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At least 937 records · Page 52

Utilizing Novel Field and Data Exploration Methods to Explore Hot Moments in High-Frequency Soil Nitrous Oxide Emissions Data: Opportunities and Challenges

Soil nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions are an important driver of climate change and are a major mechanism of labile nitrogen (N) loss from terrestrial ecosystems. Evidence increasingly suggests that locations on the landscape that experience biogeochemical fluxes disproportionate to the surrounding matrix (hot spots) and time periods that show disproportionately high fluxes relative to the background (hot moments) strongly influence landscape-scale soil N 2 O emissions. However, substantial uncertainties remain regarding how to measure and model where and when these extreme soil N 2 O fluxes occur. High-frequency datasets of soil N 2 O fluxes are newly possible due to advancements in field-ready instrumentation that uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Here, we outline the opportunities and challenges that are provided by the deployment of this field-based instrumentation and the collection of high-frequency soil N 2 O flux datasets. While there are substantial challenges associated with automated CRDS systems, there are also opportunities to utilize these near-continuous data to constrain our understanding of dynamics of the terrestrial N cycle across space and time. Finally, we propose future research directions exploring the influence of hot moments of N 2 O emissions on the N cycle, particularly considering the gaps surrounding how global change forces are likely to alter N dynamics in the future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Sensor Web Dynamic Measurement Techniques and Adaptive Observing Strategies

Sensor Web observing systems may have the potential to significantly improve our ability to monitor, understand, and predict the evolution of rapidly evolving, transient, or variable environmental features and events. This improvement will come about by integrating novel data collection techniques, new or improved instruments, emerging communications technologies and protocols, sensor mark-up languages, and interoperable planning and scheduling systems. In contrast to today's observing systems, "event-driven" sensor webs will synthesize real- or near-real time measurements and information from other platforms and then react by reconfiguring the platforms and instruments to invoke new measurement modes and adaptive observation strategies. Similarly, "model-driven" sensor webs will utilize environmental prediction models to initiate targeted sensor measurements or to use a new observing strategy. The sensor web concept contrasts with today's data collection techniques and observing system operations concepts where independent measurements are made by remote sensing and in situ platforms that do not share, and therefore cannot act upon, potentially useful complementary sensor measurement data and platform state information. This presentation describes NASA's view of event-driven and model-driven Sensor Webs and highlights several research and development activities at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Talabac, Stephen J.↗

A Comparison of Three Random Number Generators for Aircraft Dynamic Modeling Applications

Three random number generators, which produce Gaussian white noise sequences, were compared to assess their suitability in aircraft dynamic modeling applications. The first generator considered was the MATLAB (registered) implementation of the Mersenne-Twister algorithm. The second generator was a website called Random.org, which processes atmospheric noise measured using radios to create the random numbers. The third generator was based on synthesis of the Fourier series, where the random number sequences are constructed from prescribed amplitude and phase spectra. A total of 200 sequences, each having 601 random numbers, for each generator were collected and analyzed in terms of the mean, variance, normality, autocorrelation, and power spectral density. These sequences were then applied to two problems in aircraft dynamic modeling, namely estimating stability and control derivatives from simulated onboard sensor data, and simulating flight in atmospheric turbulence. In general, each random number generator had good performance and is well-suited for aircraft dynamic modeling applications. Specific strengths and weaknesses of each generator are discussed. For Monte Carlo simulation, the Fourier synthesis method is recommended because it most accurately and consistently approximated Gaussian white noise and can be implemented with reasonable computational effort.

Grauer, Jared A.↗

The NASA Twins Study: The Effect of One Year in Space on Long-Chain Fatty Acid Desaturases and Elongases

Background: To date, there is no clear understanding of the effect of long-duration spaceflight on the major enzymes that govern the metabolism of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. To address this gap in knowledge, we used data from the NASA Twins Study, which includes a multi-scale omic investigation of the changes that occurred during a year-long (340 days) human spaceflight. Embedded within the NASA Twins data are specific analytes associated with fatty acid metabolism. Objectives: To examine the long-chain fatty acid desaturases and elongases in a single human during one year in space. Method: One male twin was on board the International Space Station (ISS) for one year, while his monozygotic twin served as a genetically matched ground control. Longitudinal assessments included the genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome, and immunome during the mission, as well as six months before and after. The gene-specific fatty acid desaturase and elongase transcriptome data (FADS1, FADS2, ELOVL2 and ELOVL5) were extracted from untargeted RNA-seq measurements derived from white blood cell fractions. Results: Most data from the elongases and desaturases exhibited relatively similar expression profiles (R2>0.6) over time for the CD8, CD19, and LD cell fractions, indicating overall conservation of function within and between the subjects. Both cell-type and temporal specificity was observed in some cases, and some differences were also apparent between the poly-adenylated fraction (polyA) of processed RNAs vs. the ribo-depleted (ribo-) fraction. The flight subject showed a stronger enrichment of the Fatty Acid Metabolic processes pathway across almost all cell types (columns, CD4, CD8, CPT, LD), most especially in the ribodepleted fraction of RNA, but also with the polyA+ fraction of RNA. GSEA enrichment measures across three related Fatty Acid Metabolism pathways showed a differential between the ground and flight subject. Conclusions: There appears to be no persistent alteration of desaturase and elongase gene expression associated with one year in space. However, these data provide evidence that cellular lipid metabolism can be responsive and dynamic to spaceflight, even though it appears cell-type- and context-specific, most notably in terms of the fraction of RNA measured and the collection protocols. These results also provide new evidence of mid-flight spikes in expression of selected genes, which may indicate transient responses to specific insults during spaceflight.

Elongase↗

CFD Modeling of Bi-Directional PMD inside Cryogenic Propellant Tanks Onboard Parabolic Flights

Future cryogenic propulsion systems will require efficient methods with which to transfer cryogenic propellants from a depot storage tank to a customer receiver tank to minimize cost and maximize reusability. The Reduced Gravity Cryogenic Transfer project is currently developing advanced cryogenic fluid management technology and developing and validating new numerical models for three phases of transfer: line chilldown, tank chilldown, and tank fill. Additionally, multiple liquid nitrogen (LN 2 ) parabolic flight transfer rigs are being designed by universities and NASA to investigate the gravitational sensitivities that exist in these three technologies. In order to maximize the collection of low-g data during flights, it is required to extract as much (LN 2 as possible from the supply tank, despite variable gravity levels. The purpose of this paper is to present computational fluid dynamics (CFD) volume of fluid simulations of (LN 2 behavior in the supply tank onboard parabolic flights to validate the optimal design of a bi-directional propellant management device (PMD) using the commercial software FLOW-3D. A parametric study is conducted on the effects of gravity level, fill level, pore size, open area, thickness, and type of baffle on PMD performance. Based on results, the PMD as designed exceeds the targeted expulsion efficiency.

Jason Hartwig↗

Time-dependent experimental identification of inter-ELM microtearing modes in the tokamak edge on DIII-D

In a series of discharges on the DIII-D tokamak, fast vertical plasma jogs are used to induce current perturbations in the steep gradient region of the H-mode edge. These current perturbations directly influence the edge q profile, decoupling the resonant location and instability drive of pedestal-localized microtearing modes (MTMs.) By exploiting this effect, we develop and apply a new experimental technique to track the dynamical frequency evolution of MTMs in the pedestal region, providing a compelling validation of the MTM model. The frequency of potential MTMs is calculated as the Doppler-shifted electron diamagnetic frequency at rational q=m/n surfaces, showing remarkable agreement with chirped frequency behavior of n=3, 4 and 5 modes detected with fast magnetics. Data is collected throughout multiple ELM cycles in order to build robust statistics describing the time-dependent frequency evolution of MTMs, which can be explained by examining the recovery of pedestal gradients after an ELM event. MTMs have a dominant transport contribution in the electron thermal channel, so the presented results indicate that reduced models of pedestal transport must be electromagnetic in nature and constructed with accurate calculations of MTM stability; inclusion of this physics is essential for accurate predictions of the electron temperature pedestal profile. Supporting measurements of mode saturation, propagation direction and transport fingerprints are made to support the dynamic frequency determination, unambiguously and experimentally identifying MTMs in the pedestal region of DIII-D.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The Global Fire Atlas of Individual Fire Size, Duration, Speed and Direction

Natural and human-ignited fires affect all major biomes, altering ecosystem structure, biogeochemical cycles and atmospheric composition. Satellite observations provide global data on spatiotemporal patterns of biomass burning and evidence for the rapid changes in global fire activity in response to land management and climate. Satellite imagery also provides detailed information on the daily or sub-daily position of fires that can be used to understand the dynamics of individual fires. The Global Fire Atlas is a new global dataset that tracks the dynamics of individual fires to determine the timing and location of ignitions, fire size and duration, and daily expansion, fire line length, speed, and direction of spread. Here, we present the underlying methodology and Global Fire Atlas results for 2003–2016 derived from daily moderate-resolution (500 m) Collection 6 MCD64A1 burned-area data. The algorithm identified 13.3 million individual fires over the study period, and estimated fire perimeters were in good agreement with independent data for the continental United States. A small number of large fires dominated sparsely populated arid and boreal ecosystems, while burned area in agricultural and other human-dominated landscapes was driven by high ignition densities that resulted in numerous smaller fires. Long-duration fires in boreal regions and natural landscapes in the humid tropics suggest that fire season length exerts a strong control on fire size and total burned area in these areas. In arid ecosystems with low fuel densities, high fire spread rates resulted in large, short-duration fires that quickly consumed available fuels. Importantly, multiday fires contributed the majority of burned area in all biomass burning regions. A first analysis of the largest, longest and fastest fires that occurred around the world revealed coherent regional patterns of extreme fires driven by large-scale climate forcing. Global Fire Atlas data are publicly available through http://www.globalfiredata.org (last access: 9 August 2018) and https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1642, and individual fire information and summary data products provide new information for benchmarking fire models within ecosystem and Earth system models, understanding vegetation–fire feedbacks, improving global emissions estimates, and characterizing the changing role of fire in the Earth system.

global fire atlas↗

Powering the Woods Hole X-Spar Buoy with Ocean Wave Energy—A Control Co-Design Feasibility Study

Despite its success in measuring air–sea exchange, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) X-Spar Buoy faces operational limitations due to energy constraints, motivating the integration of an energy harvesting apparatus to improve its deployment duration and capabilities. This work explores the feasibility of an augmented, self-powered system in two parts. Part 1 presents the collaborative design between X-Spar developers and wave energy researchers translating user needs into specific functional requirements. Based on requirements like desired power levels, deployability, survivability, and minimal interference with environmental data collection, unsuitable concepts are pre-eliminated from further feasibility study consideration. In part 2, we focus on one of the promising concepts: an internal rigid body wave energy converter. We apply control co-design methods to consider commercial of the shelf hardware components in the dynamic models and investigate the concept’s power conversion capabilities using linear 2-port wave-to-wire models with concurrently optimized control algorithms that are distinct for every considered hardware configuration. During this feasibility study we utilize two different control algorithms, the numerically optimal (but acausal) benchmark and the optimized damping feedback. We assess the sensitivity of average power to variations in drive-train friction, a parameter with high uncertainty, and analyze stroke limitations to ensure operational constraints are met. Our results indicate that a well-designed power take-off (PTO) system could significantly extend the WEC-Spar’s mission by providing additional electrical power without compromising data quality.

autonomous systems↗

Characterizing falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Sandia will construct a cold flow receiver test platform in order to characterize falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales. While Sandia has extensive experience in R&D of falling particle curtain receivers, most have been at pilot scale and smaller - on the order of 1 MWth with characteristic dimensions of nominally 1-2 m to adequately collect solar energy from the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). However, scaling up receivers to commercially relevant scales (25 MWth and above) will require a thorough understanding of particle curtain dynamics at larger scales, especially longer drop heights, for design certainty. The goal of this project will be to construct a cold falling particle curtain test rig capable of simulating particle characteristics that are expected in a commercial scale CSP plant, namely the drop height, curtain thickness, and particle mass flow rate (normalized by length of curtain). This will enable data collection on curtain opacity and spread, both of which are correlated to receiver efficiency and reliable construction, for commercially relevant scales. It will also permit validation of numerical models that will enable detailed receiver characterization and design past currently validated scales.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Dynamic Power Network State Estimation with Asynchronous Measurements

The operation of distribution networks is becoming increasingly volatile, due to fast variations of renewables and, hence, net-loading conditions. To perform a reliable state estimation under these conditions, this paper considers the case where measurements from meters, phasor measurement units, and distributed energy resources are collected and processed in real time to produce estimates of the state at a fast time scale. Streams of measurements collected in real time and at heterogenous rates render the underlying processing asynchronous, and poses severe strains on workhorse state estimation algorithms. In this work, a real-time state estimation algorithm is proposed, where data are processed on the fly. Starting from a regularized least-squares model, and leveraging appropriate linear models, the proposed scheme boils down to a linear dynamical system where the state is updated based on the previous estimate and on the measurement gathered from a few available sensors. The estimation error is shown to be always bounded under mild condition. Numerical simulations are provided to corroborate the analytical findings.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

LungMAP Portal Ecosystem: Systems-level Exploration of the Lung

An improved understanding of the human lung necessitates advanced systems models informed by an ever-increasing repertoire of molecular omics, cellular, imaging, and pathological datasets. To centralize and standardize information across broad lung research efforts we expanded the LungMAP.net website into a new gateway portal. This portal connects a broad spectrum of research networks, bulk and single-cell multi-omics data and a diverse collection of image data that span mammalian lung development, and disease. The data are standardized across species and technologies using harmonized data and metadata models that leverage recent advances including those from the Human Cell Atlas, diverse ontologies, and the LungMAP CellCards initiative. To cultivate future discoveries, we have aggregated a diverse collection of single-cell atlases for multiple species (human, rhesus, mouse), to enable consistent queries across technologies, cohorts, age, disease, and drug treatment. These atlases are provided as independent and integrated queryable datasets, with an emphasis on dynamic visualization, figure generation, re-analysis, cell-type curation, and automated reference-based classification of user-provided single-cell genomics datasets (Azimuth). Finally, as this resource grows, we intend to increase the breadth of available interactive interfaces, supported data types, data portals and datasets from LungMAP and external research efforts.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Characterizing falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR-1)

Sandia will construct a cold flow receiver test platform in order to characterize falling particle curtain receivers at commercially relevant scales. While Sandia has extensive experience in R&D of falling particle curtain receivers, most have been at pilot scale and smaller - on the order of 1 MW th with characteristic dimensions of nominally 1-2 m to adequately collect solar energy from the heliostat field at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). However, scaling up receivers to commercially relevant scales (25 MW th and above) will require a thorough understanding of particle curtain dynamics at larger scales, especially longer drop heights, for design certainty. The goal of this project will be to construct a cold falling particle curtain test rig capable of simulating particle characteristics that are expected in a commercial scale CSP plant, namely the drop height, curtain thickness, and particle mass flow rate (normalized by length of curtain). This will enable data collection on curtain opacity and spread, both of which are correlated to receiver efficiency and reliable construction, for commercially relevant scales. It will also permit validation of numerical models that will enable detailed receiver characterization and design past currently validated scales.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Dynamic Power Network State Estimation with Asynchronous Measurements: Preprint

The operation of distribution networks is becoming increasingly volatile, due to fast variations of renewables and, hence, net-loading conditions. To perform a reliable state estimation under these conditions, this paper considers the case where measurements from meters, phasor measurement units, and distributed energy resources are collected and processed in real time to produce estimates of the state at a fast time scale. Streams of measurements collected in real time and at heterogenous rates render the underlying processing asynchronous, and poses severe strains on workhorse state estimation algorithms. In this work, a real-time state estimation algorithm is proposed, where data are processed on the fly. Starting from a regularized least-squares model, and leveraging appropriate linear models, the proposed scheme boils down to a linear dynamical system where the state is updated based on the previous estimate and on the measurement gathered from a few available sensors. The estimation error is shown to be always bounded under mild condition. Numerical simulations are provided to corroborate the analytical findings.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Experimental evidence for a phase transition in magnesium oxide at exoplanet pressures

Here, magnesium oxide, an important component of the Earth’s mantle, has been extensively studied in the pressure and temperature range found within the Earth. However,much less is known about its behavior under conditions appropriate for newly-discovered super-Earth planets, where pressures can exceed 1000 GPa (10 Mbar). It is widely believed that MgO will follow the rocksalt (B1) to cesium chloride (B2) transformation pathway commonly found for many alkali halides, alkaline earth oxides and various other ionic compounds. Static compression experiments have determined the structure of MgO to 250 GPa but have been unable to reach pressures necessary to induce the predicted transformation, resulting in large uncertainties regarding its properties under conditions relevant to super-Earths and other large planets. Here we report new dynamic x-ray diffraction measurements of ramp-compressed MgO to 900 GPa.We report evidence for the B2 phase beginning near 600 GPa, remaining stable on further compression to 900 GPa, the highest pressure diffraction data ever collected.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Performance Characterization and Provenance of Distributed Task-based Workflows on HPC Platforms

Understanding performance and provenance of task-based workflows poses significant challenges, particularly in distributed configurations where resources are shared by multiple applications. Task-based workflow management systems further complicate performance predictability because of their dynamicity that subtly alters task execution order from run to run. In this paper we propose a layered characterization framework for performance and task provenance for Dask.distributed workflows running on high-performance computing (HPC) platforms. It collects data from jobs, the workflow management system, and the operating system to aid in understanding the performance of these workflows. Our approach encompasses three main contributions: first, an extension of Dask.distributed to capture high-fidelity task provenance using Mochi data services; second, the adaptation of the established HPC I/O characterization tool Darshan to gather high-fidelity I/O data, thereby enhancing the granularity of our analysis; and third, a framework to combine and process the collected data and provide helpful insights into performance characterization and reproducibility, alongside our lessons learned.

Dask↗

Analysis of Benefits Associated With Projects and Technologies Supported by the Clean Transportation Program

The California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program (CTP) supports a wide range of alternative, low-carbon fuel and vehicle projects. This report improves upon the 2014 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) Benefits Report(the former name of the Clean Transportation Program), which focused on two components of benefit calculation: expected benefits and market transformation benefits. The "expected benefits" are defined as benefits that accrue because of the direct displacement of petroleum-based fuels or vehicle technologies. The "market transformation benefits" accrue because of CTP funding shifting the underlying market dynamics and accelerating the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles. This report documents the updated methods used in the benefits analysis in 2014 and applies them for this 2021 Clean Transportation Program Benefits Report. The project team used data collected from CTP projects funded from 2009 to the third quarter of 2021 to estimate the benefits between 2021 and 2030. CTP projects valued at $\$898.3 million$ were assessed (out of $\$1.04 billion$ funded) to estimate expected benefits of 249 million gallons per year petroleum reduction and 2.79 million metric tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in 2030. Market transformation benefits are additive to the expected benefits and were estimated with high and low ranges for the 315 relevant projects evaluated. The market transformation benefits' GHG reductions are estimated as 2.2 million to 6.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and the petroleum reductions as 145.3 million to 671.5 million gasoline gallon equivalents per year in 2030. Combining both benefit types, the CTP projects can make significant progress toward meeting California's long-term GHG and petroleum fuel use reduction goals.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Learning-based Computational Study of the Thermodynamic, Structural, and Dynamic Properties of Molten Salt at the Atomic and Electronic Scale and Experimental Validations (Final Report for Project 19-16909)

The project completed several milestones related to the work scope to determine thermophysical properties of the molten salt FLiNaK. A combined approach to integrate advanced computations with neutron scattering experimental interrogation was used to quantify the structure and mass transport of pure FLiNaK and FLiNaK with additives. The additives investigated included Ce, Cs, Zr, and Cr. The primary outcome of the computational work was the development of a neutral network force field interatomic potential (referred to as the NNFF model in this document). The computational work also involved ab initio calculations to determine the ground truth and molecular dynamics simulations to provide computational analogs to the experimental campaign. The experimental work used enriched F 7 LiNaK prepared by Argonne National Laboratory. The use of enriched F 7 LiNaK reduced parasitic neutron absorption and significantly improved data collection and data quality. Several graduate students were supported during the course of the project, which included a one year no-cost extension. These students were trained in advanced computational methods, advanced neutron scattering methods, neutron scattering data analysis and interpretation, and molten salt sample preparation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗