BOMMER: An LLM-based Bill of Materials Machine Evaluated Report Tool
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97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
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Variations in the Contouring of Organs at Risk: Test Case From a Patient With Oropharyngeal Cancer
Purpose: Anatomy contouring is critical in radiation therapy. Inaccuracy and variation in defining critical volumes will affect everything downstream: treatment planning, dose-volume histogram analysis, and contour-based visual guidance used in image-guided radiation therapy. This study quantified: (1) variation in the contouring of organs at risk (OAR) in a clinical test case and (2) corresponding effects on dosimetric metrics of highly conformal plans. Methods and Materials: A common CT data set with predefined targets from a patient with oropharyngeal cancer was provided to a population of clinics, which were asked to (1) contour OARs and (2) design an intensity-modulated radiation therapy plan. Thirty-two acceptable plans were submitted as DICOM RT data sets, each generated by a different clinical team. Using those data sets, we quantified: (1) the OAR contouring variation and (2) the impact this variation has on dosimetric metrics. New technologies were employed, including a software tool to quantify three-dimensional structure comparisons. Results: There was significant interclinician variation in OAR contouring. The degree of variation is organ-dependent. We found substantial dose differences resulting strictly from contouring variation (differences ranging from -289% to 56% for mean OAR dose; -22% to 35% for maximum dose). However, there appears to be a threshold in the OAR comparison metric beyond which the dose differences stabilize. Conclusions: The effects of interclinician variation in contouring organs-at-risk in the head and neck can be large and are organ-specific. Physicians need to be aware of the effect that variation in OAR contouring can play on the final treatment plan and not restrict their focus only to the target volumes.
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
Open-source python-OpenDSS interface for hybrid simulation of PV impact studies
Not provided.
Engineering↗
Imaging-based optical caliper for objects in hot manufacturing processes
OG Technologies, Inc. (OGT), in conjunction with its industrial and academic partners, proposes to develop an Imaging-Based Optical Caliper (hereafter referred to as OC) for Objects in Hot Manufacturing Processes. The goal is to develop and demonstrate the OC with the synergy of OGT's current technological pool and other innovations to provide a light weight, robust, safe and accurate portable dimensional measurement device for hot objects with integrated wireless communication capacity to enable real time process control. The technical areas of interest in this project are the combination of advanced imaging, Sensor Fusion, and process control. OGT believes that the synergistic interactions between its current set of technologies and other innovations could deliver products that are viable and have high impact in the hot manufacture processes, such as steel making, steel rolling, open die forging, and glass industries, resulting in a new energy efficient control paradigm in the operations through improved yield, prolonged tool life and improved quality. In-line dimension measurement and control is of interest to the steel makers, yet current industry focus is on the final product dimension only instead of whole process due to the limit of man power, system cost and operator safety concerns. As sensor technologies advances, the industry started to see the need to enforce better dimensional control throughout the process, but lack the proper tools to do so. OGT along with its industrial partners represent the indigenous effort of technological development to serve the US steel industry. The immediate market that can use and get benefited from the proposed OC is the Steel Industry. The deployment of the OC has the potential to provide benefits in reduction of energy waste, CO2 emission, waste water amount, toxic waste, and so forth. The potential market after further expended function includes Hot Forging and Freight Industries. The OC prototypes were fabricated, and were progressively tested on-site in several steel mill and hot forging facilities for evaluation. Software refinements and new calibration procedures were also carried out to overcome the discovered glitches. Progress was presented to the hot manufacture facilities worldwide. Evidence showed a great interest and practical need for this product. OGT is in the pilot commercialization mode for this new development. The R&D team also successfully developed a 3D measurement function with no additional investment of hardware or equipment to measure low or room temperature object dimensions. Several tests were conducted in the reality environment to evaluate the measurement results. This new application will require additional development in product design.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Tools to Address Glare and Avian Flux Hazards from Solar Energy Systems
This report describes software tools that can be used to evaluate and mitigate potential glare and avian-flux hazards from photovoltaic and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Enhancements to the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool (SGHAT) include new block-space receptor models, integration of PVWatts for energy prediction, and a 3D daily glare visualization feature. Tools and methods to evaluate avian-flux hazards at CSP plants with large heliostat fields are also discussed. Alternative heliostat standby aiming strategies were investigated to reduce the avian-flux hazard and minimize impacts to operational performance. Finally, helicopter flyovers were conducted at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility and at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System to evaluate the alternative heliostat aiming strategies and to provide a basis for model validation. Results showed that the models generally overpredicted the measured results, but they were able to simulate the trends in irradiance values with distance. A heliostat up-aiming strategy is recommended to alleviate both glare and avian-flux hazards, but operational schemes are required to reduce the impact on heliostat slew times and plant performance. Future studies should consider the trade-offs and collective impacts on these three factors of glare, avian-flux hazards, and plant operations and performance.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Design, construction and testing of annular diffusers for high speed civil transportation combustor applications
A theoretical and an experimental design study of subsonic flow through curved-wall annular diffusers is being carried out in order to establish the most pertinent design parameters for such devices and the implications of their application in the design of engine components in the aerospace industries. This investigation consists of solving numerically the full Navier Stokes and Continuity equations for the time-mean flow. Various models of turbulence are being evaluated for adoption throughout the study and comparisons would be made with experimental data where they exist. Assessment of diffuser performance based on the dissipated mechanical energy would also be made. The experimental work involves the application of Computer Aided Design software tool to the development of a suitable annular diffuser geometry and the subsequent downloading of such data to a CNC machine at Central State University. The results of the investigations are expected to indicate that more cost effective component design of such devices as effective component design of such devices as diffusers which normally contain complex flows can still be achieved. In this regard a review paper was accepted and presented at the First International Conference on High Speed Civil Transportation Research held at North Carolina A&T in December of 1994.
Okhio, Cyril B.↗
Evaluation of Precision Landing Performance Using A Generalized Aerospace Simulation in Simulink Framework
NASA’s science and exploration goals to return to the Moon and beyond will need to perform precision landings to place humans and cargo supplies near places of scientific interest, surface resources, or pre-established basecamps. With the maturation of new navigation technology, such as terrain relative navigation, precision landing is now feasible, enabling new exploration sites, such as the lunar poles. However, verification of precision landing performance becomes crucial since not reaching the designated landing site would have a high risk of loss of mission. Therefore, having a high-fidelity simulation platform to evaluate six degrees of freedom vehicle performance during high-risk phases of flight such landing is a fundamental part of the system verification and risk reduction. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed the GeneraLized Aerospace Simulation in Simulink® (GLASS) tool which incorporates guidance, navigation, and control algorithms, as well as vehicle and environmental models, such as gravity, vehicle mass properties, navigation sensors, propulsion, and terrain models. GLASS uses the MathWorks® Simulink® environment which provides a model-based design framework that allows the incorporation of vehicle models in a modular architecture. The Simulink® environment provides seamless integration with all the MathWorks® capabilities and toolboxes, such as control design toolboxes and Simscape™ Multibody™ dynamics toolbox. The MathWorks® environment also allows for guidance, navigation, and control algorithms to be auto coded in C language, enabling quick software and hardware in the loop testing. This paper provides an overview of GLASS capabilities for analyzing precision landing performance, including navigation trades applied to a NASA human lander reference design architecture.
Guidance↗
An agent-based hardware-in-the-loop simulation framework for building controls
In general, a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) building simulation has lower cost and fewer practical limitations (e.g., scheduling issues) than field tests in occupied buildings, while also overcoming limitations of simulations alone by capturing the full behavior of some physical systems, equipment, and components. However, the implementation of an HIL can be difficult due to the scarcity of appropriate tools. Here, this paper presents an agent-based framework for HIL simulation. It can be used for investigation of controller performance via controller-in-the-loop simulations and also HIL for system synthesis. In the latter case, both controllers and major equipment participate in tests to ensure that dynamics of equipment operation are correctly captured in addition to controller performance. The HIL simulation framework presented allows such actual physical parts to be included in the framework while representing others for which behaviors are better known and modeled in simulation models. The mechanism implemented in the framework to synchronize simulations in software with real-time operation of physical equipment is described. Lastly, as an example, use of the HIL simulation framework is illustrated through a brief study of speed control of the supply fan in the air handling unit of a variable-air-volume building heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Tanana River Test Site Model Verification Using the Marine and Hydrokinetic Toolkit (MHKiT)
The marine energy (ME) industry historically lacked a standardized data processing toolkit for common tasks such as data ingestion, quality control, and visualization. The marine and hydrokinetic toolkit (MHKiT) solved this issue by providing a public software deployment (open-source and free) toolkit for the ME industry to store and maintain commonly used functionality for wave, tidal, and river energy. This paper demonstrates an initial model verification study in MHKiT. Using Delft3D, a numerical model of the Tanana River Test Site (TRTS) at Nenana, Alaska was created. Field data from the site was collected using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) at the proposed Current Energy Converter (CEC) locations. MHKiT is used to process model simulations from Delft3D and compare them to the transect data from the ADCP measurements at TRTS. The ability to use a single tool to process simulation and field data demonstrates the ease at which the ME industry can obtain results and collaborate across specialties, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.
13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
A Tool for the Automated Design and Evaluation of Habitat Interior Layouts
The objective of space habitat design is to minimize mass and system size while providing adequate space for all necessary equipment and a functional layout that supports crew health and productivity. Unfortunately, development and evaluation of interior layouts is often ignored during conceptual design because of the subjectivity and long times required using current evaluation methods (e.g., human-in-the-loop mockup tests and in-depth CAD evaluations). Early, more objective assessment could prevent expensive design changes that may increase vehicle mass and compromise functionality. This paper describes a new interior design evaluation method to enable early, structured consideration of habitat interior layouts. This interior layout evaluation method features a comprehensive list of quantifiable habitat layout evaluation criteria, automatic methods to measure these criteria from a geometry model, and application of systems engineering tools and numerical methods to construct a multi-objective value function measuring the overall habitat layout performance. In addition to a detailed description of this method, a C++/OpenGL software tool which has been developed to implement this method is also discussed. This tool leverages geometry modeling coupled with collision detection techniques to identify favorable layouts subject to multiple constraints and objectives (e.g., minimize mass, maximize contiguous habitable volume, maximize task performance, and minimize crew safety risks). Finally, a few habitat layout evaluation examples are described to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and tool to influence habitat design.
Simon, Matthew A.↗
Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) Flight Evaluation
NASA's Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) is a cockpit decision support tool that has the potential to achieve significant fuel and time savings when it is embedded in the data-rich Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) airspace. To address a key step towards the operational deployment of TAP and the NASA concept of Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR), a system evaluation was conducted in a representative flight environment in November, 2013. Numerous challenges were overcome to achieve this goal, including the porting of the foundational Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP) software from its original simulation-based, avionics-embedded environment to an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) platform. A flight-test aircraft was modified to host the EFB, the TAP application, an Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) processor, and a satellite broadband datalink. Nine Evaluation Pilots conducted 26 hours of TAP assessments using four route profiles in the complex eastern and north-eastern United States airspace. Extensive avionics and video data were collected, supplemented by comprehensive inflight and post-flight questionnaires. TAP was verified to function properly in the live avionics and ADS-B environment, characterized by recorded data dropouts, latency, and ADS-B message fluctuations. Twelve TAP-generated optimization requests were submitted to ATC, of which nine were approved, and all of which resulted in fuel and/or time savings. Analysis of subjective workload data indicated that pilot interaction with TAP during flight operations did not induce additional cognitive loading. Additionally, analyses of post-flight questionnaire data showed that the pilots perceived TAP to be useful, understandable, intuitive, and easy to use. All program objectives were met, and the next phase of TAP development and evaluations with partner airlines is in planning for 2015.
Maris, John M.↗
A Flexible and Non-instrusive Approach for Computing Complex Structural Coverage Metrics
Software analysis tools and techniques often leverage structural code coverage information to reason about the dynamic behavior of software. Existing techniques instrument the code with the required structural obligations and then monitor the execution of the compiled code to report coverage. Instrumentation based approaches often incur considerable runtime overhead for complex structural coverage metrics such as Modified Condition/Decision (MC/DC). Code instrumentation, in general, has to be approached with great care to ensure it does not modify the behavior of the original code. Furthermore, instrumented code cannot be used in conjunction with other analyses that reason about the structure and semantics of the code under test. In this work, we introduce a non-intrusive preprocessing approach for computing structural coverage information. It uses a static partial evaluation of the decisions in the source code and a source-to-bytecode mapping to generate the information necessary to efficiently track structural coverage metrics during execution. Our technique is flexible; the results of the preprocessing can be used by a variety of coverage-driven software analysis tasks, including automated analyses that are not possible for instrumented code. Experimental results in the context of symbolic execution show the efficiency and flexibility of our nonintrusive approach for computing code coverage information
DO-178C↗
Crew Scheduling Performance
As NASA considers long-duration exploration missions (LDEMs), it is envisioned that crew will behave more autonomously as compared to low-Earth orbit missions. The necessary shift of Ops Planners’ complete management of scheduling and planning to provide flexibility for crew to manage their own schedule in real-time requires significant research and investigation in evaluation of concepts of operations, of software tools to support tasks, and of crew performance to complete scheduling tasks. Our research objective is to characterize the human performance envelope for the task of planning and scheduling (crew self-scheduling), develop countermeasures to mitigate adverse performance effects due to plan complexity, and inform performance standards and guidelines based on research results. In our efforts to understand and characterize scheduling performance of crew members, we have conducted subject matter expert interviews to obtain feedback on scheduling plan complexity drivers and plan goodness. Following the pilot study conducted last year, we designed a study and have begun remote human subject testing to evaluate non-expert human performance, workload, and situational awareness for the task of planning and scheduling. This study investigates the effects of the number and type of constraints on human performance, and the differences in scheduling metrics between scheduling and rescheduling tasks. Subject testing is currently in progress, and we aim to collect data from approximately thirty subjects. We will summarize the methods used and impacts of the number and type of scheduling constraints. We will also present lessons learned as well as relevant results of the study.
crew scheduling↗
Shuttle Repair Tools Automate Vehicle Maintenance
Successfully building, flying, and maintaining the space shuttles was an immensely complex job that required a high level of detailed, precise engineering. After each shuttle landed, it entered a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) phase. Each system was thoroughly checked and tested, and worn or damaged parts replaced, before the shuttle was rolled out for its next mission. During the MRO period, workers needed to record exactly what needed replacing and why, as well as follow precise guidelines and procedures in making their repairs. That meant traceability, and with it lots of paperwork. In 2007, the number of reports generated during electrical system repairs was getting out of hand-placing among the top three systems in terms of paperwork volume. Repair specialists at Kennedy Space Center were unhappy spending so much time at a desk and so little time actually working on the shuttle. "Engineers weren't spending their time doing technical work," says Joseph Schuh, an electrical engineer at Kennedy. "Instead, they were busy with repetitive, time-consuming processes that, while important in their own right, provided a low return on time invested." The strain of such inefficiency was bad enough that slow electrical repairs jeopardized rollout on several occasions. Knowing there had to be a way to streamline operations, Kennedy asked Martin Belson, a project manager with 30 years experience as an aerospace contractor, to co-lead a team in developing software that would reduce the effort required to document shuttle repairs. The result was System Maintenance Automated Repair Tasks (SMART) software. SMART is a tool for aggregating and applying information on every aspect of repairs, from procedures and instructions to a vehicle s troubleshooting history. Drawing on that data, SMART largely automates the processes of generating repair instructions and post-repair paperwork. In the case of the space shuttle, this meant that SMART had 30 years worth of operations that it could apply to ongoing maintenance work. According to Schuh, "SMART standardized and streamlined many shuttle repair processes, saving time and money while increasing safety and the quality of repairs." Maintenance technicians and engineers now had a tool that kept them in the field, and because SMART is capable of continually evolving, each time an engineer put it to use, it would enrich the Agency-wide knowledge base. "If an engineer sees something in the work environment that they could improve, a repair process or a procedure, SMART can incorporate that data for use in future operations," says Belson.
Source record↗
Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE) interface requirements analysis: Operations scenarios
This report is a preliminary assessment of the functional and data interface requirements to the link between the GSDE GS/SPF (Amdahl) and the Space Station Control Center (SSCC) and Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) Integration, Verification, and Test Environments (IVTE's). These interfaces will be involved in ground software development of both the control center and the simulation and training systems. Our understanding of the configuration management (CM) interface and the expected functional characteristics of the Amdahl-IVTE interface is described. A set of assumptions and questions that need to be considered and resolved in order to complete the interface functional and data requirements definitions are presented. A listing of information items defined to describe software configuration items in the GSDE CM system is included. It also includes listings of standard reports of CM information and of CM-related tools in the GSDE.
Church, Victor E.↗
simuwatt - A Tablet Based Electronic Auditing Tool
'simuwatt Energy Auditor' (TM) is a new tablet-based electronic auditing tool that is designed to dramatically reduce the time and cost to perform investment-grade audits and improve quality and consistency. The tool uses the U.S. Department of Energy's OpenStudio modeling platform and integrated Building Component Library to automate modeling and analysis. simuwatt's software-guided workflow helps users gather required data, and provides the data in a standard electronic format that is automatically converted to a baseline OpenStudio model for energy analysis. The baseline energy model is calibrated against actual monthly energy use to ASHRAE Standard 14 guidelines. Energy conservation measures from the Building Component Library are then evaluated using OpenStudio's parametric analysis capability. Automated reporting creates audit documents that describe recommended packages of energy conservation measures. The development of this tool was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. As part of this program, the tool is being tested at 13 buildings on 5 Department of Defense sites across the United States. Results of the first simuwatt audit tool demonstration are presented in this paper.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Towards Acceptance Testing at the Exascale Frontier
At the 2007 Cray User Group meeting, the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) introduced the OLCF Test Harness (OTH), a framework[1] used for acceptance testing of the Jaguar supercomputer[2]. Since then, the OTH framework has evolved to version 2.0 which adds new features and streamlines usability. The OTH is the key piece of software used to orchestrate acceptance testing for all OLCF computational resources before they are deployed for production use, including our leadership class high performance computing (HPC) systems. The OTH framework is written in Python and is publicly available[3].In this paper, we first describe the requirements, design, and structure of the OTH. Then, we present specific improvements developed to support acceptance testing of the OLCF’s Summit system[4]. We will also showcase new OTH features that have been added to streamline the acceptance test process as well as the motivation behind those changes. As part of this work, we also evaluated different workflow tools in order to determine whether these tools could complement the OTH in two key areas: automation and reporting. The advantages and disadvantages identified with each tool will be discussed. Lastly, we summarize the challenges and lessons learned collected from using the OTH for the acceptance of the last three flagship systems at the OLCF. These may be useful for other HPC centers developing their own testing frameworks or those interested in using the OTH.
Melesse Vergara, Veronica↗
SU-E-T-434: Evaluation of the Machine Performance Check (MPC) Program for Truebeam 2.0
Purpose: Machine Performance Check (MPC) is a software application used to verify that the TrueBeam machine is operating within major specifications prior to treatment. Used in combination with a phantom named Isocal, it verifies beam output, beam uniformity, treatment isocenter size, coincidence of treatment and imaging isocenters, positioning accuracy of kV and MV imaging systems, accuracy of collimator and gantry rotation angle, positioning accuracy of jaws and MLC leafs, and couch positioning. The tests can be performed semi-automatically and requires approximately 10 minutes of machine time. It is the purpose of this study to report the performance of this program. Methods: A pre-release version of the MPC tool was installed on a Truebeam linac with 6D couch at our center. Baseline beam output measurements were taken for 5 photon beams (6–15 MV, 6 FFF, 10 FFF) and 5 electron beams (6–20 MeV). Deviations from the baseline output were subsequently recorded for several days and compared against independent measurements from a PTW farmer chamber and our daily QA device (Fluke Biomedical Tracker) as part of an ongoing evaluation. Results: The beam output deviations between the MPC and the PTW chamber measurements were within ±0.7% for photons beams and ±1.0% for electrons beams. This was similar to the tracker performance. There were some isolated incidents where the MPC measurements had unexplained spikes (>3%) that disappeared on a repeat measurement. MPC was also able to detect maximum positioning errors in the jaws (1.12 mm), MLCs (1.14 mm), and couch roll (0.11°). Conclusion: Overall, the ability of the MPC to monitor linac output stability was comparable to that of ionization chamber-based measurements. MPC also provided fast daily mechanical tests not currently available in the clinic. How best to utilize this previously unavailable data is still under investigation.
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗