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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 991 records · Page 55

Development of mixed time partition procedures for thermal analysis of structures

The computational methods used to predict and optimize the thermal-structural behavior of aerospace vehicle structures are reviewed. In general, two classes of algorithms, implicit and explicit, are used in transient thermal analysis of structures. Each of these two methods has its own merits. Due to the different time scales of the mechanical and thermal responses, the selection of a time integration method can be a difficult yet critical factor in the efficient solution of such problems. Therefore mixed time integration methods for transient thermal analysis of structures are being developed. This proposed methodology would be readily adaptable to existing computer programs for structural thermal analysis.

Liu, W. K.↗

Probability of failure and risk assessment of propulsion structural components

The probabilistic structural analysis method (PSAM) was developed to analyze the effects of fluctuating loads, variable material properties, and uncertain analytical models especially for high performance structures such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine turbopump blades. Risk is calculated after expensive service experience. However, probabilistic structural analysis provides a rational alternative method to quantify uncertainties in the structural performance and durability. NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress) was developed as a probabilistic structural analysis computer code which integrates finite element methods and reliability algorithms, capable to predicting the probability distributions of structural response variables such as stress, displacement, natural frequencies, and buckling loads. This computer code is detailed.

Shiao, Michael C.↗

ParNCL and ParGAL: Data-parallel Tools for Postprocessing of Large-scale Earth Science Data

Earth science high-performance applications often require extensive analysis of their output in order to complete the scien- tific goals or produce a visual image or animation. Often this analysis cannot be done in situ because it requires calculating time-series statistics from state sampled over the entire length of the run or analyzing the relationship between similar time series from previous simulations or observations. Many of the tools used for this postprocessing are not themselves high- performance applications, but the new Parallel Gridded Analysis Library (ParGAL) provides high-performance data-parallel versions of several common analysis algorithms for data from a structured or unstructured grid simulation. The library builds on several scalable systems, including the Mesh Oriented DataBase (MOAB), a library for representing mesh data that sup- ports structured, unstructured finite element, and polyhedral grids; the Parallel-NetCDF (PNetCDF) library; and Intrepid, an extensible library for computing operators (such as gradient, curl, and divergence) acting on discretized fields. We have used ParGAL to implement a parallel version of the NCAR Command Language (NCL) a scripting language widely used in the climate community for analysis and visualization. The data-parallel algorithms in ParGAL/ParNCL are both higher performing and more flexible than their serial counterparts.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Computational Redesign of Acyl-ACP Thioesterase with Improved Selectivity toward Medium-Chain-Length Fatty Acids

Enzyme and metabolic engineering offer the potential to develop biocatalysts for converting natural resources to a wide range of chemicals. To broaden the scope of potential products beyond natural metabolites, methods of engineering enzymes to accept alternative substrates and/or perform novel chemistries must be developed. DNA synthesis can create large libraries of enzyme-coding sequences, but most biochemistries lack a simple assay to screen for promising enzyme variants. Our solution to this challenge is structure-guided mutagenesis, in which optimization algorithms select the best sequences from libraries based on specified criteria (i.e., binding selectivity). We demonstrate this approach by identifying medium-chain (C8–C12) acyl-ACP thioesterases through structure-guided mutagenesis. Medium-chain fatty acids, which are products of thioesterase-catalyzed hydrolysis, are limited in natural abundance, compared to long-chain fatty acids; the limited supply leads to high costs of C6–C10 oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, amines, and esters. Here, we applied computational tools to tune substrate binding of the highly active ‘TesA thioesterase in Escherichia coli. We used the IPRO algorithm to design thioesterase variants with enhanced C12 or C8 specificity, while maintaining high activity. After four rounds of structure-guided mutagenesis, we identified 3 variants with enhanced production of dodecanoic acid (C12) and 27 variants with enhanced production of octanoic acid (C8). The top variants reached up to 49% C12 and 50% C8 while exceeding native levels of total free fatty acids. A comparably sized library created by random mutagenesis failed to identify promising mutants. The chain length-preference of ‘TesA and the best mutant were confirmed in vitro using acyl-CoA substrates. Molecular dynamics simulations, confirmed by resolved crystal structures, of ‘TesA variants suggest that hydrophobic forces govern ‘TesA substrate specificity. Finally, we expect the design rules that we uncovered and the thioesterase variants that we identified will be useful to metabolic engineering projects aimed at sustainable production of medium-chain-length oleochemicals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Insight into molecular basis and dynamics of full-length CRaf kinase in cellular signaling mechanisms

Raf kinases play key roles in signal transduction in cells for regulating proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Despite decades of research into functions and dynamics of Raf kinases with respect to other cytosolic proteins, understanding Raf kinases is limited by the lack of their full-length structures at the atomic resolution. Here, we present the first model of the full-length CRaf kinase obtained from artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms with a converging ensemble of structures simulated by large-scale temperature replica exchange simulations. Our model is validated by comparing simulated structures with the latest cryo-EM structure detailing close contacts among three key domains and regions of the CRaf. Our simulations identify potentially new epitopes of intramolecule interactions within the CRaf and reveal a dynamical nature of CRaf kinases, in which the three domains can move back and forth relative to each other for regulatory dynamics. The dynamic conformations are then used in a docking algorithm to shed insight into the paradoxical effect caused by vemurafenib in comparison with a paradox breaker PLX7904. In this study, we propose a model of Raf-heterodimer/KRas-dimer as a signalosome based on the dynamics of the full-length CRaf.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Optimization by decomposition

An algorithm is presented for solving the structural optimization problem as a set of smaller subproblems that correspond to levels of nested substructures. In all three of the algorithm variants presented, the matching was assisted by means of the behavior and optimum sensitivity derivatives. The algorithm is noted to be intrinsically germane to distributed computing, since the subproblems can be concurrently addressed; the algorithm can also be generalized to those multidisciplinary systems whose subsystems can be arranged into a hierarchy of substructure-like dependencies.

Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, Jaroslaw↗

Improving the efficiency of molecular replacement by utilizing a new iterative transform phasing algorithm

An iterative transform algorithm is proposed to improve the conventional molecular-replacement method for solving the phase problem in X-ray crystallography. Several examples of successful trial calculations carried out with real diffraction data are presented. An iterative transform method proposed previously for direct phasing of high-solvent-content protein crystals is employed for enhancing the molecular-replacement (MR) algorithm in protein crystallography. Target structures that are resistant to conventional MR due to insufficient similarity between the template and target structures might be tractable with this modified phasing method. Trial calculations involving three different structures are described to test and illustrate the methodology. The relationship of the approach to PHENIX Phaser-MR and MR-Rosetta is discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Fast and Accurate Support Vector Machines on Large Scale Systems

Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a supervised Machine Learning and Data Mining (MLDM) algorithm, which has become ubiquitous largely due to its high accuracy and obliviousness to dimensionality. The objective of SVM is to find an optimal boundary --- also known as hyperplane --- which separates the samples (examples in a dataset) of different classes by a maximum margin. Usually, very few samples contribute to the definition of the boundary. However, existing parallel algorithms use the entire dataset for finding the boundary, which is sub-optimal for performance reasons. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed memory algorithm to eliminate the samples which do not contribute to the boundary definition in SVM. We propose several heuristics, which range from early (aggressive) to late (conservative) elimination of the samples, such that the overall time for generating the boundary is reduced considerably. In a few cases, a sample may be eliminated (shrunk) pre-emptively --- potentially resulting in an incorrect boundary. We propose a scalable approach to synchronize the necessary data structures such that the proposed algorithm maintains its accuracy. We consider the necessary trade-offs of single/multiple synchronization using in-depth time-space complexity analysis. We implement the proposed algorithm using MPI and compare it with libsvm--- de facto sequential SVM software --- which we enhance with OpenMP for multi-core/many-core parallelism. Our proposed approach shows excellent efficiency using up to 4096 processes on several large datasets such as UCI HIGGS Boson dataset and Offending URL dataset.

Vishnu, Abhinav↗

Quantum computation of silicon electronic band structure

Development of quantum architectures during the last decade has inspired hybrid classical–quantum algorithms in physics and quantum chemistry that promise simulations of fermionic systems beyond the capability of modern classical computers, even before the era of quantum computing fully arrives. Strong research efforts have been recently made to obtain minimal depth quantum circuits which could accurately represent chemical systems. Here, we show that unprecedented methods used in quantum chemistry, designed to simulate molecules on quantum processors, can be extended to calculate properties of periodic solids. In particular, we present minimal depth circuits implementing the variational quantum eigensolver algorithm and successfully use it to compute the band structure of silicon on a quantum machine for the first time. We are convinced that the presented quantum experiments performed on cloud-based platforms will stimulate more intense studies towards scalable electronic structure computation of advanced quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

New structures of Fe3S for rare-earth-free permanent magnets

We applied adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) to search for low-energy crystal structures of Fe 3 S. A number of structures with energies lower than that of the experimentally reported Pnma and I-4 structures have been obtained from our AGA searches. These low-energy structures can be classified as layer-motif and column-motif structures. In the column-motif structures, Fe atoms self-assemble into rods with bcc type of underlying lattice, which are separated by the holes terminated by S atoms. In the layer-motif structures, the bulk Fe is broken into slabs of several layers passivated by S atoms. Magnetic properties calculations showed that the column-motif structures exhibit reasonably high uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. In addition, we examined the effect of Co doping to Fe 3 S and found magnetic anisotropy can be enhanced through Co doping.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Tutorial: Machine-Learning-Based CREASE-2D Analysis of 2D SAXS Profiles to Characterize Anisotropic Nanostructures in Soft Materials

We present a tutorial to guide users on how to extend the Computational Reverse Engineering Analysis of Scattering Experiments-2D (CREASE-2D) framework to interpret their experimental two-dimensional small-angle scattering (SAS) data from soft materials (e.g., polymers, peptide amphiphiles, biomolecular fibrils). Unlike most traditional SAS analysis approaches, which typically rely on azimuthally averaged onedimensional (1D) profiles, CREASE-2D utilizes the complete 2D scattering profile to reveal information about anisotropy in the structure. In past applications, CREASE has provided insights into complex structural features, including the cross-sectional shapes of assembled nanostructures and dispersity in these features, which are difficult to discern with existing analytical models. While (1D- ) CREASE has been applied to SANS and SAXS data, this tutorial shares the steps for implementing CREASE-2D using an example of a dipeptide solution system, for which we have SAXS data. We present details for these steps involved in using CREASE-2D to interpret SAXS profiles: how to preprocess SAXS data, define relevant structural features, generate three-dimensional real-space structures for specific values of these features, train a machine learning (ML) surrogate model to predict scattering profiles for given structural features, and optimize these features using genetic algorithms (GA). Then, we use these steps to interpret complex 2DSAXS data collected from dipeptide solutions that, in microscopy images, exhibit nanoscale structures that could be elliptical tubes/ flat tapes/cylinders or a combination of these cross sections. Open-source codes, computational hardware, and software requirements, as well as the strengths and limitations of this protocol, are also presented. We expect researchers working with (soft) biomaterials, peptide amphiphiles, amphiphilic polymer solutions, polymer nanocomposites, and blends of particles/polymers will find this CREASE-2D method and this tutorial of use.

CREASE↗

Selection of experimental modal data sets for damage detection via model update

When using a finite element model update algorithm for detecting damage in structures, it is important that the experimental modal data sets used in the update be selected in a coherent manner. In the case of a structure with extremely localized modal behavior, it is necessary to use both low and high frequency modes, but many of the modes in between may be excluded. In this paper, we examine two different mode selection strategies based on modal strain energy, and compare their success to the choice of an equal number of modes based merely on lowest frequency. Additionally, some parameters are introduced to enable a quantitative assessment of the success of our damage detection algorithm when using the various set selection criteria.

Doebling, S. W.↗

Recent advances in numerical analysis of structural eigenvalue problems

A wide range of eigenvalue problems encountered in practical structural engineering analyses is defined, in which the structures are assumed to be discretized by any suitable technique such as the finite-element method. A review of the usual numerical procedures for the solution of such eigenvalue problems is presented and is followed by an extensive account of recently developed eigenproblem solution procedures. Particular emphasis is placed on the new numerical algorithms and associated computer programs based on the Sturm sequence method. Eigenvalue algorithms developed for efficient solution of natural frequency and buckling problems of structures are presented, as well as some eigenvalue procedures formulated in connection with the solution of quadratic matrix equations associated with free vibration analysis of structures. A new algorithm is described for natural frequency analysis of damped structural systems.

Gupta, K. K.↗

Trajectory design via unsupervised probabilistic learning on optimal manifolds

Abstract This article illustrates the use of unsupervised probabilistic learning techniques for the analysis of planetary reentry trajectories. A three-degree-of-freedom model was employed to generate optimal trajectories that comprise the training datasets. The algorithm first extracts the intrinsic structure in the data via a diffusion map approach. We find that data resides on manifolds of much lower dimensionality compared to the high-dimensional state space that describes each trajectory. Using the diffusion coordinates on the graph of training samples, the probabilistic framework subsequently augments the original data with samples that are statistically consistent with the original set. The augmented samples are then used to construct conditional statistics that are ultimately assembled in a path planning algorithm. In this framework, the controls are determined stage by stage during the flight to adapt to changing mission objectives in real-time.

42 ENGINEERING↗

CVEVOLVE

CVEvolve is an agentic AI system for autonomous algorithm discovery for scientific data processing. It creates workflows where large language model agents freely set up and configure development environments and evaluation harnesses, develop and improve data processing algorithms with designed exploration-exploitation balancing mechanisms, log history and findings in a structured database, and run holdout testing to ensure algorithm generalizability. CVEvolve offers a zero-code interface and does not require users to provide structured data and evaluation scripts.

Cherukara, MatthewJoseph [Argonne National Laborat↗

Machine Learning Toolkit for Extreme Scale

Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a popular machine learning technique, which has been applied to a wide range of domains such as science, finance, and social networks for supervised learning. MaTEx undertakes the challenge of designing a scalable parallel SVM training algorithm for large scale systems, which includes commodity multi-core machines, tightly connected supercomputers and cloud computing systems. Several techniques are proposed for improved speed and memory space usage including adaptive and aggressive elimination of samples for faster convergence , and sparse format representation of data samples. Several heuristics for earliest possible to lazy elimination of non-contributing samples are considered in MaTEx. In many cases, where an early sample elimination might result in a false positive, low overhead mechanisms for reconstruction of key data structures are proposed. The proposed algorithm and heuristics are implemented and evaluated on various publicly available datasets

Source record↗

Machine Learning Toolkit for Extreme Scale

Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a popular machine learning technique, which has been applied to a wide range of domains such as science, finance, and social networks for supervised learning. MaTEx undertakes the challenge of designing a scalable parallel SVM training algorithm for large scale systems, which includes commodity multi-core machines, tightly connected supercomputers and cloud computing systems. Several techniques are proposed for improved speed and memory space usage including adaptive and aggressive elimination of samples for faster convergence , and sparse format representation of data samples. Several heuristics for earliest possible to lazy elimination of non-contributing samples are considered in MaTEx. In many cases, where an early sample elimination might result in a false positive, low overhead mechanisms for reconstruction of key data structures are proposed. The proposed algorithm and heuristics are implemented and evaluated on various publicly available datasets

Source record↗

Predicting phase behavior of grain boundaries with evolutionary search and machine learning

The study of grain boundary phase transitions is an emerging field until recently dominated by experiments. The major bottleneck in the exploration of this phenomenon with atomistic modeling has been the lack of a robust computational tool that can predict interface structure. Here we develop a computational tool based on evolutionary algorithms that performs efficient grand-canonical grain boundary structure search and we design a clustering analysis that automatically identifies different grain boundary phases. Its application to a model system of symmetric tilt boundaries in Cu uncovers an unexpected rich polymorphism in the grain boundary structures. We find new ground and metastable states by exploring structures with different atomic densities. Our results demonstrate that the grain boundaries within the entire misorientation range have multiple phases and exhibit structural transitions, suggesting that phase behavior of interfaces is likely a general phenomenon.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗