Advancing automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom and for the US economy

The progress made by levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Office of Space Station in developing and applying advanced automation and robotics technology is described. Emphasis is placed upon the Space Station Freedom Program responses to specific recommendations made in the Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) progress report 10, the flight telerobotic servicer, and the Advanced Development Program. Assessments are presented for these and other areas as they apply to the advancement of automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom

Predicting Future Duration from Present Age: A Critical Assessment

Using a temporal version of the Copernican principle, Gott has proposed a statistical predictor of future longevity based on present age [J. R. Gott III, Nature 363, 315 (1993)] and applied the predictor to a variety of examples, including the longevity of the human species. Though Gott's proposal contains a grain of truth, it does not have the universal predictive power that he attributes to it.Comment: 17 pages, standard LaTeX; to be published in Contemporary Physic

EVALUATION OF THE COMBUSTION PROCESS OF COFFEE HUSK SAMPLES IN A DROP TUBE FURNACE (DTF)

Thermal conversion processes that use coffee husk are an alternative to solve the environmental problems of disposal and waste burning in open places and avoid greenhouse gases emissions. The present study evaluates in natura coffee husk samples and residues obtained from a combustion process in a Drop Tube Furnace (DTF). Such an evaluation consists in understanding the efficiency of the burning process, therefore the activation energies (Ea) of the combustion process for both samples were determined. The isoconversional kinetic method (Model Free Kinetics) was used for the determination of the Ea values of the samples. The Ea values of the main stages of the combustion process (devolatilization and carbonization) for both samples were compared. Thermogravimetric (TG) and Derivative Thermogravimetric (DTG) data at five heating rates (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 oC min-1) were used for the determination of hemicellulose, cellulose and residual lignin. SEM (Scanning Electronic Microscopy) images and EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) analysis were applied as complementary techniques in the combustion process. The results show that for both samples the Ea values were higher for the carbonization step than for devolatilization. The Ea values for the stages of devolatilization and carbonization for the residues were 33 and 15% lower than those for the in natura coffee husk samples. The lower Ea values in both steps for the residues are indicative of a reduction in the complexity of the reaction mechanism, which can be a parameter for the evaluation of the biomass combustion process. According to the SEM images, the residues showed exploded surfaces caused by the combustion process, whereas in the in natura samples a denser and robust structure was observed. The ash formed after the combustion process in the thermobalance was also evaluated by SEM and EDS analyses and showed a more homogenous structure with tiny particles in comparison with the in natura coffee husk samples. The EDS analysis confirmed the presence of precursor elements in the samples, such as potassium and other inorganic materials, which were intensified after the combustion process

WoVG information security management framework

This audit examined 11 public sector agencies and found that the policy, standards and protection mechanisms for the security of the state’s information and communications technology (ICT) systems and data have not been effectively applied. Agencies undertake only limited monitoring of suspicious internal network activity, and they do not have a capability to detect an intrusion into sensitive public sector systems. The audit also found that if there was an external cyber attack or a cyber alert issued by an Australian Government national security agency, there would be no coordinated understanding of the threat or its impact across the state’s public sector ICT systems, because central agencies do not conduct follow up actions after a cyber alert is disseminated. The audit further identified a number of critical- and medium-level risks related to individual agency systems that have been raised with each of those agencies through individual management letters. Agreement has been reached with each agency about what actions will be implemented and a proposed time frame for implementation

A Proof of Concept of a Non-Invasive Image-Based Material Characterization Method for Enhanced Patient-Specific Computational Modeling

PURPOSE: Computational models of cardiovascular structures rely on their accurate mechanical characterization. A validated method able to infer the material properties of patient-specific large vessels is currently lacking. The aim of the present study is to present a technique starting from the flow-area (QA) method to retrieve basic material properties from magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. METHODS: The proposed method was developed and tested, first, in silico and then in vitro. In silico, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations of flow within a deformable pipe were run with varying elastic modules (E) between 0.5 and 32 MPa. The proposed QA-based formulation was assessed and modified based on the FSI results to retrieve E values. In vitro, a compliant phantom connected to a mock circulatory system was tested within MR scanning. Images of the phantom were acquired and post-processed according to the modified formulation to infer E of the phantom. Results of in vitro imaging assessment were verified against standard tensile test. RESULTS: In silico results from FSI simulations were used to derive the correction factor to the original formulation based on the geometrical and material characteristics. In vitro, the modified QA-based equation estimated an average E = 0.51 MPa, 2% different from the E derived from tensile tests (i.e. E = 0.50 MPa). CONCLUSION: This study presented promising results of an indirect and non-invasive method to establish elastic properties from solely MR images data, suggesting a potential image-based mechanical characterization of large blood vessels

SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS ON TWO SEPARATE TOPICS: STATISTICAL CROSS VALIDATION AND FLOODPLAIN MAPPING

This dissertation describes two unrelated threads of research. The first is a study of cross validation (CV), which is a data resampling method. CV is used for model ranking in model selection and for estimating expected prediction error of a model. A review of three resampling methods is provided in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 contains results from simulations that examine various properties of CV, in particular the use of CV for model selection in small sample settings as well as the expected value of the delete-d cross validation statistic. The second research thread is described in Chapter 3, where a new, physically-based computational model (called FLDPLN, or "Floodplain") for mapping potential inundation extents (floodplains) using gridded topographic data is introduced. Due to the parametric economy of FLDPLN, this model has significant advantages over existing methods such as hydrodynamic models. The model is validated using imagery from an actual flood event

Building and implementing knowledge: research and innovation inspired by the evolution of modern stadia.

This paper summarises how the evolution and advancement in sports stadia design within Arup, over the last 10 years, has been used as a catalyst for applied research programmes. The North West Structures Group has collaborated with several universities (UK and US based) to advance technical knowledge and understanding, and to ensure on-going innovation. Five doctoral research programmes have been produced focussing on critical issues such as crowd induced vibration, robustness of cable supported structures subjected to high velocity fragment impact, structural and geometrical optimisation and, design management. This paper will highlight some of the results obtained from each of these research programmes and how they have and can be filtered back into design. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate how opportunities can be seized when working on design projects to collaborate with universities and provide a platform for project based innovation in the construction industry

Graph analysis of functional brain networks: practical issues in translational neuroscience

The brain can be regarded as a network: a connected system where nodes, or units, represent different specialized regions and links, or connections, represent communication pathways. From a functional perspective communication is coded by temporal dependence between the activities of different brain areas. In the last decade, the abstract representation of the brain as a graph has allowed to visualize functional brain networks and describe their non-trivial topological properties in a compact and objective way. Nowadays, the use of graph analysis in translational neuroscience has become essential to quantify brain dysfunctions in terms of aberrant reconfiguration of functional brain networks. Despite its evident impact, graph analysis of functional brain networks is not a simple toolbox that can be blindly applied to brain signals. On the one hand, it requires a know-how of all the methodological steps of the processing pipeline that manipulates the input brain signals and extract the functional network properties. On the other hand, a knowledge of the neural phenomenon under study is required to perform physiological-relevant analysis. The aim of this review is to provide practical indications to make sense of brain network analysis and contrast counterproductive attitudes

Advancing automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom and for the US economy

In April 1985, as required by Public Law 98-371, the NASA Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) reported to Congress the results of its studies on advanced automation and robotics technology for use on the Freedom space station. This material was documented in the initial report (NASA Technical Memorandum 87566). A further requirement of the law was that ATAC follow NASA's progress in this area and report to Congress semiannually. This report is the seventh in a series of progress updates and covers the period between April 1, 1988 and September 30, 1988. NASA has accepted the basic recommendations of ATAC for its Space Station Freedom efforts. ATAC and NASA agree that the thrust of Congress is to build an advanced automation and robotics technology base that will support an evolutionary Space Station Freedom program and serve as a highly visible stimulator, affecting the U.S. long-term economy. The progress report identifies the work of NASA and the Freedom study contractors. It also describes research in progress, and it makes assessments of the advancement of automation and robotics technology on the Freedom space station