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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 37 records · Page 2

Reevaluating Contour Visualizations for Power Systems Data

Effective visual analytics tools are needed now more than ever as emerging energy systems data and models are rapidly growing in scale and complexity. Here we examined the suitability of colored contour maps to visually represent bus values in two different power system models: a dense 24k-bus distribution system and a 240-bus transmission system. In a quantitative analysis, we found that contour maps misrepresent power systems data, changing the statistical dispersion of the bus values, including the loss of extreme values. In a controlled empirical study with thirty professional power system research engineers, we found that these distortions significantly impact excursion identification tasks. Additionally, the engineers were less confident in their assessments using contour-based visualizations than glyph-based visualizations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Light: An Extrinsic Factor Influencing Animal-based Research

Abstract Light is an environmental factor that is extrinsic to animals themselves and that exerts a profound influence on the regulation of circadian, neurohormonal, metabolic, and neurobehavioral systems of all animals, including research animals. These widespread biologic effects of light are mediated by distinct photoreceptors—rods and cones that comprise the conventional visual system and melanopsin-containing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) of the nonvisual system that interact with the rods and cones. The rods and cones of the visual system, along with the ipRGCs of the nonvisual system, are species distinct in terms of opsins and opsin concentrations and interact with one another to provide vision and regulate circadian rhythms of neurohormonal and neurobehavioral responses to light. Here, we review a brief history of lighting technologies, the nature of light and circadian rhythms, our present understanding of mammalian photoreception, and current industry practices and standards. We also consider the implications of light for vivarium measurement, production, and technological application and provide simple recommendations on artificial lighting for use by regulatory authorities, lighting manufacturers, designers, engineers, researchers, and research animal care staff that ensure best practices for optimizing animal health and well-being and, ultimately, improving scientific outcomes.

Veterinary Sciences↗

PIPER: Performance Insights for Programmers and Exascale Runtimes

During the lifetime of the project, the PIPER at the University of Utah worked in collaboration with the team from the partner institutions to establish a set of software tools for analyzing and improving the performance parallel computing tools. These activities complement and complete the work performed by the other X-Stack 2 projects with the definition of a common data models and computing infrastructures, which have been a central element in the targeted performance analysis pipeline and new programming models. The University of Utah team have focused mainly on developing data analysis and visualization systems to facilitate exploration, comparison and evaluation of the behavior and performance of complex algorithms in modern HPC infrastructures. This is involved several demonstrations of the performance achieved and presentation of the results in a way that facilitates the users understand bottlenecks and ways to overcome them. One major focus of the University of Utah activities has been the analysis of the performance characteristics of Fat-Tree and Dragonfly topology networks. The work involved the development of practical visualization systems especially in collaboration with the team at LLNL, and published several papers and gave invited talks at prestigious venues such as the Salishan Conference on High-Speed Computing or the International Conference on High Performance Computing, Data, and Analytics. In addition, the university of Utah team has advanced the core activities on analyzing the performance characteristics of I/O and other data movement systems and their practical use for scaling Uintah and other simulation codes poised for use in the exascale computing environments of the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Prospective Design Method for Nuclear Power: The Evaluation, Requirements, and Goals Outline for Nuclear (ERGON) Method

Human factors researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have worked on projects spanning control room modernization, operator support systems, visualization design, and novel system creation. These projects demonstrated the need for an explicit design method for nuclear power. Human factors teams found a high standard in the Human Factors Engineering Program Review Model (NUREG-0711) and needed a design methodology which could be successful in gaining approval. Previous work has been synthesized as the Evaluation, Requirements, and Goals Outline for Nuclear (ERGON) method here. Design tasks are broken into four phases: Context and Orientation, Human Factors Review, Prototyping and Evaluation, Iteration and Improvement. ERGON is intended as a flexible and direct design method for many applications in nuclear power. ERGON has been vetted through collaborative research and development with nuclear utilities and as such, the ERGON method can assist utilities to achieve approval from a NUREG-0711 summative evaluation for HSI implementations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A single-cell atlas of the bobtail squid visual and nervous system highlights molecular principles of convergent evolution

Abstract The cephalopod and vertebrate visual systems are a textbook example of convergent evolution with unknown molecular underpinnings. Here we characterize 98,537 single-cell transcriptomes in the bobtail squidEuprymna berryito understand how the cephalopod retina and optic lobes relate to the vertebrate retina. We confirm the overall relative simplicity of the cephalopod retina but identify two related photoreceptor cell subtypes expressing distinct r-opsins. By contrast, the adult optic lobe contains a diverse repertoire of neuronal and glial cell types, with a predominance of dopaminergic neurons. We show that cephalopod-specific gene duplicates probably contributed to this cell type diversification. Comparing neuronal cell population in the optic lobes of hatchlings and adults, we reveal a switch towards dopaminergic neurotransmitter usage with age, indicative of a maturation process. We further identify an FMRF-amide-based retrograde signal from the optic lobe towards the retina that supports the functional analogy of the cephalopod optic lobe cortex and the vertebrate inner retina in visual signal processing from a molecular standpoint. Finally, comparative analyses with vertebrate and arthropod cells suggest a scenario in which two photoreceptor types and two neuronal populations may have already been present in the eye of the bilaterian ancestor.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗

Coordinated Ramping Product and Regulation Reserve Procurements in CAISO and MISO using Multi-Scale Probabilistic Solar Power Forecasts (Pro2R)

How can probabilistic solar forecasts lower costs and improve reliability for independent system operator (ISO) markets? We tackle this question in three steps. First, we enhance an existing solar forecasting system to provide well-calibrated hours-ahead probabilistic forecasts. We then relate the degree of uncertainty in those forecasts to error distributions for net load ramps for the California ISO (CAISO) using statistical and machine learning methods. Projected net load errors conditioned on solar uncertainty are translated into flexible ramp requirements that therefore reflect real-time meteorological and solar conditions, improving on typical ISO procedures. Finally, a multi-period look-ahead production cost model quantifies how conditional ramp requirements can a) decrease operating costs by lowering requirements compared to often conservative unconditional methods, and b) reduce generation scarcity events and consequently improve reliability by increasing flexibility requirements at times when unconditional forecast-based requirements understate actual ramp uncertainty. In addition to the products just described (quantification of solar uncertainty, its translation into requirements for ramp capability product, and quantification of the benefits of more accurate ramp requirements), this project also developed a visualization system that alerts system operators of ramp and uncertainty conditions within the network based on solar forecasts. The system is called Resource Forecast and Ramp Visualization for Situational Awareness (RaVIS). These four products represent significant advances in the state-of-the-art of probabilistic solar forecasting, development of weather-informed reserve requirements, production costing methods for estimating the benefits of more accurate reserve requirements, and visualization of system status, respectively. Yet the products are also practical and can be immediately implemented, potentially enabling system operators to save millions of dollars in ramp product procurement costs per year.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Quantum Computing – Real-Time Data Processing from a Dilution Refrigerator

This poster presents a real-time data visualization system for monitoring and displaying data from a Bluefors control unit connected to a dilution refrigerator. The goal is to provide an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly web-based interface that continuously updates and displays critical data such as temperature and flow rates at various points within the refrigerator. Leveraging WebSocket technology, the system establishes multiple connections to the dilution refrigerators, enabling simultaneous monitoring of several units. The interactive webpage dynamically updates the data, providing researchers and operators with instant insights into the system's performance. The system's ability to stream and visualize data in real-time enhances the understanding of the dilution refrigerator's behavior, aiding in optimizing its operation and ensuring efficient scientific experiments. The application's web-based nature makes it easily accessible from any device with internet connectivity, promoting seamless collaboration and remote monitoring capabilities. Overall, this poster offers a comprehensive solution for real-time data visualization and analysis of dilution refrigerators, catering to the needs of researchers and scientists working in low-temperature physics and quantum computing fields.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Ultrasonic Bat Deterrent Technology

The project objective was to advance the development and testing of a near commercial bat-deterrent system with a goal to increase the current GE deterrent system effectiveness to over 50% with broad species applicability. Additionally, the research supported by this program has provided insights into bat behavior and ultrasonic deterrent design that had not previously been explored. Prior research and development had demonstrated the effectiveness of a commercial-grade, air-powered, ultrasonic bat deterrent to be between 30-50% depending upon the species of bat. However, the previous research provided limited insight into the behavioral responses of bats in the presence of ultrasonic deterrent sound fields that could be utilized to improve effectiveness. A unique bat flight room was utilized to observe the behavioral characteristics of bats in the presence of ultrasonic sound fields. Behavioral testing in the bat flight facility demonstrated that ultrasonic sounds similar to those produced by the GE deterrent influenced the activities and behaviors, primarily those associated with foraging, of the species exposed. The study also indicated that continuous and pulsing ultrasonic signals had a similar effect on the bats, and confirmed that as ultrasonic sounds attenuate, their influence on the bats’ activities and behavior decreases. Ground testing at Wolf Ridge Wind, LLC and Shawnee National Forest assessed both continuous and pulsing deterrent signals emitted from the GE deterrent system and further enhanced the behavioral understanding of bats in the presence of the deterrent. With these data and observations, the existing 4-nozzle continuous, or steady, emission ultrasonic system was redesigned to a 6-nozzle system that could emit a pulsing signal covering a larger air space around a turbine. Twelve GE 1.6-100 turbines were outfitted with the deterrent system and a formal three-month field study was performed using daily carcass searches beneath the 12 turbines. Additionally, a unique 3D bat flight path visualization system was utilized to monitor for and identify any changes in bat activity caused by the operation of the deterrent system. Both the carcass search and flight path visualization data indicated that the pulsed deterrent system was effective, but not more effective, than the steady system tested in prior years. However, an unanticipated byproduct of the pulsing system was the emission of intermittent water vapor from the deterrent devices due to the air compression process that powered the devices. This water vapor may have altered the ultrasonic signal and obscured the results in an unknown way. While a qualitative analysis of the effect of the water vapor on the deterrent signal had indicated there was not dramatic change in the expected ultrasonic signal, it was not possible to conclusively determine if the pulse signal would have been more effective in the absence of the water vapor. A mid-season installation of a desiccant system was performed and the dataset divided into two groups to account for the change. Prior to the system change, the deterrent was not effective (-23%, P = 0.8617, α = 0.05) at reducing eastern red bat fatalities and effective (38%, P = 0.0169, α = 0.05) for the non-eastern red bat species, combined. After the installation of the desiccant system, the pulsed deterrent system showed similar results, although not statistically significant, with a point estimates of 23% (P = 0.2924, α = 0.05) observed for eastern red bats and 54% (P = 0.0926, α = 0.05) for the other combined bat species.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Retina-inspired narrowband perovskite sensor array for panchromatic imaging

The retina is the essential part of the human visual system that receives light, converts it to neural signal, and transmits to brain for visual recognition. The red, green, and blue (R/G/B) cone retina cells are natural narrowband photodetectors (PDs) sensitive to R/G/B lights. Connecting with these cone cells, a multilayer neuro-network in the retina provides neuromorphic preprocessing before transmitting to brain. Inspired by this sophistication, we develop the narrowband (NB) imaging sensor combining R/G/B perovskite NB sensor array (mimicking the R/G/B photoreceptors) with a neuromorphic algorithm (mimicking the intermediate neural network) for high-fidelity panchromatic imaging. Compared to commercial sensors, we use perovskite “intrinsic” NB PD to exempt the complex optical filter array. In addition, we use an asymmetric device configuration to collect photocurrent without external bias, enabling a power-free photodetection feature. These results display a promising design for efficient and intelligent panchromatic imaging.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Navigating Uncertainty: Challenges in Visualizing Ensemble Data and Surrogate Models for Decision Systems

Uncertainty visualization plays a critical role in transforming ensemble simulation data into actionable insights by effectively communicating various dimensions of uncertainty within a system. The emergence of artificial intelligence-driven surrogate models trained on multirun ensemble data offers a transformative opportunity to replace computationally intensive simulations with fast estimates, enabling users to explore data spaces with unprecedented depth and interactivity. However, integrating ensemble data and surrogate models into decision-making workflows and tools introduces novel challenges for uncertainty visualization. These include reconciling and clearly communicating the unique uncertainties associated with ensembles and their surrogate model estimates, and leveraging these approximations to inform actionable decisions. This work explores these challenges in the context of high-dimensional data visualization, bridging discrete datasets with their continuous representations and addressing the complexities of systems that support iterative navigation between input and output spaces. We evaluate the role of uncertainty visualization in fostering intuitive, actionable interactions and identify critical hurdles in advancing this frontier of computational simulation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

In Situ Visualization for Computational Science

In situ visualization, i.e., visualizing simulation data as it is generated, is an emerging processing paradigm in response to trends in the area of high-performance computing. This paradigm holds great promise in its ability to access increased spatio-temporal resolution and leverage extensive computational power. However, the paradigm is also widely viewed as limiting when it comes to exploration-oriented use cases and further will require visualization systems to become more and more complicated and constrained. Additionally, there are many open research topics within situ visualization. The Dagstuhl seminar 18271 "In Situ Visualization for Computational Science" brought together researchers and practitioners from three communities (computational science, high-performance computing, and scientific visualization) to share interesting findings, to identify lines of open research, and to determine a medium-term research agenda that addresses the most pressing problems. This report summarizes the outcomes and findings of the seminar.

Computational Science↗

In Situ Visualization for Computational Science (Dagstuhl Seminar 18271)

In situ visualization, i.e., visualizing simulation data as it is generated, is an emerging processing paradigm in response to trends in the area of high-performance computing. This paradigm holds great promise in its ability to access increased spatio-temporal resolution and leverage extensive computational power. However, the paradigm is also widely viewed as limiting when it comes to exploration-oriented use cases and further will require visualization systems to become more and more complicated and constrained. Additionally, there are many open research topics with in situ visualization. The Dagstuhl seminar 18271 “In Situ Visualization for Computational Science” brought together researchers and practitioners from three communities (computational science, high-performance computing, and scientific visualization) to share interesting findings, to identify lines of open research, and to determine a medium-term research agenda that addresses the most pressing problems. This report summarizes the outcomes and findings of the seminar.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Human Factors Evaluation of Energy Visualization Dashboards

Energy visualization systems provide information about use in real-time to assist users with energy efficiency. In this study, three energy visualization dashboards for small businesses were developed and tested. Performance measurement, NASA Task Load Index (TLX) workload assessment, and posttest survey were used to conduct the usability testing. Compared with the dashboards that were designed using line charts and tables, a dashboard designed using visuals (e.g., gauges, pie charts, and flashing lights) produced quicker response time, lower mental and temporal demand and effort ratings, and higher ratings of engagement, interest, and trustworthiness.

Nimbarte, Ashish D. (ORCID:0000000210599112)↗

Many but not all deep neural network audio models capture brain responses and exhibit correspondence between model stages and brain regions

Models that predict brain responses to stimuli provide one measure of understanding of a sensory system and have many potential applications in science and engineering. Deep artificial neural networks have emerged as the leading such predictive models of the visual system but are less explored in audition. Prior work provided examples of audio-trained neural networks that produced good predictions of auditory cortical fMRI responses and exhibited correspondence between model stages and brain regions, but left it unclear whether these results generalize to other neural network models and, thus, how to further improve models in this domain. We evaluated model-brain correspondence for publicly available audio neural network models along with in-house models trained on 4 different tasks. Most tested models outpredicted standard spectromporal filter-bank models of auditory cortex and exhibited systematic model-brain correspondence: Middle stages best predicted primary auditory cortex, while deep stages best predicted non-primary cortex. However, some state-of-the-art models produced substantially worse brain predictions. Models trained to recognize speech in background noise produced better brain predictions than models trained to recognize speech in quiet, potentially because hearing in noise imposes constraints on biological auditory representations. The training task influenced the prediction quality for specific cortical tuning properties, with best overall predictions resulting from models trained on multiple tasks. The results generally support the promise of deep neural networks as models of audition, though they also indicate that current models do not explain auditory cortical responses in their entirety.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A simple convertible electrolyzer in membraneless and membrane-based modes for understanding water splitting mechanism

State-of-the-art membrane-based electrolyzers such as proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells, are costly, susceptible to degradation, and time-consuming for electrode evaluation and triple-phase boundary electrochemical reaction studies. Here, a simple convertible electrolyzer in membraneless and membrane-based modes is proposed. For the first time, this enables comprehensive investigations of water splitting with pure water, acidic and alkaline electrolytes in one cell. With the simple electrolyzer and high-speed visualization system, the influences of flow rate, electrolytes, concentration, and Nafion membrane on the oxygen evolution reactions (OERs), hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) and electrolyzer performance are comprehensively investigated. Visualization results reveal that water splitting only occurred at the edge between the electrode and the Nafion membrane in pure water. However, they occurred on the whole electrode surface in alkaline and acidic electrolytes, indicating easily tunable reaction sites with the convertible electrolyzer. This demonstrates the feasibility of using the simple convertible electrolyzer for understanding the water splitting mechanism. The relation between electrolyte thickness and resistances with different electrolytes is also quantified. This research provides an insight for optimizing electrochemical devices while delivering an inexpensive and fast way for electrode evaluations and electrochemical reaction studies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗