Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “computational paradigms”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Open solutions to distributed control in ground tracking stations

The advent of high speed local area networks has made it possible to interconnect small, powerful computers to function together as a single large computer. Today, distributed computer systems are the new paradigm for large scale computing systems. However, the communications provided by the local area network is only one part of the solution. The services and protocols used by the application programs to communicate across the network are as indispensable as the local area network. And the selection of services and protocols that do not match the system requirements will limit the capabilities, performance, and expansion of the system. Proprietary solutions are available but are usually limited to a select set of equipment. However, there are two solutions based on 'open' standards. The question that must be answered is 'which one is the best one for my job?' This paper examines a model for tracking stations and their requirements for interprocessor communications in the next century. The model and requirements are matched with the model and services provided by the five different software architectures and supporting protocol solutions. Several key services are examined in detail to determine which services and protocols most closely match the requirements for the tracking station environment. The study reveals that the protocols are tailored to the problem domains for which they were originally designed. Further, the study reveals that the process control model is the closest match to the tracking station model.

Heuser, William Randy↗
NASA NTRS1992

Fortran for the nineties

Fortran has largely enjoyed prominence for the past few decades as the computer programming language of choice for numerically intensive scientific, engineering, and process control applications. Fortran's well understood static language syntax has allowed resulting parsers and compiler optimizing technologies to often generate among the most efficient and fastest run-time executables, particularly on high-end scalar and vector supercomputers. Computing architectures and paradigms have changed considerably since the last ANSI/ISO Fortran release in 1978, and while FORTRAN 77 has more than survived, it's aged features provide only partial functionality for today's demanding computing environments. The simple block procedural languages have been necessarily evolving, or giving way, to specialized supercomputing, network resource, and object-oriented paradigms. To address these new computing demands, ANSI has worked for the last 12-years with three international public reviews to deliver Fortran 90. Fortran 90 has superseded and replaced ISO FORTRAN 77 internationally as the sole Fortran standard; while in the US, Fortran 90 is expected to be adopted as the ANSI standard this summer, coexisting with ANSI FORTRAN 77 until at least 1996. The development path and current state of Fortran will be briefly described highlighting the many new Fortran 90 syntactic and semantic additions which support (among others): free form source; array syntax; new control structures; modules and interfaces; pointers; derived data types; dynamic memory; enhanced I/O; operator overloading; data abstraction; user optional arguments; new intrinsics for array, bit manipulation, and system inquiry; and enhanced portability through better generic control of underlying system arithmetic models. Examples from dynamical astronomy, signal and image processing will attempt to illustrate Fortran 90's applicability to today's general scalar, vector, and parallel scientific and engineering requirements and object oriented programming paradigms. Time permitting, current work proceeding on the future development of Fortran 2000 and collateral standards will be introduced.

Himer, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Performance Assessment of OVERFLOW on Distributed Computing Environment

The aerodynamic computer code, OVERFLOW, with a multi-zone overset grid feature, has been parallelized to enhance its performance on distributed and shared memory paradigms. Practical application benchmarks have been set to assess the efficiency of code's parallelism on high-performance architectures. The code's performance has also been experimented with in the context of the distributed computing paradigm on distant computer resources using the Information Power Grid (IPG) toolkit, Globus. Two parallel versions of the code, namely OVERFLOW-MPI and -MLP, have developed around the natural coarse grained parallelism inherent in a multi-zonal domain decomposition paradigm. The algorithm invokes a strategy that forms a number of groups, each consisting of a zone, a cluster of zones and/or a partition of a large zone. Each group can be thought of as a process with one or multithreads assigned to it and that all groups run in parallel. The -MPI version of the code uses explicit message-passing based on the standard MPI library for sending and receiving interzonal boundary data across processors. The -MLP version employs no message-passing paradigm; the boundary data is transferred through the shared memory. The -MPI code is suited for both distributed and shared memory architectures, while the -MLP code can only be used on shared memory platforms. The IPG applications are implemented by the -MPI code using the Globus toolkit. While a computational task is distributed across multiple computer resources, the parallelism can be explored on each resource alone. Performance studies are achieved with some practical aerodynamic problems with complex geometries, consisting of 2.5 up to 33 million grid points and a large number of zonal blocks. The computations were executed primarily on SGI Origin 2000 multiprocessors and on the Cray T3E. OVERFLOW's IPG applications are carried out on NASA homogeneous metacomputing machines located at three sites, Ames, Langley and Glenn. Plans for the future will exploit the distributed parallel computing capability on various homogeneous and heterogeneous resources and large scale benchmarks. Alternative IPG toolkits will be used along with sophisticated zonal grouping strategies to minimize the communication time across the computer resources.

Djomehri, M. Jahed↗
NASA NTRS1989

Linking consistency with object/thread semantics - An approach to robust computation

This paper presents an object/thread based paradigm that links data consistency with object/thread semantics. The paradigm can be used to achieve a wide range of consistency semantics from strict atomic transactions to standard process semantics. The paradigm supports three types of data consistency. Object programmers indicate the type of consistency desired on a per-operation basis and the system performs automatic concurrency control and recovery management to ensure that those consistency requirements are met. This allows programmers to customize consistency and recovery on a per-application basis without having to supply complicated, custom recovery management schemes. The paradigm allows robust and nonrobust computation to operate concurrently on the same data in a well defined manner. The operating system needs to support only one vehicle of computation - the thread.

Chen, Raymond C.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Quantum Speedup for Aeroscience and Engineering

Algorithms and hardware for quantum computing (QC) are reaching a critical stage in their development and have the potential to generate a paradigm shift in computing capability across a range of fields. Opportunities are growing for genuine impact of these systems over a timescale of 10-15 years, and there has been significant investment both from government agencies and private industry in its development. However, utilization of quantum phenomena is extraordinarily challenging due to its delicate nature and difficulties in measurement and control. A clear path exists toward demonstrating the advantages of QC over existing high-performance computing for some physics and materials science problems but addressing practical computational challenges in other fields, though promising, is at an early stage of development. Reaching the next level of development will require strategic coordination between physicists, computer & information scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, in order to transition this technology from the laboratory to robust and scalable computations for practical problems, especially those of interest to the aeroscience and engineering community. This community has been relying on high-performance computing heavily and will surely want to be informed of the developments in QC. This survey introduces the background and current state of the art in QC, as well as its perceived opportunities and challenges.

Peyman Givi↗
NASA NTRS1993

Performance analysis of a large-grain dataflow scheduling paradigm

A paradigm for scheduling computations on a network of multiprocessors using large-grain data flow scheduling at run time is described and analyzed. The computations to be scheduled must follow a static flow graph, while the schedule itself will be dynamic (i.e., determined at run time). Many applications characterized by static flow exist, and they include real-time control and digital signal processing. With the advent of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools for capturing software designs in dataflow-like structures, macro-dataflow scheduling becomes increasingly attractive, if not necessary. For parallel implementations, using the macro-dataflow method allows the scheduling to be insulated from the application designer and enables the maximum utilization of available resources. Further, by allowing multitasking, processor utilizations can approach 100 percent while they maintain maximum speedup. Extensive simulation studies are performed on 4-, 8-, and 16-processor architectures that reflect the effects of communication delays, scheduling delays, algorithm class, and multitasking on performance and speedup gains.

Young, Steven D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Applications Of Modern Systems Analysis

cour papers discuss applications of interdisciplinary methodologies incorporating elaborate mathematical models and computer programs as paradigms of modern systems analysis. Unifying concept underlying presentations is need for more sophisticated methods of systems analysis to manage increasingly complex engineering and socioeconomic systems.

Wagner, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Next Generation Multimedia Distributed Data Base Systems

The paradigm of client/server computing is changing. The model of a server running a monolithic application and supporting clients at the desktop is giving way to a different model that blurs the line between client and server. We are on the verge of plunging into the next generation of computing technology--distributed object-oriented computing. This is not only a change in requirements but a change in opportunities, and requires a new way of thinking for Information System (IS) developers. The information system demands caused by global competition are requiring even more access to decision making tools. Simply, object-oriented technology has been developed to supersede the current design process of information systems which is not capable of handling next generation multimedia.

Pendleton, Stuart E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Integration of Information Management System, Workflow and Computational Tools Enabling Multiscale Modeling Within an ICME Paradigm

With the increased emphasis on reducing the cost and time to market of new materials, the need for analytical tools that enable the virtual design and optimization of materials throughout their processing - internal structure - property - performance envelope, along with the capturing and storing of the associated material and model information across its lifecycle, has become critical. This need is also fueled by the demands for higher efficiency in material testing; consistency, quality and traceability of data; product design; engineering analysis; as well as control of access to proprietary or sensitive information. Fortunately, material information management systems and physics-based multiscale modeling methods have kept pace with the growing user demands. Herein, recent efforts to develop a set of Python functions that exchange information between NASA GRC's Integrated multiscale Micromechanics Analysis Code (ImMAC) software toolset and its Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), Granta MI® database schema is presented. The goal is to enable seamless coupling between both test data and simulation data, which is captured and tracked automatically within Granta MI®, with full model pedigree information. These tools, and this type of linkage, are foundational to realizing the full potential of ICME, in which materials processing, microstructure, properties, and performance are coupled to enable application-driven design and optimization of materials and structures.

multiscale modeling; Micromechanics; Computational↗
NASA NTRS1994

A Feasibility Study for Perioperative Ventricular Tachycardia Prognosis and Detection and Noise Detection Using a Neural Network and Predictive Linear Operators

To locate the accessory pathway(s) in preexicitation syndromes, epicardial and endocardial ventricular mapping is performed during anterograde ventricular activation via accessory pathway(s) from data originally received in signal form. As the number of channels increases, it is pertinent that more automated detection of coherent/incoherent signals is achieved as well as the prediction and prognosis of ventricular tachywardia (VT). Today's computers and computer program algorithms are not good in simple perceptual tasks such as recognizing a pattern or identifying a sound. This discrepancy, among other things, has been a major motivating factor in developing brain-based, massively parallel computing architectures. Neural net paradigms have proven to be effective at pattern recognition tasks. In signal processing, the picking of coherent/incoherent signals represents a pattern recognition task for computer systems. The picking of signals representing the onset ot VT also represents such a computer task. We attacked this problem by defining four signal attributes for each potential first maximal arrival peak and one signal attribute over the entire signal as input to a back propagation neural network. One attribute was the predicted amplitude value after the maximum amplitude over a data window. Then, by using a set of known (user selected) coherent/incoherent signals, and signals representing the onset of VT, we trained the back propagation network to recognize coherent/incoherent signals, and signals indicating the onset of VT. Since our output scheme involves a true or false decision, and since the output unit computes values between 0 and 1, we used a Fuzzy Arithmetic approach to classify data as coherent/incoherent signals. Furthermore, a Mean-Square Error Analysis was used to determine system stability. The neural net based picking coherent/incoherent signal system achieved high accuracy on picking coherent/incoherent signals on different patients. The system also achieved a high accuracy of picking signals which represent the onset of VT, that is, VT immediately followed these signals. A special binary representation of the input and output data allowed the neural network to train very rapidly as compared to another standard decimal or normalized representations of the data.

Moebes, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Execution environment for intelligent real-time control systems

Modern telerobot control technology requires the integration of symbolic and non-symbolic programming techniques, different models of parallel computations, and various programming paradigms. The Multigraph Architecture, which has been developed for the implementation of intelligent real-time control systems is described. The layered architecture includes specific computational models, integrated execution environment and various high-level tools. A special feature of the architecture is the tight coupling between the symbolic and non-symbolic computations. It supports not only a data interface, but also the integration of the control structures in a parallel computing environment.

Sztipanovits, Janos↗
NASA NTRS2011

GPU Accelerated Vector Median Filter

Noise reduction is an important step for most image processing tasks. For three channel color images, a widely used technique is vector median filter in which color values of pixels are treated as 3-component vectors. Vector median filters are computationally expensive; for a window size of n x n, each of the n(sup 2) vectors has to be compared with other n(sup 2) - 1 vectors in distances. General purpose computation on graphics processing units (GPUs) is the paradigm of utilizing high-performance many-core GPU architectures for computation tasks that are normally handled by CPUs. In this work. NVIDIA's Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) paradigm is used to accelerate vector median filtering. which has to the best of our knowledge never been done before. The performance of GPU accelerated vector median filter is compared to that of the CPU and MPI-based versions for different image and window sizes, Initial findings of the study showed 100x improvement of performance of vector median filter implementation on GPUs over CPU implementations and further speed-up is expected after more extensive optimizations of the GPU algorithm .

Aras, Rifat↗
NASA NTRS1991

Domain decomposition methods in computational fluid dynamics

The divide-and-conquer paradigm of iterative domain decomposition, or substructuring, has become a practical tool in computational fluid dynamic applications because of its flexibility in accommodating adaptive refinement through locally uniform (or quasi-uniform) grids, its ability to exploit multiple discretizations of the operator equations, and the modular pathway it provides towards parallelism. These features are illustrated on the classic model problem of flow over a backstep using Newton's method as the nonlinear iteration. Multiple discretizations (second-order in the operator and first-order in the preconditioner) and locally uniform mesh refinement pay dividends separately, and they can be combined synergistically. Sample performance results are included from an Intel iPSC/860 hypercube implementation.

Gropp, William D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Domain decomposition methods in computational fluid dynamics

The divide-and-conquer paradigm of iterative domain decomposition, or substructuring, has become a practical tool in computational fluid dynamic applications because of its flexibility in accommodating adaptive refinement through locally uniform (or quasi-uniform) grids, its ability to exploit multiple discretizations of the operator equations, and the modular pathway it provides towards parallelism. These features are illustrated on the classic model problem of flow over a backstep using Newton's method as the nonlinear iteration. Multiple discretizations (second-order in the operator and first-order in the preconditioner) and locally uniform mesh refinement pay dividends separately, and they can be combined synergistically. Sample performance results are included from an Intel iPSC/860 hypercube implementation.

Gropp, William D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Paramedir: A Tool for Programmable Performance Analysis

Performance analysis of parallel scientific applications is time consuming and requires great expertise in areas such as programming paradigms, system software, and computer hardware architectures. In this paper we describe a tool that facilitates the programmability of performance metric calculations thereby allowing the automation of the analysis and reducing the application development time. We demonstrate how the system can be used to capture knowledge and intuition acquired by advanced parallel programmers in order to be transferred to novice users.

Jost, Gabriele↗
NASA NTRS1999

On the Use of CAD-Native Predicates and Geometry in Surface Meshing

Several paradigms for accessing computer-aided design (CAD) geometry during surface meshing for computational fluid dynamics are discussed. File translation, inconsistent geometry engines, and nonnative point construction are all identified as sources of nonrobustness. The paper argues in favor of accessing CAD parts and assemblies in their native format, without translation, and for the use of CAD-native predicates and constructors in surface mesh generation. The discussion also emphasizes the importance of examining the computational requirements for exact evaluation of triangulation predicates during surface meshing.

Aftosmis, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Symbolic Analysis of Concurrent Programs with Polymorphism

The current trend of multi-core and multi-processor computing is causing a paradigm shift from inherently sequential to highly concurrent and parallel applications. Certain thread interleavings, data input values, or combinations of both often cause errors in the system. Systematic verification techniques such as explicit state model checking and symbolic execution are extensively used to detect errors in such systems [7, 9]. Explicit state model checking enumerates possible thread schedules and input data values of a program in order to check for errors [3, 9]. To partially mitigate the state space explosion from data input values, symbolic execution techniques substitute data input values with symbolic values [5, 7, 6]. Explicit state model checking and symbolic execution techniques used in conjunction with exhaustive search techniques such as depth-first search are unable to detect errors in medium to large-sized concurrent programs because the number of behaviors caused by data and thread non-determinism is extremely large. We present an overview of abstraction-guided symbolic execution for concurrent programs that detects errors manifested by a combination of thread schedules and data values [8]. The technique generates a set of key program locations relevant in testing the reachability of the target locations. The symbolic execution is then guided along these locations in an attempt to generate a feasible execution path to the error state. This allows the execution to focus in parts of the behavior space more likely to contain an error.

Rungta, Neha Shyam↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Generative Design and Digital Manufacturing: Using AI and Robots to Build Lightweight Instruments

Digital Engineering technologies are transforming long-stagnant development processes by applying the tremendous advancements in Information Technology (IT) to classical engineering tasks such as design, analysis, and fabrication of space-flight instrument structures. Generative Design leverages developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud computing to enable a paradigm shift in the design process, allowing the engineer to focus on defining the requirements and objectives of the design while AI generates optimized designs which comply with the input requirements. Digital Manufacturing allows these complex lightweight designs to be efficiently manufactured by directly fabricating from the resulting 3D models. The development of these two Digital Engineering technologies realizes significant mass savings while simultaneously reducing structure development time from months to days. This paper describes the development of the Evolved Structures process applying these technologies to spaceflight optical instrument structures including an example demonstrating greater than 10x reduction in development time/cost and greater than 3x improvement in structural performance.

Ryan McClelland↗