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At least 181 records · Page 10

JBrowse: a dynamic web platform for genome visualization and analysis

JBrowse is a fast and full-featured genome browser built with JavaScript and HTML5. It is easily embedded into websites or apps but can also be served as a standalone web page. Overall improvements to speed and scalability are accompanied by specific enhancements that support complex interactive queries on large track sets. Analysis functions can readily be added using the plugin framework; most visual aspects of tracks can also be customized, along with clicks, mouseovers, menus, and popup boxes. JBrowse can also be used to browse local annotation files offline and to generate high-resolution figures for publication. JBrowse is a mature web application suitable for genome visualization and analysis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The Deep Impact Network Experiment Operations Center

Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) promises solutions in solving space communications challenges arising from disconnections as orbiters lose line-of-sight with landers, long propagation delays over interplanetary links, and other phenomena. DTN has been identified as the basis for the future NASA space communications network backbone, and international standardization is progressing through both the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). JPL has developed an implementation of the DTN architecture, called the Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION). ION is specifically implemented for space use, including design for use in a real-time operating system environment and high processing efficiency. In order to raise the Technology Readiness Level of ION, the first deep space flight demonstration of DTN is underway, using the Deep Impact (DI) spacecraft. Called the Deep Impact Network (DINET), operations are planned for Fall 2008. An essential component of the DINET project is the Experiment Operations Center (EOC), which will generate and receive the test communications traffic as well as "out-of-DTN band" command and control of the DTN experiment, store DTN flight test information in a database, provide display systems for monitoring DTN operations status and statistics (e.g., bundle throughput), and support query and analyses of the data collected. This paper describes the DINET EOC and its value in the DTN flight experiment and potential for further DTN testing.

flight experiment↗

Getting a Cohesive Answer from a Common Start: Scalable Multidisciplinary Analysis through Transformation of a System Model

One of the challenges of systems engineering is in working multidisciplinary problems in a cohesive manner. When planning analysis of these problems, system engineers must tradeoff time and cost for analysis quality and quantity. The quality is associated with the fidelity of the multidisciplinary models and the quantity is associated with the design space that can be analyzed. The tradeoff is due to the resource intensive process of creating a cohesive multidisciplinary system model and analysis. Furthermore, reuse or extension of the models used in one stage of a product life cycle for another is a major challenge. Recent developments have enabled a much less resource-intensive and more rigorous approach than handwritten translation scripts or codes of multidisciplinary models and their analyses. The key is to work from a core system model defined in a MOF-based language such as SysML and in leveraging the emerging tool ecosystem, such as Query-View- Transform (QVT), from the OMG community. SysML was designed to model multidisciplinary systems and analyses. The QVT standard was designed to transform SysML models. The Europa Hability Mission (EHM) team has begun to exploit these capabilities. In one case, a Matlab/Simulink model is generated on the fly from a system description for power analysis written in SysML. In a more general case, a symbolic mathematical framework (supported by Wolfram Mathematica) is coordinated by data objects transformed from the system model, enabling extremely flexible and powerful tradespace exploration and analytical investigations of expected system performance.

Cole, Bjorn↗

LSKnowledge: Nexus for Transformative Scientific Discoveries and Enhanced Information Retrieval in NASA Life Sciences Portal

We stand at the brink of an extraordinary transformation in the field of AI, driven by the convergence of generative AI and semantic technologies (e.g., knowledge graphs). This fusion holds immense potential and could redefine the future of scientific exploration, particularly in the realm of life sciences research. In this context, we shed light on the pivotal roles that Large Language Models (LLMs) and semantic technologies will play in advancing research, unearthing and comprehending life sciences information through innovative approaches, and empowering researchers to extract insights from NASA's extensive Life Sciences Data Archive. Within the NASA Life Sciences Portal (NLSP), the integration of LLMs and semantic technologies unlocks several advanced capabilities. First and foremost, it equips scientists with sophisticated tools to manage the ever-expanding wealth of scientific literature and data. Furthermore, it facilitates the creation of knowledge graphs that visually represent intricate relationships among biological entities, enabling comprehensive systems-level analysis. Additionally, the fusion of generative AI (including LLMs) and semantic technology can significantly benefit NASA's life sciences research by enhancing information retrieval and hypothesis generation. These tools enhance natural language understanding, facilitating knowledge discovery within NLSP. The overarching vision is to establish a cohesive knowledge ecosystem within NLSP, harnessing the power of LLMs and semantic technologies to synthesize and cross-reference data from diverse missions, disciplines, and research domains. This holistic approach ultimately deepens our understanding of how space environments impact life sciences data. To advance this initiative, we have launched LSKnowledge, aimed at enhancing the information retrieval capabilities of NLSP. In the short term, our primary goal is to develop a robust semantic search system. This system will empower HRP (Human Research Program) researchers to navigate NLSP data repositories more efficiently and precisely, catalyzing the process of hypothesis formation and scientific breakthroughs. To achieve this, we have employed pre-trained LLMs as part of a semantic search tool that can rank and highlight the most relevant records for user queries. To assess the tool's performance, we have curated a set of approximately 200 queries from subject matter experts (SMEs) and manually ranked the top records retrieved by both the current search system and the new semantic search, using SME judgments as the gold standard for relevancy. Herein, we present the results of our comparative analysis and illustrate how these findings have informed the fine-tuning of the system for enhanced performance. In the long term, our objectives include 1) retrieving publicly available information and integrating it with NLSP data to provide more precise answers to user queries, and 2) incorporating non-textual information from the NLSP database into our approach. In conclusion, the fusion of LLMs and semantic technologies within NLSP represents a pioneering stride towards reshaping the landscape of scientific discovery. This synergy not only equips researchers with powerful tools to navigate the burgeoning sea of information but also facilitates a deeper understanding of complex biological relationships, all while accelerating hypothesis generation and knowledge discovery. Through our initiative, LSKnowledge, we are committed to continually refining and expanding these capabilities, with the aim of not only enhancing information retrieval but also integrating diverse data sources to provide more precise insights. In the grand vision, NLSP strives to become the cornerstone of a comprehensive knowledge ecosystem, unraveling the enigmatic intricacies of life sciences phenomena in the context of space environments.

Life Sciences↗

QUEST/Ada: Query utility environment for software testing of Ada

Results of research and development efforts are presented for Task 1, Phase 2 of a general project entitled, The Development of a Program Analysis Environment for Ada. A prototype of the QUEST/Ada system was developed to collect data to determine the effectiveness of the rule-based testing paradigm. The prototype consists of five parts: the test data generator, the parser/scanner, the test coverage analyzer, a symbolic evaluator, and a data management facility, known as the Librarian. These components are discussed at length. Also presented is an experimental design for the evaluations, an overview of the project, and a schedule for its completion.

Brown, David B.↗

New Software for Ensemble Creation in the Spitzer-Space-Telescope Operations Database

Some of the computer pipelines used to process digital astronomical images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope require multiple input images, in order to generate high-level science and calibration products. The images are grouped into ensembles according to well documented ensemble-creation rules by making explicit associations in the operations Informix database at the Spitzer Science Center (SSC). The advantage of this approach is that a simple database query can retrieve the required ensemble of pipeline input images. New and improved software for ensemble creation has been developed. The new software is much faster than the existing software because it uses pre-compiled database stored-procedures written in Informix SPL (SQL programming language). The new software is also more flexible because the ensemble creation rules are now stored in and read from newly defined database tables. This table-driven approach was implemented so that ensemble rules can be inserted, updated, or deleted without modifying software.

Spitzer Science Center (SSC)↗

Telemetry-Enhancing Scripts

Scripts Providing a Cool Kit of Telemetry Enhancing Tools (SPACKLE) is a set of software tools that fill gaps in capabilities of other software used in processing downlinked data in the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) flight and test-bed operations. SPACKLE tools have helped to accelerate the automatic processing and interpretation of MER mission data, enabling non-experts to understand and/or use MER query and data product command simulation software tools more effectively. SPACKLE has greatly accelerated some operations and provides new capabilities. The tools of SPACKLE are written, variously, in Perl or the C or C++ language. They perform a variety of search and shortcut functions that include the following: Generating text-only, Event Report-annotated, and Web-enhanced views of command sequences; Labeling integer enumerations with their symbolic meanings in text messages and engineering channels; Systematic detecting of corruption within data products; Generating text-only displays of data-product catalogs including downlink status; Validating and labeling of commands related to data products; Performing of convenient searches of detailed engineering data spanning multiple Martian solar days; Generating tables of initial conditions pertaining to engineering, health, and accountability data; Simplified construction and simulation of command sequences; and Fast time format conversions and sorting.

Maimone, Mark W.↗

Facilitating Navigation Through Large Archives

Automated Visual Access (AVA) is a computer program that effectively makes a large collection of information visible in a manner that enables a user to quickly and efficiently locate information resources, with minimal need for conventional keyword searches and perusal of complex hierarchical directory systems. AVA includes three key components: (1) a taxonomy that comprises a collection of words and phrases, clustered according to meaning, that are used to classify information resources; (2) a statistical indexing and scoring engine; and (3) a component that generates a graphical user interface that uses the scoring data to generate a visual map of resources and topics. The top level of an AVA display is a pictorial representation of an information archive. The user enters the depicted archive by either clicking on a depiction of subject area cluster, selecting a topic from a list, or entering a query into a text box. The resulting display enables the user to view candidate information entities at various levels of detail. Resources are grouped spatially by topic with greatest generality at the top layer and increasing detail with depth. The user can zoom in or out of specific sites or into greater or lesser content detail.

Shelton, Robert O.↗

Evaluation of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Electronics for Extreme Cold Environments

Deep space and Icy Moon missions (Titan, Enceladus, Ceres, Europa, & Ganymede) will need qualified extreme environment capable components for electronic systems located in extremities of their rovers and spacecraft. Commercial off the shelf (COTS) components would be advantageous to use for some aspects of such projects, given that they are easier to procure and offer a broad range of functionalities. Furthermore, theoretical and experimental data suggest that many COTS parts are capable of operation, and not just storage, at temperatures well beyond the manufacturer specified temperature limits. To help address the challenges presented at near cryogenic temperatures, a COTS selection knowledge base is being developed to estimate the performance of COTS components within cold environments. The knowledge base captures queries from a range of information sources such as cold functionality test results for part types and families, theoretical and experimental literature reviews and key findings are summarized here. In addition, a selection of components are planned to be examined for their performance to near cryogenic temperatures to generate a methodology for identification and verification of the COTS candidates. As the qualification of COTS parts for extreme environments can be very costly, this knowledge base can serve to reduce qualification time and cost by pre-selecting and limiting candidates.

Mojarradi, Mohammad↗

The effects of anthropogenic and volcanic aerosols and greenhouse gases on twentieth century Sahel precipitation

Abstract There is little scientific consensus on the importance of external climate forcings—including anthropogenic aerosols, volcanic aerosols, and greenhouse gases (GHG)—relative to each other and to internal variability in dictating past and future Sahel rainfall. We address this query by relating a 3-tiered multi-model mean (MMM) over the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 “twentieth century” and pre-Industrial control simulations to observations. The comparison of single-forcing and historical simulations highlights the importance of anthropogenic and volcanic aerosols over GHG in generating forced Sahel rainfall variability in models. However, the forced MMM only accounts for a small fraction of observed variance. A residual consistency test shows that simulated internal variability cannot explain the residual observed multidecadal variability, and points to model deficiency in simulating multidecadal variability in the forced response, internal variability, or both.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Communications among data and science centers

The ability to electronically access and query the contents of remote computer archives is of singular importance in space and earth sciences; the present evaluation of such on-line information networks' development status foresees swift expansion of their data capabilities and complexity, in view of the volumes of data that will continue to be generated by NASA missions. The U.S.'s National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) manages NASA's largest science computer network, the Space Physics Analysis Network; a comprehensive account is given of the structure of NSSDC international access through BITNET, and of connections to the NSSDC available in the Americas via the International X.25 network.

Green, James L.↗

Dragonfly Rotor Optimization using Machine Learning Applied to an OVERFLOW Generated Airfoil Database

NASA’s 4th New Frontiers Mission is the Titan Dragonfly relocatable lander. This coaxial quadrotor vehicle will be launched on a rocket to Titan in 2028. Following a gravity assisted Earth flyby and an approximate 6-year transit, Dragonfly will enter the Titan atmosphere around 2034 with the goal of exploring Titan’s pre-biotic chemistry and habitability. The multirotor design for this unique application has continually evolved since 2016 with constraints such as Titan’s cryogenic atmosphere at 95 Kelvin (-288 F), gravity 14% that of Earth’s, atmospheric density 440% of standard sea-level air, and the inability to test the entire system together under all these conditions until the first flight on Titan. This paper focuses on rotor design aspects of the Dragonfly lander and introduces a novel framework for multirotor design optimization considering multiple flight conditions. The methodology leverages machine learning methods and is demonstrated in the context of Dragonfly. A new OVERFLOW Machine Learning Airfoil Performance (PALMO) database is first presented. PALMO is then wrapped inside a Bayesian optimization framework and applied to a 4-rotor system (one side of the Dragonfly lander). Training data is generated on each iteration of the optimization using the CAMRAD-II comprehensive analysis software to evaluate successive rotor designs in multiple relevant flight conditions. An optimal design for the 4-rotor system was found with approximately 900 rotor designs analyzed in CAMRAD-II, which required 9 million queries of the PALMO surrogate models. This demonstration case evaluated 10,000,000 potential candidate rotor designs in 5.5 hours on 114 CPU cores using uniform inflow, and in 27.8 hours using the prescribed wake model. This work thus enables mid-fidelity rotor design optimization without requiring access to high-performance computing.

Dragonfly↗

Component-Level Inverse Design of Transmon Qubits Using Neural Networks

Designing a superconducting qubit to realize specific Hamiltonian parameters typically requires iterating through a time and compute-intensive forward loop in which the designer chooses a layout geometry, simulates it, extracts circuit parameters such as capacitances, and refines the geometry. We study the inverse version of this task using a neural-network workflow that maps target Hamiltonian parameters directly to component-level layout parameters, which we subsequently demonstrate on a planar transmon layout. During training, we pair the inverse model with a frozen forward surrogate model and evaluate the loss in Hamiltonian space rather than in layout-parameter space. In validation against a conventional EM solver, 97% of generated designs produce usable geometries, and the inverse-plus-surrogate pipeline reaches mean percent errors of 0.73% for qubit frequency and 1.58% for anharmonicity, comparable to or below the fabrication and simulation-to-measurement uncertainty expected for academic-process transmon devices of this type. A single pipeline query takes ~60 ms on CPU, versus ~2 min for a conventional EM capacitance extraction on the same hardware, a speedup of approximately 2,000x. Batching minimizes the AI model inference overhead, reducing the runtime to 3.1 microseconds per sample on CPU and 2.6 microseconds per sample on GPU at a batch size of 2048, resulting in speedups of 3.9 x 10^7 and 4.6 x 10^7, respectively, relative to a single conventional CPU EM extraction. Our results indicate that component-level inverse design usefully extends and complements conventional EM simulation, including for small datasets on the order of 1,000 samples.

Seidel, Olivia [Fermilab; Texas U., Arlington]↗

The parser generator as a general purpose tool

The parser generator has proven to be an extremely useful, general purpose tool. It can be used effectively by programmers having only a knowledge of grammars and no training at all in the theory of formal parsing. Some of the application areas for which a table-driven parser can be used include interactive, query languages, menu systems, translators, and programming support tools. Each of these is illustrated by an example grammar.

Noonan, R. E.↗

A data and information system for processing, archival, and distribution of data for global change research

Work on this project was focused on information management techniques for Marshall Space Flight Center's EOSDIS Version 0 Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). The centerpiece of this effort has been participation in EOSDIS catalog interoperability research, the result of which is a distributed Information Management System (IMS) allowing the user to query the inventories of all the DAAC's from a single user interface. UAH has provided the MSFC DAAC database server for the distributed IMS, and has contributed to definition and development of the browse image display capabilities in the system's user interface. Another important area of research has been in generating value-based metadata through data mining. In addition, information management applications for local inventory and archive management, and for tracking data orders were provided.

Graves, Sara J.↗

Evolution of Biological Satellites: From Low Earth Orbit to NASA’s BioSentinel Deep Space Mission

NASA has set its sights on human exploration in deep space with the Artemis missions, with an ambitious plan to put astronauts back on the Moon and to eventually land human missions on Mars. Such missions will require significant countermeasures, likely both technological and biomedical, to protect biology from chronic radiation exposure. Small satellites like CubeSats can inform these countermeasures by querying relevant space environments with model organisms over relevant durations. NASA has launched five biological CubeSats into low Earth orbit (LEO) from GeneSat in 2006 to EcAMSat in 2017. Each one of these missions increased our understanding of the effects of spaceflight, while refining technologies and imparting valuable lessons to the next generation of CubeSats. The Artemis I rocket will carry ten CubeSats, each of them with its own objective. One in particular, BioSentinel, will conduct the first study of the biological response to interplanetary space radiation beyond LEO since Apollo 17. Once it reaches its heliocentric orbit – after a short lunar fly-by – BioSentinel will measure the DNA damage response to ambient radiation in a model organism, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which will be compared to information provided by an onboard radiation sensor and to data obtained in LEO (on ISS) and on Earth. Once in interplanetary space, fluidic cards containing desiccated yeast cells will be activated by growth medium addition at different time points throughout the mission. Growth and metabolic activity will be tracked continuously via optical density. BioSentinel is a complete, autonomous spacecraft capable of conducting experiments in deep space. Its 4U BioSensor payload is a fully automated and adaptable platform that can perform biological measurements with a range of microorganisms in multiple space environments, including the ISS, free flyers, and other platforms like the Lunar Gateway and lander vehicles.

Sergio R Santa Maria↗

Methods and system for siting advanced nuclear reactors and evaluating energy policy concerns

There is a growing sociopolitical desire to develop cleaner energy sources in the United States and maintain energy security. Regardless of politics, many coal-fired electric plants have already been shut down and many utilities are vowing to retire their current coal-fired assets within the next two decades. Replacement power assets require consideration of appropriate siting. A geographic information system (GIS)-based multicriteria decision analysis approach is useful to assist utility and energy companies, as well as policymakers, to evaluate potential areas for siting new plants in the contiguous United States. A GIS-based framework is simply a database of location information that allows for mapping, querying, modeling, and analyzing data based on location. The spatial output can be structured to be visual, allowing for easier analysis of location data. The need to site additional power assets, including renewable resources and clean power sources, such as nuclear, led to the development of the Oak Ridge Siting Analysis for power Generation Expansion (OR-SAGE) tool discussed in this paper. The tool takes inputs such as population growth, water availability, environmental indicators, and tectonic and geological hazards to provide an in-depth visual analysis for siting options. Energy companies and other stakeholders can use OR-SAGE to procure feedback quickly and effectively on land suitability based on technology specific inputs. Policymakers can use OR-SAGE to analyze the impacts of future energy technology decisions, while balancing competing resource use. Overall, this paper discusses the recent use of OR-SAGE for these purposes and plans for future development.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Optimal adjustment sets for causal query estimation in partially observed biomolecular networks

Abstract Causal query estimation in biomolecular networks commonly selects a ‘valid adjustment set’, i.e. a subset of network variables that eliminates the bias of the estimator. A same query may have multiple valid adjustment sets, each with a different variance. When networks are partially observed, current methods use graph-based criteria to find an adjustment set that minimizes asymptotic variance. Unfortunately, many models that share the same graph topology, and therefore same functional dependencies, may differ in the processes that generate the observational data. In these cases, the topology-based criteria fail to distinguish the variances of the adjustment sets. This deficiency can lead to sub-optimal adjustment sets, and to miss-characterization of the effect of the intervention. We propose an approach for deriving ‘optimal adjustment sets’ that takes into account the nature of the data, bias and finite-sample variance of the estimator, and cost. It empirically learns the data generating processes from historical experimental data, and characterizes the properties of the estimators by simulation. We demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach in four biomolecular Case studies with different topologies and different data generation processes. The implementation and reproducible Case studies are at https://github.com/srtaheri/OptimalAdjustmentSet.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗