Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Comparative visualization”

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.

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

At least 937 records · Page 52

Feeder Voltage Regulation with High-Penetration PV Using Advanced Inverters and a Distribution Management System: A Duke Energy Case Study

Duke Energy, Alstom Grid, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory teamed up to better understand the impacts of solar photovoltaics (PV) on distribution system operations. The core goal of the project is to compare the operational - specifically, voltage regulation - impacts of three classes of PV inverter operations: 1.) Active power only (Baseline); 2.) Local inverter control (e.g., PF...not equal...1, Q(V), etc.); and 3.) Integrated volt-VAR control (centralized through the distribution management system). These comparisons were made using multiple approaches, each of which represents an important research-and-development effort on its own: a) Quasi-steady-state time-series modeling for approximately 1 year of operations using the Alstom eTerra (DOTS) system as a simulation engine, augmented by Python scripting for scenario and time-series control and using external models for an advanced inverter; b) Power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) testing of a 500-kVA-class advanced inverter and traditional voltage regulating equipment. This PHIL testing used cosimulation to link full-scale feeder simulation using DOTS in real time to hardware testing; c) Advanced visualization to provide improved insights into time-series results and other PV operational impacts; and d) Cost-benefit analysis to compare the financial and business-model impacts of each integration approach.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

SU-E-J-196: New Visualization Methods for Longitudinal MRI Registrations and Segmentations

Purpose: To develop visualization techniques to facilitate easy assessment of (a) registration and (b) tracking volumetric changes in structures during radiation therapy from MRI. Method: The frequently used method for visualizing registrations between scans is a multi-color overlay technique or deformation vector fields. However, the overlay technique is unintuitive and does not help to appreciate the quality of registration particularly when the registration mismatches are not very large. Similarly, the deformation fields give an indication of extent of deformation but do not help to assess the differences in registration. We present a mirroring and edge-augmented mirroring technique that places the fixed and moving image next to each other and allows the user to quickly assess the small differences in registration. Next, we present a volumetric intersection based 3D model to visualize the changes in diseased lymph node volumes in head and neck cancer. 3D model-based visualization provides more information about the location-specific changes in volume rather than the simplistic one dimensional information obtained from 2D plot of nodal volume changes. Result: We show results comparing our approach with the standard colorbased overlay method for comparing registrations of intra-patient registrations using T2-MRI. Upon comparing the mirroring technique with the color-overlay, one can more easily appreciate the differences in registration. Adding edge-based mirroring seems to further assist in evaluating the registration. Our approach for viewing registrations seems to be more intuitive and easy to use in order to help assess the quality of registration compared to color-based overlays. Similarly, the change volumetric model together with a 2D plot reveals more information including the locations undergoing changes and responding to treatment. Conclusions: Better approaches are necessary for assessing the quality of registrations and changes in diseased structures over time. Our approach presents some novel visualization solutions for registration and segmentation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Fluorescence Visualization of Hypersonic Flow over Rapid Prototype Wind-Tunnel Models

Reentry models for use in hypersonic wind tunnel tests were fabricated using a stereolithography apparatus. These models were produced in one day or less, which is a significant time savings compared to the manufacture of ceramic or metal models. The models were tested in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel. Most of the models did not survive repeated tests in the tunnel, and several failure modes of the models were identified. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO) was used to visualize the flowfields in the wakes of these models. Pure NO was either seeded through tubes plumbed into the model or via a tube attached to the strut holding the model, which provided localized addition of NO into the model s wake through a porous metal cylinder attached to the end of the tube. Models included several 2-inch diameter Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) models and 5-inch diameter Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) models. Various configurations were studied including different sting placements relative to the models, different model orientations and attachment angles, and different NO seeding methods. The angle of attack of the models was also varied and the location of the laser sheet was scanned to provide three-dimensional flowfield information. Virtual Diagnostics Interface technology, developed at NASA Langley, was used to visualize the data sets in post processing. The use of calibration "dotcards" was investigated to correct for camera perspective and lens distortions in the PLIF images. Lessons learned and recommendations for future experiments are discussed.

Alderfer, D. W.↗

Fluorescence Imaging and Streamline Visualization of Hypersonic Flow over Rapid Prototype Wind-Tunnel Models

Reentry models for use in hypersonic wind tunnel tests were fabricated using a stereolithography apparatus. These models were produced in one day or less, which is a significant time savings compared to the manufacture of ceramic or metal models. The models were tested in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel. Only a few of the models survived repeated tests in the tunnel, and several failure modes of the models were identified. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO) was used to visualize the flowfields in the wakes of these models. Pure NO was either seeded through tubes plumbed into the model or via a tube attached to the strut holding the model, which provided localized addition of NO into the model s wake through a porous metal cylinder attached to the end of the tube. Models included several 2- inch diameter Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) models and 5-inch diameter Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) models. Various model configurations and NO seeding methods were used, including a new streamwise visualization method based on PLIF. Virtual Diagnostics Interface (ViDI) technology, developed at NASA Langley Research Center, was used to visualize the data sets in post processing. The use of calibration "dotcards" was investigated to correct for camera perspective and lens distortions in the PLIF images.

Danehy, Paul M.↗

Experiments and CFD simulation of mass transfer and hydrodynamics in a cylindrical bubble column

Flow visualization, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and dissolved oxygen charging experiments are carried out in a small-scale cylindrical air-water bubble column at different superficial gas velocities. Void fraction profile, total gas holdup, liquid phase velocity field and volumetric mass transfer coefficient are obtained. Details of each experiment are given, with a new procedure for obtaining a 2D void fraction profile from flow visualization by image processing and time averaging which could provide useful information for CFD model validation. The experimental results are analyzed and compared with simulations where good agreement is found for both local and global flow patterns. The averaged governing equations and constitutive relations used in the simulation are discussed briefly, with emphasis on the proper comparison between simulations and experiments based on the derivation of the two-fluid model. Finally, by conducting three sets of experiments related to phase distribution, velocity field and mass transfer in the same apparatus, a validated CFD model for multiphase mass transfer is established and can be used in the future design of a multi-phase reactor.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Method and apparatus for filtering visual documents

A method and apparatus for producing an abstract or condensed version of a visual document is presented. The frames comprising the visual document are first sampled to reduce the number of frames required for processing. The frames are then subjected to a structural decomposition process that reduces all information in each frame to a set of values. These values are in turn normalized and further combined to produce only one information content value per frame. The information content values of these frames are then compared to a selected distribution cutoff point. This effectively selects those values at the tails of a normal distribution, thus filtering key frames from their surrounding frames. The value for each frame is then compared with the value from the previous frame, and the respective frame is finally stored only if the values are significantly different. The method filters or compresses a visual document with a reduction in digital storage on the ratio of up to 700 to 1 or more, depending on the content of the visual document being filtered.

Rorvig, Mark E.↗

Collimator design for a multipinhole brain SPECT insert for MRI

Purpose: Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is an important clinical tool, with unique tracers for studying neurological diseases. Nowadays, most commercial SPECT systems are combined with x-ray computed tomography (CT) in so-called SPECT/CT systems to obtain an anatomical background for the functional information. However, while CT images have a high spatial resolution, they have a low soft-tissue contrast, which is an important disadvantage for brain imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), on the other hand, has a very high soft-tissue contrast and does not involve extra ionizing radiation. Therefore, the authors designed a brain SPECT insert that can operate inside a clinical MRI. Methods: The authors designed and simulated a compact stationary multipinhole SPECT insert based on digital silicon photomultiplier detector modules, which have shown to be MR-compatible and have an excellent intrinsic resolution (0.5 mm) when combined with a monolithic 2 mm thick LYSO crystal. First, the authors optimized the different parameters of the SPECT system to maximize sensitivity for a given target resolution of 7.2 mm in the center of the field-of-view, given the spatial constraints of the MR system. Second, the authors performed noiseless simulations of two multipinhole configurations to evaluate sampling and reconstructed resolution. Finally, the authors performed Monte Carlo simulations and compared the SPECT insert with a clinical system with ultrahigh-resolution (UHR) fan beam collimators, based on contrast-to-noise ratio and a visual comparison of a Hoffman phantom with a 9 mm cold lesion. Results: The optimization resulted in a stationary multipinhole system with a collimator radius of 150.2 mm and a detector radius of 172.67 mm, which corresponds to four rings of 34 diSPM detector modules. This allows the authors to include eight rings of 24 pinholes, which results in a system volume sensitivity of 395 cps/MBq. Noiseless simulations show sufficient axial sampling (in a Defrise phantom) and a reconstructed resolution of 5.0 mm (in a cold-rod phantom). The authors compared the 24-pinhole setup with a 34-pinhole system (with the same detector radius but a collimator radius of 156.63 mm) and found that 34 pinholes result in better uniformity but a worse reconstruction of the cold-rod phantom. The authors also compared the 24-pinhole system with a clinical triple-head UHR fan beam system based on contrast-to-noise ratio and found that the 24-pinhole setup performs better for the 6 mm hot and the 16 mm cold lesions and worse for the 8 and 10 mm hot lesions. Finally, the authors reconstructed noisy projection data of a Hoffman phantom with a 9 mm cold lesion and found that the lesion was slightly better visible on the multipinhole image compared to the fan beam image. Conclusions: The authors have optimized a stationary multipinhole SPECT insert for MRI and showed the feasibility of doing brain SPECT imaging inside a MRI with an image quality similar to the best clinical SPECT systems available.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Energy Cost Savings of Systems-Based Building Retrofits: A Study of Three Integrated Lighting Systems in Comparison with Component Based Retrofits

Most building retrofit projects are still component-based in that they typically address only one piece or type of equipment at a time. Systems-based retrofits that seek to address multiple components in an integrated manner have the potential to provide significantly greater energy savings. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) partnered with several utilities to develop and evaluate three different integrated retrofit packages involving lighting systems: automated shading with daylight dimming controls, workstation-specific lighting with daylight controls, and task/ambient lighting with plug load occupancy controls. Specifically, our analysis sought to quantify the marginal benefits of these systems (energy savings as well as lighting performance and visual comfort) relative to component based approaches. The analysis was based on a combination of measured performance data from LBNL’s FLEXLAB® test facility and energy simulations. All three systems were compared to a simple fluorescent-to-LED retrofit, which represents the component-based approach. While the simple LED upgrade provides significant lighting energy savings of 63%, the systems yielded energy savings of 81-93%, which equates to additional savings of 49-82% over the simple LED upgrade. All systems tested provided satisfactory visual comfort as well, indicating good potential for market acceptance.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

A magnified view of star formation at z = 0.9 from two lensed galaxies

We present new narrowband Hα imaging from the Hubble Space Telescope of two z = 0.91 galaxies that have been lensed by the foreground galaxy cluster A2390. These data probe spatial scales as small as ∼0.3 kpc, providing a magnified look at the morphology of star formation at an epoch when the global star formation rate (SFR) was high. However, dust attenuates our spatially resolved SFR indicators, the Hα and rest-UV emission, and we lack a direct measurement of extinction. Other studies have found that ionized gas in galaxies tends to be roughly 50% more obscured than stars; however, given an unextincted measurement of the SFR we can quantify the relative stellar to nebular extinction and the extinction in Hα. We infer SFRs from Spitzer and Herschel mid- to far-infrared observations and compare these to integrated Hα and rest-UV SFRs; this yields stellar to nebular extinction ratios consistent with previous studies. We take advantage of high spatial resolution and contextualize these results in terms of the source-plane morphologies, comparing the distribution of Hα to that of the rest-frame UV and optical light. In one galaxy, we measure separate SFRs in visually distinct clumps, but can set only a lower limit on the extinction and thus the star formation. Consequently, the data are also consistent with there being an equal amount of extinction along the lines of sight to the ionized gas as to the stars. Future observations in the far-infrared could settle this by mapping out the dust directly.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

RCSB Protein Data Bank: visualizing groups of experimentally determined PDB structures alongside computed structure models of proteins

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (e.g., AlphaFold, RosettaFold, and ESMFold) enable prediction of three-dimensional (3D) protein structures from amino acid sequences alone at accuracies comparable to lower-resolution experimental methods. These tools have been employed to predict structures across entire proteomes and the results of large-scale metagenomic sequence studies, yielding an exponential increase in available biomolecular 3D structural information. Given the enormous volume of this newly computed biostructure data, there is an urgent need for robust tools to manage, search, cluster, and visualize large collections of structures. Equally important is the capability to efficiently summarize and visualize metadata, biological/biochemical annotations, and structural features, particularly when working with vast numbers of protein structures of both experimental origin from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and computationally-predicted models. Moreover, researchers require advanced visualization techniques that support interactive exploration of multiple sequences and structural alignments. This paper introduces a suite of tools provided on the RCSB PDB research-focused web portal RCSB. org, tailor-made for efficient management, search, organization, and visualization of this burgeoning corpus of 3D macromolecular structure data.

3D visualization↗

Experimental study of {sup 99m}Tc-aluminum oxide use for sentinel lymph nodes detection

The purpose of the study was a comparative research in the possibility of using the radiopharmaceuticals {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis for visualizing sentinel lymph nodes. The measurement of the sizes of {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis colloidal particles was performed in seven series of radiopharmaceuticals. The pharmacokinetics of {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis was researched on 50 white male rats. The possibility of the use of {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis for lymphoscintigraphy was studied in the experiments on 12 white male rats. The average dynamic diameter of the sol particle was 52–77 nm for {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and 16.7–24.5 nm for {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis. Radiopharmaceuticals accumulated in the inguinal lymph node in 1 hour after administration; the average uptake of {sup 99}mTc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was 8.6% in it, and the accumulation of {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis was significantly lower—1.8% (p < 0.05). In all study points the average uptake of {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the lymph node was significantly higher than {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis accumulation. The results of dynamic scintigraphic studies in rats showed that {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis actively accumulated into the lymphatic system. By using {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} inguinal lymph node was determined in 5 minutes after injection and clearly visualized in all the animals in the 15th minute, when the accumulation became more than 1% of the administered dose. Further observation indicated that the {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} accumulation reached a plateau in a lymph node (average 10.5%) during 2-hour study and then its accumulation remained practically at the same level, slightly increasing to 12% in 24 hours. In case of {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis inguinal lymph node was visualized in all animals for 15 min when it was accumulated on the average 1.03% of the administered dose. Plateau of {sup 99m}Tc-Nanocis accumulation in the lymph node (average 2.05%) occurred after 2 hours of the study and remained almost on the same level (in average 2.3%) for 24 hours. Thus, the experimental study of a new domestic radiopharmaceutical showed that the {sup 99m}Tc-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} accumulates actively in the lymph nodes several times as compared to the imported analogue and its practical application will facilitate intraoperative identification of sentinel lymph nodes.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

A comparison of model-based VQ compression with other VQ approaches

In our previous work on Model-Based Vector Quantization (MVQ), we presented some performance comparisons (both rate distortion and decompression time) with VQ and JPEG/DCT. In this paper, we compare the MVQ's rate distortion performance with Mean Removed Vector Quantization (MRVQ) and include our previous comparison with VQ. MVQ is similar to MRVQ in many ways. Both of these techniques extract means of the vectors (raster-scanned image blocks) and reduce them to mean removed residuals by subtracting block means from the elements of the vectors. In the case of MRVQ, a codebook of residual vectors is generated using a training set. For every vector from the input image, the block mean and address of the codevector from the codebook that matches the input vector closest are transmitted to the decoder. The codebook is generated using generalized Lloyd algorithm on training set of residual vectors. For MVQ the pairs consist of vector means and address of the closest matching vector from codebook generated by models based on statistical properties of the residuals and Human Visual System (HVS). In our experiments, we found that MVQ performance in rate distortion sense is almost always better than VQ and is comparable to MRVQ. Further, MVQ is much easier to use than either VQ or MRVQ, since the training and managing of explicit codebooks is not required.

Manohar, Mareboyana↗

Study of potential utility of new radiopharmaceuticals based on technetium-99m labeled derivative of glucose

Purpose: to study the potential utility of 1-thio-D-glucose labeled with {sup 99m}Tc for cancer imaging in laboratory animals. Materials and method: the study was carried out in cell cultures of normal CHO (Chinese hamster ovary cells CHO) and malignant tissues MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7). To evaluate the uptake of {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose in normal and tumor tissue cells, 25 MBq of 1-thio-D-glucose labeled with {sup 99m}Tc was added to the vials with 3 million cells and incubated for 30 min at room temperature. After centrifugation of the vials with cells, the supernatant was removed. The radioactivity in vials with normal and tumor cells was then measured. In addition, the study included 40 mice of C57B1/6j lines with tumor lesion of the right femur. For neoplastic lesions, Lewis lung carcinoma model was used. Following anesthesia, mice were injected intravenously with 25 MBq of {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose. Planar scintigraphy was performed 15 minutes later in a matrix of 512x512 pixels for 5 min. Results: when measuring the radioactivity of normal and malignant cells after incubation with {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose, it was found that the radioactivity of malignant cells was higher than that of normal cells. The mean values of radioactivity levels in normal and malignant cells were 0.3 ± 0.15 MBq and 1.07 ± 0.6 MBq, respectively. All examined animals had increased accumulation of {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose at the tumor site. The accumulation of {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose in the tumor was on average twice as high as compared to the symmetric region. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose is a prospective radiopharmaceutical for cancer visualization. In addition, high accumulation of {sup 99m}Tc-1-thio-D-glucose in the culture of cancer cells and in tumor tissue of animals demonstrates tumor tropism of the radiopharmaceutical.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Early Experiences Porting the NAMD and VMD Molecular Simulation and Analysis Software to GPU-Accelerated OpenPOWER Platforms, In: ISC High Performance 2016: High Performance Computing

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecules provide a powerful tool for exploring the structure and dynamics of large protein complexes within realistic cellular environments. Unfortunately, such simulations are extremely demanding in terms of their computational requirements, and they present many challenges in terms of preparation, simulation methodology, and analysis and visualization of results. We describe our early experiences porting the popular molecular dynamics simulation program NAMD and the simulation preparation, analysis, and visualization tool VMD to GPU-accelerated OpenPOWER hardware platforms. We report our experiences with compiler-provided autovectorization and compare with hand-coded vector intrinsics for the POWER8 CPU. We explore the performance benefits obtained from unique POWER8 architectural features such as 8-way SMT and its value for particular molecular modeling tasks. Finally, we evaluate the performance of several GPU-accelerated molecular modeling kernels and relate them to other hardware platforms.

Computer Science↗

Tectonic tremor characterized by principal-component analysis in the vicinity of central Chile and Argentina

No conclusive evidence has been presented to date for tectonic tremor (TT) in the vicinity of central Chile, where the Nazca Plate is subducting beneath the South American Plate. Subduction in our experimental location (roughly 35.5° S, 70.5° W) is steep and fairly unobstructed compared to the flattened and more seismogenic behavior to the north. We seek to identify TT in our experimental area, whose geodynamics are comparable to tremor-rich subduction zones such as Cascadia and the Nankai Trough. Our method combines time-series visual inspection, frequency-spectrum analysis, waveform cross-correlation, and 3-component (3C) signal covariance to explore the presence of TT in this region. We have identified TT using stations in central Chile and the Malargüe region, Argentina. The TT exhibits similar features to other TT observations worldwide. Waveform characteristics for the TT in our study, particularly dimension of the 3C signal covariance, vary as a function of apparent source location. The duration of one episode of identified TT was about 10 h, which may indicate that the plate interface where tremor generates is strongly coupled. Here, we conclude that our observations reflect features of the local propagation, rather than the tremor source itself.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Star formation and AGN feedback in the local Universe: Combining LOFAR and MaNGA

The effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) on their host galaxies – in particular their levels of star formation – remains one of the key outstanding questions of galaxy evolution. Successful cosmological models of galaxy evolution require a fraction of energy released by an AGN to be redistributed into the interstellar medium to reproduce the observed stellar mass and luminosity function and to prevent the formation of over-massive galaxies. Observations have confirmed that the radio-AGN population is energetically capable of heating and redistributing gas at all phases, however, direct evidence of AGN enhancing or quenching star formation remains rare. With modern, deep radio surveys and large integral field spectroscopy (IFS) surveys, we can detect fainter synchrotron emission from AGN jets and accurately probe the star-forming properties of galaxies, respectively. Here, in this paper, we combine data from the LOw Frequency ARray Two-meter Sky Survey (LoTSS) with data from one of the largest optical IFS surveys, Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA), to probe the star-forming properties of 307 local (z < 0.15) galaxies that host radio-detected AGN (RDAGN). We compare our results to a robust control sample of non-active galaxies that each match the stellar mass, redshift, visual morphology, and inclination of a RDAGN host. We find that RDAGN and control galaxies have broad star-formation rate (SFR) distributions, typically lie below the SFMS, and have negative stellar light-weighted age gradients. These results indicate that AGN selected based on their current activity are not responsible for suppressing their host galaxies’ star formation. Rather, our results support the maintenance mode role that radio AGN are expected to have in the local Universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

3D WHOLE-PROMINENCE FINE STRUCTURE MODELING

We present the first 3D whole-prominence fine structure model. The model combines a 3D magnetic field configuration of an entire prominence obtained from nonlinear force-free field simulations, with a detailed description of the prominence plasma. The plasma is located in magnetic dips in hydrostatic equilibrium and is distributed along multiple fine structures within the 3D magnetic model. Through the use of a novel radiative transfer visualization technique for the Hα line such plasma-loaded magnetic field model produces synthetic images of the modeled prominence comparable with high-resolution observations. This allows us for the first time to use a single technique to consistently study, in both emission on the limb and absorption against the solar disk, the fine structures of prominences/filaments produced by a magnetic field model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Geometry-Driven Longitudal Topic Model

A simple and scalable framework for longitudinal analysis of Twitter data is developed that combines latent topic models with computational geometric methods. Dimensionality reduction tools from computational geometry are applied to learn the intrinsic manifold on which the latent, temporal topics reside. Then shortest path distances on the manifold are used to link together these topics. The proposed framework permits visualization of the low-dimensional embedding which provides clear interpretation of the complex, high-dimensional trajectories that may exist among latent topics. Practical application of the proposed framework is demonstrated through its ability to capture and effectively visualize natural progression of latent COVID-19 related topics learned from Twitter data. Interpretability of the trajectories is achieved by comparing to real-world events. In addition, the framework permits study of spatial variation in Twitter behavior for learned topics. The analysis demonstrates that the proposed framework is able to capture granular-level impact of COVID-19 on public discussions. We end by arguing that Twitter data, when analyzed within the proposed framework, can serve as a valuable supplementary data stream for COVID-related studies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗