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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

An Experimental Study of the Flowfield on a Semispan Rectangular Wing with a Simulated Glaze Ice Accretion

Wind tunnel experiments were conducted in order to study the effect of a simulated glaze ice accretion on the flowfield of a semispan, reflection-plane, rectangular wing at Re = 1.5 million and M = 0.12. A laser Doppler velocimeter was used to map the flowfield on the upper surface of the model in both the clean and iced configurations at alpha = 0, 4, and 8 degrees angle of attack. At low angles of attack, the massive separation bubble aft of the leading edge ice horn was found to behave in a manner similar to laminar separation bubbles. At alpha = 0 and 4 degrees, the locations of transition and reattachment, as deduced from momentum thickness distributions, were found to be in good agreement with transition and reattachment locations in laminar separation bubbles. These values at y/b = 0.470, the centerline measurement location, matched well with data obtained on a similar but two dimensional model. The measured velocity profiles on the iced wing compared reasonably with the predicted profiles from Navier-Stokes computations. The iced-induced separation bubble was also found to have features similar to the recirculating region aft of rearward-facing steps. At alpha = 0 degrees and 4 degrees, reverse flow magnitudes and turbulence intensity levels were typical of those found in the recirculating region aft of rearward-facing steps. The calculated separation streamline aft of the ice horn at alpha = 4 degrees, y/b = 0.470 coincided with the locus of the maximum Reynolds normal stress. The maximum Reynolds normal stress peaked at two locations along the separation streamline. The location of the first peak-value coincided with the transition location, as deduced from the momentum thickness distributions. The location of the second peak was just upstream of reattachment, in good agreement with measurements of flows over similar obstacles. The intermittency factor in the vicinity of reattachment at alpha = 4 degrees, y/b = 0.470, revealed the time-dependent nature of the reattachment process. The size and extent of the separation bubble were found to be a function of angle of attack and the spanwise location. Three dimensional effects were found to be strongest at alpha = 8 degrees. The calculated separation and stagnation streamlines were found to vary little with spanwise location at alpha = 0 degrees. The calculated separation streamlines at alpha = 4 degrees revealed that the bubble was largest near the centerline measurement plane, whereas the tip-induced vortex flow and the model root-tunnel wall boundary-layer interaction reduced the size of the bubble. These effects were found to be most dramatic at alpha = 8 degrees.

Khodadoust, Abdollah↗
NASA NTRS1997

Geophysical Characterization of Some Terranes and the Geophysical Modeling of Candidate Suture Zones

Indian participation in this project was terminated during the last year by a sudden withdrawal of support by the Department of Science and Technology, India, to the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Bombay. As a result, significant changes in the project focus had to be undertaken. Much of the work carried out at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale during the first year of the project anticipated the Indian participation and included development of computer programs to be used on gravity and magnetic data from the Indian subcontinent and preparations for fieldwork, tutorials, and workshops in India. Despite these setbacks, which were beyond our control, a number of significant tasks have been accomplished during the project period. These include: (1) Completion of digitization of the regional Bouguer gravity anomaly map of India and the regional ground total intensity magnetic anomaly map of India at an overdetermined spacing of 0.05 degrees. (2) We investigated and assessed the limitations of the Euler method using environmental examples because detailed aeromagnetic maps of parts of India were not available for interpretation by this method. (3) We also undertook an assessment of a suture zone between the Nyaza Craton (Archean) and the Mozambique Belt (Pan African) in the Kenya Rift, Africa, using gravity anomalies and the lithospheric seismological models. (4) We studied Magsat and high-altitude (approx. 4 km) aeromagnetic data over Canada.

Ravat, D.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reliability Prediction using FMEA, FTA, and Related Techniques [Slides]

Summary: We presented a reliability analysis framework. We made point estimates of reliability using reliability block diagrams, fault trees, success trees and estimates with uncertainty using expert elicitation, Monte Carlo simulation, Bayesian analysis. Expert elicitation of failure modes and probabilities is labor-intensive, but critical. Bayesian analysis updates information from expert elicitation with data from reliability and aging tests (aging/compatibility data are needed to estimate lower-bound reliabilities at end of life). Estimation by more than one method helps insure consistency and accuracy.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1994

Computational Approaches to Vestibular Research

The Biocomputation Center at NASA Ames Research Center is dedicated to a union between computational, experimental and theoretical approaches to the study of neuroscience and of life sciences in general. The current emphasis is on computer reconstruction and visualization of vestibular macular architecture in three-dimensions (3-D), and on mathematical modeling and computer simulation of neural activity in the functioning system. Our methods are being used to interpret the influence of spaceflight on mammalian vestibular maculas in a model system, that of the adult Sprague-Dawley rat. More than twenty 3-D reconstructions of type I and type II hair cells and their afferents have been completed by digitization of contours traced from serial sections photographed in a transmission electron microscope. This labor-intensive method has now been replace d by a semiautomated method developed in the Biocomputation Center in which conventional photography is eliminated. All viewing, storage and manipulation of original data is done using Silicon Graphics workstations. Recent improvements to the software include a new mesh generation method for connecting contours. This method will permit the investigator to describe any surface, regardless of complexity, including highly branched structures such as are routinely found in neurons. This same mesh can be used for 3-D, finite volume simulation of synapse activation and voltage spread on neuronal surfaces visualized via the reconstruction process. These simulations help the investigator interpret the relationship between neuroarchitecture and physiology, and are of assistance in determining which experiments will best test theoretical interpretations. Data are also used to develop abstract, 3-D models that dynamically display neuronal activity ongoing in the system. Finally, the same data can be used to visualize the neural tissue in a virtual environment. Our exhibit will depict capabilities of our computational approaches and some of our findings from their application. For example, our research has demonstrated that maculas of adult mammals retain the property of synaptic plasticity. Ribbon synapses increase numerically and undergo changes in type and distribution (p<0.0001) in type II hair cells after exposure to microgravity for as few as nine days. The finding of macular synaptic plasticity is pertinent to the clinic, and may help explain some. balance disorders in humans. The software used in our investigations will be demonstrated for those interested in applying it in their own research.

Ross, Muriel D.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Efficient Fresnel zoneplate pattern data preparation for high-resolution nanofabrication

A Fresnel zoneplate is a diffractive optical element consisting of concentric rings (zones) for which the transmitted light produces a focal spot that is used in all wavelength regimes, including X-rays. The pattern of transmission openings determines the location of the spot and the sub-half wavelength size of the openings can adjust the intensity. Today, very general transmission zoneplate patterns are used for many special imaging and image compensation purposes. Manufacturing zoneplates require a zoneplate pattern file, which precisely describes the size, shape, and contour of the rings based on the desired optical properties of the lens. Generating such a pattern requires the delicate balance of achieving the required optical performance while maintaining manageable file sizes and computation times. Here we describe a new algorithm meeting these needs. In conclusion, by precisely controlling the number of shapes in each zone, the algorithm simultaneously optimizes the desired optical tolerances with the pattern file size.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2012

Localization of a Portion of an Endorectal Balloon for Prostate Image-Guided Radiation Therapy Using Cone-Beam Tomosynthesis: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of using cone-beam tomosynthesis (CBTS) to localize the air-tissue interface for the application of prostate image-guided radiation therapy using an endorectal balloon for immobilization and localization. Methods and Materials: A Feldkamp-David-Kress-based CBTS reconstruction was applied to selected sets of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) projection data to simulate volumetric imaging achievable from tomosynthesis for a limited range of scan angles. Projection data were calculated from planning CT images of 10 prostate cancer patients treated with an endorectal balloon, as were experimental CBCT projections for a pelvic phantom in two patients. More than 50 points at the air-tissue interface were objectively identified by an intensity-based interface-finding algorithm. Using three-dimensional point sets extracted from CBTS images compared with points extracted from corresponding CBCT images, the relative shift resulting from a reduced scan angle was determined. Because the CBCT and CBTS images were generated from the same projection data set, shift identified was presumed to be due to distortions introduced by the tomosynthesis technique. Results: Scans of {>=}60 Degree-Sign were shown to be able to localize an air-tissue interface near the isocenter with accuracy on the order of a millimeter. The accuracy was quantified in terms of the mean discrepancy as a function of reconstruction angle. Conclusion: This work provides an understanding of the effect of scan angle used in localization of a portion of an endorectal balloon by means of CBTS. CBTS with relatively small scan angles is capable of accurately localizing an extended interface near the isocenter and may provide clinically relevant measurements to guide IGRT treatments while reducing imaging radiation to the patient.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Emulation of dynamic simulators with application to hydrology

Many simulation-intensive tasks in the applied sciences, such as sensitivity analysis, parameter inference or real time control, are hampered by slow simulators. Emulators provide the opportunity of speeding up simulations at the cost of introducing some inaccuracy. An emulator is a fast approximation to a simulator that interpolates between design input–output pairs of the simulator. Increasing the number of design data sets is a computationally demanding way of improving the accuracy of emulation. We investigate the complementary approach of increasing emulation accuracy by including knowledge about the mechanisms of the simulator into the formulation of the emulator. To approximately reproduce the output of dynamic simulators, we consider emulators that are based on a system of linear, ordinary or partial stochastic differential equations with a noise term formulated as a Gaussian process of the parameters to be emulated. This stochastic model is then conditioned to the design data so that it mimics the behavior of the nonlinear simulator as a function of the parameters. The drift terms of the linear model are designed to provide a simplified description of the simulator as a function of its key parameters so that the required corrections by the conditioned Gaussian process noise are as small as possible. The goal of this paper is to compare the gain in accuracy of these emulators by enlarging the design data set and by varying the degree of simplification of the linear model. We apply this framework to a simulator for the shallow water equations in a channel and compare emulation accuracy for emulators based on different spatial discretization levels of the channel and for a standard non-mechanistic emulator. Our results indicate that we have a large gain in accuracy already when using the simplest mechanistic description by a single linear reservoir to formulate the drift term of the linear model. Adding some more reservoirs does not lead to a significant improvement in accuracy. However, the transition to a spatially continuous linear model leads again to a similarly large gain in accuracy as the transition from the non-mechanistic emulator to that based on one reservoir.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Models and Methods for Sparse (Hyper)Network Science in Business, Industry, and Government

The authors are hosting an AMS sponsored Mathematics Research Community (MRC) focusing on two themes that have garnered intense attention in network models of complex relational data: (1) how to faithfully model multi-way relations in hypergraphs, rather than only pairwise interactions in graphs; and (2) challenges posed by modelling networks with extreme sparsity. Here we introduce and explore these two themes and their challenges. In this work, we hope to generate interest from researchers in pure and applied mathematics and computer science.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2011

Photoassociative spectroscopy of ultracold metastable argon

We present results of photoassociative spectroscopy performed on ultracold metastable argon atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Ion spectra are obtained with laser detuning up to a few gigahertz below the 4s[3/2]{sub 2}{yields}4p[5/2]{sub 3} trapping transition at 811 nm and with intensities in a range of {approx}(10{sup 2}-10{sup 5})I{sub Sat}. We also compute dipole-dipole potentials for both singly and doubly excited diatomic molecules and use a Leroy-Bernstein analysis to determine the approximate vibrational spacings in the (s+p) and (p+p) manifolds. Based on this theoretical framework, we explain a broad background feature in our data and suggest that double-excitation mechanisms are likely responsible for sharp dips in the ion signal.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrating LEO and GEO Observations: Toward Optimal Summertime Satellite Precipitation Retrieval

Abstract Reliable quantitative precipitation estimation with a rich spatiotemporal resolution is vital for understanding the Earth’s hydrological cycle. Precipitation estimation over land and coastal regions is necessary for addressing the high degree of spatial heterogeneity of water availability and demand, and for resolving the extremes that modulate and amplify hazards such as flooding and landslides. Advancements in computation power along with unique high spatiotemporal and spectral resolution data streams from passive meteorological sensors aboard geosynchronous Earth-orbiting (GEO) and low Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites offer exciting opportunities to retrieve information about surface precipitation phenomena using data-driven machine learning techniques. In this study, the capabilities of U-Net–like architecture are investigated to map instantaneous, summertime surface precipitation intensity at the spatial resolution of 2 km. The calibrated brightness temperature products from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) radiometer are combined with multispectral images (visible, near-infrared, and infrared bands) from the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) aboard the GOES-R satellites as main inputs to the U-Net–like precipitation algorithm. Total precipitable water and 2-m temperature from the Global Forecast System (GFS) model are also used as auxiliary inputs to the model. The results show that the U-Net–like algorithm can capture fine-scale patterns and intensity of surface precipitation at high spatial resolution over stratiform and convective precipitation regimes. The evaluations reveal the potential of extracting relevant, high spatial features over complex surface types such as mountainous regions and coastlines. The algorithm allows users to interpret the inputs’ importance and can serve as a starting point for further exploration of precipitation systems within the field of hydrometeorology.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗
NASA NTRS1975

Rain cell statistics experiment

Communication links suffer from interference caused by precipitation along the transmission path. Terminals established to take advantage of space diversity must be spaced in a manner dependent on rain intensities, rain cell sizes, and spacings. A NASA sponsored radar experiment was conducted at Wallops Island, Va. in 1972 and 1973 to provide statistical data on rain shower intensities and their geometrical properties. The objectives of the experiment were to determine the statistics of the field of rain cells in terms of cell size, intensity, spacing, number density, and altitude dependence, and to find the detailed structure of individual cells leading to a model of an individual cell. The experimental system is described, emphasizing the frequency diversity aspects, the computer control of the antenna, and the digital and analog video recording.

Katz, I.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Computer-aided boundary delineation of agricultural lands

The National Agricultural Statistics Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) presently uses labor-intensive aerial photographic interpretation techniques to divide large geographical areas into manageable-sized units for estimating domestic crop and livestock production. Prototype software, the computer-aided stratification (CAS) system, was developed to automate the procedure, and currently runs on a Sun-based image processing system. With a background display of LANDSAT Thematic Mapper and United States Geological Survey Digital Line Graph data, the operator uses a cursor to delineate agricultural areas, called sampling units, which are assigned to strata of land-use and land-cover types. The resultant stratified sampling units are used as input into subsequent USDA sampling procedures. As a test, three counties in Missouri were chosen for application of the CAS procedures. Subsequent analysis indicates that CAS was five times faster in creating sampling units than the manual techniques were.

Cheng, Thomas D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Simulating transitional flow and heat transfer over the flat plate and circular cylinder using a K-epsilon turbulence model

A boundary layer computer code, called TEXSTAN, has been used to simulate external, transitional, fluid flow and heat transfer over the flat plate and circular cylinder. Turbulence modeling was accomplished by using a low-Reynolds number K-epsilon turbulence model. The study was made for free-stream turbulence intensities less than 15 percent. The comparison of the flat plate heat transfer predictions to experimental data showed good agreement, for the location of transition as well as in the heat transfer coefficient. The typical discrepancy in predicting the heat transfer coefficient was less than 5 percent of the measured value.

Sullivan, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Airborne gamma radiation measurements of soil moisture during FIFE: Activities and results

Soil moisture measurements were obtained during the summer of 1987 and 1989 near Manhattan, Kansas, using the National Weather Service (NWS) airborne gamma radiation system. A network of 24 flight lines were established over the research area. Airborne surveys were flown daily during two intensive field campaigns. The data collected was sufficient to modify the NWS standard operational method for estimating soil moisture for the Field Experiment (FIFE) flight lines. The average root mean square error of the soil moisture estimates for shorter FIFE flight lines was found to be 2.5 percent, compared with a reported value of 3.9 percent for NWS flight lines. Techniques were developed to compute soil moisture estimates for portions of the flight lines. Results of comparisons of the airborne gamma radiation soil moisture estimates with those obtained using the NASA Pushbroom Microwave Radiation (PBMR) system and hydrological model are presented. The airborne soil moisture measurements, and real averages computed using all remotely sensed and ground data, have been in support of the research of the many FIFE investigators whose overall goal was the upscale integration of models and the application of satellite remote sensing.

Peck, Eugene L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Incorporation of an evaporative cooling scheme into a dynamic model of orographic precipitation

A simple evaporative cooling scheme was incorporated into a dynamic model to estimate orographic precipitation in mountainous regions. The orographic precipitation model is based on the transport of atmospheric moisture and the quantification of preciptable water across a 3D representation of the terrain from the surface up to 250 hPa. Advective wind fields are computed independently and boundary conditions are extracted from radiosonde data. Precipitation rates are obtained through calibration of a spatially distributed precipitation efficiency parameter. The model was applied to the central Sierra Nevada. Results show a gain of the order of 20% in threat-score coefficients designed to measure the forecast ability of the model. Accuracy gains are largest at high elevations and during intense storms associated with warm air masses.

Barros, Ana Paula↗
NASA NTRS1994

Implications of the BATSE data for a helocentric origin of gamma-ray bursts

Several possible models have been suggested to explain the observed distribution of gamma-ray bursts: heliocentric distributions such as the Oort cloud, large galactic halos, and cosmological models. We report here on an investigation into the implications of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) gamma-ray burst distribution (Meegan et al. 1992a) data on the possible helocentric origin of gamma-ray bursts. We find no statistically significant anisotropy in the angular distribution of the bursts in a Sun-referenced coordinate system; there is no dipole moment in the direction of the Sun, and no quardrupole moment associated with the ecliptic plane. We have employed direct analytic calculations and Monte Carlo simulations of sources in the Oort cloud to constrain possible helicentric burst distributions. These can produce distributions consistent with the observed angular isotropy, the meal value of V/V(sub max), and the observed C/C(sub min) distribution of BATSE, and provide limits to burst energy of a few times approximately 10(exp 27) ergs. However, the agreement of the heliocentric C/C(sub min) distributions with the BATSE data is attributable to the relatively limited sampling of strong, nearby bursts. These bursts are known from observation to be homogeneously distributed, yet the density of sources in the Oort cloud is not constant in this region. Integral number-intensity distributions from the Oort cloud for larger numbers of bursts cannot reproduce the known homogeneity of the strong bursts without modification to the computed cometary number density and are therefore unlikely explanations of the gamma-ray burst distribution.

Horack, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Modeling of collision-induced infrared absorption spectra of H2 pairs in the first overtone band at temperatures from 20 to 500 K

A simple formalism is presented that permits quick computations of the low-resolution, rotovibrational collision-induced absorption (RV CIA) spectra of H2 pairs in the first overtone band of hydrogen, at temperatures from 20 to 500 K. These spectra account for the free-free transitions. The sharp dimer features, originating from the bound-free, free-bound, and bound-bound transitions are ignored, though their integrated intensities are properly accounted for. The method employs spectral model line- shapes with parameters computed from the three lowest spectral moments. The moments are obtained from first principles expressed as analytical functions of temperature. Except for the sharp dimer features, which are absent in this model, the computed spectra reproduce closely the results of exact quantum mechanical lineshape computations. Comparisons of the computed spectra with existing experimental data also show good agreement. The work interest for the modeling of the atmospheres of the outer planets in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. The user-friendly Fortran program developed here is available on request from the authors.

Zheng, Chunguang↗
DOE OSTI2013

Basophile: Accurate Fragment Charge State Prediction Improves Peptide Identification Rates

In shotgun proteomics, database search algorithms rely on fragmentation models to predict fragment ions that should be observed for a given peptide sequence. The most widely used strategy (Naive model) is oversimplified, cleaving all peptide bonds with equal probability to produce fragments of all charges below that of the precursor ion. More accurate models, based on fragmentation simulation, are too computationally intensive for on-the-fly use in database search algorithms. We have created an ordinal-regression-based model called Basophile that takes fragment size and basic residue distribution into account when determining the charge retention during CID/higher-energy collision induced dissociation (HCD) of charged peptides. This model improves the accuracy of predictions by reducing the number of unnecessary fragments that are routinely predicted for highly-charged precursors. Basophile increased the identification rates by 26% (on average) over the Naive model, when analyzing triply-charged precursors from ion trap data. Basophile achieves simplicity and speed by solving the prediction problem with an ordinal regression equation, which can be incorporated into any database search software for shotgun proteomic identification.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗