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At least 469 records · Page 26

SKYMAP: Exploring the Universe in software

SKYMAP is a computer program which produces maps of arbitrary portions of the sky in a variety of projections and coordinate systems. Over the past ten years it has been used to produce finder charts for occultations by planets, display scan and image data from the Spacelab 2 Infrared Telescope, and make maps of fields for astronomical observations at X-ray, optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths. It can display multiple source catalogs, including the HST Guide Star Catalog, as well as solar system objects with astrometric accuracy using the JPL DE-130 ephemeris or tabulated positions. SKYMAP can be tuned to a specific task using an ASCII parameter file which controls how information is displayed on any Tektronix-compatible graphics display. The program contains a variety of interactive graphic and image processing features and has been ported to a variety of computer systems. A recent project visually demonstrates source density variation in various commonly-used all-sky catalogs.

Mink, D. J.↗

An interactive editor for definition of touch-sensitive zones for a graphic display

In the continuing effort to develop more efficient man-machine communications methods, touch displays have shown potential as straightforward input systems. The development of software necessary to handle such systems, however, can become tedious. In order to reduce the need for redundant programming, a touch editor has been developed which allows a programmer to interactively define touch-sensitive areas for a graphic display. The information produced during the editing process is written to a data file, which can be accessed easily when needed by an application program. This paper outlines the structure, logic, and use of the editor, as well as the hardware with which it is presently compatible.

Monroe, Burt L., III↗

A programmable image compression system

A programmable image compression system which has the necessary flexibility to address diverse imaging needs is described. It can compress and expand single frame video images (monochrome or color) as well as documents and graphics (black and white or color) for archival or transmission applications. Through software control, the compression mode can be set for lossless or controlled quality coding; the image size and bit depth can be varied; and the image source and destination devices can be readily changed. Despite the large combination of image data types, image sources, and algorithms, the system provides a simple consistent interface to the programmer. This system (OPTIPAC) is based on the TITMS320C25 digital signal processing (DSP) chip and has been implemented as a co-processor board for an IBM PC-AT compatible computer. The underlying philosophy can readily be applied to different hardware platforms. By using multiple DSP chips or incorporating algorithm specific chips, the compression and expansion times can be significantly reduced to meet performance requirements.

Farrelle, Paul M.↗

Fault Propagation, EMI Propagation, and Fault Containment in Aerospace Systems

The occurrence of faults in aerospace system hardware and software have consequences ranging from minor effects to catastrophic effects, and such faults can directly affect the safety of hardware and personnel. There are many origins to fault conditions, and the hardware that is capable of still meeting its performance requirements after experiencing itself a fault is said to be fault tolerant. A fault tolerant hardware is capable of detecting, isolating, and recovering from a fault condition; and this is a subfield of control engineering. An aerospace system that has been shown to have electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in all its subsystems and systems cannot induced faults caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI). It can be proposed that the presence of EMI (or lack of EMC) is analogous to a potential fault initiator and the effects can likewise range from minor to severe. This paper starts by addressing the consequences of hardware failure in aerospace systems from a fault perspective, because the design of fault tolerant system is a major endeavor in aerospace. To arrive to this goal the paper starts with the concepts of fault, fault propagation, and a new concept called fault containment region. The paper then proceeds to provide two very recent examples in the aircraft industry of fault propagation with catastrophic effects. The paper proceeds to introduce the concept of EMI fault containment and a brief introduction to another new concept called the EMI containment region. The paper proceeds with an example of EMI fault containment region. The paper ends with a lesson learned conclusions.

Perez, Reinaldo↗

Towards performance portability in the Spark astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics solver in the Flash-X simulation framework

Simulations of core-collapse supernovae, and other astrophysical phenomena, are quintessential extreme-scale computing challenges. For core-collapse supernova simulations to be carried out by the ExaStar project under the Exascale Computing Project umbrella, a robust, efficient, and state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamics solver is a critical requirement. In Flash-X, the primary software instrument for ExaStar, a new magnetohydrodynamics solver has been designed and implemented from the ground up to achieve accuracy and efficiency for simulations of complex astrophysical flows. This new solver, dubbed Spark, uses high-order spatial reconstruction, Runge-Kutta time integration, and an efficient cell-centered approach to satisfying the divergence-free condition for the magnetic fields. Spark was written to be optimized for data locality in cache hierarchy of CPUs. Since data locality optimizations for cache hierarchy are not directly compatible with those of accelerators, we have taken the approach of using program synthesis to avoid massive amounts of code replication that would be necessary if we were to maintain two different versions of the solver. Our program synthesis relies on a simple key-dictionary approach, implemented in python, that enables us to assemble the version of the solver suitable for the target hardware from code fragments identified by specific keys. In this work, we describe the data locality optimizations of the solver for CPUs and accelerators and the program synthesis tools that enable this portability. We also detail the parallel performance of Spark for both CPUs and accelerators.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Simulation Of Failures And Repairs

Automated Reliability/Availability/Maintainability (ARAM) computer program one of software tools designed to assess candidate architectures of data-management system of the Space Station. Evaluates reliability, availability, and maintainability characteristcs of conceptual system. Uses data representing redundancy and maintainability characteristics of system, and reliability parameters of components of equipment. Design based upon simulation of failures and possible subsequent repairs of each unit of equipment included in system. Analyzes effects of failures and repairs on system and maintains statistics of behavior of system from which results of simulation obtained. Written for IBM PC XT/AT or compatible computer.

Vallone, Antonio↗

The PC/AT compatible computer as a mission control center display processor at Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility

The NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility's Western Aeronautical Test Range will assign the flight test data display processing function to Mission Control Centers in order to allow research engineers to flexibly configure their own display-processing system to optimize performance during a flight research mission. This will leave the Telemetry Radar Acquisition and Processing System more time to acquire data. One of the processors chosen to handle the display-processing function is an IBM PC/AT-compatible, rack-mounted PC giving engineers a personalized set of analytic and display tools, developed on the basis of off-the-shelf PC/AT-compatible engineering hardware and software items.

Hammons, Kevin R.↗

Passband Signal Detection at the Edge

Algorithms for radio frequency (RF) spectrum awareness need to be compatible with edge hardware to be practical for many applications. We developed a signal detection and classification model for the ZCU111 RF System-on-a-Chip (RFSoC) that operates on the fast Fourier transform of passband RF data. The system can detect and classify multiple signals of interest and display the predictions in real-time. The model consists of a modified ConvNeXt backbone and YOLOv3 head to operate on the Deep Learning Processing Unit on the RFSoC. We gathered datasets for training and testing by using a software defined radio to transmit example signals of Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Wi-Fi 802.11 n, FM Radio, LTE and LTE-M. By leveraging multiple inputs on the RFSoC frontend, the datasets span up to 4 GHz of bandwidth. The models showed high performance in classification accuracy, center frequency error, bandwidth error, and detection accuracy for both single and multi-signal datasets.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Flexible User Radio for Lunar Missions

NASA’s Artemis program and other lunar exploration and development programs are planning over 40 lunar missions before 2030. Lunar missions, both crewed and uncrewed, include orbiters, landers, rovers, and surface stations. All these missions require communications with Earth, either via Direct to Earth (DTE) links or through relays in lunar orbit. Multiple DTE options are available among existing and planned ground stations: Deep Space Network (DSN), European Space Agency, and others. Relay options include the planned Lunar Gateway, LunaNet compliant relays, and some lunar landers propose to launch dedicated orbiters. The dilemma for lunar system designers is to identify a communication link which meets mission requirements but does not have issues of limited access (e.g. DSN is in high demand supporting deep space missions with high priority and some with inflexible schedules), system impacts (high power Radio Frequency (RF) for DTE links), cost (dedicated relay), or operational date. To avoid this difficult decision, a Flexible Radio for Lunar Missions is proposed, which will enable system designs to proceed prior to any final decision on the communication network to be used, by enabling compatibility with any of multiple DTE or orbital relay communication systems. The Flexible Radio will support the necessary frequency, bandwidth, modulation, and power requirements to interoperate with the majority of known or planned DTE or relay systems, and can be designed into a lunar mission without prior knowledge of which link will ultimately be used. Furthermore, the link being used can be changed as needed during the mission, in near real time. The Flexible Radio design will leverage work already completed at NASA in the areas of Wideband RF, Software Defined Radio, Adaptive Coding and Modulation, and Phased Array antennas. The Flexible Radio requires sufficient bandwidth to cover the allocated frequencies for both the operation of links in cislunar space and for space-to-Earth links; the flexibility to support multiple modulations, data rates, and coding schemes; the ability to identify available relays, detect and recognize the signals of those relays, and adapt its own frequency, modulation, symbol rate, and code rate to operate with the detected relay (or DTE station); and finally, it requires appropriate software to support network configuration and interoperability with the detected network. The Flexible Radio can be designed in a sufficiently small, lightweight, and low-power package to be used in a wide variety of lunar systems. The initial implementation, as proposed, will focus on the Ka-band, supporting up to 2 GHz bandwidth around the 27 GHz frequency for return links, and 23 GHz for forward links. Other frequency bands are under consideration for future configurations. The software defined modem will support OQPSK, BPSK, and NASA-defined modulations which also support two-way ranging with data. For near-real time adaptation, the Flexible Radio will scan the sky for available relays, using a phased array antenna with Adaptive/Cognitive Communications. It will then configure for network interoperability supporting DTN and other protocol options. The Flexible Radio will support scheduled connections and on-demand use when available.

Lunar Space Communications↗

Flexible User Radio for Lunar Missions

NASA’s Artemis program and other lunar exploration and development programs are planning over 40 lunar missions before 2030. Lunar missions, both crewed and uncrewed, include orbiters, landers, rovers, and surface stations. All these missions require communications with Earth, either via Direct to Earth (DTE) links or through relays in lunar orbit. Multiple DTE options are available among existing and planned ground stations: Deep Space Network (DSN), European Space Agency, and others. Relay options include the planned Lunar Gateway, LunaNet compliant relays, and some lunar landers propose to launch dedicated orbiters. The dilemma for lunar system designers is to identify a communication link which meets mission requirements but does not have issues of limited access (e.g. DSN is in high demand supporting deep space missions with high priority and some with inflexible schedules), system impacts (high power Radio Frequency (RF) for DTE links), cost (dedicated relay), or operational date. To avoid this difficult decision, a Flexible Radio for Lunar Missions is proposed, which will enable system designs to proceed prior to any final decision on the communication network to be used, by enabling compatibility with any of multiple DTE or orbital relay communication systems. The Flexible Radio will support the necessary frequency, bandwidth, modulation, and power requirements to interoperate with the majority of known or planned DTE or relay systems, and can be designed into a lunar mission without prior knowledge of which link will ultimately be used. Furthermore, the link being used can be changed as needed during the mission, in near real time. The Flexible Radio design will leverage work already completed at NASA in the areas of Wideband RF, Software Defined Radio, Adaptive Coding and Modulation, and Phased Array antennas. The Flexible Radio requires sufficient bandwidth to cover the allocated frequencies for both the operation of links in cislunar space and for space-to-Earth links; the flexibility to support multiple modulations, data rates, and coding schemes; the ability to identify available relays, detect and recognize the signals of those relays, and adapt its own frequency, modulation, symbol rate, and code rate to operate with the detected relay (or DTE station); and finally, it requires appropriate software to support network configuration and interoperability with the detected network. The Flexible Radio can be designed in a sufficiently small, lightweight, and low-power package to be used in a wide variety of lunar systems. The initial implementation, as proposed, will focus on the Ka-band, supporting up to 2 GHz bandwidth around the 27 GHz frequency for return links, and 23 GHz for forward links. Other frequency bands are under consideration for future configurations. The software defined modem will support OQPSK, BPSK, and NASA-defined modulations which also support two-way ranging with data. For near-real time adaptation, the Flexible Radio will scan the sky for available relays, using a phased array antenna with Adaptive/Cognitive Communications. It will then configure for network interoperability supporting DTN and other protocol options. The Flexible Radio will support scheduled connections and on-demand use when available.

Lunar Space Communications↗

Overview of System Integration Analysis Activities for Integrated Waste Management

Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) generated by the current fleet of commercial nuclear reactors is being stored at the reactor sites in spent fuel pools (SFPs) and in dry independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs). The US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) is developing an Integrated Waste Management Program (IWMP) comprising a suite of options and supporting analyses to enable future informed choices. The IWMP is organized into the following five major areas: 1) Consent-Based Siting, 2) IWM Facilities and Equipment Concepts and Development, 3) Transportation Capability Analysis and Support, 4) Information Technology Solutions and Support, and 5) System Integration Analysis and Support. This paper discusses the activities ongoing in the IWMP System Integration Analysis and Support area. Two main areas of research in system integration are data and tools development, as well as system analysis assessments. One of the tools being developed in the system integration area is the Used Nuclear Fuel-Storage, Transportation & Disposal Analysis Resource and Data System (UNF-ST&DARDS) tool. It is being developed as a foundational resource for DOE-NE to manage SNF data, along with several compatible analysis tools for time-dependent characterization of SNF and related systems. UNF-ST&DARDS has the unparalleled ability to track SNF through the entire back end of the fuel cycle—from the time the fuel is discharged from a reactor through its disposal in a geological repository. UNF ST&DARDS interfaces with the SCALE code system for nuclear analysis and COBRA-SFS for thermal analysis. Another main tool being developed is the Next Generation System Analysis Model (NGSAM). NGSAM is an agent-based simulation software tool expressly designed to be capable of modeling the waste management system. NGSAM has been developed to enable informed decision-making by providing the capability of analyzing various potential system options for the management of SNF and HLW. Using NGSAM, system architecture analyses are being conducted to support the future deployment of a comprehensive nuclear waste management system that considers all major back-end aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle (i.e., transportation, storage, and disposal). System analysis assessments may investigate the implications of various strategies such as different acceptance rates, acceptance queues, facility capacities and options, standardized canisters, and different assumed system operation start dates. Recently, some system analysis effort has begun to look at how the waste management system might operate for advanced reactor fuel cycles.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

TwinMe4AD: WGAN-based Digital Twins for Anomaly Detection

SAND2024-08373O TwinMe4AD is a Python-based software tool designed for anomaly detection using digital twins that closely mimic real, wearable healthcare datasets. The tool is invaluable for scenarios where collecting data is either expensive or impractical, serving as a privacy-preserving solution. Sensitive information is protected by training deep learning models on synthetic data derived from real datasets. One of TwinMe4AD's key features is its anomaly detection capability, which is based on fourth-order moments of parameters. This versatile approach can be applied across a range of datasets, from univariate to multivariate, making it compatible with various types of data. It also generates synthetic twins using Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Networks (WGANs), allowing users to create a small cohort of a population similar to that of a village population. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Poorey, Kunal↗

Flight evaluation of two-segment approaches using area navigation guidance equipment

A two-segment noise abatement approach procedure for use on DC-8-61 aircraft in air carrier service was developed and evaluated. The approach profile and procedures were developed in a flight simulator. Full guidance is provided throughout the approach by a Collins Radio Company three-dimensional area navigation (RNAV) system which was modified to provide the two-segment approach capabilities. Modifications to the basic RNAV software included safety protection logic considered necessary for an operationally acceptable two-segment system. With an aircraft out of revenue service, the system was refined and extensively flight tested, and the profile and procedures were evaluated by representatives of the airlines, airframe manufacturers, the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Federal Aviation Adminstration. The system was determined to be safe and operationally acceptable. It was then placed into scheduled airline service for an evaluation during which 180 approaches were flown by 48 airline pilots. The approach was determined to be compatible with the airline operational environment, although operation of the RNAV system in the existing terminal area air traffic control environment was difficult.

Schwind, G. K.↗

Accelerating GNNs on GPU Sparse Tensor Cores through N:M Sparsity-Oriented Graph Reordering

Recent advancements in GPU hardware support have introduced the capability to leverage N:M sparse patterns for substantial performance gains. Graphs in Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) are typically sparse, but the sparsity is often irregular, not conforming to such sparse patterns. In this paper, we propose a novel graph reordering algorithm, the first of its kind, to reshape irregular graph data into the N:M structured sparse pattern at the tile level, allowing linear-algebra-based graph operations in GNNs to benefit from the N:M sparse hardware. The optimization is lossless, maintaining the accuracy of GNN. It can remove 98-100\% violations of the N:M sparse patterns at the vector level, and increase the proportion of conforming graphs in SuiteSparse collection from 5-9\% to 88.7-93.5\%. On A100 GPUs, the optimization accelerates Sparse Matrix Matrix (SpMM) by up to 43X (2.3X -- 7.5X on average) and speeds up the key graph operations in GNNs on real graphs by as much as 8.6X (3.5X on average).

artificial intelligence, graph neural networks↗

Agilent AgileBioFoundry CRADA (Final Report)

The mission of this CRADA with Agilent was to couple powerful MS platforms (QQQ, IM-QTOF-MS) with Agilent’s novel Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) fast metabolomic workflows and perform ABF Machine Learning (ML) to generated datasets. Agilent transferred UHPLC methods to PNNL and LBNL and methods were implemented and demonstrated in both labs, achieving total acquisition times of < 10 min. Metabolites analyzed using Agilent’s shared methods included metabolites from central carbon metabolism, common across hosts, and metabolites unique to engineered strains. Standards were acquired in an UHPLC-Drift Tube Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometer (DTIMS) system for the first time within the context of ABF and methods were optimized based on Agilent’s protocols. Samples from ABF hosts Pseudomonas putida, Aspergillus pseudoterreus, Aspergillus niger and Rhodosporidium toruloides were analyzed using the UHPLC-DTIMS platform for a total of 276 runs. A data analysis workflow compatible with the Experimental Data Depot (EDD) and completely shareable was developed for the acquired UHPLC-DTIMS data. Samples were analyzed using a Data Independent Acquisition Approach (DIA), which for most of the standards provided more transitions therefore increasing detection confidence. Using the data acquired by PNNL, LBNL, and Agilent’s specifications from previous ML projects, SNL applied an ensemble ML strategy to pick the best performing model for automated LC-method selection. Finally, with the contribution of the participant labs and Agilent, SNL developed an Automated Method Selection (AMS) software tool to predict the best liquid chromatography method for analysis of any new molecules of interest. Samples with novel pathways and new metabolite targets of interest are generated at a high pace in the ABF. Therefore, our accomplishment in this CRADA improved the efficiency and accuracy of strain testing by developing and implementing fast analytical methods, robust processing tools, and software for predicting the best methods for UHPLC analysis.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Development and implementation of high-throughput proteomic and metabolomics assays by using advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometric systems (CRADA Final Report)

The mission of this CRADA with Agilent was to couple powerful MS platforms (QQQ, IM-QTOFMS) with Agilent’s novel Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) fast metabolomic workflows and perform ABF Machine Learning (ML) to generated datasets. Agilent transferred UHPLC methods to PNNL and LBNL and methods were implemented and demonstrated in both labs, achieving total acquisition times of < 10 min. Metabolites analyzed using Agilent’s shared methods included metabolites from central carbon metabolism, common across hosts, and metabolites unique to engineered strains. Standards were acquired in an UHPLC-Drift Tube Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometer (DTIMS) system for the first time within the context of ABF and methods were optimized based on Agilent’s protocols. Samples from ABF hosts Pseudomonas putida, Aspergillus pseudoterreus, Aspergillus niger and Rhodosporidium toruloides were analyzed using the UHPLC-DTIMS platform for a total of 276 runs. A data analysis workflow compatible with the Experimental Data Depot (EDD) and completely shareable was developed for the acquired UHPLC-DTIMS data. Samples were analyzed using a Data Independent Acquisition Approach (DIA), which for most of the standards provided more transitions therefore increasing detection confidence. Using the data acquired by PNNL, LBNL, and Agilent’s specifications from previous ML projects, SNL applied an ensemble ML strategy to pick the best performing model for automated LC-method selection. Finally, with the contribution of the participant labs and Agilent, SNL developed an Automated Method Selection (AMS) software tool to predict the best liquid chromatography method for analysis of any new molecules of interest. Samples with novel pathways and new metabolite targets of interest are generated at a high pace in the ABF. Overall, the project advanced rapid metabolomics by combining liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, and data-independent mass spectrometry with machine learning. This multidimensional approach uses retention time, collision cross-section, precursor mass, and fragment-ion information to distinguish chemically similar metabolites that can be difficult to resolve using conventional liquid- or gas-chromatography methods. The resulting workflow also provided automated metabolite-identification error estimates, addressing a recognized need for statistical confidence measures in metabolomics.

Petzold, Christopher [Lawrence Berkeley National L↗

Man/computer communication in a space environment

The present work reports on a study of the technology required to advance the state of the art in man/machine communications. The study involved the development and demonstration of both hardware and software to effectively implement man/computer interactive channels of communication. While tactile and visual man/computer communications equipment are standard methods of interaction with machines, man's speech is a natural media for inquiry and control. As part of this study, a word recognition unit was developed capable of recognizing a minimum of one hundred different words or sentences in any one of the currently used conversational languages. The study has proven that efficiency in communication between man and computer can be achieved when the vocabulary to be used is structured in a manner compatible with the rigid communication requirements of the machine while at the same time responsive to the informational needs of the man.

Hodges, B. C.↗

Linked-List-Based Multibody Dynamics (MBDyn) Engine

This new release of MBDyn is a software engine that calculates the dynamics states of kinematic, rigid, or flexible multibody systems. An MBDyn multibody system may consist of multiple groups of articulated chains, trees, or closed-loop topologies. Transient topologies are handled through conservation of energy and momentum. The solution for rigid-body systems is exact, and several configurable levels of nonlinear term fidelity are available for flexible dynamics systems. The algorithms have been optimized for efficiency and can be used for both non-real-time (NRT) and real-time (RT) simulations. Interfaces are currently compatible with NASA's Trick Simulation Environment. This new release represents a significant advance in capability and ease of use. The two most significant new additions are an application programming interface (API) that clarifies and simplifies use of MBDyn, and a link-list infrastructure that allows a single MBDyn instance to propagate an arbitrary number of interacting groups of multibody top ologies. MBDyn calculates state and state derivative vectors for integration using an external integration routine. A Trickcompatible interface is provided for initialization, data logging, integration, and input/output.

MacLean, John↗