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Briefs: Information Technology
A method of automated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been invented for the generation of performance tables for an object subject to fluid flow. The method is applicable to the...
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Briefs: Information Technology
A Data Matrix Method for Improving the Quantification of Element Percentages of SEM/EDX Analysis
A simple 2D M×N matrix involving sample preparation enables the microanalyst to peer below the noise floor of element percentages reported by the SEM/EDX (scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray) analysis, thus yielding more meaningful...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Deployable Shroud for the International X-Ray Observatory
A document describes the design of a lightweight (between 100 to 200 kg), light-tight shroud of about 3.9 meters in diameter that could be stowed into a very small volume, and be deployed to 12 meters. The shroud will consist of two concentric multi-layer blankets (MLIs) that are constructed...
Briefs: Information Technology
Improved Model of a Mercury Ring Damper
A short document discusses the general problem of mathematical modeling of the three-dimensional rotational dynamics of rigid bodies and of the use of Euler parameters to eliminate the singularities occasioned by the use of Euler angles in such modeling. The document goes on to characterize a Hamiltonian...
Briefs: Medical
Optoelectronic pH Meter: Further Details
A collection of documents provides further detailed information about an optoelectronic instrument that measures the pH of an aqueous cell-culture medium to within ±0.1 unit in the range from 6.5 to 7.5. The instrument at an earlier stage of development was reported in “Optoelectronic Instrument Monitors...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
X-38 Advanced Sublimator
A document discusses a heat rejection device for transferring heat from a space vehicle by venting water into space through the use of a novel, two-stage water distribution system. The system consists of two different, porous media that stop water-borne contaminants from clogging the system and causing operational failures.
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Solar Simulator Represents the Mars Surface Solar Environment
A report discusses the development of a Mars surface, laboratory-based solar simulator to create solar cells that can function better on Mars. The Mars Optimized Solar cell Technology (MOST) required defining the surface incident spectrum, developing an appropriate laboratory solar...
Briefs: Medical
The separation of serum or plasma from whole blood is of overriding importance in clinical chemistry. In particular, many diagnostic detection reactions of blood components...
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Briefs: Software
Quantifying Therapeutic and Diagnostic Efficacy in 2D Microvascular Images
VESGEN is a newly automated, userinteractive program that maps and quantifies the effects of vascular therapeutics and regulators on microvascular form and function. VESGEN analyzes two-dimensional, black and white vascular images by measuring important vessel morphology...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Solar Rejection Filter for Large Telescopes
To reject solar radiation photons at the front aperture for large telescopes, a mosaic of large transmission mode filters is placed in front of the telescope or at the aperture of the dome. Filtering options for effective rejection of sunlight include a smaller filter down-path near the focus of the...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Free-Space Optical Interconnect Employing VCSEL Diodes
Sensor signal processing is widely used on aircraft and spacecraft. The scheme employs multiple input/output nodes for data acquisition and CPU (central processing unit) nodes for data processing. To connect 110 nodes and CPU nodes, scalable interconnections such as backplanes are desired...
Who's Who: Aerospace
Jeff Ding introduced friction stir welding (FSW) to NASA in 1995. He currently holds 6 U.S. patents for FSW, including one for an automatic retractable pin tool that...
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Briefs: Energy
Lattice-Matched Semiconductor Layers on Single Crystalline Sapphire Substrate
SiGe is an important semiconductor alloy for high-speed field effect transistors (FETs), high-temperature thermoelectric devices, photovoltaic solar cells, and photon detectors. The growth of SiGe layer is difficult because SiGe alloys have different lattice constants...
Articles: Software
Changing Roles in a Challenging Environment In our annual poll of executives at leading analysis and simulation software companies, we posed questions dealing with virtual prototyping, the...
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NASA Tech Needs
Stennis Space Center is NASA’s primary center for rocket engine testing. The facilities include large test stands built for the Apollo Program that are being used to test Space Shuttle Main...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
General Micro Systems (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) has introduced the “Raider” S705 Core 2 Duo®-based system. Raider is based on the GMS P70x module, a Core 2 Duo processor providing up to 2.16 GHz of power and 4 MB of...
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Articles: Photonics/Optics
A nearly geometric growth in the data requirements for many machine vision applications is pushing 32-bit processing to its limits. The challenge is not in processing power, however, but in addressing memory...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
Unitronics (Quincy, MA) has added the V570-57-T20B to the company’s Vision570™ series of 5.7” Color Touchscreen PLCs. The model is lower in cost and has a white LED instead of fluorescent display backlight. The...
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Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
For 3D viewing to be convenient on small, portable devices, it must be autostereoscopic, thus eliminating the requirement for 3D “glasses.” The display devices must also provide 2D and 3D...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
Stealth.com Inc. (Ontario, Canada) has released the Stealth TT-840, a rugged, environmentally sealed LCD monitor for harsh environments. The TT-840 is an 8.4 inch sunlight-readable LCD encapsulated in a rugged...
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Solar Rejection Filter for Large Telescopes
To reject solar radiation photons at the front aperture for large telescopes, a mosaic of large transmission mode filters is placed in front of the telescope or at the aperture of the dome. Filtering options for effective rejection of sunlight include a smaller filter down-path near the focus of the...
Products: Electronics & Computers
The TX37 Freescale i.MX37 processor-based System on Module (SOM) from Strategic Test (Woburn, MA) measures just 67.6mm x 26mm x 4.2 mm. It contains a 532 MHz i.MX37 processor coupled with 128 MB mobile DDRSDRAM,...
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Free-Space Optical Interconnect Employing VCSEL Diodes
Sensor signal processing is widely used on aircraft and spacecraft. The scheme employs multiple input/output nodes for data acquisition and CPU (central processing unit) nodes for data processing. To connect 110 nodes and CPU nodes, scalable interconnections such as backplanes are desired...
Products: Electronics & Computers
Advantech (Cincinnati, OH) introduces the TPC-1780H, a 17" SXGA TFT LCD fanless touch panel PC with an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU. The TPC-1780H provides one extension slot, such as RS-422/485, PCI-104, and...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
Xilinx (San Jose, CA) introduces the ISE® Design Suite 11.1, an FPGA design solution with fully interoperable domain-specific design flows and tool configurations for logic, digital signal processing (DSP), embedded...
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Two recipes for ensuring critical coupling between a single-mode optical fiber and a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonator have been devised. The recipes provide for phase...
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Products: Electronics & Computers
Fairchild Semiconductor (San Jose, CA) has introduced the RD212, a 200W DC/DC power supply reference design that offers high efficiency (up to 94 percent), and low noise characteristics due to its zero voltage...
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Products: Photonics/Optics
Marshall’s Industrial and Security Division (El Segundo, CA) has developed a new series of pinhole lenses designed to protect employees when monitoring high temperature and/or hostile...
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