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At least 109 records · Page 6

Improving the Representation of Land Surface Processes Using the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART)

The land surface is a critical part of the earth system as processes related to water, carbon, energy and nitrogen cycling have important implications for climate forcing, air quality, water availability and seasonal atmospheric forecasting. Despite advances in land surface modeling, land surface model performance is often limited because of errors related to initial and boundary conditions, model structure, and parameters. Data assimilation (DA) techniques combined with an expanding network of earth system observations present an opportunity to reduce these errors and improve simulations. Here, we emphasize the implementation of tools and approaches to overcome challenges related to land DA to constrain carbon and water cycling. In particular, we discuss the implementation of adaptive inflation to modify ensemble spread in response to time-varying networks of gridded observations. We also discuss methods to generate ensemble spread through boundary condition (meteorology) forcing that can be applied to site-level applications. Next, we describe the application of vertical localization upon surface soil moisture observations, and forward operators specifically designed for the assimilation of snow and solar-induced fluorescence observations. Finally, we discuss the potential benefit of a quantile conserving filter used to update bounded quantities (state or parameter values).

Brett Raczka↗

Follow on Research for Multi-Utility Technology Test Bed Aircraft at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (FY13 Progress Report)

Modern aircraft employ a significant fraction of their weight in composite materials to reduce weight and improve performance. Aircraft aeroservoelastic models are typically characterized by significant levels of model parameter uncertainty due to the composite manufacturing process. Small modeling errors in the finite element model will eventually induce errors in the structural flexibility and mass, thus propagating into unpredictable errors in the unsteady aerodynamics and the control law design. One of the primary objectives of Multi Utility Technology Test-bed (MUTT) aircraft is the flight demonstration of active flutter suppression, and therefore in this study, the identification of the primary and secondary modes for the structural model tuning based on the flutter analysis of MUTT aircraft. The ground vibration test-validated structural dynamic finite element model of the MUTT aircraft is created in this study. The structural dynamic finite element model of MUTT aircraft is improved using the in-house Multi-disciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization tool. In this study, two different weight configurations of MUTT aircraft have been improved simultaneously in a single model tuning procedure.

multi-utility technology test bed aircraft↗

The effects of weighting function errors on spatial filters for structural control

Distributed-effect sensors, which respond to spatially distributed inputs over a significant gauge length, encompass piezoelectric laminate films, modal-domain optical fiber sensors, and holographic sensors; they can be fabricated with spatially varying sensitivity to a distributed measurand for spatial filtering. Such spatial filters are configurable to extract various structural parameters from distributed measurements that cannot be directly measured by sensors. A modeling is presently conducted for distributed-effect sensors' integration into state-space structural models, noting the effects of fabrication errors on sensor operation.

Lindner, Douglas K.↗

Parameter estimation and error analysis in environmental modeling and computation

A method for the estimation of parameters and error analysis in the development of nonlinear modeling for environmental impact assessment studies is presented. The modular computer program can interactively fit different nonlinear models to the same set of data, dynamically changing the error structure associated with observed values. Parameter estimation techniques and sequential estimation algorithms employed in parameter identification and model selection are first discussed. Then, least-square parameter estimation procedures are formulated, utilizing differential or integrated equations, and are used to define a model for association of error with experimentally observed data.

Kalmaz, E. E.↗

Structural error and identifiability

In most identification problems, the possibility of identifying a model from the observation of input and output is approached by first assuming that the model is an exact representation of the process. Since models are only approximations to a real process, this paper presents a concrete way of taking into account the difference in structure between the model and the process it represents. The identifiability problem is reformulated on the basis of equivalence and near-equivalence between model and process. Necessary and sufficient conditions under which the differences between the outputs of the process and a model remains within a desired bound in the presence of modeling error are given. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the identifiability of parameters are presented.

Hadaegh, F. Y.↗

Follow on Researches for X-56A Aircraft at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (Progress Report)

A lot of composite materials are used for the modern aircraft to reduce its weight. Aircraft aeroservoelastic models are typically characterized by significant levels of model parameter uncertainty due to composite manufacturing process. Small modeling errors in the finite element model will eventually induce errors in the structural flexibility and mass, thus propagating into unpredictable errors in the unsteady aerodynamics and the control law design. One of the primary objectives of X-56A aircraft is the flight demonstration of active flutter suppression, and therefore in this study, the identification of the primary and secondary modes is based on the flutter analysis of X-56A aircraft. It should be noted that for all three Mach number cases rigid body modes and mode numbers seven and nine are participated 89.1 92.4 % of the first flutter mode. Modal participation of the rigid body mode and mode numbers seven and nine for the second flutter mode are 94.6 96.4%. Rigid body mode and the first two anti-symmetric modes, eighth and tenth modes, are participated 93.2 94.6% of the third flutter mode. Therefore, rigid body modes and the first four flexible modes of X-56A aircraft are the primary modes during the model tuning procedure. The ground vibration test-validated structural dynamic finite element model of the X-56A aircraft is to obtain in this study. The structural dynamics finite element model of X-56A aircraft is improved using the parallelized big-bang big-crunch algorithm together with a hybrid optimization technique.

Structural Dynamic Model Tuning↗

Electron-Proton Scattering Event Generation using Structured Tokenization

Recent work such as Omnijet-$\alpha$ has demonstrated that effective tokenization combined with transformer-based architectures can produce effective foundation models for jet physics. While tokenization may help models capture generalizable event characteristics, it also introduces discretization errors that may compromise the precision required for downstream physics analyses. As the number and complexity of the particle features grow, these errors are likely to grow proportionally. In this study, we investigate new tokenization strategies to improve the application of generative transformer models to \textsc{Pythia8} simulations of electron-proton scattering at the Electron-Ion Collider. Specifically, we propose a feature-based structured tokenization approach that utilizes multiple tokens per particle, improving expressivity, while reducing the total number of unique tokens needed. We evaluate this method against grid-based binning, K-means clustering, and vector-quantized variational auto-encoders on the event simulations. Our results show that feature-based structured tokenization reduces discretization error, leading to more accurate generative modeling of particle-level events.

Goldenberg, Steven [Thomas Jefferson National Acce↗

Electron-Proton Scattering Event Generation using Structured Tokenization

Recent work such as Omnijet-$\alpha$ has demonstrated that effective tokenization combined with transformer-based architectures can produce effective foundation models for jet physics. While tokenization may help models capture generalizable event characteristics, it also introduces discretization errors that may compromise the precision required for downstream physics analyses. As the number and complexity of the particle features grow, these errors are likely to grow proportionally. In this study, we investigate new tokenization strategies to improve the application of generative transformer models to \textsc{Pythia8} simulations of electron-proton scattering at the Electron-Ion Collider. Specifically, we propose a feature-based structured tokenization approach that utilizes multiple tokens per particle, improving expressivity, while reducing the total number of unique tokens needed. We evaluate this method against grid-based binning, K-means clustering, and vector-quantized variational auto-encoders on the event simulations. Our results show that feature-based structured tokenization reduces discretization error, leading to more accurate generative modeling of particle-level events.

Goldenberg, Steven [Thomas Jefferson National Acce↗

Variable structure control of nonlinear systems through simplified uncertain models

A variable structure control approach is presented for the robust stabilization of feedback equivalent nonlinear systems whose proposed model lies in the same structural orbit of a linear system in Brunovsky's canonical form. An attempt to linearize exactly the nonlinear plant on the basis of the feedback control law derived for the available model results in a nonlinearly perturbed canonical system for the expanded class of possible equivalent control functions. Conservatism tends to grow as modeling errors become larger. In order to preserve the internal controllability structure of the plant, it is proposed that model simplification be carried out on the open-loop-transformed system. As an example, a controller is developed for a single link manipulator with an elastic joint.

Sira-Ramirez, Hebertt↗

Attitude error response of structures to actuator/sensor noise

Explicit closed-form formulas are presented for the RMS attitude-error response to sensor and actuator noise for co-located actuators/sensors as a function of both control-gain parameters and structure parameters. The main point of departure is the use of continuum models. In particular the anisotropic Timoshenko model is used for lattice trusses typified by the NASA EPS Structure Model and the Evolutionary Model. One conclusion is that the maximum attainable improvement in the attitude error varying either structure parameters or control gains is 3 dB for the axial and torsion modes, the bending being essentially insensitive. The results are similar whether the Bernoulli model or the anisotropic Timoshenko model is used.

Balakrishnan, A. V.↗

Airborne Lidar Measurements of XCO 2 in Synoptically Active Environment and Associated Comparisons With Numerical Simulations

Frontal boundaries have been shown to cause large changes in CO 2 mole-fractions, but clouds and the complex vertical structure of fronts make these gradients difficult to observe. It remains unclear how the column average CO 2 dry air mole-fraction (XCO 2 ) changes spatially across fronts, and how well airborne lidar observations, data assimilation systems, and numerical models without assimilation capture XCO 2 frontal contrasts (ΔXCO 2 , i.e., warm minus cold sector average of XCO 2 ). We demonstrated the potential of airborne Multifunctional Fiber Laser Lidar (MFLL) measurements in heterogeneous weather conditions (i.e., frontal environment) to investigate the ΔXCO 2 during four seasonal field campaigns of the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America (ACT-America) mission. Most frontal cases in summer (winter) reveal higher (lower) XCO 2 in the warm (cold) sector than in the cold (warm) sector. During the transitional seasons (spring and fall), no clear signal in ΔXCO 2 was observed. Intercomparison among the MFLL, assimilated fields from NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO), and simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting-—Chemistry (WRF-Chem) showed that (a) all products had a similar sign of ΔXCO 2 though with different levels of agreement in ΔXCO 2 magnitudes among seasons; (b) ΔXCO 2 in summer decreases with altitude; and (c) significant challenges remain in observing and simulating XCO 2 frontal contrasts. A linear regression analyses between ΔXCO 2 for MFLL versus GMAO, and MFLL versus WRF-Chem for summer-2016 cases yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.95 and 0.88, respectively. The reported ΔXCO 2 variability among four seasons provide guidance to the spatial structures of XCO 2 transport errors in models and satellite measurements of XCO 2 in synoptically-active weather systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Does jackknife scale really matter for accurate large-scale structure covariances?

ABSTRACT The jackknife method gives an internal covariance estimate for large-scale structure surveys and allows model-independent errors on cosmological parameters. Using the SDSS-III BOSS CMASS sample, we study how the jackknife size and number of resamplings impact the precision of the covariance estimate on the correlation function multipoles and the error on the inferred baryon acoustic scale. We compare the measurement with the MultiDark Patchy mock galaxy catalogues, and we also validate it against a set of lognormal mocks with the same survey geometry. We build several jackknife configurations that vary in size and number of resamplings. We introduce the Hartlap factor in the covariance estimate that depends on the number of jackknife resamplings. We also find that it is useful to apply the tapering scheme to estimate the precision matrix from a limited number of resamplings. The results from CMASS and mock catalogues show that the error estimate of the baryon acoustic scale does not depend on the jackknife scale. For the shift parameter α, we find an average error of 1.6 per cent, 2.2 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively, from CMASS, Patchy, and lognormal jackknife covariances. Despite these uncertainties fluctuate significantly due to some structural limitations of the jackknife method, our α estimates are in reasonable agreement with published pre-reconstruction analyses. Jackknife methods will provide valuable and complementary covariance estimates for future large-scale structure surveys.

Favole, Ginevra (ORCID:000000028218563X)↗

Stochastic process approximation for recursive estimation with guaranteed bound on the error covariance

An approach, is proposed for the design of approximate, fixed order, discrete time realizations of stochastic processes from the output covariance over a finite time interval, was proposed. No restrictive assumptions are imposed on the process; it can be nonstationary and lead to a high dimension realization. Classes of fixed order models are defined, having the joint covariance matrix of the combined vector of the outputs in the interval of definition greater or equal than the process covariance; (the difference matrix is nonnegative definite). The design is achieved by minimizing, in one of those classes, a measure of the approximation between the model and the process evaluated by the trace of the difference of the respective covariance matrices. Models belonging to these classes have the notable property that, under the same measurement system and estimator structure, the output estimation error covariance matrix computed on the model is an upper bound of the corresponding covariance on the real process. An application of the approach is illustrated by the modeling of random meteorological wind profiles from the statistical analysis of historical data.

Menga, G.↗

Boosting Noise2Inverse via enhanced model selection for denoising computed tomography data

Synchrotron-based x-ray tomographic imaging enables the examination of the internal structure of materials at high spatial and temporal resolution. Experimental constraints can impose dose and time limits on the measurements, introducing a higher level of noise and artifacts in the reconstructed images. Deep learning has emerged as a powerful tool to remove noise from reconstructed images. Recently, the Noise2Inverse method was designed specifically for denoising reconstructed images without requiring paired noisy and clean images. This method creates multiple statistically independent reconstructions used to pair the data in which training involves transforming one reconstruction into the other, and vice versa. Originally designed to be used after a fixed number of epochs, we see in practice that this approach may not produce the optimal model and may unnecessarily waste computational resources. Therefore, we propose an alternative method of identifying the best model during training that aligns with the Noise2Inverse method. During validation, we compare the model output of the multiple reconstructions among each other. We hypothesize that the best model is the one that produces images with the highest similarity, implying a convergence in the predicted material properties and absorption values. To compare model outputs, we consider the absolute error, square error, structural similarity index (SSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and cosine similarity. We evaluate our method on two simulated tomography datasets and two, real-world, low-contrast, high-energy x-ray tomography datasets. We show our approach is more effective at determining the best model, up to an increase of 12.50% and 12.53% in SSIM and PSNR, respectively, while only requiring a fifth of the training time compared to the original approach.

CT↗

Classification of journal surfaces using surface topography parameters and software methods to compensate for stylus geometry

Measurements made with a stylus surface tracer which provides a digitized representation of a surface profile are discussed. Parameters are defined to characterize the height (e.g., RMS roughness, skewness, and kurtosis) and length (e.g., autocorrelation) of the surface topography. These are applied to the characterization of crank shaft journals which were manufactured by different grinding and lopping procedures known to give significant differences in crank shaft bearing life. It was found that three parameters (RMS roughness, skewness, and kurtosis) are necessary to adequately distinguish the character of these surfaces. Every surface specimen has a set of values for these three parameters. They can be regarded as a set coordinate in a space constituted by three characteristics axes. The various journal surfaces can be classified along with the determination of a proper wavelength cutoff (0.25 mm) by using a method of separated subspace. The finite radius of the stylus used for profile tracing gives an inherent measurement error as it passes over the fine structure of the surface. A mathematical model is derived to compensate for this error.

Li, C. J.↗

Wind-induced dynamics of the deep space network antennas

Accurate spacecraft tracking by the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas must be assured during changing weather conditions. Wind disturbances are the main source of tracking errors. This paper presents the development of a wind force model, and simulations of wind-induced pointing errors of DSN antennas. The antenna model includes the antenna structure, the elevation and azimuth servos, and the tracking controller. Simulation results show that pointing errors due to wind gusts are of the same order as due to wind static pressure, and that (similarly to the static wind pressure) these errors satisfy the velocity quadratic law. The methodology presented is used for wind disturbance estimation, and for design of an antenna controller with wind disturbance rejection properties.

Gawronski, W.↗

Structural damage detection using a subspace rotation algorithm

A computationally inexpensive algorithm is developed to provide an insight to the location of structural damage, using the original finite element model and a subset of measured eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The computational requirements of the algorithm may make the technique suitable for real-time implementation. With damage location determined, a second algorithm is developed to determine the extent of damage. The algorithms are demonstrated using two classes of structural models. The effects of eigenvector measurement error is demonstrated and techniques to overcome the effects of noise are discussed.

Zimmerman, David C.↗

A spatially adaptive spectral re-ordering technique for lossless coding of hyper-spectral images

In this paper, we propose a new approach, applicable to lossless compression of hyper-spectral images, that alleviates some limitations of linear prediction as applied to this problem. According to this approach, an adaptive re-ordering of the spectral components of each pixel is performed prior to prediction and encoding. This re-ordering adaptively exploits, on a pixel-by pixel basis, the presence of inter-band correlations for prediction. Furthermore, the proposed approach takes advantage of spatial correlations, and does not introduce any coding overhead to transmit the order of the spectral bands. This is accomplished by using the assumption that two spatially adjacent pixels are expected to have similar spectral relationships. We thus have a simple technique to exploit spectral and spatial correlations in hyper-spectral data sets, leading to compression performance improvements as compared to our previously reported techniques for lossless compression. We also look at some simple error modeling techniques for further exploiting any structure that remains in the prediction residuals prior to entropy coding.

Memon, Nasir D.↗