Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “sampling statistics”

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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Figure correction of a metallic ellipsoidal neutron focusing mirror

An increasing number of neutron focusing mirrors is being adopted in neutron scattering experiments in order to provide high fluxes at sample positions, reduce measurement time, and/or increase statistical reliability. To realize a small focusing spot and high beam intensity, mirrors with both high form accuracy and low surface roughness are required. To achieve this, we propose a new figure correction technique to fabricate a two-dimensional neutron focusing mirror made with electroless nickel-phosphorus (NiP) by effectively combining ultraprecision shaper cutting and fine polishing. An arc envelope shaper cutting method is introduced to generate high form accuracy, while a fine polishing method, in which the material is removed effectively without losing profile accuracy, is developed to reduce the surface roughness of the mirror. High form accuracy in the minor-axis and the major-axis is obtained through tool profile error compensation and corrective polishing, respectively, and low surface roughness is acquired under a low polishing load. As a result, an ellipsoidal neutron focusing mirror is successfully fabricated with high form accuracy of 0.5 μm peak-to-valley and low surface roughness of 0.2 nm root-mean-square.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electron beam induced growth of tin whiskers

We have investigated the influence of electron irradiation on tin whisker growth. Sputtered tin samples exposed to electron beam of 6 MeV energy exhibited fast whisker growth, while control samples did not grow any whiskers. The statistics of e-beam induced whiskers was found to follow the log-normal distribution. The observed accelerated whisker growth is attributed to electrostatic effects due to charges trapped in an insulating substrate. These results offer promise for establishing whisker-related accelerated life testing protocols.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

ARE ULTRA-LONG GAMMA-RAY BURSTS DIFFERENT?

The discovery of a number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with duration exceeding 1000 s has opened the debate on whether these bursts form a new class of sources, the so-called ultra-long GRBs, or if they are rather the tail of the distribution of the standard long GRB duration. Using the long GRB sample detected by Swift, we investigate the statistical properties of long GRBs and compare them with the ultra-long burst properties. We compute the burst duration of long GRBs using the start epoch of the so-called ''steep decay'' phase detected with Swift/XRT. We discuss also the differences observed in their spectral properties. We find that ultra-long GRBs are statistically different from the standard long GRBs with typical burst duration less than 100-500 s, for which a Wolf-Rayet star progenitor is usually invoked. Together with the presence of a thermal emission component we interpret this result as indication that the usual long GRB progenitor scenario cannot explain the extreme duration of ultra-long GRBs, their energetics, as well as the mass reservoir and size that can feed the central engine for such a long time.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Zooming in on the progenitors of superluminous supernovae with the HST

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) rest-frame ultraviolet imaging of the host galaxies of 16 hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), including 11 events from the Pan-STARRS Medium Deep Survey. Taking advantage of the superb angular resolution of HST, we characterize the galaxies’ morphological properties, sizes, and star formation rate (SFR) densities. We determine the supernova (SN) locations within the host galaxies through precise astrometric matching and measure physical and host-normalized offsets as well as the SN positions within the cumulative distribution of UV light pixel brightness. We find that the host galaxies of H-poor SLSNe are irregular, compact dwarf galaxies, with a median half-light radius of just 0.9 kpc. The UV-derived SFR densities are high (〈Σ{sub SFR}〉≃0.1M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}), suggesting that SLSNe form in overdense environments. Their locations trace the UV light of their host galaxies, with a distribution intermediate between that of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs; which are strongly clustered on the brightest regions of their hosts) and a uniform distribution (characteristic of normal core-collapse SNe), though cannot be statistically distinguished from either with the current sample size. Taken together, this strengthens the picture that SLSN progenitors require different conditions than those of ordinary core-collapse SNe to form and that they explode in broadly similar galaxies as do LGRBs. If the tendency for SLSNe to be less clustered on the brightest regions than are LGRBs is confirmed by a larger sample, this would indicate a different, potentially lower-mass progenitor for SLSNe than LRGBs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE IMPACT OF THE IONOSPHERE ON GROUND-BASED DETECTION OF THE GLOBAL EPOCH OF REIONIZATION SIGNAL

The redshifted 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen (H i), potentially observable at low radio frequencies (∼50–200 MHz), is a promising probe of the physical conditions of the intergalactic medium during Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). The sky-averaged H i signal is expected to be extremely weak (∼100 mK) in comparison to the Galactic foreground emission (∼10{sup 4} K). Moreover, the sky-averaged spectra measured by ground-based instruments are affected by chromatic propagation effects (∼tens of kelvin) originating in the ionosphere. We analyze data collected with the upgraded Broadband Instrument for Global Hydrogen Reionization Signal system deployed at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory to assess the significance of ionospheric effects on the detection of the global EoR signal. The ionospheric effects identified in these data are, particularly during nighttime, dominated by absorption and emission. We measure some properties of the ionosphere, such as the electron temperature (T{sub e} ≈ 470 K at nighttime), magnitude, and variability of optical depth (τ{sub 100} {sub MHz} ≈ 0.01 and δτ ≈ 0.005 at nighttime). According to the results of a statistical test applied on a large data sample, very long integrations (∼100 hr collected over approximately 2 months) lead to increased signal-to-noise ratio even in the presence of ionospheric variability. This is further supported by the structure of the power spectrum of the sky temperature fluctuations, which has flicker noise characteristics at frequencies ≳10{sup −5} Hz, but becomes flat below ≈10{sup −5} Hz. Hence, we conclude that the stochastic error introduced by the chromatic ionospheric effects tends to zero in an average. Therefore, the ionospheric effects and fluctuations are not fundamental impediments preventing ground-based instruments from integrating down to the precision required by global EoR experiments, provided that the ionospheric contribution is properly accounted for in the data analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Intrinsic alignment in redMaPPer clusters – II. Radial alignment of satellites towards cluster centres

We study the orientations of satellite galaxies in redMaPPer clusters constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at 0.1 < z < 0.35 to determine whether there is any preferential tendency for satellites to point radially towards cluster centres. Here, we analyse the satellite alignment (SA) signal based on three shape measurement methods (re-Gaussianization, de Vaucouleurs, and isophotal shapes), which trace galaxy light profiles at different radii. The measured SA signal depends on these shape measurement methods. We detect the strongest SA signal in isophotal shapes, followed by de Vaucouleurs shapes. While no net SA signal is detected using re-Gaussianization shapes across the entire sample, the observed SA signal reaches a statistically significant level when limiting to a subsample of higher luminosity satellites. We further investigate the impact of noise, systematics, and real physical isophotal twisting effects in the comparison between the SA signal detected via different shape measurement methods. Unlike previous studies, which only consider the dependence of SA on a few parameters, here we explore a total of 17 galaxy and cluster properties, using a statistical model averaging technique to naturally account for parameter correlations and identify significant SA predictors. We find that the measured SA signal is strongest for satellites with the following characteristics: higher luminosity, smaller distance to the cluster centre, rounder in shape, higher bulge fraction, and distributed preferentially along the major axis directions of their centrals. Finally, we provide physical explanations for the identified dependences and discuss the connection to theories of SA.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

hiss, a new tool for H i stacking: application to NIBLES spectra

Abstract H i stacking has proven to be a highly effective tool to statistically analyse average H i properties for samples of galaxies which may or may not be directly detected. With the plethora of H i data expected from the various upcoming H i surveys with the SKA Precursor and Pathfinder telescopes, it will be helpful to standardize the way in which stacking analyses are conducted. In this work we present a new python-based package, hiss, designed to stack H i (emission and absorption) spectra in a consistent and reliable manner. As an example, we use hiss to study the H i content in various galaxy sub-samples from the NIBLES survey of SDSS galaxies which were selected to represent their entire range in total stellar mass without a prior colour selection. This allowed us to compare the galaxy colour to average H i content in both detected and non-detected galaxies. Our sample, with a stellar mass range of $10^8 \lt {{ M}}_\star \, (\text{M}_\odot) \lt 10^{12}$, has enabled us to probe the H i-to-stellar mass gas fraction relationship more than half an order of magnitude lower than in previous stacking studies.

Healy, J.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Unbiased simulation of near-Clifford quantum circuits

Modeling and simulation are essential for predicting and verifying the behavior of fabricated quantum circuits, but existing simulation methods are either impractically costly or require an unrealistic simplification of error processes. In this paper, we present a method of simulating noisy Clifford circuits that is both accurate and practical in experimentally relevant regimes. In particular, the cost is weakly exponential in the size and the degree of non-Cliffordness of the circuit. Our approach is based on the construction of exact representations of quantum channels as quasiprobability distributions over stabilizer operations, which are then sampled, simulated, and weighted to yield unbiased statistical estimates of circuit outputs and other observables. As a demonstration of these techniques, we simulate a Steane [[7,1,3]]-encoded logical operation with non-Clifford errors and compute its fault tolerance error threshold. Finally, we expect that the method presented here will enable studies of much larger and more realistic quantum circuits than was previously possible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structural Differences between Morning and Evening Peak in Optimized Water Heaters

Peak reduction is an important concern that can help reduce the growing stress on distribution grids and allow to defer investments in new capacity. Water heaters represent a convenient way of reducing peak, depending on controllability of devices. But while controlling water heaters does allow to shift peak, it also results in rebound effects, which require additional understanding before water heater fleets can be used on a large scale. We attempt to investigate the nature of peak behaviors of water heaters and demonstrate that water heaters are not homogenous in their behavior. Depending on the overall intensity of the use of water, part of the population has higher rebound effect, while part of the population has little or no rebound effect. Even though we do not have sufficient data to statistically evaluate our findings, we use a sample of 42 water heaters in a connected neighborhood to provide an early attempt at discovering and reporting this diversity.

Tsybina, Eve↗
DOE OSTI2020

Three-dimensional super line-localization in low signal-to-noise microscope images via prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL)

Biological processes such as processive enzyme turnover and intracellular cargo tracking involve the dynamic motion of a small "article" along a curvilinear biopolymer track. To understand these processes that occur across multiple length and time scales, one must acquire both the trajectory of the particle and the position of the track along which it moves, possibly by combining high-resolution single-particle tracking with conventional microscopy. Yet, usually there is a significant resolution mismatch between these modalities: while the tracked particle is localized with a precision of 10 nm, the image of the surroundings is limited by optical difraction, with 200 nm lateral and 500 nm axial resolutions. Compared to the particle's trajectory, the surrounding curvilinear structure appears as a blurred and noisy image. This disparity in the spatial resolutions of the particle trajectory and the surrounding curvilinear structure image makes data reconstruction, as well as interpretation, particularly challenging. Analysis is further complicated when the curvilinear structures are oriented arbitrarily in 3D space. Here, we present a prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL) approach to extract information from 3D images where the underlying features resemble a curved line such as a filament or microtubule. This three-stage framework starts with a Hessian-based feature enhancement, which is followed by feature registration, where local line segments are detected on repetitively sampled subimage tiles. In the final stage, statistical learning, segments are clustered based on their geometric relationships. Principal curves are then approximated from each segment group via statistical tools including principal component analysis, bootstrap and kernel transformation. This procedure is characterized on simulated images, where sub-voxel medium deviations from true curves have been achieved. The 3D PAUL approach has also been implemented for successful line localization in experimental 3D images of gold nanowires obtained using a multifocal microscope. Lastly, this work not only bridges the resolution gap between two microscopy modalities, but also allows us to conduct 3D super line-localization imaging experiments, without using super-resolution techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

The ANACONDA algorithm for deformable image registration in radiotherapy

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to describe a versatile algorithm for deformable image registration with applications in radiotherapy and to validate it on thoracic 4DCT data as well as CT/cone beam CT (CBCT) data. Methods: ANAtomically CONstrained Deformation Algorithm (ANACONDA) combines image information (i.e., intensities) with anatomical information as provided by contoured image sets. The registration problem is formulated as a nonlinear optimization problem and solved with an in-house developed solver, tailored to this problem. The objective function, which is minimized during optimization, is a linear combination of four nonlinear terms: 1. image similarity term; 2. grid regularization term, which aims at keeping the deformed image grid smooth and invertible; 3. a shape based regularization term which works to keep the deformation anatomically reasonable when regions of interest are present in the reference image; and 4. a penalty term which is added to the optimization problem when controlling structures are used, aimed at deforming the selected structure in the reference image to the corresponding structure in the target image. Results: To validate ANACONDA, the authors have used 16 publically available thoracic 4DCT data sets for which target registration errors from several algorithms have been reported in the literature. On average for the 16 data sets, the target registration error is 1.17 ± 0.87 mm, Dice similarity coefficient is 0.98 for the two lungs, and image similarity, measured by the correlation coefficient, is 0.95. The authors have also validated ANACONDA using two pelvic cases and one head and neck case with planning CT and daily acquired CBCT. Each image has been contoured by a physician (radiation oncologist) or experienced radiation therapist. The results are an improvement with respect to rigid registration. However, for the head and neck case, the sample set is too small to show statistical significance. Conclusions: ANACONDA performs well in comparison with other algorithms. By including CT/CBCT data in the validation, the various aspects of the algorithm such as its ability to handle different modalities, large deformations, and air pockets are shown.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-P-52: Dose-Volume Toxicity Analysis of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between physical and biological effective dose (BED) to liver toxicity for SBRT fractionations. Methods: A total of 16 patients (13–10×3Gy, 2–5×10Gy and 1–3×15Gy were selected. Physical dose distributions were converted to voxel based BED values using the linear-quadratic (LQ) and linear-quadratic linear (LQ-L) models for doses per fraction larger than 6Gy. Patients were graded for effective toxicity (post-treatment minus pre-treatment grades) using the RTOG Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Schema associated with Radiation Induced Liver Disease (RILD). Evaluated physical dose-volume levels consisted of V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy which were then converted to BED values corresponding to V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3, respectively. All levels were normalized to their respective patient normal liver volumes (NLV) and evaluated for correlation to RILD. Results were measured quantitatively using R-squared regression analysis. Results: Mean Dose Tolerable to Normal Liver (MDTNL) against RILD grade resulted in an R-squared value of 0.0104. NLV-normalized physical dose linear regression fit of V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy against RILD yielded R-squared values of 0.1041, 0.0895, 0.0698, 0.0398 and 0.0009 while BED levels of V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3 resulted in values of 0.0002, 0.0153, 0.0533, 0.0427 and 0.0072, respectively. The average NLV-normalized V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy per grade plotted against RILD grade yielded R-squared correlations of 0.8092, 0.6362, 0.5899, 0.5846 and 0.0224 while the BED levels of V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3 resulted in R-squared correlations of 0.0003, 0.3831, 0.8476, 0.678 and 0.076, respectively. Conclusion: Regression analysis between physical dose, BED and RILD showed strong correlation for the V30Gy and V46.7Gy3 dose-levels. Average BED and physical dose per grade both exhibit strong correlations to RILD however, a lack of statistical significance exists due to small patient sample size.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Role of Subcloud Mesoscale Convergence in Sculpting Convective Updraft Width and Depth

The initiation of deep moist convection is governed in part by the horizontal width of updrafts near cloud base, which limits the deleterious effects of entrainment-driven dilution on buoyant thermals ascending through the free troposphere. However, the factors controlling cloud-base updraft width, which in turn dictates cloud depth, are not well understood. We track the evolving three-dimensional structure of the mesoscale subcloud forcing for vertical motion and near-cloud thermodynamic ingredients within a high-resolution ensemble of simulations of seven realistic daytime orographic convection initiation events to determine their relative roles in controlling cloud width and depth. Statistical analysis of approximately 5000 cloudy updraft samples indicates that the most important contributors to the width of cloudy updrafts across the ensemble are the depth and magnitude of the subcloud mesoscale ascent. However, the depth achieved by clouds is more consistently predicted by the near-cloud ambient relative humidity within the lower to middle free troposphere and convective available potential energy. Therefore, although the width of cloudy updrafts may be partly set at low levels by the mesoscale vertical mass and moisture flux, the likelihood of deep moist convection is governed by the generation of positive buoyancy within cumulus thermals and entrainment-driven dilution that reduces it. The persistence of the low-level mesoscale vertical forcing locally consolidates and vertically transports boundary layer moisture, helping to reduce updraft dilution. However, these factors vary in relative impacts on cloudy updrafts across individual cases, indicating multiple pathways for deep convection initiation.

Convective storms↗
DOE OSTI2015

Rapid analysis of composition and reactivity in cellulosic biomass feedstocks with near-infrared spectroscopy

Obtaining accurate chemical composition and reactivity (measures of carbohydrate release and yield) information for biomass feedstocks in a timely manner is necessary for the commercialization of biofuels. Our objective was to use near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analysis to develop calibration models to predict the feedstock composition and the release and yield of soluble carbohydrates generated by a bench-scale dilute acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis assay. Major feedstocks included in the calibration models are corn stover, sorghum, switchgrass, perennial cool season grasses, rice straw, and miscanthus. Here are the results: We present individual model statistics to demonstrate model performance and validation samples to more accurately measure predictive quality of the models. The PLS-2 model for composition predicts glucan, xylan, lignin, and ash (wt%) with uncertainties similar to primary measurement methods. A PLS-2 model was developed to predict glucose and xylose release following pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. An additional PLS-2 model was developed to predict glucan and xylan yield. PLS-1 models were developed to predict the sum of glucose/glucan and xylose/xylan for release and yield (grams per gram). The release and yield models have higher uncertainties than the primary methods used to develop the models. In conclusion, it is possible to build effective multispecies feedstock models for composition, as well as carbohydrate release and yield. The model for composition is useful for predicting glucan, xylan, lignin, and ash with good uncertainties. The release and yield models have higher uncertainties; however, these models are useful for rapidly screening sample populations to identify unusual samples.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dose-efficient automatic differentiation for ptychographic reconstruction

Ptychography, as a powerful lensless imaging method, has become a popular member of the coherent diffractive imaging family over decades of development. The ability to utilize low-dose X-rays and/or fast scans offers a big advantage in a ptychographic measurement (for example, when measuring radiation-sensitive samples), but results in low-photon statistics, making the subsequent phase retrieval challenging. Here, we demonstrate a dose-efficient automatic differentiation framework for ptychographic reconstruction (DAP) at low-photon statistics and low overlap ratio. As no reciprocal space constraint is required in this DAP framework, the framework, based on various forward models, shows superior performance under these conditions. It effectively suppresses potential artifacts in the reconstructed images, especially for the inherent periodic artifact in a raster scan. We validate the effectiveness and robustness of this method using both simulated and measured datasets.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Statistical Profiles of E1 EMP Coupling to Single Conductors

An electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) event can induce large currents and voltages on electrical conductors such as electrical power transmission lines which span many kilometers and the shorter lines typically tens of meters in length used to monitor equipment controlling the power grid. The exact current and voltage induced on a conductor depends on many factors, such as line height, diameter and length as well as ground conductivity and the location of the EMP event relative to the conductor. The current work focus on the line location and orientation relative to the EMP source. A statistical, Monte-Carlo approach is used in sampling the line configuration and then calculating the induced current and voltage. Thousands of EMP events are simulated on the region of the Earth where the EMP event can couple to a given above-ground conductor and the resulting current and voltage is then calculated on that conductor. Through the many simulations, one can assemble statistics on the insult including the peak value, rise time and pulse width.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Total Moisture Analysis of Salts by Dissolution

This report discusses recent efforts within TA-48 in developing a robust, defensible, and straightforward procedure for determining the moisture content of alkali and alkaline metal halide salts utilizing a total dissolution Karl-Fischer titration method. Utilizing statistical analysis of blank and dissolved salt samples, we determine a (3 sigma) detection limit of 67 micrograms H 2 O/g salt, and a (10 sigma) quantification limit of 160 micrograms H 2 O/g salt. Several salts are analyzed, and suggestions for future efforts are given.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fracture Strength Determination Methods for Ceramic Materials Applied to Uranium Dioxide

The Advanced Fuels Campaign is currently focusing on development of accident-tolerant fuels that possess a range of property modifications intended to improve fuel performance during accident and transient conditions as well as extend license limits to burnups beyond 62 MWd/kgU. Both of these drivers have identified understanding and mitigating fuel cracking as a key performance criterion. Small-scale cantilever beam testing has been identified as a plausible method by which to collect fracture data for UO 2 as a function of chemical and structural evolutions introduced either during fabrication or irradiation. While this method has been found to be capable of providing data that are in reasonable agreement with literature for unirradiated UO 2 , the inherently small sample volumes that can be sampled limit its ability to capture the statistical nature of mechanisms that govern the fracture of brittle ceramics. A biaxial flexure strength test was developed to be used for unirradiated UO 2 . This method is standard in the community, but no systems presently in use at national laboratories, universities, or private companies are available to be used for nuclear fuel materials. This report describes the operation and benchmarking of this system, which has been validated for a number of common oxides. Future work will extend this system to characterization of both doped UO 2 and other relevant microstructural modifications that can also be measured using small-scale cantilever beam testing. Comparison of datasets collected using both methods will allow the overall applicability of small-scale techniques to be assessed and provide confidence or bounds on their use for irradiated fuels.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗