Air Force Office Of Scientific Research Research Articles

Memphis NeuroSTART Program: Promoting Student Success and Increasing the Diversity of Applicants to Neuroscience Graduate Programs.

With grant support from the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) program funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), we established a program intended to increase the number of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) and first-generation undergraduate students successfully applying to neuroscience and other STEM-related graduate programs. The Neuroscience Techniques and Research Training (NeuroSTART) Program aimed to increase the number of undergraduate students from the Memphis area involved in behavioral neuroscience research. In this two-semester program, students completed an empirical research project in a neuroscience lab, received individual mentoring from neuroscience faculty, became part of a STEM network, presented at research conferences, and attended specialized professional development seminars. In two cohorts of 15 students, 4 are PhD students in neuroscience-related programs or in medical school (27%), 4 are employed in neuroscience-related research facilities (27%), 3 are employed as clinical assistants (20%), and 1 is employed in the IT field (7%). The remaining three recently graduated and are planning a gap year prior to applying for admission to graduate/medical school. The Memphis NeuroSTART program has provided valuable training to participants, making them competitive applicants for jobs in the health sciences and for admittance into graduate neuroscience programs. By providing this training to first-generation and URM students, the broader impact of this program was an increase in the diversity of the health sciences workforce, particularly those specializing in neuroscience-related research and treatment.

Model-Free Nonstationary Reinforcement Learning: Near-Optimal Regret and Applications in Multiagent Reinforcement Learning and Inventory Control

We consider model-free reinforcement learning (RL) in nonstationary Markov decision processes. Both the reward functions and the state transition functions are allowed to vary arbitrarily over time as long as their cumulative variations do not exceed certain variation budgets. We propose Restarted Q-Learning with Upper Confidence Bounds (RestartQ-UCB), the first model-free algorithm for nonstationary RL, and show that it outperforms existing solutions in terms of dynamic regret. Specifically, RestartQ-UCB with Freedman-type bonus terms achieves a dynamic regret bound of [Formula: see text], where S and A are the numbers of states and actions, respectively, [Formula: see text] is the variation budget, H is the number of time steps per episode, and T is the total number of time steps. We further present a parameter-free algorithm named Double-Restart Q-UCB that does not require prior knowledge of the variation budget. We show that our algorithms are nearly optimal by establishing an information-theoretical lower bound of [Formula: see text], the first lower bound in nonstationary RL. Numerical experiments validate the advantages of RestartQ-UCB in terms of both cumulative rewards and computational efficiency. We demonstrate the power of our results in examples of multiagent RL and inventory control across related products. This paper was accepted by Omar Besbes, revenue management and market analytics. Funding: The research of D. Simchi-Levi and R. Zhu was supported by the MIT Data Science Laboratory. The research of W. Mao, K. Zhang, and T. Başar was supported in part by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Cooperative Agreement W911NF-17-2-0196, in part by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) [MURI Grant N00014-16-1-2710], and in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) [Grant FA9550-19-1-0353]. K. Zhang also acknowledges support from U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) [Grant W911NF-24-1-0085]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.02533 .

Author Correction: Quantum-enhanced nonlinear microscopy

In the Acknowledgements section of this Article, the sentence “This work was supported primarily by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) grant FA2386-14-1-4046.” should have been “This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-17-1-0397.”. The original Article has been corrected online.

Nonlinear metamaterial absorbers enabled by photonic doping of epsilon-near-zero metastructures

The authors acknowledge support, in part, from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Grant No. FA9550-14-1-0389, and, in part, from the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program sponsored by the Basic Research Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and funded by the Office of Naval Research through Grant No. N00014-16-1-2029.

High Fat Diet versus Disturbed Blood Flow Conditions: Implications for Endothelial Glycocalyx Integrity and Pre‐Atherosclerotic Inflammation

IntroductionEndothelial glycocalyx (GCX) shedding plays a role in endothelial dysfunction and increases vessel wall permeability to inflammatory cells contributing to atherogenesis. We sought to determine whether a high fat diet (HFD) or disturbed blood flow conditions, both well‐known atherogenic risk factors, would more detrimentally contribute to pre‐atherosclerotic loss of GCX integrity and vascular inflammation.Materials and MethodsC57BL/6‐background apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE‐KO) mice were fed either a HFD or chow diet, and/or underwent a ligation of the left carotid artery (LCA), inducing disturbed flow conditions. After one week, mice were sacrificed and LCAs and right carotid arteries (RCAs) were preserved to compare GCX coverage and thickness and inflammatory macrophage accumulation in carotid arterial walls amongst and between cohorts.Results and DiscussionEndothelial GCX damage occurred in LCAs of HFD fed mice when compared to the control. More significant GCX damage occurred in the LCAs of mice exposed to disturbed flow by partial LCA ligation, also compared to control. Flow simulations conducted through SimVascular adequately characterized flow patterns, pressure, and wall shear stresses in non‐ligated vs. ligated mice. They confirmed the notion that the LCA partial ligation surgery does indeed reduce wall shear stress and increase pressure, characteristics of disturbed flow. No difference in macrophage accumulation in carotid arterial walls was observed when comparing the LCAs of control mice to the LCAs of HFD fed mice. However, macrophage infiltration in vessel walls showed a 20‐fold increase in LCAs exposed to disturbed flow following ligation, when compared to control LCAs.ConclusionsThis study was the first to demonstrate that disturbed flow contributes more detrimentally to pre‐atherosclerotic loss of GCX integrity and vascular inflammation. The study concluded that disturbed flow conditions induced by partial ligation, compared to HFD conditions, compromised the integrity of the endothelial GCX to a greater extent. We anticipate more rapid atherogenesis as a consequence of the severity of this flow induced GCX damage.Support or Funding InformationWe are pleased to acknowledge that this work was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) K01‐ HL125499 awarded to E Ebong, NIH R21‐DA042583 awarded to S Sridhar, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) FA2386‐17‐1‐4042 awarded to S Sridhar.

Complex Dental Structure and Wear Biomechanics in Non‐Avian Dinosaurs and Pleistocene Mammals

Reptiles rarely approached the biomechanical sophistication for feeding or dietary diversity seen in mammals. Their teeth are typically non‐occluding, semi‐conical structures with simplistic parallel‐crystallite enamel surrounding an orthodentine core. Conversely, most mammals possess multi‐cusped teeth that are drawn across one another during mastication and self‐wear to their functional morphology. The most complex dental architectures are seen in herbivorous mammals. Their teeth are composed of up to four constituents (incl. prismatic enamel) that strategically wear creating coarse grinding or slicing surfaces. These allow them to comminute tough and/or abrasive plants and liberate nutrients inaccessible to other animals. Non‐avian dinosaurs stand out among reptiles in that precise, mammal‐like dental occlusion and self‐wearing teeth evolved on at least four occasions. These topographies enabled access to myriad floral types and facilitated their respective ecological diversifications. My research group and colleagues showed that the teeth of these dinosaurs are histologically more complex than formerly appreciated. Using cutting‐edge material science and tribological engineering indentation techniques we discovered that wear and fracture relevant material properties are preserved in the fossil dental tissues of dinosaurs and Pleistocene mammals. This led to development of a 3D Archard’s wear model from which we determined how horse‐like occlusal surfaces for the grinding of plant matter occurred in hadrosaurids, and fuller‐like slicing surfaces developed and functioned in ceratopsians. In current research we are studying how the grinding dentitions of mammoths similarly formed through self‐wear. Notably our paleontologically‐inspired wear model is seeing broad industrial applications.Support or Funding InformationNSF CMMI (Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation) Eager and AFOSR (Air Force Office of Scientific Research) to GME, SP and BAK

Quantum teleportation of photonic qudits using linear optics

Shanghai Research Challenge Fund; New York University Global Seed Grants for Collaborative Research; National Natural Science Foundation of China [61571301, D1210036A, 11674100]; NSFC Research Fund for International Young Scientists [11650110425, 11850410426]; NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics at NYU Shanghai; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM) [17ZR1443600]; China Science and Technology Exchange Center [NGA-16-001]; NSFC-RFBR Collaborative grant [81811530112]; Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai [16ZR1448200]; Shanghai Rising-Star Program [17QA1401300]; U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Army Research Office United States Department of Defense Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency United States Department of Defense (DARPA); National Science Foundation (NSF)

Posthuman learning: AI from novice to expert?

Will robots ever be able to learn like humans? To answer that question, one first needs to ask: what is learning? Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus had a point when they claimed that computers and robots would never be able to learn like humans because human learning, after an initial phase of rule-based learning, is uncertain, context sensitive and intuitive (Dreyfus and Dreyfus in A five stage model of the mental activities involved in directed skill acquisition. (Supported by the U.S. Air Force, Office of Scientific Research (AFSC) under contract F49620-C-0063 with the University of California) Berkeley, February 1980. (Unpublished study). Washington, DC: Storming Media. https://www.stormingmedia.us/15/1554/A155480.html . Accessed 10 Oct 2017, 1980). I would add that learning also builds on prior learning, and that from the outset (birth), human learning is a socio-cultural materially grounded collective epistemology. This posthuman acknowledgement shifts the focus from the individual learner to learning within collective phenomena. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1980) do not seem to emphasise the essentially social and cultural nature of the human condition. Learning theory (especially the Vygotskyan perspective), new materialism (especially as presented by the physicist Karen Barad) and postphenomenology (especially as presented by Don Ihde) have emphasised in different ways the materially based socio-cultural nature of human learning. They thereby point towards a ‘posthuman’ learning that is far from the machine-like or enhanced creature envisioned by singularists. Until robots are essentially social and ground their epistemologies in socio-cultural materiality, I suggest that human-like AI is not possible.

Data-mining the technological importance of government-funded patents in the private sector

A perennial challenge for basic research funding agencies is assessing the technological importance of their investments in the private sector. In large measure, this stems from difficulties relating how private sector companies and technologies benefit from the major outputs of science research, such as papers, patents and conference proceedings. Here, we propose a data-mining procedure to assess the technological importance of patents, supported by a basic research funding, beyond academic and public sector entities. We applied this approach to patents partially funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Our procedure begins by identifying a large sample of AFOSR-funded patents and classifying their most recent patent assignees as listed on the US patent assignment database, where one can find records of patent rights being transferred between individuals or institutions. Next, the patents citing this sample of AFOSR-funded patents is mined and, again, we classify their associated assignees to estimate the downstream technological importance of basic research investments. Interestingly, while patents directly funded by AFOSR are modestly assigned to organizations in the private sector (~20 %), patents citing these AFOSR-funded patents are overwhelmingly assigned to the private sector (~86 %). Following data collection, we consider whether patterns emerging from assignee data of both AFOSR-funded patents and the patents citing AFOSR-funded patents provide insights into real-world examples of the impact of government sponsored invention. As a case study, we investigated the most frequent assignee for patents citing our sample of AFOSR-funded patents: Digimarc Corporation. Examining the relationship between AFOSR-funded invention and Digimarc revealed several highly cited patents were granted based on government-funded academic research in mathematics and signal processing. These patents became the kernel of a tech start-up by the inventors, Cognicity, which was later acquired by Digimarc. These patents continue to contribute to the patent portfolio of this large technology service provider. We find that one can observe both increased downstream effects of publicly funded research on the private sector as well as insights for potential real-world demonstrations of impact in the private sector via our data-mining methodology.

<p>Military and National Security Implications of Nanotechnology</p>

All branches of the U.S. military are currently conducting nanotechnology research, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The United States is currently the leader of the development of nanotechnology-based applications for military and national defense. Advancements in nanotechnology are intended to revolutionize modern warfare with the development of applications such as nano-sensors, artificial intelligence, nanomanufacturing, and nanorobotics. Capabilities of this technology include providing soldiers with stronger and lighter battle suits, using nano-enabled medicines for curing field wounds, and producing silver-packed foods with decreased spoiling rate (Tiwari, A., Military Nanotechnology, 2004). Although the improvements in nanotechnology hold great promise, this technology has the potential to pose some risks. This article addresses a few of the more recent, rapidly evolving, and cutting edge developments for defense purposes. To prevent irreversible damages, regulatory measures must be taken in the advancement of dangerous technological developments implementing nanotechnology. The article introduces recent efforts in awareness of the societal implications of military and national security nanotechnology as well as recommendations for national leaders.

Glucose Oxidase Affects Laccase and Bilirubin Oxidase Direct Bioelectrocatalytic Cathodes

Glucose oxidase (GOx) is commonly incorporated into glucose-oxidising/oxygen-reducing enzymatic biological fuel cells (EBFCs), as the anodic biocatalyst. The flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor of GOx is tightly bound, and possesses an associated favourable low redox potential allowing the use of a wide range of electron mediators, which in turn increases the theoretical maximum open-circuit potential (OCP) of EBFCs. Furthermore, GOx is highly specific to glucose and offers high catalytic activity, making it a good choice for futuristic implantable EBFCs. GOx-based anodes do, however, exhibit a major significant drawback; electron transfer to the electrode following the enzymatic oxidation of glucose competes with the natural electron acceptor of GOx: oxygen. The reduction of oxygen by GOx can dramatically lower the dissolved oxygen concentration of a solution, whilst simultaneously producing hydrogen peroxide.Laccase and bilirubin oxidase (BOd) can undergo the enzymatic 4-electron reduction of dissolved oxygen to water, and efficient direct electron transfer (DET) has been established for both enzymes. The inhibition of laccase and BOd by halides (primarily fluoride and chloride ions) is well documented; it is reported that BOd exhibits greater resistance to halide inhibition. Nevertheless, DET can also instil a degree of resistance to chloride inhibition. Lastly, BOd can efficiently reduce oxygen to water at near-neutral and physiological pH, making it a favourable choice of biocatalyst in implantable devices.The research presented within this paper investigates the effect of the parasitic reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide by GOx, on laccase and BOd direct bioelectrocatalytic cathodes. We report that GOx can produce significant quantities of hydrogen peroxide and thereby significantly affect laccase and BOd cathodes (albeit by different mechanisms), even when DET is established (a mode previously used to remediate chloride inhibition). Furthermore, we compare and contrast the performance of laccase and BOd when GOx is replaced with “oxygen-insensitive” FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (FAD-GDH).This research has implications for the future design of EBFCs.This research is funded by the UK SuperGen Biological Fuel Cells Consortium (Contract: EP/H019480/1), National Science Foundation Grant #105797 and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).

Toward a ubiquitous virtual collaboration environment: A fusion of traditional and leading-edge virtualization tools that empower distributed participants to explore, discover and exchange information without traditional boundaries or constraints

The Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC) – a private, non-profit corporation affiliated with Virginia Tech – was selected by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to create a Basic Research, Innovation, and Collaboration

Origami and Tessellation in Design

For centuries, origami artists have invested immeasurable effort developing models under extreme self-imposed constraints (e.g., only paper, no cutting or gluing, one regular-shaped sheet). The accessible and formable medium of paper has enabled swift prototyping of vast numbers of possible designs. This effort has resulted in stunning origami structures and mechanisms created in a simple medium with only a single fabrication process (folding). Origami artists' methods and perspectives have created systems that have not previously been conceived using traditional engineering methods. Using origami-inspired methods, it may be possible to design origami-like systems but using different materials and processes to meet emerging product requirements. Origami-inspired systems have the potential to meet needs that are presently unfulfilled because the design of such systems was previously too difficult or they were not yet envisioned.Origami tessellations also show promise for impact in engineering design. There are theoretical, computational, and artistic challenges associated with many aspects of design that take advantage of symmetry of patterns and ability to fold complex shapes. While various approaches exist, it is important to bring together good examples of practical design and the thought process of the designers who created folding and/or tiled/patterned based products with theoretical approaches so as to catalyze new ideas in engineering design.As the research and design community has begun to realize the potential impact that origami and tessellation principles may have on engineering design, there has been an increased interest in better understanding possible connections. This interest is likely to accelerate due to the support of funding agencies, including the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the National Science Foundation's Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program with its “Origami Design for Integration of Self-assembling Systems for Engineering Innovation (ODISSEI)” research topic area. It is refreshing to see how art can be so inspiring to engineering and science disciplines, and we hope that this is just the beginning of greater understanding and collaboration between the artistic, engineering, manufacturing, and scientific communities. Art may indeed be the critical catalyst needed to ignite a passion for engineering and science in our youth and thus be a key to the future of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).This special issue of the Journal of Mechanical Design was created as an early venue for work in this emerging research area. Topics in this issue are intentionally varied, and include the following:We thank all of the authors who have submitted their work for publication in this special issue. We are also grateful to the many reviewers that provided their time and expertise in providing valuable peer review. Special thanks also go to Shapour Azarm and Panos Papalambros, current and past editors of the Journal of Mechanical Design, who had the foresight to support a special issue in this emerging research area, to Amy Suski for her administrative support to make the issue possible and to the ASME staff for production of the issue.

The role of vision in plume tracking by flying Drosophila

Event Abstract Back to Event The role of vision in plume tracking by flying Drosophila Michael H. Dickinson1* and Floris Van Breugel2 1 University of Washington, Biology, United States 2 Caltech, CDS, United States Finding food is one of the most critical tasks animals perform on a routine basis. Many animals accomplish this by following attractive odor plumes back to their source, which is a complex problem involving the integration of multiple sensory modalities. A common iterative strategy observed in many flying animals is to surge upwind when detecting an odor filament, and then cast crosswind when losing the odor. Both components of this behavior are enigmatic, because animals do not have a direct measure of either their groundspeed or the wind velocity. Nevertheless, animals are able to fly upwind and crosswind across a range of flight velocities, wind speeds, and body orientations. Despite a century of quantitative scientific research on this subject, we still do not fully understand how animals track plumes. To address this question we focused on the fruit fly, Drosophila, because its small size and robust indoor behavior makes it possible to observe long and uninterrupted bouts of odor tracking in the presence of an structured odor plume. Using a novel experimental setup we can estimate a fly's visual and olfactory experience throughout a long flight trajectory, and by automating the data collection we have analyzed over 10,000 flight trajectories under a variety of experimental conditions. By projecting different patterns on the walls of the wind tunnel we can directly manipulate the visual cues available during different components of the behavior. We can also alter mechanosensory and olfactory cues by manipulating the antennae of the flies being tested. Using the large data set we show how flies use vision, olfaction, and wind sensing to follow an attractive odor plume to its source. Within 200 milliseconds of detecting the plume odor, the flies turn upwind (i.e. surge) using visual cues. 400-800 milliseconds after losing the plume, they initiate a crosswind cast, which relies on both visual and antennal cues. This is a robust behavior across a range of wind speeds, indicating that flies must have some ability by which they estimate wind speed and direction. Using tools from nonlinear control theory we have developed a model of how flies accomplish this task. Our results have implications for the underlying neural implementation of odor tracking behavior, as well as more general issues relate to the sensory control of flight control. Acknowledgements This research was supported by grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to MHD, a Hertz Fellowship and a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship to FvB. Keywords: Flight control, plume tracking, Control theory, Drosophila melanogaster, Vision Conference: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision, Fjälkinge, Sweden, 1 Aug - 8 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Oral presentation preferred Topic: The visual control of flight and locomotion Citation: Dickinson MH and Van Breugel F (2019). The role of vision in plume tracking by flying Drosophila. Front. Physiol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2013.25.00039 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 28 Feb 2013; Published Online: 09 Dec 2019. * Correspondence: Dr. Michael H Dickinson, University of Washington, Biology, Seattle, United States, flyman5@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Michael H Dickinson Floris Van Breugel Google Michael H Dickinson Floris Van Breugel Google Scholar Michael H Dickinson Floris Van Breugel PubMed Michael H Dickinson Floris Van Breugel Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

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Fabrication of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Antenna in LTCC

With the size reduction of satellites, the need for miniaturized propulsion systems is increasing. This has led to research funding for the miniaturization of chemical and electric propulsion by NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Miniaturized electric propulsion research has been an active area of interest recently. Electric propulsion systems are interesting candidates for miniaturization due to efficiency and the reduction in onboard propellant and the ability to apply existing techniques in electronic fabrication. A miniature electrostatic thruster is being developed in LTCC at Boise State University. The thruster is composed of an antenna to create the plasma, a cylinder to contain the plasma and grids to extract the plasma beam at high velocity. In this work, the development of the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) antenna in LTCC will be presented. This antenna is fabricated using DuPont's 951 Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC). A Direct Write is used to apply silver paste for the spiral ICP antenna. Using LTCC allows for the antenna to be embedded in the device under a thin sheet of LTCC dielectric, which protects the antenna from ion back bombardment during operation. This thin sheet is the seventh layer of the total device, with the ICP antenna one layer below the top. The design of the antenna is based on the research done by J. Hopwood. This paper discusses the fabrication and performance of the ICP antennas in LTCC. These ICP antennas are operated at pressures from 10 mTorr to 1 Torr with radio frequencies (RF) of 500 MHz to 1 GHz to inductively couple with low pressure argon to produce plasma. The performance of the antennas will be verified with data showing the start and stop power of the plasma at various pressures and an electric field map of the RF field above the antenna.

Damage assessment of structures - an US air force office of scientific research structural mechanics perspective

This paper presents the perspective of the Structural Mechanics program of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) on the damage assessment of structures for the period 2006-2009 when the author was serving as Program Manager at AFOSR. It is found that damage assessment of structures plays a very important role in assuring the safety and operational readiness of US Air Force fleet. The current fleet has many aging aircraft, which poses a considerable challenge for the operators and maintainers. The nondestructive evaluation technology is rather mature and able to detect damage with considerable reliability during the periodic maintenance inspections. The emerging structural health monitoring methodology has great potential, because it will use on-board damage detection sensors and systems, will be able to offer on-demand structural health bulletins. Considerable fundamental and applied research is still needed to enable the development, implementation, and dissemination of structural health monitoring technology.

Flight structures fundamental research trends and directions

AbstractThe paper presents an overview of the fundamental research performed in the US in the field of flight structures under the sponsorship of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). After presenting a general overview of AFOSR, the paper focuses on the structural mechanics program. Three large applications areas are considered: (a) future flight structures; (b) structural sustainment; (c) structural dynamics and vibration control. These three broad areas are covered at various levels of complexity and detail. Currently supported topics are presented and major funding and results are discussed. The paper ends with summary and conclusions.

Trends in Nanotechnology (TNT2007)

AbstractThis special issue of physica status solidi (a) presents representative contributions describing the main topics covered at the eighth Trends in Nanotechnology (TNT2007) International Conference, held in San Sebastian (Spain), 3–7 September 2007.During the last years many international or national conferences have emerged in response to the growing awareness of the importance of nanotechnology as key issue for the future scientific and technological development. Among these, the conference series Trends in Nanotechnology has become one of the most important meeting points in the nanotechnology field: it provides fresh organisation ideas, brings together well known speakers, and promotes a suitable environment for discussions, exchanging ideas, and enhancing scientific and personal relations among participants. TNT2007, successful consequence of a coordinated effort among several institutions, was organised in a similar way to the prior TNT conferences, with an impressive scientific programme including 41 Keynote and Invited lectures covering a wide spectrum of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology research. In 2007, more than 425 scientists worldwide attended this event and contributed with 70 oral contributions and 263 posters, stimulating discussions about their most recent research. The TNT2007 edition was organised in San Sebastian (Spain) to stress in particular the importance at the European level of the “Basque Country Nanoscience and Technological Offer”.The aim of the conference was to focus on the presentation of the latest Nanoscience results obtained worldwide and their related applications and to bring together, in a scientific forum, various groups belonging to industry, universities and government institutions. TNT2007 was again particularly effective at transmitting information and establishing contacts among workers in this field. Graduate students attending such conferences have understood the importance of interdisciplinary skills to afford their future research lines. One of the main objectives of the TNT2007 conference was to provide a platform where young researchers can present their latest work (for the first time, a specific parallel session was dedicated to students) and also interact with high‐level scientists. Therefore, 82 graduate students received a grant allowing them to attend and present their work. In addition, 18 prizes to the best posters were awarded during this event.The following Scientific Institutions, Companies and Government Agencies supported TNT2007: Phantoms Foundation, Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), CIC nanoGUNE Consolider, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Oviedo, University of Purdue, Georgia Institute of Technology, CEA/LETI, Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior (ICEX), “españa‐technology for life” program, CEA/DRFMC, MINATEC, NIMS (Nanomaterials Laboratory), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), The Office of Naval Research International Field Office (ONRIFO), iNANO, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, NSERC/CRSNG (Nano Innovation Platform), GDR‐E/NanoE, Raith GmbH, Nanoquanta (NoE), European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF), Parque Científico de Barcelona (PCB), Universidad SEK, Ayuntamiento de San Sebastian, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC), Parque Científico de Madrid (PCM), IJ Cambria Scientific, FEI Company, Spanair, Forschungszentrum Jülich, P. Van Hove (private donation) and Wiley‐VCH & pss.We would also like to thank all the participants for their assistance, the authors for their written contributions and the following companies for their participation: Nanotec Electronica, Raith, Scientec, Schaefer Techniques, Biometa, Telstar Instrumat, HWL Scientific Instrument, Omicron Nanotechnology, Nanotimes, Phantoms Foundation, Wiley‐VCH, IK4, Tecnalia, DIPC, UPV‐EHU/Polymat, UPV‐EHU/ “Materials+Technologies” Research Group, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE, CIC microGUNE, UPV‐EHU/NanoBioterm Group and Midatech.We invite readers of this special issue to join us in Oviedo (Spain), where the next Trends in Nanotechnology edition will take place in 2008 (http://www.tntconf.org). (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Damage Assessment of Structures - An Air Force Office of Scientific Research Structural Mechanics Perspective

This paper presents the perspective of the Structural Mechanics program of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research on the damage assessment of structures. It is found that damage assessment of structures plays a very important role in assuring the safety and operational readiness of Air Force fleet. The current fleet has many aging aircraft, which poses a considerable challenge for the operators and maintainers. The nondestructive evaluation technology is rather mature and able to detect damage with considerable reliability during the periodic maintenance inspections. The emerging structural health monitoring methodology has great potential, because it will use on-board damage detection sensors and systems, will be able to offer on-demand structural health bulletins. Considerable fundamental and applied research is still needed to enable the development, implementation, and dissemination of structural health monitoring technology.