Index to 1984 NASA Tech Briefs, volume 9, numbers 1-4

Short announcements of new technology derived from the R&D activities of NASA are presented. These briefs emphasize information considered likely to be transferrable across industrial, regional, or disciplinary lines and are issued to encourage commercial application. This index for 1984 Tech B Briefs contains abstracts and four indexes: subject, personal author, originating center, and Tech Brief Number. The following areas are covered: electronic components and circuits, electronic systems, physical sciences, materials, life sciences, mechanics, machinery, fabrication technology, and mathematics and information sciences

Self-adaptation via concurrent multi-action evaluation for unknown context

Context-aware computing has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Generally, there are several ways for a context-aware system to select a course of action for a particular change of context. One way is for the system developers to encompass all possible context changes in the domain knowledge. Other methods include system inferences and adaptive learning whereby the system executes one action and evaluates the outcome and self-adapts/self-learns based on that. However, in situations where a system encounters unknown contexts, the iterative approach would become unfeasible when the size of the action space increases. Providing efficient solutions to this problem has been the main goal of this research project. Based on the developed abstract model, the designed methodology replaces the single action implementation and evaluation by multiple actions implemented and evaluated concurrently. This parallel evaluation of actions speeds up significantly the evolution time taken to select the best action suited to unknown context compared to the iterative approach. The designed and implemented framework efficiently carries out concurrent multi-action evaluation when an unknown context is encountered and finds the best course of action. Two concrete implementations of the framework were carried out demonstrating the usability and adaptability of the framework across multiple domains. The first implementation was in the domain of database performance tuning. The concrete implementation of the framework demonstrated the ability of concurrent multi-action evaluation technique to performance tune a database when performance is regressed for an unknown reason. The second implementation demonstrated the ability of the framework to correctly determine the threshold price to be used in a name-your-own-price channel when an unknown context is encountered. In conclusion the research introduced a new paradigm of a self-adaptation technique for context-aware application. Among the existing body of work, the concurrent multi-action evaluation is classified under the abstract concept of experiment-based self-adaptation techniques

스위트 바질 재배를 위한 가정용 퍼지 제어 수경재배 시스템 개발

학위논문 (석사) -- 서울대학교 대학원 : 농업생명과학대학 바이오시스템·소재학부(바이오시스템공학), 2021. 2. 조성인.토양에서 대기까지의 범위가 넓어지면서 환경 오염이 심화됨에 따라 실내 농업에 대한 수요가 증가하고 관련 연구도 증가하고 있다. 실외 기후 조건에 영향을 받지 않는 안정적인 실내 재배 시스템과 공간을 최대로 활용하는 효율적인 시스템에 대한 연구가 지속적으로 가속화되고 있다. 대부분의 연구는 산업 농업 또는 대규모 생산에 중점을 두는 경향이 있으나 가정을 위한 소규모 재배도 많이 개발되어야 한다. 이 연구는 Raspberry pi 4 및 python을 사용하여 퍼지 논리에 의해 자동으로 제어되는 가정용 수경 재배 시스템을 만들기 위해 설계되었다. 애매한 상황을 해결하고 챔버 내부의 환경 제어를 개선하기 위해 퍼지 로직 제어 (FLC)를 채택했다. FLC의 경우 3 개의 입력 변수와 7 개의 출력 변수가 사용되었다. 입력 변수는 온도, 습도 및 성장 단계 (기간)이고 출력 변수는 팬, 미스트, 히터 1, 히터 2, 그리고 3 개 (적색, 녹색, 청색) LED이며, 6 개의 FLC 퍼지 규칙이 적용되었다. 이 FLC는 각 성장 단계마다 다른 휘발성 화합물과 식물의 맛을 유발하는 다양한 광질과 밀도가 필요하여 세 가지 조명이 각각 세 단계의 재배 기간 동안 작동되도록 설계되었다. 그 결과 제어 시스템 내부 온도는 외부 온도 19.8 ℃에 비해 21 ~ 26 ℃ (평균 21.24 ℃)로 유지되었으며, 내부 습도의 평균값은 외부 습도 16.57 %에 비해 75.58 %로 유지되어 시스템을 통해 바질 재배에 적합한 환경이 조성되었다는 것이 확인되었다. 그러나, 습도가 60 ~ 65 % 수준으로 낮게 유지되면 더욱 적합한 환경이 조성되므로 이 문제를 해결하기 위해 Pearson의 상관 계수를 사용하여 규칙과 멤버십 함수를 분석했다. 팬과 히터, 습도, 미스트와의 상관 관계가 예상보다 낮았기 때문에 문제의 주요 원인은 팬과 관련된 것으로 추정된다. 게다가, 시뮬레이션과 실제 작동 사이의 비교가 수행되었으며 히터의 실제 작동이 시뮬레이션의 영역을 벗어나 부적절하게 이루어졌다는 것을 발견했다. 마지막으로, 광질은 지속 시간에 따른 세 가지 빛 파장 영역 (발아 및 잎의 성장을 위한 청색광, 개화를 위한 적색광, 잎의 캐노피를 통한 생육 저하를 방지하는 녹색광)을 기반으로 FLC에 의해 잘 제어되었다. 추후 RGB 카메라를 사용하는 머신 비전으로 성장 단계를 추정하면 조명 제어가 더 정확해질 것으로 기대된다.As environmental pollution gets more severe demands for indoor farming have been rising with a subsequent increase in studies related to it. Research on stable indoor cultivation systems that cannot be affected by outdoor climate conditions and efficient systems that can maximize production under space constraints is advancing rapidly. However, most studies focus on industrial farming or large-scale production. Small-scale cultivation for households requires equal attention. This study aimed to design household hydroponic systems automatically controlled by fuzzy logic with Raspberry Pi 4 and using the Python programming language. Fuzzy logic control (FLC) was adopted to resolve ambiguity and improve the environmental control of the inside chamber. For the FLC, three input and seven output variables were used. The input variables were temperature, humidity, and growth stage (duration) and the output variables were fan, mist, two heaters (heater1 and heater2), and three RGB LEDs. Six FLC rules were with these variables. The FLC ensured that the three lights operate for three different cultivating periods. Each growth stage required different light quality and density inducing different volatile compounds and flavors of plants. The results showed that inner temperature of the control uses airflow to maintain the temperature at approximately 21 – 26 ℃ (average of 21.24 ℃) compared to the outer temperature of 19.8 ℃. Furthermore, the mean value of inner humidity is 75.58 %, the outer humidity was 16.57 %. However, the controlled humidity should have been maintained at an approximately lower temperature of the level of 60 - 65 %. To address this problem, the rules and membership functions were analyzed by Pearsons correlation coefficients. Because fans correlations with heaters, humidity and mist were lower than expected, it was assumed that the fan made a significant contribution to the problem. Besides, comparison between simulation and actual operation were carried out and it was noticed that heaters actual work was done inappropriately breaking the boundary of simulation. Finally, light quality was controlled by the FLC based on three light regimes upon days of duration; blue light for germination, red light for vegetative growth and green light for flowering stage. The light control will be more accurate if the growth stage is estimated by machine vision with an RGB camera.Abstract ⅲ Table of Contents ⅴ List of Tables ⅷ List of Figures ⅸ Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Study Background 1 1.2. Review of Literature 4 1.2.1. Urban farming and Urban agriculture 4 1.2.2. Household appliances in agriculture 7 1.2.3. Lighting for cultivation 9 1.2.4. Basil (Ocimum Basilicum L.) 13 1.2.5. Growth stages of Plants 15 1.2.6. Fuzzy Logic Control Systems in Agriculture 18 1.3. Research Purpose and Significance 20 1.3.1. Research Objectives 20 1.3.2. Significance 21 Chapter 2. Materials and Methods 22 2.1. Preliminary Performance Test of Conventional Control System 22 2.1.1. Purpose of Preliminary Test 22 2.1.2. Hardware Design 23 2.1.2.1. Wall-mount and standing type (two ways) 23 2.1.2.2. Modular type 25 2.1.3. Hardware Operating Test With Arduino 26 2.1.3.1. Materials 26 2.1.3.2. Overall system 28 2.1.4. Fuzzy Logic Simulation With MATLAB and Arduino 29 2.2. Experimental Hardware Setup and Configuration 32 2.2.1. Materials 32 2.2.2. Overall Circuit and System Setup 36 2.2.3. Fuzzy Logic Control System 39 Chapter 3. Results and Discussion 48 3.1. Preliminary Test Results 48 3.1.1. Hardware Work 48 3.1.2. Software Work 49 3.1.3. Limitations 50 3.2. Experiment Results 51 3.2.1. Simulation 51 3.2.1.1. Rule View 51 3.2.1.2. Surface View 54 3.2.2 Hardware operations 55 3.2.2.1. Fan 55 3.2.2.2. Mist 55 3.2.2.3. Heaters 56 3.2.2.4. LED 57 3.2.3. Results of Integrated system 58 3.2.3.1. Unprocessed data of temperature and humidity 58 3.2.3.2. Outliers removement 61 3.2.3.2.1. Statistics 61 3.2.3.2.2. Data Visualization 63 3.2.3.3. LED Changes 66 3.2.4. Correlation between Input and Output variables 70 3.2.4.1. Group1 (Temperature, Humidity) 69 3.2.4.2. Comparison between results of simulation and actual operation 75 Chapter 4. Conclusions 80 Bibliography 84 Abstract in Korean 88Maste

Airborne Contaminant Dispersal in Critical Built Environments

The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), being one of the most significant exposures to human beings, encompasses the concepts of comfort and safety from unwanted contaminants. Whereas the thermal comfort is controlled through proper conditioning and distribution of ventilated air, controlling the airborne contaminants requires careful investigation of the flow characteristics. IAQ translates to different requirements, depending on the intended use of the indoor environment. In critical indoor spaces such as Operating Rooms and Cleanrooms, the principal focus of IAQ is to remove/contain/divert contaminants flowing with the airstream to maintain the required sterility, as contamination can lead to adverse patient/product outcomes. The airborne contaminants, generally submicron-sized particles, are controlled by directional airflow through differential pressure, depending on whether the space needs to exfiltrate (e.g., Operating Room – positive pressure) or contain (e.g., Isolation Room – negative pressure) the airborne contaminants. The current design paradigm that determines such pressure differential assumes steady-state conditions. Theoretically, during the steady-state, the rate of flow velocity change is zero, resulting in a constant flow field in time, and the distribution of contaminants in the space can be modeled using ordinary differential equations. Therefore, the steady-state assumption must hold to explain the contamination dispersal. However, in practice, transient occupant interventions like a door opening and walking through the steady-state flow fields alter the flow characteristics. In response, this dissertation examines how occupant-introduced transient events affect the steady-state flow. This study aims to quantify and identify patterns of the changes in the flow characteristics for different scenarios of realistic door openings and human walks under a range of ventilation rates through controlled experiments and numerical simulations. Through specifically designed experiments, the impacts of door operation and occupant walking were characterized and quantified based on different levels of supply flow rates from the ventilation system. The results of the experiments suggested that special considerations were required to control for the transient phenomena and the pressure differential. The walking and door opening experiments also found distinguishable changes in the flow characteristics under each separate interaction between the indoor environment and the occupant. It was interesting to note that even though the magnitude of the effects was different for different levels of initial condition and intervention types, the changes in the flow properties exhibited identical patterns that were possible to model and make predictions. Thus, this dissertation considers the sporadic transient interventions from the occupants (e.g., - door opening and walking) as events and discusses an approximation method called ‘Event-Based Modeling’ (EBM) using the collected data through these experiments. Two-dimensional numerical models were developed to obtain additional data on the changes in airflow characteristics and were used to model and test the accuracy of EBM’s prediction capabilities. The results demonstrated that the predictions from EBM were accurate, and the computational efficiency is improved compared to the traditional numerical simulation approach. This method can eliminate parallel modeling of the same phenomena, providing alternatives to simulate complex and computationally intensive transient events repeatedly. As a potential application, the changes in flow velocities from human-environment interactions in a critical indoor environment like an operating room can be predicted using the EBM method. This way, the ventilation systems can be designed as occupant-centric and energy-efficient by considering the impacts of the transient events instead of only considering the steady-state events

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2005

Topics covered include: Video Mosaicking for Inspection of Gas Pipelines; Shuttle-Data-Tape XML Translator; Highly Reliable, High-Speed, Unidirectional Serial Data Links; Data-Analysis System for Entry, Descent, and Landing; Hybrid UV Imager Containing Face-Up AlGaN/GaN Photodiodes; Multiple Embedded Processors for Fault-Tolerant Computing; Hybrid Power Management; Magnetometer Based on Optoelectronic Microwave Oscillator; Program Predicts Time Courses of Human/ Computer Interactions; Chimera Grid Tools; Astronomer's Proposal Tool; Conservative Patch Algorithm and Mesh Sequencing for PAB3D; Fitting Nonlinear Curves by Use of Optimization Techniques; Tool for Viewing Faults Under Terrain; Automated Synthesis of Long Communication Delays for Testing; Solving Nonlinear Euler Equations With Arbitrary Accuracy; Self-Organizing-Map Program for Analyzing Multivariate Data; Tool for Sizing Analysis of the Advanced Life Support System; Control Software for a High-Performance Telerobot; Java Radar Analysis Tool; Architecture for Verifiable Software; Tool for Ranking Research Options; Enhanced, Partially Redundant Emergency Notification System; Close-Call Action Log Form; Task Description Language; Improved Small-Particle Powders for Plasma Spraying; Bonding-Compatible Corrosion Inhibitor for Rinsing Metals; Wipes, Coatings, and Patches for Detecting Hydrazines; Rotating Vessels for Growing Protein Crystals; Oscillating-Linear-Drive Vacuum Compressor for CO2; Mechanically Biased, Hinged Pairs of Piezoelectric Benders; Apparatus for Precise Indium-Bump Bonding of Microchips; Radiation Dosimetry via Automated Fluorescence Microscopy; Multistage Magnetic Separator of Cells and Proteins; Elastic-Tether Suits for Artificial Gravity and Exercise; Multichannel Brain-Signal-Amplifying and Digitizing System; Ester-Based Electrolytes for Low-Temperature Li-Ion Cells; Hygrometer for Detecting Water in Partially Enclosed Volumes; Radio-Frequency Plasma Cleaning of a Penning Malmberg Trap; Reduction of Flap Side Edge Noise - the Blowing Flap; and Preventing Accidental Ignition of Upper-Stage Rocket Motors

CODED SOCIAL CONTROL: CHINA’S NORMALIZATION OF BIOMETRIC SURVEILLANCE IN THE POST COVID-19 ERA

This article investigates the longevity of health QR codes, a digital instrument of pandemic surveillance, in post-COVID China. From 2020 to 2022, China widely used this tri-color tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. A commonly held assumption is that health QR codes have become obsolete in post-pandemic China. This study challenges such an assumption. It reveals their persistence and integration - through mobile apps and online platforms - beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency. A prolonged, expanded and normalized use of tools which were originally intended for contact tracing and pandemic surveillance raises critical legal and ethical concerns. Moreover, their functional transformation from epidemiological risk assessment tools to instruments of behavior modification and social governance heralds the emergence of a Data Leviathan. This transformation is underpinned by a duality of underlying political and commercial forces. These include 1) a structural enabler: a powerful alliance between political authorities and tech giants and 2) an ideological legitimizer: a commitment to collective security over individual autonomy. In contrast to the rights-centric approach embraced by Western democracies to regulate AI-driven biometric surveillance, China adopts a state-industry dominance model of governance

Technology for the Future: In-Space Technology Experiments Program, part 2

The purpose of the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) In-Space Technology Experiments Program In-STEP 1988 Workshop was to identify and prioritize technologies that are critical for future national space programs and require validation in the space environment, and review current NASA (In-Reach) and industry/ university (Out-Reach) experiments. A prioritized list of the critical technology needs was developed for the following eight disciplines: structures; environmental effects; power systems and thermal management; fluid management and propulsion systems; automation and robotics; sensors and information systems; in-space systems; and humans in space. This is part two of two parts and contains the critical technology presentations for the eight theme elements and a summary listing of critical space technology needs for each theme

NASA SBIR abstracts of 1991 phase 1 projects

The objectives of 301 projects placed under contract by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are described. These projects were selected competitively from among proposals submitted to NASA in response to the 1991 SBIR Program Solicitation. The basic document consists of edited, non-proprietary abstracts of the winning proposals submitted by small businesses. The abstracts are presented under the 15 technical topics within which Phase 1 proposals were solicited. Each project was assigned a sequential identifying number from 001 to 301, in order of its appearance in the body of the report. Appendixes to provide additional information about the SBIR program and permit cross-reference of the 1991 Phase 1 projects by company name, location by state, principal investigator, NASA Field Center responsible for management of each project, and NASA contract number are included

Trusted execution: applications and verification

Useful security properties arise from sealing data to specific units of code. Modern processors featuring Intel’s TXT and AMD’s SVM achieve this by a process of measured and trusted execution. Only code which has the correct measurement can access the data, and this code runs in an environment trusted from observation and interference. We discuss the history of attempts to provide security for hardware platforms, and review the literature in the field. We propose some applications which would benefit from use of trusted execution, and discuss functionality enabled by trusted execution. We present in more detail a novel variation on Diffie-Hellman key exchange which removes some reliance on random number generation. We present a modelling language with primitives for trusted execution, along with its semantics. We characterise an attacker who has access to all the capabilities of the hardware. In order to achieve automatic analysis of systems using trusted execution without attempting to search a potentially infinite state space, we define transformations that reduce the number of times the attacker needs to use trusted execution to a pre-determined bound. Given reasonable assumptions we prove the soundness of the transformation: no secrecy attacks are lost by applying it. We then describe using the StatVerif extensions to ProVerif to model the bounded invocations of trusted execution. We show the analysis of realistic systems, for which we provide case studies

Small business innovation research program solicitation: Closing date July 16, 1990

This is the eighth annual solicitation by NASA addressed to small business firms, inviting them to submit proposals for research, or research and development, activities in some of the science and engineering areas of interest to NASA. The solicitation describes the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, identifies eligibility requirements, outlines the required proposal format and content, states proposal preparation and submission requirements, describes the proposal evaluation and award selection process, and provides other information to assist those interested in participating in NASA's SBIR program. It also identifies the technical topics and subtopics for which SBIR proposals are solicited. These cover a broad range of current NASA interests, but do not necessarily include all areas in which NASA plans or currently conducts research. High-risk high pay-off innovations are desired