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At least 451 records · Page 25

Bayesian Approach to Estimation of Water Table Elevations Using Historical Rasters as Prior Information 2019 - 20430

In cases of complex but only partially known geology and a lack of spatial control in observation well locations, water table elevation estimation is very challenging. In some cases, auxiliary information, such as observations of the movement of tracers, operation of injection and extraction wells, and calibration of groundwater models against the historical elevation data, can be combined with expert judgement to estimate flow directions in areas of sparse data and to aid in the production of more reliable contour maps (and associated rasters) than could be produced by relying on sparse well elevation data alone. Given a historical sequence of these raster maps, the question arises how to automate, to the extent possible, the process of producing new raster maps to reflect data from previous times, the current data and the operation of expert judgement. One solution is to adopt a Bayesian point of view and to regard the historical well elevation data, auxiliary information and historical raster maps as prior information. The well elevations for water table wells, as well as those for injection/extraction wells and the data associated with other relevant variables, can be viewed as predictors for the raster surface. From this prior information, we can, conditional on the values of these predictors for a new time period, compute an expected value map and a standard deviation map for the new raster. These then can be taken to specify a prior predictive distribution for the pixels in the new raster map. Then we condition the pixels, corresponding to water level observation wells within the raster, on the observed values in those wells (which in general will differ from the regression estimate) for the new time period. Given the smoothness of the water table surface, we then smooth the surface of deviations from the mean surface, based on the variograms of the historical rasters, and add this smoothed surface to the regression mean surface. The error structure of the produced raster map is defined by the regression error structure and the error due to smoothing based on the estimated variograms. This methodology has been developed and is being further refined for groundwater monitoring and remediation at LANL. It is a very flexible method that can also be applied with a variety of other predictors applied to model the water level wells in the area of interest over the historical record. The smoothness of the spatial process and its possible evolution over time can then be estimated from the residuals from this regression. This can be augmented by expert hydrogeological opinion based on site topography and hydrogeology. (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Risk to Ecological Resources on Burial Waste Sites on the Hanford Site, Washington - 20248

The US and other nations have a large nuclear and chemical waste remediation task remaining from World War II, the Cold War, and industrial activities. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has the largest task in the U.S., with Hanford (Washington State) being the most contaminated site, with the longest and most costly cleanup program projected to extend to the end of the century. One of the greatest remediation problems at Hanford are the burial waste facilities, some of which are inside the 200 Areas on the Central Plateau, while others are outside the 200 Areas. These areas are associated with waste sites, pipes, and contaminated trenches, posing technical cleanup challenges to meet DoE's remediation goals, including protection of human health and the environment commensurate with Tri- Party Agreement and current regulatory requirements. In this paper we select one of the legacy waste sites (the BC Cribs and Trenches) as a case study to explore how risk to ecological resources varies during and as a consequence of remediation on sites primarily considered legacy waste sites. We used the risk methodology developed by the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP) during the Hanford Site-wide Risk Review. The CRESP methodology included evaluating the risk to receptors, including human health, the Columbia River, groundwater, and ecological and cultural resources. The risk evaluation process for ecological receptors included defining the boundaries of each evaluation unit (EU) to be remediated, definition of a suitable buffer area that might be affected, and consideration of the known resource value based on field work. This information, coupled with known remediation options or strategies, allowed us to develop a risk rating for ecological resources. Site risks were evaluated on a scale of 'not discernible' to 'very high' risk. Consideration of the risks at the buried waste sites was complicated by uncertainties in remediation methods and the degree of restoration that would occur as part of the remediation process. We use the BC Cribs and Trenches as a case study to explore why the risks are low currently but increase during remediation. The current 'not discernible to low' risk rating is due to the lack of high quality ecological resources on the BC Cribs and Trenches EU, except for edge areas (with some state-listed species). During remediation the risks increase to 'medium', mainly due to high quality resources on adjacent buffer lands, which could be disrupted during active remediation. Medium and high quality resources on the edge of the site are continuous with higher quality native shrub-steppe habitat on the buffer. Ecological resources on some of the areas surrounding the 200 East and West Areas are some of the highest quality shrub-steppe areas on the Hanford Site, and risk to these resources could be prevented by planning before and during remediation to minimize disruption. For example, lay down areas for the BC Cribs and Trenches can be minimized by careful planning. Heavy truck and other vehicular traffic can be minimized. Spread of the noxious weeds now on some of the site can be prevented, and the spread of invasive species into the site (particularly near undisturbed shrub-steppe habitat) can be reduced. Further, the areas around and between the 200 East and West Areas have been largely undisturbed and can serve as a source of seeds and propagules for any revegetation that occurs as part of the remediation process. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Mapping Boreal Forest Spruce Beetle Health Status at the Individual Crown Scale Using Fused Spectral and Structural Data

The frequency and severity of spruce bark beetle outbreaks are increasing in boreal forests leading to widespread tree mortality and fuel conditions promoting extreme wildfire. Detection of beetle infestation is a forest health monitoring (FHM) priority but is hampered by the challenges of detecting early stage (“green”) attack from the air. There is indication that green stage might be detected from vertical gradients of spectral data or from shortwave infrared information distributed within a single crown. To evaluate the efficacy of discriminating “non-infested”, “green”, and “dead” health statuses at the landscape scale in Alaska, USA, this study conducted spectral and structural fusion of data from: (1) Unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral (6 cm) + structure from motion point clouds (~700 pts per sq. m); and (2) Goddard Lidar Hyperspectral Thermal (G-LiHT) hyperspectral (400 to 1000 nm, 0.5 m) + SWIR-band lidar (~32 pts per sq.m). We achieved 78% accuracy for all three health statuses using spectral + structural fusion from either UAV or G-LiHT and 97% accuracy for non-infested/dead using G-LiHT. We confirm that UAV 3D spectral (e.g., greenness above versus below median height in crown) and lidar apparent reflectance metrics (e.g., mean reflectance at 99th percentile height in crown), are of high value, perhaps capturing the vertical gradient of needle degradation. In most classification exercises, UAV accuracy was lower than G-LiHT indicating that collecting ultra-high spatial resolution data might be less important than high spectral resolution information. While the value of passive optical spectral information was largely confined to the discrimination of non-infested versus dead crowns, G-LiHT hyperspectral band selection (~400, 675, 755, and 940 nm) could inform future FHM mission planning regarding optimal wavelengths for this task. Interestingly, the selected regions mostly did not align with the band designations for our UAV multispectral data but do correspond to, e.g., Sentinel-2 red edge bands, suggesting a path forward for moderate scale bark beetle detection when paired with suitable structural data.

Janice Cessna↗

Specific absorbed fractions for a revised series of the UF/NCI pediatric reference phantoms: internal photon sources

Assessment of radiation absorbed dose to internal organs of the body from the intake of radionuclides, or in the medical setting through the injection of radiopharmaceuticals, is generally performed based upon reference biokinetic models or patient imaging data, respectively. Biokinetic models estimate the time course of activity localized to source organs. The time-integration of these organ activity profiles are then scaled by the radionuclide S-value, which defines the absorbed dose to a target tissue per nuclear transformation in various source tissues. S-values are computed using established nuclear decay information (particle energies and yields), and a parameter termed the specific absorbed fraction (SAF). The SAF is the ratio of the absorbed fraction—fraction of particle energy emitted in the source tissue that is deposited in the target tissue—and the target organ mass. While values of the SAF may be computed using patient-specific or individual-specific anatomic models, they have been more widely available through the use of computational reference phantoms. In this study, we report on an extensive series of photon SAFs computed in a revised series of the University of Florida and the National Cancer Institute pediatric reference phantoms which have been modified to conform to the specifications embodied in the ICRP reference adult phantoms of Publication 110 (e.g. organs modeled, organ ID numbers, blood contribution to elemental compositions). Following phantom anatomical revisions, photon radiation transport simulations were performed using MCNPX v2.7 in each of the ten phantoms of the series—male and female newborn, 1 year old, 5 year old, 10 year old, and 15 year old—for 60 different tissues serving as source and/or target regions. A total of 25 photon energies were considered from 10 keV to 10 MeV along a logarithm energy grid. Detailed analyses were conducted of the relative statistical errors in the Monte Carlo target tissue energy deposition tallies at low photon energies and over all energies for source–target combinations at large intra-organ separation distances. Based on these analyses, various data smoothing algorithms were employed, including multi-point weighted data smoothing, and log–log interpolation at low energies (1 keV and 5 keV) using limiting SAF values based upon target organ mass to bound the interpolation interval. The final dataset is provided in a series of ten electronic supplemental files in MS Excel format. Finally, the results of this study were further used as the basis for assessing the radiative component of internal electron source SAFs as described in our companion paper (Schwarz et al 2021) for this same pediatric phantom series.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Specific absorbed fractions for a revised series of the UF/NCI pediatric reference phantoms: internal electron sources

Assessment of radiation absorbed dose to internal organs of the body from the intake of radionuclides, or in the medical setting through the injection of radiopharmaceuticals, is generally performed based upon reference biokinetic models or patient imaging data, respectively. Biokinetic models estimate the time course of activity localized to source organs. The time-integration of these organ activity profiles are then scaled by the radionuclide S-value, which defines the absorbed dose to a target tissue per nuclear transformation in various source tissues. S-values are computed using established nuclear decay information (particle energies and yields), and a parameter termed the specific absorbed fraction (SAF). The SAF is the ratio of the absorbed fraction—fraction of particle energy emitted in the source tissue that is deposited in the target tissue—and the target organ mass. While values of the SAF may be computed using patient-specific or individual-specific anatomic models, they have been more widely available through the use of computational reference phantoms. In this study, we report on an extensive series of photon SAFs computed in a revised series of the University of Florida and the National Cancer Institute pediatric reference phantoms which have been modified to conform to the specifications embodied in the ICRP reference adult phantoms of Publication 110 (e.g. organs modeled, organ ID numbers, blood contribution to elemental compositions). Following phantom anatomical revisions, photon radiation transport simulations were performed using MCNPX v2.7 in each of the ten phantoms of the series—male and female newborn, 1 year old, 5 year old, 10 year old, and 15 year old—for 60 different tissues serving as source and/or target regions. A total of 25 photon energies were considered from 10 keV to 10 MeV along a logarithm energy grid. Detailed analyses were conducted of the relative statistical errors in the Monte Carlo target tissue energy deposition tallies at low photon energies and over all energies for source–target combinations at large intra-organ separation distances. Based on these analyses, various data smoothing algorithms were employed, including multi-point weighted data smoothing, and log–log interpolation at low energies (1 keV and 5 keV) using limiting SAF values based upon target organ mass to bound the interpolation interval. The final dataset is provided in a series of ten electronic supplemental files in MS Excel format. Finally, the results of this study were further used as the basis for assessing the radiative component of internal electron source SAFs as described in our companion paper (Schwarz et al 2021) for this same pediatric phantom series.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Leveraging generative artificial intelligence to bridge domain gaps in wind turbine research

A central challenge in wind turbine health monitoring is the scarcity of real-world data due to limited instrumentation, leading researchers to rely on simulation models that often suffer from reduced fidelity. However, even within simulation environments, discrepancies arise because of modeling assumptions, and configuration fidelities, creating domain gaps that limit the transferability of learned representations. Here, to investigate domain translation under controlled conditions, this project explores the use of generative artificial intelligence, specifically cycle-consistent generative adversarial networks (CGANs), to bridge the gap between OpenFAST simulation models representing 1.5 MW and 5 MW wind turbines. A physics-informed CGAN architecture is introduced, where a simplified turbine tower dynamics model is incorporated into the training loss to ensure physically consistent outputs. Quantitative results showed moderate to high agreement in frequency-domain features. Incorporating the physics-informed loss function improved the R 2 values by 30%, reduced the RMSE from 1.39 to 1.1 m/s 2 , and reduced training time by 82%. Furthermore, under increased turbulence intensity (IEC Category A), the RMSE remained stable at approximately 1.1 m/s 2 . While the present study is entirely simulation-based, it establishes a pipeline for evaluating physics-informed generative domain translation, which may serve as a foundation for future simulation-to-reality validation studies.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Study on spectral/radiometric characteristics of the Thematic Mapper for land use applications

An information theoretic measure of multispectral information content is developed and applied to a simultaneous LANDSAT TM and MSS data set. The entropy based function measures the dispersion and concentration of signal values in various data spaces, irrespective of specific class memberships. It is used to compare the information content of TM and MSS and of various subsets of TM and MSS bans, as well as tasseled cap transformations of the band values. Differences exist between the information measure results and results using variance based measures. System design information capacities and data space volumes are also compared. The results and observations presented are considered preliminary in nature since only one real and one simulated data set are analyzed.

Malila, W. A.↗

Measurement Uncertainty in One-Of-A-Kind Event Data Analysis

A golden standard in science is to repeat an experiment a statistically significant number of times, recording data using the same set of detectors and the same data analysis methodology. In such case experimental error includes both the range of true values generated by repetitions of the experiment, and measurement uncertainty caused by the detector. They are independent. It is a huge and too frequently used simplification, to assume that one can measure multiple repetitions of an identical experiment, resulting in identical true experimental value. Repetitions, as similar is it is experimentally achievable, have unavoidable built-in differences resulting in a range of the true values rather than in a single value. When modern, very sensitive and well calibrated measurement systems are used, this range is not negligible, and sometimes dominates over the measurement uncertainty. Range of true values depends on built-in differences in physics of the experiment. Stochastic physical processes result typically in a broader range of true values than non-stochastic processes do. Measurement uncertainty depends on a measurement method (properties of the detector not of the experiment). Modern measurement methods, including digital ones, frequently make the measurement uncertainty very small. When data from one–of –a kind experiment are analyzed, only the measurement uncertainty is reported. It provides no information about the range of true experimental values, neither about reliability of a reported data point. Reliability of a data point is in general independent from its measurement uncertainty. However, in practice reliable measurement methods frequently have high measurement uncertainty, while low reliability methods are applied to limit measurement uncertainty. Comparison of reliable data with high measurement uncertainty to not so reliable data measured with low uncertainty is discussed – in different scenarios different data analysis methods are applicable. Methods for data analysis from an experiment repeated statistically significant number of times are very well developed. They do not require a detailed expertise in physics of an experiment, nor in the properties of the measurement system used, and meaning of the reported uncertainty is well understood in any scientific community. It all changes when data from one-of-a-kind experiment is analyzed. Analyst’s expertise is required both in the physics of the experiment and in all aspects of the measurement system, all possible malfunctions. Data users must remember that only measurement uncertainty is reported from any one-of-a-kind experiment. Theory with simulations may provide estimation of expected built-in differences in the experiment, and by this of expected range of true values for a given experiment; yet measurement uncertainty can never be used in place of the range of true experimental values.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Web-Based Customizable Viewer for Mars Network Overflight Opportunities

This software displays a full summary of information regarding the overflight opportunities between any set of lander and orbiter pairs that the user has access to view. The information display can be customized, allowing the user to choose which fields to view/hide and filter. The software works from a Web browser on any modern operating system. A full summary of information pertaining to an overflight is available, including the proposed, tentative, requested, planned, and implemented. This gives the user a chance to quickly check for inconsistencies and fix any problems. Overflights from multiple lander/ orbiter pairs can be compared instantly, and information can be filtered through the query and shown/hidden, giving the user a customizable view of the data. The information can be exported to a CSV (comma separated value) or XML (extensible markup language) file. The software only grants access to users who are authorized to view the information. This application is an addition to the MaROS Web suite. Prior to this addition, information pertaining to overflight opportunities would have a limited amount of data (displayed graphically) and could only be shown in strict temporal ordering. This new display shows more information, allows direct comparisons between overflights, and allows the data to be manipulated in ways that it was unable to be done in the past. The current software solution is to use CSV files to view the overflight opportunities.

Gladden, Roy E.↗

Estimation of micro-Hall-Petch coefficients for prismatic slip system in Mg-4Al as a function of grain boundary parameters

Grain size strengthening, referred to as the Hall-Petch effect, is a common strategy to improve the yield strength of magnesium (Mg) alloys. Several experimental studies have reported that the Hall-Petch slope strongly depends on the texture of the alloy. This effect arises from altering grain boundaries (GBs) resistance to different slip systems to transfer across adjacent grains. The grain boundary barrier strength of certain grain boundaries to basal slip, referred to as basal micro-Hall-Petch, was investigated in the previous work. Here in this study, the micro-Hall-Petch coefficient values for the prismatic slip $(k^{prismatic}_{μ})$ in Mg-4Al and their correlation with the grain boundary parameters were investigated. An experimental method was developed to initiate the prismatic slip band at low-stress levels. High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) was used to measure the residual stress tensor, from which the resolved shear stress ahead of blocked prismatic slip bands was computed for seven different grain boundaries. $(k^{prismatic}_{μ})$ values for each individual GB were calculated by coupling the stress profile information with a continuum dislocation pile-up model. The $(k^{prismatic}_{μ})$ values vary from 0.138 MPa.m 1/2 to 0.685 MPa. m 1/2 which are almost three times larger than the calculated values for the basal micro-Hall-Petch. The $(k^{prismatic}_{μ})$ values were correlated with the GB parameters, and a functional relationship depending on the two most effective angles, the angle between the traces of the slip planes on the GB plane ($\phi$) and the angle between incoming and outgoing slip directions (κ), was proposed to estimate the Hall-Petch barrier for prismatic slip system. The work provides coefficients that can be supplied as input to crystal plasticity models to couple the effect of texture and grain size effectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evaluation of photographic enhancements of Landsat imagery

The photographic processing of color Landsat imagery was evaluated to determine the optimal enhancement techniques. Twenty-six images were examined to explore the effects of gamma values upon image interpretation in a subarctic environment. Gamma values were varied on the images of bands 4 through 7 prior to the creation of the color composites. This yielded color-composited images with various color balances. These images were evaluated in terms of visible geological features (drainage, lineaments, landforms, etc.) and landcover features (exposed rock and ground, coniferous forest, etc.). The results indicate that the most informative images are created by using gamma values of 2.0 for band 4, 1.0 for band 5, and 2.0 for band 6 or 7. Other photographic enhancements tend to enhance some features at the expense of others.

Dean, K. G.↗

Establishing the accuracy of position–specific carbon isotope analysis of propane by GC–pyrolysis–GC–IRMS

Rationale: Position-specific (PS) δ 13 C values of propane have proven their ability to provide valuable information on the evolution history of natural gases. Two major approaches to measure PS δ 13 C values of propane are isotopic 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-pyrolysis-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-Py-GC-IRMS). Measurement accuracy of the isotopic 13 C NMR has been verified, but the requirements of large sample size and long experimental time limit its applications. GC-Py-GC-IRMS is a more versatile method with a small sample size, but its accuracy has not been demonstrated. Methods: We measured the PS δ 13 C values of propane from nine natural gases using both 13 C NMR and GC-Py-GC-IRMS, then evaluated the accuracy of the GC-Py-GC-IRMS method. Results: The results show that large carbon isotope fractionations occurred for both terminal and central carbons within propane during pyrolysis. The isotope fractionations during the pyrolysis are reproducible at optimum conditions, but vary between the two GC-Py-GC-IRMS systems tested, affected by experimental conditions (e.g., pyrolysis temperature, flow rate, and reactor conditions). Conclusions: It is necessary to evaluate and calibrate each GC-Py-GC-IRMS system using propane gases with accurately determined PS δ 13 C values. Finally, this study also highlights a need for PS isotope standards for propane and other molecules (e.g., butane and acetic acid).

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Determination of 2,3,7,8-chlorine-substituted dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans at the part per trillion level in United States beef fat using high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry

As part of the U.S. EPA Dioxin Reassessment Program, the 2,3,7,8-chlorine-substituted dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans were measured at part per trillion (ppt) levels in beef fat collected from slaughter facilities in the United States. This is the first statistically designed national survey of these compounds in the U.S. beef supply. Analyte concentrations were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry, using isotope dilution methodology. Method limits of detection on a whole weight basis were 0.05 ppt for TCDD and 0.10 ppt for TCDF, 0.50 ppt for the pentas (PeCDDs/PeCDFs)/hexas (HxCDDs/HxCDFs)/heptas (HpCDDs/HpCDFs), and 3.00 ppt for the octas (OCDD/OCDF). Method detection and quantitation limits were established on the basis of demonstrated performance criteria utilizing fortified samples rather than by conventional signal-to-noise or variability of response methods. The background subtraction procedures developed for this study minimized the likelihood of false positives and increased the confidence associated with reported values near the detection limits. Mean and median values for each of the 2,3,7,8-Cl-substituted dioxins and furans are reported, along with the supporting information required for their interpretation. The mean toxic equivalence values for the samples are 0.35 ppt (nondetects = 0) and 0.89 ppt (nondetects = 1/2 LOD).

Benzofurans/analysis↗

Fox Trails

1. This software utilizes python pandas to pull data from P6 databases or XER files. The software transforms the datasets into multiple main tables by joining, filtering, iteratively flattening hierarchical structured data, and pivoting datasets to give simple flat output tables. The activity table includes all of the information related to an activity including activity codes, global, EPS, and project codes, UDFs, and WBS information as separate columns. This includes the code id, code value and sequence number for all levels in hierarchical codes. The resource table is similar to the activity table and includes all of the information related to resources on activities including UPFs and resource codes. The resource time phased table takes the resource information and time phases it for the budget, forecast, late, and actual dates/units/costs that closely matches P6's user interface's values as it implements the resource curve and calendars. The wbs table contains the WBS structure broken out by levels and includes UDFs, codes, and notebook topics. The final P6 data table is the relationships table which simply contains the relationships. 2. When a user updates the tool with data (via giving it P6 project names with database username/password information or XER files) the system creates the data in #1, then creates a networkx graph with the activity data imbedded in the node data and the relationships added as edges. Each edge also has it's float calculated (working time distance between the predecessor and successor) and attached to the edge. Activities are also tagged as a potential start of a path based on their constraints, constraint dates, remaining start date, and activity status. When a user enters an activity ID into the UI, it runs a shortest path calculation on the network graph between each node tagged as potential start to the entered activity id based on the float tagged on the edge. Each path returned by the algorithm contains all of the nodes on the path in order, as well as the total float of the edges that make the path. This data is then collected and returned to the user in the form of a gantt chart with groupings for each path that includes the total float for each group. 3. Similar to 2, if the user passes through a reference dataset each activity set in the path is checked to see if it had a path in the reference dataset, if that path was the primary path between the start and end activities, and what has changed regarding logic and durations. These changes are color coded and summarized before sent to the user to be displayed by the UI for simple discovery. 4. Utilizing the data from #1, the user can submit desired grouping code(s) and filters to the system. The system will then pull the activities, resources, and relationships and create a gantt chart based on the groupings sent and filtered based on the filters sent. 5. The system will produce a gantt chart in a similar method to #4, but allows interactivity with the data. As the user interacts with the gantt chart, the software captures the changes and stores it with the user making the change so that project controls and implement those changes in P6.

Fox, Ben↗

Inferring the spatial and energy distribution of gamma-ray burst sources. 1: Methodology

We describe Bayesian methods for analyzing the distribution of gamma-ray burst peak photon fluxes and directions. These methods fit the differential distribution, and have the following advantages over rival methods: (1) they do not destroy information by binning or averaging the data (as do, say, chi squared, the averaged value of V/V(sub max), and angular moment analyses); (2) they straightforwardly handle uncertainties in the measured quantities; (3) they analyze the strength and direction information jointly; (4) they use information available about nondetections; and (5) they automatically identify and account for biases and selection effects given a precise description of the experiment. In these methods, the most important information needed about the instrument threshold is not its value at the times of burst triggers, as is used in the average value of V/V(sub max) analyses, but rather the value of the threshold at times when no trigger occurred. We show that this information can be summarized as an average detection efficiency that is similar to the product of the exposure and efficiency reported in the First Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) Burst (1B) Catalog, but significantly different from it at low fluxes. We also quantify an important bias that results from estimating the peak flux by scanning the burst to find the peak number of counts in a window of specified duration, as was done for the 1B Catalog. When the duration of the peak of the light curve is longer than the window duration, a simple flux estimate based on the peak counts significantly overestimates the peak flux in a nonlinear fashion that distorts the shape of the log(N)-log(P) distribution. This distortion also corrupts analyses of the V/V(sub max) distribution that use ratios of counts above background to estimate V/V(sub max). The Bayesian calculation specifies how to account for this bias. Implementation of the Bayesian approach requires some changes in the way burst data are reported that we describe in detail. Subsequent papers will report analyses of the 1B Catalog data using the methods described here.

Loredo, Thomas J.↗

Using virtual sensors to accommodate industrial asset control systems during cyber attacks

In some embodiments, an industrial asset may be associated with a plurality of monitoring nodes, each monitoring node generating a series of monitoring node values over time that represent operation of the industrial asset. A threat detection computer may determine that an attacked monitoring node is currently being attacked. Responsive to this determination, a virtual sensor coupled to the plurality of monitoring nodes may estimate a series of virtual node values for the attacked monitoring node(s) based on information received from monitoring nodes that are not currently being attacked. The virtual sensor may then replace the series of monitoring node values from the attacked monitoring node(s) with the virtual node values. Note that in some embodiments, virtual node values may be estimated for a particular node even before it is determined that the node is currently being attacked.

Mestha, Lalit Keshav↗

A method for classification of multisource data using interval-valued probabilities and its application to HIRIS data

A method of classifying multisource data in remote sensing is presented. The proposed method considers each data source as an information source providing a body of evidence, represents statistical evidence by interval-valued probabilities, and uses Dempster's rule to integrate information based on multiple data source. The method is applied to the problems of ground-cover classification of multispectral data combined with digital terrain data such as elevation, slope, and aspect. Then this method is applied to simulated 201-band High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (HIRIS) data by dividing the dimensionally huge data source into smaller and more manageable pieces based on the global statistical correlation information. It produces higher classification accuracy than the Maximum Likelihood (ML) classification method when the Hughes phenomenon is apparent.

Kim, H.↗