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Results for “Multilevel methods”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Multilevel elliptic smoothing of large three-dimensional grids

Elliptic grid generation methods have been used for many years to smooth and improve grids generated by algebraic interpolation schemes. However, the elliptic system that must be solved is nonlinear and convergence is generally very slow for large grids. In an attempt to make elliptic methods practical for large three-dimensional grids, a two-stage implementation is developed where the overall grid point locations are set using a coarse grid generated by the elliptic system. The coarse grid is then interpolated to generate a finer grid which is smoothed using only a few iterations of the elliptic system.

Mastin, C. Wayne↗
NASA NTRS2018

Integration of Multilevel Superconducting Buried Wiring Layers with Transition-Edge Sensor Detectors for Large Scale Arrays

Lynx, one of the four mission concepts under consideration for the next Astrophysics DecadalReview, will include a microcalorimeter array consisting of more than 100,000 pixels in a compact arrangement with absorber pitch as small as 25 microns. In order to realize the desired array scale, fine-pitch multi-level superconducting wiring with high yield, compatible with rapid expansion of our hydra absorber designs, is essential. We have demonstrated a method of integrating transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters with suitable multilevel buried wiring, fabricated at MIT Lincoln Laboratory using advanced tools dedicated to superconducting circuit fabrication. The TES Mo/Au bilayer is deposited on a high-quality oxide surface created by chemical-mechanical polishing, allowing tight specifications on the TES superconducting transition and link conductivity to be achieved even though the process order has been inverted. The TESs contact the top-level niobium wiring through vias etched through silicon dioxide down to the topmost wiring layer. The article discusses the overall fabrication process, as wellas the behavior of sensors with different via designs, proximity structures, and lateral sizes. An initial iteration of the integrated fabrication process indicates that microcalorimeters fabricated in this way should meet mission specifications using a Mo/Au bilayer with a reasonable critical temperature below 100 mK.

Detector↗
NASA NTRS2022

Comparison of Two Statistical Models for Low Boom Dose-response Relationships with Correlated Responses

This study compares two statistical models to construct summary dose-response curves for low boom community noise surveys. Data from two NASA field surveys are used that consist of multiple responses per survey participant. These data require an approach that accounts for the correlation among repeated annoyance observations from the same participant. A multilevel model accounts for the correlation by allowing estimated parameters to vary with each survey participant. On the other hand, a population average model utilizes generalized estimating equations and accounts for the correlation via a userspecified within-subject correlation structure. A visual comparison of the dose-response curves for these two methods reveals similar results. When comparing specific points along the summary curves, the multilevel model yields more precise confidence bounds than the population average model. The similarity between the summary curves derived from each model lends validity to both approaches for approximating a population representative summary curve, though modeling assumptions may lend favor to the multilevel logistic modeling approach over the population average model.

dose-response↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparing Two Statistical Models for Low Boom Dose-response Relationships with Correlated Responses

This study compares two statistical modeling approaches to construct summary dose-response curves for low boom community noise surveys. NASA field survey data were used that consist of multiple responses from a survey participant. These data require an approach that accounts for the correlation among repeated annoyance observations from the same participant. A multilevel model accounts for the correlation by allowing estimated parameters to vary with each survey participant. On the other hand, a population average model utilizes generalized estimating equations and accounts for the correlation via a user-specified within-subject correlation structure. A visual comparison of the dose-response curves for these two methods reveals similar results. When comparing specific points along the summary curves, the multilevel model yields more precise confidence bounds than the population average model. The similarity between the summary curves derived from each model lends validity to both approaches for approximating a population representative summary curve.

X-59↗
NASA NTRS1994

Multilevel cloud retrieval using multispectral HIRS and AVHRR data: Nighttime oceanic analysis

A multispectral, multiresolution (MSMR) method is developed for analyzing scenes of overlapping cloud layers. The MSMR method is applied to data from the NOAA 11 advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and the high-resolution infrared radiometer sounder (HIRS-2). The data are from a nighttime oceanic scene in which a semitransparent cirrus veil overlays a large-scale stratus cloud. Low-cloud and clear-sky radiances are determined using a spatial coherence technique. Middle to upper level cloud pressures and radiances are estimated from HIRS-2 15 micrometer CO2 band radiometric data. The MSMR method improves the interpretation of a nighttime, oceanic scene containing thin cirrus over a large-scale stratiform cloud. If, for example, the same scene is analyzed using only the AVHRR 10.8 micrometer channel, the accompanying retrieved cloud heights are found to be between the cirrus and stratus cloud heights and are incorrectly identified as midlevel altostratus clouds. Theoretical radiative transfer model results for both water droplet spheres and randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals are compared to observed AVHRR brightness temperature differences (BTD) between the 3.7- and 10.8 micrometer channels (BTD(sup 34)) and between the 10.8- and 12- micrometer channels (BTD(sup 45)) to distinguish among the effects of cloud optical depth, particle size, and phase for both single-layer clouds and overlapping two-layer clouds. Theoretical BTD calculations are used to estimate the range of effective particle sizes for eac h cloud layer. The data for the cirrus in the case study region near Bermuda are consistent with theoretical results for relatively small randomly oriented hexagonal ice crystals. The observed BTD(sup 34) and BTD(sup 45) values are lower for the cirrus above a lower-level cloud than for single-level cirrus with no underlying cloud. In certain cases the BTD analysis provides a way to distinguish between clouds composed of supercooled water droplets rather than ice particles. Analysis of nighttime data permits determination of stratus infrared optical depths smaller than 4.

Baum, Bryan A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Stabilization of large-scale systems - A spinning flexible spacecraft

Stabilization of high-order constant systems by multilevel control is proposed in the framework of the decomposition-aggregation method for stability analysis of large-scale systems. An 11-order linear model of a spinning flexible spacecraft is stabilized by the method using both the passive and the active stabilization devices. The method can take advantage of the special structural features of the model to provide the best estimate of the stability region for an important parameter which couples the wobble and the spin motion of the spacecraft.

Siljak, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

On the Multilevel Solution Algorithm for Markov Chains

We discuss the recently introduced multilevel algorithm for the steady-state solution of Markov chains. The method is based on an aggregation principle which is well established in the literature and features a multiplicative coarse-level correction. Recursive application of the aggregation principle, which uses an operator-dependent coarsening, yields a multi-level method which has been shown experimentally to give results significantly faster than the typical methods currently in use. When cast as a multigrid-like method, the algorithm is seen to be a Galerkin-Full Approximation Scheme with a solution-dependent prolongation operator. Special properties of this prolongation lead to the cancellation of the computationally intensive terms of the coarse-level equations.

Horton, Graham↗
NASA NTRS2000

Analytical and Computational Properties of Distributed Approaches to MDO

Historical evolution of engineering disciplines and the complexity of the MDO problem suggest that disciplinary autonomy is a desirable goal in formulating and solving MDO problems. We examine the notion of disciplinary autonomy and discuss the analytical properties of three approaches to formulating and solving MDO problems that achieve varying degrees of autonomy by distributing the problem along disciplinary lines. Two of the approaches-Optimization by Linear Decomposition and Collaborative Optimization-are based on bi-level optimization and reflect what we call a structural perspective. The third approach, Distributed Analysis Optimization, is a single-level approach that arises from what we call an algorithmic perspective. The main conclusion of the paper is that disciplinary autonomy may come at a price: in the bi-level approaches, the system-level constraints introduced to relax the interdisciplinary coupling and enable disciplinary autonomy can cause analytical and computational difficulties for optimization algorithms. The single-level alternative we discuss affords a more limited degree of autonomy than that of the bi-level approaches, but without the computational difficulties of the bi-level methods. Key Words: Autonomy, bi-level optimization, distributed optimization, multidisciplinary optimization, multilevel optimization, nonlinear programming, problem integration, system synthesis

Alexandrov, Natalia M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Effects of Kinetic Processes in Shaping Io's Global Plasma Environment: A 3D Hybrid Model

The global dynamics of the ionized and neutral components in the environment of Io plays an important role in the interaction of Jupiter's corotating magnetospheric plasma with Io. The stationary simulation of this problem was done in the MHD and the electrodynamics approaches. One of the main significant results from the simplified two-fluid model simulations was a production of the structure of the double-peak in the magnetic field signature of the I0 flyby that could not be explained by standard MHD models. In this paper, we develop a method of kinetic ion simulation. This method employs the fluid description for electrons and neutrals whereas for ions multilevel, drift-kinetic and particle, approaches are used. We also take into account charge-exchange and photoionization processes. Our model provides much more accurate description for ion dynamics and allows us to take into account the realistic anisotropic ion distribution that cannot be done in fluid simulations. The first results of such simulation of the dynamics of ions in the Io's environment are discussed in this paper.

Lipatov, Alexander S.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Modeling Longitudinal Data Containing Non-Normal Within Subject Errors

The mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) human research program is to advance safe human spaceflight. This involves conducting experiments, collecting data, and analyzing data. The data are longitudinal and result from a relatively few number of subjects; typically 10 – 20. A longitudinal study refers to an investigation where participant outcomes and possibly treatments are collected at multiple follow-up times. Standard statistical designs such as mean regression with random effects and mixed–effects regression are inadequate for such data because the population is typically not approximately normally distributed. Hence, more advanced data analysis methods are necessary. This research focuses on four such methods for longitudinal data analysis: the recently proposed linear quantile mixed models (lqmm) by Geraci and Bottai (2013), quantile regression, multilevel mixed–effects linear regression, and robust regression. This research also provides computational algorithms for longitudinal data that scientists can directly use for human spaceflight and other longitudinal data applications, then presents statistical evidence that verifies which method is best for specific situations. This advances the study of longitudinal data in a broad range of applications including applications in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Feiveson, Alan↗
NASA NTRS1981

Multilevel measurements of surface temperature over undulating terrain planted to barley

A ground and aircraft program was conducted to extend ground based methods for measuring soil moisture and crop water stress to aircraft and satellite altitudes. A 260ha agricultural field in California was used over the 1977-78 growing season. For cloud free days ground based temperature measurements over bare soil were related to soil moisture content. Water stress resulted from too much water, not from lack of it, as was expected. A theoretical examination of the canopy air temperature difference as affected by vapor pressure deficit and net radiation was developed. This analysis shows why surface temperatures delineate crop water stress under conditions of low humidity, but not under high humidity conditions. Multilevel temperatures acquired from the ground, low and high altitude aircraft, and the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) spacecraft were compared for two day and one night overpasses. The U-2 and low altitude temperatures were within 0.5 C. The HCMM data were analyzed using both the pre- and post-launch calibrations, with the former being considerably closer in agreement with the aircraft data than the latter.

Reginato, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Structural optimization by generalized, multilevel decomposition

The developments toward a general multilevel optimization capability and results for a three-level structural optimization are described. The method partitions a structure into a number of substructuring levels where each substructure corresponds to a subsystem in the general case of an engineering system. The method is illustrated by a portal framework that decomposes into individual beams. Each beam is a box that can be further decomposed into stiffened plates. Substructuring for this example spans three different levels: (1) the bottom level of finite elements representing the plates; (2) an intermediate level of beams treated as substructures; and (3) the top level for the assembled structure. The three-level case is now considered to be qualitatively complete.

Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods (PSAM) for select space propulsion system components

The fourth year of technical developments on the Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress (NESSUS) system for Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods is summarized. The effort focused on the continued expansion of the Probabilistic Finite Element Method (PFEM) code, the implementation of the Probabilistic Boundary Element Method (PBEM), and the implementation of the Probabilistic Approximate Methods (PAppM) code. The principal focus for the PFEM code is the addition of a multilevel structural dynamics capability. The strategy includes probabilistic loads, treatment of material, geometry uncertainty, and full probabilistic variables. Enhancements are included for the Fast Probability Integration (FPI) algorithms and the addition of Monte Carlo simulation as an alternate. Work on the expert system and boundary element developments continues. The enhanced capability in the computer codes is validated by applications to a turbine blade and to an oxidizer duct.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

The solution of radiative transfer problems in molecular bands without the LTE assumption by accelerated lambda iteration methods

An iterative method based on the use of approximate transfer operators, which was designed initially to solve multilevel NLTE line formation problems in stellar atmospheres, is adapted and applied to the solution of the NLTE molecular band radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres. The matrices to be constructed and inverted are much smaller than those used in the traditional Curtis matrix technique, which makes possible the treatment of more realistic problems using relatively small computers. This technique converges much more rapidly than straightforward iteration between the transfer equation and the equations of statistical equilibrium. A test application of this new technique to the solution of NLTE radiative transfer problems for optically thick and thin bands (the 4.3 micron CO2 band in the Venusian atmosphere and the 4.7 and 2.3 micron CO bands in the earth's atmosphere) is described.

Kutepov, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A multilevel approach to the design of dc-free line codes

A multilevel approach to the design of dc-free line codes is presented. The different levels can be used for different purposes; for example, to control the maximum accumulated charge or to guarantee a certain minimum distance. The advantages of codes designed by this method over similar codes are the improved run-length/accumulated-charge parameters, higher transmission rate, and the systematic nature of the code construction. The multilevel structure allows the redundancy in the signal selection procedure to be allocated efficiently among the different levels. It also allows the use of suboptimal staged decoding procedures that have performance/complexity advantages over maximum-likelihood decoding.

Calderbank, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The art of spacecraft design: A multidisciplinary challenge

Actual design turn-around time has become shorter due to the use of optimization techniques which have been introduced into the design process. It seems that what, how and when to use these optimization techniques may be the key factor for future aircraft engineering operations. Another important aspect of this technique is that complex physical phenomena can be modeled by a simple mathematical equation. The new powerful multilevel methodology reduces time-consuming analysis significantly while maintaining the coupling effects. This simultaneous analysis method stems from the implicit function theorem and system sensitivity derivatives of input variables. Use of the Taylor's series expansion and finite differencing technique for sensitivity derivatives in each discipline makes this approach unique for screening dominant variables from nondominant variables. In this study, the current Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aerodynamic and sensitivity derivative/optimization techniques are applied for a simple cone-type forebody of a high-speed vehicle configuration to understand basic aerodynamic/structure interaction in a hypersonic flight condition.

Abdi, F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Diffractive optics fabricated by direct write methods with an electron beam

State-of-the-art diffractive optics are fabricated using e-beam lithography and dry etching techniques to achieve multilevel phase elements with very high diffraction efficiencies. One of the major challenges encountered in fabricating diffractive optics is the small feature size (e.g. for diffractive lenses with small f-number). It is not only the e-beam system which dictates the feature size limitations, but also the alignment systems (mask aligner) and the materials (e-beam and photo resists). In order to allow diffractive optics to be used in new optoelectronic systems, it is necessary not only to fabricate elements with small feature sizes but also to do so in an economical fashion. Since price of a multilevel diffractive optical element is closely related to the e-beam writing time and the number of etching steps, we need to decrease the writing time and etching steps without affecting the quality of the element. To do this one has to utilize the full potentials of the e-beam writing system. In this paper, we will present three diffractive optics fabrication techniques which will reduce the number of process steps, the writing time, and the overall fabrication time for multilevel phase diffractive optics.

Kress, Bernard↗