Artificial intelligence applications in space and SDI: A survey

The purpose of this paper is to survey existing and planned Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications to show that they are sufficiently advanced for 32 percent of all space applications and SDI (Space Defense Initiative) software to be AI-based software. To best define the needs that AI can fill in space and SDI programs, this paper enumerates primary areas of research and lists generic application areas. Current and planned NASA and military space projects in AI will be reviewed. This review will be largely in the selected area of expert systems. Finally, direct applications of AI to SDI will be treated. The conclusion covers the importance of AI to space and SDI applications, and conversely, their importance to AI

SDI satellite autonomy using AI and Ada

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the programming language Ada to help a satellite recover from selected failures that could lead to mission failure are described. An unmanned satellite will have a separate AI subsystem running in parallel with the normal satellite subsystems. A satellite monitoring subsystem (SMS), under the control of a blackboard system, will continuously monitor selected satellite subsystems to become alert to any actual or potential problems. In the case of loss of communications with the earth or the home base, the satellite will go into a survival mode to reestablish communications with the earth. The use of an AI subsystem in this manner would have avoided the tragic loss of the two recent Soviet probes that were sent to investigate the planet Mars and its moons. The blackboard system works in conjunction with an SMS and a reconfiguration control subsystem (RCS). It can be shown to be an effective way for one central control subsystem to monitor and coordinate the activities and loads of many interacting subsystems that may or may not contain redundant and/or fault-tolerant elements. The blackboard system will be coded in Ada using tools such as the ABLE development system and the Ada Production system

Future universities in smart cities how to make smart use of a university hospital

Scientific institutions have a significant impact on the development and growth of regions. These include economic and social impacts ranging from the offer of employments and trainee positions to the economy’s supply side with qualified labor force, the provision of information and transfer of knowledge and technology as well as cultural opportunities. This holds in particular for university hospitals with their wealth of differ-ent disciplines extending into other academic fields and attracting addi-tional research institutes for intense collaboration. Considering this situa-tion leads immediately to the question, how to make best or “smart” use of an institution, such as a university hospital, that a larger city needs anyway? The term “smart” use refers, of course, to the economic impact, which is associated with this institution. However, before it is possible to provide a thorough answer to this ques-tion, we have to classify the various potential effects. There are, first of all, the so-called demand effects, pointing to resources the institution con-sumes, because it employs medical and administrative personnel, because it teaches and trains medical students, because it needs a large variety of medical supplies, and because it constantly needs to repair equipment and buildings or invest in new ones. The so-called supply effects are more difficult to investigate. They refer in particular to the attractiveness of the institution – due to its research ac-tivities, or due to the quality of the students leaving the institution with an academic degree – for other public or private research institutes settling in the neighborhood of the university hospital (sometimes referred to as “knowledge spillover”). The paper focuses in a first step on the demand effects, which include, however, also the demand effects associated with the institutions attracted through the university hospital. By comparing these effects for university hospitals in different regions or countries, it is possible to get some insight into the framework conditions, of relevance for strong supply effects. In a second step, the required conditions for an “optimal” regional impact lead-ing to substantial employment effects or outstanding innovation activities have to be investigated. This will then allow to optimize the framework conditions for the university hospital, to make “smart” use of this institu-tion. The methodology is characterized by an incidence analysis and specifies the Keynesian multiplier analysis in order to provide a framework for discov-ering and quantifying several regional economic effects and applies this analysis to university hospitals in Germany and Russia. The quantitative analysis shows the importance of these institutions for regional economic development. Differences regarding the size of the various multipliers re-sult from differences in relevant framework conditions, thus providing room for policy implications. The analysis investigates the university hospital in Leipzig (UML) in Ger-many, and the Siberian State Medical University (SSMU) in Tomsk, Rus-sia. Both institutions have a long history as research institutions, UML is larger in terms of the number of employees and the number of students, however SSMU serves a much larger area than UML. Moreover, these are-as are different regarding climatic and geographic conditions and regarding the density of the population. The results based on direct, indirect and induced demand effects show that UML reveals an employment multiplier of approximately 2, and SSMU of appropriately 1.5, implying that each full-time position in the hospitals leads to an additional full-time position in the vicinity of UML, and to an additional half-time position in the vicinity of SSMU. A more careful analysis shows that UML succeeds in attracting more additional research institutions, although SSMU supports more employees in the supplier in-dustries. Summarizing, the analysis points to significant differences regarding supply effects originating from university hospitals. Thus, it should be the concern of “smart” cities to make “smart” use of their university hospitals. A more detailed analysis regarding the second step mentioned above is required to provide further insight into the relevant framework conditions

Utilization of NASA Lewis mobile terminals for the Hermes satellite

The high power of the Hermes satellite enables two-way television and voice communication with small ground terminals. The Portable Earth Terminal (PET) and the Transportable Earth Terminal (TET) were developed and built by NASA-Lewis to provide communications capability to short-term users. The NASA-Lewis mobile terminals are described in terms of vehicles and onboard equipment, as well as operation aspects, including use in the field. The section on demonstrations divides the uses into categories of medicine, education, technology and government. Applications of special interest within each category are briefly described

New Directions in Modeling the Lighting Systems

This paper presents information about new directions in the modeling of lighting systems, and an overview of methods for the modeling of lighting systems. The new R-FEM method is described, which is a combination of the Radiosity method and the Finite Elements Method. The paper contains modeling results and their verification by experimental measurements and by the Matlab simulation for this R-FEM method

Performance characteristics of the 12 GHz, 200 watt transmitter experiment package for CTS

The experiment package consists of a 200 W output stage tube (OST) powered by a power processing system (PPS). Descriptions of both the PPS and OST are given. The PPS provides the necessary voltages with a measured dc/dc conversion efficiency of 89 percent. The OST, a traveling wave tube with multiple collectors, has a saturated rf output power of 224 W and operates at an overall efficiency exceeding 40 percent over an 85 MHz bandwidth at 12 GHz. OST performance given includes frequency response, saturation characteristics, group delay, AM to PM conversion, inter-modulation distortion, and two channel gain suppression. Single and dual channel FM video performance is presented. It was determined that for 12 MHz peak to peak frequency deviation on each channel, dual channel FM television signals can be transmitted through the TEP at 60 W, each channel, with 40 MHz channel spacing (center to center)

Cluster Approximation for the Farey Fraction Spin Chain

We consider the Farey fraction spin chain in an external field $h$. Utilising ideas from dynamical systems, the free energy of the model is derived by means of an effective cluster energy approximation. This approximation is valid for divergent cluster sizes, and hence appropriate for the discussion of the magnetizing transition. We calculate the phase boundaries and the scaling of the free energy. At $h=0$ we reproduce the rigorously known asymptotic temperature dependence of the free energy. For $h \ne 0$, our results are largely consistent with those found previously using mean field theory and renormalization group arguments.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

The Democratic Life of the Union: Toward Equal Voting Participation for Europeans with Disabilities

This Article puts forward preliminary legal scholarship on equal political participation by persons with disabilities and what international human rights law requires for its attainment. The goal is to provoke an informed dialogue on the neglected but fundamental human right to enfranchisement by persons with disabilities while also acknowledging that a complete and just resolution requires further information and reflection. The Article argues that the fundamental right to vote cannot be curtailed on the basis of an alleged lack of capacity. Disenfranchisement based on individual assessment unjustly excludes a certain number of voting-capable individuals. Since all those affected are persons with disabilities, this violates the requirement of equality expressed in general international human rights law that recently was explicitly extended to cover disability. The Article also pushes the discussion forward by delving into the controversial and unsettling notion of proxy voting, suggested by philosopher Martha Nussbaum. Although a small number of individuals cannot currently be accommodated in the electoral process, this does not justify their disenfranchisement. Nor does it warrant a more intrusive measure, such as voting by proxy. In no circumstance should their situation justify singling out voting-incapable persons from other individuals or categorizing them differently before the law. Although the focus is often seen through a European lens, the questions raised are pertinent for the exercise of human rights by persons with disabilities around the globe