A Fuzzy Logic Based Controller for the Automated Alignment of a Laser-beam-smoothing Spatial Filter

A fuzzy logic based controller for a laser-beam-smoothing spatial filter is described. It is demonstrated that a human operator's alignment actions can easily be described by a system of fuzzy rules of inference. The final configuration uses inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware and allows for a compact, readily implemented embedded control system

Compensation for effects of ambient temperature on rare-earth doped fiber optic thermometer

Variations in ambient temperature have a negative effect on the performance of any fiber optic sensing system. A change in ambient temperature may alter the design parameters of fiber optic cables, connectors, sources, detectors, and other fiber optic components and eventually the performance of the entire system. The thermal stability of components is especially important in a system which employs intensity modulated sensors. Several referencing schemes have been developed to account for the variable losses that occur within the system. However, none of these conventional compensating techniques can be used to stabilize the thermal drift of the light source in a system based on the spectral properties of the sensor material. The compensation for changes in ambient temperature becomes especially important in fiber optic thermometers doped with rare earths. Different approaches to solving this problem are searched and analyzed

Assessment of Durable SiC JFET Technology for +600 C to -125 C Integrated Circuit Operation

Electrical characteristics and circuit design considerations for prototype 6H-SiC JFET integrated circuits (ICs) operating over the broad temperature range of -125 C to +600 C are described. Strategic implementation of circuits with transistors and resistors in the same 6H-SiC n-channel layer enabled ICs with nearly temperature-independent functionality to be achieved. The frequency performance of the circuits declined at temperatures increasingly below or above room temperature, roughly corresponding to the change in 6H-SiC n-channel resistance arising from incomplete carrier ionization at low temperature and decreased electron mobility at high temperature. In addition to very broad temperature functionality, these simple digital and analog demonstration integrated circuits successfully operated with little change in functional characteristics over the course of thousands of hours at 500 C before experiencing interconnect-related failures. With appropriate further development, these initial results establish a new technology foundation for realizing durable 500 C ICs for combustion engine sensing and control, deep-well drilling, and other harsh-environment applications

Smart Power Supply for Battery-Powered Systems

A power supply for battery-powered systems has been designed with an embedded controller that is capable of monitoring and maintaining batteries, charging hardware, while maintaining output power. The power supply is primarily designed for rovers and other remote science and engineering vehicles, but it can be used in any battery alone, or battery and charging source applications. The supply can function autonomously, or can be connected to a host processor through a serial communications link. It can be programmed a priori or on the fly to return current and voltage readings to a host. It has two output power busses: a constant 24-V direct current nominal bus, and a programmable bus for output from approximately 24 up to approximately 50 V. The programmable bus voltage level, and its output power limit, can be changed on the fly as well. The power supply also offers options to reduce the programmable bus to 24 V when the set power limit is reached, limiting output power in the case of a system fault detected in the system. The smart power supply is based on an embedded 8051-type single-chip microcontroller. This choice was made in that a credible progression to flight (radiation hard, high reliability) can be assumed as many 8051 processors or gate arrays capable of accepting 8051-type core presently exist and will continue to do so for some time. To solve the problem of centralized control, this innovation moves an embedded microcontroller to the power supply and assigns it the task of overseeing the operation and charging of the power supply assets. This embedded processor is connected to the application central processor via a serial data link such that the central processor can request updates of various parameters within the supply, such as battery current, bus voltage, remaining power in battery estimations, etc. This supply has a direct connection to the battery bus for common (quiescent) power application. Because components from multiple vendors may have differing power needs, this supply also has a secondary power bus, which can be programmed a priori or on-the-fly to boost the primary battery voltage level from 24 to 50 V to accommodate various loads as they are brought on line. Through voltage and current monitoring, the device can also shield the charging source from overloads, keep it within safe operating modes, and can meter available power to the application and maintain safe operations

Two and Three Dimensional near Infrared Subcutaneous Structure Imager Using Real Time Nonlinear Video Processing

An imager is provided for viewing subcutaneous structures. In an embodiment of the invention, the imager includes a camera configured to generate a video frame, and an adaptive nonlinear processor. The adaptive nonlinear processor is configured to adjust a signal of the video frame below a first threshold to a maximum dark level and to adjust the signal of the video frame above a second threshold to a maximum light level. The imager further includes a display, configured to display the processed video frame

Apparatus and Method for Communication over Power Lines

An apparatus and method are provided for communicating over power lines. The apparatus includes a coupling modem that is situated between a power line and a device. The coupling modem is configured to demodulate a signal received from the power line into a sine signal and a cosine signal. The coupling modem is also configured to modulate a communicated bit stream received from the device into a transmitted signal in order to impose the transmitted signal onto the power line

Apparatus and Method for Communication over Power Lines

An apparatus and method are provided for communicating over power lines. The apparatus includes a coupling modem that is situated between a power line and a device. The coupling modem is configured to demodulate a signal received from the power line into a sine signal and a cosine signal. The coupling modem is also configured to modulate a communicated bit stream received from the device into a transmitted signal in order to impose the transmitted signal onto the power line

Development and Buildup of a Stirling Radioisotope Generator Electrical Simulator

This paper describes the development of a Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG) Simulator for use in a prototype lunar robotic rover. The SRG developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is a promising power source for the robotic exploration of the sunless areas of the moon. The simulator designed provides a power output similar to the SRG output of 5.7 A at 28 Vdc, while using ac wall power as the input power source. The designed electrical simulator provides rover developers the physical and electrical constraints of the SRG supporting parallel development of the SRG and rover. Parallel development allows the rover design team to embrace the SRG s unique constraints while development of the SRG is continued to a flight qualified version

The evolution of farnesoid X, vitamin D, and pregnane X receptors: insights from the green-spotted pufferfish (Tetraodon nigriviridis) and other non-mammalian species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The farnesoid X receptor (FXR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) are three closely related nuclear hormone receptors in the NR1H and 1I subfamilies that share the property of being activated by bile salts. Bile salts vary significantly in structure across vertebrate species, suggesting that receptors binding these molecules may show adaptive evolutionary changes in response. We have previously shown that FXRs from the sea lamprey (<it>Petromyzon marinus</it>) and zebrafish (<it>Danio rerio</it>) are activated by planar bile alcohols found in these two species. In this report, we characterize FXR, PXR, and VDR from the green-spotted pufferfish (<it>Tetraodon nigriviridis</it>), an actinopterygian fish that unlike the zebrafish has a bile salt profile similar to humans. We utilize homology modelling, docking, and pharmacophore studies to understand the structural features of the <it>Tetraodon </it>receptors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Tetraodon </it>FXR has a ligand selectivity profile very similar to human FXR, with strong activation by the synthetic ligand GW4064 and by the primary bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid. Homology modelling and docking studies suggest a ligand-binding pocket architecture more similar to human and rat FXRs than to lamprey or zebrafish FXRs. <it>Tetraodon </it>PXR was activated by a variety of bile acids and steroids, although not by the larger synthetic ligands that activate human PXR such as rifampicin. Homology modelling predicts a larger ligand-binding cavity than zebrafish PXR. We also demonstrate that VDRs from the pufferfish and Japanese medaka were activated by small secondary bile acids such as lithocholic acid, whereas the African clawed frog VDR was not.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our studies provide further evidence of the relationship between both FXR, PXR, and VDR ligand selectivity and cross-species variation in bile salt profiles. Zebrafish and green-spotted pufferfish provide a clear contrast in having markedly different primary bile salt profiles (planar bile alcohols for zebrafish and sterically bent bile acids for the pufferfish) and receptor selectivity that matches these differences in endogenous ligands. Our observations to date present an integrated picture of the co-evolution of bile salt structure and changes in the binding pockets of three nuclear hormone receptors across the species studied.</p