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At least 739 records · Page 41

RECOVER: An Automated Cloud-Based Decision Support System for Post-fire Rehabilitation Planning

RECOVER is a site-specific decision support system that automatically brings together in a single analysis environment the information necessary for post-fire rehabilitation decision-making. After a major wildfire, law requires that the federal land management agencies certify a comprehensive plan for public safety, burned area stabilization, resource protection, and site recovery. These burned area emergency response (BAER) plans are a crucial part of our national response to wildfire disasters and depend heavily on data acquired from a variety of sources. Final plans are due within 21 days of control of a major wildfire and become the guiding document for managing the activities and budgets for all subsequent remediation efforts. There are few instances in the federal government where plans of such wide-ranging scope and importance are assembled on such short notice and translated into action more quickly. RECOVER has been designed in close collaboration with our agency partners and directly addresses their high-priority decision-making requirements. In response to a fire detection event, RECOVER uses the rapid resource allocation capabilities of cloud computing to automatically collect Earth observational data, derived decision products, and historic biophysical data so that when the fire is contained, BAER teams will have a complete and ready-to-use RECOVER dataset and GIS analysis environment customized for the target wildfire. Initial studies suggest that RECOVER can transform this information-intensive process by reducing from days to a matter of minutes the time required to assemble and deliver crucial wildfire-related data.

cloud computing↗

Assessing Internet energy intensity: A review of methods and results

Assessing the average energy intensity of Internet transmissions is a complex task that has been a controversial subject of discussion. Estimates published over the last decade diverge by up to four orders of magnitude — from 0.0064 kilowatt-hours per gigabyte (kWh/GB) to 136 kWh/GB. This article presents a review of the methodological approaches used so far in such assessments: i) top–down analyses based on estimates of the overall Internet energy consumption and the overall Internet traffic, whereby average energy intensity is calculated by dividing energy by traffic for a given period of time, ii) model-based approaches that model all components needed to sustain an amount of Internet traffic, and iii) bottom–up approaches based on case studies and generalization of the results. Our analysis of the existing studies shows that the large spread of results is mainly caused by two factors: a) the year of reference of the analysis, which has significant influence due to efficiency gains in electronic equipment, and b) whether end devices such as personal computers or servers are included within the system boundary or not. For an overall assessment of the energy needed to perform a specific task involving the Internet, it is necessary to account for the types of end devices needed for the task, while the energy needed for data transmission can be added based on a generic estimate of Internet energy intensity for a given year. Separating the Internet as a data transmission system from the end devices leads to more accurate models and to results that are more informative for decision makers, because end devices and the networking equipment of the Internet usually belong to different spheres of control. -- Highlights: • Assessments of the energy intensity of the Internet differ by a factor of 20,000. • We review top–down, model-based, and bottom–up estimates from literature. • Main divergence factors are the year studied and the inclusion of end devices. • We argue against extending the Internet system boundary beyond data transmission. • Decision-makers need data that differentiates between end devices and transmission.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Second moment closure analysis of the backstep flow database

A Second Moment Closure computation (SMC) is compared in detail with the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data of Le and Moin for the backstep flow at Re = 5,000 in an attempt to understand why the intensity of the backflow and, consequently, the friction coefficient in the recirculation bubble are severely underestimated. The data show that this recirculation bubble is far from being laminar except in the very near wall layer. A novel 'differential a priori' procedure was used, in which the full transport equation for one isolated component of the Reynolds stress tensor was solved using DNS data as input. Conclusions are then different from what would have been deduced by comparing a full simulation to a DNS. One cause of discrepancy was traced back to insufficient transfer of energy to the normal stress by pressure strain, but was not cured. A significant finding, confirmed by the DNS data in the core region of a channel flow, is that the coefficient that controls destruction of dissipation, C epsilon(sub 2), should be decreased by a factor of 2 when production is vanishing. This is also the case in the recirculation bubble, and a new formulation has cured 25% of the backflow discrepancy.

Parneix, S.↗

Efficient algorithms for robust feature matching

One of the basic building blocks in any point-based registration scheme involves matching feature points that are extracted from the sensed image to their counterparts in the reference image. This leads to the fundamental problem of point matching: given two sets of points, find the affine transformation that transforms one point set so that its distance from the other point set is minimized. Because of measurement errors and the presence of outlying data points, it is important that the distance measure between two point sets be robust to these effects. We measure distances using the generalized Hausdorff distance. Point matching can be a computationally intensive task, and there have been a number of algorithms and approaches proposed for solving this problem both theoretical and applied. We present two approaches to the point matching problem, in an attempt to reduce the computational complexity of the problem, while still providing guarantees on the quality of the final match. Our first method is an approximation algorithm, which is loosely based on a branch-and-bound approach due to Huttenlocher and Rucklidge. We show that by varying the approximation error bounds, it is possible to achieve a tradeoff between the quality of the match and the running time of the algorithm. Our second method involves a Monte Carlo method for accelerating the search process used in the first algorithm. With high probability this method succeeds in finding an approximately optimal match. We establish the efficiency of our approaches empirically.

Mount, David M.↗

Satellite Orbital Drag During Magnetic Storms

We investigate satellite orbital drag effects at lowEarth orbit associated with thermosphere heating during magnetic storms caused by coronal mass ejections. CHAllenge Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) neutral density data are used to compute orbital drag. Stormtoquiet density comparisons are performed with background densities obtained by the JacchiaBowman 2008 (JB2008) empirical model. Our storms are grouped in different categories regarding their intensities as indicated by minimum values of the SYMH index. We then perform superposed epoch analyses with storm main phase onset as zero epoch time. In general, we find that orbital drag effects are larger for CHAMP (lower altitudes) in comparison to GRACE (higher altitudes). Results show that storm time drag effects manifest first at high latitudes, but for extreme storms, particularly observed by GRACE, stronger orbital drag effects occur during early main phase at low/equatorial latitudes, probably due to heating propagation from high latitudes. We find that storm time orbital decay along the satellites' path generally increases with storm intensity, being stronger and faster for the most extreme events. For these events, orbital drag effects decrease faster probably due to elevated cooling effects caused by nitric oxide, which introduce modeled density uncertainties during storm recovery phase. Errors associated with total orbit decay introduced by JB2008 are generally the largest for the strongest storms and increase during storm times, particular during recovery phases. We discuss the implication of these uncertainties for the prediction of collision between space objects at lowEarth orbit during magnetic storms.

Oliveira, D. M.↗

Physics Opportunities with the 12 GeV Upgrade at Jefferson Lab

We are at the dawn of a new era in the study of hadronic nuclear physics. The non-Abelian nature of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and the resulting strong coupling at low energies represent a significant challenge to nuclear and particle physicists. The last decade has seen the development of new theoretical and experimental tools to quantitatively study the nature of confinement and the structure of hadrons comprised of light quarks and gluons. Together these will allow both the spectrum and the structure of hadrons to be elucidated in unprecedented detail. Exotic mesons that result from excitation of the gluon field will be explored. Multidimensional images of hadrons with great promise to reveal the dynamics of the key underlying degrees of freedom will be produced. In particular, these multidimensional distributions open a new window on the elusive spin content of the nucleon through observables that are directly related to the orbital angular momenta of quarks and gluons. Moreover, computational techniques in Lattice QCD now promise to provide insightful and quantitative predictions that can be meaningfully confronted with, and elucidated by, forthcoming experimental data. In addition, the development of extremely high intensity, highly polarized and extraordinarily stable beams of electrons provides innovative opportunities for probing (and extending) the Standard Model, both through parity violation studies and searches for new particles. Thus the 12 GeV upgrade of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab will enable a new experimental program with substantial discovery potential to address these and other important topics in nuclear, hadronic and electroweak physics.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Three-dimensional anisotropic adaptive filtering of projection data for noise reduction in cone beam CT

Purpose: The combination of quickly rotating C-arm gantry with digital flat panel has enabled the acquisition of three-dimensional data (3D) in the interventional suite. However, image quality is still somewhat limited since the hardware has not been optimized for CT imaging. Adaptive anisotropic filtering has the ability to improve image quality by reducing the noise level and therewith the radiation dose without introducing noticeable blurring. By applying the filtering prior to 3D reconstruction, noise-induced streak artifacts are reduced as compared to processing in the image domain. Methods: 3D anisotropic adaptive filtering was used to process an ensemble of 2D x-ray views acquired along a circular trajectory around an object. After arranging the input data into a 3D space (2D projections + angle), the orientation of structures was estimated using a set of differently oriented filters. The resulting tensor representation of local orientation was utilized to control the anisotropic filtering. Low-pass filtering is applied only along structures to maintain high spatial frequency components perpendicular to these. The evaluation of the proposed algorithm includes numerical simulations, phantom experiments, and in-vivo data which were acquired using an AXIOM Artis dTA C-arm system (Siemens AG, Healthcare Sector, Forchheim, Germany). Spatial resolution and noise levels were compared with and without adaptive filtering. A human observer study was carried out to evaluate low-contrast detectability. Results: The adaptive anisotropic filtering algorithm was found to significantly improve low-contrast detectability by reducing the noise level by half (reduction of the standard deviation in certain areas from 74 to 30 HU). Virtually no degradation of high contrast spatial resolution was observed in the modulation transfer function (MTF) analysis. Although the algorithm is computationally intensive, hardware acceleration using Nvidia's CUDA Interface provided an 8.9-fold speed-up of the processing (from 1336 to 150 s). Conclusions: Adaptive anisotropic filtering has the potential to substantially improve image quality and/or reduce the radiation dose required for obtaining 3D image data using cone beam CT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Nuclear Data Sheets for A=203

Evaluated nuclear structure and decay data for all nuclei with mass number A=203 ( 203 Os, 203 Ir, 203 Pt, 203 Au, 203 Hg, 203 Tl, 203 Pb, 203 Bi, 203 Po, 203 At, 203 Rn, 203 Fr, 203 Ra) are presented. All available experimental data are compiled and evaluated, and best values for level and γ-ray energies, quantum numbers, lifetimes, γ-ray intensities and transition probabilities, as well as other nuclear properties, are recommended. Inconsistencies and discrepancies that exist in the literature are discussed. A number of computer codes (https://www-nds.iaea.org/public/ensdf_pgm/index.htm) developed by members of the NSDD network were used during the evaluation process. For example, the reported absolute γ-ray emission probabilities and their uncertainties were determined using the GABS code. Here, the γ-ray transition probabilities were determined using the RULER code and the corresponding uncertainties were estimated by means of a Monte-Carlo approach. This work supersedes the earlier evaluation by F.G. Kondev (2005Ko20), published in Nuclear Data Sheets 105, 1 (2005).

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

MapsTorch : automatic differentiation for X-ray fluorescence data analysis

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a popular spectroscopy technique for elemental analysis. Spectrum fitting and parameter tuning are at the core of XRF analysis and are conventionally manually intensive, especially for synchrotron experiments involving large amounts of diverse samples. This work introduces the automatic differentiation (AD) technique to XRF and an open-source package called MapsTorch. By transforming an analytical model of the XRF spectrum into a differentiable computation graph with AD, MapsTorch enables robust optimization of parameters and elemental intensities. We evaluate MapsTorch by conducting computational experiments on a large number of historical synchrotron XRF datasets and compare its performance with the currently practiced fitting tool NLopt. The results show that MapsTorch consistently achieves high-quality fits and often leads to better fitting quality than NLopt, particularly in tasks such as initial spectrum fitting and elemental intensity refinement. The robust performance of MapsTorch paves the way for developing automated and high-throughput XRF data analysis workflows to handle the increasing data volumes expected from next-generation synchrotron facilities.

X-ray fluorescence↗

Comparison of ERBS orbit determination accuracy using batch least-squares and sequential methods

The Flight Dynamics Div. (FDD) at NASA-Goddard commissioned a study to develop the Real Time Orbit Determination/Enhanced (RTOD/E) system as a prototype system for sequential orbit determination of spacecraft on a DOS based personal computer (PC). An overview is presented of RTOD/E capabilities and the results are presented of a study to compare the orbit determination accuracy for a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) user spacecraft obtained using RTOS/E on a PC with the accuracy of an established batch least squares system, the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS), operating on a mainframe computer. RTOD/E was used to perform sequential orbit determination for the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), and the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) was used to perform the batch least squares orbit determination. The estimated ERBS ephemerides were obtained for the Aug. 16 to 22, 1989, timeframe, during which intensive TDRSS tracking data for ERBS were available. Independent assessments were made to examine the consistencies of results obtained by the batch and sequential methods. Comparisons were made between the forward filtered RTOD/E orbit solutions and definitive GTDS orbit solutions for ERBS; the solution differences were less than 40 meters after the filter had reached steady state.

Oza, D. H.↗

Design and implementation of I/O performance prediction scheme on HPC systems through large-scale log analysis

Abstract Large-scale high performance computing (HPC) systems typically consist of many thousands of CPUs and storage units used by hundreds to thousands of users simultaneously. Applications from large numbers of users have diverse characteristics, such as varying computation, communication, memory, and I/O intensity. A good understanding of the performance characteristics of each user application is important for job scheduling and resource provisioning. Among these performance characteristics, I/O performance is becoming increasingly important as data sizes rapidly increase and large-scale applications, such as simulation and model training, are widely adopted. However, predicting I/O performance is difficult because I/O systems are shared among all users and involve many layers of software and hardware stack, including the application, network interconnect, operating system, file system, and storage devices. Furthermore, updates to these layers and changes in system management policy can significantly alter the I/O behavior of applications and the entire system. To improve the prediction of the I/O performance on HPC systems, we propose integrating information from several different system logs and developing a regression-based approach to predict the I/O performance. Our proposed scheme can dynamically select the most relevant features from the log entries using various feature selection algorithms and scoring functions, and can automatically select the regression algorithm with the best accuracy for the prediction task. The evaluation results show that our proposed scheme can predict the write performance with up to 90% prediction accuracy and the read performance with up to 99% prediction accuracy using the real logs from the Cori supercomputer system at NERSC.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NEON AOP Survey of Upper East River CO Watersheds: Waveform LiDAR Binary Data

The waveform Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data in this package were generated through a National Ecological Observatory Network Airborne Observation Platform (NEON AOP) acquisition over watersheds of interest surrounding Crested Butte, Colorado. The remote sensing imagery acquired by the NEON AOP supports an interdisciplinary project on hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem functioning in a snow-dominated headwater environment. These waveform LiDAR data enable spatially continuous estimation of vegetation structure parameters to facilitate analyses of the major environmental drivers of structural and compositional variability. The package contains 97 compressed file archives in 7-zip (.7z) format, each corresponding to one acquisition flightpath. Within each .7z archive is a set of constituent files describing properties of the LiDAR waveforms, such as return intensity, geolocation, outgoing pulse and other behavior of the sensor and signals. Once downloaded, the files must first be unzipped using the widely distributed command-line software utility 7z, using the command '7z x \[filename\].7z \[target_directory\]'. All files within the .7z archives can be opened in IDL, MatLab, or the open-source R statistical computing environment. Further details about the data package are in the attached user guide (neon_aop_crbu_waveformlidar_userguide.pdf). This work was supported by the Watershed Function Science Focus Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

2018 NEON and 2025 CHESS Campaigns↗

DOE Hanford Network Upgrades and Disaster Recovery Exercise Support the Cleanup Mission Now and into the Future

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site, located in Washington State, funded an update to the critical network infrastructure supporting the Hanford Federal Cloud (HFC). The project, called ET-50, was the final step in a plan that was initiated five years ago called "Hanford's IT Vision, 2015 and Beyond." The ET-50 project upgraded Hanford's core data center switches and routers along with a majority of the distribution layer switches. The upgrades allowed HFC the network intelligence to provide Hanford with a more reliable and resilient network architecture. The culmination of the five year plan improved network intelligence and high performance computing as well as helped to provide 10 Gbps capable links between core backbone devices (10 times the previous bandwidth). These improvements allow Hanford the ability to further support bandwidth intense applications, such as video teleconferencing. The ET-50 switch upgrade, along with other upgrades implemented from the five year plan, have prepared Hanford's network for the next evolution of technology in voice, video, and data. Hand-in-hand with ET-50's major data center outage, Mission Support Alliance's (MSA) Information Management (IM) organization executed a disaster recovery (DR) exercise to perform a true integration test and capability study. The DR scope was planned within the constraints of ET-50's 14 hour datacenter outage window. This DR exercise tested Hanford's Continuity of Operations (COOP) capability and failover plans for safety and business critical Hanford Federal Cloud applications. The planned suite of services to be tested was identified prior to the outage and plans were prepared to test the services ability to failover from the primary Hanford data center to the backup data center. The services tested were: Core Network (backbone, firewall, load balancers); Voicemail; Voice over IP (VoIP); Emergency Notification; Virtual desktops; and, Select set of production applications and data. The primary objective of the exercise was to test COOP around the emergency operations at Hanford to provide information on capabilities and dependencies of the current system to insure improved focus of emergency, safety and security capacity in a disaster situation. The integration of the DR test into the ET-50 project allowed the testing of COOP at Hanford and allowed the lessons learned to be defined. These lessons learned have helped improve the understanding of Hanford's COOP capabilities and will be critical for future planning. With the completion of the Hanford Federal Cloud network upgrades and the disaster recovery exercise, the MSA has a clearer path forward for future technology implementations as well as network improvements to help shape the usability and reliability of the Hanford network in support of the cleanup mission.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

SP mountain data analysis

An analysis of synthetic aperture radar data of SP Mountain was undertaken to demonstrate the use of digital image processing techniques to aid in geologic interpretation of SAR data. These data were collected with the ERIM X- and L-band airborne SAR using like- and cross-polarizations. The resulting signal films were used to produce computer compatible tapes, from which four-channel imagery was generated. Slant range-to-ground range and range-azimuth-scale corrections were made in order to facilitate image registration; intensity corrections were also made. Manual interpretation of the imagery showed that L-band represented the geology of the area better than X-band. Several differences between the various images were also noted. Further digital analysis of the corrected data was done for enhancement purposes. This analysis included application of an MSS differencing routine and development of a routine for removal of relief displacement. It was found that accurate registration of the SAR channels is critical to the effectiveness of the differencing routine. Use of the relief displacement algorithm on the SP Mountain data demonstrated the feasibility of the technique.

Rawson, R. F.↗

Predicting Strength and Fatigue for Suited and Unsuited Conditions from Empirical Data

The need for longer and more labor-intensive extra-vehicular activities (EVA) is required for construction and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS). Issues pertaining to human performance while wearing a space suit (EMU) for prolonged periods have become more important. This project was conducted to investigate how a pressurized Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) affects human upper body joint strength and fatigue and how to predict it from computer models based on the data collected.

Maida, James C.↗

Computation of the tip vortex flowfield for advanced aircraft propellers

The tip vortex flowfield plays a significant role in the performance of advanced aircraft propellers. The flowfield in the tip region is complex, three-dimensional and viscous with large secondary velocities. An analysis is presented using an approximate set of equations which contains the physics required by the tip vortex flowfield, but which does not require the resources of the full Navier-Stokes equations. A computer code was developed to predict the tip vortex flowfield of advanced aircraft propellers. A grid generation package was developed to allow specification of a variety of advanced aircraft propeller shapes. Calculations of the tip vortex generation on an SR3 type blade at high Reynolds numbers were made using this code and a parametric study was performed to show the effect of tip thickness on tip vortex intensity. In addition, calculations of the tip vortex generation on a NACA 0012 type blade were made, including the flowfield downstream of the blade trailing edge. Comparison of flowfield calculations with experimental data from an F4 blade was made. A user's manual was also prepared for the computer code (NASA CR-182178).

Tsai, Tommy M.↗

Ion energy-angle distribution functions at the plasma-material interface in oblique magnetic fields

The ion energy-angle distribution (IEAD) at the wall of a magnetized plasma is of fundamental importance for the determination of the material processes occurring at the plasma-material interface, comprising secondary emissions and material sputtering. Here, we present a numerical characterization of the IEAD at the wall of a weakly collisional magnetized plasma with the magnetic field inclined at an arbitrary angle with respect to the wall. The analysis has been done using two different techniques: (1) a fluid-Monte Carlo method, and (2) particle-in-cell simulations, the former offering a fast but approximate method for the determination of the IEADs, the latter giving a computationally intensive but self-consistent treatment of the plasma behavior from the quasi-neutral region to the material boundary. The two models predict similar IEADs, whose similarities and differences are discussed. Data are presented for magnetic fields inclined at angles from normal to grazing incidence (0°–85°). We show the scaling factors of the average and peak ion energy and trends of the pitch angle at the wall as a function of the magnetic angle, for use in the correlation of fluid plasma models to material models.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗