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At least 883 records · Page 49

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DOE OSTI2025

CONCURRENT, CONDENSED STEIN VARIATIONAL GRADIENT DESCENT FOR UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION OF NEURAL NETWORKS

In this work, we propose a Stein variational gradient descent (SVGD) method to concurrently sparsify, train, and provide uncertainty quantification (UQ) of a complexly parameterized model, such as a neural network (NN). It employs a graph reconciliation and condensation process to reduce complexity and increase similarity in the Stein ensemble of parameterizations. Therefore, the proposed concurrent, condensed SVGD (ccSVGD) method can provide UQ on parameters, not just outputs. Furthermore, the parameter reduction speeds up the convergence of the Stein gradient descent as it reduces the combinatorial complexity by aligning and differentiating the sensitivity to parameters. These properties are demonstrated with an illustrative example and an application to a mechanical response representation problem in solid mechanics.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2017

Understanding the Response of Photosynthetic Metabolism in Tropical Forests to Seasonal Climate Variations. Final Report

This U.S-Brazil collaboration for GOAmazon has investigated a deceptively simple question: what controls the response of photosynthesis in Amazon tropical forests to seasonal variations in climate? In the past this question has been difficult to answer with modern earth system process models. We hypothesized that observed dry season increases in photosynthetic capacity are controlled by the phenology of leaf flush and litter fall, from which the seasonal pattern of LAI emerges. Our results confirm this hypothesis (Wu et al., 2016). Synthesis of data collected throughout the 3-year project period continues through December 31, 2017 under no-cost extensions granted to the project teams at University of Michigan and University of Arizona (Award 2). The USGS component (Award 1) ceased on the final date of the project performance period, December 31, 2016. This report summarizes the overall activities and achievements of the project, and constitutes the final project report for the USGS component. The University of Michigan will submit a separate final report that includes additional results and deliverables achieved during the period of their and the University of Arizona’s no-cost extension, which will end on December 31, 2017.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Natural variation in growth and leaf ion homeostasis in response to salinity stress in Panicum hallii

Soil salinity can negatively impact plants growth, development and fitness. Natural plant populations restricted to coastal environments may evolve in response to saline habitats and therefore provide insights into the process of salinity adaptation. We investigated the growth and physiological responses of coastal and inland populations of Panicum hallii to experimental salinity treatments. Coastal genotypes demonstrated less growth reduction and superior ion homeostasis compared to the inland genotypes in response to saline conditions, supporting a hypothesis of local adaptation. We identified several QTL associated with the plasticity of belowground biomass, leaf sodium and potassium content, and their ratio which underscores the genetic variation present in this species for salinity responses. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis in leaf and root tissue revealed tissue specific overexpression of genes including several cation transporters in the coastal genotype. These transporters mediate sodium ion compartmentalization and potassium ion retention and thus suggests that maintenance of ionic homeostasis of the coastal genotypes might be due to the regulation of these ion transporters. These findings contribute to our understanding of the genetics and molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation in natural populations, and widens the scope for genetic manipulation of these candidate genes to design plants more resilient to climate change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Industrial PLC Network Modeling and Parameter Identification Using Sensitivity Analysis and Mean Field Variational Inference

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) power line communication (PLC) model for industrial facilities was developed that uses the physics of a bottom-up model but can be calibrated like top-down models. The PLC model considers 4-conductor cables (three-phase conductors and a ground conductor) and has several load types, including motor loads. The model is calibrated to data using mean field variational inference with a sensitivity analysis to reduce the parameter space. The results show that the inference method can accurately identify many of the model parameters, and the model is accurate even when the network is modified.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2016

Direct and indirect effects of climatic variations on the interannual variability in net ecosystem exchange across terrestrial ecosystems

Our study indicates that climatic variables not only directly affect the interannual variability (IAV) in net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 (NEE) but also indirectly drive it by changing the physiological parameters. Identifying these direct and indirect paths can reveal the underlying mechanisms of carbon (C) dynamics. In this study, we applied a path analysis using flux data from 65 sites to quantify the direct and indirect climatic effects on IAV in NEE and to evaluate the potential relationships among the climatic variables and physiological parameters that represent physiology and phenology of ecosystems. We found that the maximum photosynthetic rate was the most important factor for the IAV in gross primary productivity (GPP), which was mainly induced by the variation in vapour pressure deficit. For ecosystem respiration (RE), the most important drivers were GPP and the reference respiratory rate. The biome type regulated the direct and indirect paths, with distinctive differences between forests and non-forests, evergreen needleleaf forests and deciduous broadleaf forests, and between grasslands and croplands. Different paths were also found among wet, moist and dry ecosystems. However, the climatic variables can only partly explain the IAV in physiological parameters, suggesting that the latter may also result from other biotic and disturbance factors. In addition, the climatic variables related to NEE were not necessarily the same as those related to GPP and RE, indicating the emerging difficulty encountered when studying the IAV in NEE. Overall, our results highlight the contribution of certain physiological parameters to the IAV in C fluxes and the importance of biome type and multi-year water conditions, which should receive more attention in future experimental and modelling research.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

VARIATION IN THE PRE-TRANSIT BALMER LINE SIGNAL AROUND THE HOT JUPITER HD 189733B

As followup to our recent detection of a pre-transit signal around HD 189733 b, we obtained full pre-transit phase coverage of a single planetary transit. The pre-transit signal is again detected in the Balmer lines but with variable strength and timing, suggesting that the bow shock geometry reported in our previous work does not describe the signal from the latest transit. We also demonstrate the use of the Ca ii H and K residual core flux as a proxy for the stellar activity level throughout the transit. A moderate trend is found between the pre-transit absorption signal in the 2013 data and the Ca ii H flux. This suggests that some of the 2013 pre-transit hydrogen absorption can be attributed to varying stellar activity levels. A very weak correlation is found between the Ca ii H core flux and the Balmer line absorption in the 2015 transit, hinting at a smaller contribution from stellar activity compared to the 2013 transit. We simulate how varying stellar activity levels can produce changes in the Balmer line transmission spectra. These simulations show that the strength of the 2013 and 2015 pre-transit signals can be reproduced by stellar variability. If the pre-transit signature is attributed to circumplanetary material, its evolution in time can be described by accretion clumps spiraling toward the star, although this interpretation has serious limitations. Further high-cadence monitoring at H α is necessary to distinguish between true absorption by transiting material and short-term variations in the stellar activity level.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

MONITORING SHORT-TERM COSMIC-RAY SPECTRAL VARIATIONS USING NEUTRON MONITOR TIME-DELAY MEASUREMENTS

Neutron monitors (NMs) are ground-based detectors of cosmic-ray showers that are widely used for high-precision monitoring of changes in the Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) flux due to solar storms and solar wind variations. In the present work, we show that a single neutron monitor station can also monitor short-term changes in the GCR spectrum, avoiding the systematic uncertainties in comparing data from different stations, by means of NM time-delay histograms. Using data for 2007–2014 from the Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor, a station at Doi Inthanon, Thailand, with the world’s highest vertical geomagnetic cutoff rigidity of 16.8 GV, we have developed an analysis of time-delay histograms that removes the chance coincidences that can dominate conventional measures of multiplicity. We infer the “leader fraction” L of neutron counts that do not follow a previous neutron count in the same counter from the same atmospheric secondary, which is inversely related to the actual multiplicity and increases for increasing GCR spectral index. After correction for atmospheric pressure and water vapor, we find that L indicates substantial short-term GCR spectral hardening during some but not all Forbush decreases in GCR flux due to solar storms. Such spectral data from Doi Inthanon provide information about cosmic-ray energies beyond the Earth’s maximum geomagnetic cutoff, extending the reach of the worldwide NM network and opening a new avenue in the study of short-term GCR decreases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

VARIATION OF SPECTRAL AND TIMING PROPERTIES IN THE EXTENDED BURST TAILS FROM THE MAGNETAR 4U 0142+61

Extended emission episodes with an intensity above the preburst level are observed following magnetar bursts from a number of soft gamma repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs). Such extended tail emissions were observed following two events detected from AXP 4U 0142+61. We investigated in detail the evolution of spectral and temporal properties during these two tail segments using Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer/Proportional Counter Array observations, and report distinct variations in the spectral and temporal behavior throughout the tails. In particular, in both cases we observed a sudden enhancement of the pulsation amplitude in conjunction with bursts and a smooth decline of X-ray emission (cooling) during the tail. We suggest that an inefficiently radiating trapped fireball formed during the burst, which can heat up the stellar surface, is able to explain the tail properties and its energetics. We also present the episodic detection of absorption and emission features during tails. One possible mechanism that has been proposed to give rise to such spectral lines is the proton/ion cyclotron resonance process, which has been suggested as offering a valuable tool in probing the complex magnetic field of magnetars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

LATITUDE, ENERGY, AND TIME VARIATIONS IN THE ENERGETIC NEUTRAL ATOM SPECTRAL INDICES MEASURED BY THE INTERSTELLAR BOUNDARY EXPLORER ( IBEX )

We investigate the latitude, energy, and temporal variations of the ∼0.5–6 keV energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes and spectral indices measured by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer ( IBEX ) outside of the Ribbon from 2009 to 2013. By combining all-sky maps for years 1–3 and years 4–5, we find that the >1.2 keV globally distributed (GD) ENA fluxes at all latitudes decrease by ∼25% from years 1–3 to years 4–5, but there is no change (<5%) in the corresponding spectral indices. We also show that the latitudinal profile and energy-dependence of the ≥1 keV ENA spectral indices outside the Ribbon exhibit no significant time differences between years 1–3 and 4–5, lending strong support for the notion that the highly organized, persistent energy dependence and latitudinal pattern of the ENA spectral indices during 2009–2014 are determined by that of the solar wind (SW) speed observed in the inner heliosphere during the deep solar minimum conditions of 2006–2010. In contrast, the ∼25% decrease in the >1.2 keV ENA fluxes at all latitudes from years 1–3 to years 4–5 occurs because the magnitude of the driving SW parameters (SW density or dynamic pressure) diminished significantly from 2006 to 2010. Based on the reconstructed latitudinal and temporal profiles of SW parameters from 2011 to 2014, i.e., during the rising phase of solar cycle 24, we suggest that the GD ENA fluxes in years 2014–2017, i.e., in maps 6–9, will either stabilize or increase and the latitudinal pattern and energy dependence of the corresponding spectral indices will be disrupted.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

TRANSIT TIMING VARIATION MEASUREMENTS OF WASP-12b AND QATAR-1b: NO EVIDENCE OF ADDITIONAL PLANETS

WASP-12b and Qatar-1b are transiting hot Jupiters for which previous works have suggested the presence of transit timing variations (TTVs) indicative of additional bodies in these systems—an Earth-mass planet in WASP-12 and a brown-dwarf mass object in Qatar-1. Here, we present 23 new WASP-12b and 18 new Qatar-1b complete (or nearly complete) transit observations. We perform global system fits to all of our light curves for each system, as well as RV and stellar spectroscopic parameters from the literature. The global fits provide refined system parameters and uncertainties for each system, including precise transit center times for each transit. The transit model residuals of the combined and five minute binned light curves have an rms of 183 and 255 parts per million (ppm) for WASP-12b and Qatar-1b, respectively. Most of the WASP-12b system parameter values from this work are consistent with values from previous studies, but have ∼40%–50% smaller uncertainties. Most of the Qatar-1b system parameter values and uncertainties from this work are consistent with values recently reported in the literature. We find no convincing evidence for sinusoidal TTVs with a semi-amplitude of more than ∼35 and ∼25 s in the WASP-12b and Qatar-1b systems, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Multiple Populations in NGC 1851: Abundance Variations and UV Photometric Synthesis in the Washington and HST /WFC3 Systems

The analysis of multiple populations (MPs) in globular clusters (GCs), both spectroscopically and photometrically, is key in understanding their formation and evolution. The relatively narrow Johnson U, F336W, and Stromgren and Sloan u filters have been crucial in exhibiting these MPs photometrically, but in Paper I we showed that the broader Washington C filter can more efficiently detect MPs in the test case GC NGC 1851. Additionally, In Paper I we detected a double main sequence (MS) that has not been detected in previous observations of NGC 1851. We now match this photometry to NGC 1851's published RGB abundances and find that the two RGB branches observed in C generally exhibit different abundance characteristics in a variety of elements (e.g., Ba, Na, and O) and in CN band strengths, but no single element can define the two RGB branches. However, simultaneously considering [Ba/Fe] or CN strength with either [Na/Fe], [O/Fe], or CN strength can separate the two photometric RGB branches into two distinct abundance groups. Matches of NGC 1851's published SGB and HB abundances to the Washington photometry shows consistent characterizations of the MPs, which can be defined as an O-rich/N-normal population and an O-poor/N-rich population. Photometric synthesis for both the Washington C filter and the F336W filter finds that these abundance characteristics, with appropriate variations in He, can reproduce for both filters the photometric observations in both the RGB and the MS. This photometric synthesis also confirms the throughput advantages that the C filter has in detecting MPs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Determining Exoplanetary Oblateness Using Transit Depth Variations

The measurement of an exoplanet’s oblateness and obliquity provides insights into the planet’s internal structure and formation history. Previous work using small differences in the shape of the transit light curve has been moderately successful, but was hampered by the small signal and extreme photometric precision required. The measurement of changes in transit depth, caused by the spin precession of an oblate planet, was proposed as an alternative method. Here, we present the first attempt to measure these changes. Using Kepler photometry, we examined the brown dwarf Kepler-39b and the warm Saturn Kepler-427b. We could not reliably constrain the oblateness of Kepler-39b. We find transit depth variations for Kepler-427b at 90.1% significance (1.65σ) consistent with a precession period of P{sub prec}=5.45{sub −0.37}{sup +0.46} years and an oblateness of f=0.19{sub −0.16}{sup +0.32}. This oblateness is comparable to solar system gas giants and would raise questions about the dynamics and tidal synchronization of Kepler-427b.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

SPATIAL VARIATIONS OF PAH PROPERTIES IN M17SW REVEALED BY SPITZER /IRS SPECTRAL MAPPING

We present Spitzer /IRS mid-infrared spectral maps of the Galactic star-forming region M17 as well as IRSF/SIRIUS Br γ and Nobeyama 45 m/FOREST {sup 13}CO ( J = 1–0) maps. The spectra show prominent features due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at wavelengths of 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3, 12.0, 12.7, 13.5, and 14.2 μ m. We find that the PAH emission features are bright in the region between the H ii region traced by Br γ and the molecular cloud traced by {sup 13}CO, supporting that the PAH emission originates mostly from photo-dissociation regions. Based on the spatially resolved Spitzer /IRS maps, we examine spatial variations of the PAH properties in detail. As a result, we find that the interband ratio of PAH 7.7 μ m/PAH 11.3 μ m varies locally near M17SW, but rather independently of the distance from the OB stars in M17, suggesting that the degree of PAH ionization is mainly controlled by local conditions rather than the global UV environments determined by the OB stars in M17. We also find that the interband ratios of the PAH 12.0 μ m, 12.7 μ m, 13.5 μ m, and 14.2 μ m features to the PAH 11.3 μ m feature are high near the M17 center, which suggests structural changes of PAHs through processing due to intense UV radiation, producing abundant edgy irregular PAHs near the M17 center.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Rapid X-Ray Variations of the Geminga Pulsar Wind Nebula

A recent study by Posselt et al. reported the deepest X-ray investigation of the Geminga pulsar wind nebula (PWN) by using Chandra X-ray Observatory . In comparison with previous studies of this system, a number of new findings have been reported, and we found that these suggest the possible variabilities in various components of this PWN. This motivates us to carry out a dedicated search for the morphological and spectral variations of this complex nebula. We have discovered variabilities on timescales from a few days to a few months from different components of the nebula. The fastest change occurred in the circumstellar environment at a rate of 80% of the speed of light. One of the most spectacular results is the wiggling of a half light-year long tail as an extension of the jet, which is significantly bent by the ram pressure. The jet wiggling occurred at a rate of about 20% of the speed of light. This twisted structure could possibly be a result of a propagating torsional Alfv́en wave. We have also found evidence of spectral hardening along this tail for a period of about nine months.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Long-term Photometric Variations in the Candidate White-dwarf Pulsar AR Scorpii from K2 , CRTS, and ASAS-SN Observations

We analyze long-cadence Kepler K2 observations of AR Sco from 2014, along with survey photometry obtained between 2005 and 2016 by the Catalina Real-Time Sky Survey and the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. The K2 data show the orbital modulation to have been fairly stable during the 78 days of observations, but we detect aperiodic deviations from the average waveform with an amplitude of ∼2% on a timescale of a few days. A comparison of the K2 data with the survey photometry reveals that the orbital waveform gradually changed between 2005 and 2010, with the orbital maximum shifting to earlier phases. We compare these photometric variations with proposed models of this unusual system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2019

three-dimensional constrained variational analysis

This is a dataset from three-dimensional constrained variational analysis (3DCVA). It can be used to generate large-scale forcing data for SCM/CRM/LES, or evaluate model results.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Variational Nodal 2D/1D Transport/Diffusion Solutions of the C5G7 Benchmark Problems

This work is the continuation of our effort to generalize the variational nodal method (VNM) for application to pin resolved whole-core PWR problems. To this end, a 2D/1D VNM method without spatial homogenization is formulated and implemented in the PANX code. We employ diffusion theory in the axial direction combined with two-dimensional transport in the x-y plane. In our initial work, we employed the standard spherical harmonics method. To increase accuracy and reduce computational effort, we present two refinements: First, the even-parity integral method within the nodes reduces the computational effort required to form the response matrices. Second, the use of quasi-reflected interface conditions reduces the dimension of the resulting response matrices and therefore the CPU time required to solve the equations. We apply the method to the three-dimensional, unrodded C5G7 benchmark problem.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Total variation vs L1 regularization: a comparison of compressive sensing optimization methods for chemical detection

One of the fundamental assumptions of compressive sensing (CS) is that a signal can be reconstructed from a small number of samples by solving an optimization problem with the appropriate regularization term. Two standard regularization terms are the L1 norm and the total variation (TV) norm. We present a comparison of CS reconstruction results based on these two approaches in the context of chemical detection, and we demonstrate that optimization based on the L1 norm outperforms optimization based on the TV norm. Our comparison is driven by CS sampling, reconstruction, and chemical detection in two real-world datasets: the Physical Sciences Inc. Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor multispectral dataset and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab FTIR-based longwave infrared sensor hyperspectral dataset. Both datasets contain the release of a chemical simulant such as glacial acetic acid, triethyl phosphate, and sulfur hexafluoride. For chemical detection we use the adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) and bulk coherence, and we propose algorithmic ACE thresholds to define the presence or absence of a chemical of interest in both un-compressed data cubes and reconstructed data cubes. The un-compressed data cubes provide an approximate ground truth. We demonstrate that optimization based on either the L1 norm or TV norm results in successful chemical detection at a compression rate of 90%, but we show that L1 optimization is preferable. We present quantitative comparisons of chemical detection on reconstructions from the two methods, with an emphasis on the number of pixels with an ACE value above the threshold.

Hyperspectral imagery, L1-norm, total variation, A↗