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At least 37 records · Page 2

Calibrating the SPECTACULAR constitutive model using legacy Sandia data for two filled epoxy systems: 828/CTBN/DEA/GMB and 828/DEA/GMB

The SPECTACULAR model is a development extension of the Simplified Potential Energy Clock (SPEC) model. Both models are nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive models used to predict a wide range of time-dependent behaviors in epoxies and other glass-forming materials. This report documents the procedures used to generate SPECTACULAR calibrations for two particulate-filled epoxy systems, 828/CTBN/DEA/GMB and 828/DEA/GMB. No previous SPECTACULAR or SPEC calibration exists for 828/CTBN/DEA/GMB, while a legacy SPEC calibration exists for 828/DEA/GMB. To generate the SPECTACULAR calibrations, a step-by-step procedure was executed to determine parameters in groups with minimal coupling between parameter groups. This procedure has often been deployed to calibrate SPEC, therefore the resulting SPECTACULAR calibration is backwards compatible with SPEC (i.e. none of the extensions specific to SPECTACULAR are used). The calibration procedure used legacy Sandia experimental data stored on the Polymer Properties Database website. The experiments used for calibration included shear master curves, isofrequency temperature sweeps under oscillatory shear, the bulk modulus at room temperature, the thermal strain during a temperature sweep, and compression through yield at multiple temperatures below the glass transition temperature. Overall, the calibrated models fit the experimental data remarkably well. However, the glassy shear modulus varies depending on the experiment used to calibrate it. For instance, the shear master curve, isofrequency temperature sweep under oscillatory shear, and the Young's modulus in glassy compression yield values for the glassy shear modulus at the reference temperature that vary by as much as 15 %. Also, for 828/CTBN/DEA/GMB, the temperature dependence of the glassy shear modulus when fit to the Young's modulus at different temperatures is approximately four times larger than when it is determined from the isofrequency temperature sweep under oscillatory shear. For 828/DEA/GMB, the temperature dependence of the shear modulus determined from the isofrequency temperature sweep under oscillatory shear accurately predicts the Young's modulus at different temperatures. When choosing values for the shear modulus, fitting the glassy compression data was prioritized. The new and legacy calibrations for 828/DEA/GMB are similar and appear to have been calibrated from the same data. However, the new calibration improves the fit to the thermal strain data. In addition to the standard calibrations, development calibrations were produced that take advantage of development features of SPECTACULAR , including an updated equilibrium Helmholtz free energy that eliminates undesirable behavior found in previous work. In addition to the previously mentioned experimental data, the development calibrations require data for the heat capacity during a stress-free temperature sweep to calibrate thermal terms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multi-package development at Fermilab with Spack

The Spack package manager has been widely adopted in the supercomputing community as a means of providing consistently built on-demand software for the platform of interest. Members of the high-energy and nuclear physics (HENP) community, in turn, have recognized Spack’s strengths, used it for their own projects, and even become active Spack developers to better support HENP needs. Code development in a Spack context, however, can be challenging as the provision of external software via Spack must integrate with the developed packages’ build systems. Spack’s own development features can be used for this task, but they tend to be inefficient and cumbersome. We present a solution pursued at Fermilab called MPD (multi-package development). MPD aims to facilitate the development of multiple Spack-based packages in concert without the overhead of Spack’s own development facilities. In addition, MPD allows physicists to create multiple development projects with an interface that insulates users from the many commands required to use Spack well.

Knoepfel, Kyle James [Fermilab]↗

Multi-package development at Fermilab with Spack

The Spack package manager has been widely adopted in the supercomputing community as a means of providing consistently-built on-demand software for the platform of interest. Members of the high-energy and nuclear physics (HENP) community, in turn, have recognized Spack’s strengths, used it for their own projects, and even become active Spack developers to better support HENP needs. Code development in a Spack context, however, can be challenging as the provision of external software via Spack must integrate with the developed packages’ build systems. Spack’s own development features can be used for this task, but they tend to be inefficient and cumbersome. \medskip We present a solution pursued at Fermilab called MPD (multi-package development). MPD aims to facilitate the development of multiple Spack-based packages in concert without the overhead of Spack’s own development facilities. In addition, MPD allows physicists to create multiple development projects with an interface that insulates users from the many commands required to use Spack well.

Knoepfel, Kyle [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000031433889X)↗

FOXO3 targets are reprogrammed as Huntington's disease neural cells and striatal neurons face senescence with p16 INK4a increase

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) have been linked to the critical process in aging-cellular senescence. However, the temporal dynamics of cellular senescence in ND conditions is unresolved. Here, we show senescence features develop in human Huntington's disease (HD) neural stem cells (NSCs) and medium spiny neurons (MSNs), including the increase of p16 INK4a , a key inducer of cellular senescence. We found that HD NSCs reprogram the transcriptional targets of FOXO3, a major cell survival factor able to repress cell senescence, antagonizing p16 INK4a expression via the FOXO3 repression of the transcriptional modulator ETS2. Additionally, p16 INK4a promotes cellular senescence features in human HD NSCs and MSNs. These findings suggest that cellular senescence may develop during neuronal differentiation in HD and that the FOXO3-ETS2-p16 INK4a axis may be part of molecular responses aimed at mitigating this phenomenon. Our studies identify neuronal differentiation with accelerated aging of neural progenitors and neurons as an alteration that could be linked to NDs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mapping Glacier Basal Sliding Applying Machine Learning

During the RESOLVE project (“High-resolution imaging in subsurface geophysics: development of a multi-instrument platform for interdisciplinary research”), continuous surface displacement and seismic array observations were obtained on Glacier d’Argentière in the French Alps for 35 days in May 2018. The data set is used to perform a detailed study of targeted processes within the highly dynamic cryospheric environment. In particular, the physical processes controlling glacial basal motion are poorly understood and remain challenging to observe directly. Especially in the Alpine region for temperate based glaciers where the ice rapidly responds to changing climatic conditions and thus, processes are strongly intermittent in time and heterogeneous in space. Spatially dense seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements are analyzed applying machine learning to gain insight into the processes controlling glacial motions of Glacier d’Argentière. Using multiple bandpass-filtered copies of the continuous seismic waveforms, we compute energy-based features, develop a matched field beamforming catalog and include meteorological observations. Features describing the data are analyzed with a gradient boosting decision tree model to directly estimate the GPS displacements from the seismic noise. We posit that features of the seismic noise provide direct access to the dominant parameters that drive displacement on the highly variable and unsteady surface of the glacier. The machine learning model infers daily fluctuations and longer term trends. The results show on-ice displacement rates are strongly modulated by activity at the base of the glacier. The techniques presented provide a new approach to study glacial basal sliding and discover its full complexity.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Study and design of laser communications system for space shuttle

The design, development and operation are described of the laser communications system developed for potential space shuttle application. A brief study was conducted to identify the need, if any, for narrow bandwidth space-to-space communication on the shuttle vehicles. None have been specifically identified that could not be accommodated with existing equipments. The key technical features developed in this hardware are the conically scanned tracker for optimized track while communicating with a single detector, and the utilization of a common optical carrier frequency for both transmission and detection. This latter feature permits a multiple access capability so that several transceivers can communicate with one another. The conically scanned tracker technique allows the received signal energy to be efficiently divided between the tracking and communications functions within a common detector.

Source record↗

Modelling of Wastewater Heat Recovery Heat Pump Systems

Wastewater heat recovery is currently an underutilized technology that could be part of solving the climate crisis. A large portion of the heat that leaves a building in the form of wastewater is potentially recoverable for pre-heating domestic hot water or other service water systems. While there are several different approaches to wastewater heat recovery, this project focused on creating detailed, integrated building models for wastewater heat recovery heat pump systems. EnergyPlus models were developed featuring inputs and assumptions corresponding to manufacturers’ specifications, performance lab test data and feedback from engineering consultants. EnergyPlus’s supervisory control Energy Management System objects were heavily relied upon to overcome modelling challenges. The developed EnergyPlus model was integrated into U.S. Department of Energy New Construction Reference Building models for various climate zones and building types to assess potential energy use, energy cost and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Mapping the User Journey: Building a User Persona and Story Repository to Improve NASA EOSDIS Application Development

Understanding the needs of the end user is vital to producing quality, usable software that solves real problems. Additionally, making sure those needs are communicated to managers, engineers, and designers at the project level is vital. On complex projects, it's important to build out resources for your team that make it easy to put yourself in the shoes of the specific user you're building for. NASA's Earth Observing System is a collection of data, applications, and a diverse user and scientific community that's trying to answer tough questions about our planet and its climate. Over the last few years, we've spoken to hundreds of users, performed many user testing sessions, and built a collection of user personas, user stories, and design assets that help guide new software and feature development within NASA EOSDIS. We've also developed methods for synthesizing this information and making it actionable for teams, and worked to foster a design first approach on new projects always starting from a core user need and working backward from interface development to software engineering. This process has allowed us to design better, more usable software and features that directly meet the needs of our user community.

Siarto, Jeff↗

Characterizing climate pathways using feature importance on echo state networks

The 2022 National Defense Strategy of the United States listed climate change as a serious threat to national security. Climate intervention methods, such as stratospheric aerosol injection, have been proposed as mitigation strategies, but the downstream effects of such actions on a complex climate system are not well understood. The development of algorithmic techniques for quantifying relationships between source and impact variables related to a climate event (i.e., a climate pathway) would help inform policy decisions. Data-driven deep learning models have become powerful tools for modeling highly nonlinear relationships and may provide a route to characterize climate variable relationships. In this paper, we explore the use of an echo state network (ESN) for characterizing climate pathways. ESNs are a computationally efficient neural network variation designed for temporal data, and recent work proposes ESNs as a useful tool for forecasting spatiotemporal climate data. However, ESNs are noninterpretable black-box models along with other neural networks. The lack of model transparency poses a hurdle for understanding variable relationships. We address this issue by developing feature importance methods for ESNs in the context of spatiotemporal data to quantify variable relationships captured by the model. We conduct a simulation study to assess and compare the feature importance techniques, and we demonstrate the approach on reanalysis climate data. In the climate application, we consider a time period that includes the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. This event was a significant stratospheric aerosol injection, which acts as a proxy for an anthropogenic stratospheric aerosol injection. Furthermore, we are able to use the proposed approach to characterize relationships between pathway variables associated with this event that agree with relationships previously identified by climate scientists.

black-box models↗

Environmental control system transducer development study

A development test program of transducers for aerospace projects is described. Stability and performance of existing transducers, and improvements compatible with shuttle ECS requirements are investigated. These requirements incorporate design and development features into the transducers, and include the following: (1) improvement of overall transducer ruggedness and reliability; (2) common transducers for all ECS fluids that will be unaffected by long quiescent periods in the space environment, that will require no maintenance or refurbishing for at least 100 launches; and (3) appropriate self-check features that simplify checkout and maintenance. Models of three different transducers, a three-way valve for pressure transducers from closed liquid loops, surface-type platinum-wire resistance temperature sensors, and a nuclenics gaging system are evaluated. Tests and development improvements are described.

Brudnicki, M. J.↗

Large area sheet task: Advanced dendritic web growth development

The growth of silicon dendritic web for photovoltaic applications was investigated. The application of a thermal model for calculating buckling stresses as a function of temperature profile in the web is discussed. Lid and shield concepts were evaluated to provide the data base for enhancing growth velocity. An experimental web growth machine which embodies in one unit the mechanical and electronic features developed in previous work was developed. In addition, evaluation of a melt level control system was begun, along with preliminary tests of an elongated crucible design. The economic analysis was also updated to incorporate some minor cost changes. The initial applications of the thermal model to a specific configuration gave results consistent with experimental observation in terms of the initiation of buckling vs. width for a given crystal thickness.

Duncan, C. S.↗

Fuel containment, lightning protection and damage tolerance in large composite primary aircraft structures

The damage-tolerance characteristics of high strain-to-failure graphite fibers and toughened resins were evaluated. Test results show that conventional fuel tank sealing techniques are applicable to composite structures. Techniques were developed to prevent fuel leaks due to low-energy impact damage. For wing panels subjected to swept stroke lightning strikes, a surface protection of graphite/aluminum wire fabric and a fastener treatment proved effective in eliminating internal sparking and reducing structural damage. The technology features developed were incorporated and demonstrated in a test panel designed to meet the strength, stiffness, and damage tolerance requirements of a large commercial transport aircraft. The panel test results exceeded design requirements for all test conditions. Wing surfaces constructed with composites offer large weight savings if design allowable strains for compression can be increased from current levels.

Griffin, Charles F.↗

Sensor for Monitoring Nanodevice-Fabrication Plasmas

The term plasma process diagnostics (PPD) refers to a spectroscopic technique and sensing hardware that have been proposed for monitoring plasma processes used to fabricate electronic devices that feature sizes as small as several nanometers. Nanometer dimensions are characteristic of the quantum level of miniaturization, where single impurity atoms or molecules can drastically change the local properties of the nanostructures. Such changes may be purposely used in nanoscale design but may also be extremely damaging or cause improper operation of the fabricated devices. Determination of temperature and densities of reactants near the developing features is important, since the structural synthesis is affected by characteristics of the local microenvironment. Consequently, sensors capable of nonintrusive monitoring with high sensitivity and high resolution are essential for real-time atomistic control of reaction kinetics and minimizing trace contamination in plasma processes used to fabricate electronic nanodevices. Such process-monitoring sensors are required to be compact, multiparametric, and immune to the harsh environments of processing plasmas. PPD is intended to satisfy these requirements. The specific technique used to implement plasma diagnostics with a PPD sensor would be an advanced version of continuous-wave cavity-ringdown spectroscopy (CW-CRDS) capable of profiling spectral line broadenings in order to derive both Doppler and Stark components. CRDS is based on measurements of the rate of absorption of laser light in an optical resonator. The ultimate sensitivity results from a very long absorption path length within the cavity and immunity to variations in incident laser intensity. The proposed version of this technique would involve the use of multiplexing tunable laser diodes and an actively modulated high-reflectivity optical resonator, thus offering a synergistic combination of simplicity, compactness, high sensitivity, and high resolution. The multiplexing capabilities of diode lasers could be utilized to make the PPD sensor a single, simple, compact, and inexpensive tool for the acquisition of multiparametric data. A PPD sensor would be capable of continuous measurement of such physical parameters as gas temperature, gas velocity, electron number density, and absolute densities of reacting chemical species. A laser beam can be easily adjusted to analyze the immediate vicinity of the growing nanostructures (or features etched down) in real time. The absorption enhancement in an optical cavity would afford the sensitivity needed for measurement of the temperature and densities of species at concentrations significantly lower than measurable by other nonintrusive techniques. It is anticipated that fully developed PPD sensors would enable simultaneous measurement of local temperature and determination of plasma species responsible for the synthesis and functionalization of nanodevices. These sensors would also enable tracking the pathways and origins of damaging contaminants, thereby providing feedback for adjustment of processes to optimize them and reduce contamination. The PPD sensors should also be useful for optimization of conventional microelectronics manufacturing plasma processes. Going beyond plasma processes for fabrication of electronic devices, PPD sensors could be used for monitoring of atoms, molecules, ions, radicals, clusters, and particles in a variety of other settings, including outer space. Because of their high sensitivity, such sensors could also prove useful for detecting traces of illegal drugs and explosives.

Bolshakov, Alexander↗

Delayed fluorescence from a zirconium(iv) photosensitizer with ligand-to-metal charge-transfer excited states

Advances in chemical control of the photophysical properties of transition-metal complexes are revolutionizing a wide range of technologies, particularly photocatalysis and light-emitting diodes, but they rely heavily on molecules containing precious metals such as ruthenium and iridium. While the application of earth-abundant ‘early’ transition metals in photosensitizers is clearly advantageous, a detailed understanding of excited states with ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) character is paramount to account for their distinct electron configurations. Here we report an air- and moisture-stable, visible lightabsorbing Zr(iv) photosensitizer, Zr( Mes PDP Ph ) 2 , where [ Mes PDP Ph ] 2- is the doubly deprotonated form of [2,6-bis(5-(2,4,6- trimethylphenyl)-3-phenyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)pyridine]. This molecule has an exceptionally long-lived triplet LMCT excited state (τ = 350 μs), featuring highly efficient photoluminescence emission (Ф = 0.45) due to thermally activated delayed fluorescence emanating from the higher-lying singlet configuration with significant LMCT contributions. Zr( Mes PDP Ph ) 2 engages in numerous photoredox catalytic processes and triplet energy transfer. Our exploration offers a blueprint for future photosensitizer development featuring early transition metals and excited states with significant LMCT contributions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

A kinetic study of solar wind electrons in the transition region from collision dominated to collisionless flow

We have studied the evolution of the velocity distribution function of a test population of electrons in the solar corona and inner solar wind region, using a recently developed kinetic model. The model solves the time dependent, linear transport equation, with a Fokker-Planck collision operator to describe Coulomb collisions between the 'test population' and a thermal background of charged particles, using a finite differencing scheme. The model provides information on how non-Maxwellian features develop in the distribution function in the transition region from collision dominated to collisionless flow. By taking moments of the distribution the evolution of higher order moments, such as the heat flow, can be studied.

Lie-Svendsen, O.↗

A case study of plasma structure in the dusk sector associated with enhanced magnetospheric convection

Consideration is given to a case study based on a combination of ground whistler and satellite measurements of thermal plasma density which provides additional evidence that the abrupt western edge of the bulge region of the magnetosphere, reported earlier from whistlers, is a real phenomenon. The present data and previous MHD modeling work suggest that this distinctive feature develops during periods of steady or declining substorm activity, when dense plasma previously carried sunward under the influence of enhanced convection activity begins to rotate with the earth at angular velocities that decrease with increasing L value and becomes spirallike in form. Whistler data are used to identify a narrow dense plasma feature, separated from the main plasmasphere and extending sunward into the late afternoon sector at L values near the outer observed limits of the main plasmasphere and extending sunward into the edge of the main bulge, found by both whistler stations to be at about 1800 MLT, appeared to be quasi-stationary in sun-earth coordinates during the prevailing conditions of gradually declining geomagnetic agitation.

Carpenter, D. L.↗

L-Band System Engineering - Concepts of Use, Systems Performance Requirements, and Architecture

This document is being provided as part of ITT s NASA Glenn Research Center Aerospace Communication Systems Technical Support (ACSTS) contract NNC05CA85C, Task 7: New ATM Requirements-Future Communications, C-band and L-band Communications Standard Development. Task 7 was motivated by the five year technology assessment performed for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the joint FAA-EUROCONTROL cooperative research Action Plan (AP-17), also known as the Future Communications Study (FCS). It was based on direction provided by the FAA project-level agreement (PLA FY09_G1M.02-02v1) for "New ATM Requirements-Future Communications." Task 7 was separated into two distinct subtasks, each aligned with specific work elements and deliverable items. Subtask 7-1 addressed C-band airport surface data communications standards development, systems engineering, test bed development, and tests/demonstrations to establish operational capability for what is now referred to as the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS). Subtask 7-2, which is the subject of this report, focused on preliminary systems engineering and support of joint FAA/EUROCONTROL development and evaluation of a future L-band (960 to 1164 MHz) air/ground (A/G) communication system known as the L-band digital aeronautical communications system (L-DACS), which was defined during the FCS. The proposed L-DACS will be capable of providing ATM services in continental airspace in the 2020+ timeframe. Subtask 7-2 was performed in two phases. Phase I featured development of Concepts of Use, high level functional analyses, performance of initial L-band system safety and security risk assessments, and development of high level requirements and architectures. It also included the aforementioned support of joint L-DACS development and evaluation, including inputs to L-DACS design specifications. Phase II provided a refinement of the systems engineering activities performed during Phase I, along with continued joint FAA/EUROCONTROL L-DACS development and evaluation support.

Henriksen, Stephen↗

Earth feature identification and tracking technology development

The paper discusses needs for smart sensing in terrestrial and atmospheric remote sensing as related to current technology and a scheduled Shuttle experiment. An approach is outlined involving Shuttle-borne experiments to develop earth feature identification and tracking technology including a Feature Identification and Location Experiment (FILE) scheduled for flight on the NASA Shuttle with an objective of classifying earth features into categories of bare land, water, vegetation, and clouds, snow, and ice. The plan for evolution of the FILE-related technology leads to capabilities for pointing instruments to predetermined sites, reacquiring earth features or landmarks, and tracking features such as coastlines and rivers. Technology concepts relative to an overall system transfer function is discussed, and the development status outlined.

Wilson, R. G.↗