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At least 1,729 records · Page 96

EFFECT OF FINITE LARMOR RADIUS CORRECTIONS ON THE THERMAL INSTABILITY OF THERMALLY CONDUCTING VISCOUS PLASMA WITH HALL CURRENT AND ELECTRON INERTIA

The thermal instability of an infinite homogeneous, thermally conducting, and rotating plasma, incorporating finite electrical resistivity, finite electron inertia, and an arbitrary radiative heat-loss function in the presence of finite Larmor radius corrections and Hall current, has been studied. Analysis has been made with the help of linearized magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations. A general dispersion relation is obtained using the normal mode analysis method, and the dispersion relation is discussed for longitudinal propagation and transverse propagation separately. The dispersion relation has been solved numerically to obtain the dependence of the growth rate on the various parameters involved. The conditions of modified thermal instability and stability are discussed in the different cases of interest.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

An Iterative Decambering Approach for Post-Stall Prediction of Wing Characteristics using known Section Data

An iterative decambering approach for the post stall prediction of wings using known section data as inputs is presented. The method can currently be used for incompressible .ow and can be extended to compressible subsonic .ow using Mach number correction schemes. A detailed discussion of past work on this topic is presented first. Next, an overview of the decambering approach is presented and is illustrated by applying the approach to the prediction of the two-dimensional C(sub l) and C(sub m) curves for an airfoil. The implementation of the approach for iterative decambering of wing sections is then discussed. A novel feature of the current e.ort is the use of a multidimensional Newton iteration for taking into consideration the coupling between the di.erent sections of the wing. The approach lends itself to implementation in a variety of finite-wing analysis methods such as lifting-line theory, discrete-vortex Weissinger's method, and vortex lattice codes. Results are presented for a rectangular wing for a from 0 to 25 deg. The results are compared for both increasing and decreasing directions of a, and they show that a hysteresis loop can be predicted for post-stall angles of attack.

Mukherjee, Rinku↗

An Integrated Framework for Memory-Centric Analysis: From Trace Collection to Co-Design

The memory wall phenomenon—where advances in processor performance significantly outpace those in memory subsystems—poses a fundamental challenge for contemporary computing systems. In memory-bound applications, memory subsystem behavior dominates performance, yet existing analysis approaches present significant limitations: detailed microarchitectural simulators require days to weeks to simulate modest workloads; hardware performance counters provide only aggregate statistics that obscure temporal and spatial access patterns; and scaled simulation approaches face challenges in capturing certain behaviors that emerge at larger scales. These limitations reflect a processor-centric design philosophy increasingly misaligned with memory-bound workloads where detailed understanding of memory access patterns, cache hierarchy interactions, and contention is critical for effective optimization. This paper presents an integrated framework for memory-centric analysis that enables effective hardware-software co-design. We describe practical trace collection techniques, including hardware-assisted processor tracing with minimal overhead and portable software-based instrumentation with statistical sampling. We present multi-perspective analysis methods that examine memory behavior from temporal, sequential, spatial, and relational viewpoints, revealing distinct optimization opportunities invisible in aggregate metrics. We detail an architectural modeling framework that uses sampled traces with temporal interpolation and confidence-based filtering to evaluate cache and memory configurations. Evaluation on representative benchmarks demonstrates that this framework achieves practical accuracy (L2 cache errors of 2.64\%, confidence-filtered L3 errors of 9.92\%, bandwidth errors of 7.33\%) while providing substantial speedup (26.8×) over cycle-accurate simulation, enabling rapid design space exploration. We demonstrate how this integrated framework enables systematic identification of both hardware optimizations (memory controller tuning, bank partitioning, NUMA configuration) and software optimizations (data layout restructuring, prefetching strategies, memory-aware scheduling). Through this comprehensive treatment of the memory-centric analysis pipeline—from trace collection through architectural modeling to co-design application—we provide researchers and practitioners with practical techniques for addressing memory bottlenecks in contemporary computing systems.

Gajaria, Dhruv Mayur↗

Applications of the Hilbert-Huang Transform

A new method, the Hilbert-Huang Transform, has been developed for analyzing nonlinear and nonstationary data. The key part of the method is the Empirical Mode Decomposition with which any complicated data set can be decomposed into a finite and often small number of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF). An M is defined as any function having the same numbers of zero-crossing and extrema, and also having symmetric envelopes defined by the local maxima and minima respectively. The IMF also admits well-behaved Hilbert transform. This decomposition method is adaptive, and, therefore, highly efficient. Since the decomposition is based on the local characteristic time scale of the data, it is applicable to nonlinear and nonstationary processes. With the Hilbert transform, the Intrinsic Mode Functions yield instantaneous frequencies'as functions of time that give sharp identifications of imbedded structures. The final presentation of the results is an energy-frequency-time distribution, designated as the Hilbert Spectrum. With this technique we can examine the detailed dynamics characteristics of a nonlinear system through the instantaneous frequency rather than harmonics. Thus it constitutes a new view of the nonlinear dynamics. Examples of classic nonlinear equations and other nonlinear and nonstationary data sets will be used as examples to illustrate the advantage of the application of this new data analysis method.

Huang, Norden E.↗

A LIBS method for simultaneous monitoring of the impurities and the hydrogenic composition present in the wall of the TJ-II stellarator

The study of plasma-wall interactions and impurity transport in the plasma fusion devices is critical for the development of future fusion reactors. An experiment to perform laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, using minor modifications of our existing laser blow-off impurity injection system, has been set up thus making both experiments compatible. The radiation produced by the laser pulse focused at the TJ-II wall evaporates a surface layer of deposited impurities and the subsequent radiation produced by the laser-produced plasma is collected by two separate lens and fiber combinations into two spectrometers. The first spectrometer, with low spectral resolution, records a spectrum from 200 to 900 nm to give a survey of impurities present in the wall. The second one, with high resolution, is tuned to the wavelengths of the Hα and Dα lines in order to resolve them and quantify the hydrogen isotopic ratio present on the surface of the wall. The alignment, calibration, and spectral analysis method will be described in detail. First experimental results obtained with this setup will be shown and its relevance for the TJ-II experimental program discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Structural response of fiber composite fan blades

A fiber composite airfoil, typical for high-tip speed compressor applications, is subjected to load conditions anticipated to be encountered in such applications, and its structural response is theoretically investigated. The analysis method used consists of composite mechanics embedded in pre- and post-processors and coupled with NASTRAN. The load conditions examined include thermal due to aerodynamic heating, pressure due to aerodynamic forces, centrifugal, and combinations of these. The various responses investigated include root reactions due to various load conditions, average composite and ply stresses, ply delaminations, and the fundamental modes and the corresponding reactions. The results show that the thermal and pressure stresses are negligible compared to those caused by the centrifugal forces. Also, the core-shell concept for composite blades is an inefficient design (core plies not highly stressed) and appears to be sensitive to interply delaminations. The results are presented in graphical and tabular forms to illustrate the types and amount of data required for such an analysis, and to provide quantitative data of the various responses which can be helpful in designing such composite blades.

Chamis, C. C.↗

A Requirements-Driven Optimization Method for Acoustic Treatment Design

Acoustic treatment designers have long been able to target specific noise sources inside turbofan engines. Facesheet porosity and cavity depth are key design variables of perforate-over-honeycomb liners that determine levels of noise suppression as well as the frequencies at which suppression occurs. Layers of these structures can be combined to create a robust attenuation spectrum that covers a wide range of frequencies. Looking to the future, rapidly-emerging additive manufacturing technologies are enabling new liners with multiple degrees of freedom, and new adaptive liners with variable impedance are showing promise. More than ever, there is greater flexibility and freedom in liner design. Subject to practical considerations, liner design variables may be manipulated to achieve a target attenuation spectrum. But characteristics of the ideal attenuation spectrum can be difficult to know. Many multidisciplinary system effects govern how engine noise sources contribute to community noise. Given a hardwall fan noise source to be suppressed, and using an analytical certification noise model to compute a community noise measure of merit, the optimal attenuation spectrum can be derived using multidisciplinary systems analysis methods. The subject of this paper is an analytical method that derives the ideal target attenuation spectrum that minimizes noise perceived by observers on the ground.

Aircraft Noise↗

From Theory to Practice: Lessons Learned from an Advanced M&V Commercial Pilot

Advanced measurement & verification (M&V), or M&V 2.0, is an energy data analysis method using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) data in combination with analytics to quantify energy efficiency project savings. Advanced M&V is viewed as an enabler for underutilized behavioral, retrocommissioning, and holistic multi-measure efficiency efforts, as quantifying savings for these programs with existing methods has typically been very challenging. Despite its promise, there are still several unanswered questions about the use of advanced M&V such as: How accurately can these tools quantify energy savings? How can advanced M&V satisfy regulatory requirements for rigorous savings estimates? Where and how does advanced M&V intersect with traditional impact evaluation and the principles of ‘embedded’ evaluation, measurement & verification (EM&V)? Pilots are being pursued in various regions and program contexts to address these research questions. However, results from these pilots are rarely made public, meaning that lessons may not be widely shared and the scope of analyses varies widely. The paper presents encouraging results from a recent advanced M&V pilot and discusses key process-related aspects such as managing AMI data and refining analysis methodologies. An approach to reviewing and classifying projects based on savings characteristics and magnitude is demonstrated, as a potential risk management tool. The authors also demonstrate how advanced M&V can identify underperforming projects and non-routine events in a timely manner. The paper also outlines lessons learned from this and other recent pilot activity and barriers to be overcome in moving toward the goal of widespread adoption of holistic meter-based programs.

Crowe, Eliot↗

Improved measurements of turbulence in the hot gaseous atmospheres of nearby giant elliptical galaxies

Here, we present significantly improved measurements of turbulent velocities in the hot gaseous haloes of nearby giant elliptical galaxies. Using deep XMM–NewtonReflection Grating Spectrometer ( RGS ) observations and a combination of resonance scattering and direct line broadening methods, we obtain well bounded constraints for 13 galaxies. Assuming that the turbulence is isotropic, we obtain a best-fitting mean 1D turbulent velocity of 110 km s -1 . This implies a typical 3D Mach number ~0.45 and a typical non-thermal pressure contribution of ~6 per cent in the cores of nearby massive galaxies. The intrinsic scatter around these values is modest – consistent with zero, albeit with large statistical uncertainty – hinting at a common and quasi-continuous mechanism sourcing the velocity structure in these objects. Using conservative estimates of the spatial scales associated with the observed turbulent motions, we find that turbulent heating can be sufficient to offset radiative cooling in the inner regions of these galaxies (<10 kpc, typically 2–3 kpc). The full potential of our analysis methods will be enabled by future X-ray micro-calorimeter observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Interchange Reconnection Dynamics in A Solar Coronal Pseudo-Streamer

Context. The generation of the slow solar wind remains an open problem in heliophysics. One of the current theories among those aimed at explaining the injection of coronal plasma in the interplanetary medium is based on interchange reconnection. It assumes that the exchange of magnetic connectivity between closed and open fields allows the injection of coronal plasma in the interplanetary medium to travel along the newly reconnected open field. However, the exact mechanism underlying this effect is still poorly understood. Aims. Our objective is to study this scenario in a particular magnetic structure of the solar corona: a pseudo-streamer. This topological structure lies at the interface between open and closed magnetic field and is thought to be involved in the generation of the slow solar wind. Methods. We performed innovative 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the solar corona with a pseudo-streamer, using the Adaptively Refined MHD Solver (ARMS). By perturbing the quasi-steady ambient state with a simple photospheric, large-scale velocity flow, we were able to generate a complex dynamics of the open-and-closed boundary of the pseudo-streamer. We studied the evolution of the connectivity of numerous field lines to understand its precise dynamics. Results. We witnessed different scenarios of opening of the magnetic field initially closed under the pseudo-streamer: one-step interchange reconnection dynamics, along with more complex scenarios, including a coupling between pseudo-streamer and helmet streamer, as well as back-and-forth reconnections between open and closed connectivity domains. Finally, our analysis revealed large-scale motions of a newly opened magnetic field high in the corona that may be explained by slipping reconnection. Conclusions. By introducing a new analysis method for the magnetic connectivity evolution based on distinct closed-field domains, this study provides an understanding of the precise dynamics underway during the opening of a closed field, which enables the injection of closed-field, coronal plasma in the interplanetary medium. Further studies shall provide synthetic observations for these diverse outgoing flows, which could be measured by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter.

magnetic fields↗

Multiple Document Representations from News Alerts for Automated Bio-surveillance Event Detection

Due to globalization, geographic boundaries no longer serve as effective shields for the spread of infectious diseases. In order to aid bio-surveillance analysts in disease tracking, recent research has been devoted to developing information retrieval and analysis methods utilizing the vast corpora of publicly available documents on the internet. In this work, we present methods for the automated retrieval and classification of documents related to active public health events. We demonstrate classification performance on an auto-generated corpus, using recurrent neural network, TFIDF, and Naive Bayes log count ratio document representations. By jointly modeling the title and description of a document, we achieve 97% recall and 93.3% accuracy with our best performing bio-surveillance event classification model; logistic regression on the combined output from a pair of bidirectional recurrent neural networks.

language analysis, Biosurveillance, document class↗

Growth and coalescence control of inclined c-axis polar and semipolar GaN multilayer structures grown on Si(111), Si(112), and Si(115) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Herein, silicon substrates in alternative orientations from the commonly used Si(111) were used to enable the growth of polar and semipolar GaN-based structures by the metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy method. Specifically, Si(112) and Si(115) substrates were used for the epitaxial growth of nitride multilayer structures, while the same layer schemes were also deposited on Si(111) for comparison purposes. Multiple approaches were studied to examine the influence of the seed layers and the growth process conditions upon the final properties of the GaN/Si(11x) templates. Scanning electron microscope images were acquired to examine the topography of the deposited samples. It was observed that the substrate orientation and the process conditions allow control to produce an isolated GaN block growth or a coalesced layer growth, resulting in inclined c-axis GaN structures under various forms. The angles of the GaN c-axis inclination were determined by x-ray diffraction measurements and compared with the results obtained from the analysis of the atomic force microscope (AFM) images. The AFM image analysis method to determine the structure tilt was found to be a viable method to estimate the c-axis inclination angles of the isolated blocks and the not-fully coalesced layers. The quality of the grown samples was characterized by the photoluminescence method conducted at a wide range of temperatures from 77 to 297 K, and was correlated with the sample degree of coalescence. Using the free-excitation peak positions plotted as a function of temperature, analytical Bose-Einstein model parameters were fitted to obtain further information about the grown structures.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Techno-Economic Analysis of a Small Scale Solar Power Tower at Varied Locations

Location selection is an important factor for the effectiveness and cost of a solar electricity generation system. Latitude and weather impact efficiency and availability, and local labor rates have a further influence on cost. To explore the impact of these effects, we performed techno-economic analysis of a small-scale solar power tower concept in six different locations in the United States, Australia, and India. The specific configuration we considered has a nominal power rating of 100 kWe and 5 hours of thermal energy storage. Further, we considered two deployment strategies: a single stand-alone 100 kWe tower, and a 20 MWe cluster of many towers. For each scenario, we used a probabilistic analysis method to evaluate levelized cost of electricity. We found that this configuration has potential for cost-competitive electricity generation and the ability to improve grid flexibility for integration of intermittent renewables. In addition, solar resource, latitude, and local labor rates all have an impact on the levelized cost of electricity of the system.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Laser Ablation-Aerosol Mass Spectrometry-Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Ambient Surface Imaging

Mass spectrometry imaging is becoming an increasingly common analytical technique due to its ability to provide spatially resolved chemical information. In this paper, we report a novel imaging approach combining laser ablation with two mass spectrometric techniques, aerosol mass spectrometry and chemical ionization mass spectrometry, separately and in parallel. Both mass spectrometric methods provide the fast response, rapid data acquisition, low detection limits, and high-resolution peak separation desirable for imaging complex samples. Additionally, the two techniques provide complementary information with aerosol mass spectrometry providing near universal detection of all aerosol molecules and chemical ionization mass spectrometry with a heated inlet providing molecular-level detail of both gases and aerosols. The two techniques operate with atmospheric pressure interfaces and require no matrix addition for ionization, allowing for samples to be investigated in their native state under ambient pressure conditions. We demonstrate the ability of laser ablation-aerosol mass spectrometry-chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LA-AMS-CIMS) to create 2D images of both standard compounds and complex mixtures. Finally, the results suggest that LA-AMS-CIMS, particularly when combined with advanced data analysis methods, could have broad applications in mass spectrometry imaging applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Six Machine-Learning Methods for Predicting Hospital-Stay Duration for Patients with Sepsis: A Comparative Study

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition that, if not treated promptly, can result in tissue damage, organ failure, and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 270,000 individuals die of sepsis in the US each year. Further, sepsis expenditures accounted for 13% of total US hospital costs in 2013, totaling more than $24 billion. Our project objectives were to determine if Machine Learning algorithms could reliably predict hospital stay duration for patients with sepsis. The data set we used has been de-identified and is freely available through the BupaR package. The data includes 1050 cases, 15214 events, and 16 types of actions related to sepsis patient care. First, we used process mining to determine how long each patient was in the hospital. Using BupaR’s functions, we created several process model graphs. These process models depict the movement of patients at a hospital and provide duration data for each patent case. Second, we identified outlier data and created two dataset versions: one with and one without outliers. We then applied the following analysis methods: Linear Regression, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbors, Neural Networks, XGBoost, and lightGBM. We compared the model validations for the six machine learning models using the same data-splitting method. We found that the XGBoost model had the best prediction accuracy of 73.9 percent for cases with outliers, and 79 percent for cases without outliers. We also found that the lightGBM model had the lowest mean absolute error between prediction and actual duration in days with 3.66 days for the case with outliers, and 2.4 days for the case without outliers. These two models outperformed the other four models. This work will be enhanced in the future by exploring new prediction algorithms and comparing them with the results of this study.

Chen, Lingtao↗

Scale effects on core design, fuel costs, and spent fuel volume of pressurized water reactors

The desire to improve the economic competitiveness and deployment pace of nuclear energy through modularization, manufacturing, and series production had led to the development of smaller size reactors. As the standard 17x17 fuel technology is mainly maintained in the pressurized water reactors (PWRs) category, this translates into a lower number of fuel assemblies in the core and sometimes a reduced fuel height. To assess the impact of such scale change in core design on fuel cycle cost and spent fuel volume, a scoping analysis tool is developed based on infinite lattice calculations, leakage, fuel management reduced models, and levelized unit cost of electricity (LCOE) estimate. As such, cost dynamics driven by fuel specific power, burnup, core leakage, feed, cycle length, fuel assembly height as well as uranium market data are captured with consistent set of assumptions and analysis methods. A selection of 5 reactor designs representative of leading PWR developers is assessed and compared. Pursuing higher specific powers and optimal burnups are highlighted as the main fuel cost reduction drivers, nevertheless, practical limitations and opportunities must be evaluated to establish the feasibility of such enhanced fuel operation. In consequence, a detailed core design is performed using SIMULATE3 code for 5 PWR variations including natural and forced coolant circulation modes, two reactor scales, power densities of 73, 112, and 123 kW/l and higher discharge burnups. Design and optimization are performed at the lattice level, for the reflector, and at the core loading level. Satisfactory steady-state operation including power distribution, coolant operating limits, and reactivity requirements are analyzed and reported in this paper. The fuel economics of the detailed core designs confirm the scoping analysis findings. Despite the unlocked power uprates in small PWRs, the achievable burnup for a given fuel specific power requires more enrichment and shorter fuel height results in higher fabrication costs per mass of fuel, which makes scaling down core size a more expensive endeavor on the fuel cycle front. Spent fuel volumes are reported for the PWRs designed in this paper. Furthermore, these volumes are driven by the core average discharge burnup regardless of the scale in consideration. Additional cost and core performance aspects related to heavy reflector gains, fuel-reflector substitution, and disposal cost policy in the U.S. are examined.

42 ENGINEERING↗

In situ investigation of the tensile deformation of laser welded Ti{sub 2}AlNb joints

The tensile deformation behavior of laser welded Ti{sub 2}AlNb joints was investigated using in situ analysis methods. The fracture mode of the single-B2-phase fusion zone was quasi-cleavage at room temperature and intergranular at 650 °C, while that of base metal was microvoid coalescence at both room temperature and 650 °C. Tensile deformation at room temperature was observed using in situ SEM tensile testing. In base metal, microcracks nucleated and propagated mainly within the O phase or along O/B2 phase boundaries. While both the cross- and multi-slips were found in the single-B2-phase fusion zone, a confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to observe the crack initiation and propagation process in situ at 650 °C. Cracks mainly formed along the B2/O phase boundaries in base metal, along the fragile grain boundaries of B2 phase in the fusion zone. The thermal simulation experiment and following TEM analysis indicated that the precipitation of continuous O-phase films along the B2 grain boundaries resulted in the high temperature brittleness of laser welded Ti{sub 2}AlNb joints. - Highlights: •Cracks formed within O phase or along B2/O boundaries in the base metal. •Cross- and multi-slips relieved stress in the fusion zone at room temperature. •Cracks mainly formed along the B2/O boundaries at 650 °C. •In the fusion zone, intergranular cracks were in situ observed at 650 °C. •O-phase films along B2 grain boundaries caused the high temperature brittleness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Next generation sequencing data of a defined microbial mock community

Generating sequence data of a defined community composed of organisms with complete reference genomes is indispensable for the benchmarking of new genome sequence analysis methods, including assembly and binning tools. Moreover the validation of new sequencing library protocols and platforms to assess critical components such as sequencing errors and biases relies on such datasets. We here report the next generation metagenomic sequence data of a defined mock community (Mock Bacteria ARchaea Community; MBARC-26), composed of 23 bacterial and 3 archaeal strains with finished genomes. These strains span 10 phyla and 14 classes, a range of GC contents, genome sizes, repeat content and encompass a diverse abundance profile. Short read Illumina and long-read PacBio SMRT sequences of this mock community are described. These data represent a valuable resource for the scientific community, enabling extensive benchmarking and comparative evaluation of bioinformatics tools without the need to simulate data. As such, these data can aid in improving our current sequence data analysis toolkit and spur interest in the development of new tools.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗