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At least 145 records · Page 8

Assessing Uncertainties in Boundary Layer Transition Predictions for HIFiRE-1 at Non-zero Angles of Attack

Boundary layer stability was analyzed for the HIFiRE-1 flight vehicle geometry for ground tests conducted at the CUBRC LENS I hypersonic shock test facility and the Langley Research Center (LaRC) 20- inch Mach 6 Tunnel. Boundary layer stability results were compared to transition onset location obtained from discrete heat transfer measurements from thin film gauges during the CUBRC test and spatially continuous heat transfer measurements from thermal phosphor paint data during the LaRC test. The focus of this analysis was on conditions at non-zero angles of attack as stability analysis has already been performed at zero degrees angle of attack. Also, the transition onset data obtained during flight testing was at nonzero angles of attack, so this analysis could be expanded in the future to include the results of the flight test data. Stability analysis was performed using the 2D parabolized stability software suite STABL (Stability and Transition Analysis for Hypersonic Boundary Layers) developed at the University of Minnesota and the mean flow solutions were computed using the DPLR finite volume Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. A center line slice of the 3D mean flow solution was used for the stability analysis to incorporate the angle of attack effects while still taking advantage of the 2D STABL software suite. The N-factors at transition onset and the value of Re(sub theta)/M(sub e), commonly used to predict boundary layer transition onset, were compared for all conditions analyzed. Ground test data was analyzed at Mach 7.2 and Mach 6.0 and angles of attack of 1deg, 3deg and 5deg. At these conditions, the flow was found to be second mode dominant for the HIFiRE-1 slender cone geometry. On the leeward side of the vehicle, a strong trend of transition onset location with angle of attack was observed as the boundary layer on the leeward side of the vehicle developed inflection points at streamwise positions on the vehicle that correlated to angle of attack. Inflection points are a strong instability mechanism that lead to rapid breakdown and transition to turbulence. The transition onset location on the windward side of the vehicle displayed no trend with angle of attack or freestream Reynolds number and transition was observed farther down the vehicle than observed on the leeward side of the vehicle. In analysis of both windward and leeward sides of the vehicle, use of the N factor methodology to develop trends to predict boundary layer transition onset showed improvements over the Re(sub theta)/M(sub e) empirical correlation methodology. Stronger correlations and less scatter in the data were observed when using the N factor method for these cases.

Marek, Lindsay C.↗

Exploratory Climate Data Visualization and Analysis Using DV3D and UVCDAT

Earth system scientists are being inundated by an explosion of data generated by ever-increasing resolution in both global models and remote sensors. Advanced tools for accessing, analyzing, and visualizing very large and complex climate data are required to maintain rapid progress in Earth system research. To meet this need, NASA, in collaboration with the Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UVCOAT) consortium, is developing exploratory climate data analysis and visualization tools which provide data analysis capabilities for the Earth System Grid (ESG). This paper describes DV3D, a UV-COAT package that enables exploratory analysis of climate simulation and observation datasets. OV3D provides user-friendly interfaces for visualization and analysis of climate data at a level appropriate for scientists. It features workflow inte rfaces, interactive 40 data exploration, hyperwall and stereo visualization, automated provenance generation, and parallel task execution. DV30's integration with CDAT's climate data management system (COMS) and other climate data analysis tools provides a wide range of high performance climate data analysis operations. DV3D expands the scientists' toolbox by incorporating a suite of rich new exploratory visualization and analysis methods for addressing the complexity of climate datasets.

Maxwell, Thomas↗

Reachability Analysis for FollowerStopper: Safety Analysis and Experimental Results

Motivated by earlier work and the developer of a new algorithm, the FollowerStopper, this article uses reachability analysis to verify the safety of the FollowerStopper algorithm, which is a controller designed for dampening stop-and-go traffic waves. With more than 1100 miles of driving data collected by our physical platform, we validate our analysis results by comparing it to human driving behaviors. The FollowerStopper controller has been demonstrated to dampen stop-and-go traffic waves at low speed, but previous analysis on its relative safety has been limited to upper and lower bounds of acceleration. To expand upon previous analysis, reachability analysis is used to investigate the safety at the speeds it was originally tested and also at higher speeds. Two formulations of safety analysis with different criteria are shown: distance-based and time headway-based. The FollowerStopper is considered safe with distance-based criterion. However, simulation results demonstrate that the FollowerStopper is not representative of human drivers - it follows too closely behind vehicles, specifically at a distance human would deem as unsafe. On the other hand, under the time headway-based safety analysis, the FollowerStopper is not considered safe anymore. A modified FollowerStopper is proposed to satisfy time-based safety criterion. Simulation results of the proposed FollowerStopper shows that its response represents human driver behavior better.

Chou, Fang-Chieh↗

Timeline Analysis Program (TLA-1)

The Timeline Analysis Program (TLA-1) was described. This program is a crew workload analysis computer program that was developed and expanded from previous workload analysis programs, and is designed to be used on the NASA terminal controlled vehicle program. The following information is described: derivation of the input data, processing of the data, and form of the output data. Eight scenarios that were created, programmed, and analyzed as verification of this model were also described.

Miller, K. H.↗

Studies of new Higgs boson interactions through nonresonant $HH$ production in the $ b\overline{b}\gamma \gamma $ final state in $pp$ collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for nonresonant Higgs boson pair production in the $ b\overline{b}\gamma \gamma $ final state is performed using 140 fb –1 of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. This analysis supersedes and expands upon the previous nonresonant ATLAS results in this final state based on the same data sample. The analysis strategy is optimised to probe anomalous values not only of the Higgs (H) boson self-coupling modifier κλ but also of the quartic HHVV (V = W, Z) coupling modifier κ 2V . No significant excess above the expected background from Standard Model processes is observed. An observed upper limit μHH < 4.0 is set at 95% confidence level on the Higgs boson pair production cross-section normalised to its Standard Model prediction. The 95% confidence intervals for the coupling modifiers are –1.4 < κ λ < 6.9 and –0.5 < κ 2V < 2.7, assuming all other Higgs boson couplings except the one under study are fixed to the Standard Model predictions. The results are interpreted in the Standard Model effective field theory and Higgs effective field theory frameworks in terms of constraints on the couplings of anomalous Higgs boson (self-)interactions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Needlet estimation of cross-correlation between CMB lensing maps and LSS

In this paper we develop a novel needlet-based estimator to investigate the cross-correlation between cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing maps and large-scale structure (LSS) data. We compare this estimator with its harmonic counterpart and, in particular, we analyze the bias effects of different forms of masking. In order to address this bias, we also implement a MASTER-like technique in the needlet case. The resulting estimator turns out to have an extremely good signal-to-noise performance. Our analysis aims at expanding and optimizing the operating domains in CMB-LSS cross-correlation studies, similarly to CMB needlet data analysis. It is motivated especially by next generation experiments (such as Euclid) which will allow us to derive much tighter constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters through cross-correlation measurements between CMB and LSS.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Solar cities: A case study analysis of city-level enablers of expanded solar energy access

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption can benefit households by reducing electricity bills and enhancing energy resiliency. Low and moderate-income (LMI) households have been less likely to adopt PV and experience these benefits in the United States than higher-income households. Adopter income trends are often explored through quantitative analysis with limited explanatory power. Our quantitative analysis only explains around one-third of city-level variation in LMI adoption trends through socioeconomic factors such as median home values and income inequality and PV market factors such as cumulative adoption and incentives. We implement semi-structured interviews in three case studies of cities with relatively high rates of LMI PV adoption to better understand the factors that explain PV adopter income trends. The case studies partly reiterate findings from quantitative analysis, such as the role of PV incentives. The case studies reveal a broader set of LMI adoption drivers that are missed in quantitative analyses. The case studies show how city contexts can affect LMI adoption, such as the role of supportive city governments. The case studies also reveal the importance of partnerships, such as partnerships between city governments and state LMI PV program implementers. Finally, interviewees emphasized the importance of building trust among prospective LMI PV adopters. Interviewees suggested that partnerships, outreach, and consumer protection measures were crucial to building trust in PV installers among LMI households.

Adoption↗

Model Based Engineering for Software Assurance

NASA's successful development of next generation space vehicles, habitats, and robotic systems will require reliable hardware and software systems. The aim of this initiative is to develop modeling methodology and tools to support Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for software assurance and reliability analysis. This effort expands the Unified Modeling Language (UML) software design models to include fault data for the extraction of Failure Modes and Effects Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) for software. We explored different modeling approaches to integrate the UML software design models with the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) system models to generate an integrated model and reliability tools that take into account software and hardware interfaces.The benefits of this concept directly affect the safety community with quick turnarounds to produce software assurance and reliability analysis artifacts and the ability to visualize failure effects, both hardware and software. The result is enhanced system design integrity and early identification of system risks. This initiative will enable software assurance activities early in the system design lifecycle, facilitating the discovery of design weaknesses and enhancing the capability to produce safe, hazard-free systems

Wang, Lui↗

Reaching For New Physics With MeV-scale Reconstruction In The MicroBooNE LArTPC Neutrino Detector

Large neutrino liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) experiments can broaden their physics reach by reconstructing MeV-Scale energy depositions, or blips, in their data. We demonstrate new calorimetric and particle discrimination capabilities at the MeV scale using reconstructed blips in MicroBooNE LArTPC data at Fermilab. A concentration of low-energy ($<$3 MeV) blips is observed around fiberglass mechanical support struts along the TPC edges, with spectral features consistent with the Compton edge of the 2.614 MeV $^{208}$Tl decay $\gamma$ ray. With these features we perform the electron energy scale calibration to few-percent precision and yield the specific activity of $^{208}$Tl in the struts, $(11.7 \pm 0.2 \text{(stat)} \pm 2.8 \text{(syst)})$ Bq/kg. Using cosmogenic blips above 3 MeV, we demonstrate the ability of large LArTPCs to discriminate low-energy proton and electron depositions. An enriched low-energy proton sample selected with this technique is smaller in data than in dedicated CORSIKA simulations, pointing to possible mismodeling in CORSIKA incident cosmic fluxes or Geant4 particle transport. These methods are applied to MicroBooNE's inclusive single-photon search, which reported a 2.2$\sigma$ excess below 600 MeV in shower energy for events with no reconstructed protons. By identifying and classifying blips near single-photon events selected by the WireCell reconstruction framework, a more comprehensive labeling of nearby hadronic activity is established: blips upstream of the shower axis indicate previously unidentified final-state protons, while elevated blip counts at wide angles signal final-state neutrons. Taken together with MiniBooNE's long-standing low-energy excess (LEE) and MicroBooNE electron-like and sterile neutrino searches disfavored as possible explanations of the MiniBooNE anomaly, this analysis motivates an expanded exploration of the single-photon channel in Fermilab's short-baseline LArTPC program. This thesis documents the current status of this enhanced analysis, which will form a key part of MicroBooNE's final low-energy-excess results.

Andrade Aldana, Diego Armando [IIT, Chicago (main)↗

Effects of Weightlessness on Vestibular Development: Summary of Research on NIH.R1

In our original application we proposed to investigate the effects of gravity on the formation of connections between the gravity receptors of the ear and the brain in rat pups raised in space beginning at an age before these connections are made until near the time of birth, when they are to some extent functional. We used the neuronal tracer, Dil, which could be applied to tissue obtained immediately after landing of the space shuttle, thus minimizing changes due to the earth's gravity. We hoped to determine whether the vestibular system develops in two phases, as do other sensory systems (such as the visual system). In these other systems the first phase of development is controlled genetically and the second phase is controlled by environmental stimulation. Our data collected strongly supports the idea that the vestibular system has these same two phases of development. The tissue obtained from the NIH.R1 experiment was of exceptionally high quality for our analysis. Therefore, we expanded our investigation into the ultrastructural effects of microgravity on vestibular development. For the sake of clarity we will subdivide our summary into two categories: (1) analysis of the branching pattern of axons between the vestibular nerve and the gravistatic receptors of the ear in flight and control animals, and (2) analysis of the branching pattern of axons between the vestibular nerve and the brain in flight and control animals.

Fritzsch, Bernd↗

Space Solar Power Multi-body Dynamics and Controls, Concepts for the Integrated Symmetrical Concentrator Configuration

Orbiting space solar power systems are currently being investigated for possible flight in the time frame of 2015-2020 and later. Such space solar power (SSP) satellites are required to be extremely large in order to make practical the process of collection, conversion to microwave radiation, and reconversion to electrical power at earth stations or at remote locations in space. These large structures are expected to be very flexible presenting unique problems associated with their dynamics and control. The purpose of this project is to apply the expanded TREETOPS multi-body dynamics analysis computer simulation program (with expanded capabilities developed in the previous activity) to investigate the control problems associated with the integrated symmetrical concentrator (ISC) conceptual SSP system. SSP satellites are, as noted, large orbital systems having many bodies (perhaps hundreds) with flexible arrays operating in an orbiting environment where the non-uniform gravitational forces may be the major load producers on the structure so that a high fidelity gravity model is required. The current activity arises from our NRA8-23 SERT proposal. Funding, as a supplemental selection, has been provided by NASA with reduced scope from that originally proposed.

Glaese, John R.↗

TRACE/PARCS Analysis of ATWS with Instability for a MELLLA+BWR/5

A TRACE/PARCS model has been developed to analyze anticipated transient without SCRAM (ATWS) events for a boiling water reactor (BWR) operating in the maximum extended load line limit analysis-plus (MELLLA+) expanded operating domain. The MELLLA+ domain expands allowable operation in the power/flow map of a BWR to low flow rates at high power conditions. Such operation exacerbates the likelihood of large amplitude power/flow oscillations during certain ATWS scenarios. The analysis shows that large amplitude power/flow oscillations, both core-wide and out-of-phase, arise following the establishment of natural circulation flow in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) after the trip of the recirculation pumps and an increase in core inlet subcooling. The analysis also indicates a mechanism by which the fuel may experience heat-up that could result in localized fuel damage. TRACE predicts the heat-up to occur when the cladding surface temperature exceeds the minimum stable film boiling temperature after periodic cycles of dryout and rewet; and the fuel becomes “locked” into a film boiling regime. Further, the analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the simulated manual operator actions to suppress the instability.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Insights into Corona Formation through Statistical Analyses

Statistical analysis of an expanded database of coronae on Venus indicates that the populations of Type 1 (with fracture annuli) and 2 (without fracture annuli) corona diameters are statistically indistinguishable, and therefore we have no basis for assuming different formation mechanisms. Analysis of the topography and diameters of coronae shows that coronae that are depressions, rimmed depressions, and domes tend to be significantly smaller than those that are plateaus, rimmed plateaus, or domes with surrounding rims. This is consistent with the model of Smrekar and Stofan and inconsistent with predictions of the spreading drop model of Koch and Manga. The diameter range for domes, the initial stage of corona formation, provides a broad constraint on the buoyancy of corona-forming plumes. Coronae are only slightly more likely to be topographically raised than depressions, with Type 1 coronae most frequently occurring as rimmed depressions and Type 2 coronae most frequently occuring with flat interiors and raised rims. Most Type 1 coronae are located along chasmata systems or fracture belts, while Type 2 coronas are found predominantly as isolated features in the plains. Coronae at hotspot rises tend to be significantly larger than coronae in other settings, consistent with a hotter upper mantle at hotspot rises and their active state.

Glaze, L. S.↗

Insights into Corona Formation Through Statistical Analyses

Statistical analysis of an expanded database of coronae on Venus indicates that the populations of Type 1 (with fracture annuli) and 2 (without fracture annuli) corona diameters are statistically indistinguishable, and therefore we have no basis for assuming different formation mechanisms. Analysis of the topography and diameters of coronae shows that coronae that are depressions, rimmed depressions, and domes tend to be significantly smaller than those that are plateaus, rimmed plateaus, or domes with surrounding rims. This is consistent with the model of Smrekar and Stofan and inconsistent with predictions of the spreading drop model of Koch and Munga. The diameter range for domes, the initial stage of corona formation, provides a broad constraint on the buoyancy of corona-forming plumes. Coronae are only slightly more likely to be topographically raised than depressions, with Type 1 coronae most frequently occurring as rimmed depressions and Type 2 coronae most frequently occurring with flat interiors and raised rims. Most Type 1 coronae are located along chasmata systems or fracture belts, while Type 2 coronae are found predominantly as isolated features in the plains. Coronae at hot spot rises tend to be significantly lager than coronae in other settings, consistent with a hotter upper mantle at hot spot rises and their active state.

Glaze, L. S.↗

Enabling a systems biology knowledgebase with gaggle and firegoose

The overall goal of this project was to extend the existing Gaggle and Firegoose systems to develop an open-source technology that runs over the web and links desktop applications with many databases and software applications. This technology would enable researchers to incorporate workflows for data analysis that can be executed from this interface to other online applications. The four specific aims were to (1) provide one-click mapping of genes, proteins, and complexes across databases and species; (2) enable multiple simultaneous workflows; (3) expand sophisticated data analysis for online resources; and enhance open-source development of the Gaggle-Firegoose infrastructure. Gaggle is an open-source Java software system that integrates existing bioinformatics programs and data sources into a user-friendly, extensible environment to allow interactive exploration, visualization, and analysis of systems biology data. Firegoose is an extension to the Mozilla Firefox web browser that enables data transfer between websites and desktop tools including Gaggle. In the last phase of this funding period, we have made substantial progress on development and application of the Gaggle integration framework. We implemented the workspace to the Network Portal. Users can capture data from Firegoose and save them to the workspace. Users can create workflows to start multiple software components programmatically and pass data between them. Results of analysis can be saved to the cloud so that they can be easily restored on any machine. We also developed the Gaggle Chrome Goose, a plugin for the Google Chrome browser in tandem with an opencpu server in the Amazon EC2 cloud. This allows users to interactively perform data analysis on a single web page using the R packages deployed on the opencpu server. The cloud-based framework facilitates collaboration between researchers from multiple organizations. We have made a number of enhancements to the cmonkey2 application to enable and improve the integration within different environments, and we have created a new tools pipeline for generating EGRIN2 models in a largely automated way.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Experimental modal analysis

Experimental modal analysis is extremely important with regard to verification of analytical models, identification of vibration and acoustic problems, and structural modification and sensitivity analysis. With the expanding access of the testing environment to computational power, the complexity of existing approaches, as well as the development of new approaches, to the estimation of modal parameters has grown tremendously. Currently, the state of the art in experimental modal analysis involves methods that can be grouped in four categories: forced normal mode excitation method, frequency response function method, damped complex exponential function method, and mathematical input-output model methods. The theoretical basis of each of these general approaches, with appropriate references, is reviewed briefly.

Allemang, R. J.↗

Innovative scattering analysis shows that hydrophobic disordered proteins are expanded in water

A substantial fraction of the proteome is intrinsically disordered, and even well-folded proteins adopt non-native geometries during synthesis, folding, transport, and turnover. Characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is challenging, in part because of a lack of accurate physical models and the difficulty of interpreting experimental results. We have developed a general method to extract the dimensions and solvent quality (self-interactions) of IDPs from a single small-angle x-ray scattering measurement. We applied this procedure to a variety of IDPs and found that even IDPs with low net charge and high hydrophobicity remain highly expanded in water, contrary to the general expectation that protein-like sequences collapse in water. Our results suggest that the unfolded state of most foldable sequences is expanded; we conjecture that this property was selected by evolution to minimize misfolding and aggregation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Response to Comment on "Innovative scattering analysis shows that hydrophobic disordered proteins are expanded in water"

Best et al . claim that we provide no convincing basis to assert that a discrepancy remains between FRET and SAXS results on the dimensions of disordered proteins under physiological conditions. We maintain that a clear discrepancy is apparent in our and other recent publications, including results shown in the Best et al . comment. A plausible origin is fluorophore interactions in FRET experiments.

Riback, Joshua A. (ORCID:0000000215164484)↗