Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Automated Testing”

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 1,387 records · Page 77
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

A Deep-Learning System for Fully-Automated Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) Tip Detection

A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) is a thin catheter that is inserted via arm veins and threaded near the heart, providing intravenous access. The final catheter tip position is always confirmed on a chest radiograph (CXR) immediately after insertion since malpositioned PICCs can cause potentially life-threatening complications. Although radiologists interpret PICC tip location with high accuracy, delays in interpretation can be significant. In this study, we proposed a fully-automated, deep-learning system with a cascading segmentation AI system containing two fully convolutional neural networks for detecting a PICC line and its tip location. A preprocessing module performed image quality and dimension normalization, and a post-processing module found the PICC tip accurately by pruning false positives. Our best model, trained on 400 training cases and selectively tuned on 50 validation cases, obtained absolute distances from ground truth with a mean of 3.10 mm, a standard deviation of 2.03 mm, and a root mean squares error (RMSE) of 3.71 mm on 150 held-out test cases. This system could help speed confirmation of PICC position and further be generalized to include other types of vascular access and therapeutic support devices.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2024

TEAMER - Field Demonstration of MarineSitu’s Marine Energy Monitoring Tools - CRADA 664 (Abstract)

In order to effectively monitor for marine life around marine energy devices and thus minimize the risk of collision, multiple sensors working in coordination and augmented with around-the-clock automated monitoring algorithms need to be installed in challenging high-energy tidal and wave environments. Such systems are often too expensive for widespread adoption, or lack sufficient sensors or smarts to enable around-the-clock, real-time monitoring without human involvement. MarineSitu has been working to tackle this problem by developing a low-cost, combined sonar and stereo camera sensor array with connected real-time AI-based algorithms for automatically detecting marine life in these marine energy suitable environments. In this TEAMER project with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), MarineSitu will be testing this novel sensor system for the first time in the high-energy tidal channel environment at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Lab. Throughout this deployment, MarineSitu will be monitoring their system and running analytics on the sensor’s data in real-time. Meanwhile, PNNL Data Scientists and Ocean Engineers, will be evaluating the system’s effectiveness and ease of use both as a tool for plug-and-play environmental monitoring and novel environmental monitoring research. In doing so, the team will improve MarineSitu’s system and software, produce insightful data products, and develop novel visualizations and AI algorithms for combining and analyzing the data produced by systems like MarineSitu’s.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2025

TEAMER – Field Demonstration of MarineSitu’s Marine Energy Monitoring (Abstract)

In order to effectively monitor for marine life around marine energy devices and thus minimize the risk of collision, multiple sensors working in coordination and augmented with around-the-clock automated monitoring algorithms need to be installed in challenging high-energy tidal and wave environments. Such systems are often too expensive for widespread adoption, or lack sufficient sensors or smarts to enable around-the-clock, real-time monitoring without human involvement. MarineSitu has been working to tackle this problem by developing a low-cost, combined sonar and stereo camera sensor array with connected real-time AI-based algorithms for automatically detecting marine life in these marine energy suitable environments. In this TEAMER project with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL), MarineSitu will be testing this novel sensor system for the first time in the high-energy tidal channel environment at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Lab. Throughout this deployment, MarineSitu will be monitoring their system and running analytics on the sensor’s data in real-time. Meanwhile, PNNL Data Scientists and Ocean Engineers, will be evaluating the system’s effectiveness and ease of use both as a tool for plug-and-play environmental monitoring and novel environmental monitoring research. In doing so, the team will improve MarineSitu’s system and software, produce insightful data products, and develop novel visualizations and AI algorithms for combining and analyzing the data produced by systems like MarineSitu’s.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2019

Evaluation of oxygenation in the surface layers of biological tissues based on diffuse optical spectroscopy with automated calibration of measurements

To assess the oxygen saturation (oxygenation) in the surface layers of biological tissues (at a depth of 4 mm), a compact system based on diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) with reflective measurement geometry in the wavelength range of 520 – 590 nm is proposed. The experimental DOS device is based on a broadband LED source of probe radiation and a spectrometer using a fibre-optic radiation delivery system. To calculate the oxygenation, an original method is proposed based on measuring the intensity of scattered light at four different locations of the source and receiver on the surface of the object under study (four-measurement method). The developed method allows for the device hardware parameters (optical contact with the tissue, transient characteristics of the radiation delivery system) and does not require any additional calibration measurements. The results of testing the DOS system using the four-measurement method for monitoring the oxygen saturation of tissues during the artificial occlusion of the blood vessels agree with the published data of other research teams. (paper)

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and differentiation of aluminum powders used in improvised explosive devices – Part 1: Proof of concept of the utility of particle micromorphometry

Abstract Aluminum (Al) powders are commonly used in improvised explosive devices as metallic fuels, a component of explosive mixtures. These powders can be obtained readily from industrial‐scale and consumer products, and produced using unsophisticated “kitchen chemistry” techniques. This research demonstrates the potential of automated particle micromorphometry for comparisons between known source and questioned Al powders recovered from IEDs, as well as for insight into the method of Al powder manufacture. Al powder samples were obtained from legitimate manufacturers, and 56 samples were produced “in‐house” from Al‐containing spray paints and ball‐milled Al foils. Transmitted light microscope images of Al powder particles were acquired using an automated stage with automated z‐focus; 17 size and shape parameters were measured for all particles. Approximately 37,000–2,500,000 particles/sample were analyzed using an open‐source statistical package with customized code. Dimensionality reduction was required for processing the large datasets: eight of the 17 measured variables were selected based on inspection of the correlation matrix. Data from four subsamples from each of the 56 samples produced using “in‐house” methods were analyzed using ANOVA to assess the within‐ and between‐sample variation. High within‐sample variation was noted; however, ANOVA and post‐hoc Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) tests demonstrated that the between‐sample variation was substantially larger than the within‐sample variation. Each sample could be differentiated from all other samples in the test set. Future experiments will focus on ways to reduce the within‐sample variation, and additional statistical and microanalytical methods to classify sources and confidently constrain the method of Al powder manufacture.

Baldaino, JenaMarie↗
DOE OSTI2015

Automatic learning-based beam angle selection for thoracic IMRT

Purpose: The treatment of thoracic cancer using external beam radiation requires an optimal selection of the radiation beam directions to ensure effective coverage of the target volume and to avoid unnecessary treatment of normal healthy tissues. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning is a lengthy process, which requires the planner to iterate between choosing beam angles, specifying dose–volume objectives and executing IMRT optimization. In thorax treatment planning, where there are no class solutions for beam placement, beam angle selection is performed manually, based on the planner’s clinical experience. The purpose of this work is to propose and study a computationally efficient framework that utilizes machine learning to automatically select treatment beam angles. Such a framework may be helpful for reducing the overall planning workload. Methods: The authors introduce an automated beam selection method, based on learning the relationships between beam angles and anatomical features. Using a large set of clinically approved IMRT plans, a random forest regression algorithm is trained to map a multitude of anatomical features into an individual beam score. An optimization scheme is then built to select and adjust the beam angles, considering the learned interbeam dependencies. The validity and quality of the automatically selected beams evaluated using the manually selected beams from the corresponding clinical plans as the ground truth. Results: The analysis included 149 clinically approved thoracic IMRT plans. For a randomly selected test subset of 27 plans, IMRT plans were generated using automatically selected beams and compared to the clinical plans. The comparison of the predicted and the clinical beam angles demonstrated a good average correspondence between the two (angular distance 16.8° ± 10°, correlation 0.75 ± 0.2). The dose distributions of the semiautomatic and clinical plans were equivalent in terms of primary target volume coverage and organ at risk sparing and were superior over plans produced with fixed sets of common beam angles. The great majority of the automatic plans (93%) were approved as clinically acceptable by three radiation therapy specialists. Conclusions: The results demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing a learning-based approach for automatic selection of beam angles in thoracic IMRT planning. The proposed method may assist in reducing the manual planning workload, while sustaining plan quality.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cryptic cycling by electroactive bacterioplankton in Trout Bog Lake

The potential for extracellular electron transfer (EET) is a prevailing genomic feature of humic lake bacterioplankton. However, there has been little evidence for the substantial ecological contribution predicted by genetics. We hypothesized that anoxygenic phototrophic electrotrophs and accompanying heterotrophic electrogens cycle dissolved organic matter (DOM) between oxidized and reduced states. We predicted that such bacterioplankton would exhibit diel-scale oscillations due to the light dependency of photosynthesis. Using Trout Bog Lake in Wisconsin, USA, as our model ecosystem, we profiled the water column with depth-discrete metagenomic, physiochemical, and electrochemical analyses. We observed variation in oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in response to sunlight, initiating at depths populated by anoxygenic phototrophs with EET genes. We developed an automated buoy to measure electric current flow between many pairs of electrodes simultaneously, observing correlation in electron consumption to sunlight. Our results, combined with published metatranscriptomic analysis, indicate the occurrence of electron cycling between phototrophic oxidation (electrotrophic metabolism) by Chlorobium and anaerobic respiration (electrogenic metabolism) by Geothrix, involving DOM. We also repeatedly observed gradual seasonal increases in hypolimnion ORP throughout summer. These diel and seasonal patterns imply that electroactive DOM mediates the ecology of electroactive bacteria in lakes, controlling humic lake methane emissions.IMPORTANCEWe investigated the physical, chemical, and redox characteristics of a bog lake and electrodes hung therein to test the hypothesis that dissolved organic matter is being cycled between oxidized and reduced states by electroactive bacterioplankton powered by phototrophy. To do so, we performed field-based analyses on multiple timescales using both established and novel instrumentation. We paired these analyses with recently developed bioinformatics pipelines for metagenomics data to investigate genes that enable electroactive metabolism and accompanying metabolisms. Our results are consistent with our hypothesis and yet upend some of our other expectations. Our findings have implications for understanding greenhouse gas emissions from lakes, including electroactivity as an integral part of lake metabolism throughout more of the anoxic parts of lakes and for a longer portion of the summer than expected. Our results also give a sense of what electroactivity occurs at given depths and provide a strong basis for future studies.

carbon emissions↗
DOE OSTI2023

Survey of Time Shift Detection Algorithms for Measured PV Data

In this research, three variations of time shift detection algorithms were tested for their ability to detect time shift issues (including daylight savings time and random time shifts) in measured PV data sets. Two algorithms from the Python PVAnalytics package were assessed, and one algorithm from the Solar-Data-Tools package was assessed. Each algorithm's ability to accurately detect and measure time shifts was assessed.

automated preprocessing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hypothesis Learning in Automated Experiment: Application to Combinatorial Materials Libraries

Machine learning is rapidly becoming an integral part of experimental physical discovery via automated and high-throughput synthesis, and active experiments in scattering and electron/probe microscopy. This, in turn, necessitates the development of active learning methods capable of exploring relevant parameter spaces with the smallest number of steps. In this work, an active learning approach based on conavigation of the hypothesis and experimental spaces is introduced. This is realized by combining the structured Gaussian processes containing probabilistic models of the possible system's behaviors (hypotheses) with reinforcement learning policy refinement (discovery). This approach closely resembles classical human-driven physical discovery, when several alternative hypotheses realized via models with adjustable parameters are tested during an experiment. This approach is demonstrated for exploring concentration-induced phase transitions in combinatorial libraries of Sm-doped BiFeO 3 using piezoresponse force microscopy, but it is straightforward to extend it to higher-dimensional parameter spaces and more complex physical problems once the experimental workflow and hypothesis generation are available.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Active Microphonics Compensation for LCLS-II

Testing of early LCLS-II cryomodules showed microphonics-induced detuning levels well above specification. As part of a risk-mitigation effort, a collaboration was formed between SLAC, LBNL, and Fermilab to develop and implement active microphonics compensation into the LCLS-II LLRF system. Compensation was first demonstrated using a Fermilab FPGA-based development system compensating on single cavities, then with the LCLS-II LLRF system on single and multiple cavities simultaneously. The primary technique used for this effort is a bank of narrowband filter set using the piezo-to-detuning transfer function. Compensation automation, optimization, and stability studies were done. Details of the techniques used, firmware/software implementation, and results of these studies will be presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MPACT Fast Neutron Multiplicity System Prototype Development

This document serves as both an FY2103 End-of-Year and End-of-Project report on efforts that resulted in the design of a prototype fast neutron multiplicity counter leveraged upon the findings of previous project efforts. The prototype design includes 32 liquid scintillator detectors with cubic volumes 7.62 cm in dimension configured into 4 stacked rings of 8 detectors. Detector signal collection for the system is handled with a pair of Struck Innovative Systeme 16-channel digitizers controlled by in-house developed software with built-in multiplicity analysis algorithms. Initial testing and familiarization of the currently obtained prototype components is underway, however full prototype construction is required for further optimization. Monte Carlo models of the prototype system were performed to estimate die-away and efficiency values. Analysis of these models resulted in the development of a software package capable of determining the effects of nearest-neighbor rejection methods for elimination of detector cross talk. A parameter study was performed using previously developed analytical methods for the estimation of assay mass variance for use as a figure-of-merit for system performance. A software package was developed to automate these calculations and ensure accuracy. The results of the parameter study show that the prototype fast neutron multiplicity counter design is very nearly optimized under the restraints of the parameter space.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Acquire and Test IDAES Framework Components

The cooperation under the Grid Modernization Initiative and the Applied Energy Tri-Laboratory umbrellas requires mutual understanding of capabilities and a common effort to identify gaps existing in the available computational modeling and analysis tools. In this work, we report acquisition and testing of the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) framework, particularly including both electric power systems production cost model simulator Prescient as well as system optimization IDAES itself. Further, we consider the methods in which developments in Prescient and IDAES for grid-energy simulation and optimization may be included in the Framework for Optimization of ResourCes and Economics (FORCE) ecosystem that has been under collaborative development by Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We propose two integration methods to introduce Prescient and IDAES into existing FORCE automated workflows. One integration involves using Prescient as a market reduced-order model and IDAES models similar to how existing Modelica models are used. The other integration involves wrapping the Prescient-IDAES dispatch optimization process with the stochastic capacity optimization workflow in FORCE.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Automation and optimization of stopping and range of ions in matter simulation runtime

Prior to every ion implantation experiment a simulation of the ion range and other relevant parameters is performed using Monte-Carlo based codes. Although increasing computing power has improved the speed of these calculations, the demands on Monte-Carlo codes are also increasing, requiring evaluation of the optimal number of simulations while ensuring accuracy within threshold bounds. We evaluate the “Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter” (SRIM) code due to its widespread usage. We show how dividing simulations into multiple parallel simulations with different random seeds can lead to calculation speedup and find lower bounds for the required number of ion traces simulated based on an exemplar system of a Ga focused ion beam and a high energy C beam as used in high linear energy transfer testing. Here our results indicate simulations can yield results within the underlying data accuracy of SRIM at 10X and 100X shorter simulation time than the SRIM default values.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Characterization and testing of 30 kV, 60 kW electron optical column for melting applications

High energy electron beams (30-150 keV) are widely used as intense heat source in welding, melting and evaporation of refractory metals. These operations are mostly carried out in high vacuum (10{sup -4}-10{sup -5} mbar) to aid unimpeded flow of electrons from generation to the point of application. A 30 kV, 60 kW Electron beam optical column (EOC) is designed and developed under the high power beam technology programme. The optical column consists of an electron gun and twin electromagnetic focusing lenses. The heating power of emitter, gun perveance, grid voltage control, beam focusing with the twin electromagnetic lenses and beam spot size measurements are reported in this paper. The results are compared with the design values. Operational issues during the high power melting and the strategy for automation of the electron gun are discussed. (author)

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Methods for the Automated Determination of Sustained Maximum Amplitudes in Oscillating Signals

Machine condition monitoring has been proven to reduce machine downtime and increase productivity. The state-of-the-art research uses vibration monitoring for tasks such as maintenance and tool wear prediction. A less explored aspect is how vibration monitoring might be used to monitor equipment sensitive to vibration. In a manufacturing environment, one example of where this might be needed is in monitoring the vibration of optical linear encoders used in high-precision machine tools and coordinate measuring machines. Monitoring the vibration of sensitive equipment presents a unique case for vibration monitoring because an accurate calculation of the maximum sustained vibration is needed, as opposed to extracting trends from the data. To do this, techniques for determining sustained peaks in vibration signals are needed. Here, this work fills this gap by formalizing and testing methods for determining sustained vibration amplitudes. The methods are tested on simulated signals based on experimental data. Results show that processing the signal directly with the novel Expire Timer method produces the smallest amounts of error on average under various test conditions. Additionally, this method can operate in real-time on streaming vibration data.

Industrial Internet of Things↗
DOE OSTI2019

Automated Sequence Design of 3D Polyhedral Wireframe DNA Origami with Honeycomb Edges

3D polyhedral wireframe DNA nanoparticles (DNA-NPs) fabricated using scaffolded DNA origami offer complete and independent control over NP size, structure, and asymmetric functionalization on the 10–100 nm scale. However, the complex DNA sequence design needed for the synthesis of these versatile DNA-NPs has limited their widespread use to date. While the automated sequence design algorithms DAEDALUS and vHelix-BSCOR apply to DNA-NPs synthesized using either uniformly dual or hybrid single-dual duplex edges, respectively, these DNA-NPs are relatively compliant mechanically and are therefore of limited utility for some applications. Further, these algorithms are incapable of handling DNA-NP edge designs composed of more than two duplexes, which are needed to enhance DNA-NP mechanical stiffness. As an alternative, here we introduce the scaffolded DNA origami sequence design algorithm TALOS, which is a generalized procedure for the fully automated design of wireframe 3D polyhedra composed of edges of any cross section with an even number of duplexes, and apply it to DNA-NPs composed uniformly of single honeycomb edges. We also introduce a multiway vertex design that enables the fabrication of DNA-NPs with arbitrary edge lengths and vertex angles and apply it to synthesize a highly asymmetric origami object. Sequence designs are demonstrated to fold robustly into target DNA-NP shapes with high folding efficiency and structural fidelity that is verified using single particle cryo-electron microscopy and 3D reconstruction. Furthermore, in order to test its generality, we apply TALOS to design an in silico library of over 200 DNA-NPs of distinct symmetries and sizes, and for broad impact, we also provide the software as open source for the generation of custom NP designs.

3D cryo-EM reconstruction↗
DOE OSTI2018

An Open-Source Tool for Automated Power Grid Stress Level Prediction at Balancing Authorities

The behavior of modern power systems becomes more stochastic and dynamic, due to the increased penetration of variable generation, demand response, new power market structure, extreme weather conditions, contingencies, and unexpected events. It is critically important to predict potential system operational issues so that grid planners and operators can take preventive actions to mitigate the impact, e.g., lack of operational reserves. In this paper, an innovative software tool is presented to assist power grid operators in a balancing authority (BA) to predict the grid stress level over the next operating day. It periodically collects necessary information from public domain such as weather forecasts, electricity demand, and automatically estimates the stress levels on a daily basis. Advanced Neural Network and regression tree algorithms are developed as the prediction engines to achieve this goal. The tool has been tested on a few key balancing authorities that successfully predicates the growing system peak load and increased stress levels under extreme heat waves in the United States of America.

Berscheid, Alan P.↗
DOE OSTI2014

TRIPOLI-4{sup R} version 9 Shielding for the Shielding Community: Overview, Relevant Benchmarking for Shielding and Licensing Policy - Paper 49

This is a review paper of the Shielding only version of TRIPOLI-4. TRIPOLI-4 and TRIPOLI-4 S: TRIPOLI{sup R} represents a family of radiation transport codes using the Monte Carlo method (1,2). It has been continuously developed at CEA since the mid 60's. TRIPOLI-4{sup R}, being the fourth generation, has been developed starting from the mid 90's in C++. It tracks neutrons from 20 MeV down to 10{sup -5} eV, photons, electrons and positrons from 100 MeV to 1 keV, in 3D arbitrary geometries either in TRIPOLI{sup R} proprietary format or ROOT(4) format. It reads its continuous energy nuclear data from any evaluation in ENDF format, including but not limited to JEFF-3.1.1 and ENDF/BVII.0. It has various simulation modes, fixed-source (with or without fission), criticality, or both of them chained. A variety of tallies are available: averaged flux in a volume (track length and collision estimators), surface flux and current, point flux, reaction rates, deposited energy, dpa, pka, gamma spectroscopy, mesh tallies, tallies for criticality (k{sub eff}, beta eff, kinetic parameters). It provides the user with embedded response functions from IRDF and EAF as well. Several variance reduction techniques (3), including automated ones, make it particularly suitable to deep penetration problems (implicit capture, Russian roulette, exponential biasing with automatic estimation of the importance map). It may run in parallel, on single multi-core machines as well as heterogeneous networks of stations or massively parallel machines. It comes with productivity tools designed to speed-up the elaboration and verification of the input deck as well as the output analysis: 2D interactive display of geometry; 2D display of mesh tallies and collision sites; 3D input deck modeler; compatibility with ROOT tools to post-process TRIPOLI{sup R} outputs. Its V and V test base is made of more than 1000 internationally accepted benchmarks from ICSBEP and SINBAD (REPLICA, ASPIS, NESDIP) and covers all its application domains, including several shielding cases which will be detailed in the talk. TRIPOLI-4{sup R} is the reference Monte Carlo code for CEA, EDF, and also for AREVA for a number of applications. A 'Shielding-only' version has been designed to specifically answer the needs of the shielding community. It is distributed through the NEA Databank with a license for R and D, covering the fusion applications, whose terms are detailed in the paper.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗