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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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115 records · Page 7

User Interactive Software for Analysis of Human Physiological Data

Ambulatory physiological monitoring has been used to study human health and performance in space and in a variety of Earth-based environments (e.g., military aircraft, armored vehicles, small groups in isolation, and patients). Large, multi-channel data files are typically recorded in these environments, and these files often require the removal of contaminated data prior to processing and analyses. Physiological data processing can now be performed with user-friendly, interactive software developed by the Ames Psychophysiology Research Laboratory. This software, which runs on a Windows platform, contains various signal-processing routines for both time- and frequency- domain data analyses (e.g., peak detection, differentiation and integration, digital filtering, adaptive thresholds, Fast Fourier Transform power spectrum, auto-correlation, etc.). Data acquired with any ambulatory monitoring system that provides text or binary file format are easily imported to the processing software. The application provides a graphical user interface where one can manually select and correct data artifacts utilizing linear and zero interpolation and adding trigger points for missed peaks. Block and moving average routines are also provided for data reduction. Processed data in numeric and graphic format can be exported to Excel. This software, PostProc (for post-processing) requires the Dadisp engineering spreadsheet (DSP Development Corp), or equivalent, for implementation. Specific processing routines were written for electrocardiography, electroencephalography, electromyography, blood pressure, skin conductance level, impedance cardiography (cardiac output, stroke volume, thoracic fluid volume), temperature, and respiration

Cowings, Patricia S.↗

Generation of desired signals from acoustic drivers

A procedure to control transient signal generation is developed for the study of internal noise propagation from aircraft engines. A simple algorithm incorporating transform techniques is used to produce signals of any desired waveform from acoustic drivers. The accurate driver response is then calculated, and from this the limiting frequency characteristics are determined and the undesirable frequencies where the driver response is poor are eliminated from the analysis. A synthesized signal is then produced by convolving the inverse of the response function with the desired signal. Although the shape of the synthesized signal is in general quite awkward, the driver generates the desired signal when the distorted signal is fed into the driver. The results of operating the driver in two environments, in a free field and in a duct, are presented in order to show the impedance matching effect of the driver. In addition, results using a high frequency cut-off value as a parameter is presented in order to demonstrate the extent of the applicability of the synthesis procedure. It is concluded that the desired signals can be generated through the signal synthesis procedure.

Ramakrishnan, R.↗

A unique method to study acoustic transmission through ducts using signal synthesis and averaging of acoustic pulses

An acoustic impulse technique using a loudspeaker driver is developed to measure the acoustic properties of a duct/nozzle system. A signal synthesis method is used to generate a desired single pulse with a flat spectrum. The convolution of the desired signal and the inverse Fourier transform of the reciprocal of the driver's response are then fed to the driver. A signal averaging process eliminates the jet mixing noise from the mixture of jet noise and the internal noise, thereby allowing very low intensity signals to be measured accurately, even for high velocity jets. A theoretical analysis is carried out to predict the incident sound field; this is used to help determine the number and locations of the induct measurement points to account for the contributions due to higher order modes present in the incident tube method. The impulse technique is validated by comparing experimentally determined acoustic characteristics of a duct-nozzle system with similar results obtained by the impedance tube method. Absolute agreement in the comparisons was poor, but the overall shapes of the time histories and spectral distributions were much alike.

Salikuddin, M.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2009

opics covered include: Filtering Water by Use of Ultrasonically Vibrated Nanotubes; Computer Code for Nanostructure Simulation; Functionalizing CNTs for Making Epoxy/CNT Composites; Improvements in Production of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes; Progress Toward Sequestering Carbon Nanotubes in PmPV; Two-Stage Variable Sample-Rate Conversion System; Estimating Transmitted-Signal Phase Variations for Uplink Array Antennas; Board Saver for Use with Developmental FPGAs; Circuit for Driving Piezoelectric Transducers; Digital Synchronizer without Metastability; Compact, Low-Overhead, MIL-STD-1553B Controller; Parallel-Processing CMOS Circuitry for M-QAM and 8PSK TCM; Differential InP HEMT MMIC Amplifiers Embedded in Waveguides; Improved Aerogel Vacuum Thermal Insulation; Fluoroester Co-Solvents for Low-Temperature Li+ Cells; Using Volcanic Ash to Remove Dissolved Uranium and Lead; High-Efficiency Artificial Photosynthesis Using a Novel Alkaline Membrane Cell; Silicon Wafer-Scale Substrate for Microshutters and Detector Arrays; Micro-Horn Arrays for Ultrasonic Impedance Matching; Improved Controller for a Three-Axis Piezoelectric Stage; Nano-Pervaporation Membrane with Heat Exchanger Generates Medical-Grade Water; Micro-Organ Devices; Nonlinear Thermal Compensators for WGM Resonators; Dynamic Self-Locking of an OEO Containing a VCSEL; Internal Water Vapor Photoacoustic Calibration; Mid-Infrared Reflectance Imaging of Thermal-Barrier Coatings; Improving the Visible and Infrared Contrast Ratio of Microshutter Arrays; Improved Scanners for Microscopic Hyperspectral Imaging; Rate-Compatible LDPC Codes with Linear Minimum Distance; PrimeSupplier Cross-Program Impact Analysis and Supplier Stability Indicator Simulation Model; Integrated Planning for Telepresence With Time Delays; Minimizing Input-to-Output Latency in Virtual Environment; Battery Cell Voltage Sensing and Balancing Using Addressable Transformers; Gaussian and Lognormal Models of Hurricane Gust Factors; Simulation of Attitude and Trajectory Dynamics and Control of Multiple Spacecraft; Integrated Modeling of Spacecraft Touch-and-Go Sampling; Spacecraft Station-Keeping Trajectory and Mission Design Tools; Efficient Model-Based Diagnosis Engine; and DSN Simulator.

Source record↗

Implicit Formulation of Muscle Dynamics in OpenSim

Astronauts lose bone and muscle mass during spaceflight. Exercise countermeasure is the primary method for counteracting bone and muscle mass loss in space. New spacecraft exercise device concepts are currently being developed for the NASAs new crew exploration vehicle. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project (DAP) uses computational modeling to help determine if the new exercise devices will be effective as countermeasures. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project is developing the ability to utilize predictive simulation to provide insight into the change in kinematics and kinetics with a change in device and gravitational environment (1-g versus 0-g). For example, in space exercise the subject's body weight is applied in addition to the loads prescribed for musculoskeletal maintenance. How and where these loads are applied obviously directly impacts bone and tissue loads. Additionally, due to space vehicle structural requirements, exercise devices are often placed on vibration isolation systems. This changes the apparent impedance or stiffness of the device as seen by the user. Data collection under these conditions is often impractical and limited. Predictive modeling provides a means to have a virtual subject to test hypotheses. Predictive simulation provides a virtual subject for which we are able to perform studies such as sensitivity to device loading and vibration isolation without the need for laboratory kinematic or kinetic test data.Direct Collocation optimization provides an efficient means to perform task based optimization and predictive modeling. It is relatively straight forward to structure a physical exercise task in a Direct Collocation mathematical formulation: perform a motion such that you start at an initial pose, achieve a given amount of deflection i.e a squat, return to the initial pose, and minimize muscle activation cost. Direct Collocation is advantageous in that it does not require numerical integration to evaluate the objective function. Instead, the system dynamics are transformed to discrete time and the optimizer is constrained such that the solution is not considered to be a valid unless the dynamic equations are satisfied at all time points. The simulation and optimization are effectively done simultaneously. Due to the implicit integration, time steps can be more coarse than in a differential equation solver. In a gait scenario this means that that the model constraints and cost function are evaluated at 100 nodes in the gait cycle versus 10,000 integration steps in a variable-step forward dynamic simulation. Furthermore, no time is wasted on accurate simulations of movements that are far from the optimum. Constrained optimization algorithms require a Jacobian matrix that contains the partial derivatives of each of the dynamic constraints with respect to of each of the state and control variables at all time points. This is a large but sparse matrix. An implicit dynamics formulation requires computation of the dynamic residuals f as a function of the states x and their derivatives, and controls u:f(x, dxdt, u) 0If the dynamics of musculoskeletal system are formulated implicitly, the Jacobian elements are often available analytically, eliminating the need for numerical differentiation; this is obviously computationally advantageous. Additionally, implicit formulation of musculoskeletal dynamics do not suffer from singularities from low mass bodies, zero muscle activation, or other stiff system or

physical exercise↗

Analysis and design of a high power, digitally-controlled spacecraft power system

The progress to date on the analysis and design of a high power, digitally controlled spacecraft power system is described. Several battery discharger topologies were compared for use in the space platform application. Updated information has been provided on the battery voltage specification. Initially it was thought to be in the 30 to 40 V range. It is now specified to be 53 V to 84 V. This eliminated the tapped-boost and the current-fed auto-transformer converters from consideration. After consultations with NASA, it was decided to trade-off the following topologies: (1) boost converter; (2) multi-module, multi-phase boost converter; and (3) voltage-fed push-pull with auto-transformer. A non-linear design optimization software tool was employed to facilitate an objective comparison. Non-linear design optimization insures that the best design of each topology is compared. The results indicate that a four-module, boost converter with each module operating 90 degrees out of phase is the optimum converter for the space platform. Large-signal and small-signal models were generated for the shunt, charger, discharger, battery, and the mode controller. The models were first tested individually according to the space platform power system specifications supplied by NASA. The effect of battery voltage imbalance on parallel dischargers was investigated with respect to dc and small-signal responses. Similarly, the effects of paralleling dischargers and chargers were also investigated. A solar array and shunt model was included in these simulations. A model for the bus mode controller (power control unit) was also developed to interface the Orbital replacement Unit (ORU) model to the platform power system. Small signal models were used to generate the bus impedance plots in the various operating modes. The large signal models were integrated into a system model, and time domain simulations were performed to verify bus regulation during mode transitions. Some changes have subsequently been incorporated into the models. The changes include the use of a four module boost discharger, and a new model for the mode controller, which includes the effects of saturation. The new simulations for the boost discharger show the improvement in bus ripple that can be achieved by phase-shifted operation of each of the boost modules.

Lee, F. C.↗

Particle Acceleration in Active Galactic Nuclei

The high efficiency of energy generation inferred from radio observations of quasars and X-ray observations of Seyfert active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is apparently achieved only by the gravitational conversion of the rest mass energy of accreting matter onto supermassive black holes. Evidence for the acceleration of particles to high energies by a central engine is also inferred from observations of apparent superluminal motion in flat spectrum, core-dominated radio sources. This phenomenon is widely attributed to the ejection of relativistic bulk plasma from the nuclei of active galaxies, and accounts for the existence of large scale radio jets and lobes at large distances from the central regions of radio galaxies. Reports of radio jets and superluminal motion from galactic black hole candidate X-ray sources indicate that similar processes are operating in these sources. Observations of luminous, rapidly variable high-energy radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory show directly that particles are accelerated to high energies in a compact environment. The mechanisms which transform the gravitational potential energy of the infalling matter into nonthermal particle energy in galactic black hole candidates and AGNs are not conclusively identified, although several have been proposed. These include direct acceleration by static electric fields (resulting from, for example, magnetic reconnection), shock acceleration, and energy extraction from the rotational energy of Kerr black holes. The dominant acceleration mechanism(s) operating in the black hole environment can only be determined, of course, by a comparison of model predictions with observations. The purpose of the work proposed for this grant was to investigate stochastic particle acceleration through resonant interactions with plasma waves that populate the magnetosphere surrounding an accreting black hole. Stochastic acceleration has been successfully applied to the problem of ion and electron energization in solar flares, and is capable of accounting for a wide range of both neutral and charged particle emissions. It is also a component in diffusive shock acceleration, since pitch-angle scattering (which is necessary for multiple shock crossings) is accompanied by diffusion in momentum space, which in turn yields a net systematic energy gain; however, stochastic energization will dominate the first-order shock process only in certain parameter regimes. Although stochastic acceleration has been applied to particle energization in the lobes of radio galaxies, its application to the central regions of AGNs has only recently been considered, but not in detail. We proposed to systematically investigate the plasma processes responsible for stochastic particle acceleration in black hole magnetospheres along with the energy-loss processes which impede particle energization. To this end we calculated acceleration rates and escape time scales for protons and electrons resonating with Alfven waves, and for electrons resonating with whistlers. Assuming either a Kolmogorov or Kraichnan wave spectrum, accretion at the Eddington limit, magnetic field strengths near equipartition, and turbulence energy densities approx. 10% of the total magnetic field energy density, we find that Alfven waves accelerate protons to Lorentz factors approx, equals 10(exp 4) - 10(exp 6) before they escape from the system. Acceleration of electrons by fast mode and whistler waves can produce a nonthermal population of relativistic electrons whose maximum energy is determined by a competition with radiation losses.

Miller, James A.↗