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At least 1,063 records · Page 59

Does training-induced orthostatic hypotension result from reduced carotid baroreflex responsiveness?

As manned space travel has steadily increased in duration and sophistication, the answer to a simple, relevant question remains elusive. Does endurance exercise training - high intensity rhythmic activity, performed regularly for extended periods of time - alter the disposition to, or severity of, postflight orthostatic hypotension? Research results continue to provide different views; however, data are difficult to compare because of the following factors that vary between investigations: the type of orthostatic stress imposed (+Gz, lower body negative pressure (LBNP), head-up tilt); pretest perturbations used (exercise, heat exposure, head-down tilting, bed rest, water immersion, hypohydration, pharmacologically-induced diuresis); the length of the training program used in longitudinal investigations (days versus weeks versus months); the criteria used to define fitness; and the criteria used to define orthostatic tolerance. Generally, research results indicate that individuals engaged in aerobic exercise activities for a period of years have been reported to have reduced orthostatic tolerance compared to untrained control subjects, while the results of shorter term longitudinal studies remain equivocal. Such conclusions suggest that chronic athletic training programs reduce orthostatic tolerance, whereas relatively brief (days to weeks) training programs do not affect orthostatic tolerance to any significant degree (increase or decrease). A primary objective was established to identify the alterations in blood pressure control that contribute to training-induced orthostatic hypotension (TIOH). Although any aspect of blood pressure regulation is suspect, current research has been focused on the baroreceptor system. Reductions in carotid baroreflex responsiveness have been documented in exercise-trained rabbits, reportedly due to an inhibitory influence from cardiac afferent, presumably vagal, nerve fibers that is abolished with intrapericardiac denervation. The purpose of this investigation was to attempt to determine if similar relationships existed in men with varied levels of fitness, using maximal aerobic power, VO2 max, as the marker of fitness.

Pawelczyk, James A.↗

Breaking Down the Computational Barriers to Real-Time Urban Flood Forecasting

Flooding impacts are on the rise globally, and concentrated in urban areas. Currently, there are no operational systems to forecast flooding at spatial resolutions that can facilitate emergency preparedness and response actions mitigating flood impacts. We present a framework for real-time flood modeling and uncertainty quantification that combines the physics of fluid motion with advances in probabilistic methods. The framework overcomes the prohibitive computational demands of high-fidelity modeling in real-time by using a probabilistic learning method relying on surrogate models that are trained prior to a flood event. This shifts the overwhelming burden of computation to the trivial problem of data storage, and enables forecasting of both flood hazard and its uncertainty at scales that are vital for time-critical decision-making before and during extreme events. The framework has the potential to improve flood prediction and analysis and can be extended to other hazard assessments requiring intense high-fidelity computations in real-time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning FRNN Software for Prediction & Real-Time Control of DIII-D Plasma Control System (PCS)

This collaborative project integrated an improved version of the Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning FRNN prediction and control software into the real-time DIII-D PCS (plasma control system). A key AI/DL software challenge is to build a modern high-performance computing (HPC) enabled “synthetic plasma simulator” capable of carrying out HPC-driven real-time plasma control applications. This involves development of a deep learning framework to train the surrogate model for a first-principles-based instability analysis simulator (“SGTC”) derived from the global gyrokinetic code GTC. The role of SGTC is to provide accurate and detailed plasma instability information from a real-time AI-based simulator capability to complement the deep learning prediction and control from experimentally-measured signals, such as ECE Imaging, supplemented by synthetic SGTC-ECEI.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Prediction of space sickness in astronauts from preflight fluid, electrolyte, and cardiovascular variables and Weightless Environmental Training Facility (WETF) training

Nine preflight variables related to fluid, electrolyte, and cardiovascular status from 64 first-time Shuttle crewmembers were differentially weighted by discrimination analysis to predict the incidence and severity of each crewmember's space sickness as rated by NASA flight surgeons. The nine variables are serum uric acid, red cell count, environmental temperature at the launch site, serum phosphate, urine osmolality, serum thyroxine, sitting systolic blood pressure, calculated blood volume, and serum chloride. Using two methods of cross-validation on the original samples (jackknife and a stratefied random subsample), these variables enable the prediction of space sickness incidence (NONE or SICK) with 80 percent sickness and space severity (NONE, MILD, MODERATE, of SEVERE) with 59 percent success by one method of cross-validation and 67 percent by another method. Addition of a tenth variable, hours spent in the Weightlessness Environment Training Facility (WETF) did not improve the prediction of space sickness incidences but did improve the prediction of space sickness severity to 66 percent success by the first method of cross-validation of original samples and to 71 percent by the second method. Results to date suggest the presence of predisposing physiologic factors to space sickness that implicate fluid shift etiology. The data also suggest that prior exposure to fluid shift during WETF training may produce some circulatory pre-adaption to fluid shifts in weightlessness that results in a reduction of space sickness severity.

Simanonok, K.↗

Designing alloys with process-mapping AI pre-trained on empirical knowledge

<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Accelerated materials design should match the recent trends in the product development cycles. Materials data analytics can be used to significantly shorten development time of specialized alloys needed for next generation energy applications. However, it faces a challenge of scarce data available for training ML models. Incorporation of the domain knowledge into deep-learning graph structure via fuzzy pre-training and causal process imitation presents a viable approach to developing accurate data-driven models and reliable alloy design tools, with limited datasets. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used in this study to incorporate such knowledge in the domain-specific computational tool, pyroMind. The tool provides not only novel design ideas but also their interpretation via physics and engineering concepts.</span>

Romanov, Vyacheslav↗

Vertical instability forecasting and controllability assessment of multi-device tokamak plasmas in DECAF with data-driven optimization

Abstract Reliable vertical position control will be an essential element of any future tokamak-based fusion power plant in order to reduce disruptions and maximize performance. We investigate methods to improve vertical controllability boundary determination in plasma operational space and demonstrate a data-driven approach based on direct pseudoinversion of operational space data that is rigorously quantitative, applicable in real-time plasma control systems, and physically intuitive to interpret. Applied to historical shot data from entire run campaigns on the MAST-U, KSTAR, and NSTX tokamaks, this approach, implemented in DECAF, improves vertical displacement event identification accuracy to 98.9%–100%. Further, we explore the application of a physics-based vertical stability metric as an early warning forecaster for vertical displacement events. The development of a linear surrogate model for the plasma current density profile, with a coefficient of determination of 0.992 on the training dataset, enables potential employment of this forecaster in real-time. The application of this approach on historical data from the MAST-U MU02 campaign yields a forecaster with 62.6% accuracy, indicating promise for this method when further refined and potentially coupled with other stability metrics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Space time neural networks for tether operations in space

A space shuttle flight scheduled for 1992 will attempt to prove the feasibility of operating tethered payloads in earth orbit. due to the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and current pulsing through the tether, the tethered system may exhibit a circular transverse oscillation referred to as the 'skiprope' phenomenon. Effective damping of skiprope motion depends on rapid and accurate detection of skiprope magnitude and phase. Because of non-linear dynamic coupling, the satellite attitude behavior has characteristic oscillations during the skiprope motion. Since the satellite attitude motion has many other perturbations, the relationship between the skiprope parameters and attitude time history is very involved and non-linear. We propose a Space-Time Neural Network implementation for filtering satellite rate gyro data to rapidly detect and predict skiprope magnitude and phase. Training and testing of the skiprope detection system will be performed using a validated Orbital Operations Simulator and Space-Time Neural Network software developed in the Software Technology Branch at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

Lea, Robert N.↗

Inductive Approaches to Improving Diagnosis and Design for Diagnosability

The first research area under this grant addresses the problem of classifying time series according to their morphological features in the time domain. A supervised learning system called CALCHAS, which induces a classification procedure for signatures from preclassified examples, was developed. For each of several signature classes, the system infers a model that captures the class's morphological features using Bayesian model induction and the minimum message length approach to assign priors. After induction, a time series (signature) is classified in one of the classes when there is enough evidence to support that decision. Time series with sufficiently novel features, belonging to classes not present in the training set, are recognized as such. A second area of research assumes two sources of information about a system: a model or domain theory that encodes aspects of the system under study and data from actual system operations over time. A model, when it exists, represents strong prior expectations about how a system will perform. Our work with a diagnostic model of the RCS (Reaction Control System) of the Space Shuttle motivated the development of SIG, a system which combines information from a model (or domain theory) and data. As it tracks RCS behavior, the model computes quantitative and qualitative values. Induction is then performed over the data represented by both the 'raw' features and the model-computed high-level features. Finally, work on clustering for operating mode discovery motivated some important extensions to the clustering strategy we had used. One modification appends an iterative optimization technique onto the clustering system; this optimization strategy appears to be novel in the clustering literature. A second modification improves the noise tolerance of the clustering system. In particular, we adapt resampling-based pruning strategies used by supervised learning systems to the task of simplifying hierarchical clusterings, thus making post-clustering analysis easier.

Fisher, Douglas H.↗

Speedup of UEDGE Parameter Scans Using Machine-Learning Optimized OpenMP Parallelization and a Continuation Solver

This article presents the OpenMP parallelization of the preconditioning Jacobian assembly and right‐hand side residual evaluation in UEDGE. A continuation algorithm, utilizing the internal NKSOL implicit Jacobian‐Free Newton‐Krylov solver to efficiently scan physical parameters, is also presented. The implemented parallelization reduces the computational time for a benchmark scan run on 32 threads by compared to the serial version when using trained random forest regression models to identify the optimal decomposition of the system of equations. Random forest regression models applied to the UEDGE time‐dependent and continuation solver algorithms did not yield meaningful improvement in computational performance. A benchmark DIII‐D gas injection rate scan in the 0.35–0.75 kA interval, performed on a test cluster using the parallelized code and continuation solver, produced 1066 steady‐state solutions with a 22 s average wall‐clock computational time per steady‐state solution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A preliminary empirical evaluation of virtual reality as an instructional medium for visual-spatial tasks

We explored the training potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technology. Thirty-one adults were trained and tested on spatial skills in a VR. They learned a sequence of button and knob responses on a VR console and performed flawlessly on the same console. Half were trained with a rote strategy; the rest used a meaningful strategy. Response times were equivalent for both groups and decreased significantly over five test trials indicating that learning continued on VR tests. The same subjects practiced navigating through a VR building, which had three floors with four rooms on each floor. The dependent measure was the number of rooms traversed on routes that differed from training routes. Many subjects completed tests in the fewest rooms possible. All subjects learned configurational knowledge according to the criterion of taking paths that were significantly shorter than those predicted by a random walk as determined by a Monte Carlo analysis. The results were discussed as a departure point for empirically testing the training potential of VR technology.

Regian, J. Wesley↗

Real-time image denoising of mixed Poisson–Gaussian noise in fluorescence microscopy images using ImageJ

Fluorescence microscopy imaging speed is fundamentally limited by the measurement signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To improve image SNR for a given image acquisition rate, computational denoising techniques can be used to suppress noise. However, common techniques to estimate a denoised image from a single frame either are computationally expensive or rely on simple noise statistical models. These models assume Poisson or Gaussian noise statistics, which are not appropriate for many fluorescence microscopy applications that contain quantum shot noise and electronic Johnson–Nyquist noise, therefore a mixture of Poisson and Gaussian noise. In this paper, we show convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on mixed Poisson and Gaussian noise images to overcome the limitations of existing image denoising methods. The trained CNN is presented as an open-source ImageJ plugin that performs real-time image denoising (within tens of milliseconds) with superior performance (SNR improvement) compared to conventional fluorescence microscopy denoising methods. The method is validated on external datasets with out-of-distribution noise, contrast, structure, and imaging modalities from the training data and consistently achieves high-performance ( > <#comment/> 8 d B ) denoising in less time than other fluorescence microscopy denoising methods.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Uncertainty quantification for neural network potential foundation models

Abstract For neural network potentials (NNPs) to gain widespread use, researchers must be able to trust model outputs. However, the blackbox nature of neural networks and their inherent stochasticity are often deterrents, especially for foundation models trained over broad swaths of chemical space. Uncertainty information provided at the time of prediction can help reduce aversion to NNPs. In this work, we detail two uncertainty quantification (UQ) methods. Readout ensembling, by finetuning the readout layers of an ensemble of foundation models, provides information about model uncertainty, while quantile regression, by replacing point predictions with distributional predictions, provides information about uncertainty within the underlying training data. We demonstrate our approach with the MACE-MP-0 model, applying UQ to the foundation model and a series of finetuned models. The uncertainties produced by the readout ensemble and quantile methods are demonstrated to be distinct measures by which the quality of the NNP output can be judged.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Training Ultrasound Image Classification Deep-Learning Algorithms for Pneumothorax Detection Using a Synthetic Tissue Phantom Apparatus

Ultrasound (US) imaging is a critical tool in emergency and military medicine because of its portability and immediate nature. However, proper image interpretation requires skill, limiting its utility in remote applications for conditions such as pneumothorax (PTX) which requires rapid intervention. Artificial intelligence has the potential to automate ultrasound image analysis for various pathophysiological conditions. Training models require large data sets and a means of troubleshooting in real-time for ultrasound integration deployment, and they also require large animal models or clinical testing. Here, we detail the development of a dynamic synthetic tissue phantom model for PTX and its use in training image classification algorithms. The model comprises a synthetic gelatin phantom cast in a custom 3D-printed rib mold and a lung mimicking phantom. When compared to PTX images acquired in swine, images from the phantom were similar in both PTX negative and positive mimicking scenarios. We then used a deep learning image classification algorithm, which we previously developed for shrapnel detection, to accurately predict the presence of PTX in swine images by only training on phantom image sets, highlighting the utility for a tissue phantom for AI applications.

Boice, Emily N. (ORCID:0000000171802842)↗

Operational Applications of Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise as a Treatment for Airsickness in the Military

Airsickness is experienced by about 50% of military aviators some time in their career. Aviators who suffer from recurrent episodes of airsickness are typically referred to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) at Pensacola where they undergo extensive evaluation and 8 weeks of training in the Self-Paced Airsickness Desensitization (SPAD) program. Researchers at NASA Ames have developed an alternative mitigation training program, Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise (AFTE) that has demonstrated an 80% success rate for improving motion sickness tolerance.

Gebreyesus, Fiyore↗

Flare stars and solar bursts - High resolution in time and frequency

Coronal loops on the sun and nearby stars are studied using observations at 20-cm wavelength with high resolution in time and frequency. Observations of the dwarf M star AD Leonis with high time resolution led to the discovery of a quasi-periodic train of circularly polarized spikes with a mean periodicity of 32 + or - 5 ms and a total duration of 150 ms. Observations at closely spaced wavelengths using the VLA revealed a narrow-band structure in solar bursts and in the slowly varying radiation of the dwarf M star YZ Canis Minoris. This narrow-band emission may be attributed to electron-cyclotron maser radiation. Maser action at the second or first harmonic of the gyrofrequency implies magnetic field strengths of 250 and 500 G, respectively. Hence, observations with high resolution in time and frequency suggest coherent processs in the coronas of the sun and dwarf M stars. It is noted that the scientific potential suggested by the present data can be realized by the development of a solar-stellar synthesis radiotelescope. This instrument would be dedicated to solar and stellar observations with high angular, temporal, and frequency resolution.

Lang, K. R.↗

Development of a Countermeasure to Enhance Postflight Locomotor Adaptability

Astronauts returning from space flight experience locomotor dysfunction following their return to Earth. Our laboratory is currently developing a gait adaptability training program that is designed to facilitate recovery of locomotor function following a return to a gravitational environment. The training program exploits the ability of the sensorimotor system to generalize from exposure to multiple adaptive challenges during training so that the gait control system essentially learns to learn and therefore can reorganize more rapidly when faced with a novel adaptive challenge. We have previously confirmed that subjects participating in adaptive generalization training programs using a variety of visuomotor distortions can enhance their ability to adapt to a novel sensorimotor environment. Importantly, this increased adaptability was retained even one month after completion of the training period. Adaptive generalization has been observed in a variety of other tasks requiring sensorimotor transformations including manual control tasks and reaching (Bock et al., 2001, Seidler, 2003) and obstacle avoidance during walking (Lam and Dietz, 2004). Taken together, the evidence suggests that a training regimen exposing crewmembers to variation in locomotor conditions, with repeated transitions among states, may enhance their ability to learn how to reassemble appropriate locomotor patterns upon return from microgravity. We believe exposure to this type of training will extend crewmembers locomotor behavioral repertoires, facilitating the return of functional mobility after long duration space flight. Our proposed training protocol will compel subjects to develop new behavioral solutions under varying sensorimotor demands. Over time subjects will learn to create appropriate locomotor solution more rapidly enabling acquisition of mobility sooner after long-duration space flight. Our laboratory is currently developing adaptive generalization training procedures and the associated flight hardware to implement such a training program during regular inflight treadmill operations. A visual display system will provide variation in visual flow patterns during treadmill exercise. Crewmembers will be exposed to a virtual scene that can translate and rotate in six-degrees-of freedom during their regular treadmill exercise period. Associated ground based studies are focused on determining optimal combinations of sensory manipulations (visual flow, body loading and support surface variation) and training schedules that will produce the greatest potential for adaptive flexibility in gait function during exposure to challenging and novel environments. An overview of our progress in these areas will be discussed during the presentation.

Bloomberg, Jacob J.↗

CRCNS22 Learning Rules in the Hippocampus and their Mapping to Neuromorphic Systems (Final Technical Report)

Large scale biologically-realistic computational models are key to investigating the interplay between structure and function in nervous systems, thus paving the way to new clinical methods and neuro-inspired computing solutions. This project focuses on the hippocampus, in particular the CA3-CA1 regions, due to their role in associative learning and memory, pattern separation and completion, and spatial navigation. Investigations into the neuronal organization and learning rule(s) of this circuit can shed light into how declarative memories are formed, stored, recalled and forgotten and inform computational, experimental and clinical neuroscience work. Our project aims at developing a novel data-driven methodology supported by a broad heterogeneous base of neuroscience experimental knowledge and inspired from advances in computer science and engineering. Specifically, this work will benchmark existing and new learning rules within a full-scale spiking neural network simulation of the CA3-CA1 region. The model will be based on an open-source repository, called the Hippocampome, which contains neuronal morphologies, firing patterns, synapse probabilities, and most other required parameters for all known neuron types in the rodent hippocampal formation. The model will be first trained in a supervised fashion for associative memory tasks using backpropagation through time traditionally used in computer science, enhanced with a new technique called the surrogate gradient method. This optimization method will be used to obtain a global loss minimization, but it is not biologically inspired as it assumes the use of data not locally available to the synapses. However, we propose its use as a benchmarking tool, to compare the training performance of local biologically plausible and hardware-mappable learning rules at scale. New rules or combinations will be proposed and tested as needed, based on the obtained results. Progress in this area will also drive the development of novel hardware-mappable algorithms for continual lifelong learning and categorization of new events from few presented examples. This project goes beyond the existing state-of-the-art by looking at large scale realistic neuronal circuits as networks trainable via global optimization methods such as surrogate gradient descent. The objective function of the brain that supports learning is largely unknown, but it is likely that it operates through local learning rules. Studying network trajectories around local minima as proposed in this work represents a useful strategy for understanding whether a network is training by using a specific (set of) learning rule(s). Starting from a completely untrained network is a challenging test since it is difficult to determine how the learning rule affects the trajectory of the network. This interdisciplinary project will help understand what rule governs learning in these regions or if multiple learning rules are involved. The work will develop a robust methodology to measure if the network is converging to the target solution, oscillating around it, or diverging away.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Automatic identification and quantification of dense microcracks in high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites through deep learning-based computer vision

Highlights: • A method is presented to detect, locate, quantify, and visualize dense microcracks in HPFRCC. • Quantification of dense microcracks is realized using deep learning method for the first time. • The presented method uses deep learning models that are trained using a realistic dataset size. • The presented method has a high computation efficiency for identifying and quantifying cracks. • The presented method provides crack width with errors up to 50 μm and a R{sup 2} value of 0.984. High-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) feature high mechanical strengths, crack resistance, and durability. Under excessive loading, HPFRCCs demonstrate dense microcracks that are difficult to identify using existing methods. This study presents a computer vision method for identification, quantification, and visualization of microcracks in HPFRCCs based on deep learning. The presented method integrates multiple deep learning models and computer vision techniques in a hierarchical architecture. The crack pattern (e.g., number, width, and spacing of cracks) are automatically determined from pictures without human intervention. This study shows that the presented method achieves an accuracy of 0.992 for crack detection and an accuracy finer than 50 μm (R{sup 2} > 0.984) for quantification of crack width when deep learning models are trained using only 200 pictures of HPFRCCs and 200 pictures of conventional concrete with incorporation of data augmentation. The presented method is expected to be also applicable to other materials featuring complex cracks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗