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At least 181 records · Page 10

Metabolic model predictions enable targeted microbiome manipulation through precision prebiotics

While numerous health-beneficial interactions between host and microbiota have been identified, there is still a lack of targeted approaches for modulating these interactions. Thus, we here identify precision prebiotics that specifically modulate the abundance of a microbiome member species of interest. In the first step, we show that defining precision prebiotics by compounds that are only taken up by the target species but no other species in a community is usually not possible due to overlapping metabolic niches. Subsequently, we use metabolic modeling to identify precision prebiotics for a two-member Caenorhabditis elegans microbiome community comprising the immune-protective target species Pseudomonas lurida MYb11 and the persistent colonizer Ochrobactrum vermis MYb71. We experimentally confirm four of the predicted precision prebiotics, L-serine, L-threonine, D-mannitol, and γ-aminobutyric acid, to specifically increase the abundance of MYb11. L-serine was further assessed in vivo, leading to an increase in MYb11 abundance also in the worm host. Overall, our findings demonstrate that metabolic modeling is an effective tool for the design of precision prebiotics as an important cornerstone for future microbiome-targeted therapies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

APNN-TC: Accelerating Arbitrary Precision Neural Networks on Ampere GPU Tensor Cores

Over the years, accelerating neural networks with quantization has been widely studied. Unfortunately, prior efforts with diverse precisions (e.g., 1-bit weights and 2-bit activations) are usually restricted by limited precision support on GPUs (e.g., int1 and int4). To break such restrictions, we introduce the first Arbitrary Precision Neural Network framework (APNN-TC) to fully exploit quantization benefits on Ampere GPU Tensor Cores. Specifically, APNN-TC first incorporates a novel emulation algorithm to support arbitrary short bit-width computation with int1 compute primitives and XOR/AND Boolean operations. Second, APNN-TC integrates arbitrary precision layer designs to efficiently map our emulation algorithm to Tensor Cores with novel batching strategies and specialized memory organization. Third, APNN-TC embodies a novel arbitrary precision NN design to minimize memory access across layers and further improve performance. Extensive evaluations show that APNN-TC can achieve significant speedup over CUTLASS kernels and various NN models, such as ResNet and VGG.

Feng, Boyuan↗

Precision Higgs Boson Physics and Implications for Beyond the Standard Model Physics Theories

The discovery of the Higgs boson is one of science's most impressive recent achievements. We have taken a leap forward in understanding what is at the heart of elementary particle mass generation. We now have a significant opportunity to develop even deeper understanding of how the fundamental laws of nature are constructed. As such, we need intense focus from the scientific community to put this discovery in its proper context, to realign and narrow our understanding of viable theory based on this positive discovery, and to detail the implications the discovery has for theories that attempt to answer questions beyond what the Standard Model can explain. This project's first main object is to develop a state-of-the-art analysis of precision Higgs boson physics. This is to be done in the tradition of the electroweak precision measurements of the LEP/SLC era. Indeed, the electroweak precision studies of the past are necessary inputs to the full precision Higgs program. Calculations will be presented to the community of Higgs boson observables that detail just how well various couplings of the Higgs boson can be measured, and more. These will be carried out using state-of-the-art theory computations coupled with the new experimental results coming in from the LHC. The project's second main objective is to utilize the results obtained from LHC Higgs boson experiments and the precision analysis, along with the direct search studies at LHC, and discern viable theories of physics beyond the Standard Model that unify physics to a deeper level. Studies will be performed on supersymmetric theories, theories of extra spatial dimensions (and related theories, such as compositeness), and theories that contain hidden sector states uniquely accessible to the Higgs boson. In addition, if data becomes incompatible with the Standard Model's low-energy effective lagrangian, new physics theories will be developed that explain the anomaly and put it into a more unified framework beyond the Standard Model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Precision Spectrophotometric Calibration System for Dark Energy Instruments

For this research we build a precision calibration system and carried out measurements to demonstrate the precision that can be achieved with a high precision spectrometric calibration system. It was shown that the system is capable of providing a complete spectrophotometric calibration at the sub-pixel level. The calibration system uses a fast, high precision monochromator that can quickly and efficiently scan over an instrument’s entire spectral range with a spectral line width of less than 0.01 nm corresponding to a fraction of a pixel on the CCD. The system was extensively evaluated in the laboratory. Our research showed that a complete spectrophotometric calibration standard for spectroscopic survey instruments such as DESI is possible. The monochromator precision and repeatability to a small fraction of the DESI spectrograph LSF was demonstrated with re-initialization on every scan and thermal drift compensation by locking to multiple external line sources. A projector system that mimics telescope aperture for point source at infinity was demonstrated.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quarter 4 Report: Report on Final Findings and Opportunities for Future Work in the Use of Mixed Precision in Iterative Solvers

The fourth quarter of the project was spent developing an error analysis of the s-step Lanczos and CG algorithms. Our theoretical bounds and numerical experiments show that the numerical behavior of the algorithm can be significantly improved by using extra precision in a small part of the computation related to the computation and application of the Gram matrix. We have published a technical report which includes all steps of the analysis [8]; a shortened version for journal submission is in preparation. We plan to submit this paper in the following weeks. Activities related to this also include a collaboration with Ichitaro Yamazaki on gathering performance results for these new mixed precision s-step Krylov subspace methods using single/double precision on GPUs. Namely, we would like to obtain performance results that show that the performance overhead of using double the working precision in these select computations is minimal. Other activities include attending biweekly xSDK meetings and presenting a pitch talk on this work to the group on February 25, 2021. In the remainder of the document, we summarize our findings on the potential for mixed precision in classical Krylov subspace methods and s-step Krylov subspace methods, as well as key opportunities for future work.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Report of the Frontier for Rare Processes and Precision Measurements

This is the Snowmass 2021 Rare and Precision Frontier Report. The Rare Processes and Precision Measurements Frontier, referred to as the ``Rare and Precision Frontier", or RPF, encompasses searches for extremely rare processes or tiny deviations from the Standard Model (SM) that can be studied with intense sources and high-precision detectors. Our community studies have identified several unique research opportunities that may pin down the scales associated with New Physics (NP) interactions and constrain the couplings of possible new degrees of freedom. Searches for rare flavor transition processes and precision measurements are indispensable probes of flavor and fundamental symmetries, and provide insights into physics that manifests itself at higher energy or through weaker interactions than those directly accessible at high-energy colliders.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Precision Agriculture using Networks of Degradable Analytical Sensors (PANDAS) (Final Technical Report)

Precision agriculture, where sensing of soil, environment and crop conditions are used to precisely synchronize inputs (such as water and fertilizer) to crop needs enhances input use efficiency. This can improve yields and farm profitability while mitigating environmental losses, improving soil carbon content and substantially decreasing energy use for food, feed and fuel crops. Unfortunately, farmers are not yet able to harness the full potential of these management technologies as there is a lack of available management information, and there is therefore a need for sensors that are able to economically measure spatio-temporal variability in soil and crop properties of extremely heterogeneous farm fields precisely at high resolution and at low cost. Real-time, in-situ monitoring of agricultural soil conditions is today carried out using devices that limit the total number of nodes that can be used economically to typically one per acre or less. Higher spatio-temporal resolution sensing would enable more precise agricultural input optimization, with significant benefits to the farmer and the environment. In order to address this issue, this project focused on developing additively manufactured, biodegradable, soil sensors with predicted costs of < $\$$1 per unit to monitor crop inputs (such as water and fertilizer) that predictably, harmlessly degrade away into the soil when no longer needed. These sensor nodes should be easy to place, accurately and continuously monitor soil and crop conditions for an entire season, be read remotely using existing farm equipment, require no ongoing maintenance, not impede farm operations and produce no persistent waste. This approach could enable a >100× increase in information density over current solutions for precision farming of row and other crops, and lead to significant reductions in input energy use and provide increased yield for biofuel crops. Over the course of this project the team at the University of Colorado Boulder, University of California Berkeley, and Colorado State University/Kansas State University investigated a wide range of printable biodegradable electronic materials and sensor designs for determining soil moisture and soil nitrate concentration. These efforts expanded the available materials set for printed soil degradable electronic materials, particularly for conductors, enabling high conductivity and stability. Printed soil moisture and nitrate sensors with suitable sensitivity and selectivity were developed and characterized. Low power and passive wireless electronic systems were integrated with the soil sensors, and testing was carried out with completed sensors to understand their functionality under agricultural conditions. Additionally, other sensor types enabled by the biodegradable materials set created during this project, such as soil microbial activity sensors, were also developed and demonstrated. Project outputs include 10 peer reviewed publications, 4 patent applications, 21 technical presentations, 3 PhD thesis, 10 media reports, 8 additional grants worth over $\$$6M, and the formation of 3 start-up companies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Precision of ENDF and ENDL Formatted Data Files

The purpose is to ensure that today’s processing codes produced output to meet today’s accuracy needs. Since 1958 ENDL and about 1965 ENDF have each used a text format to define nuclear and atomic data in 11 columns for each data field. When these formats originated this was judged to be adequate to reproduce the accuracy of data at the time and to meet the needs of our applications. When these formats originated the dominant computer language of the day was FORTRAN and if written using an E11.4 format it would include only 4 or 5 digits of precision, e.g., 0.1234E-03 or 1.2345E-02, varying from one computer/system to another the result was not even unique. In the case of ENDF the 4 digit precision was not even adequate to uniquely define the atomic weight of the target, e.g., U238 = 92238 = 0.9224E+5 = WRONG! From its inceptions the ENDF format had a precision problem. One of my first tasks when in 1967 fresh out of graduate school I joined what later became the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), was to address this precision problem. By working with ENDF producers and users throughout the U.S. we verified, 1) E or D is not required to define FORTRAN readable numbers, e.g., E+4 or +4 are both o.k. 2) With ENDF energy eV and cross section in barns, 2 digit exponents are almost never required. 3) Since energy is never negative we could use the first of the 11 columns for a digit. Knowing this allowed us to produce ENDF/B-II to 6 or 7 digit precision, e.g., blank, decimal point, 2 or 3 digit exponent, e.g., ^1.23456-12 or ^1.234567-3. Below is an example of the actual ENDF/B-II data released. Note, the date 1970 and the atomic weight, ZA, uniquely defined to 6-digit accuracy, ^9.22350+ 4.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Status of CHIP-TRAP: The Central Michigan University High-Precision Penning Trap

Precise and accurate atomic mass data provide crucial information for applications in a wide range of fields in physics and beyond, including astrophysics, nuclear structure, particle and neutrino physics, fundamental symmetries, chemistry, and metrology. The most precise atomic mass measurements are performed on charged particles confined in a Penning trap. Here, we describe the development, status, and outlook of CHIP-TRAP: the Central Michigan University high-precision Penning trap. CHIP-TRAP aims to perform ultra-high precision (~1 part in 10 11 fractional precision) mass measurements on stable and long-lived isotopes produced with external ion sources and transported to the Penning traps. Along the way, ions of a particular m/q are selected with a multi-reflection time-of-flight mass separator (MR-TOF-MS), with further filtering performed in a cylindrical capture trap before the ions are transported to a pair of hyperbolic measurement traps. In this paper, we report on the design and status of CHIP-TRAP and present results from the commissioning of the ion sources, MR-TOF-MS, and capture trap. We also provide an outlook on the continued development and commissioning of CHIP-TRAP.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

High-precision Stellar Limb-darkening in Exoplanetary Transits

Characterization of the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets relies on accurate measurements of the extent of the optically thick area of the planet at multiple wavelengths with a precision ≲100 parts per million (ppm). Next-generation instruments onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are expected to achieve ∼10 ppm precision for several tens of targets. A similar precision can be obtained in modeling only if other astrophysical effects, including the stellar limb-darkening, are properly accounted for. In this paper, we explore the limits on precision due to the mathematical formulas currently adopted to approximate the stellar limb-darkening, and due to the use of limb-darkening coefficients obtained either from stellar-atmosphere models or empirically. We recommend the use of a two-coefficient limb-darkening law, named “power-2,” which outperforms other two-coefficient laws adopted in the exoplanet literature in most cases, and particularly for cool stars. Empirical limb-darkening based on two-coefficient formulas can be significantly biased, even if the light-curve residuals are nearly photon-noise limited. We demonstrate an optimal strategy to fitting for the four-coefficient limb-darkening in the visible, using prior information on the exoplanet orbital parameters to break some of the degeneracies that otherwise would prevent the convergence of the fit. Infrared observations taken with the JWST will provide accurate measurements of the exoplanet orbital parameters with unprecedented precision, which can be used as priors to improve the stellar limb-darkening characterization, and therefore the inferred exoplanet parameters, from observations in the visible, such as those taken with Kepler/K2, the JWST, and other past and future instruments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Performance Verification of the EXtreme PREcision Spectrograph

The EXtreme PREcision Spectrograph (EXPRES) is a new Doppler spectrograph designed to reach a radial-velocity measurement precision sufficient to detect Earth-like exoplanets orbiting nearby, bright stars. We report on extensive laboratory testing and on-sky observations to quantitatively assess the instrumental radial-velocity measurement precision of EXPRES, with a focused discussion of individual terms in the instrument error budget. We find that EXPRES can reach a single-measurement instrument calibration precision better than 10 cm s{sup −1}, not including photon noise from stellar observations. We also report on the performance of the various environmental, mechanical, and optical subsystems of EXPRES, assessing any contributions to radial-velocity error. For atmospheric and telescope related effects, this includes the fast tip-tilt guiding system, atmospheric dispersion compensation, and the chromatic exposure meter. For instrument calibration, this includes the laser fRequency comb (LFC), flat-field light source, CCD detector, and effects in the optical fibers. Modal noise is mitigated to a negligible level via a chaotic fiber agitator, which is especially important for wavelength calibration with the LFC. Regarding detector effects, we empirically assess the impact on the radial-velocity precision due to pixel-position nonuniformities and charge transfer inefficiency (CTI). EXPRES has begun its science survey to discover exoplanets orbiting G-dwarf and K-dwarf stars, in addition to transit spectroscopy and measurements of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Low Precision and Efficient Programming Languages for Sustainable AI: Final Report for the Summer Project of 2024

This document contains all relevant material generated during the authors' summer internship at NREL in 2024. This report shows how to improve energy efficiency of a few code samples by using low-precision data types combined with mixed-precision algorithms. The main applications considered here are (i) linear system solvers using mixed precision, and (ii) neural networks using mixed precision. This report also discusses how programming languages affect energy consumption of algorithms, energy metrics for a code and tools, and the available current software and hardware infrastructure.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Speeding up and reducing memory usage for scientific machine learning via mixed precision

Scientific machine learning (SciML) has emerged as a versatile approach to address complex computational science and engineering problems. Within this field, physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and deep operator networks (DeepONets) stand out as the leading techniques for solving partial differential equations by incorporating both physical equations and experimental data. However, training PINNs and DeepONets require significant computational resources, including long computational times and large amounts of memory. In search of computational efficiency, training neural networks using half precision (float16) rather than the conventional single (float32) or double (float64) precision has gained substantial interest, given the inherent benefits of reduced computational time and memory consumed. However, we find that float16 cannot be applied to SciML methods, because of gradient divergence at the start of training, weight updates going to zero, and the inability to converge to a local minima. To overcome these limitations, we explore mixed precision, which is an approach that combines the float16 and float32 numerical formats to reduce memory usage and increase computational speed. Our experiments showcase that mixed precision training not only substantially decreases training times and memory demands but also maintains model accuracy. Here, we also reinforce our empirical observations with a theoretical analysis. The research has broad implications for SciML in various computational applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The electroweak precision constraints of the 2HDM+S

The 2HDM+S is the singlet extension of the Two-Higgs-Doublets Model (2HDM). The singlet field and its mixing with the 2HDM Higgs sector lead to new contributions to the electroweak precision observables, in particular, the oblique parameters. In this paper, we performed a systematic study of the impacts of each mixing angle to the oblique parameters. We adopted the mixing angles and physical Higgs masses as our parameters, which allows a mapping when specific symmetry structure of the Higgs potential and various theoretical considerations are taken into account. We identify five benchmark cases, where at most one mixing angle is nonzero and analyze the 95\% C.L. allowed parameter space by the oblique parameters. In the alignment limit of the 2HDM, we find that other than the usual mass relations of $m_H\sim m_{H^\pm}$ or $m_A\sim m_{H^\pm}$, electroweak precision measurements also impose an upper limit on the neutral Higgs masses. In the cases with nonzero singlet mixing with the 2HDM Higgses $H$ or $A$, we find approximate mass relations of $c^2_{\alpha_{HS}} m_{H} + s^2_{\alpha_{HS}}m_{h_S} = m_{H^\pm}$ or $c^2_{\alpha_{AS}} m_{A} + s^2_{\alpha_{AS}}m_{A_S} = m_{H^\pm}$. Those relations are universal to the 2HDM+S models, with or without further symmetry assumption. We also study the non-alignment limit of the 2HDM+S, which typically has tighter constraints on the masses and mixing angles. At the end, we examine the complementarity between the electroweak precision analyses and the Higgs coupling precision measurements.

2HDM↗

Hypermetallic polar molecules for precision measurements

Laser cooling is a powerful method to control molecules for applications in precision measurement, as well as quantum information, many-body physics, and fundamental chemistry. However, many optically-active metal centers in valence states which are promising for these applications, especially precision measurement, are difficult to laser cool. In order to extend the control afforded by laser cooling to a wider array of promising atoms, we consider the use of small, hypermetallic molecules that contain multiple metal centers. We provide a detailed analysis of YbCCCa and YbCCAl as prototypical examples with different spin multiplicities, and consider their feasibility for precision measurements making use of the heavy Yb atom. We find that these molecules are linear and feature metal-centered valence electrons, and study the complex hybridization and spin structures that are relevant to photon cycling and laser cooling. Our findings suggest that this hypermetallic approach may be a versatile tool for experimental control of metal species that do not otherwise efficiently cycle photons, and could present a new polyatomic platform for state-of-the-art precision measurements.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Replicated Computational Results (RCR) Report for “Adaptive Precision Block-Jacobi for High Performance Preconditioning in the Ginkgo Linear Algebra Software”

The article by Flegar et al. titled “Adaptive Precision Block-Jacobi for High Performance Preconditioning in the Ginkgo Linear Algebra Software” presents a novel, practical implementation of an adaptive precision block-Jacobi preconditioner. Performance results using state-of-the-art GPU architectures for the block-Jacobi preconditioner generation and application demonstrate the practical usability of the method, compared to a traditional full-precision block-Jacobi preconditioner. A production-ready implementation is provided in the Ginkgo numerical linear algebra library. In this report, the Ginkgo library is reinstalled and performance results are generated to perform a comparison to the original results when using Ginkgo’s Conjugate Gradient solver with either the full or the adaptive precision block-Jacobi preconditioner for a suite of test problems on an NVIDIA GPU accelerator. After completing this process, the published results are deemed reproducible.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Type-II 2HDM under the precision measurements at the Z-pole and a Higgs factory

Future precision measurements of the Standard Model (SM) parameters at the proposed Z-factories and Higgs factories may have significant impacts on new physics beyond the Standard Model in the electroweak sector. We illustrate this by focusing on the Type-II two Higgs doublet model (Type-II 2HDM). The contributions from the heavy Higgs bosons at the tree-level and at the one-loop level are included in a full model parameter space. We perform a multiple variable global fit and study the extent to which the parameters of non-alignment and non-degenerate masses can be probed by the precision measurements. We find that the allowed parameter ranges are tightly constrained by the future Higgs precision measurements, especially for small and large values of tan β. Indirect limits on the masses of heavy Higgs can be obtained, which can be complementary to the direct searches of the heavy Higgs bosons at hadron colliders. We also find that the expected accuracies at the Z-pole and at a Higgs factory are quite complementary in constraining mass splittings of heavy Higgs bosons. The typical results are | cos(β - α)| < 0.008, |Δm Φ | < 200 GeV, and tan β ~ 0.2 - 5. The reaches from CEPC, FCC-ee and ILC are also compared, for both Higgs and Z-pole precision measurements.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Furthering Precision in Sentinel Node Navigational Surgery for Oral Cancer: a Novel Triple Targeting System

To describe an innovative sentinel lymph node (SLN) guidance approach using a radionuclide tracer, 3D augmented reality-guided imaging, and near infrared (NIR) fluorescence over-lay imaging with hand-held probes to optimize accuracy, efficiency, and precise navigation for sentinel node (SN) localization in head and neck cancer. In a cT1N0M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, pre-operative radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy was performed with a sentinel node-specific radiolabeled tracer. Intraoperatively, a 3D hand-held augmented reality (AR) scanning SPECT probe assessed concordance of the SN with pre-operative SPECT-CT images. The real-time optical video was linked to the SPECT-CT images for added precision. Final guidance to the SN was performed using ICG fluorescence imaging. Dynamic and SPECT-CT showed bilateral lymphatic drainage from the tumor. The 3D hand-held AR SPECT probe SN localization was concordant with pre-operative imaging. The optical video successfully demonstrated the lymphatic drainage in real-time through a unique overlay fluorescence image. The ICG localized to the same nodes identified by both the SPECT-CT and hand-held SPECT images. The use of dual radiation and fluorescence tracers improved SN detection, especially for SN close to the injection site. The hand-held probes allowed the surgeon to dissect continuously, without needing to change tools. The combination of augmented reality, nuclear medicine, and over-lay fluorescence imaging allowed greater accuracy for matching the preoperative imaging with intraoperative identification and precisely guiding the dissection. This method uniquely permitted the surgeon to efficiently dissect the SN with accurate visualization and optimal precision.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗