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

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At least 19 records

Systematic analysis on spectral statistics of odd-A nuclei

Level statistics for given spin and parity below 10 MeV within A≤71, 71≤A≤151, and 151≤A≤221 mass regions are systematically analyzed. We have taken 5316 level spacings from 266 odd-A nuclei in the light mass region, 6897 level spacings from 478 ones in the medium mass region, and 2768 level spacings from 143 ones in the heavy mass region for the statistics. In the analysis, the chaoticity parameter in the Berry–Robnik distribution is determined based on the method of maximum likelihood estimation. The results show a mass number A-dependence in the level statistics. The larger the mass number, the relatively stronger in chaoticity. In addition, with the level statistics in using data sequences classified according to the order of magnitude of half-lives, it is shown that the level energies to be more chaotic for longer lived light and heavy mass odd-A nuclei, and intermediate between regular and chaotic in medium mass odd-A nuclei. The level statistical analysis in concerning E2 transition strengths of E2 or mixed E2+M1 transitions in odd-A nuclei is also made, which shows chaos in level energies likely occurring in those with weaker E2 transition strengths. Therefore, it can be concluded that odd-A nuclei are, more often than not, chaotic. Chaos is likely emergent in level energies of stable light mass nuclei with weaker E2 transition strengths, while it is definitely emergent in level energies of heavy mass nuclei, and even stronger in comparatively stable ones and those with weaker E2 transition strengths.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Rigorous force field optimization principles based on statistical distance minimization

We use the concept of statistical distance to define a measure of distinguishability between a pair of statistical mechanical systems, i.e., a model and its target, and show that its minimization leads to general convergence of the model’s static measurable properties to those of the target. We exploit this feature to define a rigorous basis for the development of accurate and robust effective molecular force fields that are inherently compatible with coarse-grained experimental data. The new model optimization principles and their efficient implementation are illustrated through selected examples, whose outcome demonstrates the higher robustness and predictive accuracy of the approach compared to other currently used methods, such as force matching and relative entropy minimization. We also discuss relations between the newly developed principles and established thermodynamic concepts, which include the Gibbs-Bogoliubov inequality and the thermodynamic length.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lithium-ion battery physics and statistics-based state of health model

A pseudo-2d model using COMSOL Multiphysics® software is developed to simulate performance and performance degradation of Li-ion batteries consisting of layered and olivine cathodes with graphite anode when subjected to peak shaving grid service. Multiple degradation pathways are considered, including solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and breakdown at the anode, cathode dissolution and its synergistic effect on SEI formation at the anode. The model is validated by simulating commercial cylindrical cell performance. A global model is developed to simulate performance across all chemistries, along with individual chemistry models using global model parameters as initial values. There is good agreement between these models for various optimization parameters such as SEI equilibrium potential, cathode dissolution exchange current density, solvent diffusivity in the SEI and SEI ionic conductivity. To circumvent time constraints related to the COMSOL model, a 0d global model is developed which fits data well and provides more clarity on differences in cathode dissolution exchange current density. Again, good agreement for various optimization parameters is obtained among the COMSOL global & individual chemistry models and the 0-d model. The lessons learned from the physics-based model is used to develop a top down statistics-based model using current, voltage and anode volumetric change per mole lithium intercalated, along with their interactions as degradation predictors. This model predicts out of sample degradation for multiple grid services and electric vehicle drive cycle with high accuracy and provides the pathway to develop an efficient battery management system combining machine learning and findings from physics-based computationally intensive algorithms.

Crawford, Aladsair J.↗

How to optimally constrain galaxy assembly bias: supplement projected correlation functions with count-in-cells statistics

Most models for the statistical connection between galaxies and their haloes ignore the possibility that galaxy properties may be correlated with halo properties other than halo mass, a phenomenon known as galaxy assembly bias. And yet, it is known that such correlations can lead to systematic errors in the interpretation of survey data that are analysed using traditional halo occupation models. At present, the degree to which galaxy assembly bias may be present in the real Universe, and the best strategies for constraining it remain uncertain. We study the ability of several observables to constrain galaxy assembly bias from redshift survey data using the decorated halo occupation distribution (dHOD), an empirical model of the galaxy-halo connection that incorporates assembly bias. We cover an expansive set of observables, including the projected two-point correlation function w p ( r p ), the galaxy-galaxy lensing signal ΔΣ( r p ), the void probability function VPF( r ), the distributions of counts-in-cylinders P(NCIC), and counts-in-annuli P(NCIA), and the distribution of the ratio of counts in cylinders of different sizes P ( N 2 /N 5 ). We find that despite the frequent use of the combination w p ( r p ) + ΔΣ( r p ) in interpreting galaxy data, the count statistics, P ( N CIC ) and P ( N CIA ), are generally more efficient in constraining galaxy assembly bias when combined with w p ( r p ). Constraints based upon w p ( r p ) and ΔΣ(rp) share common degeneracy directions in the parameter space, while combinations of r p w p ( r p ) with the count statistics are more complementary. Therefore, we strongly suggest that count statistics should be used to complement the canonical observables in future studies of the galaxy-halo connection.

galaxies: evolution↗

Statistical detection of differentially abundant ions in mass spectrometry-based imaging experiments with complex designs

Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) characterizes changes in chemical composition between regions of biological samples such as tissues. This translates into a statistical goal of class comparison, i.e. determining analytes that change in abundance between conditions more systematically than as expected by random variation. To reach accurate and reproducible conclusions, statistical analysis must appropriately reflect the initial research question, the design of the MSI experiment, and all the associated sources of variation. This manuscript highlights the importance of following these general statistical principles. Using the example of two case studies with complex experimental designs, and with dierent strategies of data acquisition, we demonstrate the extent to which choices made at key points of this workflow impact the results, and provide suggestions for appropriate design and analysis of MSI experiments that aim at detecting dierentially abundant analytes.

NanoDESI, mass spectrometry, MSIQuickView↗

Correlating Sampling and Intensity Statistics in Nanoparticle Diffraction Experiments

In this article, [Öztürk, Yan, Hill & Noyan (2014). J. Appl. Cryst. 47, 1016-1025] it was shown that the sampling statistics of diffracting particle populations within a polycrystalline ensemble depended on the size of the constituent crystallites: broad X-ray peak breadths enabled some nano-sized particles to contribute more than one diffraction spot to Debye-Scherrer rings. Here it is shown that the equations proposed by Alexander, Klug & Kummer [J. Appl. Phys. (1948), 19, 742-753] (AKK) to link diffracting particle and diffracted intensity statistics are not applicable if the constituent crystallites of the powder are below 10 nm. In this size range, (i) the one-to-one correspondence between diffracting particles and Laue spots assumed in the AKK analysis is not satisfied, and (ii) the crystallographic correlation between Laue spots originating from the same grain invalidates the assumption that all diffracting plane normals are randomly oriented and uncorrelated. Such correlation produces unexpected results in the selection of diffracting grains. Three or more Laue spots from a given grain for a particular reflection can only be observed at certain wavelengths. In addition, correcting the diffracted intensity values by the traditional Lorentz term, 1/cos [theta], to compensate for the variation of particles sampled within a reflection band does not maintain fidelity to the number of poles contributing to the diffracted signal. A new term, cos [theta]B/cos [theta], corrects this problem.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Unveiling the gamma-ray source count distribution below the Fermi detection limit with photon statistics

The source-count distribution as a function of their flux, dN/dS, is one of the main quantities characterizing gamma-ray source populations. We employ statistical properties of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) photon counts map to measure the composition of the extragalactic gamma-ray sky at high latitudes (|b|⩾30°) between 1 and 10 GeV. We present a new method, generalizing the use of standard pixel-count statistics, to decompose the total observed gamma-ray emission into (a) point-source contributions, (b) the Galactic foreground contribution, and (c) a truly diffuse isotropic background contribution. Using the 6 yr Fermi-LAT data set (P7REP), we show that the dN/dS distribution in the regime of so far undetected point sources can be consistently described with a power law with an index between 1.9 and 2.0. We measure dN/dS down to an integral flux of ∼2×10{sup −11} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}, improving beyond the 3FGL catalog detection limit by about one order of magnitude. The overall dN/dS distribution is consistent with a broken power law, with a break at 2.1{sub −1.3}{sup +1.0}×10{sup −8} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. The power-law index n{sub 1}=3.1{sub −0.5}{sup +0.7} for bright sources above the break hardens to n{sub 2}=1.97±0.03 for fainter sources below the break. A possible second break of the dN/dS distribution is constrained to be at fluxes below 6.4×10{sup −11} cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} at 95% confidence level. The high-latitude gamma-ray sky between 1 and 10 GeV is shown to be composed of ∼25% point sources, ∼69.3% diffuse Galactic foreground emission, and ∼6% isotropic diffuse background.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

MASKED AREAS IN SHEAR PEAK STATISTICS: A FORWARD MODELING APPROACH

The statistics of shear peaks have been shown to provide valuable cosmological information beyond the power spectrum, and will be an important constraint of models of cosmology in forthcoming astronomical surveys. Surveys include masked areas due to bright stars, bad pixels etc., which must be accounted for in producing constraints on cosmology from shear maps. We advocate a forward-modeling approach, where the impacts of masking and other survey artifacts are accounted for in the theoretical prediction of cosmological parameters, rather than correcting survey data to remove them. We use masks based on the Deep Lens Survey, and explore the impact of up to 37% of the survey area being masked on LSST and DES-scale surveys. By reconstructing maps of aperture mass the masking effect is smoothed out, resulting in up to 14% smaller statistical uncertainties compared to simply reducing the survey area by the masked area. We show that, even in the presence of large survey masks, the bias in cosmological parameter estimation produced in the forward-modeling process is ≈1%, dominated by bias caused by limited simulation volume. We also explore how this potential bias scales with survey area and evaluate how much small survey areas are impacted by the differences in cosmological structure in the data and simulated volumes, due to cosmic variance.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Uncertainties in turbulent statistics and fluxes of CO2 associated with density effect corrections

Density effect corrections (DEC) are applied to adjust raw CO2 fluxes measured by eddy covariance (EC) systems with open-path gas analyzers. DEC is also required for adjusting the measured CO2 concentration fluctuations to obtain the adjusted CO2 for analyzing turbulent statistics or quantifying fluxes. However, our data show that the power spectra of the DEC-adjusted CO2 are distorted in the high frequency range, as compared with the corresponding spectra of temperature and water vapor density. This contradicts the similarity behavior of scalars, as suggested by Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. It is demonstrated that such a distortion is caused by the DEC-induced spikes in the DEC-adjusted CO2, altering turbulent statistics of CO2 and scalar similarity between CO2 and other scalars. Our results suggest that CO2 fluxes are overestimated by applying DEC especially under high Bowen ratio conditions, potentially leading to substantial uncertainties in long-term ecosystem carbon exchange in dry regions.

Gao, Zhongming↗

In silico environmental chemical science: properties and processes from statistical and computational modelling

Quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) have long been used in the environmental sciences. More recently, molecular modeling and chemoinformatic methods have become widespread. These methods have the potential to expand and accelerate advances in environmental chemistry because they complement observational and experimental data with “in silico” results and analysis. The opportunities and challenges that arise at the intersection between statistical and theoretical in silico methods are most apparent in the context of properties that determine the environmental fate and effects of chemical contaminants (degradation rate constants, partition coefficients, toxicities, etc.). The main example of this is the calibration of QSARs using descriptor variable data calculated from molecular modeling, which can make QSARs more useful for predicting property data that are unavailable, but also can make them more powerful tools for diagnosis of fate determining pathways and mechanisms. Emerging opportunities for “in silico environmental chemical science” are to move beyond the calculation of specific chemical properties using statistical models and toward more fully in silico models, prediction of transformation pathways and products, incorporation of environmental factors into model predictions, integration of databases and predictive models into more comprehensive and efficient tools for exposure assessment, and extending the applicability of all the above from chemicals to biologicals and materials.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Inference of reaction rate parameters based on summary statistics from experiments

Here, we present the results of an application of Bayesian inference and maximum entropy methods for the estimation of the joint probability density for the Arrhenius rate para meters of the rate coefficient of the H 2 /O 2 -mechanism chain branching reaction H + O 2 → OH + O. Available published data is in the form of summary statistics in terms of nominal values and error bars of the rate coefficient of this reaction at a number of temperature values obtained from shock-tube experiments. Our approach relies on generating data, in this case OH concentration profiles, consistent with the given summary statistics, using Approximate Bayesian Computation methods and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedure. The approach permits the forward propagation of parametric uncertainty through the computational model in a manner that is consistent with the published statistics. A consensus joint posterior on the parameters is obtained by pooling the posterior parameter densities given each consistent data set. To expedite this process, we construct efficient surrogates for the OH concentration using a combination of Pad'e and polynomial approximants. These surrogate models adequately represent forward model observables and their dependence on input parameters and are computationally efficient to allow their use in the Bayesian inference procedure. We also utilize Gauss-Hermite quadrature with Gaussian proposal probability density functions for moment computation resulting in orders of magnitude speedup in data likelihood evaluation. Despite the strong non-linearity in the model, the consistent data sets all res ult in nearly Gaussian conditional parameter probability density functions. The technique also accounts for nuisance parameters in the form of Arrhenius parameters of other rate coefficients with prescribed uncertainty. The resulting pooled parameter probability density function is propagated through stoichiometric hydrogen-air auto-ignition computations to illustrate the need to account for correlation among the Arrhenius rate parameters of one reaction and across rate parameters of different reactions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Non-extensive statistics to the cosmological lithium problem

Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory predicts the abundances of the light elements D, 3 He, 4 He, and 7 Li produced in the early universe. The primordial abundances of D and 4 He inferred from observational data are in good agreement with predictions, however, BBN theory overestimates the primordial 7 Li abundance by about a factor of three. This is the so-called "cosmological lithium problem." Solutions to this problem using conventional astrophysics and nuclear physics have not been successful over the past few decades, probably indicating the presence of new physics during the era of BBN. We have investigated the impact on BBN predictions of adopting a generalized distribution to describe the velocities of nucleons in the framework of Tsallis non-extensive statistics. This generalized velocity distribution is characterized by a parameter q, and reduces to the usually assumed Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution for q = 1. We find excellent agreement between predicted and observed primordial abundances of D, 4 He, and 7 Li for 1.069 ≤ q ≤ 1.082, suggesting a possible new solution to the cosmological lithium problem.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Statistical measurement of the gamma-ray source-count distribution as a function of energy

Statistical properties of photon count maps have recently been proven as a new tool to study the composition of the gamma-ray sky with high precision. We employ the 1-point probability distribution function of six years of Fermi-LAT data to measure the source-count distribution dN/dS and the diffuse components of the high-latitude gamma-ray sky as a function of energy. To that aim, we analyze the gamma-ray emission in five adjacent energy bands between 1 and 171 GeV. It is demonstrated that the source-count distribution as a function of flux is compatible with a broken power law up to energies of ∼50 GeV. The index below the break is between 1.95 and 2.0. For higher energies, a simple power-law fits the data, with an index of 2.2{sub −0.3}{sup +0.7} in the energy band between 50 and 171 GeV. Upper limits on further possible breaks as well as the angular power of unresolved sources are derived. We find that point-source populations probed by this method can explain 83{sub −13}{sup +7}% (81{sub −19}{sup +52}%) of the extragalactic gamma-ray background between 1.04 and 1.99 GeV (50 and 171 GeV). The method has excellent capabilities for constraining the gamma-ray luminosity function and the spectra of unresolved blazars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The joint space-time statistics of macroweather precipitation, space-time statistical factorization and macroweather models

Over the range of time scales from about 10 days to 30–100 years, in addition to the familiar weather and climate regimes, there is an intermediate “macroweather” regime characterized by negative temporal fluctuation exponents: implying that fluctuations tend to cancel each other out so that averages tend to converge. We show theoretically and numerically that macroweather precipitation can be modeled by a stochastic weather-climate model (the Climate Extended Fractionally Integrated Flux, model, CEFIF) first proposed for macroweather temperatures and we show numerically that a four parameter space-time CEFIF model can approximately reproduce eight or so empirical space-time exponents. In spite of this success, CEFIF is theoretically and numerically difficult to manage. We therefore propose a simplified stochastic model in which the temporal behavior is modeled as a fractional Gaussian noise but the spatial behaviour as a multifractal (climate) cascade: a spatial extension of the recently introduced ScaLIng Macroweather Model, SLIMM. Both the CEFIF and this spatial SLIMM model have a property often implicitly assumed by climatologists that climate statistics can be “homogenized” by normalizing them with the standard deviation of the anomalies. Physically, it means that the spatial macroweather variability corresponds to different climate zones that multiplicatively modulate the local, temporal statistics. This simplified macroweather model provides a framework for macroweather forecasting that exploits the system's long range memory and spatial correlations; for it, the forecasting problem has been solved. We test this factorization property and the model with the help of three centennial, global scale precipitation products that we analyze jointly in space and in time.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

On reading Youden: Learning about the practice of statistics and applied statistical research from a master applied statistician

From reading William John “Jack” Youden’s books and articles, Youden (1900-1971), an analytical chemist, becomes an applied statistician by the time he joins the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in 1948. Here, this article traces his transition from chemist to applied statistician and what his body of work mostly at NBS (1948-1965) demonstrates about his practice of statistics and the role that applied statistical research plays in it. There is much we can learn from a master applied statistician.

42 ENGINEERING↗