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

NREL Photovoltaic Program FY 1995 annual report

This report summarizes the in-house and subcontracted R&D activities from Oct. 1994 through Sept. 1995; their objectives are to conduct basic, applied, and engineering research, manage subcontracted R&D projects, perform research complementary to subcontracted work, develop and maintain state-of-the-art measurement and device capabilities, develop PV manufacturing technology and modules, transfer results to industry, and evolve viable partnerships for PV systems and market development. The research activities are grouped into 5 sections: crystalline Si and advanced devices, thin-film PV, PV manufacturing, PV module and system performance and engineering, and PV applications and market development

Small business innovation research. Abstracts of 1988 phase 1 awards

Non-proprietary proposal abstracts of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA are presented. Projects in the fields of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robots, computer sciences, information systems, data processing, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered

Electromigration-induced failure characteristics of GMR spin- valves and magnetic multilayers for the electrical reliability of spintronic devices

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

NASA Tech Briefs, April 1995

This issue of the NASA Tech Briefs has a special focus section on video and imaging, a feature on the NASA invention of the year, and a resource report on the Dryden Flight Research Center. The issue also contains articles on electronic components and circuits, electronic systems, physical sciences, materials, computer programs, mechanics, machinery, manufacturing/fabrication, mathematics and information sciences and life sciences. In addition to the standard articles in the NASA Tech brief, this contains a supplement entitled "Laser Tech Briefs" which features an article on the National Ignition Facility, and other articles on the use of Lasers

Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology, 1988. High Efficiency, Space Environment, and Array Technology

The 9th Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology conference was held at the NASA Lewis Research Center from April 19 to 21, 1988. The papers and workshop summaries report remarkable progress on a wide variety of approaches in space photovoltaics, for both near and far term applications. Among the former is the recently developed high efficiency GaAs/Ge cell, which formed the focus of a workshop discussion on heteroepitaxial cells. Still aimed at the long term, but with a significant payoff in a new mission capability, are InP cells, with their potentially dramatic improvement in radiation resistance. Approaches to near term, array specific powers exceeding 130 W/kg are also reported, and advanced concentrator panel technology with the potential to achieve over 250 W/sq m is beginning to take shape

Fibroblast growth factor signalling in the development and functions of the choroid plexus

The choroid plexuses (CPs) are secretory organs that lie within the brain ventricles. Mature CPs produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which surrounds the central nervous system (CNS). During embryogenesis, prior to terminal differentiation of neurons and glia, CPs are morphologically distinct and have secretory capacity, suggesting that CPs may influence the extracellular environment of the developing CNS. Although the roles of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) as morphogenic and mitogenic signals during CNS development are well characterised, they have not been addressed in embryonic CPs. In this study, I investigated the FGF receptor (FGFR) family in relation to CP development and function. I found that several FGFRs are differentially expressed in the CPs during murine development. This finding was important because many individuals with the human disorder, syndromic craniosynostosis (SCS), have constitutively active FGFRs, and frequently suffer from raised intracranial pressure. This led to the hypothesis that increased FGFR signalling alters the function of the CPs. In order to elucidate the functional role of FGF signalling in the embryonic CP, I used several approaches. Firstly, I cultured CP epithelial cells (CPe) in Matrigel, and demonstrated that CPe in this matrix formed hollow vesicles, maintained their ultrastructural characteristics, and had secretory activity. I found that the CPe marker, transthyretin, was expressed in culture. Treatment of CPe with FGF2 significantly increased vesicle diameter, but did not seem to alter secretion, indicating that the FGF2 effect was on vesicle formation. Secondly, I cultured CPe monolayers, and established that at least one effect of FGF2 was to stimulate CPe cell division. An analysis of proteins in CSF of children with SCS showed no significant change in the concentration of transthyretin secreted by the CPs. These data indicate that FGF signalling is involved in CP development, and that FGFs may function to stimulate CP proliferation, rather than affecting CSF constituents or CP secretion rates during embryonic development