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At least 1,639 records · Page 91

Analytical and experimental investigation of a 1/8-scale dynamic model of the shuttle orbiter. Volume 3B: Supporting data

The NASA Structural Analysis System (NASTRAN) Model 1 finite element idealization, input data, and detailed analytical results are presented. The data presented include: substructuring analysis for normal modes, plots of member data, plots of symmetric free-free modes, plots of antisymmetric free-free modes, analysis of the wing, analysis of the cargo doors, analysis of the payload, and analysis of the orbiter.

Mason, P. W.↗

Picture gallery: A structured presentation of OAO-2 photometric data supported by UBV, ANS, and TD1 observations

Stellar fluxes for 531 stars in the wavelength range lambda 5500-1330A lambda are presented in the form of graphs. The stars are divided into 52 different categories on the basis of their spectral types and objects within one category are shown together. The agreement between the various ultraviolet photometric systems for early type stars is generally better than 0.10 mag. Stars with known and/or observed variability have been grouped separately. A list of stars with observed photometric properties which are indicative of stellar or interstellar anomalies is also provided.

Koornneed, J.↗

Picture gallery - A structured presentation of OAO-2 photometric data supported by OAO-2 spectrophotometric data and UBV, ANS and TD1 observations

Graphs are presented for the stellar fluxes of 531 stars in the 5500-1330 A wavelength range, which have been divided into 52 categories on the basis of spectral types. The merging of medium band interference filter photometry, UBV photometry, ANS photometry and TD1 fluxes, as well as the ordering of the objects, should prove helpful in studies of interstellar reddening, luminosity effects, bandwidth effects, and comparisons with model stellar atmospheres. The agreement between the various UV photometric systems for early-type stars is generally better than 0.10 mag. A list of stars whose photometric properties indicate stellar or interstellar anomalies is also provided.

Koornneef, J.↗

University of Maryland walking robot: A design project for undergraduate students

The design and construction required that the walking robot machine be capable of completing a number of tasks including walking in a straight line, turning to change direction, and maneuvering over an obstable such as a set of stairs. The machine consists of two sets of four telescoping legs that alternately support the entire structure. A gear-box and crank-arm assembly is connected to the leg sets to provide the power required for the translational motion of the machine. By retracting all eight legs, the robot comes to rest on a central Bigfoot support. Turning is accomplished by rotating the machine about this support. The machine can be controlled by using either a user operated remote tether or the on-board computer for the execution of control commands. Absolute encoders are attached to all motors (leg, main drive, and Bigfoot) to provide the control computer with information regarding the status of the motors (up-down motion, forward or reverse rotation). Long and short range infrared sensors provide the computer with feedback information regarding the machine's relative position to a series of stripes and reflectors. These infrared sensors simulate how the robot might sense and gain information about the environment of Mars.

Olsen, Bob↗

SAR in support of geological investigations of the Sudbury structure

Imaging radar is an important contributing source of information for a range of geological problems and environments. Airborne SAR and ERS-1 data integrated with other geoscience datasets are being used in an attempt to characterize the crustal fracturing associated with the Sudbury structure. This presentation highlights examples of integrated and composite images aimed at facilitating the interpretation of the Sudbury structure. This work is the result of an ongoing cooperative multidisciplinary SAR study of the basin carried out by the Canada Center for Remote Sensing, Ontario's provincial Remote Sensing Office, the Ontario Geological Survey, and the Geological Survey of Canada.

Singhroy, V.↗

The Fundamental Physical Processes Producing and Controlling Stellar Coronal/ Transition-Region/Chromospheric Activity and Structure

Our LTSA grant supports a long-term collaborative investigation of stellar activity. The project involves current NASA spacecraft and supporting ground-based telescopes, will make use of future missions, and utilizes the extensive archives of IUE, ROSAT, HST, and EUVE. Our interests include observational work (with a nonnegligible groundbased component); specialized processing techniques for imaging and spectral data; and semiempirical modeling, ranging from optically-thin emission measure studies to simulations of optically-thick resonance lines. Collaborations with our cool-star colleagues here in Boulder (at JILA and the High Altitude Observatory) provide access to even broader expertise, particularly on the solar corona, convection, and magnetohydrodynamic phenomena (including "dynamo" theories). The broad-brush of our investigation include the following: (1) where do coronae occur in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram? (2) the winds of coronal stars: hot, cool, or both? (3) age, activity, rotation relations; (4) atmospheric inhomogeneities; and (5) heating mechanisms, subcoronal flows and flares. Our observation task has been to map the global properties of chromospheres and coronae in the H-R diagram and conduct detailed studies of key objects.

Ayres, Thomas R.↗

Case Study Investigations of Large-Amplitude Inertia-Gravity Wave Environments and Mesoscale Structures

The research effort supported by NASA Grant NAG5-7469, awarded to the University at Albany, State University of New York (UA/SUNY), comprises the following two projects: (1) the observational study of large-amplitude inertia-gravity wave environments over the continental United States; and (2) the definition of opportunities and issues in extratropical cyclone dynamics and related phenomenological studies that may be addressed using high-resolution global datasets produced by the Data Assimilation Office (DAO) at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Bosart, Lance F.↗

Automating software design system DESTA

'DESTA' is the acronym for the Dialogue Evolutionary Synthesizer of Turnkey Algorithms by means of a natural language (Russian or English) functional specification of algorithms or software being developed. DESTA represents the computer-aided and/or automatic artificial intelligence 'forgiving' system which provides users with software tools support for algorithm and/or structured program development. The DESTA system is intended to provide support for the higher levels and earlier stages of engineering design of software in contrast to conventional Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems which provide low level tools for use at a stage when the major planning and structuring decisions have already been taken. DESTA is a knowledge-intensive system. The main features of the knowledge are procedures, functions, modules, operating system commands, batch files, their natural language specifications, and their interlinks. The specific domain for the DESTA system is a high level programming language like Turbo Pascal 6.0. The DESTA system is operational and runs on an IBM PC computer.

Lovitsky, Vladimir A.↗

Rational design of heterogeneous single-site catalysts via surface organometallic chemistry

Single-site heterogeneous catalysts offer an attractive route to unite the molecular precision of homogeneous catalysis with the durability and practical advantages of solids. Surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) provides a particularly powerful strategy for this purpose by grafting molecular precursors onto tailored surfaces and converting support functionalities into ligand environments for isolated metal centers. As a result, SOMC brings the language and logic of coordination chemistry to heterogeneous catalysis, where the support becomes an integral part of the active site coordination sphere. This Review surveys recent progress in the rational design of SOMC-derived single-site catalysts, with emphasis on synthetic routes, post synthetic transformations, and the deliberate tuning of catalytic behavior through metal-support interactions. Discussions are made on how support identity, hydroxyl topology, acidity, and redox activity shape the geometry, electronic structure, and oxidation state of supported metal sites, as well as how these factors determine activity, selectivity, and stability. We also examine a central limitation of these systems: despite their molecularly informed design, supported single sites often exist as structurally distributed ensembles rather than uniform species, particularly on amorphous supports. This site heterogeneity, along with catalyst dynamics under operating conditions, remains a major barrier to definitive structure-activity relationships. Therefore, emerging approaches that combine advanced characterization, first-principles modeling, ensemble kinetics, and machine learning to resolve active-site structure and guide catalyst development are highlighted. Together, these advances position SOMC as a versatile coordination chemistry framework for the predictive design of heterogeneous catalysts with well-defined molecularly tailored active sites.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Anthropology of Aquaculture

Aquaculture is nothing new. It has a long, fascinating history that stretches from antiquity at least 8,000 years ago. What is new is the evolution of aquaculture in modern times into highly intensive monocultures which arose in the 1970–1980's. Modern aquaculture production has grown worldwide but remains concentrated in Asia due to the: (1) increased demands for aquatic foods as explosive population growth occurred in coastal cities with increasing affluence, (2) expansion of scientific and engineering breakthroughs, (3) high export values of aquatic foods, and (4) sharp decline of costs of global to local transport/shipping. The pioneering anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss brought the idea of “structuralism” to anthropology: the concept that societies throughout history followed universal patterns of behavior. A qualitative document analysis of the key anthropological literature to assess aquaculture developments from antiquity to the beginning of the modern era was conducted to evaluate if there was adequate evidence to support a theory of anthropological “structuralism” for aquaculture in human history. Seven case studies of the cultural/environmental history of aquaculture were reviewed in diverse parts of the world (China, Australia, Egypt, Europe, South America, Canada/USA, Hawai'i). Analysis supports the structural theory that whenever the demands of aquatic/seafood-eating peoples exceeded the abilities of their indigenous fishery ecosystems to provide for them, they developed aquaculture. Modern aquaculture concepts and new communities of practice in “restoration aquaculture” have beginnings in Indigenous anthropology and archeology in aquaculture and point the way for Indigenous nations to engage as leaders of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ecosystem approach to aquaculture worldwide. Bringing ancient knowledge of Indigenous aquaculture into the modern context is an essential part of an alternative, “radical transformation” of modern aquaculture. There is an urgent need to develop and promote locally designed and culturally appropriate aquaculture systems that fit into the livelihoods of communities as part of a larger, diverse portfolio of food security.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A VHDL Core for Intrinsic Evolution of Discrete Time Filters with Signal Feedback

The design of an Evolvable Machine VHDL Core is presented, representing a discrete-time processing structure capable of supporting control system applications. This VHDL Core is implemented in an FPGA and is interfaced with an evolutionary algorithm implemented in firmware on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to create an evolvable system platform. The salient features of this architecture are presented. The capability to implement IIR filter structures is presented along with the results of the intrinsic evolution of a filter. The robustness of the evolved filter design is tested and its unique characteristics are described.

Gwaltney, David A.↗

Synchronization of Alternative Models in a Supermodel and the Learning of Critical Behavior

“Supermodeling” climate by allowing different models to assimilate data from one another in run time has been shown to give results superior to those of any one model and superior to any weighted average of model outputs. The only free parameters, connection strengths between corresponding variables in each pair of models, are determined using some form of machine learning. It is demonstrated that supermodeling succeeds because near critical states, interscale interactions are important but unresolved processes cannot be effectively represented diagnostically in any single parameterization scheme. In two examples, a pair of toy quasigeostrophic (QG) channel models of the midlatitudes and a pair of ECHAM5 models of the tropical Pacific atmosphere with a common ocean, supermodels dynamically combine parameterization schemes so as to capture criticality, associated critical structures, and the supporting scale interactions. The QG supermodeling scheme extends a previous configuration in which two such models synchronize with intermodel connections only between medium-scale components of the flow; here the connections are trained against a third “real” model. Intermittent blocking patterns characterize the critical behavior thus obtained, even where such patterns are missing in the constituent models. In the ECHAM-based climate supermodel, the corresponding critical structure is the single ITCZ pattern, a pattern that occurs in neither of the constituent models. In conclusion, for supermodels of both types, power spectra indicate enhanced interscale interactions in frequency or energy ranges of physical interest, in agreement with observed data, and supporting a generalized form of the self-organized criticality hypothesis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

K 3 Ir 2 O 6 and K 16.3 Ir 8 O 30 , Low-Dimensional Iridates with Infinite IrO 6 Chains

A previously unreported 1D iridate, K 3 Ir 2 O 6 , has been grown by a flux method in O 2 -rich environment and its crystal structure determined via single crystal structural analysis. It exhibits straight chains of face-sharing [IrO 6 ] octahedra, which are arranged along the crystallographic c axis, separated by nonmagnetic K ions. No magnetic transitions are observed during measured range, and the material is electrically insulating. Potentially interesting electronic behavior for K 3 Ir 2 O 6 is supported by electronic structure calculations. A structurally related material, K 16.3 Ir 8 O 30 , which displays similar fundamental geometric units but in a different spatial arrangement – zigzag chains based on edge and face sharing [IrO 6 ] octahedra, is also reported. Both materials are of interest for probing the properties of a 1D system with strong spin-orbit coupling

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetochiral tunneling in paramagnetic Co 1/3 NbS 2

Electric currents have the intriguing ability to induce magnetization in nonmagnetic crystals with sufficiently low crystallographic symmetry. Some associated phenomena include the non-linear anomalous Hall effect in polar crystals and the nonreciprocal directional dichroism in chiral crystals when magnetic fields are applied. In this work, we demonstrate that the same underlying physics is also manifested in the electronic tunneling process between the surface of a nonmagnetic chiral material and a magnetized scanning probe. In the paramagnetic but chiral metallic compound Co 1/3 NbS 2 , the magnetization induced by the tunneling current is shown to become detectable by its coupling to the magnetization of the tip itself. This results in a contrast across different chiral domains, achieving atomic-scale spatial resolution of structural chirality. To support the proposed mechanism, we used first-principles theory to compute the chirality-dependent current-induced magnetization and Berry curvature in the bulk of the material. Our demonstration of this magnetochiral tunneling effect opens up an avenue for investigating atomic-scale variations in the local crystallographic symmetry and electronic structure across the structural domain boundaries of low-symmetry nonmagnetic crystals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Atomic-Scale Structure of Chemically Distinct Surface Oxygens in Redox Reactions

During redox reactions, oxide-supported catalytic systems undergo structural and chemical changes. Improving subsequent catalytic properties requires an understanding of the atomic-scale structure with chemical state specificity under reaction conditions. For the case of 1/2 monolayer vanadia on α-TiO 2 (110), we use X-ray standing wave (XSW) excited X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to follow the redox induced atomic positional and chemical state changes of this interface. Furthermore, while the resulting XSW 3D composite atomic maps include the Ti and O substrate atoms and V surface atoms, our focus in this report is on the previously unseen surface oxygen species with comparison to density functional theory predictions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structurally Integrated Antenna Concepts for HALE UAVs

This technical memorandum describes work done in support of the Multifunctional Structures and Materials Team under the Vehicle Systems Program's ITAS (Integrated Tailored Aero Structures) Project during FY 2005. The Electromagnetics and Sensors Branch (ESB) developed three ultra lightweight antenna concepts compatible with HALE UAVs (High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). ESB also developed antenna elements that minimize the interaction between elements and the vehicle to minimize the impact of wing flexure on the EM (electromagnetic) performance of the integrated array. In addition, computer models were developed to perform phase correction for antenna arrays whose elements are moving relative to each other due to wing deformations expected in HALE vehicle concepts. Development of lightweight, conformal or structurally integrated antenna elements and compensating for the impact of a lightweight, flexible structure on a large antenna array are important steps in the realization of HALE UAVs for microwave applications such as passive remote sensing and communications.

Cravey, Robin L.↗

Multi-Modal Characterization of Nuclear Fuels and Materials at the Idaho National Laboratory Materials & Fuels Complex

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) leads cutting-edge research pertaining to the advancement of nuclear reactor technologies, including nuclear fuels and materials. The INL Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL), Electron Microscopy Laboratory (EML), and future Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) are available to the nuclear research community to assess the behavior of nuclear fuels and materials, efficiently and comprehensively characterizing from the engineering to atomistic scale. The IMCL is a unique, 12,000-square-foot facility located at the INL Materials and Fuels Complex designed for analysis of irradiated materials. The facility operates advanced characterization instruments that are sensitive to vibration, temperature, and electromagnetic interference in modular radiological shielding and confinement systems, granting researchers the ability to assess the microstructural, chemical, mechanical and thermophysical properties of nuclear materials, especially irradiated fuels. The EML is dedicated to advanced characterization of materials with optical and electron microscopy tools, including scanning electron microscopy/focused-ion beam (SEM/FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Upon construction, the SPL will be a 3 story, 49,000 sq. ft facility, that is the most modern reactor structural materials testing and analysis facility in the world, designed to investigate reactor structural materials in support of life-extension programs and development of advanced reactor concepts, including mechanical testing and advanced characterization capabilities. This presentation will showcase some of the main capabilities available at both IMCL, EML, and SPL, specifically illustrating how these characterization techniques are incorporated into multi-modal characterization work scopes to elucidate the degradation of nuclear structural materials and irradiated fuels.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗