SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “unique factorization”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 541 records · Page 30

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2018

Crew Resource Management for Automated Teammates (CRM-A)

Crew Resource Management (CRM) is the application of human factors knowledge and skills to ensure that teams make effective use of all resources. This includes ensuring that pilots bring in opinions of other teammates and utilize their unique capabilities. CRM was originally developed 40 years ago in response to a number of airline accidents in which the crew was found to be at fault. The goal was to improve teamwork among airline cockpit crews. The notion of "team" was later expanded to include cabin crew and ground resources. CRM has also been adopted by other industries, most notably medicine. Automation research now finds itself faced with similar issues to those faced by aviation 40 years ago: how to create a more robust system by making full use of both the automation and its human operators. With advances in machine intelligence, processing speed and cheap and plentiful memory, automation has advanced to the point that it can and should be treated as a teammate to fully take advantage of its capabilities and contributions to the system. This area of research is known as Human-Autonomy Teaming (HAT). Research on HAT has identified reusable patterns that can be applied in a wide range of applications. These patterns include features such as bi-directional communication and working agreements. This paper will explore the synergies between CRM and HAT. We believe that HAT research has much to learn from CRM and that there are benefits to expanding CRM to cover automation.

Crew Resource Management↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Environmental Testing Of High Temperature Materials and Coatings

Materials for today′s extreme environments have unique challenges and design requirements that require multi-faceted evaluations. Thermal and mechanical testing and analysis is important in design, but environmental effects are often the limiting factor of materials in service. Degradation modes such as oxidation, recession, erosion, foreign object damage, and chemical corrosion can negatively impact the materials thermo-mechanical behavior. While materials may ultimately fail under thermo−mechanical stresses, environmental effects are many times the root cause. Evaluation of materials systems under relevant conditions are critical.....start by identifying mechanisms and develop corresponding test methods. Comprehensive modeling begins with thermo-mechanical behavior, then considers environmental degradation modes that provide a “knock down” of that behavior.

Thermal testing Mechanical testing↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fractalkine enhances endometrial receptivity and activates iron transport towards trophoblast cells in an in vitro co-culture system of HEC-1A and JEG-3 cells

Highlights: • Fractalkine activates SOX-17 and the NRF2-Keap-1 system in HEC-1A endometrium cells. • Fractalkine triggers IL-6 and IL-1β cytokine secretions contributing endometrium receptivity. • Fractalkine regulates iron homeostasis of endometrium. • Fractalkine contributes to the iron availability of the trophoblast cells. Endometrium receptivity and successful implantation require a complex network of regulatory factors whom production is strictly controlled especially at the implantation window. Many regulators like steroid hormones, prostaglandins, cytokines, extracellular matrix proteins and downstream cell signalling pathways are involved in the process of embryo-endometrium interaction. Our work reveals the effect of fractalkine (FKN), a unique chemokine on progesterone receptor, SOX-17 and NRF2 expressions in HEC-1A endometrial cell line. FKN activates fractalkine receptor signalling and the expression of SOX-17 through progesterone receptor in HEC-1A endometrial cells, and as a consequence it increases endometrial receptivity. Fractalkine also activates the NRF2-Keap-1 signal transduction pathway regulating the IL-6 and IL-1β cytokine productions, which increase endometrial receptivity, as well. The NRF2 transcription factor increases the expression of the iron exporter ferroportin in HEC-1A cells activating iron release towards JEG-3 trophoblast cells. The iron measurements show that iron content of endometrial cells decreases while heme concentration increases at FKN treatment. At the same time, the trophoblast cells show increased iron uptake and total iron content. Based on our results it seems that FKN enhances the establishment of endometrial receptivity and meanwhile it regulates the iron homeostasis of endometrium contributing to the iron availability of the trophoblast cells and the embryo.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1972

Semicircular canals as a primary etiological factor in motion sickness.

Data are presented which support the view that the semicircular canals of humans can act as the essential factor for the production of motion sickness and the evocation of symptoms characteristic of this malady in the absence of 'motion.' Quantitative grading of acute symptoms demonstrated that motion sickness can be evoked by stimuli which are adequately provocative and unique for the canals. These results are compared with those of two provocative rotational tests that introduce Coriolis (cross-coupled angular acceleration) forces or generate a rotating linear acceleration vector. Wide interindividual differences but only slight intraindividual differences among the six provocative test conditions are revealed, indicating that individuals usually possess an overall susceptibility to motion which is relatively independent of its type. The fact that typical symptoms of motion sickness were also produced by bithermal irrigation of several subjects who represented a wide range of susceptibility adds to the evidence that semicircular canals can act as the primary etiological factor in this malady.

Miller, E. F., II↗

NASA NTRS1991

Kaolinite-catalyzed air oxidation of hydrazine: Consideration of several compositional, structural and energetic factors in surface activation

Clay minerals have been shown to have numerous, curious, energetic properties by virtue of ultra-violet light release which can be triggered by gentle environmental changes such as wetting and dewetting by a variety of liquids, unique among them water and hydrazine. Since both water and hydrazine play multiple key roles in the air-oxidation of hydrazine on kaolinite surfaces, this reaction would seem to have prime potential for studying interrelationships of energy storage, release and chemical reactivity of clay surfaces, capacities basic to either the Bernal or Cairns-Smith roles of minerals in the origin of life. Establishment of the capacity for stored electronic energy to significantly alter surface chemistry is important, regardless of the reaction chosen to demonstrate it. Hydrazine air oxidation is overawingly complex, given the possibilities for step-wise control and monitoring of parameters. In the light of recently extended characterization of the kaolinite and model sheet catalysts we used to study hydrazine oxidation and gamma-irradiated silica, previous studies of hydrazine air-oxidation on aluminosilicate surfaces have been reevaluated. Our former conclusion remains intact that, whereas trace structural and surface contaminants do play some role in the catalysis of oxidation, they are not the only, nor even the dominant, catalytic centers. Initial intermediates in the oxidation can now be proposed which are consistent with production via O(-)-centers as well as ferric iron centers. The greater than square dependence of the initial reaction rate on the weight of the clay is discussed in the light of these various mechanistic possibilities.

Coyne, L. M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Reliability modeling of fault-tolerant computer based systems

Digital fault-tolerant computer-based systems have become commonplace in military and commercial avionics. These systems hold the promise of increased availability, reliability, and maintainability over conventional analog-based systems through the application of replicated digital computers arranged in fault-tolerant configurations. Three tightly coupled factors of paramount importance, ultimately determining the viability of these systems, are reliability, safety, and profitability. Reliability, the major driver affects virtually every aspect of design, packaging, and field operations, and eventually produces profit for commercial applications or increased national security. However, the utilization of digital computer systems makes the task of producing credible reliability assessment a formidable one for the reliability engineer. The root of the problem lies in the digital computer's unique adaptability to changing requirements, computational power, and ability to test itself efficiently. Addressed here are the nuances of modeling the reliability of systems with large state sizes, in the Markov sense, which result from systems based on replicated redundant hardware and to discuss the modeling of factors which can reduce reliability without concomitant depletion of hardware. Advanced fault-handling models are described and methods of acquiring and measuring parameters for these models are delineated.

Bavuso, Salvatore J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Prediction of Reactive Nitrous Acid Formation in Rare‐Earth MOFs via ab initio Molecular Dynamics

Abstract Reactive gas formation in pores of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is a known mechanism of framework destruction; understanding those mechanisms for future durability design is key to next generation adsorbents. Herein, an extensive set of ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations are used for the first time to predict competitive adsorption of mixed acid gases (NO 2 and H 2 O) and the in‐pore reaction mechanisms for a series of rare earth (RE)‐DOBDC MOFs. Spontaneous formation of nitrous acid (HONO) is identified as a result of deprotonation of the MOF organic linker, DOBDC. The unique DOBDC coordination to the metal clusters allows for proton transfer from the linker to the NO 2 without the presence of H 2 O and may be a factor in DOBDC MOF durability. This is a previously unreported mechanisms of HONO formation in MOFs. With the presented methodology, prediction of future gas interactions in new nanoporous materials can be achieved.

Vogel, Dayton J.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Prediction of Reactive Nitrous Acid Formation in Rare‐Earth MOFs via ab initio Molecular Dynamics

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2024

Effects of spatial variability in vegetation phenology, climate, landcover, biodiversity, topography, and soil property on soil respiration across a coastal ecosystem

Coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces (TAIs) are crucial contributors to global biogeochemical cycles and carbon exchange. A systematic evaluation of the interaction between coastal catchment properties and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by soil respiration is significant for assessing carbon dynamics and predicting the future trajectory of atmospheric CO2 concentrations in coastal TAIs. The soil CO2 efflux in these transition zones is however poorly understood due to the high spatiotemporal dynamics of TAIs, as various sub-ecosystems in this region are compressed and expanded by complex influences of tides, changes in river levels, climate, and land use. We focus on the Chesapeake Bay region to (i) investigate the spatial heterogeneity of the coastal ecosystem and identify spatial zones with similar environmental characteristics based on the spatial data layers, including vegetation index (kNDVI), climate, landcover, diversity, topography, soil property, and relative tidal elevation; (ii) understand the primary driving factors affecting soil respiration within sub-ecosystems of the coastal ecosystem. Specifically, we employed hierarchical clustering analysis to identify spatial regions with distinct environmental characteristics, followed by the determination of main driving factors using Random Forest regression and SHapley Additive exPlanations. Maximum and minimum temperature are the main drivers common to all sub-ecosystems, while each region also has additional unique major drivers that differentiate them from one another. Precipitation exerts an influence on vegetated lands, while soil pH value holds importance specifically in forested lands. In croplands characterized by high clay content and low sand content, the significant role is attributed to bulk density. Wetlands demonstrate the importance of both elevation and sand content, with clay content being more relevant in non-inundated wetlands than in inundated wetlands. The topographic wetness index significantly contributes to the mixed vegetation areas, including shrub, grass, pasture, and forest. Additionally, our research reveals that dense vegetation land covers and urban/developed areas exhibit distinct soil property drivers. Overall, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to modeling carbon fluxes in coastal TAIs, and our study highlights the importance of further research and monitoring practices to improve our understanding of carbon dynamics and promote the sustainable management of coastal TAIs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Estimation of combinatoric background in seaquest using an event-mixing method

All experiments observing dilepton pairs (e.g. e + e -, μ + μ - ) must confront the existence of a combinatoricbackground caused by the combining of tracks not arising from the same physics vertex. Some method must be devised to calculate and remove this background. In this document we describe a particular event-mixing method relying on many of the unique aspects of the SeaQuest spectrometer and data. The method described here calculates the combinatoric background with correct normalization; i.e., there is no need to assign a floating normalization factor that is then determined in a subsequent fitting procedure. Numerous tests are applied to demonstrate the reliability of the method.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Integrated parameter and process learning for hydrologic and biogeochemical modules in Earth System Models

Focus area: Primary focal area #2; secondary focal area #3: Learning about parameters and processes of land surface hydrologic and biogeochemical models in Earth System models by integrating machine learning, physics, and big data. Science challenges: How do we maximally leverage big-data observations to improve hydrobiogeochemical process description and parameterization so that such modules more realistically capture hydrologic and vegetation responses and feedbacks under the future climate? For example, how can we leverage physics, limited observations of vegetation and streamflow to better estimate evapotranspiration, and, relatedly, net primary productivity, especially for drought areas? Vegetation plays a critical role in regional and global water cycles; however, existing vegetation models have failed to predict vegetation response to droughts (McDowell & Xu, 2017) , arctic greening (Keenan & Riley, 2018) , and critical transitions between forest and savanna (Hirota et al., 2011) . These studies suggest that when we build process-based models (PBM) parameterized from regional and global plant traits, we tend to poorly describe plant adaptation and local-scale competition processes. The models and their associated parameters assigned for different regions in the world are not capturing essential heterogeneity in vegetation responses at finer spatial scales. Many parameters of the land surface models control hydrology and vegetation dynamics at the same time. The heterogeneity in vegetation response is a function of (i) plant type, (ii) plant size, (iii) competition and succession, (iv) environmental controls, and (v) local variations due to the unique ecological community that are very difficult to describe (e.g., the size of gaps resulting from fire that facilitated the coexistence of pioneering species). In the demographic models, only factors (i) and (iv) were captured, and plant types were generally described only by leaf phenology and climate zones. With current demographic models, we generally consider more traits to define plant types (i) and calibrate these traits to consider factors (ii), (iii) and (iv); however, it is substantially challenging to scale to regional and global simulations due to trait variations across space (Ali et al., 2016). Moreover, it has been noted that hillslope processes, including ridge-to-valley flow and sunny vs. shady slopes are primary organizers of water, energy, and vegetation (Clark et al., 2015; Fan et al., 2019) . Although gradual improvements in the hydrologic model component in earth system models may reduce this error (at a remarkably slow pace), the long-term, gradual impact of hydrology on plant traits are not well captured. Recent work showed that the hydrologic controls exerted by groundwater and lateral flow are primary regulators of rooting depth (Fan et al., 2017) . Such hydrologic controls have seldom been reflected in vegetation model parameterizations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1972

Quantifying parameters influencing the spacing of geostationary satellites.

Parameters affecting satellite spacing must be investigated to fully exploit the limited capacity of the geostationary orbit. The usefulness of laboratory experiments, analytic methods, and space environment experiments in quantifying these factors is discussed. It is concluded that space environment experiments are required to evaluate the effects of operationally related parameters including antenna gain patterns, polarization, and antenna instabilities. A unique method of measuring the time-variant effects of the earth station antenna characteristics on satellite spacing is described as a possible space environment experiment. The proposed experiment uses a single satellite to obtain the required data.

Henry, V. F.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Distance limit for a class of model gamma-ray burst sources

It is pointed out that MeV photons have actually been observed in bursts. These observations imply that the nonrelativistic sources cannot be further away than a few kpc from the sun and, therefore, must be galactic. The 27 April 1972 event observed by Apollo 16 shows at higher energies a power law spectrum with a possible line feature around 4 MeV. The optical depth of a homogeneous, isotropic radiation field is estimated with the aid of formulae used by Nikishov (1962) and Jauch and Rohrlich (1955). On the basis of an investigation of the various factors involved, it is tentatively suggested that the gamma-ray bursts which have been detected are galactic, but are in the majority of the cases not connected with unique irreversible star transformation. It appears also unlikely that the gamma-ray bursts are connected with galactic novae.

Schmidt, W. K. H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The mechanics of delamination in fiber-reinforced composite materials. Part 2: Delamination behavior and fracture mechanics parameters

Based on theories of laminate anisotropic elasticity and interlaminar fracture, the complete solution structure associated with a composite delamination is determined. Fracture mechanics parameters characterizing the interlaminar crack behavior are defined from asymptotic stress solutions for delaminations with different crack-tip deformation configurations. A numerical method employing singular finite elements is developed to study delaminations in fiber composites with any arbitrary combinations of lamination, material, geometric, and crack variables. The special finite elements include the exact delamination stress singularity in its formulation. The method is shown to be computationally accurate and efficient, and operationally simple. To illustrate the basic nature of composite delamination, solutions are shown for edge-delaminated (0/-0/-0/0) and (+ or - 0/+ or - 0/90/90 deg) graphite-epoxy systems under uniform axial extenstion. Three-dimensional crack-tip stress intensity factors, associated energy release rates, and delamination crack-closure are determined for each individual case. The basic mechanics and mechanisms of composite delamination are studied, and fundamental characteristics unique to recently proposed tests for interlaminar fracture toughness of fiber composite laminates are examined.

Wang, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The mechanics of delamination in fiber-reinforced composite materials. II - The delamination behavior and fracture mechanics parameters

Based on theories of laminate anisotropic elasticity and interlaminar fracture, the complete solution structure associated with a composite delamination is determined. Fracture mechanics parameters characterizing the interlaminar crack behavior are defined from asymptotic stress solutions for delaminations with different crack-tip deformation configurations. A numerical method employing singular finite elements is developed to study delaminations in fiber composites with any arbitrary combinations of lamination, material, geometric, and crack variables. The special finite elements include the exact delamination stress singularity in its formulation. The method is shown to be computationally accurate and efficient, and operationally simple. To illustrate the basic nature of composite delamination, solutions are shown for edge-delaminated (0/-0/-0/0) and (+ or - 0/+ or - 0/90/90 deg) graphite-epoxy systems under uniform axial extension. Three-dimensional crack-tip stress intensity factors, associated energy release rates, and delamination crack-closure are determined for each individual case. The basic mechanics and mechanisms of composite delamination are studied, and fundamental characteristics unique to recently proposed tests for interlaminar fracture toughness of fiber composite laminates are examined. Previously announced in STAR as N84-13222

Wang, S. S.↗

NASA NTRS2012

First Keck Nulling Observations of a Young Stellar Object: Probing the Circumstellar Environment of the Herbig Ae star MWC 325

We present the first N-band nulling plus K- and L-band V(sup 2) observations of a young stellar object, MWC325, taken with the 85 m baseline Keck Interferometer. The Keck nuller was designed for the study of faint dust signatures associated with debris disks, but it also has a unique capability for studying the temperature and density distribution of denser disks found around young stellar objects. Interferometric observations of MWC 325 at K, L and N encompass a factor of five in spectral range and thus, especially when spectrally dispersed within each band, enable characterization of the structure of the inner disk regions where planets form. Fitting our observations with geometric models such as a uniform disk or a Gaussian disk show that the apparent size increases monotonically with wavelength in the 2-12 micrometer wavelength region, confirming the widely held assumption based on radiative transfer models, now with spatially resolved measurements over broad wavelength range, that disks are extended with a temperature gradient. The effective size is a factor of about 1.3 and 2 larger in the Lband and N-band, respectively, compared to that in the K-band. The existing interferometric measurements and the spectral energy distribution can be reproduced by a flat disk or a weakly shadowed nearly flat-disk model, with only slight flaring in the outer regions of the disk, consisting of representative "sub-micron" (0.1 micron) and "micron" (2 micron) grains of a 50:50 ratio of silicate and graphite. This is marked contrast with the disks previously found in other Herbig Ae/Be stars suggesting a wide variety in the disk properties among Herbig Ae/Be stars.

Ragland, S.↗

NASA NTRS2012

First Keck Nulling Observations of a Young Stellar Object: Probing the Circumstellar Environment of the Herbig Ae Star MWC325

We present the first N-band nulling plus K- and L-band V(sup 2) observations of a young stellar object, MWC 325, taken with the 85 m baseline Keck Interferometer. The Keck nuller was designed for the study of faint dust signatures associated with debris disks, but it also has a unique capability for studying the temperature and density distribution of denser disks found around young stellar objects. Interferometric observations of MWC 325 at K, L, and N encompass a factor of five in spectral range and thus, especially when spectrally dispersed within each band, enable characterization of the structure of the inner disk regions where planets form. Fitting our observations with . geometric models such as a uniform disk or a Gaussian disk show that the apparent size increases 'monotonically with wavelength in the 2-12/Lm wavelength region, confirming the widely held assumption based on radiative transfer models, now with spatially resolved measurements over a broad wavelength range, that disks are extended with a temperature gradient. The effective size is a factor of about 1.4 and 2.2 larger in the L band and N band, respectively, compared to that in the K band. The existing interferometric measurements and the spectral energy distribution can be reproduced by a flat disk or a weakly shadowed nearly flat disk model, with only slight flaring in the outer regions of the disk, consisting of representative "sub-micron" (0.1 micron) and "micron" (2 micron) grains of a 50:50 ratio of silicate and graphite. This is in marked contrast io the disks previously found in other Herbig Ae/Be stars, suggesting a wide variety in the disk properties among Herbig Ae/Be stars.

Ragland, S.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Novel Electrolytes for Use in Li-Air Batteries for NASA Electric Aircraft

Li-Air batteries are a unique fit for electric aircraft due to their high theoretical energy densities and their potential to leverage on-board oxygen systems. The electrolyte and cathode are the limiting factors for advancing this technology. We are investigating novel "electrolyte and cathode engineering" concepts to enable Li-Air batteries with high practical energy densities, rechargeability and safety. New stable electrolytes and cathodes are being designed and fabricated for Li-Air batteries. An array of various electrolytes were screened and analyzed using NMR and DEMS analysis techniques to understand the fundamental decomposition mechanisms at the cathode surface and within the porous polymer separator. (NMR) spectroscopy has yielded mechanistic insight into decomposition pathway, which is vital to the development of future stable electrolyte candidates. Thus far, five new electrolytes have been screened with 2 showing promising results.

Li-Air↗