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NASA NTRS1988

A design for a ground-based data management system

An initial design for a ground-based data management system which includes intelligent data abstraction and cataloging is described. The large quantity of data on some current and future NASA missions leads to significant problems in providing scientists with quick access to relevant data. Human screening of data for potential relevance to a particular study is time-consuming and costly. Intelligent databases can provide automatic screening when given relevent scientific parameters and constraints. The data management system would provide, at a minimum, information of availability of the range of data, the type available, specific time periods covered together with data quality information, and related sources of data. The system would inform the user about the primary types of screening, analysis, and methods of presentation available to the user. The system would then aid the user with performing the desired tasks, in such a way that the user need only specify the scientific parameters and objectives, and not worry about specific details for running a particular program. The design contains modules for data abstraction, catalog plan abstraction, a user-friendly interface, and expert systems for data handling, data evaluation, and application analysis. The emphasis is on developing general facilities for data representation, description, analysis, and presentation that will be easily used by scientists directly, thus bypassing the knowledge acquisition bottleneck. Expert system technology is used for many different aspects of the data management system, including the direct user interface, the interface to the data analysis routines, and the analysis of instrument status.

Lambird, Barbara A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Johnson Space Center Management Information Systems (JSCMIS): An interface for organizational databases

The Management Information and Decision Support Environment (MIDSE) is a research activity to build and test a prototype of a generic human interface on the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Information Network (CIN). The existing interfaces were developed specifically to support operations rather than the type of data which management could use. The diversity of the many interfaces and their relative difficulty discouraged occasional users from attempting to use them for their purposes. The MIDSE activity approached this problem by designing and building an interface to one JSC data base - the personnel statistics tables of the NASA Personnel and Payroll System (NPPS). The interface was designed against the following requirements: generic (use with any relational NOMAD data base); easy to learn (intuitive operations for new users); easy to use (efficient operations for experienced users); self-documenting (help facility which informs users about the data base structure as well as the operation of the interface); and low maintenance (easy configuration to new applications). A prototype interface entitled the JSC Management Information Systems (JSCMIS) was produced. It resides on CIN/PROFS and is available to JSC management who request it. The interface has passed management review and is ready for early use. Three kinds of data are now available: personnel statistics, personnel register, and plan/actual cost.

Bishop, Peter C.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Mosquito Lagoon environmental resources inventory

This document provides a synopsis of biotic and abiotic data collected in the Mosquito Lagoon area in relation to water quality. A holistic ecological approach was used in this review to allow for summaries of climate, land use, vegetation, geohydrology, water quality, fishes, sea turtles, wading birds, marine mammals, invertebrates, shellfish, and mosquito control. The document includes a bibliographic database list of 157 citations that have references to the Mosquito Lagoon, many of which were utilized in development of the text.

Provancha, Jane A.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Optimization Methodology for Unconventional Rocket Nozzle Design

Several current rocket engine concepts such as the bell-annular tripropellant engine, and the linear aerospike being proposed for the X-33, require unconventional three-dimensional rocket nozzles which must conform to rectangular or sector-shaped envelopes to meet integration constraints. These types of nozzles exist outside the current experience database, therefore, development of efficient design methods for these propulsion concepts is critical to the success of launch vehicle programs. Several approaches for optimizing rocket nozzles, including streamline tracing techniques, and the coupling of CFD analysis to optimization algorithms are described. The relative strengths and weaknesses of four classes of optimization algorithms are discussed: Gradient based methods, genetic algorithms, simplex methods, and surface response methods. Additionally, a streamline tracing technique, which provides a very computationally efficient means of defining a three-dimensional contour, is discussed. The performance of the various optimization methods on thrust optimization problems for tripropellant and aerospike concepts is assessed and recommendations are made for future development efforts.

Follett, W.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Investigation of Error Patterns in Geographical Databases

The objective of the research conducted in this project is to develop a methodology to investigate the accuracy of Airport Safety Modeling Data (ASMD) using statistical, visualization, and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques. Such a methodology can contribute to answering the following research questions: Over a representative sampling of ASMD databases, can statistical error analysis techniques be accurately learned and replicated by ANN modeling techniques? This representative ASMD sample should include numerous airports and a variety of terrain characterizations. Is it possible to identify and automate the recognition of patterns of error related to geographical features? Do such patterns of error relate to specific geographical features, such as elevation or terrain slope? Is it possible to combine the errors in small regions into an error prediction for a larger region? What are the data density reduction implications of this work? ASMD may be used as the source of terrain data for a synthetic visual system to be used in the cockpit of aircraft when visual reference to ground features is not possible during conditions of marginal weather or reduced visibility. In this research, United States Geologic Survey (USGS) digital elevation model (DEM) data has been selected as the benchmark. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNS) have been used and tested as alternate methods in place of the statistical methods in similar problems. They often perform better in pattern recognition, prediction and classification and categorization problems. Many studies show that when the data is complex and noisy, the accuracy of ANN models is generally higher than those of comparable traditional methods.

Dryer, David↗

NASA NTRS2011

Extension of Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program's Fluid Property Database

This internship focused on the development of additional capabilities for the General Fluid Systems Simulation Program (GFSSP). GFSSP is a thermo-fluid code used to evaluate system performance by a finite volume-based network analysis method. The program was developed primarily to analyze the complex internal flow of propulsion systems and is capable of solving many problems related to thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. GFSSP is integrated with thermodynamic programs that provide fluid properties for sub-cooled, superheated, and saturation states. For fluids that are not included in the thermodynamic property program, look-up property tables can be provided. The look-up property tables of the current release version can only handle sub-cooled and superheated states. The primary purpose of the internship was to extend the look-up tables to handle saturated states. This involves a) generation of a property table using REFPROP, a thermodynamic property program that is widely used, and b) modifications of the Fortran source code to read in an additional property table containing saturation data for both saturated liquid and saturated vapor states. Also, a method was implemented to calculate the thermodynamic properties of user-fluids within the saturation region, given values of pressure and enthalpy. These additions required new code to be written, and older code had to be adjusted to accommodate the new capabilities. Ultimately, the changes will lead to the incorporation of this new capability in future versions of GFSSP. This paper describes the development and validation of the new capability.

Patel, Kishan↗

NASA NTRS2013

Classification of Dust Days by Satellite Remotely Sensed Aerosol Products

Considerable progress in satellite remote sensing (SRS) of dust particles has been seen in the last decade. From an environmental health perspective, such an event detection, after linking it to ground particulate matter (PM) concentrations, can proxy acute exposure to respirable particles of certain properties (i.e. size, composition, and toxicity). Being affected considerably by atmospheric dust, previous studies in the Eastern Mediterranean, and in Israel in particular, have focused on mechanistic and synoptic prediction, classification, and characterization of dust events. In particular, a scheme for identifying dust days (DD) in Israel based on ground PM10 (particulate matter of size smaller than 10 nm) measurements has been suggested, which has been validated by compositional analysis. This scheme requires information regarding ground PM10 levels, which is naturally limited in places with sparse ground-monitoring coverage. In such cases, SRS may be an efficient and cost-effective alternative to ground measurements. This work demonstrates a new model for identifying DD and non-DD (NDD) over Israel based on an integration of aerosol products from different satellite platforms (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)). Analysis of ground-monitoring data from 2007 to 2008 in southern Israel revealed 67 DD, with more than 88 percent occurring during winter and spring. A Classification and Regression Tree (CART) model that was applied to a database containing ground monitoring (the dependent variable) and SRS aerosol product (the independent variables) records revealed an optimal set of binary variables for the identification of DD. These variables are combinations of the following primary variables: the calendar month, ground-level relative humidity (RH), the aerosol optical depth (AOD) from MODIS, and the aerosol absorbing index (AAI) from OMI. A logistic regression that uses these variables, coded as binary variables, demonstrated 93.2 percent correct classifications of DD and NDD. Evaluation of the combined CART-logistic regression scheme in an adjacent geographical region (Gush Dan) demonstrated good results. Using SRS aerosol products for DD and NDD, identification may enable us to distinguish between health, ecological, and environmental effects that result from exposure to these distinct particle populations.

satellite remote sensing↗

NASA NTRS2015

Near-Field Acoustic Power Level Analysis of F31/A31 Open Rotor Model at Simulated Cruise Conditions, Technical Report II

Near-field acoustic power level analysis of F31A31 open rotor model has been performed to determine its noise characteristics at simulated cruise flight conditions. The non-proprietary parts of the test data obtained from experiments in the 8x6 supersonic wind tunnel were provided by NASA-Glenn Research Center. The tone and broadband components of total noise have been separated from raw test data by using a new data analysis tool. Results in terms of sound pressure levels, acoustic power levels, and their variations with rotor speed, freestream Mach number, and input shaft power, with different blade-pitch setting angles at simulated cruise flight conditions, are presented and discussed. Empirical equations relating models acoustic power level and input shaft power have been developed. The near-field acoustic efficiency of the model at simulated cruise conditions is also determined. It is hoped that the results presented in this work will serve as a database for comparison and improvement of other open rotor blade designs and also for validating open rotor noise prediction codes.

Broadband↗

NASA NTRS1993

Mass optical storage-tape (MOST)

In today's large mainframe and supercomputer environment there exists a continuous demand for increased performance in digital storage systems. The user need for near-line storage capacity is currently doubling every four years. In addition to higher capacity, a desire exists for higher data transfer rates, and longer term database archivability, at lower, and lower cost. Each component of this quartet of demands appears to be insatiable. Magnetic tape technology presently dominates the digital mass storage markets, but the continuous growth of requirements is drawing attention to the limitations of the technology as an archival mass storage medium. The lowest cost option currently available for long term data storage is to use magnetic tape, although it is not well suited to meeting the need for many tens of years of reliable storage. Today, the majority of magnetic tape mass storage systems are based on the IBM 3480/3490 (or compatible) tape drives. These drives offer only moderate transfer rates and relatively small increments of storage, both of which create a logistics problem due to the large numbers of cartridges necessary in a typical system and the time taken to transfer data. Both higher cartridge capacity and data transfer rates are available in some helical scan magnetic tape systems; however, these command a substantially higher price, exacerbating the cost problem, and are not compatible with most installed systems or tape databases.

Oakley, William S.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Multiscale ACI Satellite Database

The SATELLITE_EAGLES_PNNL NetCDF dataset contains a suite of satellite- and reanalysis-derived atmospheric and surface parameters on a regular latitude–longitude grid. The dataset includes core geophysical fields such as land fraction, aerosol optical depth at multiple wavelengths (465, 550, 667, and 865 nm), sea surface temperature, estimated inversion strength, and various thermodynamic and dynamic quantities (e.g., relative humidity, vertical velocity, boundary-layer height, and surface fluxes) from both MERRA and ERA reanalysis products, provided as daily-mean and instantaneous values. A major component of the dataset consists of MODIS-retrieved cloud microphysical properties, including cloud droplet number concentration, cloud effective radius, optical thickness, and liquid water path, provided for three compositing regimes (“All,” “Q06,” and “G18”). Corresponding cloud-top parameters—temperature, height, and pressure—along with total and domain-mean cloud fraction fields are also included. The file further integrates additional satellite data from AMSR-E (for cloud water, rain water, and surface precipitation retrievals) and CERES (for top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes, cloud fractions, and albedo). This dataset is designed to evaluate aerosol–cloud interactions in warm clouds, emphasizing the use of MODIS for deriving cloud droplet number concentration and liquid water path statistics. The complementary satellite and reanalysis fields are co-located and time-matched to the same instantaneous MODIS observations, enabling consistent comparisons between cloud properties, aerosol loading, and large-scale meteorological conditions. The dataset is recently featured in Christensen et al. (2025), Machine Learning Reveals Strong Grid-Scale Dependence in the Satellite Nd–LWP Relationship, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3850, 2025.

Christensen, Matthew [Pacific Northwest National L↗

DOE OSTI2025

Multiscale ACI Satellite Database

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

The updated ITPA global H-mode confinement database: description and analysis

The multi-machine ITPA Global H-mode Confinement Database has been upgraded with new data from JET with the ITER-like wall and ASDEX Upgrade with the full tungsten wall. This paper describes the new database and presents results of regression analysis to estimate the global energy confinement scaling in H-mode plasmas using a standard power law. Various subsets of the database are considered, focusing on type of wall and divertor materials, confinement regime (all H-modes, ELMy H or ELM-free) and ITER-like constraints. Apart from ordinary least squares, two other, robust regression techniques are applied, which take into account uncertainty on all variables. Regression on data from individual devices shows that, generally, the confinement dependence on density and the power degradation are weakest in the fully metallic devices. Using the multi-machine scalings, predictions are made of the confinement time in a standard ELMy H-mode scenario in ITER. The uncertainty on the scaling parameters is discussed with a view to practically useful error bars on the parameters and predictions. One of the derived scalings for ELMy H-modes on an ITER-like subset is studied in particular and compared to the IPB98(y,2) confinement scaling in engineering and dimensionless form. Transformation of this new scaling from engineering variables to dimensionless quantities is shown to result in large error bars on the dimensionless scaling. Regression analysis in the space of dimensionless variables is therefore proposed as an alternative, yielding acceptable estimates for the dimensionless scaling. The new scaling, which is dimensionally correct within the uncertainties, suggests that some dependencies of confinement in the multi- machine database can be reconciled with parameter scans in individual devices. This includes vanishingly small dependence of confinement on line-averaged density and normalized plasma pressure (β), as well as a noticeable, positive dependence on effective atomic mass and plasma triangularity. Extrapolation of this scaling to ITER yields a somewhat lower confinement time compared to the IPB98(y, 2) prediction, possibly related to the considerably weaker dependence on major radius in the new scaling (slightly above linear). Further studies are needed to compare more flexible regression models with the power law used here. In addition, data from more devices concerning possible ‘hidden variables’ could help to determine their influence on confinement, while adding data in sparsely populated areas of the parameter space may contribute to further disentangling some of the global confinement dependencies in tokamak plasmas.

Database↗

DOE OSTI2019

A Field Survey of Rare Earth Element Concentrations in Process Streams Produced by Coal Preparation Plants in the Eastern USA

I this work, a field study was undertaken to experimentally measure the concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) contained in the process streams generated by a group of 20 coal preparation plants located in the eastern USA. For each site, representative samples of clean coal product, coarse refuse, and fine refuse were collected. Each sample was then partitioned into preselected size and density classes by wet screening/sieving and float-sink testing. The resultant products were dried and subjected to laboratory analyses to determine ash contents and rare earth element concentrations including Yttrium and Scandium. A detailed analysis of the database generated by this exercise showed that coal-based products from these preparation plants contained significant quantities of rare earth elements. In particular, the coarse refuse streams currently discarded by the 20 plants examined were found to contain a sufficient tonnage of REEs to satisfy the current domestic demand for these important elements. The data also showed a strong positive correlation between ash content and REE concentration, which suggested that the primary association of REEs in eastern USA bituminous coal sources is likely within fractions containing inorganic impurities. This association was well described using a simple power equation relating ash content and REE concentration. The ratio of heavy-to-light rare earth elements was discovered to be significantly higher in organically rich fractions of clean coal, suggesting that mineral impurities intimately associated with carbonaceous matter have elevated concentrations of heavy rare earth elements. A similar trend was observed for a grouping of rare earth elements (Y, Nd, Eu, Tb, and Dy) that are likely subject to near-term supply shortages. Finally, the database showed that a linear correlation existed between La for many REEs of interest, although there were several notable exceptions for some high-value REEs (Lu, Pr, and Tb).

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2016

First-Principles Prediction of Thermodynamically Stable Two-Dimensional Electrides

Two-dimensional (2D) electrides, emerging as a new type of layered material whose electrons are confined in interlayer spaces instead of at atomic proximities, are receiving interest for their high performance in various (opto)electronics and catalytic applications. Experimentally, however, 2D electrides have been only found in a couple of layered nitrides and carbides. We report new thermodynamically stable alkaline-earth based 2D electrides by using a first-principles global structure optimization method, phonon spectrum analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation. The method was applied to binary compounds consisting of alkaline-earth elements as cations and group VA, VIA, or VIIA nonmetal elements as anions. We also revealed that the stability of a layered 2D electride structure is closely related to the cation/anion size ratio; stable 2D electrides possess a sufficiently large cation/anion size ratio to minimize electrostatic energy among cations, anions, and anionic electrons. This work demonstrates a new avenue to the discovery of thermodynamically stable 2D electrides beyond experimental material databases and provides new insight into the principles of electride design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Data and scripts associated with a manuscript investigating dissolved organic matter and microbial community linkages across seven globally distributed rivers

This data package is associated with the publication “Meta-metabolome ecology reveals that geochemistry and microbial functional potential are linked to organic matter development across seven rivers” submitted to Science of the Total Environment. This data package includes the data necessary to replicate the analyses presented within the manuscript to investigate dissolved organic matter (DOM) development across broad spatial distances and within divergent biomes. Specifically, we included the Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) data, geochemistry data, annotated metagenomic data, and results from ecological null modeling analyses in this data package. Additionally, we included the scripts necessary to generate the figures from the manuscript. Complete metagenomic data associated with this data package can be found at the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI) under Bioproject PRJNA946291. This dataset consists of (1) four folders; (2) a file-level metadata (flmd) file; (3) a data dictionary (dd) file; (4) a factor sheet describing samples; and (5) a readme. The FTICR Data folder contains (1) the processed Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) data; (2) a transformation-weighted characteristics dendrogram generated from the FTICR-MS data; and (3) the script used to generate all FTICR-MS related figures. The Geochemical Data folder contains (1) the single geochemistry data file and (2) the R script responsible for generating associated figures. The Metagenomic Data folder contains (1) annotation information across different levels; (2) carbohydrate active enzyme (CAZyme) information from the dbCAN database (Yin et al., 2012); (3) phylogenetic tree data (FASTAs, alignments, and tree file); and (4) the scripts necessary to analyze all of these data and generate figures. The Null Modeling Data folder contains (1) data generated during null modeling for each river and all rivers combined and (2) the R scripts necessary to process the data. All files are .csv, .pdf, .tsv, .tre, .faa, .afa, .tree, or .R.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Third Flight of the Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS-3)

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is the first X-ray slitless imaging spectrograph sounding rocket instrument designed to observe spectrally dispersed soft X-ray images of the solar corona over a wide field-of-view. During the first flight of MaGIXS (MaGIXS-1), occurred on 30 July 2021, several emission lines from coronal structures including X-ray bright points were observed. Further, MaGIXS-1 analysis also demonstrated the successful inversion of overlappograms using robust unfolding algorithms. Given the demonstrated success of MaGIXS-1, the second flight of the instrument with a simplified optical design, MaGIXS-2, is scheduled for 2024 to observe high temperature diagnostic emission lines. Results from MaGIXS-1 discovered dominant missing emission lines near 15A, arising from relatively cool plasma that peaks around 2 MK. This wavelength region hosts several closely spaced satellite lines of Fe XVII, Fe XVI and Fe XV ions, which are expected to be enhanced at lower temperatures and are currently unmodeled in the CHIANTI atomic database. This wavelength region offers one of the most unique diagnostics to measure electron temperature, as well as signatures of equilibrium state of the plasma in active regions, which has not been studied so far. The goal of MaGIXS-3 mission is the to determine coronal heating parameters, such as the spatial and temporal properties of coronal heating events, by measuring discriminating observations, such as electron temperature, effective temperature, density, abundance, and departures from thermal equilibrium of the plasma, by observing the Sun in the SXR wavelength range. To meet this goal, the MaGIXS instrument will be upgraded with a new X-ray telescope mirror that will provide higher spatial and spectral resolution and throughput, allowing for spectral lines to be observed at the relevant spatial and temporal scales. In addition, MaGIXS-3 will also carry The Resolving Inversion Context X-ray Spectrometer (TRICXS), a high dispersion Bragg crystal spectrometer to spectrally resolve the lines near 14.9 to 15.9A, critical to unlock the full diagnostic potential of this wavelength range. Here we will present the preliminary concept design of MaGIXS-3 and discuss the potential observations.

X-ray Imaging↗

DOE OSTI2016

Operational Benefits of Meeting California's Energy Storage Targets

In October 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) finalized procurement targets and other requirements to its jurisdictional utilities for a minimum of 1,325 MW of 'viable and cost-effective' energy storage systems by 2020. The goal of this study is to explore several aspects of grid operations in California and the Western Interconnection resulting from meeting the CPUC storage targets. We perform this analysis using a set of databases and grid simulation tools developed and implemented by the CPUC, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), and the California Energy Commission (CEC) for the CPUC's Long-term Procurement Plan (LTPP). The 2014 version of this database contains information about generators, storage, transmission, and electrical demand, for California in the year 2024 for both 33 percent and 40 percent renewable energy portfolios. We examine the value of various services provided by energy storage in these scenarios. Sensitivities were performed relating to the services energy storage can provide, the capacity and duration of storage devices, export limitations, and negative price floor variations. Results show that a storage portfolio, as outlined by the CPUC, can reduce curtailment and system-wide production costs for 33 percent and 40 percent renewable scenarios.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2018

SAM International Case Studies: DPV Analysis in Mexico

Presentation demonstrates the use of the System Advisor Model (SAM) in international analyses, specifically Mexico. Two analyses are discussed with relation to SAM modelling efforts: 1) Customer impacts from changes to net metering and billing agreements and 2) Potential benefits of PV for Mexican solar customers, the Mexican Treasury, and the environment. Along with the SAM analyses, integration of the International Utility Rate Database (I-URDB) with SAM and future international SAM work are discussed. Presentation was created for the International Solar Energy Society's (ISES) webinar titled 'International use of the NREL System Advisor Model (SAM) with case studies'.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗