Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “statistical sampling techniques”

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 289 records · Page 16

Software for Data Analysis with Graphical Models

Probabilistic graphical models are being used widely in artificial intelligence and statistics, for instance, in diagnosis and expert systems, as a framework for representing and reasoning with probabilities and independencies. They come with corresponding algorithms for performing statistical inference. This offers a unifying framework for prototyping and/or generating data analysis algorithms from graphical specifications. This paper illustrates the framework with an example and then presents some basic techniques for the task: problem decomposition and the calculation of exact Bayes factors. Other tools already developed, such as automatic differentiation, Gibbs sampling, and use of the EM algorithm, make this a broad basis for the generation of data analysis software.

Buntine, Wray L.↗

Preliminary clustering properties of the DESI BGS bright targets using DR9 Legacy Imaging Surveys

ABSTRACT We characterize the selection cuts and clustering properties of a magnitude-limited sample of bright galaxies that is part of the Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) using the ninth data release of the Legacy Imaging Surveys (DR9). We describe changes in the DR9 selection compared to the DR8 one and we also compare the DR9 selection in three distinct regions: BASS/MzLS in the north Galactic Cap (NGC), DECaLS in the NGC, and DECaLS in the south Galactic Cap (SGC). We investigate the systematics associated with the selection and assess its completeness by matching the BGS targets with the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. We measure the angular clustering for the overall bright sample (rmag ≤ 19.5) and as function of apparent magnitude and colour. This enables to determine the clustering strength r0 and slope γ by fitting a power-law model that can be used to generate accurate mock catalogues for this tracer. We use a counts-in-cells technique to explore higher order statistics and cross-correlations with external spectroscopic data sets in order to check the evolution of the clustering with redshift and the redshift distribution of the BGS targets using clustering redshifts. While this work validates the properties of the BGS bright targets, the final target selection pipeline and clustering properties of the entire DESI BGS will be fully characterized and validated with the spectroscopic data of Survey Validation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of samples from UCP ingot 5848-13C

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13 C. Important trends were noticed between the measured data, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure appears to have an important effect on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements give statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for QTM analysis was perfected.

Natesh, R.↗

A TRMM-Calibrated Infrared Rainfall Algorithm Over Brazil

An improved version of the Convective/Stratiform Technique (CST) and its application over Brazil are presented. Keeping the major components of traditional CST, we have modified the scheme for classing convective and stratiform rainfall and tested various schemes to eliminate non-raining cirrus clouds. The parameters of the technique are calibrated using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) multi-sensor observations, including TMI, PR and Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This technique takes advantage of the high temporal sampling rate of geosynchronous infrared channel and the better instantaneous rain observation of TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and PR. Moreover, sparse TMI rain estimates are used to dynamically calibrate the parameters of the technique to improve its performance. The technique is applied to make rainfall estimates on various time scales and to study rainfall statistics such as the distributions of rain intensity and storm duration over a four-month period beginning January 1999. The study period coincides with the TRMM/Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere experiment in Amazonia (LBA) ground validation experiment, and observations from the LBA radar are used to validate the technique. Results show the mean diurnal cycle of precipitation over the LBA area, and are compared to radar data from the Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) radar. When the larger geographic region is considered, the analysis of the mean hourly estimates revealed the pronounced effects of rivers, topography and local circulations on the rainfall.

Negri, Andrew J.↗

Optimal spatial sampling techniques for ground truth data in microwave remote sensing of soil moisture

The paper examines optimal sampling techniques for obtaining accurate spatial averages of soil moisture, at various depths and for cell sizes in the range 2.5-40 acres, with a minimum number of samples. Both simple random sampling and stratified sampling procedures are used to reach a set of recommended sample sizes for each depth and for each cell size. Major conclusions from statistical sampling test results are that (1) the number of samples required decreases with increasing depth; (2) when the total number of samples cannot be prespecified or the moisture in only one single layer is of interest, then a simple random sample procedure should be used which is based on the observed mean and SD for data from a single field; (3) when the total number of samples can be prespecified and the objective is to measure the soil moisture profile with depth, then stratified random sampling based on optimal allocation should be used; and (4) decreasing the sensor resolution cell size leads to fairly large decreases in samples sizes with stratified sampling procedures, whereas only a moderate decrease is obtained in simple random sampling procedures.

Rao, R. G. S.↗

Area estimation using multiyear designs and partial crop identification

Statistical procedures were developed for large area assessments using both satellite and conventional data. Crop acreages, other ground cover indices, and measures of change were the principal characteristics of interest. These characteristics are capable of being estimated from samples collected possibly from several sources at varying times, with different levels of identification. Multiyear analysis techniques were extended to include partially identified samples; the best current year sampling design corresponding to a given sampling history was determined; weights reflecting the precision or confidence in each observation were identified and utilized, and the variation in estimates incorporating partially identified samples were quantified.

Sielken, R. L., Jr.↗

Determining the tensile strength of fuel surrogate TRISO-coated particle buffer, IPyC, and buffer-IPyC interlayer regions

A novel micro tensile sample fabrication technique for determining the tensile strength of the buffer, IPyC, and buffer -IPyC interlayer regions of surrogate (ZrO2) TRISO fuel particle layers was refined and implemented. Copper micro tensile samples served as baseline materials to verify the methods used. Tensile tests performed in this study, while limited in number, were analyzed using standard and Weibull statistics. As expected, the buffer layer was weakest, with an average ultimate tensile strength of 138.70 MPa, and the IPyC layer samples, were strongest, with an average ultimate tensile strength of 189.74 MPa. In the buffer -IPyC interface samples, all breaks occurred in the buffer region, though the average ultimate tensile strength of the samples, 159.80 MPa, was between the pure buffer and IPyC samples. These results suggest the interlayer region has unique properties, perhaps associated with pyrocarbon infiltration into the buffer layer during particle coating. All interlayer samples fractured within the buffer side; however, the stress strain behavior of some of these samples resembled the behavior of the IPyC layer samples. Here, the buffer and IPyC layer strengths had a normal distribution under Weibull analysis, while the interlayer region had a Rayleigh distribution. Further testing is needed to clarify both the standard and Weibull statistical results

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Evidence of Skewness and Sub-Gaussian Character in Temperature-Dependent Distributions of One Million Electronic Excitation Energies in PbS Quantum Dots

Obtaining statistical distributions by sampling a large number of conformations is vital for an accurate description of temperature-dependent properties of chemical systems. However, constructing distributions with 105??106 samples is computationally challenging because of the prohibitively high computational cost of performing rst-principles quantum-mechanical calculations. In this work, we present a new technique called the Eective Stochastic Potential Conguration Interaction Singles (ESP-CIS) method to obtain excitation energies. The ESP-CIS method uses random matrix theory for the construction of an eective stochastic representation of the Fock operator and combines it with linear-response theory. Here, we perform excitation calculations on PbS quantum dots (0.75-1.75 nm) at temperatures of 200-400 K. Results from a total of 15 million excitation energy calculations (1 million samples for each of the three dots at ve dierent temperatures) revealed the distributions to be sub-Gaussian in nature with negative skewness. The distributions progressively became red-shifted with increasing temperature. The study shows that random distortions in structure from the minimum-energy geometry of these quantum dots are more likely to lower the excitation energies.

Scher, Jeremy A.↗

Advanced Laboratory and Field Arrays (ALFA)/Lab Collaboration Project (LCP) for Marine Energy (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The objective of the Advanced Laboratory and Field Arrays (ALFA) project was to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) energy by leveraging research, development, and testing capabilities at Oregon State University, University of Washington, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. ALFA is a project within the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC; formerly NNMREC), a multi-institution entity with a diverse funding base that focuses on research and development for marine renewables. The ALFA project aimed to accelerate the development of next-generation arrays of wave energy conversion (WEC) and tidal energy conversion (TEC) devices through a suite of field-focused R&D activities spanning a broad range of strategic opportunity areas identified in the Funding Opportunity Announcement: • Device and/or array operation and maintenance (O&M) logistics development; • High-fidelity resource characterization and/or modeling technique development and validation; • Array-specific component technology development (e.g. moorings and foundations, transmission, and other offshore grid components); • Array performance testing and evaluation; and • Novel cost-effective environmental monitoring techniques and instrumentation testing and evaluation. The objective of the Lab Collaboration Project (LCP) was to accelerate the development of next-generation marine energy conversion systems. The LCP aimed to achieve these project objectives in collaboration with the national laboratories by: • Developing concept generation and assessment tools; • Improving access to existing testing resources; • Validating collision risk models between fish and turbines; and • Advancing analysis and simulation capabilities for wave-WEC interactions and PTO analysis in nonlinear ocean waves. The ALFA portion of the project was comprised of six overarching technical tasks: • Task 1: Debris Modeling, Detection and Mitigation; • Task 2: Autonomous Monitoring & Intervention; • Task 3: Resource Characterization for Extreme Conditions; • Task 4: Robust Models for Design of Offshore Anchoring and Mooring Systems; • Task 5: Performance Enhancement for Marine Energy Converter (MEC) Arrays; and • Task 6: Evaluating Sampling Techniques for MHK Biological Monitoring. The LCP was divided into four overarching technical tasks: • Task 7: Project Management and Reporting • Task 8: Novel Design and Assessment Methodologies for Wave Energy Converter Design (Wave- SPARC) • Task 9: Testing Access for Commercial Marine Renewable Energy Technology Developers • Task 10: Quantifying Collision Risk for Fish and Turbines • Task 11: Nonlinear Ocean Waves and PTO Control Strategy Each ALFA/LCP task listed above functioned as a separate and discreet project. A final Technical Report was written for each individual task and these reports were uploaded to OSTI, after receiving DOE approval. The following document is a compilation of each of these final, approved reports arranged as individual chapters.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Separability of soils in a tallgrass prairie using SPOT and DEM data

An investigation is conducted which uses a canonical transformation technique to reduce the features from SPOT and DEM data and evaluates the statistical separability of several prairie soils from the canonically transformed variables. Both SPOT and DEM data was gathered for a tallgrass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas, and high resolution SPOT satellite images were integrated with DEM data. Two canonical variables derived from training samples were selected and it is suggested that canonically transformed data were superior to combined SPOT and DEM data. High resolution SPOT images and DEM data can be used to aid second-order soil surveys in grasslands.

Su, Haiping↗

Stratum variance estimation for sample allocation in crop surveys

The problem of determining stratum variances needed in achieving an optimum sample allocation for crop surveys by remote sensing is investigated by considering an approach based on the concept of stratum variance as a function of the sampling unit size. A methodology using the existing and easily available information of historical crop statistics is developed for obtaining initial estimates of tratum variances. The procedure is applied to estimate stratum variances for wheat in the U.S. Great Plains and is evaluated based on the numerical results thus obtained. It is shown that the proposed technique is viable and performs satisfactorily, with the use of a conservative value for the field size and the crop statistics from the small political subdivision level, when the estimated stratum variances were compared to those obtained using the LANDSAT data.

Perry, C. R., Jr.↗

In-Space Manufacturing Baseline Property Development

The In-Space Manufacturing (ISM) project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center currently operates a 3D FDM (fused deposition modeling) printer onboard the International Space Station. In order to enable utilization of this capability by designer, the project needs to establish characteristic material properties for materials produced using the process. This is difficult for additive manufacturing since standards and specifications do not yet exist for these technologies. Due to availability of crew time, there are limitations to the sample size which in turn limits the application of the traditional design allowables approaches to develop a materials property database for designers. In this study, various approaches to development of material databases were evaluated for use by designers of space systems who wish to leverage in-space manufacturing capabilities. This study focuses on alternative statistical techniques for baseline property development to support in-space manufacturing.

Stockman, Tom↗

Measurement of the absolute branching fraction of the inclusive decay $\Lambda _c^+ \rightarrow K_S^0X$: (BESIII Collaboration)

We report the first measurement of the absolute branching fraction of the inclusive decay Λ c + → K S 0 X . The analysis is performed using an e + e - collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 567 pb - 1 taken at s = 4.6 GeV with the BESIII detector. Using eleven Cabibbo-favored Λ ¯ c - decay modes and the double-tag technique, this absolute branching fraction is measured to be B ( Λ c + → K S 0 X ) = ( 9.9 ± 0.6 ± 0.4 ) % , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The relative deviation between the branching fractions for the inclusive decay and the observed exclusive decays is ( 18.7 ± 8.3 ) % , which indicates that there may be some unobserved decay modes with a neutron or excited baryons in the final state.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A statistical study of companions to Seyfert galaxies

Comparison of a large sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies with a control sample of normal spirals reveals only marginal evidence that Seyferts possess an excess of comparably sized companions. It is shown that the excess of companions near Seyferts noted by Dahari (1984) is primarily due to low-luminosity galaxies that would have been eliminated as background by the present technique. Seyferts are found to be in sparser environments than radio galaxies both with or without strong emission lines in their nuclear spectra.

Fuentes-Williams, Theodore↗

Astrometric Detection of Extrasolar Planets: Results of a Feasibility Study with the Palomar 5 Meter Telescope

The detection of extrasolar planets around stars like the Sun remains an important goal of astronomy. We present results from Palomar 5 m observations of the open cluster NGC 2420 in which we measure some of the sources of noise that will be present in an astrometric search for extrasolar planets. This is the first time that such a large aperture has been used for high-precision astrometry. We find that the atmospheric noise is 150 micro-arcsec hr(exp 1/2) across a 90 sec field of view and that differential chromatic refraction (DCR) can be calibrated to 128 micro-arcsec for observations within 1 hr of the meridian and 45 deg of zenith. These results confirm that a model for astrometric measurements can be extrapolated to large apertures. We demonstrate, based upon these results, that a large telescope achieves the sensitivity required to perform a statistically significant search for extra solar planets. We describe an astrometric technique to detect planets, the astrometric signals expected, the role of reference stars, and the sources of measurement noise: photometric noise, atmospheric motion between stars, sky background, instrumental noise, and DCR. For the latter, we discuss a method to reduce the noise further to 66 micro-arcsecond for observations within 1 hr of the meridian and 45 deg of zenith. We discuss optimal lists of target stars taken from the latest Gliese & Jahreiss catalog of nearby stars with the largest potential astrometric signals, declination limits for both telescope accessibility and reduced DCR, and galactic latitude limits for a sufficiant number of reference stars. Two samples are described from which one can perform statistically significant searches for gas giant planets around nearby stars. One sample contains 100 "solar class" stars with an average stellar mass of 0.82 solar mass; the other maximizes the number of stars, 574, by searching mainly low-mass M stars. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the statistical significance of the expected results by using measured and estimated noise quantities. We show the semimajor axis parameter spaces that are searched for each star and how an increase in the length of the observing program expands these spaces. The search over semimajor axis parameter space relates to the theory of gas giant planet formation.

Pravdo, Steven H.↗

Supercooled Liquid Water Detection Capabilities from Ka-Band Doppler Profiling Radars: Moment-Based Algorithm Formulation and Assessment

The occurrence of supercooled liquid water in mixed-phase cloud (MPC) affects their cloud microphysical and radiative properties. The prevalence of MPCs in the mid- and high latitudes translates these effects to significant contributions to Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle. The current study develops and assesses a radar-only, moment-based phase partition technique for the demarcation of supercooled liquid water volumes in arctic, MPC conditions. The study utilizes observations from the Ka band profiling radar, the collocated high spectral resolution lidar, and ambient temperature profiles from radio sounding deployments following a statistical analysis of 5.5 years of data (January 2014–May 2019) from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement observatory at the North Slope of Alaska. The ice/liquid phase partition occurs via a per-pixel, neighborhood-dependent algorithm based on the premise that the partitioning can be deduced by examining the mean values of locally sampled probability distributions of radar-based observables and then compare those against the means of climatologically derived, per-phase probability distributions. Analyzed radar observables include linear depolarization ratio (LDR), spectral width, and vertical gradients of reflectivity factor and radial velocity corrected for vertical air motion. Results highlight that the optimal supercooled liquid water detection skill levels are realized for the radar variable combination of spectral width and reflectivity vertical gradient, suggesting that radar-based polarimetry, in the absence of full LDR spectra, is not as critical as Doppler capabilities. The cloud phase masking technique is proven particularly reliable when applied to cloud tops with an Equitable Threat Score (ETS) of 65%; the detection of embedded supercooled layers remains much more uncertain (ETS = 27%).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluation of SLAR and thematic mapper MSS data for forest cover mapping using computer-aided analysis techniques

A set of training statistics for the 30 meter resolution simulated thematic mapper MSS data was generated based on land use/land cover classes. In addition to this supervised data set, a nonsupervised multicluster block of training statistics is being defined in order to compare the classification results and evaluate the effect of the different training selection methods on classification performance. Two test data sets, defined using a stratified sampling procedure incorporating a grid system with dimensions of 50 lines by 50 columns, and another set based on an analyst supervised set of test fields were used to evaluate the classifications of the TMS data. The supervised training data set generated training statistics, and a per point Gaussian maximum likelihood classification of the 1979 TMS data was obtained. The August 1980 MSS data was radiometrically adjusted. The SAR data was redigitized and the SAR imagery was qualitatively analyzed.

Hoffer, R. M.↗

Cleanroom certification model

The Cleanroom software development methodology is designed to take the gamble out of product releases for both suppliers and receivers of the software. The ingredients of this procedure are a life cycle of executable product increments, representative statistical testing, and a standard estimate of the MTTF (Mean Time To Failure) of the product at the time of its release. A statistical approach to software product testing using randomly selected samples of test cases is considered. A statistical model is defined for the certification process which uses the timing data recorded during test. A reasonableness argument for this model is provided that uses previously published data on software product execution. Also included is a derivation of the certification model estimators and a comparison of the proposed least squares technique with the more commonly used maximum likelihood estimators.

Currit, P. A.↗