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At least 361 records · Page 20

Re-engineering the mission life cycle with ABC and IDEF

The theory behind re-engineering a business process is to remove the non-value added activities thereby lowering the process cost. In order to achieve this, one must be able to identify where the non-value added elements are located which is not a trivial task. This is because the non-value added elements are often hidden in the form of overhead and/or pooled resources. In order to be able to isolate these non-value added processes from among the other processes, one must first decompose the overall top level process into lower layers of sub-processes. In addition, costing data must be assigned to each sub-process along with the value the sub-process adds towards the final product. IDEF0 is a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) process-modeling tool that allows for this functional decomposition through structured analysis. In addition, it illustrates the relationship of the process and the value added to the product or service. The value added portion is further defined in IDEF1X which is an entity relationship diagramming tool. The entity relationship model is the blueprint of the product as it moves along the 'assembly line' and therefore relates all of the parts to each other and the final product. It also relates the parts to the tools that produce the product and all of the paper work that is used in their acquisition. The use of IDEF therefore facilitates the use of Activity Based Costing (ABC). ABC is an essential method in a high variety, product-customizing environment, to facilitate rapid response to externally caused change. This paper describes the work being done in the Mission Operations Division to re-engineer the development and operation life cycle of Mission Operations Centers using these tools.

Mandl, Daniel↗

TAMM: Tensor algebra for many-body methods

Tensor algebra operations such as contractions in computational chemistry consume a significant fraction of the computing time on large-scale computing platforms. The widespread use of tensor contractions between large multi-dimensional tensors in describing electronic structure theory has motivated the development of multiple tensor algebra frameworks targeting heterogeneous computing platforms. In this paper, we present Tensor Algebra for Many-body Methods (TAMM), a framework for productive and performance-portable development of scalable computational chemistry methods. TAMM decouples the specification of the computation from the execution of these operations on available high-performance computing systems. With this design choice, the scientific application developers (domain scientists) can focus on the algorithmic requirements using the tensor algebra interface provided by TAMM, whereas high-performance computing developers can direct their attention to various optimizations on the underlying constructs, such as efficient data distribution, optimized scheduling algorithms, and efficient use of intra-node resources (e.g., graphics processing units). The modular structure of TAMM allows it to support different hardware architectures and incorporate new algorithmic advances. We describe the TAMM framework and our approach to the sustainable development of scalable ground- and excited-state electronic structure methods. We present case studies highlighting the ease of use, including the performance and productivity gains compared to other frameworks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Concepts Relevant for the Kinetic Analysis of Reversible Reaction Systems

The net rate of a reversible chemical reaction is the difference between unidirectional rates of traversal along forward and reverse reaction paths. In a multistep reaction sequence, the forward and reverse trajectories, in general, are not the microscopic reverse of one another; rather, each unidirectional route is comprised of distinct rate-controlling steps, intermediates, and transition states. Consequently, traditional descriptors of rate (e.g., reaction orders) do not reflect intrinsic kinetic information but instead conflate unidirectional contributions determined by (i) the microscopic occurrence of forward/reverse reactions (i.e., unidirectional kinetics) and (ii) the reversibility of reaction (i.e., nonequilibrium thermodynamics). This review aims to provide a comprehensive resource of analytical and conceptual tools which deconvolute the contributions of reaction kinetics and thermodynamics to disambiguate unidirectional reaction trajectories and precisely identify rate- and reversibility-controlling molecular species and steps in reversible reaction systems. The extrication of mechanistic and kinetic information from bidirectional reactions is accomplished through equation-based formalisms (e.g., De Donder relations) grounded in principles of thermodynamics and interpreted in the context of theories of chemical kinetics developed in the past 25 years. Here, the aggregate of mathematical formalisms detailed herein is general to thermochemical and electrochemical reactions and encapsulates a diverse body of scientific literature encompassing chemical physics, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, catalysis, and kinetic modeling.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Scalable and Quench-Free Processing of Metal Halide Perovskites in Ambient Conditions

With the rise of global warming and the growing energy crisis, scientists have pivoted from typical resources to look for new materials and technologies. Perovskite materials hold the potential for making high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells through solution processing of Earth-abundant materials; however, scalability, stability, and durability remain key challenges. In order to transition from small-scale processing in inert environments to higher throughput processing in ambient conditions, the fundamentals of perovskite crystallization must be understood. Classical nucleation theory, the LaMer relation, and nonclassical crystallization considerations are discussed to provide a mechanism by which a gellan gum (GG) additive—a nontoxic polymeric saccharide—has enabled researchers to produce quality halide perovskite thin-film blade coated in ambient conditions without a quench step. Furthermore, we report on the improved stability and durability properties inherent to these films, which feature improved morphologies and optoelectronic properties compared to films spin-coated in a glovebox with antisolvent. We tune the amount of GG in the perovskite precursor and study the interplay between GG concentration and processability, morphological control, and increased stability under humidity, heat, and mechanical testing. The simplicity of this approach and insensitivity to environmental conditions enable a wide process window for the production of low-defect, mechanically robust, and operationally stable perovskites with fracture energies among the highest obtained for perovskites.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Systems Engineering Design Via Experimental Operation Research: Complex Organizational Metric for Programmatic Risk Environments (COMPRE)

Unique and innovative graph theory, neural network, organizational modeling, and genetic algorithms are applied to the design and evolution of programmatic and organizational architectures. Graph theory representations of programs and organizations increase modeling capabilities and flexibility, while illuminating preferable programmatic/organizational design features. Treating programs and organizations as neural networks results in better system synthesis, and more robust data modeling. Organizational modeling using covariance structures enhances the determination of organizational risk factors. Genetic algorithms improve programmatic evolution characteristics, while shedding light on rulebase requirements for achieving specified technological readiness levels, given budget and schedule resources. This program of research improves the robustness and verifiability of systems synthesis tools, including the Complex Organizational Metric for Programmatic Risk Environments (COMPRE).

Mog, Robert A.↗

Symmetry dilemmas in quantum computing for chemistry: A comprehensive analysis

Symmetry adaptation, universality, and gate efficiency are central but often competing requirements in quantum algorithms for electronic structure and many-body physics. For example, fully symmetry-adapted universal operator pools typically generate long and deep quantum circuits; gate-efficient universal operator pools generally break symmetries; and gate-efficient, fully symmetry-adapted operator pools may not be universal. In this work, we analyze such symmetry dilemmas both theoretically and numerically. On the theory side, we prove that the popular, gate-efficient operator pool consisting of singlet spin-adapted singles and perfect-pairing doubles is not universal when spatial symmetry is enforced. To demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of the three types of pools, we perform numerical simulations using an adaptive algorithm paired with operator pools that are (i) fully symmetry-adapted and universal, (ii) fully symmetry-adapted and non-universal, and (iii) breaking a single symmetry and universal. Our numerical simulations encompass three physically relevant scenarios in which the target state is (i) the global ground state, (ii) the ground state crossed by a state differing in multiple symmetry properties, and (iii) the ground state crossed by a state differing in a single symmetry property. Our results show when symmetry-breaking but universal pools can be used safely, when enforcing at least one distinguishing symmetry suffices, and when a particular symmetry must be rigorously preserved to avoid variational collapse. Together, the formal and numerical analyses provide a practical guide for designing and benchmarking symmetry-adapted operator pools that balance universality, resource requirements, and robust state targeting in quantum simulations for chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Classical and quantum computing of shear viscosity for ( 2 + 1 ) D SU(2) gauge theory

We perform a nonperturbative calculation of the shear viscosity for ( 2 + 1 )-dimensional SU(2) gauge theory by using the lattice Hamiltonian formulation. The retarded Green’s function of the stress-energy tensor is calculated from real time evolution via exact diagonalization of the lattice Hamiltonian with a local Hilbert space truncation, and the shear viscosity is obtained via the Kubo formula. When taking the continuum limit, we account for the renormalization group flow of the coupling but no additional operator renormalization. We find the ratio of the shear viscosity and the entropy density η s is consistent with a well-known holographic result 1 4 π at several temperatures on a 4 × 4 honeycomb lattice with the local electric representation truncated at j max = 1 2 . We also find the ratio of the spectral function and frequency ρ x y ( ω ) ω exhibits a peak structure when the frequency is small. Both the exact diagonalization method and simple matrix product state classical simulation method beyond j max = 1 2 on bigger lattices require exponentially growing resources. So we develop a quantum computing method to calculate the retarded Green’s function and analyze various systematics of the calculation including j max truncation and finite size effects, Trotter errors and the thermal state preparation efficiency. Our thermal state preparation method still requires resources that grow exponentially with the lattice size, but with a very small prefactor at high temperature. We test our quantum circuit on both the Quantinuum emulator and the IBM simulator for a small lattice and obtain results consistent with the classical computing ones. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Hydrological connectivity: a review and emerging strategies for integrating measurement, modeling, and management

This review synthesizes methods for measuring, modeling, and managing hydrologic connectivity, offering pathways to improve practices and address environmental challenges (e.g., climate change) and sustainability. As a key driver of water movement and nutrient cycling, hydrologic connectivity influences flood mitigation, water quality regulation, and biodiversity conservation. However, traditional field-based methods (e.g., dye tracing), indirect measurements (e.g., runoff analysis), and remote sensing techniques (e.g., InSAR) often struggle to capture the complexity of catchment-scale interactions. Similarly, modeling approaches—including process-based and percolation theory-based models, graph theory, and entropy-based metrics—face limitations in fully representing these interconnected processes. Both modeling and measurement techniques are constrained by inadequate spatial and temporal coverage, high data demands, computational complexity, and difficulties in representing subsurface connectivity. Subsequently, we critique current management practices that prioritize isolated variables (e.g., streamflow, sediment transport) over system-wide strategies and emphasize the need for adaptive, connectivity-based approaches in water resource planning and restoration. Moving forward, we highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, technological innovations (e.g., AI-driven modeling, real-time monitoring), and integrated frameworks to improve connectivity measurement, modeling, and adaptive management to restore fragmented hydrologic networks. This integrated approach sets the stage for transformative water resource management, fostering proactive policy development and stakeholder engagement.

Dwivedi, Dipankar↗

A Deterministic Multivariate Clustering Method for Drive Cycle Generation from In-Use Vehicle Data

Accurately characterizing vehicle drive cycles plays a fundamental role in assessing the performance of new vehicle technologies. Repeatable, short duration representative drive cycles facilitate more informed decision making, resulting in improved test procedures and more successful vehicle designs. With continued growth in the deployment of onboard telematics systems employing global positioning systems (GPS), large scale, low cost collection of real-world vehicle drive cycle data has become a reality. As a result of these technological advances, researchers, designers, and engineers are no longer constrained by lack of operating data when developing and optimizing technology, but rather by resources available for testing and simulation. Experimental testing is expensive and time consuming, therefore the need exists for a fast and accurate means of generating representative cycles from large volumes of real-world driving data. This paper explores the development and initial validation of a method of generating representative drive cycles from large collections of real-world vehicle data using a deterministic multivariate clustering approach. Starting with theory and diving into the methodology behind representative cycle generation, the paper aims to also present graphical and tabular results of initial validation via vehicle simulation and chassis dynamometer testing. Additional topics for further research and areas for ongoing development will also be presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Binding of Formic Acid on Anatase TiO2(101)

The adsorption of formic acid (FA) and the formation of formate species on metal oxide surfaces are of great interest in catalysis. Formic acid is used to probe the adsorption properties of surface sites and formates are common intermediates in many catalytic reactions. Here we focus on the interaction of FA with a prototypical anatase TiO2(101) surface by using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS), electron stimulated desorption (ESD), and density functional theory (DFT) to assess the coverage dependent evolution of different FA-derived surface species at low temperatures (80–240 K). We find that isolated FA adsorbs at 80 K in both monodentate (MD) and bidentate (BD) configurations on top of undercoordinated Ti sites (Ti5c). The MD form is likely deprotonated and readily converts upon annealing to bridging BD on two neighboring Ti5c sites. DFT calculations show that molecularly-bound MD FA is metastable and readily converts into a deprotonated state in the proximity of subsurface oxygen vacancy. The stability of the MD species increases as the availability of the paired Ti5c sites for BD formation diminishes at high coverages. Upon surface saturation, a mixed configuration of alternating bidentate and monodentate species with coverage of 2/3 FA/Ti5c represents the most favorable configuration. This is in contrast with the adsorption of FA on rutile TiO2(110) and many other oxides, where bidentate formate species dominate. Y.W., A.D., G.A.K., R.R., N.G.P., and Z.D. were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences (CSGB) under FWP 47319. B.W. and A.S. acknowledge the support of DOE BES, CSGB Division under Award DESC0007347. The experimental studies were performed in EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle. The authors also acknowledge computational resources from the TIGRESS high-performance computer center at Princeton University.

Wang, Yang↗

Strategies for Computer-Aided Discovery of Novel Open-Shell Polymers

Organic π-conjugated polymers with a triplet ground state have been the focus of recent research for their interesting and unique electronic properties, arising from the presence of the two unpaired electrons. These compounds are usually built from alternating electron-donating and electron-accepting monomer pairs which lower the HOMO–LUMO gap and yield a triplet state instead of the typical singlet ground state. In this paper, we use density functional theory calculations to explore the design rules that govern the creation of a ground-state triplet conjugated polymer and find that a small HOMO–LUMO gap in the singlet state is the best predictor for the existence of a triplet ground state, compared to previous use of a pro-quinoidal bonding character. Furthermore, this work can accelerate the discovery of new stable triplet materials by reducing the computational resources needed for electronic-state calculations and the number of potential candidates for synthesis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

From Bulk to Interface: Solvent Exchange Dynamics and Their Role in Ion Transport and the Interfacial Model of Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries

Multivalent battery chemistries have been explored in response to the increasing demand for high-energy rechargeable batteries utilizing sustainable resources. Solvation structures of working cations have been recognized as a key component in the design of electrolytes; however, most structure–property correlations of metal ions in organic electrolytes usually build upon favorable static solvation structures, often overlooking solvent exchange dynamics. We here report the ion solvation structures and solvent exchange rates of magnesium electrolytes in various solvents by using multimodal nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and molecular dynamics/density functional theory (MD/DFT) calculations. These magnesium solvation structures and solvent exchange dynamics are correlated to the combined effects of several physicochemical properties of the solvents. Moreover, Mg 2+ transport and interfacial charge transfer efficiency are found to be closely correlated to the solvent exchange rate in the binary electrolytes where the solvent exchange is tunable by the fraction of diluent solvents. Our primary findings are (1) most battery-related solvents undergo ultraslow solvent exchange coordinating to Mg 2+ (with time scales ranging from 0.5 μs to 5 ms), (2) the cation transport mechanism is a mixture of vehicular and structural diffusion even at the ultraslow exchange limit (with faster solvent exchange leading to faster cation transport), and (3) an interfacial model wherein organic-rich regions facilitate desolvation and inorganic regions promote Mg 2+ transport is consistent with our NMR, electrochemistry, and cryogenic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (cryo-XPS) results. In conclusion, this observed ultraslow solvent exchange and its importance for ion transport and interfacial properties necessitate the judicious selection of solvents and informed design of electrolyte blends for multivalent electrolytes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Review and analysis of dense linear system solver package for distributed memory machines

A dense linear system solver package recently developed at the University of Texas at Austin for distributed memory machine (e.g. Intel Paragon) has been reviewed and analyzed. The package contains about 45 software routines, some written in FORTRAN, and some in C-language, and forms the basis for parallel/distributed solutions of systems of linear equations encountered in many problems of scientific and engineering nature. The package, being studied by the Computer Applications Branch of the Analysis and Computation Division, may provide a significant computational resource for NASA scientists and engineers in parallel/distributed computing. Since the package is new and not well tested or documented, many of its underlying concepts and implementations were unclear; our task was to review, analyze, and critique the package as a step in the process that will enable scientists and engineers to apply it to the solution of their problems. All routines in the package were reviewed and analyzed. Underlying theory or concepts which exist in the form of published papers or technical reports, or memos, were either obtained from the author, or from the scientific literature; and general algorithms, explanations, examples, and critiques have been provided to explain the workings of these programs. Wherever the things were still unclear, communications were made with the developer (author), either by telephone or by electronic mail, to understand the workings of the routines. Whenever possible, tests were made to verify the concepts and logic employed in their implementations. A detailed report is being separately documented to explain the workings of these routines.

Narang, H. N.↗

Statistical Engineering

This webinar provides an overview of the International Statistical Engineering Association (ISEA), and it illustrates the practice of statistical engineering at NASA. ISEA was formed to promote the study of how successful data-based problem-solving methods are leveraged to realize innovative opportunities and solve problems sustainably. ISEA is comprised of statisticians, engineers, scientists, and other professionals that exchange ideas and experiences in the development and application of statistical engineering theories. ISEA is building the body of knowledge of the statistical engineering discipline with a particular focus on improving academic preparation for tackling complex problems. Over the past 15 years, the practice of statistical engineering has gained recognition within NASA by spurring innovation and efficiency, and it has demonstrated significant impact. Aerospace research and development benefits from an application-focused statistical engineering perspective to accelerate learning, maximize knowledge, ensure strategic resource investment, and inform data-driven decisions. The second portion of this presentation provides an overview of infusing statistical engineering at NASA through pioneering case studies in aeronautics, space exploration, and atmospheric science.

Peter A Parker↗

Modeling for Integrated Science Management and Resilient Systems Development

Many physiological, environmental, and operational risks exist for crewmembers during spaceflight. An understanding of these risks from an integrated perspective is required to provide effective and efficient mitigations during future exploration missions that typically have stringent limitations on resources available, such as mass, power, and crew time. The Human Research Program (HRP) is in the early stages of developing collaborative modeling approaches for the purposes of managing its science portfolio in an integrated manner to support cross-disciplinary risk mitigation strategies and to enable resilient human and engineered systems in the spaceflight environment. In this talk, we will share ideas being explored from fields such as network science, complexity theory, and system-of-systems modeling. Initial work on tools to support these explorations will be discussed briefly, along with ideas for future efforts.

Shelhamer, M.↗

Experiences with Extra-Vehicular Activities in Response to Critical ISS Contingencies

The maturation of the International Space Station (ISS) design from the proposed Space Station Freedom to today's current implementation resulted in external hardware redundancy vulnerabilities in the final design. Failure to compensate for or respond to these vulnerabilities could put the ISS in a posture to where it could no longer function as a habitable space station. In the first years of ISS assembly, these responses were to largely be addressed by the continued resupply and Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) capabilities of the Space Shuttle. Even prior to the decision to retire the Space Shuttle, it was realized that ISS needed to have its own capability to be able to rapidly repair or replace external hardware without needing to wait for the next cargo resupply mission. As documented in a previous publicatoin5, in 2006 development was started to baseline Extra- Vehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalk) procedures to replace hardware components whose failure would expose some of the ISS vulnerabilities should a second failure occur. This development work laid the groundwork for the onboard crews and the ground operations and engineering teams to be ready to replace any of this failed hardware. In 2010, this development work was put to the test when one of these pieces of hardware failed. This paper will provide a brief summary of the planning and processes established in the original Contingency EVA development phase. It will then review how those plans and processes were implemented in 2010, highlighting what went well as well as where there were deficiencies between theory and reality. This paper will show that the original approach and analyses, though sound, were not as thorough as they should have been in the realm of planning for next worse failures, for documenting Programmatic approval of key assumptions, and not pursuing sufficient engineering analysis prior to the failure of the hardware. The paper will further highlight the changes made to the Contingency EVA preparation team structure, approach, goals, and the resources allocated to its work after the 2010 events. Finally, the authors will overview the implementation of these updates in addressing failures onboard the ISS in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The successful use of the updated approaches, and the application of the approaches to other spacewalks, will demonstrate the effectiveness of this additional work and make a case for putting significant time and resources into pre-failure planning and analysis for critical hardware items on human-tended spacecraft.

Van Cise, E. A.↗

Experiences with Extra-Vehicular Activities in Response to Critical ISS Contingencies

The maturation of the International Space Station (ISS) design from the proposed Space Station Freedom to today's current implementation resulted in external hardware redundancy vulnerabilities in the final design. Failure to compensate for or respond to these vulnerabilities could put the ISS in a posture where it could no longer function as a habitable space station. In the first years of ISS assembly, these responses were to largely be addressed by the continued resupply and Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) capabilities of the Space Shuttle. Even prior to the decision to retire the Space Shuttle, it was realized that ISS needed to have its own capability to be able to rapidly repair or replace external hardware without needing to wait for the next cargo resupply mission. As documented in a previous publication, in 2006 development was started to baseline Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalk) procedures to replace hardware components whose failure would expose some of the ISS vulnerabilities should a second failure occur. This development work laid the groundwork for the onboard crews and the ground operations and engineering teams to be ready to replace any of this failed hardware. In 2010, this development work was put to the test when one of these pieces of hardware failed. This paper will provide a brief summary of the planning and processes established in the original Contingency EVA development phase. It will then review how those plans and processes were implemented in 2010, highlighting what went well as well as where there were deficiencies between theory and reality. This paper will show that the original approach and analyses, though sound, were not as thorough as they should have been in the realm of planning for next worse failures, for documenting Programmatic approval of key assumptions, and not pursuing sufficient engineering analysis prior to the failure of the hardware. The paper will further highlight the changes made to the Contingency EVA preparation team structure, approach, goals, and the resources allocated to its work after the 2010 events. Finally, the authors will overview the implementation of these updates in addressing failures onboard the ISS in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The successful use of the updated approaches, and the application of the approaches to other spacewalks, will demonstrate the effectiveness of this additional work and make a case for putting significant time and resources into pre-failure planning and analysis for critical hardware items on human-tended spacecraft.

Van Cise, E. A.↗

Design and fabrication of TiO 2 -based dye sensitized solar cells using plant-derived organic dyes

The utilization of solar energy, an abundant and renewable resource, shows great promise. Various technologies have been employed to capture this vast energy potential. In this study, the effectiveness of natural dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was explored through experimental and computational methods. Organic dyes derived from specific plant species were examined, with a solvent mixture of ethanol, methanol, and tetrahydrofuran used for extraction. A UV–vis spectrophotometer was utilized to measure the sensitizers’ optical characteristics. The study employed density functional theory (DFT), implemented in Gaussian 09 W software, to perform computational calculations. The B3LYP method and a basis set of 6-31G++(d,p) were chosen for optimizing the geometries and energetics of dye molecules. The DFT results indicated that the dye molecules had a bandgap in the range of 2.16–2.38 eV. The photochemical performance of all four fabricated DSSC-based devices was evaluated to be between 0.33% and 1.04%, and the Euryops pectinatus sensitizer demonstrated the highest efficiency of 1.04% among the studied sensitizers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗