Application of the Volterra Series to the Analysis and Design of an Angle Track Loop

A typical function of an angle tracking loop is to keep a radar antenna pointed at a target. The error in pointing is directly related to successful operation of the tracking device; therefore, its behavior is of interest. For a tracker with a general polynomial nonlinearity, an arbitrary initial pointing error, and a bounded deterministic input, a method is developed for finding upper bounds on the magnitude of the tracking error using Volterra series techniques. Convergence regions of the Volterra series are also obtained. Applications of these results are made to a second-order tracking device.     

Sensitivity of a ramp equalizer for series batteries

To realize the maximum potential of large series connected battery packs, the individual battery voltages should be maintained at fairly uniform values, i.e., the voltages should be equalized. The ramp type of electronic equalizer has proven to be very effective in performing this task since it offers the advantages of simplicity and convenience. However, to achieve maximum performance, it is necessary to understand how the circuit is affected by certain parameters. This is accomplished by defining the circuit sensitivity and using a simplified model to explain the relative effects of leakage inductance, frequency, and power level     

Allometry in vestibular responses of anurans

Frogs and toads turn either their heads or bodies opposite to angular accelerations applied around the yaw axis. Thresholds exist for the minimum angular acceleration that induces this vestibulomotor response in individual frogs. These thresholds were recorded for several anuran species that cover a broad range of sizes and life styles. Interspecific variation in the magnitude of the thresholds, which correlated with the ecology and behavior of the species, was documented. Also an allometric relationship was observed between this threshold and body size; the larger the frog, the lower the threshold. In many species, the threshold value for reflexive vestibulomotor responses to angular acceleration was proportional to the -0.4 (+/-0.2) power of body mass. Physical dimensions of the semicircular canals determine, in part, vestibular sensitivity to angular acceleration. Hence changes with growth in the semicircular canals are believed to contribute to the slope of -0.4. The biological significance of this allometry in vestibular responses is discussed and compared to trends in vestibular sensitivity and semicircular canal morphology of other vertebrate classes.     

Structural regularities of stress-strain state variations in a hardened surface of turbine blade roots at service conditions

Some results obtained in the course of structural investigations with the use of the methods of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray structure analysis of operating temperature influence upon dynamics of the hardened state relaxation in the turbine blade roots are discribed. Also considered are the data on determining the residual surface stresses by Davidenkov’s method and that of the X-ray diffractometry.     

Battery condition management: an important way to protect acritical asset

The efficacy of employing battery condition management equipment and procedures is demonstrated on the solid basis of field experience in which the host batteries were found either to be flawed or operated in ways that would compromise reliability. Examples found using such equipment and reported in this paper include a cell whose voltage vacillated daily while on float, post/strap joints whose accept/reject connection integrity was erratic with time, chargers whose voltages were improperly set (both high and low), and a battery room environment whose conditions were life-shortening to electrolytic cells     

The development of a digital video motion detection test set

This paper describes the current effort to develop a standardized data set, or suite of digital video sequences, that can be used for test and evaluation of digital video motion detectors (VMDs) for exterior applications. We have drawn from an extensive video database of typical application scenarios to assemble a comprehensive data set. These data, some existing for many years on analog videotape, have been converted to a reproducible digital format and edited to generate test sequences several minutes long for many scenarios. Sequences include non-alarm video, intrusions and nuisance alarm sources, taken with a variety of imaging sensors including monochrome CCD cameras and infrared (thermal) imaging cameras, under a variety of daytime and nighttime conditions. The paper presents an analysis of the variables and estimates the complexity of a thorough data set. Some of this video data test has been digitized for CD-ROM storage and playback. We are considering developing a DVD disk for possible use in screening and testing VMDs prior to government testing and deployment. In addition, this digital video data may be used by VMD developers for further refinement or customization of their product to meet specific requirements. These application scenarios may also be used to define the testing parameters for future procurement qualification. A personal computer may be used to play back either the CD-ROM or the DVD video data. A consumer electronics-style DVD player may be used to replay the DVD disk. This paper also discusses various aspects of digital video storage including formats, resolution, CD-ROM and DVD storage capacity, formats, editing and playback     

An overview of RADOM results for earth and moon radiation environment on Chandrayaan-1 satellite

The RADiatiOn Monitor (RADOM) is a miniature dosimeter-spectrometer that flew onboard the Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission in order to monitor the local radiation environment. Primary objective of the RADOM experiment was to measure the total absorbed dose, flux of surrounding energetic particles and spectrum of the deposited energy from high energy particles both en-route and in lunar orbit. RADOM was the first experiment to be switched on after the launch of Chandrayaan-1 and was operational until the end of the mission. This paper summarizes the observations carried out by RADOM during the entire life time (22 October 2008–31 August 2009) of the Chandrayaan-1 mission and compares the measurement by RADOM with the radiation belt models such as AP-8, AE-8 and CRRESS.     

The Magnetospheric Multiscale Magnetometers

The success of the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission depends on the accurate measurement of the magnetic field on all four spacecraft. To ensure this success, two independently designed and built fluxgate magnetometers were developed, avoiding single-point failures. The magnetometers were dubbed the digital fluxgate (DFG), which uses an ASIC implementation and was supplied by the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the analogue magnetometer (AFG) with a more traditional circuit board design supplied by the University of California, Los Angeles. A stringent magnetic cleanliness program was executed under the supervision of the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory. To achieve mission objectives, the calibration determined on the ground will be refined in space to ensure all eight magnetometers are precisely inter-calibrated. Near real-time data plays a key role in the transmission of high-resolution observations stored on board so rapid processing of the low-resolution data is required. This article describes these instruments, the magnetic cleanliness program, and the instrument pre-launch calibrations, the planned in-flight calibration program, and the information flow that provides the data on the rapid time scale needed for mission success.     

A simplified closed artificial ecosystem--recycling of organic matter into wheat plants.

A simplified closed system consisting of a plant growth chamber coupled to a decomposition chamber was used to study carbon exchange dynamics. The CO2 produced via the decomposition of wheat straw was used for photosynthetic carbon uptake by wheat plants. The atmosphere of the two chambers was connected through a circuit of known flow rate. Thus, monitoring the CO2 concentrations in both compartments allowed measurement of the carbon exchange between the chambers, and estimation of the rate of respiration processes in the decomposition chamber and photosynthetic rate in the producer chamber. The objective for CELSS research was to simulate a system where a compartment producing food via photosynthesis, would be supplied by CO2 produced from respiration processes. The decomposition of biomass by the decomposer simulated both the metabolism of a crew and the result of a recycling system for inedible biomass. Concerning terrestrial ecosystems, the objective was to study organic matter decomposition in soil and other processes related to permanent grasslands.     

Output Signal-to-Noise Ratios for Amplitude-Modulated Noise-Like Lasers

A general expression of the output SNR of a photodetector is derived for a noise-like laser amplitude-modulated by a stationary Gaussian random modulating signal in the presence of a background light. The electric field Vx(t) of the noise-like laser is assumed to be a stationary narrowband Gaussian random process with zero mean. Two types of modulating signal are considered, the baseband and bandpass modulating signals. More specifically, the effects of the center frequency of the modulating signal, the modulating degree, the bandwidth ration of the noise-like laser to the modulating signal, the effective average quantum rate, and input CNR on output SNR are studied. The detection characteristics of the noise-like laser are also made clear by comparison with the case of a coherent laser.