SRT, Medicina and Noto’s 3-band receivers: performances simulations with MATLAB RFToolbox

In the context of the PON funding called “Enhancement of the Sardinia Radio Telescope for the study of the Universe at the higher radio frequencies” the realization of 3-band receivers (K band (18-26 GHz), Q band (34-50 GHz) and W band (80-116 GHz)) for the three main Italian radio-telescopes, SRT, Medicina and Noto is foreseen. The design and construction of the receivers are under Korean Institute KASI’s (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) responsibility. The scope of this technical document is to report the main receiver parameters behavior computed with MATLAB simulations software. Thanks to the receiver components measurement files and to the RF tools of MATLAB it was possible to simulate the gain, the noise figure (and noise temperature) and the output power of the chains of the three receivers. These simulations can be useful to compare the estimation of the receivers at the CDR level to the real built receivers also for a better integration of the receivers with the FBCB (Full Band Conversion Board

Bone on-a-chip: a 3D dendritic network in a screening platform for osteocyte-targeted drugs

Age-related musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoporosis, are frequent and associated with long lasting morbidity, in turn significantly impacting on healthcare system sustainability. There is therefore a compelling need to develop reliable preclinical models of disease and drug screening to validate novel drugs possibly on a personalized basis, without the need of in vivo assay. In the context of bone tissue, although the osteocyte (Oc) network is a well-recognized therapeutic target, current in vitro preclinical models are unable to mimic its physiologically relevant and highly complex structure. To this purpose, several features are needed, including an osteomimetic extracellular matrix, dynamic perfusion, and mechanical cues (e.g. shear stress) combined with a three-dimensional (3D) culture of Oc. Here we describe, for the first time, a high throughput microfluidic platform based on 96-miniaturized chips for large-scale preclinical evaluation to predict drug efficacy. We bioengineered a commercial microfluidic device that allows real-time visualization and equipped with multi-chips by the development and injection of a highly stiff bone-like 3D matrix, made of a blend of collagen-enriched natural hydrogels loaded with hydroxyapatite nanocrystals. The microchannel, filled with the ostemimetic matrix and Oc, is subjected to passive perfusion and shear stress. We used scanning electron microscopy for preliminary material characterization. Confocal microscopy and fluorescent microbeads were used after material injection into the microchannels to detect volume changes and the distribution of cell-sized objects within the hydrogel. The formation of a 3D dendritic network of Oc was monitored by measuring cell viability, evaluating phenotyping markers (connexin43, integrin alpha V/CD51, sclerostin), quantification of dendrites, and responsiveness to an anabolic drug. The platform is expected to accelerate the development of new drug aimed at modulating the survival and function of osteocytes

Industrial solutions trends for the control of HiRes spectrograph@E-ELT

Starting a few years ago, ESO initiated a number of projects aiming to explore the possible adoption of industrial standards and commercial off-the-shelf components (COTS) for the control of future VLT and E-ELT instrumentations. In this context, ESPRESSO, the next generation high-stability spectrograph for the VLT and to a certain extent, a precursor of HiRes, has adopted since the preliminary design phase those solutions. Based on the ESPRESSO experience and taking into account the requirements inferred from the preliminary Hi-Res studies in terms of both high-level operations as well as low-level control, I will present in this paper the current proposal for the HiRes hardware architecture. <P /

A PLC Distributed Layout: the Case of the Instrument Control Electronics of ESPRESSO

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is passing the integration phase in Geneva before being shipped to Chile and installed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) site on the Cerro Paranal. It is going to be one of the first permanent instruments of VLT with a distributed control electronics based on Beckhoff PLCs. About 40 motorized stages, more than 90 sensors and several calibration lamps are controlled by the Instrument Control Electronics (ICE) and Software (ICS). All the ESPRESSO functionalities are managed by two main CPUs that Sshare the workload. The Beckhoff EtherCAT decentralization modules ensure the EtherCAT continuity between the 7 PLC electronics subracks placed in different cabinets, allowing optimal distributed architecture. Furthermore, one of the two CPUs is equipped with an IEEE 1588 protocol interface, used for the time synchronization of the distributed clocks in the networks. In this paper the features of the CPUs used, the distribution of functions among them, the electronic cabinets configuration and a detailed overview of the PLC control system used are presented

ESPRESSO Instrument Control Electronics and Software: final phases before the installation in Chile.

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations, is undergoing the final testing phases before being shipped to Chile and installed in the Combined Coudé Laboratory (CCL) at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere - Very Large Telescope site (ESO-VLT). The integration of the instrument took place at the Astronomical Observatory of Geneva. It included the full tests of the Instrument Control Electronics (ICE) and Control Software, designed and developed at the INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Trieste. ESPRESSO is the first ESO-VLT permanent instrument whose electronics is based on Beckhoff PLCs. Two PLC CPUs shares all the workload of the ESPRESSO functions and communicates through the OPC-UA protocol with the VLT instrument control software. In this phase all the devices and subsystems of ESPRESSO are installed, connected together and verified, mimicking the final working conditions in Chile. This paper will summarize the features of the ESPRESSO control system, the tests performed during the integration in Europe and the main performances obtained before the integration of the whole instrument “on sky” in South America

A complete automatization of an educational observatory at INAF-OATs

The Astronomical Observatory of Trieste (OATs), part of the Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), hosts a Celestron C14 telescope, equipped with a robotic Paramount ME equatorial mount, used for public outreach. The telescope is installed inside a dome, recently upgraded with a Beckhoff PLC control system, a SIEMENS inverter for the communication with the motor of the dome's roof, and further equipment to allow the complete automatization of the system. A peculiarity of the system is that, when operating, the telescope may exceed the height of the roof: due to this fact the telescope pointing is constrained by the full opening of the roof and, oppositely, the closing of the roof is allowed only when the telescope is in park position. Appropriate sensors are installed to monitor the position of the telescope to properly handle the complete opening or closing of the roof. Several emergency operations are also foreseen, for example in case of bad weather or lost connection with the user. The PLC software has been developed using TwinCAT software. An OPC-UA server is installed in the PLC and allows the communication with a web interface. The web GUI, developed in PHP and Javascript, allows the user to perform the remote operations like switching on all the instrumentations, open the dome's roof, park the telescope and view the status of the system. Furthermore through TheSkyX software it is possible to perform the pointing of the telescope and its set up. A dedicated script, interfaced with TheSkyX, have been implemented to perform a complete automated acquisition. An appropriate data storage system is foreseen. All these elements, that cooperate to create a fully remoted controlled system, are presented in this paper

EELT-HIRES the high resolution spectrograph for the E-ELT: software and hardware solutions for its control

The current E-ELT instrumentation plan foresees a High Resolution Spectrograph conventionally indicated as EELTHIRES whose Phase A study has started in March 2016. Since 2013 however, a preliminary study of a modular E-ELT instrument able to provide high-resolution spectroscopy (R 100,000) in a wide wavelength range (0.37-2.5 μm) has been already conducted by an international consortium (termed "HIRES initiative"). Taking into account the requirements inferred from this preliminary work in terms of both high-level operations as well as low-level control, we will present in this paper possible solutions for HIRES hardware and software architecture. The validity of the proposed architectural and hardware choices will be eventually discussed based also on the experience gained on a real-working instrument, ESPRESSO, the next generation high-stability spectrograph for the VLT and to certain extent the precursor of HIRES. <P /

Integration of the instrument control electronics for the ESPRESSO spectrograph at ESO-VLT

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations of the ESO - Very Large Telescope site, is now in its integration phase. The large number of functions of this complex instrument are fully controlled by a Beckhoff PLC based control electronics architecture. Four small and one large cabinets host the main electronic parts to control all the sensors, motorized stages and other analogue and digital functions of ESPRESSO. The Instrument Control Electronics (ICE) is built following the latest ESO standards and requirements. Two main PLC CPUs are used and are programmed through the TwinCAT Beckhoff dedicated software. The assembly, integration and verification phase of ESPRESSO, due to its distributed nature and different geographical locations of the consortium partners, is quite challenging. After the preliminary assembling and test of the electronic components at the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste and the test of some electronics and software parts at ESO (Garching), the complete system for the control of the four Front End Unit (FEU) arms of ESPRESSO has been fully assembled and tested in Merate (Italy) at the beginning of 2016. After these first tests, the system will be located at the Geneva Observatory (Switzerland) until the Preliminary Acceptance Europe (PAE) and finally shipped to Chile for the commissioning. This paper describes the integration strategy of the ICE workpackage of ESPRESSO, the hardware and software tests that have been performed, with an overall view of the experience gained during these project's phases. <P /

The instrument control electronics of the ESPRESSO spectrograph @VLT

ESPRESSO, the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations, is a super-stable Optical High Resolution Spectrograph for the Combined Coudé focus of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It can be operated either as a single telescope instrument or as a multi-telescope facility, by collecting the light of up to four Unit Telescopes (UTs). From the Nasmyth focus of each UT the light is fed, through a set of optical elements (Coudé Train - CT), to the Front End Unit (FEU) which performs several functions, as image and pupil stabilization, inclusion of calibration light and refocusing. The light is then conveyed into the spectrograph fibers. The whole process is handled by several electronically controlled devices. About 40 motorized stages, more than 90 sensors and several calibration lamps are controlled by the Instrument Control Electronics (ICE) and Software (ICS). The technology employed for the control of the ESPRESSO subsystems is PLC-based, with a distributed layout close to the functions to control. This paper illustrates the current status of the ESPRESSO ICE, showing the control architecture, the electrical cabinet’s organization and the experiences gained during the development and assembly phase

Status of the Local Monitor and Control System of SKA Dishes

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project aims at building the world's largest radio observatory to observe the radio sky with unprecedented sensitivity and collecting area. In the SKA1 phase of the project, two dish arrays are to be built, one in South Africa (SKA1-Mid) and the other in Western Australia (SKA1-Survey). Each antenna will be provided with a local monitor and control system, enabling remote operations to engineers and to the Telescope Manager system. In this paper we present the current status of the software system being designed to monitor and control the dish subsystem. An overview of the dish instrumentation is reported, along with details concerning the software architecture, functional interfaces, prototyping and the evaluated technologies