no a standardized method to deal with it. The method followed to calculate the total availability index in case of SeaDataNet can be described as follows: The whole system was divided in operational modules providing a single service in which the availability can be measured by monitoring portal. Next the dependences between these modules were defined in order to formulate the influence of availability of each module against the whole system. For each module a weight coefficient depending on module's involvement in total system productivity was defined. A mathematical formula was developed to measure the index.

Astronaut Thomas Stafford and Snoopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1969-01-01

Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, commander of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission, takes time out from his preflight training activities to have his picture made with Snoopy, the character from Charles Schulz's syndicated comic strip, 'Peanuts'. During the Apollo 10 lunar orbit operations the Lunar Module will be called Snoopy when it is separated from the Command/Service Modules.

Teaching Assembly for Disassembly; An Under-Graduate Module Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexandri, Eleftheria

2014-01-01

This paper is about the experience of teaching Assembly for Disassembly to fourth year architect students within the module of sustainable design. When designing a sustainable building one should take into consideration the fact that the building is going to be demolished in some years; thus the materials should be assembled in such a way so that…

Onufrienko holds a Grab Sample Container (GSC) in the SM during Expedition Four

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-05-23

ISS004-E-12368 (23 May 2002) --- Cosmonaut Yury I. Onufrienko, Expedition Four mission commander representing Rosaviakosmos, holds a Grab Sample Container (GSC) in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). The GSC is used to take air samples in various modules as part of environmental quality control.

Apollo 17 Astronauts during EVA training

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-06-08

S72-44423 (8 Sept. 1972) --- Two Apollo 17 crewmen ready a Lunar Roving Vehicle trainer following its deployment from a Lunar Module trainer in the Flight Crew Training Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Taking part in the Apollo 17 training exercise were astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (right), commander; and Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt, lunar module pilot.

Transverse Mode Dynamics and Ultrafast Modulation of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ning, Cun-Zheng; Biegel, Bryan A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We show that multiple transverse mode dynamics of VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers) can be utilized to generate ultrafast intensity modulation at a frequency over 100 GHz, much higher than the relaxation oscillation frequency. Such multimode beating can be greatly enhanced by taking laser output from part of the output facet.

Optically Driven Q-Switches For Lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemmati, Hamid

1994-01-01

Optically driven Q-switches for pulsed lasers proposed, taking place of acousto-optical, magneto-optical, and electro-optical switches. Optical switching beams of proposed Q-switching most likely generated in pulsed diode lasers or light-emitting diodes, outputs of which are amplitude-modulated easily by direct modulation of relatively small input currents. Energy efficiencies exceed those of electrically driven Q-switches.

Test-Enhanced Learning in an Immunology and Infectious Disease Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmacology Course.

PubMed

Hernick, Marcy

2015-09-25

Objective. To develop a series of active-learning modules that would improve pharmacy students' performance on summative assessments. Design. A series of optional online active-learning modules containing questions with multiple formats for topics in a first-year (P1) course was created using a test-enhanced learning approach. A subset of module questions was modified and included on summative assessments. Assessment. Student performance on module questions improved with repeated attempts and was predictive of student performance on summative assessments. Performance on examination questions was higher for students with access to modules than for those without access to modules. Module use appeared to have the most impact on low performing students. Conclusion. Test-enhanced learning modules with immediate feedback provide pharmacy students with a learning tool that improves student performance on summative assessments and also may improve metacognitive and test-taking skills.

Test-Enhanced Learning in an Immunology and Infectious Disease Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmacology Course

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Objective. To develop a series of active-learning modules that would improve pharmacy students’ performance on summative assessments. Design. A series of optional online active-learning modules containing questions with multiple formats for topics in a first-year (P1) course was created using a test-enhanced learning approach. A subset of module questions was modified and included on summative assessments. Assessment. Student performance on module questions improved with repeated attempts and was predictive of student performance on summative assessments. Performance on examination questions was higher for students with access to modules than for those without access to modules. Module use appeared to have the most impact on low performing students. Conclusion. Test-enhanced learning modules with immediate feedback provide pharmacy students with a learning tool that improves student performance on summative assessments and also may improve metacognitive and test-taking skills. PMID:27168610

Digital Distortion Caused by Traveling- Wave-Tube Amplifiers Simulated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kory, Carol L.; Andro, Monty

2002-01-01

Future NASA missions demand increased data rates in satellite communications for near real-time transmission of large volumes of remote data. Increased data rates necessitate higher order digital modulation schemes and larger system bandwidth, which place stricter requirements on the allowable distortion caused by the high-power amplifier, or the traveling-wave-tube amplifier (TWTA). In particular, intersymbol interference caused by the TWTA becomes a major consideration for accurate data detection at the receiver. Experimentally investigating the effects of the physical TWTA on intersymbol interference would be prohibitively expensive, as it would require manufacturing numerous amplifiers in addition to acquiring the required digital hardware. Thus, an accurate computational model is essential to predict the effects of the TWTA on system-level performance when a communication system is being designed with adequate digital integrity for high data rates. A fully three-dimensional, time-dependent, TWT interaction model has been developed using the electromagnetic particle-in-cell code MAFIA (Solution of Maxwell's equations by the Finite-Integration-Algorithm). It comprehensively takes into account the effects of frequency-dependent AM (amplitude modulation)/AM and AM/PM (phase modulation) conversion, gain and phase ripple due to reflections, drive-induced oscillations, harmonic generation, intermodulation products, and backward waves. This physics-based TWT model can be used to give a direct description of the effects of the nonlinear TWT on the operational signal as a function of the physical device. Users can define arbitrary excitation functions so that higher order modulated digital signals can be used as input and that computations can directly correlate intersymbol interference with TWT parameters. Standard practice involves using communication-system-level software packages, such as SPW, to predict if adequate signal detection will be achieved. These models use a nonlinear, black-box model to represent the TWTA. The models vary in complexity, but most make several assumptions regarding the operation of the high-power amplifier. When the MAFIA TWT interaction model was used, these assumptions were found to be in significant error. In addition, digital signal performance, including intersymbol interference, was compared using direct data input into the MAFIA model and using the system-level analysis tool SPW for several higher order modulation schemes. Results show significant differences in predicted degradation between SPW and MAFIA simulations, demonstrating the significance of the TWTA approximations made in the SPW model on digital signal performance. For example, a comparison of the SPW and MAFIA output constellation diagrams for a 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) signal (data shown only for second and fourth quadrants) is shown. The upper-bound degradation was calculated from the corresponding eye diagrams. In comparison to SPW simulations, the MAFIA data resulted in a 3.6-dB larger degradation.

High-resolution focal plane array IR detection modules and digital signal processing technologies at AIM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabanski, Wolfgang A.; Breiter, Rainer; Koch, R.; Mauk, Karl-Heinz; Rode, Werner; Ziegler, Johann; Eberhardt, Kurt; Oelmaier, Reinhard; Schneider, Harald; Walther, Martin

2000-07-01

Full video format focal plane array (FPA) modules with up to 640 X 512 pixels have been developed for high resolution imaging applications in either mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) mid wave (MWIR) infrared (IR) or platinum silicide (PtSi) and quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) technology as low cost alternatives to MCT for high performance IR imaging in the MWIR or long wave spectral band (LWIR). For the QWIP's, a new photovoltaic technology was introduced for improved NETD performance and higher dynamic range. MCT units provide fast frame rates > 100 Hz together with state of the art thermal resolution NETD < 20 mK for short snapshot integration times of typically 2 ms. PtSi and QWIP modules are usually operated in a rolling frame integration mode with frame rates of 30 - 60 Hz and provide thermal resolutions of NETD < 80 mK for PtSi and NETD < 20 mK for QWIP, respectively. Due to the lower quantum efficiency compared to MCT, however, the integration time is typically chosen to be as long 10 - 20 ms. The heat load of the integrated detector cooler assemblies (IDCAs) could be reduced to an amount as low, that a 1 W split liner cooler provides sufficient cooling power to operate the modules -- including the QWIP with 60 K operation temperature -- at ambient temperatures up to 65 degrees Celsius. Miniaturized command/control electronics (CCE) available for all modules provide a standardized digital interface, with 14 bit analogue to digital conversion for state to the art correctability, access to highly dynamic scenes without any loss of information and simplified exchangeability of the units. New modular image processing hardware platforms and software for image visualization and nonuniformity correction including scene based self learning algorithms had to be developed to accomplish for the high data rates of up to 18 M pixels/s with 14-bit deep data, allowing to take into account nonlinear effects to access the full NETD by accurate reduction of residual fixed pattern noise. The main features of these modules are summarized together with measured performance data for long range detection systems with moderately fast to slow F-numbers like F/2.0 - F/3.5. An outlook shows most recent activities at AIM, heading for multicolor and faster frame rate detector modules based on MCT devices.

A Versatile Multichannel Digital Signal Processing Module for Microcalorimeter Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, H.; Collins, J. W.; Walby, M.; Hennig, W.; Warburton, W. K.; Grudberg, P.

2012-06-01

Different techniques have been developed for reading out microcalorimeter sensor arrays: individual outputs for small arrays, and time-division or frequency-division or code-division multiplexing for large arrays. Typically, raw waveform data are first read out from the arrays using one of these techniques and then stored on computer hard drives for offline optimum filtering, leading not only to requirements for large storage space but also limitations on achievable count rate. Thus, a read-out module that is capable of processing microcalorimeter signals in real time will be highly desirable. We have developed multichannel digital signal processing electronics that are capable of on-board, real time processing of microcalorimeter sensor signals from multiplexed or individual pixel arrays. It is a 3U PXI module consisting of a standardized core processor board and a set of daughter boards. Each daughter board is designed to interface a specific type of microcalorimeter array to the core processor. The combination of the standardized core plus this set of easily designed and modified daughter boards results in a versatile data acquisition module that not only can easily expand to future detector systems, but is also low cost. In this paper, we first present the core processor/daughter board architecture, and then report the performance of an 8-channel daughter board, which digitizes individual pixel outputs at 1 MSPS with 16-bit precision. We will also introduce a time-division multiplexing type daughter board, which takes in time-division multiplexing signals through fiber-optic cables and then processes the digital signals to generate energy spectra in real time.

Cosmonaut Krikalev takes photos in U.S. Laboratory /Destiny module

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-02-11

STS98-E-5138 (11 February 2001) --- Cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, Expedition One flight engineer, takes still photographs onboard the newly opened Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). After astronaut William M. (Bill) Shepherd, Expedition One commander, opened the Destiny hatch, he and astronaut Kenneth D. Cockrell (out of frame) ventured inside at 8:38 a.m. (CST), February 11, 2001. As depicted in subsequent digital images in this series, members of both crews went to work quickly inside the new module, activating air systems, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, computers and internal communications. The crew also took some photos and continued equipment transfers from the shuttle to the station.

Experience of Data Handling with IPPM Payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Errico, Walter; Tosi, Pietro; Ilstad, Jorgen; Jameux, David; Viviani, Riccardo; Collantoni, Daniele

2010-08-01

A simplified On-Board Data Handling system has been developed by CAEN AURELIA SPACE and ABSTRAQT as PUS-over-SpaceWire demonstration platform for the Onboard Payload Data Processing laboratory at ESTEC. The system is composed of three Leon2-based IPPM (Integrated Payload Processing Module) computers that play the roles of Instrument, Payload Data Handling Unit and Satellite Management Unit. Two PCs complete the test set-up simulating an external Memory Management Unit and the Ground Control Unit. Communication among units take place primarily through SpaceWire links; RMAP[2] protocol is used for configuration and housekeeping. A limited implementation of ECSS-E-70-41B Packet Utilisation Standard (PUS)[1] over CANbus and MIL-STD-1553B has been also realized. The Open Source RTEMS is running on the IPPM AT697E CPU as real-time operating system.

Combining the Generic Entity-Attribute-Value Model and Terminological Models into a Common Ontology to Enable Data Integration and Decision Support.

PubMed

Bouaud, Jacques; Guézennec, Gilles; Séroussi, Brigitte

2018-01-01

The integration of clinical information models and termino-ontological models into a unique ontological framework is highly desirable for it facilitates data integration and management using the same formal mechanisms for both data concepts and information model components. This is particularly true for knowledge-based decision support tools that aim to take advantage of all facets of semantic web technologies in merging ontological reasoning, concept classification, and rule-based inferences. We present an ontology template that combines generic data model components with (parts of) existing termino-ontological resources. The approach is developed for the guideline-based decision support module on breast cancer management within the DESIREE European project. The approach is based on the entity attribute value model and could be extended to other domains.

Directions in parallel programming: HPF, shared virtual memory and object parallelism in pC++

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodin, Francois; Priol, Thierry; Mehrotra, Piyush; Gannon, Dennis

1994-01-01

Fortran and C++ are the dominant programming languages used in scientific computation. Consequently, extensions to these languages are the most popular for programming massively parallel computers. We discuss two such approaches to parallel Fortran and one approach to C++. The High Performance Fortran Forum has designed HPF with the intent of supporting data parallelism on Fortran 90 applications. HPF works by asking the user to help the compiler distribute and align the data structures with the distributed memory modules in the system. Fortran-S takes a different approach in which the data distribution is managed by the operating system and the user provides annotations to indicate parallel control regions. In the case of C++, we look at pC++ which is based on a concurrent aggregate parallel model.

Frequency modulation spectroscopy with a THz quantum-cascade laser.

PubMed

Eichholz, R; Richter, H; Wienold, M; Schrottke, L; Hey, R; Grahn, H T; Hübers, H-W

2013-12-30

We report on a terahertz spectrometer for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy based on a quantum-cascade laser. High-frequency modulation (up to 50 MHz) of the laser driving current produces a simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser output. The modulation generates sidebands, which are symmetrically positioned with respect to the laser carrier frequency. The molecular transition is probed by scanning the sidebands across it. In this way, the absorption and the dispersion caused by the molecular transition are measured. The signals are modeled by taking into account the simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser emission. This allows for the determination of the strength of the frequency as well as amplitude modulation of the laser and of molecular parameters such as pressure broadening.

Assessment of Fiber Chromatic Dispersion Based on Elimination of Second-Order Harmonics in Optical OFDM Single Sideband Modulation Using Mach Zehnder Modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Dhananjay; Singh, Vinay Kumar; Dalal, U. D.

2016-07-01

This work addresses the analytical and numerical investigations of the transmission performance of an optical Single Sideband (SSB) modulation technique generated by a Mach Zehnder Modulator (MZM) with a 90° and 120° hybrid coupler. It takes into account the problem of chromatic dispersion in single mode fibers in Passive Optical Networks (PON), which severely degrades the performance of the system. Considering the transmission length of the fiber, the SSB modulation generated by maintaining a phase shift of π/2 between the two electrodes of the MZM provides better receiver sensitivity. However, the power of higher-order harmonics generated due to the nonlinearity of the MZM is directly proportional to the modulation index, making the SSB look like a quasi-double sideband (DSB) and causing power fading due to chromatic dispersion. To eliminate one of the second-order harmonics, the SSB signal based on an MZM with a 120° hybrid coupler is simulated. An analytical model of conventional SSB using 90° and 120° hybrid couplers is established. The latter suppresses unwanted (upper/lower) first-order and second-order (lower/upper) sidebands. For the analysis, a varying quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal with a data rate of 5 Gb/s is upconverted using both of the SSB techniques and is transmitted over a distance of 75 km in Single Mode Fiber (SMF). The simulation results show that the SSB with 120° hybrid coupler proves to be more immune to chromatic dispersion as compared to the conventional SSB technique. This is in tandem with the theoretical analysis presented in the article.

Screening of Critical Genes and MicroRNAs in Blood Samples of Patients with Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms by Bioinformatic Analysis of Gene Expression Data.

PubMed

Bo, Lijuan; Wei, Bo; Wang, Zhanfeng; Kong, Daliang; Gao, Zheng; Miao, Zhuang

2017-09-20

BACKGROUND This study aimed to identify more potential genes and miRNAs associated with the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). MATERIAL AND METHODS The dataset of GSE36791 (accession number) was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened for in the blood samples from patients with ruptured IAs and controls, followed by functional and pathway enrichment analyses. In addition, gene co-expression network was constructed and significant modules were extracted from the network by WGCNA R package. Screening for miRNAs that could regulate DEGs in the modules was performed and an analysis of regulatory relationships was conducted. RESULTS A total of 304 DEGs (167 up-regulated and 137 down-regulated genes) were screened for in blood samples from patients with ruptured IAs compared with those from controls. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the up-regulated genes were mainly associated with immune response and the down-regulated DEGs were mainly concerned with the structure of ribosome and translation. Besides, six functional modules were significantly identified, including four modules enriched by up-regulated genes and two modules enriched by down-regulated genes. Thereinto, the blue, yellow, and turquoise modules of up-regulated genes were all linked with immune response. Additionally, 16 miRNAs were predicted to regulate DEGs in the three modules associated with immune response, such as hsa-miR-1304, hsa-miR-33b, hsa-miR-125b, and hsa-miR-125a-5p. CONCLUSIONS Several genes and miRNAs (such as miR-1304, miR-33b, IRS2 and KCNJ2) may take part in the pathogenesis of IAs.

The DoE method as an efficient tool for modeling the behavior of monocrystalline Si-PV module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessaissia, Fatma Zohra; Zegaoui, Abdallah; Boutoubat, Mohamed; Allouache, Hadj; Aillerie, Michel; Charles, Jean-Pierre

2018-05-01

The objective of this paper is to apply the Design of Experiments (DoE) method to study and to obtain a predictive model of any marketed monocrystalline photovoltaic (mc-PV) module. This technique allows us to have a mathematical model that represents the predicted responses depending upon input factors and experimental data. Therefore, the DoE model for characterization and modeling of mc-PV module behavior can be obtained by just performing a set of experimental trials. The DoE model of the mc-PV panel evaluates the predictive maximum power, as a function of irradiation and temperature in a bounded domain of study for inputs. For the mc-PV panel, the predictive model for both one level and two levels were developed taking into account both influences of the main effect and the interactive effects on the considered factors. The DoE method is then implemented by developing a code under Matlab software. The code allows us to simulate, characterize, and validate the predictive model of the mc-PV panel. The calculated results were compared to the experimental data, errors were estimated, and an accurate validation of the predictive models was evaluated by the surface response. Finally, we conclude that the predictive models reproduce the experimental trials and are defined within a good accuracy.

MZmine 2: Modular framework for processing, visualizing, and analyzing mass spectrometry-based molecular profile data

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with online separation methods is commonly applied for differential and quantitative profiling of biological samples in metabolomic as well as proteomic research. Such approaches are used for systems biology, functional genomics, and biomarker discovery, among others. An ongoing challenge of these molecular profiling approaches, however, is the development of better data processing methods. Here we introduce a new generation of a popular open-source data processing toolbox, MZmine 2. Results A key concept of the MZmine 2 software design is the strict separation of core functionality and data processing modules, with emphasis on easy usability and support for high-resolution spectra processing. Data processing modules take advantage of embedded visualization tools, allowing for immediate previews of parameter settings. Newly introduced functionality includes the identification of peaks using online databases, MSn data support, improved isotope pattern support, scatter plot visualization, and a new method for peak list alignment based on the random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm. The performance of the RANSAC alignment was evaluated using synthetic datasets as well as actual experimental data, and the results were compared to those obtained using other alignment algorithms. Conclusions MZmine 2 is freely available under a GNU GPL license and can be obtained from the project website at: http://mzmine.sourceforge.net/. The current version of MZmine 2 is suitable for processing large batches of data and has been applied to both targeted and non-targeted metabolomic analyses. PMID:20650010

Probabilistic monitoring in intrusion detection module for energy efficiency in mobile ad hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Rango, Floriano; Lupia, Andrea

2016-05-01

MANETs allow mobile nodes communicating to each other using the wireless medium. A key aspect of these kind of networks is the security, because their setup is done without an infrastructure, so external nodes could interfere in the communication. Mobile nodes could be compromised, misbehaving during the multi-hop transmission of data, or they could have a selfish behavior to save energy, which is another important constraint in MANETs. The detection of these behaviors need a framework that takes into account the latest interactions among nodes, so malicious or selfish nodes could be detected also if their behavior is changed over time. The monitoring activity increases the energy consumption, so our proposal takes into account this issue reducing the energy required by the monitoring system, keeping the effectiveness of the intrusion detection system. The results show an improvement in the saved energy, improving the detection performance too.

Using Instructional Design, Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate, to Develop e-Learning Modules to Disseminate Supported Employment for Community Behavioral Health Treatment Programs in New York State.

PubMed

Patel, Sapana R; Margolies, Paul J; Covell, Nancy H; Lipscomb, Cristine; Dixon, Lisa B

2018-01-01

Implementation science lacks a systematic approach to the development of learning strategies for online training in evidence-based practices (EBPs) that takes the context of real-world practice into account. The field of instructional design offers ecologically valid and systematic processes to develop learning strategies for workforce development and performance support. This report describes the application of an instructional design framework-Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) model-in the development and evaluation of e-learning modules as one strategy among a multifaceted approach to the implementation of individual placement and support (IPS), a model of supported employment for community behavioral health treatment programs, in New York State. We applied quantitative and qualitative methods to develop and evaluate three IPS e-learning modules. Throughout the ADDIE process, we conducted formative and summative evaluations and identified determinants of implementation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Formative evaluations consisted of qualitative feedback received from recipients and providers during early pilot work. The summative evaluation consisted of levels 1 and 2 (reaction to the training, self-reported knowledge, and practice change) quantitative and qualitative data and was guided by the Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation. Formative evaluation with key stakeholders identified a range of learning needs that informed the development of a pilot training program in IPS. Feedback on this pilot training program informed the design document of three e-learning modules on IPS: Introduction to IPS, IPS Job development, and Using the IPS Employment Resource Book . Each module was developed iteratively and provided an assessment of learning needs that informed successive modules. All modules were disseminated and evaluated through a learning management system. Summative evaluation revealed that learners rated the modules positively, and self-report of knowledge acquisition was high (mean range: 4.4-4.6 out of 5). About half of learners indicated that they would change their practice after watching the modules (range: 48-51%). All learners who completed the level 1 evaluation demonstrated 80% or better mastery of knowledge on the level 2 evaluation embedded in each module. The CFIR was used to identify implementation barriers and facilitators among the evaluation data which facilitated planning for subsequent implementation support activities in the IPS initiative. Instructional design approaches such as ADDIE may offer implementation scientists and practitioners a flexible and systematic approach for the development of e-learning modules as a single component or one strategy in a multifaceted approach for training in EBPs.

The individual and combined effects of phenmetrazine and mgluR2/3 agonist LY379268 on the motivation to self-administer cocaine.

PubMed

Karkhanis, Anushree N; Beveridge, Thomas J R; Blough, Bruce E; Jones, Sara R; Ferris, Mark J

2016-09-01

The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved a treatment for cocaine addiction, possibly due in part to the fact that repeated cocaine use results in dysregulation of multiple neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate and dopamine, and an emergence of increased negative affective states and heightening motivation to take cocaine despite negative consequences. We used a combination therapy approach to assess whether modulation of both glutamate and dopamine transmission would reduce the motivation to self- administer cocaine compared to modulation of either system alone. The metabotropic glutamate 2/3 receptor agonist, LY379268, and the monoamine releaser, phenmetrazine, were used to assess their individual and combined ability to decrease the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine because they modulate glutamate and dopamine levels, respectively. Cocaine breakpoints and cocaine intake was assessed, using a progressive ratio schedule, at baseline in three groups based on dose of cocaine (0.19, 0.38, 0.75mg/kg/infusion), and following LY379268 (0.03 or 0.30mg/kg; i.p.), phenmetrazine (25mg/kg/day; osmotic minipump), and a combination of the two drugs. LY379268 and phenmetrazine alone reduced breakpoints for all doses of cocaine. The combination of the two drugs showed a concerted effect in reducing breakpoints for all doses of cocaine, with the lowest dose of cocaine reduced by as much as 70%. These data support combination therapy of dopamine and glutamate systems as an effective means to reduce the motivation to take cocaine since a combination of drugs can address neurobiological dysfunction in multiple neurotransmitter systems compared to therapies using single drugs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Systems Thinking to Evaluate Formative Feedback in UK Higher Education: The Case of Classroom Response Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagano, Rosane; Paucar-Caceres, Alberto

2013-01-01

Providing high quality formative feedback to large and very diverse cohorts of students taking short intensive blocks of teaching (block release) has become crucial in management education provision. The paper proposes the exploitation of classroom response technology (CRT) to evaluate learning activities of students taking block release modules.…

Addressing the Challenges of Multi-Domain Data Integration with the SemantEco Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patton, E. W.; Seyed, P.; McGuinness, D. L.

2013-12-01

Data integration across multiple domains will continue to be a challenge with the proliferation of big data in the sciences. Data origination issues and how data are manipulated are critical to enable scientists to understand and consume disparate datasets as research becomes more multidisciplinary. We present the SemantEco framework as an exemplar for designing an integrative portal for data discovery, exploration, and interpretation that uses best practice W3C Recommendations. We use the Resource Description Framework (RDF) with extensible ontologies described in the Web Ontology Language (OWL) to provide graph-based data representation. Furthermore, SemantEco ingests data via the software package csv2rdf4lod, which generates data provenance using the W3C provenance recommendation (PROV). Our presentation will discuss benefits and challenges of semantic integration, their effect on runtime performance, and how the SemantEco framework assisted in identifying performance issues and improved query performance across multiple domains by an order of magnitude. SemantEco benefits from a semantic approach that provides an 'open world', which allows data to incrementally change just as it does in the real world. SemantEco modules may load new ontologies and data using the W3C's SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language via HTTP. Modules may also provide user interface elements for applications and query capabilities to support new use cases. Modules can associate with domains, which are first-class objects in SemantEco. This enables SemantEco to perform integration and reasoning both within and across domains on module-provided data. The SemantEco framework has been used to construct a web portal for environmental and ecological data. The portal includes water and air quality data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and species observation counts for birds and fish from the Avian Knowledge Network and the Santa Barbara Long Term Ecological Research, respectively. We provide regulation ontologies using OWL2 datatype facets to detect out-of-range measurements for environmental standards set by the EPA, i.a. Users adjust queries using module-defined facets and a map presents the resulting measurement sites. Custom icons identify sites that violate regulations, making them easy to locate. Selecting a site gives the option of charting spatially proximate data from different domains over time. Our portal currently provides 1.6 billion triples of scientific data in RDF. We segment data by ZIP code and reasoning over 2157 measurements with our EPA regulation ontology that contains 131 regulations takes 2.5 seconds on a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad with 8 GB of RAM. SemantEco's modular design and reasoning capabilities make it an exemplar for building multidisciplinary data integration tools that provide data access to scientists and the general population alike. Its provenance tracking provides accountability and its reasoning services can assist users in interpreting data. Future work includes support for geographical queries using the Open Geospatial Consortium's GeoSPARQL standard.

76 FR 78 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Engine Control Module Speed Limiter Device

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-03

... be equipped with an electronic control module (ECM) that is capable of limiting the maximum speed of the vehicle. 2. The ECM shall be set at no more than 68 mph by the manufacturer. 3. The ECM should be... ECM to be adjusted to let the vehicle exceed 68 mph. 4. Immediately upon the rule taking effect...

Entering Adulthood: Creating a Healthy Environment. A Curriculum for Grades 9-12. Contemporary Health Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd-Kolkin, Donna

This module is oriented toward information students in grades 9-12 about the impact of environmental hazards on human health, and to motivate them to take personal responsibility for their part in protecting the environment. Instructionally, the module utilizes a small group cooperative learning strategy, and is organized into nine lessons. Part 1…

We the People: Sex Bias in American History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Patricia B.; Katrin, Susan E.

The guide presents an instructional module on sex stereotyping in the social studies, particularly in U.S. history. Intended to be used with secondary students, the module was designed to be used as an independent miniunit or as a supplement to an existing course, and should take between one and two hours. It consists of a 30-minute tape, six…

View of White Room atop Pad A during Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1969-01-01

Interior view of the White Room atop Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kenndy Space Center, during Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test activity. Standing next to spacecraft hatch is Astronaut James A. McDivitt, commander. Also taking part in the training exercise were Astronauts David R. Scott, command module pilot; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot.

Introduction to the MAST Program. MAS-100. Waste Isolation Division (WID). Management and Supervisor Training (MAST) Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM.

This module is part of a set of management and supervisor training (MAST) materials developed by the Department of Energy for the Waste Isolation Division. Its stated purpose is to provide participants with knowledge and skills necessary to take full advantage of the MAST learning experience. The module contains program guidelines, sample…

APOLLO 16 ASTRONAUTS JOHN YOUNG AND CHARLES DUKE EXAMINE FAR ULTRAVIOLET CAMERA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot Charles M. Duke, Jr., left and Mission Commander John W. Young examine Far Ultraviolet Camera they will take to the Moon in March. They will measure the universe's ultraviolet spectrum. They will be launched to the Moon no earlier than March 17, 1972, with Command Module Pilot Thomas K. Mattingly, II.

PC_Eyewitness: evaluating the New Jersey method.

PubMed

MacLin, Otto H; Phelan, Colin M

2007-05-01

One important variable in eyewitness identification research is lineup administration procedure. Lineups administered sequentially (one at a time) have been shown to reduce the number of false identifications in comparison with those administered simultaneously (all at once). As a result, some policymakers have adopted sequential administration. However, they have made slight changes to the method used in psychology laboratories. Eyewitnesses in the field are allowed to take multiple passes through a lineup, whereas participants in the laboratory are allowed only one pass. PC_Eyewitness (PCE) is a computerized system used to construct and administer simultaneous or sequential lineups in both the laboratory and the field. It is currently being used in laboratories investigating eyewitness identification in the United States, Canada, and abroad. A modified version of PCE is also being developed for a local police department. We developed a new module for PCE, the New Jersey module, to examine the effects of a second pass. We found that the sequential advantage was eliminated when the participants were allowed to view the lineup a second time. The New Jersey module, and steps we are taking to improve on the module, are presented here and are being made available to the research and law enforcement communities.

Modelling the snowmelt and the snow water equivalent by creating a simplified energy balance conceptual snow model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riboust, Philippe; Thirel, Guillaume; Le Moine, Nicolas; Ribstein, Pierre

2016-04-01

A better knowledge of the accumulated snow on the watersheds will help flood forecasting centres and hydro-power companies to predict the amount of water released during spring snowmelt. Since precipitations gauges are sparse at high elevations and integrative measurements of the snow accumulated on watershed surface are hard to obtain, using snow models is an adequate way to estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) on watersheds. In addition to short term prediction, simulating accurately SWE with snow models should have many advantages. Validating the snow module on both SWE and snowmelt should give a more reliable model for climate change studies or regionalization for ungauged watersheds. The aim of this study is to create a new snow module, which has a structure that allows the use of measured snow data for calibration or assimilation. Energy balance modelling seems to be the logical choice for designing a model in which internal variables, such as SWE, could be compared to observations. Physical models are complex, needing high computational resources and many different types of inputs that are not widely measured at meteorological stations. At the opposite, simple conceptual degree-day models offer to simulate snowmelt using only temperature and precipitation as inputs with fast computing. Its major drawback is to be empirical, i.e. not taking into account all of the processes of the energy balance, which makes this kind of model more difficult to use when willing to compare SWE to observed measurements. In order to reach our objectives, we created a snow model structured by a simplified energy balance where each of the processes is empirically parameterized in order to be calculated using only temperature, precipitation and cloud cover variables. This model's structure is similar to the one created by M.T. Walter (2005), where parameterizations from the literature were used to compute all of the processes of the energy balance. The conductive fluxes into the snowpack were modelled by using analytical solutions to the heat equation taking phase change into account. This approach has the advantage to use few forcing variables and to take into account all the processes of the energy balance. Indeed, the simulations should be quick enough to allow, for example, ensemble prediction or simulation of numerous basins, more easily than physical snow models. The snow module formulation has been completed and is in its validation phase using data from the experimental station of Col de Porte, Alpes, France. Data from the US SNOTEL product will be used in order to test the model structure on a larger scale and to test diverse calibration procedures, since the aim is to use it on a basin scale for discharge modelling purposes.

Machine Learning for Knowledge Extraction from PHR Big Data.

PubMed

Poulymenopoulou, Michaela; Malamateniou, Flora; Vassilacopoulos, George

2014-01-01

Cloud computing, Internet of things (IOT) and NoSQL database technologies can support a new generation of cloud-based PHR services that contain heterogeneous (unstructured, semi-structured and structured) patient data (health, social and lifestyle) from various sources, including automatically transmitted data from Internet connected devices of patient living space (e.g. medical devices connected to patients at home care). The patient data stored in such PHR systems constitute big data whose analysis with the use of appropriate machine learning algorithms is expected to improve diagnosis and treatment accuracy, to cut healthcare costs and, hence, to improve the overall quality and efficiency of healthcare provided. This paper describes a health data analytics engine which uses machine learning algorithms for analyzing cloud based PHR big health data towards knowledge extraction to support better healthcare delivery as regards disease diagnosis and prognosis. This engine comprises of the data preparation, the model generation and the data analysis modules and runs on the cloud taking advantage from the map/reduce paradigm provided by Apache Hadoop.

Baikal-GVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avrorin, A. D.; Avrorin, A. V.; Aynutdinov, V. M.; Bannash, R.; Belolaptikov, I. A.; Brudanin, V. B.; Budnev, N. M.; Danilchenko, I. A.; Demidov, S. V.; Domogatsky, G. V.; Doroshenko, A. A.; Dvornicky, R.; Dyachok, A. N.; Dzhilkibaev, Zh.-A. M.; Fajt, L.; Fialkovsky, S. V.; Gafarov, A. R.; Gaponenko, O. N.; Golubkov, K. V.; Gress, T. I.; Honz, Z.; Kebkal, K. G.; Kebkal, O. G.; Konischev, K. V.; Korobchenko, A. V.; Koshechkin, A. P.; Koshel, F. K.; Kozhin, A. V.; Kulepov, V. F.; Kuleshov, D. A.; Milenin, M. B.; Mirgazov, R. A.; Osipova, E. R.; Panfilov, A. I.; Pan'kov, L. V.; Pliskovsky, E. N.; Rozanov, M. I.; Rjabov, E. V.; Shamakhov, F. A.; Shaybonov, B. A.; Sheifler, A. A.; Shelepov, M. D.; Simkovic, F.; Skurihin, A. V.; Smagina, A. A.; Stekl, I.; Suvorova, O. V.; Tabolenko, V. A.; Tarashansky, B. A.; Yakovlev, S. A.; Zagorodnikov, A. V.; Zurbanov, V. L.

2017-03-01

We present the status of the Gigaton Volume Detector in Lake Baikal (Baikal-GVD) designed for the detection of high energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin. The telescope consists of functionally independent clusters, sub-arrays of optical modules (OMs), which are connected to shore by individual electro-optical cables. During 2015 the GVD demonstration cluster, comprising 192 OMs, has been successfully operated in Lake Baikal. In 2016 this array was upgraded to baseline configuration of GVD cluster with 288 OMs arranged on eight vertical strings. Thus the instrumented water volume has been increased up to about 5.9 Mtons. The array was commissioned in early April 2016 and takes data since then. We describe the configuration and design of the 2016 array. Preliminary results obtained with data recorded in 2015 are also discussed.

Method and apparatus for second-rank tensor generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Hua-Kuang (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A method and apparatus are disclosed for generation of second-rank tensors using a photorefractive crystal to perform the outer-product between two vectors via four-wave mixing, thereby taking 2n input data to a control n squared output data points. Two orthogonal amplitude modulated coherent vector beams x and y are expanded and then parallel sides of the photorefractive crystal in exact opposition. A beamsplitter is used to direct a coherent pumping beam onto the crystal at an appropriate angle so as to produce a conjugate beam that is the matrix product of the vector beam that propagates in the exact opposite direction from the pumping beam. The conjugate beam thus separated is the tensor output xy (sup T).

Galactic cosmic ray composition and energy spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mewaldt, R. A.

1994-01-01

Galactic cosmic ray nuclei represent a significant risk to long-duration spaceflight outside the magnetosphere. We review briefly existing measurements of the composition and energy spectra of heavy cosmic ray nuclei, pointing out which species and energy ranges are most critical to assessing cosmic ray risks for spaceflight. Key data sets are identified and a table of cosmic ray abundances is presented for elements from H to Ni (Z = 1 to 28). Because of the 22-year nature of the solar modulation cycle, data from the approaching 1998 solar minimum is especially important to reducing uncertainties in the cosmic ray radiation hazard. It is recommended that efforts to model this hazard take advantage of approaches that have been developed to model the astrophysical aspects of cosmic rays.

Perl at the Joint Astronomy Centre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenness, Tim; Economou, Frossie; Tilanus, Remo P. J.; Best, Casey; Prestage, Richard M.; Shimek, Pam; Glazebrook, Karl; Farrell, Tony J.

Perl is used extensively at the JAC (UKIRT and JCMT) and because of the language's flexibility (enabling us to interface perl to any library) we are finding that it is possible to write all of our utilities in it. This simplifies support and aids code reuse (via the module system and object oriented interface) as well as shortening development time. Currently we have developed interfaces to messaging systems (ADAM and DRAMA), I/O libraries (NDF, GSD), astronomical libraries (SLALIB) and the Starlink noticeboard system (NBS). We have also developed tools to aid in data taking (the JCMT observation desk) and data processing (surf and orac-dr) This paper will briefly review the facilities available, with an emphasis on those which might be of interest to other observatories.

Fair comparison of complexity between a multi-band CAP and DMT for data center interconnects.

PubMed

Wei, J L; Sanchez, C; Giacoumidis, E

2017-10-01

We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first known detailed analysis and fair comparison of complexity of a 56 Gb/s multi-band carrierless amplitude and phase (CAP) and discrete multi-tone (DMT) over 80 km dispersion compensation fiber-free single-mode fiber links based on intensity modulation and direct detection for data center interconnects. We show that the matched finite impulse response filters and inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT)/FFT take the majority of the complexity of the multi-band CAP and DMT, respectively. The choice of the multi-band CAP sub-band count and the DMT IFFT/FFT size makes significant impact on the system complexity or performance, and trade-off must be considered.

Thermodynamic behavior of the binaries 1-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate with water and alkanols: their interpretation using 1H NMR spectroscopy and quantum-chemistry calculations.

PubMed

Vreekamp, Remko; Castellano, Desire; Palomar, José; Ortega, Juan; Espiau, Fernando; Fernández, Luís; Penco, Eduvigis

2011-07-14

Here we present experimental data of different properties for a set of binary mixtures composed of water or alkanols (methanol to butanol) with an ionic liquid (IL), butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate [bpy][BF(4)]. Solubility data (x(IL),T) are presented for each of the mixtures, including water, which is found to have a small interval of compositions in IL, x(IL), with immiscibility. In each case, the upper critical solubility temperature (UCST) is determined and a correlation was observed between the UCST and the nature of the compounds in the mixtures. Miscibility curves establish the composition and temperature intervals where thermodynamic properties of the mixtures, such as enthalpies H(m)(E) and volumes V(m)(E), can be determined. Hence, at 298.15 and 318.15 K these can only be found with the first four alkanols. All mixing properties are correlated with a suitable equation ξ (x(IL),T,Y(m)(E) = 0. An analysis on the influence of the temperature in the properties is shown, likewise a comparison between the results obtained here and those of analogous mixtures, discussing the position of the -CH(3) group in the pyridinic ring. The (1)H NMR spectra are determined to analyze the molecular interactions present, especially those due to hydrogen bonds. Additional information about the molecular interactions and their influence on the mixing properties is obtained by quantum chemistry calculations. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Vacuum suppression of acousto-optic self-modulation in a broad-area Nd-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet single-shot laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rus, M. Odín Soler; Cabrera-Granado, E.; Guerra Pérez, J. M.

2013-07-01

We report on the origin of an acousto-optic Raman-Nath self-modulation found in a broad-area Nd:YAG single-shot laser. Operating the laser device under vacuum conditions suppresses the spectral splitting associated with acousto-optic modulation by the shock waves produced by the discharge of the pumping flash lamps. This splitting is reproduced by a general class B laser model that takes into account the dynamical density grating generated by a stationary acoustic radial wave.

View of White Room atop Pad A during Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test

NASA Image and Video Library

1969-02-23

S69-25884 (23 Feb. 1969) --- Interior view of the white room atop Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, during Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test activity. Standing next to spacecraft hatch is astronaut James A. McDivitt, commander. Also, taking part in the training exercise were astronauts David R. Scott, command module pilot; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. The Apollo 9 mission will evaluate spacecraft lunar module systems performance during manned Earth-orbital flight. Apollo 9 will be the second manned Saturn V mission.

Space vehicle chassis

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

Judd, Stephen; Dallmann, Nicholas; Seitz, Daniel

A modular space vehicle chassis may facilitate convenient access to internal components of the space vehicle. Each module may be removable from the others such that each module may be worked on individually. Multiple panels of at least one of the modules may swing open or otherwise be removable, exposing large portions of the internal components of the space vehicle. Such chassis architectures may reduce the time required for and difficulty of performing maintenance or modifications, may allow multiple space vehicles to take advantage of a common chassis design, and may further allow for highly customizable space vehicles.

No3CoGP: non-conserved and conserved coexpressed gene pairs.

PubMed

Mal, Chittabrata; Aftabuddin, Md; Kundu, Sudip

2014-12-08

Analyzing the microarray data of different conditions, one can identify the conserved and condition-specific genes and gene modules, and thus can infer the underlying cellular activities. All the available tools based on Bioconductor and R packages differ in how they extract differential coexpression and at what level they study. There is a need for a user-friendly, flexible tool which can start analysis using raw or preprocessed microarray data and can report different levels of useful information. We present a GUI software, No3CoGP: Non-Conserved and Conserved Coexpressed Gene Pairs which takes Affymetrix microarray data (.CEL files or log2 normalized.txt files) along with annotation file (.csv file), Chip Definition File (CDF file) and probe file as inputs, utilizes the concept of network density cut-off and Fisher's z-test to extract biologically relevant information. It can identify four possible types of gene pairs based on their coexpression relationships. These are (i) gene pair showing coexpression in one condition but not in the other, (ii) gene pair which is positively coexpressed in one condition but negatively coexpressed in the other condition, (iii) positively and (iv) negatively coexpressed in both the conditions. Further, it can generate modules of coexpressed genes. Easy-to-use GUI interface enables researchers without knowledge in R language to use No3CoGP. Utilization of one or more CPU cores, depending on the availability, speeds up the program. The output files stored in the respective directories under the user-defined project offer the researchers to unravel condition-specific functionalities of gene, gene sets or modules.

Modulated magnetic structure of F e3P O7 as seen by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, A. V.; Akulenko, A. A.; Glazkova, I. S.; Pankratov, D. A.; Presniakov, I. A.

2018-03-01

The paper reports results of the 57Fe Mössbauer measurements on an F e3P O4O3 powder sample recorded at various temperatures, including the point of magnetic phase transition TN≈163 K . The spectra measured above TN consist of a quadrupole doublet with high quadrupole splitting of Δ300 K≈1.10 mm /s , emphasizing that F e3 + ions are located in crystal positions with a strong electric-field gradient (EFG). To predict the sign and orientation of the main components of the EFG tensor, we calculated the EFG using the density-functional-theory approach. In the temperature range T

Antipsychotic dose modulates behavioral and neural responses to feedback during reinforcement learning in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Insel, Catherine; Reinen, Jenna; Weber, Jochen; Wager, Tor D; Jarskog, L Fredrik; Shohamy, Daphna; Smith, Edward E

2014-03-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by an abnormal dopamine system, and dopamine blockade is the primary mechanism of antipsychotic treatment. Consistent with the known role of dopamine in reward processing, prior research has demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia exhibit impairments in reward-based learning. However, it remains unknown how treatment with antipsychotic medication impacts the behavioral and neural signatures of reinforcement learning in schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to examine whether antipsychotic medication modulates behavioral and neural responses to prediction error coding during reinforcement learning. Patients with schizophrenia completed a reinforcement learning task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The task consisted of two separate conditions in which participants accumulated monetary gain or avoided monetary loss. Behavioral results indicated that antipsychotic medication dose was associated with altered behavioral approaches to learning, such that patients taking higher doses of medication showed increased sensitivity to negative reinforcement. Higher doses of antipsychotic medication were also associated with higher learning rates (LRs), suggesting that medication enhanced sensitivity to trial-by-trial feedback. Neuroimaging data demonstrated that antipsychotic dose was related to differences in neural signatures of feedback prediction error during the loss condition. Specifically, patients taking higher doses of medication showed attenuated prediction error responses in the striatum and the medial prefrontal cortex. These findings indicate that antipsychotic medication treatment may influence motivational processes in patients with schizophrenia.

STS-98 crew members take part in CEIT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Inside the U.S. Lab, Destiny, members of the STS-98 crew work with technicians (in the background) to learn more about the equipment in the module. They are taking part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities. At left, back to camera, is Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins. Standing are Mission Specialists Thomas Jones (left) and Robert Curbeam (right). Other crew members not seen are Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky. The mission will be transporting the Lab to the International Space Station with five system racks already installed inside of the module. With delivery of electronics in the lab, electrically powered attitude control for Control Moment Gyroscopes will be activated. The STS-98 launch is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2001.

Creation a Geo Big Data Outreach and Training Collaboratory for Wildfire Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altintas, I.; Sale, J.; Block, J.; Cowart, C.; Crawl, D.

2015-12-01

A major challenge for the geoscience community is the training and education of current and next generation big data geoscientists. In wildfire research, there are an increasing number of tools, middleware and techniques to use for data science related to wildfires. The necessary computing infrastructures are often within reach and most of the software tools for big data are freely available. But what has been lacking is a transparent platform and training program to produce data science experts who can use these integrated tools effectively. Scientists well versed to take advantage of big data technologies in geoscience applications is of critical importance to the future of research and knowledge advancement. To address this critical need, we are developing learning modules to teach process-based thinking to capture the value of end-to-end systems of reusable blocks of knowledge and integrate the tools and technologies used in big data analysis in an intuitive manner. WIFIRE is an end-to-end cyberinfrastructure for dynamic data-driven simulation, prediction and visualization of wildfire behavior.To this end, we are openly extending an environment we have built for "big data training" (biobigdata.ucsd.edu) to similar MOOC-based approaches to the wildfire community. We are building an environment that includes training modules for distributed platforms and systems, Big Data concepts, and scalable workflow tools, along with other basics of data science including data management, reproducibility and sharing of results. We also plan to provide teaching modules with analytical and dynamic data-driven wildfire behavior modeling case studies which address the needs not only of standards-based K-12 science education but also the needs of a well-educated and informed citizenry.Another part our outreach mission is to educate our community on all aspects of wildfire research. One of the most successful ways of accomplishing this is through high school and undergraduate student internships. Students have worked closely with WIFIRE researchers on various projects including the development of statistical models of wildfire ignition probabilities for southern California, and the development of a smartphone app for crowd-sourced wildfire reporting through social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Teleoperation with virtual force feedback

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

Anderson, R.J.

1993-08-01

In this paper we describe an algorithm for generating virtual forces in a bilateral teleoperator system. The virtual forces are generated from a world model and are used to provide real-time obstacle avoidance and guidance capabilities. The algorithm requires that the slaves tool and every object in the environment be decomposed into convex polyhedral Primitives. Intrusion distance and extraction vectors are then derived at every time step by applying Gilbert`s polyhedra distance algorithm, which has been adapted for the task. This information is then used to determine the compression and location of nonlinear virtual spring-dampers whose total force is summedmore » and applied to the manipulator/teleoperator system. Experimental results validate the whole approach, showing that it is possible to compute the algorithm and generate realistic, useful psuedo forces for a bilateral teleoperator system using standard VME bus hardware.« less

Silicon photomultipliers for scintillating trackers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabaioli, S.; Berra, A.; Bolognini, D.; Bonvicini, V.; Bosisio, L.; Ciano, S.; Iugovaz, D.; Lietti, D.; Penzo, A.; Prest, M.; Rashevskaya, I.; Reia, S.; Stoppani, L.; Vallazza, E.

2012-12-01

In recent years, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have been proposed as a new kind of readout device for scintillating detectors in many experiments. A SiPM consists of a matrix of parallel-connected pixels, which are independent photon counters working in Geiger mode with very high gain (∼106). This contribution presents the use of an array of eight SiPMs (manufactured by FBK-irst) for the readout of a scintillating bar tracker (a small size prototype of the Electron Muon Ranger detector for the MICE experiment). The performances of the SiPMs in terms of signal to noise ratio, efficiency and time resolution will be compared to the ones of a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) connected to the same bars. Both the SiPMs and the MAPMT are interfaced to a VME system through a 64 channel MAROC ASIC.

A pulse shape discriminator and an online system for the balloon-borne hard X-ray/gamma-ray detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, T.; Kamae, T.; Tanaka, M.; Gunji, S.; Miyazuki, S.; Tamura, T.; Sekimoto, Y.; Yamaoka, N.; Nishimura, J.; Yajima, N.

Attention is given to a new kind of phoswich counters (the well-type phoswich counter) that will be capable of detecting very low flux hard X-rays/gamma-rays (40-1000 keV) from astronomical objects. A specially designed pulse-shape discriminator (PSD) selects hard X-rays/gamma-rays that has deposited energy only in the detection part. Sixty-four such counters are assembled into an array where each phoswich element acts as an active shield to the neighboring elements too. The ADCs, the TDCs, the hit-pattern latches, and the precision clock are read out by a VME-based online system, stored on an 8-mm video tape, and transmitted to the ground station. The design and performance of the pulse shape discriminator and the online system are described.

Circadian Rhythms and Substance Abuse: Chronobiological Considerations for the Treatment of Addiction.

PubMed

Webb, Ian C

2017-02-01

Reward-related learning, including that associated with drugs of abuse, is largely mediated by the dopaminergic mesolimbic pathway. Mesolimbic neurophysiology and motivated behavior, in turn, are modulated by the circadian timing system which generates ∼24-h rhythms in cellular activity. Both drug taking and seeking and mesolimbic dopaminergic neurotransmission can vary widely over the day. Moreover, circadian clock genes are expressed in ventral tegmental area dopaminergic cells and in mesolimbic target regions where they can directly modulate reward-related neurophysiology and behavior. There also exists a reciprocal influence between drug taking and circadian timing as the administration of drugs of abuse can alter behavioral rhythms and circadian clock gene expression in mesocorticolimbic structures. These interactions suggest that manipulations of the circadian timing system may have some utility in the treatment of substance abuse disorders. Here, the literature on bidirectional interactions between the circadian timing system and drug taking is briefly reviewed, and potential chronotherapeutic considerations for the treatment of addiction are discussed.

Higher Order Modulation Intersymbol Interference Caused by Traveling-wave Tube Amplifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kory, Carol L.; Andro, Monty; Williams, W. D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

For the first time, a time-dependent, physics-based computational model has been used to provide a direct description of the effects of the traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA) on modulated digital signals. The TWT model comprehensively takes into account the effects of frequency dependent AM/AM and AM/PM conversion; gain and phase ripple; drive-induced oscillations; harmonic generation; intermodulation products; and backward waves, Thus, signal integrity can be investigated in the presence of these sources of potential distortion as a function of the physical geometry and operating characteristics of the high power amplifier and the operational digital signal. This method promises superior predictive fidelity compared to methods using TWT models based on swept-amplitude and/or swept-frequency data. First, the TWT model using the three dimensional (3D) electromagnetic code MAFIA is presented. Then, this comprehensive model is used to investigate approximations made in conventional TWT black-box models used in communication system level simulations, To quantitatively demonstrate the effects these approximations have on digital signal performance predictions, including intersymbol interference (ISI), the MAFIA results are compared to the system level analysis tool, Signal Processing, Workstation (SPW), using high order modulation schemes including 16 and 64-QAM.

Educational Module on Conservation and Management of Natural Resources. Environmental Education Series 3. Unesco-UNEP International Environmental Education Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). Div. of Science, Technical and Environmental Education.

Environmental education should lead children, as future citizens, to acquire a more objective view of the way human societies function. It should also encourage an individual to take an active part in the community and to arouse the desire to take a responsible attitude regarding natural resource management. This experimental teaching module…

Crossing the Gap between Indigenous Worldview and Western Science: Millet Festival as a Bridge in the Teaching Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiang, Chia-Ling; Lee, Huei

2015-01-01

The worldview within indigenous people's traditional knowledge and western science can be a world of difference. In order to help indigenous students cross the gap and develop a sense of cultural identification. Taking Bunun, one of the Taiwanese indigenous tribes, as our subject, this study aims to develop a teaching module through Bunun's Millet…

Alcohol and Other Drugs: Realities for You and Your Family. Health Promotion for Adult Literacy Students: An Empowering Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrigan, Mary

This document is a learning module designed to provide adult literacy practitioners in New York and elsewhere with the materials needed to take an empowering approach to helping adult literacy learners deal with the realities of alcohol and other drug issues affecting them and their families. The module includes background material, information on…

Process evaluation distributed system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moffatt, Christopher L. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The distributed system includes a database server, an administration module, a process evaluation module, and a data display module. The administration module is in communication with the database server for providing observation criteria information to the database server. The process evaluation module is in communication with the database server for obtaining the observation criteria information from the database server and collecting process data based on the observation criteria information. The process evaluation module utilizes a personal digital assistant (PDA). A data display module in communication with the database server, including a website for viewing collected process data in a desired metrics form, the data display module also for providing desired editing and modification of the collected process data. The connectivity established by the database server to the administration module, the process evaluation module, and the data display module, minimizes the requirement for manual input of the collected process data.

The Role of Antibiotics in Modulating Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Hodille, Elisabeth; Rose, Warren; Diep, Binh An; Goutelle, Sylvain; Lina, Gerard; Dumitrescu, Oana

2017-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus is often involved in severe infections, in which the effects of bacterial virulence factors have great importance. Antistaphylococcal regimens should take into account the different effects of antibacterial agents on the expression of virulence factors and on the host's immune response. A PubMed literature search was performed to select relevant articles on the effects of antibiotics on staphylococcal toxin production and on the host immune response. Information was sorted according to the methods used for data acquisition (bacterial strains, growth models, and antibiotic concentrations) and the assays used for readout generation. The reported mechanisms underlying S. aureus virulence modulation by antibiotics were reviewed. The relevance of in vitro observations is discussed in relation to animal model data and to clinical evidence extracted from case reports and recommendations on the management of toxin-related staphylococcal diseases. Most in vitro data point to a decreased level of virulence expression upon treatment with ribosomally active antibiotics (linezolid and clindamycin), while cell wall-active antibiotics (beta-lactams) mainly increase exotoxin production. In vivo studies confirmed the suppressive effect of clindamycin and linezolid on virulence expression, supporting their utilization as a valuable management strategy to improve patient outcomes in cases of toxin-associated staphylococcal disease. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

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

CorAL is a software Library designed to aid in the analysis of femtoscipic data. Femtoscopic data are a class of measured quantities used in heavy-ion collisions to characterize particle emitting source sizes. The most common type of this data is two-particle correleations induced by the Hanbury-Brown/Twiss (HBT) Effect, but can also include correlations induced by final-state interactions between pairs of emitted particles in a heavy-ion collision. Because heavy-ion collisions are complex many particle systems, modeling hydrodynamical models or hybrid techniques. Using the CRAB module, CorAL can turn the output from these models into something that can be directley compared tomore » experimental data. CorAL can also take the raw experimentally measured correlation functions and image them by inverting the Koonin-Pratt equation to extract the space-time emission profile of the particle emitting source. This source function can be further analyzed or directly compared to theoretical calculations.« less

Demonstration of DFTS-OFDM and equalization technology using in VLC communication on the headset port of Android device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fumin; Shi, Meng; Chi, Nan

2016-10-01

Visible light communication (VLC) is one of the hottest research directions in wireless communication. It is safe, fast and free of electromagnetic interference. We carry out the visible light communication using DFTS-OFDM modulation mode through the headset port to and take equalization technique to compensate the channel. In this paper, we first test the feasibility of the DFTS-OFDM modulated VLC system by analyzing the constellation and the transmission error rate via the headset interface of the smartphone. Then we change the peak value of the signal generated by the AWG as well as the static current to find the best working point. We tested the effect of changing the up-sample number on the BER performance of the communication system, and compared the BER performance of 16QAM and 8QAM modulation in different equalization method. We also do experiment to find how distance affect the performance of the communication and the maximum communication rate that can be achieved. We successfully demonstrated a visible light communication system detected by a headset port of a smart phone for a 32QAM DFTS-OFDM modulated signal of 27.5kb/s over a 3-meter free space transmission. The light source is traditional phosphorescent white LED. This result, as far as we know, is the highest data rate of VLC system via headset port detection.

Towards Highly-Efficient Phototriggered Data Storage by Utilizing a Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Photoelectronic Small Molecule.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Li, Hua; He, Jinghui; Xu, Qingfeng; Li, Najun; Chen, Dongyun; Lu, Jianmei

2016-07-20

A cooperative photoelectrical strategy is proposed for effectively modulating the performance of a multilevel data-storage device. By taking advantage of organic photoelectronic molecules as storage media, the fabricated device exhibited enhanced working parameters under the action of both optical and electrical inputs. In cooperation with UV light, the operating voltages of the memory device were decreased, which was beneficial for low energy consumption. Moreover, the ON/OFF current ratio was more tunable and facilitated high-resolution multilevel storage. Compared with previous methods that focused on tuning the storage media, this study provides an easy approach for optimizing organic devices through multiple physical channels. More importantly, this method holds promise for integrating multiple functionalities into high-density data-storage devices. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

JUPITER: Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability - An Application Programming Interface (API) for Model Analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banta, Edward R.; Poeter, Eileen P.; Doherty, John E.; Hill, Mary C.

2006-01-01

he Joint Universal Parameter IdenTification and Evaluation of Reliability Application Programming Interface (JUPITER API) improves the computer programming resources available to those developing applications (computer programs) for model analysis.The JUPITER API consists of eleven Fortran-90 modules that provide for encapsulation of data and operations on that data. Each module contains one or more entities: data, data types, subroutines, functions, and generic interfaces. The modules do not constitute computer programs themselves; instead, they are used to construct computer programs. Such computer programs are called applications of the API. The API provides common modeling operations for use by a variety of computer applications.The models being analyzed are referred to here as process models, and may, for example, represent the physics, chemistry, and(or) biology of a field or laboratory system. Process models commonly are constructed using published models such as MODFLOW (Harbaugh et al., 2000; Harbaugh, 2005), MT3DMS (Zheng and Wang, 1996), HSPF (Bicknell et al., 1997), PRMS (Leavesley and Stannard, 1995), and many others. The process model may be accessed by a JUPITER API application as an external program, or it may be implemented as a subroutine within a JUPITER API application . In either case, execution of the model takes place in a framework designed by the application programmer. This framework can be designed to take advantage of any parallel processing capabilities possessed by the process model, as well as the parallel-processing capabilities of the JUPITER API.Model analyses for which the JUPITER API could be useful include, for example: Compare model results to observed values to determine how well the model reproduces system processes and characteristics.Use sensitivity analysis to determine the information provided by observations to parameters and predictions of interest.Determine the additional data needed to improve selected model predictions.Use calibration methods to modify parameter values and other aspects of the model.Compare predictions to regulatory limits.Quantify the uncertainty of predictions based on the results of one or many simulations using inferential or Monte Carlo methods.Determine how to manage the system to achieve stated objectives.The capabilities provided by the JUPITER API include, for example, communication with process models, parallel computations, compressed storage of matrices, and flexible input capabilities. The input capabilities use input blocks suitable for lists or arrays of data. The input blocks needed for one application can be included within one data file or distributed among many files. Data exchange between different JUPITER API applications or between applications and other programs is supported by data-exchange files.The JUPITER API has already been used to construct a number of applications. Three simple example applications are presented in this report. More complicated applications include the universal inverse code UCODE_2005 (Poeter et al., 2005), the multi-model analysis MMA (Eileen P. Poeter, Mary C. Hill, E.R. Banta, S.W. Mehl, and Steen Christensen, written commun., 2006), and a code named OPR_PPR (Matthew J. Tonkin, Claire R. Tiedeman, Mary C. Hill, and D. Matthew Ely, written communication, 2006).This report describes a set of underlying organizational concepts and complete specifics about the JUPITER API. While understanding the organizational concept presented is useful to understanding the modules, other organizational concepts can be used in applications constructed using the JUPITER API.

Preparing Teachers to Support the Development of Climate Literate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Bardar, E. W.; Youngman, E.; Dunlap, C.; Lockwood, J.; Mote, A. S.; McNeal, K.; Libarkin, J. C.; Lynds, S. E.; Gold, A. U.

2014-12-01

The EarthLabs climate project includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at increasing high school teachers' and students' understanding of the factors that shape our planet's climate. The project has developed four new modules which focus on climate literacy and which are part of the larger Web based EarthLabs collection of Earth science modules. Climate related themes highlighted in the new modules include the Earth system with its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. EarthLabs climate modules use two central strategies to help students navigate the multiple challenges inherent in understanding climate science. The first is to actively engage students with the content by using a variety of learning modes, and by allowing students to pace themselves through interactive visualizations that address particularly challenging content. The second strategy, which is the focus of this presentation, is to support teachers in a subject area where few have substantive content knowledge or technical skills. Teachers who grasp the processes and interactions that give Earth its climate and the technical skills to engage with relevant data and visualizations are more likely to be successful in supporting students' understanding of climate's complexities. This presentation will briefly introduce the EarthLabs project and will describe the steps the project takes to prepare climate literate teachers, including Web based resources, teacher workshops, and the development of a cadre of teacher leaders who are prepared to continue leading the workshops after project funding ends.

Using Colored Stochastic Petri Net (CS-PN) software for protocol specification, validation, and evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zenie, Alexandre; Luguern, Jean-Pierre

1987-01-01

The specification, verification, validation, and evaluation, which make up the different steps of the CS-PN software are outlined. The colored stochastic Petri net software is applied to a Wound/Wait protocol decomposable into two principal modules: request or couple (transaction, granule) treatment module and wound treatment module. Each module is specified, verified, validated, and then evaluated separately, to deduce a verification, validation and evaluation of the complete protocol. The colored stochastic Petri nets tool is shown to be a natural extension of the stochastic tool, adapted to distributed systems and protocols, because the color conveniently takes into account the numerous sites, transactions, granules and messages.

ORNL Direct Purchase Information System (DPIS) user's manual. [For PDP-10

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

Grubb, J.W.; Lovin, J.K.; Smith, M.B.

1980-08-01

The ORNL Management Information System (MIS) Direct Purchase Information System (DPIS) is an on-line interactive system of computer programs. The system can provide a manager with commitment and delivery schedule information on current direct purchase requisitions. The commitment data accounts for the orders that have been placed and those requisitions yet to be placed with a vendor. Information can be summarized at many different levels, and individuals can quickly determine the status of their requisitions. DPIS contains data only on active outside direct purchases, but has the capability to access historical data. It provides sufficient flexibility to be used tomore » answer many questions pertinent to the status of these direct purchases and their obligating costs. Even an inexperienced computer user should have little difficulty in learning to use DPIS. The User Module prompts the user on what type of response it is expecting. If the user has doubts as to the response, or if the meaning of the response is not clear, the module will give a detailed list of the options available at that level. The user has control of what data are to be considered, how they are to be grouped, and what format the output will take. As the user selects the options available at a given level, the module proceeds to the next lower level until sufficient input has been supplied to provide the requested information. A major benefit of this interactive, user-oriented system is that the manager can specify the information requirements and does not have to spend time going through a great deal of other data to locate what is needed. Because it is interactive, a search can begin at a summary level and then resort to a more detailed level if needed. DPIS allows the user direct control for selecting the type of commitment data, output, funds, and direct purchase.« less

SU-F-J-72: A Clinical Usable Integrated Contouring Quality Evaluation Software for Radiotherapy

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

Jiang, S; Dolly, S; Cai, B

Purpose: To introduce the Auto Contour Evaluation (ACE) software, which is the clinical usable, user friendly, efficient and all-in-one toolbox for automatically identify common contouring errors in radiotherapy treatment planning using supervised machine learning techniques. Methods: ACE is developed with C# using Microsoft .Net framework and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) for elegant GUI design and smooth GUI transition animations through the integration of graphics engines and high dots per inch (DPI) settings on modern high resolution monitors. The industrial standard software design pattern, Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern, is chosen to be the major architecture of ACE for neat coding structure, deepmore » modularization, easy maintainability and seamless communication with other clinical software. ACE consists of 1) a patient data importing module integrated with clinical patient database server, 2) a 2D DICOM image and RT structure simultaneously displaying module, 3) a 3D RT structure visualization module using Visualization Toolkit or VTK library and 4) a contour evaluation module using supervised pattern recognition algorithms to detect contouring errors and display detection results. ACE relies on supervised learning algorithms to handle all image processing and data processing jobs. Implementations of related algorithms are powered by Accord.Net scientific computing library for better efficiency and effectiveness. Results: ACE can take patient’s CT images and RT structures from commercial treatment planning software via direct user input or from patients’ database. All functionalities including 2D and 3D image visualization and RT contours error detection have been demonstrated with real clinical patient cases. Conclusion: ACE implements supervised learning algorithms and combines image processing and graphical visualization modules for RT contours verification. ACE has great potential for automated radiotherapy contouring quality verification. Structured with MVVM pattern, it is highly maintainable and extensible, and support smooth connections with other clinical software tools.« less

Understanding and predicting binding between human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and peptides by network analysis.

PubMed

Luo, Heng; Ye, Hao; Ng, Hui; Shi, Leming; Tong, Weida; Mattes, William; Mendrick, Donna; Hong, Huixiao

2015-01-01

As the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are one of the most polymorphic genes in humans. Patients carrying certain HLA alleles may develop adverse drug reactions (ADRs) after taking specific drugs. Peptides play an important role in HLA related ADRs as they are the necessary co-binders of HLAs with drugs. Many experimental data have been generated for understanding HLA-peptide binding. However, efficiently utilizing the data for understanding and accurately predicting HLA-peptide binding is challenging. Therefore, we developed a network analysis based method to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding. Qualitative Class I HLA-peptide binding data were harvested and prepared from four major databases. An HLA-peptide binding network was constructed from this dataset and modules were identified by the fast greedy modularity optimization algorithm. To examine the significance of signals in the yielded models, the modularity was compared with the modularity values generated from 1,000 random networks. The peptides and HLAs in the modules were characterized by similarity analysis. The neighbor-edges based and unbiased leverage algorithm (Nebula) was developed for predicting HLA-peptide binding. Leave-one-out (LOO) validations and two-fold cross-validations were conducted to evaluate the performance of Nebula using the constructed HLA-peptide binding network. Nine modules were identified from analyzing the HLA-peptide binding network with a highest modularity compared to all the random networks. Peptide length and functional side chains of amino acids at certain positions of the peptides were different among the modules. HLA sequences were module dependent to some extent. Nebula archived an overall prediction accuracy of 0.816 in the LOO validations and average accuracy of 0.795 in the two-fold cross-validations and outperformed the method reported in the literature. Network analysis is a useful approach for analyzing large and sparse datasets such as the HLA-peptide binding dataset. The modules identified from the network analysis clustered peptides and HLAs with similar sequences and properties of amino acids. Nebula performed well in the predictions of HLA-peptide binding. We demonstrated that network analysis coupled with Nebula is an efficient approach to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding interactions and thus, could further our understanding of ADRs.

Understanding and predicting binding between human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and peptides by network analysis

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background As the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are one of the most polymorphic genes in humans. Patients carrying certain HLA alleles may develop adverse drug reactions (ADRs) after taking specific drugs. Peptides play an important role in HLA related ADRs as they are the necessary co-binders of HLAs with drugs. Many experimental data have been generated for understanding HLA-peptide binding. However, efficiently utilizing the data for understanding and accurately predicting HLA-peptide binding is challenging. Therefore, we developed a network analysis based method to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding. Methods Qualitative Class I HLA-peptide binding data were harvested and prepared from four major databases. An HLA-peptide binding network was constructed from this dataset and modules were identified by the fast greedy modularity optimization algorithm. To examine the significance of signals in the yielded models, the modularity was compared with the modularity values generated from 1,000 random networks. The peptides and HLAs in the modules were characterized by similarity analysis. The neighbor-edges based and unbiased leverage algorithm (Nebula) was developed for predicting HLA-peptide binding. Leave-one-out (LOO) validations and two-fold cross-validations were conducted to evaluate the performance of Nebula using the constructed HLA-peptide binding network. Results Nine modules were identified from analyzing the HLA-peptide binding network with a highest modularity compared to all the random networks. Peptide length and functional side chains of amino acids at certain positions of the peptides were different among the modules. HLA sequences were module dependent to some extent. Nebula archived an overall prediction accuracy of 0.816 in the LOO validations and average accuracy of 0.795 in the two-fold cross-validations and outperformed the method reported in the literature. Conclusions Network analysis is a useful approach for analyzing large and sparse datasets such as the HLA-peptide binding dataset. The modules identified from the network analysis clustered peptides and HLAs with similar sequences and properties of amino acids. Nebula performed well in the predictions of HLA-peptide binding. We demonstrated that network analysis coupled with Nebula is an efficient approach to understand and predict HLA-peptide binding interactions and thus, could further our understanding of ADRs. PMID:26424483

Revitalizing chemistry laboratory instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McBride, Phil Blake

This dissertation involves research in three major domains of chemical education as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. program in chemistry at Miami University with a major emphasis on chemical education, and concurrent study in organic chemistry. Unit I, Development and Assessment of a Column Chromatography Laboratory Activity, addresses the domain of Instructional Materials Development and Testing. This unit outlines the process of developing a publishable laboratory activity, testing and revising that activity, and subsequently sharing that activity with the chemical education community. A laboratory activity focusing on the separation of methylene blue and sodium fluorescein was developed to demonstrate the effects of both the stationary and mobile phase in conducting a separation. Unit II, Bringing Industry to the Laboratory, addresses the domain of Curriculum Development and Testing. This unit outlines the development of the Chemistry of Copper Mining module, which is intended for use in high school or undergraduate college chemistry. The module uses the learning cycle approach to present the chemistry of the industrial processes of mining copper to the students. The module includes thirteen investigations (three of which are web-based and ten which are laboratory experiments) and an accompanying interactive CD-ROM, which provides an explanation of the chemistry used in copper mining with a virtual tour of an operational copper mine. Unit III, An Alternative Method of Teaching Chemistry. Integrating Lecture and the Laboratory, is a project that addresses the domain of Research in Student Learning. Fundamental Chemistry was taught at Eastern Arizona College as an integrated lecture/laboratory course that met in two-hour blocks on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The students taking this integrated course were compared with students taking the traditional 1-hour lectures held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with accompanying 3-hour lab on Tuesday or Thursday. There were 119 students in the test group, 522 students in the Shelton control group and 556 students in the McBride control group. Both qualitative data and quantitative data were collected. A t-test was used to test significance.

The AAL project: automated monitoring and intelligent analysis for the ATLAS data taking infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazarov, A.; Lehmann Miotto, G.; Magnoni, L.

2012-06-01

The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system of the ATLAS experiment at CERN is the infrastructure responsible for collecting and transferring ATLAS experimental data from detectors to the mass storage system. It relies on a large, distributed computing environment, including thousands of computing nodes with thousands of application running concurrently. In such a complex environment, information analysis is fundamental for controlling applications behavior, error reporting and operational monitoring. During data taking runs, streams of messages sent by applications via the message reporting system together with data published from applications via information services are the main sources of knowledge about correctness of running operations. The flow of data produced (with an average rate of O(1-10KHz)) is constantly monitored by experts to detect problem or misbehavior. This requires strong competence and experience in understanding and discovering problems and root causes, and often the meaningful information is not in the single message or update, but in the aggregated behavior in a certain time-line. The AAL project is meant at reducing the man power needs and at assuring a constant high quality of problem detection by automating most of the monitoring tasks and providing real-time correlation of data-taking and system metrics. This project combines technologies coming from different disciplines, in particular it leverages on an Event Driven Architecture to unify the flow of data from the ATLAS infrastructure, on a Complex Event Processing (CEP) engine for correlation of events and on a message oriented architecture for components integration. The project is composed of 2 main components: a core processing engine, responsible for correlation of events through expert-defined queries and a web based front-end to present real-time information and interact with the system. All components works in a loose-coupled event based architecture, with a message broker to centralize all communication between modules. The result is an intelligent system able to extract and compute relevant information from the flow of operational data to provide real-time feedback to human experts who can promptly react when needed. The paper presents the design and implementation of the AAL project, together with the results of its usage as automated monitoring assistant for the ATLAS data taking infrastructure.

Non-parametric determination of H and He interstellar fluxes from cosmic-ray data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghelfi, A.; Barao, F.; Derome, L.; Maurin, D.

2016-06-01

Context. Top-of-atmosphere (TOA) cosmic-ray (CR) fluxes from satellites and balloon-borne experiments are snapshots of the solar activity imprinted on the interstellar (IS) fluxes. Given a series of snapshots, the unknown IS flux shape and the level of modulation (for each snapshot) can be recovered. Aims: We wish (I) to provide the most accurate determination of the IS H and He fluxes from TOA data alone; (II) to obtain the associated modulation levels (and uncertainties) while fully accounting for the correlations with the IS flux uncertainties; and (III) to inspect whether the minimal force-field approximation is sufficient to explain all the data at hand. Methods: Using H and He TOA measurements, including the recent high-precision AMS, BESS-Polar, and PAMELA data, we performed a non-parametric fit of the IS fluxes JISH,~He and modulation level φI for each data-taking period. We relied on a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) engine to extract the probability density function and correlations (hence the credible intervals) of the sought parameters. Results: Although H and He are the most abundant and best measured CR species, several datasets had to be excluded from the analysis because of inconsistencies with other measurements. From the subset of data passing our consistency cut, we provide ready-to-use best-fit and credible intervals for the H and He IS fluxes from MeV/n to PeV/n energy (with a relative precision in the range [ 2-10% ] at 1σ). Given the strong correlation between JIS and φI parameters, the uncertainties on JIS translate into Δφ ≈ ± 30 MV (at 1σ) for all experiments. We also find that the presence of 3He in He data biases φ towards higher φ values by ~30 MV. The force-field approximation, despite its limitation, gives an excellent (χ2/d.o.f. = 1.02) description of the recent high-precision TOA H and He fluxes. Conclusions: The analysis must be extended to different charge species and more realistic modulation models. It would benefit from the AMS-02 unique capability of providing frequent high-precision snapshots of the TOA fluxes over a full solar cycle.

Track classification within wireless sensor network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doumerc, Robin; Pannetier, Benjamin; Moras, Julien; Dezert, Jean; Canevet, Loic

2017-05-01

In this paper, we present our study on track classification by taking into account environmental information and target estimated states. The tracker uses several motion model adapted to different target dynamics (pedestrian, ground vehicle and SUAV, i.e. small unmanned aerial vehicle) and works in centralized architecture. The main idea is to explore both: classification given by heterogeneous sensors and classification obtained with our fusion module. The fusion module, presented in his paper, provides a class on each track according to track location, velocity and associated uncertainty. To model the likelihood on each class, a fuzzy approach is used considering constraints on target capability to move in the environment. Then the evidential reasoning approach based on Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) is used to perform a time integration of this classifier output. The fusion rules are tested and compared on real data obtained with our wireless sensor network.In order to handle realistic ground target tracking scenarios, we use an autonomous smart computer deposited in the surveillance area. After the calibration step of the heterogeneous sensor network, our system is able to handle real data from a wireless ground sensor network. The performance of this system is evaluated in a real exercise for intelligence operation ("hunter hunt" scenario).

Systems and methods for knowledge discovery in spatial data

DOEpatents

Obradovic, Zoran; Fiez, Timothy E.; Vucetic, Slobodan; Lazarevic, Aleksandar; Pokrajac, Dragoljub; Hoskinson, Reed L.

2005-03-08

Systems and methods are provided for knowledge discovery in spatial data as well as to systems and methods for optimizing recipes used in spatial environments such as may be found in precision agriculture. A spatial data analysis and modeling module is provided which allows users to interactively and flexibly analyze and mine spatial data. The spatial data analysis and modeling module applies spatial data mining algorithms through a number of steps. The data loading and generation module obtains or generates spatial data and allows for basic partitioning. The inspection module provides basic statistical analysis. The preprocessing module smoothes and cleans the data and allows for basic manipulation of the data. The partitioning module provides for more advanced data partitioning. The prediction module applies regression and classification algorithms on the spatial data. The integration module enhances prediction methods by combining and integrating models. The recommendation module provides the user with site-specific recommendations as to how to optimize a recipe for a spatial environment such as a fertilizer recipe for an agricultural field.

Patient-specific port placement for laparoscopic surgery using atlas-based registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enquobahrie, Andinet; Shivaprabhu, Vikas; Aylward, Stephen; Finet, Julien; Cleary, Kevin; Alterovitz, Ron

2013-03-01

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical approach, in which abdominal surgical procedures are performed through trocars via small incisions. Patients benefit by reduced postoperative pain, shortened hospital stays, improved cosmetic results, and faster recovery times. Optimal port placement can improve surgeon dexterity and avoid the need to move the trocars, which would cause unnecessary trauma to the patient. We are building an intuitive open source visualization system to help surgeons identify ports. Our methodology is based on an intuitive port placement visualization module and atlas-based registration algorithm to transfer port locations to individual patients. The methodology follows three steps:1) Use a port placement visualization module to manually place ports in an abdominal organ atlas. This step generates port-augmented abdominal atlas. This is done only once for a given patient population. 2) Register the atlas data with the patient CT data, to transfer the prescribed ports to the individual patient 3) Review and adjust the transferred port locations using the port placement visualization module. Tool maneuverability and target reachability can be tested using the visualization system. Our methodology would decrease the amount of physician input necessary to optimize port placement for each patient case. In a follow up work, we plan to use the transferred ports as starting point for further optimization of the port locations by formulating a cost function that will take into account factors such as tool dexterity and likelihood of collision between instruments.

Yurchikhin in Service Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-15

ISS036-E-008182 (15 June 2013) --- Expedition 36 Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin with Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) takes pictures of a highly anticipated event from a window in the Pirs module on the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 (ATV-4) “Albert Einstein” was about to dock to the orbital outpost at 2:07 GMT, June 15, 2013, following a ten-day period of free-flight.

Viewport concept for space station modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Douglas, F., III

1986-01-01

The generic design of a 20-in. diameter viewport for the space station modules is discussed. It should possess the capabilities of meteoroid/debris protection (with no metallic cover), redundancies in its meteoroid/debris protection, and pressure sealing systems. In addition, it should provide ease of change out for maintenance or repair. The design does not take into account the bumper-shield effect of the outermost panes in the meteoroid/debris analysis.

Ultrafast Narrow Band Modulation of VCSELs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ning, Cun-Zheng; Biegel, Bryan A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Multimode beating was greatly enhanced by taking output from part (e.g., half) of the output facet. Simpler sources of microwaves and millimeter waves of various frequencies were generated by varying the VCSEL diameter in a single multimode VCSEL our coupling of a few VCSELs. Breathing frequency in multi-mode operations affects modulation response and bandwidth. Optimizing RO frequency and mode beating frequency could potentially expand bandwidths suitable for wide band digital communications.

Tyurin gives Dezhurov a haircut in the Service Module during Expedition Three

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-09-22

ISS003-E-5891 (22 September 2001) --- Cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin (left) and Vladimir N. Dezhurov, Expedition Three flight engineers representing Rosaviakosmos, take turns cutting each other’s hair in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). Dezhurov holds a vacuum device the crew has fashioned to garner freshly cut hair floating freely. This image was taken with a digital still camera.

View of the STS-88 crew in the Node 1/Unity module

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-12-10

STS088-322-035 (4 - 15 DECEMBER 1998) --- Three STS-88 crew members are pictured in one of two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA) connected to the Unity and Zarya modules. Taking pictures in the foreground is astronaut Jerry L. Ross, mission specialist. Others are astronaut Robert D. Cabana (left), mission commander, and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency (RSA).

Pegasus XL CYGNSS Microsats Installation on Deployment Module

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-11

Inside Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) deployment module is inspected prior to installation of eight spacecraft that will be part of the program’s constellation of spacecraft. Processing activities will prepare the spacecraft for launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the rocket will be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft with in its payload fairing. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

A New Approach of Juvenile Age Estimation using Measurements of the Ilium and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) Models for Better Age Prediction.

PubMed

Corron, Louise; Marchal, François; Condemi, Silvana; Chaumoître, Kathia; Adalian, Pascal

2017-01-01

Juvenile age estimation methods used in forensic anthropology generally lack methodological consistency and/or statistical validity. Considering this, a standard approach using nonparametric Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models were tested to predict age from iliac biometric variables of male and female juveniles from Marseilles, France, aged 0-12 years. Models using unidimensional (length and width) and bidimensional iliac data (module and surface) were constructed on a training sample of 176 individuals and validated on an independent test sample of 68 individuals. Results show that MARS prediction models using iliac width, module and area give overall better and statistically valid age estimates. These models integrate punctual nonlinearities of the relationship between age and osteometric variables. By constructing valid prediction intervals whose size increases with age, MARS models take into account the normal increase of individual variability. MARS models can qualify as a practical and standardized approach for juvenile age estimation. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

A self-synchronized high speed computational ghost imaging system: A leap towards dynamic capturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suo, Jinli; Bian, Liheng; Xiao, Yudong; Wang, Yongjin; Zhang, Lei; Dai, Qionghai

2015-11-01

High quality computational ghost imaging needs to acquire a large number of correlated measurements between the to-be-imaged scene and different reference patterns, thus ultra-high speed data acquisition is of crucial importance in real applications. To raise the acquisition efficiency, this paper reports a high speed computational ghost imaging system using a 20 kHz spatial light modulator together with a 2 MHz photodiode. Technically, the synchronization between such high frequency illumination and bucket detector needs nanosecond trigger precision, so the development of synchronization module is quite challenging. To handle this problem, we propose a simple and effective computational self-synchronization scheme by building a general mathematical model and introducing a high precision synchronization technique. The resulted efficiency is around 14 times faster than state-of-the-arts, and takes an important step towards ghost imaging of dynamic scenes. Besides, the proposed scheme is a general approach with high flexibility for readily incorporating other illuminators and detectors.

The EUCLID/V1 Integrated Code for Safety Assessment of Liquid Metal Cooled Fast Reactors. Part 1: Basic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosunova, N. A.

2018-05-01

The article describes the basic models included in the EUCLID/V1 integrated code intended for safety analysis of liquid metal (sodium, lead, and lead-bismuth) cooled fast reactors using fuel rods with a gas gap and pellet dioxide, mixed oxide or nitride uranium-plutonium fuel under normal operation, under anticipated operational occurrences and accident conditions by carrying out interconnected thermal-hydraulic, neutronics, and thermal-mechanical calculations. Information about the Russian and foreign analogs of the EUCLID/V1 integrated code is given. Modeled objects, equation systems in differential form solved in each module of the EUCLID/V1 integrated code (the thermal-hydraulic, neutronics, fuel rod analysis module, and the burnup and decay heat calculation modules), the main calculated quantities, and also the limitations on application of the code are presented. The article also gives data on the scope of functions performed by the integrated code's thermal-hydraulic module, using which it is possible to describe both one- and twophase processes occurring in the coolant. It is shown that, owing to the availability of the fuel rod analysis module in the integrated code, it becomes possible to estimate the performance of fuel rods in different regimes of the reactor operation. It is also shown that the models implemented in the code for calculating neutron-physical processes make it possible to take into account the neutron field distribution over the fuel assembly cross section as well as other features important for the safety assessment of fast reactors.

KSC-07pd2593

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-09-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The payload canister containing the Italian-built U.S. Node 2 module, called Harmony, begins taking its cargo to Launch Pad 39A. At the pad, the canister will be lifted to the payload changeout room and the module transferred inside. The payload will be installed in space shuttle Discovery's payload bay after the vehicle rolls out to the pad. Discovery is targeted for launch to the International Space Station for mission STS-120 on Oct. 23. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

Academic Attainment in Students with Dyslexia in Distance Education.

PubMed

Richardson, John T E

2015-11-01

This investigation studied attainment in students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who were taking modules by distance learning with the Open University in 2012. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had no additional disabilities were just as likely as nondisabled students to complete their modules, but they were less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had additional disabilities were less likely to complete their modules, less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed than were nondisabled students. Nevertheless, around 40% of students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties obtained good grades (i.e. those that would lead to a bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honours). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

STS-101 crew take part in CEIT at SPACEHAB

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

At SPACEHAB, in Titusville, Fla., STS-101 Mission Specialists Edward Tsang Lu (Ph.D.), at right, talks with workers about the SPACEHAB Logistics Double Module at left. The module is part of the payload for the mission. Lu and other crew members Commander James Donald Halsell Jr., Pilot Scott J. 'Doc' Horowitz (Ph.D.), and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber (Ph.D), Jeffrey N. Williams, and Boris W. Morukov and Yuri Malenchenko , who are with the Russian Space Agency , are taking part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The primary objective of the STS-101 mission is to complete the initial outfitting of the International Space Station, making it fully ready for the first long-term crew. The seven-member crew will transfer almost two tons of equipment and supplies from SPACEHAB. Additionally, they will unpack a shipment of supplies delivered earlier by a Russian Progress space tug and begin outfitting the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module. Three astronauts will perform two space walks to transfer and install parts of the Russian Strela cargo boom that are attached to SPACEHAB's Integrated Cargo Container, connect utility cables between Zarya and Zvezda, and install a magnetometer/pole assembly on the Service Module. Additional activities for the STS-101 astronauts include working with the Space Experiment Module (SEM-06) and the Mission to America's Remarkable Schools (MARS), two educational initiatives. STS-101 is scheduled for launch no earlier than March 16, 2000.

Simulacrum or Corporeal Manifestations in Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liubarsky, Igor Romanovic

To date, Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) collaboration has successfully deployed 382 optical modules at various depths in the South Polar ice sheet. The last 216 optical modules were put in place during the 1996-7 austral summer. This deployment completed a 10-stringed detector at depth between 1500-2000m (AMANDA-B). The detector has been operating successfully and taking data at a rate of 92Hz. However, due to the remoteness of location and the limited bandwidth for satellite transmission, only 5% of the latest data can be transmitted from the South Pole to the collaboration. Before the end of the 1996-7 antarctic season 6GBytes of data were carried to the rest of the world by hand. Since this data was taken while detector calibration was still being performed, it is far from ideal. Yet this sample, to date, represents the largest amount of the data taken by the 10 string detector available for analysis. A total of 11.8 hours of raw data was analysed, comprising 3,380,739 events. Of that number 2,951,118 were AMANDA-B triggers. After calibration and noise cleaning, the number of confirmed AMANDA-B triggers was further reduced to 2,880,391. From this data set a fraction of events were reconstructed without any filtering on the reconstructed direction of the final track. This resulted in 103,168 reconstructed tracks from all zenith angles. However, the full set of 2,880,391 triggers was used to reconstruct tracks, selecting only those that yielded an up-going muon. The procedure produced 25,122 tracks. Various quality criteria was then utilised to discriminate real up-going tracks from fake events mimicked by down-going muons. No real up-going events were found. My personal contribution to the AMANDA experiment has been in three main areas: hardware; I have built 40 of the first AMANDA-A modules; software; I have written subroutines for the University of Wisconsin-Madison AMANDA group's Monte Carlo; data analysis; I have analysed the early 10 string AMANDA-B data.

Results of scatterometer systems analysis for NASA/MSC Earth Observation Sensor Evaluation Program.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, K.; Vlahos, N.; Brandt, O.; Graybeal, G.

1971-01-01

Radar scatterometers have applications in the NASA/MSC Earth Observation Aircraft Program. Over a period of several years, several missions have been flown over both land and ocean. In this paper a system evaluation of the NASA/MSC 13.3-GHz Scatterometer System is presented. The effects of phase error between the Scatterometer channels, antenna pattern deviations, aircraft attitude deviations, environmental changes, and other related factors such as processing errors, system repeatability, and propeller modulation, were established. Furthermore, the reduction in system errors and calibration improvement was investigated by taking into account these parameter deviations. Typical scatterometer data samples are presented.

SBEToolbox: A Matlab Toolbox for Biological Network Analysis

PubMed Central

Konganti, Kranti; Wang, Gang; Yang, Ence; Cai, James J.

2013-01-01

We present SBEToolbox (Systems Biology and Evolution Toolbox), an open-source Matlab toolbox for biological network analysis. It takes a network file as input, calculates a variety of centralities and topological metrics, clusters nodes into modules, and displays the network using different graph layout algorithms. Straightforward implementation and the inclusion of high-level functions allow the functionality to be easily extended or tailored through developing custom plugins. SBEGUI, a menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI) of SBEToolbox, enables easy access to various network and graph algorithms for programmers and non-programmers alike. All source code and sample data are freely available at https://github.com/biocoder/SBEToolbox/releases. PMID:24027418

SBEToolbox: A Matlab Toolbox for Biological Network Analysis.

PubMed

Konganti, Kranti; Wang, Gang; Yang, Ence; Cai, James J

2013-01-01

We present SBEToolbox (Systems Biology and Evolution Toolbox), an open-source Matlab toolbox for biological network analysis. It takes a network file as input, calculates a variety of centralities and topological metrics, clusters nodes into modules, and displays the network using different graph layout algorithms. Straightforward implementation and the inclusion of high-level functions allow the functionality to be easily extended or tailored through developing custom plugins. SBEGUI, a menu-driven graphical user interface (GUI) of SBEToolbox, enables easy access to various network and graph algorithms for programmers and non-programmers alike. All source code and sample data are freely available at https://github.com/biocoder/SBEToolbox/releases.

Impact of the LHC beam abort kicker prefire on high luminosity insertion and CMS detector performance

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

A.I. Drozhdin, N.V. Mokhov and M. Huhtinen

1999-04-13

The effect of possible accidental beam loss in LHC on the IP5 insertion elements and CMS detector is studied via realistic Monte Carlo simulations. Such beam loss could be the consequence of an unsynchronized abort or in worst case an accidental prefire of one of the abort kicker modules. Simulations with the STRUCT code show that this beam losses would take place in the IP5 inner and outer triplets. MARS simulations of the hadronic and electro-magnetic cascades induced in such an event indicate severe heating of the inner triplet quadrupoles. In order to protect the IP5 elements, two methods aremore » proposed: a set of shadow collimators in the outer triplet and a prefired module compensation using a special module charged with an opposite voltage (antikicker). The remnants of the accidental beam loss entering the experimental hall have been used as input for FLUKA simulations in the CMS detector. It is shown that it is vital to take measures to reliably protect the expensive CMS tracker components.« less

New constraints and prospects for sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon

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

Essig, Rouven; Volansky, Tomer; Yu, Tien-Tien

2017-08-30

We study in detail sub-GeV dark matter scattering off electrons in xenon, including the expected electron recoil spectra and annual modulation spectra. We derive improved constraints using low-energy XENON10 and XENON100 ionization-only data. For XENON10, in addition to including electron-recoil data corresponding to about 1–3 electrons, we include for the first time events corresponding to about 4–7 electrons. Assuming the scattering is momentum independent (F DM = 1 ), this strengthens a previous cross-section bound by almost an order of magnitude for dark matter masses above 50 MeV. The available XENON100 data corresponds to events with about 4–50 electrons, andmore » leads to a constraint that is comparable to the XENON10 bound above 50 MeV for F DM = 1 . We demonstrate that a search for an annual modulation signal in upcoming xenon experiments (XENON1T, XENONnT, LZ) could substantially improve the above bounds even in the presence of large backgrounds. We also emphasize that in simple benchmark models of sub-GeV dark matter, the dark matter-electron scattering rate can be as high as one event every ten (two) seconds in the XENON1T (XENONnT or LZ) experiments, without being in conflict with any other known experimental bounds. While there are several sources of backgrounds that can produce single- or few-electron events, a large event rate can be consistent with a dark matter signal and should not be simply written off as purely a detector curiosity. This fact motivates a detailed analysis of the ionization-data (“S2”) data, taking into account the expected annual modulation spectrum of the signal rate, as well as the DM-induced electron-recoil spectra, which are another powerful discriminant between signal and background.« less

Note: Simple hysteresis parameter inspector for camera module with liquid lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Po-Jui; Liao, Tai-Shan; Hwang, Chi-Hung

2010-05-01

A method to inspect hysteresis parameter is presented in this article. The hysteresis of whole camera module with liquid lens can be measured rather than a single lens merely. Because the variation in focal length influences image quality, we propose utilizing the sharpness of images which is captured from camera module for hysteresis evaluation. Experiments reveal that the profile of sharpness hysteresis corresponds to the characteristic of contact angle of liquid lens. Therefore, it can infer that the hysteresis of camera module is induced by the contact angle of liquid lens. An inspection process takes only 20 s to complete. Thus comparing with other instruments, this inspection method is more suitable to integrate into the mass production lines for online quality assurance.

Miniaturized sensor module for a mechatronic bearing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Robert X.; Sahay, Priyaranjan

1998-12-01

To assess the working condition of a rolling element bearing, the condition monitoring system should be located as close as possible to the bearing to take advantage of shorter signal transmission path, increased signal-to-noise ratio, and reduced complexity of the signal processing electronics. The advantages of integrated sensing are presented in this paper, with a focus on the design and analysis of a miniaturized sensor module. Mechatronic principles have been applied to treat the various subjects in a synergistic way. To complement analytical studies, experiments have been conducted on a scaled-up version of the sensor module to analyze the system dynamic response. The result obtained provided insight into the electromechanical interaction within the module as well as input for the system implementation using miniaturization technologies.

Implementing real-time robotic systems using CHIMERA II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, David B.; Schmitz, Donald E.; Khosla, Pradeep K.

1990-01-01

A description is given of the CHIMERA II programming environment and operating system, which was developed for implementing real-time robotic systems. Sensor-based robotic systems contain both general- and special-purpose hardware, and thus the development of applications tends to be a time-consuming task. The CHIMERA II environment is designed to reduce the development time by providing a convenient software interface between the hardware and the user. CHIMERA II supports flexible hardware configurations which are based on one or more VME-backplanes. All communication across multiple processors is transparent to the user through an extensive set of interprocessor communication primitives. CHIMERA II also provides a high-performance real-time kernel which supports both deadline and highest-priority-first scheduling. The flexibility of CHIMERA II allows hierarchical models for robot control, such as NASREM, to be implemented with minimal programming time and effort.

Designing minimal space telerobotics systems for maximum performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Backes, Paul G.; Long, Mark K.; Steele, Robert D.

1992-01-01

The design of the remote site of a local-remote telerobot control system is described which addresses the constraints of limited computational power available at the remote site control system while providing a large range of control capabilities. The Modular Telerobot Task Execution System (MOTES) provides supervised autonomous control, shared control and teleoperation for a redundant manipulator. The system is capable of nominal task execution as well as monitoring and reflex motion. The MOTES system is minimized while providing a large capability by limiting its functionality to only that which is necessary at the remote site and by utilizing a unified multi-sensor based impedance control scheme. A command interpreter similar to one used on robotic spacecraft is used to interpret commands received from the local site. The system is written in Ada and runs in a VME environment on 68020 processors and initially controls a Robotics Research K1207 7 degree of freedom manipulator.

A self-tuning automatic voltage regulator designed for an industrial environment

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

Flynn, D.; Hogg, B.W.; Swidenbank, E.

Examination of the performance of fixed parameter controllers has resulted in the development of self-tuning strategies for excitation control of turbogenerator systems. In conjunction with the advanced control algorithms, sophisticated measurement techniques have previously been adopted on micromachine systems to provide generator terminal quantities. In power stations, however, a minimalist hardware arrangement would be selected leading to relatively simple measurement techniques. The performance of a range of self-tuning schemes is investigated on an industrial test-bed, employing a typical industrial hardware measurement system. Individual controllers are implemented on a standard digital automatic voltage regulator, as installed in power stations. This employsmore » a VME platform, and the self-tuning algorithms are introduced by linking to a transputer network. The AVR includes all normal features, such as field forcing, VAR limiting and overflux protection. Self-tuning controller performance is compared with that of a fixed gain digital AVR.« less

PhyloGibbs-MP: Module Prediction and Discriminative Motif-Finding by Gibbs Sampling

PubMed Central

Siddharthan, Rahul

2008-01-01

PhyloGibbs, our recent Gibbs-sampling motif-finder, takes phylogeny into account in detecting binding sites for transcription factors in DNA and assigns posterior probabilities to its predictions obtained by sampling the entire configuration space. Here, in an extension called PhyloGibbs-MP, we widen the scope of the program, addressing two major problems in computational regulatory genomics. First, PhyloGibbs-MP can localise predictions to small, undetermined regions of a large input sequence, thus effectively predicting cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) ab initio while simultaneously predicting binding sites in those modules—tasks that are usually done by two separate programs. PhyloGibbs-MP's performance at such ab initio CRM prediction is comparable with or superior to dedicated module-prediction software that use prior knowledge of previously characterised transcription factors. Second, PhyloGibbs-MP can predict motifs that differentiate between two (or more) different groups of regulatory regions, that is, motifs that occur preferentially in one group over the others. While other “discriminative motif-finders” have been published in the literature, PhyloGibbs-MP's implementation has some unique features and flexibility. Benchmarks on synthetic and actual genomic data show that this algorithm is successful at enhancing predictions of differentiating sites and suppressing predictions of common sites and compares with or outperforms other discriminative motif-finders on actual genomic data. Additional enhancements include significant performance and speed improvements, the ability to use “informative priors” on known transcription factors, and the ability to output annotations in a format that can be visualised with the Generic Genome Browser. In stand-alone motif-finding, PhyloGibbs-MP remains competitive, outperforming PhyloGibbs-1.0 and other programs on benchmark data. PMID:18769735

Climate change and occupational allergies: an overview on biological pollution, exposure and prevention.

PubMed

D'Ovidio, Maria Concetta; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; D'Amato, Gennaro; Cecchi, Lorenzo

2016-01-01

Climate change, air pollution, temperature increase and other environmental variables are modifying air quality, contributing to the increase of prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases. Allergies are complex diseases characterized by multilevel interactions between individual susceptibility, response to immune modulation and environmental exposures to physical, chemical and biological agents. Occupational allergies introduce a further complexity to these relationships by adding occupational exposure to both the indoor and outdoor ones in the living environment. The aim of this paper is to overview climate-related allergy affecting environmental and occupational health, as literature data are scanty in this regard, and to suggest a management model of this risk based on a multidisciplinary approach, taking the case of biological pollution, with details on exposure and prevention. The management of climate-related occupational allergy should take into account preventive health strategies, environmental, public and occupational interventions, as well as to develop, implement, evaluate, and improve guidelines and standards protecting workers health under changing climatic conditions; new tools and strategies based on local conditions will have to be developed. Experimental studies and acquisition of environmental and personal data have to be matched to derive useful information for the scope of occupational health and safety.

Retroactivity in the Context of Modularly Structured Biomolecular Systems

PubMed Central

Pantoja-Hernández, Libertad; Martínez-García, Juan Carlos

2015-01-01

Synthetic biology has intensively promoted the technical implementation of modular strategies in the fabrication of biological devices. Modules are considered as networks of reactions. The behavior displayed by biomolecular systems results from the information processes carried out by the interconnection of the involved modules. However, in natural systems, module wiring is not a free-of-charge process; as a consequence of interconnection, a reactive phenomenon called retroactivity emerges. This phenomenon is characterized by signals that propagate from downstream modules (the modules that receive the incoming signals upon interconnection) to upstream ones (the modules that send the signals upon interconnection). Such retroactivity signals, depending of their strength, may change and sometimes even disrupt the behavior of modular biomolecular systems. Thus, analysis of retroactivity effects in natural biological and biosynthetic systems is crucial to achieve a deeper understanding of how this interconnection between functionally characterized modules takes place and how it impacts the overall behavior of the involved cell. By discussing the modules interconnection in natural and synthetic biomolecular systems, we propose that such systems should be considered as quasi-modular. PMID:26137457

Multilevel photonic modules for millimeter-wave phased-array antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolella, Arthur C.; Bauerle, Athena; Joshi, Abhay M.; Wright, James G.; Coryell, Louis A.

2000-09-01

Millimeter wave phased array systems have antenna element sizes and spacings similar to MMIC chip dimensions by virtue of the operating wavelength. Designing modules in traditional planar packaing techniques are therefore difficult to implement. An advantageous way to maintain a small module footprint compatible with Ka-Band and high frequency systems is to take advantage of two leading edge technologies, opto- electronic integrated circuits (OEICs) and multilevel packaging technology. Under a Phase II SBIR these technologies are combined to form photonic modules for optically controlled millimeter wave phased array antennas. The proposed module, consisting of an OEIC integrated with a planar antenna array will operate on the 40GHz region. The OEIC consists of an InP based dual-depletion PIN photodetector and distributed amplifier. The multi-level module will be fabricated using an enhanced circuit processing thick film process. Since the modules are batch fabricated using an enhanced circuit processing thick film process. Since the modules are batch fabricated, using standard commercial processes, it has the potential to be low cost while maintaining high performance, impacting both military and commercial communications systems.

Electrical stimulation of the insular region attenuates nicotine-taking and nicotine-seeking behaviors.

PubMed

Pushparaj, Abhiram; Hamani, Clement; Yu, Wilson; Shin, Damian S; Kang, Bin; Nobrega, José N; Le Foll, Bernard

2013-03-01

Pharmacological inactivation of the granular insular cortex is able to block nicotine-taking and -seeking behaviors in rats. In this study, we explored the potential of modulating activity in the insular region using electrical stimulation. Animals were trained to self-administer nicotine (0.03 mg/kg per infusion) under a fixed ratio-5 (FR-5) schedule of reinforcement followed by a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Evaluation of the effect of stimulation in the insular region was performed on nicotine self-administration under FR-5 and PR schedules, as well on reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior induced by nicotine-associated cues or nicotine-priming injections. The effect of stimulation was also examined in brain slices containing insular neurons. Stimulation significantly attenuated nicotine-taking, under both schedules of reinforcement, as well as nicotine-seeking behavior induced by cues and priming. These effects appear to be specific to nicotine-associated behaviors, as stimulation did not have any effect on food-taking behavior. They appear to be anatomically specific, as stimulation surrounding the insular region had no effect on behavior. Stimulation of brain slices containing the insular region was found to inactivate insular neurons. Our results suggest that deep brain stimulation to modulate insular activity should be further explored.

Taking time to feel our body: Steady increases in heartbeat perception accuracy and decreases in alexithymia over 9 months of contemplative mental training.

PubMed

Bornemann, Boris; Singer, Tania

2017-03-01

The ability to accurately perceive signals from the body has been shown to be important for physical and psychological health as well as understanding one's emotions. Despite the importance of this skill, often indexed by heartbeat perception accuracy (HBPa), little is known about its malleability. Here, we investigated whether contemplative mental practice can increase HBPa. In the context of a 9-month mental training study, the ReSource Project, two matched cohorts (n = 77 and n = 79) underwent three training modules of 3 months' duration that targeted attentional and interoceptive abilities (Presence module), socio-affective (Affect module), and socio-cognitive (Perspective module) abilities. A third cohort (n = 78) underwent 3 months of practice (Affect module) and a retest control group (n = 84) did not undergo any training. HBPa was measured with a heartbeat tracking task before and after each training module. Emotional awareness was measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). Participants with TAS scores > 60 at screening were excluded. HBPa was found to increase steadily over the training, with significant and small- to medium-sized effects emerging after 6 months (Cohen's d = .173) and 9 months (d = .273) of mental training. Changes in HBPa were concomitant with and predictive of changes in emotional awareness. Our results suggest that HBPa can indeed be trained through intensive contemplative practice. The effect takes longer than the 8 weeks of typical mindfulness courses to reach meaningful magnitude. These increments in interoceptive accuracy and the related improvements in emotional awareness point to opportunities for improving physical and psychological health through contemplative mental training. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Artist's concept of scene in Earth orbit during transposition and docking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

An artist's concept depicting a scene in Earth orbit during the Apollo transposition and docking maneuvers of the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. The Command/Service Module is moving into position to dock with the Docking Module. This scene will take place some one hour and twenty-three minutes after the Apollo-Saturn 1B liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center on July 15, 1975. The artwork is by Paul Fjeld.

Space Station Freedom - Status of the U.S. segment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartoe, John David F.

1990-01-01

An overview of the Space Station Freedom program is given. The results of a technical audit of the U.S. program, and the reorganization taking place at NASA HQ are discussed. Some areas resolved in the past year such as the type of power to be delivered to each pressurized module and the definition of common payload interfaces within all modules are reviewed. The utility of the Space Station Freedom is emphasized.

The STS-101 crew takes part in CEIT activities at SPACEHAB.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Members of the STS-101 crew take part in Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) activities at SPACEHAB, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where they are learning about some of the equipment they will be working with on their mission to the International Space Station. Mission Specialist Susan Helms holds one component while Commander James Halsell and Mission Specialist Yuri Usachev look on, and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber and Jeffrey Williams discuss another. Also taking part in the CEIT are Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialist James Voss. The green component on the table is an air duct to be installed in the Russian module Zarya to improve ventilation. The STS-101 crew will be responsible for preparing the Space Station for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module, expected to be launched by Russia in July 2000. Also, the crew will conduct one space walk to perform maintenance on the Space Station and deliver logistics and supplies. This will be the third assembly flight for the Space Station. STS-101 is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 13 from Launch Pad 39A.

Characteristics of spectro-temporal modulation frequency selectivity in humans.

PubMed

Oetjen, Arne; Verhey, Jesko L

2017-03-01

There is increasing evidence that the auditory system shows frequency selectivity for spectro-temporal modulations. A recent study of the authors has shown spectro-temporal modulation masking patterns that were in agreement with the hypothesis of spectro-temporal modulation filters in the human auditory system [Oetjen and Verhey (2015). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 137(2), 714-723]. In the present study, that experimental data and additional data were used to model this spectro-temporal frequency selectivity. The additional data were collected to investigate to what extent the spectro-temporal modulation-frequency selectivity results from a combination of a purely temporal amplitude-modulation filter and a purely spectral amplitude-modulation filter. In contrast to the previous study, thresholds were measured for masker and target modulations with opposite directions, i.e., an upward pointing target modulation and a downward pointing masker modulation. The comparison of this data set with previous corresponding data with the same direction from target and masker modulations indicate that a specific spectro-temporal modulation filter is required to simulate all aspects of spectro-temporal modulation frequency selectivity. A model using a modified Gabor filter with a purely temporal and a purely spectral filter predicts the spectro-temporal modulation masking data.

An Inservice Training Model for Using the Classroom FM System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Dyke, Linda

1982-01-01

An inservice training model for successful implementation of FM (Frequency Modulation) transmission systems for hearing impaired students must take into account its purpose and functions, mechanics, and management. (CD)

Development of Geomagnetic Monitoring System Using a Magnetometer for the Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Cheol; Kim, Sung-Wook; Choi, Eun-Kyeong; Kim, In-Soo

2014-05-01

Three institutes including KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration), KSWC (Korean Space Weather Center) of NRRA (National Radio Research Agency) and KIGAM (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources) are now operating magnetic observatories. Those observatories observe the total intensity and three components of geomagnetic element. This paper comes up with a magnetic monitoring system now under development that uses a magnetometer for field survey. In monitoring magnetic variations in areas (active faults or volcanic regions), more reliable results can be obtained when an array of several magnetometers are used rather than a single magnetometer. In order to establish and operate a magnetometer array, such factors as expenses, convenience of the establishment and operation of the array should be taken into account. This study has come up with a magnetic monitoring system complete with a magnetometer for the field survey of our own designing. A magnetic monitoring system, which is composed of two parts. The one is a field part and the other a data part. The field part is composed of a magnetometer, an external memory module, a power supply and a set of data transmission equipment. The data part is a data server which can store the data transmitted from the field part, analyze the data and provide service to the web. This study has developed an external memory module for ENVI-MAG (Scintrex Ltd.) using an embedded Cortex-M3 board, which can be programmed, attach other functional devices (SD memory cards, GPS antennas for time synchronization, ethernet cards and so forth). The board thus developed can store magnetic measurements up to 8 Gbytes, synchronize with the GPS time and transmit the magnetic measurements to the data server which is now under development. A monitoring system of our own developing was installed in Jeju island, taking measurements throughout Korea. Other parts including a data transfer module, a server and a power supply using solar power will continue to be developed in the days to come. Acknowlegments This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant CATER 2006-5074

Note: Vector network analyzer-ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer using high Q-factor cavity.

PubMed

Lo, C K; Lai, W C; Cheng, J C

2011-08-01

A ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectrometer whose main components consist of an X-band resonator and a vector network analyzer (VNA) was developed. This spectrometer takes advantage of a high Q-factor (9600) cavity and state-of-the-art VNA. Accordingly, field modulation lock-in technique for signal to noise ratio (SNR) enhancement is no longer necessary, and FMR absorption can therefore be extracted directly. Its derivative for the ascertainment of full width at half maximum height of FMR peak can be found by taking the differentiation of original data. This system was characterized with different thicknesses of permalloy (Py) films and its multilayer, and found that the SNR of 5 nm Py on glass was better than 50, and did not have significant reduction even at low microwave excitation power (-20 dBm), and at low Q-factor (3000). The FMR other than X-band can also be examined in the same manner by using a suitable band cavity within the frequency range of VNA.

Implementation of a data management software system for SSME test history data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abernethy, Kenneth

1986-01-01

The implementation of a software system for managing Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test/flight historical data is presented. The software system uses the database management system RIM7 for primary data storage and routine data management, but includes several FORTRAN programs, described here, which provide customized access to the RIM7 database. The consolidation, modification, and transfer of data from the database THIST, to the RIM7 database THISRM is discussed. The RIM7 utility modules for generating some standard reports from THISRM and performing some routine updating and maintenance are briefly described. The FORTRAN accessing programs described include programs for initial loading of large data sets into the database, capturing data from files for database inclusion, and producing specialized statistical reports which cannot be provided by the RIM7 report generator utility. An expert system tutorial, constructed using the expert system shell product INSIGHT2, is described. Finally, a potential expert system, which would analyze data in the database, is outlined. This system could use INSIGHT2 as well and would take advantage of RIM7's compatibility with the microcomputer database system RBase 5000.

Russian BAR/EXPERT experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-28

ISS020-E-035016 (27 Aug. 2009) --- Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Expedition 20 commander, uses the Russian BAR/EXPERT science payload to take various environmental measurements in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Russian BAR/EXPERT experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-28

ISS020-E-035022 (27 Aug. 2009) --- Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Expedition 20 flight engineer, uses the Russian BAR/EXPERT science payload to take various environmental measurements in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Russian BAR/EXPERT experiment

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-08-28

ISS020-E-035017 (27 Aug. 2009) --- Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Expedition 20 commander, uses the Russian BAR/EXPERT science payload to take various environmental measurements in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

Insolation-oriented model of photovoltaic module using Matlab/Simulink

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

Tsai, Huan-Liang

2010-07-15

This paper presents a novel model of photovoltaic (PV) module which is implemented and analyzed using Matlab/Simulink software package. Taking the effect of sunlight irradiance on the cell temperature, the proposed model takes ambient temperature as reference input and uses the solar insolation as a unique varying parameter. The cell temperature is then explicitly affected by the sunlight intensity. The output current and power characteristics are simulated and analyzed using the proposed PV model. The model verification has been confirmed through an experimental measurement. The impact of solar irradiation on cell temperature makes the output characteristic more practical. In addition,more » the insolation-oriented PV model enables the dynamics of PV power system to be analyzed and optimized more easily by applying the environmental parameters of ambient temperature and solar irradiance. (author)« less

Search for time modulations in the decay constant of 40K and 226Ra at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellotti, E.; Broggini, C.; Di Carlo, G.; Laubenstein, M.; Menegazzo, R.

2018-05-01

Time modulations at per mil level have been reported to take place in the decay constant of several nuclei with period of one year (most cases) but also of about one month or one day. On the other hand, experiments with similar or better sensitivity have been unable to detect any modulation. In this letter we give the results of the activity study of two different sources: 40K and 226Ra. The two gamma spectrometry experiments have been performed underground at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, this way suppressing the time dependent cosmic ray background. Briefly, our measurements reached the sensitivity of 3.4 and 3.5 parts over 106 for 40K and 226Ra, respectively (1 sigma) and they do not show any statistically significant evidence of time dependence in the decay constant. We also give the results of the activity measurement at the time of the two strong X-class solar flares which took place in September 2017. Our data do not show any unexpected time dependence in the decay rate of 40K in correspondence with the two flares. To the best of our knowledge, these are the most precise and accurate results on the stability of the decay constant as function of time.

Extending the data rate of non-line-of-sight UV communication with polarization modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Hongwei; Jia, Honghui; Zhang, Hailiang; Wang, Xiaofeng; Chang, Shengli; Yang, Juncai

2012-10-01

With low radiation background of solar-blind UV and strong scattering of UV photons by atmospheric particles, UV communication can be made use of to set up a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) free-space optical communication link. Polarization modulation, besides the traditional intensity modulation, is presented to enhance the data rate of the UV communication system. The configuration and the working process of the dually modulated UV communication system with intensity modulation and polarization, the theoretical evaluation of polarization modulation, and a numerical of the scattering matrix are presented, with the conclusion that polarization modulation is achievable. By adding the polarizing devices and changing the coding procedures, the existing singly-modulated UV communication systems with intensity modulation are easily modified to be dually-modulated ones with polarization modulation and intensity modulation. Ideally speaking, the data rate of the dually-modulated UV communication system is the product of the data rate of the singly modulated system and the number of polarization modulation.

PANDA: A distributed multiprocessor operating system

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

Chubb, P.

1989-01-01

PANDA is a design for a distributed multiprocessor and an operating system. PANDA is designed to allow easy expansion of both hardware and software. As such, the PANDA kernel provides only message passing and memory and process management. The other features needed for the system (device drivers, secondary storage management, etc.) are provided as replaceable user tasks. The thesis presents PANDA's design and implementation, both hardware and software. PANDA uses multiple 68010 processors sharing memory on a VME bus, each such node potentially connected to others via a high speed network. The machine is completely homogeneous: there are no differencesmore » between processors that are detectable by programs running on the machine. A single two-processor node has been constructed. Each processor contains memory management circuits designed to allow processors to share page tables safely. PANDA presents a programmers' model similar to the hardware model: a job is divided into multiple tasks, each having its own address space. Within each task, multiple processes share code and data. Tasks can send messages to each other, and set up virtual circuits between themselves. Peripheral devices such as disc drives are represented within PANDA by tasks. PANDA divides secondary storage into volumes, each volume being accessed by a volume access task, or VAT. All knowledge about the way that data is stored on a disc is kept in its volume's VAT. The design is such that PANDA should provide a useful testbed for file systems and device drivers, as these can be installed without recompiling PANDA itself, and without rebooting the machine.« less