High Performance Micropane Electron Beam Window

A silicon disk etched so that it contains a multitude of microscopic and thin window panes (micropanes) can potentially transmit a larger average electron beam current density and absorb a smaller fraction of the beam energy than a common metal foil window. The enhanced performance is achieved by a combination of decreased power loss due to the extremely small window thickness (~1 μm), and increased conductive cooling due to the small diameter (~50 μm) of the micropanes and the large cross section of the honeycomb structure that supports the micropanes. Beam current densities up to 34 A/cm2 are permitted within each micropane. When integrated over many micropanes across the face of a window, average current densities up to 1 A/cm2 are permitted—at least three orders of magnitude larger than the ≪mA/cm2 typical of foil windows. The small mass thickness yields high transparency, even for low energy beams. The transmission efficiency for a 100 keV beam is 99.5. © 2000 American Vacuum Society

Power Enhancement of an Actively Controlled Battery/Ultracapacitor Hybrid

An actively controlled battery/ultracapacitor hybrid has broad applications in pulse-operated power systems. A converter is used to actively control the power flow from a battery, to couple the battery to an ultracapacitor for power enhancement, and to deliver the power to a load efficiently. The experimental and simulation results show that the hybrid can achieve much greater specific power while reducing battery current and its internal loss. A specific example of the hybrid built from two size 18650 lithium-ion cells and two 100-F ultracapacitors achieved a peak power of 132 W which is a three-times improvement in peak power compared to the passive hybrid power source (hybrid without a converter), and a seven times improvement as compared to the lithium-ion cells alone. The design presented here can be scaled to larger or smaller power capacities for a variety of applications

Review of Calibration Methods for Scheimpflug Camera

The Scheimpflug camera offers a wide range of applications in the field of typical close-range photogrammetry, particle image velocity, and digital image correlation due to the fact that the depth-of-view of Scheimpflug camera can be greatly extended according to the Scheimpflug condition. Yet, the conventional calibration methods are not applicable in this case because the assumptions used by classical calibration methodologies are not valid anymore for cameras undergoing Scheimpflug condition. Therefore, various methods have been investigated to solve the problem over the last few years. However, no comprehensive review exists that provides an insight into recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras. This paper presents a survey of recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras with perspective lens, including the general nonparametric imaging model, and analyzes in detail the advantages and drawbacks of the mainstream calibration models with respect to each other. Real data experiments including calibrations, reconstructions, and measurements are performed to assess the performance of the models. The results reveal that the accuracies of the RMM, PLVM, PCIM, and GNIM are basically equal, while the accuracy of GNIM is slightly lower compared with the other three parametric models. Moreover, the experimental results reveal that the parameters of the tangential distortion are likely coupled with the tilt angle of the sensor in Scheimpflug calibration models. The work of this paper lays the foundation of further research of Scheimpflug cameras

High-sensitivity graphene MEMS force and acceleration sensor based on graphene-induced non-radiative transition

The micro-electromechanical-system (MEMS) force and acceleration sensor utilizing the graphene-induced non-radiative transition was investigated. The graphene-induced non-radiative transition is very sensitive to the distance, and the deflection of the graphene ribbon is highly susceptive to applied force or acceleration. Thus, a high-sensitivity MEMS sensor can be achieved with detecting the graphene ribbon's deflection of 1 nm, the force of 0.1 pN, and the acceleration of 0.1 mg. The MEMS sensor, with a size of only tens of microns, can be charged by light irradiation without connecting power sources. In addition, it allows long-distance detection, i.e., wireless transmitter circuit can be omitted. Therefore, it will have significant application prospects in the fields of micro-smart devices, wearable devices, biomedical systems, and so on.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Dynamic Multiphysics Model for Solar Array

An approach to model the solar cell system with coupled multiphysics equations (photovoltaic, electro-thermal, direct heating and cooling processes) within the context of the resistive-companion method in the Virtual Test Bed computational environment is presented. Appropriate across and through variables are defined for the thermal terminal of the system so that temperature is properly represented as a state variable, rather than as a parameter of the system. This allows enforcement of the system power conservation through all terminals, and allows simultaneous solutions for both the electrical potentials and the system temperature. The thermal port built accordingly can be used for natural thermal coupling. The static and dynamic behaviors of the solar array model based on the approach are obtained and validated through comparison of simulation results to theoretical predictions and other reported data. The electro-thermal modeling method developed here can be generally used in the modeling of other devices, and the method to define the across and through variables can also be generalized to any other interdisciplinary processes where natural coupling is required

Design and Testing of Spacecraft Power Systems Using VTB

A study is presented on the design and testing of spacecraft power systems using the virtual test bed (VTB). The interdisciplinary components such as solar array and battery systems were first modeled in native VTB format and validated by experiment data. The shunt regulator and battery charge controller were designed in Simulink according to the system requirements and imported to VTB. Two spacecraft power systems were then designed and tested together with the control systems

BRAD, the genetics and genomics database for Brassica plants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Brassica species include both vegetable and oilseed crops, which are very important to the daily life of common human beings. Meanwhile, the Brassica species represent an excellent system for studying numerous aspects of plant biology, specifically for the analysis of genome evolution following polyploidy, so it is also very important for scientific research. Now, the genome of <it>Brassica rapa </it>has already been assembled, it is the time to do deep mining of the genome data.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>BRAD, the Brassica database, is a web-based resource focusing on genome scale genetic and genomic data for important Brassica crops. BRAD was built based on the first whole genome sequence and on further data analysis of the Brassica A genome species, <it>Brassica rapa </it>(Chiifu-401-42). It provides datasets, such as the complete genome sequence of <it>B. rapa</it>, which was <it>de novo </it>assembled from Illumina GA II short reads and from BAC clone sequences, predicted genes and associated annotations, non coding RNAs, transposable elements (TE), <it>B. rapa </it>genes' orthologous to those in <it>A. thaliana</it>, as well as genetic markers and linkage maps. BRAD offers useful searching and data mining tools, including search across annotation datasets, search for syntenic or non-syntenic orthologs, and to search the flanking regions of a certain target, as well as the tools of BLAST and Gbrowse. BRAD allows users to enter almost any kind of information, such as a <it>B. rapa </it>or <it>A. thaliana </it>gene ID, physical position or genetic marker.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>BRAD, a new database which focuses on the genetics and genomics of the Brassica plants has been developed, it aims at helping scientists and breeders to fully and efficiently use the information of genome data of Brassica plants. BRAD will be continuously updated and can be accessed through <url>http://brassicadb.org</url>.</p

Power Anomaly Effects and Costs in Low-Voltage Mobile Power Systems

Electric power anomalies or disturbances can disrupt the normal operation of equipment, accelerate aging, or even cause outright failures thus resulting in increased costs of maintenance and reduced system reliability. Past research on the effects caused by power anomalies has been mostly focused on industrial, commercial, or residential systems, or on power distribution equipment. A literature survey reveals that there is no comprehensive review related to low-voltage (LV) power systems and utilization equipment applicable to military combat vehicles, such as aircraft and ships. This paper summarizes the results of a new literature survey that focused on the causes, effects, and mitigation methods for power anomalies typical of LV mobile power systems. Electric power anomaly cost data collected from the literature are also presented, from which the costs of anomalies to the national defense are estimated using some simple rationales