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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 1,801 records · Page 100

Lidar cloud studies for FIRE and ECLIPS

Optical remote sensing measurements of cirrus cloud properties were collected by one airborne and four ground-based lidar systems over a 32 h period during this case study from the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program) Regional Experiment (FIRE) Intensive Field Observation (IFO) program. The lidar systems were variously equipped to collect linear depolarization, intrinsically calibrated backscatter, and Doppler velocity information. Data presented describe the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of cirrus clouds over an area encompassing southern and central Wisconsin. The cirrus cloud types include: dissipating subvisual and thin fibrous cirrus cloud bands, an isolated mesoscale uncinus complex (MUC), a large-scale deep cloud that developed into an organized cirrus structure within the lidar array, and a series of intensifying mesoscale cirrus cloud masses. Although the cirrus frequently developed in the vertical from particle fall-streaks emanating from generating regions at or near cloud tops, glaciating supercooled (-30 to -35 C) altocumulus clouds contributed to the production of ice mass at the base of the deep cirrus cloud, apparently even through riming, and other mechanisms involving evaporation, wave motions, and radiative effects are indicated. The generating regions ranged in scale from approximately 1.0 km cirrus uncinus cells, to organized MUC structures up to approximately 120 km across.

Sassen, Kenneth↗

The Clouds distributed operating system - Functional description, implementation details and related work

Clouds is an operating system in a novel class of distributed operating systems providing the integration, reliability, and structure that makes a distributed system usable. Clouds is designed to run on a set of general purpose computers that are connected via a medium-of-high speed local area network. The system structuring paradigm chosen for the Clouds operating system, after substantial research, is an object/thread model. All instances of services, programs and data in Clouds are encapsulated in objects. The concept of persistent objects does away with the need for file systems, and replaces it with a more powerful concept, namely the object system. The facilities in Clouds include integration of resources through location transparency; support for various types of atomic operations, including conventional transactions; advanced support for achieving fault tolerance; and provisions for dynamic reconfiguration.

Dasgupta, Partha↗

Providing structural modules with self-integrity monitoring software user's manual

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Contract NAS7-961 (A Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) contract from NASA) involved research dealing with remote structural damage detection using the concept of substructures. Several approaches were developed. The main two were: (1) the module (substructure) transfer function matrix (MTFM) approach; and (2) modal strain energy distribution method (MSEDM). Either method can be used with a global structure; however, the focus was on substructures. As part of the research contract, computer software was to be developed which would implement the developed methods. This was done and it was used to process all the finite element generated numerical data for the research. The software was written for the IBM AT personal computer. Copies of it were placed on floppy disks. This report serves as a user's manual for the two sets of damage detection software. Sections 2.0 and 3.0 discuss the use of the MTFM and MSEDM software, respectively.

Source record↗

Efficient development and processing of thermal math models of very large space truss structures

As the spacecraft moves along the orbit, the truss members are subjected to direct and reflected solar, albedo and planetary infra-red (IR) heating rates, as well as IR heating and shadowing from other spacecraft components. This is a transient process with continuously changing heating loads and the shadowing effects. The resulting nonuniform temperature distribution may cause nonuniform thermal expansion, deflection and stress in the truss elements, truss warping and thermal distortions. There are three challenges in the thermal-structural analysis of the large truss structures. The first is the development of the thermal and structural math models, the second - model processing, and the third - the data transfer between the models. All three tasks require considerable time and computer resources to be done because of a very large number of components involved. To address these challenges a series of techniques of automated thermal math modeling and efficient processing of very large space truss structures were developed. In the process the finite element and finite difference methods are interfaced. A very substantial reduction of the quantity of computations was achieved while assuring a desired accuracy of the results. The techniques are illustrated on the thermal analysis of a segment of the Space Station main truss.

Warren, Andrew H.↗

Estimating Forest Vertical Structure from Multialtitude, Fixed-Baseline Radar Interferometric and Polarimetric Data

Parameters describing the vertical structure of forests, for example tree height, height-to-base-of-live-crown, underlying topography, and leaf area density, bear on land-surface, biogeochemical, and climate modeling efforts. Single, fixed-baseline interferometric synthetic aperture radar (INSAR) normalized cross-correlations constitute two observations from which to estimate forest vertical structure parameters: Cross-correlation amplitude and phase. Multialtitude INSAR observations increase the effective number of baselines potentially enabling the estimation of a larger set of vertical-structure parameters. Polarimetry and polarimetric interferometry can further extend the observation set. This paper describes the first acquisition of multialtitude INSAR for the purpose of estimating the parameters describing a vegetated land surface. These data were collected over ponderosa pine in central Oregon near longitude and latitude -121 37 25 and 44 29 56. The JPL interferometric TOPSAR system was flown at the standard 8-km altitude, and also at 4-km and 2-km altitudes, in a race track. A reference line including the above coordinates was maintained at 35 deg for both the north-east heading and the return southwest heading, at all altitudes. In addition to the three altitudes for interferometry, one line was flown with full zero-baseline polarimetry at the 8-km altitude. A preliminary analysis of part of the data collected suggests that they are consistent with one of two physical models describing the vegetation: 1) a single-layer, randomly oriented forest volume with a very strong ground return or 2) a multilayered randomly oriented volume; a homogeneous, single-layer model with no ground return cannot account for the multialtitude correlation amplitudes. Below the inconsistency of the data with a single-layer model is followed by analysis scenarios which include either the ground or a layered structure. The ground returns suggested by this preliminary analysis seem too strong to be plausible, but parameters describing a two-layer compare reasonably well to a field-measured probability distribution of tree heights in the area.

Treuhaft, Robert N.↗

Comparison of Fiber Optic Strain Demodulation Implementations

NASA Langley Research Center is developing instrumentation based upon principles of Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) for the provision of large-scale, dense distribution of strain sensors using fiber optics embedded with Bragg gratings. Fiber Optic Bragg Grating technology enables the distribution of thousands of sensors immune to moisture and electromagnetic interference with negligible weight penalty. At Langley, this technology provides a key component for research and development relevant to comprehensive aerospace vehicle structural health monitoring. A prototype system is under development that includes hardware and software necessary for the acquisition of data from an optical network and conversion of the data into strain measurements. This report documents the steps taken to verify the software that implements the algorithm for calculating the fiber strain. Brief descriptions of the strain measurement system and the test article are given. The scope of this report is the verification of software implementations as compared to a reference model. The algorithm will be detailed along with comparison results.

Quach, Cuong C.↗

Probabilistic #D data fusion for multiresolution surface generation

In this paper we present an algorithm for adaptive resolution integration of 3D data collected from multiple distributed sensors. The input to the algorithm is a set of 3D surface points and associated sensor models. Using a probabilistic rule, a surface probability function is generated that represents the probability that a particular volume of space contains the surface. The surface probability function is represented using an octree data structure; regions of space with samples of large conariance are stored at a coarser level than regions of space containing samples with smaller covariance. The algorithm outputs an adaptive resolution surface generated by connecting points that lie on the ridge of surface probability with triangles scaled to match the local discretization of space given by the algorithm, we present results from 3D data generated by scanning lidar and structure from motion.

3D data fusion multiresolution surface generation ↗

Calculation of Dose Deposition in Nanovolumes and Simulation of gamma-H2AX Experiments

Monte-Carlo track structure simulations can accurately simulate experimental data: a) Frequency of target hits. b) Dose per event. c) Dose per ion. d) Radial dose. The dose is uniform in micrometers sized voxels; at the nanometer scale, the difference in energy deposition between high and low-LET radiations appears. The calculated 3D distribution of dose voxels, combined with chromosomes simulated by random walk is very similar to the distribution of DSB observed with gamma-H2AX experiments. This is further evidenced by applying a visualization threshold on dose.

Plante, Ianik↗

Evaluation of Load Analysis Methods for NASAs GIII Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge Project

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), and FlexSys Inc. (Ann Arbor, Michigan) have collaborated to flight test the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) flaps. These flaps were installed on a Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC) GIII aircraft and tested at AFRC at various deflection angles over a range of flight conditions. External aerodynamic and inertial load analyses were conducted with the intention to ensure that the change in wing loads due to the deployed ACTE flap did not overload the existing baseline GIII wing box structure. The objective of this paper was to substantiate the analysis tools used for predicting wing loads at AFRC. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and distributed mass inertial models were developed for predicting the loads on the wing. The analysis tools included TRANAIR (full potential) and CMARC (panel) models. Aerodynamic pressure data from the analysis codes were validated against static pressure port data collected in-flight. Combined results from the CFD predictions and the inertial load analysis were used to predict the normal force, bending moment, and torque loads on the wing. Wing loads obtained from calibrated strain gages installed on the wing were used for substantiation of the load prediction tools. The load predictions exhibited good agreement compared to the flight load results obtained from calibrated strain gage measurements.

Aerodynamic Loads↗

Understanding the Global Three-Dimensional Distribution of Precipitation Mean Particle Size with the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission

This study addresses the global distribution of precipitation mean particle size using data from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The mass-weighted mean diameter Dm is a characteristic parameter of the precipitation particle size distribution (PSD), estimated from the GPM Combined Radar–Radiometer Algorithm (CORRA) using data from GPM’s dual-frequency precipitation radar and microwave imager. We examine Dm in individual precipitation systems in different climate regimes and investigate a 6-yr (2014–20) global climatology within 70°N–70°S. The vertical structure of Dm is demonstrated with cases of deep convection, frontal rain and snow, and stratocumulus light rain. The Dm values, detectable by GPM, range from ~0.7 mm in stratocumulus precipitation to >3.5 mm in the ice layers of intense convection. Within the constraint of the 12-dBZ detectability threshold, the smallest annual mean Dm (~0.8 mm) are found in the eastern oceans, and the largest values (~2 mm) occur above the melting levels in convection over land in summer. The standard deviation of the annual mean is generally <0.45 mm below 6 km. Climate regimes are characterized with Dm annual/seasonal variations, its convective/stratiform components, and vertical variabilities (2–10 km). The U.S. Central Plains and Argentina are associated with the largest Dm in a deep layer. Tropical Africa has larger Dm and standard deviation than Amazon. Large convective Dm occurs at high latitudes of Eurasia and North America in summer; the Southern Hemisphere high latitudes have shallower systems with smaller Dm. Oceanic storm tracks in both hemispheres have relatively large Dm, particularly for convective Dm in winter. Relatively small Dm occurs over tropical oceans, including ITCZ, requiring further investigation.

Mei Han↗

DEM Modeling and Validation of Pebble Bed Packing Using Chrono::GPU

Accurate prediction of pebble packing structure is important for pebble bed reactors because the spatial distribution of void fraction directly affects coolant flow, pressure drop, heat transfer, and neutronic behavior. However, experimentally validated DEM studies that directly evaluate local void-fraction structure in reactor-relevant pebble beds remain limited. In this work, the pebble bed experiment conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology is simulated using the graphics processing unit (GPU)-based discrete element method (DEM) code Chrono::GPU. The study focuses on evaluating the ability of Chrono::GPU to reproduce the packing arrangement and void-fraction distribution of a randomly packed spherical pebble bed. The DEM results are first verified against established radial void-fraction correlations, including the Mueller and Vortmeyer-Schuster models, to assess the predicted bulk porosity, near-wall behavior, and oscillatory packing structure. The simulation is then verified against reference DEM data and validated against gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) experimental data at three axial locations. The Chrono::GPU results reproduce the main features of the experimental packing, including the high void fraction near the wall, the first near-wall trough, and the damped oscillatory radial profile caused by wall-induced ordering. Quantitative comparison with DEM data and the CT-based radial profiles shows good agreement, with mean absolute errors on the order of 0.07 and root-mean-square errors below 0.09 for the averaged profiles. These results demonstrate that Chrono::GPU can accurately capture the void-fraction structure of spherical pebble beds and provides a reliable DEM framework for future pebble bed reactor packing, recycling, and thermal-hydraulic studies.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Duality-Free Decomposition Based Data-Driven Stochastic Security-Constrained Unit Commitment

To incorporate the superiority of both stochastic and robust approaches, a data-driven stochastic optimization is employed to solve the security-constrained unit commitment model. This approach makes the most use of the historical data to generate a set of possible probability distributions for wind power outputs and then it optimizes the unit commitment under the worst-case probability distribution. However, this model suffers from huge computational burden, as a large number of scenarios are considered. To tackle this issue, a duality-free decomposition method is proposed in this paper. This approach does not require doing duality, which can save a large set of dual variables and constraints, and therefore reduces the computational burden. In addition, the inner max-min problem has a special mathematical structure, where the scenarios have the similar constraint. Thus, the max-min problem can be decomposed into independent sub-problems to be solved in parallel, which further improves the computational efficiency. A numerical study on an IEEE 118-bus system with practical data of a wind power system has demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposal.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Structure of a Deformed Inhomogeneous Material on the Data of Acoustic Emission and X-Ray Computer Microtomography

Accumulation of defects at various stages of the deformation of a structurally inhomogeneous material (granite) has been studied using two nondestructive methods: acoustic emission (AE) and X-ray computer microtomorgaphy (CT). The quasi-static testing of cylindrical samples of a Westerly granite was carried out under uniaxial compression. The control of the defect formation was realized using the real-time monitoring of acoustic emission. For each sample under study, several steps of the loading and tomographic imaging have been performed. We have found that an exponential or power-law function of the energy distribution of the AE signals makes it possible to select a sample region, in which the system of defects has transited into a self-organized criticality state and large cracks have been formed. This result coincides with the data of the X-ray tomography Computer Microtomography.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Slant path rain attenuation and path diversity statistics obtained through radar modeling of rain structure

Single and joint terminal slant path attenuation statistics at frequencies of 28.56 and 19.04 GHz have been derived, employing a radar data base obtained over a three-year period at Wallops Island, VA. Statistics were independently obtained for path elevation angles of 20, 45, and 90 deg for purposes of examining how elevation angles influences both single-terminal and joint probability distributions. Both diversity gains and autocorrelation function dependence on site spacing and elevation angles were determined employing the radar modeling results. Comparisons with other investigators are presented. An independent path elevation angle prediction technique was developed and demonstrated to fit well with the radar-derived single and joint terminal radar-derived cumulative fade distributions at various elevation angles.

Goldhirsh, J.↗

The galactic gamma-ray distribution - Implications for galactic structure and the radial cosmic-ray gradient

The radial distribution of gamma ray emissivity in the Galaxy was derived from flux longitude profiles, using both the final SAS-2 results and the recently corrected COS-B results and analyzing the northern and southern galactic regions separately. The recent CO surveys of the Southern Hemisphere were used in conjunction with the Northern Hemisphere data, to derive the radial distribution of cosmic rays on both sides of the galactic plane. In addition to the 5 kpc ring, there is evidence from the radial asymmetry for spiral features which are consistent with those derived from the distribution of bright H II regions. Positive evidence was also found for a strong increase in the cosmic ray flux in the inner Galaxy, particularly in the 5 kpc region in both halves of the plane.

Harding, A. K.↗

Use of 3000 Bragg Grating Strain Sensors Distributed on Four Eight-meter Optical Fibers During Static Load Tests of a Composite Structure

This paper describes the use of a fiber optic system to measure strain at thousands of locations along optical fibers where weakly reflecting Bragg gratings have been photoetched. The optical fibers were applied to an advanced composite transport wing along with conventional foil strain gages. A comparison of the fiber optic and foil gage systems used for this test will be presented including: a brief description of both strain data systems; a discussion of the process used for installation of the optical fiber; comparative data from the composite wing test; the processes used for the location and display of the high density fiber optic data. Calibration data demonstrating the potential accuracy of the fiber optic system will also be presented. The opportunities for industrial and commercial applications will be discussed. The fiber optic technique is shown to be a valuable augmentation to foil strain gages providing insight to structural behavior previously requiring reliance on modeling.

Childers, Brooks A.↗

Postglacial migration shaped the genomic diversity and global distribution of the wild ancestor of lager-brewing hybrids

The wild, cold-adapted parent of hybrid lager-brewing yeasts, Saccharomyces eubayanus, has a complex and understudied natural history. The exploration of this diversity can be used both to develop new brewing applications and to enlighten our understanding of the dynamics of yeast evolution in the wild. Here, we integrate whole genome sequence and phenotypic data of 200 S. eubayanus strains, the largest collection known to date. S. eubayanus has a multilayered population structure, consisting of two major populations that are further structured into six subpopulations. Four of these subpopulations are found exclusively in the Patagonian region of South America; one is found predominantly in Patagonia and sparsely in Oceania and North America; and one is specific to the Holarctic ecozone. Plant host associations differed between subpopulations and between S. eubayanus and its sister species, Saccharomyces uvarum. S. eubayanus is most abundant and genetically diverse in northern Patagonia, where some locations harbor more genetic diversity than is found outside of South America, suggesting that northern Patagonia east of the Andes was a glacial refugium for this species. All but one subpopulation shows isolation-by-distance, and gene flow between subpopulations is low. However, there are strong signals of ancient and recent outcrossing, including two admixed lineages, one that is sympatric with and one that is mostly isolated from its parental populations. Using our extensive biogeographical data, we build a robust model that predicts all known and a handful of additional regions of the globe that are climatically suitable for S. eubayanus, including Europe where host accessibility and competitive exclusion by other Saccharomyces species may explain its continued elusiveness. We conclude that this industrially relevant species has rich natural diversity with many factors contributing to its complex distribution and natural history.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Boosting H I -Galaxy Cross-Clustering Signal through Higher-Order Cross-Correlations

After reionization, neutral hydrogen (${\rm H\, \small {I}}$) traces the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe, enabling ${\rm H\, \small {I}}$ intensity mapping (IM) to capture the LSS in 3D and constrain key cosmological parameters. We present a new framework utilizing higher-order cross-correlations to study ${\rm H\, \small {I}}$ clustering around galaxies, tested using real-space data from the IllustrisTNG300 simulation. This approach computes the joint distributions of k-nearest neighbor (kNN) optical galaxies and the ${\rm H\, \small {I}}$ brightness temperature field smoothed at relevant scales (the kNN-field framework), providing sensitivity to all higher-order cross-correlations, unlike two-point statistics. To simulate ${\rm H\, \small {I}}$ data from actual surveys, we add random thermal noise and apply a simple foreground cleaning model, filtering out Fourier modes of the brightness temperature field with k ∥ < k min,∥ . Under current levels of thermal noise and foreground cleaning, typical of a Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)-like survey, the ${\rm H\, \small {I}}$-galaxy cross-correlation signal in our simulations, using the kNN-field framework, is detectable at >30σ across r = [3, 12] h –1 Mpc. In contrast, the detectability of the standard two-point correlation function (2PCF) over the same scales depends strongly on the foreground filter: a sharp k ∥ filter can spuriously boost detection to 8σ due to position-space ringing, whereas a less sharp filter yields no detection. Nonetheless, we conclude that kNN-field cross-correlations are robustly detectable across a broad range of foreground filtering and thermal noise conditions, suggesting their potential for enhanced constraining power over 2PCFs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

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