Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Laboratory Instruction”

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 181 records · Page 10

Structural Simluation Toolkit (SST) v.12.0

The Structural Simulation Toolkit (SST) was developed to explore innovations in highly concurrent computing systems where the instruction set architecture (ISA), micro-architecture, and memory interact with the programming model and communications system. The package provides a fully modular design for extensive exploration of an individual system parameter as well as a parallel simulation environment based on message passing interface (MPI) which enable a high level of performance as well as the ability to look at large systems. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Rodrigues, ArunF.↗

Puerto Rico Energy Efficiency Scenario Analysis Tool (PREESAT)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the Puerto Rico Energy Efficiency Scenario Analysis Tool (PREESAT) to allow stakeholders to estimate the long-term aggregate electricity consumption impacts of various energy efficiency measures in Puerto Rico’s residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. PREESAT is an energy accounting framework that addresses electricity use. This report provides an overview of the tool and serves as a user manual with instructions for users.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Knowledge-based imaging-sensor fusion system

An imaging system which applies knowledge-based technology to supervise and control both sensor hardware and computation in the imaging system is described. It includes the development of an imaging system breadboard which brings together into one system work that we and others have pursued for LaRC for several years. The goal is to combine Digital Signal Processing (DSP) with Knowledge-Based Processing and also include Neural Net processing. The system is considered a smart camera. Imagine that there is a microgravity experiment on-board Space Station Freedom with a high frame rate, high resolution camera. All the data cannot possibly be acquired from a laboratory on Earth. In fact, only a small fraction of the data will be received. Again, imagine being responsible for some experiments on Mars with the Mars Rover: the data rate is a few kilobits per second for data from several sensors and instruments. Would it not be preferable to have a smart system which would have some human knowledge and yet follow some instructions and attempt to make the best use of the limited bandwidth for transmission. The system concept, current status of the breadboard system and some recent experiments at the Mars-like Amboy Lava Fields in California are discussed.

Westrom, George↗

Revisiting matrix-based inversion of scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) data

Abstract. Tikhonov regularization is a tool for reducing noise amplification during data inversion. This work introduces RegularizationTools.jl, a general-purpose software package for applying Tikhonov regularization to data. The package implements well-established numerical algorithms and is suitable for systems of up to ∼ 1000 equations. Included is an abstraction to systematically categorize specific inversion configurations and their associated hyperparameters. A generic interface translates arbitrary linear forward models defined by a computer function into the corresponding design matrix. This obviates the need to explicitly write out and discretize the Fredholm integral equation, thus facilitating fast prototyping of new regularization schemes associated with measurement techniques. Example applications include the inversion involving data from scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPSs) and humidified tandem differential mobility analyzers (HTDMAs). Inversion of SMPS size distributions reported in this work builds upon the freely available software DifferentialMobilityAnalyzers.jl. The speed of inversion is improved by a factor of ∼ 200, now requiring between 2 and 5 ms per SMPS scan when using 120 size bins. Previously reported occasional failure to converge to a valid solution is reduced by switching from the L-curve method to generalized cross-validation as the metric to search for the optimal regularization parameter. Higher-order inversions resulting in smooth, denoised reconstructions of size distributions are now included in DifferentialMobilityAnalyzers.jl. This work also demonstrates that an SMPS-style matrix-based inversion can be applied to find the growth factor frequency distribution from raw HTDMA data while also accounting for multiply charged particles. The outcome of the aerosol-related inversion methods is showcased by inverting multi-week SMPS and HTDMA datasets from ground-based observations, including SMPS data obtained at Bodega Marine Laboratory during the CalWater 2/ACAPEX campaign and co-located SMPS and HTDMA data collected at the US Department of Energy observatory located at the Southern Great Plains site in Oklahoma, USA. Results show that the proposed approaches are suitable for unsupervised, nonparametric inversion of large-scale datasets as well as inversion in real time during data acquisition on low-cost reduced-instruction-set architectures used in single-board computers. The included software implementation of Tikhonov regularization is freely available, general, and domain-independent and thus can be applied to many other inverse problems arising in atmospheric measurement techniques and beyond.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Teacher Enhancement Institute

During the 1980's, a period of intense concern over educational quality in the United States, few indicators of U.S. student achievement garnered the interest of policy makers and pundits as successfully as the results of international testing in mathematics and science. This concern was so great that as a part of the Goals 2000 initiative, President George Bush indicated that 'By the year 2000, U.S. students should be first in the world in mathematics and science.' The Clinton Administration is placing a major emphasis, not only on rigorous academic standards and creating a new system for assessing students' progress, but also including professional development as a major focus. The argument being that teachers need more sustained, intensive training to prepare them to teach to higher standards. Executive order 12821 mandates that national laboratories 'assist in the mathematics and science education of our Nation's students, teachers, parents and the public by establishing programs at their agency to provide for training elementary and secondary school teachers to improve their knowledge of mathematics and science'. These and other issues led to the development of ideas for a project that addresses the need for excellence in mathematics, science and technology instruction. In response to these initiatives the NASA/LaRC Teacher Enhancement Institute was proposed. The TEI incorporated systemic reform perspectives, enhanced content knowledge for teachers, and teacher preparation. Emphasis was also placed on recruiting those educators who teach in impoverished urban school districts with at-risk student populations who have been traditionally under represented in science, mathematics, technology and engineering. Participants in the Teacher Enhancement Institute were 37 teachers from grades K-8, teaching in Region 2 in the state of Virginia, as well as 2 preservice teachers from Norfolk State University and one teacher from Dublin, Virginia, where a Science/Mathematics model school has been established. Teachers selected for this project represented school systems where income levels are extremely low, and students served tend not to receive innovative instruction in mathematics and science and their use of technology is limited. The Teacher Enhancement Institute contained several features, that when combined, allowed for a unique experience. Some of these features included local teachers, administrators and school board members as presenters, instruction and use of technology every day, tours of select features of the research facility, briefings by NASA/LaRC scientists, engineers and researchers as well as individuals from the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). Another unique feature of this program is to have participants convene on three separate occasions throughout the academic year to discuss strategies for information dissemination and implementation results. Teachers' attitudes towards the use of technology, their ability to develop lessons using technology and their ability to develop lessons using information obtained through TEI were assessed using instruments developed by TEI summer faculty members. Data from these instruments were analyzed and reported in a final report submitted to the director of the Office of Education.

Marshall-Bradley, Tina↗

Light as a Reactive Countermeasure to Sleep Inertia: Translating Laboratory Findings to the Field

Sleep inertia describes the brief period of impaired alertness, mood, and cognitive performance experienced after waking. Under laboratory settings, light exposure upon waking during a habitual sleep period has been shown to improve sleep inertia symptoms. We investigated whether a field-deployable light-emitting device would help to mitigate sleep inertia in a real-world setting. Thirty-six participants (18 female; 26.6 years ± 6.1) completed an at-home, within-subject, randomized crossover study. Participants followed their habitual sleep-wake schedule for five nights before an adaptation and experimental night. Forty-five minutes after bedtime on the experimental night, participants received a phone call and were instructed to wear light-emitting glasses with the light either on (light condition) or off (control). A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), visual analog scales of mood (VASmood), and a 3-minute descending subtraction task (DST) were performed starting at +2, +12, +22, and +32 minutes after the call. Participants then went back to sleep and were called 45 minutes after lights out for the opposite condition. A series of mixed-effects models were performed with fixed effects of test bout, condition, test bout × condition, and a random effect of participant. Covariates included pre-sleep baseline scores, randomization order, sex, and sleep history. Participants rated themselves as more alert and energetic in the light condition compared to the control condition (VASalert-sleepy p = .01; VASlethargic-energetic p = .001). There was no effect of condition for DST outcomes, but there was a significant improvement in DST total responses in the light condition in a subset of participants waking from N3 (p = .03). There was a significant effect of condition for PVT outcomes, with faster responses (p < .001) and fewer lapses (p < .001) in the control condition. Our results under naturalistic at-home settings suggest that, similar to the in-laboratory study findings, the light intervention improved subjective alertness and mood, while working memory improved after waking from N3. Future studies of light interventions should include measures of visual acuity and comfort to assess the full feasibility and efficacy of interventions in real-world environments.

sleep inertia↗

Light as a Reactive Countermeasure to Sleep Inertia: Translating Laboratory Findings to the Field

Sleep inertia describes the brief period of impaired alertness, mood, and cognitive performance experienced after waking. Under laboratory settings, light exposure upon waking during a habitual sleep period has been shown to improve sleep inertia symptoms. We investigated whether a field-deployable light-emitting device would help to mitigate sleep inertia in a real-world setting.\ Thirty-six participants (18 female; 26.6 years ± 6.1) completed an at-home, within-subject, randomized crossover study. Participants followed their habitual sleep-wake schedule for five nights before an adaptation and experimental night. Forty-five minutes after bedtime on the experimental night, participants received a phone call and were instructed to wear light-emitting glasses with the light either on (light condition) or off (control). A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), visual analog scales of mood (VASmood), and a 3-minute descending subtraction task (DST) were performed starting at +2, +12, +22, and +32 minutes after the call. Participants then went back to sleep and were called 45 minutes after lights out for the opposite condition. A series of mixed-effects models were performed with fixed effects of test bout, condition, test bout × condition, and a random effect of participant. Covariates included pre-sleep baseline scores, randomization order, sex, and sleep history. Participants rated themselves as more alert and energetic in the light condition compared to the control condition (VASalert-sleepy p = .01; VASlethargic-energetic p = .001). There was no effect of condition for DST outcomes, but there was a significant improvement in DST total responses in the light condition in a subset of participants waking from N3 (p = .03). There was a significant effect of condition for PVT outcomes, with faster responses (p < .001) and fewer lapses (p < .001) in the control condition. Our results under naturalistic at-home settings suggest that, similar to the in-laboratory study findings, the light intervention improved subjective alertness and mood, while working memory improved after waking from N3. Future studies of light interventions should include measures of visual acuity and comfort to assess the full feasibility and efficacy of interventions in real-world environments.

sleep inertia↗

Light as a Reactive Countermeasure to Sleep Inertia: Translating Laboratory Findings to the Field

Sleep inertia describes the brief period of impaired alertness, mood, and cognitive performance experienced after waking. Under laboratory settings, light exposure upon waking during a habitual sleep period has been shown to improve sleep inertia symptoms. We investigated whether a field-deployable light-emitting device would help to mitigate sleep inertia in a real-world setting. Thirty-six participants (18 female; 26.6 years ± 6.1) completed an at-home, within-subject, randomized crossover study. Participants followed their habitual sleep-wake schedule for five nights before an adaptation and experimental night. Forty-five minutes after bedtime on the experimental night, participants received a phone call and were instructed to wear light-emitting glasses with the light either on (light condition) or off (control). A 5-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), visual analog scales of mood (VASmood), and a 3-minute descending subtraction task (DST) were performed starting at +2, +12, +22, and +32 minutes after the call. Participants then went back to sleep and were called 45 minutes after lights out for the opposite condition. A series of mixed-effects models were performed with fixed effects of test bout, condition, test bout × condition, and a random effect of participant. Covariates included pre-sleep baseline scores, randomization order, sex, and sleep history. Participants rated themselves as more alert and energetic in the light condition compared to the control condition (VASalert-sleepy p = .01; VASlethargic-energetic p = .001). There was no effect of condition for DST outcomes, but there was a significant improvement in DST total responses in the light condition in a subset of participants waking from N3 (p = .03). There was a significant effect of condition for PVT outcomes, with faster responses (p < .001) and fewer lapses (p < .001) in the control condition. Our results under naturalistic at-home settings suggest that, similar to the in-laboratory study findings, the light intervention improved subjective alertness and mood, while working memory improved after waking from N3. Future studies of light interventions should include measures of visual acuity and comfort to assess the full feasibility and efficacy of interventions in real-world environments.

sleep inertia↗

The Use of Modeling for Flight Software Engineering on SMAP

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission proposes to deploy an Earth-orbiting satellite with the goal of obtaining global maps of soil moisture content at regular intervals. Launch is currently planned in 2014. The spacecraft bus would be built at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), incorporating both new avionics as well as hardware and software heritage from other JPL projects. [4] provides a comprehensive overview of the proposed mission

Software architecture↗

Evaluation of LLM-Generated Kokkos Code Using Compile-Time and Run-Time Testing

Due to the growing use of large language models (LLMs) by developers and researchers, it has become essential to reliably evaluate their ability to generate code that uses specialized libraries. We explore the use of compile-time and run-time evaluation of LLM-generated Kokkos code through extending the methods used by OpenAI with the HumanEval dataset. Our evaluation framework is based on the first 40 prompts from the Kokkos138 dataset. We start by discussing two different forms of LLM prompting, using entirely plain English or providing pseudocode for added context. These two methods are used to generate Kokkos code with the Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct and CodeQwen1.5-7B-Chat models. We found that both forms of prompting led to high failure rates and difficulties with reliably parsing LLM-generated code, while prompts with pseudocode for context generally led to improved results on more complicated tests.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Savannah River National Laboratory Participation in the International Atomic Energy Agency CPC Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise 2

International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards Analytical Services (IAEA-SGAS) oversees coordinating the second Controlled Potential Coulometry Quality Control Interlaboratory Comparison (CPC QC ILC) on behalf of the Nuclear Material Laboratory (NML). The purpose of the exercise is to: (1) verify the ability of participating laboratories to measure the Pu concentration in the sample solutions, and (2) estimate the method performance (repeatability and intermediate reproducibility). Sample shipping coordination was performed by IAEA-SGAS. The test sample is a plutonium nitrate solution (estimated molarity of 3-5 M), delivered in two PTFE screw-capped quartz ampoules. Each participating laboratory is to receive two ampoules. Each ampoule holds approximately 8 mL of solution containing approximately 10 mg Pu/g. The gross weights of the ampoules were provided. The test sample is assumed to have an iron content below the level of significance for the CPC. The isotopic composition of the plutonium test sample was provided; however, no analysis date was provided. In addition, IAEA-SGAS provided analytical instructions to participants. On September 20, 2022, SRNL received the samples sent by IAEA-SGAS.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Data collection procedures for the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) database

This document is a guidebook to collecting software engineering data on software development and maintenance efforts, as practiced in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL). It supersedes the document entitled Data Collection Procedures for the Rehosted SEL Database, number SEL-87-008 in the SEL series, which was published in October 1987. It presents procedures to be followed on software development and maintenance projects in the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for collecting data in support of SEL software engineering research activities. These procedures include detailed instructions for the completion and submission of SEL data collection forms.

Heller, Gerard↗

FedFleet 2023: FAST - What's New, What's Coming, What's Next?

This presentation presents an overview and demonstration of new capabilities being incorporated into the Federal Automotive Statistical Tool (FAST) to gather information from Federal agencies about electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) they are planning to deploy in support of EO 14057 and its implementing instructions. It also includes an overview other related changes being made to FAST over FY 2023 and following years. FAST is a web-based information system sponsored by GSA's Office of Government-wide Policy and DOE's Federal Energy Management Program to collect information about the US federal government's fleet of motor vehicles; FAST is developed, maintained, and supported by DOE's Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

1989 Seattle Household Travel Survey Wave 1

The Puget Sound Transportation Panel was initiated in the fall of 1989. The Seattle Household Travel Survey Wave 1, conducted in 1989, was the first wave in a ten-part longitudinal panel survey initiated by the Puget Sound Regional Council to assess the travel patterns of households in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. The panel intended to serve three basic objectives: 1) to be a metropolitan “current population survey” to track changes in employment, work characteristics, household composition, and vehicle availability; 2) to monitor changes in travel behavior and responses to changes in the transportation environment; and 3) to examine changes in attitudes and values as they affect mode choice and travel behavior. This collection contains the first set of panel data for households in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. A total of 1,687 households successfully completed a phone survey and returned completed travel diaries for household members age 15 and older. Respondents were instructed to record their mode of transportation, trip purpose, number of vehicle passengers, departure and arrival times, ride fare, and parking costs in a two-day trip diary. Demographic information for this study includes age, gender, education, employment status, and household income.

1Hz data↗

FPGA Sequencer for Radar Altimeter Applications

A sequencer for a radar altimeter provides accurate attitude information for a reliable soft landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). This is a field-programmable- gate-array (FPGA)-only implementation. A table loaded externally into the FPGA controls timing, processing, and decision structures. Radar is memory-less and does not use previous acquisitions to assist in the current acquisition. All cycles complete in exactly 50 milliseconds, regardless of range or whether a target was found. A RAM (random access memory) within the FPGA holds instructions for up to 15 sets. For each set, timing is run, echoes are processed, and a comparison is made. If a target is seen, more detailed processing is run on that set. If no target is seen, the next set is tried. When all sets have been run, the FPGA terminates and waits for the next 50-millisecond event. This setup simplifies testing and improves reliability. A single vertex chip does the work of an entire assembly. Output products require minor processing to become range and velocity. This technology is the heart of the Terminal Descent Sensor, which is an integral part of the Entry Decent and Landing system for MSL. In addition, it is a strong candidate for manned landings on Mars or the Moon.

Berkun, Andrew C.↗

Contributions to Educational Structures that Promote Undergraduate Research

The opportunities for community college and traditionally underrepresented minority students to participate in research experiences are typically rare. Further, what research experiences that are available often underutilizes the students' potential and do not have follow-up programs. The Physics Outreach Program (POP) working in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is designed to reach out to this segment of the student population and encourage them to consider careers in physics and astronomy. The program is special in that it creates a "vertical" consortium or pipeline of schools whereby students graduating from one participating institution will then transfer to another. This helps to insure that participating students will experience continuity and, with the assistance of JPL equipment and staff, a quality of instruction that they would otherwise not be able to afford. Key words. educational outreach, undergraduate research, community college research, underrepresented minority student research

Sepikas, John↗

User Manual for BLADE main.py

This manual provides step-by-step instructions for installing, configuring, and using BLADE, an automated framework for analyzing and classifying bolide light curves from NASA CNEOS datasets. BLADE enables efficient, reproducible analysis of atmospheric entry phenomena, supporting planetary defense and atmospheric science research through standardized signal processing and event classification.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

TWF Waste Container Intra-Facility Transfer and Outgoing Shipment

This procedure provides instructions for the inspection and transfer of Transuranic (TRU) Waste containers within the Transuranic Waste Facility (TWF) (Waste Storage Buildings [WSBs], Characterization Waste Storage Building [CWSB]) and Characterization Trailers. This also includes the preparation to transfer to other LANL facilities. Performance of this procedure meets the requirements of SR 4.2.1.1, 4.2.1.2, 4.2.1.4, 4.2.1.5, 4.3.4.1, SAC 5.9.1, SAC 5.9.3 and AC 5.8.13 2nd bullet, as well as requirements set forth in the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗