Results for “Platforms” — Page 12

NASA NTRS2017

Venus Aerial Platforms and Engineering and Scientific Modeling Needs

NASA’s Planetary Science Division is performing an assessment of the state of technology in aerial platforms for exploration of Venus. A key factor in the design of aerial platforms is knowledge of the Venus environment. Modeling the Venus environment, which is the subject of this workshop, is needed for the design of robust aerial platforms that can carry out their missions successfully. The purpose of this paper is to enumerate the kinds of models that are important for both engineering and scientific aspects of the design of an aerial platform mission. The first meeting of the NASA Aerial Platforms study team took place from May 30 to June 2, 2017 and defined the science that can be performed by aerial platforms. A second study meeting is planned for late November 2017. This paper focuses on the current status.

Thompson, T. W.↗

NASA NTRS2021

The Salinity Pilot-Mission Exploitation Platform (Pi-MEP): A Hub for Validation and Exploitation of Satellite Sea Surface Salinity Data

The Pilot-Mission Exploitation Platform (Pi-MEP) for salinity is an ESA initiative originally meant to support and widen the uptake of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission data over the ocean. Starting in 2017, the project aims at setting up a computational web-based platform focusing on satellite sea surface salinity data, supporting studies on enhanced validation and scientific process over the ocean. It has been designed in close collaboration with a dedicated science advisory group in order to achieve three main objectives: gathering all the data required to exploit satellite sea surface salinity data, systematically producing a wide range of metrics for comparing and monitoring sea surface salinity products’ quality, and providing user-friendly tools to explore, visualize and exploit both the collected products and the results of the automated analyses. The Salinity Pi-MEP is becoming a reference hub for the validation of satellite sea surface salinity missions by providing valuable information on satellite products (SMOS, Aquarius, SMAP), an extensive in situ database (e.g., Argo, thermosalinographs, moorings, drifters) and additional thematic datasets (precipitation, evaporation, currents, sea level anomalies, sea surface temperature, etc.). Co-localized databases between satellite products and in situ datasets are systematically generated together with validation analysis reports for 30 predefined regions. The data and reports are made fully accessible through the web interface of the platform. The datasets, validation metrics and tools (automatic, user-driven) of the platform are described in detail in this paper. Several dedicated scientific case studies involving satellite SSS data are also systematically monitored by the platform, including major river plumes, mesoscale signatures in boundary currents, high latitudes, semi-enclosed seas, and the high-precipitation region of the eastern tropical Pacific. Since 2019, a partnership in the Salinity Pi-MEP project has been agreed between ESA and NASA to enlarge focus to encompass the entire set of satellite salinity sensors. The two agencies are now working together to widen the platform features on several technical aspects, such as triple-collocation software implementation, additional match-up collocation criteria and sustained exploitation of data from the SPURS campaigns

ocean↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A 3D Simulation Platform for Decentralized Decision-Making in Advanced Air Mobility

This paper presents a general purpose, plug-and-play simulation platform for the use of future aviation stakeholders, such as urban airspace planners, air vehicle operators, ground operation managers, air traffic controllers and aviation researchers. The presented simulator platform is envisioned to serve as a toolkit to visualize, evaluate, and configure future advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. Highlighting features of this toolkit include a modular architecture that allows multiple smart unmanned aerial systems (UASs) to remotely connect to the simulation server and participate in decentralized decision-making scenario simulations. As an example of the decentralized decision-making scenario, an inter-agent negotiation-based conflict resolution use case is considered in this paper, where the UASs leverage the on-board/on-the-edge artificial intelligence (AI) capability to continually build situational awareness, and use this information to predict future conflicts and resolve them through machine-to-machine negotiation. As such operations are non-existent at scale currently, the presented simulation platform offers a viable and cost-effective alternative for assessing the efficacy of AAM research outcomes and challenges in future shared airspace usage. The simulation platform allows plug-n-play connectivity with AI and non-AI compute modules representing individual UAS’s flight control. Each module can interact with the simulation platform independently to communicate current and desired future states, situational awareness, and conflict resolution utilization costs for inter-agent negotiation. The simulation environment orchestrates realistic operational scenarios with spatiotemporal details, dynamic events, tactical conflict-resolution methods, interfaces for customizing air traffic control parameters, and information exchange uncertainties. In the future, this can serve as a community focused cloud simulation platform, incorporating multi-stakeholder airspace constraints from regulatory, government, city, and local agencies.

Aditya N Das↗

NASA NTRS2022

A 3D Simulation Platform for Decentralized Decision-Making in Advanced Air Mobility

This paper presents a general purpose, plug-and-play simulation platform for the use of future aviation stakeholders, such as urban airspace planners, air vehicle operators, ground operation managers, air traffic controllers and aviation researchers. The presented simulator platform is envisioned to serve as a toolkit to visualize, evaluate, and configure future advanced air mobility (AAM) operations. Highlighting features of this toolkit include a modular architecture that allows multiple smart unmanned aerial systems (UASs) to remotely connect to the simulation server and participate in decentralized decision-making scenario simulations. As an example of the decentralized decision-making scenario, an inter-agent negotiation-based conflict resolution use case is considered in this paper, where the UASs leverage the on-board/on-the-edge artificial intelligence (AI) capability to continually build situational awareness, and use this information to predict future conflicts and resolve them through machine-to-machine negotiation. As such operations are non-existent at scale currently, the presented simulation platform offers a viable and cost-effective alternative for assessing the efficacy of AAM research outcomes and challenges in future shared airspace usage. The simulation platform allows plug-n-play connectivity with AI and non-AI compute modules representing individual UAS’s flight control. Each module can interact with the simulation platform independently to communicate current and desired future states, situational awareness, and conflict resolution utilization costs for inter-agent negotiation. The simulation environment orchestrates realistic operational scenarios with spatiotemporal details, dynamic events, tactical conflict-resolution methods, interfaces for customizing air traffic control parameters, and information exchange uncertainties. In the future, this can serve as a community focused cloud simulation platform, incorporating multi-stakeholder airspace constraints from regulatory, government, city, and local agencies.

Aditya Das↗

DOE OSTI2012

Microfluidic Platforms for on-chip Formulation and Small-Angle x-ray Analysis of the Phase Behavior of Lipid/Water Mixtures

We present a microfluidic platform for on-chip formulation and X-ray analysis of lipidic mesophases formed upon mixing lipids and water. The platform is designed to study the effect of detergents on the phase behavior of lipid/water mixtures. The platform allows automated preparation of multiple samples of different composition from stock solutions and subsequent on-chip small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXS) data collection. To ensure X-ray transparency of the platform we used thin layers of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and PDMS. The viability of the platform is demonstrated by mapping out a section of the phase diagram for lipid monoolein mixed with solutions of detergent {beta}-octylglucoside. The platform reported here is a viable alternative to the traditional method of establishing phase diagrams for lipid/solution mixtures. Compared to the conventional approach, a significantly smaller amount of sample is required for mapping phase diagrams of lipidic mesophases and samples of various compositions are prepared automatically. In ongoing work we are using these chips to rapidly determine the phase behavior of a range of lipids to establish their suitability for membrane protein crystallization, especially with respect to their sensitivity to detergent concentration.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Novel Platform for Digitization of Radiation Measurements, Decommissioning and Dismantling and Nuclear Waste Management - 18229

An innovative Platform for a seamless digitization of the information produced during the characterization of radioactive waste, contaminated objects, and in general radioprotection measurements has ben developed by CAEN SyS. The Platform is based on a spectroscopic handheld instrument integrating RFID technology, barcode reader, camera, voice recorder, and geo-localization, a selection of radiation tolerant RFID tags tested above 300 Gy integrated dose, ruggedized portable RFID readers and a secure database framework capable to collect data also from external sources such as gamma scanners and imaging systems. The Platform allows for real-time measurement of dose rate, radiation spectroscopy, tagging, tracking and inventorying of items. All data produced by the Platform are securely stored into the non-volatile memory of the RFID tags and in the database for both onsite and remote access to the information by operators. This paper presents the current development of the Platform and shows the advantages of such approach to achieve an easy yet reliable waste traceability, waste bagging optimization, and a structured methodology for radiation measurements, meeting an excellent quality control as increasingly required by Safety Authorities. Applications here envisaged and explored are dismantling and decontamination operations, radioprotection measurements and patrols, nuclear material management, safeguards and verification inspections. More in general, the Platform can address the needs of all plants, research laboratories and facilities that are looking to improve their Safety Standards, decrease operational costs, have a precise knowledge of the contaminated environment and objects as well as optimization for personnel dose minimization. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2017

Certification of RadICS FPGA-based platform under US NRC requirements - 386

The paper discusses approach, applicable to certify digital instrumentation and control (I and C) platform under US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements. Currently, Radics LLC is certifying its Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based RadICS Platform using Platform-based test specimen. The Platform has been recently certified under IEC 61508 to meet Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 requirements. Up to now Radics LLC has developed a number of FPGA-based I and C applications based on RadICS Platform. Those applications include applications based on customer's specification and reverse engineering applications (Fit, Form and Function reproduction of existing equipment). The life cycles of applications include independent verification and validation of FPGA-based I and C systems/components, Commercial Grade Dedication of components for FPGA-based I and C systems, turnkey implementation of I and C project, supply of hardware, engineering tools and application design process. The paper also describes in details certification approach, which is based on Digital I and C-ISG- 06 and includes the following stages: general agreement with the US NRC, Topical Report submittal, timely responses and successful audits, and timely issuance of approved Topical Report. Such approach is supported by 10 CFR 50 Appendix B Quality Management System, which is also discussed in the paper. In addition, an overview of RadICS Platform Topical Report is presented, including its overview and structure, certification scope and obligatory appendixes. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2023

SMALL UNMANNED MARINE HYDROKINETIC PLATFORMS FOR POWER GENERATION IN COASTAL AND TIDAL WATERS

The feasibility and optimization of small unmanned mobile marine hydrokinetic (MHK) energy platforms for harvesting marine current energy in coastal and tidal waters are examined. A case study of a platform based on the use of a free-surface waterwheel (FSWW) mounted on an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was conducted. Such platforms can serve as recharging stations for aerial drones (UAVs), enabling extension of the UAVs’ autonomous operating time. An unmanned MHK platform potentially meets this need with sustainable power harvested from water currents. For the case study, six different waterwheel configurations were field-tested in the Intracoastal Waterway of South Florida in support of determining the configuration that produced the most power. Required technologies for unmanned operations of the MHK platform were developed and tested. The data from the field-testing were analyzed to develop an empirical relation between the wheel’s theoretical hydrokinetic power produced and the mechanical power harnessed by the MHK platform with various waterwheel configurations during field-testing. The field data was also used to determine the electrical power generated by the FSWW configurations during field-testing. The study has led to the development of standardized testing procedures. The empirical relation is used to examine predicted power production through scaling up different physical aspects of the waterwheel.

McKinney, Adriana↗

DOE OSTI2025

A consensus mathematical model of vaccine-induced antibody dynamics for multiple vaccine platforms and pathogens

Introduction: Vaccine platforms used in successful, licensed vaccines have varied among pathogens. However, antibody level is still the main clinical correlate of protection in most approved vaccines. Decisions as to the best vaccine platform to pursue for a given pathogen may be informed through improved understanding of the process of antibody generation and its temporal dynamics, as well as the relationship between these processes and the type of vaccine. Methods: We have analyzed the dynamics of antibody generation for different vaccine platforms against diverse pathogens, and developed a consensus mathematical model that captures antibody dynamics across these diverse systems. Initially, the model was fitted to a rich dataset of antibody and immune cell concentrations in a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine experiment. We then used concepts from machine learning, such as transfer learning, to apply the same model to a variety of systems, involving different pathogens, vaccine platforms, and booster dose use/timing, fixing most parameter values relating to the dynamics of the immune system. Results: The model includes B cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the generation of plasma cells, which secrete large amounts of antibody, and memory B cells. Overall, the model describes antibody generation in all systems tested well and shows that the main differences across platforms are related to the dynamics of antigen presentation. Discussion: This model can be used to predict antibody generation in pairs of vaccine platform/pathogen, allowing for the use of in silico results to narrow down experimental burden in vaccine development.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2013

A Novel Sensor Platform Matching the Improved Version of IPMVP Option C for Measuring Energy Savings

It is easy to measure energy consumption with a power meter. However, energy savings cannot be directly computed by the powers measured using existing power meter technologies, since the power consumption only reflects parts of the real energy flows. The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) was proposed by the Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO) to quantify energy savings using four different methodologies of A, B, C and D. Although energy savings can be estimated following the IPMVP, there are limitations on its practical implementation. Moreover, the data processing methods of the four IPMVP alternatives use multiple sensors (thermometer, hygrometer, Occupant information) and power meter readings to simulate all facilities, in order to determine an energy usage benchmark and the energy savings. This study proposes a simple sensor platform to measure energy savings. Using usually the Electronic Product Code (EPC) global standard, an architecture framework for an information system is constructed that integrates sensors data, power meter readings and occupancy conditions. The proposed sensor platform is used to monitor a building with a newly built vertical garden system (VGS). A VGS shields solar radiation and saves on energy that would be expended on air-conditioning. With this platform, the amount of energy saved in the whole facility is measured and reported in real-time. The data are compared with those obtained from detailed measurement and verification (M&V) processes. The discrepancy is less than 1.565%. Using measurements from the proposed sensor platform, the energy savings for the entire facility are quantified, with a resolution of ±1.2%. The VGS gives an 8.483% daily electricity saving for the building. Thus, the results show that the simple sensor platform proposed by this study is more widely applicable than the four complicated IPMVP alternatives and the VGS is an effective tool in reducing the carbon footprint of a building.

vertical garden system (VGS)↗

DOE OSTI2022

Transiently Transfected Mammalian Cell Cultures: An Adaptable and Effective Platform for Virus-like Particle-Based Vaccines against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

RNA viruses, such as foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), have error-prone replication resulting in the continuous emergence of new viral strains capable of evading current vaccine coverage. Vaccine formulations must be regularly updated, which is both costly and technically challenging for many vaccine platforms. In this report, we describe a plasmid-based virus-like particle (VLP) production platform utilizing transiently transfected mammalian cell cultures that combines both the rapid response adaptability of nucleic-acid-based vaccines with the ability to produce intact capsid epitopes required for immunity. Formulated vaccines which employed this platform conferred complete protection from clinical foot-and-mouth disease in both swine and cattle. This novel platform can be quickly adapted to new viral strains and serotypes through targeted exchanges of only the FMDV capsid polypeptide nucleic acid sequences, from which processed structural capsid proteins are derived. This platform obviates the need for high biocontainment manufacturing facilities to produce inactivated whole-virus vaccines from infected mammalian cell cultures, which requires upstream expansion and downstream concentration of large quantities of live virulent viruses.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2020

Venus Surface Platforms

Significant new science at Venus, particularly related to surface, interior, and surface/atmosphere interactions can be realized with surface platforms performing in-situ measurements. This white paper presents summary results of a Venus Surface Platforms Study performed with VEXAG support. The results suggest long-lived platforms, platforms at several locations taking simultaneous or coordinated measurements. platforms with greater sophistication than currently possible with Venus surface assets, and surface mobility will enable the new science needed per guiding documents such as the Planetary Decadal Survey Report. This white paper summary of the study reports on key relationships between the capabilities noted, the underlying technologies that will enable those capabilities, and the science to be expected with the new capabilities.

Venus↗

DOE OSTI2018

On the Need for a Unified and Collaboratively Developed Residential Building Simulation Platform: Preprint

Residential building energy simulations are becoming ever more pervasive; they form the basis of energy efficient building design, zero energy goals, codes and standards, home certification and ratings industries, utility programs, regional/state planning, and technology assessments. And yet the residential building simulation community is highly fragmented with a patchwork of simulation engines with varying models, inputs, assumptions, and results. This inconsistency degrades confidence in these tools, increases industry-wide development and maintenance costs, and slows the availability of new efficiency technology models. The need for collaboration on an impartial, transparent, and capable residential building simulation platform has never been greater. But to develop and maintain a state-of-the-art simulation platform requires a dedicated and sustained investment. By leveraging existing resources and expertise from multiple entities/regions, a unified and collaboratively developed simulation platform can provide increased levels of energy efficiency at an accelerated pace. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of a unified residential building simulation platform in relationship to four real-world examples (RESNET HERS ratings, utility programs, California's Title 24, and DOE). The paper covers recent developments and improved capabilities that may move us closer to an ideal simulation platform and what challenges remain. The hope is to spur a frank and honest dialogue about how to work together towards the vision of achieving deeper and more reliable energy savings in the residential buildings industry.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2018

On the Need for a Unified and Collaboratively Developed Residential Building Simulation Platform

Residential building energy simulations are becoming ever more pervasive; they form the basis of energy efficient building design, zero energy goals, codes and standards, home certification and ratings industries, utility programs, regional/state planning, and technology assessments. And yet the residential building simulation community is highly fragmented with a patchwork of simulation engines with varying models, inputs, assumptions, and results. This inconsistency degrades confidence in these tools, increases industry-wide development and maintenance costs, and slows the availability of new efficiency technology models. The need for collaboration on an impartial, transparent, and capable residential building simulation platform has never been greater. But to develop and maintain a state-of-the-art simulation platform requires a dedicated and sustained investment. By leveraging existing resources and expertise from multiple entities/regions, a unified and collaboratively developed simulation platform can provide increased levels of energy efficiency at an accelerated pace. This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of a unified residential building simulation platform in relationship to four real-world examples (RESNET HERS ratings, utility programs, California's Title 24, and DOE). The paper covers recent developments and improved capabilities that may move us closer to an ideal simulation platform and what challenges remain. The hope is to spur a frank and honest dialogue about how to work together towards the vision of achieving deeper and more reliable energy savings in the residential buildings industry.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2015

The Globus Galaxies Platform. Delivering Science Gateways as a Service

We use public cloud computers to host sophisticated scientific data; software is then used to transform scientific practice by enabling broad access to capabilities previously available only to the few. The primary obstacle to more widespread use of public clouds to host scientific software (‘cloud-based science gateways’) has thus far been the considerable gap between the specialized needs of science applications and the capabilities provided by cloud infrastructures. We describe here a domain-independent, cloud-based science gateway platform, the Globus Galaxies platform, which overcomes this gap by providing a set of hosted services that directly address the needs of science gateway developers. The design and implementation of this platform leverages our several years of experience with Globus Genomics, a cloud-based science gateway that has served more than 200 genomics researchers across 30 institutions. Building on that foundation, we have also implemented a platform that leverages the popular Galaxy system for application hosting and workflow execution; Globus services for data transfer, user and group management, and authentication; and a cost-aware elastic provisioning model specialized for public cloud resources. We describe here the capabilities and architecture of this platform, present six scientific domains in which we have successfully applied it, report on user experiences, and analyze the economics of our deployments. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

Development of an integrated platform for hardware-in-the-loop evaluation of microgrids prior to site commissioning

This paper presents an integrated hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform for testing the operation and control of a real-world microgrid system prior to site commissioning. The proposed testing approach shows the value of setting up an integrated HIL platform to test multiple hardware devices (including the system-level controller, device controllers, and field devices). A test bed developed for the Borrego Springs community microgrid is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the integrated platform. Comprehensive tests are carried out using the Borrego Springs test bed to validate the platform, meet the test objectives, and gain valuable insight prior to site commissioning. The selected test scenarios, initial conditions, events, test metrics, etc., are similar to those defined in IEEE P2030.8. The test objectives are to evaluate the microgrid controller and the operation of the microgrid. The HIL platform presented in this paper shows good value for microgrid testing in terms of its flexibility and scalability for testing various microgrids; its accuracy in its representation of the field; the comprehensiveness of the testing capability; and the efficiency of testing, which can reduce risks prior to field deployment.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2016

SPE-IMS-MS: An automated platform for sub-sixty second surveillance of endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics in biofluids

Characterization of endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics is essential to deconvoluting the genetic and environmental causes of disease. However, surveillance of chemical exposure and disease-related changes in large cohorts requires an analytical platform that offers rapid measurement, high sensitivity, efficient separation, broad dynamic range, and application to an expansive chemical space. Here in this article, we present a novel platform for small molecule analyses that addresses these requirements by combining solid-phase extraction with ion mobility spectrometry and mass spectrometry (SPE-IMS-MS). This platform is capable of performing both targeted and global measurements of endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics in human biofluids with high reproducibility (CV ≤ 3%), sensitivity (LODs in the pM range in biofluids) and throughput (10-s sample-to-sample duty cycle). We report application of this platform to the analysis of human urine from patients with and without type 1 diabetes, where we observed statistically significant variations in the concentration of disaccharides and previously unreported chemical isomers. Lastly, this SPE-IMS-MS platform overcomes many of the current challenges of large-scale metabolomic and exposomic analyses and offers a viable option for population and patient cohort screening in an effort to gain insights into disease processes and human environmental chemical exposure.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Alginate based 3D hydrogels as an in vitro co-culture model platform for the toxicity screening of new chemical entities

Prediction of human response to potential therapeutic drugs is through conventional methods of in vitro cell culture assays and expensive in vivo animal testing. Alternatives to animal testing require sophisticated in vitro model systems that must replicate in vivo like function for reliable testing applications. Advancements in biomaterials have enabled the development of three-dimensional (3D) cell encapsulated hydrogels as in vitro drug screening tissue model systems. In this study, we have developed an in vitro platform to enable high density 3D culture of liver cells combined with a monolayer growth of target breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) in a static environment as a representative example of screening drug compounds for hepatotoxicity and drug efficacy. Alginate hydrogels encapsulated with serial cell densities of HepG2 cells (10{sup 5}-10{sup 8} cells/ml) are supported by a porous poly-carbonate disc platform and co-cultured with MCF-7 cells within standard cell culture plates during a 3 day study period. The clearance rates of drug transformation by HepG2 cells are measured using a coumarin based pro-drug. The platform was used to test for HepG2 cytotoxicity 50% (CT{sub 50}) using commercially available drugs which further correlated well with published in vivo LD{sub 50} values. The developed test platform allowed us to evaluate drug dose concentrations to predict hepatotoxicity and its effect on the target cells. The in vitro 3D co-culture platform provides a scalable and flexible approach to test multiple-cell types in a hybrid setting within standard cell culture plates which may open up novel 3D in vitro culture techniques to screen new chemical entity compounds. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: > A porous support disc design to support the culture of desired cells in 3D hydrogels. > Demonstrated the co-culture of two cell types within standard cell-culture plates. > A scalable, low cost approach to toxicity screening involving multiple cell types.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗