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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

A Multiple Agent Model of Human Performance in Automated Air Traffic Control and Flight Management Operations

A predictive model of human operator performance (flight crew and air traffic control (ATC)) has been developed and applied in order to evaluate the impact of automation developments in flight management and air traffic control. The model is used to predict the performance of a two person flight crew and the ATC operators generating and responding to clearances aided by the Center TRACON Automation System (CTAS). The purpose of the modeling is to support evaluation and design of automated aids for flight management and airspace management and to predict required changes in procedure both air and ground in response to advancing automation in both domains. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Corker, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Test and Evaluation of Non-Chromate Finishing Agent

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) has engaged a team comprised of university faculty members, student research assistants, and consultants from industrial and technology firms in order to ensure that NASA receives a quality product on time and within budget. In addition to the current related expertise which CAU possess, we have enlisted materials and aid from several other agencies, and machine manufacturers to assist us in completing the project on time and according to plan and budget. The research team is employing sound engineering principles in its approach to this project. Each phase of the project is preceded by a thorough and complete planning session that details the work plan and provide a comprehensive review of the work to be accomplished during the particular phase and by whom. Maximum use is being made of existing or already planned capabilities to ensure maximum economy, and frequent online reviews are being held to measure progress and to identify a potential problem in sufficient time to allow for corrective action.

Okhio, Cyril↗
NASA NTRS2002

Microencapsulated Bioactive Agents and Method of Making

Microcapsules prepared by encapsulating an aqueous solution of a protein, drug or other bioactive substance inside a semi-permeable membrane by are disclosed. The microcapsules are formed by interfacial coacervation under conditions where the shear forces are limited to 0- 100 dynes per sq cm at the interface. By placing the microcapsules in a high osmotic watering solution, the protein solution is gradually made saturated and then supersaturated, and the controlled nucleation and crystallization of the protein is achieved. The crystal-filled microcapsules prepared by this method can be conveniently harvested and stored while keeping the encapsulated crystals in essentially pristine condition due to the rugged, protective membrane. Because the membrane components themselves are x-ray transparent, large crystal-containing microcapsules can be individually selected. mounted in x-ray capillary tubes and subjected to high energy x-ray diffraction studies to determine the 3-D structure of the protein molecules. Certain embodiments of the microcapsules of the invention have composite polymeric outer membranes which are somewhat elastic, water insoluble, permeable only to water, salts, and low molecular weight molecules and are structurally stable in fluid shear forces typically encountered in the human vascular system.

Dennis R Morrison↗
NASA NTRS1996

Intelligent Agent Technology

Open Sesame! is the first commercial software product that learns user's behavior, and offers automation and coaching suggestions to the user. The neural learning module looks for repetitive patterns that have not been automated; when it finds one, it creates an observation and, upon approval, automates the task. The manufacturer, Charles River Analytics, credits Langley Research Center and Johnson Space Center Small Business Innovation Research grants and the time the president and vice president spent at the two centers in the 1970s as being essential to the development of their product line.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Trends of Measured Climate Forcing Agents

The growth rate of climate forcing by measured greenhouse gases peaked near 1980 at almost 5 W/sq m per century. This growth rate has since declined to approximately equal to 3 W/sq m per century, largely because of cooperative international actions. We argue that trends can be reduced to the level needed for the moderate "alternative" climate scenario (approximately equal to 2 W/M2 per century for the next 50 years) by means of concerted actions that have other benefits, but the forcing reductions are not automatic "co-benefits" of actions that slow CO2 emissions. Current trends of climate forcings by aerosols remain very uncertain. Nevertheless, practical constraints on changes in emission levels suggest that global warming at a rate + 0.15 +/- 0.05 C per decade will occur over the next several decades.

Hansen, James E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Effects of Amine and Anhydride Curing Agents on the VARTM Matrix Processing Properties

To ensure successful application of composite structure for aerospace vehicles, it is necessary to develop material systems that meet a variety of requirements. The industry has recently developed a number of low-viscosity epoxy resins to meet the processing requirements associated with vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) of aerospace components. The curing kinetics and viscosity of two of these resins, an amine-cured epoxy system, Applied Poleramic, Inc. VR-56-4 1, and an anhydride-cured epoxy system, A.T.A.R.D. Laboratories SI-ZG-5A, have been characterized for application in the VARTM process. Simulations were carried out using the process model, COMPRO, to examine heat transfer, curing kinetics and viscosity for different panel thicknesses and cure cycles. Results of these simulations indicate that the two resins have significantly different curing behaviors and flow characteristics.

Brian W Grimsley↗
NASA NTRS2003

Visualizing Decision-making Behaviours in Agent-based Autonomous Spacecraft

The authors will report initial progress on the PIAudit project as a Research Resident Associate Program. The objective of this research is to prototype a tool for visualizing decision-making behaviours in autonomous spacecraft. This visualization will serve as an information source for human analysts. The current visualization prototype for PIAudit combines traditional Decision Trees with Weights of Evidence.

North, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2003

Intelligent Agents for Science Data Processing

In order to conduct research into global warming, the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) generates a large and growing volume of data. This viewgraph presentation describes the architecture needed to manage the remote sensing data, and the numerical analysis used to process it.

Golden, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2003

Microencapsulated Bioactive Agents and Method of Making

The invention is directed to microcapsules encapsulating an aqueous solution of a protein, drug or other bioactive substance inside a semi-permeable membrane. The microcapsules are formed by interfacial coacervation where shear forces are limited to 0-100 dynes per square centimeter. The resulting uniform microcapsules can then be subjected to dewatering in order to cause the internal solution to become supersaturated with the dissolved substance. This dewatering allows controlled nucleation and crystallization of the dissolved substance. The crystal-filled microcapsules can be stored, keeping the encapsulated crystals in good condition for further direct use in x-ray crystallography or as injectable formulations of the dissolved drug, protein or other bioactive substance.

Dennis R Morrison↗
NASA NTRS2003

Cooperative Multi-Agent Mobile Sensor Platforms for Jet Engine Inspection: Concept and Implementation

Cooperative behavior algorithms utilizing swarm intelligence are being developed for mobile sensor platforms to inspect jet engines on-wing. Experiments are planned in which several relatively simple autonomous platforms will work together in a coordinated fashion to carry out complex maintenance-type tasks within the constrained working environment modeled on the interior of a turbofan engine. The algorithms will emphasize distribution of the tasks among multiple units; they will be scalable and flexible so that units may be added in the future; and will be designed to operate on an individual unit level to produce the desired global effect. This proof of concept demonstration will validate the algorithms and provide justification for further miniaturization and specialization of the hardware toward the true application of on-wing in situ turbine engine maintenance.

Litt, Jonathan S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Novel Phenylethynyl Imide Silanes as Coupling Agents for Titanium Alloy

The durability of titanium (Ti) alloys bonded with high temperature adhesives such as polyimides has failed to attain the level of performance required for many applications. The problem to a large part is attributed to the instability of the surface treatment on the Ti substrate. Although Ti alloy adhesive specimens with surface treatments such as chromic acid anodization, Pasa-Jell, Turco, etc. have provided high initial mechanical properties, these properties have decreased as a function of aging at ambient temperature and faster, when aged at elevated temperatures or in a hot-wet environment. As part of the High Speed Civil Transport program where Ti honeycomb sandwich structure must perform for 60,000 hours at 177 C, work was directed to the development of environmentally safe, durable Ti alloy surface treatments.

Park, C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Tholins as Coloring Agents on Solar System Bodies

Pre-biotic organic materials appear to be common on many small bodies in the outer Solar System, as evidenced by the color properties of these objects. We report on our continuing study of color properties in connection with the presence of complex organic solids (tholins) among the planets and their satellites, the asteroids, and the trans- Neptunian objects (Kuiper Belt objects). Most small, icy bodies in the Solar System, whether they have high or low surface reflectance (albedo), show a pronounced downward slope in reflectance at wavelengths shorter than approx. 1 micron. This increasing absorption of sunlight toward shorter wavelengths is characteristic of pi-bonds in hydrocarbons having chains or rings of conjugated C atoms. Tholins, which contain polycyclic aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, exhibit these color properties. Using the complex refractive indices of tholins in models of the reflectance spectra of icy bodies in the Solar System, we find that these complex organic materials satisfactorily account for the coloration so widely observed. The new results presented here show that the wide variety of colors of Kuiper Belt objects can be fit very well with tholins, as can the colors of Pluto and Triton. The implications of these fits of Kuiper Belt objects is that complex organic material is created on their surfaces by energetic particle bombardment of native ices, and also may be accreted from external sources. In the cases of Pluto and Triton, photochemistry of their weak N2 + CH4 + CO atmospheres produces complex organic molecules that precipitate to the surface, providing local color.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Team play with a powerful and independent agent: operational experiences and automation surprises on the Airbus A-320

Research and operational experience have shown that one of the major problems with pilot-automation interaction is a lack of mode awareness (i.e., the current and future status and behavior of the automation). As a result, pilots sometimes experience so-called automation surprises when the automation takes an unexpected action or fails to behave as anticipated. A lack of mode awareness and automation surprises can he viewed as symptoms of a mismatch between human and machine properties and capabilities. Changes in automation design can therefore he expected to affect the likelihood and nature of problems encountered by pilots. Previous studies have focused exclusively on early generation "glass cockpit" aircraft that were designed based on a similar automation philosophy. To find out whether similar difficulties with maintaining mode awareness are encountered on more advanced aircraft, a corpus of automation surprises was gathered from pilots of the Airbus A-320, an aircraft characterized by high levels of autonomy, authority, and complexity. To understand the underlying reasons for reported breakdowns in human-automation coordination, we also asked pilots about their monitoring strategies and their experiences with and attitude toward the unique design of flight controls on this aircraft.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS1989

Activation of a chloroplast type of fructose bisphosphatase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by light-mediated agents

A chloroplast type of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, a central regulatory enzyme of photosynthetic carbon metabolism, has been partially purified from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Unlike its counterpart from spinach chloroplasts, the algal FBPase showed a strict requirement for a dithiol reductant irrespective of Mg2+ concentration. The enzymes from the two sources resembled each other immunologically, in subunit molecular mass and response to pH. In the presence of dithiothreitol, the pH optimum for both the algal and spinach enzymes shifted from 8.5 to a more physiologic value of 8.0 as the Mg2+ concentration was increased from 1 to 16 mM. At 1 mM Mg2+, a concentration estimated to be close to physiological, the Chlamydomonas FBPase was active only in the presence of reduced thioredoxin and was most active with Chlamydomonas thioredoxin f. Under these conditions, the enzyme showed a pH optimum of 8.0. The data suggest that the Chlamydomonas enzyme resembles its spinach counterpart in most respects, but it has a stricter requirement for reduction and less strict reductant specificity. A comparison of the properties of the FBPases from Chlamydomonas and spinach will be helpful for elucidating the mechanism of the reductive activation of this enzyme.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS1997

Effects of volume loading and pressor agents in idiopathic orthostatic tachycardia

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic orthostatic tachycardia (IOT) is characterized by an increase in heart rate (HR) with standing of > or = 30 bpm that is associated with elevated catecholamine levels and orthostatic symptoms. A dynamic orthostatic hypovolemia and alpha1-adrenoreceptor hypersensitivity have been demonstrated in IOT patients. There is evidence of an autonomic neuropathy affecting the lower-extremity blood vessels. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied the effects of placebo, the alpha1-adrenoreceptor agonist midodrine (5 to 10 mg), the alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonist clonidine (0.1 mg), and I.V. saline (1 L) in 13 patients with IOT. Supine and upright blood pressure (BP) and HR were measured before and at 1 and 2 hours after intervention. Midodrine decreased both supine and upright HR (all HR values are given as bpm) at 2 hours (from 78+/-2 supine to 108+/-5 upright before treatment and from 69+/-2 supine to 95+/-5 upright after treatment, P<.005 for supine and P<.01 for upright). Saline decreased both supine and upright HR (from 80+/-3 supine to 112+/-5 upright before infusion and from 77+/-3 supine to 91+/-3 upright 1 hour after infusion, P<.005 for supine and P<.001 for upright). Clonidine decreased supine HR (from 78+/-2 to 74+/-2, P<.03) but did not affect the HR increase with standing. Clonidine very significantly decreased supine systolic BP (from 109+/-3 at baseline to 99+/-2 mm Hg at 2 hours, P<.001), and midodrine decreased supine systolic BP mildly. CONCLUSIONS: IOT responds best acutely to saline infusion to correct the underlying hypovolemia. Chronically, this can be accomplished with increased salt and water intake in conjunction with fludrocortisone. The response of patients to the alpha1-agonist midodrine supports the hypothesis of partial dysautonomia and indicates that the use of alpha1-agonists to pharmacologically replace lower-extremity postganglionic sympathetics is an appropriate overall goal of therapy. These findings are consistent with our hypothesis that the tachycardia and elevated catecholamine levels associated with IOT are principally due to hypovolemia and loss of adequate lower-extremity vascular tone.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Numerical Investigation of the Extinction of Low Strain Rate Diffusion Flames by an Agent in Microgravity

Our goal has been to investigate the influence of both dilution and radiation on the extinction process of nonpremixed flames at low strain rates. Simulations have been performed by using a counterflow code and three radiation models have been included in it, namely, the optically thin, the narrowband, and discrete ordinate models. The counterflow flame code OPPDIFF was modified to account for heat transfer losses by radiation from the hot gases. The discrete ordinate method (DOM) approximation was first suggested by Chandrasekhar for solving problems in interstellar atmospheres. Carlson and Lathrop developed the method for solving multi-dimensional problem in neutron transport. Only recently has the method received attention in the field of heat transfer. Due to the applicability of the discrete ordinate method for thermal radiation problems involving flames, the narrowband code RADCAL was modified to calculate the radiative properties of the gases. A non-premixed counterflow flame was simulated with the discrete ordinate method for radiative emissions. In comparison with two other models, it was found that the heat losses were comparable with the optically thin and simple narrowband model. The optically thin model had the highest heat losses followed by the DOM model and the narrow-band model.

Puri, Ishwar K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) does not abolish the inhibitory nicotinic response recorded from rat dorsolateral septal neurons

Previous intracellular recordings have demonstrated that dorsolateral septal nucleus (DLSN) neurons express a novel nicotinic receptor which produces a direct membrane hyperpolarization when activated by nicotinic agonists. Activation of the classical excitatory nicotinic receptors has been shown to require a disulfide bond involving the cysteines at positions 192 and 193 of the alpha subunits of the receptor. Reduction of this cystine bond with dithiothreitol (DTT) abolishes agonist activation of excitatory nicotinic receptors. We have now examined whether DTT treatment of the inhibitory nicotinic receptor on DLSN neurons also abolishes the inhibitory nicotinic response. We find that the inhibitory response persists after treatment of the neurons with 1 mM DTT, even if the reduction is followed by alkylation of the receptor with bromoacetylcholine to prevent possible reformation of disulfide bonds. This result suggests that the agonist binding site on the inhibitory nicotinic receptor does not require an intact disulfide bond, similar to the bond on the alpha subunit of the excitatory nicotinic receptor, for agonist activation of the receptor. Some of these results have been previously reported in abstract form.

NASA Discipline Number 16-10↗