Results for “Rapid Process Design” — Page 100

NASA NTRS2017

Automation of POST Cases via External Optimizer and "Artificial p2" Calculation

During early conceptual design of complex systems, speed and accuracy are often at odds with one another. While many characteristics of the design are fluctuating rapidly during this phase there is nonetheless a need to acquire accurate data from which to down-select designs as these decisions will have a large impact upon program life-cycle cost. Therefore enabling the conceptual designer to produce accurate data in a timely manner is tantamount to program viability. For conceptual design of launch vehicles, trajectory analysis and optimization is a large hurdle. Tools such as the industry standard Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST) have traditionally required an expert in the loop for setting up inputs, running the program, and analyzing the output. The solution space for trajectory analysis is in general non-linear and multi-modal requiring an experienced analyst to weed out sub-optimal designs in pursuit of the global optimum. While an experienced analyst presented with a vehicle similar to one which they have already worked on can likely produce optimal performance figures in a timely manner, as soon as the "experienced" or "similar" adjectives are invalid the process can become lengthy. In addition, an experienced analyst working on a similar vehicle may go into the analysis with preconceived ideas about what the vehicle's trajectory should look like which can result in sub-optimal performance being recorded. Thus, in any case but the ideal either time or accuracy can be sacrificed. In the authors' previous work a tool called multiPOST was created which captures the heuristics of a human analyst over the process of executing trajectory analysis with POST. However without the instincts of a human in the loop, this method relied upon Monte Carlo simulation to find successful trajectories. Overall the method has mixed results, and in the context of optimizing multiple vehicles it is inefficient in comparison to the method presented POST's internal optimizer functions like any other gradient-based optimizer. It has a specified variable to optimize whose value is represented as optval, a set of dependent constraints to meet with associated forms and tolerances whose value is represented as p2, and a set of independent variables known as the u-vector to modify in pursuit of optimality. Each of these quantities are calculated or manipulated at a certain phase within the trajectory. The optimizer is further constrained by the requirement that the input u-vector must result in a trajectory which proceeds through each of the prescribed events in the input file. For example, if the input u-vector causes the vehicle to crash before it can achieve the orbital parameters required for a parking orbit, then the run will fail without engaging the optimizer, and a p2 value of exactly zero is returned. This poses a problem, as this "non-connecting" region of the u-vector space is far larger than the "connecting" region which returns a non-zero value of p2 and can be worked on by the internal optimizer. Finding this connecting region and more specifically the global optimum within this region has traditionally required the use of an expert analyst.

Dees, Patrick D.↗

DOE OSTI2020

A critical literature review of the advances in methane dehydroaromatization over multifunctional metal-promoted zeolite catalysts

We report the drastic rise in shale gas production has encouraged the quest for alternative uses of methane as a chemical feedstock in the manufacturing industry. While two-step syngas routes for methane valorization are deployed commercially, direct one-step routes for methane conversion are attracting much attention. As steam cracking installations have shifted from using oil-based naphtha to shale-based natural gas liquids, production of aromatics has dropped. Methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) is a one-step reaction capable of valorizing methane to hydrogen and benzene. Challenges with the MDA reaction are two-fold: the reaction is thermodynamically limited with low one-pass methane conversion and even the best catalytic systems, Mo/zeolites, suffer rapid deactivation from coking. A catalyst design strategy to improve stability is the use of multifunctional Mo-X/zeolite systems where X is a dopant capable of modulating the stability. In this paper we provide a complete overview of the main Mo-X/zeolite systems used in MDA and critically draw connections among the different types of dopants (X) employed, as a function of the role they play in the reaction/deactivation pathway. We have also dedicated a section to emerging trends with non-Mo based catalysts. The goal of this review article is to establish a basis that will facilitate the identification of useful multifunctional catalytic systems, and recognize gaps in the knowledge of these systems that deserve more attention. Improving MDA systems to the point to which they can be commercially deployed requires a multifaceted approach that combines optimization of the designs of both the catalyst and the reactor configuration. We therefore also provide a brief overview of the most recent advances in process intensification strategies employed with different reactor configurations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2013

Surface-Directed Fabrication of Integrated Membrane-Electrode Interfaces

In the past five years, we have established a research program to investigate the integration of electrode/catalyst support, gas diffusion pathways, and ionomer into a single network based on a bottom-up, surface-directed approach. Here, the porous electrode surface provides the common foundation for both catalyst deposition and ionomer growth to develop a highly controlled process. Our efforts have focused on (1) the preparation of surface-initiated ionomer that can be grown from electrodes of essentially any geometry and is chemisorbed to the active electrode surface, and (2) the integration of this ionomer with both planar and 3-D electrodes that are atomically modified by Pt catalysts. Figure 1 shows a schematic of a single pore of such an integrated cathode where a catalytic Pt atomic layer is supported along the pores of a nanoporous gold electrode. The catalyst layer is electronically accessible from the metal cathode and in contact with proton-conducting ionomer to yield extremely high utilization efficiencies of the catalyst (approaching 100%) with the ultralow loadings expected from atomic overlayers. We have introduced a new class of ionomer film that is grown from the catalyst/electrode interface to develop proton conducting pathways throughout the 3-D electrode and to the adsorbed catalyst particles. This ionomer is a comb polymer designed to contain sulfonate-lined channels for rapid proton conduction as well as hydrophobic domains (fluorocarbon or hydrocarbon) to promote O 2 solubility and transfer. This interfacial ionomer is designed to interface with a bulk membrane (such as Nafion) and an anode that could be engineered in a similar way. A key conclusion thus far is that ionomer and Pt catalyst can be integrated at a single interface (both 2-D and 3-D) to provide a high level of control over the construction of electrodes. To expand our efforts to date, we seek to utilize the materials chemistry we have developed to investigate how the depth-dependent structure of an ionomer film affects its performance in transferring protons and oxygen to accelerate the rate of the oxygen reduction reaction. By correlating structure and composition to performance and identifying barriers that limit efficiency, we seek to design ultra high performance ionomer films that are customized for the oxygen reduction reaction.

08 HYDROGEN↗

NASA NTRS2005

Collaborative Mission Design at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has developed and tested two facilities dedicated to increasing efficiency in key mission design processes, including payload design, mission planning, and implementation plan development, among others. The Integrated Design Center (IDC) is a state-of-the-art concurrent design facility which allows scientists and spaceflight engineers to produce project designs and mission plans in a real-time collaborative environment, using industry-standard physics-based development tools and the latest communication technology. The Mission Simulation Lab (MiSL), a virtual reality (VR) facility focused on payload and project design, permits engineers to quickly translate their design and modeling output into enhanced three-dimensional models and then examine them in a realistic full-scale virtual environment. The authors were responsible for envisioning both facilities and turning those visions into fully operational mission design resources at LaRC with multiple advanced capabilities and applications. In addition, the authors have created a synergistic interface between these two facilities. This combined functionality is the Interactive Design and Simulation Center (IDSC), a meta-facility which offers project teams a powerful array of highly advanced tools, permitting them to rapidly produce project designs while maintaining the integrity of the input from every discipline expert on the project. The concept-to-flight mission support provided by IDSC has shown improved inter- and intra-team communication and a reduction in the resources required for proposal development, requirements definition, and design effort.

Gough, Kerry M.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Understanding the International Space Station Crew Perspective following Long-Duration Missions through Data Analytics & Visualization of Crew Feedback

The International Space Station (ISS) first became a home and research laboratory for NASA and International Partner crewmembers over 16 years ago. Each ISS mission lasts approximately 6 months and consists of three to six crewmembers. After returning to Earth, most crewmembers participate in an extensive series of 30+ debriefs intended to further understand life onboard ISS and allow crews to reflect on their experiences. Examples of debrief data collected include ISS crew feedback about sleep, dining, payload science, scheduling and time planning, health & safety, and maintenance. The Flight Crew Integration (FCI) Operational Habitability (OpsHab) team, based at Johnson Space Center (JSC), is a small group of Human Factors engineers and one stenographer that has worked collaboratively with the NASA Astronaut office and ISS Program to collect, maintain, disseminate and analyze this data. The database provides an exceptional and unique resource for understanding the "crew perspective" on long duration space missions. Data is formatted and categorized to allow for ease of search, reporting, and ultimately trending, in order to understand lessons learned, recurring issues and efficiencies gained over time. Recently, the FCI OpsHab team began collaborating with the NASA JSC Knowledge Management team to provide analytical analysis and visualization of these over 75,000 crew comments in order to better ascertain the crew's perspective on long duration spaceflight and gain insight on changes over time. In this initial phase of study, a text mining framework was used to cluster similar comments and develop measures of similarity useful for identifying relevant topics affecting crew health or performance, locating similar comments when a particular issue or item of operational interest is identified, and providing search capabilities to identify information pertinent to future spaceflight systems and processes for things like procedure development and training. In addition, the comments were scored for sentiment using a polarity scoring algorithm to identify both positive and negative comments for particular groups and clusters, allowing the team to make analytically informed decisions regarding future hardware and operating procedures. The use of polarity scoring with time series analysis was used to provide insight into how crew health and habitability is changing throughout various spaceflight increments or the station lifecycle as a whole. Finally, a visualization framework was developed to address the needs of the end users to search for and analyze comments by user, category or mission. This paper will discuss how the use of an analytical framework in conjunction with the current human interface, improved the understanding of crew perspective and shortened the time for analysis allowing for more informed decisions and rapid development of improvements. These methods are significantly optimizing the way that this valuable data can be assessed and applied to current and future spaceflight design and development. This collaboration allows the FCI OpsHab team to effectively analyze and share data in a more automated and timely fashion. Trends are no longer derived manually and can be illustrated effectively and accurately with these evolving techniques to an ever growing group of human spaceflight end users.

Bryant, Cody↗

DOE OSTI2015

A new hybrid genetic algorithm for optimizing the single and multivariate objective functions

In this work a new hybrid genetic algorithm was developed which combines a rudimentary adaptive steepest ascent hill climbing algorithm with a sophisticated evolutionary algorithm in order to optimize complex multivariate design problems. By combining a highly stochastic algorithm (evolutionary) with a simple deterministic optimization algorithm (adaptive steepest ascent) computational resources are conserved and the solution converges rapidly when compared to either algorithm alone. In genetic algorithms natural selection is mimicked by random events such as breeding and mutation. In the adaptive steepest ascent algorithm each variable is perturbed by a small amount and the variable that caused the most improvement is incremented by a small step. If the direction of most benefit is exactly opposite of the previous direction with the most benefit then the step size is reduced by a factor of 2, thus the step size adapts to the terrain. A graphical user interface was created in MATLAB to provide an interface between the hybrid genetic algorithm and the user. Additional features such as bounding the solution space and weighting the objective functions individually are also built into the interface. The algorithm developed was tested to optimize the functions developed for a wood pelleting process. Using process variables (such as feedstock moisture content, die speed, and preheating temperature) pellet properties were appropriately optimized. Specifically, variables were found which maximized unit density, bulk density, tapped density, and durability while minimizing pellet moisture content and specific energy consumption. The time and computational resources required for the optimization were dramatically decreased using the hybrid genetic algorithm when compared to MATLAB's native evolutionary optimization tool.

feedstock↗

DOE OSTI2023

Anticipating gelation and vitrification with medium amplitude parallel superposition (MAPS) rheology and artificial neural networks

Abstract Anticipating qualitative changes in the rheological response of complex fluids (e.g., a gelation or vitrification transition) is an important capability for processing operations that utilize such materials in real-world environments. One class of complex fluids that exhibits distinct rheological states are soft glassy materials such as colloidal gels and clay dispersions, which can be well characterized by the soft glassy rheology (SGR) model. We first solve the model equations for the time-dependent, weakly nonlinear response of the SGR model. With this analytical solution, we show that the weak nonlinearities measured via medium amplitude parallel superposition (MAPS) rheology can be used to anticipate the rheological aging transitions in the linear response of soft glassy materials. This is a rheological version of a technique called structural health monitoring used widely in civil and aerospace engineering. We design and train artificial neural networks (ANNs) that are capable of quickly inferring the parameters of the SGR model from the results of sequential MAPS experiments. The combination of these data-rich experiments and machine learning tools to provide a surrogate for computationally expensive viscoelastic constitutive equations allows for rapid experimental characterization of the rheological state of soft glassy materials. We apply this technique to an aging dispersion of Laponite ® clay particles approaching the gel point and demonstrate that a trained ANN can provide real-time detection of transitions in the nonlinear response well in advance of incipient changes in the linear viscoelastic response of the system.

Lennon, Kyle R. (ORCID:0000000212515461)↗

DOE OSTI2026

Microwave-Assisted Plastic Upcycling: Dynamic Data Reconciliation, Parameter Estimation, and Kinetic Modeling

Microwave (MW)-assisted catalytic pyrolysis offers a promising pathway for efficient plastic upcycling. This work develops an integrated modeling framework combining dynamic data reconciliation, a temperature-dependent rate model, and a yield model to represent the time-varying production rate of components in MW-assisted LDPE pyrolysis conducted in a batch reactor. An Arrhenius-type rate model with a temperature-dependent reaction order is developed. A biexponential correlation is proposed for the yield of gaseous products that enables to capture the evolving product formation behavior during conversion. In the yield correlation, one term is used to represent the initial increase in yield, reflecting the rapid formation of intermediate or primary products at the early stages of the reaction when a larger fraction of the reactant remains available. As conversion progresses, the influence of this term gradually diminishes. The other term accounts for the subsequent decrease in the predicted yield, representing secondary reactions such as further cracking or coke formation that reduce the concentration of certain products at higher conversion. The model is found to accurately represent reconciled experimental flow rate profiles from an in-house MW-assisted catalytic batch reactor for major products, including ethylene, ethane, 1-butene, and benzene, across 250−350 °C. Ethylene remains the dominant product but decreases from about 41.95% at 250 °C to 30.14% at 350 °C, while heavier products increase significantly, with 1-butene rising to nearly 8.37% and benzene reaching 2.17% at intermediate temperatures. The model shows that the ethylene production rate can be maximized at around 270 °C. The models developed in this work can be utilized for process optimization, reactor design and scale-up of microwave-assisted plastic conversion technologies, and economic analysis.

Damahe, Harish [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, W↗

NASA NTRS2019

Simplifying NASA Earth Science Data and Information Access Through Natural Language Processing Based Data Analysis and Visualization

NASA Earth science data collected from satellites, model assimilation, airborne missions, and field campaigns, are large, complex and evolving. Such characteristics pose great challenges for end users (e.g., Earth science and applied science users, students, citizen scientists), particularly for those who are unfamiliar with NASA's EOSDIS and thus unable to access and utilize datasets effectively. For example, a novice user may simply ask: what is the total rainfall for a flooding event in my county yesterday? For an experienced user (e.g., algorithm developer), a question can be: how did my rainfall product perform, compared to ground observations, during a flooding event? Nonetheless, with rapid information technology development such as natural language processing, it is possible to develop simplified Web interfaces and back-end processing components to handle such questions and deliver answers in terms of text, data, or graphic results directly to users.In this presentation, we describe the main challenges for end users with different levels of expertise in accessing and utilizing NASA Earth science data. Surveys reveal that most non-professional users normally do not want to download and handle raw data as well as conduct heavy-duty data processing tasks. Often they just want some simple graphics or data for various purposes. To them, simple and intuitive user interfaces are sufficient because complicated ones can be difficult and time-consuming to learn. Professionals also want such interfaces to answer many questions from datasets. One solution is to develop a natural language based search box like Google and the search results can be text, data, graphics and more. Now the challenge is, with natural language processing, can we design a system to process a scientific question typed in by a user? In this presentation, we describe our plan for such a prototype. The workflow is: 1) extract needed information (e.g., variables, spatial and temporal information, processing methods, etc.) from the input, 2) process the data in the backend, and 3) deliver the results (data or graphics) to the user.

Liu, Zhong↗

NASA NTRS1992

A proposed research program in information processing

The goal of the Formalized Software Development (FSD) project was to demonstrate improvements productivity of software development and maintenance through the use of a new software lifecycle paradigm. The paradigm calls for the mechanical, but human-guided, derivation of software implementations from formal specifications of the desired software behavior. It relies on altering a system's specification and rederiving its implementation as the standard technology for software maintenance. A system definition for this paradigm is composed of a behavioral specification together with a body of annotations that control the derivation of executable code from the specification. Annotations generally achieve the selection of certain data representations and/or algorithms that are consistent with, but not mandated by, the behavioral specification. In doing this, they may yield systems which exhibit only certain behaviors among multiple alternatives permitted by the behavioral specification. The FSD project proposed to construct a testbed in which to explore the realization of this new paradigm. The testbed was to provide operational support environment for software design, implementation, and maintenance. The testbed was proposed to provide highly automated support for individual programmers ('programming in the small'), but not to address the additional needs of programming teams ('programming in the large'). The testbed proposed to focus on supporting rapid construction and evolution of useful prototypes of software systems, as opposed to focusing on the problems of achieving production quality performance of systems.

Schorr, Herbert↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-H-206-00: Advances in Preclinical Imaging

Lihong V. Wang: Photoacoustic tomography (PAT), combining non-ionizing optical and ultrasonic waves via the photoacoustic effect, provides in vivo multiscale functional, metabolic, and molecular imaging. Broad applications include imaging of the breast, brain, skin, esophagus, colon, vascular system, and lymphatic system in humans or animals. Light offers rich contrast but does not penetrate biological tissue in straight paths as x-rays do. Consequently, high-resolution pure optical imaging (e.g., confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, and optical coherence tomography) is limited to penetration within the optical diffusion limit (∼1 mm in the skin). Ultrasonic imaging, on the contrary, provides fine spatial resolution but suffers from both poor contrast in early-stage tumors and strong speckle artifacts. In PAT, pulsed laser light penetrates tissue and generates a small but rapid temperature rise, which induces emission of ultrasonic waves due to thermoelastic expansion. The ultrasonic waves, orders of magnitude less scattering than optical waves, are then detected to form high-resolution images of optical absorption at depths up to 7 cm, conquering the optical diffusion limit. PAT is the only modality capable of imaging across the length scales of organelles, cells, tissues, and organs (up to whole-body small animals) with consistent contrast. This rapidly growing technology promises to enable multiscale biological research and accelerate translation from microscopic laboratory discoveries to macroscopic clinical practice. PAT may also hold the key to label-free early detection of cancer by in vivo quantification of hypermetabolism, the quintessential hallmark of malignancy. Learning Objectives: To understand the contrast mechanism of PAT To understand the multiscale applications of PAT Benjamin M. W. Tsui: Multi-modality molecular imaging instrumentation and techniques have been major developments in small animal imaging that has contributed significantly to biomedical research during the past decade. The initial development was an extension of clinical PET/CT and SPECT/CT from human to small animals and combine the unique functional information obtained from PET and SPECT with anatomical information provided by the CT in registered multi-modality images. The requirements to image a mouse whose size is an order of magnitude smaller than that of a human have spurred advances in new radiation detector technologies, novel imaging system designs and special image reconstruction and processing techniques. Examples are new detector materials and designs with high intrinsic resolution, multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator design for much improved resolution and detection efficiency compared to the conventional collimator designs in SPECT, 3D high-resolution and artifact-free MPH and sparse-view image reconstruction techniques, and iterative image reconstruction methods with system response modeling for resolution recovery and image noise reduction for much improved image quality. The spatial resolution of PET and SPECT has improved from ∼6–12 mm to ∼1 mm a few years ago to sub-millimeter today. A recent commercial small animal SPECT system has achieved a resolution of ∼0.25 mm which surpasses that of a state-of-art PET system whose resolution is limited by the positron range. More recently, multimodality SA PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI systems have been developed in research laboratories. Also, multi-modality SA imaging systems that include other imaging modalities such as optical and ultrasound are being actively pursued. In this presentation, we will provide a review of the development, recent advances and future outlook of multi-modality molecular imaging of small animals. Learning Objectives: To learn about the two major multi-modality molecular imaging techniques of small animals. To learn about the spatial resolution achievable by the molecular imaging systems for small animal today. To learn about the new multi-modality imaging instrumentation and techniques that are being developed. Sang Hyun Cho; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, such as x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), offers unique capabilities for accurate identification and quantification of metals within the imaging objects. As a result, it has emerged as a promising quantitative imaging modality in recent years, especially in conjunction with metal-based imaging probes. This talk will familiarize the audience with the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging. It will also cover the latest development of benchtop XFCT technology. Additionally, the use of metallic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, in conjunction with benchtop XFCT, will be discussed within the context of preclinical multimodal multiplexed molecular imaging. Learning Objectives: To learn the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging To learn the latest advances in benchtop XFCT development for preclinical imaging Funding support received from NIH and DOD; Funding support received from GE Healthcare; Funding support received from Siemens AX; Patent royalties received from GE Healthcare; L. Wang, Funding Support: NIH; COI: Microphotoacoustics; S. Cho, Yes: ;NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446 DOD/PCRP grant W81XWH-12-1-0198.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-H-206-01: Photoacoustic Tomography: Multiscale Imaging From Organelles to Patients by Ultrasonically Beating the Optical Diffusion Limit

Lihong V. Wang: Photoacoustic tomography (PAT), combining non-ionizing optical and ultrasonic waves via the photoacoustic effect, provides in vivo multiscale functional, metabolic, and molecular imaging. Broad applications include imaging of the breast, brain, skin, esophagus, colon, vascular system, and lymphatic system in humans or animals. Light offers rich contrast but does not penetrate biological tissue in straight paths as x-rays do. Consequently, high-resolution pure optical imaging (e.g., confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, and optical coherence tomography) is limited to penetration within the optical diffusion limit (∼1 mm in the skin). Ultrasonic imaging, on the contrary, provides fine spatial resolution but suffers from both poor contrast in early-stage tumors and strong speckle artifacts. In PAT, pulsed laser light penetrates tissue and generates a small but rapid temperature rise, which induces emission of ultrasonic waves due to thermoelastic expansion. The ultrasonic waves, orders of magnitude less scattering than optical waves, are then detected to form high-resolution images of optical absorption at depths up to 7 cm, conquering the optical diffusion limit. PAT is the only modality capable of imaging across the length scales of organelles, cells, tissues, and organs (up to whole-body small animals) with consistent contrast. This rapidly growing technology promises to enable multiscale biological research and accelerate translation from microscopic laboratory discoveries to macroscopic clinical practice. PAT may also hold the key to label-free early detection of cancer by in vivo quantification of hypermetabolism, the quintessential hallmark of malignancy. Learning Objectives: To understand the contrast mechanism of PAT To understand the multiscale applications of PAT Benjamin M. W. Tsui: Multi-modality molecular imaging instrumentation and techniques have been major developments in small animal imaging that has contributed significantly to biomedical research during the past decade. The initial development was an extension of clinical PET/CT and SPECT/CT from human to small animals and combine the unique functional information obtained from PET and SPECT with anatomical information provided by the CT in registered multi-modality images. The requirements to image a mouse whose size is an order of magnitude smaller than that of a human have spurred advances in new radiation detector technologies, novel imaging system designs and special image reconstruction and processing techniques. Examples are new detector materials and designs with high intrinsic resolution, multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator design for much improved resolution and detection efficiency compared to the conventional collimator designs in SPECT, 3D high-resolution and artifact-free MPH and sparse-view image reconstruction techniques, and iterative image reconstruction methods with system response modeling for resolution recovery and image noise reduction for much improved image quality. The spatial resolution of PET and SPECT has improved from ∼6–12 mm to ∼1 mm a few years ago to sub-millimeter today. A recent commercial small animal SPECT system has achieved a resolution of ∼0.25 mm which surpasses that of a state-of-art PET system whose resolution is limited by the positron range. More recently, multimodality SA PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI systems have been developed in research laboratories. Also, multi-modality SA imaging systems that include other imaging modalities such as optical and ultrasound are being actively pursued. In this presentation, we will provide a review of the development, recent advances and future outlook of multi-modality molecular imaging of small animals. Learning Objectives: To learn about the two major multi-modality molecular imaging techniques of small animals. To learn about the spatial resolution achievable by the molecular imaging systems for small animal today. To learn about the new multi-modality imaging instrumentation and techniques that are being developed. Sang Hyun Cho; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, such as x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), offers unique capabilities for accurate identification and quantification of metals within the imaging objects. As a result, it has emerged as a promising quantitative imaging modality in recent years, especially in conjunction with metal-based imaging probes. This talk will familiarize the audience with the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging. It will also cover the latest development of benchtop XFCT technology. Additionally, the use of metallic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, in conjunction with benchtop XFCT, will be discussed within the context of preclinical multimodal multiplexed molecular imaging. Learning Objectives: To learn the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging To learn the latest advances in benchtop XFCT development for preclinical imaging Funding support received from NIH and DOD; Funding support received from GE Healthcare; Funding support received from Siemens AX; Patent royalties received from GE Healthcare; L. Wang, Funding Support: NIH; COI: Microphotoacoustics; S. Cho, Yes: ;NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446 DOD/PCRP grant W81XWH-12-1-0198.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-H-206-02: Recent Advances in Multi-Modality Molecular Imaging of Small Animals

Lihong V. Wang: Photoacoustic tomography (PAT), combining non-ionizing optical and ultrasonic waves via the photoacoustic effect, provides in vivo multiscale functional, metabolic, and molecular imaging. Broad applications include imaging of the breast, brain, skin, esophagus, colon, vascular system, and lymphatic system in humans or animals. Light offers rich contrast but does not penetrate biological tissue in straight paths as x-rays do. Consequently, high-resolution pure optical imaging (e.g., confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, and optical coherence tomography) is limited to penetration within the optical diffusion limit (∼1 mm in the skin). Ultrasonic imaging, on the contrary, provides fine spatial resolution but suffers from both poor contrast in early-stage tumors and strong speckle artifacts. In PAT, pulsed laser light penetrates tissue and generates a small but rapid temperature rise, which induces emission of ultrasonic waves due to thermoelastic expansion. The ultrasonic waves, orders of magnitude less scattering than optical waves, are then detected to form high-resolution images of optical absorption at depths up to 7 cm, conquering the optical diffusion limit. PAT is the only modality capable of imaging across the length scales of organelles, cells, tissues, and organs (up to whole-body small animals) with consistent contrast. This rapidly growing technology promises to enable multiscale biological research and accelerate translation from microscopic laboratory discoveries to macroscopic clinical practice. PAT may also hold the key to label-free early detection of cancer by in vivo quantification of hypermetabolism, the quintessential hallmark of malignancy. Learning Objectives: To understand the contrast mechanism of PAT To understand the multiscale applications of PAT Benjamin M. W. Tsui: Multi-modality molecular imaging instrumentation and techniques have been major developments in small animal imaging that has contributed significantly to biomedical research during the past decade. The initial development was an extension of clinical PET/CT and SPECT/CT from human to small animals and combine the unique functional information obtained from PET and SPECT with anatomical information provided by the CT in registered multi-modality images. The requirements to image a mouse whose size is an order of magnitude smaller than that of a human have spurred advances in new radiation detector technologies, novel imaging system designs and special image reconstruction and processing techniques. Examples are new detector materials and designs with high intrinsic resolution, multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator design for much improved resolution and detection efficiency compared to the conventional collimator designs in SPECT, 3D high-resolution and artifact-free MPH and sparse-view image reconstruction techniques, and iterative image reconstruction methods with system response modeling for resolution recovery and image noise reduction for much improved image quality. The spatial resolution of PET and SPECT has improved from ∼6–12 mm to ∼1 mm a few years ago to sub-millimeter today. A recent commercial small animal SPECT system has achieved a resolution of ∼0.25 mm which surpasses that of a state-of-art PET system whose resolution is limited by the positron range. More recently, multimodality SA PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI systems have been developed in research laboratories. Also, multi-modality SA imaging systems that include other imaging modalities such as optical and ultrasound are being actively pursued. In this presentation, we will provide a review of the development, recent advances and future outlook of multi-modality molecular imaging of small animals. Learning Objectives: To learn about the two major multi-modality molecular imaging techniques of small animals. To learn about the spatial resolution achievable by the molecular imaging systems for small animal today. To learn about the new multi-modality imaging instrumentation and techniques that are being developed. Sang Hyun Cho; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, such as x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), offers unique capabilities for accurate identification and quantification of metals within the imaging objects. As a result, it has emerged as a promising quantitative imaging modality in recent years, especially in conjunction with metal-based imaging probes. This talk will familiarize the audience with the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging. It will also cover the latest development of benchtop XFCT technology. Additionally, the use of metallic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, in conjunction with benchtop XFCT, will be discussed within the context of preclinical multimodal multiplexed molecular imaging. Learning Objectives: To learn the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging To learn the latest advances in benchtop XFCT development for preclinical imaging Funding support received from NIH and DOD; Funding support received from GE Healthcare; Funding support received from Siemens AX; Patent royalties received from GE Healthcare; L. Wang, Funding Support: NIH; COI: Microphotoacoustics; S. Cho, Yes: ;NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446 DOD/PCRP grant W81XWH-12-1-0198.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-H-206-03: Promises and Challenges of Benchtop X-Ray Fluorescence CT (XFCT) for Quantitative in Vivo Imaging

Lihong V. Wang: Photoacoustic tomography (PAT), combining non-ionizing optical and ultrasonic waves via the photoacoustic effect, provides in vivo multiscale functional, metabolic, and molecular imaging. Broad applications include imaging of the breast, brain, skin, esophagus, colon, vascular system, and lymphatic system in humans or animals. Light offers rich contrast but does not penetrate biological tissue in straight paths as x-rays do. Consequently, high-resolution pure optical imaging (e.g., confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, and optical coherence tomography) is limited to penetration within the optical diffusion limit (∼1 mm in the skin). Ultrasonic imaging, on the contrary, provides fine spatial resolution but suffers from both poor contrast in early-stage tumors and strong speckle artifacts. In PAT, pulsed laser light penetrates tissue and generates a small but rapid temperature rise, which induces emission of ultrasonic waves due to thermoelastic expansion. The ultrasonic waves, orders of magnitude less scattering than optical waves, are then detected to form high-resolution images of optical absorption at depths up to 7 cm, conquering the optical diffusion limit. PAT is the only modality capable of imaging across the length scales of organelles, cells, tissues, and organs (up to whole-body small animals) with consistent contrast. This rapidly growing technology promises to enable multiscale biological research and accelerate translation from microscopic laboratory discoveries to macroscopic clinical practice. PAT may also hold the key to label-free early detection of cancer by in vivo quantification of hypermetabolism, the quintessential hallmark of malignancy. Learning Objectives: To understand the contrast mechanism of PAT To understand the multiscale applications of PAT Benjamin M. W. Tsui: Multi-modality molecular imaging instrumentation and techniques have been major developments in small animal imaging that has contributed significantly to biomedical research during the past decade. The initial development was an extension of clinical PET/CT and SPECT/CT from human to small animals and combine the unique functional information obtained from PET and SPECT with anatomical information provided by the CT in registered multi-modality images. The requirements to image a mouse whose size is an order of magnitude smaller than that of a human have spurred advances in new radiation detector technologies, novel imaging system designs and special image reconstruction and processing techniques. Examples are new detector materials and designs with high intrinsic resolution, multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator design for much improved resolution and detection efficiency compared to the conventional collimator designs in SPECT, 3D high-resolution and artifact-free MPH and sparse-view image reconstruction techniques, and iterative image reconstruction methods with system response modeling for resolution recovery and image noise reduction for much improved image quality. The spatial resolution of PET and SPECT has improved from ∼6–12 mm to ∼1 mm a few years ago to sub-millimeter today. A recent commercial small animal SPECT system has achieved a resolution of ∼0.25 mm which surpasses that of a state-of-art PET system whose resolution is limited by the positron range. More recently, multimodality SA PET/MRI and SPECT/MRI systems have been developed in research laboratories. Also, multi-modality SA imaging systems that include other imaging modalities such as optical and ultrasound are being actively pursued. In this presentation, we will provide a review of the development, recent advances and future outlook of multi-modality molecular imaging of small animals. Learning Objectives: To learn about the two major multi-modality molecular imaging techniques of small animals. To learn about the spatial resolution achievable by the molecular imaging systems for small animal today. To learn about the new multi-modality imaging instrumentation and techniques that are being developed. Sang Hyun Cho; X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging, such as x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT), offers unique capabilities for accurate identification and quantification of metals within the imaging objects. As a result, it has emerged as a promising quantitative imaging modality in recent years, especially in conjunction with metal-based imaging probes. This talk will familiarize the audience with the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging. It will also cover the latest development of benchtop XFCT technology. Additionally, the use of metallic nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, in conjunction with benchtop XFCT, will be discussed within the context of preclinical multimodal multiplexed molecular imaging. Learning Objectives: To learn the basic principles of XRF/XFCT imaging To learn the latest advances in benchtop XFCT development for preclinical imaging Funding support received from NIH and DOD; Funding support received from GE Healthcare; Funding support received from Siemens AX; Patent royalties received from GE Healthcare; L. Wang, Funding Support: NIH; COI: Microphotoacoustics; S. Cho, Yes: ;NIH/NCI grant R01CA155446 DOD/PCRP grant W81XWH-12-1-0198.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2018

Internship in Augmented and Virtual Reality - Rapid Model Import Tool

The integration of virtual and augmented reality, sometimes called mixed reality, is an emerging technology which will likely skyrocket overnight much in the way smartphones did a decade ago. Kennedy Space Center's Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) Lab is developing a Rapid Model Import Tool (RMIT) to create a quick and efficient way to bring NASA's complex engineering 3D models into virtual and augmented environments. The long-term objective is to create a tool that will ultimately benefit KSC engineers. Its various uses within NASA can potentially span from astronaut training, to marketing, to public outreach, to name a few. Unity is a prolific cross-platform game engine that allows users to build high quality 2D and 3D games for desktop, mobile, web, and game console platforms. It is perhaps also the most widely used software for virtual reality game development. At the AVR lab, we are looking at alternative uses of Unity to build tools for NASA engineers to perform design, development, testing, and training on spacecraft, rocket delivery systems, ground support equipment, and facilities at KSC. As an intern for the RMIT project, I am charged with the task of performing research on Unity-compatible file types to develop an efficient, affordable, preservative process to bring models from CATIA 3D engineering software into the Unity environment. With a tool called the NASA Enterprise Visualization Application (NEVA), developed by the Boeing Design Visualization group at KSC, we are able to easily convert CATIA's design models to. DAE (also known as COLLADA) and .OBJ file formats. I first reduce the polygon count of the model within CATIA itself, make any necessary tweaks to reduce the model further, and then export using NEVA. The .OBJ or. DAE files that I am left with are then converted by another intern to a Unity-compatible file format using a custom Python script. I have generated extensive documentation of this process in a NEVA User Guide. By the end of this semester, we will have built a solid framework for RMIT based on a thorough understanding of virtual reality specifications and file requirements, allowing future software development teams to go forward with development on the custom tool.

Leap Motion↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

VIPER Lunar Rover Agile Mission Systems

Agile development methods, which have gone from outlier to mainstream in software development, are poised to expand into all aspects of space mission development. Modern software development operates on a principle of continuous deployment, where progress is verified not with conventional metrics, but with a continuous build, available to key stakeholders, enabling direct examination of the state of the code base, and assessment of progress through demonstration of capability. Delivery times are measured in weeks, not months. Stakeholders are part of the process on an ongoing basis. The cost of change is comparatively low and requirements, which often are not precisely defined at the start of a project, may be iteratively refined in a series of agile development cycles. Agile methods are compatible with traditional system engineering methods and may be tailored to the space operations environment. The low cost of change and iterative development cycles of agile enable requirements to be defined as outcomes and constraints, with design details to be refined during the development cycle. We are now at a point where agile methods may be extended beyond software, to Mission Systems, including the Mission Operations System and the Ground Data System. For NASA’s VIPER Lunar Rover Mission, scheduled to land at a lunar pole in late 2023, we are developing the Mission System using agile methods. As in agile software, where the measure of progress is working code, in agile mission system development, the measure of capability is what we can demonstrate. Demonstrations over presentations. We demonstrate mission system capability using simulations. The concept of operations, from commanding, to driving the rover, to how we downlink images for evaluation for a near-real time command cycle, will be tested and proven in simulation, years before we begin the traditional simulation cycle for training. “Say it then simulate it.” We develop and refine our designs using simulations, with an emphasis on new components of the system that are not well known early. For example, the required duration of a mission planning cycle for a lunar surface asset such as VIPER, that operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with continuous communications and a unique set of constraints based on the physics of the lunar poles and the line of site to Earth, is a unique problem in mission planning that is unlikely to be solved in a series of meetings. A small number of requirements specifying the outcomes may serve as the jumping off point to an agile development cycle, with demonstration in simulations. We have already demonstrated this process with simulations of rover driver decision time. VIPER is driven using near-real time command and control to waypoints. The driver decision time between waypoints is a fundamental enabling unit of productivity to accomplish the mission timeline. We have validated driver decision time in simulations of rover driving at the lunar South Pole, using the prototype mission tools for driving, command and control. The capability to develop and refine designs using simulations as part of agile Mission System development cycle changes the nature of team interactions, creating a focus on doing, rather than analyzing and documenting. Waterfall development cycles were, in part, a product of the significant cost of change in the early days of spaceflight. When the cost of change is high, it is vital to get your requirements right at the outset, because the system will be built to those specifications, and, when change is expensive, you better get it right early. However, modern technology has greatly lowered the cost of change, enabling iterative, rapid development cycles, in which key operations concepts may be tested and refined during development. Extending agile development to the Mission System for VIPER is a significant step in moving agile development methods for space operations beyond software, to the Mission System.

Agile↗

DOE OSTI2013

THE IMPACT OF OZONE ON THE LOWER FLAMMABLE LIMIT OF HYDROGEN IN VESSELS CONTAINING SAVANNAH RIVER SITE HIGH LEVEL WASTE

The Savannah River Site, in conjunction with AREVA Federal services, has designed a process to treat dissolved radioactive waste solids with ozone. It is known that in this radioactive waste process, radionuclides radiolytically break down water into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen, which presents a well defined flammability hazard. Flammability limits have been established for both ozone and hydrogen separately; however, there is little information on mixtures of hydrogen and ozone. Therefore, testing was designed to provide critical flammability information necessary to support safety related considerations for the development of ozone treatment and potential scale-up to the commercial level. Since information was lacking on flammability issues at low levels of hydrogen and ozone, a testing program was developed to focus on filling this portion of the information gap. A 2-L vessel was used to conduct flammability tests at atmospheric pressure and temperature using a fuse wire ignition source at 1 percent ozone intervals spanning from no ozone to the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) of ozone in the vessel, determined as 8.4%(v/v) ozone. An ozone generator and ozone detector were used to generate and measure the ozone concentration within the vessel in situ, since ozone decomposes rapidly on standing. The lower flammability limit of hydrogen in an ozone-oxygen mixture was found to decrease from the LFL of hydrogen in air, determined as 4.2 % (v/v) in this vessel. From the results of this testing, Savannah River was able to develop safety procedures and operating parameters to effectively minimize the formation of a flammable atmosphere.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS2006

An Integrated Approach to Life Cycle Analysis

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is the evaluation of the impacts that design decisions have on a system and provides a framework for identifying and evaluating design benefits and burdens associated with the life cycles of space transportation systems from a "cradle-to-grave" approach. Sometimes called life cycle assessment, life cycle approach, or "cradle to grave analysis", it represents a rapidly emerging family of tools and techniques designed to be a decision support methodology and aid in the development of sustainable systems. The implementation of a Life Cycle Analysis can vary and may take many forms; from global system-level uncertainty-centered analysis to the assessment of individualized discriminatory metrics. This paper will focus on a proven LCA methodology developed by the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) at NASA Langley Research Center to quantify and assess key LCA discriminatory metrics, in particular affordability, reliability, maintainability, and operability. This paper will address issues inherent in Life Cycle Analysis including direct impacts, such as system development cost and crew safety, as well as indirect impacts, which often take the form of coupled metrics (i.e., the cost of system unreliability). Since LCA deals with the analysis of space vehicle system conceptual designs, it is imperative to stress that the goal of LCA is not to arrive at the answer but, rather, to provide important inputs to a broader strategic planning process, allowing the managers to make risk-informed decisions, and increase the likelihood of meeting mission success criteria.

Chytka, T. M.↗