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At least 37 records · Page 2

Non-seasonal Gravitational Effects of Interannual Meteorological Oscillations in Atmosphere and Ocean

Via mass transport, the interannual meteorological oscillations (ENSO, NAO, etc.) produce slight variations in the global gravitational field, which can be observed by satellite laser ranging (SLR) and anticipated space missions such as GRACE. The meteorological oscillation modes are identified using empirical orthogonal function and principal component decomposition using de-seasoned surface fields produced from the 40-years of NCEP reanalysis. This decompositional analysis requires an accounting for issues associated with area-weighting and non-zero mean. The atmospheric contributions to gravitational variation, mode by mode and in combinations, are then computed via regional integration. To address the corresponding oceanic contributions, we examine the output of the numerical POCM ocean circulation model (1992-1998) in two ways: ocean bottom pressure field and ocean surface topography minus steric effect. The resulting lowest-degree Stokes coefficients for both NCEP reanalysis and POCM are then compared with space geodetic SLR observations, to identify the importance of each meteorological oscillations in gravitational variation signals.

Chao, Benjamin F.↗

Advanced Statistical Methods in Spacecraft Flight Software Cost Estimation: Bayesian Regression and Nonlinear Principal Components Analysis to Support System Engineering in the Early Project Lifecycle

This paper provides an overview of the new features and model updates in the upcoming release of the NASA Analogy Software Cost Tool (ASCoT). ASCoT, hosted within the Online NASA Space Estimation Tools (ONSET) on the One NASA Cost Engineering (ONCE) Database, is a web-based tool that provides a suite of estimation tools to support early lifecycle NASA flight software cost analysis. In addition to the traditional parametric flight software costing method COCOMO II, ASCoT contains a Bayesian linear regression to predict total flight software development cost as a function of total spacecraft cost, as well as four analogic methods: k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) and Clustering models to predict Effort (in work-months) and total source lines of code (SLOC). These methods are designed to work primarily with system-level inputs such as mission type (orbiter, lander, etc.), mission destination (Earth, Inner Planetary, etc.), and the number of instruments and deployables. Nonlinear principal components analysis (NLPCA) is performed to find the principal features of the data composed of both categorical and numerical variables and is necessary prior to defining our analogic methods. Sensitivity analyses and in- and out-of-sample model performance results are presented for the Bayesian CER and the analogic models.

Johnson, James K.↗

In Situ Measurements of Angular-Dependent Light Scattering by Aerosols over the Contiguous United States

This work provides a synopsis of aerosol phase function (F (sub 11)) and polarized phase function (F (sub 12)) measurements made by the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PINeph) during the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) and the Deep Convection Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaigns. In order to more easily explore this extensive dataset, an aerosol classification scheme is developed that identifies the different aerosol types measured during the deployments. This scheme makes use of ancillary data that include trace gases, chemical composition, aerodynamic particle size and geographic location, all independent of PI-Neph measurements. The PI-Neph measurements are then grouped according to their ancillary data classifications and the resulting scattering patterns are examined in detail. These results represent the first published airborne measurements of F (sub 11) and minus F (sub 12) divided by F (sub 11) for many common aerosol types. We then explore whether PI-Neph light-scattering measurements alone are sufficient to reconstruct the results of this ancillary data classification algorithm. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the dimensionality of the multi-angle PI-Neph scattering data and the individual measurements are examined as a function of ancillary data classification. Clear clustering is observed in the PCA score space, corresponding to the ancillary classification results, suggesting that, indeed, a strong link exists between the angular scattering measurements and the aerosol type or composition. Two techniques are used to quantify the degree of clustering and it is found that in most cases the results of the ancillary data classification can be predicted from PI-Neph measurements alone with better than 85 percent recall. This result both emphasizes the validity of the ancillary data classification as well as the PI-Neph's ability to distinguish common aerosol types without additional information.

Aerosol phase function↗

Characterization of exopolymers of aquatic bacteria by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry

Exopolymers from a diverse collection of marine and freshwater bacteria were characterized by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (Py-MS). Py-MS provides spectra of pyrolysis fragments that are characteristic of the original material. Analysis of the spectra by multivariate statistical techniques (principal component and canonical variate analysis) separated these exopolymers into distinct groups. Py-MS clearly distinguished characteristic fragments, which may be derived from components responsible for functional differences between polymers. The importance of these distinctions and the relevance of pyrolysis information to exopolysaccharide function in aquatic bacteria is discussed.

NASA Program CELSS↗

Use of UV Sources for Detection and Identification of Explosives

Measurement of Raman and native fluorescence emission using ultraviolet (UV) sources (<400 nm) on targeted materials is suitable for both sensitive detection and accurate identification of explosive materials. When the UV emission data are analyzed using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, chemicals and biological samples can be differentiated based on the geometric arrangement of molecules, the number of repeating aromatic rings, associated functional groups (nitrogen, sulfur, hydroxyl, and methyl), microbial life cycles (spores vs. vegetative cells), and the number of conjugated bonds. Explosive materials can be separated from one another as well as from a range of possible background materials, which includes microbes, car doors, motor oil, and fingerprints on car doors, etc. Many explosives are comprised of similar atomic constituents found in potential background samples such as fingerprint oils/skin, motor oil, and soil. This technique is sensitive to chemical bonds between the elements that lead to the discriminating separability between backgrounds and explosive materials.

Hug, William↗

Materials requirements for optical processing and computing devices

Devices for optical processing and computing systems are discussed, with emphasis on the materials requirements imposed by functional constraints. Generalized optical processing and computing systems are described in order to identify principal categories of requisite components for complete system implementation. Three principal device categories are selected for analysis in some detail: spatial light modulators, volume holographic optical elements, and bistable optical devices. The implications for optical processing and computing systems of the materials requirements identified for these device categories are described, and directions for future research are proposed.

Tanguay, A. R., Jr.↗

Eigenvector analysis of some observed and model-generated Climatological fields

An empirical orthogonal function analysis of monthly mean synoptic fields computed with a general circulation model and the corresponding observed climatological patterns is presented. A computer program was used to compute the principal components of the data matrices representing global maps of various observed and model-generated climatological fields. The variables analyzed were: 500mb geopotential height, 850 mb temperature, and sea level pressure. It is concluded that eigenvector analysis of observed and model-generated synoptic climatological fields is a useful diagnostic aid in the evaluation of global model simulation. The maps of any climatological variables are readily decomposed into a few orthogonal components which account for a large fraction of the total spatial variance, and the observed and model-generated patterns may then be compared in terms of these principal components of the original data matrices.

Dennis, M.↗

Using Neural Networks for Sensor Validation

This paper presents the results of applying two different types of neural networks in two different approaches to the sensor validation problem. The first approach uses a functional approximation neural network as part of a nonlinear observer in a model-based approach to analytical redundancy. The second approach uses an auto-associative neural network to perform nonlinear principal component analysis on a set of redundant sensors to provide an estimate for a single failed sensor. The approaches are demonstrated using a nonlinear simulation of a turbofan engine. The fault detection and sensor estimation results are presented and the training of the auto-associative neural network to provide sensor estimates is discussed.

Mattern, Duane L.↗

Understanding software faults and their role in software reliability modeling

This study is a direct result of an on-going project to model the reliability of a large real-time control avionics system. In previous modeling efforts with this system, hardware reliability models were applied in modeling the reliability behavior of this system. In an attempt to enhance the performance of the adapted reliability models, certain software attributes were introduced in these models to control for differences between programs and also sequential executions of the same program. As the basic nature of the software attributes that affect software reliability become better understood in the modeling process, this information begins to have important implications on the software development process. A significant problem arises when raw attribute measures are to be used in statistical models as predictors, for example, of measures of software quality. This is because many of the metrics are highly correlated. Consider the two attributes: lines of code, LOC, and number of program statements, Stmts. In this case, it is quite obvious that a program with a high value of LOC probably will also have a relatively high value of Stmts. In the case of low level languages, such as assembly language programs, there might be a one-to-one relationship between the statement count and the lines of code. When there is a complete absence of linear relationship among the metrics, they are said to be orthogonal or uncorrelated. Usually the lack of orthogonality is not serious enough to affect a statistical analysis. However, for the purposes of some statistical analysis such as multiple regression, the software metrics are so strongly interrelated that the regression results may be ambiguous and possibly even misleading. Typically, it is difficult to estimate the unique effects of individual software metrics in the regression equation. The estimated values of the coefficients are very sensitive to slight changes in the data and to the addition or deletion of variables in the regression equation. Since most of the existing metrics have common elements and are linear combinations of these common elements, it seems reasonable to investigate the structure of the underlying common factors or components that make up the raw metrics. The technique we have chosen to use to explore this structure is a procedure called principal components analysis. Principal components analysis is a decomposition technique that may be used to detect and analyze collinearity in software metrics. When confronted with a large number of metrics measuring a single construct, it may be desirable to represent the set by some smaller number of variables that convey all, or most, of the information in the original set. Principal components are linear transformations of a set of random variables that summarize the information contained in the variables. The transformations are chosen so that the first component accounts for the maximal amount of variation of the measures of any possible linear transform; the second component accounts for the maximal amount of residual variation; and so on. The principal components are constructed so that they represent transformed scores on dimensions that are orthogonal. Through the use of principal components analysis, it is possible to have a set of highly related software attributes mapped into a small number of uncorrelated attribute domains. This definitively solves the problem of multi-collinearity in subsequent regression analysis. There are many software metrics in the literature, but principal component analysis reveals that there are few distinct sources of variation, i.e. dimensions, in this set of metrics. It would appear perfectly reasonable to characterize the measurable attributes of a program with a simple function of a small number of orthogonal metrics each of which represents a distinct software attribute domain.

Munson, John C.↗

Satellite Observations of Spatial and Interannual Variability of Lightning and Radar Reflectivity

The authors use satellite data to examine the relationship between lightning and upper-level radar reflectivity. They find correlations between average flash rates and upper-level reflectivities over both land and ocean, although both flash rates and reflectivities are much lower over ocean than land. Analysis of the data using Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs) shows similar EOFs for averaged lightning and reflectivity. In contrast, the EOFs of the anomalies of lightning and reflectivity have different spatial patterns; however, both have principal component time series that are correlated with the Southern Oscillation Index and, hence, El Nino. Differences in behavior of the lightning and reflectivity anomaly EOFs and principal components suggest that El Nino plays a smaller role in lightning anomaly than precipitation anomaly.

lightning↗

Preliminary Evaluation of Thematic Mapper Image Data Quality

Improvements in the ability to monitor renewable resources/vegegation due to improvements in the spatial, spectral and radiometric resolution of TM data were evaluated. Results presented from the first 4 months of analysis presented include: (1) geometric performance; (2) band-to-band registration; (3) modulation transfer function; and (4) crop separabililty performance. Crop separability in Webster County, Iowa and in Mississippi County, Arkansas as determined by cluster and principal components analyses is assessed.

Macdonald, R. B.↗

VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) instrumental effects, part 1

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is a method for observation of extragalactic radio sources which appears to have potential for precise long-distance earth surveying, clock synchronization and spacecraft navigation. Many researchers have been working to establish the accuracy of VLBI observations. The intent of the work reported here is to review the principal components of the VLBI instrument in order to estimate and/or bound the systematic error contributions. In this first of a series of articles, the definitions and tools which are needed in order to apply filter transfer-function analysis to the VLBI receiver are established and they are used to estimate the sensitivity of the VLBI receiver to plausible filter variations.

Layland, J. W.↗

Development of a low-aspect ratio fin for flight research experiments

A second-generation flight test fixture, developed at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, offers a generic testbed for aerodynamic and fluid mechanics research. The new fixture, a low-aspect ratio vertical fin shape mounted on the centerline of an F-15B aircraft lower fuselage, is designed for flight research at Mach numbers up to 2.0. The new fixture is a composite structure with a modular configuration and removable components for functional flexibility. This report describes the multidisciplinary design and analysis approach used to develop the fixture. The approach integrates conservative assumptions with simple analysis techniques to minimize the time and cost associated with its development. Presented are the principal disciplines required for this effort, which include aerodynamics, structures, stability, and operational considerations. In addition, preliminary results from the first phase of flight testing are presented. Acceptable directional stability and flow quality are documented and show agreement with predictions. Future envelope expansion activities will minimize current limitations so that the fixture can be used for a wide variety of high-speed aerodynamic and fluid mechanics research experiments.

Richwine, David M.↗

Jovian Chromophore Characteristics from Multispectral HST Images

The chromophores responsible for coloring the jovian atmosphere are embedded within Jupiter's vertical aerosol structure. Sunlight propagates through this vertical distribution of aerosol particles, whose colors are defined by omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda), and we remotely observe the culmination of the radiative transfer as I/F(lambda). In this study, we employed a radiative transfer code to retrieve omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) for particles in Jupiter's tropospheric haze at seven wavelengths in the near-UV and visible regimes. The data consisted of images of the 2008 passage of Oval BA to the south of the Great Red Spot obtained by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on-board the Hubble Space Telescope. We present derived particle colors for locations that were selected from 14 weather regions, which spanned a large range of observed colors. All omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curves were absorbing in the blue, and omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) increased monotonically to approximately unity as wavelength increased. We found accurate fits to all omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curves using an empirically derived functional form: omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) = 1 A exp(-B lambda). The best-fit parameters for the mean omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) curve were A = 25.4 and B = 0.0149 for lambda in units of nm. We performed a principal component analysis (PCA) on our omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) results and found that one or two independent chromophores were sufficient to produce the variations in omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda). A PCA of I/F(lambda) for the same jovian locations resulted in principal components (PCs) with roughly the same variances as the omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) PCA, but they did not result in a one-to-one mapping of PC amplitudes between the omega-bar (sub 0)(lambda) PCA and I/F(lambda) PCA. We suggest that statistical analyses performed on I/ F(lambda) image cubes have limited applicability to the characterization of chromophores in the jovian atmosphere due to the sensitivity of 1/ F(lambda) to horizontal variations in the vertical aerosol distribution.

Strycker, Paul D.↗

Annual Cycle of Surface Longwave Radiation

The annual cycles of upward and downward longwave fluxes at the Earth s surface are investigated by use of the NASA/GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget Data Set. Because of the immense difference between the heat capacity of land and ocean, the surface of Earth is partitioned into these two categories. Principal component analysis is used to quantify the annual cycles. Over land, the first principal component describes over 95% of the variance of the annual cycle of the upward and downward longwave fluxes. Over ocean the first term describes more than 87% of these annual cycles. Empirical orthogonal functions show the corresponding geographical distributions of these cycles. Phase plane diagrams of the annual cycles of upward longwave fluxes as a function of net shortwave flux show the thermal inertia of land and ocean.

Mlynczak, Pamela E.↗

Principal modes of atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with global angular momentum fluctuations

This paper provides a description of the variability of global atmospheric angular momentum (GAM) and its relationship with principal modes of three-dimensional atmospheric circulation anomalies. The data used are 5-day mean global wind fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts initialized dataset for 1980-1989. Significant seasonal variation of GAM is observed with maxima in April and November and a minimum during late July. The amplitude of the annual cycle is largest in the upper troposphere and decreases toward the surface. Although the lower tropospheric contribution to the total angular momentum is relatively small, its annual cycle is out of phase with those of the upper atmosphere and GAM. Also identified is a distinct semiannual component, with double peaks appearing in April and November. This signal is most noticeable in the upper troposphere above the 300-mb level. The principal modes of zonal-mean angular momentum and meridional circulation anomalies and their coupled modes are obtained by using empirical orthogonal function analysis and singular value decomposition. It is shown that the leading modes of the angular momentum and meridional circulation are coupled with each other and are responsible for much of the variability in GAM. The coupled modes represent fluctuations of upper-level subtropical zonal flow, which are linked to the modulation of Hadley circulation intensity in both hemispheres. It is found that GAM is highly correlated with the first eigenvector of upper-level streamfunction anomalies, which consists of a superrotational flow in the tropics and subtropics, except over the central Pacific where a 'blocked' flow with two subtropical anticyclonic circulation cells straddling the equator is found. Much of the blocked flow is due to the establishment of dipole anomalies in the velocity potential with centers over the central Pacific and the Maritime Continent on the interannual time scale. On the intraseasonal time scale, GAM fluctuation is dominated by superrotational flow in the tropics, with the blocked flow present to a much lesser extent. The associated velocity potential anomaly has a weak dipole structure with centers over the Indian Ocean and the eastern Pacific. The implications of the above results on the total angular momentum balance of the earth-atmosphere system are also discussed.

Kang, In-Sik↗

Batch Effect Correction Methods for NASA GeneLab Transcriptomic Datasets

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from space biology experiments promise to yield invaluable insights into the effects of spaceflight on terrestrial biology. However, sample numbers from each study are low due to limited crew availability, hardware, and space. To increase statistical power, spaceflight RNA-seq datasets from different missions are often aggregated together. However, this can introduce technical variation or "batch effects", often due to differences in sample handling, sample processing, and sequencing platforms. Several computational methods have been developed to correct for technical batch effects, thereby reducing their impact on true biological signals. In this study, we combined 7 mouse liver RNA-seq datasets from NASA GeneLab (part of the NASA Open Science Data Repository) to evaluate several common batch effect correction methods (ComBat and ComBat-seq from the sva R package, and Median Polish, Empirical Bayes, and ANOVA from the MBatch R package). We quantitatively evaluated the ability of these methods to correct for technical batch variables in space biology RNA-seq data using the following criteria: BatchQC, principal component analysis, dispersion separability criterion, log fold change correlation, and differential gene expression analysis. Each batch variable / correction method combination was then assessed using a custom scoring approach to identify the optimal correction method for the combined dataset, by geometrically probing the space of all allowable scoring functions to yield an aggregate volume-based scoring measure. Finally, we describe the way in which the GeneLab multi-study analysis and visualization portal will allow users to examine the presence or absence of batch effects using multiple metrics. If the user chooses to perform batch effect correction, the scoring approach described here can be implemented to identify the optimal correction method to use for their specific combined dataset prior to analysis.

Lauren M. Sanders↗

Principal Component-Based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) for Hyperspectral Sensors: Theoretical Concept - Part I

Modern infrared satellite sensors such as Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CrIS), Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) are capable of providing high spatial and spectral resolution infrared spectra. To fully exploit the vast amount of spectral information from these instruments, super fast radiative transfer models are needed. This paper presents a novel radiative transfer model based on principal component analysis. Instead of predicting channel radiance or transmittance spectra directly, the Principal Component-based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) predicts the Principal Component (PC) scores of these quantities. This prediction ability leads to significant savings in computational time. The parameterization of the PCRTM model is derived from properties of PC scores and instrument line shape functions. The PCRTM is very accurate and flexible. Due to its high speed and compressed spectral information format, it has great potential for super fast one-dimensional physical retrievals and for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) large volume radiance data assimilation applications. The model has been successfully developed for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Airborne Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I) and AIRS instruments. The PCRTM model performs monochromatic radiative transfer calculations and is able to include multiple scattering calculations to account for clouds and aerosols.

Liu, Xu↗