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At least 1,369 records · Page 76

Matrix Method of Determining the Longitudinal-Stability Coefficients and Frequency Response of an Aircraft from Transient Flight Data

A matrix method is presented for determining the longitudinal-stability coefficients and frequency response of an aircraft from arbitrary maneuvers. The method is devised so that it can be applied to time-history measurements of combinations of such simple quantities as angle of attack, pitching velocity, load factor, elevator angle, and hinge moment to obtain the over-all coefficients. Although the method has been devised primarily for the evaluation of stability coefficients which are of primary interest in most aircraft loads and stability studies, it can be used also, with a simple additional computation, to determine the frequency-response characteristics. The entire procedure can be applied or extended to other problems which can be expressed by linear differential equations.

Donegan, James J↗

Design of a unidirectional composite momentum wheel rim

A preliminary study comparing twelve unidirectional-fiber composite systems to five metal materials conventionally used in momentum wheels is presented. Six different fibers are considered in the study: E-Glass, S-Glass, Boron, AS, T300, and Kevlar. Because of the possibility of high momentum requirements, and thus high stresses, only two matrix materials are considered: a high-modulus (HM) and a intermediate-modulus-high-strength (IMHS) matrix. Each of the six fibers are coupled with each of the two matrix materials. In an effort to optimize the composite system, each composite is considered while varying the fiber volume ratio from 0.0 to 0.7 in increments of 0.1. For fiber volume ratios above 0.2, all twelve unidirectional-fiber composite systems meet the study's requirements with higher factors of safety and less mass than the five conventional isotropic (metal) materials. For example, at a fiber volume ratio of 0.6, the Kevlar/IMHS composite system has a safety factor 4.5 times greater than that of a steel (maraging) system and an approximately 10 percent reduction in weight.

Shogrin, Bradley↗

Characterizing Damage Accumulation in CMCs

Silicon carbide / silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMCs) are structural ceramics that are well-suited for the extreme environment conditions of aerospace applications largely due to their low weight, creep resistance, damage tolerance, and high specific strength. In CMCs, the initiation and evolution of damage is influenced by a number of factors including characteristics of the constituent landscape (porosity, interfacial properties, and geometric distribution of CMC constituents), thermo-mechanical loading parameters, and environmental conditions. However, much is still unknown about these factors and the interactions between them. In order to accurately predict the lifetimes of these advanced composites, it is critical to understand the evolution of damage and to characterize which early damage mechanisms (and their relationship to key microstructural features) subsequently lead to crack coalescence and macroscopic failure. This research focuses on the use of a multi-modal, experimental approach to examine the relative activity of surface and subsurface damage mechanisms in CMCs. The impact of fabrication choices on the evolution of damage to final failure, and the influence of constituent architecture on early damage mechanisms, are investigated. This approach combines acoustic emission (AE) with microscale deformation tracking via digital image correlation inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM-DIC). The potential application of this combined approach towards characterization of damage in SiC/SiC CMCs under more complex testing conditions is explored.

Swaminathan, Bhavana↗

Chemically anomalous, pre-accretionally irradiated grains in interplanetary dust -- interstellar grains?

Ultrafine-grained matrix is a unique and fundamental building block of chondritic porous (CP) interplanetary dust particles. Most IDPs so far determined to be of cometary origin belong to the CP class. The matrix in CP IDPs is not homogeneous but rather a loose mixture of discrete single crystals (e.g., olivine, pyroxene, Fe sulfides) and polyphase grains. The petrographic diversity observed among the polyphase grains suggest that they were formed under variable physiochemical conditions. One particular class of polyphase grains are a dominant component in cometary IDPs. Although their occurrence is well documented, the terminology used to describe them is confused. They have been called many names. Here they are simply called GEMS (Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides). The bulk compositions of GEMS are within a factor of 3 chondritic (solar) for all major elements except C. Quantitative thin-film X-ray (EDS) analyses have shown that GEMS are systematically depleted in Mg and Si, enriched in S, Fe, and Ni, and stoichiometrically enriched in O. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) suggests that the excess O is present as hydroxyl (-OH) groups. These same chemical 'anomalies' were observed in solar-wind-irradiated amorphous rims on the surfaces of IDPs, suggesting that the compositions of GEMS reflect prior exposure to ionizing radiation. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of Allende (CV3) matrix was exposed to proton flux. Radiation-damaged amorphous rims on olivine and pyroxene crystals in the Allende sample were found to be depleted in Mg and Ca, enriched in S, Fe, and Ni, and stoichiometrically enriched in O. Thus, the compositions of GEMS are indeed consistent with exposure to ionizing radiation. This study suggests that chemical as well as isotopic anomalies may be used to identify presolar interstellar grains in primitive meteoritic materials.

Bradley, J. P.↗

Beyond the effectiveness factor: Multi-step reactions with intraparticle diffusion limitations

Though common in many industrial chemical processes, multi-step reactions occurring within porous catalyst particles provide significant challenges to previously established modeling frameworks. In this work, a system of reaction-diffusion equations is solved analytically via eigenanalysis. The intraparticle concentration profiles are integrated over the particle volume to obtain effectiveness factors for each reacting species, referred to herein as a multi-step effectiveness vector (MEV). The MEV solution is tested for the case of uniform flow past a stationary catalyst particle with a state-of-the-art, multi-step reaction scheme for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC). Outputs from particle-resolved direct numerical simulation (DNS) are compared to outputs from ordinary differentials with effective reaction closures coming from the MEV solution, the classic single-step effectiveness factor (SEF) (R. Aris, 'The mathematical theory of diffusion and reaction in permeable catalysts: The theory of the steady state,' Oxford University Press, 1975), and utilizing the intrinsic rates as-is. When compared to DNS, the MEV solution shows excellent agreement for the formation of all species and quantitatively captures the intraparticle concentration profiles. By contrast, the intrinsic treatment shows an over-prediction for product formation and the SEF treatment shows mixed levels of accuracy that depend upon the reaction coupling. Specifically, the SEF treatment accurately characterizes product formation if the kinetic scheme is weakly coupled but shows significant departure if stronger coupling is present. The computational cost associated with the MEV solution is associated with eigendecomposition of the Thiele matrix, an N x N matrix where N is the number of reacting components. Overall, the method is shown to be relatively easy to implement and may significantly enhance the fidelity of chemical reactor simulations that employ multi-step reaction schemes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Development of carbon nanosensor for vinpocetine at zinc oxide modified carbon matrix with anionic surfactant for clinical application

A nano-level sensing method was formulated for the trace-level detection and determination of vinpocetine (VIN) at a zinc oxide nanomaterial-based carbon matrix with immobilised anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (ZnO-SDS/CPE) using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) approaches. The catalytic properties of ZnO impact the electron rate of VIN activity, resulting in a threefold increase in the VIN peak response with the ZnO-SDS-modified sensor. Here, the effects of several factors, including scan rate, pH, accumulation length, modifier amount, and concentration, were investigated on the VIN peak current. The electro-oxidation of VIN by pH study involves one proton and one electron. The CV method also investigated the effect of scan rate. The charge transfer coefficient (α) is obtained to be 0.58, and the heterogeneous rate constant (k°) is estimated to be 4.46 s⁻¹. The concentration effect of VIN was studied using the SWV method. Specifically, the SWV methodology achieved the lowest detection limit compared to previously published approaches, with estimated values of the Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) being 2.2 × 10⁻⁸ M and 7.7 × 10⁻⁸ M, respectively. The trace level of VIN in tablet and urine samples was determined using the modified sensor. Moreover, the sensor demonstrates particular reproducibility and long-term stability, making it suitable for real-time applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Strong Induced Circular Dichroism in a Hybrid Lead‐Halide Semiconductor Using Chiral Amino Acids for Crystallite Surface Functionalization

Abstract Chirality is a desired property in functional semiconductors for optoelectronic, catalytic, and spintronic applications. Here, introducing enantiomerically‐pure 3‐aminobutyric acid (3‐ABA) into thin films of the 1D semiconductor dimethylammonium lead iodide (DMAPbI 3 ) is found to result in strong circular dichroism (CD) in the optical absorption. X‐ray diffraction and grazing incidence small angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS) are applied to gain molecular‐scale insights into the chirality transfer mechanism, which is attributed to a chiral surface modification of DMAPbI 3 crystallites. This study demonstrates that the CD signal strength can be controlled by the amino‐acid content relative to the crystallite surface area. The CD intensity is tuned by the composition of the precursor solution and the spin‐coating time, thereby achieving anisotropy factors ( g abs ) as high as 1.75 × 10 –2 . Grazing incidence wide angle scattering reveals strong preferential ordering that can be suppressed via tailored synthesis conditions. Different contributions to the chiroptical properties are resolved by a detailed analysis of the CD signal utilizing an approach based on the Mueller matrix model. This report of a novel class of chiral hybrid semiconductors with precise control over their optical activity presents a promising approach for the design of circularly polarized light detectors and emitters.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Numerical estimations of storage efficiency for the prospective CO 2 storage resource of shales

Here, hydrocarbon-bearing shale formations might be an attractive geologic reservoir for permanent carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage. Shale formations applicable for storage require previous hydrocarbon production to deplete a reservoir, hydraulic fracturing to provide a highly-permeable stimulated zone, sufficient depths (generally > 800 m or 2600 feet) to maintain CO 2 in a supercritical state, and an overlying seal to prevent CO 2 migration to underground sources of drinking water and into the atmosphere. CO 2 is stored in shale as a free phase within fractures and matrix pores, and as a sorbed phase on organic matter and clay minerals. Recently in our previous work, we presented a screening-level assessment methodology for CO 2 storage in shales using a volumetric approach. The approach deals with reduction of CO 2 storage through estimations of efficiency factors based on petrophysical properties (i.e., bulk volume, porosity, sorption, etc.) and their limitations on fluid transport. Here, we conducted numerical simulations using the FRACGEN/NFFLOW simulator to study the CO 2 injection into a depleted hydro-fractured shale reservoir to estimate storage efficiencies using a range of reservoir parameters and injection scenarios. Specifically, the ranges for two efficiency factors, E Φ and E S , measure the effectiveness of free and sorbed CO 2 storage. These efficiency factors were estimated to have P 10 to P 90 probability ranges of 0.15 to 0.36 for and 0.11 to 0.24 for E S , reported after 60 years of CO 2 injection.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

A review of low-rank methods for time-dependent kinetic simulations

Time-dependent kinetic models are ubiquitous in computational science and engineering. The underlying integro-differential equations in these models are high-dimensional, comprised of a six–dimensional phase space, making simulations of such phenomena extremely expensive. In this article we demonstrate that in many situations, the solution to kinetics problems lives on a low dimensional manifold that can be described by a low-rank matrix or tensor approximation. We then review the recent development of so-called low-rank methods that evolve the solution on this manifold. The two classes of methods we review are the dynamical low-rank (DLR) method, which derives differential equations for the low-rank factors, and a Step-and-Truncate (SAT) approach, which projects the solution onto the low-rank representation after each time step. Thorough discussions of time integrators, tensor decompositions, and method properties such as structure preservation and computational efficiency are included. We further show examples of low-rank methods as applied to particle transport and plasma dynamics.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Convenient analytical solution for vibrational distribution function of molecules colliding with a wall

We study formation of the Vibrational Distribution Function (VDF) in a molecular gas at low pressure, when vibrational levels are excited by electron impact and deactivated in collisions with walls and show that this problem has a convenient analytical solution that can be used to obtain VDF and its dependence on external parameters. The VDF is determined by excitation of vibrational levels by an external source and deactivation in collisions with the wall. Deactivation in wall collisions is little known process. However, we found that the VDF is weakly dependent on the functional form of the actual form of probability ${\gamma }_{\upsilon ^{\prime} \to \upsilon }$ for a vibrational number $\upsilon ^{\prime} $ to transfer into a lower level $\upsilon $ at the wall. Because for a given excitation source of vibrational states, the problem is linear the solution for VDF involves solving linear matrix equation. The matrix equation can be easily solved if we approximate probability, in the form: ${\gamma }_{\upsilon ^{\prime} \to \upsilon }=(1/\upsilon ^{\prime} )\theta (\upsilon ^{\prime} -\upsilon ).$ In this case, the steady-state solution for VDF($\upsilon $) simply involves a sum of source rates for levels above $\upsilon ,$ with a factor of $1/(\upsilon +1).$ As an example of application, we study the vibrational kinetics in a hydrogen gas and verify the analytical solution by comparing with a full model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A Graphical Model for Fusing Diverse Microbiome Data

This paper develops a Bayesian graphical model for fusing disparate types of count data. The motivating application is the study of bacterial communities from diverse high-dimensional features, in this case, transcripts, collected from different treatments. In such datasets, there are no explicit correspondences between the communities and each corresponds to different factors, making data fusion challenging. We introduce a flexible multinomial-Gaussian generative model for jointly modeling such count data. This latent variable model jointly characterizes the observed data through a common multivariate Gaussian latent space that parameterizes the set of multinomial probabilities of the transcriptome counts. The covariance matrix of the latent variables induces a covariance matrix of co-dependencies between all the transcripts, effectively fusing multiple data sources. We present a computationally scalable variational Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm for inferring the latent variables and the parameters of the model. Here, the inferred latent variables provide a common dimensionality reduction for visualizing the data and the inferred parameters provide a predictive posterior distribution. In addition to simulation studies that demonstrate the variational EM procedure, we apply our model to a bacterial microbiome dataset.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Interaction between a circular inclusion and an arbitrarily oriented crack

The plane interaction problem for a circular elastic inclusion imbedded into an elastic matrix which contains an arbitrarily oriented crack is considered. Using the existing solutions for the edge dislocations as Green's functions, first the general problem of a through crack in the form of an arbitrary smooth arc located in the matrix in the vicinity of the inclusion is formulated. The integral equations for the line crack are then obtained as a system of singular integral equation with simple Cauchy kernels. The singular behavior of the stresses around the crack tips is examined and the expressions for the stress intensity factors representing the strength of the stress singularities are obtained in terms of the asymptotic values of the density functions of the integral equations. The problem is solved for various typical crack orientations and the corresponding stress intensity factors are given.

Erdogan, F.↗

Recursive inverse kinematics for robot arms via Kalman filtering and Bryson-Frazier smoothing

This paper applies linear filtering and smoothing theory to solve recursively the inverse kinematics problem for serial multilink manipulators. This problem is to find a set of joint angles that achieve a prescribed tip position and/or orientation. A widely applicable numerical search solution is presented. The approach finds the minimum of a generalized distance between the desired and the actual manipulator tip position and/or orientation. Both a first-order steepest-descent gradient search and a second-order Newton-Raphson search are developed. The optimal relaxation factor required for the steepest descent method is computed recursively using an outward/inward procedure similar to those used typically for recursive inverse dynamics calculations. The second-order search requires evaluation of a gradient and an approximate Hessian. A Gauss-Markov approach is used to approximate the Hessian matrix in terms of products of first-order derivatives. This matrix is inverted recursively using a two-stage process of inward Kalman filtering followed by outward smoothing. This two-stage process is analogous to that recently developed by the author to solve by means of spatial filtering and smoothing the forward dynamics problem for serial manipulators.

Rodriguez, G.↗

The ATIC Experiment: First Balloon Flight

The Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) Balloon Experiment had its maiden, test, flight from McMurdo, Antarctica 28/12/00 to 13/01/01, local time, recording over 360 hours of data. ATIC was designed to measure the composition and energy spectra of cosmic rays from approximately 10 GeV to near 100 TeV utilizing a Si-matrix detector to determine charge in conjunction with a scintillator hodoscope which measures charge and trajectory. Cosmic rays that interact in a Carbon target have their energy determined from the shower that develops within a fully active calorimeter composed of a stack of scintillating BGO crystals. ATIC's geometry factor is about 0.25 m**2-sr. During line-of-sight operations much of the datastream was transmitted to the ground. For most of the flight, the data was recorded on-board, yielding 45 GB of flight data for analysis. The payload construction, operations and in-flight performance are described, along with preliminary results from the on-going analysis.

Wefel, J. P.↗

Development of a Model Correlating Axial HEPA Filter Performance Between Elevated and Standard Conditions

The ASME AG-1 Code specifies minimum rated airflow based on standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) for axial high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and actual cubic feet per minute (ACFM) for radial HEPA filters with corresponding maximum pressure drop. A quantitative analysis can be performed to demonstrate the variation in filter efficiency and develop a correlation of performance between axial filters subjected to ACFM and SCFM. This study illustrates the variation in filter efficiency of axial HEPA filters subjected to ACFM and SCFM flow rate conditions at varying atmospheric pressures. It also presents the methods used to calculate correction factors to convert filter efficiency and pressure drop from elevated to standard conditions. The Axial Large Scale Test Stand (ALSTS) in the Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET) at Mississippi State University has been utilized to control aerosol concentration, flowrate, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and temperature. The filter test matrix consists of axial HEPA filters rated at 1,000 and 1,500 CFM with varying filter pack types. Each filter is subjected to varying pressures of 14.70 psi, 13.55 psi, 12.40 psi, and 11.25 psi, temperatures of 70 deg. F, 110 deg. F, and 150 deg. F, and relative humidities of 50% and 80%, resulting in twenty-four unique testing points. The corresponding SCFM flow rates are computed for each point in order to form a comparison. Evaluation of the effects of designating ACFM or SCFM will be based upon the filter efficiencies of generated Dioctyl Phthalate (DOP) particles at a diameter of 0.3 micrometers. The results show filter efficiency decreasing as atmospheric pressure decreases due to increased filter face velocity. A correlation model is developed to convert filter efficiency and pressure drop at elevated conditions to those of standard pressure, relative humidity, and temperature.

42 ENGINEERING↗

The effects of orbital spaceflight on bone histomorphometry and messenger ribonucleic acid levels for bone matrix proteins and skeletal signaling peptides in ovariectomized growing rats

A 14-day orbital spaceflight was performed using ovariectomized Fisher 344 rats to determine the combined effects of estrogen deficiency and near weightlessness on tibia radial bone growth and cancellous bone turnover. Twelve ovariectomized rats with established cancellous osteopenia were flown aboard the space shuttle Columbia (STS-62). Thirty ovariectomized rats were housed on earth as ground controls: 12 in animal enclosure modules, 12 in vivarium cages, and 6 killed the day of launch for baseline measurements. An additional 18 ovary-intact rats were housed in vivarium cages as ground controls: 8 rats were killed as baseline controls and the remaining 10 rats were killed 14 days later. Ovariectomy increased periosteal bone formation at the tibia-fibula synostosis; cancellous bone resorption and formation in the secondary spongiosa of the proximal tibial metaphysis; and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for the prepro-alpha2(1) subunit of type 1 collagen, osteocalcin, transforming growth factor-beta, and insulin-like growth factor I in the contralateral proximal tibial metaphysis and for the collagen subunit in periosteum pooled from tibiae and femora and decreased cancellous bone area. Compared to ovariectomized weight-bearing rats, the flight group experienced decreases in periosteal bone formation, collagen subunit mRNA levels, and cancellous bone area. The flight rats had a small decrease in the cancellous mineral apposition rate, but no change in the calculated bone formation rate. Also, spaceflight had no effect on cancellous osteoblast and osteoclast perimeters or on mRNA levels for bone matrix proteins and signaling peptides. On the other hand, spaceflight resulted in an increase in bone resorption, as ascertained from the diminished retention of a preflight fluorochrome label. This latter finding suggests that osteoclast activity was increased. In a follow-up ground-based experiment, unilateral sciatic neurotomy of ovariectomized rats resulted in cancellous bone loss in the unloaded limb in excess of that induced by gonadal hormone deficiency. This additional bone loss was arrested by estrogen replacement. We conclude from these studies that estrogen alters the expression of signaling peptides believed to mediate skeletal adaptation to changes in mechanical usage and likewise modifies the skeletal response to mechanical unloading.

NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures↗

Low and moderate x gluon contribution to exclusive Compton scattering processes

We revisit the high energy semi-classical description of the exclusive processes DVCS, TCS, and Double DVCS by explicitly keeping track of the Feynman x dependence in both the hard and the hadronic matrix elements. This is achieved by a modification of the standard shock wave approximation to derive the effective Feynman rules, which leads to a generic expression on which we then perform a partial twist expansion to get rid of quantities suppressed by the proper physical scales. We obtain a compact factorized master formula that can be used to investigate the Bjorken limit at leading twist. In particular, we recover the full one-loop result in the collinear limit for pure gluon exchange with the target. Finally, we discuss the subtleties in taking the simultaneous collinear and small x limit.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Complex Electrical Conductivity of a Single‐Fractured Rock: Fracture‐and‐Matrix Coupling Mechanism and Aperture Size Predictions

Fractured rocks play a crucial role in myriad natural and engineered systems, including Earth's critical zone, oil/gas/geothermal reservoirs, and geological CO 2 /H 2 /waste storage systems. While complex electrical conductivity is extensively used to estimate the pore and grain sizes of conventional porous rocks and soils, it is rarely used to predict the aperture size of fractured rocks and this remains poorly understood. Here, integrating theory, simulations, and experiments, we show that under external fields, fractured rocks follow the fracture-and-matrix coupling to make the bulk complex conductivity non-linear with respect to water conductivity. We find that the relaxation time and quadrature conductivity for porous media do not apply to fractured rocks, but, instead, reasonably accurate predictions of aperture size can be made based on the true formation factor. This study unravels the fundamental mechanism governing conduction and polarization of fractured rocks and paves the way for the non-invasive investigation of global fractured rocks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗