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Circuit card designed to act as interface between K-bus remote terminal. Enables digital communication between electronic instrumentation designed to communicate with other equipment via K-bus and control and telemetry-monitoring computer designed to communicate with other equipment via MIL-STD-1553B (or MIL-STD-1773) bus. Provides K-bus interface for as many as four instrumentation circuit cards.
Topics related to physics instrumentation are discussed, taking into account cryostat and electronic development associated with multidetector spectrometer systems, the influence of materials and counting-rate effects on He-3 neutron spectrometry, a data acquisition system for time-resolved muscle experiments, and a sensitive null detector for precise measurements of integral linearity. Other subjects explored are concerned with space instrumentation, computer applications, detectors, instrumentation for high energy physics, instrumentation for nuclear medicine, environmental monitoring and health physics instrumentation, nuclear safeguards and reactor instrumentation, and a 1984 symposium on nuclear power systems. Attention is given to the application of multiprocessors to scientific problems, a large-scale computer facility for computational aerodynamics, a single-board 32-bit computer for the Fastbus, the integration of detector arrays and readout electronics on a single chip, and three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation of the electron avalanche in a proportional counter.
This program examines the source folder on instrument computers to find files and folders. It creates a tab-delimited text file for each instrument, listing the names of the files and folders found. The text files for the instruments are stored in a central location, and are made made visible via the DMS website to allow instrument operators to see the instrument data files on the instrument computer.
A fast neutron tomography imaging instrument has been designed, built, and tested at The Ohio State University 500 kW Research Reactor on a fast neutron beamline with a peak neutron flux ≈5.4 × 107 n·cm−2·s−1 at 1.6 MeV median neutron energy. The instrument and beamline are also configurable for thermal neutron imaging. The imaging apparatus is composed of a lens coupled, water-cooled Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device camera, a front-surface mirror, and a high light yield plastic Polyvinyl toluene scintillator. The instrument sits on a mobile cart. A total of 5 motion-control stages are built into the system for XYZ and rotational degrees of freedom for sample positioning; the fifth stage fine tunes the focal distance between the camera and the scintillator to achieve on-line focusing. A Python code with a user-friendly graphical user interface controls the fully automated image acquisition, not requiring user interaction, yet facilitating tracking of the image acquisition. A complete fast neutron computed tomography dataset with 360 projections requires less than 3 h, with 30 s per projection. On-line focusing is accomplished with a commercial, off-the-shelf, dielectrically actuated liquid lens. Finally, tomographic reconstructions are visualized using the Livermore Tomography Tools software package. The effective pixel size (width and height) is ≈0.1058 mm, yielding a minimum voxel size of 0.1058 × 0.1058 × 0.1058 mm3, and produces a spatial resolution of 231 μm when calculated from knife-edge measurements.
Complexation of V IV in aqueous solution with glutaroimide–dioxime (H 3 L), a ligand proposed for the possible sequestration of uranium from seawater, was studied by the combined application of spectroscopic (EPR and UV/Vis), spectrometric (ESI‐MS), electrochemical (CV), and computational (DFT) techniques. The results indicate that a rare non‐oxido V IV species, with formula [V IV L 2 ] 2– , is formed in the pH range 3–5. It transforms into a usual V IV O complex, [V IV OL(OH)] 2– , at pH > 6. The non‐oxido species is characterized by a “ type 3 ” EPR spectrum with A z ≈ 126 × 10 –4 cm –1 and a UV/Vis signal with ε > 2000 m –1 cm –1 in the visible region. The detection of V V species by ESI‐MS spectrometry was related to two possible oxidation processes, the first one in solution and the second one in‐source during the recording of the spectra. The cyclic voltammogram of [V IV L 2 ] 2– shows two quasi‐reversible processes, at E 1/2 = –0.75 V and E 1/2 = 0.03 V, assigned to the V IV /V III reduction and V IV /V V oxidation, respectively. All the experimental results were verified by DFT calculations, which indicated that the geometry of the non‐oxido V IV complex is intermediate between an octahedron and a trigonal prism and allowed us to predict its 51 V hyperfine coupling (HFC) tensor A , the electron absorption spectrum, the two redox processes in the cyclic voltammogram, and the electronic structure that, in turn, determines its EPR and UV/Vis behavior.
An instrumentation system is described which employs a minicomputer, a one-third octave band analyzer, and a time code/tape search unit for the automatic control and analysis of third-octave data. With this system the information necessary for data adjustment is formatted in such a way as to eliminate much operator interface, thereby substantially reducing the probability for error. A description of a program for the calculation of effective perceived noise level from aircraft noise data is included as an example of how this system can be used.
The Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) instrument has been the most frequently used airborne instrument built in-house at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, having flown scientific research missions on-board various aircraft to many locations in the United States, Azores, Brazil, and Kuwait since 1983. The CAR instrument is capable of measuring scattered light by clouds in fourteen spectral bands in UV, visible and near-infrared region. This document describes the control, data acquisition, display, and file storage software for the new version of CAR. This software completely replaces the prior CAR Data System and Control Panel with a compact and robust virtual instrument computer interface. Additionally, the instrument is now usable for the first time for taking data in an off-aircraft mode. The new instrument is controlled via a LabVIEW v5. 1.1-developed software interface that utilizes, (1) serial port writes to write commands to the controller module of the instrument, and (2) serial port reads to acquire data from the controller module of the instrument. Step-by-step operational procedures are provided in this document. A suite of other software programs has been developed to complement the actual CAR virtual instrument. These programs include: (1) a simulator mode that allows pretesting of new features that might be added in the future, as well as demonstrations to CAR customers, and development at times when the instrument/hardware is off-location, and (2) a post-experiment data viewer that can be used to view all segments of individual data cycles and to locate positions where 'start' and stop' byte sequences were incorrectly formulated by the instrument controller. The CAR software described here is expected to be the basis for CAR operation for many missions and many years to come.
Comet Kohoutek 1973 XII was observed with a telescope-spectrometer on the Copernicus satellite on six occasions over a 1-month period starting on January 29, 1974. Positive detection of the cometary Ly-alpha emission profile was obtained on January 29 and February 2. Earlier observations of the geocoronal Ly-alpha emission profile allowed an instrumental intensity calibration and confirmation of the computed instrumental profile for an extended source at the Ly-alpha wavelength. After allowing for broadening by the instrument, a hydrogen-outflow velocity of about 10.6 km/s is derived from the width of the Ly-alpha emission on January 29. The intensity calibration combined with an appropriate cometary model led to cometary water-production rates for January 29 and February 2. Only upper limits were obtained for Ly-alpha on and after February 14. Searches for OH and D led to negative results.
The radiance and irradiance sensitivities of the TOMS are tabulated in table 1. The results obtained with FEL standard F-281 are actual while those computed for lamps F-239 and F-207 are for reference purposes as those standards were out of calibration at the time of use. The irradiance results were computed for the serial number 5 carousel surfaces, the flight unit, and the serial number 4 carousel surfaces, the flight backup unit. The data and results are presented tabularly and graphically. The computed instrument sensitivities based on the radiance results are higher than those resulting from the irradiance data (see figure's 9 a,b,&c). No quantitative explanation for this difference has been determined. The radiance data was obtained with the instrument in the NADIR detent while the irradiance data was obtained with the scan mirror rotated 90 degrees from NADIR to view the diffuser. The sensitivity plots show the pronounce effects of the instruments measured spectral bandwidth used in the computations. The radiance data, figures 5 a,b & c, are quite smooth. Sources of error in the calibrations include the normalized radiance, source lamp irradiance , diffuser BRDF, and geometry factors. These are discussed in the errors of calibration section included in this report.
The Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology (MHK) Instrumentation, Measurement, and Computer Modeling Workshop was hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Broomfield, Colorado, July 9–10, 2012. The workshop brought together over 60 experts in marine energy technologies to disseminate technical information to the marine energy community, and to collect information to help identify ways in which the development of a commercially viable marine energy industry can be accelerated. The workshop was comprised of plenary sessions that reviewed the state of the marine energy industry and technical sessions that covered specific topics of relevance. Each session consisted of presentations, followed by facilitated discussions. During the facilitated discussions, the session chairs posed several prepared questions to the presenters and audience to encourage communication and the exchange of ideas between technical experts. Following the workshop, attendees were asked to provide written feedback on their takeaways from the workshop and their best ideas on how to accelerate the pace of marine energy technology development. The first four sections of this document give a general overview of the workshop format, provide presentation abstracts, supply discussion session notes, and list responses to the post-workshop questions. The final section presents key findings and conclusions from the workshop that suggest what the most pressing MHK technology needs are and how the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and national laboratory resources can be utilized to assist the marine energy industry in the most effective manner.
The Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology (MHK) Instrumentation, Measurement, and Computer Modeling Workshop was hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Broomfield, Colorado, July 9-10, 2012. The workshop brought together over 60 experts in marine energy technologies to disseminate technical information to the marine energy community and collect information to help identify ways in which the development of a commercially viable marine energy industry can be accelerated. The workshop was comprised of plenary sessions that reviewed the state of the marine energy industry and technical sessions that covered specific topics of relevance. Each session consisted of presentations, followed by facilitated discussions. During the facilitated discussions, the session chairs posed several prepared questions to the presenters and audience to encourage communication and the exchange of ideas between technical experts. Following the workshop, attendees were asked to provide written feedback on their takeaways and their best ideas on how to accelerate the pace of marine energy technology development. The first four sections of this document give a general overview of the workshop format, provide presentation abstracts and discussion session notes, and list responses to the post-workshop questions. The final section presents key findings and conclusions from the workshop that suggest how the U.S. Department of Energy and national laboratory resources can be utilized to most effectively assist the marine energy industry.
The radiometric calibration of SeaWiFS data includes a correction for the temperature dependence of the individual detector sensitivities. The detector temperature are measured by temperature sensors mounted on instrument focal planes. Processing of the temperature sensor output by an onboard instrument computer introduces a nonlinear response into the temperature data. This paper describes the calibration of the temperature sensor output and the computation of the temperature corrections for the radiometric calibration of the instrument.
In polar regions of the Moon, some areas within craters are permanently shadowed from solar illumination and can reach temperatures of 100 K or less. These regions could serve as cold traps, capturing ice and other volatile compounds. These potential ice stores have many applications for lunar exploration. Within double-shaded craters, even colder regions exist, with temperatures never exceeding 50 K in many cases. Observed temperatures suggest that these regions could enable equivalent liquid nitrogen cryogenic functions. These permanently shaded polar craters also offer unprecedented high-vacuum cryogenic environments, which in their current state could support cryogenic applications. Besides ice stores, the unique conditions at the lunar poles harbor an environment that provides an opportunity to reduce the power, weight, and total mass that needs to be carried from the Earth to the Moon for lunar exploration and research. Reducing the heat flux of geothermal, black body radiation can have significant impacts on the achievable temperature. With a few manmade augmentations, permanently shaded craters located near the lunar poles achieve temperatures even lower than those that naturally exist. Our analysis reveals that lightweight thermal shielding within shaded craters could create an environment several Kelvin above absolute zero. The temperature ranges of both naturally shaded and thermally augmented craters could enable the long-term storage of most gases, low-temperature superconductors for large magnetic fields, devices and advanced high-speed computing instruments. Augmenting thermal conditions in these craters could then be used as a basis for the development of an advanced thermal management architecture that would support a wide variety of cryogenically based applications. Lunar exploration and habitation capabilities would significantly benefit if permanently shaded craters, augmented with thermal shielding, were used to facilitate the operation of near absolute zero instruments, including a wide variety of cryogenically based propulsion, energy, communication, sensing, and computing devices. The required burden of carrying massive life-supporting components from the Earth to the Moon for lunar exploration and research potentially could be reduced.
There is an increased interest in instrument-computing ecosystems (ICEs) that support science workflows empowered by AI-automated experiments and computations in diverse areas. In particular, electrochemistry ICEs are promising for accelerating the design and discovery of electrochemical systems for energy storage and conversion, by automating significant parts of workflows that combine synthesis and characterization experiments with computations. They require the integration of flow controllers, solvent containers, pumps, fraction collectors, and potentiostats, all connected to an electrochemical cell, as illustrated in Fig. 1. These are specialized instruments with custom software that is not originally designed for network integration. We developed network and software solutions for electrochemical workflows that adapt system and instrument settings in real-time for multiple rounds of experiments. In particular, we developed Python wrappers for Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) of instrument commands and Pyro client-server modules that enable them to be executed from remote computers. The entire workflow is orchestrated by a Jupyter notebook running on a remote computer.
Developing software for scientific applications that require the integration of diverse types of computing, instruments, and data present challenges that are distinct from commercial software. These applications require scale, and the need to integrate various programming and computational models with evolving and heterogeneous infrastructure. Pervasive and effective abstractions for distributed infrastructures are thus critical; however, the process of developing abstractions for scientific applications and infrastructures is not well understood. While theory-based approaches for system development are suited for well-defined, closed environments, they have severe limitations for designing abstractions for scientific systems and applications. The design science research (DSR) method provides the basis for designing practical systems that can handle real-world complexities at all levels. In contrast to theory-centric approaches, DSR emphasizes both practical relevance and knowledge creation by building and rigorously evaluating all artifacts. In this work, we show how DSR provides a well-defined framework for developing abstractions and middleware systems for distributed systems. Specifically, we address the critical problem of distributed resource management on heterogeneous infrastructure over a dynamic range of scales, a challenge that currently limits many scientific applications. We use the pilot-abstraction, a widely used resource management abstraction for high-performance, high throughput, big data, and streaming applications, as a case study for evaluating the DSR activities. For this purpose, we analyze the research process and artifacts produced during the design and evaluation of the pilot-abstraction. We find DSR provides a concise framework for iteratively designing and evaluating systems. Finally, we capture our experiences and formulate different lessons learned.
The figure presents selected views of a compact microscope imaging system (CMIS) that includes a miniature video microscope, a Cartesian robot (a computer- controlled three-dimensional translation stage), and machine-vision and control subsystems. The CMIS was built from commercial off-the-shelf instrumentation, computer hardware and software, and custom machine-vision software. The machine-vision and control subsystems include adaptive neural networks that afford a measure of artificial intelligence. The CMIS can perform several automated tasks with accuracy and repeatability . tasks that, heretofore, have required the full attention of human technicians using relatively bulky conventional microscopes. In addition, the automation and control capabilities of the system inherently include a capability for remote control. Unlike human technicians, the CMIS is not at risk of becoming fatigued or distracted: theoretically, it can perform continuously at the level of the best human technicians. In its capabilities for remote control and for relieving human technicians of tedious routine tasks, the CMIS is expected to be especially useful in biomedical research, materials science, inspection of parts on industrial production lines, and space science. The CMIS can automatically focus on and scan a microscope sample, find areas of interest, record the resulting images, and analyze images from multiple samples simultaneously. Automatic focusing is an iterative process: The translation stage is used to move the microscope along its optical axis in a succession of coarse, medium, and fine steps. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the image is computed at each step, and the FFT is analyzed for its spatial-frequency content. The microscope position that results in the greatest dispersal of FFT content toward high spatial frequencies (indicating that the image shows the greatest amount of detail) is deemed to be the focal position.
The goal of this research was to determine kinematic parameters of the lower limbs of a subject pedaling a bicycle. An existing measurement system was used as the basis to develop the model to determine position and acceleration of the limbs. The system consists of an ergometer instrumented to provide position of the pedal (foot), accelerometers to be attached to the lower limbs to measure accelerations, a recorder used for filtering, and a computer instrumented with an A/D board and a decoder board. The system is designed to read and record data from accelerometers and encoders. Software has been developed for data collection, analysis and presentation. Based on the measurement system, a two dimensional analytical model has been developed to determine configuration (position, orientation) and kinematics (velocities, accelerations). The model has been implemented in software and verified by simulation. An error analysis to determine the system's accuracy shows that the expected error is well within the specifications of practical applications. When the physical hardware is completed, NASA researchers hope to use the system developed to determine forces exerted by muscles and forces at articulations. This data will be useful in the development of countermeasures to minimize bone loss experienced by astronauts in microgravity conditions.
Domain science applications and workflow processes are currently forced to view the network as an opaque infrastructure into which they inject data and hope that it emerges at the destination with an acceptable Quality of Experience. There is little ability for applications to interact with the network to exchange information, negotiate performance parameters, discover expected performance metrics, or receive status/troubleshooting information in real time. The work presented here is motivated by a vision for a new smart network and smart application ecosystem that will provide a more deterministic and interactive environment for domain science workflows. The Software-Defined Network for End-to-end Networked Science at Exascale (SENSE) system includes a model-based architecture, implementation, and deployment which enables automated end- to-end network service instantiation across administrative domains. An intent based interface allows applications to express their high-level service requirements, an intelligent orchestrator and resource control systems allow for custom tailoring of scalability and real-time responsiveness based on individual application and infrastructure operator requirements. This allows the science applications to manage the network as a first-class schedulable resource as is the current practice for instruments, compute, and storage systems. Deployment and experiments on production networks and testbeds have validated SENSE functions and performance. Emulation based testing verified the scalability needed to support research and education infrastructures. Key contributions of this work include an architecture definition, reference implementation, and deployment. This provides the basis for further innovation of smart network services to accelerate scientific discovery in the era of big data, cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence.