Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Data acquisition”

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 1,675 records · Page 93

Software for Acquiring Image Data for PIV

PIV Acquisition (PIVACQ) is a computer program for acquisition of data for particle-image velocimetry (PIV). In the PIV system for which PIVACQ was developed, small particles entrained in a flow are illuminated with a sheet of light from a pulsed laser. The illuminated region is monitored by a charge-coupled-device camera that operates in conjunction with a data-acquisition system that includes a frame grabber and a counter-timer board, both installed in a single computer. The camera operates in "frame-straddle" mode where a pair of images can be obtained closely spaced in time (on the order of microseconds). The frame grabber acquires image data from the camera and stores the data in the computer memory. The counter/timer board triggers the camera and synchronizes the pulsing of the laser with acquisition of data from the camera. PIVPROC coordinates all of these functions and provides a graphical user interface, through which the user can control the PIV data-acquisition system. PIVACQ enables the user to acquire a sequence of single-exposure images, display the images, process the images, and then save the images to the computer hard drive. PIVACQ works in conjunction with the PIVPROC program which processes the images of particles into the velocity field in the illuminated plane.

Wernet, Mark P.↗

LACIE performance predictor FOC users manual

The LACIE Performance Predictor (LPP) is a computer simulation of the LACIE process for predicting worldwide wheat production. The simulation provides for the introduction of various errors into the system and provides estimates based on these errors, thus allowing the user to determine the impact of selected error sources. The FOC LPP simulates the acquisition of the sample segment data by the LANDSAT Satellite (DAPTS), the classification of the agricultural area within the sample segment (CAMS), the estimation of the wheat yield (YES), and the production estimation and aggregation (CAS). These elements include data acquisition characteristics, environmental conditions, classification algorithms, the LACIE aggregation and data adjustment procedures. The operational structure for simulating these elements consists of the following key programs: (1) LACIE Utility Maintenance Process, (2) System Error Executive, (3) Ephemeris Generator, (4) Access Generator, (5) Acquisition Selector, (6) LACIE Error Model (LEM), and (7) Post Processor.

Source record↗

Prior data assisted compressed sensing: A novel MR imaging strategy for real time tracking of lung tumors

Purpose: Hybrid radiotherapy-MRI devices promise real time tracking of moving tumors to focus the radiation portals to the tumor during irradiation. This approach will benefit from the increased temporal resolution of MRI's data acquisition and reconstruction. In this work, the authors propose a novel spatial-temporal compressed sensing (CS) imaging strategy for the real time MRI–-prior data assisted compressed sensing (PDACS), which aims to improve the image quality of the conventional CS without significantly increasing reconstruction times. Methods: Conventional 2D CS requires a random sampling of partial k-space data, as well as an iterative reconstruction that simultaneously enforces the image's sparsity in a transform domain as well as maintains the fidelity to the acquired k-space. PDACS method requires the additional acquisition of the prior data, and for reconstruction, it additionally enforces fidelity to the prior k-space domain similar to viewsharing. In this work, the authors evaluated the proposed PDACS method by comparing its results to those obtained from the 2D CS and viewsharing methods when performed individually. All three methods are used to reconstruct images from lung cancer patients whose tumors move and who are likely to benefit from lung tumor tracking. The patients are scanned, using a 3T MRI, under free breathing using the fully sampled k-space with 2D dynamic bSSFP sequence in a sagittal plane containing lung tumor. These images form a reference set for the evaluation of the partial k-space methods. To create partial k-space, the fully sampled k-space is retrospectively undersampled to obtain a range of acquisition acceleration factors, and reconstructed with 2D-CS, PDACS, and viewshare methods. For evaluation, metrics assessing global image artifacts as well as tumor contour shape fidelity are determined from the reconstructed images. These analyses are performed both for the original 3T images and those at a simulated 0.5T equivalent noise level. Results: In the 3.0T images, the PDACS strategy is shown to give superior results compared to viewshare and conventional 2D CS using all metrics. The 2D-CS tends to perform better than viewshare at the low acceleration factors, while the opposite is true at the high acceleration factors. At simulated 0.5T images, PDACS method performs only marginally better than the viewsharing method, both of which are superior compared to 2D CS. The PDACS image reconstruction time (0.3 s/image) is similar to that of the conventional 2D CS. Conclusions: The PDACS method can potentially improve the real time tracking of moving tumors by significantly increasing MRI's data acquisition speeds. In 3T images, the PDACS method does provide a benefit over the other two methods in terms of both the overall image quality and the ability to accurately and automatically contour the tumor shape. MRI's data acquisition may be accelerated using the simpler viewsharing strategy at the lower, 0.5T magnetic field, as the marginal benefit of the PDACS method may not justify its additional reconstruction times.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Remote Gamma Ray Spectrum Acquisition

An approach is presented that utilizes networking, hardware, and software components to allow data acquisition from Canberra's Osprey multi-channel analyzer (MCA) detector. The research has allowed researchers to remotely connect to Canberra's ProSpect gamma spectroscopy software and the detector by making use of Windows Server 2012 and a network connection. Gamma rays are ionizing, electromagnetic radiation of high energy and short wavelength. They are produced primarily by radioactive decay. Several undergraduate courses at Texas A and M University-Kingsville focus on teaching students to measure and research gamma rays while in the laboratory. Recent needs have motivated efforts to develop a network solution that allows authorized students and researchers to access the ProSpect software and Osprey MCA detectors remotely from multiple computers connected to the campus network. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Supporting qualified database for uncertainty evaluation

Uncertainty evaluation constitutes a key feature of BEPU (Best Estimate Plus Uncertainty) process. The uncertainty can be the result of a Monte Carlo type analysis involving input uncertainty parameters or the outcome of a process involving the use of experimental data and connected code calculations. Those uncertainty methods are discussed in several papers and guidelines (IAEA-SRS-52, OECD/NEA BEMUSE reports). The present paper aims at discussing the role and the depth of the analysis required for merging from one side suitable experimental data and on the other side qualified code calculation results. This aspect is mostly connected with the second approach for uncertainty mentioned above, but it can be used also in the framework of the first approach. Namely, the paper discusses the features and structure of the database that includes the following kinds of documents: 1. The' RDS-facility' (Reference Data Set for the selected facility): this includes the description of the facility, the geometrical characterization of any component of the facility, the instrumentations, the data acquisition system, the evaluation of pressure losses, the physical properties of the material and the characterization of pumps, valves and heat losses; 2. The 'RDS-test' (Reference Data Set for the selected test of the facility): this includes the description of the main phenomena investigated during the test, the configuration of the facility for the selected test (possible new evaluation of pressure and heat losses if needed) and the specific boundary and initial conditions; 3. The 'QR' (Qualification Report) of the code calculation results: this includes the description of the nodalization developed following a set of homogeneous techniques, the achievement of the steady state conditions and the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the transient with the characterization of the Relevant Thermal-Hydraulics Aspects (RTA); 4. The EH (Engineering Handbook) of the input nodalization: this includes the rationale adopted for each part of the nodalization, the user choices, and the systematic derivation and justification of any value present in the code input respect to the values as indicated in the RDS-facility and in the RDS-test. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Dsif- goldstone

Deep Space Instrumentation Facility for space communication, data acquisition, and tracking

SPACECRAFT TRACKING↗

MiniDAQ-3: Providing concurrent independent subdetector data-taking on CMS production DAQ resources

The data acquisition (DAQ) of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN, collects data for events accepted by the Level-1 Trigger from the different detector systems and assembles them in an event builder prior to making them available for further selection in the High Level Trigger, and finally storing the selected events for offline analysis. In addition to the central DAQ providing global acquisition functionality, several separate, so-called “MiniDAQ” setups allow operating independent data acquisition runs using an arbitrary subset of the CMS subdetectors. During Run 2 of the LHC, MiniDAQ setups were running their event builder and High Level Trigger applications on dedicated resources, separate from those used for the central DAQ. This cleanly separated MiniDAQ setups from the central DAQ system, but also meant limited throughput and a fixed number of possible MiniDAQ setups. In Run 3, MiniDAQ-3 setups share production resources with the new central DAQ system, allowing each setup to operate at the maximum Level-1 rate thanks to the reuse of the resources and network bandwidth. Configuration management tools had to be significantly extended to support the synchronization of the DAQ configurations needed for the various setups. We report on the new configuration management features and on the first year of operational experience with the new MiniDAQ-3 system.

Amoiridis, Vassileios↗

SPASE: Current Uses, Tools, and Plans

The Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) project is an international collaboration among Heliophysics (solar and space physics) groups concerned with data acquisition and archiving. Within this community there are a variety of old and new data centers, resident archives, "virtual observatories", etc. acquiring, holding, and distributing data. The main product of the SPASE group is an XML-based SPASE Data Model now in operational use to enable searches for and ultimate acquisition of data of interest to a researcher. The SPASE Data Model defines the content of resource descriptions (metadata). The intent is to describe all SCientifically usable Heliophysics data sets using the Data Model. Another product of the SPASE group, in collaboration with NASA's Virtual Observatories, is a set of tools and services which work with SPASE meta data. This includes Registry Services which can retrieve and render metadata using resource identifiers and facilitate the downloading of the data referenced by the meta data. The SPASE Data Model has also been used as a vocabulary in specialized data models. One example is the Heliophysics Event List Manager (HELM) model. The SPASE Data Model is also being expanded to provide the means for more detailed description of data sets with the aim of enabling more automated ingestion and use of the data through detailed format descriptions. The evolution is based on a number of lessons learned and feedback from our community. Some of the lessons learned are unique to Heliophysics, and some are common to the various data diSCiplines. We will discuss the present state of SPASE usage, the role the SPASE Data Model can play in speCialized data models and how we foresee the development direction in the future.

Thieman, J. R.↗

Correction for dynamic bias error in transmission measurements of void fraction

Dynamic bias errors occur in transmission measurements, such as X-ray, gamma, or neutron radiography or tomography. This is observed when the properties of the object are not stationary in time and its average properties are assessed. The nonlinear measurement response to changes in transmission within the time scale of the measurement implies a bias, which can be difficult to correct for. A typical example is the tomographic or radiographic mapping of void content in dynamic two-phase flow systems. In this work, the dynamic bias error is described and a method to make a first-order correction is derived. A prerequisite for this method is variance estimates of the system dynamics, which can be obtained using high-speed, time-resolved data acquisition. However, in the absence of such acquisition, a priori knowledge might be used to substitute the time resolved data. Using synthetic data, a void fraction measurement case study has been simulated to demonstrate the performance of the suggested method. The transmission length of the radiation in the object under study and the type of fluctuation of the void fraction have been varied. Significant decreases in the dynamic bias error were achieved to the expense of marginal decreases in precision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Nuclear structure studies with INGA coupled to a fast DDAQ

Studies of different types of nuclear excitation and isomers remain the main thrust area of the last experimental campaign using INGA at TIFR-BARC Pelletron Linac Facility at Mumbai. A digital data acquisition system has been coupled with the INGA which has improved the data throughput and better gain stability. About forty experiments that have been proposed in this experimental campaign. Selected results from these experiments will be discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Parameterization of photon beam dosimetry for a linear accelerator

Purpose: In radiation therapy, accurate data acquisition of photon beam dosimetric quantities is important for (1) beam modeling data input into a treatment planning system (TPS), (2) comparing measured and TPS modeled data, (3) the quality assurance process of a linear accelerator’s (Linac) beam characteristics, (4) the establishment of a standard data set for comparison with other data, etcetera. Parameterization of the photon beam dosimetry creates a data set that is portable and easy to implement for different applications such as those previously mentioned. The aim of this study is to develop methods to parameterize photon beam dosimetric quantities, including percentage depth doses (PDDs), profiles, and total scatter output factors (S{sub cp}). Methods: S{sub cp}, PDDs, and profiles for different field sizes, depths, and energies were measured for a Linac using a cylindrical 3D water scanning system. All data were smoothed for the analysis and profile data were also centered, symmetrized, and geometrically scaled. The S{sub cp} data were analyzed using an exponential function. The inverse square factor was removed from the PDD data before modeling and the data were subsequently analyzed using exponential functions. For profile modeling, one halfside of the profile was divided into three regions described by exponential, sigmoid, and Gaussian equations. All of the analytical functions are field size, energy, depth, and, in the case of profiles, scan direction specific. The model’s parameters were determined using the minimal amount of measured data necessary. The model’s accuracy was evaluated via the calculation of absolute differences between the measured (processed) and calculated data in low gradient regions and distance-to-agreement analysis in high gradient regions. Finally, the results of dosimetric quantities obtained by the fitted models for a different machine were also assessed. Results: All of the differences in the PDDs’ buildup and the profiles’ penumbra regions were less than 2 and 0.5 mm, respectively. The differences in the low gradient regions were 0.20% ± 0.20% (<1% for all) and 0.50% ± 0.35% (<1% for all) for PDDs and profiles, respectively. For S{sub cp} data, all of the absolute differences were less than 0.5%. Conclusions: This novel analytical model with minimum measurement requirements was proved to accurately calculate PDDs, profiles, and S{sub cp} for different field sizes, depths, and energies.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Cerebral perfusion computed tomography deconvolution via structure tensor total variation regularization

Purpose: Cerebral perfusion computed tomography (PCT) imaging as an accurate and fast acute ischemic stroke examination has been widely used in clinic. Meanwhile, a major drawback of PCT imaging is the high radiation dose due to its dynamic scan protocol. The purpose of this work is to develop a robust perfusion deconvolution approach via structure tensor total variation (STV) regularization (PD-STV) for estimating an accurate residue function in PCT imaging with the low-milliampere-seconds (low-mAs) data acquisition. Methods: Besides modeling the spatio-temporal structure information of PCT data, the STV regularization of the present PD-STV approach can utilize the higher order derivatives of the residue function to enhance denoising performance. To minimize the objective function, the authors propose an effective iterative algorithm with a shrinkage/thresholding scheme. A simulation study on a digital brain perfusion phantom and a clinical study on an old infarction patient were conducted to validate and evaluate the performance of the present PD-STV approach. Results: In the digital phantom study, visual inspection and quantitative metrics (i.e., the normalized mean square error, the peak signal-to-noise ratio, and the universal quality index) assessments demonstrated that the PD-STV approach outperformed other existing approaches in terms of the performance of noise-induced artifacts reduction and accurate perfusion hemodynamic maps (PHM) estimation. In the patient data study, the present PD-STV approach could yield accurate PHM estimation with several noticeable gains over other existing approaches in terms of visual inspection and correlation analysis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of the present PD-STV approach in utilizing STV regularization to improve the accuracy of residue function estimation of cerebral PCT imaging in the case of low-mAs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗