Development of an unmanned maritime system reference architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Christiane N.; Cramer, Megan A.; Stack, Jason R.

2014-06-01

The concept of operations (CONOPS) for unmanned maritime systems (UMS) continues to envision systems that are multi-mission, re-configurable and capable of acceptable performance over a wide range of environmental and contextual variability. Key enablers for these concepts of operation are an autonomy module which can execute different mission directives and a mission payload consisting of re-configurable sensor or effector suites. This level of modularity in mission payloads enables affordability, flexibility (i.e., more capability with future platforms) and scalability (i.e., force multiplication). The modularity in autonomy facilitates rapid technology integration, prototyping, testing and leveraging of state-of-the-art advances in autonomy research. Capability drivers imply a requirement to maintain an open architecture design for both research and acquisition programs. As the maritime platforms become more stable in their design (e.g. unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles) future developments are able to focus on more capable sensors and more robust autonomy algorithms. To respond to Fleet needs, given an evolving threat, programs will want to interchange the latest sensor or a new and improved algorithm in a cost effective and efficient manner. In order to make this possible, the programs need a reference architecture that will define for technology providers where their piece fits and how to successfully integrate. With these concerns in mind, the US Navy established the Unmanned Maritime Systems Reference Architecture (UMS-RA) Working Group in August 2011. This group consists of Department of Defense and industry participants working the problem of defining reference architecture for autonomous operations of maritime systems. This paper summarizes its efforts to date.

SEL Ada reuse analysis and representations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kester, Rush

1990-01-01

Overall, it was revealed that the pattern of Ada reuse has evolved from initial reuse of utility components into reuse of generalized application architectures. Utility components were both domain-independent utilities, such as queues and stacks, and domain-specific utilities, such as those that implement spacecraft orbit and attitude mathematical functions and physics or astronomical models. The level of reuse was significantly increased with the development of a generalized telemetry simulator architecture. The use of Ada generics significantly increased the level of verbatum reuse, which is due to the ability, using Ada generics, to parameterize the aspects of design that are configurable during reuse. A key factor in implementing generalized architectures was the ability to use generic subprogram parameters to tailor parts of the algorithm embedded within the architecture. The use of object oriented design (in which objects model real world entities) significantly improved the modularity for reuse. Encapsulating into packages the data and operations associated with common real world entities creates natural building blocks for reuse.

Advanced Modular Power Approach to Affordable, Supportable Space Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oeftering, Richard C.; Kimnach, Greg L.; Fincannon, James; Mckissock,, Barbara I.; Loyselle, Patricia L.; Wong, Edmond

2013-01-01

Recent studies of missions to the Moon, Mars and Near Earth Asteroids (NEA) indicate that these missions often involve several distinct separately launched vehicles that must ultimately be integrated together in-flight and operate as one unit. Therefore, it is important to see these vehicles as elements of a larger segmented spacecraft rather than separate spacecraft flying in formation. The evolution of large multi-vehicle exploration architecture creates the need (and opportunity) to establish a global power architecture that is common across all vehicles. The Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Modular Power System (AMPS) project managed by NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is aimed at establishing the modular power system architecture that will enable power systems to be built from a common set of modular building blocks. The project is developing, demonstrating and evaluating key modular power technologies that are expected to minimize non-recurring development costs, reduce recurring integration costs, as well as, mission operational and support costs. Further, modular power is expected to enhance mission flexibility, vehicle reliability, scalability and overall mission supportability. The AMPS project not only supports multi-vehicle architectures but should enable multi-mission capability as well. The AMPS technology development involves near term demonstrations involving developmental prototype vehicles and field demonstrations. These operational demonstrations not only serve as a means of evaluating modular technology but also provide feedback to developers that assure that they progress toward truly flexible and operationally supportable modular power architecture.

Anatomical Network Analysis Shows Decoupling of Modular Lability and Complexity in the Evolution of the Primate Skull

PubMed Central

Esteve-Altava, Borja; Boughner, Julia C.; Diogo, Rui; Villmoare, Brian A.; Rasskin-Gutman, Diego

2015-01-01

Modularity and complexity go hand in hand in the evolution of the skull of primates. Because analyses of these two parameters often use different approaches, we do not know yet how modularity evolves within, or as a consequence of, an also-evolving complex organization. Here we use a novel network theory-based approach (Anatomical Network Analysis) to assess how the organization of skull bones constrains the co-evolution of modularity and complexity among primates. We used the pattern of bone contacts modeled as networks to identify connectivity modules and quantify morphological complexity. We analyzed whether modularity and complexity evolved coordinately in the skull of primates. Specifically, we tested Herbert Simon’s general theory of near-decomposability, which states that modularity promotes the evolution of complexity. We found that the skulls of extant primates divide into one conserved cranial module and up to three labile facial modules, whose composition varies among primates. Despite changes in modularity, statistical analyses reject a positive feedback between modularity and complexity. Our results suggest a decoupling of complexity and modularity that translates to varying levels of constraint on the morphological evolvability of the primate skull. This study has methodological and conceptual implications for grasping the constraints that underlie the developmental and functional integration of the skull of humans and other primates. PMID:25992690

Assessment of modularity architecture for recovery process of electric vehicle in supporting sustainable design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baroroh, D. K.; Alfiah, D.

2018-05-01

The electric vehicle is one of the innovations to reduce the pollution of the vehicle. Nevertheless, it still has a problem, especially for disposal stage. In supporting product design and development strategy, which is the idea of sustainable design or problem solving of disposal stage, assessment of modularity architecture from electric vehicle in recovery process needs to be done. This research used Design Structure Matrix (DSM) approach to deciding interaction of components and assessment of modularity architecture using the calculation of value from 3 variables, namely Module Independence (MI), Module Similarity (MS), and Modularity for End of Life Stage (MEOL). The result of this research shows that existing design of electric vehicles has the architectural design which has a high value of modularity for recovery process on disposal stage. Accordingly, so it can be reused and recycled in component level or module without disassembly process to support the product that is environmentally friendly (sustainable design) and able reduce disassembly cost.

Quasispecies theory for evolution of modularity.

PubMed

Park, Jeong-Man; Niestemski, Liang Ren; Deem, Michael W

2015-01-01

Biological systems are modular, and this modularity evolves over time and in different environments. A number of observations have been made of increased modularity in biological systems under increased environmental pressure. We here develop a quasispecies theory for the dynamics of modularity in populations of these systems. We show how the steady-state fitness in a randomly changing environment can be computed. We derive a fluctuation dissipation relation for the rate of change of modularity and use it to derive a relationship between rate of environmental changes and rate of growth of modularity. We also find a principle of least action for the evolved modularity at steady state. Finally, we compare our predictions to simulations of protein evolution and find them to be consistent.

Modular digital holographic fringe data processing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downward, J. G.; Vavra, P. C.; Schebor, F. S.; Vest, C. M.

1985-01-01

A software architecture suitable for reducing holographic fringe data into useful engineering data is developed and tested. The results, along with a detailed description of the proposed architecture for a Modular Digital Fringe Analysis System, are presented.

Robot Electronics Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, Michael; Magnone, Lee; Aghazarian, Hrand; Baumgartner, Eric; Kennedy, Brett

2008-01-01

An electronics architecture has been developed to enable the rapid construction and testing of prototypes of robotic systems. This architecture is designed to be a research vehicle of great stability, reliability, and versatility. A system according to this architecture can easily be reconfigured (including expanded or contracted) to satisfy a variety of needs with respect to input, output, processing of data, sensing, actuation, and power. The architecture affords a variety of expandable input/output options that enable ready integration of instruments, actuators, sensors, and other devices as independent modular units. The separation of different electrical functions onto independent circuit boards facilitates the development of corresponding simple and modular software interfaces. As a result, both hardware and software can be made to expand or contract in modular fashion while expending a minimum of time and effort.

Flexible weapons architecture design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyant, William C., III

Present day air-delivered weapons are of a closed architecture, with little to no ability to tailor the weapon for the individual engagement. The closed architectures require weaponeers to make the target fit the weapon instead of fitting the individual weapons to a target. The concept of a flexible weapons aims to modularize weapons design using an open architecture shell into which different modules are inserted to achieve the desired target fractional damage while reducing cost and civilian casualties. This thesis shows that the architecture design factors of damage mechanism, fusing, weapons weight, guidance, and propulsion are significant in enhancing weapon performance objectives, and would benefit from modularization. Additionally, this thesis constructs an algorithm that can be used to design a weapon set for a particular target class based on these modular components.

Virtual Workshop Environment (VWE): A Taxonomy and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework for Modularized Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)--Applying the Learning Object Concept to the VLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulsson, Fredrik; Naeve, Ambjorn

2006-01-01

Based on existing Learning Object taxonomies, this article suggests an alternative Learning Object taxonomy, combined with a general Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework, aiming to transfer the modularized concept of Learning Objects to modularized Virtual Learning Environments. The taxonomy and SOA-framework exposes a need for a clearer…

Ape parasite origins of human malaria virulence genes

PubMed Central

Larremore, Daniel B.; Sundararaman, Sesh A.; Liu, Weimin; Proto, William R.; Clauset, Aaron; Loy, Dorothy E.; Speede, Sheri; Plenderleith, Lindsey J.; Sharp, Paul M.; Hahn, Beatrice H.; Rayner, Julian C.; Buckee, Caroline O.

2015-01-01

Antigens encoded by the var gene family are major virulence factors of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, exhibiting enormous intra- and interstrain diversity. Here we use network analysis to show that var architecture and mosaicism are conserved at multiple levels across the Laverania subgenus, based on var-like sequences from eight single-species and three multi-species Plasmodium infections of wild-living or sanctuary African apes. Using select whole-genome amplification, we also find evidence of multi-domain var structure and synteny in Plasmodium gaboni, one of the ape Laverania species most distantly related to P. falciparum, as well as a new class of Duffy-binding-like domains. These findings indicate that the modular genetic architecture and sequence diversity underlying var-mediated host-parasite interactions evolved before the radiation of the Laverania subgenus, long before the emergence of P. falciparum. PMID:26456841

Orion FSW V and V and Kedalion Engineering Lab Insight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mangieri, Mark L.

2010-01-01

NASA, along with its prime Orion contractor and its subcontractor s are adapting an avionics system paradigm borrowed from the manned commercial aircraft industry for use in manned space flight systems. Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) techniques have been proven as a robust avionics solution for manned commercial aircraft (B737/777/787, MD 10/90). This presentation will outline current approaches to adapt IMA, along with its heritage FSW V&V paradigms, into NASA's manned space flight program for Orion. NASA's Kedalion engineering analysis lab is on the forefront of validating many of these contemporary IMA based techniques. Kedalion has already validated many of the proposed Orion FSW V&V paradigms using Orion's precursory Flight Test Article (FTA) Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) program. The Kedalion lab will evolve its architectures, tools, and techniques in parallel with the evolving Orion program.

A modular architecture for transparent computation in recurrent neural networks.

PubMed

Carmantini, Giovanni S; Beim Graben, Peter; Desroches, Mathieu; Rodrigues, Serafim

2017-01-01

Computation is classically studied in terms of automata, formal languages and algorithms; yet, the relation between neural dynamics and symbolic representations and operations is still unclear in traditional eliminative connectionism. Therefore, we suggest a unique perspective on this central issue, to which we would like to refer as transparent connectionism, by proposing accounts of how symbolic computation can be implemented in neural substrates. In this study we first introduce a new model of dynamics on a symbolic space, the versatile shift, showing that it supports the real-time simulation of a range of automata. We then show that the Gödelization of versatile shifts defines nonlinear dynamical automata, dynamical systems evolving on a vectorial space. Finally, we present a mapping between nonlinear dynamical automata and recurrent artificial neural networks. The mapping defines an architecture characterized by its granular modularity, where data, symbolic operations and their control are not only distinguishable in activation space, but also spatially localizable in the network itself, while maintaining a distributed encoding of symbolic representations. The resulting networks simulate automata in real-time and are programmed directly, in the absence of network training. To discuss the unique characteristics of the architecture and their consequences, we present two examples: (i) the design of a Central Pattern Generator from a finite-state locomotive controller, and (ii) the creation of a network simulating a system of interactive automata that supports the parsing of garden-path sentences as investigated in psycholinguistics experiments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theory for the Emergence of Modularity in Complex Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deem, Michael; Park, Jeong-Man

2013-03-01

Biological systems are modular, and this modularity evolves over time and in different environments. A number of observations have been made of increased modularity in biological systems under increased environmental pressure. We here develop a theory for the dynamics of modularity in these systems. We find a principle of least action for the evolved modularity at long times. In addition, we find a fluctuation dissipation relation for the rate of change of modularity at short times. We discuss a number of biological and social systems that can be understood with this framework. The modularity of the protein-protein interaction network increases when yeast are exposed to heat shock, and the modularity of the protein-protein networks in both yeast and E. coli appears to have increased over evolutionary time. Food webs in low-energy, stressful environments are more modular than those in plentiful environments, arid ecologies are more modular during droughts, and foraging of sea otters is more modular when food is limiting. The modularity of social networks changes over time: stock brokers instant messaging networks are more modular under stressful market conditions, criminal networks are more modular under increased police pressure, and world trade network modularity has decreased

Supervisory Control System Architecture for Advanced Small Modular Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cetiner, Sacit M; Cole, Daniel L; Fugate, David L

2013-08-01

This technical report was generated as a product of the Supervisory Control for Multi-Modular SMR Plants project within the Instrumentation, Control and Human-Machine Interface technology area under the Advanced Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Research and Development Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. The report documents the definition of strategies, functional elements, and the structural architecture of a supervisory control system for multi-modular advanced SMR (AdvSMR) plants. This research activity advances the state-of-the art by incorporating decision making into the supervisory control system architectural layers through the introduction of a tiered-plant system approach. The report provides a brief history ofmore » hierarchical functional architectures and the current state-of-the-art, describes a reference AdvSMR to show the dependencies between systems, presents a hierarchical structure for supervisory control, indicates the importance of understanding trip setpoints, applies a new theoretic approach for comparing architectures, identifies cyber security controls that should be addressed early in system design, and describes ongoing work to develop system requirements and hardware/software configurations.« less

Different micromanipulation applications based on common modular control architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sipola, Risto; Vallius, Tero; Pudas, Marko; Röning, Juha

2010-01-01

This paper validates a previously introduced scalable modular control architecture and shows how it can be used to implement research equipment. The validation is conducted by presenting different kinds of micromanipulation applications that use the architecture. Conditions of the micro-world are very different from those of the macro-world. Adhesive forces are significant compared to gravitational forces when micro-scale objects are manipulated. Manipulation is mainly conducted by automatic control relying on haptic feedback provided by force sensors. The validated architecture is a hierarchical layered hybrid architecture, including a reactive layer and a planner layer. The implementation of the architecture is modular, and the architecture has a lot in common with open architectures. Further, the architecture is extensible, scalable, portable and it enables reuse of modules. These are the qualities that we validate in this paper. To demonstrate the claimed features, we present different applications that require special control in micrometer, millimeter and centimeter scales. These applications include a device that measures cell adhesion, a device that examines properties of thin films, a device that measures adhesion of micro fibers and a device that examines properties of submerged gel produced by bacteria. Finally, we analyze how the architecture is used in these applications.

Joint Common Architecture Demonstration (JCA Demo) Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-28

approach for implementing open systems [16], formerly known as the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). OSA is a business and technical strategy to... TECHNICAL REPORT RDMR-AD-16-01 JOINT COMMON ARCHITECTURE DEMONSTRATION (JCA DEMO) FINAL REPORT Scott A. Wigginton... Modular Avionics .......................................................................... 5 E. Model-Based Engineering

Design of a modular digital computer system, CDRL no. D001, final design plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Easton, R. A.

1975-01-01

The engineering breadboard implementation for the CDRL no. D001 modular digital computer system developed during design of the logic system was documented. This effort followed the architecture study completed and documented previously, and was intended to verify the concepts of a fault tolerant, automatically reconfigurable, modular version of the computer system conceived during the architecture study. The system has a microprogrammed 32 bit word length, general register architecture and an instruction set consisting of a subset of the IBM System 360 instruction set plus additional fault tolerance firmware. The following areas were covered: breadboard packaging, central control element, central processing element, memory, input/output processor, and maintenance/status panel and electronics.

Development of a space universal modular architecture (SUMO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Bernie F.

This concept paper proposes that the space community should develop and implement a universal standard for spacecraft modularity - to improve interoperability of spacecraft components. Pursuing a global industry consensus standard for open and modular spacecraft architecture will encourage trade, remove standards-related market barriers, and in the long run increase both value provided to customers and profitability of the space industrial sector. This concept paper sets out: (1) the goals for a SUMO standard and how it will benefit the space community; (2) background on spacecraft modularity and existing related standards; (3) the proposed technical scope of the current standardization effort; and (4) an approach for creating a SUMO standard.

Modular architecture of protein structures and allosteric communications: potential implications for signaling proteins and regulatory linkages

PubMed Central

del Sol, Antonio; Araúzo-Bravo, Marcos J; Amoros, Dolors; Nussinov, Ruth

2007-01-01

Background Allosteric communications are vital for cellular signaling. Here we explore a relationship between protein architectural organization and shortcuts in signaling pathways. Results We show that protein domains consist of modules interconnected by residues that mediate signaling through the shortest pathways. These mediating residues tend to be located at the inter-modular boundaries, which are more rigid and display a larger number of long-range interactions than intra-modular regions. The inter-modular boundaries contain most of the residues centrally conserved in the protein fold, which may be crucial for information transfer between amino acids. Our approach to modular decomposition relies on a representation of protein structures as residue-interacting networks, and removal of the most central residue contacts, which are assumed to be crucial for allosteric communications. The modular decomposition of 100 multi-domain protein structures indicates that modules constitute the building blocks of domains. The analysis of 13 allosteric proteins revealed that modules characterize experimentally identified functional regions. Based on the study of an additional functionally annotated dataset of 115 proteins, we propose that high-modularity modules include functional sites and are the basic functional units. We provide examples (the Gαs subunit and P450 cytochromes) to illustrate that the modular architecture of active sites is linked to their functional specialization. Conclusion Our method decomposes protein structures into modules, allowing the study of signal transmission between functional sites. A modular configuration might be advantageous: it allows signaling proteins to expand their regulatory linkages and may elicit a broader range of control mechanisms either via modular combinations or through modulation of inter-modular linkages. PMID:17531094

On the role of sparseness in the evolution of modularity in gene regulatory networks

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Modularity is a widespread property in biological systems. It implies that interactions occur mainly within groups of system elements. A modular arrangement facilitates adjustment of one module without perturbing the rest of the system. Therefore, modularity of developmental mechanisms is a major factor for evolvability, the potential to produce beneficial variation from random genetic change. Understanding how modularity evolves in gene regulatory networks, that create the distinct gene activity patterns that characterize different parts of an organism, is key to developmental and evolutionary biology. One hypothesis for the evolution of modules suggests that interactions between some sets of genes become maladaptive when selection favours additional gene activity patterns. The removal of such interactions by selection would result in the formation of modules. A second hypothesis suggests that modularity evolves in response to sparseness, the scarcity of interactions within a system. Here I simulate the evolution of gene regulatory networks and analyse diverse experimentally sustained networks to study the relationship between sparseness and modularity. My results suggest that sparseness alone is neither sufficient nor necessary to explain modularity in gene regulatory networks. However, sparseness amplifies the effects of forms of selection that, like selection for additional gene activity patterns, already produce an increase in modularity. That evolution of new gene activity patterns is frequent across evolution also supports that it is a major factor in the evolution of modularity. That sparseness is widespread across gene regulatory networks indicates that it may have facilitated the evolution of modules in a wide variety of cases. PMID:29775459

On the role of sparseness in the evolution of modularity in gene regulatory networks.

PubMed

Espinosa-Soto, Carlos

2018-05-01

Modularity is a widespread property in biological systems. It implies that interactions occur mainly within groups of system elements. A modular arrangement facilitates adjustment of one module without perturbing the rest of the system. Therefore, modularity of developmental mechanisms is a major factor for evolvability, the potential to produce beneficial variation from random genetic change. Understanding how modularity evolves in gene regulatory networks, that create the distinct gene activity patterns that characterize different parts of an organism, is key to developmental and evolutionary biology. One hypothesis for the evolution of modules suggests that interactions between some sets of genes become maladaptive when selection favours additional gene activity patterns. The removal of such interactions by selection would result in the formation of modules. A second hypothesis suggests that modularity evolves in response to sparseness, the scarcity of interactions within a system. Here I simulate the evolution of gene regulatory networks and analyse diverse experimentally sustained networks to study the relationship between sparseness and modularity. My results suggest that sparseness alone is neither sufficient nor necessary to explain modularity in gene regulatory networks. However, sparseness amplifies the effects of forms of selection that, like selection for additional gene activity patterns, already produce an increase in modularity. That evolution of new gene activity patterns is frequent across evolution also supports that it is a major factor in the evolution of modularity. That sparseness is widespread across gene regulatory networks indicates that it may have facilitated the evolution of modules in a wide variety of cases.

Analysis of In-Space Assembly of Modular Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, Robert W.; VanLaak, James; Johnson, Spencer L.; Chytka, Trina M.; Reeves, John D.; Todd, B. Keith; Moe, Rud V.; Stambolian, Damon B.

2005-01-01

Early system-level life cycle assessments facilitate cost effective optimization of system architectures to enable implementation of both modularity and in-space assembly, two key Exploration Systems Research & Technology (ESR&T) Strategic Challenges. Experiences with the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrate that the absence of this rigorous analysis can result in increased cost and operational risk. An effort is underway, called Analysis of In-Space Assembly of Modular Systems, to produce an innovative analytical methodology, including an evolved analysis toolset and proven processes in a collaborative engineering environment, to support the design and evaluation of proposed concepts. The unique aspect of this work is that it will produce the toolset, techniques and initial products to analyze and compare the detailed, life cycle costs and performance of different implementations of modularity for in-space assembly. A multi-Center team consisting of experienced personnel from the Langley Research Center, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and the Goddard Space Flight Center has been formed to bring their resources and experience to this development. At the end of this 30-month effort, the toolset will be ready to support the Exploration Program with an integrated assessment strategy that embodies all life-cycle aspects of the mission from design and manufacturing through operations to enable early and timely selection of an optimum solution among many competing alternatives. Already there are many different designs for crewed missions to the Moon that present competing views of modularity requiring some in-space assembly. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the approach for scoring competing designs.

Recent Developments in Hardware-in-the-Loop Formation Navigation and Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Jason W.; Luquette, Richard J.

2005-01-01

The Formation Flying Test-Bed (FFTB) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) provides a hardware-in-the-loop test environment for formation navigation and control. The facility is evolving as a modular, hybrid, dynamic simulation facility for end-tc-end guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) design and analysis of formation flying spacecraft. The core capabilities of the FFTB, as a platform for testing critical hardware and software algorithms in-the-loop, are reviewed with a focus on many recent improvements. Two significant upgrades to the FFTB are a message-oriented middleware (MOM) architecture, and a software crosslink for inter-spacecraft ranging. The MOM architecture provides a common messaging bus for software agents, easing integration, arid supporting the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture via software bridge. Additionally, the FFTB s hardware capabilities are expanding. Recently, two Low-Power Transceivers (LPTs) with ranging capability have been introduced into the FFTB. The LPT crosslinks will be connected to a modified Crosslink Channel Simulator (CCS), which applies realistic space-environment effects to the Radio Frequency (RF) signals produced by the LPTs.

Evolving BioAssay Ontology (BAO): modularization, integration and applications

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The lack of established standards to describe and annotate biological assays and screening outcomes in the domain of drug and chemical probe discovery is a severe limitation to utilize public and proprietary drug screening data to their maximum potential. We have created the BioAssay Ontology (BAO) project (http://bioassayontology.org) to develop common reference metadata terms and definitions required for describing relevant information of low-and high-throughput drug and probe screening assays and results. The main objectives of BAO are to enable effective integration, aggregation, retrieval, and analyses of drug screening data. Since we first released BAO on the BioPortal in 2010 we have considerably expanded and enhanced BAO and we have applied the ontology in several internal and external collaborative projects, for example the BioAssay Research Database (BARD). We describe the evolution of BAO with a design that enables modeling complex assays including profile and panel assays such as those in the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS). One of the critical questions in evolving BAO is the following: how can we provide a way to efficiently reuse and share among various research projects specific parts of our ontologies without violating the integrity of the ontology and without creating redundancies. This paper provides a comprehensive answer to this question with a description of a methodology for ontology modularization using a layered architecture. Our modularization approach defines several distinct BAO components and separates internal from external modules and domain-level from structural components. This approach facilitates the generation/extraction of derived ontologies (or perspectives) that can suit particular use cases or software applications. We describe the evolution of BAO related to its formal structures, engineering approaches, and content to enable modeling of complex assays and integration with other ontologies and datasets. PMID:25093074

Evolving BioAssay Ontology (BAO): modularization, integration and applications.

PubMed

Abeyruwan, Saminda; Vempati, Uma D; Küçük-McGinty, Hande; Visser, Ubbo; Koleti, Amar; Mir, Ahsan; Sakurai, Kunie; Chung, Caty; Bittker, Joshua A; Clemons, Paul A; Brudz, Steve; Siripala, Anosha; Morales, Arturo J; Romacker, Martin; Twomey, David; Bureeva, Svetlana; Lemmon, Vance; Schürer, Stephan C

2014-01-01

The lack of established standards to describe and annotate biological assays and screening outcomes in the domain of drug and chemical probe discovery is a severe limitation to utilize public and proprietary drug screening data to their maximum potential. We have created the BioAssay Ontology (BAO) project (http://bioassayontology.org) to develop common reference metadata terms and definitions required for describing relevant information of low-and high-throughput drug and probe screening assays and results. The main objectives of BAO are to enable effective integration, aggregation, retrieval, and analyses of drug screening data. Since we first released BAO on the BioPortal in 2010 we have considerably expanded and enhanced BAO and we have applied the ontology in several internal and external collaborative projects, for example the BioAssay Research Database (BARD). We describe the evolution of BAO with a design that enables modeling complex assays including profile and panel assays such as those in the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS). One of the critical questions in evolving BAO is the following: how can we provide a way to efficiently reuse and share among various research projects specific parts of our ontologies without violating the integrity of the ontology and without creating redundancies. This paper provides a comprehensive answer to this question with a description of a methodology for ontology modularization using a layered architecture. Our modularization approach defines several distinct BAO components and separates internal from external modules and domain-level from structural components. This approach facilitates the generation/extraction of derived ontologies (or perspectives) that can suit particular use cases or software applications. We describe the evolution of BAO related to its formal structures, engineering approaches, and content to enable modeling of complex assays and integration with other ontologies and datasets.

Modular Open System Architecture for Reducing Contamination Risk in the Space and Missile Defense Supply Chain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seasly, Elaine

2015-01-01

To combat contamination of physical assets and provide reliable data to decision makers in the space and missile defense community, a modular open system architecture for creation of contamination models and standards is proposed. Predictive tools for quantifying the effects of contamination can be calibrated from NASA data of long-term orbiting assets. This data can then be extrapolated to missile defense predictive models. By utilizing a modular open system architecture, sensitive data can be de-coupled and protected while benefitting from open source data of calibrated models. This system architecture will include modules that will allow the designer to trade the effects of baseline performance against the lifecycle degradation due to contamination while modeling the lifecycle costs of alternative designs. In this way, each member of the supply chain becomes an informed and active participant in managing contamination risk early in the system lifecycle.

The Evolutionary Origins of Hierarchy

PubMed Central

Huizinga, Joost; Clune, Jeff

2016-01-01

Hierarchical organization—the recursive composition of sub-modules—is ubiquitous in biological networks, including neural, metabolic, ecological, and genetic regulatory networks, and in human-made systems, such as large organizations and the Internet. To date, most research on hierarchy in networks has been limited to quantifying this property. However, an open, important question in evolutionary biology is why hierarchical organization evolves in the first place. It has recently been shown that modularity evolves because of the presence of a cost for network connections. Here we investigate whether such connection costs also tend to cause a hierarchical organization of such modules. In computational simulations, we find that networks without a connection cost do not evolve to be hierarchical, even when the task has a hierarchical structure. However, with a connection cost, networks evolve to be both modular and hierarchical, and these networks exhibit higher overall performance and evolvability (i.e. faster adaptation to new environments). Additional analyses confirm that hierarchy independently improves adaptability after controlling for modularity. Overall, our results suggest that the same force–the cost of connections–promotes the evolution of both hierarchy and modularity, and that these properties are important drivers of network performance and adaptability. In addition to shedding light on the emergence of hierarchy across the many domains in which it appears, these findings will also accelerate future research into evolving more complex, intelligent computational brains in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. PMID:27280881

The Evolutionary Origins of Hierarchy.

PubMed

Mengistu, Henok; Huizinga, Joost; Mouret, Jean-Baptiste; Clune, Jeff

2016-06-01

Hierarchical organization-the recursive composition of sub-modules-is ubiquitous in biological networks, including neural, metabolic, ecological, and genetic regulatory networks, and in human-made systems, such as large organizations and the Internet. To date, most research on hierarchy in networks has been limited to quantifying this property. However, an open, important question in evolutionary biology is why hierarchical organization evolves in the first place. It has recently been shown that modularity evolves because of the presence of a cost for network connections. Here we investigate whether such connection costs also tend to cause a hierarchical organization of such modules. In computational simulations, we find that networks without a connection cost do not evolve to be hierarchical, even when the task has a hierarchical structure. However, with a connection cost, networks evolve to be both modular and hierarchical, and these networks exhibit higher overall performance and evolvability (i.e. faster adaptation to new environments). Additional analyses confirm that hierarchy independently improves adaptability after controlling for modularity. Overall, our results suggest that the same force-the cost of connections-promotes the evolution of both hierarchy and modularity, and that these properties are important drivers of network performance and adaptability. In addition to shedding light on the emergence of hierarchy across the many domains in which it appears, these findings will also accelerate future research into evolving more complex, intelligent computational brains in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Modular biometric system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Charles; Viazanko, Michael; O'Looney, Jimmy; Szu, Harold

2009-04-01

Modularity Biometric System (MBS) is an approach to support AiTR of the cooperated and/or non-cooperated standoff biometric in an area persistent surveillance. Advanced active and passive EOIR and RF sensor suite is not considered here. Neither will we consider the ROC, PD vs. FAR, versus the standoff POT in this paper. Our goal is to catch the "most wanted (MW)" two dozens, separately furthermore ad hoc woman MW class from man MW class, given their archrivals sparse front face data basis, by means of various new instantaneous input called probing faces. We present an advanced algorithm: mini-Max classifier, a sparse sample realization of Cramer-Rao Fisher bound of the Maximum Likelihood classifier that minimize the dispersions among the same woman classes and maximize the separation among different man-woman classes, based on the simple feature space of MIT Petland eigen-faces. The original aspect consists of a modular structured design approach at the system-level with multi-level architectures, multiple computing paradigms, and adaptable/evolvable techniques to allow for achieving a scalable structure in terms of biometric algorithms, identification quality, sensors, database complexity, database integration, and component heterogenity. MBS consist of a number of biometric technologies including fingerprints, vein maps, voice and face recognitions with innovative DSP algorithm, and their hardware implementations such as using Field Programmable Gate arrays (FPGAs). Biometric technologies and the composed modularity biometric system are significant for governmental agencies, enterprises, banks and all other organizations to protect people or control access to critical resources.

Analysis of Functional Dynamics of Modular Multidomain Proteins by SAXS and NMR.

PubMed

Thompson, Matthew K; Ehlinger, Aaron C; Chazin, Walter J

2017-01-01

Multiprotein machines drive virtually all primary cellular processes. Modular multidomain proteins are widely distributed within these dynamic complexes because they provide the flexibility needed to remodel structure as well as rapidly assemble and disassemble components of the machinery. Understanding the functional dynamics of modular multidomain proteins is a major challenge confronting structural biology today because their structure is not fixed in time. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have proven particularly useful for the analysis of the structural dynamics of modular multidomain proteins because they provide highly complementary information for characterizing the architectural landscape accessible to these proteins. SAXS provides a global snapshot of all architectural space sampled by a molecule in solution. Furthermore, SAXS is sensitive to conformational changes, organization and oligomeric states of protein assemblies, and the existence of flexibility between globular domains in multiprotein complexes. The power of NMR to characterize dynamics provides uniquely complementary information to the global snapshot of the architectural ensemble provided by SAXS because it can directly measure domain motion. In particular, NMR parameters can be used to define the diffusion of domains within modular multidomain proteins, connecting the amplitude of interdomain motion to the architectural ensemble derived from SAXS. Our laboratory has been studying the roles of modular multidomain proteins involved in human DNA replication using SAXS and NMR. Here, we present the procedure for acquiring and analyzing SAXS and NMR data, using DNA primase and replication protein A as examples. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Directed evolution of the TALE N-terminal domain for recognition of all 5' bases.

PubMed

Lamb, Brian M; Mercer, Andrew C; Barbas, Carlos F

2013-11-01

Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) proteins can be designed to bind virtually any DNA sequence. General guidelines for design of TALE DNA-binding domains suggest that the 5'-most base of the DNA sequence bound by the TALE (the N0 base) should be a thymine. We quantified the N0 requirement by analysis of the activities of TALE transcription factors (TALE-TF), TALE recombinases (TALE-R) and TALE nucleases (TALENs) with each DNA base at this position. In the absence of a 5' T, we observed decreases in TALE activity up to >1000-fold in TALE-TF activity, up to 100-fold in TALE-R activity and up to 10-fold reduction in TALEN activity compared with target sequences containing a 5' T. To develop TALE architectures that recognize all possible N0 bases, we used structure-guided library design coupled with TALE-R activity selections to evolve novel TALE N-terminal domains to accommodate any N0 base. A G-selective domain and broadly reactive domains were isolated and characterized. The engineered TALE domains selected in the TALE-R format demonstrated modularity and were active in TALE-TF and TALEN architectures. Evolved N-terminal domains provide effective and unconstrained TALE-based targeting of any DNA sequence as TALE binding proteins and designer enzymes.

Overview of the LINCS architecture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fletcher, J.G.; Watson, R.W.

1982-01-13

Computing at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has evolved over the past 15 years with a computer network based resource sharing environment. The increasing use of low cost and high performance micro, mini and midi computers and commercially available local networking systems will accelerate this trend. Further, even the large scale computer systems, on which much of the LLNL scientific computing depends, are evolving into multiprocessor systems. It is our belief that the most cost effective use of this environment will depend on the development of application systems structured into cooperating concurrent program modules (processes) distributed appropriately over differentmore » nodes of the environment. A node is defined as one or more processors with a local (shared) high speed memory. Given the latter view, the environment can be characterized as consisting of: multiple nodes communicating over noisy channels with arbitrary delays and throughput, heterogenous base resources and information encodings, no single administration controlling all resources, distributed system state, and no uniform time base. The system design problem is - how to turn the heterogeneous base hardware/firmware/software resources of this environment into a coherent set of resources that facilitate development of cost effective, reliable, and human engineered applications. We believe the answer lies in developing a layered, communication oriented distributed system architecture; layered and modular to support ease of understanding, reconfiguration, extensibility, and hiding of implementation or nonessential local details; communication oriented because that is a central feature of the environment. The Livermore Interactive Network Communication System (LINCS) is a hierarchical architecture designed to meet the above needs. While having characteristics in common with other architectures, it differs in several respects.« less

Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarrant, Charlie; Crook, Jerry

1997-01-01

The Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS) Program is a technology demonstration effort designed to advance the state-of-the-art in launch vehicle propulsion systems. Its emphasis is on developing and demonstrating a modular software architecture for a generic, advanced engine control system that will result in lower software maintenance (operations) costs. It effectively accommodates software requirements changes that occur due to hardware. technology upgrades and engine development testing. Ground rules directed by MSFC were to optimize modularity and implement the software in the Ada programming language. MRECS system software and the software development environment utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. This paper presents the objectives and benefits of the program. The software architecture, design, and development environment are described. MRECS tasks are defined and timing relationships given. Major accomplishment are listed. MRECS offers benefits to a wide variety of advanced technology programs in the areas of modular software, architecture, reuse software, and reduced software reverification time related to software changes. Currently, the program is focused on supporting MSFC in accomplishing a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot-fire test at Stennis Space Center and the Low Cost Boost Technology (LCBT) Program.

A Modular, Reconfigurable Surveillance UAV Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-02

Una Società Galileo Avionica A Modular, Reconfigurable Surveillance UAV Architecture METEOR, Finmeccanica Group Zona Industriale di Soleschiano Via...ES) METEOR, Finmeccanica Group Zona Industriale di Soleschiano Via Mario Stoppani 21 34077 Ronchi dei Legionari (GO) ITALY 8. PERFORMING...PMSFMS RS1Backup FMS NSU Payload Control Actuators Router Router RS2 Recovery Devices Una Società Galileo Avionica • Daylight TV Camera • IR Sensor • HR

Long-range allosteric signaling in red light–regulated diguanylyl cyclases

PubMed Central

Gourinchas, Geoffrey; Etzl, Stefan; Göbl, Christoph; Vide, Uršula; Madl, Tobias; Winkler, Andreas

2017-01-01

Nature has evolved an astonishingly modular architecture of covalently linked protein domains with diverse functionalities to enable complex cellular networks that are critical for cell survival. The coupling of sensory modules with enzymatic effectors allows direct allosteric regulation of cellular signaling molecules in response to diverse stimuli. We present molecular details of red light–sensing bacteriophytochromes linked to cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate–producing diguanylyl cyclases. Elucidation of the first crystal structure of a full-length phytochrome with its enzymatic effector, in combination with the characterization of light-induced changes in conformational dynamics, reveals how allosteric light regulation is fine-tuned by the architecture and composition of the coiled-coil sensor-effector linker and also the central helical spine. We anticipate that consideration of molecular principles of sensor-effector coupling, going beyond the length of the characteristic linker, and the appreciation of dynamically driven allostery will open up new directions for the design of novel red light–regulated optogenetic tools. PMID:28275738

A Software Architecture for Adaptive Modular Sensing Systems

PubMed Central

Lyle, Andrew C.; Naish, Michael D.

2010-01-01

By combining a number of simple transducer modules, an arbitrarily complex sensing system may be produced to accommodate a wide range of applications. This work outlines a novel software architecture and knowledge representation scheme that has been developed to support this type of flexible and reconfigurable modular sensing system. Template algorithms are used to embed intelligence within each module. As modules are added or removed, the composite sensor is able to automatically determine its overall geometry and assume an appropriate collective identity. A virtual machine-based middleware layer runs on top of a real-time operating system with a pre-emptive kernel, enabling platform-independent template algorithms to be written once and run on any module, irrespective of its underlying hardware architecture. Applications that may benefit from easily reconfigurable modular sensing systems include flexible inspection, mobile robotics, surveillance, and space exploration. PMID:22163614

A software architecture for adaptive modular sensing systems.

PubMed

Lyle, Andrew C; Naish, Michael D

2010-01-01

By combining a number of simple transducer modules, an arbitrarily complex sensing system may be produced to accommodate a wide range of applications. This work outlines a novel software architecture and knowledge representation scheme that has been developed to support this type of flexible and reconfigurable modular sensing system. Template algorithms are used to embed intelligence within each module. As modules are added or removed, the composite sensor is able to automatically determine its overall geometry and assume an appropriate collective identity. A virtual machine-based middleware layer runs on top of a real-time operating system with a pre-emptive kernel, enabling platform-independent template algorithms to be written once and run on any module, irrespective of its underlying hardware architecture. Applications that may benefit from easily reconfigurable modular sensing systems include flexible inspection, mobile robotics, surveillance, and space exploration.

Modular, Cost-Effective, Extensible Avionics Architecture for Secure, Mobile Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.

2006-01-01

Current onboard communication architectures are based upon an all-in-one communications management unit. This unit and associated radio systems has regularly been designed as a one-off, proprietary system. As such, it lacks flexibility and cannot adapt easily to new technology, new communication protocols, and new communication links. This paper describes the current avionics communication architecture and provides a historical perspective of the evolution of this system. A new onboard architecture is proposed that allows full use of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies to be integrated in a modular approach thereby enabling a flexible, cost-effective and fully deployable design that can take advantage of ongoing advances in the computer, cryptography, and telecommunications industries.

Modular, Cost-Effective, Extensible Avionics Architecture for Secure, Mobile Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.

2007-01-01

Current onboard communication architectures are based upon an all-in-one communications management unit. This unit and associated radio systems has regularly been designed as a one-off, proprietary system. As such, it lacks flexibility and cannot adapt easily to new technology, new communication protocols, and new communication links. This paper describes the current avionics communication architecture and provides a historical perspective of the evolution of this system. A new onboard architecture is proposed that allows full use of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies to be integrated in a modular approach thereby enabling a flexible, cost-effective and fully deployable design that can take advantage of ongoing advances in the computer, cryptography, and telecommunications industries.

MIDEX Advanced Modular and Distributed Spacecraft Avionics Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruffa, John A.; Castell, Karen; Flatley, Thomas; Lin, Michael

1998-01-01

MIDEX (Medium Class Explorer) is the newest line in NASA's Explorer spacecraft development program. As part of the MIDEX charter, the MIDEX spacecraft development team has developed a new modular, distributed, and scaleable spacecraft architecture that pioneers new spaceflight technologies and implementation approaches, all designed to reduce overall spacecraft cost while increasing overall functional capability. This resultant "plug and play" system dramatically decreases the complexity and duration of spacecraft integration and test, providing a basic framework that supports spacecraft modularity and scalability for missions of varying size and complexity. Together, these subsystems form a modular, flexible avionics suite that can be modified and expanded to support low-end and very high-end mission requirements with a minimum of redesign, as well as allowing a smooth, continuous infusion of new technologies as they are developed without redesigning the system. This overall approach has the net benefit of allowing a greater portion of the overall mission budget to be allocated to mission science instead of a spacecraft bus. The MIDEX scaleable architecture is currently being manufactured and tested for use on the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP), an inhouse program at GSFC.

The 'wired' universe of organic chemistry.

PubMed

Grzybowski, Bartosz A; Bishop, Kyle J M; Kowalczyk, Bartlomiej; Wilmer, Christopher E

2009-04-01

The millions of reactions performed and compounds synthesized by organic chemists over the past two centuries connect to form a network larger than the metabolic networks of higher organisms and rivalling the complexity of the World Wide Web. Despite its apparent randomness, the network of chemistry has a well-defined, modular architecture. The network evolves in time according to trends that have not changed since the inception of the discipline, and thus project into chemistry's future. Analysis of organic chemistry using the tools of network theory enables the identification of most 'central' organic molecules, and for the prediction of which and how many molecules will be made in the future. Statistical analyses based on network connectivity are useful in optimizing parallel syntheses, in estimating chemical reactivity, and more.

Cortical Folding of the Primate Brain: An Interdisciplinary Examination of the Genetic Architecture, Modularity, and Evolvability of a Significant Neurological Trait in Pedigreed Baboons (Genus Papio)

PubMed Central

Atkinson, Elizabeth G.; Rogers, Jeffrey; Mahaney, Michael C.; Cox, Laura A.; Cheverud, James M.

2015-01-01

Folding of the primate brain cortex allows for improved neural processing power by increasing cortical surface area for the allocation of neurons. The arrangement of folds (sulci) and ridges (gyri) across the cerebral cortex is thought to reflect the underlying neural network. Gyrification, an adaptive trait with a unique evolutionary history, is affected by genetic factors different from those affecting brain volume. Using a large pedigreed population of ∼1000 Papio baboons, we address critical questions about the genetic architecture of primate brain folding, the interplay between genetics, brain anatomy, development, patterns of cortical–cortical connectivity, and gyrification’s potential for future evolution. Through Mantel testing and cluster analyses, we find that the baboon cortex is quite evolvable, with high integration between the genotype and phenotype. We further find significantly similar partitioning of variation between cortical development, anatomy, and connectivity, supporting the predictions of tension-based models for sulcal development. We identify a significant, moderate degree of genetic control over variation in sulcal length, with gyrus-shape features being more susceptible to environmental effects. Finally, through QTL mapping, we identify novel chromosomal regions affecting variation in brain folding. The most significant QTL contain compelling candidate genes, including gene clusters associated with Williams and Down syndromes. The QTL distribution suggests a complex genetic architecture for gyrification with both polygeny and pleiotropy. Our results provide a solid preliminary characterization of the genetic basis of primate brain folding, a unique and biomedically relevant phenotype with significant implications in primate brain evolution. PMID:25873632

How is the fitness landscaped upon which life evolves selected?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deem, Michael

2008-03-01

We investigate the selective forces that promote the emergence of modularity in nature. We demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of modularity in a population of individuals that evolve in a changing environment. We show that the level of modularity correlates with the rapidity and severity of environmental change. The modularity arises as a synergistic response to the noise in the environment in the presence of horizontal gene transfer. We suggest that the hierarchical structure observed in the natural world may be a broken symmetry state, which generically results from evolution in a changing environment. The existence of such structure, therefore, need not necessarily rest on intelligent design or the anthropic principle. 1) J. Sun and M. W. Deem, Phys. Rev. Lett., to appear., arXiv:0710.3436

Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarrant, C.; Crook, J.

1998-01-01

The Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS) Program is a technology demonstration effort designed to advance the state-of-the-art in launch vehicle propulsion systems. Its emphasis is on developing and demonstrating a modular software architecture for advanced engine control systems that will result in lower software maintenance (operations) costs. It effectively accommodates software requirement changes that occur due to hardware technology upgrades and engine development testing. Ground rules directed by MSFC were to optimize modularity and implement the software in the Ada programming language. MRECS system software and the software development environment utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. This paper presents the objectives, benefits, and status of the program. The software architecture, design, and development environment are described. MRECS tasks are defined and timing relationships given. Major accomplishments are listed. MRECS offers benefits to a wide variety of advanced technology programs in the areas of modular software architecture, reuse software, and reduced software reverification time related to software changes. MRECS was recently modified to support a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot-fire test. Cold Flow and Flight Readiness Testing were completed before the test was cancelled. Currently, the program is focused on supporting NASA MSFC in accomplishing development testing of the Fastrac Engine, part of NASA's Low Cost Technologies (LCT) Program. MRECS will be used for all engine development testing.

Enumeration of virtual libraries of combinatorial modular macrocyclic (bracelet, necklace) architectures and their linear counterparts.

PubMed

Taniguchi, Masahiko; Du, Hai; Lindsey, Jonathan S

2013-09-23

A wide variety of cyclic molecular architectures are built of modular subunits and can be formed combinatorially. The mathematics for enumeration of such objects is well-developed yet lacks key features of importance in chemistry, such as specifying (i) the structures of individual members among a set of isomers, (ii) the distribution (i.e., relative amounts) of products, and (iii) the effect of nonequal ratios of reacting monomers on the product distribution. Here, a software program (Cyclaplex) has been developed to determine the number, identity (including isomers), and relative amounts of linear and cyclic architectures from a given number and ratio of reacting monomers. The program includes both mathematical formulas and generative algorithms for enumeration; the latter go beyond the former to provide desired molecular-relevant information and data-mining features. The program is equipped to enumerate four types of architectures: (i) linear architectures with directionality (macroscopic equivalent = electrical extension cords), (ii) linear architectures without directionality (batons), (iii) cyclic architectures with directionality (necklaces), and (iv) cyclic architectures without directionality (bracelets). The program can be applied to cyclic peptides, cycloveratrylenes, cyclens, calixarenes, cyclodextrins, crown ethers, cucurbiturils, annulenes, expanded meso-substituted porphyrin(ogen)s, and diverse supramolecular (e.g., protein) assemblies. The size of accessible architectures encompasses up to 12 modular subunits derived from 12 reacting monomers or larger architectures (e.g. 13-17 subunits) from fewer types of monomers (e.g. 2-4). A particular application concerns understanding the possible heterogeneity of (natural or biohybrid) photosynthetic light-harvesting oligomers (cyclic, linear) formed from distinct peptide subunits.

Modular Universal Scalable Ion-trap Quantum Computer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-02

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The main goal of the original MUSIQC proposal was to construct and demonstrate a modular and universally- expandable ion...Distribution Unlimited UU UU UU UU 02-06-2016 1-Aug-2010 31-Jan-2016 Final Report: Modular Universal Scalable Ion-trap Quantum Computer The views...P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 Ion trap quantum computation, scalable modular architectures REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11

Heterogeneously Assembled Metamaterials and Metadevices via 3D Modular Transfer Printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seungwoo; Kang, Byungsoo; Keum, Hohyun; Ahmed, Numair; Rogers, John A.; Ferreira, Placid M.; Kim, Seok; Min, Bumki

2016-06-01

Metamaterials have made the exotic control of the flow of electromagnetic waves possible, which is difficult to achieve with natural materials. In recent years, the emergence of functional metadevices has shown immense potential for the practical realization of highly efficient photonic devices. However, complex and heterogeneous architectures that enable diverse functionalities of metamaterials and metadevices have been challenging to realize because of the limited manufacturing capabilities of conventional fabrication methods. Here, we show that three-dimensional (3D) modular transfer printing can be used to construct diverse metamaterials in complex 3D architectures on universal substrates, which is attractive for achieving on-demand photonic properties. Few repetitive processing steps and rapid constructions are additional advantages of 3D modular transfer printing. Thus, this method provides a fascinating route to generate flexible and stretchable 2D/3D metamaterials and metadevices with heterogeneous material components, complex device architectures, and diverse functionalities.

Heterogeneously Assembled Metamaterials and Metadevices via 3D Modular Transfer Printing.

PubMed

Lee, Seungwoo; Kang, Byungsoo; Keum, Hohyun; Ahmed, Numair; Rogers, John A; Ferreira, Placid M; Kim, Seok; Min, Bumki

2016-06-10

Metamaterials have made the exotic control of the flow of electromagnetic waves possible, which is difficult to achieve with natural materials. In recent years, the emergence of functional metadevices has shown immense potential for the practical realization of highly efficient photonic devices. However, complex and heterogeneous architectures that enable diverse functionalities of metamaterials and metadevices have been challenging to realize because of the limited manufacturing capabilities of conventional fabrication methods. Here, we show that three-dimensional (3D) modular transfer printing can be used to construct diverse metamaterials in complex 3D architectures on universal substrates, which is attractive for achieving on-demand photonic properties. Few repetitive processing steps and rapid constructions are additional advantages of 3D modular transfer printing. Thus, this method provides a fascinating route to generate flexible and stretchable 2D/3D metamaterials and metadevices with heterogeneous material components, complex device architectures, and diverse functionalities.

Heterogeneously Assembled Metamaterials and Metadevices via 3D Modular Transfer Printing

PubMed Central

Lee, Seungwoo; Kang, Byungsoo; Keum, Hohyun; Ahmed, Numair; Rogers, John A.; Ferreira, Placid M.; Kim, Seok; Min, Bumki

2016-01-01

Metamaterials have made the exotic control of the flow of electromagnetic waves possible, which is difficult to achieve with natural materials. In recent years, the emergence of functional metadevices has shown immense potential for the practical realization of highly efficient photonic devices. However, complex and heterogeneous architectures that enable diverse functionalities of metamaterials and metadevices have been challenging to realize because of the limited manufacturing capabilities of conventional fabrication methods. Here, we show that three-dimensional (3D) modular transfer printing can be used to construct diverse metamaterials in complex 3D architectures on universal substrates, which is attractive for achieving on-demand photonic properties. Few repetitive processing steps and rapid constructions are additional advantages of 3D modular transfer printing. Thus, this method provides a fascinating route to generate flexible and stretchable 2D/3D metamaterials and metadevices with heterogeneous material components, complex device architectures, and diverse functionalities. PMID:27283594

Linear motif-mediated interactions have contributed to the evolution of modularity in complex protein interaction networks.

PubMed

Kim, Inhae; Lee, Heetak; Han, Seong Kyu; Kim, Sanguk

2014-10-01

The modular architecture of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks is evident in diverse species with a wide range of complexity. However, the molecular components that lead to the evolution of modularity in PPI networks have not been clearly identified. Here, we show that weak domain-linear motif interactions (DLIs) are more likely to connect different biological modules than strong domain-domain interactions (DDIs). This molecular division of labor is essential for the evolution of modularity in the complex PPI networks of diverse eukaryotic species. In particular, DLIs may compensate for the reduction in module boundaries that originate from increased connections between different modules in complex PPI networks. In addition, we show that the identification of biological modules can be greatly improved by including molecular characteristics of protein interactions. Our findings suggest that transient interactions have played a unique role in shaping the architecture and modularity of biological networks over the course of evolution.

Sculpting the Intrinsic Modular Organization of Spontaneous Brain Activity by Art.

PubMed

Lin, Chia-Shu; Liu, Yong; Huang, Wei-Yuan; Lu, Chia-Feng; Teng, Shin; Ju, Tzong-Ching; He, Yong; Wu, Yu-Te; Jiang, Tianzi; Hsieh, Jen-Chuen

2013-01-01

Artistic training is a complex learning that requires the meticulous orchestration of sophisticated polysensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional elements of mental capacity to harvest an aesthetic creation. In this study, we investigated the architecture of the resting-state functional connectivity networks from professional painters, dancers and pianists. Using a graph-based network analysis, we focused on the art-related changes of modular organization and functional hubs in the resting-state functional connectivity network. We report that the brain architecture of artists consists of a hierarchical modular organization where art-unique and artistic form-specific brain states collectively mirror the mind states of virtuosos. We show that even in the resting state, this type of extraordinary and long-lasting training can macroscopically imprint a neural network system of spontaneous activity in which the related brain regions become functionally and topologically modularized in both domain-general and domain-specific manners. The attuned modularity reflects a resilient plasticity nurtured by long-term experience.

Sculpting the Intrinsic Modular Organization of Spontaneous Brain Activity by Art

PubMed Central

Lin, Chia-Shu; Liu, Yong; Huang, Wei-Yuan; Lu, Chia-Feng; Teng, Shin; Ju, Tzong-Ching; He, Yong; Wu, Yu-Te; Jiang, Tianzi; Hsieh, Jen-Chuen

2013-01-01

Artistic training is a complex learning that requires the meticulous orchestration of sophisticated polysensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional elements of mental capacity to harvest an aesthetic creation. In this study, we investigated the architecture of the resting-state functional connectivity networks from professional painters, dancers and pianists. Using a graph-based network analysis, we focused on the art-related changes of modular organization and functional hubs in the resting-state functional connectivity network. We report that the brain architecture of artists consists of a hierarchical modular organization where art-unique and artistic form-specific brain states collectively mirror the mind states of virtuosos. We show that even in the resting state, this type of extraordinary and long-lasting training can macroscopically imprint a neural network system of spontaneous activity in which the related brain regions become functionally and topologically modularized in both domain-general and domain-specific manners. The attuned modularity reflects a resilient plasticity nurtured by long-term experience. PMID:23840527

SpaceCubeX: A Framework for Evaluating Hybrid Multi-Core CPU FPGA DSP Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, Andrew G.; Weisz, Gabriel; French, Matthew; Flatley, Thomas; Villalpando, Carlos Y.

2017-01-01

The SpaceCubeX project is motivated by the need for high performance, modular, and scalable on-board processing to help scientists answer critical 21st century questions about global climate change, air quality, ocean health, and ecosystem dynamics, while adding new capabilities such as low-latency data products for extreme event warnings. These goals translate into on-board processing throughput requirements that are on the order of 100-1,000 more than those of previous Earth Science missions for standard processing, compression, storage, and downlink operations. To study possible future architectures to achieve these performance requirements, the SpaceCubeX project provides an evolvable testbed and framework that enables a focused design space exploration of candidate hybrid CPU/FPGA/DSP processing architectures. The framework includes ArchGen, an architecture generator tool populated with candidate architecture components, performance models, and IP cores, that allows an end user to specify the type, number, and connectivity of a hybrid architecture. The framework requires minimal extensions to integrate new processors, such as the anticipated High Performance Spaceflight Computer (HPSC), reducing time to initiate benchmarking by months. To evaluate the framework, we leverage a wide suite of high performance embedded computing benchmarks and Earth science scenarios to ensure robust architecture characterization. We report on our projects Year 1 efforts and demonstrate the capabilities across four simulation testbed models, a baseline SpaceCube 2.0 system, a dual ARM A9 processor system, a hybrid quad ARM A53 and FPGA system, and a hybrid quad ARM A53 and DSP system.

Directed evolution of the TALE N-terminal domain for recognition of all 5′ bases

PubMed Central

Lamb, Brian M.; Mercer, Andrew C.; Barbas, Carlos F.

2013-01-01

Transcription activator-like effector (TALE) proteins can be designed to bind virtually any DNA sequence. General guidelines for design of TALE DNA-binding domains suggest that the 5′-most base of the DNA sequence bound by the TALE (the N0 base) should be a thymine. We quantified the N0 requirement by analysis of the activities of TALE transcription factors (TALE-TF), TALE recombinases (TALE-R) and TALE nucleases (TALENs) with each DNA base at this position. In the absence of a 5′ T, we observed decreases in TALE activity up to >1000-fold in TALE-TF activity, up to 100-fold in TALE-R activity and up to 10-fold reduction in TALEN activity compared with target sequences containing a 5′ T. To develop TALE architectures that recognize all possible N0 bases, we used structure-guided library design coupled with TALE-R activity selections to evolve novel TALE N-terminal domains to accommodate any N0 base. A G-selective domain and broadly reactive domains were isolated and characterized. The engineered TALE domains selected in the TALE-R format demonstrated modularity and were active in TALE-TF and TALEN architectures. Evolved N-terminal domains provide effective and unconstrained TALE-based targeting of any DNA sequence as TALE binding proteins and designer enzymes. PMID:23980031

Neural Modularity Helps Organisms Evolve to Learn New Skills without Forgetting Old Skills

PubMed Central

Ellefsen, Kai Olav; Mouret, Jean-Baptiste; Clune, Jeff

2015-01-01

A long-standing goal in artificial intelligence is creating agents that can learn a variety of different skills for different problems. In the artificial intelligence subfield of neural networks, a barrier to that goal is that when agents learn a new skill they typically do so by losing previously acquired skills, a problem called catastrophic forgetting. That occurs because, to learn the new task, neural learning algorithms change connections that encode previously acquired skills. How networks are organized critically affects their learning dynamics. In this paper, we test whether catastrophic forgetting can be reduced by evolving modular neural networks. Modularity intuitively should reduce learning interference between tasks by separating functionality into physically distinct modules in which learning can be selectively turned on or off. Modularity can further improve learning by having a reinforcement learning module separate from sensory processing modules, allowing learning to happen only in response to a positive or negative reward. In this paper, learning takes place via neuromodulation, which allows agents to selectively change the rate of learning for each neural connection based on environmental stimuli (e.g. to alter learning in specific locations based on the task at hand). To produce modularity, we evolve neural networks with a cost for neural connections. We show that this connection cost technique causes modularity, confirming a previous result, and that such sparsely connected, modular networks have higher overall performance because they learn new skills faster while retaining old skills more and because they have a separate reinforcement learning module. Our results suggest (1) that encouraging modularity in neural networks may help us overcome the long-standing barrier of networks that cannot learn new skills without forgetting old ones, and (2) that one benefit of the modularity ubiquitous in the brains of natural animals might be to alleviate the problem of catastrophic forgetting. PMID:25837826

Neural modularity helps organisms evolve to learn new skills without forgetting old skills.

PubMed

Ellefsen, Kai Olav; Mouret, Jean-Baptiste; Clune, Jeff

2015-04-01

A long-standing goal in artificial intelligence is creating agents that can learn a variety of different skills for different problems. In the artificial intelligence subfield of neural networks, a barrier to that goal is that when agents learn a new skill they typically do so by losing previously acquired skills, a problem called catastrophic forgetting. That occurs because, to learn the new task, neural learning algorithms change connections that encode previously acquired skills. How networks are organized critically affects their learning dynamics. In this paper, we test whether catastrophic forgetting can be reduced by evolving modular neural networks. Modularity intuitively should reduce learning interference between tasks by separating functionality into physically distinct modules in which learning can be selectively turned on or off. Modularity can further improve learning by having a reinforcement learning module separate from sensory processing modules, allowing learning to happen only in response to a positive or negative reward. In this paper, learning takes place via neuromodulation, which allows agents to selectively change the rate of learning for each neural connection based on environmental stimuli (e.g. to alter learning in specific locations based on the task at hand). To produce modularity, we evolve neural networks with a cost for neural connections. We show that this connection cost technique causes modularity, confirming a previous result, and that such sparsely connected, modular networks have higher overall performance because they learn new skills faster while retaining old skills more and because they have a separate reinforcement learning module. Our results suggest (1) that encouraging modularity in neural networks may help us overcome the long-standing barrier of networks that cannot learn new skills without forgetting old ones, and (2) that one benefit of the modularity ubiquitous in the brains of natural animals might be to alleviate the problem of catastrophic forgetting.

Design of a modular digital computer system, DRL 4. [for meeting future requirements of spaceborne computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The design is reported of an advanced modular computer system designated the Automatically Reconfigurable Modular Multiprocessor System, which anticipates requirements for higher computing capacity and reliability for future spaceborne computers. Subjects discussed include: an overview of the architecture, mission analysis, synchronous and nonsynchronous scheduling control, reliability, and data transmission.

Modular Power Standard for Space Explorations Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oeftering, Richard C.; Gardner, Brent G.

2016-01-01

Future human space exploration will most likely be composed of assemblies of multiple modular spacecraft elements with interconnected electrical power systems. An electrical system composed of a standardized set modular building blocks provides significant development, integration, and operational cost advantages. The modular approach can also provide the flexibility to configure power systems to meet the mission needs. A primary goal of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Modular Power System (AMPS) project is to establish a Modular Power Standard that is needed to realize these benefits. This paper is intended to give the space exploration community a "first look" at the evolving Modular Power Standard and invite their comments and technical contributions.

Spacecraft Modularity for Serviceable Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossetti, Dino; Keer, Beth; Panek, John; Reed, Benjamin; Cepollina, Frank; Ritter, Robert

2015-01-01

Satellite servicing has been a proven capability of NASA since the first servicing missions in the 1980s with astronauts on the space shuttle. This capability enabled the on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) and saved the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) mission following the discovery of the flawed primary mirror. The effectiveness and scope of servicing opportunities, especially using robotic servicers, is a function of how cooperative a spacecraft is. In this paper, modularity will be presented as a critical design aspect for a spacecraft that is cooperative from a servicing perspective. Different features of modularity are discussed using examples from HST and the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS) program from the 1980s and 1990s. The benefits of modularity will be presented including those directly related to servicing and those outside of servicing including reduced costs and increased flexibility. The new Reconfigurable Operational spacecraft for Science and Exploration (ROSE) concept is introduced as an affordable implementation of modularity that provides cost savings and flexibility. Key aspects of the ROSE architecture are discussed such as the module design and the distributed avionics architecture. The ROSE concept builds on the experience from MMS and due to its modularity, would be highly suitable as a future client for on-orbit servicing.

SkyNet: Modular nuclear reaction network library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippuner, Jonas; Roberts, Luke F.

2017-10-01

The general-purpose nuclear reaction network SkyNet evolves the abundances of nuclear species under the influence of nuclear reactions. SkyNet can be used to compute the nucleosynthesis evolution in all astrophysical scenarios where nucleosynthesis occurs. Any list of isotopes can be evolved and SkyNet supports various different types of nuclear reactions. SkyNet is modular, permitting new or existing physics, such as nuclear reactions or equations of state, to be easily added or modified.

48 CFR 39.103 - Modular contracting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY General 39.103 Modular contracting. (a) This section implements Section 5202, Incremental Acquisition of Information Technology, of the Clinger-Cohen... technology. Consistent with the agency's information technology architecture, agencies should, to the maximum...

An ISRU Propellant Production System to Fully Fuel a Mars Ascent Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinhenz, Julie; Paz, Aaron

2017-01-01

ISRU of Mars resources was base lined in 2009 Design Reference Architecture (DRA) 5.0, but only for Oxygen production using atmospheric CO2The Methane (LCH4) needed for ascent propulsion of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) would need to be brought from Earth. HOWEVER: Extracting water from the Martian Regolith enables the production of both Oxygen and Methane from Mars resources Water resources could also be used for other applications including: Life support, radiation shielding, plant growth, etc. Water extraction was not base lined in DRA5.0 due to perceived difficulties and complexity in processing regolith. The NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) requested studies to look at the quantitative benefits and trades of using Mars water ISRU Phase 1: Examined architecture scenarios for regolith water retrieval. Completed October 2015Phase 2: Deep dive of one architecture concept to look at end-to-end system size, mass, power of a LCH4LO2 ISRU production system.Evolvable Mars CampaignPre-deployed Mars ascent vehicle (MAV)4 crew membersPropellants: Oxygen MethaneGenerate a system model to roll up mass power of a full ISRU system and enable parametric trade studies. Leverage models from previous studies and technology development programs Anchor with mass power performance from existing hardware. Whenever possible used reference-able (published) numbers for traceability.Modular approach to allow subsystem trades and parametric studies. Propellant mass needs taken from most recently published MAV study:Polsgrove, T. et al. (2015), AIAA2015-4416MAV engines operate at mixture ratios (oxygen: methane) between 3:1 and 3.5:1, whereas the Sabatier reactor produces at a 4:1 ratio. Therefore:Methane production is the driving requirement-Excess Oxygen will be produced.

Near-Infrared Neuroimaging with NinPy

PubMed Central

Strangman, Gary E.; Zhang, Quan; Zeffiro, Thomas

2009-01-01

There has been substantial recent growth in the use of non-invasive optical brain imaging in studies of human brain function in health and disease. Near-infrared neuroimaging (NIN) is one of the most promising of these techniques and, although NIN hardware continues to evolve at a rapid pace, software tools supporting optical data acquisition, image processing, statistical modeling, and visualization remain less refined. Python, a modular and computationally efficient development language, can support functional neuroimaging studies of diverse design and implementation. In particular, Python's easily readable syntax and modular architecture allow swift prototyping followed by efficient transition to stable production systems. As an introduction to our ongoing efforts to develop Python software tools for structural and functional neuroimaging, we discuss: (i) the role of non-invasive diffuse optical imaging in measuring brain function, (ii) the key computational requirements to support NIN experiments, (iii) our collection of software tools to support NIN, called NinPy, and (iv) future extensions of these tools that will allow integration of optical with other structural and functional neuroimaging data sources. Source code for the software discussed here will be made available at www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/Neural_SystemsGroup/software.html. PMID:19543449

Teleoperated Modular Robots for Lunar Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Globus, Al; Hornby, Greg; Larchev, Greg; Hancher, Matt; Cannon, Howard; Lohn, Jason

2004-01-01

Solar system exploration is currently carried out by special purpose robots exquisitely designed for the anticipated tasks. However, all contingencies for in situ resource utilization (ISRU), human habitat preparation, and exploration will be difficult to anticipate. Furthermore, developing the necessary special purpose mechanisms for deployment and other capabilities is difficult and error prone. For example, the Galileo high gain antenna never opened, severely restricting the quantity of data returned by the spacecraft. Also, deployment hardware is used only once. To address these problems, we are developing teleoperated modular robots for lunar missions, including operations in transit from Earth. Teleoperation of lunar systems from Earth involves a three second speed-of-light delay, but experiment suggests that interactive operations are feasible.' Modular robots typically consist of many identical modules that pass power and data between them and can be reconfigured for different tasks providing great flexibility, inherent redundancy and graceful degradation as modules fail. Our design features a number of different hub, link, and joint modules to simplify the individual modules, lower structure cost, and provide specialized capabilities. Modular robots are well suited for space applications because of their extreme flexibility, inherent redundancy, high-density packing, and opportunities for mass production. Simple structural modules can be manufactured from lunar regolith in situ using molds or directed solar sintering. Software to direct and control modular robots is difficult to develop. We have used genetic algorithms to evolve both the morphology and control system for walking modular robots3 We are currently using evolvable system technology to evolve controllers for modular robots in the ISS glove box. Development of lunar modular robots will require software and physical simulators, including regolith simulation, to enable design and test of robot software and hardware, particularly automation software. Ready access to these simulators could provide opportunities for contest-driven development ala RoboCup (http://www.robocup.org/). Licensing of module designs could provide opportunities in the toy market and for spin-off applications.

Generation and development of RNA ligase ribozymes with modular architecture through "design and selection".

PubMed

Fujita, Yuki; Ishikawa, Junya; Furuta, Hiroyuki; Ikawa, Yoshiya

2010-08-26

In vitro selection with long random RNA libraries has been used as a powerful method to generate novel functional RNAs, although it often requires laborious structural analysis of isolated RNA molecules. Rational RNA design is an attractive alternative to avoid this laborious step, but rational design of catalytic modules is still a challenging task. A hybrid strategy of in vitro selection and rational design has been proposed. With this strategy termed "design and selection," new ribozymes can be generated through installation of catalytic modules onto RNA scaffolds with defined 3D structures. This approach, the concept of which was inspired by the modular architecture of naturally occurring ribozymes, allows prediction of the overall architectures of the resulting ribozymes, and the structural modularity of the resulting ribozymes allows modification of their structures and functions. In this review, we summarize the design, generation, properties, and engineering of four classes of ligase ribozyme generated by design and selection.

A REST-ful interpretation for embedded modular systems based on open architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyke, James

2016-05-01

The much-anticipated revolution of the "Internet of things" (IoT) is expected to generate one trillion internet devices within the next 15 years, mostly in the form of simple wireless sensor devices. While this revolution promises to transform silicon markets and drive a number of disruptive changes in society, it is also the case that the protocols, complexity, and security issues of extremely large dynamic, co-mingled networks is still poorly understood. Furthermore, embedded system developers, to include military and aerospace users, have largely ignored the potential (good and bound) of the cloudlike, possibly intermingling networks having variable structure to how future systems might be engineered. In this paper, we consider a new interpretation of IoT inspired modular architecture strategies involving the representational state transfer (REST) model, in which dynamic networks with variable structure employ stateless application programming interface (API) concepts. The power of the method, which extends concepts originally developed for space plug-and-play avionics, is that it allows for the fluid co-mingling of hardware and software in networks whose structure can overlap and evolve. Paradoxically, these systems may have the most stringent determinism and fault-tolerant needs. In this paper we review how RESTful APIs can potentially be used to design, create, test, and deploy systems rapidly while addressing security and referential integrity even when the nodes of many systems might physically co-mingle. We will also explore ways to take advantage of the RESTful paradigm for fault tolerance and what extensions might be necessary to deal with high-performance and determinism.

MOBS - A modular on-board switching system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berner, W.; Grassmann, W.; Piontek, M.

The authors describe a multibeam satellite system that is designed for business services and for communications at a high bit rate. The repeater is regenerative with a modular onboard switching system. It acts not only as baseband switch but also as the central node of the network, performing network control and protocol evaluation. The hardware is based on a modular bus/memory architecture with associated processors.

SMEX-Lite Modular Solar Array Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, John

2002-01-01

For the most part, Goddard solar arrays have been custom designs that are unique to each mission. The solar panel design has been frozen prior to issuing an RFP for their procurement. There has typically been 6-9 months between RFP release and contract award, followed by an additional 24 months for performance of the contract. For Small Explorer (SMEX) missions, with three years between mission definition and launch, this has been a significant problem. The SMEX solar panels have been sufficiently small that the contract performance period has been reduced to 12-15 months. The bulk of this time is used up in the final design definition and fabrication of flight solar cell assemblies. Even so, it has been virtually impossible to have the spacecraft design at a level of maturity sufficient to freeze the solar panel geometry and release the RFP in time to avoid schedule problems with integrating the solar panels to the spacecraft. With that in mind, the SMEX-Lite project team developed a modular architecture for the assembly of solar arrays to greatly reduce the cost and schedule associated with the development of a mission- specific solar array. In the modular architecture, solar cells are fabricated onto small substrate panels. This modular panel (approximately 8.5" x 17" in this case) becomes the building block for constructing solar arrays for multiple missions with varying power requirements and geometrical arrangements. The mechanical framework that holds these modules together as a solar array is the only mission-unique design, changing in size and shape as required for each mission. There are several advantages to this approach. First, the typical solar array development cycle requires a mission unique design, procurement, and qualification including a custom qualification panel. With the modular architecture, a single qualification of the SMEX-Lite modules and the associated mechanical framework in a typical configuration provided a qualification by similarity to multiple missions. It then becomes possible to procure solar array modules in advance of mission definition and respond quickly and inexpensively to a selected mission's unique requirements. The solar array modular architecture allows the procurement of solar array modules before the array geometry has been frozen. This reduces the effect of procurement lead-time on the mission integration and test flow by as much as 50%. Second, by spreading the non-recurring costs over multiple missions, the cost per unit area is also reduced. In the case of the SMEX-Lite procurement, this reduction was by about one third of the cost per unit area compared to previous SMEX mission-unique procurements. Third, the modular architecture greatly facilitates the infusion of new solar cell technologies into flight programs as these technologies become available. New solar cell technologies need only be fabricated onto a standard-sized module to be incorporated into the next available mission. The modular solar array can be flown in a mixed configuration with some new and some standard cell technologies. Since each module has its own wiring terminals, the array can be arranged as desired electrically with little impact to cost and schedule. The solar array modular architecture does impose some additional constraints on systems and subsystem engineers. First, they must work with discrete solar array modules rather than size the array to fit exactly within an available envelope. The array area is constrained to an integer multiple of the module area. Second, the modular design is optimized for space radiation and thermal environments not greatly different from a typical SMEX LEO environment. For example, a mission with a highly elliptical orbit (e.g., Polar, SMEX/FAST) would require thicker coverglasses to protect the solar cells from the more intense radiation environment.

Quantification of complex modular architecture in plants.

PubMed

Reeb, Catherine; Kaandorp, Jaap; Jansson, Fredrik; Puillandre, Nicolas; Dubuisson, Jean-Yves; Cornette, Raphaël; Jabbour, Florian; Coudert, Yoan; Patiño, Jairo; Flot, Jean-François; Vanderpoorten, Alain

2018-04-01

Morphometrics, the assignment of quantities to biological shapes, is a powerful tool to address taxonomic, evolutionary, functional and developmental questions. We propose a novel method for shape quantification of complex modular architecture in thalloid plants, whose extremely reduced morphologies, combined with the lack of a formal framework for thallus description, have long rendered taxonomic and evolutionary studies extremely challenging. Using graph theory, thalli are described as hierarchical series of nodes and edges, allowing for accurate, homologous and repeatable measurements of widths, lengths and angles. The computer program MorphoSnake was developed to extract the skeleton and contours of a thallus and automatically acquire, at each level of organization, width, length, angle and sinuosity measurements. Through the quantification of leaf architecture in Hymenophyllum ferns (Polypodiopsida) and a fully worked example of integrative taxonomy in the taxonomically challenging thalloid liverwort genus Riccardia, we show that MorphoSnake is applicable to all ramified plants. This new possibility of acquiring large numbers of quantitative traits in plants with complex modular architectures opens new perspectives of applications, from the development of rapid species identification tools to evolutionary analyses of adaptive plasticity. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Modular, Adaptive, Reconfigurable Systems: Technology for Sustainable, Reliable, Effective, and Affordable Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esper, Jaime

2004-01-01

In order to execute the Vision for Space Exploration, we must find ways to reduce cost, system complexity, design, build, and test times, and at the same time increase flexibility to satisfy multiple functions. Modular, Adaptive, Reconfigurable System (MARS) technologies promise to set the stage for the delivery of system elements that form the building blocks of increasingly ambitious missions involving humans and robots. Today, space systems are largely specialized and built on a case-by-case basis. The notion of modularity however, is nothing new to NASA. The 1970's saw the development of the Multi-Mission Modular spacecraft (MMS). From 1980 to 1992 at least six satellites were built under this paradigm, and included such Goddard Space Flight Center missions as SSM, EUVE, UARS, and Landsat 4 and 5. Earlier versions consisted of standard subsystem "module" or "box" components that could be replaced within a structure based on predefined form factors. Although the primary motivation for MMS was faster/cheaper integration and test, standardization of interfaces, and ease of incorporating new subsystem technology, it lacked the technology maturity and programmatic "upgrade infrastructure" needed to satisfy varied mission requirements, and ultimately it lacked user buy-in. Consequently, it never evolved and was phased out. Such concepts as the Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) with its regularly updated catalogue of prequalified busses became the preferred method for acquiring satellites. Notwithstanding, over the past 30 years since MMS inception, technology has advanced considerably and now modularity can be extended beyond the traditional MMS module or box to cover levels of integration, from the chip, card, box, subsystem, to the space system and to the system-of-systems. This paper will present the MARS architecture, cast within the historical context of MMS. Its application will be highlighted by comparing a state-of-the-art point design vs. a MARS-enabled lunar mission, as a representative robotic case design.

Climatic response variability and machine learning: development of a modular technology framework for predicting bio-climatic change in pacific northwest ecosystems"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seamon, E.; Gessler, P. E.; Flathers, E.

2015-12-01

The creation and use of large amounts of data in scientific investigations has become common practice. Data collection and analysis for large scientific computing efforts are not only increasing in volume as well as number, the methods and analysis procedures are evolving toward greater complexity (Bell, 2009, Clarke, 2009, Maimon, 2010). In addition, the growth of diverse data-intensive scientific computing efforts (Soni, 2011, Turner, 2014, Wu, 2008) has demonstrated the value of supporting scientific data integration. Efforts to bridge this gap between the above perspectives have been attempted, in varying degrees, with modular scientific computing analysis regimes implemented with a modest amount of success (Perez, 2009). This constellation of effects - 1) an increasing growth in the volume and amount of data, 2) a growing data-intensive science base that has challenging needs, and 3) disparate data organization and integration efforts - has created a critical gap. Namely, systems of scientific data organization and management typically do not effectively enable integrated data collaboration or data-intensive science-based communications. Our research efforts attempt to address this gap by developing a modular technology framework for data science integration efforts - with climate variation as the focus. The intention is that this model, if successful, could be generalized to other application areas. Our research aim focused on the design and implementation of a modular, deployable technology architecture for data integration. Developed using aspects of R, interactive python, SciDB, THREDDS, Javascript, and varied data mining and machine learning techniques, the Modular Data Response Framework (MDRF) was implemented to explore case scenarios for bio-climatic variation as they relate to pacific northwest ecosystem regions. Our preliminary results, using historical NETCDF climate data for calibration purposes across the inland pacific northwest region (Abatzoglou, Brown, 2011), show clear ecosystems shifting over a ten-year period (2001-2011), based on multiple supervised classifier methods for bioclimatic indicators.

Modular, Adaptive, Reconfigurable Systems: Technology for Sustainable, Reliable, Effective, and Affordable Space Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esper, Jaime

2005-02-01

In order to execute the Vision for Space Exploration, we must find ways to reduce cost, system complexity, design, build, and test times, and at the same time increase flexibility to satisfy multiple functions. Modular, Adaptive, Reconfigurable System (MARS) technologies promise to set the stage for the delivery of system elements that form the building blocks of increasingly ambitious missions involving humans and robots. Today, space systems are largely specialized and built on a case-by-case basis. The notion of modularity however, is nothing new to NASA. The 1970's saw the development of the Multi-Mission Modular spacecraft (MMS). From 1980 to 1992 at least six satellites were built under this paradigm, and included such Goddard Space Flight Center missions as SSM, EUVE, UARS, and Landsat 4 and 5. Earlier versions consisted of standard subsystem ``module'' or ``box'' components that could be replaced within a structure based on predefined form factors. Although the primary motivation for MMS was faster/cheaper integration and test, standardization of interfaces, and ease of incorporating new subsystem technology, it lacked the technology maturity and programmatic ``upgrade infrastructure'' needed to satisfy varied mission requirements, and ultimately it lacked user buy-in. Consequently, it never evolved and was phased out. Such concepts as the Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) with its regularly updated catalogue of pre-qualified busses became the preferred method for acquiring satellites. Notwithstanding, over the past 30 years since MMS inception, technology has advanced considerably and now modularity can be extended beyond the traditional MMS module or box to cover levels of integration, from the chip, card, box, subsystem, to the space system and to the system-of-systems. This paper will present the MARS architecture, cast within the historical context of MMS. Its application will be highlighted by comparing a state-of-the-art point design vs. a MARS-enabled lunar mission, as a representative robotic case design.

Does biological intimacy shape ecological network structure? A test using a brood pollination mutualism on continental and oceanic islands.

PubMed

Hembry, David H; Raimundo, Rafael L G; Newman, Erica A; Atkinson, Lesje; Guo, Chang; Guimarães, Paulo R; Gillespie, Rosemary G

2018-04-25

Biological intimacy-the degree of physical proximity or integration of partner taxa during their life cycles-is thought to promote the evolution of reciprocal specialization and modularity in the networks formed by co-occurring mutualistic species, but this hypothesis has rarely been tested. Here, we test this "biological intimacy hypothesis" by comparing the network architecture of brood pollination mutualisms, in which specialized insects are simultaneously parasites (as larvae) and pollinators (as adults) of their host plants to that of other mutualisms which vary in their biological intimacy (including ant-myrmecophyte, ant-extrafloral nectary, plant-pollinator and plant-seed disperser assemblages). We use a novel dataset sampled from leafflower trees (Phyllanthaceae: Phyllanthus s. l. [Glochidion]) and their pollinating leafflower moths (Lepidoptera: Epicephala) on three oceanic islands (French Polynesia) and compare it to equivalent published data from congeners on continental islands (Japan). We infer taxonomic diversity of leafflower moths using multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis and examine several network structural properties: modularity (compartmentalization), reciprocality (symmetry) of specialization and algebraic connectivity. We find that most leafflower-moth networks are reciprocally specialized and modular, as hypothesized. However, we also find that two oceanic island networks differ in their modularity and reciprocal specialization from the others, as a result of a supergeneralist moth taxon which interacts with nine of 10 available hosts. Our results generally support the biological intimacy hypothesis, finding that leafflower-moth networks (usually) share a reciprocally specialized and modular structure with other intimate mutualisms such as ant-myrmecophyte symbioses, but unlike nonintimate mutualisms such as seed dispersal and nonintimate pollination. Additionally, we show that generalists-common in nonintimate mutualisms-can also evolve in intimate mutualisms, and that their effect is similar in both types of assemblages: once generalists emerge they reshape the network organization by connecting otherwise isolated modules. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2018 British Ecological Society.

48 CFR 39.103 - Modular contracting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... increments to take advantage of any evolution in technology or needs that occur during implementation and use... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY General 39.103 Modular contracting. (a) This... technology. Consistent with the agency's information technology architecture, agencies should, to the maximum...

Potential Applications of Modularity to Enable a Deep Space Habitation Capability for Future Human Exploration Beyond Low-Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Matthew A.; Toups, Larry; Smitherman, David

2012-01-01

Evaluating preliminary concepts of a Deep Space Habitat (DSH) enabling long duration crewed exploration of asteroids, the Moon, and Mars is a technically challenging problem. Sufficient habitat volumes and equipment, necessary to ensure crew health and functionality, increase propellant requirements and decrease launch flexibility to deliver multiple elements on a single launch vehicle; both of which increase overall mission cost. Applying modularity in the design of the habitat structures and subsystems can alleviate these difficulties by spreading the build-up of the overall habitation capability across several smaller parts. This allows for a more flexible habitation approach that accommodates various crew mission durations and levels of functionality. This paper provides a technical analysis of how various modular habitation approaches can impact the parametric design of a DSH with potential benefits in mass, packaging volume, and architectural flexibility. This includes a description of the desired long duration habitation capability, the definition of a baseline model for comparison, a small trade study to investigate alternatives, and commentary on potentially advantageous configurations to enable different levels of habitability. The approaches investigated include modular pressure vessel strategies, modular subsystems, and modular manufacturing approaches to habitat structure. The paper also comments upon the possibility of an integrated habitation strategy using modular components to create all short and long duration habitation elements required in the current exploration architectures.

A seismic-network mission proposal as an example for modular robotic lunar exploration missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lange, C.; Witte, L.; Rosta, R.; Sohl, F.; Heffels, A.; Knapmeyer, M.

2017-05-01

In this paper it is intended to discuss an approach to reduce design costs for subsequent missions by introducing modularity, commonality and multi-mission capability and thereby reuse of mission individual investments into the design of lunar exploration infrastructural systems. The presented approach has been developed within the German Helmholtz-Alliance on Robotic Exploration of Extreme Environments (ROBEX), a research alliance bringing together deep-sea and space research to jointly develop technologies and investigate problems for the exploration of highly inaccessible terrain - be it in the deep sea and polar regions or on the Moon and other planets. Although overall costs are much smaller for deep sea missions as compared to lunar missions, a lot can be learned from modularity approaches in deep sea research infrastructure design, which allows a high operational flexibility in the planning phase of a mission as well as during its implementation. The research presented here is based on a review of existing modular solutions in Earth orbiting satellites as well as science and exploration systems. This is followed by an investigation of lunar exploration scenarios from which we derive requirements for a multi-mission modular architecture. After analyzing possible options, an approach using a bus modular architecture for dedicated subsystems is presented. The approach is based on exchangeable modules e.g. incorporating instruments, which are added to the baseline system platform according to the demands of the specific scenario. It will be described in more detail, including arising problems e.g. in the power or thermal domain. Finally, technological building blocks to put the architecture into practical use will be described more in detail.

Semantic Web-Driven LMS Architecture towards a Holistic Learning Process Model Focused on Personalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerkiri, Tania

2010-01-01

A comprehensive presentation is here made on the modular architecture of an e-learning platform with a distinctive emphasis on content personalization, combining advantages from semantic web technology, collaborative filtering and recommendation systems. Modules of this architecture handle information about both the domain-specific didactic…

Developmental pathways inferred from modularity, morphological integration and fluctuating asymmetry patterns in the human face.

PubMed

Quinto-Sánchez, Mirsha; Muñoz-Muñoz, Francesc; Gomez-Valdes, Jorge; Cintas, Celia; Navarro, Pablo; Cerqueira, Caio Cesar Silva de; Paschetta, Carolina; de Azevedo, Soledad; Ramallo, Virginia; Acuña-Alonzo, Victor; Adhikari, Kaustubh; Fuentes-Guajardo, Macarena; Hünemeier, Tábita; Everardo, Paola; de Avila, Francisco; Jaramillo, Claudia; Arias, Williams; Gallo, Carla; Poletti, Giovani; Bedoya, Gabriel; Bortolini, Maria Cátira; Canizales-Quinteros, Samuel; Rothhammer, Francisco; Rosique, Javier; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Gonzalez-Jose, Rolando

2018-01-17

Facial asymmetries are usually measured and interpreted as proxies to developmental noise. However, analyses focused on its developmental and genetic architecture are scarce. To advance on this topic, studies based on a comprehensive and simultaneous analysis of modularity, morphological integration and facial asymmetries including both phenotypic and genomic information are needed. Here we explore several modularity hypotheses on a sample of Latin American mestizos, in order to test if modularity and integration patterns differ across several genomic ancestry backgrounds. To do so, 4104 individuals were analyzed using 3D photogrammetry reconstructions and a set of 34 facial landmarks placed on each individual. We found a pattern of modularity and integration that is conserved across sub-samples differing in their genomic ancestry background. Specifically, a signal of modularity based on functional demands and organization of the face is regularly observed across the whole sample. Our results shed more light on previous evidence obtained from Genome Wide Association Studies performed on the same samples, indicating the action of different genomic regions contributing to the expression of the nose and mouth facial phenotypes. Our results also indicate that large samples including phenotypic and genomic metadata enable a better understanding of the developmental and genetic architecture of craniofacial phenotypes.

The Effects of Race Conditions When Implementing Single-Source Redundant Clock Trees in Triple Modular Redundant Synchronous Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; Kim, Hak S.; Phan, Anthony M.; Seidleck, Christina M.; Label, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan A.; Campola, Michael J.

2016-01-01

We present the challenges that arise when using redundant clock domains due to their time-skew. Radiation data show that a singular clock domain provides an improved triple modular redundant (TMR) scheme over redundant clocks.

A Modular Approach to Arithmetic and Logic Unit Design on a Reconfigurable Hardware Platform for Educational Purpose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oztekin, Halit; Temurtas, Feyzullah; Gulbag, Ali

The Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) design is one of the important topics in Computer Architecture and Organization course in Computer and Electrical Engineering departments. There are ALU designs that have non-modular nature to be used as an educational tool. As the programmable logic technology has developed rapidly, it is feasible that ALU design based on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is implemented in this course. In this paper, we have adopted the modular approach to ALU design based on FPGA. All the modules in the ALU design are realized using schematic structure on Altera's Cyclone II Development board. Under this model, the ALU content is divided into four distinct modules. These are arithmetic unit except for multiplication and division operations, logic unit, multiplication unit and division unit. User can easily design any size of ALU unit since this approach has the modular nature. Then, this approach was applied to microcomputer architecture design named BZK.SAU.FPGA10.0 instead of the current ALU unit.

Classification capacity of a modular neural network implementing neurally inspired architecture and training rules.

PubMed

Poirazi, Panayiota; Neocleous, Costas; Pattichis, Costantinos S; Schizas, Christos N

2004-05-01

A three-layer neural network (NN) with novel adaptive architecture has been developed. The hidden layer of the network consists of slabs of single neuron models, where neurons within a slab--but not between slabs--have the same type of activation function. The network activation functions in all three layers have adaptable parameters. The network was trained using a biologically inspired, guided-annealing learning rule on a variety of medical data. Good training/testing classification performance was obtained on all data sets tested. The performance achieved was comparable to that of SVM classifiers. It was shown that the adaptive network architecture, inspired from the modular organization often encountered in the mammalian cerebral cortex, can benefit classification performance.

A Grey Wolf Optimizer for Modular Granular Neural Networks for Human Recognition

PubMed Central

Sánchez, Daniela; Melin, Patricia

2017-01-01

A grey wolf optimizer for modular neural network (MNN) with a granular approach is proposed. The proposed method performs optimal granulation of data and design of modular neural networks architectures to perform human recognition, and to prove its effectiveness benchmark databases of ear, iris, and face biometric measures are used to perform tests and comparisons against other works. The design of a modular granular neural network (MGNN) consists in finding optimal parameters of its architecture; these parameters are the number of subgranules, percentage of data for the training phase, learning algorithm, goal error, number of hidden layers, and their number of neurons. Nowadays, there is a great variety of approaches and new techniques within the evolutionary computing area, and these approaches and techniques have emerged to help find optimal solutions to problems or models and bioinspired algorithms are part of this area. In this work a grey wolf optimizer is proposed for the design of modular granular neural networks, and the results are compared against a genetic algorithm and a firefly algorithm in order to know which of these techniques provides better results when applied to human recognition. PMID:28894461

A Grey Wolf Optimizer for Modular Granular Neural Networks for Human Recognition.

PubMed

Sánchez, Daniela; Melin, Patricia; Castillo, Oscar

2017-01-01

A grey wolf optimizer for modular neural network (MNN) with a granular approach is proposed. The proposed method performs optimal granulation of data and design of modular neural networks architectures to perform human recognition, and to prove its effectiveness benchmark databases of ear, iris, and face biometric measures are used to perform tests and comparisons against other works. The design of a modular granular neural network (MGNN) consists in finding optimal parameters of its architecture; these parameters are the number of subgranules, percentage of data for the training phase, learning algorithm, goal error, number of hidden layers, and their number of neurons. Nowadays, there is a great variety of approaches and new techniques within the evolutionary computing area, and these approaches and techniques have emerged to help find optimal solutions to problems or models and bioinspired algorithms are part of this area. In this work a grey wolf optimizer is proposed for the design of modular granular neural networks, and the results are compared against a genetic algorithm and a firefly algorithm in order to know which of these techniques provides better results when applied to human recognition.

lean-ISD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Guy W.

2001-01-01

Explains lean instructional systems design/development (ISD) as it relates to curriculum architecture design, based on Japan's lean production system. Discusses performance-based systems; ISD models; processes for organizational training and development; curriculum architecture to support job performance; and modular curriculum development. (LRW)

Real-Time Model and Simulation Architecture for Half- and Full-Bridge Modular Multilevel Converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashourloo, Mojtaba

This work presents an equivalent model and simulation architecture for real-time electromagnetic transient analysis of either half-bridge or full-bridge modular multilevel converter (MMC) with 400 sub-modules (SMs) per arm. The proposed CPU/FPGA-based architecture is optimized for the parallel implementation of the presented MMC model on the FPGA and is beneficiary of a high-throughput floating-point computational engine. The developed real-time simulation architecture is capable of simulating MMCs with 400 SMs per arm at 825 nanoseconds. To address the difficulties of the sorting process implementation, a modified Odd-Even Bubble sorting is presented in this work. The comparison of the results under various test scenarios reveals that the proposed real-time simulator is representing the system responses in the same way of its corresponding off-line counterpart obtained from the PSCAD/EMTDC program.

Evolvable Mars Campaign Long Duration Habitation Strategies: Architectural Approaches to Enable Human Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Matthew A.; Toups, Larry; Howe, A. Scott; Wald, Samuel I.

2015-01-01

The Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) is the current NASA Mars mission planning effort which seeks to establish sustainable, realistic strategies to enable crewed Mars missions in the mid-2030s timeframe. The primary outcome of the Evolvable Mars Campaign is not to produce "The Plan" for sending humans to Mars, but instead its intent is to inform the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate near-term key decisions and investment priorities to prepare for those types of missions. The FY'15 EMC effort focused upon analysis of integrated mission architectures to identify technically appealing transportation strategies, logistics build-up strategies, and vehicle designs for reaching and exploring Mars moons and Mars surface. As part of the development of this campaign, long duration habitats are required which are capable of supporting crew with limited resupply and crew abort during the Mars transit, Mars moons, and Mars surface segments of EMC missions. In particular, the EMC design team sought to design a single, affordable habitation system whose manufactured units could be outfitted uniquely for each of these missions and reused for multiple crewed missions. This habitat system must provide all of the functionality to safely support 4 crew for long durations while meeting mass and volume constraints for each of the mission segments set by the chosen transportation architecture and propulsion technologies. This paper describes several proposed long-duration habitation strategies to enable the Evolvable Mars Campaign through improvements in mass, cost, and reusability, and presents results of analysis to compare the options and identify promising solutions. The concepts investigated include several monolithic concepts: monolithic clean sheet designs, and concepts which leverage the co-manifested payload capability of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) to deliver habitable elements within the Universal Payload Adaptor between the SLS upper stage and the Orion/Service module on the top of the vehicle. Multiple modular habitat options for Mars surface and in-space missions are also considered with various functionality and volume splits between modules to find the best balance of reducing the single largest mass which must be delivered to a destination and reducing the number of separate elements which must be launched. Analysis results presented for each of these concepts in this paper include mass/volume/power sizing using parametric sizing tools, identification of unique operational constraints, and limited comments on the additional impacts of reusability/dormancy on system design. Finally, recommendations will be made for promising solutions which will be carried forward for consideration in the Evolvable Mars Campaign work.

Design and Development of an Equipotential Voltage Reference (Grounding) System for a Low-Cost Rapid-Development Modular Spacecraft Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lukash, James A.; Daley, Earl

2011-01-01

This work describes the design and development effort to adapt rapid-development space hardware by creating a ground system using solutions of low complexity, mass, & cost. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft is based on the modular common spacecraft bus architecture developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The challenge was building upon the existing modular common bus design and development work and improving the LADEE spacecraft design by adding an Equipotential Voltage Reference (EVeR) system, commonly referred to as a ground system. This would aid LADEE in meeting Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) requirements, thereby making the spacecraft more compatible with itself and its space environment. The methods used to adapt existing hardware are presented, including provisions which may be used on future spacecraft.

Fitness landscape complexity and the emergence of modularity in neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, Jessica

Previous research has shown that the shape of the fitness landscape can affect the evolution of modularity. We evolved neural networks to solve different tasks with different fitness landscapes, using NEAT, a popular neuroevolution algorithm that quantifies similarity between genomes in order to divide them into species. We used this speciation mechanism as a means to examine fitness landscape complexity, and to examine connections between fitness landscape complexity and the emergence of modularity.

Rapid prototyping strategy for a surgical data warehouse.

PubMed

Tang, S-T; Huang, Y-F; Hsiao, M-L; Yang, S-H; Young, S-T

2003-01-01

Healthcare processes typically generate an enormous volume of patient information. This information largely represents unexploited knowledge, since current hospital operational systems (e.g., HIS, RIS) are not suitable for knowledge exploitation. Data warehousing provides an attractive method for solving these problems, but the process is very complicated. This study presents a novel strategy for effectively implementing a healthcare data warehouse. This study adopted the rapid prototyping (RP) method, which involves intensive interactions. System developers and users were closely linked throughout the life cycle of the system development. The presence of iterative RP loops meant that the system requirements were increasingly integrated and problems were gradually solved, such that the prototype system evolved into the final operational system. The results were analyzed by monitoring the series of iterative RP loops. First a definite workflow for ensuring data completeness was established, taking a patient-oriented viewpoint when collecting the data. Subsequently the system architecture was determined for data retrieval, storage, and manipulation. This architecture also clarifies the relationships among the novel system and legacy systems. Finally, a graphic user interface for data presentation was implemented. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential for adopting an RP strategy in the successful establishment of a healthcare data warehouse. The strategy can be modified and expanded to provide new services or support new application domains. The design patterns and modular architecture used in the framework will be useful in solving problems in different healthcare domains.

SMEX-Lite Modular Solar Array Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyons, John W.; Day, John (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) missions have typically had three years between mission definition and launch. This short schedule has posed significant challenges with respect to solar array design and procurement. Typically, the solar panel geometry is frozen prior to going out with a procurement. However, with the SMEX schedule, it has been virtually impossible to freeze the geometry in time to avoid scheduling problems with integrating the solar panels to the spacecraft. A modular solar array architecture was developed to alleviate this problem. This approach involves procuring sufficient modules for multiple missions and assembling the modules onto a solar array framework that is unique to each mission. The modular approach removes the solar array from the critical path of the SMEX integration and testing schedule. It also reduces the cost per unit area of the solar arrays and facilitates the inclusion of experiments involving new solar cell or panel technologies in the SMEX missions.

Prima Platform: A Scheme for Managing Equipment-Dependent Onboard Functions and Impacts on the Avionics Software Production Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candia, Sante; Lisio, Giovanni; Campolo, Giovanni; Pascucci, Dario

2010-08-01

The Avionics Software (ASW), in charge of controlling the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Spacecraft PRIMA Platform (Piattaforma Ri-configurabile Italiana Multi-Applicativa), is evolving towards a highly modular and re-usable architecture based on an architectural framework allowing the effective integration of the software building blocks (SWBBs) providing the on-board control functions. During the recent years, the PRIMA ASW design and production processes have been improved to reach the following objectives: (a) at PUS Services level, separation of the mission-independent software mechanisms from the mission-dependent configuration information; (b) at Application level, identification of mission-independent recurrent functions for promoting abstraction and obtaining a more efficient and safe ASW production, with positive implications also on the software validation activities. This paper is dedicated to the characterisation activity which has been performed at Application level for a software component abstracting a set of functions for the generic On-Board Assembly (OBA), a set of hardware units used to deliver an on-board service. Moreover, the ASW production process is specified to show how it results after the introduction of the new design features.

Dynamics of modularity of neural activity in the brain during development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deem, Michael; Chen, Man

2014-03-01

Theory suggests that more modular systems can have better response functions at short times. This theory suggests that greater cognitive performance may be achieved for more modular neural activity, and that modularity of neural activity may, therefore, likely increase with development in children. We study the relationship between age and modularity of brain neural activity in developing children. The value of modularity calculated from fMRI data is observed to increase during childhood development and peak in young adulthood. We interpret these results as evidence of selection for plasticity in the cognitive function of the human brain. We present a model to illustrate how modularity can provide greater cognitive performance at short times and enhance fast, low-level, automatic cognitive processes. Conversely, high-level, effortful, conscious cognitive processes may not benefit from modularity. We use quasispecies theory to predict how the average modularity evolves with age, given a fitness function extracted from the model. We suggest further experiments exploring the effect of modularity on cognitive performance and suggest that modularity may be a potential biomarker for injury, rehabilitation, or disease.

An approach for fixed coefficient RNS-based FIR filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasa Reddy, Kotha; Sahoo, Subhendu Kumar

2017-08-01

In this work, an efficient new modular multiplication method for {2k-1, 2k, 2k+1-1} moduli set is proposed to implement a residue number system (RNS)-based fixed coefficient finite impulse response filter. The new multiplication approach reduces the number of partial products by using pre-loaded product block. The reduction in partial products with the proposed modular multiplication improves the clock frequency and reduces the area and power as compared with the conventional modular multiplication. Further, the present approach eliminates a binary number to residue number converter circuit, which is usually needed at the front end of RNS-based system. In this work, two fixed coefficient filter architectures with the new modular multiplication approach are proposed. The filters are implemented using Verilog hardware description language. The United Microelectronics Corporation 90 nm technology library has been used for synthesis and the results area, power and delay are obtained with the help of Cadence register transfer level compiler. The power delay product (PDP) is also considered for performance comparison among the proposed filters. One of the proposed architecture is found to improve PDP gain by 60.83% as compared with the filter implemented with conventional modular multiplier. The filters functionality is validated with the help of Altera DSP Builder.

Plug-and-play design approach to smart harness for modular small satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mughal, M. Rizwan; Ali, Anwar; Reyneri, Leonardo M.

2014-02-01

A typical satellite involves many different components that vary in bandwidth demand. Sensors that require a very low data rate may reside on a simple two- or three-wire interface such as I2C, SPI, etc. Complex sensors that require high data rate and bandwidth may reside on an optical interface. The AraMiS architecture is an enhanced capability architecture with different satellite configurations. Although keeping the low-cost and COTS approach of CubeSats, it extends the modularity concept as it also targets different satellite shapes and sizes. But modularity moves beyond the mechanical structure: the tiles also have thermo-mechanical, harness and signal-processing functionalities. Further modularizing the system, every tile can also host a variable number of small sensors, actuators or payloads, connected using a plug-and-play approach. Every subsystem is housed in a small daughter board and is supplied, by the main tile, with power and data distribution functions, power and data harness, mechanical support and is attached and interconnected with space-grade spring-loaded connectors. The tile software is also modular and allows a quick adaptation to specific subsystems. The basic software for the CPU is properly hardened to guarantee high level of radiation tolerance at very low cost.

Robust Software Architecture for Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aghazanian, Hrand; Baumgartner, Eric; Garrett, Michael

2009-01-01

Robust Real-Time Reconfigurable Robotics Software Architecture (R4SA) is the name of both a software architecture and software that embodies the architecture. The architecture was conceived in the spirit of current practice in designing modular, hard, realtime aerospace systems. The architecture facilitates the integration of new sensory, motor, and control software modules into the software of a given robotic system. R4SA was developed for initial application aboard exploratory mobile robots on Mars, but is adaptable to terrestrial robotic systems, real-time embedded computing systems in general, and robotic toys.

Development of Multi-Legged Walking Robot Using Reconfigurable Modular Design and Biomimetic Control Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xuedong; Sun, Yi; Huang, Qingjiu; Jia, Wenchuan; Pu, Huayan

This paper focuses on the design of a modular multi-legged walking robot MiniQuad-I, which can be reconfigured into variety configurations, including quadruped and hexapod configurations for different tasks by changing the layout of modules. Critical design considerations when taking the adaptability, maintainability and extensibility in count simultaneously are discussed and then detailed designs of each module are presented. The biomimetic control architecture of MiniQuad-I is proposed, which can improve the capability of agility and independence of the robot. Simulations and experiments on crawling, object picking and obstacle avoiding are performed to verify functions of the MiniQuad-I.

Decentralized and Modular Electrical Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elisabelar, Christian; Lebaratoux, Laurence

2014-08-01

This paper presents the studies made on the definition and design of a decentralized and modular electrical architecture that can be used for power distribution, active thermal control (ATC), standard inputs-outputs electrical interfaces.Traditionally implemented inside central unit like OBC or RTU, these interfaces can be dispatched in the satellite by using MicroRTU.CNES propose a similar approach of MicroRTU. The system is based on a bus called BRIO (Bus Réparti des IO), which is composed, by a power bus and a RS485 digital bus. BRIO architecture is made with several miniature terminals called BTCU (BRIO Terminal Control Unit) distributed in the spacecraft.The challenge was to design and develop the BTCU with very little volume, low consumption and low cost. The standard BTCU models are developed and qualified with a configuration dedicated to ATC, while the first flight model will fly on MICROSCOPE for PYRO actuations and analogue acquisitions. The design of the BTCU is made in order to be easily adaptable for all type of electric interface needs.Extension of this concept is envisaged for power conditioning and distribution unit, and a Modular PCDU based on BRIO concept is proposed.

The Evolution of Academic Library Architecture: A Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toombs, Kenneth E.

1992-01-01

Reviews the history of architectural developments in academic libraries. Highlights include natural lighting and the invention of the incandescent bulb; compact shelving; open versus closed stacks; modular construction methods; central air conditioning and controlled environments; interior arrangements; access to handicapped users and staff; and…

New ARCH: Future Generation Internet Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

a vocabulary to talk about a system . This provides a framework ( a “reference model ...layered model Modularity and abstraction are central tenets of Computer Science thinking. Modularity breaks a system into parts, normally to permit...this complexity is hidden. Abstraction suggests a structure for the system . A popular and simple structure is a layered model : lower layer

Modular architecture for robotics and teleoperation

DOEpatents

Anderson, Robert J.

1996-12-03

Systems and methods for modularization and discretization of real-time robot, telerobot and teleoperation systems using passive, network based control laws. Modules consist of network one-ports and two-ports. Wave variables and position information are passed between modules. The behavior of each module is decomposed into uncoupled linear-time-invariant, and coupled, nonlinear memoryless elements and then are separately discretized.

Localized Triple Modular Redundancy vs. Distributed Triple Modular Redundancy on a ProASIC3E Reprogrammable FPGA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGuffey, Alex; Berg, Melanie; Pellish, Jonathan

2010-01-01

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) are used in every space application. Currently, most space flight applications use radiation hardened (RH) FPGAs, which are very expensive. There is a desire to use cheaper, commercial off the shelf reprogrammable FPGAs, which are more susceptible to radiation effects known as single-event effects (SEE). The RH parts have SEE and total ionizing dose (TID) hardened elements pre-integrated into the part. This means that the designer does not need to implement any hardening techniques while configuring the device. The COTS parts on the other hand must be mitigated by design in order to insure any form of mitigation. The design techniques this project examines concern the use of localized triple modular redundancy (LTMR) and distributed triple modular redundancy (DTMR). LTMR triples every flip flop in the device architecture while DTMR triples everything except for the global routes (clocks, resets, and enables). The testing was performed on a ProASIC3E FPGA at the Texas A&M cyclotron facility. Two design architectures were used: shift registers and counters, both with LTMR and DTMR mitigation techniques. The test results prove that DTMR is more effective at reducing SEE than LTMR. We also determined that there was not a significant difference between the use of shift registers and counters for test purposes. More testing is required to obtain additional linear energy transfer values for each architecture and mitigation technique in order to determine the most cost-effective method of SEE mitigation.

Hardware-Abbildung eines videobasierten Verfahrens zur echtzeitfähigen Auswertung von Winkelhistogrammen auf eine modulare Coprozessor-Architektur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flatt, H.; Tarnowsky, A.; Blume, H.; Pirsch, P.

2010-10-01

Dieser Beitrag behandelt die Abbildung eines videobasierten Verfahrens zur echtzeitfähigen Auswertung von Winkelhistogrammen auf eine modulare Coprozessor-Architektur. Die Architektur besteht aus mehreren dedizierten Recheneinheiten zur parallelen Verarbeitung rechenintensiver Bildverarbeitungsverfahren und ist mit einem RISC-Prozessor verbunden. Eine konfigurierbare Architekturerweiterung um eine Recheneinheit zur Auswertung von Winkelhistogrammen von Objekten ermöglicht in Verbindung mit dem RISC eine echtzeitfähige Klassifikation. Je nach Konfiguration sind für die Architekturerweiterung auf einem Xilinx Virtex-5-FPGA zwischen 3300 und 12 000 Lookup-Tables erforderlich. Bei einer Taktfrequenz von 100 MHz können unabhängig von der Bildauflösung pro Einzelbild in einem 25-Hz-Videodatenstrom bis zu 100 Objekte der Größe 256×256 Pixel analysiert werden. This paper presents the mapping of a video-based approach for real-time evaluation of angular histograms on a modular coprocessor architecture. The architecture comprises several dedicated processing elements for parallel processing of computation-intensive image processing tasks and is coupled with a RISC processor. A configurable architecture extension, especially a processing element for evaluating angular histograms of objects in conjunction with a RISC processor, provides a real-time classification. Depending on the configuration of the architecture extension, 3 300 to 12 000 look-up tables are required for a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA implementation. Running at a clock frequency of 100 MHz and independently of the image resolution per frame, 100 objects of size 256×256 pixels are analyzed in a 25 Hz video stream by the architecture.

Modular open RF architecture: extending VICTORY to RF systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melber, Adam; Dirner, Jason; Johnson, Michael

2015-05-01

Radio frequency products spanning multiple functions have become increasingly critical to the warfighter. Military use of the electromagnetic spectrum now includes communications, electronic warfare (EW), intelligence, and mission command systems. Due to the urgent needs of counterinsurgency operations, various quick reaction capabilities (QRCs) have been fielded to enhance warfighter capability. Although these QRCs were highly successfully in their respective missions, they were designed independently resulting in significant challenges when integrated on a common platform. This paper discusses how the Modular Open RF Architecture (MORA) addresses these challenges by defining an open architecture for multifunction missions that decomposes monolithic radio systems into high-level components with welldefined functions and interfaces. The functional decomposition maximizes hardware sharing while minimizing added complexity and cost due to modularization. MORA achieves significant size, weight and power (SWaP) savings by allowing hardware such as power amplifiers and antennas to be shared across systems. By separating signal conditioning from the processing that implements the actual radio application, MORA exposes previously inaccessible architecture points, providing system integrators with the flexibility to insert third-party capabilities to address technical challenges and emerging requirements. MORA leverages the Vehicular Integration for Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR)/EW Interoperability (VICTORY) framework. This paper concludes by discussing how MORA, VICTORY and other standards such as OpenVPX are being leveraged by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Communications Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) to define a converged architecture enabling rapid technology insertion, interoperability and reduced SWaP.

Development of modularity in the neural activity of childrenʼs brains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Man; Deem, Michael W.

2015-02-01

We study how modularity of the human brain changes as children develop into adults. Theory suggests that modularity can enhance the response function of a networked system subject to changing external stimuli. Thus, greater cognitive performance might be achieved for more modular neural activity, and modularity might likely increase as children develop. The value of modularity calculated from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is observed to increase during childhood development and peak in young adulthood. Head motion is deconvolved from the fMRI data, and it is shown that the dependence of modularity on age is independent of the magnitude of head motion. A model is presented to illustrate how modularity can provide greater cognitive performance at short times, i.e. task switching. A fitness function is extracted from the model. Quasispecies theory is used to predict how the average modularity evolves with age, illustrating the increase of modularity during development from children to adults that arises from selection for rapid cognitive function in young adults. Experiments exploring the effect of modularity on cognitive performance are suggested. Modularity may be a potential biomarker for injury, rehabilitation, or disease.

In silico evolution of the hunchback gene indicates redundancy in cis-regulatory organization and spatial gene expression

PubMed Central

Zagrijchuk, Elizaveta A.; Sabirov, Marat A.; Holloway, David M.; Spirov, Alexander V.

2014-01-01

Biological development depends on the coordinated expression of genes in time and space. Developmental genes have extensive cis-regulatory regions which control their expression. These regions are organized in a modular manner, with different modules controlling expression at different times and locations. Both how modularity evolved and what function it serves are open questions. We present a computational model for the cis-regulation of the hunchback (hb) gene in the fruit fly (Drosophila). We simulate evolution (using an evolutionary computation approach from computer science) to find the optimal cis-regulatory arrangements for fitting experimental hb expression patterns. We find that the cis-regulatory region tends to readily evolve modularity. These cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) do not tend to control single spatial domains, but show a multi-CRM/multi-domain correspondence. We find that the CRM-domain correspondence seen in Drosophila evolves with a high probability in our model, supporting the biological relevance of the approach. The partial redundancy resulting from multi-CRM control may confer some biological robustness against corruption of regulatory sequences. The technique developed on hb could readily be applied to other multi-CRM developmental genes. PMID:24712536

Insights into substrate specificity of NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases containing bacterial SH3 domains

DOE PAGES

Xu, Qingping; Mengin-Lecreulx, Dominique; Liu, Xueqian W.; ...

2015-09-15

Bacterial SH3 (SH3b) domains are commonly fused with papain-like Nlp/P60 cell wall hydrolase domains. To understand how the modular architecture of SH3b and NlpC/P60 affects the activity of the catalytic domain, three putative NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases were biochemically and structurally characterized. In addition, these enzymes all have γ-d-Glu-A 2pm (A 2pm is diaminopimelic acid) cysteine amidase (ordl-endopeptidase) activities but with different substrate specificities. One enzyme is a cell wall lysin that cleaves peptidoglycan (PG), while the other two are cell wall recycling enzymes that only cleave stem peptides with an N-terminall-Ala. Their crystal structures revealed a highly conserved structuremore » consisting of two SH3b domains and a C-terminal NlpC/P60 catalytic domain, despite very low sequence identity. Interestingly, loops from the first SH3b domain dock into the ends of the active site groove of the catalytic domain, remodel the substrate binding site, and modulate substrate specificity. Two amino acid differences at the domain interface alter the substrate binding specificity in favor of stem peptides in recycling enzymes, whereas the SH3b domain may extend the peptidoglycan binding surface in the cell wall lysins. Remarkably, the cell wall lysin can be converted into a recycling enzyme with a single mutation.Peptidoglycan is a meshlike polymer that envelops the bacterial plasma membrane and bestows structural integrity. Cell wall lysins and recycling enzymes are part of a set of lytic enzymes that target covalent bonds connecting the amino acid and amino sugar building blocks of the PG network. These hydrolases are involved in processes such as cell growth and division, autolysis, invasion, and PG turnover and recycling. To avoid cleavage of unintended substrates, these enzymes have very selective substrate specificities. Our biochemical and structural analysis of three modular NlpC/P60 hydrolases, one lysin, and two recycling enzymes, show that they may have evolved from a common molecular architecture, where the substrate preference is modulated by local changes. These results also suggest that new pathways for recycling PG turnover products, such as tracheal cytotoxin, may have evolved in bacteria in the human gut microbiome that involve NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases.« less

Insights into substrate specificity of NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases containing bacterial SH3 domains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Qingping; Mengin-Lecreulx, Dominique; Liu, Xueqian W.

Bacterial SH3 (SH3b) domains are commonly fused with papain-like Nlp/P60 cell wall hydrolase domains. To understand how the modular architecture of SH3b and NlpC/P60 affects the activity of the catalytic domain, three putative NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases were biochemically and structurally characterized. In addition, these enzymes all have γ-d-Glu-A 2pm (A 2pm is diaminopimelic acid) cysteine amidase (ordl-endopeptidase) activities but with different substrate specificities. One enzyme is a cell wall lysin that cleaves peptidoglycan (PG), while the other two are cell wall recycling enzymes that only cleave stem peptides with an N-terminall-Ala. Their crystal structures revealed a highly conserved structuremore » consisting of two SH3b domains and a C-terminal NlpC/P60 catalytic domain, despite very low sequence identity. Interestingly, loops from the first SH3b domain dock into the ends of the active site groove of the catalytic domain, remodel the substrate binding site, and modulate substrate specificity. Two amino acid differences at the domain interface alter the substrate binding specificity in favor of stem peptides in recycling enzymes, whereas the SH3b domain may extend the peptidoglycan binding surface in the cell wall lysins. Remarkably, the cell wall lysin can be converted into a recycling enzyme with a single mutation.Peptidoglycan is a meshlike polymer that envelops the bacterial plasma membrane and bestows structural integrity. Cell wall lysins and recycling enzymes are part of a set of lytic enzymes that target covalent bonds connecting the amino acid and amino sugar building blocks of the PG network. These hydrolases are involved in processes such as cell growth and division, autolysis, invasion, and PG turnover and recycling. To avoid cleavage of unintended substrates, these enzymes have very selective substrate specificities. Our biochemical and structural analysis of three modular NlpC/P60 hydrolases, one lysin, and two recycling enzymes, show that they may have evolved from a common molecular architecture, where the substrate preference is modulated by local changes. These results also suggest that new pathways for recycling PG turnover products, such as tracheal cytotoxin, may have evolved in bacteria in the human gut microbiome that involve NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases.« less

Insights into Substrate Specificity of NlpC/P60 Cell Wall Hydrolases Containing Bacterial SH3 Domains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Qingping; Mengin-Lecreulx, Dominique; Liu, Xueqian W.

ABSTRACT Bacterial SH3 (SH3b) domains are commonly fused with papain-like Nlp/P60 cell wall hydrolase domains. To understand how the modular architecture of SH3b and NlpC/P60 affects the activity of the catalytic domain, three putative NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases were biochemically and structurally characterized. These enzymes all have γ-d-Glu-A 2pm (A 2pm is diaminopimelic acid) cysteine amidase (ordl-endopeptidase) activities but with different substrate specificities. One enzyme is a cell wall lysin that cleaves peptidoglycan (PG), while the other two are cell wall recycling enzymes that only cleave stem peptides with an N-terminall-Ala. Their crystal structures revealed a highly conserved structure consistingmore » of two SH3b domains and a C-terminal NlpC/P60 catalytic domain, despite very low sequence identity. Interestingly, loops from the first SH3b domain dock into the ends of the active site groove of the catalytic domain, remodel the substrate binding site, and modulate substrate specificity. Two amino acid differences at the domain interface alter the substrate binding specificity in favor of stem peptides in recycling enzymes, whereas the SH3b domain may extend the peptidoglycan binding surface in the cell wall lysins. Remarkably, the cell wall lysin can be converted into a recycling enzyme with a single mutation. IMPORTANCEPeptidoglycan is a meshlike polymer that envelops the bacterial plasma membrane and bestows structural integrity. Cell wall lysins and recycling enzymes are part of a set of lytic enzymes that target covalent bonds connecting the amino acid and amino sugar building blocks of the PG network. These hydrolases are involved in processes such as cell growth and division, autolysis, invasion, and PG turnover and recycling. To avoid cleavage of unintended substrates, these enzymes have very selective substrate specificities. Our biochemical and structural analysis of three modular NlpC/P60 hydrolases, one lysin, and two recycling enzymes, show that they may have evolved from a common molecular architecture, where the substrate preference is modulated by local changes. These results also suggest that new pathways for recycling PG turnover products, such as tracheal cytotoxin, may have evolved in bacteria in the human gut microbiome that involve NlpC/P60 cell wall hydrolases.« less

Common modular avionics - Partitioning and design philosophy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, D. M.; Mulvaney, S. P.

The design objectives and definition criteria for common modular hardware that will perform digital processing functions in multiple avionic subsystems are examined. In particular, attention is given to weapon system-level objectives, such as increased supportability, reduced life cycle costs, and increased upgradability. These objectives dictate the following overall modular design goals: reduce test equipment requirements; have a large number of subsystem applications; design for architectural growth; and standardize for technology transparent implementations. Finally, specific partitioning criteria are derived on the basis of the weapon system-level objectives and overall design goals.

Clearing the skies over modular polyketide synthases.

PubMed

Sherman, David H; Smith, Janet L

2006-09-19

Modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are large multifunctional proteins that synthesize complex polyketide metabolites in microbial cells. A series of recent studies confirm the close protein structural relationship between catalytic domains in the type I mammalian fatty acid synthase (FAS) and the basic synthase unit of the modular PKS. They also establish a remarkable similarity in the overall organization of the type I FAS and the PKS module. This information provides important new conclusions about catalytic domain architecture, function, and molecular recognition that are essential for future efforts to engineer useful polyketide metabolites with valuable biological activities.

Integrating Innovation: Keeping the Leading Edge

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

access inside Army com- mand posts. Commercial innovation also can be built directly into our con- tract structure. Just as today’s smartphones ...moving to publish detailed guidance this year on how gov- ernment and industry partners will comply with the Modular Open Systems Architecture...which outlines design principles and interface characteristics allowing for modular hardware While the Army cannot predict the future or design

Microscale Technologies and Modular Approaches for Tissue Engineering: Moving toward the Fabrication of Complex Functional Structures

PubMed Central

Gauvin, Robert; Khademhosseini, Ali

2011-01-01

Micro- and nanoscale technologies have emerged as powerful tools in the fabrication of engineered tissues and organs. Here we focus on the application of these techniques to improve engineered tissue architecture and function using modular and directed self-assembly and highlight the emergence of this new class of materials for biomedical applications. PMID:21627163

Modular closed-loop control of diabetes.

PubMed

Patek, S D; Magni, L; Dassau, E; Karvetski, C; Toffanin, C; De Nicolao, G; Del Favero, S; Breton, M; Man, C Dalla; Renard, E; Zisser, H; Doyle, F J; Cobelli, C; Kovatchev, B P

2012-11-01

Modularity plays a key role in many engineering systems, allowing for plug-and-play integration of components, enhancing flexibility and adaptability, and facilitating standardization. In the control of diabetes, i.e., the so-called "artificial pancreas," modularity allows for the step-wise introduction of (and regulatory approval for) algorithmic components, starting with subsystems for assured patient safety and followed by higher layer components that serve to modify the patient's basal rate in real time. In this paper, we introduce a three-layer modular architecture for the control of diabetes, consisting in a sensor/pump interface module (IM), a continuous safety module (CSM), and a real-time control module (RTCM), which separates the functions of insulin recommendation (postmeal insulin for mitigating hyperglycemia) and safety (prevention of hypoglycemia). In addition, we provide details of instances of all three layers of the architecture: the APS© serving as the IM, the safety supervision module (SSM) serving as the CSM, and the range correction module (RCM) serving as the RTCM. We evaluate the performance of the integrated system via in silico preclinical trials, demonstrating 1) the ability of the SSM to reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia under nonideal operating conditions and 2) the ability of the RCM to reduce glycemic variability.

A Framework for the Development of Scalable Heterogeneous Robot Teams with Dynamically Distributed Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Adrian

As the applications of mobile robotics evolve it has become increasingly less practical for researchers to design custom hardware and control systems for each problem. This research presents a new approach to control system design that looks beyond end-of-lifecycle performance and considers control system structure, flexibility, and extensibility. Toward these ends the Control ad libitum philosophy is proposed, stating that to make significant progress in the real-world application of mobile robot teams the control system must be structured such that teams can be formed in real-time from diverse components. The Control ad libitum philosophy was applied to the design of the HAA (Host, Avatar, Agent) architecture: a modular hierarchical framework built with provably correct distributed algorithms. A control system for exploration and mapping, search and deploy, and foraging was developed to evaluate the architecture in three sets of hardware-in-the-loop experiments. First, the basic functionality of the HAA architecture was studied, specifically the ability to: a) dynamically form the control system, b) dynamically form the robot team, c) dynamically form the processing network, and d) handle heterogeneous teams. Secondly, the real-time performance of the distributed algorithms was tested, and proved effective for the moderate sized systems tested. Furthermore, the distributed Just-in-time Cooperative Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (JC-SLAM) algorithm demonstrated accuracy equal to or better than traditional approaches in resource starved scenarios, while reducing exploration time significantly. The JC-SLAM strategies are also suitable for integration into many existing particle filter SLAM approaches, complementing their unique optimizations. Thirdly, the control system was subjected to concurrent software and hardware failures in a series of increasingly complex experiments. Even with unrealistically high rates of failure the control system was able to successfully complete its tasks. The HAA implementation designed following the Control ad libitum philosophy proved to be capable of dynamic team formation and extremely robust against both hardware and software failure; and, due to the modularity of the system there is significant potential for reuse of assets and future extensibility. One future goal is to make the source code publically available and establish a forum for the development and exchange of new agents.

Evolutionary Telemetry and Command Processor (TCP) architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, John R.

1992-01-01

A low cost, modular, high performance, and compact Telemetry and Command Processor (TCP) is being built as the foundation of command and data handling subsystems for the next generation of satellites. The TCP product line will support command and telemetry requirements for small to large spacecraft and from low to high rate data transmission. It is compatible with the latest TDRSS, STDN and SGLS transponders and provides CCSDS protocol communications in addition to standard TDM formats. Its high performance computer provides computing resources for hosted flight software. Layered and modular software provides common services using standardized interfaces to applications thereby enhancing software re-use, transportability, and interoperability. The TCP architecture is based on existing standards, distributed networking, distributed and open system computing, and packet technology. The first TCP application is planned for the 94 SDIO SPAS 3 mission. The architecture enhances rapid tailoring of functions thereby reducing costs and schedules developed for individual spacecraft missions.

Modular Architecture for Integrated Model-Based Decision Support.

PubMed

Gaebel, Jan; Schreiber, Erik; Oeser, Alexander; Oeltze-Jafra, Steffen

2018-01-01

Model-based decision support systems promise to be a valuable addition to oncological treatments and the implementation of personalized therapies. For the integration and sharing of decision models, the involved systems must be able to communicate with each other. In this paper, we propose a modularized architecture of dedicated systems for the integration of probabilistic decision models into existing hospital environments. These systems interconnect via web services and provide model sharing and processing capabilities for clinical information systems. Along the lines of IHE integration profiles from other disciplines and the meaningful reuse of routinely recorded patient data, our approach aims for the seamless integration of decision models into hospital infrastructure and the physicians' daily work.

Measuring, Enabling and Comparing Modularity, Regularity and Hierarchy in Evolutionary Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornby, Gregory S.

2005-01-01

For computer-automated design systems to scale to complex designs they must be able to produce designs that exhibit the characteristics of modularity, regularity and hierarchy - characteristics that are found both in man-made and natural designs. Here we claim that these characteristics are enabled by implementing the attributes of combination, control-flow and abstraction in the representation. To support this claim we use an evolutionary algorithm to evolve solutions to different sizes of a table design problem using five different representations, each with different combinations of modularity, regularity and hierarchy enabled and show that the best performance happens when all three of these attributes are enabled. We also define metrics for modularity, regularity and hierarchy in design encodings and demonstrate that high fitness values are achieved with high values of modularity, regularity and hierarchy and that there is a positive correlation between increases in fitness and increases in modularity. regularity and hierarchy.

Modular organization of α-toxins from scorpion venom mirrors domain structure of their targets, sodium channels.

PubMed

Chugunov, Anton O; Koromyslova, Anna D; Berkut, Antonina A; Peigneur, Steve; Tytgat, Jan; Polyansky, Anton A; Pentkovsky, Vladimir M; Vassilevski, Alexander A; Grishin, Eugene V; Efremov, Roman G

2013-06-28

To gain success in the evolutionary "arms race," venomous animals such as scorpions produce diverse neurotoxins selected to hit targets in the nervous system of prey. Scorpion α-toxins affect insect and/or mammalian voltage-gated sodium channels (Na(v)s) and thereby modify the excitability of muscle and nerve cells. Although more than 100 α-toxins are known and a number of them have been studied into detail, the molecular mechanism of their interaction with Na(v)s is still poorly understood. Here, we employ extensive molecular dynamics simulations and spatial mapping of hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties distributed over the molecular surface of α-toxins. It is revealed that despite the small size and relatively rigid structure, these toxins possess modular organization from structural, functional, and evolutionary perspectives. The more conserved and rigid "core module" is supplemented with the "specificity module" (SM) that is comparatively flexible and variable and determines the taxon (mammal versus insect) specificity of α-toxin activity. We further show that SMs in mammal toxins are more flexible and hydrophilic than in insect toxins. Concomitant sequence-based analysis of the extracellular loops of Na(v)s suggests that α-toxins recognize the channels using both modules. We propose that the core module binds to the voltage-sensing domain IV, whereas the more versatile SM interacts with the pore domain in repeat I of Na(v)s. These findings corroborate and expand the hypothesis on different functional epitopes of toxins that has been reported previously. In effect, we propose that the modular structure in toxins evolved to match the domain architecture of Na(v)s.

Evolution of synthetic signaling scaffolds by recombination of modular protein domains.

PubMed

Lai, Andicus; Sato, Paloma M; Peisajovich, Sergio G

2015-06-19

Signaling scaffolds are proteins that interact via modular domains with multiple partners, regulating signaling networks in space and time and providing an ideal platform from which to alter signaling functions. However, to better exploit scaffolds for signaling engineering, it is necessary to understand the full extent of their modularity. We used a directed evolution approach to identify, from a large library of randomly shuffled protein interaction domains, variants capable of rescuing the signaling defect of a yeast strain in which Ste5, the scaffold in the mating pathway, had been deleted. After a single round of selection, we identified multiple synthetic scaffold variants with diverse domain architectures, able to mediate mating pathway activation in a pheromone-dependent manner. The facility with which this signaling network accommodates changes in scaffold architecture suggests that the mating signaling complex does not possess a single, precisely defined geometry into which the scaffold has to fit. These relaxed geometric constraints may facilitate the evolution of signaling networks, as well as their engineering for applications in synthetic biology.

Contour interpolation: A case study in Modularity of Mind.

PubMed

Keane, Brian P

2018-05-01

In his monograph Modularity of Mind (1983), philosopher Jerry Fodor argued that mental architecture can be partly decomposed into computational organs termed modules, which were characterized as having nine co-occurring features such as automaticity, domain specificity, and informational encapsulation. Do modules exist? Debates thus far have been framed very generally with few, if any, detailed case studies. The topic is important because it has direct implications on current debates in cognitive science and because it potentially provides a viable framework from which to further understand and make hypotheses about the mind's structure and function. Here, the case is made for the modularity of contour interpolation, which is a perceptual process that represents non-visible edges on the basis of how surrounding visible edges are spatiotemporally configured. There is substantial evidence that interpolation is domain specific, mandatory, fast, and developmentally well-sequenced; that it produces representationally impoverished outputs; that it relies upon a relatively fixed neural architecture that can be selectively impaired; that it is encapsulated from belief and expectation; and that its inner workings cannot be fathomed through conscious introspection. Upon differentiating contour interpolation from a higher-order contour representational ability ("contour abstraction") and upon accommodating seemingly inconsistent experimental results, it is argued that interpolation is modular to the extent that the initiating conditions for interpolation are strong. As interpolated contours become more salient, the modularity features emerge. The empirical data, taken as a whole, show that at least certain parts of the mind are modularly organized. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developing a modular architecture for creation of rule-based clinical diagnostic criteria.

PubMed

Hong, Na; Pathak, Jyotishman; Chute, Christopher G; Jiang, Guoqian

2016-01-01

With recent advances in computerized patient records system, there is an urgent need for producing computable and standards-based clinical diagnostic criteria. Notably, constructing rule-based clinical diagnosis criteria has become one of the goals in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 revision. However, few studies have been done in building a unified architecture to support the need for diagnostic criteria computerization. In this study, we present a modular architecture for enabling the creation of rule-based clinical diagnostic criteria leveraging Semantic Web technologies. The architecture consists of two modules: an authoring module that utilizes a standards-based information model and a translation module that leverages Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL). In a prototype implementation, we created a diagnostic criteria upper ontology (DCUO) that integrates ICD-11 content model with the Quality Data Model (QDM). Using the DCUO, we developed a transformation tool that converts QDM-based diagnostic criteria into Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) representation. We evaluated the domain coverage of the upper ontology model using randomly selected diagnostic criteria from broad domains (n = 20). We also tested the transformation algorithms using 6 QDM templates for ontology population and 15 QDM-based criteria data for rule generation. As the results, the first draft of DCUO contains 14 root classes, 21 subclasses, 6 object properties and 1 data property. Investigation Findings, and Signs and Symptoms are the two most commonly used element types. All 6 HQMF templates are successfully parsed and populated into their corresponding domain specific ontologies and 14 rules (93.3 %) passed the rule validation. Our efforts in developing and prototyping a modular architecture provide useful insight into how to build a scalable solution to support diagnostic criteria representation and computerization.

Surveillance and reconnaissance ground system architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devambez, Francois

2001-12-01

Modern conflicts induces various modes of deployment, due to the type of conflict, the type of mission, and phase of conflict. It is then impossible to define fixed architecture systems for surveillance ground segments. Thales has developed a structure for a ground segment based on the operational functions required, and on the definition of modules and networks. Theses modules are software and hardware modules, including communications and networks. This ground segment is called MGS (Modular Ground Segment), and is intended for use in airborne reconnaissance systems, surveillance systems, and U.A.V. systems. Main parameters for the definition of a modular ground image exploitation system are : Compliance with various operational configurations, Easy adaptation to the evolution of theses configurations, Interoperability with NATO and multinational forces, Security, Multi-sensors, multi-platforms capabilities, Technical modularity, Evolutivity Reduction of life cycle cost The general performances of the MGS are presented : type of sensors, acquisition process, exploitation of images, report generation, data base management, dissemination, interface with C4I. The MGS is then described as a set of hardware and software modules, and their organization to build numerous operational configurations. Architectures are from minimal configuration intended for a mono-sensor image exploitation system, to a full image intelligence center, for a multilevel exploitation of multi-sensor.

Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer (SUMC) instruction simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curran, R. T.

1972-01-01

The design principles, description, functional operation, and recommended expansion and enhancements are presented for the Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer interpretive simulator. Included as appendices are the user's manual, program module descriptions, target instruction descriptions, simulator source program listing, and a sample program printout. In discussing the design and operation of the simulator, the key problems involving host computer independence and target computer architectural scope are brought into focus.

The Nomad Explorer assembly assist vehicle: An architecture for rapid global extraterrestrial base infrastructure establishment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thangavelu, Madhu

1994-01-01

Traditional concepts of lunar bases describe scenarios where components of the bases are landed on the lunar surface, one at a time, and then put together to form a complete stationary lunar habitat. Recently, some concepts have described the advantages of operating a mobile or 'roving' lunar base. Such a base vastly improves the exploration range from a primary lunar base. Roving bases would also allow the crew to first deploy, test, operationally certify, and then regularly maintain, service, and evolve long life-cycle facilities like observatories or other science payload platforms that are operated far apart from each other across the extraterrestrial surface. The Nomad Explorer is such a mobile lunar base. This paper describes the architectural program of the Nomad Explorer, its advantages over a stationary lunar base, and some of the embedded system concepts which help the roving base to speedily establish a global extraterrestrial infrastructure. A number of modular autonomous logistics landers will carry deployable or erectable payloads, service, and logistically resupply the Nomad Explorer at regular intercepts along the traverse. Starting with the deployment of science experiments and telecommunication networks, and the manned emplacement of a variety of remote outposts using a unique EVA Bell system that enhances manned EVA, the Nomad Explorer architecture suggests the capability for a rapid global development of the extraterrestrial body. The Moon and Mars are candidates for this 'mission oriented' strategy. The lunar case is emphasized in this paper.

Thinking inside the Box

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demski, Jennifer

2012-01-01

When one thinks of 21st century schools, one thinks of geometric modern architecture, sustainable building materials, and high-tech modular classrooms. It's rare, though, that a district has the space or the money to build that school from the ground up. Instead, the challenge for most is the transformation of the 20th century architecture to…

Modular Evolution of DNA-Binding Preference of a Tbrain Transcription Factor Provides a Mechanism for Modifying Gene Regulatory Networks

PubMed Central

Cheatle Jarvela, Alys M.; Brubaker, Lisa; Vedenko, Anastasia; Gupta, Anisha; Armitage, Bruce A.; Bulyk, Martha L.; Hinman, Veronica F.

2014-01-01

Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) describe the progression of transcriptional states that take a single-celled zygote to a multicellular organism. It is well documented that GRNs can evolve extensively through mutations to cis-regulatory modules (CRMs). Transcription factor proteins that bind these CRMs may also evolve to produce novelty. Coding changes are considered to be rarer, however, because transcription factors are multifunctional and hence are more constrained to evolve in ways that will not produce widespread detrimental effects. Recent technological advances have unearthed a surprising variation in DNA-binding abilities, such that individual transcription factors may recognize both a preferred primary motif and an additional secondary motif. This provides a source of modularity in function. Here, we demonstrate that orthologous transcription factors can also evolve a changed preference for a secondary binding motif, thereby offering an unexplored mechanism for GRN evolution. Using protein-binding microarray, surface plasmon resonance, and in vivo reporter assays, we demonstrate an important difference in DNA-binding preference between Tbrain protein orthologs in two species of echinoderms, the sea star, Patiria miniata, and the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Although both orthologs recognize the same primary motif, only the sea star Tbr also has a secondary binding motif. Our in vivo assays demonstrate that this difference may allow for greater evolutionary change in timing of regulatory control. This uncovers a layer of transcription factor binding divergence that could exist for many pairs of orthologs. We hypothesize that this divergence provides modularity that allows orthologous transcription factors to evolve novel roles in GRNs through modification of binding to secondary sites. PMID:25016582

Modular arrangement of regulatory RNA elements.

PubMed

Roßmanith, Johanna; Narberhaus, Franz

2017-03-04

Due to their simple architecture and control mechanism, regulatory RNA modules are attractive building blocks in synthetic biology. This is especially true for riboswitches, which are natural ligand-binding regulators of gene expression. The discovery of various tandem riboswitches inspired the design of combined RNA modules with activities not yet found in nature. Riboswitches were placed in tandem or in combination with a ribozyme or temperature-responsive RNA thermometer resulting in new functionalities. Here, we compare natural examples of tandem riboswitches with recently designed artificial RNA regulators suggesting substantial modularity of regulatory RNA elements. Challenges associated with modular RNA design are discussed.

Modular synthesis of a dual metal-dual semiconductor nano-heterostructure

DOE PAGES

Amirav, Lilac; Oba, Fadekemi; Aloni, Shaul; ...

2015-04-29

Reported is the design and modular synthesis of a dual metal-dual semiconductor heterostructure with control over the dimensions and placement of its individual components. Analogous to molecular synthesis, colloidal synthesis is now evolving into a series of sequential synthetic procedures with separately optimized steps. Here we detail the challenges and parameters that must be considered when assembling such a multicomponent nanoparticle, and their solutions.

Modular Software for Spacecraft Navigation Using the Global Positioning System (GPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truong, S. H.; Hartman, K. R.; Weidow, D. A.; Berry, D. L.; Oza, D. H.; Long, A. C.; Joyce, E.; Steger, W. L.

1996-01-01

The Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics and Mission Operations Divisions have jointly investigated the feasibility of engineering modular Global Positioning SYSTEM (GPS) navigation software to support both real time flight and ground postprocessing configurations. The goals of this effort are to define standard GPS data interfaces and to engineer standard, reusable navigation software components that can be used to build a broad range of GPS navigation support applications. The paper discusses the GPS modular software (GMOD) system and operations concepts, major requirements, candidate software architecture, feasibility assessment and recommended software interface standards. In additon, ongoing efforts to broaden the scope of the initial study and to develop modular software to support autonomous navigation using GPS are addressed,

A systems approach to animal communication

PubMed Central

Barron, Andrew B.; Balakrishnan, Christopher N.; Hauber, Mark E.; Hoke, Kim L.

2016-01-01

Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication—an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex. PMID:26936240

A systems approach to animal communication.

PubMed

Hebets, Eileen A; Barron, Andrew B; Balakrishnan, Christopher N; Hauber, Mark E; Mason, Paul H; Hoke, Kim L

2016-03-16

Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication--an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex. © 2016 The Author(s).

Design strategies to address the effect of hydrophobic epitope on stability and in vitro assembly of modular virus‐like particle

PubMed Central

Tekewe, Alemu; Connors, Natalie K.; Middelberg, Anton P. J.

2016-01-01

Abstract Virus‐like particles (VLPs) and capsomere subunits have shown promising potential as safe and effective vaccine candidates. They can serve as platforms for the display of foreign epitopes on their surfaces in a modular architecture. Depending on the physicochemical properties of the antigenic modules, modularization may affect the expression, solubility and stability of capsomeres, and VLP assembly. In this study, three module designs of a rotavirus hydrophobic peptide (RV10) were synthesized using synthetic biology. Among the three synthetic modules, modularization of the murine polyomavirus VP1 with a single copy of RV10 flanked by long linkers and charged residues resulted in the expression of stable modular capsomeres. Further employing the approach of module titration of RV10 modules on each capsomere via Escherichia coli co‐expression of unmodified VP1 and modular VP1‐RV10 successfully translated purified modular capomeres into modular VLPs when assembled in vitro. Our results demonstrate that tailoring the physicochemical properties of modules to enhance modular capsomeres stability is achievable through synthetic biology designs. Combined with module titration strategy to avoid steric hindrance to intercapsomere interactions, this allows bioprocessing of bacterially produced in vitro assembled modular VLPs. PMID:27222486

Design strategies to address the effect of hydrophobic epitope on stability and in vitro assembly of modular virus-like particle.

PubMed

Tekewe, Alemu; Connors, Natalie K; Middelberg, Anton P J; Lua, Linda H L

2016-08-01

Virus-like particles (VLPs) and capsomere subunits have shown promising potential as safe and effective vaccine candidates. They can serve as platforms for the display of foreign epitopes on their surfaces in a modular architecture. Depending on the physicochemical properties of the antigenic modules, modularization may affect the expression, solubility and stability of capsomeres, and VLP assembly. In this study, three module designs of a rotavirus hydrophobic peptide (RV10) were synthesized using synthetic biology. Among the three synthetic modules, modularization of the murine polyomavirus VP1 with a single copy of RV10 flanked by long linkers and charged residues resulted in the expression of stable modular capsomeres. Further employing the approach of module titration of RV10 modules on each capsomere via Escherichia coli co-expression of unmodified VP1 and modular VP1-RV10 successfully translated purified modular capomeres into modular VLPs when assembled in vitro. Our results demonstrate that tailoring the physicochemical properties of modules to enhance modular capsomeres stability is achievable through synthetic biology designs. Combined with module titration strategy to avoid steric hindrance to intercapsomere interactions, this allows bioprocessing of bacterially produced in vitro assembled modular VLPs. © 2016 The Protein Society.

Modular Closed-Loop Control of Diabetes

PubMed Central

Magni, L.; Dassau, E.; Hughes-Karvetski, C.; Toffanin, C.; De Nicolao, G.; Del Favero, S.; Breton, M.; Man, C. Dalla; Renard, E.; Zisser, H.; Doyle, F. J.; Cobelli, C.; Kovatchev, B. P.

2015-01-01

Modularity plays a key role in many engineering systems, allowing for plug-and-play integration of components, enhancing flexibility and adaptability, and facilitating standardization. In the control of diabetes, i.e., the so-called “artificial pancreas,” modularity allows for the step-wise introduction of (and regulatory approval for) algorithmic components, starting with subsystems for assured patient safety and followed by higher layer components that serve to modify the patient’s basal rate in real time. In this paper, we introduce a three-layer modular architecture for the control of diabetes, consisting in a sensor/pump interface module (IM), a continuous safety module (CSM), and a real-time control module (RTCM), which separates the functions of insulin recommendation (postmeal insulin for mitigating hyperglycemia) and safety (prevention of hypoglycemia). In addition, we provide details of instances of all three layers of the architecture: the APS© serving as the IM, the safety supervision module (SSM) serving as the CSM, and the range correction module (RCM) serving as the RTCM. We evaluate the performance of the integrated system via in silico preclinical trials, demonstrating 1) the ability of the SSM to reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia under nonideal operating conditions and 2) the ability of the RCM to reduce glycemic variability. PMID:22481809

MACOP modular architecture with control primitives

PubMed Central

Waegeman, Tim; Hermans, Michiel; Schrauwen, Benjamin

2013-01-01

Walking, catching a ball and reaching are all tasks in which humans and animals exhibit advanced motor skills. Findings in biological research concerning motor control suggest a modular control hierarchy which combines movement/motor primitives into complex and natural movements. Engineers inspire their research on these findings in the quest for adaptive and skillful control for robots. In this work we propose a modular architecture with control primitives (MACOP) which uses a set of controllers, where each controller becomes specialized in a subregion of its joint and task-space. Instead of having a single controller being used in this subregion [such as MOSAIC (modular selection and identification for control) on which MACOP is inspired], MACOP relates more to the idea of continuously mixing a limited set of primitive controllers. By enforcing a set of desired properties on the mixing mechanism, a mixture of primitives emerges unsupervised which successfully solves the control task. We evaluate MACOP on a numerical model of a robot arm by training it to generate desired trajectories. We investigate how the tracking performance is affected by the number of controllers in MACOP and examine how the individual controllers and their generated control primitives contribute to solving the task. Furthermore, we show how MACOP compensates for the dynamic effects caused by a fixed control rate and the inertia of the robot. PMID:23888140

Small worlds in space: Synchronization, spatial and relational modularity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brede, M.

2010-06-01

In this letter we investigate networks that have been optimized to realize a trade-off between enhanced synchronization and cost of wire to connect the nodes in space. Analyzing the evolved arrangement of nodes in space and their corresponding network topology, a class of small-world networks characterized by spatial and network modularity is found. More precisely, for low cost of wire optimal configurations are characterized by a division of nodes into two spatial groups with maximum distance from each other, whereas network modularity is low. For high cost of wire, the nodes organize into several distinct groups in space that correspond to network modules connected on a ring. In between, spatially and relationally modular small-world networks are found.

A phase one AR/C system design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kachmar, Peter M.; Polutchko, Robert J.; Matusky, Martin; Chu, William; Jackson, William; Montez, Moises

1991-01-01

The Phase One AR&C System Design integrates an evolutionary design based on the legacy of previous mission successes, flight tested components from manned Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) space programs, and additional AR&C components validated using proven methods. The Phase One system has a modular, open architecture with the standardized interfaces proposed for Space Station Freedom system architecture.

Development of a Commercially Viable, Modular Autonomous Robotic Systems for Converting any Vehicle to Autonomous Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parish, David W.; Grabbe, Robert D.; Marzwell, Neville I.

1994-01-01

A Modular Autonomous Robotic System (MARS), consisting of a modular autonomous vehicle control system that can be retrofit on to any vehicle to convert it to autonomous control and support a modular payload for multiple applications is being developed. The MARS design is scalable, reconfigurable, and cost effective due to the use of modern open system architecture design methodologies, including serial control bus technology to simplify system wiring and enhance scalability. The design is augmented with modular, object oriented (C++) software implementing a hierarchy of five levels of control including teleoperated, continuous guidepath following, periodic guidepath following, absolute position autonomous navigation, and relative position autonomous navigation. The present effort is focused on producing a system that is commercially viable for routine autonomous patrolling of known, semistructured environments, like environmental monitoring of chemical and petroleum refineries, exterior physical security and surveillance, perimeter patrolling, and intrafacility transport applications.

Evolvable Smartphone-Based Platforms for Point-of-Care In-Vitro Diagnostics Applications.

PubMed

Patou, François; AlZahra'a Alatraktchi, Fatima; Kjægaard, Claus; Dimaki, Maria; Madsen, Jan; Svendsen, Winnie E

2016-09-03

The association of smart mobile devices and lab-on-chip technologies offers unprecedented opportunities for the emergence of direct-to-consumer in vitro medical diagnostics applications. Despite their clear transformative potential, obstacles remain to the large-scale disruption and long-lasting success of these systems in the consumer market. For instance, the increasing level of complexity of instrumented lab-on-chip devices, coupled to the sporadic nature of point-of-care testing, threatens the viability of a business model mainly relying on disposable/consumable lab-on-chips. We argued recently that system evolvability, defined as the design characteristic that facilitates more manageable transitions between system generations via the modification of an inherited design, can help remedy these limitations. In this paper, we discuss how platform-based design can constitute a formal entry point to the design and implementation of evolvable smart device/lab-on-chip systems. We present both a hardware/software design framework and the implementation details of a platform prototype enabling at this stage the interfacing of several lab-on-chip variants relying on current- or impedance-based biosensors. Our findings suggest that several change-enabling mechanisms implemented in the higher abstraction software layers of the system can promote evolvability, together with the design of change-absorbing hardware/software interfaces. Our platform architecture is based on a mobile software application programming interface coupled to a modular hardware accessory. It allows the specification of lab-on-chip operation and post-analytic functions at the mobile software layer. We demonstrate its potential by operating a simple lab-on-chip to carry out the detection of dopamine using various electroanalytical methods.

Evolvable Smartphone-Based Platforms for Point-of-Care In-Vitro Diagnostics Applications

PubMed Central

Patou, François; AlZahra’a Alatraktchi, Fatima; Kjægaard, Claus; Dimaki, Maria; Madsen, Jan; Svendsen, Winnie E.

2016-01-01

The association of smart mobile devices and lab-on-chip technologies offers unprecedented opportunities for the emergence of direct-to-consumer in vitro medical diagnostics applications. Despite their clear transformative potential, obstacles remain to the large-scale disruption and long-lasting success of these systems in the consumer market. For instance, the increasing level of complexity of instrumented lab-on-chip devices, coupled to the sporadic nature of point-of-care testing, threatens the viability of a business model mainly relying on disposable/consumable lab-on-chips. We argued recently that system evolvability, defined as the design characteristic that facilitates more manageable transitions between system generations via the modification of an inherited design, can help remedy these limitations. In this paper, we discuss how platform-based design can constitute a formal entry point to the design and implementation of evolvable smart device/lab-on-chip systems. We present both a hardware/software design framework and the implementation details of a platform prototype enabling at this stage the interfacing of several lab-on-chip variants relying on current- or impedance-based biosensors. Our findings suggest that several change-enabling mechanisms implemented in the higher abstraction software layers of the system can promote evolvability, together with the design of change-absorbing hardware/software interfaces. Our platform architecture is based on a mobile software application programming interface coupled to a modular hardware accessory. It allows the specification of lab-on-chip operation and post-analytic functions at the mobile software layer. We demonstrate its potential by operating a simple lab-on-chip to carry out the detection of dopamine using various electroanalytical methods. PMID:27598208

An object-oriented software approach for a distributed human tracking motion system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micucci, Daniela L.

2003-06-01

Tracking is a composite job involving the co-operation of autonomous activities which exploit a complex information model and rely on a distributed architecture. Both information and activities must be classified and related in several dimensions: abstraction levels (what is modelled and how information is processed); topology (where the modelled entities are); time (when entities exist); strategy (why something happens); responsibilities (who is in charge of processing the information). A proper Object-Oriented analysis and design approach leads to a modular architecture where information about conceptual entities is modelled at each abstraction level via classes and intra-level associations, whereas inter-level associations between classes model the abstraction process. Both information and computation are partitioned according to level-specific topological models. They are also placed in a temporal framework modelled by suitable abstractions. Domain-specific strategies control the execution of the computations. Computational components perform both intra-level processing and intra-level information conversion. The paper overviews the phases of the analysis and design process, presents major concepts at each abstraction level, and shows how the resulting design turns into a modular, flexible and adaptive architecture. Finally, the paper sketches how the conceptual architecture can be deployed into a concrete distribute architecture by relying on an experimental framework.

Design and Evolution of a Modular Tensegrity Robot Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruce, Jonathan; Caluwaerts, Ken; Iscen, Atil; Sabelhaus, Andrew P.; SunSpiral, Vytas

2014-01-01

NASA Ames Research Center is developing a compliant modular tensegrity robotic platform for planetary exploration. In this paper we present the design and evolution of the platform's main hardware component, an untethered, robust tensegrity strut, with rich sensor feedback and cable actuation. Each strut is a complete robot, and multiple struts can be combined together to form a wide range of complex tensegrity robots. Our current goal for the tensegrity robotic platform is the development of SUPERball, a 6-strut icosahedron underactuated tensegrity robot aimed at dynamic locomotion for planetary exploration rovers and landers, but the aim is for the modular strut to enable a wide range of tensegrity morphologies. SUPERball is a second generation prototype, evolving from the tensegrity robot ReCTeR, which is also a modular, lightweight, highly compliant 6-strut tensegrity robot that was used to validate our physics based NASA Tensegrity Robot Toolkit (NTRT) simulator. Many hardware design parameters of the SUPERball were driven by locomotion results obtained in our validated simulator. These evolutionary explorations helped constrain motor torque and speed parameters, along with strut and string stress. As construction of the hardware has finalized, we have also used the same evolutionary framework to evolve controllers that respect the built hardware parameters.

Fast data transmission in dynamic data acquisition system for plasma diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byszuk, Adrian; Poźniak, Krzysztof; Zabołotny, Wojciech M.; Kasprowicz, Grzegorz; Wojeński, Andrzej; Cieszewski, Radosław; Juszczyk, Bartłomiej; Kolasiński, Piotr; Zienkiewicz, Paweł; Chernyshova, Maryna; Czarski, Tomasz

2014-11-01

This paper describes architecture of a new data acquisition system (DAQ) targeted mainly at plasma diagnostic experiments. Modular architecture, in combination with selected hardware components, allows for straightforward reconfiguration of the whole system, both offline and online. Main emphasis will be put into the implementation of data transmission subsystem in said system. One of the biggest advantages of described system is modular architecture with well defined boundaries between main components: analog frontend (AFE), digital backplane and acquisition/control software. Usage of a FPGA chips allows for a high flexibility in design of analog frontends, including ADC <--> FPGA interface. Data transmission between backplane boards and user software was accomplished with the use of industry-standard PCI Express (PCIe) technology. PCIe implementation includes both FPGA firmware and Linux device driver. High flexibility of PCIe connections was accomplished due to use of configurable PCIe switch. Whenever it's possible, described DAQ system tries to make use of standard off-the-shelf (OTF) components, including typical x86 CPU & motherboard (acting as PCIe controller) and cabling.

A Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, Alberto; Arenberg, Jonathan; Baldauf, Brian

2017-01-01

The “Search for Life” (direct imaging of earth-like planets) will require extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. Such apertures are larger than what can be delivered to space using current or planned future launch vehicles. Building and assembling large telescopes in space is therefore likely to require not only multiple launches but importantly assembly in spce. As a result, space-based telescopes with large apertures will require major changes to our conventional telescope design and architecture.Here we report on the concept for the Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST) to demonstrates the on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of an optical telescope in space. MODEST is a proposed International Space Station (ISS demonstration that will make use of the standard Express Logistics Carriers (ELCs) and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets.MODEST will provides significant risk reduction for the next generation of space observatories, and demonstrates the technology needed to assemble a six-mirror phased telescope. Key modest features include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control to allow on-orbit optimization, and the precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high modulus, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. Mirrors built from these materials can be rapidly replicated in a highly cost effective manner, making them an excellent candidate for a low cost, high performance Optical Telescope Assembly paving the way for enabling affordable solutions for the next generation of large aperture space-based telescope.MODEST post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, a testbed for new instruments, and a tool for student’s exploration of space.

Programmable formation of catalytic RNA triangles and squares by assembling modular RNA enzymes.

PubMed

Oi, Hiroki; Fujita, Daisuke; Suzuki, Yuki; Sugiyama, Hiroshi; Endo, Masayuki; Matsumura, Shigeyoshi; Ikawa, Yoshiya

2017-05-01

RNA is a biopolymer that is attractive for constructing nano-scale objects with complex structures. Three-dimensional (3D) structures of naturally occurring RNAs often have modular architectures. The 3D structure of a group I (GI) ribozyme from Tetrahymena has a typical modular architecture, which can be separated into two structural modules (ΔP5 and P5abc). The fully active ribozyme can be reconstructed by assembling the two separately prepared modules through highly specific and strong assembly between ΔP5 ribozyme and P5abc RNA. Such non-covalent assembly of the two modules allows the design of polygonal RNA nano-structures. Through rational redesign of the parent GI ribozyme, we constructed variant GI ribozymes as unit RNAs for polygonal-shaped (closed) oligomers with catalytic activity. Programmed trimerization and tetramerization of the unit RNAs afforded catalytically active nano-sized RNA triangles and squares, the structures of which were directly observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.

SemantEco: a semantically powered modular architecture for integrating distributed environmental and ecological data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patton, Evan W.; Seyed, Patrice; Wang, Ping; Fu, Linyun; Dein, F. Joshua; Bristol, R. Sky; McGuinness, Deborah L.

2014-01-01

We aim to inform the development of decision support tools for resource managers who need to examine large complex ecosystems and make recommendations in the face of many tradeoffs and conflicting drivers. We take a semantic technology approach, leveraging background ontologies and the growing body of linked open data. In previous work, we designed and implemented a semantically enabled environmental monitoring framework called SemantEco and used it to build a water quality portal named SemantAqua. Our previous system included foundational ontologies to support environmental regulation violations and relevant human health effects. In this work, we discuss SemantEco’s new architecture that supports modular extensions and makes it easier to support additional domains. Our enhanced framework includes foundational ontologies to support modeling of wildlife observation and wildlife health impacts, thereby enabling deeper and broader support for more holistically examining the effects of environmental pollution on ecosystems. We conclude with a discussion of how, through the application of semantic technologies, modular designs will make it easier for resource managers to bring in new sources of data to support more complex use cases.

Simulation of value stream mapping and discrete optimization of energy consumption in modular construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Md Mukul

With the increased practice of modularization and prefabrication, the construction industry gained the benefits of quality management, improved completion time, reduced site disruption and vehicular traffic, and improved overall safety and security. Whereas industrialized construction methods, such as modular and manufactured buildings, have evolved over decades, core techniques used in prefabrication plants vary only slightly from those employed in traditional site-built construction. With a focus on energy and cost efficient modular construction, this research presents the development of a simulation, measurement and optimization system for energy consumption in the manufacturing process of modular construction. The system is based on Lean Six Sigma principles and loosely coupled system operation to identify the non-value adding tasks and possible causes of low energy efficiency. The proposed system will also include visualization functions for demonstration of energy consumption in modular construction. The benefits of implementing this system include a reduction in the energy consumption in production cost, decrease of energy cost in the production of lean-modular construction, and increase profit. In addition, the visualization functions will provide detailed information about energy efficiency and operation flexibility in modular construction. A case study is presented to validate the reliability of the system.

Development and integration of a LabVIEW-based modular architecture for automated execution of electrochemical catalyst testing.

PubMed

Topalov, Angel A; Katsounaros, Ioannis; Meier, Josef C; Klemm, Sebastian O; Mayrhofer, Karl J J

2011-11-01

This paper describes a system for performing electrochemical catalyst testing where all hardware components are controlled simultaneously using a single LabVIEW-based software application. The software that we developed can be operated in both manual mode for exploratory investigations and automatic mode for routine measurements, by using predefined execution procedures. The latter enables the execution of high-throughput or combinatorial investigations, which decrease substantially the time and cost for catalyst testing. The software was constructed using a modular architecture which simplifies the modification or extension of the system, depending on future needs. The system was tested by performing stability tests of commercial fuel cell electrocatalysts, and the advantages of the developed system are discussed. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Modular architecture of protein binding units for designing properties of cellulose nanomaterials.

PubMed

Malho, Jani-Markus; Arola, Suvi; Laaksonen, Päivi; Szilvay, Géza R; Ikkala, Olli; Linder, Markus B

2015-10-05

Molecular biomimetic models suggest that proteins in the soft matrix of nanocomposites have a multimodular architecture. Engineered proteins were used together with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) to show how this type of architecture leads to function. The proteins consist of two cellulose-binding modules (CBM) separated by 12-, 24-, or 48-mer linkers. Engineering the linkers has a considerable effects on the interaction between protein and NFC in both wet colloidal state and a dry film. The protein optionally incorporates a multimerizing hydrophobin (HFB) domain connected by another linker. The modular structure explains effects in the hydrated gel state, as well as the deformation of composite materials through stress distribution and crosslinking. Based on this work, strategies can be suggested for tuning the mechanical properties of materials through the coupling of protein modules and their interlinking architectures. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems

PubMed Central

Albattat, Ali; Gruenwald, Benjamin C.; Yucelen, Tansel

2016-01-01

The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches. PMID:27537894

On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems.

PubMed

Albattat, Ali; Gruenwald, Benjamin C; Yucelen, Tansel

2016-08-16

The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches.

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of interconnectedness and modularity

PubMed Central

Nordbotten, Jan M.; Levin, Simon A.; Szathmáry, Eörs; Stenseth, Nils C.

2018-01-01

In this contribution, we develop a theoretical framework for linking microprocesses (i.e., population dynamics and evolution through natural selection) with macrophenomena (such as interconnectedness and modularity within an ecological system). This is achieved by developing a measure of interconnectedness for population distributions defined on a trait space (generalizing the notion of modularity on graphs), in combination with an evolution equation for the population distribution. With this contribution, we provide a platform for understanding under what environmental, ecological, and evolutionary conditions ecosystems evolve toward being more or less modular. A major contribution of this work is that we are able to decompose the overall driver of changes at the macro level (such as interconnectedness) into three components: (i) ecologically driven change, (ii) evolutionarily driven change, and (iii) environmentally driven change. PMID:29311333

Properties of Artifact Representations for Evolutionary Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornby, Gregory S.

2004-01-01

To achieve evolutionary design systems that scale to the levels achieved by man-made artifacts we can look to their characteristics of modularity, hierarchy and regularity to guide us. For this we focus on design representations, since they strongly determine the ability of evolutionary design systems to evolve artifacts with these characteristics. We identify three properties of design representations - combination, control-flow and abstraction - and discuss how they relate to hierarchy, modularity and regularity.

Sustainable, Reliable Mission-Systems Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neil, Graham; Orr, James K.; Watson, Steve

2005-01-01

A mission-systems architecture, based on a highly modular infrastructure utilizing open-standards hardware and software interfaces as the enabling technology is essential for affordable md sustainable space exploration programs. This mission-systems architecture requires (8) robust communication between heterogeneous systems, (b) high reliability, (c) minimal mission-to-mission reconfiguration, (d) affordable development, system integration, end verification of systems, and (e) minimal sustaining engineering. This paper proposes such an architecture. Lessons learned from the Space Shuttle program and Earthbound complex engineered systems are applied to define the model. Technology projections reaching out 5 years are made to refine model details.

A Sustainable, Reliable Mission-Systems Architecture that Supports a System of Systems Approach to Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Steve; Orr, Jim; O'Neil, Graham

2004-01-01

A mission-systems architecture based on a highly modular "systems of systems" infrastructure utilizing open-standards hardware and software interfaces as the enabling technology is absolutely essential for an affordable and sustainable space exploration program. This architecture requires (a) robust communication between heterogeneous systems, (b) high reliability, (c) minimal mission-to-mission reconfiguration, (d) affordable development, system integration, and verification of systems, and (e) minimum sustaining engineering. This paper proposes such an architecture. Lessons learned from the space shuttle program are applied to help define and refine the model.

Sustainable, Reliable Mission-Systems Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neil, Graham; Orr, James K.; Watson, Steve

2007-01-01

A mission-systems architecture, based on a highly modular infrastructure utilizing: open-standards hardware and software interfaces as the enabling technology is essential for affordable and sustainable space exploration programs. This mission-systems architecture requires (a) robust communication between heterogeneous system, (b) high reliability, (c) minimal mission-to-mission reconfiguration, (d) affordable development, system integration, and verification of systems, and (e) minimal sustaining engineering. This paper proposes such an architecture. Lessons learned from the Space Shuttle program and Earthbound complex engineered system are applied to define the model. Technology projections reaching out 5 years are mde to refine model details.

A Practical Software Architecture for Virtual Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiang, Peifeng; Shi, Yuanchun; Qin, Weijun

2006-01-01

This article introduces a practical software architecture called CUBES, which focuses on system integration and evolvement for online virtual universities. The key of CUBES is a supporting platform that helps to integrate and evolve heterogeneous educational applications developed by different organizations. Both standardized educational…

The Evolution of Mission Architectures for Human Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everett, S. F.

1995-01-01

Defining transportation architectures for the human exploration of the Moon is a complex task due to the multitude of mission scenarios available. The mission transportation architecture recently proposed for the First Lunar Outpost (FLO) was not designed from carefully predetermined mission requirements and goals, but evolved from an initial set of requirements, which were continually modified as studies revealed that some early assumptions were not optimal. This paper focuses on the mission architectures proposed for FLO and investigates how these transportation architectures evolved. A comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the three distinct mission architectures are discussed, namely (1) Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, (2) staging from the Cislunar Libration Point, and (3) direct to the lunar surface. In addition, several new and revolutionary architectures are discussed.

A rapidly evolving secretome builds and patterns a sea shell

PubMed Central

Jackson, Daniel J; McDougall, Carmel; Green, Kathryn; Simpson, Fiona; Wörheide, Gert; Degnan, Bernard M

2006-01-01

Background Instructions to fabricate mineralized structures with distinct nanoscale architectures, such as seashells and coral and vertebrate skeletons, are encoded in the genomes of a wide variety of animals. In mollusks, the mantle is responsible for the extracellular production of the shell, directing the ordered biomineralization of CaCO3 and the deposition of architectural and color patterns. The evolutionary origins of the ability to synthesize calcified structures across various metazoan taxa remain obscure, with only a small number of protein families identified from molluskan shells. The recent sequencing of a wide range of metazoan genomes coupled with the analysis of gene expression in non-model animals has allowed us to investigate the evolution and process of biomineralization in gastropod mollusks. Results Here we show that over 25% of the genes expressed in the mantle of the vetigastropod Haliotis asinina encode secreted proteins, indicating that hundreds of proteins are likely to be contributing to shell fabrication and patterning. Almost 85% of the secretome encodes novel proteins; remarkably, only 19% of these have identifiable homologues in the full genome of the patellogastropod Lottia scutum. The spatial expression profiles of mantle genes that belong to the secretome is restricted to discrete mantle zones, with each zone responsible for the fabrication of one of the structural layers of the shell. Patterned expression of a subset of genes along the length of the mantle is indicative of roles in shell ornamentation. For example, Has-sometsuke maps precisely to pigmentation patterns in the shell, providing the first case of a gene product to be involved in molluskan shell pigmentation. We also describe the expression of two novel genes involved in nacre (mother of pearl) deposition. Conclusion The unexpected complexity and evolvability of this secretome and the modular design of the molluskan mantle enables diversification of shell strength and design, and as such must contribute to the variety of adaptive architectures and colors found in mollusk shells. The composition of this novel mantle-specific secretome suggests that there are significant molecular differences in the ways in which gastropods synthesize their shells. PMID:17121673

Modularity in protein structures: study on all-alpha proteins.

PubMed

Khan, Taushif; Ghosh, Indira

2015-01-01

Modularity is known as one of the most important features of protein's robust and efficient design. The architecture and topology of proteins play a vital role by providing necessary robust scaffolds to support organism's growth and survival in constant evolutionary pressure. These complex biomolecules can be represented by several layers of modular architecture, but it is pivotal to understand and explore the smallest biologically relevant structural component. In the present study, we have developed a component-based method, using protein's secondary structures and their arrangements (i.e. patterns) in order to investigate its structural space. Our result on all-alpha protein shows that the known structural space is highly populated with limited set of structural patterns. We have also noticed that these frequently observed structural patterns are present as modules or "building blocks" in large proteins (i.e. higher secondary structure content). From structural descriptor analysis, observed patterns are found to be within similar deviation; however, frequent patterns are found to be distinctly occurring in diverse functions e.g. in enzymatic classes and reactions. In this study, we are introducing a simple approach to explore protein structural space using combinatorial- and graph-based geometry methods, which can be used to describe modularity in protein structures. Moreover, analysis indicates that protein function seems to be the driving force that shapes the known structure space.

Self-Sustaining Robotic Ecologies and Space Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colombano, Silvano P.

2004-01-01

Contents include the folowing: rom "one shot" explorations to infrastructure building. Challenges to infrastructure building. Modularity and self-sustaining robotic ecologies. A pathway to human presence. Robotic " archntecture". The "robosphere" concept.

Model of brain activation predicts the neural collective influence map of the brain

PubMed Central

Morone, Flaviano; Roth, Kevin; Min, Byungjoon; Makse, Hernán A.

2017-01-01

Efficient complex systems have a modular structure, but modularity does not guarantee robustness, because efficiency also requires an ingenious interplay of the interacting modular components. The human brain is the elemental paradigm of an efficient robust modular system interconnected as a network of networks (NoN). Understanding the emergence of robustness in such modular architectures from the interconnections of its parts is a longstanding challenge that has concerned many scientists. Current models of dependencies in NoN inspired by the power grid express interactions among modules with fragile couplings that amplify even small shocks, thus preventing functionality. Therefore, we introduce a model of NoN to shape the pattern of brain activations to form a modular environment that is robust. The model predicts the map of neural collective influencers (NCIs) in the brain, through the optimization of the influence of the minimal set of essential nodes responsible for broadcasting information to the whole-brain NoN. Our results suggest intervention protocols to control brain activity by targeting influential neural nodes predicted by network theory. PMID:28351973

Software Architecture Evaluation in Global Software Development Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salger, Frank

Due to ever increasing system complexity, comprehensive methods for software architecture evaluation become more and more important. This is further stressed in global software development (GSD), where the software architecture acts as a central knowledge and coordination mechanism. However, existing methods for architecture evaluation do not take characteristics of GSD into account. In this paper we discuss what aspects are specific for architecture evaluations in GSD. Our experiences from GSD projects at Capgemini sd&m indicate, that architecture evaluations differ in how rigorously one has to assess modularization, architecturally relevant processes, knowledge transfer and process alignment. From our project experiences, we derive nine good practices, the compliance to which should be checked in architecture evaluations in GSD. As an example, we discuss how far the standard architecture evaluation method used at Capgemini sd&m already considers the GSD-specific good practices, and outline what extensions are necessary to achieve a comprehensive architecture evaluation framework for GSD.

Status, Vision, and Challenges of an Intelligent Distributed Engine Control Architecture (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-18

TERMS turbine engine control, engine health management, FADEC , Universal FADEC , Distributed Controls, UF, UF Platform, common FADEC , Generic FADEC ...Modular FADEC , Adaptive Control 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON (Monitor) a. REPORT Unclassified b. ABSTRACT...Eventually the Full Authority Digital Electronic Control ( FADEC ) became the norm. Presently, this control system architecture accounts for 15 to 20% of

GASP-PL/I Simulation of Integrated Avionic System Processor Architectures. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brent, G. A.

1978-01-01

A development study sponsored by NASA was completed in July 1977 which proposed a complete integration of all aircraft instrumentation into a single modular system. Instead of using the current single-function aircraft instruments, computers compiled and displayed inflight information for the pilot. A processor architecture called the Team Architecture was proposed. This is a hardware/software approach to high-reliability computer systems. A follow-up study of the proposed Team Architecture is reported. GASP-PL/1 simulation models are used to evaluate the operating characteristics of the Team Architecture. The problem, model development, simulation programs and results at length are presented. Also included are program input formats, outputs and listings.

Evolution of Bow-Tie Architectures in Biology

PubMed Central

Friedlander, Tamar; Mayo, Avraham E.; Tlusty, Tsvi; Alon, Uri

2015-01-01

Bow-tie or hourglass structure is a common architectural feature found in many biological systems. A bow-tie in a multi-layered structure occurs when intermediate layers have much fewer components than the input and output layers. Examples include metabolism where a handful of building blocks mediate between multiple input nutrients and multiple output biomass components, and signaling networks where information from numerous receptor types passes through a small set of signaling pathways to regulate multiple output genes. Little is known, however, about how bow-tie architectures evolve. Here, we address the evolution of bow-tie architectures using simulations of multi-layered systems evolving to fulfill a given input-output goal. We find that bow-ties spontaneously evolve when the information in the evolutionary goal can be compressed. Mathematically speaking, bow-ties evolve when the rank of the input-output matrix describing the evolutionary goal is deficient. The maximal compression possible (the rank of the goal) determines the size of the narrowest part of the network—that is the bow-tie. A further requirement is that a process is active to reduce the number of links in the network, such as product-rule mutations, otherwise a non-bow-tie solution is found in the evolutionary simulations. This offers a mechanism to understand a common architectural principle of biological systems, and a way to quantitate the effective rank of the goals under which they evolved. PMID:25798588

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of interconnectedness and modularity.

PubMed

Nordbotten, Jan M; Levin, Simon A; Szathmáry, Eörs; Stenseth, Nils C

2018-01-23

In this contribution, we develop a theoretical framework for linking microprocesses (i.e., population dynamics and evolution through natural selection) with macrophenomena (such as interconnectedness and modularity within an ecological system). This is achieved by developing a measure of interconnectedness for population distributions defined on a trait space (generalizing the notion of modularity on graphs), in combination with an evolution equation for the population distribution. With this contribution, we provide a platform for understanding under what environmental, ecological, and evolutionary conditions ecosystems evolve toward being more or less modular. A major contribution of this work is that we are able to decompose the overall driver of changes at the macro level (such as interconnectedness) into three components: ( i ) ecologically driven change, ( ii ) evolutionarily driven change, and ( iii ) environmentally driven change. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Convergent evolution of modularity in metabolic networks through different community structures.

PubMed

Zhou, Wanding; Nakhleh, Luay

2012-09-14

It has been reported that the modularity of metabolic networks of bacteria is closely related to the variability of their living habitats. However, given the dependency of the modularity score on the community structure, it remains unknown whether organisms achieve certain modularity via similar or different community structures. In this work, we studied the relationship between similarities in modularity scores and similarities in community structures of the metabolic networks of 1021 species. Both similarities are then compared against the genetic distances. We revisited the association between modularity and variability of the microbial living environments and extended the analysis to other aspects of their life style such as temperature and oxygen requirements. We also tested both topological and biological intuition of the community structures identified and investigated the extent of their conservation with respect to the taxonomy. We find that similar modularities are realized by different community structures. We find that such convergent evolution of modularity is closely associated with the number of (distinct) enzymes in the organism's metabolome, a consequence of different life styles of the species. We find that the order of modularity is the same as the order of the number of the enzymes under the classification based on the temperature preference but not on the oxygen requirement. Besides, inspection of modularity-based communities reveals that these communities are graph-theoretically meaningful yet not reflective of specific biological functions. From an evolutionary perspective, we find that the community structures are conserved only at the level of kingdoms. Our results call for more investigation into the interplay between evolution and modularity: how evolution shapes modularity, and how modularity affects evolution (mainly in terms of fitness and evolvability). Further, our results call for exploring new measures of modularity and network communities that better correspond to functional categorizations.

SSMNG Software Service Manager: A Scalable Building Blocks Architecture for PUS Services & FDIR Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisio, Giovanni; Candia, Sante; Campolo, Giovanni; Pascucci, Dario

2011-08-01

Thales Alenia Space Italy has carried out the definition of a configurable (on mission basis) PUS ECSS-E_70- 41A see [3] Centralised Services Layer, characterised by:- a mission-independent set of 'classes' implementing the services logic.- a mission-dependent set of configuration data and selection flags.The software components belonging to this layer implement the PUS standard services ECSS-E_70-41A and a set of mission-specific services. The design of this layer has been performed by separating the services mechanisms (mission-independent execution logic) from the services configuration information (mission-dependent data). Once instantiated for a specific mission, the PUS Centralised Services Layer offers a large set of capabilities available to the CSCI's Applications Layer. This paper describes the building blocks PUS architectural solution developed by Thales Alenia Space Italy, emphasizing the mechanisms which allow easy configuration of the Scalable PUS library to fulfill the requirements of different missions. This paper also focus the Thales Alenia Space solution to automatically generate the mission-specific "PUS Services" flight software based on mission specific requirements. Building the PUS services mechanisms, which are configurable on mission basis is part of the PRIMA (Multipurpose Spacecraft Bus ) 'missionisation' process improvement. PRIMA Platform Avionics Software (ASW) is continuously evolving to improve modularity and standardization of interfaces and of SW components (see references in [1]).

Designing protein-based biomaterials for medical applications.

PubMed

Gagner, Jennifer E; Kim, Wookhyun; Chaikof, Elliot L

2014-04-01

Biomaterials produced by nature have been honed through billions of years, evolving exquisitely precise structure-function relationships that scientists strive to emulate. Advances in genetic engineering have facilitated extensive investigations to determine how changes in even a single peptide within a protein sequence can produce biomaterials with unique thermal, mechanical and biological properties. Elastin, a naturally occurring protein polymer, serves as a model protein to determine the relationship between specific structural elements and desirable material characteristics. The modular, repetitive nature of the protein facilitates the formation of well-defined secondary structures with the ability to self-assemble into complex three-dimensional architectures on a variety of length scales. Furthermore, many opportunities exist to incorporate other protein-based motifs and inorganic materials into recombinant protein-based materials, extending the range and usefulness of these materials in potential biomedical applications. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) can be assembled into 3-D architectures with precise control over payload encapsulation, mechanical and thermal properties, as well as unique functionalization opportunities through both genetic and enzymatic means. An overview of current protein-based materials, their properties and uses in biomedicine will be provided, with a focus on the advantages of ELPs. Applications of these biomaterials as imaging and therapeutic delivery agents will be discussed. Finally, broader implications and future directions of these materials as diagnostic and therapeutic systems will be explored. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing Protein-Based Biomaterials for Medical Applications

PubMed Central

Gagner, Jennifer E.; Kim, Wookhyun; Chaikof, Elliot L.

2013-01-01

Biomaterials produced by nature have been honed through billions of years, evolving exquisitely precise structure-function relationships that scientists strive to emulate. Advances in genetic engineering have facilitated extensive investigations to determine how changes in even a single peptide within a protein sequence can produce biomaterials with unique thermal, mechanical and biological properties. Elastin, a naturally occurring protein polymer, serves as a model protein to determine the relationship between specific structural elements and desirable material characteristics. The modular, repetitive nature of the protein facilitates the formation of well-defined secondary structures with the ability to self-assemble into complex three-dimensional architectures on a variety of length scales. Furthermore, many opportunities exist to incorporate other protein-based motifs and inorganic materials into recombinant protein-based materials, extending the range and usefulness of these materials in potential biomedical applications. Elastin-like polypeptides can be assembled into 3D architectures with precise control over payload encapsulation, mechanical and thermal properties, as well as unique functionalization opportunities through both genetic and enzymatic means. An overview of current protein-based materials, their properties and uses in biomedicine will be provided, with a focus on the advantages of elastin-like polypeptides. Applications of these biomaterials as imaging and therapeutic delivery agents will be discussed. Finally, broader implications and future directions of these materials as diagnostic and therapeutic systems will be explored. PMID:24121196

An open-source java platform for automated reaction mapping.

PubMed

Crabtree, John D; Mehta, Dinesh P; Kouri, Tina M

2010-09-27

This article presents software applications that have been built upon a modular, open-source, reaction mapping library that can be used in both cheminformatics and bioinformatics research. We first describe the theoretical underpinnings and modular architecture of the core software library. We then describe two applications that have been built upon that core. The first is a generic reaction viewer and mapper, and the second classifies reactions according to rules that can be modified by end users with little or no programming skills.

Human life support during interplanetary travel and domicile. VI - Generic modular flow schematic for hybrid physical/chemical-biological life support systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganapathi, Gani B.; Seshan, P. K.; Ferrall, Joseph; Rohatgi, Naresh

1992-01-01

An extension is proposed for the NASA Space Exploration Initiative's Generic Modular Flow Schematics for physical/chemical life support systems which involves the addition of biological processes. The new system architecture includes plant, microbial, and animal habitat, as well as the human habitat subsystem. Major Feedstock Production and Food Preparation and Packaging components have also been incorporated. Inedible plant, aquaculture, microbial, and animal solids are processed for recycling.

Reconfigurable Software for Mission Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trimble, Jay

2014-01-01

We developed software that provides flexibility to mission organizations through modularity and composability. Modularity enables removal and addition of functionality through the installation of plug-ins. Composability enables users to assemble software from pre-built reusable objects, thus reducing or eliminating the walls associated with traditional application architectures and enabling unique combinations of functionality. We have used composable objects to reduce display build time, create workflows, and build scenarios to test concepts for lunar roving operations. The software is open source, and may be downloaded from https:github.comnasamct.

Medusa: A Scalable MR Console Using USB

PubMed Central

Stang, Pascal P.; Conolly, Steven M.; Santos, Juan M.; Pauly, John M.; Scott, Greig C.

2012-01-01

MRI pulse sequence consoles typically employ closed proprietary hardware, software, and interfaces, making difficult any adaptation for innovative experimental technology. Yet MRI systems research is trending to higher channel count receivers, transmitters, gradient/shims, and unique interfaces for interventional applications. Customized console designs are now feasible for researchers with modern electronic components, but high data rates, synchronization, scalability, and cost present important challenges. Implementing large multi-channel MR systems with efficiency and flexibility requires a scalable modular architecture. With Medusa, we propose an open system architecture using the Universal Serial Bus (USB) for scalability, combined with distributed processing and buffering to address the high data rates and strict synchronization required by multi-channel MRI. Medusa uses a modular design concept based on digital synthesizer, receiver, and gradient blocks, in conjunction with fast programmable logic for sampling and synchronization. Medusa is a form of synthetic instrument, being reconfigurable for a variety of medical/scientific instrumentation needs. The Medusa distributed architecture, scalability, and data bandwidth limits are presented, and its flexibility is demonstrated in a variety of novel MRI applications. PMID:21954200

Architectural Lessons: Look Back In Order To Move Forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, T.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Caltagirone, S.; Crichton, D. J.; Hughes, J. S.; Law, E.; Pilone, D.; Pilone, T.; Mahabal, A.

2015-12-01

True elegance of scalable and adaptable architecture is not about incorporating the latest and greatest technologies. Its elegance is measured by its ability to scale and adapt as its operating environment evolves over time. Architecture is the link that bridges people, process, policies, interfaces, and technologies. Architectural development begins by observe the relationships which really matter to the problem domain. It follows by the creation of a single, shared, evolving, pattern language, which everyone contributes to, and everyone can use [C. Alexander, 1979]. Architects are the true artists. Like all masterpieces, the values and strength of architectures are measured not by the volumes of publications, it is measured by its ability to evolve. An architect must look back in order to move forward. This talk discusses some of the prior works including onboard data analysis system, knowledgebase system, cloud-based Big Data platform, as enablers to help shape the new generation of Earth Science projects at NASA and EarthCube where a community-driven architecture is the key to enable data-intensive science. [C. Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building, Oxford University, 1979.

Extensible Hardware Architecture for Mobile Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Eric; Kobayashi, Linda; Lee, Susan Y.

2005-01-01

The Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center has developed a new mobile robot hardware architecture designed for extensibility and reconfigurability. Currently implemented on the k9 rover. and won to be integrated onto the K10 series of human-robot collaboration research robots, this architecture allows for rapid changes in instrumentation configuration and provides a high degree of modularity through a synergistic mix of off-the-shelf and custom designed components, allowing eased transplantation into a wide vane6 of mobile robot platforms. A component level overview of this architecture is presented along with a description of the changes required for implementation on K10 , followed by plans for future work.

Modular data acquisition system and its use in gas-filled detector readout at ESRF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sever, F.; Epaud, F.; Poncet, F.; Grave, M.; Rey-Bakaikoa, V.

1996-09-01

Since 1992, 18 ESRF beamlines are open to users. Although the data acquisition requirements vary a lot from one beamline to another, we are trying to implement a modular data acquisition system architecture that would fit with the maximum number of acquisition projects at ESRF. Common to all of these systems are large acquisition memories and the requirement to visualize the data during an acquisition run and to transfer them quickly after the run to safe storage. We developed a general memory API handling the acquisition memory and its organization and another library that provides calls for transferring the data over TCP/IP sockets. Interesting utility programs using these libraries are the `online display' program and the `data transfer' program. The data transfer program as well as an acquisition control program rely on our well-established `device server model', which was originally designed for the machine control system and then successfully reused in beamline control systems. In the second half of this paper, the acquisition system for a 2D gas-filled detector is presented, which is one of the first concrete examples using the proposed modular data acquisition architecture.

Sustained Activity in Hierarchical Modular Neural Networks: Self-Organized Criticality and Oscillations

PubMed Central

Wang, Sheng-Jun; Hilgetag, Claus C.; Zhou, Changsong

2010-01-01

Cerebral cortical brain networks possess a number of conspicuous features of structure and dynamics. First, these networks have an intricate, non-random organization. In particular, they are structured in a hierarchical modular fashion, from large-scale regions of the whole brain, via cortical areas and area subcompartments organized as structural and functional maps to cortical columns, and finally circuits made up of individual neurons. Second, the networks display self-organized sustained activity, which is persistent in the absence of external stimuli. At the systems level, such activity is characterized by complex rhythmical oscillations over a broadband background, while at the cellular level, neuronal discharges have been observed to display avalanches, indicating that cortical networks are at the state of self-organized criticality (SOC). We explored the relationship between hierarchical neural network organization and sustained dynamics using large-scale network modeling. Previously, it was shown that sparse random networks with balanced excitation and inhibition can sustain neural activity without external stimulation. We found that a hierarchical modular architecture can generate sustained activity better than random networks. Moreover, the system can simultaneously support rhythmical oscillations and SOC, which are not present in the respective random networks. The mechanism underlying the sustained activity is that each dense module cannot sustain activity on its own, but displays SOC in the presence of weak perturbations. Therefore, the hierarchical modular networks provide the coupling among subsystems with SOC. These results imply that the hierarchical modular architecture of cortical networks plays an important role in shaping the ongoing spontaneous activity of the brain, potentially allowing the system to take advantage of both the sensitivity of critical states and the predictability and timing of oscillations for efficient information processing. PMID:21852971

Individual differences and time-varying features of modular brain architecture.

PubMed

Liao, Xuhong; Cao, Miao; Xia, Mingrui; He, Yong

2017-05-15

Recent studies have suggested that human brain functional networks are topologically organized into functionally specialized but inter-connected modules to facilitate efficient information processing and highly flexible cognitive function. However, these studies have mainly focused on group-level network modularity analyses using "static" functional connectivity approaches. How these extraordinary modular brain structures vary across individuals and spontaneously reconfigure over time remain largely unknown. Here, we employed multiband resting-state functional MRI data (N=105) from the Human Connectome Project and a graph-based modularity analysis to systematically investigate individual variability and dynamic properties in modular brain networks. We showed that the modular structures of brain networks dramatically vary across individuals, with higher modular variability primarily in the association cortex (e.g., fronto-parietal and attention systems) and lower variability in the primary systems. Moreover, brain regions spontaneously changed their module affiliations on a temporal scale of seconds, which cannot be simply attributable to head motion and sampling error. Interestingly, the spatial pattern of intra-subject dynamic modular variability largely overlapped with that of inter-subject modular variability, both of which were highly reproducible across repeated scanning sessions. Finally, the regions with remarkable individual/temporal modular variability were closely associated with network connectors and the number of cognitive components, suggesting a potential contribution to information integration and flexible cognitive function. Collectively, our findings highlight individual modular variability and the notable dynamic characteristics in large-scale brain networks, which enhance our understanding of the neural substrates underlying individual differences in a variety of cognition and behaviors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ligand binding by repeat proteins: natural and designed

PubMed Central

Grove, Tijana Z; Cortajarena, Aitziber L; Regan, Lynne

2012-01-01

Repeat proteins contain tandem arrays of small structural motifs. As a consequence of this architecture, they adopt non-globular, extended structures that present large, highly specific surfaces for ligand binding. Here we discuss recent advances toward understanding the functional role of this unique modular architecture. We showcase specific examples of natural repeat proteins interacting with diverse ligands and also present examples of designed repeat protein–ligand interactions. PMID:18602006

Revealing in-block nestedness: Detection and benchmarking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solé-Ribalta, Albert; Tessone, Claudio J.; Mariani, Manuel S.; Borge-Holthoefer, Javier

2018-06-01

As new instances of nested organization—beyond ecological networks—are discovered, scholars are debating the coexistence of two apparently incompatible macroscale architectures: nestedness and modularity. The discussion is far from being solved, mainly for two reasons. First, nestedness and modularity appear to emerge from two contradictory dynamics, cooperation and competition. Second, existing methods to assess the presence of nestedness and modularity are flawed when it comes to the evaluation of concurrently nested and modular structures. In this work, we tackle the latter problem, presenting the concept of in-block nestedness, a structural property determining to what extent a network is composed of blocks whose internal connectivity exhibits nestedness. We then put forward a set of optimization methods that allow us to identify such organization successfully, in synthetic and in a large number of real networks. These findings challenge our understanding of the topology of ecological and social systems, calling for new models to explain how such patterns emerge.

Functional modules of sigma factor regulons guarantee adaptability and evolvability

PubMed Central

Binder, Sebastian C.; Eckweiler, Denitsa; Schulz, Sebastian; Bielecka, Agata; Nicolai, Tanja; Franke, Raimo; Häussler, Susanne; Meyer-Hermann, Michael

2016-01-01

The focus of modern molecular biology turns from assigning functions to individual genes towards understanding the expression and regulation of complex sets of molecules. Here, we provide evidence that alternative sigma factor regulons in the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa largely represent insulated functional modules which provide a critical level of biological organization involved in general adaptation and survival processes. Analysis of the operational state of the sigma factor network revealed that transcription factors functionally couple the sigma factor regulons and significantly modulate the transcription levels in the face of challenging environments. The threshold quality of newly evolved transcription factors was reached faster and more robustly in in silico testing when the structural organization of sigma factor networks was taken into account. These results indicate that the modular structures of alternative sigma factor regulons provide P. aeruginosa with a robust framework to function adequately in its environment and at the same time facilitate evolutionary change. Our data support the view that widespread modularity guarantees robustness of biological networks and is a key driver of evolvability. PMID:26915971

Multi-scale modularity and motif distributional effect in metabolic networks.

PubMed

Gao, Shang; Chen, Alan; Rahmani, Ali; Zeng, Jia; Tan, Mehmet; Alhajj, Reda; Rokne, Jon; Demetrick, Douglas; Wei, Xiaohui

2016-01-01

Metabolism is a set of fundamental processes that play important roles in a plethora of biological and medical contexts. It is understood that the topological information of reconstructed metabolic networks, such as modular organization, has crucial implications on biological functions. Recent interpretations of modularity in network settings provide a view of multiple network partitions induced by different resolution parameters. Here we ask the question: How do multiple network partitions affect the organization of metabolic networks? Since network motifs are often interpreted as the super families of evolved units, we further investigate their impact under multiple network partitions and investigate how the distribution of network motifs influences the organization of metabolic networks. We studied Homo sapiens, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli metabolic networks; we analyzed the relationship between different community structures and motif distribution patterns. Further, we quantified the degree to which motifs participate in the modular organization of metabolic networks.

ECAM, a Modular Spaceflight Imaging System - First Flight Deliveries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravine, M. A.; Schaffner, J. A.; Caplinger, M. A.

2016-10-01

MSSS has delivered four ECAM systems to four different customers and for widely varying missions and is under contract for two additional systems. The variety of real-world applications has proven the flexibility of the architecture.

Modular architecture of eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP revealed by electron microscopy.

PubMed

Hipp, Katharina; Galani, Kyriaki; Batisse, Claire; Prinz, Simone; Böttcher, Bettina

2012-04-01

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) and RNase MRP are closely related ribonucleoprotein enzymes, which process RNA substrates including tRNA precursors for RNase P and 5.8 S rRNA precursors, as well as some mRNAs, for RNase MRP. The structures of RNase P and RNase MRP have not yet been solved, so it is unclear how the proteins contribute to the structure of the complexes and how substrate specificity is determined. Using electron microscopy and image processing we show that eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP have a modular architecture, where proteins stabilize the RNA fold and contribute to cavities, channels and chambers between the modules. Such features are located at strategic positions for substrate recognition by shape and coordination of the cleaved-off sequence. These are also the sites of greatest difference between RNase P and RNase MRP, highlighting the importance of the adaptation of this region to the different substrates.

Hierarchical organization of brain functional networks during visual tasks.

PubMed

Zhuo, Zhao; Cai, Shi-Min; Fu, Zhong-Qian; Zhang, Jie

2011-09-01

The functional network of the brain is known to demonstrate modular structure over different hierarchical scales. In this paper, we systematically investigated the hierarchical modular organizations of the brain functional networks that are derived from the extent of phase synchronization among high-resolution EEG time series during a visual task. In particular, we compare the modular structure of the functional network from EEG channels with that of the anatomical parcellation of the brain cortex. Our results show that the modular architectures of brain functional networks correspond well to those from the anatomical structures over different levels of hierarchy. Most importantly, we find that the consistency between the modular structures of the functional network and the anatomical network becomes more pronounced in terms of vision, sensory, vision-temporal, motor cortices during the visual task, which implies that the strong modularity in these areas forms the functional basis for the visual task. The structure-function relationship further reveals that the phase synchronization of EEG time series in the same anatomical group is much stronger than that of EEG time series from different anatomical groups during the task and that the hierarchical organization of functional brain network may be a consequence of functional segmentation of the brain cortex.

System level mechanisms of adaptation, learning, memory formation and evolvability: the role of chaperone and other networks.

PubMed

Gyurko, David M; Soti, Csaba; Stetak, Attila; Csermely, Peter

2014-05-01

During the last decade, network approaches became a powerful tool to describe protein structure and dynamics. Here, we describe first the protein structure networks of molecular chaperones, then characterize chaperone containing sub-networks of interactomes called as chaperone-networks or chaperomes. We review the role of molecular chaperones in short-term adaptation of cellular networks in response to stress, and in long-term adaptation discussing their putative functions in the regulation of evolvability. We provide a general overview of possible network mechanisms of adaptation, learning and memory formation. We propose that changes of network rigidity play a key role in learning and memory formation processes. Flexible network topology provides ' learning-competent' state. Here, networks may have much less modular boundaries than locally rigid, highly modular networks, where the learnt information has already been consolidated in a memory formation process. Since modular boundaries are efficient filters of information, in the 'learning-competent' state information filtering may be much smaller, than after memory formation. This mechanism restricts high information transfer to the 'learning competent' state. After memory formation, modular boundary-induced segregation and information filtering protect the stored information. The flexible networks of young organisms are generally in a 'learning competent' state. On the contrary, locally rigid networks of old organisms have lost their 'learning competent' state, but store and protect their learnt information efficiently. We anticipate that the above mechanism may operate at the level of both protein-protein interaction and neuronal networks.

Parallel processing in a host plus multiple array processor system for radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barkan, B. Z.

1983-01-01

Host plus multiple array processor architecture is demonstrated to yield a modular, fast, and cost-effective system for radar processing. Software methodology for programming such a system is developed. Parallel processing with pipelined data flow among the host, array processors, and discs is implemented. Theoretical analysis of performance is made and experimentally verified. The broad class of problems to which the architecture and methodology can be applied is indicated.

Model-free learning on robot kinematic chains using a nested multi-agent topology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karigiannis, John N.; Tzafestas, Costas S.

2016-11-01

This paper proposes a model-free learning scheme for the developmental acquisition of robot kinematic control and dexterous manipulation skills. The approach is based on a nested-hierarchical multi-agent architecture that intuitively encapsulates the topology of robot kinematic chains, where the activity of each independent degree-of-freedom (DOF) is finally mapped onto a distinct agent. Each one of those agents progressively evolves a local kinematic control strategy in a game-theoretic sense, that is, based on a partial (local) view of the whole system topology, which is incrementally updated through a recursive communication process according to the nested-hierarchical topology. Learning is thus approached not through demonstration and training but through an autonomous self-exploration process. A fuzzy reinforcement learning scheme is employed within each agent to enable efficient exploration in a continuous state-action domain. This paper constitutes in fact a proof of concept, demonstrating that global dexterous manipulation skills can indeed evolve through such a distributed iterative learning of local agent sensorimotor mappings. The main motivation behind the development of such an incremental multi-agent topology is to enhance system modularity, to facilitate extensibility to more complex problem domains and to improve robustness with respect to structural variations including unpredictable internal failures. These attributes of the proposed system are assessed in this paper through numerical experiments in different robot manipulation task scenarios, involving both single and multi-robot kinematic chains. The generalisation capacity of the learning scheme is experimentally assessed and robustness properties of the multi-agent system are also evaluated with respect to unpredictable variations in the kinematic topology. Furthermore, these numerical experiments demonstrate the scalability properties of the proposed nested-hierarchical architecture, where new agents can be recursively added in the hierarchy to encapsulate individual active DOFs. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the feasibility of such a distributed multi-agent control framework, showing that the solutions which emerge are plausible and near-optimal. Numerical efficiency and computational cost issues are also discussed.

The emotion system promotes diversity and evolvability

PubMed Central

Giske, Jarl; Eliassen, Sigrunn; Fiksen, Øyvind; Jakobsen, Per J.; Aksnes, Dag L.; Mangel, Marc; Jørgensen, Christian

2014-01-01

Studies on the relationship between the optimal phenotype and its environment have had limited focus on genotype-to-phenotype pathways and their evolutionary consequences. Here, we study how multi-layered trait architecture and its associated constraints prescribe diversity. Using an idealized model of the emotion system in fish, we find that trait architecture yields genetic and phenotypic diversity even in absence of frequency-dependent selection or environmental variation. That is, for a given environment, phenotype frequency distributions are predictable while gene pools are not. The conservation of phenotypic traits among these genetically different populations is due to the multi-layered trait architecture, in which one adaptation at a higher architectural level can be achieved by several different adaptations at a lower level. Our results emphasize the role of convergent evolution and the organismal level of selection. While trait architecture makes individuals more constrained than what has been assumed in optimization theory, the resulting populations are genetically more diverse and adaptable. The emotion system in animals may thus have evolved by natural selection because it simultaneously enhances three important functions, the behavioural robustness of individuals, the evolvability of gene pools and the rate of evolutionary innovation at several architectural levels. PMID:25100697

The emotion system promotes diversity and evolvability.

PubMed

Giske, Jarl; Eliassen, Sigrunn; Fiksen, Øyvind; Jakobsen, Per J; Aksnes, Dag L; Mangel, Marc; Jørgensen, Christian

2014-09-22

Studies on the relationship between the optimal phenotype and its environment have had limited focus on genotype-to-phenotype pathways and their evolutionary consequences. Here, we study how multi-layered trait architecture and its associated constraints prescribe diversity. Using an idealized model of the emotion system in fish, we find that trait architecture yields genetic and phenotypic diversity even in absence of frequency-dependent selection or environmental variation. That is, for a given environment, phenotype frequency distributions are predictable while gene pools are not. The conservation of phenotypic traits among these genetically different populations is due to the multi-layered trait architecture, in which one adaptation at a higher architectural level can be achieved by several different adaptations at a lower level. Our results emphasize the role of convergent evolution and the organismal level of selection. While trait architecture makes individuals more constrained than what has been assumed in optimization theory, the resulting populations are genetically more diverse and adaptable. The emotion system in animals may thus have evolved by natural selection because it simultaneously enhances three important functions, the behavioural robustness of individuals, the evolvability of gene pools and the rate of evolutionary innovation at several architectural levels.

Quantum plug n’ play: modular computation in the quantum regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Jayne; Modi, Kavan; Vedral, Vlatko; Gu, Mile

2018-01-01

Classical computation is modular. It exploits plug n’ play architectures which allow us to use pre-fabricated circuits without knowing their construction. This bestows advantages such as allowing parts of the computational process to be outsourced, and permitting individual circuit components to be exchanged and upgraded. Here, we introduce a formal framework to describe modularity in the quantum regime. We demonstrate a ‘no-go’ theorem, stipulating that it is not always possible to make use of quantum circuits without knowing their construction. This has significant consequences for quantum algorithms, forcing the circuit implementation of certain quantum algorithms to be rebuilt almost entirely from scratch after incremental changes in the problem—such as changing the number being factored in Shor’s algorithm. We develop a workaround capable of restoring modularity, and apply it to design a modular version of Shor’s algorithm that exhibits increased versatility and reduced complexity. In doing so we pave the way to a realistic framework whereby ‘quantum chips’ and remote servers can be invoked (or assembled) to implement various parts of a more complex quantum computation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dasari, Venkateswara Rao

The need for sustainable and secure nuclear energy is summarized. Driven by economics and public-private partnerships, the technology is evolving. Cost control and regulatory simplification are needed for a nuclear renaissance. Small modular reactors--simple, scalable, and inherently safe--may be the future.

A fast, programmable hardware architecture for spaceborne SAR processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bennett, J. R.; Cumming, I. G.; Lim, J.; Wedding, R. M.

1983-01-01

The launch of spaceborne SARs during the 1980's is discussed. The satellite SARs require high quality and high throughput ground processors. Compression ratios in range and azimuth of greater than 500 and 150 respectively lead to frequency domain processing and data computation rates in excess of 2000 million real operations per second for C-band SARs under consideration. Various hardware architectures are examined and two promising candidates and proceeds to recommend a fast, programmable hardware architecture for spaceborne SAR processing are selected. Modularity and programmability are introduced as desirable attributes for the purpose of HTSP hardware selection.

Advanced flight computer. Special study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coo, Dennis

1995-01-01

This report documents a special study to define a 32-bit radiation hardened, SEU tolerant flight computer architecture, and to investigate current or near-term technologies and development efforts that contribute to the Advanced Flight Computer (AFC) design and development. An AFC processing node architecture is defined. Each node may consist of a multi-chip processor as needed. The modular, building block approach uses VLSI technology and packaging methods that demonstrate a feasible AFC module in 1998 that meets that AFC goals. The defined architecture and approach demonstrate a clear low-risk, low-cost path to the 1998 production goal, with intermediate prototypes in 1996.

PCOS - An operating system for modular applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tharp, V. P.

1986-01-01

This paper is an introduction to the PCOS operating system for the MC68000 family processors. Topics covered are: development history; development support; rational for development of PCOS and salient characteristics; architecture; and a brief comparison of PCOS to UNIX.

QUANTUM ESPRESSO: a modular and open-source software project for quantum simulations of materials.

PubMed

Giannozzi, Paolo; Baroni, Stefano; Bonini, Nicola; Calandra, Matteo; Car, Roberto; Cavazzoni, Carlo; Ceresoli, Davide; Chiarotti, Guido L; Cococcioni, Matteo; Dabo, Ismaila; Dal Corso, Andrea; de Gironcoli, Stefano; Fabris, Stefano; Fratesi, Guido; Gebauer, Ralph; Gerstmann, Uwe; Gougoussis, Christos; Kokalj, Anton; Lazzeri, Michele; Martin-Samos, Layla; Marzari, Nicola; Mauri, Francesco; Mazzarello, Riccardo; Paolini, Stefano; Pasquarello, Alfredo; Paulatto, Lorenzo; Sbraccia, Carlo; Scandolo, Sandro; Sclauzero, Gabriele; Seitsonen, Ari P; Smogunov, Alexander; Umari, Paolo; Wentzcovitch, Renata M

2009-09-30

QUANTUM ESPRESSO is an integrated suite of computer codes for electronic-structure calculations and materials modeling, based on density-functional theory, plane waves, and pseudopotentials (norm-conserving, ultrasoft, and projector-augmented wave). The acronym ESPRESSO stands for opEn Source Package for Research in Electronic Structure, Simulation, and Optimization. It is freely available to researchers around the world under the terms of the GNU General Public License. QUANTUM ESPRESSO builds upon newly-restructured electronic-structure codes that have been developed and tested by some of the original authors of novel electronic-structure algorithms and applied in the last twenty years by some of the leading materials modeling groups worldwide. Innovation and efficiency are still its main focus, with special attention paid to massively parallel architectures, and a great effort being devoted to user friendliness. QUANTUM ESPRESSO is evolving towards a distribution of independent and interoperable codes in the spirit of an open-source project, where researchers active in the field of electronic-structure calculations are encouraged to participate in the project by contributing their own codes or by implementing their own ideas into existing codes.

Neural network pattern recognition of thermal-signature spectra for chemical defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrieri, Arthur H.; Lim, Pascal I.

1995-05-01

We treat infrared patterns of absorption or emission by nerve and blister agent compounds (and simulants of this chemical group) as features for the training of neural networks to detect the compounds' liquid layers on the ground or their vapor plumes during evaporation by external heating. Training of a four-layer network architecture is composed of a backward-error-propagation algorithm and a gradient-descent paradigm. We conduct testing by feed-forwarding preprocessed spectra through the network in a scaled format consistent with the structure of the training-data-set representation. The best-performance weight matrix (spectral filter) evolved from final network training and testing with software simulation trials is electronically transferred to a set of eight artificial intelligence integrated circuits (ICs') in specific modular form (splitting of weight matrices). This form makes full use of all input-output IC nodes. This neural network computer serves an important real-time detection function when it is integrated into pre-and postprocessing data-handling units of a tactical prototype thermoluminescence sensor now under development at the Edgewood Research, Development, and Engineering Center.

Integrated Modular Avionics for Spacecraft: Earth Observation Use Case Demonstrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deredempt, Marie-Helene; Rossignol, Alain; Hyounet, Philippe

2013-08-01

Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) for Space, as European Space Agency initiative, aimed to make applicable to space domain the time and space partitioning concepts and particularly the ARINC 653 standard [1][2]. Expected benefits of such an approach are development flexibility, capability to provide differential V&V for different criticality level functionalities and to integrate late or In-Orbit delivery. This development flexibility could improve software subcontracting, industrial organization and software reuse. Time and space partitioning technique facilitates integration of software functions as black boxes and integration of decentralized function such as star tracker in On Board Computer to save mass and power by limiting electronics resources. In aeronautical domain, Integrated Modular Avionics architecture is based on a network of LRU (Line Replaceable Unit) interconnected by AFDX (Avionic Full DupleX). Time and Space partitioning concept is applicable to LRU and provides independent partitions which inter communicate using ARINC 653 communication ports. Using End System (LRU component) intercommunication between LRU is managed in the same way than intercommunication between partitions in LRU. In such architecture an application developed using only communication port can be integrated in an LRU or another one without impacting the global architecture. In space domain, a redundant On Board Computer controls (ground monitoring TM) and manages the platform (ground command TC) in terms of power, solar array deployment, attitude, orbit, thermal, maintenance, failure detection and recovery isolation. In addition, Payload units and platform units such as RIU, PCDU, AOCS units (Star tracker, Reaction wheels) are considered in this architecture. Interfaces are mainly realized through MIL-STD-1553B busses and SpaceWire and this could be considered as the main constraint for IMA implementation in space domain. During the first phase of IMA SP project, ARINC653 impact was analyzed. Requirements and architecture for space domain were defined [3][4] and System Executive platforms (based on Xtratum, Pike OS, and AIR) were developed with RTEMS as Guest OS. This paper focuses on the demonstrator developed by Astrium as part of IMA SP project. This demonstrator has the objective to confirm operational software partitioning feasibility above Xtratum System Executive Platform with acceptable CPU overhead.

Convergent evolution of modularity in metabolic networks through different community structures

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background It has been reported that the modularity of metabolic networks of bacteria is closely related to the variability of their living habitats. However, given the dependency of the modularity score on the community structure, it remains unknown whether organisms achieve certain modularity via similar or different community structures. Results In this work, we studied the relationship between similarities in modularity scores and similarities in community structures of the metabolic networks of 1021 species. Both similarities are then compared against the genetic distances. We revisited the association between modularity and variability of the microbial living environments and extended the analysis to other aspects of their life style such as temperature and oxygen requirements. We also tested both topological and biological intuition of the community structures identified and investigated the extent of their conservation with respect to the taxomony. Conclusions We find that similar modularities are realized by different community structures. We find that such convergent evolution of modularity is closely associated with the number of (distinct) enzymes in the organism’s metabolome, a consequence of different life styles of the species. We find that the order of modularity is the same as the order of the number of the enzymes under the classification based on the temperature preference but not on the oxygen requirement. Besides, inspection of modularity-based communities reveals that these communities are graph-theoretically meaningful yet not reflective of specific biological functions. From an evolutionary perspective, we find that the community structures are conserved only at the level of kingdoms. Our results call for more investigation into the interplay between evolution and modularity: how evolution shapes modularity, and how modularity affects evolution (mainly in terms of fitness and evolvability). Further, our results call for exploring new measures of modularity and network communities that better correspond to functional categorizations. PMID:22974099

Surface Buildup Scenarios and Outpost Architectures for Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazanek, Daniel D.; Troutman, Patrick A.; Culbert, Christopher J.; Leonard, Matthew J.; Spexarth, Gary R.

2009-01-01

The Constellation Program Architecture Team and the Lunar Surface Systems Project Office have developed an initial set of lunar surface buildup scenarios and associated polar outpost architectures, along with preliminary supporting element and system designs in support of NASA's Exploration Strategy. The surface scenarios are structured in such a way that outpost assembly can be suspended at any time to accommodate delivery contingencies or changes in mission emphasis. The modular nature of the architectures mitigates the impact of the loss of any one element and enhances the ability of international and commercial partners to contribute elements and systems. Additionally, the core lunar surface system technologies and outpost operations concepts are applicable to future Mars exploration. These buildup scenarios provide a point of departure for future trades and assessments of alternative architectures and surface elements.

Increasing Flexibility and Agility at the National Reconnaissance Office: Lessons from Modular Design, Occupational Surprise, and Commercial Research and Development Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

with newly evolved technology. An example from the music industry , which was brought to our attention by one of the modularity experts with whom we...Super CD. Yet, Super CDs do not exist today. What happened? The reason that Super CDs have not been commercialized is because the music industry got it... music industry either failed to identify this parallelism or simply followed the wrong metric. The lesson is that predicting future needs is not

A High Power Density Power System Electronics for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hernandez-Pellerano, A.; Stone, R.; Travis, J.; Kercheval, B.; Alkire, G.; Ter-Minassian, V.

2009-01-01

A high power density, modular and state-of-the-art Power System Electronics (PSE) has been developed for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission. This paper addresses the hardware architecture and performance, the power handling capabilities, and the fabrication technology. The PSE was developed by NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and is the central location for power handling and distribution of the LRO spacecraft. The PSE packaging design manages and distributes 2200W of solar array input power in a volume less than a cubic foot. The PSE architecture incorporates reliable standard internal and external communication buses, solid state circuit breakers and LiIon battery charge management. Although a single string design, the PSE achieves high reliability by elegantly implementing functional redundancy and internal fault detection and correction. The PSE has been environmentally tested and delivered to the LRO spacecraft for the flight Integration and Test. This modular design is scheduled to flight in early 2009 on board the LRO and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) spacecrafts and is the baseline architecture for future NASA missions such as Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS).

Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldauf, Brian; Conti, Alberto

2016-01-01

The "Search for Life" via imaging of exoplanets is a mission that requires extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. The High Definition Space Telescope (HDST) envisioned for this mission would have an aperture >10 m, which is a larger payload than what can be delivered to space using a single launch vehicle. Building and assembling the mirror segments enabling large telescopes will likely require multiple launches and assembly in space. Space-based telescopes with large apertures will require major changes to system architectures.The Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) for HDST is a primary mission cost driver. Enabling and affordable solutions for this next generation of large aperture space-based telescope are needed.This paper reports on the concept for the Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST), which demonstrates on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of a precision optical telescope in space. It will also facilitate demonstration of active correction of phase and mirror shape. MODEST is proposed to be delivered to the ISS using standard Express Logistics Carriers (ELCs) and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets. Post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, and a testbed for new instruments. This demonstration program for next generation mirror technology provides significant risk reduction and demonstrates the technology in a six-mirror phased telescope. Other key features of the demonstration include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control that allows on-orbit optimization and demonstration of precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high modulus, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. It has been demonstrated that mirrors built from these materials can be rapidly replicated in a highly cost effective manner, making these materials excellent candidates for a low cost, high performance OTA.

Final Design Documentation for the Wartime Personnel Assessment Model (WARPAM) (Version 1.0)

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-25

Bldg 401B) Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN 46216-5000 Accesion For DTI& NTIS CRA& I J DTIC 1A;3 A Uta,I.ou- i Justilicatluol .... . .. . By...GENERATOR FIGURE 2: WARPAN OPERATIONAL ARCHITECTURE 10 WARPAN DESIGN DOCUMENTATION WARPAM is programmed in FORTRAN 77, except for the CRC model which is...to enter directly into a specific model and utilize data currently in the system. The modular architecture of WARPAM is depicted in Figure 3

Current Thrusts in Ground Robotics: Programs, Systems, Technologies, Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-01

MPRS – Demo III – MDARS-E and MDARS-I – JAUGS SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego San Diego CA 92152-7383 Basic UXO Gathering System (BUGS) Use tens of...processing resources • Modularity improves sensor fusion for alarms and alerts • Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems ( JAUGS ) SPAWAR Systems...pp lic at io ns 1996 1998 2000 2002 SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego San Diego CA 92152-7383 JAUGS : Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems

Integrating Clinical Trial Imaging Data Resources Using Service-Oriented Architecture and Grid Computing

PubMed Central

Cladé, Thierry; Snyder, Joshua C.

2010-01-01

Clinical trials which use imaging typically require data management and workflow integration across several parties. We identify opportunities for all parties involved to realize benefits with a modular interoperability model based on service-oriented architecture and grid computing principles. We discuss middleware products for implementation of this model, and propose caGrid as an ideal candidate due to its healthcare focus; free, open source license; and mature developer tools and support. PMID:20449775

Robust, Radiation Tolerant Command and Data Handling and Power System Electronics from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hanson C.; Fraction, James; Ortiz-Acosta, Melyane; Dakermanji, George; Kercheval, Bradford P.; Hernandez-Pellerano, Amri; Kim, David S.; Jung, David S.; Meyer, Steven E.; Mallik, Udayan;

Choosing Training Delivery Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hybert, Peter R.

2000-01-01

Focuses on decisionmaking about delivery media, and introduces CADDI's Performance-based, Accelerated, Customer-Stakeholder-driven Training & Development(SM) (PACT) Processes for training and development (T&D). Describes the media decisions that correspond with the design three levels of PACT: Curriculum Architecture Design, Modular Curriculum…

Signaling Architectures that Transmit Unidirectional Information Despite Retroactivity.

PubMed

Shah, Rushina; Del Vecchio, Domitilla

2017-08-08

A signaling pathway transmits information from an upstream system to downstream systems, ideally in a unidirectional fashion. A key obstacle to unidirectional transmission is retroactivity, the additional reaction flux that affects a system once its species interact with those of downstream systems. This raises the fundamental question of whether signaling pathways have developed specialized architectures that overcome retroactivity and transmit unidirectional signals. Here, we propose a general procedure based on mathematical analysis that provides an answer to this question. Using this procedure, we analyze the ability of a variety of signaling architectures to transmit one-way (from upstream to downstream) signals, as key biological parameters are tuned. We find that single stage phosphorylation and phosphotransfer systems that transmit signals from a kinase show a stringent design tradeoff that hampers their ability to overcome retroactivity. Interestingly, cascades of these architectures, which are highly represented in nature, can overcome this tradeoff and thus enable unidirectional transmission. By contrast, phosphotransfer systems, and single and double phosphorylation cycles that transmit signals from a substrate, are unable to mitigate retroactivity effects, even when cascaded, and hence are not well suited for unidirectional information transmission. These results are largely independent of the specific reaction-rate constant values, and depend on the topology of the architectures. Our results therefore identify signaling architectures that, allowing unidirectional transmission of signals, embody modular processes that conserve their input/output behavior across multiple contexts. These findings can be used to decompose natural signal transduction networks into modules, and at the same time, they establish a library of devices that can be used in synthetic biology to facilitate modular circuit design. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensor Webs with a Service-Oriented Architecture for On-demand Science Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandl, Daniel; Ungar, Stephen; Ames, Troy; Justice, Chris; Frye, Stuart; Chien, Steve; Tran, Daniel; Cappelaere, Patrice; Derezinsfi, Linda; Paules, Granville;

Electrical and computer architecture of an autonomous Mars sample return rover prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leslie, Caleb Thomas

Space truly is the final frontier. As man looks to explore beyond the confines of our planet, we use the lessons learned from traveling to the Moon and orbiting in the International Space Station, and we set our sights upon Mars. For decades, Martian probes consisting of orbiters, landers, and even robotic rovers have been sent to study Mars. Their discoveries have yielded a wealth of new scientific knowledge regarding the Martian environment and the secrets it holds. Armed with this knowledge, NASA and others have begun preparations to send humans to Mars with the ultimate goal of colonization and permanent human habitation. The ultimate success of any long term manned mission to Mars will require in situ resource utilization techniques and technologies to both support their stay and make a return trip to Earth viable. A sample return mission to Mars will play a pivotal role in developing these necessary technologies to ensure such an endeavor to be a successful one. This thesis describes an electrical and computer architecture for autonomous robotic applications. The architecture is one that is modular, scalable, and adaptable. These traits are achieved by maximizing commonality and reusability within modules that can be added, removed, or reconfigured within the system. This architecture, called the Modular Architecture for Autonomous Robotic Systems (MAARS), was implemented on the University of Alabama's Collection and Extraction Rover for Extraterrestrial Samples (CERES). The CERES rover competed in the 2016 NASA Sample Return Robot Challenge where robots were tasked with autonomously finding, collecting, and returning samples to the landing site.

M3BA: A Mobile, Modular, Multimodal Biosignal Acquisition Architecture for Miniaturized EEG-NIRS-Based Hybrid BCI and Monitoring.

PubMed

von Luhmann, Alexander; Wabnitz, Heidrun; Sander, Tilmann; Muller, Klaus-Robert

2017-06-01

For the further development of the fields of telemedicine, neurotechnology, and brain-computer interfaces, advances in hybrid multimodal signal acquisition and processing technology are invaluable. Currently, there are no commonly available hybrid devices combining bioelectrical and biooptical neurophysiological measurements [here electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)]. Our objective was to design such an instrument in a miniaturized, customizable, and wireless form. We present here the design and evaluation of a mobile, modular, multimodal biosignal acquisition architecture (M3BA) based on a high-performance analog front-end optimized for biopotential acquisition, a microcontroller, and our openNIRS technology. The designed M3BA modules are very small configurable high-precision and low-noise modules (EEG input referred noise @ 500 SPS 1.39 μV pp , NIRS noise equivalent power NEP 750 nm = 5.92 pW pp , and NEP 850 nm = 4.77 pW pp ) with full input linearity, Bluetooth, 3-D accelerometer, and low power consumption. They support flexible user-specified biopotential reference setups and wireless body area/sensor network scenarios. Performance characterization and in-vivo experiments confirmed functionality and quality of the designed architecture. Telemedicine and assistive neurotechnology scenarios will increasingly include wearable multimodal sensors in the future. The M3BA architecture can significantly facilitate future designs for research in these and other fields that rely on customized mobile hybrid biosignal modal biosignal acquisition architecture (M3BA), multimodal, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), wireless body area network (WBAN), wireless body sensor network (WBSN).

Modular architectures for quantum networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirker, A.; Wallnöfer, J.; Dür, W.

2018-05-01

We consider the problem of generating multipartite entangled states in a quantum network upon request. We follow a top-down approach, where the required entanglement is initially present in the network in form of network states shared between network devices, and then manipulated in such a way that the desired target state is generated. This minimizes generation times, and allows for network structures that are in principle independent of physical links. We present a modular and flexible architecture, where a multi-layer network consists of devices of varying complexity, including quantum network routers, switches and clients, that share certain resource states. We concentrate on the generation of graph states among clients, which are resources for numerous distributed quantum tasks. We assume minimal functionality for clients, i.e. they do not participate in the complex and distributed generation process of the target state. We present architectures based on shared multipartite entangled Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger states of different size, and fully connected decorated graph states, respectively. We compare the features of these architectures to an approach that is based on bipartite entanglement, and identify advantages of the multipartite approach in terms of memory requirements and complexity of state manipulation. The architectures can handle parallel requests, and are designed in such a way that the network state can be dynamically extended if new clients or devices join the network. For generation or dynamical extension of the network states, we propose a quantum network configuration protocol, where entanglement purification is used to establish high fidelity states. The latter also allows one to show that the entanglement generated among clients is private, i.e. the network is secure.

De-Architecturization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wines, James

1975-01-01

De-architecturization is art about architecture, a catalyst suggesting that public art does not have to respond to formalist doctrine; but rather, may evolve from the informational reservoirs of the city environment, where phenomenology and structure become the fabric of its existence. (Author/RK)

Scalable Light Module for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Light- Emitting Diode Luminaires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tarsa, Eric

2015-08-31

During this two-year program Cree developed a scalable, modular optical architecture for low-cost, high-efficacy light emitting diode (LED) luminaires. Stated simply, the goal of this architecture was to efficiently and cost-effectively convey light from LEDs (point sources) to broad luminaire surfaces (area sources). By simultaneously developing warm-white LED components and low-cost, scalable optical elements, a high system optical efficiency resulted. To meet program goals, Cree evaluated novel approaches to improve LED component efficacy at high color quality while not sacrificing LED optical efficiency relative to conventional packages. Meanwhile, efficiently coupling light from LEDs into modular optical elements, followed by optimallymore » distributing and extracting this light, were challenges that were addressed via novel optical design coupled with frequent experimental evaluations. Minimizing luminaire bill of materials and assembly costs were two guiding principles for all design work, in the effort to achieve luminaires with significantly lower normalized cost ($/klm) than existing LED fixtures. Chief project accomplishments included the achievement of >150 lm/W warm-white LEDs having primary optics compatible with low-cost modular optical elements. In addition, a prototype Light Module optical efficiency of over 90% was measured, demonstrating the potential of this scalable architecture for ultra-high-efficacy LED luminaires. Since the project ended, Cree has continued to evaluate optical element fabrication and assembly methods in an effort to rapidly transfer this scalable, cost-effective technology to Cree production development groups. The Light Module concept is likely to make a strong contribution to the development of new cost-effective, high-efficacy luminaries, thereby accelerating widespread adoption of energy-saving SSL in the U.S.« less

An All-Fiber, Modular, Compact Wind Lidar for Wind Sensing and Wake Vortex Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, Narasimha S.; Sibell, Russ; Vetorino, Steve; Higgins, Richard; Tracy, Allen

2015-01-01

This paper discusses an innovative, compact and eyesafe coherent lidar system developed for wind and wake vortex sensing applications. With an innovative all-fiber and modular transceiver architecture, the wind lidar system has reduced size, weight and power requirements, and provides enhanced performance along with operational elegance. This all-fiber architecture is developed around fiber seed laser coupled to uniquely configured fiber amplifier modules. The innovative features of this lidar system, besides its all fiber architecture, include pulsewidth agility and user programmable 3D hemispherical scanner unit. Operating at a wavelength of 1.5457 microns and with a PRF of up to 20 KHz, the lidar transmitter system is designed as a Class 1 system with dimensions of 30"(W) x 46"(L) x 60"(H). With an operational range exceeding 10 km, the wind lidar is configured to measure wind velocities of greater than 120 m/s with an accuracy of +/- 0.2 m/s and allow range resolution of less than 15 m. The dynamical configuration capability of transmitted pulsewidths from 50 ns to 400 ns allows high resolution wake vortex measurements. The scanner uses innovative liquid metal slip ring and is built using 3D printer technology with light weight nylon. As such, it provides continuous 360 degree azimuth and 180 degree elevation scan angles with an incremental motion of 0.001 degree. The lidar system is air cooled and requires 110 V for its operation. This compact and modular lidar system is anticipated to provide mobility, reliability, and ease of field deployment for wind and wake vortex measurements. Currently, this wind lidar is undergoing validation tests under various atmospheric conditions. Preliminary results of these field measurements of wind characteristics that were recently carried out in Colorado are discussed.

High performance thermal imaging for the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, David J.; Knowles, Peter

2003-01-01

In recent years IR detector technology has developed from early short linear arrays. Such devices require high performance signal processing electronics to meet today's thermal imaging requirements for military and para-military applications. This paper describes BAE SYSTEMS Avionics Group's Sensor Integrated Modular Architecture thermal imager which has been developed alongside the group's Eagle 640×512 arrays to provide high performance imaging capability. The electronics architecture also supprots High Definition TV format 2D arrays for future growth capability.

A TT&C Performance Simulator for Space Exploration and Scientific Satellites - Architecture and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donà, G.; Faletra, M.

2015-09-01

This paper presents the TT&C performance simulator toolkit developed internally at Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I) to support the design of TT&C subsystems for space exploration and scientific satellites. The simulator has a modular architecture and has been designed using a model-based approach using standard engineering tools such as MATLAB/SIMULINK and mission analysis tools (e.g. STK). The simulator is easily reconfigurable to fit different types of satellites, different mission requirements and different scenarios parameters. This paper provides a brief description of the simulator architecture together with two examples of applications used to demonstrate some of the simulator’s capabilities.

Intelligent subsystem interface for modular hardware system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caffrey, Robert T. (Inventor); Krening, Douglas N. (Inventor); Lannan, Gregory B. (Inventor); Schneiderwind, Michael J. (Inventor); Schneiderwind, Robert A. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A single chip application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which provides a flexible, modular interface between a subsystem and a standard system bus. The ASIC includes a microcontroller/microprocessor, a serial interface for connection to the bus, and a variety of communications interface devices available for coupling to the subsystem. A three-bus architecture, utilizing arbitration, provides connectivity within the ASIC and between the ASIC and the subsystem. The communication interface devices include UART (serial), parallel, analog, and external device interface utilizing bus connections paired with device select signals. A low power (sleep) mode is provided as is a processor disable option.

Research on collaborative innovation mechanism of green construction supply chain based on united agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Min; He, Weiyi

2018-06-01

Under the guidance of principal-agent theory and modular theory, the collaborative innovation of green technology-based companies, design contractors and project builders based on united agency will provide direction for the development of green construction supply chain in the future. After analyzing the existing independent agencies, this paper proposes the industry-university-research bilateral collaborative innovation network architecture and modularization with the innovative function of engineering design in the context of non-standard transformation interfaces, analyzes the innovation responsibility center, and gives some countermeasures and suggestions to promote the performance of bilateral cooperative innovation network.

Fully decentralized estimation and control for a modular wheeled mobile robot

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mutambara, A.G.O.; Durrant-Whyte, H.F.

2000-06-01

In this paper, the problem of fully decentralized data fusion and control for a modular wheeled mobile robot (WMR) is addressed. This is a vehicle system with nonlinear kinematics, distributed multiple sensors, and nonlinear sensor models. The problem is solved by applying fully decentralized estimation and control algorithms based on the extended information filter. This is achieved by deriving a modular, decentralized kinematic model by using plane motion kinematics to obtain the forward and inverse kinematics for a generalized simple wheeled vehicle. This model is then used in the decentralized estimation and control algorithms. WMR estimation and control is thusmore » obtained locally using reduced order models with reduced communication of information between nodes is carried out after every measurement (full rate communication), the estimates and control signals obtained at each node are equivalent to those obtained by a corresponding centralized system. Transputer architecture is used as the basis for hardware and software design as it supports the extensive communication and concurrency requirements that characterize modular and decentralized systems. The advantages of a modular WMR vehicle include scalability, application flexibility, low prototyping costs, and high reliability.« less

The Use of Microcomputers to Improve Army Ground-Vehicle Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

point indicated in Fig. 1. A demonstration of the leverage of the algorithmic parameter transformation can be inferred from data from automobile ...data) 45 data input channels: 1 accelerometer 22 digital data 22 analog data Backup battery Modular software architecture Field reprogrammable

Detecting UV-lesions in the genome: The modular CRL4 ubiquitin ligase does it best!

PubMed

Scrima, Andrea; Fischer, Eric S; Lingaraju, Gondichatnahalli M; Böhm, Kerstin; Cavadini, Simone; Thomä, Nicolas H

2011-09-16

The DDB1-DDB2-CUL4-RBX1 complex serves as the primary detection device for UV-induced lesions in the genome. It simultaneously functions as a CUL4 type E3 ubiquitin ligase. We review the current understanding of this dual function ubiquitin ligase and damage detection complex. The DDB2 damage binding module is merely one of a large family of possible DDB1-CUL4 associated factors (DCAF), most of which are substrate receptors for other DDB1-CUL4 complexes. DDB2 and the Cockayne-syndrome A protein (CSA) function in nucleotide excision repair, whereas the remaining receptors operate in a wide range of other biological pathways. We will examine the modular architecture of DDB1-CUL4 in complex with DDB2, CSA and CDT2 focusing on shared architectural, targeting and regulatory principles. Copyright © 2011 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The neural architecture of expert calendar calculation: a matter of strategy?

PubMed

Fehr, Thorsten; Wallace, Gregory L; Erhard, Peter; Herrmann, Manfred

2011-08-01

Savants and prodigies are individuals with exceptional skills in particular mental domains. In the present study we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine neural correlates of calendar calculation in two individuals, a savant with Asperger's disorder and a self-taught mathematical prodigy. If there is a modular neural organization of exceptional performance in a specific mental domain, calendar calculation should be reflected in a considerable overlap in the recruitment of brain circuits across expert individuals. However, considerable individual differences in activation patterns during calendar calculation were noted. The present results indicate that activation patterns produced by complex mental processing, such as calendar calculation, seem to be influenced strongly by learning history and idiosyncratic strategy usage rather than a modular neural organization. Thus, well-known individual differences in complex cognition play a major role even in experts with exceptional abilities in a particular mental domain and should in particular be considered when examining the neural architecture of complex mental processes and skills.

Modular architecture of eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP revealed by electron microscopy

PubMed Central

Hipp, Katharina; Galani, Kyriaki; Batisse, Claire; Prinz, Simone; Böttcher, Bettina

2012-01-01

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) and RNase MRP are closely related ribonucleoprotein enzymes, which process RNA substrates including tRNA precursors for RNase P and 5.8 S rRNA precursors, as well as some mRNAs, for RNase MRP. The structures of RNase P and RNase MRP have not yet been solved, so it is unclear how the proteins contribute to the structure of the complexes and how substrate specificity is determined. Using electron microscopy and image processing we show that eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP have a modular architecture, where proteins stabilize the RNA fold and contribute to cavities, channels and chambers between the modules. Such features are located at strategic positions for substrate recognition by shape and coordination of the cleaved-off sequence. These are also the sites of greatest difference between RNase P and RNase MRP, highlighting the importance of the adaptation of this region to the different substrates. PMID:22167472

Adaptive Acquisition: An Evolving Framework for Tailoring Engineering and Procurement of Defense Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-31

mapping critical business workflows and then optimizing them with appropriate evolutionary technology choices is often called “ Product Line Architecture... technologies , products , services, and processes, and the USG evaluates them against its 360o requirements objectives, and refines them as appropriate, clarity...in rapidly evolving technological domains (e.g. by applying best commercial practices for open standard product line architecture.) An MP might be

An extensible six-step methodology to automatically generate fuzzy DSSs for diagnostic applications.

PubMed

d'Acierno, Antonio; Esposito, Massimo; De Pietro, Giuseppe

2013-01-01

The diagnosis of many diseases can be often formulated as a decision problem; uncertainty affects these problems so that many computerized Diagnostic Decision Support Systems (in the following, DDSSs) have been developed to aid the physician in interpreting clinical data and thus to improve the quality of the whole process. Fuzzy logic, a well established attempt at the formalization and mechanization of human capabilities in reasoning and deciding with noisy information, can be profitably used. Recently, we informally proposed a general methodology to automatically build DDSSs on the top of fuzzy knowledge extracted from data. We carefully refine and formalize our methodology that includes six stages, where the first three stages work with crisp rules, whereas the last three ones are employed on fuzzy models. Its strength relies on its generality and modularity since it supports the integration of alternative techniques in each of its stages. The methodology is designed and implemented in the form of a modular and portable software architecture according to a component-based approach. The architecture is deeply described and a summary inspection of the main components in terms of UML diagrams is outlined as well. A first implementation of the architecture has been then realized in Java following the object-oriented paradigm and used to instantiate a DDSS example aimed at accurately diagnosing breast masses as a proof of concept. The results prove the feasibility of the whole methodology implemented in terms of the architecture proposed.

An extensible six-step methodology to automatically generate fuzzy DSSs for diagnostic applications

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The diagnosis of many diseases can be often formulated as a decision problem; uncertainty affects these problems so that many computerized Diagnostic Decision Support Systems (in the following, DDSSs) have been developed to aid the physician in interpreting clinical data and thus to improve the quality of the whole process. Fuzzy logic, a well established attempt at the formalization and mechanization of human capabilities in reasoning and deciding with noisy information, can be profitably used. Recently, we informally proposed a general methodology to automatically build DDSSs on the top of fuzzy knowledge extracted from data. Methods We carefully refine and formalize our methodology that includes six stages, where the first three stages work with crisp rules, whereas the last three ones are employed on fuzzy models. Its strength relies on its generality and modularity since it supports the integration of alternative techniques in each of its stages. Results The methodology is designed and implemented in the form of a modular and portable software architecture according to a component-based approach. The architecture is deeply described and a summary inspection of the main components in terms of UML diagrams is outlined as well. A first implementation of the architecture has been then realized in Java following the object-oriented paradigm and used to instantiate a DDSS example aimed at accurately diagnosing breast masses as a proof of concept. Conclusions The results prove the feasibility of the whole methodology implemented in terms of the architecture proposed. PMID:23368970

Concept of Operations for the ESC Product Line Approach.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-08-30

production of the application. Product Line Engineering Center ( PLEC ) defines and evolves product line architectures with the SAG. The PLEC is also tasked... PLEC , SAG, and PLAS and offers scenarios for asset and system development. • Section 4 outlines the ESC Product Line transition strategy. • Section...Line or System Needs User Select PLEC ; Assess PL architecture Product Line Architecture Development ments; architecture selection Architecture

Synthesis of water-soluble mono- and ditopic imidazoliums for carbene ligands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anstey, Mitchell; Murtagh, Dustin; Cordaro, Joseph Gabriel

2015-09-01

Synthesis of ditopic imidazoliums was achieved using a modular step-wise procedure. The procedure itself is amenable to a wide array of functional groups that can be incorporated into the imidazolium architecture. The resulting compounds range from ditopic zwitterions to highly-soluble dicationic aromatics

A Modular Framework for Modeling Hardware Elements in Distributed Engine Control Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinnecker, Alicia M.; Culley, Dennis E.; Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot D.

2014-01-01

Progress toward the implementation of distributed engine control in an aerospace application may be accelerated through the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system for testing new control architectures and hardware outside of a physical test cell environment. One component required in an HIL simulation system is a high-fidelity model of the control platform: sensors, actuators, and the control law. The control system developed for the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k (C-MAPSS40k) provides a verifiable baseline for development of a model for simulating a distributed control architecture. This distributed controller model will contain enhanced hardware models, capturing the dynamics of the transducer and the effects of data processing, and a model of the controller network. A multilevel framework is presented that establishes three sets of interfaces in the control platform: communication with the engine (through sensors and actuators), communication between hardware and controller (over a network), and the physical connections within individual pieces of hardware. This introduces modularity at each level of the model, encouraging collaboration in the development and testing of various control schemes or hardware designs. At the hardware level, this modularity is leveraged through the creation of a Simulink(R) library containing blocks for constructing smart transducer models complying with the IEEE 1451 specification. These hardware models were incorporated in a distributed version of the baseline C-MAPSS40k controller and simulations were run to compare the performance of the two models. The overall tracking ability differed only due to quantization effects in the feedback measurements in the distributed controller. Additionally, it was also found that the added complexity of the smart transducer models did not prevent real-time operation of the distributed controller model, a requirement of an HIL system.

A Modular Framework for Modeling Hardware Elements in Distributed Engine Control Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinnecker, Alicia M.; Culley, Dennis E.; Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot D.

2015-01-01

Progress toward the implementation of distributed engine control in an aerospace application may be accelerated through the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system for testing new control architectures and hardware outside of a physical test cell environment. One component required in an HIL simulation system is a high-fidelity model of the control platform: sensors, actuators, and the control law. The control system developed for the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k (C-MAPSS40k) provides a verifiable baseline for development of a model for simulating a distributed control architecture. This distributed controller model will contain enhanced hardware models, capturing the dynamics of the transducer and the effects of data processing, and a model of the controller network. A multilevel framework is presented that establishes three sets of interfaces in the control platform: communication with the engine (through sensors and actuators), communication between hardware and controller (over a network), and the physical connections within individual pieces of hardware. This introduces modularity at each level of the model, encouraging collaboration in the development and testing of various control schemes or hardware designs. At the hardware level, this modularity is leveraged through the creation of a SimulinkR library containing blocks for constructing smart transducer models complying with the IEEE 1451 specification. These hardware models were incorporated in a distributed version of the baseline C-MAPSS40k controller and simulations were run to compare the performance of the two models. The overall tracking ability differed only due to quantization effects in the feedback measurements in the distributed controller. Additionally, it was also found that the added complexity of the smart transducer models did not prevent real-time operation of the distributed controller model, a requirement of an HIL system.

A Modular Framework for Modeling Hardware Elements in Distributed Engine Control Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinnecker, Alicia Mae; Culley, Dennis E.; Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot D.

2014-01-01

Progress toward the implementation of distributed engine control in an aerospace application may be accelerated through the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system for testing new control architectures and hardware outside of a physical test cell environment. One component required in an HIL simulation system is a high-fidelity model of the control platform: sensors, actuators, and the control law. The control system developed for the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k (40,000 pound force thrust) (C-MAPSS40k) provides a verifiable baseline for development of a model for simulating a distributed control architecture. This distributed controller model will contain enhanced hardware models, capturing the dynamics of the transducer and the effects of data processing, and a model of the controller network. A multilevel framework is presented that establishes three sets of interfaces in the control platform: communication with the engine (through sensors and actuators), communication between hardware and controller (over a network), and the physical connections within individual pieces of hardware. This introduces modularity at each level of the model, encouraging collaboration in the development and testing of various control schemes or hardware designs. At the hardware level, this modularity is leveraged through the creation of a Simulink (R) library containing blocks for constructing smart transducer models complying with the IEEE 1451 specification. These hardware models were incorporated in a distributed version of the baseline C-MAPSS40k controller and simulations were run to compare the performance of the two models. The overall tracking ability differed only due to quantization effects in the feedback measurements in the distributed controller. Additionally, it was also found that the added complexity of the smart transducer models did not prevent real-time operation of the distributed controller model, a requirement of an HIL system.

Developing an Integration Infrastructure for Distributed Engine Control Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culley, Dennis; Zinnecker, Alicia; Aretskin-Hariton, Eliot; Kratz, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Turbine engine control technology is poised to make the first revolutionary leap forward since the advent of full authority digital engine control in the mid-1980s. This change aims squarely at overcoming the physical constraints that have historically limited control system hardware on aero-engines to a federated architecture. Distributed control architecture allows complex analog interfaces existing between system elements and the control unit to be replaced by standardized digital interfaces. Embedded processing, enabled by high temperature electronics, provides for digitization of signals at the source and network communications resulting in a modular system at the hardware level. While this scheme simplifies the physical integration of the system, its complexity appears in other ways. In fact, integration now becomes a shared responsibility among suppliers and system integrators. While these are the most obvious changes, there are additional concerns about performance, reliability, and failure modes due to distributed architecture that warrant detailed study. This paper describes the development of a new facility intended to address the many challenges of the underlying technologies of distributed control. The facility is capable of performing both simulation and hardware studies ranging from component to system level complexity. Its modular and hierarchical structure allows the user to focus their interaction on specific areas of interest.

Elucidation of Sigma Factor-Associated Networks in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Reveals a Modular Architecture with Limited and Function-Specific Crosstalk

PubMed Central

Schulz, Sebastian; Eckweiler, Denitsa; Bielecka, Agata; Nicolai, Tanja; Franke, Raimo; Dötsch, Andreas; Hornischer, Klaus; Bruchmann, Sebastian; Düvel, Juliane; Häussler, Susanne

2015-01-01

Sigma factors are essential global regulators of transcription initiation in bacteria which confer promoter recognition specificity to the RNA polymerase core enzyme. They provide effective mechanisms for simultaneously regulating expression of large numbers of genes in response to challenging conditions, and their presence has been linked to bacterial virulence and pathogenicity. In this study, we constructed nine his-tagged sigma factor expressing and/or deletion mutant strains in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To uncover the direct and indirect sigma factor regulons, we performed mRNA profiling, as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing. We furthermore elucidated the de novo binding motif of each sigma factor, and validated the RNA- and ChIP-seq results by global motif searches in the proximity of transcriptional start sites (TSS). Our integrated approach revealed a highly modular network architecture which is composed of insulated functional sigma factor modules. Analysis of the interconnectivity of the various sigma factor networks uncovered a limited, but highly function-specific, crosstalk which orchestrates complex cellular processes. Our data indicate that the modular structure of sigma factor networks enables P. aeruginosa to function adequately in its environment and at the same time is exploited to build up higher-level functions by specific interconnections that are dominated by a participation of RpoN. PMID:25780925

Modular flow chamber for engineering bone marrow architecture and function.

PubMed

Di Buduo, Christian A; Soprano, Paolo M; Tozzi, Lorenzo; Marconi, Stefania; Auricchio, Ferdinando; Kaplan, David L; Balduini, Alessandra

2017-11-01

The bone marrow is a soft, spongy, gelatinous tissue found in the hollow cavities of flat and long bones that support hematopoiesis in order to maintain the physiologic turnover of all blood cells. Silk fibroin, derived from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons, is a promising biomaterial for bone marrow engineering, because of its tunable architecture and mechanical properties, the capacity of incorporating labile compounds without loss of bioactivity and demonstrated ability to support blood cell formation. In this study, we developed a bone marrow scaffold consisting of a modular flow chamber made of polydimethylsiloxane, holding a silk sponge, prepared with salt leaching methods and functionalized with extracellular matrix components. The silk sponge was able to support efficient platelet formation when megakaryocytes were seeded in the system. Perfusion of the chamber allowed the recovery of functional platelets based on multiple activation tests. Further, inhibition of AKT signaling molecule, which has been shown to be crucial in regulating physiologic platelet formation, significantly reduced the number of collected platelets, suggesting the applicability of this tissue model for evaluation of the effects of bone marrow exposure to compounds that may affect platelet formation. In conclusion, we have bioengineered a novel modular system that, along with multi-porous silk sponges, can provide a useful technology for reproducing a simplified bone marrow scaffold for blood cell production ex vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced ground station architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zillig, David; Benjamin, Ted

1994-01-01

This paper describes a new station architecture for NASA's Ground Network (GN). The architecture makes efficient use of emerging technologies to provide dramatic reductions in size, operational complexity, and operational and maintenance costs. The architecture, which is based on recent receiver work sponsored by the Office of Space Communications Advanced Systems Program, allows integration of both GN and Space Network (SN) modes of operation in the same electronics system. It is highly configurable through software and the use of charged coupled device (CCD) technology to provide a wide range of operating modes. Moreover, it affords modularity of features which are optional depending on the application. The resulting system incorporates advanced RF, digital, and remote control technology capable of introducing significant operational, performance, and cost benefits to a variety of NASA communications and tracking applications.

The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit: challenges and advances : 10 years of open-source development.

PubMed

Nolden, Marco; Zelzer, Sascha; Seitel, Alexander; Wald, Diana; Müller, Michael; Franz, Alfred M; Maleike, Daniel; Fangerau, Markus; Baumhauer, Matthias; Maier-Hein, Lena; Maier-Hein, Klaus H; Meinzer, Hans-Peter; Wolf, Ivo

2013-07-01

The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) has been available as open-source software for almost 10 years now. In this period the requirements of software systems in the medical image processing domain have become increasingly complex. The aim of this paper is to show how MITK evolved into a software system that is able to cover all steps of a clinical workflow including data retrieval, image analysis, diagnosis, treatment planning, intervention support, and treatment control. MITK provides modularization and extensibility on different levels. In addition to the original toolkit, a module system, micro services for small, system-wide features, a service-oriented architecture based on the Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi) standard, and an extensible and configurable application framework allow MITK to be used, extended and deployed as needed. A refined software process was implemented to deliver high-quality software, ease the fulfillment of regulatory requirements, and enable teamwork in mixed-competence teams. MITK has been applied by a worldwide community and integrated into a variety of solutions, either at the toolkit level or as an application framework with custom extensions. The MITK Workbench has been released as a highly extensible and customizable end-user application. Optional support for tool tracking, image-guided therapy, diffusion imaging as well as various external packages (e.g. CTK, DCMTK, OpenCV, SOFA, Python) is available. MITK has also been used in several FDA/CE-certified applications, which demonstrates the high-quality software and rigorous development process. MITK provides a versatile platform with a high degree of modularization and interoperability and is well suited to meet the challenging tasks of today's and tomorrow's clinically motivated research.

OFMspert: An architecture for an operator's associate that evolves to an intelligent tutor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Christine M.

1991-01-01

With the emergence of new technology for both human-computer interaction and knowledge-based systems, a range of opportunities exist which enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of controllers of high-risk engineering systems. The design of an architecture for an operator's associate is described. This associate is a stand-alone model-based system designed to interact with operators of complex dynamic systems, such as airplanes, manned space systems, and satellite ground control systems in ways comparable to that of a human assistant. The operator function model expert system (OFMspert) architecture and the design and empirical validation of OFMspert's understanding component are described. The design and validation of OFMspert's interactive and control components are also described. A description of current work in which OFMspert provides the foundation in the development of an intelligent tutor that evolves to an assistant, as operator expertise evolves from novice to expert, is provided.

GBU-X bounding requirements for highly flexible munitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagby, Patrick T.; Shaver, Jonathan; White, Reed; Cafarelli, Sergio; Hébert, Anthony J.

2017-04-01

This paper will present the results of an investigation into requirements for existing software and hardware solutions for open digital communication architectures that support weapon subsystem integration. The underlying requirements of such a communication architecture would be to achieve the lowest latency possible at a reasonable cost point with respect to the mission objective of the weapon. The determination of the latency requirements of the open architecture software and hardware were derived through the use of control system and stability margins analyses. Studies were performed on the throughput and latency of different existing communication transport methods. The two architectures that were tested in this study include Data Distribution Service (DDS) and Modular Open Network Architecture (MONARCH). This paper defines what levels of latency can be achieved with current technology and how this capability may translate to future weapons. The requirements moving forward within communications solutions are discussed.

Application of Multiprotocol Medical Imaging Communications and an Extended DICOM WADO Service in a Teleradiology Architecture

PubMed Central

Koutelakis, George V.; Anastassopoulos, George K.; Lymberopoulos, Dimitrios K.

2012-01-01

Multiprotocol medical imaging communication through the Internet is more flexible than the tight DICOM transfers. This paper introduces a modular multiprotocol teleradiology architecture that integrates DICOM and common Internet services (based on web, FTP, and E-mail) into a unique operational domain. The extended WADO service (a web extension of DICOM) and the other proposed services allow access to all levels of the DICOM information hierarchy as opposed to solely Object level. A lightweight client site is considered adequate, because the server site of the architecture provides clients with service interfaces through the web as well as invulnerable space for temporary storage, called as User Domains, so that users fulfill their applications' tasks. The proposed teleradiology architecture is pilot implemented using mainly Java-based technologies and is evaluated by engineers in collaboration with doctors. The new architecture ensures flexibility in access, user mobility, and enhanced data security. PMID:22489237

Maximizing the Adjacent Possible in Automata Chemistries.

PubMed

Hickinbotham, Simon; Clark, Edward; Nellis, Adam; Stepney, Susan; Clarke, Tim; Young, Peter

2016-01-01

Automata chemistries are good vehicles for experimentation in open-ended evolution, but they are by necessity complex systems whose low-level properties require careful design. To aid the process of designing automata chemistries, we develop an abstract model that classifies the features of a chemistry from a physical (bottom up) perspective and from a biological (top down) perspective. There are two levels: things that can evolve, and things that cannot. We equate the evolving level with biology and the non-evolving level with physics. We design our initial organisms in the biology, so they can evolve. We design the physics to facilitate evolvable biologies. This architecture leads to a set of design principles that should be observed when creating an instantiation of the architecture. These principles are Everything Evolves, Everything's Soft, and Everything Dies. To evaluate these ideas, we present experiments in the recently developed Stringmol automata chemistry. We examine the properties of Stringmol with respect to the principles, and so demonstrate the usefulness of the principles in designing automata chemistries.

Cosmic-ray discrimination capabilities of /ΔE-/E silicon nuclear telescopes using neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambriola, M.; Bellotti, R.; Cafagna, F.; Castellano, M.; Ciacio, F.; Circella, M.; Marzo, C. N. D.; Montaruli, T.

2000-02-01

An isotope classifier of cosmic-ray events collected by space detectors has been implemented using a multi-layer perceptron neural architecture. In order to handle a great number of different isotopes a modular architecture of the ``mixture of experts'' type is proposed. The performance of this classifier has been tested on simulated data and has been compared with a ``classical'' classifying procedure. The quantitative comparison with traditional techniques shows that the neural approach has classification performances comparable - within /1% - with that of the classical one, with efficiency of the order of /98%. A possible hardware implementation of such a kind of neural architecture in future space missions is considered.

ISHN Ion Source Control System. First Steps Toward an EPICS Based ESS-Bilbao Accelerator Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguiraun, M.; Jugo, J.; Arredondo, I.; del Campo, M.; Feuchtwanger, J.; Etxebarria, V.; Bermejo, F. J.

2013-04-01

ISHN (Ion Source Hydrogen Negative) consists of a Penning type ion source in operation at ESS-Bilbao facilities. From the control point of view, this source is representative of the first steps and decisions taken towards the general control architecture of the whole accelerator to be built. The ISHN main control system is based on a PXI architecture, under a real-time controller which is programmed using LabVIEW. This system, with additional elements, is connected to the general control system. The whole system is based on EPICS for the control network, and the modularization of the communication layers of the accelerator plays an important role in the proposed control architecture.

Parallel language constructs for tensor product computations on loosely coupled architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Piyush; Vanrosendale, John

1989-01-01

Distributed memory architectures offer high levels of performance and flexibility, but have proven awkard to program. Current languages for nonshared memory architectures provide a relatively low level programming environment, and are poorly suited to modular programming, and to the construction of libraries. A set of language primitives designed to allow the specification of parallel numerical algorithms at a higher level is described. Tensor product array computations are focused on along with a simple but important class of numerical algorithms. The problem of programming 1-D kernal routines is focused on first, such as parallel tridiagonal solvers, and then how such parallel kernels can be combined to form parallel tensor product algorithms is examined.

The Effects of Race Conditions when Implementing Single-Source Redundant Clock Trees in Triple Modular Redundant Synchronous Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Melanie D.; Label, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan

2016-01-01

We present the challenges that arise when using redundant clock domains due to their clock-skew. Heavy-ion radiation data show that a singular clock domain (DTMR) provides an improved TMR methodology for SRAM-based FPGAs over redundant clocks.

Complex DNA Brick Assembly.

PubMed

Ong, Luvena L; Ke, Yonggang

2017-01-01

DNA nanostructures are a useful technology for precisely organizing and manipulating nanomaterials. The DNA bricks method is a modular and versatile platform for applications requiring discrete or periodic structures with complex three-dimensional features. Here, we describe how structures are designed from the fundamental strand architecture through assembly and characterization of the formed structures.

Acquisition of Modular Low Earth Orbit Satellites for Improved Intelligence Collection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

26 4. Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements ( SeeMe ) Architecture...27 Figure 7. A Depiction of the SeeMe Notional Concept of Operations (From Barnhart, 2012...Evaluation SATCOM Satellite Communications SBIRS Space Based Infrared Systems SeeMe Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements SMAD Space

MODULAR APPLICATION OF COMPUTATIONAL MODELS OF INHALED REACTIVE GAS DOSIMETRY FOR RISK ASSESSMENT OF RESPIRATORY TRACT TOXICITY: CHLORINE

EPA Science Inventory

Inhaled reactive gases typically cause respiratory tract toxicity with a prominent proximal to distal lesion pattern. This pattern is largely driven by airflow and interspecies differences between rodents and humans result from factors such as airway architecture, ventilation ra...

T.Node, industrial version of supernode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flieller, Sylvain

1989-12-01

The Esprit I P1085 "SuperNode" project developed a modular reconfigurable archtecture, based on transputers. This highly parallel machine is now marketed by Telmat Informatique under the name T.Node. This paper presents the P1085 project, the architecture of SuperNode, its industrial implementation and its software enviroment.

Modular Toolkit for Data Processing (MDP): A Python Data Processing Framework.

PubMed

Zito, Tiziano; Wilbert, Niko; Wiskott, Laurenz; Berkes, Pietro

2008-01-01

Modular toolkit for Data Processing (MDP) is a data processing framework written in Python. From the user's perspective, MDP is a collection of supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms and other data processing units that can be combined into data processing sequences and more complex feed-forward network architectures. Computations are performed efficiently in terms of speed and memory requirements. From the scientific developer's perspective, MDP is a modular framework, which can easily be expanded. The implementation of new algorithms is easy and intuitive. The new implemented units are then automatically integrated with the rest of the library. MDP has been written in the context of theoretical research in neuroscience, but it has been designed to be helpful in any context where trainable data processing algorithms are used. Its simplicity on the user's side, the variety of readily available algorithms, and the reusability of the implemented units make it also a useful educational tool.

SMARBot: a modular miniature mobile robot platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Yan; Johnson, Kerry; Simms, Brian; Conforth, Matthew

2008-04-01

Miniature robots have many advantages over their larger counterparts, such as low cost, low power, and easy to build a large scale team for complex tasks. Heterogeneous multi miniature robots could provide powerful situation awareness capability due to different locomotion capabilities and sensor information. However, it would be expensive and time consuming to develop specific embedded system for different type of robots. In this paper, we propose a generic modular embedded system architecture called SMARbot (Stevens Modular Autonomous Robot), which consists of a set of hardware and software modules that can be configured to construct various types of robot systems. These modules include a high performance microprocessor, a reconfigurable hardware component, wireless communication, and diverse sensor and actuator interfaces. The design of all the modules in electrical subsystem, the selection criteria for module components, and the real-time operating system are described. Some proofs of concept experimental results are also presented.

Human life support during interplanetary travel and domicile. II - Generic Modular Flow Schematic modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farral, Joseph F.; Seshan, P. K.; Rohatgi, Naresh K.

1991-01-01

This paper describes the Generic Modular Flow Schematic (GMFS) architecture capable of encompassing all functional elements of a physical/chemical life support system (LSS). The GMFS can be implemented to synthesize, model, analyze, and quantitatively compare many configurations of LSSs, from a simple, completely open-loop to a very complex closed-loop. The GMFS model is coded in ASPEN, a state-of-the-art chemical process simulation program, to accurately compute the material, heat, and power flow quantities for every stream in each of the subsystem functional elements (SFEs) in the chosen configuration of a life support system. The GMFS approach integrates the various SFEs and subsystems in a hierarchical and modular fashion facilitating rapid substitutions and reconfiguration of a life support system. The comprehensive ASPEN material and energy balance output is transferred to a systems and technology assessment spreadsheet for rigorous system analysis and trade studies.

A spatially localized architecture for fast and modular DNA computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Gourab; Dalchau, Neil; Muscat, Richard A.; Phillips, Andrew; Seelig, Georg

2017-09-01

Cells use spatial constraints to control and accelerate the flow of information in enzyme cascades and signalling networks. Synthetic silicon-based circuitry similarly relies on spatial constraints to process information. Here, we show that spatial organization can be a similarly powerful design principle for overcoming limitations of speed and modularity in engineered molecular circuits. We create logic gates and signal transmission lines by spatially arranging reactive DNA hairpins on a DNA origami. Signal propagation is demonstrated across transmission lines of different lengths and orientations and logic gates are modularly combined into circuits that establish the universality of our approach. Because reactions preferentially occur between neighbours, identical DNA hairpins can be reused across circuits. Co-localization of circuit elements decreases computation time from hours to minutes compared to circuits with diffusible components. Detailed computational models enable predictive circuit design. We anticipate our approach will motivate using spatial constraints for future molecular control circuit designs.

Space Debris Measurements using the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicolls, M.

The Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) is a modular, mobile UHF phased-array radar facility developed and used for scientific studies of the ionosphere. The radars are completely remotely operated and allow for pulse-to-pulse beam steering over the field-of-view. A satellite and debris tracking capability fully interleaved with scientific operations has been developed, and the AMISR systems are now used to routinely observe LEO space debris, with the ability to simultaneously track and detect multiple objects. The system makes use of wide-bandwidth radar pulses and coherent processing to detect objects as small as 5-10 cm in size through LEO, achieving a range resolution better than 20 meters for LEO targets. The interleaved operations allow for ionospheric effects on UHF space debris measurements, such as dispersion, to be assessed. The radar architecture, interleaved operations, and impact of space weather on the measurements will be discussed.

Research on Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robot System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamimura, Akiya; Murata, Satoshi; Yoshida, Eiichi; Kurokawa, Haruhisa; Tomita, Kohji; Kokaji, Shigeru

Growing complexity of artificial systems arises reliability and flexibility issues of large system design. Robots are not exception of this, and many attempts have been made to realize reliable and flexible robot systems. Distributed modular composition of robot is one of the most effective approaches to attain such abilities and has a potential to adapt to its surroundings by changing its configuration autonomously according to information of surroundings. In this paper, we propose a novel three-dimensional self-reconfigurable robotic module. Each module has a very simple structure that consists of two semi-cylindrical parts connected by a link. The modular system is capable of not only building static structure but also generating dynamic robotic motion. We present details of the mechanical/electrical design of the developed module and its control system architecture. Experiments using ten modules with centralized control demonstrate robotic configuration change, crawling locomotion and three types of quadruped locomotion.

Advanced I&C for Fault-Tolerant Supervisory Control of Small Modular Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cole, Daniel G.

In this research, we have developed a supervisory control approach to enable automated control of SMRs. By design the supervisory control system has an hierarchical, interconnected, adaptive control architecture. A considerable advantage to this architecture is that it allows subsystems to communicate at different/finer granularity, facilitates monitoring of process at the modular and plant levels, and enables supervisory control. We have investigated the deployment of automation, monitoring, and data collection technologies to enable operation of multiple SMRs. Each unit's controller collects and transfers information from local loops and optimize that unit’s parameters. Information is passed from the each SMR unitmore » controller to the supervisory controller, which supervises the actions of SMR units and manage plant processes. The information processed at the supervisory level will provide operators the necessary information needed for reactor, unit, and plant operation. In conjunction with the supervisory effort, we have investigated techniques for fault-tolerant networks, over which information is transmitted between local loops and the supervisory controller to maintain a safe level of operational normalcy in the presence of anomalies. The fault-tolerance of the supervisory control architecture, the network that supports it, and the impact of fault-tolerance on multi-unit SMR plant control has been a second focus of this research. To this end, we have investigated the deployment of advanced automation, monitoring, and data collection and communications technologies to enable operation of multiple SMRs. We have created a fault-tolerant multi-unit SMR supervisory controller that collects and transfers information from local loops, supervise their actions, and adaptively optimize the controller parameters. The goal of this research has been to develop the methodologies and procedures for fault-tolerant supervisory control of small modular reactors. To achieve this goal, we have identified the following objectives. These objective are an ordered approach to the research: I) Development of a supervisory digital I&C system II) Fault-tolerance of the supervisory control architecture III) Automated decision making and online monitoring.« less

The Basal Ganglia and Adaptive Motor Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graybiel, Ann M.; Aosaki, Toshihiko; Flaherty, Alice W.; Kimura, Minoru

1994-09-01

The basal ganglia are neural structures within the motor and cognitive control circuits in the mammalian forebrain and are interconnected with the neocortex by multiple loops. Dysfunction in these parallel loops caused by damage to the striatum results in major defects in voluntary movement, exemplified in Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. These parallel loops have a distributed modular architecture resembling local expert architectures of computational learning models. During sensorimotor learning, such distributed networks may be coordinated by widely spaced striatal interneurons that acquire response properties on the basis of experienced reward.

A Modular, Data Driven System: Architecture for GSFC Ground Systems: GSFC's Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cary, Everett; Smith, Danford

2004-01-01

The GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) was established in 2001 to coordinate ground and flight data systems development and services at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). GMSEC system architecture represents a new way to build the next generation systems to be used for a variety of missions for years to come. The old approach was to find or build the best products available and integrate them into a reusable system to meet everyone's needs. The new approach assumes that needs, products, and technology will change.

OSCAR4: a flexible architecture for chemical text-mining.

PubMed

Jessop, David M; Adams, Sam E; Willighagen, Egon L; Hawizy, Lezan; Murray-Rust, Peter

2011-10-14

The Open-Source Chemistry Analysis Routines (OSCAR) software, a toolkit for the recognition of named entities and data in chemistry publications, has been developed since 2002. Recent work has resulted in the separation of the core OSCAR functionality and its release as the OSCAR4 library. This library features a modular API (based on reduction of surface coupling) that permits client programmers to easily incorporate it into external applications. OSCAR4 offers a domain-independent architecture upon which chemistry specific text-mining tools can be built, and its development and usage are discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, J.E.

Many robotic operations, e.g., mapping, scanning, feature following, etc., require accurate surface following of arbitrary targets. This paper presents a versatile surface following and mapping system designed to promote hardware, software and application independence, modular development, and upward expandability. These goals are met by: a full, a priori specification of the hardware and software interfaces; a modular system architecture; and a hierarchical surface-data analysis method, permitting application specific tuning at each conceptual level of topological abstraction. This surface following system was fully designed and independently of any specific robotic host, then successfully integrated with and demonstrated on a completely amore » priori unknown, real-time robotic system. 7 refs.« less

Ad hoc Laser networks component technology for modular spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiujun; Shi, Dele; Ma, Zongfeng; Shen, Jingshi

2016-03-01

Distributed reconfigurable satellite is a new kind of spacecraft system, which is based on a flexible platform of modularization and standardization. Based on the module data flow analysis of the spacecraft, this paper proposes a network component of ad hoc Laser networks architecture. Low speed control network with high speed load network of Microwave-Laser communication mode, no mesh network mode, to improve the flexibility of the network. Ad hoc Laser networks component technology was developed, and carried out the related performance testing and experiment. The results showed that ad hoc Laser networks components can meet the demand of future networking between the module of spacecraft.

Ad hoc laser networks component technology for modular spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiujun; Shi, Dele; Shen, Jingshi

2017-10-01

Distributed reconfigurable satellite is a new kind of spacecraft system, which is based on a flexible platform of modularization and standardization. Based on the module data flow analysis of the spacecraft, this paper proposes a network component of ad hoc Laser networks architecture. Low speed control network with high speed load network of Microwave-Laser communication mode, no mesh network mode, to improve the flexibility of the network. Ad hoc Laser networks component technology was developed, and carried out the related performance testing and experiment. The results showed that ad hoc Laser networks components can meet the demand of future networking between the module of spacecraft.

Architecture and design of a 500-MHz gallium-arsenide processing element for a parallel supercomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fouts, Douglas J.; Butner, Steven E.

1991-01-01

The design of the processing element of GASP, a GaAs supercomputer with a 500-MHz instruction issue rate and 1-GHz subsystem clocks, is presented. The novel, functionally modular, block data flow architecture of GASP is described. The architecture and design of a GASP processing element is then presented. The processing element (PE) is implemented in a hybrid semiconductor module with 152 custom GaAs ICs of eight different types. The effects of the implementation technology on both the system-level architecture and the PE design are discussed. SPICE simulations indicate that parts of the PE are capable of being clocked at 1 GHz, while the rest of the PE uses a 500-MHz clock. The architecture utilizes data flow techniques at a program block level, which allows efficient execution of parallel programs while maintaining reasonably good performance on sequential programs. A simulation study of the architecture indicates that an instruction execution rate of over 30,000 MIPS can be attained with 65 PEs.

The K9 On-Board Rover Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bresina, John L.; Bualat, Maria; Fair, Michael; Washington, Richard; Wright, Anne

2006-01-01

This paper describes the software architecture of NASA Ames Research Center s K9 rover. The goal of the onboard software architecture team was to develop a modular, flexible framework that would allow both high- and low-level control of the K9 hardware. Examples of low-level control are the simple drive or pan/tilt commands which are handled by the resource managers, and examples of high-level control are the command sequences which are handled by the conditional executive. In between these two control levels are complex behavioral commands which are handled by the pilot, such as drive to goal with obstacle avoidance or visually servo to a target. This paper presents the design of the architecture as of Fall 2000. We describe the state of the architecture implementation as well as its current evolution. An early version of the architecture was used for K9 operations during a dual-rover field experiment conducted by NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from May 14 to May 16, 2000.

Ecohydrology of the different photosynthetic pathways and implication for sustainable agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porporato, A. M.; Bartlett, M. S., Jr.; Hartzell, S. R.

2016-12-01

We use a recently proposed model that can simulate the different photosynthetic pathways coupled to the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) to discuss their ecohydrological implications in relation to water use and plant water stress in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Built around the classical C3 photosynthesis core model (light reactions and Calvin cycle), the model includes a simple CO2-pump parameterization for C4 plants and a circadian rhythm and carbon storage components for the CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plants. Its architecture takes advantage of the interesting modularity in which photosynthesis evolved in geological times to provide a relatively simple but comprehensive framework to explore the advantages and tradeoffs in water energy and carbon fluxes of the three photosynthetic pathways under fluctuating environmental forcing. We calibrate the model with reference to a series of C3,C4 and CAM plants, and discuss the trade-offs in water use and plan productivity and the related impact on hydrologic fluxes and soil biogeochemistry. We also consider some important crop species to analyze the implications of choosing crops with different photosynthetic pathways to improve sustainability of agriculture and irrigation in semiarid systems.

Network motif frequency vectors reveal evolving metabolic network organisation.

PubMed

Pearcy, Nicole; Crofts, Jonathan J; Chuzhanova, Nadia

2015-01-01

At the systems level many organisms of interest may be described by their patterns of interaction, and as such, are perhaps best characterised via network or graph models. Metabolic networks, in particular, are fundamental to the proper functioning of many important biological processes, and thus, have been widely studied over the past decade or so. Such investigations have revealed a number of shared topological features, such as a short characteristic path-length, large clustering coefficient and hierarchical modular structure. However, the extent to which evolutionary and functional properties of metabolism manifest via this underlying network architecture remains unclear. In this paper, we employ a novel graph embedding technique, based upon low-order network motifs, to compare metabolic network structure for 383 bacterial species categorised according to a number of biological features. In particular, we introduce a new global significance score which enables us to quantify important evolutionary relationships that exist between organisms and their physical environments. Using this new approach, we demonstrate a number of significant correlations between environmental factors, such as growth conditions and habitat variability, and network motif structure, providing evidence that organism adaptability leads to increased complexities in the resultant metabolic networks.

JEnsembl: a version-aware Java API to Ensembl data systems.

PubMed

Paterson, Trevor; Law, Andy

2012-11-01

The Ensembl Project provides release-specific Perl APIs for efficient high-level programmatic access to data stored in various Ensembl database schema. Although Perl scripts are perfectly suited for processing large volumes of text-based data, Perl is not ideal for developing large-scale software applications nor embedding in graphical interfaces. The provision of a novel Java API would facilitate type-safe, modular, object-orientated development of new Bioinformatics tools with which to access, analyse and visualize Ensembl data. The JEnsembl API implementation provides basic data retrieval and manipulation functionality from the Core, Compara and Variation databases for all species in Ensembl and EnsemblGenomes and is a platform for the development of a richer API to Ensembl datasources. The JEnsembl architecture uses a text-based configuration module to provide evolving, versioned mappings from database schema to code objects. A single installation of the JEnsembl API can therefore simultaneously and transparently connect to current and previous database instances (such as those in the public archive) thus facilitating better analysis repeatability and allowing 'through time' comparative analyses to be performed. Project development, released code libraries, Maven repository and documentation are hosted at SourceForge (http://jensembl.sourceforge.net).

Integrated phenotypes: understanding trait covariation in plants and animals

PubMed Central

Armbruster, W. Scott; Pélabon, Christophe; Bolstad, Geir H.; Hansen, Thomas F.

2014-01-01

Integration and modularity refer to the patterns and processes of trait interaction and independence. Both terms have complex histories with respect to both conceptualization and quantification, resulting in a plethora of integration indices in use. We review briefly the divergent definitions, uses and measures of integration and modularity and make conceptual links to allometry. We also discuss how integration and modularity might evolve. Although integration is generally thought to be generated and maintained by correlational selection, theoretical considerations suggest the relationship is not straightforward. We caution here against uncontrolled comparisons of indices across studies. In the absence of controls for trait number, dimensionality, homology, development and function, it is difficult, or even impossible, to compare integration indices across organisms or traits. We suggest that care be invested in relating measurement to underlying theory or hypotheses, and that summative, theory-free descriptors of integration generally be avoided. The papers that follow in this Theme Issue illustrate the diversity of approaches to studying integration and modularity, highlighting strengths and pitfalls that await researchers investigating integration in plants and animals. PMID:25002693

Revisiting the variation of clustering coefficient of biological networks suggests new modular structure.

PubMed

Hao, Dapeng; Ren, Cong; Li, Chuanxing

2012-05-01

A central idea in biology is the hierarchical organization of cellular processes. A commonly used method to identify the hierarchical modular organization of network relies on detecting a global signature known as variation of clustering coefficient (so-called modularity scaling). Although several studies have suggested other possible origins of this signature, it is still widely used nowadays to identify hierarchical modularity, especially in the analysis of biological networks. Therefore, a further and systematical investigation of this signature for different types of biological networks is necessary. We analyzed a variety of biological networks and found that the commonly used signature of hierarchical modularity is actually the reflection of spoke-like topology, suggesting a different view of network architecture. We proved that the existence of super-hubs is the origin that the clustering coefficient of a node follows a particular scaling law with degree k in metabolic networks. To study the modularity of biological networks, we systematically investigated the relationship between repulsion of hubs and variation of clustering coefficient. We provided direct evidences for repulsion between hubs being the underlying origin of the variation of clustering coefficient, and found that for biological networks having no anti-correlation between hubs, such as gene co-expression network, the clustering coefficient doesn't show dependence of degree. Here we have shown that the variation of clustering coefficient is neither sufficient nor exclusive for a network to be hierarchical. Our results suggest the existence of spoke-like modules as opposed to "deterministic model" of hierarchical modularity, and suggest the need to reconsider the organizational principle of biological hierarchy.

Generative Representations for the Automated Design of Modular Physical Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornby, Gregory S.; Lipson, Hod; Pollack, Jordan B.

2003-01-01

We will begin with a brief background of evolutionary robotics and related work, and demonstrate the scaling problem with our own prior results. Next we propose the use of an evolved generative representation as opposed to a non-generative representation. We describe this representation in detail as well as the evolutionary process that uses it. We then compare progress of evolved robots with and without the use of the grammar, and quantify the obtained advantage. Working two- dimensional and three-dimensional physical robots produced by the system are shown.

Does nasal echolocation influence the modularity of the mammal skull?

PubMed

Santana, S E; Lofgren, S E

2013-11-01

In vertebrates, changes in cranial modularity can evolve rapidly in response to selection. However, mammals have apparently maintained their pattern of cranial integration throughout their evolutionary history and across tremendous morphological and ecological diversity. Here, we use phylogenetic, geometric morphometric and comparative analyses to test the hypothesis that the modularity of the mammalian skull has been remodelled in rhinolophid bats due to the novel and critical function of the nasal cavity in echolocation. We predicted that nasal echolocation has resulted in the evolution of a third cranial module, the 'nasal dome', in addition to the braincase and rostrum modules, which are conserved across mammals. We also test for similarities in the evolution of skull shape in relation to habitat across rhinolophids. We find that, despite broad variation in the shape of the nasal dome, the integration of the rhinolophid skull is highly consistent with conserved patterns of modularity found in other mammals. Across their broad geographical distribution, cranial shape in rhinolophids follows two major divisions that could reflect adaptations to dietary and environmental differences in African versus South Asian distributions. Our results highlight the potential of a relatively simple modular template to generate broad morphological and functional variation in mammals. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2013 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

A modular microfluidic architecture for integrated biochemical analysis.

PubMed

Shaikh, Kashan A; Ryu, Kee Suk; Goluch, Edgar D; Nam, Jwa-Min; Liu, Juewen; Thaxton, C Shad; Chiesl, Thomas N; Barron, Annelise E; Lu, Yi; Mirkin, Chad A; Liu, Chang

2005-07-12

Microfluidic laboratory-on-a-chip (LOC) systems based on a modular architecture are presented. The architecture is conceptualized on two levels: a single-chip level and a multiple-chip module (MCM) system level. At the individual chip level, a multilayer approach segregates components belonging to two fundamental categories: passive fluidic components (channels and reaction chambers) and active electromechanical control structures (sensors and actuators). This distinction is explicitly made to simplify the development process and minimize cost. Components belonging to these two categories are built separately on different physical layers and can communicate fluidically via cross-layer interconnects. The chip that hosts the electromechanical control structures is called the microfluidic breadboard (FBB). A single LOC module is constructed by attaching a chip comprised of a custom arrangement of fluid routing channels and reactors (passive chip) to the FBB. Many different LOC functions can be achieved by using different passive chips on an FBB with a standard resource configuration. Multiple modules can be interconnected to form a larger LOC system (MCM level). We demonstrated the utility of this architecture by developing systems for two separate biochemical applications: one for detection of protein markers of cancer and another for detection of metal ions. In the first case, free prostate-specific antigen was detected at 500 aM concentration by using a nanoparticle-based bio-bar-code protocol on a parallel MCM system. In the second case, we used a DNAzyme-based biosensor to identify the presence of Pb(2+) (lead) at a sensitivity of 500 nM in <1 nl of solution.

Exploiting Redundancy for Flexible Behavior: Unsupervised Learning in a Modular Sensorimotor Control Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butz, Martin V.; Herbort, Oliver; Hoffmann, Joachim

2007-01-01

Autonomously developing organisms face several challenges when learning reaching movements. First, motor control is learned unsupervised or self-supervised. Second, knowledge of sensorimotor contingencies is acquired in contexts in which action consequences unfold in time. Third, motor redundancies must be resolved. To solve all 3 of these…

Challenges in the Development of Environmental Management Systems on the Modern University Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bero, Bridget N.; Doerry, Eckehard; Middleton, Ryan; Meinhardt, Christian

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe challenges and lessons learned in the design and development of a comprehensive, flexible environmental management system (EMS) in a real university setting; also to inform development of similar systems elsewhere and provide a modular, extensible software architecture for such efforts.…

Scheduling Independent Partitions in Integrated Modular Avionics Systems

PubMed Central

Du, Chenglie; Han, Pengcheng

2016-01-01

Recently the integrated modular avionics (IMA) architecture has been widely adopted by the avionics industry due to its strong partition mechanism. Although the IMA architecture can achieve effective cost reduction and reliability enhancement in the development of avionics systems, it results in a complex allocation and scheduling problem. All partitions in an IMA system should be integrated together according to a proper schedule such that their deadlines will be met even under the worst case situations. In order to help provide a proper scheduling table for all partitions in IMA systems, we study the schedulability of independent partitions on a multiprocessor platform in this paper. We firstly present an exact formulation to calculate the maximum scaling factor and determine whether all partitions are schedulable on a limited number of processors. Then with a Game Theory analogy, we design an approximation algorithm to solve the scheduling problem of partitions, by allowing each partition to optimize its own schedule according to the allocations of the others. Finally, simulation experiments are conducted to show the efficiency and reliability of the approach proposed in terms of time consumption and acceptance ratio. PMID:27942013

Spider wrapping silk fibre architecture arising from its modular soluble protein precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblay, Marie-Laurence; Xu, Lingling; Lefèvre, Thierry; Sarker, Muzaddid; Orrell, Kathleen E.; Leclerc, Jérémie; Meng, Qing; Pézolet, Michel; Auger, Michèle; Liu, Xiang-Qin; Rainey, Jan K.

2015-06-01

Spiders store spidroins in their silk glands as high concentration aqueous solutions, spinning these dopes into fibres with outstanding mechanical properties. Aciniform (or wrapping) silk is the toughest spider silk and is devoid of the short amino acid sequence motifs characteristic of the other spidroins. Using solution-state NMR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the 200 amino acid Argiope trifasciata AcSp1 repeat unit contrasts with previously characterized spidroins, adopting a globular 5-helix bundle flanked by intrinsically disordered N- and C-terminal tails. Split-intein-mediated segmental NMR-active isotope-enrichment allowed unambiguous demonstration of modular and malleable “beads-on-a-string” concatemeric behaviour. Concatemers form fibres upon manual drawing with silk-like morphology and mechanical properties, alongside secondary structuring and orientation consistent with native AcSp1 fibres. AcSp1 structural stability varies locally, with the fifth helix denaturing most readily. The structural transition of aciniform spidroin from a mostly α-helical dope to a mixed α-helix/β-sheet-containing fibre can be directly related to spidroin architecture and stability.

Low-complexity nonlinear adaptive filter based on a pipelined bilinear recurrent neural network.

PubMed

Zhao, Haiquan; Zeng, Xiangping; He, Zhengyou

2011-09-01

To reduce the computational complexity of the bilinear recurrent neural network (BLRNN), a novel low-complexity nonlinear adaptive filter with a pipelined bilinear recurrent neural network (PBLRNN) is presented in this paper. The PBLRNN, inheriting the modular architectures of the pipelined RNN proposed by Haykin and Li, comprises a number of BLRNN modules that are cascaded in a chained form. Each module is implemented by a small-scale BLRNN with internal dynamics. Since those modules of the PBLRNN can be performed simultaneously in a pipelined parallelism fashion, it would result in a significant improvement of computational efficiency. Moreover, due to nesting module, the performance of the PBLRNN can be further improved. To suit for the modular architectures, a modified adaptive amplitude real-time recurrent learning algorithm is derived on the gradient descent approach. Extensive simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the PBLRNN on nonlinear system identification, nonlinear channel equalization, and chaotic time series prediction. Experimental results show that the PBLRNN provides considerably better performance compared to the single BLRNN and RNN models.

VLSI design of an RSA encryption/decryption chip using systolic array based architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chi-Chia; Lin, Bor-Shing; Jan, Gene Eu; Lin, Jheng-Yi

2016-09-01

This article presents the VLSI design of a configurable RSA public key cryptosystem supporting the 512-bit, 1024-bit and 2048-bit based on Montgomery algorithm achieving comparable clock cycles of current relevant works but with smaller die size. We use binary method for the modular exponentiation and adopt Montgomery algorithm for the modular multiplication to simplify computational complexity, which, together with the systolic array concept for electric circuit designs effectively, lower the die size. The main architecture of the chip consists of four functional blocks, namely input/output modules, registers module, arithmetic module and control module. We applied the concept of systolic array to design the RSA encryption/decryption chip by using VHDL hardware language and verified using the TSMC/CIC 0.35 m 1P4 M technology. The die area of the 2048-bit RSA chip without the DFT is 3.9 × 3.9 mm2 (4.58 × 4.58 mm2 with DFT). Its average baud rate can reach 10.84 kbps under a 100 MHz clock.

Impulsivity and the Modular Organization of Resting-State Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Davis, F. Caroline; Knodt, Annchen R.; Sporns, Olaf; Lahey, Benjamin B.; Zald, David H.; Brigidi, Bart D.; Hariri, Ahmad R.

2013-01-01

Impulsivity is a complex trait associated with a range of maladaptive behaviors, including many forms of psychopathology. Previous research has implicated multiple neural circuits and neurotransmitter systems in impulsive behavior, but the relationship between impulsivity and organization of whole-brain networks has not yet been explored. Using graph theory analyses, we characterized the relationship between impulsivity and the functional segregation (“modularity”) of the whole-brain network architecture derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. These analyses revealed remarkable differences in network organization across the impulsivity spectrum. Specifically, in highly impulsive individuals, regulatory structures including medial and lateral regions of the prefrontal cortex were isolated from subcortical structures associated with appetitive drive, whereas these brain areas clustered together within the same module in less impulsive individuals. Further exploration of the modular organization of whole-brain networks revealed novel shifts in the functional connectivity between visual, sensorimotor, cortical, and subcortical structures across the impulsivity spectrum. The current findings highlight the utility of graph theory analyses of resting-state fMRI data in furthering our understanding of the neurobiological architecture of complex behaviors. PMID:22645253

‘Survival’: a simulation toolkit introducing a modular approach for radiobiological evaluations in ion beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manganaro, L.; Russo, G.; Bourhaleb, F.; Fausti, F.; Giordanengo, S.; Monaco, V.; Sacchi, R.; Vignati, A.; Cirio, R.; Attili, A.

2018-04-01

One major rationale for the application of heavy ion beams in tumour therapy is their increased relative biological effectiveness (RBE). The complex dependencies of the RBE on dose, biological endpoint, position in the field etc require the use of biophysical models in treatment planning and clinical analysis. This study aims to introduce a new software, named ‘Survival’, to facilitate the radiobiological computations needed in ion therapy. The simulation toolkit was written in C++ and it was developed with a modular architecture in order to easily incorporate different radiobiological models. The following models were successfully implemented: the local effect model (LEM, version I, II and III) and variants of the microdosimetric-kinetic model (MKM). Different numerical evaluation approaches were also implemented: Monte Carlo (MC) numerical methods and a set of faster analytical approximations. Among the possible applications, the toolkit was used to reproduce the RBE versus LET for different ions (proton, He, C, O, Ne) and different cell lines (CHO, HSG). Intercomparison between different models (LEM and MKM) and computational approaches (MC and fast approximations) were performed. The developed software could represent an important tool for the evaluation of the biological effectiveness of charged particles in ion beam therapy, in particular when coupled with treatment simulations. Its modular architecture facilitates benchmarking and inter-comparison between different models and evaluation approaches. The code is open source (GPL2 license) and available at https://github.com/batuff/Survival.

Spaceport aurora: An orbiting transportation node

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

With recent announcements of the development of permanently staffed facilities on the Moon and Mars, the national space plan is in need of an infrastructure system for transportation and maintenance. A project team at the University of Houston College of Architecture and the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture, recently examined components for a low Earth orbit (LEO) transportation node that supports a lunar build-up scenario. Areas of investigation included identifying transportation node functions, identifying existing space systems and subsystems, analyzing variable orbits, determining logistics strategies for maintenance, and investigating assured crew return systems. The information resulted in a requirements definition document, from which the team then addressed conceptual designs for a LEO transportation node. The primary design drivers included: orbital stability, maximizing human performance and safety, vehicle maintainability, and modularity within existing space infrastructure. For orbital stability, the power tower configuration provides a gravity gradient stabilized facility and serves as the backbone for the various facility components. To maximize human performance, human comfort is stressed through zoning of living and working activities, maintaining a consistent local vertical orientation, providing crew interaction and viewing areas and providing crew return vehicles. Vehicle maintainability is accomplished through dual hangars, dual work cupolas, work modules, telerobotics and a fuel depot. Modularity is incorporated using Space Station Freedom module diameter, Space Station Freedom standard racks, and interchangeable interior partitions. It is intended that the final design be flexible and adaptable to provide a facility prototype that can service multiple mission profiles using modular space systems.

Computational redesign of a protein-protein interface for high affinity and binding specificity using modular architecture and naturally occurring template fragments.

PubMed

Potapov, V; Reichmann, D; Abramovich, R; Filchtinski, D; Zohar, N; Ben Halevy, D; Edelman, M; Sobolev, V; Schreiber, G

2008-12-05

A new method is presented for the redesign of protein-protein interfaces, resulting in specificity of the designed pair while maintaining high affinity. The design is based on modular interface architecture and was carried out on the interaction between TEM1 beta-lactamase and its inhibitor protein, beta-lactamase inhibitor protein. The interface between these two proteins is composed of several mostly independent modules. We previously showed that it is possible to delete a complete module without affecting the overall structure of the interface. Here, we replace a complete module with structure fragments taken from nonrelated proteins. Nature-optimized fragments were chosen from 10(7) starting templates found in the Protein Data Bank. A procedure was then developed to identify sets of interacting template residues with a backbone arrangement mimicking the original module. This generated a final list of 361 putative replacement modules that were ranked using a novel scoring function based on grouped atom-atom contact surface areas. The top-ranked designed complex exhibited an affinity of at least the wild-type level and a mode of binding that was remarkably specific despite the absence of negative design in the procedure. In retrospect, the combined application of three factors led to the success of the design approach: utilizing the modular construction of the interface, capitalizing on native rather than artificial templates, and ranking with an accurate atom-atom contact surface scoring function.

Standardized Modular Power Interfaces for Future Space Explorations Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oeftering, Richard

2015-01-01

Earlier studies show that future human explorations missions are composed of multi-vehicle assemblies with interconnected electric power systems. Some vehicles are often intended to serve as flexible multi-purpose or multi-mission platforms. This drives the need for power architectures that can be reconfigured to support this level of flexibility. Power system developmental costs can be reduced, program wide, by utilizing a common set of modular building blocks. Further, there are mission operational and logistics cost benefits of using a common set of modular spares. These benefits are the goals of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Modular Power System (AMPS) project. A common set of modular blocks requires a substantial level of standardization in terms of the Electrical, Data System, and Mechanical interfaces. The AMPS project is developing a set of proposed interface standards that will provide useful guidance for modular hardware developers but not needlessly constrain technology options, or limit future growth in capability. In 2015 the AMPS project focused on standardizing the interfaces between the elements of spacecraft power distribution and energy storage. The development of the modular power standard starts with establishing mission assumptions and ground rules to define design application space. The standards are defined in terms of AMPS objectives including Commonality, Reliability-Availability, Flexibility-Configurability and Supportability-Reusability. The proposed standards are aimed at assembly and sub-assembly level building blocks. AMPS plans to adopt existing standards for spacecraft command and data, software, network interfaces, and electrical power interfaces where applicable. Other standards including structural encapsulation, heat transfer, and fluid transfer, are governed by launch and spacecraft environments and bound by practical limitations of weight and volume. Developing these mechanical interface standards is more difficult but an essential part of defining physical building blocks of modular power. This presentation describes the AMPS projects progress towards standardized modular power interfaces.

Mars Hybrid Propulsion System Trajectory Analysis. Part I; Crew Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chai, Patrick R.; Merrill, Raymond G.; Qu, Min

2015-01-01

NASAs Human spaceflight Architecture team is developing a reusable hybrid transportation architecture in which both chemical and electric propulsion systems are used to send crew and cargo to Mars destinations such as Phobos, Deimos, the surface of Mars, and other orbits around Mars. By combining chemical and electrical propulsion into a single space- ship and applying each where it is more effective, the hybrid architecture enables a series of Mars trajectories that are more fuel-efficient than an all chemical architecture without significant increases in flight times. This paper provides the analysis of the interplanetary segments of the three Evolvable Mars Campaign crew missions to Mars using the hybrid transportation architecture. The trajectory analysis provides departure and arrival dates and propellant needs for the three crew missions that are used by the campaign analysis team for campaign build-up and logistics aggregation analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the impact of mass growth, departure window, and propulsion system performance on the hybrid transportation architecture. The results and system analysis from this paper contribute to analyses of the other human spaceflight architecture team tasks and feed into the definition of the Evolvable Mars Campaign.

Unified Simulation and Analysis Framework for Deep Space Navigation Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anzalone, Evan; Chuang, Jason; Olsen, Carrie

2013-01-01

As the technology that enables advanced deep space autonomous navigation continues to develop and the requirements for such capability continues to grow, there is a clear need for a modular expandable simulation framework. This tool's purpose is to address multiple measurement and information sources in order to capture system capability. This is needed to analyze the capability of competing navigation systems as well as to develop system requirements, in order to determine its effect on the sizing of the integrated vehicle. The development for such a framework is built upon Model-Based Systems Engineering techniques to capture the architecture of the navigation system and possible state measurements and observations to feed into the simulation implementation structure. These models also allow a common environment for the capture of an increasingly complex operational architecture, involving multiple spacecraft, ground stations, and communication networks. In order to address these architectural developments, a framework of agent-based modules is implemented to capture the independent operations of individual spacecraft as well as the network interactions amongst spacecraft. This paper describes the development of this framework, and the modeling processes used to capture a deep space navigation system. Additionally, a sample implementation describing a concept of network-based navigation utilizing digitally transmitted data packets is described in detail. This developed package shows the capability of the modeling framework, including its modularity, analysis capabilities, and its unification back to the overall system requirements and definition.

The role of the proline-rich domain of Ssdp1 in the modular architecture of the vertebrate head organizer

PubMed Central

Enkhmandakh, Badam; Makeyev, Alexandr V.; Bayarsaihan, Dashzeveg

2006-01-01

Lim1, Ssdp1, and Ldb1 proteins are components of the Ldb1-associated transcriptional complex, which is important in the head-organizing activity during early mouse development. Depletion of each individual protein alone causes a headless phenotype. To explore in more detail the modular architecture of the complex, we have generated two different gene-trapped mouse lines that express truncated forms of Ssdp1. Embryos derived from the gene-trapped line that encodes a truncated Ssdp1 lacking the proline-rich sequence exhibit a lethal abnormal head-development phenotype, resembling mouse embryos deficient for Lim1, Ssdp1, or Otx2 genes. Embryos derived from the second gene-trapped line, in which most of the proline-rich domain of Ssdp1 is retained, did not show abnormalities in head development. Our data demonstrate that components of the Ldb1-dependent module can be subdivided further into discrete functional domains and that the proline-rich stretch of Ssdp1 is critical for embryonic head development. Furthermore, phylogenetic comparisons revealed that in Caenorhabditis elegans, a similar proline-rich sequence is absent in Ssdp but present in Ldb1. We conclude that although the overall architecture of the Ldb1-dependent module has been preserved, the genetic specification of its individual components has diversified during evolution, without compromising the function of the module. PMID:16864769

The role of the proline-rich domain of Ssdp1 in the modular architecture of the vertebrate head organizer.

PubMed

Enkhmandakh, Badam; Makeyev, Alexandr V; Bayarsaihan, Dashzeveg

2006-08-01

Lim1, Ssdp1, and Ldb1 proteins are components of the Ldb1-associated transcriptional complex, which is important in the head-organizing activity during early mouse development. Depletion of each individual protein alone causes a headless phenotype. To explore in more detail the modular architecture of the complex, we have generated two different gene-trapped mouse lines that express truncated forms of Ssdp1. Embryos derived from the gene-trapped line that encodes a truncated Ssdp1 lacking the proline-rich sequence exhibit a lethal abnormal head-development phenotype, resembling mouse embryos deficient for Lim1, Ssdp1, or Otx2 genes. Embryos derived from the second gene-trapped line, in which most of the proline-rich domain of Ssdp1 is retained, did not show abnormalities in head development. Our data demonstrate that components of the Ldb1-dependent module can be subdivided further into discrete functional domains and that the proline-rich stretch of Ssdp1 is critical for embryonic head development. Furthermore, phylogenetic comparisons revealed that in Caenorhabditis elegans, a similar proline-rich sequence is absent in Ssdp but present in Ldb1. We conclude that although the overall architecture of the Ldb1-dependent module has been preserved, the genetic specification of its individual components has diversified during evolution, without compromising the function of the module.

[Methodological approach to designing a telecare system for pre-dialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients].

PubMed

Calvillo-Arbizu, Jorge; Roa-Romero, Laura M; Milán-Martín, José A; Aresté-Fosalba, Nuria; Tornero-Molina, Fernando; Macía-Heras, Manuel; Vega-Díaz, Nicanor

2014-01-01

A major obstacle that hinders the implementation of technological solutions in healthcare is the rejection of developed systems by users (healthcare professionals and patients), who consider that they do not adapt to their real needs. (1) To design technological architecture for the telecare of nephrological patients by applying a methodology that prioritises the involvement of users (professionals and patients) throughout the design and development process; (2) to show how users' needs can be determined and addressed by means of technology, increasing the acceptance level of the final systems. In order to determine the main current needs in Nephrology, a group of Spanish Nephrology Services was involved. Needs were recorded through semi-structured interviews with the medical team and questionnaires for professionals and patients. A set of requirements were garnered from professionals and patients. In parallel, the group of biomedical engineers identified requirements for patient telecare from a technological perspective. All of these requirements drove the design of modular architecture for the telecare of peritoneal dialysis and pre-dialysis patients. This work shows how it is possible to involve users in the whole process of design and development of a system. The result of this work is the design of adaptable modular architecture for the telecare of nephrological patients and it addresses the preferences and needs of patient and professional users consulted.

Sea shell diversity and rapidly evolving secretomes: insights into the evolution of biomineralization.

PubMed

Kocot, Kevin M; Aguilera, Felipe; McDougall, Carmel; Jackson, Daniel J; Degnan, Bernard M

2016-01-01

An external skeleton is an essential part of the body plan of many animals and is thought to be one of the key factors that enabled the great expansion in animal diversity and disparity during the Cambrian explosion. Molluscs are considered ideal to study the evolution of biomineralization because of their diversity of highly complex, robust and patterned shells. The molluscan shell forms externally at the interface of animal and environment, and involves controlled deposition of calcium carbonate within a framework of macromolecules that are secreted from the dorsal mantle epithelium. Despite its deep conservation within Mollusca, the mantle is capable of producing an incredible diversity of shell patterns, and macro- and micro-architectures. Here we review recent developments within the field of molluscan biomineralization, focusing on the genes expressed in the mantle that encode secreted proteins. The so-called mantle secretome appears to regulate shell deposition and patterning and in some cases becomes part of the shell matrix. Recent transcriptomic and proteomic studies have revealed marked differences in the mantle secretomes of even closely-related molluscs; these typically exceed expected differences based on characteristics of the external shell. All mantle secretomes surveyed to date include novel genes encoding lineage-restricted proteins and unique combinations of co-opted ancient genes. A surprisingly large proportion of both ancient and novel secreted proteins containing simple repetitive motifs or domains that are often modular in construction. These repetitive low complexity domains (RLCDs) appear to further promote the evolvability of the mantle secretome, resulting in domain shuffling, expansion and loss. RLCD families further evolve via slippage and other mechanisms associated with repetitive sequences. As analogous types of secreted proteins are expressed in biomineralizing tissues in other animals, insights into the evolution of the genes underlying molluscan shell formation may be applied more broadly to understanding the evolution of metazoan biomineralization.

Genetic architecture and the evolution of sex.

PubMed

Lohaus, Rolf; Burch, Christina L; Azevedo, Ricardo B R

2010-01-01

Theoretical investigations of the advantages of sex have tended to treat the genetic architecture of organisms as static and have not considered that genetic architecture might coevolve with reproductive mode. As a result, some potential advantages of sex may have been missed. Using a gene network model, we recently showed that recombination imposes selection for robustness to mutation and that negative epistasis can evolve as a by-product of this selection. These results motivated a detailed exploration of the mutational deterministic hypothesis, a hypothesis in which the advantage of sex depends critically on epistasis. We found that sexual populations do evolve higher mean fitness and lower genetic load than asexual populations at equilibrium, and, under moderate stabilizing selection and large population size, these equilibrium sexual populations resist invasion by asexuals. However, we found no evidence that these long- and short-term advantages to sex were explained by the negative epistasis that evolved in our experiments. The long-term advantage of sex was that sexual populations evolved a lower deleterious mutation rate, but this property was not sufficient to account for the ability of sexual populations to resist invasion by asexuals. The ability to resist asexual invasion was acquired simultaneously with an increase in recombinational robustness that minimized the cost of sex. These observations provide the first direct evidence that sexual reproduction does indeed select for conditions that favor its own maintenance. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of considering a dynamic view of the genetic architecture to understand the evolution of sex and recombination.

Modularity of a leaf moth-wing pattern and a versatile characteristic of the wing-pattern ground plan

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background One of the most intriguing questions in evolutionary developmental biology is how an insect acquires a mimicry pattern within its body parts. A striking example of pattern mimicry is found in the pattern diversity of moth and butterfly wings, which is thought to evolve from preexisting elements illustrated by the nymphalid ground plan (NGP). Previous studies demonstrated that individuality of the NGP facilitates the decoupling of associated common elements, leading to divergence. In contrast, recent studies on the concept of modularity have argued the importance of a combination of coupling and decoupling of the constituent elements. Here, we examine the modularity of a mimicry wing pattern in a moth and explore an evolvable characteristic of the NGP. Results This study examined the wings of the noctuid moth Oraesia excavata, which closely resemble leaves with a leaf venation pattern. Based on a comparative morphological procedure, we found that this leaf pattern was formed by the NGP common elements. Using geometric morphometrics combined with network analysis, we found that each of the modules in the leaf pattern integrates the constituent components of the leaf venation pattern (i.e., the main and lateral veins). Moreover, the detected modules were established by coupling different common elements and decoupling even a single element into different modules. The modules of the O. excavata wing pattern were associated with leaf mimicry, not with the individuality of the NGP common elements. For comparison, we also investigated the modularity of a nonmimetic pattern in the noctuid moth Thyas juno. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the modules of the T. juno wing pattern regularly corresponded to the individuality of the NGP common elements, unlike those in the O. excavata wing pattern. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence for modularity in a leaf mimicry pattern. The results suggest that the evolution of this pattern involves coupling and decoupling processes to originate these modules, free from the individuality of the NGP system. We propose that this evolution has been facilitated by a versatile characteristic of the NGP, allowing the association of freely modifiable subordinate common elements to make modules. PMID:23890367

Distributed data transmitter

DOEpatents

Brown, Kenneth Dewayne [Grain Valley, MO; Dunson, David [Kansas City, MO

2006-08-08

A distributed data transmitter (DTXR) which is an adaptive data communication microwave transmitter having a distributable architecture of modular components, and which incorporates both digital and microwave technology to provide substantial improvements in physical and operational flexibility. The DTXR has application in, for example, remote data acquisition involving the transmission of telemetry data across a wireless link, wherein the DTXR is integrated into and utilizes available space within a system (e.g., a flight vehicle). In a preferred embodiment, the DTXR broadly comprises a plurality of input interfaces; a data modulator; a power amplifier; and a power converter, all of which are modularly separate and distinct so as to be substantially independently physically distributable and positionable throughout the system wherever sufficient space is available.

Distributed data transmitter

DOEpatents

Brown, Kenneth Dewayne [Grain Valley, MO; Dunson, David [Kansas City, MO

2008-06-03

A distributed data transmitter (DTXR) which is an adaptive data communication microwave transmitter having a distributable architecture of modular components, and which incorporates both digital and microwave technology to provide substantial improvements in physical and operational flexibility. The DTXR has application in, for example, remote data acquisition involving the transmission of telemetry data across a wireless link, wherein the DTXR is integrated into and utilizes available space within a system (e.g., a flight vehicle). In a preferred embodiment, the DTXR broadly comprises a plurality of input interfaces; a data modulator; a power amplifier; and a power converter, all of which are modularly separate and distinct so as to be substantially independently physically distributable and positionable throughout the system wherever sufficient space is available.

The Ozone Widget Framework: towards modularity of C2 human interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellar, David Benjamin; Vega, Laurian C.

2012-05-01

The Ozone Widget Framework (OWF) is a common webtop environment for distribution across the enterprise. A key mission driver for OWF is to enable rapid capability delivery by lowering time-to-market with lightweight components. OWF has been released as Government Open Source Software and has been deployed in a variety of C2 net-centric contexts ranging from real-time analytics, cyber-situational awareness, to strategic and operational planning. This paper discusses the current and future evolution of OWF including the availability of the OZONE Marketplace (OMP), useractivity driven metrics, and architecture enhancements for accessibility. Together, OWF is moving towards the rapid delivery of modular human interfaces supporting modern and future command and control contexts.

Experimenting Maintenance of Flight Software in an Integrated Modular Avionics for Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Johan; Laroche, Thomas; Creten, Philippe; Parisis, Paul; Hiller, Martin

2014-08-01

This paper presents an experiment of Flight Software partitioning in an Integrated Modular Avionics for Space (IMA-SP) system. This experiment also tackles the maintenance aspects of IMA-SP systems. The presented case study is PROBA-2 Flight Software. The paper addresses and discusses the following subjects: On-Board Software Maintenance in IMA- SP, boot strategy for Time and Space Partitioning, considerations about the ground segment related to On-Board Software Maintenance in IMA-SP, and architectural impacts of Time and Space Partitioning for PROBA software's. Finally, this paper presents the results and the achievements of the study and it appeals at further perspectives for IMA-SP and Time and Space Partitioning.

Terrain following of arbitrary surfaces using a high intensity LED proximity sensor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, J.E.

1992-01-01

Many robotic operations, e.g., mapping, scanning, feature following, etc., require accurate surface following of arbitrary targets. This paper presents a versatile surface following and mapping system designed to promote hardware, software and application independence, modular development, and upward expandability. These goals are met by: a full, a priori specification of the hardware and software interfaces; a modular system architecture; and a hierarchical surface-data analysis method, permitting application specific tuning at each conceptual level of topological abstraction. This surface following system was fully designed and independently of any specific robotic host, then successfully integrated with and demonstrated on a completely amore » priori unknown, real-time robotic system. 7 refs.« less

Designing bioinspired composite reinforcement architectures via 3D magnetic printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Joshua J.; Fiore, Brad E.; Erb, Randall M.

2015-10-01

Discontinuous fibre composites represent a class of materials that are strong, lightweight and have remarkable fracture toughness. These advantages partially explain the abundance and variety of discontinuous fibre composites that have evolved in the natural world. Many natural structures out-perform the conventional synthetic counterparts due, in part, to the more elaborate reinforcement architectures that occur in natural composites. Here we present an additive manufacturing approach that combines real-time colloidal assembly with existing additive manufacturing technologies to create highly programmable discontinuous fibre composites. This technology, termed as `3D magnetic printing', has enabled us to recreate complex bioinspired reinforcement architectures that deliver enhanced material performance compared with monolithic structures. Further, we demonstrate that we can now design and evolve elaborate reinforcement architectures that are not found in nature, demonstrating a high level of possible customization in discontinuous fibre composites with arbitrary geometries.

Designing bioinspired composite reinforcement architectures via 3D magnetic printing.

PubMed

Martin, Joshua J; Fiore, Brad E; Erb, Randall M

2015-10-23

Discontinuous fibre composites represent a class of materials that are strong, lightweight and have remarkable fracture toughness. These advantages partially explain the abundance and variety of discontinuous fibre composites that have evolved in the natural world. Many natural structures out-perform the conventional synthetic counterparts due, in part, to the more elaborate reinforcement architectures that occur in natural composites. Here we present an additive manufacturing approach that combines real-time colloidal assembly with existing additive manufacturing technologies to create highly programmable discontinuous fibre composites. This technology, termed as '3D magnetic printing', has enabled us to recreate complex bioinspired reinforcement architectures that deliver enhanced material performance compared with monolithic structures. Further, we demonstrate that we can now design and evolve elaborate reinforcement architectures that are not found in nature, demonstrating a high level of possible customization in discontinuous fibre composites with arbitrary geometries.

Multilevel and Hybrid Architecture for Device Abstraction and Context Information Management in Smart Home Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peláez, Víctor; González, Roberto; San Martín, Luis Ángel; Campos, Antonio; Lobato, Vanesa

Hardware device management, and context information acquisition and abstraction are key factors to develop the ambient intelligent paradigm in smart homes. This work presents an architecture that addresses these two problems and provides a usable framework to develop applications easily. In contrast to other proposals, this work addresses performance issues specifically. Results show that the execution performance of the developed prototype is suitable for deployment in a real environment. In addition, the modular design of the system allows the user to develop applications using different techniques and different levels of abstraction.

OSCAR4: a flexible architecture for chemical text-mining

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Open-Source Chemistry Analysis Routines (OSCAR) software, a toolkit for the recognition of named entities and data in chemistry publications, has been developed since 2002. Recent work has resulted in the separation of the core OSCAR functionality and its release as the OSCAR4 library. This library features a modular API (based on reduction of surface coupling) that permits client programmers to easily incorporate it into external applications. OSCAR4 offers a domain-independent architecture upon which chemistry specific text-mining tools can be built, and its development and usage are discussed. PMID:21999457

75 FR 71183 - 23rd Meeting: RTCA Special Committee 206: EUROCAE WG 76 Plenary: AIS and MET Data Link Services

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-22

... Services Delivery Architecture Recommendations are included in the TOR deliverables. The Concept of Use for... operating picture for evolving global ATM concepts. The AIS and MET Services Delivery Architecture... provides recommended alternatives for AIS and MET data delivery architectures. The Concept of Use and...

Creating a New Architecture for the Learning College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Banion, Terry

2007-01-01

The publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983 triggered a series of major reform efforts in education that are still evolving. As part of the reform efforts, leaders began to refer to a Learning Revolution that would "place learning first by overhauling the traditional architecture of education." The old architecture--time-bound, place-bound,…

A General Architecture for Intelligent Tutoring of Diagnostic Classification Problem Solving

PubMed Central

Crowley, Rebecca S.; Medvedeva, Olga

2003-01-01

We report on a general architecture for creating knowledge-based medical training systems to teach diagnostic classification problem solving. The approach is informed by our previous work describing the development of expertise in classification problem solving in Pathology. The architecture envelops the traditional Intelligent Tutoring System design within the Unified Problem-solving Method description Language (UPML) architecture, supporting component modularity and reuse. Based on the domain ontology, domain task ontology and case data, the abstract problem-solving methods of the expert model create a dynamic solution graph. Student interaction with the solution graph is filtered through an instructional layer, which is created by a second set of abstract problem-solving methods and pedagogic ontologies, in response to the current state of the student model. We outline the advantages and limitations of this general approach, and describe it’s implementation in SlideTutor–a developing Intelligent Tutoring System in Dermatopathology. PMID:14728159

Investigation of an advanced fault tolerant integrated avionics system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, W. R.; Cottrell, D.; Flanders, J.; Javornik, A.; Rusovick, M.

1986-01-01

Presented is an advanced, fault-tolerant multiprocessor avionics architecture as could be employed in an advanced rotorcraft such as LHX. The processor structure is designed to interface with existing digital avionics systems and concepts including the Army Digital Avionics System (ADAS) cockpit/display system, navaid and communications suites, integrated sensing suite, and the Advanced Digital Optical Control System (ADOCS). The report defines mission, maintenance and safety-of-flight reliability goals as might be expected for an operational LHX aircraft. Based on use of a modular, compact (16-bit) microprocessor card family, results of a preliminary study examining simplex, dual and standby-sparing architectures is presented. Given the stated constraints, it is shown that the dual architecture is best suited to meet reliability goals with minimum hardware and software overhead. The report presents hardware and software design considerations for realizing the architecture including redundancy management requirements and techniques as well as verification and validation needs and methods.

Architectural development of an advanced EVA Electronic System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lavelle, Joseph

1992-01-01

An advanced electronic system for future EVA missions (including zero gravity, the lunar surface, and the surface of Mars) is under research and development within the Advanced Life Support Division at NASA Ames Research Center. As a first step in the development, an optimum system architecture has been derived from an analysis of the projected requirements for these missions. The open, modular architecture centers around a distributed multiprocessing concept where the major subsystems independently process their own I/O functions and communicate over a common bus. Supervision and coordination of the subsystems is handled by an embedded real-time operating system kernel employing multitasking software techniques. A discussion of how the architecture most efficiently meets the electronic system functional requirements, maximizes flexibility for future development and mission applications, and enhances the reliability and serviceability of the system in these remote, hostile environments is included.

Flexible Rover Architecture for Science Instrument Integration and Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bualat, Maria G.; Kobayashi, Linda; Lee, Susan Y.; Park, Eric

2006-01-01

At NASA Ames Research Center, the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) fields the K9 and K10 class rovers. Both use a mobile robot hardware architecture designed for extensibility and reconfigurability that allows for rapid changes in instrumentation and provides a high degree of modularity. Over the past ssveral years, we have worked with instrument developers at NASA centers, universities, and national laboratories to integrate or partially integrate their instruments onboard the K9 and K10 rovers. Early efforts required considerable interaction to work through integration issues such as power, data protocol and mechanical mounting. These interactions informed the design of our current avionics architecture, and have simplified more recent integration projects. In this paper, we will describe the IRG extensible avionics and software architecture and the effect it has had on our recent instrument integration efforts, including integration of four Mars Instrument Development Program devices.

Design and Demonstration of Minimal Lunar Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boche-Sauvan, L.; Foing, B. H.; Exohab Team

2009-04-01

Introduction: We propose a conceptual analysis of a first minimal lunar base, in focussing on the system aspects and coordinating every different part as part an evolving architecture [1-3]. We justify the case for a scientific outpost allowing experiments, sample analysis in laboratory (relevant to the origin and evolution of the Earth, geophysical and geochemical studies of the Moon, life sciences, observation from the Moon). Research: Research activities will be conducted with this first settlement in: - science (of, from and on the Moon) - exploration (robotic mobility, rover, drilling), - technology (communication, command, organisation, automatism). Life sciences. The life sciences aspects are considered through a life support for a crew of 4 (habitat) and a laboratory activity with biological experiments performed on Earth or LEO, but then without any magnetosphere protection and therefore with direct cosmic rays and solar particle effects. Moreover, the ability of studying the lunar environment in the field will be a big asset before settling a permanent base [3-5]. Lunar environment. The lunar environment adds constraints to instruments specifications (vacuum, extreme temperature, regolith, seism, micrometeorites). SMART-1 and other missions data will bring geometrical, chemical and physical details about the environment (soil material characteristics, on surface conditions …). Test bench. To assess planetary technologies and operations preparing for Mars human exploration. Lunar outpost predesign modular concept: To allow a human presence on the moon and to carry out these experiments, we will give a pre-design of a human minimal lunar base. Through a modular concept, this base will be possibly evolved into a long duration or permanent base. We will analyse the possibilities of settling such a minimal base by means of the current and near term propulsion technology, as a full Ariane 5 ME carrying 1.7 T of gross payload to the surface of the Moon (Integrated Exploration Study, ESA ESTEC [1,2]). We will focus on the easiest and the soonest way in settling a minimal base immediately operational in scientific experimentation, but not immediately autonomous. It will prepare the next permanent lunar base by assessing its technologies, and give scientific results about the environment. The autonomy will be gained in the evolution of the base, and added equipment. A lunar outpost in a polar region would allow missions longer than 14 days, and a frequent addition of equipments. Moreover, a polar outpost will get both advantages of far-side for simulating direct or indirect communications to Earth and dark-side for observations. The low solar rays incidence may permit having ice in deep craters, which will be beneficial for the evolution of the outpost into a autonomous base. The South Pole, by its position on the edge of the South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, will allow different fast new data in analysis mantle samples, easily reachable due to the crater morphology. These samples will constrain the putative Late Heavy Bombarment (LHB). After a robotic sample return mission, a human presence will allow deeper research through well chosen geological samples [6]. In this modular concept, we consider various infrastructure elements: core habitat, EVA, crew mobility, energy supply, recycling module, communication, green house and food production, operations. Many of these elements have already been studied in space agencies' architecture proposals, with the tech-nological possibilities of industrial partners (lunar landers, lunar orbiter, rovers …). A deeper reflection will be therefore done about the core habitat and the laboratory equipment, proposing scientific priority experiments. Each element will be added in a range considering their priority to life support in duration [7]. Considering surface operations, protocols will be specified in the use of certain elements. After a reflexion on the different dependancies and priorities between these modules, a demonstration can assess the reliability of the concept and develop the evolution according to the practical needs. We shall also discuss experience form the ExoHab project and EuroGeoMars cmapign at Mars Desert Research station. References: [1] "Exploration Architecture Trade Report", ESA, 2008, [2] "Integrated Exploration Architecture", ESA, 2008, [3] 9th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the moon, 2007, Foing et al Eds., (http://sci.esa.int/ilewg) [4] "The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization", David Schrunk, Burton Sharpe, Bonnie Cooper and Madhu Thangavelu, 1999. [5] "The Moon as a Platform for Astronomy and Space Science", B.H. Foing, ASR 14 (6), 1994. [6] "The Moon after Apollo, 40 Years Later: Why and what Samples to Return ?", Johannes Geiss, Alpbach summer school 2008. [7] "Advanced Life Support, Baseline Values and Assumptions Document", Anthony J. Hanford, 2004

Flexible software architecture for user-interface and machine control in laboratory automation.

PubMed

Arutunian, E B; Meldrum, D R; Friedman, N A; Moody, S E

1998-10-01

We describe a modular, layered software architecture for automated laboratory instruments. The design consists of a sophisticated user interface, a machine controller and multiple individual hardware subsystems, each interacting through a client-server architecture built entirely on top of open Internet standards. In our implementation, the user-interface components are built as Java applets that are downloaded from a server integrated into the machine controller. The user-interface client can thereby provide laboratory personnel with a familiar environment for experiment design through a standard World Wide Web browser. Data management and security are seamlessly integrated at the machine-controller layer using QNX, a real-time operating system. This layer also controls hardware subsystems through a second client-server interface. This architecture has proven flexible and relatively easy to implement and allows users to operate laboratory automation instruments remotely through an Internet connection. The software architecture was implemented and demonstrated on the Acapella, an automated fluid-sample-processing system that is under development at the University of Washington.

ePix: a class of architectures for second generation LCLS cameras

DOE PAGES

Dragone, A.; Caragiulo, P.; Markovic, B.; ...

2014-03-31

ePix is a novel class of ASIC architectures, based on a common platform, optimized to build modular scalable detectors for LCLS. The platform architecture is composed of a random access analog matrix of pixel with global shutter, fast parallel column readout, and dedicated sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters per column. It also implements a dedicated control interface and all the required support electronics to perform configuration, calibration and readout of the matrix. Based on this platform a class of front-end ASICs and several camera modules, meeting different requirements, can be developed by designing specific pixel architectures. This approach reduces development time andmore » expands the possibility of integration of detector modules with different size, shape or functionality in the same camera. The ePix platform is currently under development together with the first two integrating pixel architectures: ePix100 dedicated to ultra low noise applications and ePix10k for high dynamic range applications.« less

Enabling the On-line Intrinsic Evolution of Analog Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwaltney, David A.; Ferguson, Michael I.

2005-01-01

The intrinsic evolution of analog controllers to provide closed-loop control of the speed of a DC motor has been previously demonstrated at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. A side effect of the evolutionary process is that during evolution there are necessarily poor configurations to be evaluated that could cause damage to the plant, This paper concerns the development and implementation of a safe Evolvable Analog Controller (EAC) architecture able to evolve controllers on-line even in the presence of these poor configurations, The EAC concept is discussed and experimental results are presented that show the feasibility of the approach This EAC architecture represents the first in a series of steps required to make deployment of an evolvable controller a reality.

Enabling the On-Line Intrinsic Evolution of Analog Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwaltney, David A.; Ferguson, Michael I.

2005-01-01

The intrinsic evolution of analog controllers to provide closed-loop control of the speed of a DC motor has been previously demonstrated at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. A side fleet of the evolutionary process is that during evolution there are necessarily poor configurations to be evaluated that could cause damage to the plant. This paper concern the development and implementation of a safe Evolvable Analog Controller (EAC) architecture able to evolve controllers on-line even in the presence of these poor configurations. The EAC concept is discussed and experimental results are presented that show the feasibility of the approach This EAC architecture represents the first in a series of steps required to make deployment of an evolvable controller a reality.

Boron-selective reactions as powerful tools for modular synthesis of diverse complex molecules.

PubMed

Xu, Liang; Zhang, Shuai; Li, Pengfei

2015-12-21

In the context of modular and rapid construction of molecular diversity and complexity for applications in organic synthesis, biomedical and materials sciences, a generally useful strategy has emerged based on boron-selective chemical transformations. In the last decade, these types of reactions have evolved from proof-of-concept to some advanced applications in the efficient preparation of complex natural products and even automated precise manufacturing on the molecular level. These advances have shown the great potential of boron-selective reactions in simplifying synthetic design and experimental operations, and should inspire new developments in related chemical and technological areas. This tutorial review will highlight the original contributions and representative advances in this emerging field.

Layer-by-layer strippable Ag multilayer films fabricated by modular assembly.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Chen, Xiaoyan; Li, Qianqian; Song, Kai; Wang, Shihui; Chen, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Kai; Fu, Yu; Jiao, Yong-Hua; Sun, Ting; Liu, Fu-Chun; Han, En-Hou

2014-01-21

We have developed a new method to fabricate multilayer films, which uses prepared thin films as modular blocks and transfer as operation mode to build up multilayer structures. In order to distinguish it from the in situ fabrication manner, this method is called modular assembly in this study. On the basis of such concept, we have fabricated a multilayer film using the silver mirror film as the modular block and poly(lactic acid) as the transfer tool. Due to the special double-layer structure of the silver mirror film, the resulting multilayer film had a well-defined stratified architecture with alternate porous/compact layers. As a consequence of the distinct structure, the interaction between the adjacent layers was so weak that the multilayer film could be layer-by-layer stripped. In addition, the top layer in the film could provide an effective protection on the morphology and surface property of the underlying layers. This suggests that if the surface of the film was deteriorated, the top layer could be peeled off and the freshly exposed surface would still maintain the original function. The successful preparation of the layer-by-layer strippable silver multilayer demonstrates that modular assembly is a feasible and effective method to build up multilayer films capable of creating novel and attractive micro/nanostructures, having great potential in the fabrication of nanodevices and coatings.

A Multimodal Dialog System for Language Assessment: Current State and Future Directions. Research Report. ETS RR-17-21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suendermann-Oeft, David; Ramanarayanan, Vikram; Yu, Zhou; Qian, Yao; Evanini, Keelan; Lange, Patrick; Wang, Xinhao; Zechner, Klaus

2017-01-01

We present work in progress on a multimodal dialog system for English language assessment using a modular cloud-based architecture adhering to open industry standards. Among the modules being developed for the system, multiple modules heavily exploit machine learning techniques, including speech recognition, spoken language proficiency rating,…

Shoot development in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is affected by the modular branching pattern of the stem and intra- and inter-shoot trophic competition.

PubMed

Lebon, Eric; Pellegrino, Anne; Tardieu, Francois; Lecoeur, Jeremie

2004-03-01

Shoot architecture variability in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) was analysed using a generic modelling approach based on thermal time developed for annual herbaceous species. The analysis of shoot architecture was based on various levels of shoot organization, including pre-existing and newly formed parts of the stem, and on the modular structure of the stem, which consists of a repeated succession of three phytomers (P0-P1-P2). Four experiments were carried out using the cultivar 'Grenache N': two on potted vines (one of which was carried out in a glasshouse) and two on mature vines in a vineyard. These experiments resulted in a broad diversity of environmental conditions, but none of the plants experienced soil water deficit. Development of the main axis was highly dependent on air temperature, being linearly related to thermal time for all stages of leaf development from budbreak to veraison. The stable progression of developmental stages along the main stem resulted in a thermal-time based programme of leaf development. Leaf expansion rate varied with trophic competition (shoot and cluster loads) and environmental conditions (solar radiation, VPD), accounting for differences in final leaf area. Branching pattern was highly variable. Classification of the branches according to ternary modular structure increased the accuracy of the quantitative analysis of branch development. The rate and duration of leaf production were higher for branches derived from P0 phytomers than for branches derived from P1 or P2 phytomers. Rates of leaf production, expressed as a -function of thermal time, were not stable and depended on trophic competition and environmental conditions such as solar radiation or VPD. The application to grapevine of a generic model developed in annual plants made it possible to identify constants in main stem development and to determine the hierarchical structure of branches with respect to the modular structure of the stem in response to intra- and inter-shoot trophic competition.

Modular Neuronal Assemblies Embodied in a Closed-Loop Environment: Toward Future Integration of Brains and Machines

PubMed Central

Tessadori, Jacopo; Bisio, Marta; Martinoia, Sergio; Chiappalone, Michela

2012-01-01

Behaviors, from simple to most complex, require a two-way interaction with the environment and the contribution of different brain areas depending on the orchestrated activation of neuronal assemblies. In this work we present a new hybrid neuro-robotic architecture based on a neural controller bi-directionally connected to a virtual robot implementing a Braitenberg vehicle aimed at avoiding obstacles. The robot is characterized by proximity sensors and wheels, allowing it to navigate into a circular arena with obstacles of different sizes. As neural controller, we used hippocampal cultures dissociated from embryonic rats and kept alive over Micro Electrode Arrays (MEAs) for 3–8 weeks. The developed software architecture guarantees a bi-directional exchange of information between the natural and the artificial part by means of simple linear coding/decoding schemes. We used two different kinds of experimental preparation: “random” and “modular” populations. In the second case, the confinement was assured by a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mask placed over the surface of the MEA device, thus defining two populations interconnected via specific microchannels. The main results of our study are: (i) neuronal cultures can be successfully interfaced to an artificial agent; (ii) modular networks show a different dynamics with respect to random culture, both in terms of spontaneous and evoked electrophysiological patterns; (iii) the robot performs better if a reinforcement learning paradigm (i.e., a tetanic stimulation delivered to the network following each collision) is activated, regardless of the modularity of the culture; (iv) the robot controlled by the modular network further enhances its capabilities in avoiding obstacles during the short-term plasticity trial. The developed paradigm offers a new framework for studying, in simplified model systems, neuro-artificial bi-directional interfaces for the development of new strategies for brain-machine interaction. PMID:23248586

A neural network with modular hierarchical learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldi, Pierre F. (Inventor); Toomarian, Nikzad (Inventor)

1994-01-01

This invention provides a new hierarchical approach for supervised neural learning of time dependent trajectories. The modular hierarchical methodology leads to architectures which are more structured than fully interconnected networks. The networks utilize a general feedforward flow of information and sparse recurrent connections to achieve dynamic effects. The advantages include the sparsity of units and connections, the modular organization. A further advantage is that the learning is much more circumscribed learning than in fully interconnected systems. The present invention is embodied by a neural network including a plurality of neural modules each having a pre-established performance capability wherein each neural module has an output outputting present results of the performance capability and an input for changing the present results of the performance capabilitiy. For pattern recognition applications, the performance capability may be an oscillation capability producing a repeating wave pattern as the present results. In the preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of neural modules includes a pre-established capability portion and a performance adjustment portion connected to control the pre-established capability portion.

Rational design of alpha-helical tandem repeat proteins with closed architectures

PubMed Central

Doyle, Lindsey; Hallinan, Jazmine; Bolduc, Jill; Parmeggiani, Fabio; Baker, David; Stoddard, Barry L.; Bradley, Philip

2015-01-01

Tandem repeat proteins, which are formed by repetition of modular units of protein sequence and structure, play important biological roles as macromolecular binding and scaffolding domains, enzymes, and building blocks for the assembly of fibrous materials1,2. The modular nature of repeat proteins enables the rapid construction and diversification of extended binding surfaces by duplication and recombination of simple building blocks3,4. The overall architecture of tandem repeat protein structures – which is dictated by the internal geometry and local packing of the repeat building blocks – is highly diverse, ranging from extended, super-helical folds that bind peptide, DNA, and RNA partners5–9, to closed and compact conformations with internal cavities suitable for small molecule binding and catalysis10. Here we report the development and validation of computational methods for de novo design of tandem repeat protein architectures driven purely by geometric criteria defining the inter-repeat geometry, without reference to the sequences and structures of existing repeat protein families. We have applied these methods to design a series of closed alpha-solenoid11 repeat structures (alpha-toroids) in which the inter-repeat packing geometry is constrained so as to juxtapose the N- and C-termini; several of these designed structures have been validated by X-ray crystallography. Unlike previous approaches to tandem repeat protein engineering12–20, our design procedure does not rely on template sequence or structural information taken from natural repeat proteins and hence can produce structures unlike those seen in nature. As an example, we have successfully designed and validated closed alpha-solenoid repeats with a left-handed helical architecture that – to our knowledge – is not yet present in the protein structure database21. PMID:26675735

A Comprehensive Data Architecture for Multi-Disciplinary Marine Mammal Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palacios, D. M.; Follett, T.; Winsor, M.; Mate, B. R.

2016-02-01

The Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute (MMI) comprises five research laboratories, each with specific research objectives, technological approaches, and data requirements. Among the types of data under management are individual photo-ID and field observations, telemetry (e.g., locations, dive characteristics, temperature, acoustics), genetics (and relatedness), stable isotope and toxicology assays, and remotely sensed environmental data. Coordinating data management that facilitates collaboration and comparative exploration among different researchers has been a longstanding challenge for our groups as well as for the greater wildlife research community. Research data are commonly stored locally in flat files or spreadsheets, with copies made and analyses performed with various packages without any common standards for interoperability, becoming a potential source of error. Database design, where it exists, is frequently arrived at ad-hoc. New types of data are generally tacked on when technological advances present them. A data management solution that can address these issues should meet the following requirements: be scalable, modular (i.e., able to incorporate new types of data as they arise), incorporate spatiotemporal dimensions, and be compliant with existing data standards such as DarwinCore. The MMI has developed a data architecture that allows the incorporation of any type of animal-associated data into a modular and portable format that can be integrated with any other dataset sharing the core format. It allows browsing, querying and visualization across any of the attributes that can be associated with individual animals, groups, sensors, or environmental datasets. We have implemented this architecture in an open-source geo-enabled relational database system (PostgreSQL, PostGIS), and have designed a suite of software tools (Python, R) to load, preprocess, visualize, analyze, and export data. This architecture could benefit organizations with similar data challenges.

Trade Studies of Space Launch Architectures using Modular Probabilistic Risk Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mathias, Donovan L.; Go, Susie

2006-01-01

A top-down risk assessment in the early phases of space exploration architecture development can provide understanding and intuition of the potential risks associated with new designs and technologies. In this approach, risk analysts draw from their past experience and the heritage of similar existing systems as a source for reliability data. This top-down approach captures the complex interactions of the risk driving parts of the integrated system without requiring detailed knowledge of the parts themselves, which is often unavailable in the early design stages. Traditional probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) technologies, however, suffer several drawbacks that limit their timely application to complex technology development programs. The most restrictive of these is a dependence on static planning scenarios, expressed through fault and event trees. Fault trees incorporating comprehensive mission scenarios are routinely constructed for complex space systems, and several commercial software products are available for evaluating fault statistics. These static representations cannot capture the dynamic behavior of system failures without substantial modification of the initial tree. Consequently, the development of dynamic models using fault tree analysis has been an active area of research in recent years. This paper discusses the implementation and demonstration of dynamic, modular scenario modeling for integration of subsystem fault evaluation modules using the Space Architecture Failure Evaluation (SAFE) tool. SAFE is a C++ code that was originally developed to support NASA s Space Launch Initiative. It provides a flexible framework for system architecture definition and trade studies. SAFE supports extensible modeling of dynamic, time-dependent risk drivers of the system and functions at the level of fidelity for which design and failure data exists. The approach is scalable, allowing inclusion of additional information as detailed data becomes available. The tool performs a Monte Carlo analysis to provide statistical estimates. Example results of an architecture system reliability study are summarized for an exploration system concept using heritage data from liquid-fueled expendable Saturn V/Apollo launch vehicles.

Modular design, application architecture, and usage of a self-service model for enterprise data delivery: The Duke Enterprise Data Unified Content Explorer (DEDUCE)

PubMed Central

Horvath, Monica M.; Rusincovitch, Shelley A.; Brinson, Stephanie; Shang, Howard C.; Evans, Steve; Ferranti, Jeffrey M.

2015-01-01

Purpose Data generated in the care of patients are widely used to support clinical research and quality improvement, which has hastened the development of self-service query tools. User interface design for such tools, execution of query activity, and underlying application architecture have not been widely reported, and existing tools reflect a wide heterogeneity of methods and technical frameworks. We describe the design, application architecture, and use of a self-service model for enterprise data delivery within Duke Medicine. Methods Our query platform, the Duke Enterprise Data Unified Content Explorer (DEDUCE), supports enhanced data exploration, cohort identification, and data extraction from our enterprise data warehouse (EDW) using a series of modular environments that interact with a central keystone module, Cohort Manager (CM). A data-driven application architecture is implemented through three components: an application data dictionary, the concept of “smart dimensions”, and dynamically-generated user interfaces. Results DEDUCE CM allows flexible hierarchies of EDW queries within a grid-like workspace. A cohort “join” functionality allows switching between filters based on criteria occurring within or across patient encounters. To date, 674 users have been trained and activated in DEDUCE, and logon activity shows a steady increase, with variability between months. A comparison of filter conditions and export criteria shows that these activities have different patterns of usage across subject areas. Conclusions Organizations with sophisticated EDWs may find that users benefit from development of advanced query functionality, complimentary to the user interfaces and infrastructure used in other well-published models. Driven by its EDW context, the DEDUCE application architecture was also designed to be responsive to source data and to allow modification through alterations in metadata rather than programming, allowing an agile response to source system changes. PMID:25051403

Modular design, application architecture, and usage of a self-service model for enterprise data delivery: the Duke Enterprise Data Unified Content Explorer (DEDUCE).

PubMed

Horvath, Monica M; Rusincovitch, Shelley A; Brinson, Stephanie; Shang, Howard C; Evans, Steve; Ferranti, Jeffrey M

2014-12-01

Data generated in the care of patients are widely used to support clinical research and quality improvement, which has hastened the development of self-service query tools. User interface design for such tools, execution of query activity, and underlying application architecture have not been widely reported, and existing tools reflect a wide heterogeneity of methods and technical frameworks. We describe the design, application architecture, and use of a self-service model for enterprise data delivery within Duke Medicine. Our query platform, the Duke Enterprise Data Unified Content Explorer (DEDUCE), supports enhanced data exploration, cohort identification, and data extraction from our enterprise data warehouse (EDW) using a series of modular environments that interact with a central keystone module, Cohort Manager (CM). A data-driven application architecture is implemented through three components: an application data dictionary, the concept of "smart dimensions", and dynamically-generated user interfaces. DEDUCE CM allows flexible hierarchies of EDW queries within a grid-like workspace. A cohort "join" functionality allows switching between filters based on criteria occurring within or across patient encounters. To date, 674 users have been trained and activated in DEDUCE, and logon activity shows a steady increase, with variability between months. A comparison of filter conditions and export criteria shows that these activities have different patterns of usage across subject areas. Organizations with sophisticated EDWs may find that users benefit from development of advanced query functionality, complimentary to the user interfaces and infrastructure used in other well-published models. Driven by its EDW context, the DEDUCE application architecture was also designed to be responsive to source data and to allow modification through alterations in metadata rather than programming, allowing an agile response to source system changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Architecture Framework for Trapped-Ion Quantum Computer based on Performance Simulation Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahsan, Muhammad

The challenge of building scalable quantum computer lies in striking appropriate balance between designing a reliable system architecture from large number of faulty computational resources and improving the physical quality of system components. The detailed investigation of performance variation with physics of the components and the system architecture requires adequate performance simulation tool. In this thesis we demonstrate a software tool capable of (1) mapping and scheduling the quantum circuit on a realistic quantum hardware architecture with physical resource constraints, (2) evaluating the performance metrics such as the execution time and the success probability of the algorithm execution, and (3) analyzing the constituents of these metrics and visualizing resource utilization to identify system components which crucially define the overall performance. Using this versatile tool, we explore vast design space for modular quantum computer architecture based on trapped ions. We find that while success probability is uniformly determined by the fidelity of physical quantum operation, the execution time is a function of system resources invested at various layers of design hierarchy. At physical level, the number of lasers performing quantum gates, impact the latency of the fault-tolerant circuit blocks execution. When these blocks are used to construct meaningful arithmetic circuit such as quantum adders, the number of ancilla qubits for complicated non-clifford gates and entanglement resources to establish long-distance communication channels, become major performance limiting factors. Next, in order to factorize large integers, these adders are assembled into modular exponentiation circuit comprising bulk of Shor's algorithm. At this stage, the overall scaling of resource-constraint performance with the size of problem, describes the effectiveness of chosen design. By matching the resource investment with the pace of advancement in hardware technology, we find optimal designs for different types of quantum adders. Conclusively, we show that 2,048-bit Shor's algorithm can be reliably executed within the resource budget of 1.5 million qubits.

Hardware Design and Testing of SUPERball, A Modular Tensegrity Robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabelhaus, Andrew P.; Bruce, Jonathan; Caluwaerts, Ken; Chen, Yangxin; Lu, Dizhou; Liu, Yuejia; Agogino, Adrian K.; SunSpiral, Vytas; Agogino, Alice M.

2014-01-01

We are developing a system of modular, autonomous "tensegrity end-caps" to enable the rapid exploration of untethered tensegrity robot morphologies and functions. By adopting a self-contained modular approach, different end-caps with various capabilities (such as peak torques, or motor speeds), can be easily combined into new tensegrity robots composed of rods, cables, and actuators of different scale (such as in length, mass, peak loads, etc). As a first step in developing this concept, we are in the process of designing and testing the end-caps for SUPERball (Spherical Underactuated Planetary Exploration Robot), a project at the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab (DTRL) within NASA Ames's Intelligent Robotics Group. This work discusses the evolving design concepts and test results that have gone into the structural, mechanical, and sensing aspects of SUPERball. This representative tensegrity end-cap design supports robust and repeatable untethered mobility tests of the SUPERball, while providing high force, high displacement actuation, with a low-friction, compliant cabling system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Yong-Hoon, E-mail: chaotics@snu.ac.kr; Park, Sangrok; Kim, Byong Sup

Since the first nuclear power was engaged in Korean electricity grid in 1978, intensive research and development has been focused on localization and standardization of large pressurized water reactors (PWRs) aiming at providing Korean peninsula and beyond with economical and safe power source. With increased priority placed on the safety since Chernobyl accident, Korean nuclear power R and D activity has been diversified into advanced PWR, small modular PWR and generation IV reactors. After the outbreak of Fukushima accident, inherently safe small modular reactor (SMR) receives growing interest in Korea and Europe. In this paper, we will describe recent statusmore » of evolving designs of SMR, their advantages and challenges. In particular, the conceptual design of lead-bismuth cooled SMR in Korea, URANUS with 40∼70 MWe is examined in detail. This paper will cover a framework of the program and a strategy for the successful deployment of small modular reactor how the goals would entail and the approach to collaboration with other entities.« less

Mechanisms and dynamics of cooperation and competition emergence in complex networked systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gianetto, David A.

Cooperative behavior is a pervasive phenomenon in human interactions and yet how it can evolve and become established, through the selfish process of natural selection, is an enduring puzzle. These behaviors emerge when agents interact in a structured manner; even so, the key structural factors that affect cooperation are not well understood. Moreover, the literature often considers cooperation a single attribute of primitive agents who do not react to environmental changes but real-world actors are more perceptive. The present work moves beyond these assumptions by evolving more realistic game participants, with memories of the past, on complex networks. Agents play repeated games with a three-part Markovian strategy that allows us to separate the cooperation phenomenon into trust, reciprocity, and forgiveness characteristics. Our results show that networks matter most when agents gain the most by acting in a selfish manner, irrespective of how much they may lose by cooperating; since the context provided by neighborhoods inhibits greedy impulses that agents otherwise succumb to in isolation. Network modularity is the most important driver of cooperation emergence in these high-stakes games. However, modularity fails to tell the complete story. Modular scale-free graphs impede cooperation when close coordination is required, partially due to the acyclic nature of scale-free network models. To achieve the highest cooperation in diverse social conditions, both high modularity, low connectivity within modules, and a rich network of long cycles become important. With these findings in hand, we study the influence of networks on coordination and competition within the federal health care insurance exchange. In this applied study, we show that systemic health care coordination is encouraged by the emergent insurance network. The network helps underpin the viability of the exchange and provides an environment of stronger competition once a critical-mass of insurers have entered the market.

Specification and Design of Electrical Flight System Architectures with SysML

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKelvin, Mark L., Jr.; Jimenez, Alejandro

2012-01-01

Modern space flight systems are required to perform more complex functions than previous generations to support space missions. This demand is driving the trend to deploy more electronics to realize system functionality. The traditional approach for the specification, design, and deployment of electrical system architectures in space flight systems includes the use of informal definitions and descriptions that are often embedded within loosely coupled but highly interdependent design documents. Traditional methods become inefficient to cope with increasing system complexity, evolving requirements, and the ability to meet project budget and time constraints. Thus, there is a need for more rigorous methods to capture the relevant information about the electrical system architecture as the design evolves. In this work, we propose a model-centric approach to support the specification and design of electrical flight system architectures using the System Modeling Language (SysML). In our approach, we develop a domain specific language for specifying electrical system architectures, and we propose a design flow for the specification and design of electrical interfaces. Our approach is applied to a practical flight system.

SynchroPhasor Measurements: System Architecture and Performance Evaluation in Supporting Wide-Area Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Zhenyu; Dagle, Jeffery E.

2008-07-31

The infrastructure of phasor measurements have evolved over the last two decades from isolated measurement units to networked measurement systems with footprints beyond individual utility companies. This is, to a great extent, a bottom-up self-evolving process except some local systems built by design. Given the number of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the system is small (currently 70 each in western and eastern interconnections), current phasor network architecture works just fine. However, the architecture will become a bottleneck when large number of PMUs are installed (e.g. >1000~10000). The need for phasor architecture design has yet to be addressed. This papermore » reviews the current phasor networks and investigates future architectures, as related to the efforts undertaken by the North America SynchroPhasor Initiative (NASPI). Then it continues to present staged system tests to evaluate the performance of phasor networks, which is a common practice in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) system. This is followed by field measurement evaluation and the implication of phasor quality issues on phasor applications.« less

Relative importance of modularity and other morphological attributes on different types of lithic point weapons: assessing functional variations.

PubMed

González-José, Rolando; Charlin, Judith

2012-01-01

The specific using of different prehistoric weapons is mainly determined by its physical properties, which provide a relative advantage or disadvantage to perform a given, particular function. Since these physical properties are integrated to accomplish that function, examining design variables and their pattern of integration or modularity is of interest to estimate the past function of a point. Here we analyze a composite sample of lithic points from southern Patagonia likely formed by arrows, thrown spears and hand-held points to test if they can be viewed as a two-module system formed by the blade and the stem, and to evaluate the degree in which shape, size, asymmetry, blade: stem length ratio, and tip angle explain the observed variance and differentiation among points supposedly aimed to accomplish different functions. To do so we performed a geometric morphometric analysis on 118 lithic points, departing from 24 two-dimensional landmark and semi landmarks placed on the point's contour. Klingenberg's covariational modularity tests were used to evaluate different modularity hypotheses, and a composite PCA including shape, size, asymmetry, blade: stem length ratio, and tip angle was used to estimate the importance of each attribute to explaining variation patterns. Results show that the blade and the stem can be seen as "near decomposable units" in the points integrating the studied sample. However, this modular pattern changes after removing the effects of reduction. Indeed, a resharpened point tends to show a tip/rest of the point modular pattern. The composite PCA analyses evidenced three different patterns of morphometric attributes compatible with arrows, thrown spears, and hand-held tools. Interestingly, when analyzed independently, these groups show differences in their modular organization. Our results indicate that stone tools can be approached as flexible designs, characterized by a composite set of interacting morphometric attributes, and evolving on a modular way.

Relative Importance of Modularity and Other Morphological Attributes on Different Types of Lithic Point Weapons: Assessing Functional Variations

PubMed Central

González-José, Rolando; Charlin, Judith

2012-01-01

The specific using of different prehistoric weapons is mainly determined by its physical properties, which provide a relative advantage or disadvantage to perform a given, particular function. Since these physical properties are integrated to accomplish that function, examining design variables and their pattern of integration or modularity is of interest to estimate the past function of a point. Here we analyze a composite sample of lithic points from southern Patagonia likely formed by arrows, thrown spears and hand-held points to test if they can be viewed as a two-module system formed by the blade and the stem, and to evaluate the degree in which shape, size, asymmetry, blade: stem length ratio, and tip angle explain the observed variance and differentiation among points supposedly aimed to accomplish different functions. To do so we performed a geometric morphometric analysis on 118 lithic points, departing from 24 two-dimensional landmark and semi landmarks placed on the point's contour. Klingenberg's covariational modularity tests were used to evaluate different modularity hypotheses, and a composite PCA including shape, size, asymmetry, blade: stem length ratio, and tip angle was used to estimate the importance of each attribute to explaining variation patterns. Results show that the blade and the stem can be seen as “near decomposable units” in the points integrating the studied sample. However, this modular pattern changes after removing the effects of reduction. Indeed, a resharpened point tends to show a tip/rest of the point modular pattern. The composite PCA analyses evidenced three different patterns of morphometric attributes compatible with arrows, thrown spears, and hand-held tools. Interestingly, when analyzed independently, these groups show differences in their modular organization. Our results indicate that stone tools can be approached as flexible designs, characterized by a composite set of interacting morphometric attributes, and evolving on a modular way. PMID:23094104

From Hippocampus to Whole-Brain: The Role of Integrative Processing in Episodic Memory Retrieval

PubMed Central

Geib, Benjamin R.; Stanley, Matthew L.; Dennis, Nancy A.; Woldorff, Marty G.; Cabeza, Roberto

2017-01-01

Multivariate functional connectivity analyses of neuroimaging data have revealed the importance of complex, distributed interactions between disparate yet interdependent brain regions. Recent work has shown that topological properties of functional brain networks are associated with individual and group differences in cognitive performance, including in episodic memory. After constructing functional whole-brain networks derived from an event-related fMRI study of memory retrieval, we examined differences in functional brain network architecture between forgotten and remembered words. This study yielded three main findings. First, graph theory analyses showed that successfully remembering compared to forgetting was associated with significant changes in the connectivity profile of the left hippocampus and a corresponding increase in efficient communication with the rest of the brain. Second, bivariate functional connectivity analyses indicated stronger interactions between the left hippocampus and a retrieval assembly for remembered versus forgotten items. This assembly included the left precuneus, left caudate, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and the bilateral dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus. Integrative properties of the retrieval assembly were greater for remembered than forgotten items. Third, whole-brain modularity analyses revealed that successful memory retrieval was marginally significantly associated with a less segregated modular architecture in the network. The magnitude of the decreases in modularity between remembered and forgotten conditions was related to memory performance. These findings indicate that increases in integrative properties at the nodal, retrieval assembly, and whole-brain topological levels facilitate memory retrieval, while also underscoring the potential of multivariate brain connectivity approaches for providing valuable new insights into the neural bases of memory processes. PMID:28112460

Threat assessment and sensor management in a modular architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Page, S. F.; Oldfield, J. P.; Islip, S.; Benfold, B.; Brandon, R.; Thomas, P. A.; Stubbins, D. J.

2016-10-01

Many existing asset/area protection systems, for example those deployed to protect critical national infrastructure, are comprised of multiple sensors such as EO/IR, radar, and Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems (PIDS), loosely integrated with a central Command and Control (C2) system. Whilst some sensors provide automatic event detection and C2 systems commonly provide rudimentary multi-sensor rule based alerting, the performance of such systems is limited by the lack of deep integration and autonomy. As a result, these systems have a high degree of operator burden. To address these challenges, an architectural concept termed "SAPIENT" was conceived. SAPIENT is based on multiple Autonomous Sensor Modules (ASMs) connected to a High-Level Decision Making Module (HLDMM) that provides data fusion, situational awareness, alerting, and sensor management capability. The aim of the SAPIENT concept is to allow for the creation of a surveillance system, in a modular plug-and-play manner, that provides high levels of autonomy, threat detection performance, and reduced operator burden. This paper considers the challenges associated with developing an HLDMM aligned with the SAPIENT concept, through the discussion of the design of a realised HLDMM. Particular focus is drawn to how high levels of system level performance can be achieved whilst retaining modularity and flexibility. A number of key aspects of our HLDMM are presented, including an integrated threat assessment and sensor management framework, threat sequence matching, and ASM trust modelling. The results of real-world testing of the HLDMM, in conjunction with multiple Laser, Radar, and EO/IR sensors, in representative semi-urban environments, are discussed.

Functional architecture of Escherichia coli: new insights provided by a natural decomposition approach.

PubMed

Freyre-González, Julio A; Alonso-Pavón, José A; Treviño-Quintanilla, Luis G; Collado-Vides, Julio

2008-10-27

Previous studies have used different methods in an effort to extract the modular organization of transcriptional regulatory networks. However, these approaches are not natural, as they try to cluster strongly connected genes into a module or locate known pleiotropic transcription factors in lower hierarchical layers. Here, we unravel the transcriptional regulatory network of Escherichia coli by separating it into its key elements, thus revealing its natural organization. We also present a mathematical criterion, based on the topological features of the transcriptional regulatory network, to classify the network elements into one of two possible classes: hierarchical or modular genes. We found that modular genes are clustered into physiologically correlated groups validated by a statistical analysis of the enrichment of the functional classes. Hierarchical genes encode transcription factors responsible for coordinating module responses based on general interest signals. Hierarchical elements correlate highly with the previously studied global regulators, suggesting that this could be the first mathematical method to identify global regulators. We identified a new element in transcriptional regulatory networks never described before: intermodular genes. These are structural genes that integrate, at the promoter level, signals coming from different modules, and therefore from different physiological responses. Using the concept of pleiotropy, we have reconstructed the hierarchy of the network and discuss the role of feedforward motifs in shaping the hierarchical backbone of the transcriptional regulatory network. This study sheds new light on the design principles underpinning the organization of transcriptional regulatory networks, showing a novel nonpyramidal architecture composed of independent modules globally governed by hierarchical transcription factors, whose responses are integrated by intermodular genes.

System support software for the Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer (SUMC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, T. E.; Hintze, G. C.; Hodges, B. C.; Austin, F. A.; Buckles, B. P.; Curran, R. T.; Lackey, J. D.; Payne, R. E.

1974-01-01

The highly transportable programming system designed and implemented to support the development of software for the Space Ultrareliable Modular Computer (SUMC) is described. The SUMC system support software consists of program modules called processors. The initial set of processors consists of the supervisor, the general purpose assembler for SUMC instruction and microcode input, linkage editors, an instruction level simulator, a microcode grid print processor, and user oriented utility programs. A FORTRAN 4 compiler is undergoing development. The design facilitates the addition of new processors with a minimum effort and provides the user quasi host independence on the ground based operational software development computer. Additional capability is provided to accommodate variations in the SUMC architecture without consequent major modifications in the initial processors.

Position reporting system using small satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavesi, B.; Rondinelli, G.; Graziani, F.

1990-01-01

A system able to provide position reporting and monitoring services for mobile applications represents a natural complement to the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system. The system architecture is defined on the basis of the communications requirements derived by user needs, allowing maximum flexibility in the use of channel capacity, and a very simple and low cost terminal. The payload is sketched, outlining the block modularity and the use of qualified hardware. The global system capacity is also derived. The spacecraft characteristics are defined on the basis of the payload requirements. A small bus optimized for Ariane IV, Delta II vehicles and based on the modularity concept is presented. The design takes full advantage of each launcher with a common basic bus or bus elements for a mass production.

FAST - A multiprocessed environment for visualization of computational fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bancroft, Gordon V.; Merritt, Fergus J.; Plessel, Todd C.; Kelaita, Paul G.; Mccabe, R. Kevin

1991-01-01

The paper presents the Flow Analysis Software Toolset (FAST) to be used for fluid-mechanics analysis. The design criteria for FAST including the minimization of the data path in the computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) process, consistent user interface, extensible software architecture, modularization, and the isolation of three-dimensional tasks from the application programmer are outlined. Each separate process communicates through the FAST Hub, while other modules such as FAST Central, NAS file input, CFD calculator, surface extractor and renderer, titler, tracer, and isolev might work together to generate the scene. An interprocess communication package making it possible for FAST to operate as a modular environment where resources could be shared among different machines as well as a single host is discussed.

Multi-degree of freedom joystick for virtual reality simulation.

PubMed

Head, M J; Nelson, C A; Siu, K C

2013-11-01

A modular control interface and simulated virtual reality environment were designed and created in order to determine how the kinematic architecture of a control interface affects minimally invasive surgery training. A user is able to selectively determine the kinematic configuration of an input device (number, type and location of degrees of freedom) for a specific surgical simulation through the use of modular joints and constraint components. Furthermore, passive locking was designed and implemented through the use of inflated latex tubing around rotational joints in order to allow a user to step away from a simulation without unwanted tool motion. It is believed that these features will facilitate improved simulation of a variety of surgical procedures and, thus, improve surgical skills training.

Modularity and design principles in the sea urchin embryo gene regulatory network

PubMed Central

Peter, Isabelle S.; Davidson, Eric H.

2010-01-01

The gene regulatory network (GRN) established experimentally for the pre-gastrular sea urchin embryo provides causal explanations of the biological functions required for spatial specification of embryonic regulatory states. Here we focus on the structure of the GRN which controls the progressive increase in complexity of territorial regulatory states during embryogenesis; and on the types of modular subcircuits of which the GRN is composed. Each of these subcircuit topologies executes a particular operation of spatial information processing. The GRN architecture reflects the particular mode of embryogenesis represented by sea urchin development. Network structure not only specifies the linkages constituting the genomic regulatory code for development, but also indicates the various regulatory requirements of regional developmental processes. PMID:19932099

EASEE: an open architecture approach for modeling battlespace signal and sensor phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldrop, Lauren E.; Wilson, D. Keith; Ekegren, Michael T.; Borden, Christian T.

2017-04-01

Open architecture in the context of defense applications encourages collaboration across government agencies and academia. This paper describes a success story in the implementation of an open architecture framework that fosters transparency and modularity in the context of Environmental Awareness for Sensor and Emitter Employment (EASEE), a complex physics-based software package for modeling the effects of terrain and atmospheric conditions on signal propagation and sensor performance. Among the highlighted features in this paper are: (1) a code refactorization to separate sensitive parts of EASEE, thus allowing collaborators the opportunity to view and interact with non-sensitive parts of the EASEE framework with the end goal of supporting collaborative innovation, (2) a data exchange and validation effort to enable the dynamic addition of signatures within EASEE thus supporting a modular notion that components can be easily added or removed to the software without requiring recompilation by developers, and (3) a flexible and extensible XML interface, which aids in decoupling graphical user interfaces from EASEE's calculation engine, and thus encourages adaptability to many different defense applications. In addition to the outlined points above, this paper also addresses EASEE's ability to interface with both proprietary systems such as ArcGIS. A specific use case regarding the implementation of an ArcGIS toolbar that leverages EASEE's XML interface and enables users to set up an EASEE-compliant configuration for probability of detection or optimal sensor placement calculations in various modalities is discussed as well.

GNC architecture for autonomous robotic capture of a non-cooperative target: Preliminary concept design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankovic, Marko; Paul, Jan; Kirchner, Frank

2016-04-01

Recent studies of the space debris population in low Earth orbit (LEO) have concluded that certain regions have already reached a critical density of objects. This will eventually lead to a cascading process called the Kessler syndrome. The time may have come to seriously consider active debris removal (ADR) missions as the only viable way of preserving the space environment for future generations. Among all objects in the current environment, the SL-8 (Kosmos 3M second stages) rocket bodies (R/Bs) are some of the most suitable targets for future robotic ADR missions. However, to date, an autonomous relative navigation to and capture of an non-cooperative target has never been performed. Therefore, there is a need for more advanced, autonomous and modular systems that can cope with uncontrolled, tumbling objects. The guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system is one of the most critical ones. The main objective of this paper is to present a preliminary concept of a modular GNC architecture that should enable a safe and fuel-efficient capture of a known but uncooperative target, such as Kosmos 3M R/B. In particular, the concept was developed having in mind the most critical part of an ADR mission, i.e. close range proximity operations, and state of the art algorithms in the field of autonomous rendezvous and docking. In the end, a brief description of the hardware in the loop (HIL) testing facility is made, foreseen for the practical evaluation of the developed architecture.

A Modular and Extensible Architecture Integrating Sensors, Dynamic Displays of Anatomy and Physiology, and Automated Instruction for Innovations in Clinical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Douglas Allen, Jr.

2017-01-01

Adoption of simulation in healthcare education has increased tremendously over the past two decades. However, the resources necessary to perform simulation are immense. Simulators are large capital investments and require specialized training for both instructors and simulation support staff to develop curriculum using the simulator and to use the…

Service Without Servers

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-01

Abstract We propose a new style of operating system architecture appropriate for microkernel -based operating sys- tems: services are implemented as a...retaining all the modularity advantages of microkernel technology. Since services reside in libraries, an application is free to use the library that...U.S. Government. 93-23976,. . I~lUI5E NIIA Keywords: Operating Systems, Microkernel , Network communication, File organization 1. Introduction In the

Transition in Gas Turbine Engine Control System Architecture: Modular, Distributed, Embedded

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

Design + Development + Certification + Procurement + Life Cycle Cost = Net Savings for our Customers Approved for Public Release 16 Economic ...Supporting Small Quantity Electronics Need Broadly Applicable High Temperature Electronics Supply Base Approved for Public Release 17 Economic ...rc ec ures Approved for Public Release 18 Economic Drivers for New FADEC Designs FADEC Implementation Time Pacing Engine Development Issues • FADEC

Modular extracellular sensor architecture for engineering mammalian cell-based devices.

PubMed

Daringer, Nichole M; Dudek, Rachel M; Schwarz, Kelly A; Leonard, Joshua N

2014-12-19

Engineering mammalian cell-based devices that monitor and therapeutically modulate human physiology is a promising and emerging frontier in clinical synthetic biology. However, realizing this vision will require new technologies enabling engineered circuitry to sense and respond to physiologically relevant cues. No existing technology enables an engineered cell to sense exclusively extracellular ligands, including proteins and pathogens, without relying upon native cellular receptors or signal transduction pathways that may be subject to crosstalk with native cellular components. To address this need, we here report a technology we term a Modular Extracellular Sensor Architecture (MESA). This self-contained receptor and signal transduction platform is maximally orthogonal to native cellular processes and comprises independent, tunable protein modules that enable performance optimization and straightforward engineering of novel MESA that recognize novel ligands. We demonstrate ligand-inducible activation of MESA signaling, optimization of receptor performance using design-based approaches, and generation of MESA biosensors that produce outputs in the form of either transcriptional regulation or transcription-independent reconstitution of enzymatic activity. This systematic, quantitative platform characterization provides a framework for engineering MESA to recognize novel ligands and for integrating these sensors into diverse mammalian synthetic biology applications.

A novel modular ANN architecture for efficient monitoring of gases/odours in real-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, A.; Rajput, N. S.

2018-04-01

Data pre-processing is tremendously used for enhanced classification of gases. However, it suppresses the concentration variances of different gas samples. A classical solution of using single artificial neural network (ANN) architecture is also inefficient and renders degraded quantification. In this paper, a novel modular ANN design has been proposed to provide an efficient and scalable solution in real–time. Here, two separate ANN blocks viz. classifier block and quantifier block have been used to provide efficient and scalable gas monitoring in real—time. The classifier ANN consists of two stages. In the first stage, the Net 1-NDSRT has been trained to transform raw sensor responses into corresponding virtual multi-sensor responses using normalized difference sensor response transformation (NDSRT). These responses have been fed to the second stage (i.e., Net 2-classifier ). The Net 2-classifier has been trained to classify various gas samples to their respective class. Further, the quantifier block has parallel ANN modules, multiplexed to quantify each gas. Therefore, the classifier ANN decides class and quantifier ANN decides the exact quantity of the gas/odor present in the respective sample of that class.

An optimized routing algorithm for the automated assembly of standard multimode ribbon fibers in a full-mesh optical backplane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basile, Vito; Guadagno, Gianluca; Ferrario, Maddalena; Fassi, Irene

2018-03-01

In this paper a parametric, modular and scalable algorithm allowing a fully automated assembly of a backplane fiber-optic interconnection circuit is presented. This approach guarantees the optimization of the optical fiber routing inside the backplane with respect to specific criteria (i.e. bending power losses), addressing both transmission performance and overall costs issues. Graph theory has been exploited to simplify the complexity of the NxN full-mesh backplane interconnection topology, firstly, into N independent sub-circuits and then, recursively, into a limited number of loops easier to be generated. Afterwards, the proposed algorithm selects a set of geometrical and architectural parameters whose optimization allows to identify the optimal fiber optic routing for each sub-circuit of the backplane. The topological and numerical information provided by the algorithm are then exploited to control a robot which performs the automated assembly of the backplane sub-circuits. The proposed routing algorithm can be extended to any array architecture and number of connections thanks to its modularity and scalability. Finally, the algorithm has been exploited for the automated assembly of an 8x8 optical backplane realized with standard multimode (MM) 12-fiber ribbons.

Integrated Avionics System (IAS), Integrating 3-D Technology On A Spacecraft Panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Don J.; Halpert, Gerald

1999-01-01

As spacecraft designs converge toward miniaturization, and with the volumetric and mass challenges placed on avionics, programs will continue to advance the "state of the art" in spacecraft system development with new challenges to reduce power, mass and volume. Traditionally, the trend is to focus on high-density 3-D packaging technologies. Industry has made significant progress in 3-D technologies, and other related internal and external interconnection schemes. Although new technologies have improved packaging densities, a system packaging architecture is required that not only reduces spacecraft volume and mass budgets, but increase integration efficiencies, provide modularity and flexibility to accommodate multiple missions while maintaining a low recurring cost. With these challenges in mind, a novel system packaging approach incorporates solutions that provide broader environmental applications, more flexible system interconnectivity, scalability, and simplified assembly test and integration schemes. The Integrated Avionics System (IAS) provides for a low-mass, modular distributed or centralized packaging architecture which combines ridged-flex technologies, high-density COTS hardware and a new 3-D mechanical packaging approach, Horizontal Mounted Cube (HMC). This paper will describe the fundamental elements of the IAS, HMC hardware design, system integration and environmental test results.

ALI (Autonomous Lunar Investigator): Revolutionary Approach to Exploring the Moon with Addressable Reconfigurable Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, P. E.; Curtis, S. A.; Rilee, M. L.; Floyd, S. R.

2005-01-01

Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART) based structures: Mission Concepts based on Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART), originally studied for future ANTS (Autonomous Nanotechnology Swarm) Space Architectures, are now being developed as rovers for nearer term use in lunar and planetary surface exploration. The architecture is based on the reconfigurable tetrahedron as a building block. Tetrahedra are combined to form space-filling networks, shaped for the required function. Basic structural components are highly modular, addressable arrays of robust nodes (tetrahedral apices) from which highly reconfigurable struts (tetrahedral edges), acting as supports or tethers, are efficiently reversibly deployed/stowed, transforming and reshaping the structures as required.

Roads towards fault-tolerant universal quantum computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Earl T.; Terhal, Barbara M.; Vuillot, Christophe

2017-09-01

A practical quantum computer must not merely store information, but also process it. To prevent errors introduced by noise from multiplying and spreading, a fault-tolerant computational architecture is required. Current experiments are taking the first steps toward noise-resilient logical qubits. But to convert these quantum devices from memories to processors, it is necessary to specify how a universal set of gates is performed on them. The leading proposals for doing so, such as magic-state distillation and colour-code techniques, have high resource demands. Alternative schemes, such as those that use high-dimensional quantum codes in a modular architecture, have potential benefits, but need to be explored further.

Roads towards fault-tolerant universal quantum computation.

PubMed

Campbell, Earl T; Terhal, Barbara M; Vuillot, Christophe

2017-09-13

A practical quantum computer must not merely store information, but also process it. To prevent errors introduced by noise from multiplying and spreading, a fault-tolerant computational architecture is required. Current experiments are taking the first steps toward noise-resilient logical qubits. But to convert these quantum devices from memories to processors, it is necessary to specify how a universal set of gates is performed on them. The leading proposals for doing so, such as magic-state distillation and colour-code techniques, have high resource demands. Alternative schemes, such as those that use high-dimensional quantum codes in a modular architecture, have potential benefits, but need to be explored further.

Space Station needs, attributes and architectural options: Summary briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Computerized data sorting and analysis techniques were used with a data base accumulated in over 20 years of space station studies to evaluate candidate missions and select a final model of 88 missions. The social, cultural, scientific, technical, and commercial benefits to be accrued from each mission were identified. Requirements were determined for satellite servicing; payload placement and retrieval; refueling; repair; testing; assembly; and construction. Missions drivers determined include crew, remote manipulating system, external parts, instrumentation, extravehicular activity/manned maneuvering unit, and voice/video equipment. User interest for commercial applications were determined. Variable architecture based on a modular concept with multi-use elements is proposed.

Top-level modeling of an als system utilizing object-oriented techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, L. F.; Kang, S.; Ting, K. C.

The possible configuration of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System capable of supporting human life for long-term space missions continues to evolve as researchers investigate potential technologies and configurations. To facilitate the decision process the development of acceptable, flexible, and dynamic mathematical computer modeling tools capable of system level analysis is desirable. Object-oriented techniques have been adopted to develop a dynamic top-level model of an ALS system.This approach has several advantages; among these, object-oriented abstractions of systems are inherently modular in architecture. Thus, models can initially be somewhat simplistic, while allowing for adjustments and improvements. In addition, by coding the model in Java, the model can be implemented via the World Wide Web, greatly encouraging the utilization of the model. Systems analysis is further enabled with the utilization of a readily available backend database containing information supporting the model. The subsystem models of the ALS system model include Crew, Biomass Production, Waste Processing and Resource Recovery, Food Processing and Nutrition, and the Interconnecting Space. Each subsystem model and an overall model have been developed. Presented here is the procedure utilized to develop the modeling tool, the vision of the modeling tool, and the current focus for each of the subsystem models.

Isolated pores dissected from human two-pore channel 2 are functional

PubMed Central

Penny, Christopher J.; Rahman, Taufiq; Sula, Altin; Miles, Andrew J.; Wallace, B. A.; Patel, Sandip

2016-01-01

Multi-domain voltage-gated ion channels appear to have evolved through sequential rounds of intragenic duplication from a primordial one-domain precursor. Whereas modularity within one-domain symmetrical channels is established, little is known about the roles of individual regions within more complex asymmetrical channels where the domains have undergone substantial divergence. Here we isolated and characterised both of the divergent pore regions from human TPC2, a two-domain channel that holds a key intermediate position in the evolution of voltage-gated ion channels. In HeLa cells, each pore localised to the ER and caused Ca2+ depletion, whereas an ER-targeted pore mutated at a residue that inactivates full-length TPC2 did not. Additionally, one of the pores expressed at high levels in E. coli. When purified, it formed a stable, folded tetramer. Liposomes reconstituted with the pore supported Ca2+ and Na+ uptake that was inhibited by known blockers of full-length channels. Computational modelling of the pore corroborated cationic permeability and drug interaction. Therefore, despite divergence, both pores are constitutively active in the absence of their partners and retain several properties of the wild-type pore. Such symmetrical ‘pore-only’ proteins derived from divergent channel domains may therefore provide tractable tools for probing the functional architecture of complex ion channels. PMID:27941820

Comparative Study of Lectin Domains in Model Species: New Insights into Evolutionary Dynamics

PubMed Central

Van Holle, Sofie; De Schutter, Kristof; Eggermont, Lore; Tsaneva, Mariya; Dang, Liuyi; Van Damme, Els J. M.

2017-01-01

Lectins are present throughout the plant kingdom and are reported to be involved in diverse biological processes. In this study, we provide a comparative analysis of the lectin families from model species in a phylogenetic framework. The analysis focuses on the different plant lectin domains identified in five representative core angiosperm genomes (Arabidopsis thaliana, Glycine max, Cucumis sativus, Oryza sativa ssp. japonica and Oryza sativa ssp. indica). The genomes were screened for genes encoding lectin domains using a combination of Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), hidden Markov models, and InterProScan analysis. Additionally, phylogenetic relationships were investigated by constructing maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees. The results demonstrate that the majority of the lectin families are present in each of the species under study. Domain organization analysis showed that most identified proteins are multi-domain proteins, owing to the modular rearrangement of protein domains during evolution. Most of these multi-domain proteins are widespread, while others display a lineage-specific distribution. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analyses reveal that some lectin families evolved to be similar to the phylogeny of the plant species, while others share a closer evolutionary history based on the corresponding protein domain architecture. Our results yield insights into the evolutionary relationships and functional divergence of plant lectins. PMID:28587095

JEnsembl: a version-aware Java API to Ensembl data systems

PubMed Central

Paterson, Trevor; Law, Andy

2012-01-01

Motivation: The Ensembl Project provides release-specific Perl APIs for efficient high-level programmatic access to data stored in various Ensembl database schema. Although Perl scripts are perfectly suited for processing large volumes of text-based data, Perl is not ideal for developing large-scale software applications nor embedding in graphical interfaces. The provision of a novel Java API would facilitate type-safe, modular, object-orientated development of new Bioinformatics tools with which to access, analyse and visualize Ensembl data. Results: The JEnsembl API implementation provides basic data retrieval and manipulation functionality from the Core, Compara and Variation databases for all species in Ensembl and EnsemblGenomes and is a platform for the development of a richer API to Ensembl datasources. The JEnsembl architecture uses a text-based configuration module to provide evolving, versioned mappings from database schema to code objects. A single installation of the JEnsembl API can therefore simultaneously and transparently connect to current and previous database instances (such as those in the public archive) thus facilitating better analysis repeatability and allowing ‘through time’ comparative analyses to be performed. Availability: Project development, released code libraries, Maven repository and documentation are hosted at SourceForge (http://jensembl.sourceforge.net). Contact: jensembl-develop@lists.sf.net, andy.law@roslin.ed.ac.uk, trevor.paterson@roslin.ed.ac.uk PMID:22945789

Isolated pores dissected from human two-pore channel 2 are functional.

PubMed

Penny, Christopher J; Rahman, Taufiq; Sula, Altin; Miles, Andrew J; Wallace, B A; Patel, Sandip

2016-12-12

Multi-domain voltage-gated ion channels appear to have evolved through sequential rounds of intragenic duplication from a primordial one-domain precursor. Whereas modularity within one-domain symmetrical channels is established, little is known about the roles of individual regions within more complex asymmetrical channels where the domains have undergone substantial divergence. Here we isolated and characterised both of the divergent pore regions from human TPC2, a two-domain channel that holds a key intermediate position in the evolution of voltage-gated ion channels. In HeLa cells, each pore localised to the ER and caused Ca 2+ depletion, whereas an ER-targeted pore mutated at a residue that inactivates full-length TPC2 did not. Additionally, one of the pores expressed at high levels in E. coli. When purified, it formed a stable, folded tetramer. Liposomes reconstituted with the pore supported Ca 2+ and Na + uptake that was inhibited by known blockers of full-length channels. Computational modelling of the pore corroborated cationic permeability and drug interaction. Therefore, despite divergence, both pores are constitutively active in the absence of their partners and retain several properties of the wild-type pore. Such symmetrical 'pore-only' proteins derived from divergent channel domains may therefore provide tractable tools for probing the functional architecture of complex ion channels.

Scaling Watershed Models: Modern Approaches to Science Computation with MapReduce, Parallelization, and Cloud Optimization

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental models are products of the computer architecture and software tools available at the time of development. Scientifically sound algorithms may persist in their original state even as system architectures and software development approaches evolve and progress. Dating...

Terminal Olefin Profiles and Phylogenetic Analyses of Olefin Synthases of Diverse Cyanobacterial Species.

PubMed

Zhu, Tao; Scalvenzi, Thibault; Sassoon, Nathalie; Lu, Xuefeng; Gugger, Muriel

2018-07-01

Cyanobacteria can synthesize alkanes and alkenes, which are considered to be infrastructure-compatible biofuels. In terms of physiological function, cyanobacterial hydrocarbons are thought to be essential for membrane flexibility for cell division, size, and growth. The genetic basis for the biosynthesis of terminal olefins (1-alkenes) is a modular type I polyketide synthase (PKS) termed olefin synthase (Ols). The modular architectures of Ols and structural characteristics of alkenes have been investigated only in a few species of the small percentage (approximately 10%) of cyanobacteria that harbor putative Ols pathways. In this study, investigations of the domains, modular architectures, and phylogenies of Ols in 28 cyanobacterial strains suggested distinctive pathway evolution. Structural feature analyses revealed 1-alkenes with three carbon chain lengths (C 15 , C 17 , and C 19 ). In addition, the total cellular fatty acid profile revealed the diversity of the carbon chain lengths, while the fatty acid feeding assay indicated substrate carbon chain length specificity of cyanobacterial Ols enzymes. Finally, in silico analyses suggested that the N terminus of the modular Ols enzyme exhibited characteristics typical of a fatty acyl-adenylate ligase (FAAL), suggesting a mechanism of fatty acid activation via the formation of acyl-adenylates. Our results shed new light on the diversity of cyanobacterial terminal olefins and a mechanism for substrate activation in the biosynthesis of these olefins. IMPORTANCE Cyanobacterial terminal olefins are hydrocarbons with promising applications as advanced biofuels. Despite the basic understanding of the genetic basis of olefin biosynthesis, the structural diversity and phylogeny of the key modular olefin synthase (Ols) have been poorly explored. An overview of the chemical structural traits of terminal olefins in cyanobacteria is provided in this study. In addition, we demonstrated by in vivo fatty acid feeding assays that cyanobacterial Ols enzymes might exhibit substrate carbon chain length specificity. Furthermore, by performing bioinformatic analyses, we observed that the substrate activation domain of Ols exhibited features typical of a fatty acyl-adenylate ligase (FAAL), which activates fatty acids by converting them to fatty acyl-adenylates. Our results provide further insight into the chemical structures of terminal olefins and further elucidate the mechanism of substrate activation for terminal olefin biosynthesis in cyanobacteria. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Unified Technical Concepts - Phase I. (Modularizing Instructional Materials Using Applications of Technical Concepts). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technical Education Research Center, Waco, TX.

To evolve a new methodology and system for teaching physics to students aspiring to become (or to become more competent as) technicians in a variety of technologies, this research and development effort was initiated. The project's thesis stemmed from a notion that the study of physics would be more accepted and assimilated by students if concepts…

Modular, Autonomous Command and Data Handling Software with Built-In Simulation and Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuseo, John

2012-01-01

The spacecraft system that plays the greatest role throughout the program lifecycle is the Command and Data Handling System (C&DH), along with the associated algorithms and software. The C&DH takes on this role as cost driver because it is the brains of the spacecraft and is the element of the system that is primarily responsible for the integration and interoperability of all spacecraft subsystems. During design and development, many activities associated with mission design, system engineering, and subsystem development result in products that are directly supported by the C&DH, such as interfaces, algorithms, flight software (FSW), and parameter sets. A modular system architecture has been developed that provides a means for rapid spacecraft assembly, test, and integration. This modular C&DH software architecture, which can be targeted and adapted to a wide variety of spacecraft architectures, payloads, and mission requirements, eliminates the current practice of rewriting the spacecraft software and test environment for every mission. This software allows missionspecific software and algorithms to be rapidly integrated and tested, significantly decreasing time involved in the software development cycle. Additionally, the FSW includes an Onboard Dynamic Simulation System (ODySSy) that allows the C&DH software to support rapid integration and test. With this solution, the C&DH software capabilities will encompass all phases of the spacecraft lifecycle. ODySSy is an on-board simulation capability built directly into the FSW that provides dynamic built-in test capabilities as soon as the FSW image is loaded onto the processor. It includes a six-degrees- of-freedom, high-fidelity simulation that allows complete closed-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing of a spacecraft in a ground processing environment without any additional external stimuli. ODySSy can intercept and modify sensor inputs using mathematical sensor models, and can intercept and respond to actuator commands. ODySSy integration is unique in that it allows testing of actual mission sequences on the flight vehicle while the spacecraft is in various stages of assembly, test, and launch operations all without any external support equipment or simulators. The ODySSy component of the FSW significantly decreases the time required for integration and test by providing an automated, standardized, and modular approach to integrated avionics and component interface and functional verification. ODySSy further provides the capability for on-orbit support in the form of autonomous mission planning and fault protection.

The recurrent architecture of tumour initiation, progression and drug sensitivity.

PubMed

Califano, Andrea; Alvarez, Mariano J

2017-02-01

Recent studies across multiple tumour types are starting to reveal a recurrent regulatory architecture in which genomic alterations cluster upstream of functional master regulator (MR) proteins, the aberrant activity of which is both necessary and sufficient to maintain tumour cell state. These proteins form small, hyperconnected and autoregulated modules (termed tumour checkpoints) that are increasingly emerging as optimal biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Crucially, as their activity is mostly dysregulated in a post-translational manner, rather than by mutations in their corresponding genes or by differential expression, the identification of MR proteins by conventional methods is challenging. In this Opinion article, we discuss novel methods for the systematic analysis of MR proteins and of the modular regulatory architecture they implement, including their use as a valuable reductionist framework to study the genetic heterogeneity of human disease and to drive key translational applications.

Reusable Rocket Engine Turbopump Health Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Surko, Pamela

1994-01-01

A health monitoring expert system software architecture has been developed to support condition-based health monitoring of rocket engines. Its first application is in the diagnosis decisions relating to the health of the high pressure oxidizer turbopump (HPOTP) of Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The post test diagnostic system runs off-line, using as input the data recorded from hundreds of sensors, each running typically at rates of 25, 50, or .1 Hz. The system is invoked after a test has been completed, and produces an analysis and an organized graphical presentation of the data with important effects highlighted. The overall expert system architecture has been developed and documented so that expert modules analyzing other line replaceable units may easily be added. The architecture emphasizes modularity, reusability, and open system interfaces so that it may be used to analyze other engines as well.

SCC500: next-generation infrared imaging camera core products with highly flexible architecture for unique camera designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumbaugh, Roy N.; Grealish, Kevin; Kacir, Tom; Arsenault, Barry; Murphy, Robert H.; Miller, Scott

2003-09-01

A new 4th generation MicroIR architecture is introduced as the latest in the highly successful Standard Camera Core (SCC) series by BAE SYSTEMS to offer an infrared imaging engine with greatly reduced size, weight, power, and cost. The advanced SCC500 architecture provides great flexibility in configuration to include multiple resolutions, an industry standard Real Time Operating System (RTOS) for customer specific software application plug-ins, and a highly modular construction for unique physical and interface options. These microbolometer based camera cores offer outstanding and reliable performance over an extended operating temperature range to meet the demanding requirements of real-world environments. A highly integrated lens and shutter is included in the new SCC500 product enabling easy, drop-in camera designs for quick time-to-market product introductions.

Reconfiguration of Brain Network Architectures between Resting-State and Complexity-Dependent Cognitive Reasoning.

PubMed

Hearne, Luke J; Cocchi, Luca; Zalesky, Andrew; Mattingley, Jason B

2017-08-30

Our capacity for higher cognitive reasoning has a measurable limit. This limit is thought to arise from the brain's capacity to flexibly reconfigure interactions between spatially distributed networks. Recent work, however, has suggested that reconfigurations of task-related networks are modest when compared with intrinsic "resting-state" network architecture. Here we combined resting-state and task-driven functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how flexible, task-specific reconfigurations associated with increasing reasoning demands are integrated within a stable intrinsic brain topology. Human participants (21 males and 28 females) underwent an initial resting-state scan, followed by a cognitive reasoning task involving different levels of complexity, followed by a second resting-state scan. The reasoning task required participants to deduce the identity of a missing element in a 4 × 4 matrix, and item difficulty was scaled parametrically as determined by relational complexity theory. Analyses revealed that external task engagement was characterized by a significant change in functional brain modules. Specifically, resting-state and null-task demand conditions were associated with more segregated brain-network topology, whereas increases in reasoning complexity resulted in merging of resting-state modules. Further increments in task complexity did not change the established modular architecture, but affected selective patterns of connectivity between frontoparietal, subcortical, cingulo-opercular, and default-mode networks. Larger increases in network efficiency within the newly established task modules were associated with higher reasoning accuracy. Our results shed light on the network architectures that underlie external task engagement, and highlight selective changes in brain connectivity supporting increases in task complexity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans have clear limits in their ability to solve complex reasoning problems. It is thought that such limitations arise from flexible, moment-to-moment reconfigurations of functional brain networks. It is less clear how such task-driven adaptive changes in connectivity relate to stable, intrinsic networks of the brain and behavioral performance. We found that increased reasoning demands rely on selective patterns of connectivity within cortical networks that emerged in addition to a more general, task-induced modular architecture. This task-driven architecture reverted to a more segregated resting-state architecture both immediately before and after the task. These findings reveal how flexibility in human brain networks is integral to achieving successful reasoning performance across different levels of cognitive demand. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/378399-13$15.00/0.

Enabling Communication and Navigation Technologies for Future Near Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israel, David J.; Heckler, Gregory; Menrad, Robert; Hudiburg, John; Boroson, Don; Robinson, Bryan; Cornwell, Donald

2016-01-01

In 2015, the Earth Regimes Network Evolution Study (ERNESt) proposed an architectural concept and technologies that evolve to enable space science and exploration missions out to the 2040 timeframe. The architectural concept evolves the current instantiations of the Near Earth Network and Space Network with new technologies to provide a global communication and navigation network that provides communication and navigation services to a wide range of space users in the near Earth domain. The technologies included High Rate Optical Communications, Optical Multiple Access (OMA), Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN), User Initiated Services (UIS), and advanced Position, Navigation, and Timing technology. This paper describes the key technologies and their current technology readiness levels. Examples of science missions that could be enabled by the technologies and the projected operational benefits of the architecture concept to missions are also described.

Implications of behavioral architecture for the evolution of self-organized division of labor.

PubMed

Duarte, A; Scholtens, E; Weissing, F J

2012-01-01

Division of labor has been studied separately from a proximate self-organization and an ultimate evolutionary perspective. We aim to bring together these two perspectives. So far this has been done by choosing a behavioral mechanism a priori and considering the evolution of the properties of this mechanism. Here we use artificial neural networks to allow for a more open architecture. We study whether emergent division of labor can evolve in two different network architectures; a simple feedforward network, and a more complex network that includes the possibility of self-feedback from previous experiences. We focus on two aspects of division of labor; worker specialization and the ratio of work performed for each task. Colony fitness is maximized by both reducing idleness and achieving a predefined optimal work ratio. Our results indicate that architectural constraints play an important role for the outcome of evolution. With the simplest network, only genetically determined specialization is possible. This imposes several limitations on worker specialization. Moreover, in order to minimize idleness, networks evolve a biased work ratio, even when an unbiased work ratio would be optimal. By adding self-feedback to the network we increase the network's flexibility and worker specialization evolves under a wider parameter range. Optimal work ratios are more easily achieved with the self-feedback network, but still provide a challenge when combined with worker specialization.

Implications of Behavioral Architecture for the Evolution of Self-Organized Division of Labor

PubMed Central

Duarte, A.; Scholtens, E.; Weissing, F. J.

2012-01-01

Division of labor has been studied separately from a proximate self-organization and an ultimate evolutionary perspective. We aim to bring together these two perspectives. So far this has been done by choosing a behavioral mechanism a priori and considering the evolution of the properties of this mechanism. Here we use artificial neural networks to allow for a more open architecture. We study whether emergent division of labor can evolve in two different network architectures; a simple feedforward network, and a more complex network that includes the possibility of self-feedback from previous experiences. We focus on two aspects of division of labor; worker specialization and the ratio of work performed for each task. Colony fitness is maximized by both reducing idleness and achieving a predefined optimal work ratio. Our results indicate that architectural constraints play an important role for the outcome of evolution. With the simplest network, only genetically determined specialization is possible. This imposes several limitations on worker specialization. Moreover, in order to minimize idleness, networks evolve a biased work ratio, even when an unbiased work ratio would be optimal. By adding self-feedback to the network we increase the network's flexibility and worker specialization evolves under a wider parameter range. Optimal work ratios are more easily achieved with the self-feedback network, but still provide a challenge when combined with worker specialization. PMID:22457609

Progress toward Modular UAS for Geoscience Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlgren, R. P.; Clark, M. A.; Comstock, R. J.; Fladeland, M.; Gascot, H., III; Haig, T. H.; Lam, S. J.; Mazhari, A. A.; Palomares, R. R.; Pinsker, E. A.; Prathipati, R. T.; Sagaga, J.; Thurling, J. S.; Travers, S. V.

2017-12-01

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have become accepted tools for geoscience, ecology, agriculture, disaster response, land management, and industry. A variety of consumer UAS options exist as science and engineering payload platforms, but their incompatibilities with one another contribute to high operational costs compared with those of piloted aircraft. This research explores the concept of modular UAS, demonstrating airframes that can be reconfigured in the field for experimental optimization, to enable multi-mission support, facilitate rapid repair, or respond to changing field conditions. Modular UAS is revolutionary in allowing aircraft to be optimized around the payload, reversing the conventional wisdom of designing the payload to accommodate an unmodifiable aircraft. UAS that are reconfigurable like Legos™ are ideal for airborne science service providers, system integrators, instrument designers and end users to fulfill a wide range of geoscience experiments. Modular UAS facilitate the adoption of open-source software and rapid prototyping technology where design reuse is important in the context of a highly regulated industry like aerospace. The industry is now at a stage where consolidation, acquisition, and attrition will reduce the number of small manufacturers, with a reduction of innovation and motivation to reduce costs. Modularity leads to interface specifications, which can evolve into de facto or formal standards which contain minimum (but sufficient) details such that multiple vendors can then design to those standards and demonstrate interoperability. At that stage, vendor coopetition leads to robust interface standards, interoperability standards and multi-source agreements which in turn drive costs down significantly.

Microscopic Mapping of Minerals and Organics: A Modular Pulsed Raman Spectrometer Adaptable to Both Small and Large Landed Planetary Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacksberg, J.; Alerstam, E.; Maruyama, Y.; Cochrane, C.; Rossman, G. R.

2016-12-01

Raman spectroscopy combined with microscopic imaging is a powerful technique used to interrogate geological materials. In the laboratory, Raman spectroscopy is commonly used in the geosciences for mapping both major and minor mineral and organic constituents on a fine scale. This technique has proven valuable in analyzing planetary materials, including meteorites and lunar samples. By simultaneously analyzing microtexture and mineralogy, micro-Raman spectroscopy can provide essential information for inferring geologic processes by which planetary surfaces have evolved. Because Raman can perform these capabilities in a way that is non-destructive, requiring no sample preparation, it is extremely well suited for deployment on a planetary lander or rover arm. The pulsed Raman spectrometer presented here has been designed for maximum flexibility using miniaturized modular components in order to remain easily adaptable and relevant to numerous planetary surface missions (e.g. asteroids, comets, Mars, Mars' moons, Europa, Titan). Building on the widely used 532 nm laser Raman technique, the pulsed Raman spectrometer takes advantage of recent developments in miniaturized pulsed lasers and detectors; the instrument uses sub-ns time gating to remove pervasive background interference caused by fluorescence inherent in many minerals and organics. This technique ensures acquisition of diagnostic Raman spectra, even in environments that have been known to severely challenge conventional methods (e.g. aqueously-formed minerals from similar environments on Earth). We present the architecture and performance of the pulsed Raman spectrometer, which relies on our single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector synchronized with our high-speed microchip laser, both custom-built for this application. It is these key technological developments that now make time-gated Raman spectroscopy possible for applications where miniaturization is crucial. We then discuss recent progress in laser performance that enhances Raman return, provides improved fluorescence rejection, and minimizes damage to sensitive samples.

Discovering Multimodal Behavior in Ms. Pac-Man through Evolution of Modular Neural Networks.

PubMed

Schrum, Jacob; Miikkulainen, Risto

2016-03-12

Ms. Pac-Man is a challenging video game in which multiple modes of behavior are required: Ms. Pac-Man must escape ghosts when they are threats and catch them when they are edible, in addition to eating all pills in each level. Past approaches to learning behavior in Ms. Pac-Man have treated the game as a single task to be learned using monolithic policy representations. In contrast, this paper uses a framework called Modular Multi-objective NEAT (MM-NEAT) to evolve modular neural networks. Each module defines a separate behavior. The modules are used at different times according to a policy that can be human-designed (i.e. Multitask) or discovered automatically by evolution. The appropriate number of modules can be fixed or discovered using a genetic operator called Module Mutation. Several versions of Module Mutation are evaluated in this paper. Both fixed modular networks and Module Mutation networks outperform monolithic networks and Multitask networks. Interestingly, the best networks dedicate modules to critical behaviors (such as escaping when surrounded after luring ghosts near a power pill) that do not follow the customary division of the game into chasing edible and escaping threat ghosts. The results demonstrate that MM-NEAT can discover interesting and effective behavior for agents in challenging games.

Discovering Multimodal Behavior in Ms. Pac-Man through Evolution of Modular Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Schrum, Jacob; Miikkulainen, Risto

2015-01-01

Ms. Pac-Man is a challenging video game in which multiple modes of behavior are required: Ms. Pac-Man must escape ghosts when they are threats and catch them when they are edible, in addition to eating all pills in each level. Past approaches to learning behavior in Ms. Pac-Man have treated the game as a single task to be learned using monolithic policy representations. In contrast, this paper uses a framework called Modular Multi-objective NEAT (MM-NEAT) to evolve modular neural networks. Each module defines a separate behavior. The modules are used at different times according to a policy that can be human-designed (i.e. Multitask) or discovered automatically by evolution. The appropriate number of modules can be fixed or discovered using a genetic operator called Module Mutation. Several versions of Module Mutation are evaluated in this paper. Both fixed modular networks and Module Mutation networks outperform monolithic networks and Multitask networks. Interestingly, the best networks dedicate modules to critical behaviors (such as escaping when surrounded after luring ghosts near a power pill) that do not follow the customary division of the game into chasing edible and escaping threat ghosts. The results demonstrate that MM-NEAT can discover interesting and effective behavior for agents in challenging games. PMID:27030803

Advantages of a Modular Mars Surface Habitat Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rucker, Michelle A.; Hoffman, Stephan J.; Andrews, Alida; Watts, Kevin

2018-01-01

Early crewed Mars mission concepts developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) assumed a single, large habitat would house six crew members for a 500-day Mars surface stay. At the end of the first mission, all surface equipment, including the habitat, -would be abandoned and the process would be repeated at a different Martian landing site. This work was documented in a series of NASA publications culminating with the Mars Design Reference Mission 5.0 (NASA-SP-2009-566). The Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) explored whether re-using surface equipment at a single landing site could be more affordable than the Apollo-style explore-abandon-repeat mission cadence. Initial EMC assumptions preserved the single, monolithic habitat, the only difference being a new requirement to reuse the surface habitat for multiple expedition crews. A trade study comparing a single large habitat versus smaller, modular habitats leaned towards the monolithic approach as more mass-efficient. More recent work has focused on the operational aspects of building up Mars surface infrastructure over multiple missions, and has identified compelling advantages of the modular approach that should be considered before making a final decision. This paper explores Mars surface mission operational concepts and integrated system analysis, and presents an argument for the modular habitat approach.

Communication Needs Assessment for Distributed Turbine Engine Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Culley, Dennis E.; Behbahani, Alireza R.

2008-01-01

Control system architecture is a major contributor to future propulsion engine performance enhancement and life cycle cost reduction. The control system architecture can be a means to effect net weight reduction in future engine systems, provide a streamlined approach to system design and implementation, and enable new opportunities for performance optimization and increased awareness about system health. The transition from a centralized, point-to-point analog control topology to a modular, networked, distributed system is paramount to extracting these system improvements. However, distributed engine control systems are only possible through the successful design and implementation of a suitable communication system. In a networked system, understanding the data flow between control elements is a fundamental requirement for specifying the communication architecture which, itself, is dependent on the functional capability of electronics in the engine environment. This paper presents an assessment of the communication needs for distributed control using strawman designs and relates how system design decisions relate to overall goals as we progress from the baseline centralized architecture, through partially distributed and fully distributed control systems.

Parallel digital modem using multirate digital filter banks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadr, Ramin; Vaidyanathan, P. P.; Raphaeli, Dan; Hinedi, Sami

1994-01-01

A new class of architectures for an all-digital modem is presented in this report. This architecture, referred to as the parallel receiver (PRX), is based on employing multirate digital filter banks (DFB's) to demodulate, track, and detect the received symbol stream. The resulting architecture is derived, and specifications are outlined for designing the DFB for the PRX. The key feature of this approach is a lower processing rate then either the Nyquist rate or the symbol rate, without any degradation in the symbol error rate. Due to the freedom in choosing the processing rate, the designer is able to arbitrarily select and use digital components, independent of the speed of the integrated circuit technology. PRX architecture is particularly suited for high data rate applications, and due to the modular structure of the parallel signal path, expansion to even higher data rates is accommodated with each. Applications of the PRX would include gigabit satellite channels, multiple spacecraft, optical links, interactive cable-TV, telemedicine, code division multiple access (CDMA) communications, and others.

Source technology as the foundation for modern infra-red counter measures (IRCM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasso, Robert J.

2010-10-01

Protection of military aircraft from IR guided threats is paramount to ensure the survivability of aircrews, platforms, and to ensure mission success. At the foundation of all IRCM systems is the source; that component that provides the in-band radiant energy required for threat defeat. As such, source technology has evolved with IRCM technology to encompass the evolving systems architectures that encompass IRCM: 1) "Hot Brick" omni-directional sources; 2) arc lamps, and; 3) lasers. Lasers, as IRCM sources continue to evolve to meet the challenges of ever-evolving threats, superior techniques, economy of installation, and superior source technology. Lasers represent the single greatest advance in IRCM source technology and continue to evolve to meet ever more sophisticated threats. And have been used with great effect in all modern IRCM systems; evolving from frequency doubled CO2 lasers, to solid state lasers with OPOs, to semiconductor lasers including Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs); these last devices represent the latest advance in IRCM source technology offering all-band coverage, architectural simplicity, and economy of scale. While QCLs represent the latest advance in IRCM laser technology, fiber lasers show much promise in addressing multi-band operation as well as the ability to be coherently combined to achieve even greater output capability. Also, ultra-short pulse lasers are evolving to become practical for IRCM applications. Stay tuned ......

Policy-Based Middleware for QoS Management and Signaling in the Evolved Packet System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Good, Richard; Gouveia, Fabricio; Magedanz, Thomas; Ventura, Neco

The 3GPP are currently finalizing their Evolved Packet System (EPS) with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) central to this framework. The EPC is a simplified, flat, all IP-based architecture that supports mobility between heterogeneous access networks and incorporates an evolved QoS concept based on the 3GPP Policy Control and Charging (PCC) framework. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an IP service element within the EPS, introduced for the rapid provisioning of innovative multimedia services. The evolved PCC framework extends the scope of operation and defines new interactions - in particular the S9 reference point is introduced to facilitate inter-domain PCC communication. This paper proposes an enhancement to the IMS/PCC framework that uses SIP routing information to discover signaling and media paths. This mechanism uses standardized IMS/PCC operations and allows applications to effectively issue resource requests from their home domain enabling QoS-connectivity across multiple domains. Because the mechanism operates at the service control layer it does not require any significant transport layer modifications or the sharing of potentially sensitive internal topology information. The evolved PCC architecture and inter-domain route discovery mechanisms were implemented in an evaluation testbed and performed favorably without adversely effecting end user experience.

Complex small-molecule architectures regulate phenotypic plasticity in a nematode.

PubMed

Bose, Neelanjan; Ogawa, Akira; von Reuss, Stephan H; Yim, Joshua J; Ragsdale, Erik J; Sommer, Ralf J; Schroeder, Frank C

2012-12-07

Chemistry the worm's way: The nematode Pristionchus pacificus constructs elaborate small molecules from modified building blocks of primary metabolism, including an unusual xylopyranose-based nucleoside (see scheme). These compounds act as signaling molecules to control adult phenotypic plasticity and dauer development and provide examples of modular generation of structural diversity in metazoans. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Master Clock and Time-Signal-Distribution System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tjoelker, Robert; Calhoun, Malcolm; Kuhnle, Paul; Sydnor, Richard; Lauf, John

2007-01-01

A timing system comprising an electronic master clock and a subsystem for distributing time signals from the master clock to end users is undergoing development to satisfy anticipated timing requirements of NASA s Deep Space Network (DSN) for the next 20 to 30 years. This system has a modular, flexible, expandable architecture that is easier to operate and maintain than the present frequency and timing subsystem (FTS).

Stability Analysis of Distributed Engine Control Systems Under Communication Packet Drop (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose the work. 14. ABSTRACT Currently, Full Authority Digital Engine Control ( FADEC ...based on a centralized architecture framework is being widely used for gas turbine engine control. However, current FADEC is not able to meet the...system (DEC). FADEC based on Distributed Control Systems (DCS) offers modularity, improved control systems prognostics and fault tolerance along with

Generalized Operations Simulation Environment for Aircraft Maintenance Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

Operations Simulation Environment ( GOSE ) project is a collaborative effort between AETC and AFRL to develop common, cost-effective, generalized VR training...maintenance training domain since it provided an opportunity to build on the VEST architecture. Development of GOSE involves re-engineering VEST as a scalable...modular, immersive VR training system comprised of PC-based hardware and software. GOSE initiatives include: (a) formalize training needs across

Advances in Modern Botnet Understanding and the Accurate Enumeration of Infected Hosts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nunnery, Christopher Edward

2011-01-01

Botnets remain a potent threat due to evolving modern architectures, inadequate remediation methods, and inaccurate measurement techniques. In response, this research exposes the architectures and operations of two advanced botnets, techniques to enumerate infected hosts, and pursues the scientific refinement of infected-host enumeration data by…

Ervin Zube and landscape architecture

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster

2002-01-01

As he grew in his knowledge about the landscape through his involvemment in it as a person, student, practitioner, teacher, program director, and researcher, Ervin Zube's ideas about what landscape architecture is and should be continually evolved. He was a prolific writer whose publications span a broad range of audiences, and his contributions to ...

The CMS Data Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giffels, M.; Guo, Y.; Kuznetsov, V.; Magini, N.; Wildish, T.

2014-06-01

The data management elements in CMS are scalable, modular, and designed to work together. The main components are PhEDEx, the data transfer and location system; the Data Booking Service (DBS), a metadata catalog; and the Data Aggregation Service (DAS), designed to aggregate views and provide them to users and services. Tens of thousands of samples have been cataloged and petabytes of data have been moved since the run began. The modular system has allowed the optimal use of appropriate underlying technologies. In this contribution we will discuss the use of both Oracle and NoSQL databases to implement the data management elements as well as the individual architectures chosen. We will discuss how the data management system functioned during the first run, and what improvements are planned in preparation for 2015.

Addressing System Reconfiguration and Incremental Integration within IMA Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrero, F.; Rodríques, A. I.

2009-05-01

Recently space industry is paying special attention to Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) systems due to the benefits that modular concepts could bring to the development of space applications, especially in terms of interoperability, flexibility and software reuse. Two important IMA goals to be highlighted are system reconfiguration, and incremental integration of new functionalities into a pre-existing system. The purpose of this paper is to show how system reconfiguration is conducted based on Allied Standard Avionics Architecture Council (ASAAC) concepts for IMA Systems. Besides, it aims to provide a proposal for addressing the incremental integration concept supported by our experience gained during European Technology Acquisition Program (ETAP) TDP1.7 programme. All these topics will be discussed taking into account safety issues and showing the blueprint as an appropriate technique to support these concepts.

Lightweight Modular Instrumentation for Planetary Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, P. B.

1993-01-01

An instrumentation, called Space Active Modular Materials ExperimentS (SAMMES), is developed for monitoring the spacecraft environment and for accurately measuring the degradation of space materials in low earth orbit (LEO). The SAMMES architecture concept can be extended to instrumentation for planetary exploration, both on spacecraft and in situ. The operating environment for planetary application will be substantially different, with temperature extremes and harsh solar wind and cosmic ray flux on lunar surfaces and temperature extremes and high winds on venusian and Martian surfaces. Moreover, instruments for surface deployment, which will be packaged in a small lander/rover (as in MESUR, for example), must be extremely compact with ultralow power and weight. With these requirements in mind, the SAMMES concept was extended to a sensor/instrumentation scheme for the lunar and Martian surface environment.

Multimodular biocatalysts for natural product assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarzer, Dirk; Marahiel, Mohamed A.

2001-03-01

Nonribosomal peptides and polyketides represent a large class of natural products that show an extreme structural diversity and broad pharmacological relevance. They are synthesized from simple building blocks such as amino or carboxy acids and malonate derivatives on multimodular enzymes called nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs), respectively. Although utilizing different substrates, NRPSs and PKSs show striking similarities in the modular architecture of their catalytic domains and product assembly-line mechanism. Among these compounds are well known antibiotics (penicillin, vancomycin and erythromycin) as well as potent immunosuppressive agents (cyclosporin, rapamycin and FK 506). This review focuses on the modular organization of NRPSs, PKSs and mixed NRPS/PKS systems and how modules and domains that build up the biosynthetic templates can be exploited for the rational design of recombinant enzymes capable of synthesizing novel compounds.

Controllable Modular Growth of Hierarchical MOF-on-MOF Architectures.

PubMed

Gu, Yifan; Wu, Yi-Nan; Li, Liangchun; Chen, Wei; Li, Fengting; Kitagawa, Susumu

2017-12-04

Fabrication of hybrid MOF-on-MOF heteroarchitectures can create novel and multifunctional platforms to achieve desired properties. However, only MOFs with similar crystallographic parameters can be hybridized by the classical epitaxial growth method (EGM), which largely suppressed its applications. A general strategy, called internal extended growth method (IEGM), is demonstrated for the feasible assembly of MOFs with distinct crystallographic parameters in an MOF matrix. Various MOFs with diverse functions could be introduced in a modular MOF matrix to form 3D core-satellite pluralistic hybrid system. The number of different MOF crystals interspersed could be varied on demand. More importantly, the different MOF crystals distributed in individual domains could be used to further incorporate functional units or enhance target functions. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Complex network view of evolving manifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Diamantino C.; Bianconi, Ginestra; da Costa, Rui A.; Dorogovtsev, Sergey N.; Mendes, José F. F.

2018-03-01

We study complex networks formed by triangulations and higher-dimensional simplicial complexes representing closed evolving manifolds. In particular, for triangulations, the set of possible transformations of these networks is restricted by the condition that at each step, all the faces must be triangles. Stochastic application of these operations leads to random networks with different architectures. We perform extensive numerical simulations and explore the geometries of growing and equilibrium complex networks generated by these transformations and their local structural properties. This characterization includes the Hausdorff and spectral dimensions of the resulting networks, their degree distributions, and various structural correlations. Our results reveal a rich zoo of architectures and geometries of these networks, some of which appear to be small worlds while others are finite dimensional with Hausdorff dimension equal or higher than the original dimensionality of their simplices. The range of spectral dimensions of the evolving triangulations turns out to be from about 1.4 to infinity. Our models include simplicial complexes representing manifolds with evolving topologies, for example, an h -holed torus with a progressively growing number of holes. This evolving graph demonstrates features of a small-world network and has a particularly heavy-tailed degree distribution.

The design of dual-mode complex signal processors based on quadratic modular number codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, W. K.; Krogmeier, J. V.

1987-04-01

It has been known for a long time that quadratic modular number codes admit an unusual representation of complex numbers which leads to complete decoupling of the real and imaginary channels, thereby simplifying complex multiplication and providing error isolation between the real and imaginary channels. This paper first presents a tutorial review of the theory behind the different types of complex modular rings (fields) that result from particular parameter selections, and then presents a theory for a 'dual-mode' complex signal processor based on the choice of augmented power-of-2 moduli. It is shown how a diminished-1 binary code, used by previous designers for the realization of Fermat number transforms, also leads to efficient realizations for dual-mode complex arithmetic for certain augmented power-of-2 moduli. Then a design is presented for a recursive complex filter based on a ROM/ACCUMULATOR architecture and realized in an augmented power-of-2 quadratic code, and a computer-generated example of a complex recursive filter is shown to illustrate the principles of the theory.

A Modular Plug-And-Play Sensor System for Urban Air Pollution Monitoring: Design, Implementation and Evaluation.

PubMed

Yi, Wei-Ying; Leung, Kwong-Sak; Leung, Yee

2017-12-22

Urban air pollution has caused public concern globally because it seriously affects human life. Modern monitoring systems providing pollution information with high spatio-temporal resolution have been developed to identify personal exposures. However, these systems' hardware specifications and configurations are usually fixed according to the applications. They can be inconvenient to maintain, and difficult to reconfigure and expand with respect to sensing capabilities. This paper aims at tackling these issues by adopting the proposed Modular Sensor System (MSS) architecture and Universal Sensor Interface (USI), and modular design in a sensor node. A compact MSS sensor node is implemented and evaluated. It has expandable sensor modules with plug-and-play feature and supports multiple Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Evaluation results show that MSS sensor nodes can easily fit in different scenarios, adapt to reconfigurations dynamically, and detect low concentration air pollution with high energy efficiency and good data accuracy. We anticipate that the efforts on system maintenance, adaptation, and evolution can be significantly reduced when deploying the system in the field.

A Modular Plug-And-Play Sensor System for Urban Air Pollution Monitoring: Design, Implementation and Evaluation

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Urban air pollution has caused public concern globally because it seriously affects human life. Modern monitoring systems providing pollution information with high spatio-temporal resolution have been developed to identify personal exposures. However, these systems’ hardware specifications and configurations are usually fixed according to the applications. They can be inconvenient to maintain, and difficult to reconfigure and expand with respect to sensing capabilities. This paper aims at tackling these issues by adopting the proposed Modular Sensor System (MSS) architecture and Universal Sensor Interface (USI), and modular design in a sensor node. A compact MSS sensor node is implemented and evaluated. It has expandable sensor modules with plug-and-play feature and supports multiple Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Evaluation results show that MSS sensor nodes can easily fit in different scenarios, adapt to reconfigurations dynamically, and detect low concentration air pollution with high energy efficiency and good data accuracy. We anticipate that the efforts on system maintenance, adaptation, and evolution can be significantly reduced when deploying the system in the field. PMID:29271952

Individual T1-weighted/T2-weighted ratio brain networks: Small-worldness, hubs and modular organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Huijun; Wang, Hao; Lü, Linyuan

Applying network science to investigate the complex systems has become a hot topic. In neuroscience, understanding the architectures of complex brain networks was a vital issue. An enormous amount of evidence had supported the brain was cost/efficiency trade-off with small-worldness, hubness and modular organization through the functional MRI and structural MRI investigations. However, the T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) ratio brain networks were mostly unexplored. Here, we utilized a KL divergence-based method to construct large-scale individual T1w/T2w ratio brain networks and investigated the underlying topological attributes of these networks. Our results supported that the T1w/T2w ratio brain networks were comprised of small-worldness, an exponentially truncated power-law degree distribution, frontal-parietal hubs and modular organization. Besides, there were significant positive correlations between the network metrics and fluid intelligence. Thus, the T1w/T2w ratio brain networks open a new avenue to understand the human brain and are a necessary supplement for future MRI studies.

Modular Activating Receptors in Innate and Adaptive Immunity.

PubMed

Berry, Richard; Call, Matthew E

2017-03-14

Triggering of cell-mediated immunity is largely dependent on the recognition of foreign or abnormal molecules by a myriad of cell surface-bound receptors. Many activating immune receptors do not possess any intrinsic signaling capacity but instead form noncovalent complexes with one or more dimeric signaling modules that communicate with a common set of kinases to initiate intracellular information-transfer pathways. This modular architecture, where the ligand binding and signaling functions are detached from one another, is a common theme that is widely employed throughout the innate and adaptive arms of immune systems. The evolutionary advantages of this highly adaptable platform for molecular recognition are visible in the variety of ligand-receptor interactions that can be linked to common signaling pathways, the diversification of receptor modules in response to pathogen challenges, and the amplification of cellular responses through incorporation of multiple signaling motifs. Here we provide an overview of the major classes of modular activating immune receptors and outline the current state of knowledge regarding how these receptors assemble, recognize their ligands, and ultimately trigger intracellular signal transduction pathways that activate immune cell effector functions.

A reversibly sealed, easy access, modular (SEAM) microfluidic architecture to establish in vitro tissue interfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abhyankar, Vinay V.; Wu, Meiye; Koh, Chung -Yan

Microfluidic barrier tissue models have emerged as advanced in vitro tools to explore interactions with external stimuli such as drug candidates, pathogens, or toxins. However, the procedures required to establish and maintain these systems can be challenging to implement for end users, particularly those without significant in-house engineering expertise. Here we present a module-based approach that provides an easy-to-use workflow to establish, maintain, and analyze microscale tissue constructs. Our approach begins with a removable culture insert that is magnetically coupled, decoupled, and transferred between standalone, prefabricated microfluidic modules for simplified cell seeding, culture, and downstream analysis. The modular approach allowsmore » several options for perfusion including standard syringe pumps or integration with a self-contained gravity-fed module for simple cell maintenance. As proof of concept, we establish a culture of primary human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) and report combined surface protein imaging and gene expression after controlled apical stimulation with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating hydrated biomaterial interfaces into the microfluidic architecture by integrating an ultra-thin (< 1 μm), self-assembled hyaluronic acid/peptide amphiphile culture membrane with brain-specific Young’s modulus (~ 1kPa). To highlight the importance of including biomimetic interfaces into microscale models we report multi-tiered readouts from primary rat cortical cells cultured on the self-assembled membrane and compare a panel of mRNA targets with primary brain tissue signatures. As a result, we anticipate that the modular approach and simplified operational workflows presented here will enable a wide range of research groups to incorporate microfluidic barrier tissue models into their work.« less

From hippocampus to whole-brain: The role of integrative processing in episodic memory retrieval.

PubMed

Geib, Benjamin R; Stanley, Matthew L; Dennis, Nancy A; Woldorff, Marty G; Cabeza, Roberto

2017-04-01

Multivariate functional connectivity analyses of neuroimaging data have revealed the importance of complex, distributed interactions between disparate yet interdependent brain regions. Recent work has shown that topological properties of functional brain networks are associated with individual and group differences in cognitive performance, including in episodic memory. After constructing functional whole-brain networks derived from an event-related fMRI study of memory retrieval, we examined differences in functional brain network architecture between forgotten and remembered words. This study yielded three main findings. First, graph theory analyses showed that successfully remembering compared to forgetting was associated with significant changes in the connectivity profile of the left hippocampus and a corresponding increase in efficient communication with the rest of the brain. Second, bivariate functional connectivity analyses indicated stronger interactions between the left hippocampus and a retrieval assembly for remembered versus forgotten items. This assembly included the left precuneus, left caudate, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and the bilateral dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus. Integrative properties of the retrieval assembly were greater for remembered than forgotten items. Third, whole-brain modularity analyses revealed that successful memory retrieval was marginally significantly associated with a less segregated modular architecture in the network. The magnitude of the decreases in modularity between remembered and forgotten conditions was related to memory performance. These findings indicate that increases in integrative properties at the nodal, retrieval assembly, and whole-brain topological levels facilitate memory retrieval, while also underscoring the potential of multivariate brain connectivity approaches for providing valuable new insights into the neural bases of memory processes. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2242-2259, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A reversibly sealed, easy access, modular (SEAM) microfluidic architecture to establish in vitro tissue interfaces

DOE PAGES

Abhyankar, Vinay V.; Wu, Meiye; Koh, Chung -Yan; ...

2016-05-26

Microfluidic barrier tissue models have emerged as advanced in vitro tools to explore interactions with external stimuli such as drug candidates, pathogens, or toxins. However, the procedures required to establish and maintain these systems can be challenging to implement for end users, particularly those without significant in-house engineering expertise. Here we present a module-based approach that provides an easy-to-use workflow to establish, maintain, and analyze microscale tissue constructs. Our approach begins with a removable culture insert that is magnetically coupled, decoupled, and transferred between standalone, prefabricated microfluidic modules for simplified cell seeding, culture, and downstream analysis. The modular approach allowsmore » several options for perfusion including standard syringe pumps or integration with a self-contained gravity-fed module for simple cell maintenance. As proof of concept, we establish a culture of primary human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) and report combined surface protein imaging and gene expression after controlled apical stimulation with the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating hydrated biomaterial interfaces into the microfluidic architecture by integrating an ultra-thin (< 1 μm), self-assembled hyaluronic acid/peptide amphiphile culture membrane with brain-specific Young’s modulus (~ 1kPa). To highlight the importance of including biomimetic interfaces into microscale models we report multi-tiered readouts from primary rat cortical cells cultured on the self-assembled membrane and compare a panel of mRNA targets with primary brain tissue signatures. As a result, we anticipate that the modular approach and simplified operational workflows presented here will enable a wide range of research groups to incorporate microfluidic barrier tissue models into their work.« less

MODULAR MANIPULATOR FOR ROBOTICS APPLICATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joseph W. Geisinger, Ph.D.

ARM Automation, Inc. is developing a framework of modular actuators that can address the DOE's wide range of robotics needs. The objective of this effort is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology by constructing a manipulator from these actuators within a glovebox for Automated Plutonium Processing (APP). At the end of the project, the system of actuators was used to construct several different manipulator configurations, which accommodate common glovebox tasks such as repackaging. The modular nature and quickconnects of this system simplify installation into ''hot'' boxes and any potential modifications or repair therein. This work focused on the developmentmore » of self-contained robotic actuator modules including the embedded electronic controls for the purpose of building a manipulator system. Both of the actuators developed under this project contain the control electronics, sensors, motor, gear train, wiring, system communications and mechanical interfaces of a complete robotics servo device. Test actuators and accompanying DISC{trademark}s underwent validation testing at The University of Texas at Austin and ARM Automation, Inc. following final design and fabrication. The system also included custom links, an umbilical cord, an open architecture PC-based system controller, and operational software that permitted integration into a completely functional robotic manipulator system. The open architecture on which this system is based avoids proprietary interfaces and communication protocols which only serve to limit the capabilities and flexibility of automation equipment. The system was integrated and tested in the contractor's facility for intended performance and operations. The manipulator was tested using the full-scale equipment and process mock-ups. The project produced a practical and operational system including a quantitative evaluation of its performance and cost.« less

Modular System to Enable Extravehicular Activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam J.

2011-01-01

The ability to perform extravehicular activity (EVA), both human and robotic, has been identified as a key component to space missions to support such operations as assembly and maintenance of space system (e.g. construction and maintenance of the International Space Station), and unscheduled activities to repair an element of the transportation and habitation systems that can only be accessed externally and via unpressurized areas. In order to make human transportation beyond lower earth orbit (BLEO) practical, efficiencies must be incorporated into the integrated transportation systems to reduce system mass and operational complexity. Affordability is also a key aspect to be considered in space system development; this could be achieved through commonality, modularity and component reuse. Another key aspect identified for the EVA system was the ability to produce flight worthy hardware quickly to support early missions and near Earth technology demonstrations. This paper details a conceptual architecture for a modular extravehicular activity system (MEVAS) that would meet these stated needs for EVA capability that is affordable, and that could be produced relatively quickly. Operational concepts were developed to elaborate on the defined needs and define the key capabilities, operational and design constraints, and general timelines. The operational concept lead to a high level design concept for a module that interfaces with various space transportation elements and contains the hardware and systems required to support human and telerobotic EVA; the module would not be self-propelled and would rely on an interfacing element for consumable resources. The conceptual architecture was then compared to EVA Systems used in the Shuttle Orbiter, on the International Space Station to develop high level design concepts that incorporate opportunities for cost savings through hardware reuse, and quick production through the use of existing technologies and hardware designs. An upgrade option was included to make use of the developing suitport technologies.

Mission Design Considerations for Mars Cargo of the Human Spaceflight Architecture Team's Evolvable Mars Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sjauw, Waldy K.; McGuire, Melissa L.; Freeh, Joshua E.

2016-01-01

Recent NASA interest in human missions to Mars has led to an Evolvable Mars Campaign by the agency's Human Architecture Team. Delivering the crew return propulsion stages and Mars surface landers, SEP based systems are employed because of their high specific impulse characteristics enabling missions requiring less propellant although with longer transfer times. The Earth departure trajectories start from an SLS launch vehicle delivery orbit and are spiral shaped because of the low SEP thrust. Previous studies have led to interest in assessing the divide in trip time between the Earth departure and interplanetary legs of the mission for a representative SEP cargo vehicle.

Of mice and men, nature and nurture, and a few red herrings.

PubMed

Hauser, Marc D

2017-01-01

Burkart et al.'s proposal is based on three false premises: (1) theories of the mind are either domain-specific/modular (DSM) or domain-general (DG); (2) DSM systems are considered inflexible, built by nature; and (3) animal minds are deemed as purely DSM. Clearing up these conceptual confusions is a necessary first step in understanding how general intelligence evolved.

Domain Drivers in the Modularization of FLOSS Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capiluppi, Andrea

The classification of software systems into types has been achieved in the past by observing both their specifications and behavioral patterns: the SPE classification, for instance, and its further supplements and refinements, has identified the S-type (i.e., fully specified), the P-type (i.e., specified but dependent on the context) and the E-type (i.e., addressing evolving problems) among the software systems.

Next Generation Mass Memory Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herpel, H.-J.; Stahle, M.; Lonsdorfer, U.; Binzer, N.

2010-08-01

Future Mass Memory units will have to cope with various demanding requirements driven by onboard instruments (optical and SAR) that generate a huge amount of data (>10TBit) at a data rate > 6 Gbps. For downlink data rates around 3 Gbps will be feasible using latest ka-band technology together with Variable Coding and Modulation (VCM) techniques. These high data rates and storage capacities need to be effectively managed. Therefore, data structures and data management functions have to be improved and adapted to existing standards like the Packet Utilisation Standard (PUS). In this paper we will present a highly modular and scalable architectural approach for mass memories in order to support a wide range of mission requirements.

The architectonics of programmable RNA and DNA nanostructures.

PubMed

Jaeger, Luc; Chworos, Arkadiusz

2006-08-01

The past several years have witnessed the emergence of a new world of nucleic-acid-based architectures with highly predictable and programmable self-assembly properties. For almost two decades, DNA has been the primary material for nucleic acid nanoconstruction. More recently, the dramatic increase in RNA structural information led to the development of RNA architectonics, the scientific study of the principles of RNA architecture with the aim of constructing RNA nanostructures of any arbitrary size and shape. The remarkable modularity and the distinct but complementary nature of RNA and DNA nanomaterials are revealed by the various self-assembly strategies that aim to achieve control of the arrangement of matter at a nanoscale level.

Adaptive fuzzy leader clustering of complex data sets in pattern recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newton, Scott C.; Pemmaraju, Surya; Mitra, Sunanda

1992-01-01

A modular, unsupervised neural network architecture for clustering and classification of complex data sets is presented. The adaptive fuzzy leader clustering (AFLC) architecture is a hybrid neural-fuzzy system that learns on-line in a stable and efficient manner. The initial classification is performed in two stages: a simple competitive stage and a distance metric comparison stage. The cluster prototypes are then incrementally updated by relocating the centroid positions from fuzzy C-means system equations for the centroids and the membership values. The AFLC algorithm is applied to the Anderson Iris data and laser-luminescent fingerprint image data. It is concluded that the AFLC algorithm successfully classifies features extracted from real data, discrete or continuous.

Secure Remote Access Issues in a Control Center Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitts, Lee; McNair, Ann R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The ISS finally reached an operational state and exists for local and remote users. Onboard payload systems are managed by the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). Users access HOSC systems by internet protocols in support of daily operations, preflight simulation, and test. In support of this diverse user community, a modem security architecture has been implemented. The architecture has evolved over time from an isolated but open system to a system which supports local and remote access to the ISS over broad geographic regions. This has been accomplished through the use of an evolved security strategy, PKI, and custom design. Through this paper, descriptions of the migration process and the lessons learned are presented. This will include product decision criteria, rationale, and the use of commodity products in the end architecture. This paper will also stress the need for interoperability of various products and the effects of seemingly insignificant details.

Secure Payload Access to the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitts, R. Lee; Reid, Chris

2002-01-01

The ISS finally reached an operational state and exists for local and remote users. Onboard payload systems are managed by the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC). Users access HOSC systems by internet protocols in support of daily operations, preflight simulation, and test. In support of this diverse user community, a modem security architecture has been implemented. The architecture has evolved over time from an isolated but open system to a system which supports local and remote access to the ISS over broad geographic regions. This has been accomplished through the use of an evolved security strategy, PKI, and custom design. Through this paper, descriptions of the migration process and the lessons learned are presented. This will include product decision criteria, rationale, and the use of commodity products in the end architecture. This paper will also stress the need for interoperability of various products and the effects of seemingly insignificant details.

A modular BLSS simulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rummel, John D.; Volk, Tyler

1987-01-01

A bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) for extraterrestrial use will be faced with coordination problems more acute than those in any ecosystem found on Earth. A related problem in BLSS design is providing an interface between the various life support processors, one that will allow for their coordination while still allowing for system expansion. A modular model is presented of a BLSS that interfaces system processors only with the material storage reservoirs, allowing those reservoirs to act as the principal buffers in the system and thus minimizing difficulties with processor coordination. The modular nature of the model allows independent development of the detailed submodels that exist within the model framework. Using this model, BLSS dynamics were investigated under normal conditions and under various failure modes. Partial and complete failures of various components, such as the waste processors or the plants themselves, drive transient responses in the model system, allowing the examination of the effectiveness of the system reservoirs as buffers. The results from simulations help to determine control strategies and BLSS design requirements. An evolved version could be used as an interactive control aid in a future BLSS.

Botulinum neurotoxin: a marvel of protein design.

PubMed

Montal, Mauricio

2010-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), the causative agent of botulism, is acknowledged to be the most poisonous protein known. BoNT proteases disable synaptic vesicle exocytosis by cleaving their cytosolic SNARE (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor) substrates. BoNT is a modular nanomachine: an N-terminal Zn(2+)-metalloprotease, which cleaves the SNAREs; a central helical protein-conducting channel, which chaperones the protease across endosomes; and a C-terminal receptor-binding module, consisting of two subdomains that determine target specificity by binding to a ganglioside and a protein receptor on the cell surface and triggering endocytosis. For BoNT, functional complexity emerges from its modular design and the tight interplay between its component modules--a partnership with consequences that surpass the simple sum of the individual component's action. BoNTs exploit this design at each step of the intoxication process, thereby achieving an exquisite toxicity. This review summarizes current knowledge on the structure of individual modules and presents mechanistic insights into how this protein machine evolved to this level of sophistication. Understanding the design principles underpinning the function of such a dynamic modular protein remains a challenging task.

Mars Surface Habitability Options

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howe, A. Scott; Simon, Matthew; Smitherman, David; Howard, Robert; Toups, Larry; Hoffman, Stephen J.

2015-01-01

This paper reports on current habitability concepts for an Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) prepared by the NASA Human Spaceflight Architecture Team (HAT). For many years NASA has investigated alternative human Mars missions, examining different mission objectives, trajectories, vehicles, and technologies; the combinations of which have been referred to as reference missions or architectures. At the highest levels, decisions regarding the timing and objectives for a human mission to Mars continue to evolve while at the lowest levels, applicable technologies continue to advance. This results in an on-going need for assessments of alternative system designs such as the habitat, a significant element in any human Mars mission scenario, to provide meaningful design sensitivity characterizations to assist decision-makers regarding timing, objectives, and technologies. As a subset of the Evolvable Mars Campaign activities, the habitability team builds upon results from past studies and recommends options for Mars surface habitability compatible with updated technologies.

Recurrent cerebellar architecture solves the motor-error problem.

PubMed Central

Porrill, John; Dean, Paul; Stone, James V.

2004-01-01

Current views of cerebellar function have been heavily influenced by the models of Marr and Albus, who suggested that the climbing fibre input to the cerebellum acts as a teaching signal for motor learning. It is commonly assumed that this teaching signal must be motor error (the difference between actual and correct motor command), but this approach requires complex neural structures to estimate unobservable motor error from its observed sensory consequences. We have proposed elsewhere a recurrent decorrelation control architecture in which Marr-Albus models learn without requiring motor error. Here, we prove convergence for this architecture and demonstrate important advantages for the modular control of systems with multiple degrees of freedom. These results are illustrated by modelling adaptive plant compensation for the three-dimensional vestibular ocular reflex. This provides a functional role for recurrent cerebellar connectivity, which may be a generic anatomical feature of projections between regions of cerebral and cerebellar cortex. PMID:15255096

A RESTful Service Oriented Architecture for Science Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duggan, B.; Tilmes, C.; Durbin, P.; Masuoka, E.

2012-12-01

The Atmospheric Composition Processing System is an implementation of a RESTful Service Oriented Architecture which handles incoming data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument and the Ozone Monitoring and Profiler Suite aboard the Aura and NPP spacecrafts respectively. The system has been built entirely from open source components, such as Postgres, Perl, and SQLite and has leveraged the vast resources of the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN). The modular design of the system also allows for many of the components to be easily released and integrated into the CPAN ecosystem and reused independently. At minimal expense, the CPAN infrastructure and community provide peer review, feedback and continuous testing in a wide variety of environments and architectures. A well defined set of conventions also facilitates dependency management, packaging, and distribution of code. Test driven development also provides a way to ensure stability despite a continuously changing base of dependencies.

A polyhedron made of tRNAs.

PubMed

Severcan, Isil; Geary, Cody; Chworos, Arkadiusz; Voss, Neil; Jacovetty, Erica; Jaeger, Luc

2010-09-01

Supramolecular assembly is a powerful strategy used by nature to build nanoscale architectures with predefined sizes and shapes. With synthetic systems, however, numerous challenges remain to be solved before precise control over the synthesis, folding and assembly of rationally designed three-dimensional nano-objects made of RNA can be achieved. Here, using the transfer RNA molecule as a structural building block, we report the design, efficient synthesis and structural characterization of stable, modular three-dimensional particles adopting the polyhedral geometry of a non-uniform square antiprism. The spatial control within the final architecture allows the precise positioning and encapsulation of proteins. This work demonstrates that a remarkable degree of structural control can be achieved with RNA structural motifs for the construction of thermostable three-dimensional nano-architectures that do not rely on helix bundles or tensegrity. RNA three-dimensional particles could potentially be used as carriers or scaffolds in nanomedicine and synthetic biology.

A polyhedron made of tRNAs

PubMed Central

Severcan, Isil; Geary, Cody; Chworos, Arkadiusz; Voss, Neil; Jacovetty, Erica; Jaeger, Luc

2010-01-01

Supra-molecular assembly is a powerful strategy used by nature for building nano-scale architectures with predefined sizes and shapes. Numerous challenges remain however to be solved in order to demonstrate precise control over the synthesis, folding and assembly of rationally designed three-dimensional (3D) nano-objects made of RNA. Using the transfer RNA molecule as a structural building block, we report the design, efficient synthesis and structural characterization of stable, modular 3D particles adopting the polyhedral geometry of a non-uniform square antiprism. The spatial control within the final architecture allows precise positioning and encapsulation of proteins. This work demonstrates that a remarkable degree of structural control can be achieved with RNA structural motifs to build thermostable 3D nano-architectures that do not rely on helix bundles or tensegrity. RNA 3D particles can potentially be used as carriers or scaffolds in nano-medicine and synthetic biology. PMID:20729899

Design for Verification: Enabling Verification of High Dependability Software-Intensive Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehlitz, Peter C.; Penix, John; Markosian, Lawrence Z.; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

Strategies to achieve confidence that high-dependability applications are correctly implemented include testing and automated verification. Testing deals mainly with a limited number of expected execution paths. Verification usually attempts to deal with a larger number of possible execution paths. While the impact of architecture design on testing is well known, its impact on most verification methods is not as well understood. The Design for Verification approach considers verification from the application development perspective, in which system architecture is designed explicitly according to the application's key properties. The D4V-hypothesis is that the same general architecture and design principles that lead to good modularity, extensibility and complexity/functionality ratio can be adapted to overcome some of the constraints on verification tools, such as the production of hand-crafted models and the limits on dynamic and static analysis caused by state space explosion.

Rapidly Re-Configurable Flight Simulator Tools for Crew Vehicle Integration Research and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schutte, Paul C.; Trujillo, Anna; Pritchett, Amy R.

2000-01-01

While simulation is a valuable research and design tool, the time and difficulty required to create new simulations (or re-use existing simulations) often limits their application. This report describes the design of the software architecture for the Reconfigurable Flight Simulator (RFS), which provides a robust simulation framework that allows the simulator to fulfill multiple research and development goals. The core of the architecture provides the interface standards for simulation components, registers and initializes components, and handles the communication between simulation components. The simulation components are each a pre-compiled library 'plug-in' module. This modularity allows independent development and sharing of individual simulation components. Additional interfaces can be provided through the use of Object Data/Method Extensions (OD/ME). RFS provides a programmable run-time environment for real-time access and manipulation, and has networking capabilities using the High Level Architecture (HLA).

System architecture for asynchronous multi-processor robotic control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, Robert D.; Long, Mark; Backes, Paul

1993-01-01

The architecture for the Modular Telerobot Task Execution System (MOTES) as implemented in the Supervisory Telerobotics (STELER) Laboratory is described. MOTES is the software component of the remote site of a local-remote telerobotic system which is being developed for NASA for space applications, in particular Space Station Freedom applications. The system is being developed to provide control and supervised autonomous control to support both space based operation and ground-remote control with time delay. The local-remote architecture places task planning responsibilities at the local site and task execution responsibilities at the remote site. This separation allows the remote site to be designed to optimize task execution capability within a limited computational environment such as is expected in flight systems. The local site task planning system could be placed on the ground where few computational limitations are expected. MOTES is written in the Ada programming language for a multiprocessor environment.

A Programmable SDN+NFV Architecture for UAV Telemetry Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Kyle J. S.; Pezaros, Dimitrios P.; Denney, Ewen; Knudson, Matt D.

2017-01-01

With the explosive growth in UAV numbers forecast worldwide, a core concern is how to manage the ad-hoc network configuration required for mobility management. As UAVs migrate among ground control stations, associated network services, routing and operational control must also rapidly migrate to ensure a seamless transition. In this paper, we present a novel, lightweight and modular architecture which supports high mobility, resilience and flexibility through the application of SDN and NFV principles on top of the UAV infrastructure. By combining SDN programmability and Network Function Virtualization we can achieve resilient infrastructure migration of network services, such as network monitoring and anomaly detection, coupled with migrating UAVs to enable high mobility management. Our container-based monitoring and anomaly detection Network Functions (NFs) can be tuned to specific UAV models providing operators better insight during live, high-mobility deployments. We evaluate our architecture against telemetry from over 80flights from a scientific research UAV infrastructure.

Rapidly Re-Configurable Flight Simulator Tools for Crew Vehicle Integration Research and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchett, Amy R.

2002-01-01

While simulation is a valuable research and design tool, the time and difficulty required to create new simulations (or re-use existing simulations) often limits their application. This report describes the design of the software architecture for the Reconfigurable Flight Simulator (RFS), which provides a robust simulation framework that allows the simulator to fulfill multiple research and development goals. The core of the architecture provides the interface standards for simulation components, registers and initializes components, and handles the communication between simulation components. The simulation components are each a pre-compiled library 'plugin' module. This modularity allows independent development and sharing of individual simulation components. Additional interfaces can be provided through the use of Object Data/Method Extensions (OD/ME). RFS provides a programmable run-time environment for real-time access and manipulation, and has networking capabilities using the High Level Architecture (HLA).

A Successful Component Architecture for Interoperable and Evolvable Ground Data Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Danford S.; Bristow, John O.; Wilmot, Jonathan

2006-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has adopted an open architecture approach for satellite control centers and is now realizing benefits beyond those originally envisioned. The Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) architecture utilizes standardized interfaces and a middleware software bus to allow functional components to be easily integrated. This paper presents the GMSEC architectural goals and concepts, the capabilities enabled and the benefits realized by adopting this framework approach. NASA experiences with applying the GMSEC architecture on multiple missions are discussed. The paper concludes with a summary of lessons learned, future directions for GMSEC and the possible applications beyond NASA GSFC.

Engineering Design Graphics: Into the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, La Verne Abe; Meyers, Frederick

2007-01-01

Graphical plans for construction of machinery and architecture have evolved over the last 6,000 years beginning from hieroglyphics to drawings on printable media, from the "Golden Age" of engineering graphics to the innovation of computer graphics and prototyping. The evolution of engineering design graphics as a profession has also evolved. Years…

A Modular and Configurable Instrument Electronics Architecture for "MiniSAR"- An Advanced Smallsat SAR Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Jaime; Pastena, Max; Bierens, Laurens

2013-08-01

MiniSAR is a Dutch program focused on the development of a commercial smallsat featuring a SAR instrument, led by SSBV as prime contractor. In this paper an Instrument Electronics (IEL) system concept to meet the MiniSAR demands is presented. This system has several specificities wrt similar initiatives in the European space industry, driven by our main requirement: keep it small.

Architectures for Cognitive Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

highly modular many- node chip was designed which addressed power efficiency to the maximum extent possible. Each node contains an Asynchronous Field...optimization to perform complex cognitive computing operations. This project focused on the design of the core and integration across a four node chip . A...follow on project will focus on creating a 3 dimensional stack of chips that is enabled by the low power usage. The chip incorporates structures to

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Performing the Airdrop Mission

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

airdrop assets due to the threat level. This limitation likely enters 2 into Unified Combatant Commanders’ ( UCC ) calculus when deciding what, if any...this consideration for the UCCs , as historically the American public has shown little concern when faced with loss of RPA, versus grave concern over...2040 time-frame) are currently envisioned to have a fully modular payload and avionics architecture, designed to allow sharing of a common

Where Have All the Nunn-McCurdys Gone

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

trickier than coming up with root causes of problems. While opinions abound, it is difficult to ascertain that a given action or set of actions is...change that has been lauded by most defense experts as extremely positive. WSARA made sweeping changes that have strengthened ac- countability of...prior to MS B, and measures to ensure adequate competition, including competitive proto- typing, dual sourcing, and modular open architectures, among

Advanced Mating System Development for Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, James L.

2004-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the development of space flight sealing and the work required for the further development of a dynamic interface seal for the use on space mating systems to support a fully androgynous mating interface. This effort has resulted in the advocacy of developing a standard multipurpose interface for use with all modern modular space architecture. This fully androgynous design means a seal-on-seal (SOS) system.

A small world of weak ties provides optimal global integration of self-similar modules in functional brain networks.

PubMed

Gallos, Lazaros K; Makse, Hernán A; Sigman, Mariano

2012-02-21

The human brain is organized in functional modules. Such an organization presents a basic conundrum: Modules ought to be sufficiently independent to guarantee functional specialization and sufficiently connected to bind multiple processors for efficient information transfer. It is commonly accepted that small-world architecture of short paths and large local clustering may solve this problem. However, there is intrinsic tension between shortcuts generating small worlds and the persistence of modularity, a global property unrelated to local clustering. Here, we present a possible solution to this puzzle. We first show that a modified percolation theory can define a set of hierarchically organized modules made of strong links in functional brain networks. These modules are "large-world" self-similar structures and, therefore, are far from being small-world. However, incorporating weaker ties to the network converts it into a small world preserving an underlying backbone of well-defined modules. Remarkably, weak ties are precisely organized as predicted by theory maximizing information transfer with minimal wiring cost. This trade-off architecture is reminiscent of the "strength of weak ties" crucial concept of social networks. Such a design suggests a natural solution to the paradox of efficient information flow in the highly modular structure of the brain.

A small world of weak ties provides optimal global integration of self-similar modules in functional brain networks

PubMed Central

Gallos, Lazaros K.; Makse, Hernán A.; Sigman, Mariano

2012-01-01

The human brain is organized in functional modules. Such an organization presents a basic conundrum: Modules ought to be sufficiently independent to guarantee functional specialization and sufficiently connected to bind multiple processors for efficient information transfer. It is commonly accepted that small-world architecture of short paths and large local clustering may solve this problem. However, there is intrinsic tension between shortcuts generating small worlds and the persistence of modularity, a global property unrelated to local clustering. Here, we present a possible solution to this puzzle. We first show that a modified percolation theory can define a set of hierarchically organized modules made of strong links in functional brain networks. These modules are “large-world” self-similar structures and, therefore, are far from being small-world. However, incorporating weaker ties to the network converts it into a small world preserving an underlying backbone of well-defined modules. Remarkably, weak ties are precisely organized as predicted by theory maximizing information transfer with minimal wiring cost. This trade-off architecture is reminiscent of the “strength of weak ties” crucial concept of social networks. Such a design suggests a natural solution to the paradox of efficient information flow in the highly modular structure of the brain. PMID:22308319

Value-centric design architecture based on analysis of space system characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Q.; Hollingsworth, P.; Smith, K.

2018-03-01

Emerging design concepts such as miniaturisation, modularity, and standardisation, have contributed to the rapid development of small and inexpensive platforms, particularly cubesats. This has been stimulating an upcoming revolution in space design and development, leading satellites into the era of "smaller, faster, and cheaper". However, the current requirement-centric design philosophy, focused on bespoke monolithic systems, along with the associated development and production process does not inherently fit with the innovative modular, standardised, and mass-produced technologies. This paper presents a new categorisation, characterisation, and value-centric design architecture to address this need for both traditional and novel system designs. Based on the categorisation of system configurations, a characterisation of space systems, comprised of duplication, fractionation, and derivation, is proposed to capture the overall system configuration characteristics and promote potential hybrid designs. Complying with the definitions of the system characterisation, mathematical mapping relations between the system characterisation and the system properties are described to establish the mathematical foundation of the proposed value-centric design methodology. To illustrate the methodology, subsystem reliability relationships are therefore analysed to explore potential system configurations in the design space. The results of the applications of system characteristic analysis clearly show that the effects of different configuration characteristics on the system properties can be effectively analysed and evaluated, enabling the optimization of system configurations.

Open modular architecture controls at GM Powertrain: technology and implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailo, Clark P.; Yen, C. J.

1997-01-01

General Motors Powertrain Group (GMPTG) has been the leader in implementing open, modular architecture controller (OMAC) technologies in its manufacturing applications since 1986. The interest in OMAC has been greatly expanded for the past two years because of the advancement of personal computer technologies and the publishing of the OMAC whitepaper by the US automotive companies stating the requirements of OMAC technologies in automotive applications. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current OMAC projects and the future direction of implementation at GMPTG. An overview of the OMAC project and the definition of the OMAC concept are described first. The rationale of pursuing open technologies is explained from the perspective of GMPTG in lieu of its agile manufacturing strategy. Examples of existing PC-based control applications are listed to demonstrate the extensive commitment to PC-based technologies that has already been put in place. A migration plan form PC-based to OMAC-based systems with the thorough approach of validation are presented next to convey the direction that GMPTG is taking in implementing OMAC technologies. Leveraged technology development projects are described to illustrate the philosophy and approaches toward the development of OMAC technologies at GMPTG. Finally, certain implementation issues are discussed to emphasize efforts that are still required to have successful implementations of OMAC systems.

Modular Approach to Launch Vehicle Design Based on a Common Core Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Creech, Dennis M.; Threet, Grady E., Jr.; Philips, Alan D.; Waters, Eric D.; Baysinger, Mike

2010-01-01

With a heavy lift launch vehicle as the centerpiece of our nation's next exploration architecture's infrastructure, the Advanced Concepts Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center initiated a study to examine the utilization of elements derived from a heavy lift launch vehicle for other potential launch vehicle applications. The premise of this study is to take a vehicle concept, which has been optimized for Lunar Exploration, and utilize the core stage with other existing or near existing stages and boosters to determine lift capabilities for alternative missions. This approach not only yields a vehicle matrix with a wide array of capabilities, but also produces an evolutionary pathway to a vehicle family based on a minimum development and production cost approach to a launch vehicle system architecture, instead of a purely performance driven approach. The upper stages and solid rocket booster selected for this study were chosen to reflect a cross-section of: modified existing assets in the form of a modified Delta IV upper stage and Castor-type boosters; potential near term launch vehicle component designs including an Ares I upper stage and 5-segment boosters; and longer lead vehicle components such as a Shuttle External Tank diameter upper stage. The results of this approach to a modular launch system are given in this paper.

Behavioural plasticity in evolving robots.

PubMed

Carvalho, Jônata Tyska; Nolfi, Stefano

2016-12-01

In this paper, we show how the development of plastic behaviours, i.e., behaviour displaying a modular organisation characterised by behavioural subunits that are alternated in a context-dependent manner, can enable evolving robots to solve their adaptive task more efficiently also when it does not require the accomplishment of multiple conflicting functions. The comparison of the results obtained in different experimental conditions indicates that the most important prerequisites for the evolution of behavioural plasticity are: the possibility to generate and perceive affordances (i.e., opportunities for behaviour execution), the possibility to rely on flexible regulatory processes that exploit both external and internal cues, and the possibility to realise smooth and effective transitions between behaviours.

A Distributed Laboratory for Event-Driven Coastal Prediction and Hazard Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogden, P.; Allen, G.; MacLaren, J.; Creager, G. J.; Flournoy, L.; Sheng, Y. P.; Graber, H.; Graves, S.; Conover, H.; Luettich, R.; Perrie, W.; Ramakrishnan, L.; Reed, D. A.; Wang, H. V.

2006-12-01

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active in recorded history. Collectively, 2005 hurricanes caused more than 2,280 deaths and record damages of over 100 billion dollars. Of the storms that made landfall, Dennis, Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma caused most of the destruction. Accurate predictions of storm-driven surge, wave height, and inundation can save lives and help keep recovery costs down, provided the information gets to emergency response managers in time. The information must be available well in advance of landfall so that responders can weigh the costs of unnecessary evacuation against the costs of inadequate preparation. The SURA Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction (SCOOP) Program is a multi-institution collaboration implementing a modular, distributed service-oriented architecture for real time prediction and visualization of the impacts of extreme atmospheric events. The modular infrastructure enables real-time prediction of multi- scale, multi-model, dynamic, data-driven applications. SURA institutions are working together to create a virtual and distributed laboratory integrating coastal models, simulation data, and observations with computational resources and high speed networks. The loosely coupled architecture allows teams of computer and coastal scientists at multiple institutions to innovate complex system components that are interconnected with relatively stable interfaces. The operational system standardizes at the interface level to enable substantial innovation by complementary communities of coastal and computer scientists. This architectural philosophy solves a long-standing problem associated with the transition from research to operations. The SCOOP Program thereby implements a prototype laboratory consistent with the vision of a national, multi-agency initiative called the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Several service- oriented components of the SCOOP enterprise architecture have already been designed and implemented, including data archive and transport services, metadata registry and retrieval (catalog), resource management, and portal interfaces. SCOOP partners are integrating these at the service level and implementing reconfigurable workflows for several kinds of user scenarios, and are working with resource providers to prototype new policies and technologies for on-demand computing.

Novel architecture for data management and control for small satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adami, G.; Fossati, D.; Turri, M.

1995-12-01

The paper introduces an innovative architecture for the on-board units that are responsible to provide the data interface, control and processing capability normally allocated in separated electronics boxes in the data handling subsystem of the space system. A new solution for the attitude control of the space vehicle has been studied and developed and the utilization of this technological growth, in particular that concerns the GPS receiver, is matter for novel architecture. This new approach also involves in general the small satellite ground segment product as matter of a dedicated development approach. Small and medium satellites are considered an attractive solution for the low cost scientific experimentation, communication or remote sensing satellites. The functional and performance capability of the studied on-board units and ground segment are assessed in tight conjunction with the evolution of the European and the USA market. The design of these units has to be based on few and simple driving requirements, directly derived from the new modified scenario: (1) The limited budgets available for space system. (2) The quick mission data return, i.e., low development time by specific and tailored system development tools. The quick availability of data to scientists/user is requested without jeopardizing the maximum and guaranteed scientific or commercial return. The proposed system is then given thinking to an architecture based on a high degree of modularity (and reuse of existing library of modules) thus allowing to keep down costs and to speed up the time to market. The design ground rules are so established in order to cope with the following performance: (1) capability to adapt with few impacts the system interfaces, in particular for attitude sensors and actuators that are tightly mission dependent; (2) easy adaptation of on board computational performances and memory capacity (including mass memory storage capability); (3) definition of a hierarchical and modular software design for the same rationale explained for the hardware.

The flight telerobotic servicer: From functional architecture to computer architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lumia, Ronald; Fiala, John

1989-01-01

After a brief tutorial on the NASA/National Bureau of Standards Standard Reference Model for Telerobot Control System Architecture (NASREM) functional architecture, the approach to its implementation is shown. First, interfaces must be defined which are capable of supporting the known algorithms. This is illustrated by considering the interfaces required for the SERVO level of the NASREM functional architecture. After interface definition, the specific computer architecture for the implementation must be determined. This choice is obviously technology dependent. An example illustrating one possible mapping of the NASREM functional architecture to a particular set of computers which implements it is shown. The result of choosing the NASREM functional architecture is that it provides a technology independent paradigm which can be mapped into a technology dependent implementation capable of evolving with technology in the laboratory and in space.

The NASA Space Communications Data Networking Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israel, David J.; Hooke, Adrian J.; Freeman, Kenneth; Rush, John J.

2006-01-01

The NASA Space Communications Architecture Working Group (SCAWG) has recently been developing an integrated agency-wide space communications architecture in order to provide the necessary communication and navigation capabilities to support NASA's new Exploration and Science Programs. A critical element of the space communications architecture is the end-to-end Data Networking Architecture, which must provide a wide range of services required for missions ranging from planetary rovers to human spaceflight, and from sub-orbital space to deep space. Requirements for a higher degree of user autonomy and interoperability between a variety of elements must be accommodated within an architecture that necessarily features minimum operational complexity. The architecture must also be scalable and evolvable to meet mission needs for the next 25 years. This paper will describe the recommended NASA Data Networking Architecture, present some of the rationale for the recommendations, and will illustrate an application of the architecture to example NASA missions.

Security Policy for a Generic Space Exploration Communication Network Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Sheehe, Charles J.; Vaden, Karl R.

2016-01-01

This document is one of three. It describes various security mechanisms and a security policy profile for a generic space-based communication architecture. Two other documents accompany this document- an Operations Concept (OpsCon) and a communication architecture document. The OpsCon should be read first followed by the security policy profile described by this document and then the architecture document. The overall goal is to design a generic space exploration communication network architecture that is affordable, deployable, maintainable, securable, evolvable, reliable, and adaptable. The architecture should also require limited reconfiguration throughout system development and deployment. System deployment includes subsystem development in a factory setting, system integration in a laboratory setting, launch preparation, launch, and deployment and operation in space.

Pre-Results of the Real-Time ODIN Validation on MARTe Using Plasma Linearized Model in FTU Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadeghi, Yahya; Boncagni, Luca

2012-06-01

MARTe is a modular framework for real-time control aspects. At present time there are several MARTe systems under development at Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (Boncagni et al. in First steps in the FTU migration towards a modular and distributed real time control architecture based on MARTe and RTNet, 2010) such as the LH power percentage system, the gas puffing control system, the real-time ODIN plasma equilibrium reconstruction system and the position/current feedback control system (in a design phase) (Boncagni et al. in J Fusion Eng Design). The real-time reconstruction of magnetic flux in FTU tokamak is an important issue to estimate some quantities that can be use to control the plasma. This paper addresses the validation of real-time implementation of that task on MARTe.

A Sensor Middleware for integration of heterogeneous medical devices.

PubMed

Brito, M; Vale, L; Carvalho, P; Henriques, J

2010-01-01

In this paper, the architecture of a modular, service-oriented, Sensor Middleware for data acquisition and processing is presented. The described solution was developed with the purpose of solving two increasingly relevant problems in the context of modern pHealth systems: i) to aggregate a number of heterogeneous, off-the-shelf, devices from which clinical measurements can be acquired and ii) to provide access and integration with an 802.15.4 network of wearable sensors. The modular nature of the Middleware provides the means to easily integrate pre-processing algorithms into processing pipelines, as well as new drivers for adding support for new sensor devices or communication technologies. Tests performed with both real and artificially generated data streams show that the presented solution is suitable for use both in a Windows PC or a Windows Mobile PDA with minimal overhead.

Large constraint length high speed viterbi decoder based on a modular hierarchial decomposition of the deBruijn graph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Oliver (Inventor); Dolinar, Jr., Samuel J. (Inventor); Hus, In-Shek (Inventor); Bozzola, Fabrizio P. (Inventor); Olson, Erlend M. (Inventor); Statman, Joseph I. (Inventor); Zimmerman, George A. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A method of formulating and packaging decision-making elements into a long constraint length Viterbi decoder which involves formulating the decision-making processors as individual Viterbi butterfly processors that are interconnected in a deBruijn graph configuration. A fully distributed architecture, which achieves high decoding speeds, is made feasible by novel wiring and partitioning of the state diagram. This partitioning defines universal modules, which can be used to build any size decoder, such that a large number of wires is contained inside each module, and a small number of wires is needed to connect modules. The total system is modular and hierarchical, and it implements a large proportion of the required wiring internally within modules and may include some external wiring to fully complete the deBruijn graph. pg,14.

Modular telerobot control system for accident response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Richard J. M.; Shirey, David L.

1999-08-01

The Accident Response Mobile Manipulator System (ARMMS) is a teleoperated emergency response vehicle that deploys two hydraulic manipulators, five cameras, and an array of sensors to the scene of an incident. It is operated from a remote base station that can be situated up to four kilometers away from the site. Recently, a modular telerobot control architecture called SMART was applied to ARMMS to improve the precision, safety, and operability of the manipulators on board. Using SMART, a prototype manipulator control system was developed in a couple of days, and an integrated working system was demonstrated within a couple of months. New capabilities such as camera-frame teleoperation, autonomous tool changeout and dual manipulator control have been incorporated. The final system incorporates twenty-two separate modules and implements seven different behavior modes. This paper describes the integration of SMART into the ARMMS system.

ExoHab Pilot Project & Field Tests for Moon-Mars Human Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foing, Bernard

2010-05-01

We studied concepts for a minimal Moon-Mars habitat, in focussing on the system aspects and coordinating every different part as part an evolving architecture. We validated experimentally the Habitat and Laboratory ExoHab concept constraints during EuroGeoMars campaign in Utah desert research station (from 24 Jan. to 28 Feb. 2009) and EuroMoonMars/DOMMEX campaigns in Nov 2009 and February-April 2010. We discuss from the ILEWG ExoHab concept studies and field simulations the specifics of human exploration, with focus on habitability and human performance. In the ExoHab pilot concept project (supported by ILEWG, ESA NASA), we justify the case for a scientific and exploration outpost allowing experiments, sample analysis in laboratory (relevant to the origin and evolution of planets and life, geophysical and geo-chemical studies, astrobiology and life sciences, observation sciences, technology demonstration, resource utilisation, human exploration and settlement). In this modular concept, we consider various infra structure elements: core habitat, Extra Vehicular activity (EVA), crew mobility, energy supply, recycling module, communication, green house and food production, operations. We review some studies space agencies' architecture proposals, with landers, orbiters, rovers, habitats, surface operations and protocols. We focus on the easiest and the soonest way in settling a minimal base immediately operational in scientific experimentation and exploration, but not immediately autonomous. Through a modular concept, this outpost will be possibly evolved into a long duration or permanent base. We will analyse the possibilities of settling such a minimal base by means of the current and near term propulsion technology, as a full Ariane 5 ME carrying 1.7 T of gross payload to the surface of the Moon (Integrated Exploration Study, ESA ESTEC [1,2]). The low solar rays incidence may permit having ice in deep craters, which will be beneficial for the evolution of the outpost into an autonomous base. After a robotic sample return mission, a human presence will allow deeper research through well chosen geological samples. A polar lunar outpost can serve to prepare for a Mars outpost: system and crew safety aspects, use of local resources, operations on farside with limited communication to Earth, planetary protection protocol, astrobiology and life sciences. References: [1] Exploration Architecture Trade Report", ESA 2008. [2] Integrated Exploration Architecture", ESA, 2008. [3] 9th ILEWG International Conference on Exploration Utilization of the moon, 2007, sci.esa.int/ilewg [4] Schrunk et al , The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization", 1999. [5] The Moon as a Platform for Astronomy and Space Science", B.H. Foing, ASR 14 (6), 1994. [6] Boche-Sauvan L., Foing B (2008) MSc/ESTEC report. Co-authors, ILEWG ExoGeoLab & ExoHab Team: B.H. Foing(1,11)*#, C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), L. Boche-Sauvan(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)#, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , A. Calzada(1,6,11), R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1, 15) #, G. Groemer(12)# , W. Stumptner(12)#, B. Foing(2,5), J. K. Blom(3)#, A. Perrin(14)#, M. Mikolajczak(14)#, S. Chevrier(14)#, S. Direito(6)#, S. Voute (18)#, A. Olmedo-Soler(17)#, T. E. Zegers(1, 18)#, D. Scheer(12)#, K. Bickert(12)#, D. Schildhammer(12)#, B. Jantscher(1, 11, 12)#, MECA Team(6)#, ExoGeoLab ILEWG ExoHab teams(1,4,11) EuroGeoMars team(1,4,5); 1)ESTEC/SRE-S Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, NL, 2)NASA Ames , 3)Delft TU , 4)ESTEC TEC Technology Dir., 5)ESTEC HSF Human Spaceflight, 6)VU Amsterdam, 7)ESTEC Education Office, 8)FU Berlin, 9)Max Planck Goettingen, 10)Leiden/GWU , 11)ILEWG ExoHab Team, 12)Austrian Space Forum (OEWF Innsbruck); 14) Ecole de l'Air, Salons de Provence, 15) Utrecht U., 16) MECA Team, 17) Olmedo Knowledge Systems S.L.; * EuroGeoMars Utah crew , # ILEWG Eifel crew, EuroMoonMars/DOMMEX Utah crew.

Comparison of Communication Architectures for Spacecraft Modular Avionics Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwaltney, D. A.; Briscoe, J. M.

2006-01-01

This document is a survey of publicly available information concerning serial communication architectures used, or proposed to be used, in aeronautic and aerospace applications. It focuses on serial communication architectures that are suitable for low-latency or real-time communication between physically distributed nodes in a system. Candidates for the study have either extensive deployment in the field, or appear to be viable for near-term deployment. Eleven different serial communication architectures are considered, and a brief description of each is given with the salient features summarized in a table in appendix A. This survey is a product of the Propulsion High Impact Avionics Technology (PHIAT) Project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). PHIAT was originally funded under the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program to develop avionics technologies for control of next generation reusable rocket engines. After the announcement of the Space Exploration Initiative, the scope of the project was expanded to include vehicle systems control for human and robotics missions. As such, a section is included presenting the rationale used for selection of a time-triggered architecture for implementation of the avionics demonstration hardware developed by the project team

Reference Avionics Architecture for Lunar Surface Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somervill, Kevin M.; Lapin, Jonathan C.; Schmidt, Oron L.

2010-01-01

Developing and delivering infrastructure capable of supporting long-term manned operations to the lunar surface has been a primary objective of the Constellation Program in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Several concepts have been developed related to development and deployment lunar exploration vehicles and assets that provide critical functionality such as transportation, habitation, and communication, to name a few. Together, these systems perform complex safety-critical functions, largely dependent on avionics for control and behavior of system functions. These functions are implemented using interchangeable, modular avionics designed for lunar transit and lunar surface deployment. Systems are optimized towards reuse and commonality of form and interface and can be configured via software or component integration for special purpose applications. There are two core concepts in the reference avionics architecture described in this report. The first concept uses distributed, smart systems to manage complexity, simplify integration, and facilitate commonality. The second core concept is to employ extensive commonality between elements and subsystems. These two concepts are used in the context of developing reference designs for many lunar surface exploration vehicles and elements. These concepts are repeated constantly as architectural patterns in a conceptual architectural framework. This report describes the use of these architectural patterns in a reference avionics architecture for Lunar surface systems elements.

Scalable software architecture for on-line multi-camera video processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camplani, Massimo; Salgado, Luis

2011-03-01

In this paper we present a scalable software architecture for on-line multi-camera video processing, that guarantees a good trade off between computational power, scalability and flexibility. The software system is modular and its main blocks are the Processing Units (PUs), and the Central Unit. The Central Unit works as a supervisor of the running PUs and each PU manages the acquisition phase and the processing phase. Furthermore, an approach to easily parallelize the desired processing application has been presented. In this paper, as case study, we apply the proposed software architecture to a multi-camera system in order to efficiently manage multiple 2D object detection modules in a real-time scenario. System performance has been evaluated under different load conditions such as number of cameras and image sizes. The results show that the software architecture scales well with the number of camera and can easily works with different image formats respecting the real time constraints. Moreover, the parallelization approach can be used in order to speed up the processing tasks with a low level of overhead.

Integrating medical devices in the operating room using service-oriented architectures.

PubMed

Ibach, Bastian; Benzko, Julia; Schlichting, Stefan; Zimolong, Andreas; Radermacher, Klaus

2012-08-01

Abstract With the increasing documentation requirements and communication capabilities of medical devices in the operating room, the integration and modular networking of these devices have become more and more important. Commercial integrated operating room systems are mainly proprietary developments using usually proprietary communication standards and interfaces, which reduce the possibility of integrating devices from different vendors. To overcome these limitations, there is a need for an open standardized architecture that is based on standard protocols and interfaces enabling the integration of devices from different vendors based on heterogeneous software and hardware components. Starting with an analysis of the requirements for device integration in the operating room and the techniques used for integrating devices in other industrial domains, a new concept for an integration architecture for the operating room based on the paradigm of a service-oriented architecture is developed. Standardized communication protocols and interface descriptions are used. As risk management is an important factor in the field of medical engineering, a risk analysis of the developed concept has been carried out and the first prototypes have been implemented.

Regenerative Fuel Cell Power Systems for Lunar and Martian Surface Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guzik, Monica C.; Jakupca, Ian J.; Gilligan, Ryan P.; Bennett, William R.; Smith, Phillip J.; Fincannon, James

2017-01-01

This paper presents the preliminary results of a recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study funded under the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Modular Power Systems (AMPS) project. This study evaluated multiple surface locations on both the Moon and Mars, with the goal of establishing a common approach towards technology development and system design for surface power systems that use Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) energy storage methods. One RFC design may not be applicable to all surface locations; however, AMPS seeks to find a unified architecture, or series of architectures, that leverages a single development approach to answer the technology need for RFC systems. Early system trades were performed to select the most effective fuel cell and electrolyzer architectures based on current state-of-the-art technology, whereas later trades will establish a detailed system design to enable a near-term ground (non-flight) demonstration. This paper focuses on the initial trade studies, presents the selected fuel cell and electrolyzer architectures for follow-on system design studies, and suggests areas for further technology investment.

Data Acquisition System Architecture and Capabilities At NASA GRC Plum Brook Station's Space Environment Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Richard K.; Hill, Gerald M.

2012-01-01

Very large space environment test facilities present unique engineering challenges in the design of facility data systems. Data systems of this scale must be versatile enough to meet the wide range of data acquisition and measurement requirements from a diverse set of customers and test programs, but also must minimize design changes to maintain reliability and serviceability. This paper presents an overview of the common architecture and capabilities of the facility data acquisition systems available at two of the world?s largest space environment test facilities located at the NASA Glenn Research Center?s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio; namely, the Space Propulsion Research Facility (commonly known as the B-2 facility) and the Space Power Facility (SPF). The common architecture of the data systems is presented along with details on system scalability and efficient measurement systems analysis and verification. The architecture highlights a modular design, which utilizes fully-remotely managed components, enabling the data systems to be highly configurable and support multiple test locations with a wide-range of measurement types and very large system channel counts.

Data Acquisition System Architecture and Capabilities at NASA GRC Plum Brook Station's Space Environment Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Richard K.; Hill, Gerald M.

2014-01-01

Very large space environment test facilities present unique engineering challenges in the design of facility data systems. Data systems of this scale must be versatile enough to meet the wide range of data acquisition and measurement requirements from a diverse set of customers and test programs, but also must minimize design changes to maintain reliability and serviceability. This paper presents an overview of the common architecture and capabilities of the facility data acquisition systems available at two of the world's largest space environment test facilities located at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio; namely, the Space Propulsion Research Facility (commonly known as the B-2 facility) and the Space Power Facility (SPF). The common architecture of the data systems is presented along with details on system scalability and efficient measurement systems analysis and verification. The architecture highlights a modular design, which utilizes fully-remotely managed components, enabling the data systems to be highly configurable and support multiple test locations with a wide-range of measurement types and very large system channel counts.

Functional Domains of NEAT1 Architectural lncRNA Induce Paraspeckle Assembly through Phase Separation.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Tomohiro; Souquere, Sylvie; Chujo, Takeshi; Kobelke, Simon; Chong, Yee Seng; Fox, Archa H; Bond, Charles S; Nakagawa, Shinichi; Pierron, Gerard; Hirose, Tetsuro

2018-06-21

A class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has architectural functions in nuclear body construction; however, specific RNA domains dictating their architectural functions remain uninvestigated. Here, we identified the domains of the architectural NEAT1 lncRNA that construct paraspeckles. Systematic deletion of NEAT1 portions using CRISPR/Cas9 in haploid cells revealed modular domains of NEAT1 important for RNA stability, isoform switching, and paraspeckle assembly. The middle domain, containing functionally redundant subdomains, was responsible for paraspeckle assembly. Artificial tethering of the NONO protein to a NEAT1_2 mutant lacking the functional subdomains rescued paraspeckle assembly, and this required the NOPS dimerization domain of NONO. Paraspeckles exhibit phase-separated properties including susceptibility to 1,6-hexanediol treatment. RNA fragments of the NEAT1_2 subdomains preferentially bound NONO/SFPQ, leading to phase-separated aggregates in vitro. Thus, we demonstrate that the enrichment of NONO dimers on the redundant NEAT1_2 subdomains initiates construction of phase-separated paraspeckles, providing mechanistic insights into lncRNA-based nuclear body formation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Architecture for a PACS primary diagnosis workstation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shastri, Kaushal; Moran, Byron

1990-08-01

A major factor in determining the overall utility of a medical Picture Archiving and Communications (PACS) system is the functionality of the diagnostic workstation. Meyer-Ebrecht and Wendler [1] have proposed a modular picture computer architecture with high throughput and Perry et.al [2] have defined performance requirements for radiology workstations. In order to be clinically useful, a primary diagnosis workstation must not only provide functions of current viewing systems (e.g. mechanical alternators [3,4]) such as acceptable image quality, simultaneous viewing of multiple images, and rapid switching of image banks; but must also provide a diagnostic advantage over the current systems. This includes window-level functions on any image, simultaneous display of multi-modality images, rapid image manipulation, image processing, dynamic image display (cine), electronic image archival, hardcopy generation, image acquisition, network support, and an easy user interface. Implementation of such a workstation requires an underlying hardware architecture which provides high speed image transfer channels, local storage facilities, and image processing functions. This paper describes the hardware architecture of the Siemens Diagnostic Reporting Console (DRC) which meets these requirements.

Numerical and experimental study of a high port-density WDM optical packet switch architecture for data centers.

PubMed

Di Lucente, S; Luo, J; Centelles, R Pueyo; Rohit, A; Zou, S; Williams, K A; Dorren, H J S; Calabretta, N

2013-01-14

Data centers have to sustain the rapid growth of data traffic due to the increasing demand of bandwidth-hungry internet services. The current intra-data center fat tree topology causes communication bottlenecks in the server interaction process, power-hungry O-E-O conversions that limit the minimum latency and the power efficiency of these systems. In this paper we numerically and experimentally investigate an optical packet switch architecture with modular structure and highly distributed control that allow configuration times in the order of nanoseconds. Numerical results indicate that the candidate architecture scaled over 4000 ports, provides an overall throughput over 50 Tb/s and a packet loss rate below 10(-6) while assuring sub-microsecond latency. We present experimental results that demonstrate the feasibility of a 16x16 optical packet switch based on parallel 1x4 integrated optical cross-connect modules. Error-free operations can be achieved with 4 dB penalty while the overall energy consumption is of 66 pJ/b. Based on those results, we discuss feasibility to scale the architecture to a much larger port count.

JPSS CGS Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, S. W.; Grant, K. D.; Jamilkowski, M. L.

2012-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation civilian weather and environmental satellite system: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). JPSS will contribute the afternoon orbit component and ground processing system. As such, the Joint Polar Satellite System replaces the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA. It also replaces the ground processing component of both Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites, as well as components of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) replacement, previously known as the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS), managed by the Department of Defense (DoD). The JPSS satellites will carry a suite of sensors designed to collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological and solar-geophysical observations of the earth, atmosphere and space. The ground processing system for JPSS is known as the JPSS Common Ground System (JPSS CGS), which consists of a Command, Control and Communications Segment (C3S) and an Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS). Both segments are developed by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS). The C3S is currently flying the Suomi National Polar Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite and transfers mission data from Suomi NPP and between the ground facilities. The IDPS processes Suomi NPP satellite data to provide Environmental Data Records (EDRs) to NOAA and DoD processing centers operated by the United States government. When the JPSS-1 satellite is launched in early 2017, the responsibilities of the C3S and the IDPS will be expanded to support both Suomi NPP and JPSS-1. The CGS also employs its ground stations at Svalbard, Norway and McMurdo Station, Antarctica, along with a global fiber communications network, to provide data acquisition and routing for multiple additional missions. These include POES, DMSP, NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN, which includes the Earth Observing System [EOS]), Metop for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Coriolis/WindSat for the DoD, as well as research activities of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CGS architecture is evolving over the next few years for several key reasons: 1. "Operationalizing" Suomi NPP, which had originally been intended as a risk reduction mission 2. Leveraging lessons learned to date in multi-mission support 3. Taking advantage of newer, more reliable and efficient technologies 4. Satisfying new requirements and constraints due to the continually evolving budgetary environment Three key aspects of the CGS architecture are being prototyped as part of the path to improve operations in the 2015 timeframe. First, the front end architecture for mission data transport is being re-architected to improve reliability and address the incorporation of new ground stations. Second, the IDPS is undergoing a decoupling process to enhance its flexibility and modularity for supporting an array of potential new missions beyond those listed above. Finally, a solution for complete situational awareness across the CGS is being developed, to facilitate quicker and more efficient identification and resolution of system anomalies. This paper discusses the evolution of the CGS architecture to address these future mission needs.

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Common Ground System (CGS) Overview and Architectural Tenets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, S. W.; Grant, K. D.; Jamilkowski, M. L.

2013-12-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly acquiring the next-generation civilian weather and environmental satellite system: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The Joint Polar Satellite System will replace the afternoon orbit component and ground processing system of the current Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) managed by NOAA. The JPSS satellites will carry a suite of sensors designed to collect meteorological, oceanographic, climatological and geophysical observations of the Earth. The ground processing system for JPSS is known as the JPSS Common Ground System (JPSS CGS). Developed and maintained by Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS), the CGS is a multi-mission enterprise system serving NOAA, NASA and their national and international partners. The CGS provides a wide range of support to a number of missions: 1) Command and control and mission management for the Suomi National Polar Partnership (S-NPP) mission today, expanding this support to the JPSS-1 satellite and the Polar Free Flyer mission in 2017 2) Data acquisition via a Polar Receptor Network (PRN) for S-NPP, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Global Change Observation Mission - Water (GCOM-W1), POES, and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Coriolis/WindSat for the Department of Defense (DoD) 3) Data routing over a global fiber Wide Area Network (WAN) for S-NPP, JPSS-1, Polar Free Flyer, GCOM-W1, POES, DMSP, Coriolis/WindSat, the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN, which includes several Earth Observing System [EOS] missions), MetOp for the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) 4) Environmental data processing and distribution for S-NPP, GCOM-W1 and JPSS-1 The CGS architecture will receive a technology refresh in 2015 to satisfy several key objectives: 1) 'Operationalizing' Suomi NPP, which had originally been intended as a risk reduction mission 2) Leveraging lessons learned to date in multi-mission support 3) Taking advantage of newer, more reliable and efficient technologies 4) Satisfying new requirements and constraints due to the continually evolving budgetary environment To meet these needs, we are upgrading the CGS in the following ways: 1) Performing a system-wide technology refresh for enhanced performance and security 2) Establishing a new front end architecture and augmenting the PRN for mission data transport 3) Standardizing data protocols to accommodate an even wider variety of missions 4) Enhancing flexibility and modularity in IDPS for new and evolving algorithms 5) Achieving comprehensive situational awareness 6) Deploying a full backup capability for Continuity of Operations (COOP) 7) Providing an enclave in compliance with the latest security standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 This paper will provide an overview of the CGS as it is deployed and operating today, along with a summary of the architectural tenets that will facilitate even easier incorporation of new missions and applications in 2015.

Adiabatic Quantum Transistors (Open Access, Publisher’s Version)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-14

states are the entangled states originally used to perform measurement-based quantum computation [9,19]. To de- fine the Hamiltonian of our system, we need...carries over to our model. Note that fault-tolerant QC requires expunging entropy (usually via measurement), but this can always be placed at the end... entropy of quantum er- rors, and the latter is important for building architectures that are modular and synchronous. A. Adiabatic measurement amplifier

Our Theme for 2016: Sustaining Momentum

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

of design architectures and interfaces to make both open sys- tems and modularity a reality. This is “owning the technical baseline,” and the devil... write this year, although we will be implementing the changes required in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 National Defense Au- thorization Act. We still...Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics on the momentum we have gained as we get ready for a new administration next year. Promote Technical

Three-dimensional motor schema based navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arkin, Ronald C.

1989-01-01

Reactive schema-based navigation is possible in space domains by extending the methods developed for ground-based navigation found within the Autonomous Robot Architecture (AuRA). Reformulation of two dimensional motor schemas for three dimensional applications is a straightforward process. The manifold advantages of schema-based control persist, including modular development, amenability to distributed processing, and responsiveness to environmental sensing. Simulation results show the feasibility of this methodology for space docking operations in a cluttered work area.

Innovation: Attracting and Retaining the Best of the Private Sector

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

The recommendations seek to open up Innovation: Attracting and Retaining the the Best of the Private Sector Task Group 6 Report FY14-02 what is a...industry structure changes, the Task Group recommends the following: • Require the adoption of an open architecture, modular approach to new mission...essential platforms; and • Take steps to open a closed supply chain; re-examine industry structure and encourage new entrants. With regard to messaging

The development of a post-test diagnostic system for rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, June F.

1991-01-01

An effort was undertaken by NASA to develop an automated post-test, post-flight diagnostic system for rocket engines. The automated system is designed to be generic and to automate the rocket engine data review process. A modular, distributed architecture with a generic software core was chosen to meet the design requirements. The diagnostic system is initially being applied to the Space Shuttle Main Engine data review process. The system modules currently under development are the session/message manager, and portions of the applications section, the component analysis section, and the intelligent knowledge server. An overview is presented of a rocket engine data review process, the design requirements and guidelines, the architecture and modules, and the projected benefits of the automated diagnostic system.

Ontology driven integration platform for clinical and translational research

PubMed Central

Mirhaji, Parsa; Zhu, Min; Vagnoni, Mattew; Bernstam, Elmer V; Zhang, Jiajie; Smith, Jack W

2009-01-01

Semantic Web technologies offer a promising framework for integration of disparate biomedical data. In this paper we present the semantic information integration platform under development at the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) as part of our Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. We utilize the Semantic Web technologies not only for integrating, repurposing and classification of multi-source clinical data, but also to construct a distributed environment for information sharing, and collaboration online. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is used to modularize and distribute reusable services in a dynamic and distributed environment. Components of the semantic solution and its overall architecture are described. PMID:19208190

Of plasticity and specificity: dialectics of the micro- and macro-environment and the organ phenotype.

PubMed

Bhat, Ramray; Bissell, Mina J

2014-01-01

The study of biological form and how it arises is the domain of the developmental biologists; but once the form is achieved, the organ poses a fascinating conundrum for all the life scientists: how are form and function maintained in adult organs throughout most of the life of the organism? That they do appears to contradict the inherently plastic nature of organogenesis during development. How do cells with the same genetic information arrive at, and maintain such different architectures and functions, and how do they keep remembering that they are different from each other? It is now clear that narratives based solely on genes and an irreversible regulatory dynamics cannot answer these questions satisfactorily, and the concept of microenvironmental signaling needs to be added to the equation. During development, cells rearrange and differentiate in response to diffusive morphogens, juxtacrine signals and the extracellular matrix (ECM). These components, which constitute the modular microenvironment, are sensitive to cues from other tissues and organs of the developing embryo as well as from the external macroenvironment. On the other hand, once the organ is formed, these modular constituents integrate and constrain the organ architecture, which ensures structural and functional homeostasis and therefore, organ specificity. We argue here that a corollary of the above is that once the organ architecture is compromised in adults by mutations or by changes in the microenvironment such as aging or inflammation, that organ becomes subjected to the developmental and embryonic circuits in search of a new identity. But since the microenvironment is no longer embryonic, the confusion leads to cancer: hence as we have argued, tumors become new evolutionary organs perhaps in search of an elusive homeostasis.

Of plasticity and specificity: dialectics of the micro- and macro-environment and the organ phenotype

PubMed Central

Bhat, Ramray; Bissell, Mina J.

2013-01-01

The study of biological form and how it arises is the domain of the developmental biologists; but once the form is achieved, the organ poses a fascinating conundrum for all the life scientists: how are form and function maintained in adult organs throughout most of the life of the organism? That they do appears to contradict the inherently plastic nature of organogenesis during development. How do cells with the same genetic information arrive at, and maintain such different architectures and functions, and how do they keep remembering that they are different from each other? It is now clear that narratives based solely on genes and an irreversible regulatory dynamics cannot answer these questions satisfactorily, and the concept of microenvironmental signaling needs to be added to the equation. During development, cells rearrange and differentiate in response to diffusive morphogens, juxtacrine signals and the extracellular matrix (ECM). These components, which constitute the modular microenvironment, are sensitive to cues from other tissues and organs of the developing embryo as well as from the external macroenvironment. On the other hand, once the organ is formed, these modular constituents integrate and constrain the organ architecture, which ensures structural and functional homeostasis and therefore, organ specificity. We argue here that a corollary of the above is that once the organ architecture is compromised in adults by mutations or by changes in the microenvironment such as aging or inflammation, that organ becomes subjected to the developmental and embryonic circuits in search of a new identity. But since the microenvironment is no longer embryonic, the confusion leads to cancer: hence as we have argued, tumors become new evolutionary organs perhaps in search of an elusive homeostasis. PMID:24678448

Of plasticity and specificity: dialectics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment and the organ phenotype.

PubMed

Bhat, Ramray; Bissell, Mina J

2014-01-01

The study of biological form and how it arises is the domain of the developmental biologists; but once the form is achieved, the organ poses a fascinating conundrum for all the life scientists: how are form and function maintained in adult organs throughout most of the life of the organism? That they do appears to contradict the inherently plastic nature of organogenesis during development. How do cells with the same genetic information arrive at, and maintain such different architectures and functions, and how do they keep remembering that they are different from each other? It is now clear that narratives based solely on genes and an irreversible regulatory dynamics cannot answer these questions satisfactorily, and the concept of microenvironmental signaling needs to be added to the equation. During development, cells rearrange and differentiate in response to diffusive morphogens, juxtacrine signals, and the extracellular matrix (ECM). These components, which constitute the modular microenvironment, are sensitive to cues from other tissues and organs of the developing embryo as well as from the external macroenvironment. On the other hand, once the organ is formed, these modular constituents integrate and constrain the organ architecture, which ensures structural and functional homeostasis and therefore, organ specificity. We argue here that a corollary of the above is that once the organ architecture is compromised in adults by mutations or by changes in the microenvironment such as aging or inflammation, that organ becomes subjected to the developmental and embryonic circuits in search of a new identity. But since the microenvironment is no longer embryonic, the confusion leads to cancer: hence as we have argued, tumors become new evolutionary organs perhaps in search of an elusive homeostasis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging examination of two modular architectures for switching multiple internal models.

PubMed

Imamizu, Hiroshi; Kuroda, Tomoe; Yoshioka, Toshinori; Kawato, Mitsuo

2004-02-04

An internal model is a neural mechanism that can mimic the input-output properties of a controlled object such as a tool. Recent research interests have moved on to how multiple internal models are learned and switched under a given context of behavior. Two representative computational models for task switching propose distinct neural mechanisms, thus predicting different brain activity patterns in the switching of internal models. In one model, called the mixture-of-experts architecture, switching is commanded by a single executive called a "gating network," which is different from the internal models. In the other model, called the MOSAIC (MOdular Selection And Identification for Control), the internal models themselves play crucial roles in switching. Consequently, the mixture-of-experts model predicts that neural activities related to switching and internal models can be temporally and spatially segregated, whereas the MOSAIC model predicts that they are closely intermingled. Here, we directly examined the two predictions by analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging activities during the switching of one common tool (an ordinary computer mouse) and two novel tools: a rotated mouse, the cursor of which appears in a rotated position, and a velocity mouse, the cursor velocity of which is proportional to the mouse position. The switching and internal model activities temporally and spatially overlapped each other in the cerebellum and in the parietal cortex, whereas the overlap was very small in the frontal cortex. These results suggest that switching mechanisms in the frontal cortex can be explained by the mixture-of-experts architecture, whereas those in the cerebellum and the parietal cortex are explained by the MOSAIC model.

Medical Data Architecture Capabilities and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Middour, C.; Krihak, M.; Lindsey, A.; Marker, N.; Wolfe, S.; Winther, S.; Ronzano, K.; Bolles, D.; Toscano, W.; Shaw, T.

2017-01-01

Mission constraints will challenge the delivery of medical care on a long-term, deep space explorationmission. This type of mission will be restricted in the availability of medical knowledge, skills, procedures and resourcesto prevent, diagnose, and treat in-flight medical events. Challenges to providing medical care are anticipated, includingresource and resupply constraints, delayed communications and no ability for medical evacuation. The Medical DataArchitecture (MDA) project will enable medical care capability in this constrained environment.The first version of thesystem, called Test Bed 1, includes capabilities for automated data collection, data storage and data retrieval to provideinformation to the Crew Medical Officer (CMO). Test Bed 1 seeks to establish a data architecture foundation and developa scalable data management system through modular design and standardized interfaces. In addition, it will demonstrateto stakeholders the potential for an improved, automated, flow of data to and from the medical system over the currentmethods employed on the International Space Station (ISS). It integrates a set of external devices, software andprocesses, and a Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan (SOAP) note commonly used by clinicians. Medical datalike electrocardiogram plots, heart rate, skin temperature, respiration rate, medications taken, and more are collectedfrom devices and stored in the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, and reported to crew and clinician. Devicesintegrated include the Astroskin biosensor vest and IMED CARDIAX electrocardiogram (ECG) device with INEED MDECG Glove, and the NASA-developed Medical Dose Tracker application.The system is designed to be operated as astandalone system, and can be deployed in a variety of environments, from a laptop to a data center. The system isprimarily composed of open-source software tools, and is designed to be modular, so new capabilities can be added. Thesoftware components and integration methods will be discussed.

Three-dimensional construction and omni-directional rolling analysis of a novel frame-like lattice modular robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Wan; Wu, Jianxu; Yao, Yan'an

2015-07-01

Lattice modular robots possess diversity actuation methods, such as electric telescopic rod, gear rack, magnet, robot arm, etc. The researches on lattice modular robots mainly focus on their hardware descriptions and reconfiguration algorithms. Meanwhile, their design architectures and actuation methods perform slow telescopic and moving speeds, relative low actuation force verse weight ratio, and without internal space to carry objects. To improve the mechanical performance and reveal the locomotion and reconfiguration binary essences of the lattice modular robots, a novel cube-shaped, frame-like, pneumatic-based reconfigurable robot module called pneumatic expandable cube(PE-Cube) is proposed. The three-dimensional(3D) expanding construction and omni-directional rolling analysis of the constructed robots are the main focuses. The PE-Cube with three degrees of freedom(DoFs) is assembled by replacing the twelve edges of a cube with pneumatic cylinders. The proposed symmetric construction condition makes the constructed robots possess the same properties in each supporting state, and a binary control strategy cooperated with binary actuator(pneumatic cylinder) is directly adopted to control the PE-Cube. Taking an eight PE-Cube modules' construction as example, its dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and turning gait are illustrated and discussed. To testify telescopic synchronization, respond speed, locomotion feasibility, and repeatability and reliability of hardware system, an experimental pneumatic-based robotic system is built and the rolling and turning experiments of the eight PE-Cube modules' construction are carried out. As an extension, the locomotion feasibility of a thirty-two PE-Cube modules' construction is analyzed and proved, including dynamic rolling simulation, static rolling condition, and dynamic analysis in free tipping process. The proposed PE-Cube module, construction method, and locomotion analysis enrich the family of the lattice modular robot and provide the instruction to design the lattice modular robot.

A parallel and modular deformable cell Car-Parrinello code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavazzoni, Carlo; Chiarotti, Guido L.

1999-12-01

We have developed a modular parallel code implementing the Car-Parrinello [Phys. Rev. Lett. 55 (1985) 2471] algorithm including the variable cell dynamics [Europhys. Lett. 36 (1994) 345; J. Phys. Chem. Solids 56 (1995) 510]. Our code is written in Fortran 90, and makes use of some new programming concepts like encapsulation, data abstraction and data hiding. The code has a multi-layer hierarchical structure with tree like dependences among modules. The modules include not only the variables but also the methods acting on them, in an object oriented fashion. The modular structure allows easier code maintenance, develop and debugging procedures, and is suitable for a developer team. The layer structure permits high portability. The code displays an almost linear speed-up in a wide range of number of processors independently of the architecture. Super-linear speed up is obtained with a "smart" Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) that uses the available memory on the single node (increasing for a fixed problem with the number of processing elements) as temporary buffer to store wave function transforms. This code has been used to simulate water and ammonia at giant planet conditions for systems as large as 64 molecules for ˜50 ps.

Modularity, comparative cognition and human uniqueness.

PubMed

Shettleworth, Sara J

2012-10-05

Darwin's claim 'that the difference in mind between man and the higher animals … is certainly one of degree and not of kind' is at the core of the comparative study of cognition. Recent research provides unprecedented support for Darwin's claim as well as new reasons to question it, stimulating new theories of human cognitive uniqueness. This article compares and evaluates approaches to such theories. Some prominent theories propose sweeping domain-general characterizations of the difference in cognitive capabilities and/or mechanisms between adult humans and other animals. Dual-process theories for some cognitive domains propose that adult human cognition shares simple basic processes with that of other animals while additionally including slower-developing and more explicit uniquely human processes. These theories are consistent with a modular account of cognition and the 'core knowledge' account of children's cognitive development. A complementary proposal is that human infants have unique social and/or cognitive adaptations for uniquely human learning. A view of human cognitive architecture as a mosaic of unique and species-general modular and domain-general processes together with a focus on uniquely human developmental mechanisms is consistent with modern evolutionary-developmental biology and suggests new questions for comparative research.

Modularity, comparative cognition and human uniqueness

PubMed Central

Shettleworth, Sara J.

2012-01-01

Darwin's claim ‘that the difference in mind between man and the higher animals … is certainly one of degree and not of kind’ is at the core of the comparative study of cognition. Recent research provides unprecedented support for Darwin's claim as well as new reasons to question it, stimulating new theories of human cognitive uniqueness. This article compares and evaluates approaches to such theories. Some prominent theories propose sweeping domain-general characterizations of the difference in cognitive capabilities and/or mechanisms between adult humans and other animals. Dual-process theories for some cognitive domains propose that adult human cognition shares simple basic processes with that of other animals while additionally including slower-developing and more explicit uniquely human processes. These theories are consistent with a modular account of cognition and the ‘core knowledge’ account of children's cognitive development. A complementary proposal is that human infants have unique social and/or cognitive adaptations for uniquely human learning. A view of human cognitive architecture as a mosaic of unique and species-general modular and domain-general processes together with a focus on uniquely human developmental mechanisms is consistent with modern evolutionary-developmental biology and suggests new questions for comparative research. PMID:22927578

Relative impacts of environmental variation and evolutionary history on the nestedness and modularity of tree–herbivore networks

PubMed Central

Robinson, Kathryn M; Hauzy, Céline; Loeuille, Nicolas; Albrectsen, Benedicte R

2015-01-01

Nestedness and modularity are measures of ecological networks whose causative effects are little understood. We analyzed antagonistic plant–herbivore bipartite networks using common gardens in two contrasting environments comprised of aspen trees with differing evolutionary histories of defence against herbivores. These networks were tightly connected owing to a high level of specialization of arthropod herbivores that spend a large proportion of the life cycle on aspen. The gardens were separated by ten degrees of latitude with resultant differences in abiotic conditions. We evaluated network metrics and reported similar connectance between gardens but greater numbers of links per species in the northern common garden. Interaction matrices revealed clear nestedness, indicating subsetting of the bipartite interactions into specialist divisions, in both the environmental and evolutionary aspen groups, although nestedness values were only significant in the northern garden. Variation in plant vulnerability, measured as the frequency of herbivore specialization in the aspen population, was significantly partitioned by environment (common garden) but not by evolutionary origin of the aspens. Significant values of modularity were observed in all network matrices. Trait-matching indicated that growth traits, leaf morphology, and phenolic metabolites affected modular structure in both the garden and evolutionary groups, whereas extra-floral nectaries had little influence. Further examination of module configuration revealed that plant vulnerability explained considerable variance in web structure. The contrasting conditions between the two gardens resulted in bottom-up effects of the environment, which most strongly influenced the overall network architecture, however, the aspen groups with dissimilar evolutionary history also showed contrasting degrees of nestedness and modularity. Our research therefore shows that, while evolution does affect the structure of aspen–herbivore bipartite networks, the role of environmental variations is a dominant constraint. PMID:26306175

Evaluation of an Atmosphere Revitalization Subsystem for Deep Space Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jay L.; Abney, Morgan B.; Conrad, Ruth E.; Frederick, Kenneth R.; Greenwood, Zachary W.; Kayatin, Matthew J.; Knox, James C.; Newton, Robert L.; Parrish, Keith J.; Takada, Kevin C.;

Operational Concepts for a Generic Space Exploration Communication Network Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Vaden, Karl R.; Jones, Robert E.; Roberts, Anthony M.

2015-01-01

This document is one of three. It describes the Operational Concept (OpsCon) for a generic space exploration communication architecture. The purpose of this particular document is to identify communication flows and data types. Two other documents accompany this document, a security policy profile and a communication architecture document. The operational concepts should be read first followed by the security policy profile and then the architecture document. The overall goal is to design a generic space exploration communication network architecture that is affordable, deployable, maintainable, securable, evolvable, reliable, and adaptable. The architecture should also require limited reconfiguration throughout system development and deployment. System deployment includes: subsystem development in a factory setting, system integration in a laboratory setting, launch preparation, launch, and deployment and operation in space.

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options. Volume 1: Executive summary NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The uses alignment plan was implemented. The existing data bank was used to define a large number of station requirements. Ten to 20 valid mission scenarios were developed. Architectural options as they are influenced by communications operations, subsystem evolvability, and required technology growth are defined. Costing of evolutionary concepts, alternative approaches, and options, was based on minimum design details.

Decision Aids Using Heterogeneous Intelligence Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-20

developing a Geocultural service, a software framework and inferencing engine for the Transparent Urban Structures program. The scope of the effort...has evolved as the program has matured and is including multiple data sources, as well as interfaces out to the ONR architectural framework . Tasks...Interface; Application Program Interface; Application Programmer Interface CAF Common Application Framework EDA Event Driven Architecture a 16. SECURITY

HACC: Extreme Scaling and Performance Across Diverse Architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib, Salman; Morozov, Vitali; Frontiere, Nicholas; Finkel, Hal; Pope, Adrian; Heitmann, Katrin

2013-11-01

Supercomputing is evolving towards hybrid and accelerator-based architectures with millions of cores. The HACC (Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code) framework exploits this diverse landscape at the largest scales of problem size, obtaining high scalability and sustained performance. Developed to satisfy the science requirements of cosmological surveys, HACC melds particle and grid methods using a novel algorithmic structure that flexibly maps across architectures, including CPU/GPU, multi/many-core, and Blue Gene systems. We demonstrate the success of HACC on two very different machines, the CPU/GPU system Titan and the BG/Q systems Sequoia and Mira, attaining unprecedented levels of scalable performance. We demonstrate strong and weak scaling on Titan, obtaining up to 99.2% parallel efficiency, evolving 1.1 trillion particles. On Sequoia, we reach 13.94 PFlops (69.2% of peak) and 90% parallel efficiency on 1,572,864 cores, with 3.6 trillion particles, the largest cosmological benchmark yet performed. HACC design concepts are applicable to several other supercomputer applications.

Benefits of Mars ISRU Regolith Water Processing: A Case Study for the NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinhenz, Julie; Paz, Aaron; Mueller, Robert

2016-01-01

ISRU of Mars resources was baselined in 2009 Design Reference Architecture (DRA) 5.0, but only for Oxygen production using atmospheric CO2. The Methane (LCH4) needed for ascent propulsion of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) would need to be brought from Earth. However: Extracting water from the Martian Regolith enables the production of both Oxygen and Methane from Mars resources: Water resources could also be used for other applications including: Life support, radiation shielding, plant growth, etc. Water extraction was not baselined in DRA5.0 due to perceived difficulties and complexity in processing regolith. The NASA Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) requested studies to look at the quantitative benefits and trades of using Mars water ISRUPhase 1: Examined architecture scenarios for regolith water retrieval. Completed October 2015. Phase 2: Deep dive of one architecture concept to look at end-to-end system size, mass, power of a LCH4/LO2 ISRU production system

Evolution in thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejan, Adrian

2017-03-01

This review covers two aspects of "evolution" in thermodynamics. First, with the constructal law, thermodynamics is becoming the domain of physics that accounts for the phenomenon of evolution in nature, in general. Second, thermodynamics (and science generally) is the evolving add-on that empowers humans to predict the future and move more easily on earth, farther and longer in time. The part of nature that thermodynamics represents is this: nothing moves by itself unless it is driven by power, which is then destroyed (dissipated) during movement. Nothing evolves unless it flows and has the freedom to change its architecture such that it provides greater and easier access to the available space. Thermodynamics is the modern science of heat and work and their usefulness, which comes from converting the work (power) into movement (life) in flow architectures that evolve over time to facilitate movement. I also review the rich history of the science, and I clarify misconceptions regarding the second law, entropy, disorder, and the arrow of time, and the supposed analogy between heat and work.