TOOKUIL: A case study in user interface development for safety code application

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

Gray, D.L.; Harkins, C.K.; Hoole, J.G.

1997-07-01

Traditionally, there has been a very high learning curve associated with using nuclear power plant (NPP) analysis codes. Even for seasoned plant analysts and engineers, the process of building or modifying an input model for present day NPP analysis codes is tedious, error prone, and time consuming. Current cost constraints and performance demands place an additional burden on today`s safety analysis community. Advances in graphical user interface (GUI) technology have been applied to obtain significant productivity and quality assurance improvements for the Transient Reactor Analysis Code (TRAC) input model development. KAPL Inc. has developed an X Windows-based graphical user interfacemore » named TOOKUIL which supports the design and analysis process, acting as a preprocessor, runtime editor, help system, and post processor for TRAC. This paper summarizes the objectives of the project, the GUI development process and experiences, and the resulting end product, TOOKUIL.« less

The MINERVA Software Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Narkawicz, Anthony; Munoz, Cesar A.; Dutle, Aaron M.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a software development process for safety-critical software components of cyber-physical systems. The process is called MINERVA, which stands for Mirrored Implementation Numerically Evaluated against Rigorously Verified Algorithms. The process relies on formal methods for rigorously validating code against its requirements. The software development process uses: (1) a formal specification language for describing the algorithms and their functional requirements, (2) an interactive theorem prover for formally verifying the correctness of the algorithms, (3) test cases that stress the code, and (4) numerical evaluation on these test cases of both the algorithm specifications and their implementations in code. The MINERVA process is illustrated in this paper with an application to geo-containment algorithms for unmanned aircraft systems. These algorithms ensure that the position of an aircraft never leaves a predetermined polygon region and provide recovery maneuvers when the region is inadvertently exited.

CFD Code Development for Combustor Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Andrew

2003-01-01

During the lifetime of this grant, work has been performed in the areas of model development, code development, code validation and code application. For model development, this has included the PDF combustion module, chemical kinetics based on thermodynamics, neural network storage of chemical kinetics, ILDM chemical kinetics and assumed PDF work. Many of these models were then implemented in the code, and in addition many improvements were made to the code, including the addition of new chemistry integrators, property evaluation schemes, new chemistry models and turbulence-chemistry interaction methodology. Validation of all new models and code improvements were also performed, while application of the code to the ZCET program and also the NPSS GEW combustor program were also performed. Several important items remain under development, including the NOx post processing, assumed PDF model development and chemical kinetic development. It is expected that this work will continue under the new grant.

Modulation and coding for satellite and space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuen, Joseph H.; Simon, Marvin K.; Pollara, Fabrizio; Divsalar, Dariush; Miller, Warner H.; Morakis, James C.; Ryan, Carl R.

1990-01-01

Several modulation and coding advances supported by NASA are summarized. To support long-constraint-length convolutional code, a VLSI maximum-likelihood decoder, utilizing parallel processing techniques, which is being developed to decode convolutional codes of constraint length 15 and a code rate as low as 1/6 is discussed. A VLSI high-speed 8-b Reed-Solomon decoder which is being developed for advanced tracking and data relay satellite (ATDRS) applications is discussed. A 300-Mb/s modem with continuous phase modulation (CPM) and codings which is being developed for ATDRS is discussed. Trellis-coded modulation (TCM) techniques are discussed for satellite-based mobile communication applications.

Development and application of structural dynamics analysis capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinemann, Klaus W.; Hozaki, Shig

1994-01-01

Extensive research activities were performed in the area of multidisciplinary modeling and simulation of aerospace vehicles that are relevant to NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. The efforts involved theoretical development, computer coding, and debugging of the STARS code. New solution procedures were developed in such areas as structures, CFD, and graphics, among others. Furthermore, systems-oriented codes were developed for rendering the code truly multidisciplinary and rather automated in nature. Also, work was performed in pre- and post-processing of engineering analysis data.

77 FR 67340 - National Fire Codes: Request for Comments on NFPA's Codes and Standards

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-09

... the process. The Code Revision Process contains four basic steps that are followed for developing new documents as well as revising existing documents. Step 1: Public Input Stage, which results in the First Draft Report (formerly ROP); Step 2: Comment Stage, which results in the Second Draft Report (formerly...

RELAP-7 Code Assessment Plan and Requirement Traceability Matrix

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

Yoo, Junsoo; Choi, Yong-joon; Smith, Curtis L.

2016-10-01

The RELAP-7, a safety analysis code for nuclear reactor system, is under development at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Overall, the code development is directed towards leveraging the advancements in computer science technology, numerical solution methods and physical models over the last decades. Recently, INL has also been putting an effort to establish the code assessment plan, which aims to ensure an improved final product quality through the RELAP-7 development process. The ultimate goal of this plan is to propose a suitable way to systematically assess the wide range of software requirements for RELAP-7, including the software design, user interface, andmore » technical requirements, etc. To this end, we first survey the literature (i.e., international/domestic reports, research articles) addressing the desirable features generally required for advanced nuclear system safety analysis codes. In addition, the V&V (verification and validation) efforts as well as the legacy issues of several recently-developed codes (e.g., RELAP5-3D, TRACE V5.0) are investigated. Lastly, this paper outlines the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) for RELAP-7 which can be used to systematically evaluate and identify the code development process and its present capability.« less

Nuclear shell model code CRUNCHER

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

Resler, D.A.; Grimes, S.M.

1988-05-01

A new nuclear shell model code CRUNCHER, patterned after the code VLADIMIR, has been developed. While CRUNCHER and VLADIMIR employ the techniques of an uncoupled basis and the Lanczos process, improvements in the new code allow it to handle much larger problems than the previous code and to perform them more efficiently. Tests involving a moderately sized calculation indicate that CRUNCHER running on a SUN 3/260 workstation requires approximately one-half the central processing unit (CPU) time required by VLADIMIR running on a CRAY-1 supercomputer.

Developing and Modifying Behavioral Coding Schemes in Pediatric Psychology: A Practical Guide

PubMed Central

McMurtry, C. Meghan; Chambers, Christine T.; Bakeman, Roger

2015-01-01

Objectives To provide a concise and practical guide to the development, modification, and use of behavioral coding schemes for observational data in pediatric psychology. Methods This article provides a review of relevant literature and experience in developing and refining behavioral coding schemes. Results A step-by-step guide to developing and/or modifying behavioral coding schemes is provided. Major steps include refining a research question, developing or refining the coding manual, piloting and refining the coding manual, and implementing the coding scheme. Major tasks within each step are discussed, and pediatric psychology examples are provided throughout. Conclusions Behavioral coding can be a complex and time-intensive process, but the approach is invaluable in allowing researchers to address clinically relevant research questions in ways that would not otherwise be possible. PMID:25416837

Long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs profiling during spleen development in pig.

PubMed

Che, Tiandong; Li, Diyan; Jin, Long; Fu, Yuhua; Liu, Yingkai; Liu, Pengliang; Wang, Yixin; Tang, Qianzi; Ma, Jideng; Wang, Xun; Jiang, Anan; Li, Xuewei; Li, Mingzhou

2018-01-01

Genome-wide transcriptomic studies in humans and mice have become extensive and mature. However, a comprehensive and systematic understanding of protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expressed during pig spleen development has not been achieved. LncRNAs are known to participate in regulatory networks for an array of biological processes. Here, we constructed 18 RNA libraries from developing fetal pig spleen (55 days before birth), postnatal pig spleens (0, 30, 180 days and 2 years after birth), and the samples from the 2-year-old Wild Boar. A total of 15,040 lncRNA transcripts were identified among these samples. We found that the temporal expression pattern of lncRNAs was more restricted than observed for protein-coding genes. Time-series analysis showed two large modules for protein-coding genes and lncRNAs. The up-regulated module was enriched for genes related to immune and inflammatory function, while the down-regulated module was enriched for cell proliferation processes such as cell division and DNA replication. Co-expression networks indicated the functional relatedness between protein-coding genes and lncRNAs, which were enriched for similar functions over the series of time points examined. We identified numerous differentially expressed protein-coding genes and lncRNAs in all five developmental stages. Notably, ceruloplasmin precursor (CP), a protein-coding gene participating in antioxidant and iron transport processes, was differentially expressed in all stages. This study provides the first catalog of the developing pig spleen, and contributes to a fuller understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning mammalian spleen development.

78 FR 73502 - Multistakeholder Process To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Facial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-06

... Process To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Facial Recognition Technology AGENCY... technology. This Notice announces the meetings to be held in February, March, April, May, and June 2014. The... promote trust regarding facial recognition technology in the commercial context.\\4\\ NTIA encourages...

Continuous Codes and Standards Improvement (CCSI)

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

Rivkin, Carl H; Burgess, Robert M; Buttner, William J

2015-10-21

As of 2014, the majority of the codes and standards required to initially deploy hydrogen technologies infrastructure in the United States have been promulgated. These codes and standards will be field tested through their application to actual hydrogen technologies projects. Continuous codes and standards improvement (CCSI) is a process of identifying code issues that arise during project deployment and then developing codes solutions to these issues. These solutions would typically be proposed amendments to codes and standards. The process is continuous because as technology and the state of safety knowledge develops there will be a need to monitor the applicationmore » of codes and standards and improve them based on information gathered during their application. This paper will discuss code issues that have surfaced through hydrogen technologies infrastructure project deployment and potential code changes that would address these issues. The issues that this paper will address include (1) setback distances for bulk hydrogen storage, (2) code mandated hazard analyses, (3) sensor placement and communication, (4) the use of approved equipment, and (5) system monitoring and maintenance requirements.« less

Developing and modifying behavioral coding schemes in pediatric psychology: a practical guide.

PubMed

Chorney, Jill MacLaren; McMurtry, C Meghan; Chambers, Christine T; Bakeman, Roger

2015-01-01

To provide a concise and practical guide to the development, modification, and use of behavioral coding schemes for observational data in pediatric psychology. This article provides a review of relevant literature and experience in developing and refining behavioral coding schemes. A step-by-step guide to developing and/or modifying behavioral coding schemes is provided. Major steps include refining a research question, developing or refining the coding manual, piloting and refining the coding manual, and implementing the coding scheme. Major tasks within each step are discussed, and pediatric psychology examples are provided throughout. Behavioral coding can be a complex and time-intensive process, but the approach is invaluable in allowing researchers to address clinically relevant research questions in ways that would not otherwise be possible. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Development of a Discipline Code for Sue Bennett College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLendon, Sandra F.

A Student Discipline Code (SDC) was developed to govern student life at Sue Bennett College (SBC), Kentucky, a private two-year college affiliated with the Methodist Church. Steps taken in the process included the following: a review of relevant literature on student discipline; examination of discipline codes from six other educational…

The Development of the World Anti-Doping Code.

PubMed

Young, Richard

2017-01-01

This chapter addresses both the development and substance of the World Anti-Doping Code, which came into effect in 2003, as well as the subsequent Code amendments, which came into effect in 2009 and 2015. Through an extensive process of stakeholder input and collaboration, the World Anti-Doping Code has transformed the hodgepodge of inconsistent and competing pre-2003 anti-doping rules into a harmonized and effective approach to anti-doping. The Code, as amended, is now widely recognized worldwide as the gold standard in anti-doping. The World Anti-Doping Code originally went into effect on January 1, 2004. The first amendments to the Code went into effect on January 1, 2009, and the second amendments on January 1, 2015. The Code and the related international standards are the product of a long and collaborative process designed to make the fight against doping more effective through the adoption and implementation of worldwide harmonized rules and best practices. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Integration of COTS/GOTS within NASA's HST Command and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Thomas; Reis, James E.; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA's mission critical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) command and control system has been re-engineered with COTS/GOTS and minimal custom code. This paper focuses on the design of this new HST Control Center System (CCS) and the lessons learned throughout its development. CCS currently utilizes 31 COTS/GOTS products with an additional 12 million lines of custom glueware code; the new CCS exceeds the capabilities of the original system while significantly reducing the lines of custom code by more than 50%. The lifecycle of COTS/GOTS products will be examined including the pack-age selection process, evaluation process, and integration process. The advantages, disadvantages, issues, concerns, and lessons teamed for integrating COTS/GOTS into the NASA's mission critical HST CCS will be examined in detail. Command and control systems designed with traditional custom code development efforts will be compared with command and control systems designed with new development techniques relying heavily on COTS/COTS integration. This paper will reveal the many hidden costs of COTS/GOTS solutions when compared to traditional custom code development efforts; this paper will show the high cost of COTS/GOTS solutions including training expenses, consulting fees, and long-term maintenance expenses.

Building an ontology of pulmonary diseases with natural language processing tools using textual corpora.

PubMed

Baneyx, Audrey; Charlet, Jean; Jaulent, Marie-Christine

2007-01-01

Pathologies and acts are classified in thesauri to help physicians to code their activity. In practice, the use of thesauri is not sufficient to reduce variability in coding and thesauri are not suitable for computer processing. We think the automation of the coding task requires a conceptual modeling of medical items: an ontology. Our task is to help lung specialists code acts and diagnoses with software that represents medical knowledge of this concerned specialty by an ontology. The objective of the reported work was to build an ontology of pulmonary diseases dedicated to the coding process. To carry out this objective, we develop a precise methodological process for the knowledge engineer in order to build various types of medical ontologies. This process is based on the need to express precisely in natural language the meaning of each concept using differential semantics principles. A differential ontology is a hierarchy of concepts and relationships organized according to their similarities and differences. Our main research hypothesis is to apply natural language processing tools to corpora to develop the resources needed to build the ontology. We consider two corpora, one composed of patient discharge summaries and the other being a teaching book. We propose to combine two approaches to enrich the ontology building: (i) a method which consists of building terminological resources through distributional analysis and (ii) a method based on the observation of corpus sequences in order to reveal semantic relationships. Our ontology currently includes 1550 concepts and the software implementing the coding process is still under development. Results show that the proposed approach is operational and indicates that the combination of these methods and the comparison of the resulting terminological structures give interesting clues to a knowledge engineer for the building of an ontology.

Pirates at Parties: Letter Position Processing in Developing Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohnen, Saskia; Castles, Anne

2013-01-01

There has been much recent interest in letter position coding in adults, but little is known about the development of this process in children learning to read. Here, the letter position coding abilities of 127 children in Grades 2, 3, and 4 (aged 7-10 years) were examined by comparing their performance in reading aloud "migratable" words (e.g.,…

Kayenta Township Building & Safety Department, Tribal Green Building Code Summit Presentation

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Tribal Green Building Code Summit Presentation by Kayenta Township Building & Safety Department showing how they established the building department, developed a code adoption and enforcement process, and hired staff to carry out the work.

Dual Coding, Reasoning and Fallacies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hample, Dale

1982-01-01

Develops the theory that a fallacy is not a comparison of a rhetorical text to a set of definitions but a comparison of one person's cognition with another's. Reviews Paivio's dual coding theory, relates nonverbal coding to reasoning processes, and generates a limited fallacy theory based on dual coding theory. (PD)

Multi-processing on supercomputers for computational aerodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yarrow, Maurice; Mehta, Unmeel B.

1990-01-01

The MIMD concept is applied, through multitasking, with relatively minor modifications to an existing code for a single processor. This approach maps the available memory to multiple processors, exploiting the C-FORTRAN-Unix interface. An existing single processor algorithm is mapped without the need for developing a new algorithm. The procedure of designing a code utilizing this approach is automated with the Unix stream editor. A Multiple Processor Multiple Grid (MPMG) code is developed as a demonstration of this approach. This code solves the three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, thin-layer and slender-layer Navier-Stokes equations with an implicit, approximately factored and diagonalized method. This solver is applied to a generic, oblique-wing aircraft problem on a four-processor computer using one process for data management and nonparallel computations and three processes for pseudotime advance on three different grid systems.

Real-time computer treatment of THz passive device images with the high image quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trofimov, Vyacheslav A.; Trofimov, Vladislav V.

2012-06-01

We demonstrate real-time computer code improving significantly the quality of images captured by the passive THz imaging system. The code is not only designed for a THz passive device: it can be applied to any kind of such devices and active THz imaging systems as well. We applied our code for computer processing of images captured by four passive THz imaging devices manufactured by different companies. It should be stressed that computer processing of images produced by different companies requires using the different spatial filters usually. The performance of current version of the computer code is greater than one image per second for a THz image having more than 5000 pixels and 24 bit number representation. Processing of THz single image produces about 20 images simultaneously corresponding to various spatial filters. The computer code allows increasing the number of pixels for processed images without noticeable reduction of image quality. The performance of the computer code can be increased many times using parallel algorithms for processing the image. We develop original spatial filters which allow one to see objects with sizes less than 2 cm. The imagery is produced by passive THz imaging devices which captured the images of objects hidden under opaque clothes. For images with high noise we develop an approach which results in suppression of the noise after using the computer processing and we obtain the good quality image. With the aim of illustrating the efficiency of the developed approach we demonstrate the detection of the liquid explosive, ordinary explosive, knife, pistol, metal plate, CD, ceramics, chocolate and other objects hidden under opaque clothes. The results demonstrate the high efficiency of our approach for the detection of hidden objects and they are a very promising solution for the security problem.

A Verification Method of Inter-Task Cooperation in Embedded Real-time Systems and its Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Toshio

In software development process of embedded real-time systems, the design of the task cooperation process is very important. The cooperating process of such tasks is specified by task cooperation patterns. Adoption of unsuitable task cooperation patterns has fatal influence on system performance, quality, and extendibility. In order to prevent repetitive work caused by the shortage of task cooperation performance, it is necessary to verify task cooperation patterns in an early software development stage. However, it is very difficult to verify task cooperation patterns in an early software developing stage where task program codes are not completed yet. Therefore, we propose a verification method using task skeleton program codes and a real-time kernel that has a function of recording all events during software execution such as system calls issued by task program codes, external interrupts, and timer interrupt. In order to evaluate the proposed verification method, we applied it to the software development process of a mechatronics control system.

Standardized Radiation Shield Design Methods: 2005 HZETRN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Tripathi, Ram K.; Badavi, Francis F.; Cucinotta, Francis A.

2006-01-01

Research committed by the Langley Research Center through 1995 resulting in the HZETRN code provides the current basis for shield design methods according to NASA STD-3000 (2005). With this new prominence, the database, basic numerical procedures, and algorithms are being re-examined with new methods of verification and validation being implemented to capture a well defined algorithm for engineering design processes to be used in this early development phase of the Bush initiative. This process provides the methodology to transform the 1995 HZETRN research code into the 2005 HZETRN engineering code to be available for these early design processes. In this paper, we will review the basic derivations including new corrections to the codes to insure improved numerical stability and provide benchmarks for code verification.

Development of a CFD code for casting simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murph, Jesse E.

1993-01-01

Because of high rejection rates for large structural castings (e.g., the Space Shuttle Main Engine Alternate Turbopump Design Program), a reliable casting simulation computer code is very desirable. This code would reduce both the development time and life cycle costs by allowing accurate modeling of the entire casting process. While this code could be used for other types of castings, the most significant reductions of time and cost would probably be realized in complex investment castings, where any reduction in the number of development castings would be of significant benefit. The casting process is conveniently divided into three distinct phases: (1) mold filling, where the melt is poured or forced into the mold cavity; (2) solidification, where the melt undergoes a phase change to the solid state; and (3) cool down, where the solidified part continues to cool to ambient conditions. While these phases may appear to be separate and distinct, temporal overlaps do exist between phases (e.g., local solidification occurring during mold filling), and some phenomenological events are affected by others (e.g., residual stresses depend on solidification and cooling rates). Therefore, a reliable code must accurately model all three phases and the interactions between each. While many codes have been developed (to various stages of complexity) to model the solidification and cool down phases, only a few codes have been developed to model mold filling.

Developing an ethical code for engineers: the discursive approach.

PubMed

Lozano, J Félix

2006-04-01

From the Hippocratic Oath on, deontological codes and other professional self-regulation mechanisms have been used to legitimize and identify professional groups. New technological challenges and, above all, changes in the socioeconomic environment require adaptable codes which can respond to new demands. We assume that ethical codes for professionals should not simply focus on regulative functions, but must also consider ideological and educative functions. Any adaptations should take into account both contents (values, norms and recommendations) and the drafting process itself. In this article we propose a process for developing a professional ethical code for an official professional association (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Industriales de Valencia (COIIV) starting from the philosophical assumptions of discursive ethics but adapting them to critical hermeneutics. Our proposal is based on the Integrity Approach rather than the Compliance Approach. A process aiming to achieve an effective ethical document that fulfils regulative and ideological functions requires a participative, dialogical and reflexive methodology. This process must respond to moral exigencies and demands for efficiency and professional effectiveness. In addition to the methodological proposal we present our experience of producing an ethical code for the industrial engineers' association in Valencia (Spain) where this methodology was applied, and we evaluate the detected problems and future potential.

Liquid rocket combustor computer code development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liang, P. Y.

1985-01-01

The Advanced Rocket Injector/Combustor Code (ARICC) that has been developed to model the complete chemical/fluid/thermal processes occurring inside rocket combustion chambers are highlighted. The code, derived from the CONCHAS-SPRAY code originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory incorporates powerful features such as the ability to model complex injector combustion chamber geometries, Lagrangian tracking of droplets, full chemical equilibrium and kinetic reactions for multiple species, a fractional volume of fluid (VOF) description of liquid jet injection in addition to the gaseous phase fluid dynamics, and turbulent mass, energy, and momentum transport. Atomization and droplet dynamic models from earlier generation codes are transplated into the present code. Currently, ARICC is specialized for liquid oxygen/hydrogen propellants, although other fuel/oxidizer pairs can be easily substituted.

Bilingual processing of ASL-English code-blends: The consequences of accessing two lexical representations simultaneously

PubMed Central

Emmorey, Karen; Petrich, Jennifer; Gollan, Tamar H.

2012-01-01

Bilinguals who are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and English often produce code-blends - simultaneously articulating a sign and a word while conversing with other ASL-English bilinguals. To investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying code-blend processing, we compared picture-naming times (Experiment 1) and semantic categorization times (Experiment 2) for code-blends versus ASL signs and English words produced alone. In production, code-blending did not slow lexical retrieval for ASL and actually facilitated access to low-frequency signs. However, code-blending delayed speech production because bimodal bilinguals synchronized English and ASL lexical onsets. In comprehension, code-blending speeded access to both languages. Bimodal bilinguals’ ability to produce code-blends without any cost to ASL implies that the language system either has (or can develop) a mechanism for switching off competition to allow simultaneous production of close competitors. Code-blend facilitation effects during comprehension likely reflect cross-linguistic (and cross-modal) integration at the phonological and/or semantic levels. The absence of any consistent processing costs for code-blending illustrates a surprising limitation on dual-task costs and may explain why bimodal bilinguals code-blend more often than they code-switch. PMID:22773886

Model for Simulating a Spiral Software-Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mizell, Carolyn; Curley, Charles; Nayak, Umanath

2010-01-01

A discrete-event simulation model, and a computer program that implements the model, have been developed as means of analyzing a spiral software-development process. This model can be tailored to specific development environments for use by software project managers in making quantitative cases for deciding among different software-development processes, courses of action, and cost estimates. A spiral process can be contrasted with a waterfall process, which is a traditional process that consists of a sequence of activities that include analysis of requirements, design, coding, testing, and support. A spiral process is an iterative process that can be regarded as a repeating modified waterfall process. Each iteration includes assessment of risk, analysis of requirements, design, coding, testing, delivery, and evaluation. A key difference between a spiral and a waterfall process is that a spiral process can accommodate changes in requirements at each iteration, whereas in a waterfall process, requirements are considered to be fixed from the beginning and, therefore, a waterfall process is not flexible enough for some projects, especially those in which requirements are not known at the beginning or may change during development. For a given project, a spiral process may cost more and take more time than does a waterfall process, but may better satisfy a customer's expectations and needs. Models for simulating various waterfall processes have been developed previously, but until now, there have been no models for simulating spiral processes. The present spiral-process-simulating model and the software that implements it were developed by extending a discrete-event simulation process model of the IEEE 12207 Software Development Process, which was built using commercially available software known as the Process Analysis Tradeoff Tool (PATT). Typical inputs to PATT models include industry-average values of product size (expressed as number of lines of code), productivity (number of lines of code per hour), and number of defects per source line of code. The user provides the number of resources, the overall percent of effort that should be allocated to each process step, and the number of desired staff members for each step. The output of PATT includes the size of the product, a measure of effort, a measure of rework effort, the duration of the entire process, and the numbers of injected, detected, and corrected defects as well as a number of other interesting features. In the development of the present model, steps were added to the IEEE 12207 waterfall process, and this model and its implementing software were made to run repeatedly through the sequence of steps, each repetition representing an iteration in a spiral process. Because the IEEE 12207 model is founded on a waterfall paradigm, it enables direct comparison of spiral and waterfall processes. The model can be used throughout a software-development project to analyze the project as more information becomes available. For instance, data from early iterations can be used as inputs to the model, and the model can be used to estimate the time and cost of carrying the project to completion.

Numerical modeling of the fracture process in a three-unit all-ceramic fixed partial denture.

PubMed

Kou, Wen; Kou, Shaoquan; Liu, Hongyuan; Sjögren, Göran

2007-08-01

The main objectives were to examine the fracture mechanism and process of a ceramic fixed partial denture (FPD) framework under simulated mechanical loading using a recently developed numerical modeling code, the R-T(2D) code, and also to evaluate the suitability of R-T(2D) code as a tool for this purpose. Using the recently developed R-T(2D) code the fracture mechanism and process of a 3U yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal ceramic (Y-TZP) FPD framework was simulated under static loading. In addition, the fracture pattern obtained using the numerical simulation was compared with the fracture pattern obtained in a previous laboratory test. The result revealed that the framework fracture pattern obtained using the numerical simulation agreed with that observed in a previous laboratory test. Quasi-photoelastic stress fringe pattern and acoustic emission showed that the fracture mechanism was tensile failure and that the crack started at the lower boundary of the framework. The fracture process could be followed both in step-by-step and step-in-step. Based on the findings in the current study, the R-T(2D) code seems suitable for use as a complement to other tests and clinical observations in studying stress distribution, fracture mechanism and fracture processes in ceramic FPD frameworks.

Exploring Type and Amount of Parent Talk during Individualized Family Service Plan Meetings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridgley, Robyn; Snyder, Patricia; McWilliam, R. A.

2014-01-01

We discuss the utility of a coding system designed to evaluate the amount and type of parent talk during individualized family service plan (IFSP) meetings. The iterative processes used to develop the "Parent Communication Coding System" (PCCS) and its associated codes are described. In addition, we explored whether PCCS codes could be…

Bar Code Labels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

American Bar Codes, Inc. developed special bar code labels for inventory control of space shuttle parts and other space system components. ABC labels are made in a company-developed anodizing aluminum process and consecutively marketed with bar code symbology and human readable numbers. They offer extreme abrasion resistance and indefinite resistance to ultraviolet radiation, capable of withstanding 700 degree temperatures without deterioration and up to 1400 degrees with special designs. They offer high resistance to salt spray, cleaning fluids and mild acids. ABC is now producing these bar code labels commercially or industrial customers who also need labels to resist harsh environments.

Validation of a Communication Process Measure for Coding Control in Counseling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heatherington, Laurie

The increasingly popular view of the counseling process from an interactional perspective necessitates the development of new measurement instruments which are suitable to the study of the reciprocal interaction between people. The validity of the Relational Communication Coding System, an instrument which operationalizes the constructs of…

Final Report. An Integrated Partnership to Create and Lead the Solar Codes and Standards Working Group

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

Rosenthal, Andrew

The DOE grant, “An Integrated Partnership to Create and Lead the Solar Codes and Standards Working Group,” to New Mexico State University created the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs). From 2007 – 2013 with funding from this grant, Solar ABCs identified current issues, established a dialogue among key stakeholders, and catalyzed appropriate activities to support the development of codes and standards that facilitated the installation of high quality, safe photovoltaic systems. Solar ABCs brought the following resources to the PV stakeholder community; Formal coordination in the planning or revision of interrelated codes and standards removing “stovemore » pipes” that have only roofing experts working on roofing codes, PV experts on PV codes, fire enforcement experts working on fire codes, etc.; A conduit through which all interested stakeholders were able to see the steps being taken in the development or modification of codes and standards and participate directly in the processes; A central clearing house for new documents, standards, proposed standards, analytical studies, and recommendations of best practices available to the PV community; A forum of experts that invites and welcomes all interested parties into the process of performing studies, evaluating results, and building consensus on standards and code-related topics that affect all aspects of the market; and A biennial gap analysis to formally survey the PV community to identify needs that are unmet and inhibiting the market and necessary technical developments.« less

SAC: Sheffield Advanced Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, Mike; Fedun, Viktor; Mumford, Stuart; Gent, Frederick

2013-06-01

The Sheffield Advanced Code (SAC) is a fully non-linear MHD code designed for simulations of linear and non-linear wave propagation in gravitationally strongly stratified magnetized plasma. It was developed primarily for the forward modelling of helioseismological processes and for the coupling processes in the solar interior, photosphere, and corona; it is built on the well-known VAC platform that allows robust simulation of the macroscopic processes in gravitationally stratified (non-)magnetized plasmas. The code has no limitations of simulation length in time imposed by complications originating from the upper boundary, nor does it require implementation of special procedures to treat the upper boundaries. SAC inherited its modular structure from VAC, thereby allowing modification to easily add new physics.

Image gathering, coding, and processing: End-to-end optimization for efficient and robust acquisition of visual information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huck, Friedrich O.; Fales, Carl L.

1990-01-01

Researchers are concerned with the end-to-end performance of image gathering, coding, and processing. The applications range from high-resolution television to vision-based robotics, wherever the resolution, efficiency and robustness of visual information acquisition and processing are critical. For the presentation at this workshop, it is convenient to divide research activities into the following two overlapping areas: The first is the development of focal-plane processing techniques and technology to effectively combine image gathering with coding, with an emphasis on low-level vision processing akin to the retinal processing in human vision. The approach includes the familiar Laplacian pyramid, the new intensity-dependent spatial summation, and parallel sensing/processing networks. Three-dimensional image gathering is attained by combining laser ranging with sensor-array imaging. The second is the rigorous extension of information theory and optimal filtering to visual information acquisition and processing. The goal is to provide a comprehensive methodology for quantitatively assessing the end-to-end performance of image gathering, coding, and processing.

Demonstration of emulator-based Bayesian calibration of safety analysis codes: Theory and formulation

DOE PAGES

Yurko, Joseph P.; Buongiorno, Jacopo; Youngblood, Robert

2015-05-28

System codes for simulation of safety performance of nuclear plants may contain parameters whose values are not known very accurately. New information from tests or operating experience is incorporated into safety codes by a process known as calibration, which reduces uncertainty in the output of the code and thereby improves its support for decision-making. The work reported here implements several improvements on classic calibration techniques afforded by modern analysis techniques. The key innovation has come from development of code surrogate model (or code emulator) construction and prediction algorithms. Use of a fast emulator makes the calibration processes used here withmore » Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling feasible. This study uses Gaussian Process (GP) based emulators, which have been used previously to emulate computer codes in the nuclear field. The present work describes the formulation of an emulator that incorporates GPs into a factor analysis-type or pattern recognition-type model. This “function factorization” Gaussian Process (FFGP) model allows overcoming limitations present in standard GP emulators, thereby improving both accuracy and speed of the emulator-based calibration process. Calibration of a friction-factor example using a Method of Manufactured Solution is performed to illustrate key properties of the FFGP based process.« less

Team Software Development for Aerothermodynamic and Aerodynamic Analysis and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexandrov, N.; Atkins, H. L.; Bibb, K. L.; Biedron, R. T.; Carpenter, M. H.; Gnoffo, P. A.; Hammond, D. P.; Jones, W. T.; Kleb, W. L.; Lee-Rausch, E. M.

2003-01-01

A collaborative approach to software development is described. The approach employs the agile development techniques: project retrospectives, Scrum status meetings, and elements of Extreme Programming to efficiently develop a cohesive and extensible software suite. The software product under development is a fluid dynamics simulator for performing aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic analysis and design. The functionality of the software product is achieved both through the merging, with substantial rewrite, of separate legacy codes and the authorship of new routines. Examples of rapid implementation of new functionality demonstrate the benefits obtained with this agile software development process. The appendix contains a discussion of coding issues encountered while porting legacy Fortran 77 code to Fortran 95, software design principles, and a Fortran 95 coding standard.

Development of the ICD-10 simplified version and field test.

PubMed

Paoin, Wansa; Yuenyongsuwan, Maliwan; Yokobori, Yukiko; Endo, Hiroyoshi; Kim, Sukil

2018-05-01

The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) has been used in various Asia-Pacific countries for more than 20 years. Although ICD-10 is a powerful tool, clinical coding processes are complex; therefore, many developing countries have not been able to implement ICD-10-based health statistics (WHO-FIC APN, 2007). This study aimed to simplify ICD-10 clinical coding processes, to modify index terms to facilitate computer searching and to provide a simplified version of ICD-10 for use in developing countries. The World Health Organization Family of International Classifications Asia-Pacific Network (APN) developed a simplified version of the ICD-10 and conducted field testing in Cambodia during February and March 2016. Ten hospitals were selected to participate. Each hospital sent a team to join a training workshop before using the ICD-10 simplified version to code 100 cases. All hospitals subsequently sent their coded records to the researchers. Overall, there were 1038 coded records with a total of 1099 ICD clinical codes assigned. The average accuracy rate was calculated as 80.71% (66.67-93.41%). Three types of clinical coding errors were found. These related to errors relating to the coder (14.56%), those resulting from the physician documentation (1.27%) and those considered system errors (3.46%). The field trial results demonstrated that the APN ICD-10 simplified version is feasible for implementation as an effective tool to implement ICD-10 clinical coding for hospitals. Developing countries may consider adopting the APN ICD-10 simplified version for ICD-10 code assignment in hospitals and health care centres. The simplified version can be viewed as an introductory tool which leads to the implementation of the full ICD-10 and may support subsequent ICD-11 adoption.

77 FR 46067 - Multistakeholder Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile Application Transparency AGENCY... convene meetings of a privacy multistakeholder process concerning mobile application transparency. DATES... of NTIA- convened multistakeholder discussions concerning mobile application transparency. The first...

78 FR 19461 - Multistakeholder Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-01

... Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile Application Transparency AGENCY... convene meetings of a privacy multistakeholder process concerning mobile application transparency. This... of a series of NTIA-convened multistakeholder discussions concerning mobile application transparency...

Verification and Validation in a Rapid Software Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John R.; Easterbrook, Steve M.

1997-01-01

The high cost of software production is driving development organizations to adopt more automated design and analysis methods such as rapid prototyping, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools, and high-level code generators. Even developers of safety-critical software system have adopted many of these new methods while striving to achieve high levels Of quality and reliability. While these new methods may enhance productivity and quality in many cases, we examine some of the risks involved in the use of new methods in safety-critical contexts. We examine a case study involving the use of a CASE tool that automatically generates code from high-level system designs. We show that while high-level testing on the system structure is highly desirable, significant risks exist in the automatically generated code and in re-validating releases of the generated code after subsequent design changes. We identify these risks and suggest process improvements that retain the advantages of rapid, automated development methods within the quality and reliability contexts of safety-critical projects.

PlotXY: A High Quality Plotting System for the Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) and the Astronomical Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panuzzo, P.; Li, J.; Caux, E.

2012-09-01

The Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with NASA and the Herschel Instrument Control Centres, to provide the astronomical community a complete environment to process and analyze the data gathered by the Herschel Space Observatory. One of the most important components of HIPE is the plotting system (named PlotXY) that we present here. With PlotXY it is possible to produce easily high quality publication-ready 2D plots. It provides a long list of features, with fully configurable components, and interactive zooming. The entire code of HIPE is written in Java and is open source released under the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3. A new version of PlotXY is being developed to be independent from the HIPE code base; it is available to the software development community for the inclusion in other projects at the URL http://code.google.com/p/jplot2d/.

SU-D-BRD-03: A Gateway for GPU Computing in Cancer Radiotherapy Research

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

Jia, X; Folkerts, M; Shi, F

Purpose: Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has become increasingly important in radiotherapy. However, it is still difficult for general clinical researchers to access GPU codes developed by other researchers, and for developers to objectively benchmark their codes. Moreover, it is quite often to see repeated efforts spent on developing low-quality GPU codes. The goal of this project is to establish an infrastructure for testing GPU codes, cross comparing them, and facilitating code distributions in radiotherapy community. Methods: We developed a system called Gateway for GPU Computing in Cancer Radiotherapy Research (GCR2). A number of GPU codes developed by our group andmore » other developers can be accessed via a web interface. To use the services, researchers first upload their test data or use the standard data provided by our system. Then they can select the GPU device on which the code will be executed. Our system offers all mainstream GPU hardware for code benchmarking purpose. After the code running is complete, the system automatically summarizes and displays the computing results. We also released a SDK to allow the developers to build their own algorithm implementation and submit their binary codes to the system. The submitted code is then systematically benchmarked using a variety of GPU hardware and representative data provided by our system. The developers can also compare their codes with others and generate benchmarking reports. Results: It is found that the developed system is fully functioning. Through a user-friendly web interface, researchers are able to test various GPU codes. Developers also benefit from this platform by comprehensively benchmarking their codes on various GPU platforms and representative clinical data sets. Conclusion: We have developed an open platform allowing the clinical researchers and developers to access the GPUs and GPU codes. This development will facilitate the utilization of GPU in radiation therapy field.« less

FRENDY: A new nuclear data processing system being developed at JAEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tada, Kenichi; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Kunieda, Satoshi; Suyama, Kenya; Fukahori, Tokio

2017-09-01

JAEA has provided an evaluated nuclear data library JENDL and nuclear application codes such as MARBLE, SRAC, MVP and PHITS. These domestic codes have been widely used in many universities and industrial companies in Japan. However, we sometimes find problems in imported processing systems and need to revise them when the new JENDL is released. To overcome such problems and immediately process the nuclear data when it is released, JAEA started developing a new nuclear data processing system, FRENDY in 2013. This paper describes the outline of the development of FRENDY and both its capabilities and performances by the analyses of criticality experiments. The verification results indicate that FRENDY properly generates ACE files.

Design of neurophysiologically motivated structures of time-pulse coded neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasilenko, Vladimir G.; Nikolsky, Alexander I.; Lazarev, Alexander A.; Lobodzinska, Raisa F.

2009-04-01

The common methodology of biologically motivated concept of building of processing sensors systems with parallel input and picture operands processing and time-pulse coding are described in paper. Advantages of such coding for creation of parallel programmed 2D-array structures for the next generation digital computers which require untraditional numerical systems for processing of analog, digital, hybrid and neuro-fuzzy operands are shown. The optoelectronic time-pulse coded intelligent neural elements (OETPCINE) simulation results and implementation results of a wide set of neuro-fuzzy logic operations are considered. The simulation results confirm engineering advantages, intellectuality, circuit flexibility of OETPCINE for creation of advanced 2D-structures. The developed equivalentor-nonequivalentor neural element has power consumption of 10mW and processing time about 10...100us.

Multi-Region Boundary Element Analysis for Coupled Thermal-Fracturing Processes in Geomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Baotang; Kim, Hyung-Mok; Park, Eui-Seob; Kim, Taek-Kon; Wuttke, Manfred W.; Rinne, Mikael; Backers, Tobias; Stephansson, Ove

2013-01-01

This paper describes a boundary element code development on coupled thermal-mechanical processes of rock fracture propagation. The code development was based on the fracture mechanics code FRACOD that has previously been developed by Shen and Stephansson (Int J Eng Fracture Mech 47:177-189, 1993) and FRACOM (A fracture propagation code—FRACOD, User's manual. FRACOM Ltd. 2002) and simulates complex fracture propagation in rocks governed by both tensile and shear mechanisms. For the coupled thermal-fracturing analysis, an indirect boundary element method, namely the fictitious heat source method, was implemented in FRACOD to simulate the temperature change and thermal stresses in rocks. This indirect method is particularly suitable for the thermal-fracturing coupling in FRACOD where the displacement discontinuity method is used for mechanical simulation. The coupled code was also extended to simulate multiple region problems in which rock mass, concrete linings and insulation layers with different thermal and mechanical properties were present. Both verification and application cases were presented where a point heat source in a 2D infinite medium and a pilot LNG underground cavern were solved and studied using the coupled code. Good agreement was observed between the simulation results, analytical solutions and in situ measurements which validates an applicability of the developed coupled code.

Open-Source Development of the Petascale Reactive Flow and Transport Code PFLOTRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, G. E.; Andre, B.; Bisht, G.; Johnson, T.; Karra, S.; Lichtner, P. C.; Mills, R. T.

2013-12-01

Open-source software development has become increasingly popular in recent years. Open-source encourages collaborative and transparent software development and promotes unlimited free redistribution of source code to the public. Open-source development is good for science as it reveals implementation details that are critical to scientific reproducibility, but generally excluded from journal publications. In addition, research funds that would have been spent on licensing fees can be redirected to code development that benefits more scientists. In 2006, the developers of PFLOTRAN open-sourced their code under the U.S. Department of Energy SciDAC-II program. Since that time, the code has gained popularity among code developers and users from around the world seeking to employ PFLOTRAN to simulate thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and biogeochemical processes in the Earth's surface/subsurface environment. PFLOTRAN is a massively-parallel subsurface reactive multiphase flow and transport simulator designed from the ground up to run efficiently on computing platforms ranging from the laptop to leadership-class supercomputers, all from a single code base. The code employs domain decomposition for parallelism and is founded upon the well-established and open-source parallel PETSc and HDF5 frameworks. PFLOTRAN leverages modern Fortran (i.e. Fortran 2003-2008) in its extensible object-oriented design. The use of this progressive, yet domain-friendly programming language has greatly facilitated collaboration in the code's software development. Over the past year, PFLOTRAN's top-level data structures were refactored as Fortran classes (i.e. extendible derived types) to improve the flexibility of the code, ease the addition of new process models, and enable coupling to external simulators. For instance, PFLOTRAN has been coupled to the parallel electrical resistivity tomography code E4D to enable hydrogeophysical inversion while the same code base can be used as a third-party library to provide hydrologic flow, energy transport, and biogeochemical capability to the community land model, CLM, part of the open-source community earth system model (CESM) for climate. In this presentation, the advantages and disadvantages of open source software development in support of geoscience research at government laboratories, universities, and the private sector are discussed. Since the code is open-source (i.e. it's transparent and readily available to competitors), the PFLOTRAN team's development strategy within a competitive research environment is presented. Finally, the developers discuss their approach to object-oriented programming and the leveraging of modern Fortran in support of collaborative geoscience research as the Fortran standard evolves among compiler vendors.

Recent Improvements in the FDNS CFD Code and its Associated Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Jeff S.; Dorney, Suzanne M.; Turner, Jim (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This viewgraph presentation gives an overview on recent improvements in the Finite Difference Navier Stokes (FDNS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code and its associated process. The development of a utility, PreViewer, has essentially eliminated the creeping of simple human error into the FDNS Solution process. Extension of PreViewer to encapsulate the Domain Decompression process has made practical the routine use of parallel processing. The combination of CVS source control and ATS consistency validation significantly increases the efficiency of the CFD process.

Developing a Machine-Supported Coding System for Constructed-Response Items in PISA. Research Report. ETS RR-17-47

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamamoto, Kentaro; He, Qiwei; Shin, Hyo Jeong; von Davier, Mattias

2017-01-01

Approximately a third of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) items in the core domains (math, reading, and science) are constructed-response items and require human coding (scoring). This process is time-consuming, expensive, and prone to error as often (a) humans code inconsistently, and (b) coding reliability in…

Development of a novel coding scheme (SABICS) to record nurse-child interactive behaviours in a community dental preventive intervention.

PubMed

Zhou, Yuefang; Cameron, Elaine; Forbes, Gillian; Humphris, Gerry

2012-08-01

To develop and validate the St Andrews Behavioural Interaction Coding Scheme (SABICS): a tool to record nurse-child interactive behaviours. The SABICS was developed primarily from observation of video recorded interactions; and refined through an iterative process of applying the scheme to new data sets. Its practical applicability was assessed via implementation of the scheme on specialised behavioural coding software. Reliability was calculated using Cohen's Kappa. Discriminant validity was assessed using logistic regression. The SABICS contains 48 codes. Fifty-five nurse-child interactions were successfully coded through administering the scheme on The Observer XT8.0 system. Two visualization results of interaction patterns demonstrated the scheme's capability of capturing complex interaction processes. Cohen's Kappa was 0.66 (inter-coder) and 0.88 and 0.78 (two intra-coders). The frequency of nurse behaviours, such as "instruction" (OR = 1.32, p = 0.027) and "praise" (OR = 2.04, p = 0.027), predicted a child receiving the intervention. The SABICS is a unique system to record interactions between dental nurses and 3-5 years old children. It records and displays complex nurse-child interactive behaviours. It is easily administered and demonstrates reasonable psychometric properties. The SABICS has potential for other paediatric settings. Its development procedure may be helpful for other similar coding scheme development. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 75409 - Multistakeholder Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-20

... Meetings To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile Application Transparency AGENCY... convene meetings of a privacy multistakeholder process concerning mobile application transparency. DATES... are part of a series of NTIA-convened multistakeholder discussions concerning mobile application...

Large Eddy Simulations and Turbulence Modeling for Film Cooling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acharya, Sumanta

1999-01-01

The objective of the research is to perform Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulations (LES) for film cooling process, and to evaluate and improve advanced forms of the two equation turbulence models for turbine blade surface flow analysis. The DNS/LES were used to resolve the large eddies within the flow field near the coolant jet location. The work involved code development and applications of the codes developed to the film cooling problems. Five different codes were developed and utilized to perform this research. This report presented a summary of the development of the codes and their applications to analyze the turbulence properties at locations near coolant injection holes.

Methodology, status and plans for development and assessment of TUF and CATHENA codes

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

Luxat, J.C.; Liu, W.S.; Leung, R.K.

1997-07-01

An overview is presented of the Canadian two-fluid computer codes TUF and CATHENA with specific focus on the constraints imposed during development of these codes and the areas of application for which they are intended. Additionally a process for systematic assessment of these codes is described which is part of a broader, industry based initiative for validation of computer codes used in all major disciplines of safety analysis. This is intended to provide both the licensee and the regulator in Canada with an objective basis for assessing the adequacy of codes for use in specific applications. Although focused specifically onmore » CANDU reactors, Canadian experience in developing advanced two-fluid codes to meet wide-ranging application needs while maintaining past investment in plant modelling provides a useful contribution to international efforts in this area.« less

Leveraging Code Comments to Improve Software Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Lin

2009-01-01

Commenting source code has long been a common practice in software development. This thesis, consisting of three pieces of work, made novel use of the code comments written in natural language to improve software reliability. Our solution combines Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning, Statistics, and Program Analysis techniques to…

Methodology of decreasing software complexity using ontology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DÄ browska-Kubik, Katarzyna

2015-09-01

In this paper a model of web application`s source code, based on the OSD ontology (Ontology for Software Development), is proposed. This model is applied to implementation and maintenance phase of software development process through the DevOntoCreator tool [5]. The aim of this solution is decreasing software complexity of that source code, using many different maintenance techniques, like creation of documentation, elimination dead code, cloned code or bugs, which were known before [1][2]. Due to this approach saving on software maintenance costs of web applications will be possible.

Using Inspections to Improve the Quality of Product Documentation and Code.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuchero, John

1995-01-01

Describes how, by adapting software inspections to assess documentation and code, technical writers can collaborate with development personnel, editors, and customers to dramatically improve both the quality of documentation and the very process of inspecting that documentation. Notes that the five steps involved in the inspection process are:…

A Coding Scheme for Analysing Problem-Solving Processes of First-Year Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grigg, Sarah J.; Benson, Lisa C.

2014-01-01

This study describes the development and structure of a coding scheme for analysing solutions to well-structured problems in terms of cognitive processes and problem-solving deficiencies for first-year engineering students. A task analysis approach was used to assess students' problem solutions using the hierarchical structure from a…

User input verification and test driven development in the NJOY21 nuclear data processing code

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

Trainer, Amelia Jo; Conlin, Jeremy Lloyd; McCartney, Austin Paul

Before physically-meaningful data can be used in nuclear simulation codes, the data must be interpreted and manipulated by a nuclear data processing code so as to extract the relevant quantities (e.g. cross sections and angular distributions). Perhaps the most popular and widely-trusted of these processing codes is NJOY, which has been developed and improved over the course of 10 major releases since its creation at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the mid-1970’s. The current phase of NJOY development is the creation of NJOY21, which will be a vast improvement from its predecessor, NJOY2016. Designed to be fast, intuitive, accessible, andmore » capable of handling both established and modern formats of nuclear data, NJOY21 will address many issues that many NJOY users face, while remaining functional for those who prefer the existing format. Although early in its development, NJOY21 is quickly providing input validation to check user input. By providing rapid and helpful responses to users while writing input files, NJOY21 will prove to be more intuitive and easy to use than any of its predecessors. Furthermore, during its development, NJOY21 is subject to regular testing, such that its test coverage must strictly increase with the addition of any production code. This thorough testing will allow developers and NJOY users to establish confidence in NJOY21 as it gains functionality. This document serves as a discussion regarding the current state input checking and testing practices of NJOY21.« less

Meanline Analysis of Turbines with Choked Flow in the Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, Eric S.

2016-01-01

The Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code (OTAC) is a new meanline/streamline turbomachinery modeling tool being developed at NASA GRC. During the development process, a limitation of the code was discovered in relation to the analysis of choked flow in axial turbines. This paper describes the relevant physics for choked flow as well as the changes made to OTAC to enable analysis in this flow regime.

On the optimality of code options for a universal noiseless coder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, Pen-Shu; Rice, Robert F.; Miller, Warner

1991-01-01

A universal noiseless coding structure was developed that provides efficient performance over an extremely broad range of source entropy. This is accomplished by adaptively selecting the best of several easily implemented variable length coding algorithms. Custom VLSI coder and decoder modules capable of processing over 20 million samples per second are currently under development. The first of the code options used in this module development is shown to be equivalent to a class of Huffman code under the Humblet condition, other options are shown to be equivalent to the Huffman codes of a modified Laplacian symbol set, at specified symbol entropy values. Simulation results are obtained on actual aerial imagery, and they confirm the optimality of the scheme. On sources having Gaussian or Poisson distributions, coder performance is also projected through analysis and simulation.

78 FR 35260 - Multistakeholder Meeting To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-12

... Meeting To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile Application Transparency AGENCY... convene a meeting of a privacy multistakeholder process concerning mobile application transparency. This..., 2013 meeting is part of a series of NTIA-convened multistakeholder discussions concerning mobile...

Application of grammar-based codes for lossless compression of digital mammograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoli; Krishnan, Srithar; Ma, Ngok-Wah

2006-01-01

A newly developed grammar-based lossless source coding theory and its implementation was proposed in 1999 and 2000, respectively, by Yang and Kieffer. The code first transforms the original data sequence into an irreducible context-free grammar, which is then compressed using arithmetic coding. In the study of grammar-based coding for mammography applications, we encountered two issues: processing time and limited number of single-character grammar G variables. For the first issue, we discover a feature that can simplify the matching subsequence search in the irreducible grammar transform process. Using this discovery, an extended grammar code technique is proposed and the processing time of the grammar code can be significantly reduced. For the second issue, we propose to use double-character symbols to increase the number of grammar variables. Under the condition that all the G variables have the same probability of being used, our analysis shows that the double- and single-character approaches have the same compression rates. By using the methods proposed, we show that the grammar code can outperform three other schemes: Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW), arithmetic, and Huffman on compression ratio, and has similar error tolerance capabilities as LZW coding under similar circumstances.

Converting Panax ginseng DNA and chemical fingerprints into two-dimensional barcode.

PubMed

Cai, Yong; Li, Peng; Li, Xi-Wen; Zhao, Jing; Chen, Hai; Yang, Qing; Hu, Hao

2017-07-01

In this study, we investigated how to convert the Panax ginseng DNA sequence code and chemical fingerprints into a two-dimensional code. In order to improve the compression efficiency, GATC2Bytes and digital merger compression algorithms are proposed. HPLC chemical fingerprint data of 10 groups of P. ginseng from Northeast China and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence code as the DNA sequence code were ready for conversion. In order to convert such data into a two-dimensional code, the following six steps were performed: First, the chemical fingerprint characteristic data sets were obtained through the inflection filtering algorithm. Second, precompression processing of such data sets is undertaken. Third, precompression processing was undertaken with the P. ginseng DNA (ITS2) sequence codes. Fourth, the precompressed chemical fingerprint data and the DNA (ITS2) sequence code were combined in accordance with the set data format. Such combined data can be compressed by Zlib, an open source data compression algorithm. Finally, the compressed data generated a two-dimensional code called a quick response code (QR code). Through the abovementioned converting process, it can be found that the number of bytes needed for storing P. ginseng chemical fingerprints and its DNA (ITS2) sequence code can be greatly reduced. After GTCA2Bytes algorithm processing, the ITS2 compression rate reaches 75% and the chemical fingerprint compression rate exceeds 99.65% via filtration and digital merger compression algorithm processing. Therefore, the overall compression ratio even exceeds 99.36%. The capacity of the formed QR code is around 0.5k, which can easily and successfully be read and identified by any smartphone. P. ginseng chemical fingerprints and its DNA (ITS2) sequence code can form a QR code after data processing, and therefore the QR code can be a perfect carrier of the authenticity and quality of P. ginseng information. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of a quality traceability system of traditional Chinese medicine based on a two-dimensional code.

Adiabatic topological quantum computing

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

Cesare, Chris; Landahl, Andrew J.; Bacon, Dave

Topological quantum computing promises error-resistant quantum computation without active error correction. However, there is a worry that during the process of executing quantum gates by braiding anyons around each other, extra anyonic excitations will be created that will disorder the encoded quantum information. Here, we explore this question in detail by studying adiabatic code deformations on Hamiltonians based on topological codes, notably Kitaev’s surface codes and the more recently discovered color codes. We develop protocols that enable universal quantum computing by adiabatic evolution in a way that keeps the energy gap of the system constant with respect to the computationmore » size and introduces only simple local Hamiltonian interactions. This allows one to perform holonomic quantum computing with these topological quantum computing systems. The tools we develop allow one to go beyond numerical simulations and understand these processes analytically.« less

Adiabatic topological quantum computing

DOE PAGES

Cesare, Chris; Landahl, Andrew J.; Bacon, Dave; ...

2015-07-31

Topological quantum computing promises error-resistant quantum computation without active error correction. However, there is a worry that during the process of executing quantum gates by braiding anyons around each other, extra anyonic excitations will be created that will disorder the encoded quantum information. Here, we explore this question in detail by studying adiabatic code deformations on Hamiltonians based on topological codes, notably Kitaev’s surface codes and the more recently discovered color codes. We develop protocols that enable universal quantum computing by adiabatic evolution in a way that keeps the energy gap of the system constant with respect to the computationmore » size and introduces only simple local Hamiltonian interactions. This allows one to perform holonomic quantum computing with these topological quantum computing systems. The tools we develop allow one to go beyond numerical simulations and understand these processes analytically.« less

Neutronic calculation of fast reactors by the EUCLID/V1 integrated code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koltashev, D. A.; Stakhanova, A. A.

2017-01-01

This article considers neutronic calculation of a fast-neutron lead-cooled reactor BREST-OD-300 by the EUCLID/V1 integrated code. The main goal of development and application of integrated codes is a nuclear power plant safety justification. EUCLID/V1 is integrated code designed for coupled neutronics, thermomechanical and thermohydraulic fast reactor calculations under normal and abnormal operating conditions. EUCLID/V1 code is being developed in the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The integrated code has a modular structure and consists of three main modules: thermohydraulic module HYDRA-IBRAE/LM/V1, thermomechanical module BERKUT and neutronic module DN3D. In addition, the integrated code includes databases with fuel, coolant and structural materials properties. Neutronic module DN3D provides full-scale simulation of neutronic processes in fast reactors. Heat sources distribution, control rods movement, reactivity level changes and other processes can be simulated. Neutron transport equation in multigroup diffusion approximation is solved. This paper contains some calculations implemented as a part of EUCLID/V1 code validation. A fast-neutron lead-cooled reactor BREST-OD-300 transient simulation (fuel assembly floating, decompression of passive feedback system channel) and cross-validation with MCU-FR code results are presented in this paper. The calculations demonstrate EUCLID/V1 code application for BREST-OD-300 simulating and safety justification.

Implementation of a Post-Code Pause: Extending Post-Event Debriefing to Include Silence.

PubMed

Copeland, Darcy; Liska, Heather

2016-01-01

This project arose out of a need to address two issues at our hospital: we lacked a formal debriefing process for code/trauma events and the emergency department wanted to address the psychological and spiritual needs of code/trauma responders. We developed a debriefing process for code/trauma events that intentionally included mechanisms to facilitate recognition, acknowledgment, and, when needed, responses to the psychological and spiritual needs of responders. A post-code pause process was implemented in the emergency department with the aims of standardizing a debriefing process, encouraging a supportive team-based culture, improving transition back to "normal" activities after responding to code/trauma events, and providing responders an opportunity to express reverence for patients involved in code/trauma events. The post-code pause process incorporates a moment of silence and the addition of two simple questions to a traditional operational debrief. Implementation of post-code pauses was feasible despite the fast paced nature of the department. At the end of the 1-year pilot period, staff members reported increases in feeling supported by peers and leaders, their ability to pay homage to patients, and having time to regroup prior to returning to their assignment. There was a decrease in the number of respondents reporting having thoughts or feelings associated with the event within 24 hr. The pauses create a mechanism for operational team debriefing, provide an opportunity for staff members to honor their work and their patients, and support an environment in which the psychological and spiritual effects of responding to code/trauma events can be acknowledged.

Automatic Coding of Dialogue Acts in Collaboration Protocols

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkens, Gijsbert; Janssen, Jeroen

2008-01-01

Although protocol analysis can be an important tool for researchers to investigate the process of collaboration and communication, the use of this method of analysis can be time consuming. Hence, an automatic coding procedure for coding dialogue acts was developed. This procedure helps to determine the communicative function of messages in online…

Galen-In-Use: using artificial intelligence terminology tools to improve the linguistic coherence of a national coding system for surgical procedures.

PubMed

Rodrigues, J M; Trombert-Paviot, B; Baud, R; Wagner, J; Meusnier-Carriot, F

1998-01-01

GALEN has developed a language independent common reference model based on a medically oriented ontology and practical tools and techniques for managing healthcare terminology including natural language processing. GALEN-IN-USE is the current phase which applied the modelling and the tools to the development or the updating of coding systems for surgical procedures in different national coding centers co-operating within the European Federation of Coding Centre (EFCC) to create a language independent knowledge repository for multicultural Europe. We used an integrated set of artificial intelligence terminology tools named CLAssification Manager workbench to process French professional medical language rubrics into intermediate dissections and to the Grail reference ontology model representation. From this language independent concept model representation we generate controlled French natural language. The French national coding centre is then able to retrieve the initial professional rubrics with different categories of concepts, to compare the professional language proposed by expert clinicians to the French generated controlled vocabulary and to finalize the linguistic labels of the coding system in relation with the meanings of the conceptual system structure.

Progress on China nuclear data processing code system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ping; Wu, Xiaofei; Ge, Zhigang; Li, Songyang; Wu, Haicheng; Wen, Lili; Wang, Wenming; Zhang, Huanyu

2017-09-01

China is developing the nuclear data processing code Ruler, which can be used for producing multi-group cross sections and related quantities from evaluated nuclear data in the ENDF format [1]. The Ruler includes modules for reconstructing cross sections in all energy range, generating Doppler-broadened cross sections for given temperature, producing effective self-shielded cross sections in unresolved energy range, calculating scattering cross sections in thermal energy range, generating group cross sections and matrices, preparing WIMS-D format data files for the reactor physics code WIMS-D [2]. Programming language of the Ruler is Fortran-90. The Ruler is tested for 32-bit computers with Windows-XP and Linux operating systems. The verification of Ruler has been performed by comparison with calculation results obtained by the NJOY99 [3] processing code. The validation of Ruler has been performed by using WIMSD5B code.

Advanced Imaging Optics Utilizing Wavefront Coding.

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

Scrymgeour, David; Boye, Robert; Adelsberger, Kathleen

2015-06-01

Image processing offers a potential to simplify an optical system by shifting some of the imaging burden from lenses to the more cost effective electronics. Wavefront coding using a cubic phase plate combined with image processing can extend the system's depth of focus, reducing many of the focus-related aberrations as well as material related chromatic aberrations. However, the optimal design process and physical limitations of wavefront coding systems with respect to first-order optical parameters and noise are not well documented. We examined image quality of simulated and experimental wavefront coded images before and after reconstruction in the presence of noise.more » Challenges in the implementation of cubic phase in an optical system are discussed. In particular, we found that limitations must be placed on system noise, aperture, field of view and bandwidth to develop a robust wavefront coded system.« less

A graphically oriented specification language for automatic code generation. GRASP/Ada: A Graphical Representation of Algorithms, Structure, and Processes for Ada, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, James H., II; Morrison, Kelly I.; May, Charles H., Jr.; Waddel, Kathryn C.

1989-01-01

The first phase of a three-phase effort to develop a new graphically oriented specification language which will facilitate the reverse engineering of Ada source code into graphical representations (GRs) as well as the automatic generation of Ada source code is described. A simplified view of the three phases of Graphical Representations for Algorithms, Structure, and Processes for Ada (GRASP/Ada) with respect to three basic classes of GRs is presented. Phase 1 concentrated on the derivation of an algorithmic diagram, the control structure diagram (CSD) (CRO88a) from Ada source code or Ada PDL. Phase 2 includes the generation of architectural and system level diagrams such as structure charts and data flow diagrams and should result in a requirements specification for a graphically oriented language able to support automatic code generation. Phase 3 will concentrate on the development of a prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of this new specification language.

Micro- and meso-scale simulations of magnetospheric processes related to the aurora and substorm morphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swift, Daniel W.

1991-01-01

The primary methodology during the grant period has been the use of micro or meso-scale simulations to address specific questions concerning magnetospheric processes related to the aurora and substorm morphology. This approach, while useful in providing some answers, has its limitations. Many of the problems relating to the magnetosphere are inherently global and kinetic. Effort during the last year of the grant period has increasingly focused on development of a global-scale hybrid code to model the entire, coupled magnetosheath - magnetosphere - ionosphere system. In particular, numerical procedures for curvilinear coordinate generation and exactly conservative differencing schemes for hybrid codes in curvilinear coordinates have been developed. The new computer algorithms and the massively parallel computer architectures now make this global code a feasible proposition. Support provided by this project has played an important role in laying the groundwork for the eventual development or a global-scale code to model and forecast magnetospheric weather.

Is phonology bypassed in normal or dyslexic development?

PubMed

Pennington, B F; Lefly, D L; Van Orden, G C; Bookman, M O; Smith, S D

1987-01-01

A pervasive assumption in most accounts of normal reading and spelling development is that phonological coding is important early in development but is subsequently superseded by faster, orthographic coding which bypasses phonology. We call this assumption, which derives from dual process theory, the developmental bypass hypothesis. The present study tests four specific predictions of the developmental bypass hypothesis by comparing dyslexics and nondyslexics from the same families in a cross-sectional design. The four predictions are: 1) That phonological coding skill develops early in normal readers and soon reaches asymptote, whereas orthographic coding skill has a protracted course of development; 2) that the correlation of adult reading or spelling performance with phonological coding skill is considerably less than the correlation with orthographic coding skill; 3) that dyslexics who are mainly deficient in phonological coding skill should be able to bypass this deficit and eventually close the gap in reading and spelling performance; and 4) that the greatest differences between dyslexics and developmental controls on measures of phonological coding skill should be observed early rather than late in development.None of the four predictions of the developmental bypass hypothesis were upheld. Phonological coding skill continued to develop in nondyslexics until adulthood. It accounted for a substantial (32-53 percent) portion of the variance in reading and spelling performance in adult nondyslexics, whereas orthographic coding skill did not account for a statistically reliable portion of this variance. The dyslexics differed little across age in phonological coding skill, but made linear progress in orthographic coding skill, surpassing spelling-age (SA) controls by adulthood. Nonetheless, they didnot close the gap in reading and spelling performance. Finally, dyslexics were significantly worse than SA (and Reading Age [RA]) controls in phonological coding skill only in adulthood.

Transient dynamics capability at Sandia National Laboratories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Attaway, Steven W.; Biffle, Johnny H.; Sjaardema, G. D.; Heinstein, M. W.; Schoof, L. A.

1993-01-01

A brief overview of the transient dynamics capabilities at Sandia National Laboratories, with an emphasis on recent new developments and current research is presented. In addition, the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Engineering Analysis Code Access System (SEACAS), which is a collection of structural and thermal codes and utilities used by analysts at SNL, is described. The SEACAS system includes pre- and post-processing codes, analysis codes, database translation codes, support libraries, Unix shell scripts for execution, and an installation system. SEACAS is used at SNL on a daily basis as a production, research, and development system for the engineering analysts and code developers. Over the past year, approximately 190 days of CPU time were used by SEACAS codes on jobs running from a few seconds up to two and one-half days of CPU time. SEACAS is running on several different systems at SNL including Cray Unicos, Hewlett Packard PH-UX, Digital Equipment Ultrix, and Sun SunOS. An overview of SEACAS, including a short description of the codes in the system, are presented. Abstracts and references for the codes are listed at the end of the report.

NASA Radiation Protection Research for Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Tripathi, Ram K.; Heinbockel, John H.; Tweed, John; Mertens, Christopher J.; Walker, Steve A.; Blattnig, Steven R.; Zeitlin, Cary J.

2006-01-01

The HZETRN code was used in recent trade studies for renewed lunar exploration and currently used in engineering development of the next generation of space vehicles, habitats, and EVA equipment. A new version of the HZETRN code capable of simulating high charge and energy (HZE) ions, light-ions and neutrons with either laboratory or space boundary conditions with enhanced neutron and light-ion propagation is under development. Atomic and nuclear model requirements to support that development will be discussed. Such engineering design codes require establishing validation processes using laboratory ion beams and space flight measurements in realistic geometries. We discuss limitations of code validation due to the currently available data and recommend priorities for new data sets.

Software Process Assessment (SPA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, Linda H.; Sheppard, Sylvia B.; Butler, Scott A.

1994-01-01

NASA's environment mirrors the changes taking place in the nation at large, i.e. workers are being asked to do more work with fewer resources. For software developers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the effects of this change are that we must continue to produce quality code that is maintainable and reusable, but we must learn to produce it more efficiently and less expensively. To accomplish this goal, the Data Systems Technology Division (DSTD) at GSFC is trying a variety of both proven and state-of-the-art techniques for software development (e.g., object-oriented design, prototyping, designing for reuse, etc.). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques, the Software Process Assessment (SPA) program was initiated. SPA was begun under the assumption that the effects of different software development processes, techniques, and tools, on the resulting product must be evaluated in an objective manner in order to assess any benefits that may have accrued. SPA involves the collection and analysis of software product and process data. These data include metrics such as effort, code changes, size, complexity, and code readability. This paper describes the SPA data collection and analysis methodology and presents examples of benefits realized thus far by DSTD's software developers and managers.

Codes of environmental management practice: Assessing their potential as a tool for change

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

Nash, J.; Ehrenfeld, J.

1997-12-31

Codes of environmental management practice emerged as a tool of environmental policy in the late 1980s. Industry and other groups have developed codes for two purposes: to change the environmental behavior of participating firms and to increase public confidence in industry`s commitment to environmental protection. This review examines five codes of environmental management practice: Responsible Care, the International Chamber of Commerce`s Business Charter for Sustainable Development, ISO 14000, the CERES Principles, and The Natural Step. The first three codes have been drafted and promoted primarily by industry; the others have been developed by non-industry groups. These codes have spurred participatingmore » firms to introduce new practices, including the institution of environmental management systems, public environmental reporting, and community advisory panels. The extent to which codes are introducing a process of cultural change is considered in terms of four dimensions: new consciousness, norms, organization, and tools. 94 refs., 3 tabs.« less

Evaluation of the Triple Code Model of numerical processing-Reviewing past neuroimaging and clinical findings.

PubMed

Siemann, Julia; Petermann, Franz

2018-01-01

This review reconciles past findings on numerical processing with key assumptions of the most predominant model of arithmetic in the literature, the Triple Code Model (TCM). This is implemented by reporting diverse findings in the literature ranging from behavioral studies on basic arithmetic operations over neuroimaging studies on numerical processing to developmental studies concerned with arithmetic acquisition, with a special focus on developmental dyscalculia (DD). We evaluate whether these studies corroborate the model and discuss possible reasons for contradictory findings. A separate section is dedicated to the transfer of TCM to arithmetic development and to alternative accounts focusing on developmental questions of numerical processing. We conclude with recommendations for future directions of arithmetic research, raising questions that require answers in models of healthy as well as abnormal mathematical development. This review assesses the leading model in the field of arithmetic processing (Triple Code Model) by presenting knowledge from interdisciplinary research. It assesses the observed contradictory findings and integrates the resulting opposing viewpoints. The focus is on the development of arithmetic expertise as well as abnormal mathematical development. The original aspect of this article is that it points to a gap in research on these topics and provides possible solutions for future models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SCALE: A modular code system for performing Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation. Volume 1, Part 2: Control modules S1--H1; Revision 5

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

NONE

SCALE--a modular code system for Standardized Computer Analyses Licensing Evaluation--has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The SCALE system utilizes well-established computer codes and methods within standard analysis sequences that (1) allow an input format designed for the occasional user and/or novice, (2) automated the data processing and coupling between modules, and (3) provide accurate and reliable results. System development has been directed at problem-dependent cross-section processing and analysis of criticality safety, shielding, heat transfer, and depletion/decay problems. Since the initial release of SCALE in 1980, the code system hasmore » been heavily used for evaluation of nuclear fuel facility and package designs. This revision documents Version 4.3 of the system.« less

Convergence Acceleration and Documentation of CFD Codes for Turbomachinery Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marquart, Jed E.

2005-01-01

The development and analysis of turbomachinery components for industrial and aerospace applications has been greatly enhanced in recent years through the advent of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes and techniques. Although the use of this technology has greatly reduced the time required to perform analysis and design, there still remains much room for improvement in the process. In particular, there is a steep learning curve associated with most turbomachinery CFD codes, and the computation times need to be reduced in order to facilitate their integration into standard work processes. Two turbomachinery codes have recently been developed by Dr. Daniel Dorney (MSFC) and Dr. Douglas Sondak (Boston University). These codes are entitled Aardvark (for 2-D and quasi 3-D simulations) and Phantom (for 3-D simulations). The codes utilize the General Equation Set (GES), structured grid methodology, and overset O- and H-grids. The codes have been used with success by Drs. Dorney and Sondak, as well as others within the turbomachinery community, to analyze engine components and other geometries. One of the primary objectives of this study was to establish a set of parametric input values which will enhance convergence rates for steady state simulations, as well as reduce the runtime required for unsteady cases. The goal is to reduce the turnaround time for CFD simulations, thus permitting more design parametrics to be run within a given time period. In addition, other code enhancements to reduce runtimes were investigated and implemented. The other primary goal of the study was to develop enhanced users manuals for Aardvark and Phantom. These manuals are intended to answer most questions for new users, as well as provide valuable detailed information for the experienced user. The existence of detailed user s manuals will enable new users to become proficient with the codes, as well as reducing the dependency of new users on the code authors. In order to achieve the objectives listed, the following tasks were accomplished: 1) Parametric Study Of Preconditioning Parameters And Other Code Inputs; 2) Code Modifications To Reduce Runtimes; 3) Investigation Of Compiler Options To Reduce Code Runtime; and 4) Development/Enhancement of Users Manuals for Aardvark and Phantom

Research on Automatic Programming

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-12-31

Sequential processes, deadlocks, and semaphore primitives , Ph.D. Thesis, Harvard University, November 1974; Center for Research in Computing...verified. 13 Code generated to effect the synchronization makes use of the ECL control extension facility (Prenner’s CI, see [Prenner]). The... semaphore operations [Dijkstra] is being developed. Initial results for this code generator are very encouraging; in many cases generated code is

Micromechanics Analysis Code Post-Processing (MACPOST) User Guide. 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Robert K.; Comiskey, Michele D.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.

1999-01-01

As advanced composite materials have gained wider usage. the need for analytical models and computer codes to predict the thermomechanical deformation response of these materials has increased significantly. Recently, a micromechanics technique called the generalized method of cells (GMC) has been developed, which has the capability to fulfill this -oal. Tc provide a framework for GMC, the Micromechanics Analysis Code with Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC) has been developed. As MAC/GMC has been updated, significant improvements have been made to the post-processing capabilities of the code. Through the MACPOST program, which operates directly within the MSC/PATRAN graphical pre- and post-processing package, a direct link between the analysis capabilities of MAC/GMC and the post-processing capabilities of MSC/PATRAN has been established. MACPOST has simplified the production, printing. and exportation of results for unit cells analyzed by MAC/GMC. MACPOST allows different micro-level quantities to be plotted quickly and easily in contour plots. In addition, meaningful data for X-Y plots can be examined. MACPOST thus serves as an important analysis and visualization tool for the macro- and micro-level data generated by MAC/GMC. This report serves as the user's manual for the MACPOST program.

Purple L1 Milestone Review Panel TotalView Debugger Functionality and Performance for ASC Purple

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

Wolfe, M

2006-12-12

ASC code teams require a robust software debugging tool to help developers quickly find bugs in their codes and get their codes running. Development debugging commonly runs up to 512 processes. Production jobs run up to full ASC Purple scale, and at times require introspection while running. Developers want a debugger that runs on all their development and production platforms and that works with all compilers and runtimes used with ASC codes. The TotalView Multiprocess Debugger made by Etnus was specified for ASC Purple to address this needed capability. The ASC Purple environment builds on the environment seen by TotalViewmore » on ASCI White. The debugger must now operate with the Power5 CPU, Federation switch, AIX 5.3 operating system including large pages, IBM compilers 7 and 9, POE 4.2 parallel environment, and rs6000 SLURM resource manager. Users require robust, basic debugger functionality with acceptable performance at development debugging scale. A TotalView installation must be provided at the beginning of the early user access period that meets these requirements. A functional enhancement, fast conditional data watchpoints, and a scalability enhancement, capability up to 8192 processes, are to be demonstrated.« less

Team interaction during surgery: a systematic review of communication coding schemes.

PubMed

Tiferes, Judith; Bisantz, Ann M; Guru, Khurshid A

2015-05-15

Communication problems have been systematically linked to human errors in surgery and a deep understanding of the underlying processes is essential. Although a number of tools exist to assess nontechnical skills, methods to study communication and other team-related processes are far from being standardized, making comparisons challenging. We conducted a systematic review to analyze methods used to study events in the operating room (OR) and to develop a synthesized coding scheme for OR team communication. Six electronic databases were accessed to search for articles that collected individual events during surgery and included detailed coding schemes. Additional articles were added based on cross-referencing. That collection was then classified based on type of events collected, environment type (real or simulated), number of procedures, type of surgical task, team characteristics, method of data collection, and coding scheme characteristics. All dimensions within each coding scheme were grouped based on emergent content similarity. Categories drawn from articles, which focused on communication events, were further analyzed and synthesized into one common coding scheme. A total of 34 of 949 articles met the inclusion criteria. The methodological characteristics and coding dimensions of the articles were summarized. A priori coding was used in nine studies. The synthesized coding scheme for OR communication included six dimensions as follows: information flow, period, statement type, topic, communication breakdown, and effects of communication breakdown. The coding scheme provides a standardized coding method for OR communication, which can be used to develop a priori codes for future studies especially in comparative effectiveness research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Signal Processing Expert Code (SPEC)

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

Ames, H.S.

1985-12-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe a prototype expert system called SPEC which was developed to demonstrate the utility of providing an intelligent interface for users of SIG, a general purpose signal processing code. The expert system is written in NIL, runs on a VAX 11/750 and consists of a backward chaining inference engine and an English-like parser. The inference engine uses knowledge encoded as rules about the formats of SIG commands and about how to perform frequency analyses using SIG. The system demonstrated that expert system can be used to control existing codes.

Children's Behavior in the Postanesthesia Care Unit: The Development of the Child Behavior Coding System-PACU (CBCS-P)

PubMed Central

Tan, Edwin T.; Martin, Sarah R.; Fortier, Michelle A.; Kain, Zeev N.

2012-01-01

Objective To develop and validate a behavioral coding measure, the Children's Behavior Coding System-PACU (CBCS-P), for children's distress and nondistress behaviors while in the postanesthesia recovery unit. Methods A multidisciplinary team examined videotapes of children in the PACU and developed a coding scheme that subsequently underwent a refinement process (CBCS-P). To examine the reliability and validity of the coding system, 121 children and their parents were videotaped during their stay in the PACU. Participants were healthy children undergoing elective, outpatient surgery and general anesthesia. The CBCS-P was utilized and objective data from medical charts (analgesic consumption and pain scores) were extracted to establish validity. Results Kappa values indicated good-to-excellent (κ's > .65) interrater reliability of the individual codes. The CBCS-P had good criterion validity when compared to children's analgesic consumption and pain scores. Conclusions The CBCS-P is a reliable, observational coding method that captures children's distress and nondistress postoperative behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of considering context in both the development and application of observational coding schemes. PMID:22167123

Orthographic and phonological contributions to reading development: tracking developmental trajectories using masked priming.

PubMed

Ziegler, Johannes C; Bertrand, Daisy; Lété, Bernard; Grainger, Jonathan

2014-04-01

The present study used a variant of masked priming to track the development of 2 marker effects of orthographic and phonological processing from Grade 1 through Grade 5 in a cross-sectional study. Pseudohomophone (PsH) priming served as a marker for phonological processing, whereas transposed-letter (TL) priming was a marker for coarse-grained orthographic processing. The results revealed a clear developmental picture. First, the PsH priming effect was significant and remained stable across development, suggesting that phonology not only plays an important role in early reading development but continues to exert a robust influence throughout reading development. This finding challenges the view that more advanced readers should rely less on phonological information than younger readers. Second, the TL priming effect increased monotonically with grade level and reading age, which suggests greater reliance on coarse-grained orthographic coding as children become better readers. Thus, TL priming effects seem to be a good marker effect for children's ability to use coarse-grained orthographic coding to speed up direct lexical access in alphabetic languages. The results were predicted by the dual-route model of orthographic processing, which suggests that direct orthographic access is achieved through coarse-grained orthographic coding that tolerates some degree of flexibility in letter order. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Computation of Reacting Flows in Combustion Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keith, Theo G., Jr.; Chen, K.-H.

2001-01-01

The objective of this research is to develop an efficient numerical algorithm with unstructured grids for the computation of three-dimensional chemical reacting flows that are known to occur in combustion components of propulsion systems. During the grant period (1996 to 1999), two companion codes have been developed and various numerical and physical models were implemented into the two codes.

The Integration of COTS/GOTS within NASA's HST Command and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfarr, Thomas; Reis, James E.

2001-01-01

NASA's mission critical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) command and control system has been re-engineered with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS/GOTS) and minimal custom code. This paper focuses on the design of this new HST Control Center System (CCS) and the lessons learned throughout its development. CCS currently utilizes more than 30 COTS/GOTS products with an additional 1/2 million lines of custom glueware code; the new CCS exceeds the capabilities of the original system while significantly reducing the lines of custom code by more than 50%. The lifecycle of COTS/GOTS products will be examined including the package selection process, evaluation process, and integration process. The advantages, disadvantages, issues, concerns, and lessons learned for integrating COTS/GOTS into the NASA's mission critical HST CCS will be examined in detail. This paper will reveal the many hidden costs of COTS/GOTS solutions when compared to traditional custom code development efforts; this paper will show the high cost of COTS/GOTS solutions including training expenses, consulting fees, and long-term maintenance expenses.

Seismology software: state of the practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. Spencer; Zeng, Zheng; Carette, Jacques

2018-05-01

We analyzed the state of practice for software development in the seismology domain by comparing 30 software packages on four aspects: product, implementation, design, and process. We found room for improvement in most seismology software packages. The principal areas of concern include a lack of adequate requirements and design specification documents, a lack of test data to assess reliability, a lack of examples to get new users started, and a lack of technological tools to assist with managing the development process. To assist going forward, we provide recommendations for a document-driven development process that includes a problem statement, development plan, requirement specification, verification and validation (V&V) plan, design specification, code, V&V report, and a user manual. We also provide advice on tool use, including issue tracking, version control, code documentation, and testing tools.

Seismology software: state of the practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. Spencer; Zeng, Zheng; Carette, Jacques

2018-02-01

We analyzed the state of practice for software development in the seismology domain by comparing 30 software packages on four aspects: product, implementation, design, and process. We found room for improvement in most seismology software packages. The principal areas of concern include a lack of adequate requirements and design specification documents, a lack of test data to assess reliability, a lack of examples to get new users started, and a lack of technological tools to assist with managing the development process. To assist going forward, we provide recommendations for a document-driven development process that includes a problem statement, development plan, requirement specification, verification and validation (V&V) plan, design specification, code, V&V report, and a user manual. We also provide advice on tool use, including issue tracking, version control, code documentation, and testing tools.

CFD code evaluation for internal flow modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, T. J.

1990-01-01

Research on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code evaluation with emphasis on supercomputing in reacting flows is discussed. Advantages of unstructured grids, multigrids, adaptive methods, improved flow solvers, vector processing, parallel processing, and reduction of memory requirements are discussed. As examples, researchers include applications of supercomputing to reacting flow Navier-Stokes equations including shock waves and turbulence and combustion instability problems associated with solid and liquid propellants. Evaluation of codes developed by other organizations are not included. Instead, the basic criteria for accuracy and efficiency have been established, and some applications on rocket combustion have been made. Research toward an ultimate goal, the most accurate and efficient CFD code, is in progress and will continue for years to come.

Crosstalk between the Notch signaling pathway and non-coding RNAs in gastrointestinal cancers

PubMed Central

Pan, Yangyang; Mao, Yuyan; Jin, Rong; Jiang, Lei

2018-01-01

The Notch signaling pathway is one of the main signaling pathways that mediates direct contact between cells, and is essential for normal development. It regulates various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. It additionally serves an important function in tumor progression. Non-coding RNAs mainly include small microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs. At present, a large body of literature supports the biological significance of non-coding RNAs in tumor progression. It is also becoming increasingly evident that cross-talk exists between Notch signaling and non-coding RNAs. The present review summarizes the current knowledge of Notch-mediated gastrointestinal cancer cell processes, and the effect of the crosstalk between the three major types of non-coding RNAs and the Notch signaling pathway on the fate of gastrointestinal cancer cells. PMID:29285185

Dietary Intervention by Phytochemicals and Their Role in Modulating Coding and Non-Coding Genes in Cancer

PubMed Central

Budisan, Liviuta; Gulei, Diana; Zanoaga, Oana Mihaela; Irimie, Alexandra Iulia; Chira, Sergiu; Braicu, Cornelia; Gherman, Claudia Diana; Berindan-Neagoe, Ioana

2017-01-01

Phytochemicals are natural compounds synthesized as secondary metabolites in plants, representing an important source of molecules with a wide range of therapeutic applications. These natural agents are important regulators of key pathological processes/conditions, including cancer, as they are able to modulate the expression of coding and non-coding transcripts with an oncogenic or tumour suppressor role. These natural agents are currently exploited for the development of therapeutic strategies alone or in tandem with conventional treatments for cancer. The aim of this paper is to review the recent studies regarding the role of these natural phytochemicals in different processes related to cancer inhibition, including apoptosis activation, angiogenesis and metastasis suppression. From the large palette of phytochemicals we selected epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), genistein, morin and kaempferol, due to their increased activity in modulating multiple coding and non-coding genes, targeting the main hallmarks of cancer. PMID:28587155

Dietary Intervention by Phytochemicals and Their Role in Modulating Coding and Non-Coding Genes in Cancer.

PubMed

Budisan, Liviuta; Gulei, Diana; Zanoaga, Oana Mihaela; Irimie, Alexandra Iulia; Sergiu, Chira; Braicu, Cornelia; Gherman, Claudia Diana; Berindan-Neagoe, Ioana

2017-06-01

Phytochemicals are natural compounds synthesized as secondary metabolites in plants, representing an important source of molecules with a wide range of therapeutic applications. These natural agents are important regulators of key pathological processes/conditions, including cancer, as they are able to modulate the expression of coding and non-coding transcripts with an oncogenic or tumour suppressor role. These natural agents are currently exploited for the development of therapeutic strategies alone or in tandem with conventional treatments for cancer. The aim of this paper is to review the recent studies regarding the role of these natural phytochemicals in different processes related to cancer inhibition, including apoptosis activation, angiogenesis and metastasis suppression. From the large palette of phytochemicals we selected epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), genistein, morin and kaempferol, due to their increased activity in modulating multiple coding and non-coding genes, targeting the main hallmarks of cancer.

Extremely accurate sequential verification of RELAP5-3D

DOE PAGES

Mesina, George L.; Aumiller, David L.; Buschman, Francis X.

2015-11-19

Large computer programs like RELAP5-3D solve complex systems of governing, closure and special process equations to model the underlying physics of nuclear power plants. Further, these programs incorporate many other features for physics, input, output, data management, user-interaction, and post-processing. For software quality assurance, the code must be verified and validated before being released to users. For RELAP5-3D, verification and validation are restricted to nuclear power plant applications. Verification means ensuring that the program is built right by checking that it meets its design specifications, comparing coding to algorithms and equations and comparing calculations against analytical solutions and method ofmore » manufactured solutions. Sequential verification performs these comparisons initially, but thereafter only compares code calculations between consecutive code versions to demonstrate that no unintended changes have been introduced. Recently, an automated, highly accurate sequential verification method has been developed for RELAP5-3D. The method also provides to test that no unintended consequences result from code development in the following code capabilities: repeating a timestep advancement, continuing a run from a restart file, multiple cases in a single code execution, and modes of coupled/uncoupled operation. In conclusion, mathematical analyses of the adequacy of the checks used in the comparisons are provided.« less

Bit selection using field drilling data and mathematical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momeni, M. S.; Ridha, S.; Hosseini, S. J.; Meyghani, B.; Emamian, S. S.

2018-03-01

A drilling process will not be complete without the usage of a drill bit. Therefore, bit selection is considered to be an important task in drilling optimization process. To select a bit is considered as an important issue in planning and designing a well. This is simply because the cost of drilling bit in total cost is quite high. Thus, to perform this task, aback propagation ANN Model is developed. This is done by training the model using several wells and it is done by the usage of drilling bit records from offset wells. In this project, two models are developed by the usage of the ANN. One is to find predicted IADC bit code and one is to find Predicted ROP. Stage 1 was to find the IADC bit code by using all the given filed data. The output is the Targeted IADC bit code. Stage 2 was to find the Predicted ROP values using the gained IADC bit code in Stage 1. Next is Stage 3 where the Predicted ROP value is used back again in the data set to gain Predicted IADC bit code value. The output is the Predicted IADC bit code. Thus, at the end, there are two models that give the Predicted ROP values and Predicted IADC bit code values.

Encoded physics knowledge in checking codes for nuclear cross section libraries at Los Alamos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, D. Kent

2017-09-01

Checking procedures for processed nuclear data at Los Alamos are described. Both continuous energy and multi-group nuclear data are verified by locally developed checking codes which use basic physics knowledge and common-sense rules. A list of nuclear data problems which have been identified with help of these checking codes is also given.

Innovation and Standardization in School Building: A Proposal for the National Code in Italy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridolfi, Giuseppe

This document discusses the University of Florence's experience and concepts as it developed the research to define a proposal for designing a new national school building code. Section 1 examines the current school building code and the Italian Reform Process in Education between 1960 and 2000. Section 2 details and explains the new school…

The Evolution of a Coding Schema in a Paced Program of Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winters, Charlene A.; Cudney, Shirley; Sullivan, Therese

2010-01-01

A major task involved in the management, analysis, and integration of qualitative data is the development of a coding schema to facilitate the analytic process. Described in this paper is the evolution of a coding schema that was used in the analysis of qualitative data generated from online forums of middle-aged women with chronic conditions who…

High Frequency Scattering Code in a Distributed Processing Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

Block 6. Author(s). Name(s) of person (s) Block 14. Subiect Terms. Keywords or phrases responsible for writing the report, performing identifying major...use of auttomated analysis tools is indicated. One tool developed by Pacific-Sierra Re- 22 search Corporation and marketed by Intel Corporation for...XQ: EXECUTE CODE EN : END CODE This input deck differs from that in the manual because the "PP" option is disabled in the modified code. 45 A.3

An Efficient Method for Verifying Gyrokinetic Microstability Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bravenec, R.; Candy, J.; Dorland, W.; Holland, C.

2009-11-01

Benchmarks for gyrokinetic microstability codes can be developed through successful ``apples-to-apples'' comparisons among them. Unlike previous efforts, we perform the comparisons for actual discharges, rendering the verification efforts relevant to existing experiments and future devices (ITER). The process requires i) assembling the experimental analyses at multiple times, radii, discharges, and devices, ii) creating the input files ensuring that the input parameters are faithfully translated code-to-code, iii) running the codes, and iv) comparing the results, all in an organized fashion. The purpose of this work is to automate this process as much as possible: At present, a python routine is used to generate and organize GYRO input files from TRANSP or ONETWO analyses. Another routine translates the GYRO input files into GS2 input files. (Translation software for other codes has not yet been written.) Other python codes submit the multiple GYRO and GS2 jobs, organize the results, and collect them into a table suitable for plotting. (These separate python routines could easily be consolidated.) An example of the process -- a linear comparison between GYRO and GS2 for a DIII-D discharge at multiple radii -- will be presented.

The role of the PIRT process in identifying code improvements and executing code development

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

Wilson, G.E.; Boyack, B.E.

1997-07-01

In September 1988, the USNRC issued a revised ECCS rule for light water reactors that allows, as an option, the use of best estimate (BE) plus uncertainty methods in safety analysis. The key feature of this licensing option relates to quantification of the uncertainty in the determination that an NPP has a {open_quotes}low{close_quotes} probability of violating the safety criteria specified in 10 CFR 50. To support the 1988 licensing revision, the USNRC and its contractors developed the CSAU evaluation methodology to demonstrate the feasibility of the BE plus uncertainty approach. The PIRT process, Step 3 in the CSAU methodology, wasmore » originally formulated to support the BE plus uncertainty licensing option as executed in the CSAU approach to safety analysis. Subsequent work has shown the PIRT process to be a much more powerful tool than conceived in its original form. Through further development and application, the PIRT process has shown itself to be a robust means to establish safety analysis computer code phenomenological requirements in their order of importance to such analyses. Used early in research directed toward these objectives, PIRT results also provide the technical basis and cost effective organization for new experimental programs needed to improve the safety analysis codes for new applications. The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the generic PIRT process, including typical and common illustrations from prior applications. The secondary objective is to provide guidance to future applications of the process to help them focus, in a graded approach, on systems, components, processes and phenomena that have been common in several prior applications.« less

Auto Code Generation for Simulink-Based Attitude Determination Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MolinaFraticelli, Jose Carlos

2012-01-01

This paper details the work done to auto generate C code from a Simulink-Based Attitude Determination Control System (ADCS) to be used in target platforms. NASA Marshall Engineers have developed an ADCS Simulink simulation to be used as a component for the flight software of a satellite. This generated code can be used for carrying out Hardware in the loop testing of components for a satellite in a convenient manner with easily tunable parameters. Due to the nature of the embedded hardware components such as microcontrollers, this simulation code cannot be used directly, as it is, on the target platform and must first be converted into C code; this process is known as auto code generation. In order to generate C code from this simulation; it must be modified to follow specific standards set in place by the auto code generation process. Some of these modifications include changing certain simulation models into their atomic representations which can bring new complications into the simulation. The execution order of these models can change based on these modifications. Great care must be taken in order to maintain a working simulation that can also be used for auto code generation. After modifying the ADCS simulation for the auto code generation process, it is shown that the difference between the output data of the former and that of the latter is between acceptable bounds. Thus, it can be said that the process is a success since all the output requirements are met. Based on these results, it can be argued that this generated C code can be effectively used by any desired platform as long as it follows the specific memory requirements established in the Simulink Model.

A Study of Neutron Leakage in Finite Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Slaba, Tony C.; Badavi, Francis F.; Reddell, Brandon D.; Bahadori, Amir A.

2015-01-01

A computationally efficient 3DHZETRN code capable of simulating High charge (Z) and Energy (HZE) and light ions (including neutrons) under space-like boundary conditions with enhanced neutron and light ion propagation was recently developed for simple shielded objects. Monte Carlo (MC) benchmarks were used to verify the 3DHZETRN methodology in slab and spherical geometry, and it was shown that 3DHZETRN agrees with MC codes to the degree that various MC codes agree among themselves. One limitation in the verification process is that all of the codes (3DHZETRN and three MC codes) utilize different nuclear models/databases. In the present report, the new algorithm, with well-defined convergence criteria, is used to quantify the neutron leakage from simple geometries to provide means of verifying 3D effects and to provide guidance for further code development.

The application of CFD for military aircraft design at transonic speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, C. W.; Braymen, W. W.; Bhateley, I. C.; Londenberg, W. K.

1989-01-01

Numerous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes are available that solve any of several variations of the transonic flow equations from small disturbance to full Navier-Stokes. The design philosophy at General Dynamics Fort Worth Division involves use of all these levels of codes, depending on the stage of configuration development. Throughout this process, drag calculation is a central issue. An overview is provided for several transonic codes and representative test-to-theory comparisons for fighter-type configurations are presented. Correlations are shown for lift, drag, pitching moment, and pressure distributions. The future of applied CFD is also discussed, including the important task of code validation. With the progress being made in code development and the continued evolution in computer hardware, the routine application of these codes for increasingly more complex geometries and flow conditions seems apparent.

Full 3D visualization tool-kit for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport codes

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

Frambati, S.; Frignani, M.

2012-07-01

We propose a package of tools capable of translating the geometric inputs and outputs of many Monte Carlo and deterministic radiation transport codes into open source file formats. These tools are aimed at bridging the gap between trusted, widely-used radiation analysis codes and very powerful, more recent and commonly used visualization software, thus supporting the design process and helping with shielding optimization. Three main lines of development were followed: mesh-based analysis of Monte Carlo codes, mesh-based analysis of deterministic codes and Monte Carlo surface meshing. The developed kit is considered a powerful and cost-effective tool in the computer-aided design formore » radiation transport code users of the nuclear world, and in particular in the fields of core design and radiation analysis. (authors)« less

Python Radiative Transfer Emission code (PyRaTE): non-LTE spectral lines simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tritsis, A.; Yorke, H.; Tassis, K.

2018-05-01

We describe PyRaTE, a new, non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) line radiative transfer code developed specifically for post-processing astrochemical simulations. Population densities are estimated using the escape probability method. When computing the escape probability, the optical depth is calculated towards all directions with density, molecular abundance, temperature and velocity variations all taken into account. A very easy-to-use interface, capable of importing data from simulations outputs performed with all major astrophysical codes, is also developed. The code is written in PYTHON using an "embarrassingly parallel" strategy and can handle all geometries and projection angles. We benchmark the code by comparing our results with those from RADEX (van der Tak et al. 2007) and against analytical solutions and present case studies using hydrochemical simulations. The code will be released for public use.

GUI to Facilitate Research on Biological Damage from Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Frances A.; Ponomarev, Artem Lvovich

2010-01-01

A graphical-user-interface (GUI) computer program has been developed to facilitate research on the damage caused by highly energetic particles and photons impinging on living organisms. The program brings together, into one computational workspace, computer codes that have been developed over the years, plus codes that will be developed during the foreseeable future, to address diverse aspects of radiation damage. These include codes that implement radiation-track models, codes for biophysical models of breakage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by radiation, pattern-recognition programs for extracting quantitative information from biological assays, and image-processing programs that aid visualization of DNA breaks. The radiation-track models are based on transport models of interactions of radiation with matter and solution of the Boltzmann transport equation by use of both theoretical and numerical models. The biophysical models of breakage of DNA by radiation include biopolymer coarse-grained and atomistic models of DNA, stochastic- process models of deposition of energy, and Markov-based probabilistic models of placement of double-strand breaks in DNA. The program is designed for use in the NT, 95, 98, 2000, ME, and XP variants of the Windows operating system.

ASME Code Efforts Supporting HTGRs

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

D.K. Morton

2010-09-01

In 1999, an international collaborative initiative for the development of advanced (Generation IV) reactors was started. The idea behind this effort was to bring nuclear energy closer to the needs of sustainability, to increase proliferation resistance, and to support concepts able to produce energy (both electricity and process heat) at competitive costs. The U.S. Department of Energy has supported this effort by pursuing the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, a high temperature gas-cooled reactor. This support has included research and development of pertinent data, initial regulatory discussions, and engineering support of various codes and standards development. This reportmore » discusses the various applicable American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes and standards that are being developed to support these high temperature gascooled reactors during construction and operation. ASME is aggressively pursuing these codes and standards to support an international effort to build the next generation of advanced reactors so that all can benefit.« less

ASME Code Efforts Supporting HTGRs

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

D.K. Morton

2011-09-01

In 1999, an international collaborative initiative for the development of advanced (Generation IV) reactors was started. The idea behind this effort was to bring nuclear energy closer to the needs of sustainability, to increase proliferation resistance, and to support concepts able to produce energy (both electricity and process heat) at competitive costs. The U.S. Department of Energy has supported this effort by pursuing the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, a high temperature gas-cooled reactor. This support has included research and development of pertinent data, initial regulatory discussions, and engineering support of various codes and standards development. This reportmore » discusses the various applicable American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes and standards that are being developed to support these high temperature gascooled reactors during construction and operation. ASME is aggressively pursuing these codes and standards to support an international effort to build the next generation of advanced reactors so that all can benefit.« less

ASME Code Efforts Supporting HTGRs

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

D.K. Morton

2012-09-01

In 1999, an international collaborative initiative for the development of advanced (Generation IV) reactors was started. The idea behind this effort was to bring nuclear energy closer to the needs of sustainability, to increase proliferation resistance, and to support concepts able to produce energy (both electricity and process heat) at competitive costs. The U.S. Department of Energy has supported this effort by pursuing the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, a high temperature gas-cooled reactor. This support has included research and development of pertinent data, initial regulatory discussions, and engineering support of various codes and standards development. This reportmore » discusses the various applicable American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes and standards that are being developed to support these high temperature gascooled reactors during construction and operation. ASME is aggressively pursuing these codes and standards to support an international effort to build the next generation of advanced reactors so that all can benefit.« less

Designing and maintaining an effective chargemaster.

PubMed

Abbey, D C

2001-03-01

The chargemaster is the central repository of charges and associated coding information used to develop claims. But this simple description belies the chargemaster's true complexity. The chargemaster's role in the coding process differs from department to department, and not all codes provided on a claim form are necessarily included in the chargemaster, as codes for complex services may need to be developed and reviewed by coding staff. In addition, with the rise of managed care, the chargemaster increasingly is being used to track utilization of supplies and services. To ensure that the chargemaster performs all of its functions effectively, hospitals should appoint a chargemaster coordinator, supported by a chargemaster review team, to oversee the design and maintenance of the chargemaster. Important design issues that should be considered include the principle of "form follows function," static versus dynamic coding, how modifiers should be treated, how charges should be developed, how to incorporate physician fee schedules into the chargemaster, the interface between the chargemaster and cost reports, and how to include statistical information for tracking utilization.

Development of a Model and Computer Code to Describe Solar Grade Silicon Production Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, R.; Gould, R. K.

1979-01-01

Mathematical models and computer codes based on these models, which allow prediction of the product distribution in chemical reactors for converting gaseous silicon compounds to condensed-phase silicon were developed. The following tasks were accomplished: (1) formulation of a model for silicon vapor separation/collection from the developing turbulent flow stream within reactors of the Westinghouse (2) modification of an available general parabolic code to achieve solutions to the governing partial differential equations (boundary layer type) which describe migration of the vapor to the reactor walls, (3) a parametric study using the boundary layer code to optimize the performance characteristics of the Westinghouse reactor, (4) calculations relating to the collection efficiency of the new AeroChem reactor, and (5) final testing of the modified LAPP code for use as a method of predicting Si(1) droplet sizes in these reactors.

Incorporating Manual and Autonomous Code Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McComas, David

1998-01-01

Code can be generated manually or using code-generated software tools, but how do you interpret the two? This article looks at a design methodology that combines object-oriented design with autonomic code generation for attitude control flight software. Recent improvements in space flight computers are allowing software engineers to spend more time engineering the applications software. The application developed was the attitude control flight software for an astronomical satellite called the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP). The MAP flight system is being designed, developed, and integrated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The MAP controls engineers are using Integrated Systems Inc.'s MATRIXx for their controls analysis. In addition to providing a graphical analysis for an environment, MATRIXx includes an autonomic code generation facility called AutoCode. This article examines the forces that shaped the final design and describes three highlights of the design process: (1) Defining the manual to autonomic code interface; (2) Applying object-oriented design to the manual flight code; (3) Implementing the object-oriented design in C.

Development of a model and computer code to describe solar grade silicon production processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gould, R. K.; Srivastava, R.

1979-01-01

Two computer codes were developed for describing flow reactors in which high purity, solar grade silicon is produced via reduction of gaseous silicon halides. The first is the CHEMPART code, an axisymmetric, marching code which treats two phase flows with models describing detailed gas-phase chemical kinetics, particle formation, and particle growth. It can be used to described flow reactors in which reactants, mix, react, and form a particulate phase. Detailed radial gas-phase composition, temperature, velocity, and particle size distribution profiles are computed. Also, deposition of heat, momentum, and mass (either particulate or vapor) on reactor walls is described. The second code is a modified version of the GENMIX boundary layer code which is used to compute rates of heat, momentum, and mass transfer to the reactor walls. This code lacks the detailed chemical kinetics and particle handling features of the CHEMPART code but has the virtue of running much more rapidly than CHEMPART, while treating the phenomena occurring in the boundary layer in more detail.

Non-coding functions of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in development

PubMed Central

Mockenhaupt, Stefan; Makeyev, Eugene V.

2015-01-01

A majority of messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNAs) in the higher eukaryotes undergo alternative splicing to generate more than one mature product. By targeting the open reading frame region this process increases diversity of protein isoforms beyond the nominal coding capacity of the genome. However, alternative splicing also frequently controls output levels and spatiotemporal features of cellular and organismal gene expression programs. Here we discuss how these non-coding functions of alternative splicing contribute to development through regulation of mRNA stability, translational efficiency and cellular localization. PMID:26493705

Scientific Programming Using Java and C: A Remote Sensing Example

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prados, Donald; Johnson, Michael; Mohamed, Mohamed A.; Cao, Chang-Yong; Gasser, Jerry; Powell, Don; McGregor, Lloyd

1999-01-01

This paper presents results of a project to port code for processing remotely sensed data from the UNIX environment to Windows. Factors considered during this process include time schedule, cost, resource availability, reuse of existing code, rapid interface development, ease of integration, and platform independence. The approach selected for this project used both Java and C. By using Java for the graphical user interface and C for the domain model, the strengths of both languages were utilized and the resulting code can easily be ported to other platforms. The advantages of this approach are discussed in this paper.

Creating a culture of mutual respect.

PubMed

Kaplan, Kathryn; Mestel, Pamela; Feldman, David L

2010-04-01

The Joint Commission mandates that hospitals seeking accreditation have a process to define and address disruptive behavior. Leaders at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, took the initiative to create a code of mutual respect that not only requires respectful behavior, but also encourages sensitivity and awareness to the causes of frustration that often lead to inappropriate behavior. Steps to implementing the code included selecting code advocates, setting up a system for mediating disputes, tracking and addressing operational system issues, providing training for personnel, developing a formal accountability process, and measuring the results. Copyright 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An assessment of space shuttle flight software development processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

In early 1991, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Office of Space Flight commissioned the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) of the National Research Council (NRC) to investigate the adequacy of the current process by which NASA develops and verifies changes and updates to the Space Shuttle flight software. The Committee for Review of Oversight Mechanisms for Space Shuttle Flight Software Processes was convened in Jan. 1992 to accomplish the following tasks: (1) review the entire flight software development process from the initial requirements definition phase to final implementation, including object code build and final machine loading; (2) review and critique NASA's independent verification and validation process and mechanisms, including NASA's established software development and testing standards; (3) determine the acceptability and adequacy of the complete flight software development process, including the embedded validation and verification processes through comparison with (1) generally accepted industry practices, and (2) generally accepted Department of Defense and/or other government practices (comparing NASA's program with organizations and projects having similar volumes of software development, software maturity, complexity, criticality, lines of code, and national standards); (4) consider whether independent verification and validation should continue. An overview of the study, independent verification and validation of critical software, and the Space Shuttle flight software development process are addressed. Findings and recommendations are presented.

Generating Safety-Critical PLC Code From a High-Level Application Software Specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The benefits of automatic-application code generation are widely accepted within the software engineering community. These benefits include raised abstraction level of application programming, shorter product development time, lower maintenance costs, and increased code quality and consistency. Surprisingly, code generation concepts have not yet found wide acceptance and use in the field of programmable logic controller (PLC) software development. Software engineers at Kennedy Space Center recognized the need for PLC code generation while developing the new ground checkout and launch processing system, called the Launch Control System (LCS). Engineers developed a process and a prototype software tool that automatically translates a high-level representation or specification of application software into ladder logic that executes on a PLC. All the computer hardware in the LCS is planned to be commercial off the shelf (COTS), including industrial controllers or PLCs that are connected to the sensors and end items out in the field. Most of the software in LCS is also planned to be COTS, with only small adapter software modules that must be developed in order to interface between the various COTS software products. A domain-specific language (DSL) is a programming language designed to perform tasks and to solve problems in a particular domain, such as ground processing of launch vehicles. The LCS engineers created a DSL for developing test sequences of ground checkout and launch operations of future launch vehicle and spacecraft elements, and they are developing a tabular specification format that uses the DSL keywords and functions familiar to the ground and flight system users. The tabular specification format, or tabular spec, allows most ground and flight system users to document how the application software is intended to function and requires little or no software programming knowledge or experience. A small sample from a prototype tabular spec application is shown.

Interfacility Transfers to General Pediatric Floors: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Role of Communication.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Jennifer L; Okumura, Megumi J; Hernandez, Lenore; Li, Su-Ting T; Rehm, Roberta S

2016-01-01

Children with special health care needs often require health services that are only provided at subspecialty centers. Such children who present to nonspecialty hospitals might require a hospital-to-hospital transfer. When transitioning between medical settings, communication is an integral aspect that can affect the quality of patient care. The objectives of the study were to identify barriers and facilitators to effective interfacility pediatric transfer communication to general pediatric floors from the perspectives of referring and accepting physicians, and then develop a conceptual model for effective interfacility transfer communication. This was a single-center qualitative study using grounded theory methodology. Referring and accepting physicians of children with special health care needs were interviewed. Four researchers coded the data using ATLAS.ti (version 7, Scientific Software Development GMBH, Berlin, Germany), using a 2-step process of open coding, followed by focused coding until no new codes emerged. The research team reached consensus on the final major categories and subsequently developed a conceptual model. Eight referring and 9 accepting physicians were interviewed. Theoretical coding resulted in 3 major categories: streamlined transfer process, quality handoff and 2-way communication, and positive relationships between physicians across facilities. The conceptual model unites these categories and shows how these categories contribute to effective interfacility transfer communication. Proposed interventions involved standardizing the communication process and incorporating technology such as telemedicine during transfers. Communication is perceived to be an integral component of interfacility transfers. We recommend that transfer systems be re-engineered to make the process more streamlined, to improve the quality of the handoff and 2-way communication, and to facilitate positive relationships between physicians across facilities. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PHASE I MATERIALS PROPERTY DATABASE DEVELOPMENT FOR ASME CODES AND STANDARDS

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

Ren, Weiju; Lin, Lianshan

2013-01-01

To support the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes and Standard (BPVC) in modern information era, development of a web-based materials property database is initiated under the supervision of ASME Committee on Materials. To achieve efficiency, the project heavily draws upon experience from development of the Gen IV Materials Handbook and the Nuclear System Materials Handbook. The effort is divided into two phases. Phase I is planned to deliver a materials data file warehouse that offers a depository for various files containing raw data and background information, and Phase II will provide a relational digital database that provides advanced featuresmore » facilitating digital data processing and management. Population of the database will start with materials property data for nuclear applications and expand to data covering the entire ASME Code and Standards including the piping codes as the database structure is continuously optimized. The ultimate goal of the effort is to establish a sound cyber infrastructure that support ASME Codes and Standards development and maintenance.« less

Software Certification and Software Certificate Management Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denney, Ewen; Fischer, Bernd

2005-01-01

Incremental certification and re-certification of code as it is developed and modified is a prerequisite for applying modem, evolutionary development processes, which are especially relevant for NASA. For example, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) report 121 concluded there is "the need for improved and uniform statistical sampling, audit, and certification processes". Also, re-certification time has been a limiting factor in making changes to Space Shuttle code close to launch time. This is likely to be an even bigger problem with the rapid turnaround required in developing NASA s replacement for the Space Shuttle, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Hence, intelligent development processes are needed which place certification at the center of development. If certification tools provide useful information, such as estimated time and effort, they are more likely to be adopted. The ultimate impact of such a tool will be reduced effort and increased reliability.

Measurement Techniques for Clock Jitter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lansdowne, Chatwin; Schlesinger, Adam

2012-01-01

NASA is in the process of modernizing its communications infrastructure to accompany the development of a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to replace the shuttle. With this effort comes the opportunity to infuse more advanced coded modulation techniques, including low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes that offer greater coding gains than the current capability. However, in order to take full advantage of these codes, the ground segment receiver synchronization loops must be able to operate at a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than supported by equipment currently in use.

Massively parallel data processing for quantitative total flow imaging with optical coherence microscopy and tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylwestrzak, Marcin; Szlag, Daniel; Marchand, Paul J.; Kumar, Ashwin S.; Lasser, Theo

2017-08-01

We present an application of massively parallel processing of quantitative flow measurements data acquired using spectral optical coherence microscopy (SOCM). The need for massive signal processing of these particular datasets has been a major hurdle for many applications based on SOCM. In view of this difficulty, we implemented and adapted quantitative total flow estimation algorithms on graphics processing units (GPU) and achieved a 150 fold reduction in processing time when compared to a former CPU implementation. As SOCM constitutes the microscopy counterpart to spectral optical coherence tomography (SOCT), the developed processing procedure can be applied to both imaging modalities. We present the developed DLL library integrated in MATLAB (with an example) and have included the source code for adaptations and future improvements. Catalogue identifier: AFBT_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AFBT_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU GPLv3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 913552 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 270876249 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: CUDA/C, MATLAB. Computer: Intel x64 CPU, GPU supporting CUDA technology. Operating system: 64-bit Windows 7 Professional. Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?: Yes, CPU code has been vectorized in MATLAB, CUDA code has been parallelized. RAM: Dependent on users parameters, typically between several gigabytes and several tens of gigabytes Classification: 6.5, 18. Nature of problem: Speed up of data processing in optical coherence microscopy Solution method: Utilization of GPU for massively parallel data processing Additional comments: Compiled DLL library with source code and documentation, example of utilization (MATLAB script with raw data) Running time: 1,8 s for one B-scan (150 × faster in comparison to the CPU data processing time)

A new theory of development: the generation of complexity in ontogenesis.

PubMed

Barbieri, Marcello

2016-03-13

Today there is a very wide consensus on the idea that embryonic development is the result of a genetic programme and of epigenetic processes. Many models have been proposed in this theoretical framework to account for the various aspects of development, and virtually all of them have one thing in common: they do not acknowledge the presence of organic codes (codes between organic molecules) in ontogenesis. Here it is argued instead that embryonic development is a convergent increase in complexity that necessarily requires organic codes and organic memories, and a few examples of such codes are described. This is the code theory of development, a theory that was originally inspired by an algorithm that is capable of reconstructing structures from incomplete information, an algorithm that here is briefly summarized because it makes it intuitively appealing how a convergent increase in complexity can be achieved. The main thesis of the new theory is that the presence of organic codes in ontogenesis is not only a theoretical necessity but, first and foremost, an idea that can be tested and that has already been found to be in agreement with the evidence. © 2016 The Author(s).

Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) compendium of tools, revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

A set of programs used to aid software product development is listed. Known as software tools, such programs include requirements analyzers, design languages, precompilers, code auditors, code analyzers, and software librarians. Abstracts, resource requirements, documentation, processing summaries, and availability are indicated for most tools.

Software engineering and automatic continuous verification of scientific software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piggott, M. D.; Hill, J.; Farrell, P. E.; Kramer, S. C.; Wilson, C. R.; Ham, D.; Gorman, G. J.; Bond, T.

2011-12-01

Software engineering of scientific code is challenging for a number of reasons including pressure to publish and a lack of awareness of the pitfalls of software engineering by scientists. The Applied Modelling and Computation Group at Imperial College is a diverse group of researchers that employ best practice software engineering methods whilst developing open source scientific software. Our main code is Fluidity - a multi-purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code that can be used for a wide range of scientific applications from earth-scale mantle convection, through basin-scale ocean dynamics, to laboratory-scale classic CFD problems, and is coupled to a number of other codes including nuclear radiation and solid modelling. Our software development infrastructure consists of a number of free tools that could be employed by any group that develops scientific code and has been developed over a number of years with many lessons learnt. A single code base is developed by over 30 people for which we use bazaar for revision control, making good use of the strong branching and merging capabilities. Using features of Canonical's Launchpad platform, such as code review, blueprints for designing features and bug reporting gives the group, partners and other Fluidity uers an easy-to-use platform to collaborate and allows the induction of new members of the group into an environment where software development forms a central part of their work. The code repositoriy are coupled to an automated test and verification system which performs over 20,000 tests, including unit tests, short regression tests, code verification and large parallel tests. Included in these tests are build tests on HPC systems, including local and UK National HPC services. The testing of code in this manner leads to a continuous verification process; not a discrete event performed once development has ceased. Much of the code verification is done via the "gold standard" of comparisons to analytical solutions via the method of manufactured solutions. By developing and verifying code in tandem we avoid a number of pitfalls in scientific software development and advocate similar procedures for other scientific code applications.

Integration of design, structural, thermal and optical analysis: And user's guide for structural-to-optical translator (PATCOD)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amundsen, R. M.; Feldhaus, W. S.; Little, A. D.; Mitchum, M. V.

1995-01-01

Electronic integration of design and analysis processes was achieved and refined at Langley Research Center (LaRC) during the development of an optical bench for a laser-based aerospace experiment. Mechanical design has been integrated with thermal, structural and optical analyses. Electronic import of the model geometry eliminates the repetitive steps of geometry input to develop each analysis model, leading to faster and more accurate analyses. Guidelines for integrated model development are given. This integrated analysis process has been built around software that was already in use by designers and analysis at LaRC. The process as currently implemented used Pro/Engineer for design, Pro/Manufacturing for fabrication, PATRAN for solid modeling, NASTRAN for structural analysis, SINDA-85 and P/Thermal for thermal analysis, and Code V for optical analysis. Currently, the only analysis model to be built manually is the Code V model; all others can be imported for the Pro/E geometry. The translator from PATRAN results to Code V optical analysis (PATCOD) was developed and tested at LaRC. Directions for use of the translator or other models are given.

Support for Systematic Code Reviews with the SCRUB Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holzmann, Gerald J.

2010-01-01

SCRUB is a code review tool that supports both large, team-based software development efforts (e.g., for mission software) as well as individual tasks. The tool was developed at JPL to support a new, streamlined code review process that combines human-generated review reports with program-generated review reports from a customizable range of state-of-the-art source code analyzers. The leading commercial tools include Codesonar, Coverity, and Klocwork, each of which can achieve a reasonably low rate of false-positives in the warnings that they generate. The time required to analyze code with these tools can vary greatly. In each case, however, the tools produce results that would be difficult to realize with human code inspections alone. There is little overlap in the results produced by the different analyzers, and each analyzer used generally increases the effectiveness of the overall effort. The SCRUB tool allows all reports to be accessed through a single, uniform interface (see figure) that facilitates brows ing code and reports. Improvements over existing software include significant simplification, and leveraging of a range of commercial, static source code analyzers in a single, uniform framework. The tool runs as a small stand-alone application, avoiding the security problems related to tools based on Web browsers. A developer or reviewer, for instance, must have already obtained access rights to a code base before that code can be browsed and reviewed with the SCRUB tool. The tool cannot open any files or folders to which the user does not already have access. This means that the tool does not need to enforce or administer any additional security policies. The analysis results presented through the SCRUB tool s user interface are always computed off-line, given that, especially for larger projects, this computation can take longer than appropriate for interactive tool use. The recommended code review process that is supported by the SCRUB tool consists of three phases: Code Review, Developer Response, and Closeout Resolution. In the Code Review phase, all tool-based analysis reports are generated, and specific comments from expert code reviewers are entered into the SCRUB tool. In the second phase, Developer Response, the developer is asked to respond to each comment and tool-report that was produced, either agreeing or disagreeing to provide a fix that addresses the issue that was raised. In the third phase, Closeout Resolution, all disagreements are discussed in a meeting of all parties involved, and a resolution is made for all disagreements. The first two phases generally take one week each, and the third phase is concluded in a single closeout meeting.

Gene-Auto: Automatic Software Code Generation for Real-Time Embedded Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rugina, A.-E.; Thomas, D.; Olive, X.; Veran, G.

2008-08-01

This paper gives an overview of the Gene-Auto ITEA European project, which aims at building a qualified C code generator from mathematical models under Matlab-Simulink and Scilab-Scicos. The project is driven by major European industry partners, active in the real-time embedded systems domains. The Gene- Auto code generator will significantly improve the current development processes in such domains by shortening the time to market and by guaranteeing the quality of the generated code through the use of formal methods. The first version of the Gene-Auto code generator has already been released and has gone thought a validation phase on real-life case studies defined by each project partner. The validation results are taken into account in the implementation of the second version of the code generator. The partners aim at introducing the Gene-Auto results into industrial development by 2010.

High-fidelity plasma codes for burn physics

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

Cooley, James; Graziani, Frank; Marinak, Marty

Accurate predictions of equation of state (EOS), ionic and electronic transport properties are of critical importance for high-energy-density plasma science. Transport coefficients inform radiation-hydrodynamic codes and impact diagnostic interpretation, which in turn impacts our understanding of the development of instabilities, the overall energy balance of burning plasmas, and the efficacy of self-heating from charged-particle stopping. Important processes include thermal and electrical conduction, electron-ion coupling, inter-diffusion, ion viscosity, and charged particle stopping. However, uncertainties in these coefficients are not well established. Fundamental plasma science codes, also called high-fidelity plasma codes, are a relatively recent computational tool that augments both experimental datamore » and theoretical foundations of transport coefficients. This paper addresses the current status of HFPC codes and their future development, and the potential impact they play in improving the predictive capability of the multi-physics hydrodynamic codes used in HED design.« less

FY17 Status Report on NEAMS Neutronics Activities

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

Lee, C. H.; Jung, Y. S.; Smith, M. A.

2017-09-30

Under the U.S. DOE NEAMS program, the high-fidelity neutronics code system has been developed to support the multiphysics modeling and simulation capability named SHARP. The neutronics code system includes the high-fidelity neutronics code PROTEUS, the cross section library and preprocessing tools, the multigroup cross section generation code MC2-3, the in-house meshing generation tool, the perturbation and sensitivity analysis code PERSENT, and post-processing tools. The main objectives of the NEAMS neutronics activities in FY17 are to continue development of an advanced nodal solver in PROTEUS for use in nuclear reactor design and analysis projects, implement a simplified sub-channel based thermal-hydraulic (T/H)more » capability into PROTEUS to efficiently compute the thermal feedback, improve the performance of PROTEUS-MOCEX using numerical acceleration and code optimization, improve the cross section generation tools including MC2-3, and continue to perform verification and validation tests for PROTEUS.« less

Quality improvement utilizing in-situ simulation for a dual-hospital pediatric code response team.

PubMed

Yager, Phoebe; Collins, Corey; Blais, Carlene; O'Connor, Kathy; Donovan, Patricia; Martinez, Maureen; Cummings, Brian; Hartnick, Christopher; Noviski, Natan

2016-09-01

Given the rarity of in-hospital pediatric emergency events, identification of gaps and inefficiencies in the code response can be difficult. In-situ, simulation-based medical education programs can identify unrecognized systems-based challenges. We hypothesized that developing an in-situ, simulation-based pediatric emergency response program would identify latent inefficiencies in a complex, dual-hospital pediatric code response system and allow rapid intervention testing to improve performance before implementation at an institutional level. Pediatric leadership from two hospitals with a shared pediatric code response team employed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) Breakthrough Model for Collaborative Improvement to design a program consisting of Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles occurring in a simulated environment. The objectives of the program were to 1) identify inefficiencies in our pediatric code response; 2) correlate to current workflow; 3) employ an iterative process to test quality improvement interventions in a safe environment; and 4) measure performance before actual implementation at the institutional level. Twelve dual-hospital, in-situ, simulated, pediatric emergencies occurred over one year. The initial simulated event allowed identification of inefficiencies including delayed provider response, delayed initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and delayed vascular access. These gaps were linked to process issues including unreliable code pager activation, slow elevator response, and lack of responder familiarity with layout and contents of code cart. From first to last simulation with multiple simulated process improvements, code response time for secondary providers coming from the second hospital decreased from 29 to 7 min, time to CPR initiation decreased from 90 to 15 s, and vascular access obtainment decreased from 15 to 3 min. Some of these simulated process improvements were adopted into the institutional response while others continue to be trended over time for evidence that observed changes represent a true new state of control. Utilizing the IHI's Breakthrough Model, we developed a simulation-based program to 1) successfully identify gaps and inefficiencies in a complex, dual-hospital, pediatric code response system and 2) provide an environment in which to safely test quality improvement interventions before institutional dissemination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional quick response code based on inkjet printing of upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles for drug anti-counterfeiting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Minli; Lin, Min; Wang, Shurui; Wang, Xuemin; Zhang, Ge; Hong, Yuan; Dong, Yuqing; Jin, Guorui; Xu, Feng

2016-05-01

Medicine counterfeiting is a serious issue worldwide, involving potentially devastating health repercussions. Advanced anti-counterfeit technology for drugs has therefore aroused intensive interest. However, existing anti-counterfeit technologies are associated with drawbacks such as the high cost, complex fabrication process, sophisticated operation and incapability in authenticating drug ingredients. In this contribution, we developed a smart phone recognition based upconversion fluorescent three-dimensional (3D) quick response (QR) code for tracking and anti-counterfeiting of drugs. We firstly formulated three colored inks incorporating upconversion nanoparticles with RGB (i.e., red, green and blue) emission colors. Using a modified inkjet printer, we printed a series of colors by precisely regulating the overlap of these three inks. Meanwhile, we developed a multilayer printing and splitting technology, which significantly increases the information storage capacity per unit area. As an example, we directly printed the upconversion fluorescent 3D QR code on the surface of drug capsules. The 3D QR code consisted of three different color layers with each layer encoded by information of different aspects of the drug. A smart phone APP was designed to decode the multicolor 3D QR code, providing the authenticity and related information of drugs. The developed technology possesses merits in terms of low cost, ease of operation, high throughput and high information capacity, thus holds great potential for drug anti-counterfeiting.Medicine counterfeiting is a serious issue worldwide, involving potentially devastating health repercussions. Advanced anti-counterfeit technology for drugs has therefore aroused intensive interest. However, existing anti-counterfeit technologies are associated with drawbacks such as the high cost, complex fabrication process, sophisticated operation and incapability in authenticating drug ingredients. In this contribution, we developed a smart phone recognition based upconversion fluorescent three-dimensional (3D) quick response (QR) code for tracking and anti-counterfeiting of drugs. We firstly formulated three colored inks incorporating upconversion nanoparticles with RGB (i.e., red, green and blue) emission colors. Using a modified inkjet printer, we printed a series of colors by precisely regulating the overlap of these three inks. Meanwhile, we developed a multilayer printing and splitting technology, which significantly increases the information storage capacity per unit area. As an example, we directly printed the upconversion fluorescent 3D QR code on the surface of drug capsules. The 3D QR code consisted of three different color layers with each layer encoded by information of different aspects of the drug. A smart phone APP was designed to decode the multicolor 3D QR code, providing the authenticity and related information of drugs. The developed technology possesses merits in terms of low cost, ease of operation, high throughput and high information capacity, thus holds great potential for drug anti-counterfeiting. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Calculating details of UCNP content per 3D QR code and decoding process of the 3D QR code. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01353h

Full-Process Computer Model of Magnetron Sputter, Part I: Test Existing State-of-Art Components

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

Walton, C C; Gilmer, G H; Wemhoff, A P

2007-09-26

This work is part of a larger project to develop a modeling capability for magnetron sputter deposition. The process is divided into four steps: plasma transport, target sputter, neutral gas and sputtered atom transport, and film growth, shown schematically in Fig. 1. Each of these is simulated separately in this Part 1 of the project, which is jointly funded between CMLS and Engineering. The Engineering portion is the plasma modeling, in step 1. The plasma modeling was performed using the Object-Oriented Particle-In-Cell code (OOPIC) from UC Berkeley [1]. Figure 2 shows the electron density in the simulated region, using magneticmore » field strength input from experiments by Bohlmark [2], where a scale of 1% is used. Figures 3 and 4 depict the magnetic field components that were generated using two-dimensional linear interpolation of Bohlmark's experimental data. The goal of the overall modeling tool is to understand, and later predict, relationships between parameters of film deposition we can change (such as gas pressure, gun voltage, and target-substrate distance) and key properties of the results (such as film stress, density, and stoichiometry.) The simulation must use existing codes, either open-source or low-cost, not develop new codes. In part 1 (FY07) we identified and tested the best available code for each process step, then determined if it can cover the size and time scales we need in reasonable computation times. We also had to determine if the process steps are sufficiently decoupled that they can be treated separately, and identify any research-level issues preventing practical use of these codes. Part 2 will consider whether the codes can be (or need to be) made to talk to each other and integrated into a whole.« less

A Deterministic Transport Code for Space Environment Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nealy, John E.; Chang, C. K.; Norman, Ryan B.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Badavi, Francis F.; Adamczyk, Anne M.

2010-01-01

A deterministic computational procedure has been developed to describe transport of space environment electrons in various shield media. This code is an upgrade and extension of an earlier electron code. Whereas the former code was formulated on the basis of parametric functions derived from limited laboratory data, the present code utilizes well established theoretical representations to describe the relevant interactions and transport processes. The shield material specification has been made more general, as have the pertinent cross sections. A combined mean free path and average trajectory approach has been used in the transport formalism. Comparisons with Monte Carlo calculations are presented.

Implementation of radiation shielding calculation methods. Volume 1: Synopsis of methods and summary of results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Capo, M. A.; Disney, R. K.

1971-01-01

The work performed in the following areas is summarized: (1) Analysis of Realistic nuclear-propelled vehicle was analyzed using the Marshall Space Flight Center computer code package. This code package includes one and two dimensional discrete ordinate transport, point kernel, and single scatter techniques, as well as cross section preparation and data processing codes, (2) Techniques were developed to improve the automated data transfer in the coupled computation method of the computer code package and improve the utilization of this code package on the Univac-1108 computer system. (3) The MSFC master data libraries were updated.

Methods for Ensuring High Quality of Coding of Cause of Death. The Mortality Register to Follow Southern Urals Populations Exposed to Radiation.

PubMed

Startsev, N; Dimov, P; Grosche, B; Tretyakov, F; Schüz, J; Akleyev, A

2015-01-01

To follow up populations exposed to several radiation accidents in the Southern Urals, a cause-of-death registry was established at the Urals Center capturing deaths in the Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and Sverdlovsk region since 1950. When registering deaths over such a long time period, quality measures need to be in place to maintain quality and reduce the impact of individual coders as well as quality changes in death certificates. To ensure the uniformity of coding, a method for semi-automatic coding was developed, which is described here. Briefly, the method is based on a dynamic thesaurus, database-supported coding and parallel coding by two different individuals. A comparison of the proposed method for organizing the coding process with the common procedure of coding showed good agreement, with, at the end of the coding process, 70  - 90% agreement for the three-digit ICD -9 rubrics. The semi-automatic method ensures a sufficiently high quality of coding by at the same time providing an opportunity to reduce the labor intensity inherent in the creation of large-volume cause-of-death registries.

Creating and Testing Simulation Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinich, Christina M.

2013-01-01

The goal of this project is to learn about the software development process, specifically the process to test and fix components of the software. The paper will cover the techniques of testing code, and the benefits of using one style of testing over another. It will also discuss the overall software design and development lifecycle, and how code testing plays an integral role in it. Coding is notorious for always needing to be debugged due to coding errors or faulty program design. Writing tests either before or during program creation that cover all aspects of the code provide a relatively easy way to locate and fix errors, which will in turn decrease the necessity to fix a program after it is released for common use. The backdrop for this paper is the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) Simulation Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI), a project whose goal is to simulate a launch using simulated models of the ground systems and the connections between them and the control room. The simulations will be used for training and to ensure that all possible outcomes and complications are prepared for before the actual launch day. The code being tested is the Programmable Logic Controller Interface (PLCIF) code, the component responsible for transferring the information from the models to the model Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), basic computers that are used for very simple tasks.

Automated encoding of clinical documents based on natural language processing.

PubMed

Friedman, Carol; Shagina, Lyudmila; Lussier, Yves; Hripcsak, George

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a method based on natural language processing (NLP) that automatically maps an entire clinical document to codes with modifiers and to quantitatively evaluate the method. An existing NLP system, MedLEE, was adapted to automatically generate codes. The method involves matching of structured output generated by MedLEE consisting of findings and modifiers to obtain the most specific code. Recall and precision applied to Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) coding were evaluated in two separate studies. Recall was measured using a test set of 150 randomly selected sentences, which were processed using MedLEE. Results were compared with a reference standard determined manually by seven experts. Precision was measured using a second test set of 150 randomly selected sentences from which UMLS codes were automatically generated by the method and then validated by experts. Recall of the system for UMLS coding of all terms was .77 (95% CI.72-.81), and for coding terms that had corresponding UMLS codes recall was .83 (.79-.87). Recall of the system for extracting all terms was .84 (.81-.88). Recall of the experts ranged from .69 to .91 for extracting terms. The precision of the system was .89 (.87-.91), and precision of the experts ranged from .61 to .91. Extraction of relevant clinical information and UMLS coding were accomplished using a method based on NLP. The method appeared to be comparable to or better than six experts. The advantage of the method is that it maps text to codes along with other related information, rendering the coded output suitable for effective retrieval.

Information Retrieval System for Japanese Standard Disease-Code Master Using XML Web Service

PubMed Central

Hatano, Kenji; Ohe, Kazuhiko

2003-01-01

Information retrieval system of Japanese Standard Disease-Code Master Using XML Web Service is developed. XML Web Service is a new distributed processing system by standard internet technologies. With seamless remote method invocation of XML Web Service, users are able to get the latest disease code master information from their rich desktop applications or internet web sites, which refer to this service. PMID:14728364

Current and planned numerical development for improving computing performance for long duration and/or low pressure transients

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

Faydide, B.

1997-07-01

This paper presents the current and planned numerical development for improving computing performance in case of Cathare applications needing real time, like simulator applications. Cathare is a thermalhydraulic code developed by CEA (DRN), IPSN, EDF and FRAMATOME for PWR safety analysis. First, the general characteristics of the code are presented, dealing with physical models, numerical topics, and validation strategy. Then, the current and planned applications of Cathare in the field of simulators are discussed. Some of these applications were made in the past, using a simplified and fast-running version of Cathare (Cathare-Simu); the status of the numerical improvements obtained withmore » Cathare-Simu is presented. The planned developments concern mainly the Simulator Cathare Release (SCAR) project which deals with the use of the most recent version of Cathare inside simulators. In this frame, the numerical developments are related with the speed up of the calculation process, using parallel processing and improvement of code reliability on a large set of NPP transients.« less

The chemical basis for the origin of the genetic code and the process of protein synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The principles upon which the process of protein synthesis and the genetic code were established are elucidated. Extensive work on nuclear magnetic resonance studies of both monomermonomer and monoamino acid polynucleotide interactions is included. A new method of general utility for studying any amino acid interacting with any polynucleotide was developed. This system involves the use of methyl esters of amino acids interacting with polynucleotides.

The barriers to clinical coding in general practice: a literature review.

PubMed

de Lusignan, S

2005-06-01

Clinical coding is variable in UK general practice. The reasons for this remain undefined. This review explains why there are no readily available alternatives to recording structured clinical data and reviews the barriers to recording structured clinical data. Methods used included a literature review of bibliographic databases, university health informatics departments, and national and international medical informatics associations. The results show that the current state of development of computers and data processing means there is no practical alternative to coding data. The identified barriers to clinical coding are: the limitations of the coding systems and terminologies and the skill gap in their use; recording structured data in the consultation takes time and is distracting; the level of motivation of primary care professionals; and the priority within the organization. A taxonomy is proposed to describe the barriers to clinical coding. This can be used to identify barriers to coding and facilitate the development of strategies to overcome them.

C++ Coding Standards for the AMP Project

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

Evans, Thomas M; Clarno, Kevin T

2009-09-01

This document provides an initial starting point to define the C++ coding standards used by the AMP nuclear fuel performance integrated code project and a part of AMP's software development process. This document draws from the experiences, and documentation [1], of the developers of the Marmot Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Much of the software in AMP will be written in C++. The power of C++ can be abused easily, resulting in code that is difficult to understand and maintain. This document gives the practices that should be followed on the AMP project for all new code that ismore » written. The intent is not to be onerous but to ensure that the code can be readily understood by the entire code team and serve as a basis for collectively defining a set of coding standards for use in future development efforts. At the end of the AMP development in fiscal year (FY) 2010, all developers will have experience with the benefits, restrictions, and limitations of the standards described and will collectively define a set of standards for future software development. External libraries that AMP uses do not have to meet these requirements, although we encourage external developers to follow these practices. For any code of which AMP takes ownership, the project will decide on any changes on a case-by-case basis. The practices that we are using in the AMP project have been in use in the Denovo project [2] for several years. The practices build on those given in References [3-5]; the practices given in these references should also be followed. Some of the practices given in this document can also be found in [6].« less

Framework GRASP: routine library for optimize processing of aerosol remote sensing observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuertes, David; Torres, Benjamin; Dubovik, Oleg; Litvinov, Pavel; Lapyonok, Tatyana; Ducos, Fabrice; Aspetsberger, Michael; Federspiel, Christian

The present the development of a Framework for the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) developed by Dubovik et al., (2011). The framework is a source code project that attempts to strengthen the value of the GRASP inversion algorithm by transforming it into a library that will be used later for a group of customized application modules. The functions of the independent modules include the managing of the configuration of the code execution, as well as preparation of the input and output. The framework provides a number of advantages in utilization of the code. First, it implements loading data to the core of the scientific code directly from memory without passing through intermediary files on disk. Second, the framework allows consecutive use of the inversion code without the re-initiation of the core routine when new input is received. These features are essential for optimizing performance of the data production in processing of large observation sets, such as satellite images by the GRASP. Furthermore, the framework is a very convenient tool for further development, because this open-source platform is easily extended for implementing new features. For example, it could accommodate loading of raw data directly onto the inversion code from a specific instrument not included in default settings of the software. Finally, it will be demonstrated that from the user point of view, the framework provides a flexible, powerful and informative configuration system.

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan - Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Part 2: Code Assessment Strategy, Procedure, and RTM Update

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

Yoo, Jun Soo; Choi, Yong Joon; Smith, Curtis Lee

2016-09-01

This document addresses two subjects involved with the RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP): (i) the principles and plan to assure the independence of RELAP-7 assessment through the code development process, and (ii) the work performed to establish the RELAP-7 assessment plan, i.e., the assessment strategy, literature review, and identification of RELAP-7 requirements. Then, the Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTMs) proposed in previous document (INL-EXT-15-36684) are updated. These RTMs provide an efficient way to evaluate the RELAP-7 development status as well as the maturity of RELAP-7 assessment through the development process.

Modeling Guidelines for Code Generation in the Railway Signaling Context

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrari, Alessio; Bacherini, Stefano; Fantechi, Alessandro; Zingoni, Niccolo

2009-01-01

Modeling guidelines constitute one of the fundamental cornerstones for Model Based Development. Their relevance is essential when dealing with code generation in the safety-critical domain. This article presents the experience of a railway signaling systems manufacturer on this issue. Introduction of Model-Based Development (MBD) and code generation in the industrial safety-critical sector created a crucial paradigm shift in the development process of dependable systems. While traditional software development focuses on the code, with MBD practices the focus shifts to model abstractions. The change has fundamental implications for safety-critical systems, which still need to guarantee a high degree of confidence also at code level. Usage of the Simulink/Stateflow platform for modeling, which is a de facto standard in control software development, does not ensure by itself production of high-quality dependable code. This issue has been addressed by companies through the definition of modeling rules imposing restrictions on the usage of design tools components, in order to enable production of qualified code. The MAAB Control Algorithm Modeling Guidelines (MathWorks Automotive Advisory Board)[3] is a well established set of publicly available rules for modeling with Simulink/Stateflow. This set of recommendations has been developed by a group of OEMs and suppliers of the automotive sector with the objective of enforcing and easing the usage of the MathWorks tools within the automotive industry. The guidelines have been published in 2001 and afterwords revisited in 2007 in order to integrate some additional rules developed by the Japanese division of MAAB [5]. The scope of the current edition of the guidelines ranges from model maintainability and readability to code generation issues. The rules are conceived as a reference baseline and therefore they need to be tailored to comply with the characteristics of each industrial context. Customization of these recommendations has been performed for the automotive control systems domain in order to enforce code generation [7]. The MAAB guidelines have been found profitable also in the aerospace/avionics sector [1] and they have been adopted by the MathWorks Aerospace Leadership Council (MALC). General Electric Transportation Systems (GETS) is a well known railway signaling systems manufacturer leading in Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems technology. Inside an effort of adopting formal methods within its own development process, GETS decided to introduce system modeling by means of the MathWorks tools [2], and in 2008 chose to move to code generation. This article reports the experience performed by GETS in developing its own modeling standard through customizing the MAAB rules for the railway signaling domain and shows the result of this experience with a successful product development story.

Bifrost: a Modular Python/C++ Framework for Development of High-Throughput Data Analysis Pipelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranmer, Miles; Barsdell, Benjamin R.; Price, Danny C.; Garsden, Hugh; Taylor, Gregory B.; Dowell, Jayce; Schinzel, Frank; Costa, Timothy; Greenhill, Lincoln J.

2017-01-01

Large radio interferometers have data rates that render long-term storage of raw correlator data infeasible, thus motivating development of real-time processing software. For high-throughput applications, processing pipelines are challenging to design and implement. Motivated by science efforts with the Long Wavelength Array, we have developed Bifrost, a novel Python/C++ framework that eases the development of high-throughput data analysis software by packaging algorithms as black box processes in a directed graph. This strategy to modularize code allows astronomers to create parallelism without code adjustment. Bifrost uses CPU/GPU ’circular memory’ data buffers that enable ready introduction of arbitrary functions into the processing path for ’streams’ of data, and allow pipelines to automatically reconfigure in response to astrophysical transient detection or input of new observing settings. We have deployed and tested Bifrost at the latest Long Wavelength Array station, in Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM, where it handles throughput exceeding 10 Gbps per CPU core.

Development of an expert based ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM map to AIS 2005 update 2008.

PubMed

Loftis, Kathryn L; Price, Janet P; Gillich, Patrick J; Cookman, Kathy J; Brammer, Amy L; St Germain, Trish; Barnes, Jo; Graymire, Vickie; Nayduch, Donna A; Read-Allsopp, Christine; Baus, Katherine; Stanley, Patsye A; Brennan, Maureen

2016-09-01

This article describes how maps were developed from the clinical modifications of the 9th and 10th revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) to the Abbreviated Injury Scale 2005 Update 2008 (AIS08). The development of the mapping methodology is described, with discussion of the major assumptions used in the process to map ICD codes to AIS severities. There were many intricacies to developing the maps, because the 2 coding systems, ICD and AIS, were developed for different purposes and contain unique classification structures to meet these purposes. Experts in ICD and AIS analyzed the rules and coding guidelines of both injury coding schemes to develop rules for mapping ICD injury codes to the AIS08. This involved subject-matter expertise, detailed knowledge of anatomy, and an in-depth understanding of injury terms and definitions as applied in both taxonomies. The official ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM versions (injury sections) were mapped to the AIS08 codes and severities, following the rules outlined in each coding manual. The panel of experts was composed of coders certified in ICD and/or AIS from around the world. In the process of developing the map from ICD to AIS, the experts created rules to address issues with the differences in coding guidelines between the 2 schemas and assure a consistent approach to all codes. Over 19,000 ICD codes were analyzed and maps were generated for each code to AIS08 chapters, AIS08 severities, and Injury Severity Score (ISS) body regions. After completion of the maps, 14,101 (74%) of the eligible 19,012 injury-related ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes were assigned valid AIS08 severity scores between 1 and 6. The remaining 4,911 codes were assigned an AIS08 of 9 (unknown) or were determined to be nonmappable because the ICD description lacked sufficient qualifying information for determining severity according to AIS rules. There were also 15,214 (80%) ICD codes mapped to AIS08 chapter and ISS body region, which allow for ISS calculations for patient data sets. This mapping between ICD and AIS provides a comprehensive, expert-designed solution for analysts to bridge the data gap between the injury descriptions provided in hospital codes (ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM) and injury severity codes (AIS08). By applying consistent rules from both the ICD and AIS taxonomies, the expert panel created these definitive maps, which are the only ones endorsed by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). Initial validation upheld the quality of these maps for the estimation of AIS severity, but future work should include verification of these maps for MAIS and ISS estimations with large data sets. These ICD-AIS maps will support data analysis from databases with injury information classified in these 2 different systems and open new doors for the investigation of injury from traumatic events using large injury data sets.

An evaluation of computer assisted clinical classification algorithms.

PubMed

Chute, C G; Yang, Y; Buntrock, J

1994-01-01

The Mayo Clinic has a long tradition of indexing patient records in high resolution and volume. Several algorithms have been developed which promise to help human coders in the classification process. We evaluate variations on code browsers and free text indexing systems with respect to their speed and error rates in our production environment. The more sophisticated indexing systems save measurable time in the coding process, but suffer from incompleteness which requires a back-up system or human verification. Expert Network does the best job of rank ordering clinical text, potentially enabling the creation of thresholds for the pass through of computer coded data without human review.

The role of CFD in the design process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennions, Ian K.

1994-05-01

Over the last decade the role played by CFD codes in turbomachinery design has changed remarkably. While convergence/stability or even the existence of unique solutions was discussed fervently ten years ago, CFD codes now form a valuable part of an overall integrated design system and have caused us to re-think much of what we do. The geometric and physical complexities addressed have also evolved, as have the number of software houses competing with in-house developers to provide solutions to daily design problems. This paper reviews how GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) uses CFD in the turbomachinery design process and examines many of the issues faced in successful code implementation.

Guide to Permitting Hydrogen Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities

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

Rivkin, Carl; Buttner, William; Burgess, Robert

2016-03-28

The purpose of this guide is to assist project developers, permitting officials, code enforcement officials, and other parties involved in developing permit applications and approving the implementation of hydrogen motor fuel dispensing facilities. The guide facilitates the identification of the elements to be addressed in the permitting of a project as it progresses through the approval process; the specific requirements associated with those elements; and the applicable (or potentially applicable) codes and standards by which to determine whether the specific requirements have been met. The guide attempts to identify all applicable codes and standards relevant to the permitting requirements.

Non-coding functions of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in development.

PubMed

Mockenhaupt, Stefan; Makeyev, Eugene V

2015-12-01

A majority of messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNAs) in the higher eukaryotes undergo alternative splicing to generate more than one mature product. By targeting the open reading frame region this process increases diversity of protein isoforms beyond the nominal coding capacity of the genome. However, alternative splicing also frequently controls output levels and spatiotemporal features of cellular and organismal gene expression programs. Here we discuss how these non-coding functions of alternative splicing contribute to development through regulation of mRNA stability, translational efficiency and cellular localization. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned through the Development and Publication of AstroImageJ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Karen

2018-01-01

As lead author of the scientific image processing software package AstroImageJ (AIJ), I will discuss the reasoning behind why we decided to release AIJ to the public, and the lessons we learned related to the development, publication, distribution, and support of AIJ. I will also summarize the AIJ code language selection, code documentation and testing approaches, code distribution, update, and support facilities used, and the code citation and licensing decisions. Since AIJ was initially developed as part of my graduate research and was my first scientific open source software publication, many of my experiences and difficulties encountered may parallel those of others new to scientific software publication. Finally, I will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of releasing scientific software that I now recognize after having AIJ in the public domain for more than five years.

The MCNP6 Analytic Criticality Benchmark Suite

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

Brown, Forrest B.

2016-06-16

Analytical benchmarks provide an invaluable tool for verifying computer codes used to simulate neutron transport. Several collections of analytical benchmark problems [1-4] are used routinely in the verification of production Monte Carlo codes such as MCNP® [5,6]. Verification of a computer code is a necessary prerequisite to the more complex validation process. The verification process confirms that a code performs its intended functions correctly. The validation process involves determining the absolute accuracy of code results vs. nature. In typical validations, results are computed for a set of benchmark experiments using a particular methodology (code, cross-section data with uncertainties, and modeling)more » and compared to the measured results from the set of benchmark experiments. The validation process determines bias, bias uncertainty, and possibly additional margins. Verification is generally performed by the code developers, while validation is generally performed by code users for a particular application space. The VERIFICATION_KEFF suite of criticality problems [1,2] was originally a set of 75 criticality problems found in the literature for which exact analytical solutions are available. Even though the spatial and energy detail is necessarily limited in analytical benchmarks, typically to a few regions or energy groups, the exact solutions obtained can be used to verify that the basic algorithms, mathematics, and methods used in complex production codes perform correctly. The present work has focused on revisiting this benchmark suite. A thorough review of the problems resulted in discarding some of them as not suitable for MCNP benchmarking. For the remaining problems, many of them were reformulated to permit execution in either multigroup mode or in the normal continuous-energy mode for MCNP. Execution of the benchmarks in continuous-energy mode provides a significant advance to MCNP verification methods.« less

[Representation of knowledge in respiratory medicine: ontology should help the coding process].

PubMed

Blanc, F-X; Baneyx, A; Charlet, J; Housset, B

2010-09-01

Access to medical knowledge is a major issue for health professionals and requires the development of terminologies. The objective of the reported work was to construct an ontology of respiratory medicine, i.e. an organized and formalized terminology composed by specific knowledge. The purpose is to help the medico-economical coding process and to represent the relevant knowledge about the patient. Our researches cover the whole life cycle of an ontology, from the development of a methodology, to building it from texts, to its use in an operational system. A computerized tool, based on the ontology, allows both a medico-economical coding and a graphical medical one. This second one will be used to index hospital reports. Our ontology counts 1913 concepts and contains all the knowledge included in the PMSI part of the SPLF thesaurus. Our tool has been evaluated and showed a recall of 80% and an accuracy of 85% regarding the medico-economical coding. The work presented in this paper justifies the approach that has been used. It must be continued on a large scale to validate our coding principles and the possibility of making enquiries on patient reports concerning clinical research. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Design and implementation of H.264 based embedded video coding technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Jian; Liu, Jinming; Zhang, Jiemin

2016-03-01

In this paper, an embedded system for remote online video monitoring was designed and developed to capture and record the real-time circumstances in elevator. For the purpose of improving the efficiency of video acquisition and processing, the system selected Samsung S5PV210 chip as the core processor which Integrated graphics processing unit. And the video was encoded with H.264 format for storage and transmission efficiently. Based on S5PV210 chip, the hardware video coding technology was researched, which was more efficient than software coding. After running test, it had been proved that the hardware video coding technology could obviously reduce the cost of system and obtain the more smooth video display. It can be widely applied for the security supervision [1].

Orthographic and phonological preview benefits: parafoveal processing in skilled and less-skilled deaf readers.

PubMed

Bélanger, Nathalie N; Mayberry, Rachel I; Rayner, Keith

2013-01-01

Many deaf individuals do not develop the high-level reading skills that will allow them to fully take part into society. To attempt to explain this widespread difficulty in the deaf population, much research has honed in on the use of phonological codes during reading. The hypothesis that the use of phonological codes is associated with good reading skills in deaf readers, though not well supported, still lingers in the literature. We investigated skilled and less-skilled adult deaf readers' processing of orthographic and phonological codes in parafoveal vision during reading by monitoring their eye movements and using the boundary paradigm. Orthographic preview benefits were found in early measures of reading for skilled hearing, skilled deaf, and less-skilled deaf readers, but only skilled hearing readers processed phonological codes in parafoveal vision. Crucially, skilled and less-skilled deaf readers showed a very similar pattern of preview benefits during reading. These results support the notion that reading difficulties in deaf adults are not linked to their failure to activate phonological codes during reading.

HCPCS Coding: An Integral Part of Your Reimbursement Strategy.

PubMed

Nusgart, Marcia

2013-12-01

The first step to a successful reimbursement strategy is to ensure that your wound care product has the most appropriate Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code (or billing) for your product. The correct HCPCS code plays an essential role in patient access to new and existing technologies. When devising a strategy to obtain a HCPCS code for its product, companies must consider a number of factors as follows: (1) Has the product gone through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory process or does it need to do so? Will the FDA code designation impact which HCPCS code will be assigned to your product? (2) In what "site of service" do you intend to market your product? Where will your customers use the product? Which coding system (CPT ® or HCPCS) applies to your product? (3) Does a HCPCS code for a similar product already exist? Does your product fit under the existing HCPCS code? (4) Does your product need a new HCPCS code? What is the linkage, if any, between coding, payment, and coverage for the product? Researchers and companies need to start early and place the same emphasis on a reimbursement strategy as it does on a regulatory strategy. Your reimbursement strategy staff should be involved early in the process, preferably during product research and development and clinical trial discussions.

NASA. Lewis Research Center Advanced Modulation and Coding Project: Introduction and overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Budinger, James M.

1992-01-01

The Advanced Modulation and Coding Project at LeRC is sponsored by the Office of Space Science and Applications, Communications Division, Code EC, at NASA Headquarters and conducted by the Digital Systems Technology Branch of the Space Electronics Division. Advanced Modulation and Coding is one of three focused technology development projects within the branch's overall Processing and Switching Program. The program consists of industry contracts for developing proof-of-concept (POC) and demonstration model hardware, university grants for analyzing advanced techniques, and in-house integration and testing of performance verification and systems evaluation. The Advanced Modulation and Coding Project is broken into five elements: (1) bandwidth- and power-efficient modems; (2) high-speed codecs; (3) digital modems; (4) multichannel demodulators; and (5) very high-data-rate modems. At least one contract and one grant were awarded for each element.

Agile deployment and code coverage testing metrics of the boot software on-board Solar Orbiter's Energetic Particle Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parra, Pablo; da Silva, Antonio; Polo, Óscar R.; Sánchez, Sebastián

2018-02-01

In this day and age, successful embedded critical software needs agile and continuous development and testing procedures. This paper presents the overall testing and code coverage metrics obtained during the unit testing procedure carried out to verify the correctness of the boot software that will run in the Instrument Control Unit (ICU) of the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) on-board Solar Orbiter. The ICU boot software is a critical part of the project so its verification should be addressed at an early development stage, so any test case missed in this process may affect the quality of the overall on-board software. According to the European Cooperation for Space Standardization ESA standards, testing this kind of critical software must cover 100% of the source code statement and decision paths. This leads to the complete testing of fault tolerance and recovery mechanisms that have to resolve every possible memory corruption or communication error brought about by the space environment. The introduced procedure enables fault injection from the beginning of the development process and enables to fulfill the exigent code coverage demands on the boot software.

Software Development Processes Applied to Computational Icing Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinson, Laurie H.; Potapezuk, Mark G.; Mellor, Pamela A.

1999-01-01

The development of computational icing simulation methods is making the transition form the research to common place use in design and certification efforts. As such, standards of code management, design validation, and documentation must be adjusted to accommodate the increased expectations of the user community with respect to accuracy, reliability, capability, and usability. This paper discusses these concepts with regard to current and future icing simulation code development efforts as implemented by the Icing Branch of the NASA Lewis Research Center in collaboration with the NASA Lewis Engineering Design and Analysis Division. With the application of the techniques outlined in this paper, the LEWICE ice accretion code has become a more stable and reliable software product.

Standardized Semantic Markup for Reference Terminologies, Thesauri and Coding Systems: Benefits for distributed E-Health Applications.

PubMed

Hoelzer, Simon; Schweiger, Ralf K; Liu, Raymond; Rudolf, Dirk; Rieger, Joerg; Dudeck, Joachim

2005-01-01

With the introduction of the ICD-10 as the standard for diagnosis, the development of an electronic representation of its complete content, inherent semantics and coding rules is necessary. Our concept refers to current efforts of the CEN/TC 251 to establish a European standard for hierarchical classification systems in healthcare. We have developed an electronic representation of the ICD-10 with the extensible Markup Language (XML) that facilitates the integration in current information systems or coding software taking into account different languages and versions. In this context, XML offers a complete framework of related technologies and standard tools for processing that helps to develop interoperable applications.

Mads.jl

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

Vesselinov, Velimir; O'Malley, Daniel; Lin, Youzuo

2016-07-01

Mads.jl (Model analysis and decision support in Julia) is a code that streamlines the process of using data and models for analysis and decision support. It is based on another open-source code developed at LANL and written in C/C++ (MADS; http://mads.lanl.gov; LA-CC-11- 035). Mads.jl can work with external models of arbitrary complexity as well as built-in models of flow and transport in porous media. It enables a number of data- and model-based analyses including model calibration, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty quantification, and decision analysis. The code also can use a series of alternative adaptive computational techniques for Bayesian sampling, Monte Carlo,more » and Bayesian Information-Gap Decision Theory. The code is implemented in the Julia programming language, and has high-performance (parallel) and memory management capabilities. The code uses a series of third party modules developed by others. The code development will also include contributions to the existing third party modules written in Julia; this contributions will be important for the efficient implementation of the algorithm used by Mads.jl. The code also uses a series of LANL developed modules that are developed by Dan O'Malley; these modules will be also a part of the Mads.jl release. Mads.jl will be released under GPL V3 license. The code will be distributed as a Git repo at gitlab.com and github.com. Mads.jl manual and documentation will be posted at madsjulia.lanl.gov.« less

U.S. Seismic Design Maps Web Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, E.; Fee, J.

2015-12-01

The application computes earthquake ground motion design parameters compatible with the International Building Code and other seismic design provisions. It is the primary method for design engineers to obtain ground motion parameters for multiple building codes across the country. When designing new buildings and other structures, engineers around the country use the application. Users specify the design code of interest, location, and other parameters to obtain necessary ground motion information consisting of a high-level executive summary as well as detailed information including maps, data, and graphs. Results are formatted such that they can be directly included in a final engineering report. In addition to single-site analysis, the application supports a batch mode for simultaneous consideration of multiple locations. Finally, an application programming interface (API) is available which allows other application developers to integrate this application's results into larger applications for additional processing. Development on the application has proceeded in an iterative manner working with engineers through email, meetings, and workshops. Each iteration provided new features, improved performance, and usability enhancements. This development approach positioned the application to be integral to the structural design process and is now used to produce over 1800 reports daily. Recent efforts have enhanced the application to be a data-driven, mobile-first, responsive web application. Development is ongoing, and source code has recently been published into the open-source community on GitHub. Open-sourcing the code facilitates improved incorporation of user feedback to add new features ensuring the application's continued success.

Facts and updates about cardiovascular non-coding RNAs in heart failure.

PubMed

Thum, Thomas

2015-09-01

About 11% of all deaths include heart failure as a contributing cause. The annual cost of heart failure amounts to US $34,000,000,000 in the United States alone. With the exception of heart transplantation, there is no curative therapy available. Only occasionally there are new areas in science that develop into completely new research fields. The topic on non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, is such a field. In this short review, we will discuss the latest developments about non-coding RNAs in cardiovascular disease. MicroRNAs are short regulatory non-coding endogenous RNA species that are involved in virtually all cellular processes. Long non-coding RNAs also regulate gene and protein levels; however, by much more complicated and diverse mechanisms. In general, non-coding RNAs have been shown to be of great value as therapeutic targets in adverse cardiac remodelling and also as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for heart failure. In the future, non-coding RNA-based therapeutics are likely to enter the clinical reality offering a new treatment approach of heart failure.

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.

The Italian experience on T/H best estimate codes: Achievements and perspectives

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

Alemberti, A.; D`Auria, F.; Fiorino, E.

1997-07-01

Themalhydraulic system codes are complex tools developed to simulate the power plants behavior during off-normal conditions. Among the objectives of the code calculations the evaluation of safety margins, the operator training, the optimization of the plant design and of the emergency operating procedures, are mostly considered in the field of the nuclear safety. The first generation of codes was developed in the United States at the end of `60s. Since that time, different research groups all over the world started the development of their own codes. At the beginning of the `80s, the second generation codes were proposed; these differmore » from the first generation codes owing to the number of balance equations solved (six instead of three), the sophistication of the constitutive models and of the adopted numerics. The capabilities of available computers have been fully exploited during the years. The authors then summarize some of the major steps in the process of developing, modifying, and advancing the capabilities of the codes. They touch on the fact that Italian, and for that matter non-American, researchers have not been intimately involved in much of this work. They then describe the application of these codes in Italy, even though there are no operating or under construction nuclear power plants at this time. Much of this effort is directed at the general question of plant safety in the face of transient type events.« less

Testing Strategies for Model-Based Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heimdahl, Mats P. E.; Whalen, Mike; Rajan, Ajitha; Miller, Steven P.

2006-01-01

This report presents an approach for testing artifacts generated in a model-based development process. This approach divides the traditional testing process into two parts: requirements-based testing (validation testing) which determines whether the model implements the high-level requirements and model-based testing (conformance testing) which determines whether the code generated from a model is behaviorally equivalent to the model. The goals of the two processes differ significantly and this report explores suitable testing metrics and automation strategies for each. To support requirements-based testing, we define novel objective requirements coverage metrics similar to existing specification and code coverage metrics. For model-based testing, we briefly describe automation strategies and examine the fault-finding capability of different structural coverage metrics using tests automatically generated from the model.

Multi-level of Fidelity Multi-Disciplinary Design Optimization of Small, Solid-Propellant Launch Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roshanian, Jafar; Jodei, Jahangir; Mirshams, Mehran; Ebrahimi, Reza; Mirzaee, Masood

A new automated multi-level of fidelity Multi-Disciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) methodology has been developed at the MDO Laboratory of K.N. Toosi University of Technology. This paper explains a new design approach by formulation of developed disciplinary modules. A conceptual design for a small, solid-propellant launch vehicle was considered at two levels of fidelity structure. Low and medium level of fidelity disciplinary codes were developed and linked. Appropriate design and analysis codes were defined according to their effect on the conceptual design process. Simultaneous optimization of the launch vehicle was performed at the discipline level and system level. Propulsion, aerodynamics, structure and trajectory disciplinary codes were used. To reach the minimum launch weight, the Low LoF code first searches the whole design space to achieve the mission requirements. Then the medium LoF code receives the output of the low LoF and gives a value near the optimum launch weight with more details and higher fidelity.

Guidelines for developing vectorizable computer programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miner, E. W.

1982-01-01

Some fundamental principles for developing computer programs which are compatible with array-oriented computers are presented. The emphasis is on basic techniques for structuring computer codes which are applicable in FORTRAN and do not require a special programming language or exact a significant penalty on a scalar computer. Researchers who are using numerical techniques to solve problems in engineering can apply these basic principles and thus develop transportable computer programs (in FORTRAN) which contain much vectorizable code. The vector architecture of the ASC is discussed so that the requirements of array processing can be better appreciated. The "vectorization" of a finite-difference viscous shock-layer code is used as an example to illustrate the benefits and some of the difficulties involved. Increases in computing speed with vectorization are illustrated with results from the viscous shock-layer code and from a finite-element shock tube code. The applicability of these principles was substantiated through running programs on other computers with array-associated computing characteristics, such as the Hewlett-Packard (H-P) 1000-F.

Solutions for Digital Video Transmission Technology Final Report CRADA No. TC02068.0

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

Smith, A. T.; Rivers, W.

This Project aimed at development of software for seismic data processing based on the Geotool code developed by the American company Multimax., Inc. The Geotool code was written in early 90-es for the UNIX platform. Under Project# 2821, functions of the old Geotool code were transferred into a commercial version for the Microsoft XP and Vista platform with addition of new capabilities on visualization and data processing. The developed new version of the Geotool+ was implemented using the up-to-date tool Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and uses capabilities of the .NET platform. C++ was selected as the main programming language formore » the Geotool+. The two-year Project was extended by six months and funding levels increased from 600,000 to $670,000. All tasks were successfully completed and all deliverables were met for the project even though both the industrial partner and LLNL principal investigator left the project before its final report.« less

University Researchers Approach to Providing Computer Simulations to Industry.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birdsall, Charles

1996-05-01

University researchers perform in an exploratory mode in developing and applying computer simulations to their research problems. Post-docs and students make codes suited to their problems, and to thesis and article writing, with little code use planned beyond such. Industry product developers want well tested, cleanly applicable simulation codes, with freedom to go to the code developers for bug fixing and improvements (and not to have to hunt for a student who has graduated). Hence, these different modes clash; some cushion of understanding and new elements are needed to effect broader, continuing use of university developed codes. We and others have evolved approaches that appear to work, including providing free software, but with follow-ups done by small companies. (See Ref. 1 for more.) We will present our development of plasma device codes over 15 years, evolving into free distribution on the Internet (Ref. 2) with short courses and workshops; follow-ups are done by a small company (of former students, the code writers). In addition, an example of university code development will be given, that of application of the series (or dipole) resonance to providing plasma surface wave generated plasmas, drawing on decades old research; potential applications will be given. We will present what other university groups are doing and reflections on these modes by modelers and designers in the plasma processing industry (semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies), which is highly empirical at present. All of this interaction is still evolving. 9 Brown J. Browning, Sci.Am. Jan 1996, p.35 www See Internet address http://ptsg.eecs.berkeley.edu thebibliography

Development of the Off-line Analysis Code for GODDESS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garland, Heather; Cizewski, Jolie; Lepailleur, Alex; Walters, David; Pain, Steve; Smith, Karl

2016-09-01

Determining (n, γ) cross sections on unstable nuclei is important for understanding the r-process that is theorized to occur in supernovae and neutron-star mergers. However, (n, γ) reactions are difficult to measure directly because of the short lifetime of the involved neutron rich nuclei. A possible surrogate for the (n, γ) reaction is the (d,p γ) reaction; the measurement of these reactions in inverse kinematics is part of the scope of GODDESS - Gammasphere ORRUBA (Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array): Dual Detectors for Experimental Structure Studies. The development of an accurate and efficient off-line analysis code for GODDESS experiments is not only essential, but also provides a unique opportunity to create an analysis code designed specifically for transfer reaction experiments. The off-line analysis code has been developed to produce histograms from the binary data file to determine how to best sort events. Recent developments in the off-line analysis code will be presented as well as details on the energy and position calibrations for the ORRUBA detectors. This work is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation.

Probabilistic accident consequence uncertainty analysis -- Late health effects uncertain assessment. Volume 2: Appendices

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

Little, M.P.; Muirhead, C.R.; Goossens, L.H.J.

1997-12-01

The development of two new probabilistic accident consequence codes, MACCS and COSYMA, was completed in 1990. These codes estimate the consequence from the accidental releases of radiological material from hypothesized accidents at nuclear installations. In 1991, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Commission of the European Communities began cosponsoring a joint uncertainty analysis of the two codes. The ultimate objective of this joint effort was to systematically develop credible and traceable uncertainty distributions for the respective code input variables. A formal expert judgment elicitation and evaluation process was identified as the best technology available for developing a library ofmore » uncertainty distributions for these consequence parameters. This report focuses on the results of the study to develop distribution for variables related to the MACCS and COSYMA late health effects models. This volume contains appendices that include (1) a summary of the MACCS and COSYMA consequence codes, (2) the elicitation questionnaires and case structures, (3) the rationales and results for the expert panel on late health effects, (4) short biographies of the experts, and (5) the aggregated results of their responses.« less

Probabilistic accident consequence uncertainty analysis -- Uncertainty assessment for internal dosimetry. Volume 2: Appendices

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

Goossens, L.H.J.; Kraan, B.C.P.; Cooke, R.M.

1998-04-01

The development of two new probabilistic accident consequence codes, MACCS and COSYMA, was completed in 1990. These codes estimate the consequence from the accidental releases of radiological material from hypothesized accidents at nuclear installations. In 1991, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Commission of the European Communities began cosponsoring a joint uncertainty analysis of the two codes. The ultimate objective of this joint effort was to systematically develop credible and traceable uncertainty distributions for the respective code input variables. A formal expert judgment elicitation and evaluation process was identified as the best technology available for developing a library ofmore » uncertainty distributions for these consequence parameters. This report focuses on the results of the study to develop distribution for variables related to the MACCS and COSYMA internal dosimetry models. This volume contains appendices that include (1) a summary of the MACCS and COSYMA consequence codes, (2) the elicitation questionnaires and case structures, (3) the rationales and results for the panel on internal dosimetry, (4) short biographies of the experts, and (5) the aggregated results of their responses.« less

Identifying clinical features in primary care electronic health record studies: methods for codelist development.

PubMed

Watson, Jessica; Nicholson, Brian D; Hamilton, Willie; Price, Sarah

2017-11-22

Analysis of routinely collected electronic health record (EHR) data from primary care is reliant on the creation of codelists to define clinical features of interest. To improve scientific rigour, transparency and replicability, we describe and demonstrate a standardised reproducible methodology for clinical codelist development. We describe a three-stage process for developing clinical codelists. First, the clear definition a priori of the clinical feature of interest using reliable clinical resources. Second, development of a list of potential codes using statistical software to comprehensively search all available codes. Third, a modified Delphi process to reach consensus between primary care practitioners on the most relevant codes, including the generation of an 'uncertainty' variable to allow sensitivity analysis. These methods are illustrated by developing a codelist for shortness of breath in a primary care EHR sample, including modifiable syntax for commonly used statistical software. The codelist was used to estimate the frequency of shortness of breath in a cohort of 28 216 patients aged over 18 years who received an incident diagnosis of lung cancer between 1 January 2000 and 30 November 2016 in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Of 78 candidate codes, 29 were excluded as inappropriate. Complete agreement was reached for 44 (90%) of the remaining codes, with partial disagreement over 5 (10%). 13 091 episodes of shortness of breath were identified in the cohort of 28 216 patients. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that codes with the greatest uncertainty tend to be rarely used in clinical practice. Although initially time consuming, using a rigorous and reproducible method for codelist generation 'future-proofs' findings and an auditable, modifiable syntax for codelist generation enables sharing and replication of EHR studies. Published codelists should be badged by quality and report the methods of codelist generation including: definitions and justifications associated with each codelist; the syntax or search method; the number of candidate codes identified; and the categorisation of codes after Delphi review. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The HYPE Open Source Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strömbäck, L.; Pers, C.; Isberg, K.; Nyström, K.; Arheimer, B.

2013-12-01

The Hydrological Predictions for the Environment (HYPE) model is a dynamic, semi-distributed, process-based, integrated catchment model. It uses well-known hydrological and nutrient transport concepts and can be applied for both small and large scale assessments of water resources and status. In the model, the landscape is divided into classes according to soil type, vegetation and altitude. The soil representation is stratified and can be divided in up to three layers. Water and substances are routed through the same flow paths and storages (snow, soil, groundwater, streams, rivers, lakes) considering turn-over and transformation on the way towards the sea. HYPE has been successfully used in many hydrological applications at SMHI. For Europe, we currently have three different models; The S-HYPE model for Sweden; The BALT-HYPE model for the Baltic Sea; and the E-HYPE model for the whole Europe. These models simulate hydrological conditions and nutrients for their respective areas and are used for characterization, forecasts, and scenario analyses. Model data can be downloaded from hypeweb.smhi.se. In addition, we provide models for the Arctic region, the Arab (Middle East and Northern Africa) region, India, the Niger River basin, the La Plata Basin. This demonstrates the applicability of the HYPE model for large scale modeling in different regions of the world. An important goal with our work is to make our data and tools available as open data and services. For this aim we created the HYPE Open Source Community (OSC) that makes the source code of HYPE available for anyone interested in further development of HYPE. The HYPE OSC (hype.sourceforge.net) is an open source initiative under the Lesser GNU Public License taken by SMHI to strengthen international collaboration in hydrological modeling and hydrological data production. The hypothesis is that more brains and more testing will result in better models and better code. The code is transparent and can be changed and learnt from. New versions of the main code are delivered frequently. HYPE OSC is open to everyone interested in hydrology, hydrological modeling and code development - e.g. scientists, authorities, and consultancies. By joining the HYPE OSC you get access a state-of-the-art operational hydrological model. The HYPE source code is designed to efficiently handle large scale modeling for forecast, hindcast and climate applications. The code is under constant development to improve the hydrological processes, efficiency and readability. In the beginning of 2013 we released a version with new and better modularization based on hydrological processes. This will make the code easier to understand and further develop for a new user. An important challenge in this process is to produce code that is easy for anyone to understand and work with, but still maintain the properties that make the code efficient enough for large scale applications. Input from the HYPE Open Source Community is an important source for future improvements of the HYPE model. Therefore, by joining the community you become an active part of the development, get access to the latest features and can influence future versions of the model.

Status report on the 'Merging' of the Electron-Cloud Code POSINST with the 3-D Accelerator PIC CODE WARP

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

Vay, J.-L.; Furman, M.A.; Azevedo, A.W.

2004-04-19

We have integrated the electron-cloud code POSINST [1] with WARP [2]--a 3-D parallel Particle-In-Cell accelerator code developed for Heavy Ion Inertial Fusion--so that the two can interoperate. Both codes are run in the same process, communicate through a Python interpreter (already used in WARP), and share certain key arrays (so far, particle positions and velocities). Currently, POSINST provides primary and secondary sources of electrons, beam bunch kicks, a particle mover, and diagnostics. WARP provides the field solvers and diagnostics. Secondary emission routines are provided by the Tech-X package CMEE.

Interface design of VSOP'94 computer code for safety analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natsir, Khairina; Yazid, Putranto Ilham; Andiwijayakusuma, D.; Wahanani, Nursinta Adi

2014-09-01

Today, most software applications, also in the nuclear field, come with a graphical user interface. VSOP'94 (Very Superior Old Program), was designed to simplify the process of performing reactor simulation. VSOP is a integrated code system to simulate the life history of a nuclear reactor that is devoted in education and research. One advantage of VSOP program is its ability to calculate the neutron spectrum estimation, fuel cycle, 2-D diffusion, resonance integral, estimation of reactors fuel costs, and integrated thermal hydraulics. VSOP also can be used to comparative studies and simulation of reactor safety. However, existing VSOP is a conventional program, which was developed using Fortran 65 and have several problems in using it, for example, it is only operated on Dec Alpha mainframe platforms and provide text-based output, difficult to use, especially in data preparation and interpretation of results. We develop a GUI-VSOP, which is an interface program to facilitate the preparation of data, run the VSOP code and read the results in a more user friendly way and useable on the Personal 'Computer (PC). Modifications include the development of interfaces on preprocessing, processing and postprocessing. GUI-based interface for preprocessing aims to provide a convenience way in preparing data. Processing interface is intended to provide convenience in configuring input files and libraries and do compiling VSOP code. Postprocessing interface designed to visualized the VSOP output in table and graphic forms. GUI-VSOP expected to be useful to simplify and speed up the process and analysis of safety aspects.

Computational models for the viscous/inviscid analysis of jet aircraft exhaust plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, S. M.; Pergament, H. S.; Thorpe, R. D.

1980-05-01

Computational models which analyze viscous/inviscid flow processes in jet aircraft exhaust plumes are discussed. These models are component parts of an NASA-LaRC method for the prediction of nozzle afterbody drag. Inviscid/shock processes are analyzed by the SCIPAC code which is a compact version of a generalized shock capturing, inviscid plume code (SCIPPY). The SCIPAC code analyzes underexpanded jet exhaust gas mixtures with a self-contained thermodynamic package for hydrocarbon exhaust products and air. A detailed and automated treatment of the embedded subsonic zones behind Mach discs is provided in this analysis. Mixing processes along the plume interface are analyzed by two upgraded versions of an overlaid, turbulent mixing code (BOAT) developed previously for calculating nearfield jet entrainment. The BOATAC program is a frozen chemistry version of BOAT containing the aircraft thermodynamic package as SCIPAC; BOATAB is an afterburning version with a self-contained aircraft (hydrocarbon/air) finite-rate chemistry package. The coupling of viscous and inviscid flow processes is achieved by an overlaid procedure with interactive effects accounted for by a displacement thickness type correction to the inviscid plume interface.

Computational models for the viscous/inviscid analysis of jet aircraft exhaust plumes. [predicting afterbody drag

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dash, S. M.; Pergament, H. S.; Thorpe, R. D.

1980-01-01

Computational models which analyze viscous/inviscid flow processes in jet aircraft exhaust plumes are discussed. These models are component parts of an NASA-LaRC method for the prediction of nozzle afterbody drag. Inviscid/shock processes are analyzed by the SCIPAC code which is a compact version of a generalized shock capturing, inviscid plume code (SCIPPY). The SCIPAC code analyzes underexpanded jet exhaust gas mixtures with a self-contained thermodynamic package for hydrocarbon exhaust products and air. A detailed and automated treatment of the embedded subsonic zones behind Mach discs is provided in this analysis. Mixing processes along the plume interface are analyzed by two upgraded versions of an overlaid, turbulent mixing code (BOAT) developed previously for calculating nearfield jet entrainment. The BOATAC program is a frozen chemistry version of BOAT containing the aircraft thermodynamic package as SCIPAC; BOATAB is an afterburning version with a self-contained aircraft (hydrocarbon/air) finite-rate chemistry package. The coupling of viscous and inviscid flow processes is achieved by an overlaid procedure with interactive effects accounted for by a displacement thickness type correction to the inviscid plume interface.

An efficient system for reliably transmitting image and video data over low bit rate noisy channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Costello, Daniel J., Jr.; Huang, Y. F.; Stevenson, Robert L.

1994-01-01

This research project is intended to develop an efficient system for reliably transmitting image and video data over low bit rate noisy channels. The basic ideas behind the proposed approach are the following: employ statistical-based image modeling to facilitate pre- and post-processing and error detection, use spare redundancy that the source compression did not remove to add robustness, and implement coded modulation to improve bandwidth efficiency and noise rejection. Over the last six months, progress has been made on various aspects of the project. Through our studies of the integrated system, a list-based iterative Trellis decoder has been developed. The decoder accepts feedback from a post-processor which can detect channel errors in the reconstructed image. The error detection is based on the Huber Markov random field image model for the compressed image. The compression scheme used here is that of JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Experiments were performed and the results are quite encouraging. The principal ideas here are extendable to other compression techniques. In addition, research was also performed on unequal error protection channel coding, subband vector quantization as a means of source coding, and post processing for reducing coding artifacts. Our studies on unequal error protection (UEP) coding for image transmission focused on examining the properties of the UEP capabilities of convolutional codes. The investigation of subband vector quantization employed a wavelet transform with special emphasis on exploiting interband redundancy. The outcome of this investigation included the development of three algorithms for subband vector quantization. The reduction of transform coding artifacts was studied with the aid of a non-Gaussian Markov random field model. This results in improved image decompression. These studies are summarized and the technical papers included in the appendices.

Intra Frame Coding In Advanced Video Coding Standard (H.264) to Obtain Consistent PSNR and Reduce Bit Rate for Diagonal Down Left Mode Using Gaussian Pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manjanaik, N.; Parameshachari, B. D.; Hanumanthappa, S. N.; Banu, Reshma

2017-08-01

Intra prediction process of H.264 video coding standard used to code first frame i.e. Intra frame of video to obtain good coding efficiency compare to previous video coding standard series. More benefit of intra frame coding is to reduce spatial pixel redundancy with in current frame, reduces computational complexity and provides better rate distortion performance. To code Intra frame it use existing process Rate Distortion Optimization (RDO) method. This method increases computational complexity, increases in bit rate and reduces picture quality so it is difficult to implement in real time applications, so the many researcher has been developed fast mode decision algorithm for coding of intra frame. The previous work carried on Intra frame coding in H.264 standard using fast decision mode intra prediction algorithm based on different techniques was achieved increased in bit rate, degradation of picture quality(PSNR) for different quantization parameters. Many previous approaches of fast mode decision algorithms on intra frame coding achieved only reduction of computational complexity or it save encoding time and limitation was increase in bit rate with loss of quality of picture. In order to avoid increase in bit rate and loss of picture quality a better approach was developed. In this paper developed a better approach i.e. Gaussian pulse for Intra frame coding using diagonal down left intra prediction mode to achieve higher coding efficiency in terms of PSNR and bitrate. In proposed method Gaussian pulse is multiplied with each 4x4 frequency domain coefficients of 4x4 sub macro block of macro block of current frame before quantization process. Multiplication of Gaussian pulse for each 4x4 integer transformed coefficients at macro block levels scales the information of the coefficients in a reversible manner. The resulting signal would turn abstract. Frequency samples are abstract in a known and controllable manner without intermixing of coefficients, it avoids picture getting bad hit for higher values of quantization parameters. The proposed work was implemented using MATLAB and JM 18.6 reference software. The proposed work measure the performance parameters PSNR, bit rate and compression of intra frame of yuv video sequences in QCIF resolution under different values of quantization parameter with Gaussian value for diagonal down left intra prediction mode. The simulation results of proposed algorithm are tabulated and compared with previous algorithm i.e. Tian et al method. The proposed algorithm achieved reduced in bit rate averagely 30.98% and maintain consistent picture quality for QCIF sequences compared to previous algorithm i.e. Tian et al method.

A survey of compiler development aids. [concerning lexical, syntax, and semantic analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buckles, B. P.; Hodges, B. C.; Hsia, P.

1977-01-01

A theoretical background was established for the compilation process by dividing it into five phases and explaining the concepts and algorithms that underpin each. The five selected phases were lexical analysis, syntax analysis, semantic analysis, optimization, and code generation. Graph theoretical optimization techniques were presented, and approaches to code generation were described for both one-pass and multipass compilation environments. Following the initial tutorial sections, more than 20 tools that were developed to aid in the process of writing compilers were surveyed. Eight of the more recent compiler development aids were selected for special attention - SIMCMP/STAGE2, LANG-PAK, COGENT, XPL, AED, CWIC, LIS, and JOCIT. The impact of compiler development aids were assessed some of their shortcomings and some of the areas of research currently in progress were inspected.

Development of a model and computer code to describe solar grade silicon production processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, R.; Gould, R. K.

1979-01-01

Mathematical models, and computer codes based on these models were developed which allow prediction of the product distribution in chemical reactors in which gaseous silicon compounds are converted to condensed phase silicon. The reactors to be modeled are flow reactors in which silane or one of the halogenated silanes is thermally decomposed or reacted with an alkali metal, H2 or H atoms. Because the product of interest is particulate silicon, processes which must be modeled, in addition to mixing and reaction of gas-phase reactants, include the nucleation and growth of condensed Si via coagulation, condensation, and heterogeneous reaction.

Web-based data collection: detailed methods of a questionnaire and data gathering tool

PubMed Central

Cooper, Charles J; Cooper, Sharon P; del Junco, Deborah J; Shipp, Eva M; Whitworth, Ryan; Cooper, Sara R

2006-01-01

There have been dramatic advances in the development of web-based data collection instruments. This paper outlines a systematic web-based approach to facilitate this process through locally developed code and to describe the results of using this process after two years of data collection. We provide a detailed example of a web-based method that we developed for a study in Starr County, Texas, assessing high school students' work and health status. This web-based application includes data instrument design, data entry and management, and data tables needed to store the results that attempt to maximize the advantages of this data collection method. The software also efficiently produces a coding manual, web-based statistical summary and crosstab reports, as well as input templates for use by statistical packages. Overall, web-based data entry using a dynamic approach proved to be a very efficient and effective data collection system. This data collection method expedited data processing and analysis and eliminated the need for cumbersome and expensive transfer and tracking of forms, data entry, and verification. The code has been made available for non-profit use only to the public health research community as a free download [1]. PMID:16390556

GSAC - Generic Seismic Application Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrmann, R. B.; Ammon, C. J.; Koper, K. D.

2004-12-01

With the success of the IRIS data management center, the use of large data sets in seismological research has become common. Such data sets, and especially the significantly larger data sets expected from EarthScope, present challenges for analysis with existing tools developed over the last 30 years. For much of the community, the primary format for data analysis is the Seismic Analysis Code (SAC) format developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Although somewhat restrictive in meta-data storage, the simplicity and stability of the format has established it as an important component of seismological research. Tools for working with SAC files fall into two categories - custom research quality processing codes and shared display - processing tools such as SAC2000, MatSeis,etc., which were developed primarily for the needs of individual seismic research groups. While the current graphics display and platform dependence of SAC2000 may be resolved if the source code is released, the code complexity and the lack of large-data set analysis or even introductory tutorials could preclude code improvements and development of expertise in its use. We believe that there is a place for new, especially open source, tools. The GSAC effort is an approach that focuses on ease of use, computational speed, transportability, rapid addition of new features and openness so that new and advanced students, researchers and instructors can quickly browse and process large data sets. We highlight several approaches toward data processing under this model. gsac - part of the Computer Programs in Seismology 3.30 distribution has much of the functionality of SAC2000 and works on UNIX/LINUX/MacOS-X/Windows (CYGWIN). This is completely programmed in C from scratch, is small, fast, and easy to maintain and extend. It is command line based and is easily included within shell processing scripts. PySAC is a set of Python functions that allow easy access to SAC files and enable efficient manipulation of SAC files under a variety of operating systems. PySAC has proven to be valuable in organizing large data sets. An array processing package includes standard beamforming algorithms and a search based method for inference of slowness vectors. The search results can be visualized using GMT scripts output by the C programs, and the resulting snapshots can be combined into an animation of the time evolution of the 2D slowness field.

A Plastic Temporal Brain Code for Conscious State Generation

PubMed Central

Dresp-Langley, Birgitta; Durup, Jean

2009-01-01

Consciousness is known to be limited in processing capacity and often described in terms of a unique processing stream across a single dimension: time. In this paper, we discuss a purely temporal pattern code, functionally decoupled from spatial signals, for conscious state generation in the brain. Arguments in favour of such a code include Dehaene et al.'s long-distance reverberation postulate, Ramachandran's remapping hypothesis, evidence for a temporal coherence index and coincidence detectors, and Grossberg's Adaptive Resonance Theory. A time-bin resonance model is developed, where temporal signatures of conscious states are generated on the basis of signal reverberation across large distances in highly plastic neural circuits. The temporal signatures are delivered by neural activity patterns which, beyond a certain statistical threshold, activate, maintain, and terminate a conscious brain state like a bar code would activate, maintain, or inactivate the electronic locks of a safe. Such temporal resonance would reflect a higher level of neural processing, independent from sensorial or perceptual brain mechanisms. PMID:19644552

User's guide to the SEPHIS computer code for calculating the Thorex solvent extraction system

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

Watson, S.B.; Rainey, R.H.

1979-05-01

The SEPHIS computer program was developed to simulate the countercurrent solvent extraction process. The code has now been adapted to model the Acid Thorex flow sheet. This report represents a practical user's guide to SEPHIS - Thorex containing a program description, user information, program listing, and sample input and output.

77 FR 13098 - Multistakeholder Process To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Codes of Conduct

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... Rights, which is a set of principles the Administration believes should govern the handling of personal... Commission's jurisdiction.\\3\\ Enforceable codes of conduct based on the principles set forth in the Consumer... businesses greater certainty about how agreed upon privacy principles apply to them. Companies will build...

A Learning Environment for English Vocabulary Using Quick Response Codes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Yuksel Deniz; Ozen, Sevil Orhan

2015-01-01

This study focuses on the process of developing a learning environment that uses tablets and Quick Response (QR) codes to enhance participants' English language vocabulary knowledge. The author employed the concurrent triangulation strategy, a mixed research design. The study was conducted at a private school in Izmir, Turkey during the 2012-2013…

SCALE: A modular code system for performing standardized computer analyses for licensing evaluation. Functional modules F1--F8 -- Volume 2, Part 1, Revision 4

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

Greene, N.M.; Petrie, L.M.; Westfall, R.M.

SCALE--a modular code system for Standardized Computer Analyses Licensing Evaluation--has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The SCALE system utilizes well-established computer codes and methods within standard analysis sequences that (1) allow an input format designed for the occasional user and/or novice, (2) automate the data processing and coupling between modules, and (3) provide accurate and reliable results. System development has been directed at problem-dependent cross-section processing and analysis of criticality safety, shielding, heat transfer, and depletion/decay problems. Since the initial release of SCALE in 1980, the code system hasmore » been heavily used for evaluation of nuclear fuel facility and package designs. This revision documents Version 4.2 of the system. The manual is divided into three volumes: Volume 1--for the control module documentation; Volume 2--for functional module documentation; and Volume 3--for documentation of the data libraries and subroutine libraries.« less

Development of advanced structural analysis methodologies for predicting widespread fatigue damage in aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, Charles E.; Starnes, James H., Jr.; Newman, James C., Jr.

1995-01-01

NASA is developing a 'tool box' that includes a number of advanced structural analysis computer codes which, taken together, represent the comprehensive fracture mechanics capability required to predict the onset of widespread fatigue damage. These structural analysis tools have complementary and specialized capabilities ranging from a finite-element-based stress-analysis code for two- and three-dimensional built-up structures with cracks to a fatigue and fracture analysis code that uses stress-intensity factors and material-property data found in 'look-up' tables or from equations. NASA is conducting critical experiments necessary to verify the predictive capabilities of the codes, and these tests represent a first step in the technology-validation and industry-acceptance processes. NASA has established cooperative programs with aircraft manufacturers to facilitate the comprehensive transfer of this technology by making these advanced structural analysis codes available to industry.

Toward performance portability of the Albany finite element analysis code using the Kokkos library

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

Demeshko, Irina; Watkins, Jerry; Tezaur, Irina K.

Performance portability on heterogeneous high-performance computing (HPC) systems is a major challenge faced today by code developers: parallel code needs to be executed correctly as well as with high performance on machines with different architectures, operating systems, and software libraries. The finite element method (FEM) is a popular and flexible method for discretizing partial differential equations arising in a wide variety of scientific, engineering, and industrial applications that require HPC. This paper presents some preliminary results pertaining to our development of a performance portable implementation of the FEM-based Albany code. Performance portability is achieved using the Kokkos library. We presentmore » performance results for the Aeras global atmosphere dynamical core module in Albany. Finally, numerical experiments show that our single code implementation gives reasonable performance across three multicore/many-core architectures: NVIDIA General Processing Units (GPU’s), Intel Xeon Phis, and multicore CPUs.« less

Toward performance portability of the Albany finite element analysis code using the Kokkos library

DOE PAGES

Demeshko, Irina; Watkins, Jerry; Tezaur, Irina K.; ...

2018-02-05

Performance portability on heterogeneous high-performance computing (HPC) systems is a major challenge faced today by code developers: parallel code needs to be executed correctly as well as with high performance on machines with different architectures, operating systems, and software libraries. The finite element method (FEM) is a popular and flexible method for discretizing partial differential equations arising in a wide variety of scientific, engineering, and industrial applications that require HPC. This paper presents some preliminary results pertaining to our development of a performance portable implementation of the FEM-based Albany code. Performance portability is achieved using the Kokkos library. We presentmore » performance results for the Aeras global atmosphere dynamical core module in Albany. Finally, numerical experiments show that our single code implementation gives reasonable performance across three multicore/many-core architectures: NVIDIA General Processing Units (GPU’s), Intel Xeon Phis, and multicore CPUs.« less

Development of Spectral and Atomic Models for Diagnosing Energetic Particle Characteristics in Fast Ignition Experiments

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

MacFarlane, Joseph J.; Golovkin, I. E.; Woodruff, P. R.

2009-08-07

This Final Report summarizes work performed under DOE STTR Phase II Grant No. DE-FG02-05ER86258 during the project period from August 2006 to August 2009. The project, “Development of Spectral and Atomic Models for Diagnosing Energetic Particle Characteristics in Fast Ignition Experiments,” was led by Prism Computational Sciences (Madison, WI), and involved collaboration with subcontractors University of Nevada-Reno and Voss Scientific (Albuquerque, NM). In this project, we have: Developed and implemented a multi-dimensional, multi-frequency radiation transport model in the LSP hybrid fluid-PIC (particle-in-cell) code [1,2]. Updated the LSP code to support the use of accurate equation-of-state (EOS) tables generated by Prism’smore » PROPACEOS [3] code to compute more accurate temperatures in high energy density physics (HEDP) plasmas. Updated LSP to support the use of Prism’s multi-frequency opacity tables. Generated equation of state and opacity data for LSP simulations for several materials being used in plasma jet experimental studies. Developed and implemented parallel processing techniques for the radiation physics algorithms in LSP. Benchmarked the new radiation transport and radiation physics algorithms in LSP and compared simulation results with analytic solutions and results from numerical radiation-hydrodynamics calculations. Performed simulations using Prism radiation physics codes to address issues related to radiative cooling and ionization dynamics in plasma jet experiments. Performed simulations to study the effects of radiation transport and radiation losses due to electrode contaminants in plasma jet experiments. Updated the LSP code to generate output using NetCDF to provide a better, more flexible interface to SPECT3D [4] in order to post-process LSP output. Updated the SPECT3D code to better support the post-processing of large-scale 2-D and 3-D datasets generated by simulation codes such as LSP. Updated atomic physics modeling to provide for more comprehensive and accurate atomic databases that feed into the radiation physics modeling (spectral simulations and opacity tables). Developed polarization spectroscopy modeling techniques suitable for diagnosing energetic particle characteristics in HEDP experiments. A description of these items is provided in this report. The above efforts lay the groundwork for utilizing the LSP and SPECT3D codes in providing simulation support for DOE-sponsored HEDP experiments, such as plasma jet and fast ignition physics experiments. We believe that taken together, the LSP and SPECT3D codes have unique capabilities for advancing our understanding of the physics of these HEDP plasmas. Based on conversations early in this project with our DOE program manager, Dr. Francis Thio, our efforts emphasized developing radiation physics and atomic modeling capabilities that can be utilized in the LSP PIC code, and performing radiation physics studies for plasma jets. A relatively minor component focused on the development of methods to diagnose energetic particle characteristics in short-pulse laser experiments related to fast ignition physics. The period of performance for the grant was extended by one year to August 2009 with a one-year no-cost extension, at the request of subcontractor University of Nevada-Reno.« less

Positron follow-up in liquid water: I. A new Monte Carlo track-structure code.

PubMed

Champion, C; Le Loirec, C

2006-04-07

When biological matter is irradiated by charged particles, a wide variety of interactions occur, which lead to a deep modification of the cellular environment. To understand the fine structure of the microscopic distribution of energy deposits, Monte Carlo event-by-event simulations are particularly suitable. However, the development of these track-structure codes needs accurate interaction cross sections for all the electronic processes: ionization, excitation, positronium formation and even elastic scattering. Under these conditions, we have recently developed a Monte Carlo code for positrons in water, the latter being commonly used to simulate the biological medium. All the processes are studied in detail via theoretical differential and total cross-section calculations performed by using partial wave methods. Comparisons with existing theoretical and experimental data in terms of stopping powers, mean energy transfers and ranges show very good agreements. Moreover, thanks to the theoretical description of positronium formation, we have access, for the first time, to the complete kinematics of the electron capture process. Then, the present Monte Carlo code is able to describe the detailed positronium history, which will provide useful information for medical imaging (like positron emission tomography) where improvements are needed to define with the best accuracy the tumoural volumes.

Deconstructing processing speed deficits in schizophrenia: application of a parametric digit symbol coding test.

PubMed

Bachman, Peter; Reichenberg, Abraham; Rice, Patrick; Woolsey, Mary; Chaves, Olga; Martinez, David; Maples, Natalie; Velligan, Dawn I; Glahn, David C

2010-05-01

Cognitive processing inefficiency, often measured using digit symbol coding tasks, is a putative vulnerability marker for schizophrenia and a reliable indicator of illness severity and functional outcome. Indeed, performance on the digit symbol coding task may be the most severe neuropsychological deficit patients with schizophrenia display at the group level. Yet, little is known about the contributions of simpler cognitive processes to coding performance in schizophrenia (e.g. decision making, visual scanning, relational memory, motor ability). We developed an experimental behavioral task, based on a computerized digit symbol coding task, which allows the manipulation of demands placed on visual scanning efficiency and relational memory while holding decisional and motor requirements constant. Although patients (n=85) were impaired on all aspects of the task when compared to demographically matched healthy comparison subjects (n=30), they showed a particularly striking failure to benefit from the presence of predictable target information. These findings are consistent with predicted impairments in cognitive processing speed due to schizophrenia patients' well-known memory impairment, suggesting that this mnemonic deficit may have consequences for critical aspects of information processing that are traditionally considered quite separate from the memory domain. Future investigation into the mechanisms underlying the wide-ranging consequences of mnemonic deficits in schizophrenia should provide additional insight. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrating automated structured analysis and design with Ada programming support environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, Alan; Simmons, Andy

1986-01-01

Ada Programming Support Environments (APSE) include many powerful tools that address the implementation of Ada code. These tools do not address the entire software development process. Structured analysis is a methodology that addresses the creation of complete and accurate system specifications. Structured design takes a specification and derives a plan to decompose the system subcomponents, and provides heuristics to optimize the software design to minimize errors and maintenance. It can also produce the creation of useable modules. Studies have shown that most software errors result from poor system specifications, and that these errors also become more expensive to fix as the development process continues. Structured analysis and design help to uncover error in the early stages of development. The APSE tools help to insure that the code produced is correct, and aid in finding obscure coding errors. However, they do not have the capability to detect errors in specifications or to detect poor designs. An automated system for structured analysis and design TEAMWORK, which can be integrated with an APSE to support software systems development from specification through implementation is described. These tools completement each other to help developers improve quality and productivity, as well as to reduce development and maintenance costs. Complete system documentation and reusable code also resultss from the use of these tools. Integrating an APSE with automated tools for structured analysis and design provide capabilities and advantages beyond those realized with any of these systems used by themselves.

Temporal Code-Driven Stimulation: Definition and Application to Electric Fish Signaling

PubMed Central

Lareo, Angel; Forlim, Caroline G.; Pinto, Reynaldo D.; Varona, Pablo; Rodriguez, Francisco de Borja

2016-01-01

Closed-loop activity-dependent stimulation is a powerful methodology to assess information processing in biological systems. In this context, the development of novel protocols, their implementation in bioinformatics toolboxes and their application to different description levels open up a wide range of possibilities in the study of biological systems. We developed a methodology for studying biological signals representing them as temporal sequences of binary events. A specific sequence of these events (code) is chosen to deliver a predefined stimulation in a closed-loop manner. The response to this code-driven stimulation can be used to characterize the system. This methodology was implemented in a real time toolbox and tested in the context of electric fish signaling. We show that while there are codes that evoke a response that cannot be distinguished from a control recording without stimulation, other codes evoke a characteristic distinct response. We also compare the code-driven response to open-loop stimulation. The discussed experiments validate the proposed methodology and the software toolbox. PMID:27766078

Recent Progress in the Development of a Multi-Layer Green's Function Code for Ion Beam Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tweed, John; Walker, Steven A.; Wilson, John W.; Tripathi, Ram K.

2008-01-01

To meet the challenge of future deep space programs, an accurate and efficient engineering code for analyzing the shielding requirements against high-energy galactic heavy radiation is needed. To address this need, a new Green's function code capable of simulating high charge and energy ions with either laboratory or space boundary conditions is currently under development. The computational model consists of combinations of physical perturbation expansions based on the scales of atomic interaction, multiple scattering, and nuclear reactive processes with use of the Neumann-asymptotic expansions with non-perturbative corrections. The code contains energy loss due to straggling, nuclear attenuation, nuclear fragmentation with energy dispersion and downshifts. Previous reports show that the new code accurately models the transport of ion beams through a single slab of material. Current research efforts are focused on enabling the code to handle multiple layers of material and the present paper reports on progress made towards that end.

Temporal Code-Driven Stimulation: Definition and Application to Electric Fish Signaling.

PubMed

Lareo, Angel; Forlim, Caroline G; Pinto, Reynaldo D; Varona, Pablo; Rodriguez, Francisco de Borja

2016-01-01

Closed-loop activity-dependent stimulation is a powerful methodology to assess information processing in biological systems. In this context, the development of novel protocols, their implementation in bioinformatics toolboxes and their application to different description levels open up a wide range of possibilities in the study of biological systems. We developed a methodology for studying biological signals representing them as temporal sequences of binary events. A specific sequence of these events (code) is chosen to deliver a predefined stimulation in a closed-loop manner. The response to this code-driven stimulation can be used to characterize the system. This methodology was implemented in a real time toolbox and tested in the context of electric fish signaling. We show that while there are codes that evoke a response that cannot be distinguished from a control recording without stimulation, other codes evoke a characteristic distinct response. We also compare the code-driven response to open-loop stimulation. The discussed experiments validate the proposed methodology and the software toolbox.

Two high-density recording methods with run-length limited turbo code for holographic data storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Yusuke; Hoshizawa, Taku

2016-09-01

Two methods for increasing the data capacity of a holographic data storage system (HDSS) were developed. The first method is called “run-length-limited (RLL) high-density recording”. An RLL modulation has the same effect as enlarging the pixel pitch; namely, it optically reduces the hologram size. Accordingly, the method doubles the raw-data recording density. The second method is called “RLL turbo signal processing”. The RLL turbo code consists of \\text{RLL}(1,∞ ) trellis modulation and an optimized convolutional code. The remarkable point of the developed turbo code is that it employs the RLL modulator and demodulator as parts of the error-correction process. The turbo code improves the capability of error correction more than a conventional LDPC code, even though interpixel interference is generated. These two methods will increase the data density 1.78-fold. Moreover, by simulation and experiment, a data density of 2.4 Tbit/in.2 is confirmed.

Use the Bar Code System to Improve Accuracy of the Patient and Sample Identification.

PubMed

Chuang, Shu-Hsia; Yeh, Huy-Pzu; Chi, Kun-Hung; Ku, Hsueh-Chen

2018-01-01

In time and correct sample collection were highly related to patient's safety. The sample error rate was 11.1%, because misbranded patient information and wrong sample containers during January to April, 2016. We developed a barcode system of "Specimens Identify System" through process of reengineering of TRM, used bar code scanners, add sample container instructions, and mobile APP. Conclusion, the bar code systems improved the patient safety and created green environment.

General Tool for Evaluating High-Contrast Coronagraphic Telescope Performance Error Budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchen, Luis F.

2011-01-01

The Coronagraph Performance Error Budget (CPEB) tool automates many of the key steps required to evaluate the scattered starlight contrast in the dark hole of a space-based coronagraph. The tool uses a Code V prescription of the optical train, and uses MATLAB programs to call ray-trace code that generates linear beam-walk and aberration sensitivity matrices for motions of the optical elements and line-of-sight pointing, with and without controlled fine-steering mirrors (FSMs). The sensitivity matrices are imported by macros into Excel 2007, where the error budget is evaluated. The user specifies the particular optics of interest, and chooses the quality of each optic from a predefined set of PSDs. The spreadsheet creates a nominal set of thermal and jitter motions, and combines that with the sensitivity matrices to generate an error budget for the system. CPEB also contains a combination of form and ActiveX controls with Visual Basic for Applications code to allow for user interaction in which the user can perform trade studies such as changing engineering requirements, and identifying and isolating stringent requirements. It contains summary tables and graphics that can be instantly used for reporting results in view graphs. The entire process to obtain a coronagraphic telescope performance error budget has been automated into three stages: conversion of optical prescription from Zemax or Code V to MACOS (in-house optical modeling and analysis tool), a linear models process, and an error budget tool process. The first process was improved by developing a MATLAB package based on the Class Constructor Method with a number of user-defined functions that allow the user to modify the MACOS optical prescription. The second process was modified by creating a MATLAB package that contains user-defined functions that automate the process. The user interfaces with the process by utilizing an initialization file where the user defines the parameters of the linear model computations. Other than this, the process is fully automated. The third process was developed based on the Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph Error Budget Tool, but was fully automated by using VBA code, form, and ActiveX controls.

[Long non-coding RNAs in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis].

PubMed

Novak, Jan; Vašků, Julie Bienertová; Souček, Miroslav

2018-01-01

The human genome contains about 22 000 protein-coding genes that are transcribed to an even larger amount of messenger RNAs (mRNA). Interestingly, the results of the project ENCODE from 2012 show, that despite up to 90 % of our genome being actively transcribed, protein-coding mRNAs make up only 2-3 % of the total amount of the transcribed RNA. The rest of RNA transcripts is not translated to proteins and that is why they are referred to as "non-coding RNAs". Earlier the non-coding RNA was considered "the dark matter of genome", or "the junk", whose genes has accumulated in our DNA during the course of evolution. Today we already know that non-coding RNAs fulfil a variety of regulatory functions in our body - they intervene into epigenetic processes from chromatin remodelling to histone methylation, or into the transcription process itself, or even post-transcription processes. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are one of the classes of non-coding RNAs that have more than 200 nucleotides in length (non-coding RNAs with less than 200 nucleotides in length are called small non-coding RNAs). lncRNAs represent a widely varied and large group of molecules with diverse regulatory functions. We can identify them in all thinkable cell types or tissues, or even in an extracellular space, which includes blood, specifically plasma. Their levels change during the course of organogenesis, they are specific to different tissues and their changes also occur along with the development of different illnesses, including atherosclerosis. This review article aims to present lncRNAs problematics in general and then focuses on some of their specific representatives in relation to the process of atherosclerosis (i.e. we describe lncRNA involvement in the biology of endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells or immune cells), and we further describe possible clinical potential of lncRNA, whether in diagnostics or therapy of atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations.Key words: atherosclerosis - lincRNA - lncRNA - MALAT - MIAT.

RTM user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Claus, Steven J.; Loos, Alfred C.

1989-01-01

RTM is a FORTRAN '77 computer code which simulates the infiltration of textile reinforcements and the kinetics of thermosetting polymer resin systems. The computer code is based on the process simulation model developed by the author. The compaction of dry, woven textile composites is simulated to describe the increase in fiber volume fraction with increasing compaction pressure. Infiltration is assumed to follow D'Arcy's law for Newtonian viscous fluids. The chemical changes which occur in the resin during processing are simulated with a thermo-kinetics model. The computer code is discussed on the basis of the required input data, output files and some comments on how to interpret the results. An example problem is solved and a complete listing is included.

Iterative categorization (IC): a systematic technique for analysing qualitative data

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract The processes of analysing qualitative data, particularly the stage between coding and publication, are often vague and/or poorly explained within addiction science and research more broadly. A simple but rigorous and transparent technique for analysing qualitative textual data, developed within the field of addiction, is described. The technique, iterative categorization (IC), is suitable for use with inductive and deductive codes and can support a range of common analytical approaches, e.g. thematic analysis, Framework, constant comparison, analytical induction, content analysis, conversational analysis, discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis and narrative analysis. Once the data have been coded, the only software required is a standard word processing package. Worked examples are provided. PMID:26806155

Near-line Archive Data Mining at the Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, L.; Mack, R.; Eng, E.; Lynnes, C.

2002-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) is generating immense volumes of data, in some cases too much to provide to users with data-intensive needs. As an alternative to moving the data to the user and his/her research algorithms, we are providing a means to move the algorithms to the data. The Near-line Archive Data Mining (NADM) system is the Goddard Earth Sciences Distributed Active Archive Center's (GES DAAC) web data mining portal to the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data pool, a 50-TB online disk cache. The NADM web portal enables registered users to submit and execute data mining algorithm codes on the data in the EOSDIS data pool. A web interface allows the user to access the NADM system. The users first develops personalized data mining code on their home platform and then uploads them to the NADM system. The C, FORTRAN and IDL languages are currently supported. The user developed code is automatically audited for any potential security problems before it is installed within the NADM system and made available to the user. Once the code has been installed the user is provided a test environment where he/she can test the execution of the software against data sets of the user's choosing. When the user is satisfied with the results, he/she can promote their code to the "operational" environment. From here the user can interactively run his/her code on the data available in the EOSDIS data pool. The user can also set up a processing subscription. The subscription will automatically process new data as it becomes available in the EOSDIS data pool. The generated mined data products are then made available for FTP pickup. The NADM system uses the GES DAAC-developed Simple Scalable Script-based Science Processor (S4P) to automate tasks and perform the actual data processing. Users will also have the option of selecting a DAAC-provided data mining algorithm and using it to process the data of their choice.

Turbofan forced mixer-nozzle internal flowfield. Volume 2: Computational fluid dynamic predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Werle, M. J.; Vasta, V. N.

1982-01-01

A general program was conducted to develop and assess a computational method for predicting the flow properties in a turbofan forced mixed duct. The detail assessment of the resulting computer code is presented. It was found that the code provided excellent predictions of the kinematics of the mixing process throughout the entire length of the mixer nozzle. The thermal mixing process between the hot core and cold fan flows was found to be well represented in the low speed portion of the flowfield.

An implementation of a security infrastructure compliant with the Italian Personal Data Protection Code in a web-based cooperative work system.

PubMed

Eccher, Claudio; Eccher, Lorenzo; Izzo, Umberto

2005-01-01

In this poster we describe the security solutions implemented in a web-based cooperative work frame-work for managing heart failure patients among different health care professionals involved in the care process. The solution, developed in close collaboration with the Law Department of the University of Trento, is compliant with the new Italian Personal Data Protection Code, issued in 2003, that regulates also the storing and processing of health data.

Modeling the filament winding process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calius, E. P.; Springer, G. S.

1985-01-01

A model is presented which can be used to determine the appropriate values of the process variables for filament winding a cylinder. The model provides the cylinder temperature, viscosity, degree of cure, fiber position and fiber tension as functions of position and time during the filament winding and subsequent cure, and the residual stresses and strains within the cylinder during and after the cure. A computer code was developed to obtain quantitative results. Sample results are given which illustrate the information that can be generated with this code.

Modeling of impulsive propellant reorientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hochstein, John I.; Patag, Alfredo E.; Chato, David J.

1988-01-01

The impulsive propellant reorientation process is modeled using the (Energy Calculations for Liquid Propellants in a Space Environment (ECLIPSE) code. A brief description of the process and the computational model is presented. Code validation is documented via comparison to experimentally derived data for small scale tanks. Predictions of reorientation performance are presented for two tanks designed for use in flight experiments and for a proposed full scale OTV tank. A new dimensionless parameter is developed to correlate reorientation performance in geometrically similar tanks. Its success is demonstrated.

GCS component development cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Jose A.; Macias, Rosa; Molgo, Jordi; Guerra, Dailos; Pi, Marti

2012-09-01

The GTC1 is an optical-infrared 10-meter segmented mirror telescope at the ORM observatory in Canary Islands (Spain). First light was at 13/07/2007 and since them it is in the operation phase. The GTC control system (GCS) is a distributed object & component oriented system based on RT-CORBA8 and it is responsible for the management and operation of the telescope, including its instrumentation. GCS has used the Rational Unified process (RUP9) in its development. RUP is an iterative software development process framework. After analysing (use cases) and designing (UML10) any of GCS subsystems, an initial component description of its interface is obtained and from that information a component specification is written. In order to improve the code productivity, GCS has adopted the code generation to transform this component specification into the skeleton of component classes based on a software framework, called Device Component Framework. Using the GCS development tools, based on javadoc and gcc, in only one step, the component is generated, compiled and deployed to be tested for the first time through our GUI inspector. The main advantages of this approach are the following: It reduces the learning curve of new developers and the development error rate, allows a systematic use of design patterns in the development and software reuse, speeds up the deliverables of the software product and massively increase the timescale, design consistency and design quality, and eliminates the future refactoring process required for the code.

National Combustion Code Parallel Performance Enhancements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quealy, Angela; Benyo, Theresa (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The National Combustion Code (NCC) is being developed by an industry-government team for the design and analysis of combustion systems. The unstructured grid, reacting flow code uses a distributed memory, message passing model for its parallel implementation. The focus of the present effort has been to improve the performance of the NCC code to meet combustor designer requirements for model accuracy and analysis turnaround time. Improving the performance of this code contributes significantly to the overall reduction in time and cost of the combustor design cycle. This report describes recent parallel processing modifications to NCC that have improved the parallel scalability of the code, enabling a two hour turnaround for a 1.3 million element fully reacting combustion simulation on an SGI Origin 2000.

ogs6 - a new concept for porous-fractured media simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naumov, Dmitri; Bilke, Lars; Fischer, Thomas; Rink, Karsten; Wang, Wenqing; Watanabe, Norihiro; Kolditz, Olaf

2015-04-01

OpenGeoSys (OGS) is a scientific open-source initiative for numerical simulation of thermo-hydro-mechanical/chemical (THMC) processes in porous and fractured media, continuously developed since the mid-eighties. The basic concept is to provide a flexible numerical framework for solving coupled multi-field problems. OGS is targeting mainly on applications in environmental geoscience, e.g. in the fields of contaminant hydrology, water resources management, waste deposits, or geothermal energy systems, but it has also been successfully applied to new topics in energy storage recently. OGS is actively participating several international benchmarking initiatives, e.g. DECOVALEX (waste management), CO2BENCH (CO2 storage and sequestration), SeSBENCH (reactive transport processes) and HM-Intercomp (coupled hydrosystems). Despite the broad applicability of OGS in geo-, hydro- and energy-sciences, several shortcomings became obvious concerning the computational efficiency as well as the code structure became too sophisticated for further efficient development. OGS-5 was designed for object-oriented FEM applications. However, in many multi-field problems a certain flexibility of tailored numerical schemes is essential. Therefore, a new concept was designed to overcome existing bottlenecks. The paradigms for ogs6 are: - Flexibility of numerical schemes (FEM#FVM#FDM), - Computational efficiency (PetaScale ready), - Developer- and user-friendly. ogs6 has a module-oriented architecture based on thematic libraries (e.g. MeshLib, NumLib) on the large scale and uses object-oriented approach for the small scale interfaces. Usage of a linear algebra library (Eigen3) for the mathematical operations together with the ISO C++11 standard increases the expressiveness of the code and makes it more developer-friendly. The new C++ standard also makes the template meta-programming technique code used for compile-time optimizations more compact. We have transitioned the main code development to the GitHub code hosting system (https://github.com/ufz/ogs). The very flexible revision control system Git in combination with issue tracking, developer feedback and the code review options improve the code quality and the development process in general. The continuous testing procedure of the benchmarks as it was established for OGS-5 is maintained. Additionally unit testing, which is automatically triggered by any code changes, is executed by two continuous integration frameworks (Jenkins CI, Travis CI) which build and test the code on different operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac OS), in multiple configurations and with different compilers (GCC, Clang, Visual Studio). To improve the testing possibilities further, XML based file input formats are introduced helping with automatic validation of the user contributed benchmarks. The first ogs6 prototype version 6.0.1 has been implemented for solving generic elliptic problems. Next steps are envisaged to transient, non-linear and coupled problems. Literature: [1] Kolditz O, Shao H, Wang W, Bauer S (eds) (2014): Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Porous Media: Modelling and Benchmarking - Closed Form Solutions. In: Terrestrial Environmental Sciences, Vol. 1, Springer, Heidelberg, ISBN 978-3-319-11893-2, 315pp. http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/geology/book/978-3-319-11893-2 [2] Naumov D (2015): Computational Fluid Dynamics in Unconsolidated Sediments: Model Generation and Discrete Flow Simulations, PhD thesis, Technische Universität Dresden.

It takes two-coincidence coding within the dual olfactory pathway of the honeybee.

PubMed

Brill, Martin F; Meyer, Anneke; Rössler, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

To rapidly process biologically relevant stimuli, sensory systems have developed a broad variety of coding mechanisms like parallel processing and coincidence detection. Parallel processing (e.g., in the visual system), increases both computational capacity and processing speed by simultaneously coding different aspects of the same stimulus. Coincidence detection is an efficient way to integrate information from different sources. Coincidence has been shown to promote associative learning and memory or stimulus feature detection (e.g., in auditory delay lines). Within the dual olfactory pathway of the honeybee both of these mechanisms might be implemented by uniglomerular projection neurons (PNs) that transfer information from the primary olfactory centers, the antennal lobe (AL), to a multimodal integration center, the mushroom body (MB). PNs from anatomically distinct tracts respond to the same stimulus space, but have different physiological properties, characteristics that are prerequisites for parallel processing of different stimulus aspects. However, the PN pathways also display mirror-imaged like anatomical trajectories that resemble neuronal coincidence detectors as known from auditory delay lines. To investigate temporal processing of olfactory information, we recorded PN odor responses simultaneously from both tracts and measured coincident activity of PNs within and between tracts. Our results show that coincidence levels are different within each of the two tracts. Coincidence also occurs between tracts, but to a minor extent compared to coincidence within tracts. Taken together our findings support the relevance of spike timing in coding of olfactory information (temporal code).

MODFLOW-2000, the U.S. Geological Survey Modular Ground-Water Model--Documentation of the SEAWAT-2000 Version with the Variable-Density Flow Process (VDF) and the Integrated MT3DMS Transport Process (IMT)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langevin, Christian D.; Shoemaker, W. Barclay; Guo, Weixing

2003-01-01

SEAWAT-2000 is the latest release of the SEAWAT computer program for simulation of three-dimensional, variable-density, transient ground-water flow in porous media. SEAWAT-2000 was designed by combining a modified version of MODFLOW-2000 and MT3DMS into a single computer program. The code was developed using the MODFLOW-2000 concept of a process, which is defined as ?part of the code that solves a fundamental equation by a specified numerical method.? SEAWAT-2000 contains all of the processes distributed with MODFLOW-2000 and also includes the Variable-Density Flow Process (as an alternative to the constant-density Ground-Water Flow Process) and the Integrated MT3DMS Transport Process. Processes may be active or inactive, depending on simulation objectives; however, not all processes are compatible. For example, the Sensitivity and Parameter Estimation Processes are not compatible with the Variable-Density Flow and Integrated MT3DMS Transport Processes. The SEAWAT-2000 computer code was tested with the common variable-density benchmark problems and also with problems representing evaporation from a salt lake and rotation of immiscible fluids.

The VATES-Diamond as a Verifier's Best Friend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glesner, Sabine; Bartels, Björn; Göthel, Thomas; Kleine, Moritz

Within a model-based software engineering process it needs to be ensured that properties of abstract specifications are preserved by transformations down to executable code. This is even more important in the area of safety-critical real-time systems where additionally non-functional properties are crucial. In the VATES project, we develop formal methods for the construction and verification of embedded systems. We follow a novel approach that allows us to formally relate abstract process algebraic specifications to their implementation in a compiler intermediate representation. The idea is to extract a low-level process algebraic description from the intermediate code and to formally relate it to previously developed abstract specifications. We apply this approach to a case study from the area of real-time operating systems and show that this approach has the potential to seamlessly integrate modeling, implementation, transformation and verification stages of embedded system development.

Energy Savings Analysis of the Proposed NYStretch-Energy Code 2018

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

Liu, Bing; Zhang, Jian; Chen, Yan

This study was conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in support of the stretch energy code development led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). In 2017 NYSERDA developed its 2016 Stretch Code Supplement to the 2016 New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code (hereinafter referred to as “NYStretch-Energy”). NYStretch-Energy is intended as a model energy code for statewide voluntary adoption that anticipates other code advancements culminating in the goal of a statewide Net Zero Energy Code by 2028. Since then, NYSERDA continues to develop the NYStretch-Energy Code 2018 edition. To support the effort,more » PNNL conducted energy simulation analysis to quantify the energy savings of proposed commercial provisions of the NYStretch-Energy Code (2018) in New York. The focus of this project is the 20% improvement over existing commercial model energy codes. A key requirement of the proposed stretch code is that it be ‘adoptable’ as an energy code, meaning that it must align with current code scope and limitations, and primarily impact building components that are currently regulated by local building departments. It is largely limited to prescriptive measures, which are what most building departments and design projects are most familiar with. This report describes a set of energy-efficiency measures (EEMs) that demonstrate 20% energy savings over ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 (ASHRAE 2013) across a broad range of commercial building types and all three climate zones in New York. In collaboration with New Building Institute, the EEMs were developed from national model codes and standards, high-performance building codes and standards, regional energy codes, and measures being proposed as part of the on-going code development process. PNNL analyzed these measures using whole building energy models for selected prototype commercial buildings and multifamily buildings representing buildings in New York. Section 2 of this report describes the analysis methodology, including the building types and construction area weights update for this analysis, the baseline, and the method to conduct the energy saving analysis. Section 3 provides detailed specifications of the EEMs and bundles. Section 4 summarizes the results of individual EEMs and EEM bundles by building type, energy end-use and climate zone. Appendix A documents detailed descriptions of the selected prototype buildings. Appendix B provides energy end-use breakdown results by building type for both the baseline code and stretch code in all climate zones.« less

Diffusive deposition of aerosols in Phebus containment during FPT-2 test

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

Kontautas, A.; Urbonavicius, E.

2012-07-01

At present the lumped-parameter codes is the main tool to investigate the complex response of the containment of Nuclear Power Plant in case of an accident. Continuous development and validation of the codes is required to perform realistic investigation of the processes that determine the possible source term of radioactive products to the environment. Validation of the codes is based on the comparison of the calculated results with the measurements performed in experimental facilities. The most extensive experimental program to investigate fission product release from the molten fuel, transport through the cooling circuit and deposition in the containment is performedmore » in PHEBUS test facility. Test FPT-2 performed in this facility is considered for analysis of processes taking place in containment. Earlier performed investigations using COCOSYS code showed that the code could be successfully used for analysis of thermal-hydraulic processes and deposition of aerosols, but there was also noticed that diffusive deposition on the vertical walls does not fit well with the measured results. In the CPA module of ASTEC code there is implemented different model for diffusive deposition, therefore the PHEBUS containment model was transferred from COCOSYS code to ASTEC-CPA to investigate the influence of the diffusive deposition modelling. Analysis was performed using PHEBUS containment model of 16 nodes. The calculated thermal-hydraulic parameters are in good agreement with measured results, which gives basis for realistic simulation of aerosol transport and deposition processes. Performed investigations showed that diffusive deposition model has influence on the aerosol deposition distribution on different surfaces in the test facility. (authors)« less

Coupled-cluster based R-matrix codes (CCRM): Recent developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sur, Chiranjib; Pradhan, Anil K.

2008-05-01

We report the ongoing development of the new coupled-cluster R-matrix codes (CCRM) for treating electron-ion scattering and radiative processes within the framework of the relativistic coupled-cluster method (RCC), interfaced with the standard R-matrix methodology. The RCC method is size consistent and in principle equivalent to an all-order many-body perturbation theory. The RCC method is one of the most accurate many-body theories, and has been applied for several systems. This project should enable the study of electron-interactions with heavy atoms/ions, utilizing not only high speed computing platforms but also improved theoretical description of the relativistic and correlation effects for the target atoms/ions as treated extensively within the RCC method. Here we present a comprehensive outline of the newly developed theoretical method and a schematic representation of the new suite of CCRM codes. We begin with the flowchart and description of various stages involved in this development. We retain the notations and nomenclature of different stages as analogous to the standard R-matrix codes.

A complexity-scalable software-based MPEG-2 video encoder.

PubMed

Chen, Guo-bin; Lu, Xin-ning; Wang, Xing-guo; Liu, Ji-lin

2004-05-01

With the development of general-purpose processors (GPP) and video signal processing algorithms, it is possible to implement a software-based real-time video encoder on GPP, and its low cost and easy upgrade attract developers' interests to transfer video encoding from specialized hardware to more flexible software. In this paper, the encoding structure is set up first to support complexity scalability; then a lot of high performance algorithms are used on the key time-consuming modules in coding process; finally, at programming level, processor characteristics are considered to improve data access efficiency and processing parallelism. Other programming methods such as lookup table are adopted to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results showed that these ideas could not only improve the global performance of video coding, but also provide great flexibility in complexity regulation.

Unit Testing for the Application Control Language (ACL) Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinich, Christina Marie

2014-01-01

In the software development process, code needs to be tested before it can be packaged for release in order to make sure the program actually does what it says is supposed to happen as well as to check how the program deals with errors and edge cases (such as negative or very large numbers). One of the major parts of the testing process is unit testing, where you test specific units of the code to make sure each individual part of the code works. This project is about unit testing many different components of the ACL software and fixing any errors encountered. To do this, mocks of other objects need to be created and every line of code needs to be exercised to make sure every case is accounted for. Mocks are important to make because it gives direct control of the environment the unit lives in instead of attempting to work with the entire program. This makes it easier to achieve the second goal of exercising every line of code.

SequenceL: Automated Parallel Algorithms Derived from CSP-NT Computational Laws

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, Daniel; Rushton, Nelson

2013-01-01

With the introduction of new parallel architectures like the cell and multicore chips from IBM, Intel, AMD, and ARM, as well as the petascale processing available for highend computing, a larger number of programmers will need to write parallel codes. Adding the parallel control structure to the sequence, selection, and iterative control constructs increases the complexity of code development, which often results in increased development costs and decreased reliability. SequenceL is a high-level programming language that is, a programming language that is closer to a human s way of thinking than to a machine s. Historically, high-level languages have resulted in decreased development costs and increased reliability, at the expense of performance. In recent applications at JSC and in industry, SequenceL has demonstrated the usual advantages of high-level programming in terms of low cost and high reliability. SequenceL programs, however, have run at speeds typically comparable with, and in many cases faster than, their counterparts written in C and C++ when run on single-core processors. Moreover, SequenceL is able to generate parallel executables automatically for multicore hardware, gaining parallel speedups without any extra effort from the programmer beyond what is required to write the sequen tial/singlecore code. A SequenceL-to-C++ translator has been developed that automatically renders readable multithreaded C++ from a combination of a SequenceL program and sample data input. The SequenceL language is based on two fundamental computational laws, Consume-Simplify- Produce (CSP) and Normalize-Trans - pose (NT), which enable it to automate the creation of parallel algorithms from high-level code that has no annotations of parallelism whatsoever. In our anecdotal experience, SequenceL development has been in every case less costly than development of the same algorithm in sequential (that is, single-core, single process) C or C++, and an order of magnitude less costly than development of comparable parallel code. Moreover, SequenceL not only automatically parallelizes the code, but since it is based on CSP-NT, it is provably race free, thus eliminating the largest quality challenge the parallelized software developer faces.

acme: The Amendable Coal-Fire Modeling Exercise. A C++ Class Library for the Numerical Simulation of Coal-Fires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuttke, Manfred W.

2017-04-01

At LIAG, we use numerical models to develop and enhance understanding of coupled transport processes and to predict the dynamics of the system under consideration. Topics include geothermal heat utilization, subrosion processes, and spontaneous underground coal fires. Although the details make it inconvenient if not impossible to apply a single code implementation to all systems, their investigations go along similar paths: They all depend on the solution of coupled transport equations. We thus saw a need for a modular code system with open access for the various communities to maximize the shared synergistic effects. To this purpose we develop the oops! ( open object-oriented parallel solutions) - toolkit, a C++ class library for the numerical solution of mathematical models of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical processes. This is used to develop problem-specific libraries like acme( amendable coal-fire modeling exercise), a class library for the numerical simulation of coal-fires and applications like kobra (Kohlebrand, german for coal-fire), a numerical simulation code for standard coal-fire models. Basic principle of the oops!-code system is the provision of data types for the description of space and time dependent data fields, description of terms of partial differential equations (pde), their discretisation and solving methods. Coupling of different processes, described by their particular pde is modeled by an automatic timescale-ordered operator-splitting technique. acme is a derived coal-fire specific application library, depending on oops!. If specific functionalities of general interest are implemented and have been tested they will be assimilated into the main oops!-library. Interfaces to external pre- and post-processing tools are easily implemented. Thus a construction kit which can be arbitrarily amended is formed. With the kobra-application constructed with acme we study the processes and propagation of shallow coal seam fires in particular in Xinjiang, China, as well as analyze and interpret results from lab experiments.

Auditory-neurophysiological responses to speech during early childhood: Effects of background noise

PubMed Central

White-Schwoch, Travis; Davies, Evan C.; Thompson, Elaine C.; Carr, Kali Woodruff; Nicol, Trent; Bradlow, Ann R.; Kraus, Nina

2015-01-01

Early childhood is a critical period of auditory learning, during which children are constantly mapping sounds to meaning. But learning rarely occurs under ideal listening conditions—children are forced to listen against a relentless din. This background noise degrades the neural coding of these critical sounds, in turn interfering with auditory learning. Despite the importance of robust and reliable auditory processing during early childhood, little is known about the neurophysiology underlying speech processing in children so young. To better understand the physiological constraints these adverse listening scenarios impose on speech sound coding during early childhood, auditory-neurophysiological responses were elicited to a consonant-vowel syllable in quiet and background noise in a cohort of typically-developing preschoolers (ages 3–5 yr). Overall, responses were degraded in noise: they were smaller, less stable across trials, slower, and there was poorer coding of spectral content and the temporal envelope. These effects were exacerbated in response to the consonant transition relative to the vowel, suggesting that the neural coding of spectrotemporally-dynamic speech features is more tenuous in noise than the coding of static features—even in children this young. Neural coding of speech temporal fine structure, however, was more resilient to the addition of background noise than coding of temporal envelope information. Taken together, these results demonstrate that noise places a neurophysiological constraint on speech processing during early childhood by causing a breakdown in neural processing of speech acoustics. These results may explain why some listeners have inordinate difficulties understanding speech in noise. Speech-elicited auditory-neurophysiological responses offer objective insight into listening skills during early childhood by reflecting the integrity of neural coding in quiet and noise; this paper documents typical response properties in this age group. These normative metrics may be useful clinically to evaluate auditory processing difficulties during early childhood. PMID:26113025

Boltzmann Transport Code Update: Parallelization and Integrated Design Updates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinbockel, J. H.; Nealy, J. E.; DeAngelis, G.; Feldman, G. A.; Chokshi, S.

2003-01-01

The on going efforts at developing a web site for radiation analysis is expected to result in an increased usage of the High Charge and Energy Transport Code HZETRN. It would be nice to be able to do the requested calculations quickly and efficiently. Therefore the question arose, "Could the implementation of parallel processing speed up the calculations required?" To answer this question two modifications of the HZETRN computer code were created. The first modification selected the shield material of Al(2219) , then polyethylene and then Al(2219). The modified Fortran code was labeled 1SSTRN.F. The second modification considered the shield material of CO2 and Martian regolith. This modified Fortran code was labeled MARSTRN.F.

Development of Parallel Computing Framework to Enhance Radiation Transport Code Capabilities for Rare Isotope Beam Facility Design

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

Kostin, Mikhail; Mokhov, Nikolai; Niita, Koji

A parallel computing framework has been developed to use with general-purpose radiation transport codes. The framework was implemented as a C++ module that uses MPI for message passing. It is intended to be used with older radiation transport codes implemented in Fortran77, Fortran 90 or C. The module is significantly independent of radiation transport codes it can be used with, and is connected to the codes by means of a number of interface functions. The framework was developed and tested in conjunction with the MARS15 code. It is possible to use it with other codes such as PHITS, FLUKA andmore » MCNP after certain adjustments. Besides the parallel computing functionality, the framework offers a checkpoint facility that allows restarting calculations with a saved checkpoint file. The checkpoint facility can be used in single process calculations as well as in the parallel regime. The framework corrects some of the known problems with the scheduling and load balancing found in the original implementations of the parallel computing functionality in MARS15 and PHITS. The framework can be used efficiently on homogeneous systems and networks of workstations, where the interference from the other users is possible.« less

Qualitative Data Analysis for Health Services Research: Developing Taxonomy, Themes, and Theory

PubMed Central

Bradley, Elizabeth H; Curry, Leslie A; Devers, Kelly J

2007-01-01

Objective To provide practical strategies for conducting and evaluating analyses of qualitative data applicable for health services researchers. Data Sources and Design We draw on extant qualitative methodological literature to describe practical approaches to qualitative data analysis. Approaches to data analysis vary by discipline and analytic tradition; however, we focus on qualitative data analysis that has as a goal the generation of taxonomy, themes, and theory germane to health services research. Principle Findings We describe an approach to qualitative data analysis that applies the principles of inductive reasoning while also employing predetermined code types to guide data analysis and interpretation. These code types (conceptual, relationship, perspective, participant characteristics, and setting codes) define a structure that is appropriate for generation of taxonomy, themes, and theory. Conceptual codes and subcodes facilitate the development of taxonomies. Relationship and perspective codes facilitate the development of themes and theory. Intersectional analyses with data coded for participant characteristics and setting codes can facilitate comparative analyses. Conclusions Qualitative inquiry can improve the description and explanation of complex, real-world phenomena pertinent to health services research. Greater understanding of the processes of qualitative data analysis can be helpful for health services researchers as they use these methods themselves or collaborate with qualitative researchers from a wide range of disciplines. PMID:17286625

Qualitative data analysis for health services research: developing taxonomy, themes, and theory.

PubMed

Bradley, Elizabeth H; Curry, Leslie A; Devers, Kelly J

2007-08-01

To provide practical strategies for conducting and evaluating analyses of qualitative data applicable for health services researchers. DATA SOURCES AND DESIGN: We draw on extant qualitative methodological literature to describe practical approaches to qualitative data analysis. Approaches to data analysis vary by discipline and analytic tradition; however, we focus on qualitative data analysis that has as a goal the generation of taxonomy, themes, and theory germane to health services research. We describe an approach to qualitative data analysis that applies the principles of inductive reasoning while also employing predetermined code types to guide data analysis and interpretation. These code types (conceptual, relationship, perspective, participant characteristics, and setting codes) define a structure that is appropriate for generation of taxonomy, themes, and theory. Conceptual codes and subcodes facilitate the development of taxonomies. Relationship and perspective codes facilitate the development of themes and theory. Intersectional analyses with data coded for participant characteristics and setting codes can facilitate comparative analyses. Qualitative inquiry can improve the description and explanation of complex, real-world phenomena pertinent to health services research. Greater understanding of the processes of qualitative data analysis can be helpful for health services researchers as they use these methods themselves or collaborate with qualitative researchers from a wide range of disciplines.

Increasing Flexibility in Energy Code Compliance: Performance Packages

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

Hart, Philip R.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

Energy codes and standards have provided significant increases in building efficiency over the last 38 years, since the first national energy code was published in late 1975. The most commonly used path in energy codes, the prescriptive path, appears to be reaching a point of diminishing returns. As the code matures, the prescriptive path becomes more complicated, and also more restrictive. It is likely that an approach that considers the building as an integrated system will be necessary to achieve the next real gains in building efficiency. Performance code paths are increasing in popularity; however, there remains a significant designmore » team overhead in following the performance path, especially for smaller buildings. This paper focuses on development of one alternative format, prescriptive packages. A method to develop building-specific prescriptive packages is reviewed based on a multiple runs of prototypical building models that are used to develop parametric decision analysis to determines a set of packages with equivalent energy performance. The approach is designed to be cost-effective and flexible for the design team while achieving a desired level of energy efficiency performance. A demonstration of the approach based on mid-sized office buildings with two HVAC system types is shown along with a discussion of potential applicability in the energy code process.« less

Code Modernization of VPIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bird, Robert; Nystrom, David; Albright, Brian

2017-10-01

The ability of scientific simulations to effectively deliver performant computation is increasingly being challenged by successive generations of high-performance computing architectures. Code development to support efficient computation on these modern architectures is both expensive, and highly complex; if it is approached without due care, it may also not be directly transferable between subsequent hardware generations. Previous works have discussed techniques to support the process of adapting a legacy code for modern hardware generations, but despite the breakthroughs in the areas of mini-app development, portable-performance, and cache oblivious algorithms the problem still remains largely unsolved. In this work we demonstrate how a focus on platform agnostic modern code-development can be applied to Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations to facilitate effective scientific delivery. This work builds directly on our previous work optimizing VPIC, in which we replaced intrinsic based vectorisation with compile generated auto-vectorization to improve the performance and portability of VPIC. In this work we present the use of a specialized SIMD queue for processing some particle operations, and also preview a GPU capable OpenMP variant of VPIC. Finally we include a lessons learnt. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC Los Alamos National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396 and supported by the LANL LDRD program.

Computation of Reacting Flows in Combustion Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keith, Theo G., Jr.; Chen, Kuo-Huey

1997-01-01

The main objective of this research was to develop an efficient three-dimensional computer code for chemically reacting flows. The main computer code developed is ALLSPD-3D. The ALLSPD-3D computer program is developed for the calculation of three-dimensional, chemically reacting flows with sprays. The ALL-SPD code employs a coupled, strongly implicit solution procedure for turbulent spray combustion flows. A stochastic droplet model and an efficient method for treatment of the spray source terms in the gas-phase equations are used to calculate the evaporating liquid sprays. The chemistry treatment in the code is general enough that an arbitrary number of reaction and species can be defined by the users. Also, it is written in generalized curvilinear coordinates with both multi-block and flexible internal blockage capabilities to handle complex geometries. In addition, for general industrial combustion applications, the code provides both dilution and transpiration cooling capabilities. The ALLSPD algorithm, which employs the preconditioning and eigenvalue rescaling techniques, is capable of providing efficient solution for flows with a wide range of Mach numbers. Although written for three-dimensional flows in general, the code can be used for two-dimensional and axisymmetric flow computations as well. The code is written in such a way that it can be run in various computer platforms (supercomputers, workstations and parallel processors) and the GUI (Graphical User Interface) should provide a user-friendly tool in setting up and running the code.

An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Ethical Beliefs among Early Childhood Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French-Lee, Stacey; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to learn how early childhood educators make ethical decisions. The study also explores how these educators might learn to base their ethical decisions on a professionally accepted ethical code through a participatory professional development process. The professional code of ethics used in this study is the National…

Conceptual-driven classification for coding advise in health insurance reimbursement.

PubMed

Li, Sheng-Tun; Chen, Chih-Chuan; Huang, Fernando

2011-01-01

With the non-stop increases in medical treatment fees, the economic survival of a hospital in Taiwan relies on the reimbursements received from the Bureau of National Health Insurance, which in turn depend on the accuracy and completeness of the content of the discharge summaries as well as the correctness of their International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. The purpose of this research is to enforce the entire disease classification framework by supporting disease classification specialists in the coding process. This study developed an ICD code advisory system (ICD-AS) that performed knowledge discovery from discharge summaries and suggested ICD codes. Natural language processing and information retrieval techniques based on Zipf's Law were applied to process the content of discharge summaries, and fuzzy formal concept analysis was used to analyze and represent the relationships between the medical terms identified by MeSH. In addition, a certainty factor used as reference during the coding process was calculated to account for uncertainty and strengthen the credibility of the outcome. Two sets of 360 and 2579 textual discharge summaries of patients suffering from cerebrovascular disease was processed to build up ICD-AS and to evaluate the prediction performance. A number of experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of system parameters on accuracy and compare the proposed model to traditional classification techniques including linear-kernel support vector machines. The comparison results showed that the proposed system achieves the better overall performance in terms of several measures. In addition, some useful implication rules were obtained, which improve comprehension of the field of cerebrovascular disease and give insights to the relationships between relevant medical terms. Our system contributes valuable guidance to disease classification specialists in the process of coding discharge summaries, which consequently brings benefits in aspects of patient, hospital, and healthcare system. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Supporting the Uptake of Nursing Guidelines: what you really need to know to move nursing guidelines into practice.

PubMed

Matthew-Maich, Nancy; Ploeg, Jenny; Dobbins, Maureen; Jack, Susan

2013-05-01

There is a current push to use best practice guidelines (BPGs) in health care to enhance client care and outcomes. Even though intensive resources have been invested internationally to develop BPGs, a gap in knowledge exists about how to consistently and efficiently move them into practice. Constructivist grounded theory was used to explore the complex processes of a breastfeeding BPG implementation and uptake in three acute care hospitals. Interviews (n = 120) with 112 participants representing clients, nurses, lactation consultants, midwives, physicians, managers, administrators, and nurse educators as well as document and field note analysis informed this study. Data were analyzed using constant comparison and coding steps outlined by Charmaz: initial coding, selective (focused) coding, then theoretical coding. Triangulation of data types and sources were used as well as theoretical sampling. Data were collected from 2009 to 2010. Two sites showed BPG uptake while one did not. Factors present in the uptake sites included, ongoing passionate frontline leaders, the use of multifaceted strategies, and processes that occurred at organizational, leadership, individual and social levels. Particularly noteworthy was the transformation of individual nurses to believing in and using the BPG. Impacts occurred at client, nurse, unit, inter-professional, organizational and system levels. A conceptual framework: Supporting the Uptake of Nursing Guidelines, was developed that reveals essential processes used to facilitate BPG uptake into nursing practice and a process of nurse transformation to believing in and using the BPG. © Sigma Theta Tau International.

Comparison of DAC and MONACO DSMC Codes with Flat Plate Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padilla, Jose F.

2010-01-01

Various implementations of the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method exist in academia, government and industry. By comparing implementations, deficiencies and merits of each can be discovered. This document reports comparisons between DSMC Analysis Code (DAC) and MONACO. DAC is NASA's standard DSMC production code and MONACO is a research DSMC code developed in academia. These codes have various differences; in particular, they employ distinct computational grid definitions. In this study, DAC and MONACO are compared by having each simulate a blunted flat plate wind tunnel test, using an identical volume mesh. Simulation expense and DSMC metrics are compared. In addition, flow results are compared with available laboratory data. Overall, this study revealed that both codes, excluding grid adaptation, performed similarly. For parallel processing, DAC was generally more efficient. As expected, code accuracy was mainly dependent on physical models employed.

Development of an ADP Training Program to Serve the EPA Data Processing Community.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-07-29

divide, compute , perform and alter statements; data representation and conversion; table processing; and indexed sequential and random access file...processing. The course workshop will include the testing of coded exercises and problems on a computer system. CLASS SIZE: Individualized METHODS/CONDUCT...familiarization with computer concepts will be helpful. OBJECTIVES OF CURRICULUM After completing this course, the student should have developed a working

Simulation of Laser Cooling and Trapping in Engineering Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez-Serrano, Jaime; Kohel, James; Thompson, Robert; Yu, Nan; Lunblad, Nathan

2005-01-01

An advanced computer code is undergoing development for numerically simulating laser cooling and trapping of large numbers of atoms. The code is expected to be useful in practical engineering applications and to contribute to understanding of the roles that light, atomic collisions, background pressure, and numbers of particles play in experiments using laser-cooled and -trapped atoms. The code is based on semiclassical theories of the forces exerted on atoms by magnetic and optical fields. Whereas computer codes developed previously for the same purpose account for only a few physical mechanisms, this code incorporates many more physical mechanisms (including atomic collisions, sub-Doppler cooling mechanisms, Stark and Zeeman energy shifts, gravitation, and evanescent-wave phenomena) that affect laser-matter interactions and the cooling of atoms to submillikelvin temperatures. Moreover, whereas the prior codes can simulate the interactions of at most a few atoms with a resonant light field, the number of atoms that can be included in a simulation by the present code is limited only by computer memory. Hence, the present code represents more nearly completely the complex physics involved when using laser-cooled and -trapped atoms in engineering applications. Another advantage that the code incorporates is the possibility to analyze the interaction between cold atoms of different atomic number. Some properties that cold atoms of different atomic species have, like cross sections and the particular excited states they can occupy when interacting with each other and light fields, play important roles not yet completely understood in the new experiments that are under way in laboratories worldwide to form ultracold molecules. Other research efforts use cold atoms as holders of quantum information, and more recent developments in cavity quantum electrodynamics also use ultracold atoms to explore and expand new information-technology ideas. These experiments give a hint on the wide range of applications and technology developments that can be tackled using cold atoms and light fields. From more precise atomic clocks and gravity sensors to the development of quantum computers, there will be a need to completely understand the whole ensemble of physical mechanisms that play a role in the development of such technologies. The code also permits the study of the dynamic and steady-state operations of technologies that use cold atoms. The physical characteristics of lasers and fields can be time-controlled to give a realistic simulation of the processes involved such that the design process can determine the best control features to use. It is expected that with the features incorporated into the code it will become a tool for the useful application of ultracold atoms in engineering applications. Currently, the software is being used for the analysis and understanding of simple experiments using cold atoms, and for the design of a modular compact source of cold atoms to be used in future research and development projects. The results so far indicate that the code is a useful design instrument that shows good agreement with experimental measurements (see figure), and a Windows-based user-friendly interface is also under development.

Investigating the Simulink Auto-Coding Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gualdoni, Matthew J.

2016-01-01

Model based program design is the most clear and direct way to develop algorithms and programs for interfacing with hardware. While coding "by hand" results in a more tailored product, the ever-growing size and complexity of modern-day applications can cause the project work load to quickly become unreasonable for one programmer. This has generally been addressed by splitting the product into separate modules to allow multiple developers to work in parallel on the same project, however this introduces new potentials for errors in the process. The fluidity, reliability and robustness of the code relies on the abilities of the programmers to communicate their methods to one another; furthermore, multiple programmers invites multiple potentially differing coding styles into the same product, which can cause a loss of readability or even module incompatibility. Fortunately, Mathworks has implemented an auto-coding feature that allows programmers to design their algorithms through the use of models and diagrams in the graphical programming environment Simulink, allowing the designer to visually determine what the hardware is to do. From here, the auto-coding feature handles converting the project into another programming language. This type of approach allows the designer to clearly see how the software will be directing the hardware without the need to try and interpret large amounts of code. In addition, it speeds up the programming process, minimizing the amount of man-hours spent on a single project, thus reducing the chance of human error as well as project turnover time. One such project that has benefited from the auto-coding procedure is Ramses, a portion of the GNC flight software on-board Orion that has been implemented primarily in Simulink. Currently, however, auto-coding Ramses into C++ requires 5 hours of code generation time. This causes issues if the tool ever needs to be debugged, as this code generation will need to occur with each edit to any part of the program; additionally, this is lost time that could be spent testing and analyzing the code. This is one of the more prominent issues with the auto-coding process, and while much information is available with regard to optimizing Simulink designs to produce efficient and reliable C++ code, not much research has been made public on how to reduce the code generation time. It is of interest to develop some insight as to what causes code generation times to be so significant, and determine if there are architecture guidelines or a desirable auto-coding configuration set to assist in streamlining this step of the design process for particular applications. To address the issue at hand, the Simulink coder was studied at a foundational level. For each different component type made available by the software, the features, auto-code generation time, and the format of the generated code were analyzed and documented. Tools were developed and documented to expedite these studies, particularly in the area of automating sequential builds to ensure accurate data was obtained. Next, the Ramses model was examined in an attempt to determine the composition and the types of technologies used in the model. This enabled the development of a model that uses similar technologies, but takes a fraction of the time to auto-code to reduce the turnaround time for experimentation. Lastly, the model was used to run a wide array of experiments and collect data to obtain knowledge about where to search for bottlenecks in the Ramses model. The resulting contributions of the overall effort consist of an experimental model for further investigation into the subject, as well as several automation tools to assist in analyzing the model, and a reference document offering insight to the auto-coding process, including documentation of the tools used in the model analysis, data illustrating some potential problem areas in the auto-coding process, and recommendations on areas or practices in the current Ramses model that should be further investigated. Several skills were required to be built up over the course of the internship project. First and foremost, my Simulink skills have improved drastically, as much of my experience had been modeling electronic circuits as opposed to software models. Furthermore, I am now comfortable working with the Simulink Auto-coder, a tool I had never used until this summer; this tool also tested my critical thinking and C++ knowledge as I had to interpret the C++ code it was generating and attempt to understand how the Simulink model affected the generated code. I had come into the internship with a solid understanding of Matlab code, but had done very little in using it to automate tasks, particularly Simulink tasks; along the same lines, I had rarely used shell script to automate and interface with programs, which I gained a fair amount of experience with this summer, including how to use regular expression. Lastly, soft-skills are an area everyone can continuously improve on; having never worked with NASA engineers, which to me seem to be a completely different breed than what I am used to (commercial electronic engineers), I learned to utilize the wealth of knowledge present at JSC. I wish I had come into the internship knowing exactly how helpful everyone in my branch would be, as I would have picked up on this sooner. I hope that having gained such a strong foundation in Simulink over this summer will open the opportunity to return to work on this project, or potentially other opportunities within the division. The idea of leaving a project I devoted ten weeks to is a hard one to cope with, so having the chance to pick up where I left off sounds appealing; alternatively, I am interested to see if there are any opening in the future that would allow me to work on a project that is more in-line with my research in estimation algorithms. Regardless, this summer has been a milestone in my professional career, and I hope this has started a long-term relationship between JSC and myself. I really enjoy the thought of building on my experience here over future summers while I work to complete my PhD at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Parallelization of ARC3D with Computer-Aided Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jin, Haoqiang; Hribar, Michelle; Yan, Jerry; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

A series of efforts have been devoted to investigating methods of porting and parallelizing applications quickly and efficiently for new architectures, such as the SCSI Origin 2000 and Cray T3E. This report presents the parallelization of a CFD application, ARC3D, using the computer-aided tools, Cesspools. Steps of parallelizing this code and requirements of achieving better performance are discussed. The generated parallel version has achieved reasonably well performance, for example, having a speedup of 30 for 36 Cray T3E processors. However, this performance could not be obtained without modification of the original serial code. It is suggested that in many cases improving serial code and performing necessary code transformations are important parts for the automated parallelization process although user intervention in many of these parts are still necessary. Nevertheless, development and improvement of useful software tools, such as Cesspools, can help trim down many tedious parallelization details and improve the processing efficiency.

Probabilistic accident consequence uncertainty analysis -- Uncertainty assessment for deposited material and external doses. Volume 2: Appendices

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

Goossens, L.H.J.; Kraan, B.C.P.; Cooke, R.M.

1997-12-01

The development of two new probabilistic accident consequence codes, MACCS and COSYMA, was completed in 1990. These codes estimate the consequence from the accidental releases of radiological material from hypothesized accidents at nuclear installations. In 1991, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Commission of the European Communities began cosponsoring a joint uncertainty analysis of the two codes. The ultimate objective of this joint effort was to systematically develop credible and traceable uncertainty distributions for the respective code input variables. A formal expert judgment elicitation and evaluation process was identified as the best technology available for developing a library ofmore » uncertainty distributions for these consequence parameters. This report focuses on the results of the study to develop distribution for variables related to the MACCS and COSYMA deposited material and external dose models. This volume contains appendices that include (1) a summary of the MACCS and COSYMA consequence codes, (2) the elicitation questionnaires and case structures, (3) the rationales and results for the panel on deposited material and external doses, (4) short biographies of the experts, and (5) the aggregated results of their responses.« less

MHD code using multi graphical processing units: SMAUG+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyenge, N.; Griffiths, M. K.; Erdélyi, R.

2018-01-01

This paper introduces the Sheffield Magnetohydrodynamics Algorithm Using GPUs (SMAUG+), an advanced numerical code for solving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) problems, using multi-GPU systems. Multi-GPU systems facilitate the development of accelerated codes and enable us to investigate larger model sizes and/or more detailed computational domain resolutions. This is a significant advancement over the parent single-GPU MHD code, SMAUG (Griffiths et al., 2015). Here, we demonstrate the validity of the SMAUG + code, describe the parallelisation techniques and investigate performance benchmarks. The initial configuration of the Orszag-Tang vortex simulations are distributed among 4, 16, 64 and 100 GPUs. Furthermore, different simulation box resolutions are applied: 1000 × 1000, 2044 × 2044, 4000 × 4000 and 8000 × 8000 . We also tested the code with the Brio-Wu shock tube simulations with model size of 800 employing up to 10 GPUs. Based on the test results, we observed speed ups and slow downs, depending on the granularity and the communication overhead of certain parallel tasks. The main aim of the code development is to provide massively parallel code without the memory limitation of a single GPU. By using our code, the applied model size could be significantly increased. We demonstrate that we are able to successfully compute numerically valid and large 2D MHD problems.

Code Development in Coupled PARCS/RELAP5 for Supercritical Water Reactor

DOE PAGES

Hu, Po; Wilson, Paul

2014-01-01

The new capability is added to the existing coupled code package PARCS/RELAP5, in order to analyze SCWR design under supercritical pressure with the separated water coolant and moderator channels. This expansion is carried out on both codes. In PARCS, modification is focused on extending the water property tables to supercritical pressure, modifying the variable mapping input file and related code module for processing thermal-hydraulic information from separated coolant/moderator channels, and modifying neutronics feedback module to deal with the separated coolant/moderator channels. In RELAP5, modification is focused on incorporating more accurate water properties near SCWR operation/transient pressure and temperature in themore » code. Confirming tests of the modifications is presented and the major analyzing results from the extended codes package are summarized.« less

On the nature of consonant/vowel differences in letter position coding: Evidence from developing and adult readers.

PubMed

Comesaña, Montserrat; Soares, Ana P; Marcet, Ana; Perea, Manuel

2016-11-01

In skilled adult readers, transposed-letter effects (jugde-JUDGE) are greater for consonant than for vowel transpositions. These differences are often attributed to phonological rather than orthographic processing. To examine this issue, we employed a scenario in which phonological involvement varies as a function of reading experience: A masked priming lexical decision task with 50-ms primes in adult and developing readers. Indeed, masked phonological priming at this prime duration has been consistently reported in adults, but not in developing readers (Davis, Castles, & Iakovidis, 1998). Thus, if consonant/vowel asymmetries in letter position coding with adults are due to phonological influences, transposed-letter priming should occur for both consonant and vowel transpositions in developing readers. Results with adults (Experiment 1) replicated the usual consonant/vowel asymmetry in transposed-letter priming. In contrast, no signs of an asymmetry were found with developing readers (Experiments 2-3). However, Experiments 1-3 did not directly test the existence of phonological involvement. To study this question, Experiment 4 manipulated the phonological prime-target relationship in developing readers. As expected, we found no signs of masked phonological priming. Thus, the present data favour an interpretation of the consonant/vowel dissociation in letter position coding as due to phonological rather than orthographic processing. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Performance Bounds on Two Concatenated, Interleaved Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moision, Bruce; Dolinar, Samuel

2010-01-01

A method has been developed of computing bounds on the performance of a code comprised of two linear binary codes generated by two encoders serially concatenated through an interleaver. Originally intended for use in evaluating the performances of some codes proposed for deep-space communication links, the method can also be used in evaluating the performances of short-block-length codes in other applications. The method applies, more specifically, to a communication system in which following processes take place: At the transmitter, the original binary information that one seeks to transmit is first processed by an encoder into an outer code (Co) characterized by, among other things, a pair of numbers (n,k), where n (n > k)is the total number of code bits associated with k information bits and n k bits are used for correcting or at least detecting errors. Next, the outer code is processed through either a block or a convolutional interleaver. In the block interleaver, the words of the outer code are processed in blocks of I words. In the convolutional interleaver, the interleaving operation is performed bit-wise in N rows with delays that are multiples of B bits. The output of the interleaver is processed through a second encoder to obtain an inner code (Ci) characterized by (ni,ki). The output of the inner code is transmitted over an additive-white-Gaussian- noise channel characterized by a symbol signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Es/No and a bit SNR Eb/No. At the receiver, an inner decoder generates estimates of bits. Depending on whether a block or a convolutional interleaver is used at the transmitter, the sequence of estimated bits is processed through a block or a convolutional de-interleaver, respectively, to obtain estimates of code words. Then the estimates of the code words are processed through an outer decoder, which generates estimates of the original information along with flags indicating which estimates are presumed to be correct and which are found to be erroneous. From the perspective of the present method, the topic of major interest is the performance of the communication system as quantified in the word-error rate and the undetected-error rate as functions of the SNRs and the total latency of the interleaver and inner code. The method is embodied in equations that describe bounds on these functions. Throughout the derivation of the equations that embody the method, it is assumed that the decoder for the outer code corrects any error pattern of t or fewer errors, detects any error pattern of s or fewer errors, may detect some error patterns of more than s errors, and does not correct any patterns of more than t errors. Because a mathematically complete description of the equations that embody the method and of the derivation of the equations would greatly exceed the space available for this article, it must suffice to summarize by reporting that the derivation includes consideration of several complex issues, including relationships between latency and memory requirements for block and convolutional codes, burst error statistics, enumeration of error-event intersections, and effects of different interleaving depths. In a demonstration, the method was used to calculate bounds on the performances of several communication systems, each based on serial concatenation of a (63,56) expurgated Hamming code with a convolutional inner code through a convolutional interleaver. The bounds calculated by use of the method were compared with results of numerical simulations of performances of the systems to show the regions where the bounds are tight (see figure).

Development of children's identity and position processing for letter, digit, and symbol strings: A cross-sectional study of the primary school years.

PubMed

Schubert, Teresa; Badcock, Nicholas; Kohnen, Saskia

2017-10-01

Letter recognition and digit recognition are critical skills for literate adults, yet few studies have considered the development of these skills in children. We conducted a nine-alternative forced-choice (9AFC) partial report task with strings of letters and digits, with typographical symbols (e.g., $, @) as a control, to investigate the development of identity and position processing in children. This task allows for the delineation of identity processing (as overall accuracy) and position coding (as the proportion of position errors). Our participants were students in Grade 1 to Grade 6, allowing us to track the development of these abilities across the primary school years. Our data suggest that although digit processing and letter processing end up with many similarities in adult readers, the developmental trajectories for identity and position processing for the two character types differ. Symbol processing showed little developmental change in terms of identity or position accuracy. We discuss the implications of our results for theories of identity and position coding: modified receptive field, multiple-route model, and lexical tuning. Despite moderate success for some theories, considerable theoretical work is required to explain the developmental trajectories of letter processing and digit processing, which might not be as closely tied in child readers as they are in adult readers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Optimization Framework for Additively Manufactured Structural Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Wardany, Tahany; Lynch, Mathew; Gu, Wenjiong; Hsu, Arthur; Klecka, Michael; Nardi, Aaron; Viens, Daniel

This paper proposes an optimization framework enabling the integration of multi-scale / multi-physics simulation codes to perform structural optimization design for additively manufactured components. Cold spray was selected as the additive manufacturing (AM) process and its constraints were identified and included in the optimization scheme. The developed framework first utilizes topology optimization to maximize stiffness for conceptual design. The subsequent step applies shape optimization to refine the design for stress-life fatigue. The component weight was reduced by 20% while stresses were reduced by 75% and the rigidity was improved by 37%. The framework and analysis codes were implemented using Altair software as well as an in-house loading code. The optimized design was subsequently produced by the cold spray process.

Integration of Dakota into the NEAMS Workbench

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

Swiler, Laura Painton; Lefebvre, Robert A.; Langley, Brandon R.

2017-07-01

This report summarizes a NEAMS (Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation) project focused on integrating Dakota into the NEAMS Workbench. The NEAMS Workbench, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a new software framework that provides a graphical user interface, input file creation, parsing, validation, job execution, workflow management, and output processing for a variety of nuclear codes. Dakota is a tool developed at Sandia National Laboratories that provides a suite of uncertainty quantification and optimization algorithms. Providing Dakota within the NEAMS Workbench allows users of nuclear simulation codes to perform uncertainty and optimization studies on their nuclear codes frommore » within a common, integrated environment. Details of the integration and parsing are provided, along with an example of Dakota running a sampling study on the fuels performance code, BISON, from within the NEAMS Workbench.« less

Keeping abreast with long non-coding RNAs in mammary gland development and breast cancer

PubMed Central

Hansji, Herah; Leung, Euphemia Y.; Baguley, Bruce C.; Finlay, Graeme J.; Askarian-Amiri, Marjan E.

2014-01-01

The majority of the human genome is transcribed, even though only 2% of transcripts encode proteins. Non-coding transcripts were originally dismissed as evolutionary junk or transcriptional noise, but with the development of whole genome technologies, these non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging as molecules with vital roles in regulating gene expression. While shorter ncRNAs have been extensively studied, the functional roles of long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) are still being elucidated. Studies over the last decade show that lncRNAs are emerging as new players in a number of diseases including cancer. Potential roles in both oncogenic and tumor suppressive pathways in cancer have been elucidated, but the biological functions of the majority of lncRNAs remain to be identified. Accumulated data are identifying the molecular mechanisms by which lncRNA mediates both structural and functional roles. LncRNA can regulate gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, including splicing and regulating mRNA processing, transport, and translation. Much current research is aimed at elucidating the function of lncRNAs in breast cancer and mammary gland development, and at identifying the cellular processes influenced by lncRNAs. In this paper we review current knowledge of lncRNAs contributing to these processes and present lncRNA as a new paradigm in breast cancer development. PMID:25400658

An Idealized, Single Radial Swirler, Lean-Direct-Injection (LDI) Concept Meshing Script

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iannetti, Anthony C.; Thompson, Daniel

2008-01-01

To easily study combustor design parameters using computational fluid dynamics codes (CFD), a Gridgen Glyph-based macro (based on the Tcl scripting language) dubbed BladeMaker has been developed for the meshing of an idealized, single radial swirler, lean-direct-injection (LDI) combustor. BladeMaker is capable of taking in a number of parameters, such as blade width, blade tilt with respect to the perpendicular, swirler cup radius, and grid densities, and producing a three-dimensional meshed radial swirler with a can-annular (canned) combustor. This complex script produces a data format suitable for but not specific to the National Combustion Code (NCC), a state-of-the-art CFD code developed for reacting flow processes.

Binary video codec for data reduction in wireless visual sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khursheed, Khursheed; Ahmad, Naeem; Imran, Muhammad; O'Nils, Mattias

2013-02-01

Wireless Visual Sensor Networks (WVSN) is formed by deploying many Visual Sensor Nodes (VSNs) in the field. Typical applications of WVSN include environmental monitoring, health care, industrial process monitoring, stadium/airports monitoring for security reasons and many more. The energy budget in the outdoor applications of WVSN is limited to the batteries and the frequent replacement of batteries is usually not desirable. So the processing as well as the communication energy consumption of the VSN needs to be optimized in such a way that the network remains functional for longer duration. The images captured by VSN contain huge amount of data and require efficient computational resources for processing the images and wide communication bandwidth for the transmission of the results. Image processing algorithms must be designed and developed in such a way that they are computationally less complex and must provide high compression rate. For some applications of WVSN, the captured images can be segmented into bi-level images and hence bi-level image coding methods will efficiently reduce the information amount in these segmented images. But the compression rate of the bi-level image coding methods is limited by the underlined compression algorithm. Hence there is a need for designing other intelligent and efficient algorithms which are computationally less complex and provide better compression rate than that of bi-level image coding methods. Change coding is one such algorithm which is computationally less complex (require only exclusive OR operations) and provide better compression efficiency compared to image coding but it is effective for applications having slight changes between adjacent frames of the video. The detection and coding of the Region of Interest (ROIs) in the change frame efficiently reduce the information amount in the change frame. But, if the number of objects in the change frames is higher than a certain level then the compression efficiency of both the change coding and ROI coding becomes worse than that of image coding. This paper explores the compression efficiency of the Binary Video Codec (BVC) for the data reduction in WVSN. We proposed to implement all the three compression techniques i.e. image coding, change coding and ROI coding at the VSN and then select the smallest bit stream among the results of the three compression techniques. In this way the compression performance of the BVC will never become worse than that of image coding. We concluded that the compression efficiency of BVC is always better than that of change coding and is always better than or equal that of ROI coding and image coding.

GEOtop, a model with coupled water and energy budgets and non linear hydrological interactions. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endrizzi, S.; Gruber, S.; Dall'Amico, M.; Rigon, R.

2013-12-01

This contribution describes the new version of GEOtop which emerges after almost eight years of development from the original version. GEOtop now integrate the 3D Richards equation with a new numerical method; improvements were made on the treatment of surface waters by using the shallow water equation. The freezing-soil module was greatly improved, and the evapotranspiration -vegetation modelling is now based on a double layer scheme. Here we discuss the rational of each choice that was made, and we compare the differences between the actual solutions and the old solutions. In doing we highlight the issues that we faced during the development, including the trade-off between complexity and simplicity of the code, the requirements of a shared development, the different branches that were opened during the evolution of the code, and why we think that a code like GEOtop is indeed necessary. Models where the hydrological cycle is simplified can be built on the base of perceptual models that neglects some fundamental aspects of the hydrological processes, of which some examples are presented. At the same time, also process-based models like GEOtop can indeed neglect some fundamental process: but this is made evident with the comparison with measurements, especially when data are imposed ex-ante, instead than calibrated.

Genes uniquely expressed in human growth plate chondrocytes uncover a distinct regulatory network.

PubMed

Li, Bing; Balasubramanian, Karthika; Krakow, Deborah; Cohn, Daniel H

2017-12-20

Chondrogenesis is the earliest stage of skeletal development and is a highly dynamic process, integrating the activities and functions of transcription factors, cell signaling molecules and extracellular matrix proteins. The molecular mechanisms underlying chondrogenesis have been extensively studied and multiple key regulators of this process have been identified. However, a genome-wide overview of the gene regulatory network in chondrogenesis has not been achieved. In this study, employing RNA sequencing, we identified 332 protein coding genes and 34 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes that are highly selectively expressed in human fetal growth plate chondrocytes. Among the protein coding genes, 32 genes were associated with 62 distinct human skeletal disorders and 153 genes were associated with skeletal defects in knockout mice, confirming their essential roles in skeletal formation. These gene products formed a comprehensive physical interaction network and participated in multiple cellular processes regulating skeletal development. The data also revealed 34 transcription factors and 11,334 distal enhancers that were uniquely active in chondrocytes, functioning as transcriptional regulators for the cartilage-selective genes. Our findings revealed a complex gene regulatory network controlling skeletal development whereby transcription factors, enhancers and lncRNAs participate in chondrogenesis by transcriptional regulation of key genes. Additionally, the cartilage-selective genes represent candidate genes for unsolved human skeletal disorders.

Transcriptome analysis reveals long intergenic non-coding RNAs involved in skeletal muscle growth and development in pig.

PubMed

Zou, Cheng; Li, Jingxuan; Luo, Wenzhe; Li, Long; Hu, An; Fu, Yuhua; Hou, Ye; Li, Changchun

2017-08-18

Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) play essential roles in numerous biological processes and are widely studied. The skeletal muscle is an important tissue that plays an essential role in individual movement ability. However, lincRNAs in pig skeletal muscles are largely undiscovered and their biological functions remain elusive. In this study, we assembled transcriptomes using RNA-seq data published in previous studies of our laboratory group and identified 323 lincRNAs in porcine leg muscle. We found that these lincRNAs have shorter transcript length, fewer exons and lower expression level than protein-coding genes. Gene ontology and pathway analyses indicated that many potential target genes (PTGs) of lincRNAs were involved in skeletal-muscle-related processes, such as muscle contraction and muscle system process. Combined our previous studies, we found a potential regulatory mechanism in which the promoter methylation of lincRNAs can negatively regulate lincRNA expression and then positively regulate PTG expression, which can finally result in abnormal phenotypes of cloned piglets through a certain unknown pathway. This work detailed a number of lincRNAs and their target genes involved in skeletal muscle growth and development and can facilitate future studies on their roles in skeletal muscle growth and development.

Gyrofluid Modeling of Turbulent, Kinetic Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Despain, Kate Marie

2011-12-01

Gyrofluid models to describe plasma turbulence combine the advantages of fluid models, such as lower dimensionality and well-developed intuition, with those of gyrokinetics models, such as finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects. This allows gyrofluid models to be more tractable computationally while still capturing much of the physics related to the FLR of the particles. We present a gyrofluid model derived to capture the behavior of slow solar wind turbulence and describe the computer code developed to implement the model. In addition, we describe the modifications we made to a gyrofluid model and code that simulate plasma turbulence in tokamak geometries. Specifically, we describe a nonlinear phase mixing phenomenon, part of the E x B term, that was previously missing from the model. An inherently FLR effect, it plays an important role in predicting turbulent heat flux and diffusivity levels for the plasma. We demonstrate this importance by comparing results from the updated code to studies done previously by gyrofluid and gyrokinetic codes. We further explain what would be necessary to couple the updated gyrofluid code, gryffin, to a turbulent transport code, thus allowing gryffin to play a role in predicting profiles for fusion devices such as ITER and to explore novel fusion configurations. Such a coupling would require the use of Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) to make the modeling process fast enough to be viable. Consequently, we also describe our experience with GPU computing and demonstrate that we are poised to complete a gryffin port to this innovative architecture.

Word Identification in Reading and the Promise of Subsymbolic Psycholinguistics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Orden, Guy C.; And Others

1990-01-01

It is argued that dual-process theory has misconstrued the correspondence between words' spelling and their phonology. A subsymbolic alternative to dual-processing theory is presented that includes a clear role for the process of phonologic coding. The subsymbolic approach is developed around a covariant learning hypothesis. (SLD)

TEMPEST: A computer code for three-dimensional analysis of transient fluid dynamics

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

Fort, J.A.

TEMPEST (Transient Energy Momentum and Pressure Equations Solutions in Three dimensions) is a powerful tool for solving engineering problems in nuclear energy, waste processing, chemical processing, and environmental restoration because it analyzes and illustrates 3-D time-dependent computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer analysis. It is a family of codes with two primary versions, a N- Version (available to public) and a T-Version (not currently available to public). This handout discusses its capabilities, applications, numerical algorithms, development status, and availability and assistance.

Low Cost Coherent Doppler Lidar Data Acquisition and Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Bruce W.; Koch, Grady J.

2003-01-01

The work described in this paper details the development of a low-cost, short-development time data acquisition and processing system for a coherent Doppler lidar. This was done using common laboratory equipment and a small software investment. This system provides near real-time wind profile measurements. Coding flexibility created a very useful test bed for new techniques.

Developing a workstation-based, real-time simulation for rapid handling qualities evaluations during design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Frederick; Biezad, Daniel J.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the Rapid Aircraft DynamIcs AssessmeNt (RADIAN) project - an integration of the Aircraft SYNThesis (ACSTNT) design code with the USAD DATCOM code that estimates stability derivatives. Both of these codes are available to universities. These programs are then linked to flight simulation and flight controller synthesis tools and resulting design is evaluated on a graphics workstation. The entire process reduces the preliminary design time by an order of magnitude and provides an initial handling qualities evaluation of the design coupled to a control law. The integrated design process is applicable to both conventional aircraft taken from current textbooks and to unconventional designs emphasizing agility and propulsive control of attitude. The interactive and concurrent nature of the design process has been well received by industry and by design engineers at NASA. The process is being implemented into the design curriculum and is being used by students who view it as a significant advance over prior methods.

Multitasking the code ARC3D. [for computational fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, John T.; Hsiung, Christopher C.

1986-01-01

The CRAY multitasking system was developed in order to utilize all four processors and sharply reduce the wall clock run time. This paper describes the techniques used to modify the computational fluid dynamics code ARC3D for this run and analyzes the achieved speedup. The ARC3D code solves either the Euler or thin-layer N-S equations using an implicit approximate factorization scheme. Results indicate that multitask processing can be used to achieve wall clock speedup factors of over three times, depending on the nature of the program code being used. Multitasking appears to be particularly advantageous for large-memory problems running on multiple CPU computers.

Analysis of quantum error-correcting codes: Symplectic lattice codes and toric codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, James William

Quantum information theory is concerned with identifying how quantum mechanical resources (such as entangled quantum states) can be utilized for a number of information processing tasks, including data storage, computation, communication, and cryptography. Efficient quantum algorithms and protocols have been developed for performing some tasks (e.g. , factoring large numbers, securely communicating over a public channel, and simulating quantum mechanical systems) that appear to be very difficult with just classical resources. In addition to identifying the separation between classical and quantum computational power, much of the theoretical focus in this field over the last decade has been concerned with finding novel ways of encoding quantum information that are robust against errors, which is an important step toward building practical quantum information processing devices. In this thesis I present some results on the quantum error-correcting properties of oscillator codes (also described as symplectic lattice codes) and toric codes. Any harmonic oscillator system (such as a mode of light) can be encoded with quantum information via symplectic lattice codes that are robust against shifts in the system's continuous quantum variables. I show the existence of lattice codes whose achievable rates match the one-shot coherent information over the Gaussian quantum channel. Also, I construct a family of symplectic self-dual lattices and search for optimal encodings of quantum information distributed between several oscillators. Toric codes provide encodings of quantum information into two-dimensional spin lattices that are robust against local clusters of errors and which require only local quantum operations for error correction. Numerical simulations of this system under various error models provide a calculation of the accuracy threshold for quantum memory using toric codes, which can be related to phase transitions in certain condensed matter models. I also present a local classical processing scheme for correcting errors on toric codes, which demonstrates that quantum information can be maintained in two dimensions by purely local (quantum and classical) resources.

Assessment of Programming Language Learning Based on Peer Code Review Model: Implementation and Experience Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yanqing; Li, Hang; Feng, Yuqiang; Jiang, Yu; Liu, Ying

2012-01-01

The traditional assessment approach, in which one single written examination counts toward a student's total score, no longer meets new demands of programming language education. Based on a peer code review process model, we developed an online assessment system called "EduPCR" and used a novel approach to assess the learning of computer…

Numerical Studies of Impurities in Fusion Plasmas

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Hulse, R. A.

1982-09-01

The coupled partial differential equations used to describe the behavior of impurity ions in magnetically confined controlled fusion plasmas require numerical solution for cases of practical interest. Computer codes developed for impurity modeling at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory are used as examples of the types of codes employed for this purpose. These codes solve for the impurity ionization state densities and associated radiation rates using atomic physics appropriate for these low-density, high-temperature plasmas. The simpler codes solve local equations in zero spatial dimensions while more complex cases require codes which explicitly include transport of the impurity ions simultaneously with the atomic processes of ionization and recombination. Typical applications are discussed and computational results are presented for selected cases of interest.

SIGNUM: A Matlab, TIN-based landscape evolution model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Refice, A.; Giachetta, E.; Capolongo, D.

2012-08-01

Several numerical landscape evolution models (LEMs) have been developed to date, and many are available as open source codes. Most are written in efficient programming languages such as Fortran or C, but often require additional code efforts to plug in to more user-friendly data analysis and/or visualization tools to ease interpretation and scientific insight. In this paper, we present an effort to port a common core of accepted physical principles governing landscape evolution directly into a high-level language and data analysis environment such as Matlab. SIGNUM (acronym for Simple Integrated Geomorphological Numerical Model) is an independent and self-contained Matlab, TIN-based landscape evolution model, built to simulate topography development at various space and time scales. SIGNUM is presently capable of simulating hillslope processes such as linear and nonlinear diffusion, fluvial incision into bedrock, spatially varying surface uplift which can be used to simulate changes in base level, thrust and faulting, as well as effects of climate changes. Although based on accepted and well-known processes and algorithms in its present version, it is built with a modular structure, which allows to easily modify and upgrade the simulated physical processes to suite virtually any user needs. The code is conceived as an open-source project, and is thus an ideal tool for both research and didactic purposes, thanks to the high-level nature of the Matlab environment and its popularity among the scientific community. In this paper the simulation code is presented together with some simple examples of surface evolution, and guidelines for development of new modules and algorithms are proposed.

Implementation of a kappa-epsilon turbulence model to RPLUS3D code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chitsomboon, Tawit

1992-01-01

The RPLUS3D code has been developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to support the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) project. The code has the ability to solve three dimensional flowfields with finite rate combustion of hydrogen and air. The combustion process of the hydrogen-air system are simulated by an 18 reaction path, 8 species chemical kinetic mechanism. The code uses a Lower-Upper (LU) decomposition numerical algorithm as its basis, making it a very efficient and robust code. Except for the Jacobian matrix for the implicit chemistry source terms, there is no inversion of a matrix even though a fully implicit numerical algorithm is used. A k-epsilon turbulence model has recently been incorporated into the code. Initial validations have been conducted for a flow over a flat plate. Results of the validation studies are shown. Some difficulties in implementing the k-epsilon equations to the code are also discussed.

Implementation of a kappa-epsilon turbulence model to RPLUS3D code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chitsomboon, Tawit

1992-02-01

The RPLUS3D code has been developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to support the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) project. The code has the ability to solve three dimensional flowfields with finite rate combustion of hydrogen and air. The combustion process of the hydrogen-air system are simulated by an 18 reaction path, 8 species chemical kinetic mechanism. The code uses a Lower-Upper (LU) decomposition numerical algorithm as its basis, making it a very efficient and robust code. Except for the Jacobian matrix for the implicit chemistry source terms, there is no inversion of a matrix even though a fully implicit numerical algorithm is used. A k-epsilon turbulence model has recently been incorporated into the code. Initial validations have been conducted for a flow over a flat plate. Results of the validation studies are shown. Some difficulties in implementing the k-epsilon equations to the code are also discussed.

CodeSlinger: a case study in domain-driven interactive tool design for biomedical coding scheme exploration and use.

PubMed

Flowers, Natalie L

2010-01-01

CodeSlinger is a desktop application that was developed to aid medical professionals in the intertranslation, exploration, and use of biomedical coding schemes. The application was designed to provide a highly intuitive, easy-to-use interface that simplifies a complex business problem: a set of time-consuming, laborious tasks that were regularly performed by a group of medical professionals involving manually searching coding books, searching the Internet, and checking documentation references. A workplace observation session with a target user revealed the details of the current process and a clear understanding of the business goals of the target user group. These goals drove the design of the application's interface, which centers on searches for medical conditions and displays the codes found in the application's database that represent those conditions. The interface also allows the exploration of complex conceptual relationships across multiple coding schemes.

DNA rearrangements directed by non-coding RNAs in ciliates

PubMed Central

Mochizuki, Kazufumi

2013-01-01

Extensive programmed rearrangement of DNA, including DNA elimination, chromosome fragmentation, and DNA descrambling, takes place in the newly developed macronucleus during the sexual reproduction of ciliated protozoa. Recent studies have revealed that two distant classes of ciliates use distinct types of non-coding RNAs to regulate such DNA rearrangement events. DNA elimination in Tetrahymena is regulated by small non-coding RNAs that are produced and utilized in an RNAi-related process. It has been proposed that the small RNAs produced from the micronuclear genome are used to identify eliminated DNA sequences by whole-genome comparison between the parental macronucleus and the micronucleus. In contrast, DNA descrambling in Oxytricha is guided by long non-coding RNAs that are produced from the parental macronuclear genome. These long RNAs are proposed to act as templates for the direct descrambling events that occur in the developing macronucleus. Both cases provide useful examples to study epigenetic chromatin regulation by non-coding RNAs. PMID:21956937

On the optimality of a universal noiseless coder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, Pen-Shu; Rice, Robert F.; Miller, Warner H.

1993-01-01

Rice developed a universal noiseless coding structure that provides efficient performance over an extremely broad range of source entropy. This is accomplished by adaptively selecting the best of several easily implemented variable length coding algorithms. Variations of such noiseless coders have been used in many NASA applications. Custom VLSI coder and decoder modules capable of processing over 50 million samples per second have been fabricated and tested. In this study, the first of the code options used in this module development is shown to be equivalent to a class of Huffman code under the Humblet condition, for source symbol sets having a Laplacian distribution. Except for the default option, other options are shown to be equivalent to the Huffman codes of a modified Laplacian symbol set, at specified symbol entropy values. Simulation results are obtained on actual aerial imagery over a wide entropy range, and they confirm the optimality of the scheme. Comparison with other known techniques are performed on several widely used images and the results further validate the coder's optimality.

The effect of multiple internal representations on context-rich instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lasry, Nathaniel; Aulls, Mark W.

2007-11-01

We discuss n-coding, a theoretical model of multiple internal mental representations. The n-coding construct is developed from a review of cognitive and imaging data that demonstrates the independence of information processed along different modalities such as verbal, visual, kinesthetic, logico-mathematic, and social modalities. A study testing the effectiveness of the n-coding construct in classrooms is presented. Four sections differing in the level of n-coding opportunities were compared. Besides a traditional-instruction section used as a control group, each of the remaining three sections were given context-rich problems, which differed by the level of n-coding opportunities designed into their laboratory environment. To measure the effectiveness of the construct, problem-solving skills were assessed as conceptual learning using the force concept inventory. We also developed several new measures that take students' confidence in concepts into account. Our results show that the n-coding construct is useful in designing context-rich environments and can be used to increase learning gains in problem solving, conceptual knowledge, and concept confidence. Specifically, when using props in designing context-rich problems, we find n-coding to be a useful construct in guiding which additional dimensions need to be attended to.

The adaption and use of research codes for performance assessment

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

Liebetrau, A.M.

1987-05-01

Models of real-world phenomena are developed for many reasons. The models are usually, if not always, implemented in the form of a computer code. The characteristics of a code are determined largely by its intended use. Realizations or implementations of detailed mathematical models of complex physical and/or chemical processes are often referred to as research or scientific (RS) codes. Research codes typically require large amounts of computing time. One example of an RS code is a finite-element code for solving complex systems of differential equations that describe mass transfer through some geologic medium. Considerable computing time is required because computationsmore » are done at many points in time and/or space. Codes used to evaluate the overall performance of real-world physical systems are called performance assessment (PA) codes. Performance assessment codes are used to conduct simulated experiments involving systems that cannot be directly observed. Thus, PA codes usually involve repeated simulations of system performance in situations that preclude the use of conventional experimental and statistical methods. 3 figs.« less

Modeling, Measurements, and Fundamental Database Development for Nonequilibrium Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bose, Deepak

2012-01-01

The design of entry vehicles requires predictions of aerothermal environment during the hypersonic phase of their flight trajectories. These predictions are made using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes that often rely on physics and chemistry models of nonequilibrium processes. The primary processes of interest are gas phase chemistry, internal energy relaxation, electronic excitation, nonequilibrium emission and absorption of radiation, and gas-surface interaction leading to surface recession and catalytic recombination. NASAs Hypersonics Project is advancing the state-of-the-art in modeling of nonequilibrium phenomena by making detailed spectroscopic measurements in shock tube and arcjets, using ab-initio quantum mechanical techniques develop fundamental chemistry and spectroscopic databases, making fundamental measurements of finite-rate gas surface interactions, implementing of detailed mechanisms in the state-of-the-art CFD codes, The development of new models is based on validation with relevant experiments. We will present the latest developments and a roadmap for the technical areas mentioned above

Identification of coding and non-coding mutational hotspots in cancer genomes.

PubMed

Piraino, Scott W; Furney, Simon J

2017-01-05

The identification of mutations that play a causal role in tumour development, so called "driver" mutations, is of critical importance for understanding how cancers form and how they might be treated. Several large cancer sequencing projects have identified genes that are recurrently mutated in cancer patients, suggesting a role in tumourigenesis. While the landscape of coding drivers has been extensively studied and many of the most prominent driver genes are well characterised, comparatively less is known about the role of mutations in the non-coding regions of the genome in cancer development. The continuing fall in genome sequencing costs has resulted in a concomitant increase in the number of cancer whole genome sequences being produced, facilitating systematic interrogation of both the coding and non-coding regions of cancer genomes. To examine the mutational landscapes of tumour genomes we have developed a novel method to identify mutational hotspots in tumour genomes using both mutational data and information on evolutionary conservation. We have applied our methodology to over 1300 whole cancer genomes and show that it identifies prominent coding and non-coding regions that are known or highly suspected to play a role in cancer. Importantly, we applied our method to the entire genome, rather than relying on predefined annotations (e.g. promoter regions) and we highlight recurrently mutated regions that may have resulted from increased exposure to mutational processes rather than selection, some of which have been identified previously as targets of selection. Finally, we implicate several pan-cancer and cancer-specific candidate non-coding regions, which could be involved in tumourigenesis. We have developed a framework to identify mutational hotspots in cancer genomes, which is applicable to the entire genome. This framework identifies known and novel coding and non-coding mutional hotspots and can be used to differentiate candidate driver regions from likely passenger regions susceptible to somatic mutation.

Development and Implementation of CFD-Informed Models for the Advanced Subchannel Code CTF

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

Blyth, Taylor S.; Avramova, Maria

The research described in this PhD thesis contributes to the development of efficient methods for utilization of high-fidelity models and codes to inform low-fidelity models and codes in the area of nuclear reactor core thermal-hydraulics. The objective is to increase the accuracy of predictions of quantities of interests using high-fidelity CFD models while preserving the efficiency of low-fidelity subchannel core calculations. An original methodology named Physics- based Approach for High-to-Low Model Information has been further developed and tested. The overall physical phenomena and corresponding localized effects, which are introduced by the presence of spacer grids in light water reactor (LWR)more » cores, are dissected in corresponding four building basic processes, and corresponding models are informed using high-fidelity CFD codes. These models are a spacer grid-directed cross-flow model, a grid-enhanced turbulent mixing model, a heat transfer enhancement model, and a spacer grid pressure loss model. The localized CFD-models are developed and tested using the CFD code STAR-CCM+, and the corresponding global model development and testing in sub-channel formulation is performed in the thermal- hydraulic subchannel code CTF. The improved CTF simulations utilize data-files derived from CFD STAR-CCM+ simulation results covering the spacer grid design desired for inclusion in the CTF calculation. The current implementation of these models is examined and possibilities for improvement and further development are suggested. The validation experimental database is extended by including the OECD/NRC PSBT benchmark data. The outcome is an enhanced accuracy of CTF predictions while preserving the computational efficiency of a low-fidelity subchannel code.« less

Development and Implementation of CFD-Informed Models for the Advanced Subchannel Code CTF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blyth, Taylor S.

The research described in this PhD thesis contributes to the development of efficient methods for utilization of high-fidelity models and codes to inform low-fidelity models and codes in the area of nuclear reactor core thermal-hydraulics. The objective is to increase the accuracy of predictions of quantities of interests using high-fidelity CFD models while preserving the efficiency of low-fidelity subchannel core calculations. An original methodology named Physics-based Approach for High-to-Low Model Information has been further developed and tested. The overall physical phenomena and corresponding localized effects, which are introduced by the presence of spacer grids in light water reactor (LWR) cores, are dissected in corresponding four building basic processes, and corresponding models are informed using high-fidelity CFD codes. These models are a spacer grid-directed cross-flow model, a grid-enhanced turbulent mixing model, a heat transfer enhancement model, and a spacer grid pressure loss model. The localized CFD-models are developed and tested using the CFD code STAR-CCM+, and the corresponding global model development and testing in sub-channel formulation is performed in the thermal-hydraulic subchannel code CTF. The improved CTF simulations utilize data-files derived from CFD STAR-CCM+ simulation results covering the spacer grid design desired for inclusion in the CTF calculation. The current implementation of these models is examined and possibilities for improvement and further development are suggested. The validation experimental database is extended by including the OECD/NRC PSBT benchmark data. The outcome is an enhanced accuracy of CTF predictions while preserving the computational efficiency of a low-fidelity subchannel code.

Galen: a third generation terminology tool to support a multipurpose national coding system for surgical procedures.

PubMed

Trombert-Paviot, B; Rodrigues, J M; Rogers, J E; Baud, R; van der Haring, E; Rassinoux, A M; Abrial, V; Clavel, L; Idir, H

1999-01-01

GALEN has developed a new generation of terminology tools based on a language independent concept reference model using a compositional formalism allowing computer processing and multiple reuses. During the 4th framework program project Galen-In-Use we applied the modelling and the tools to the development of a new multipurpose coding system for surgical procedures (CCAM) in France. On one hand we contributed to a language independent knowledge repository for multicultural Europe. On the other hand we support the traditional process for creating a new coding system in medicine which is very much labour consuming by artificial intelligence tools using a medically oriented recursive ontology and natural language processing. We used an integrated software named CLAW to process French professional medical language rubrics produced by the national colleges of surgeons into intermediate dissections and to the Grail reference ontology model representation. From this language independent concept model representation on one hand we generate controlled French natural language to support the finalization of the linguistic labels in relation with the meanings of the conceptual system structure. On the other hand the classification manager of third generation proves to be very powerful to retrieve the initial professional rubrics with different categories of concepts within a semantic network.

Schnek: A C++ library for the development of parallel simulation codes on regular grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, Holger

2018-05-01

A large number of algorithms across the field of computational physics are formulated on grids with a regular topology. We present Schnek, a library that enables fast development of parallel simulations on regular grids. Schnek contains a number of easy-to-use modules that greatly reduce the amount of administrative code for large-scale simulation codes. The library provides an interface for reading simulation setup files with a hierarchical structure. The structure of the setup file is translated into a hierarchy of simulation modules that the developer can specify. The reader parses and evaluates mathematical expressions and initialises variables or grid data. This enables developers to write modular and flexible simulation codes with minimal effort. Regular grids of arbitrary dimension are defined as well as mechanisms for defining physical domain sizes, grid staggering, and ghost cells on these grids. Ghost cells can be exchanged between neighbouring processes using MPI with a simple interface. The grid data can easily be written into HDF5 files using serial or parallel I/O.

Research on pre-processing of QR Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Haixing; Xia, Haojie; Dong, Ning

2013-10-01

QR code encodes many kinds of information because of its advantages: large storage capacity, high reliability, full arrange of utter-high-speed reading, small printing size and high-efficient representation of Chinese characters, etc. In order to obtain the clearer binarization image from complex background, and improve the recognition rate of QR code, this paper researches on pre-processing methods of QR code (Quick Response Code), and shows algorithms and results of image pre-processing for QR code recognition. Improve the conventional method by changing the Souvola's adaptive text recognition method. Additionally, introduce the QR code Extraction which adapts to different image size, flexible image correction approach, and improve the efficiency and accuracy of QR code image processing.

Code inspection instructional validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, Kay; Stancil, Shirley

1992-01-01

The Shuttle Data Systems Branch (SDSB) of the Flight Data Systems Division (FDSD) at Johnson Space Center contracted with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to validate the effectiveness of an interactive video course on the code inspection process. The purpose of this project was to determine if this course could be effective for teaching NASA analysts the process of code inspection. In addition, NASA was interested in the effectiveness of this unique type of instruction (Digital Video Interactive), for providing training on software processes. This study found the Carnegie Mellon course, 'A Cure for the Common Code', effective for teaching the process of code inspection. In addition, analysts prefer learning with this method of instruction, or this method in combination with other methods. As is, the course is definitely better than no course at all; however, findings indicate changes are needed. Following are conclusions of this study. (1) The course is instructionally effective. (2) The simulation has a positive effect on student's confidence in his ability to apply new knowledge. (3) Analysts like the course and prefer this method of training, or this method in combination with current methods of training in code inspection, over the way training is currently being conducted. (4) Analysts responded favorably to information presented through scenarios incorporating full motion video. (5) Some course content needs to be changed. (6) Some content needs to be added to the course. SwRI believes this study indicates interactive video instruction combined with simulation is effective for teaching software processes. Based on the conclusions of this study, SwRI has outlined seven options for NASA to consider. SwRI recommends the option which involves creation of new source code and data files, but uses much of the existing content and design from the current course. Although this option involves a significant software development effort, SwRI believes this option will produce the most effective results.

The National Transport Code Collaboration Module Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kritz, A. H.; Bateman, G.; Kinsey, J.; Pankin, A.; Onjun, T.; Redd, A.; McCune, D.; Ludescher, C.; Pletzer, A.; Andre, R.; Zakharov, L.; Lodestro, L.; Pearlstein, L. D.; Jong, R.; Houlberg, W.; Strand, P.; Wiley, J.; Valanju, P.; John, H. St.; Waltz, R.; Mandrekas, J.; Mau, T. K.; Carlsson, J.; Braams, B.

2004-12-01

This paper reports on the progress in developing a library of code modules under the auspices of the National Transport Code Collaboration (NTCC). Code modules are high quality, fully documented software packages with a clearly defined interface. The modules provide a variety of functions, such as implementing numerical physics models; performing ancillary functions such as I/O or graphics; or providing tools for dealing with common issues in scientific programming such as portability of Fortran codes. Researchers in the plasma community submit code modules, and a review procedure is followed to insure adherence to programming and documentation standards. The review process is designed to provide added confidence with regard to the use of the modules and to allow users and independent reviews to validate the claims of the modules' authors. All modules include source code; clear instructions for compilation of binaries on a variety of target architectures; and test cases with well-documented input and output. All the NTCC modules and ancillary information, such as current standards and documentation, are available from the NTCC Module Library Website http://w3.pppl.gov/NTCC. The goal of the project is to develop a resource of value to builders of integrated modeling codes and to plasma physics researchers generally. Currently, there are more than 40 modules in the module library.

The ZPIC educational code suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calado, R.; Pardal, M.; Ninhos, P.; Helm, A.; Mori, W. B.; Decyk, V. K.; Vieira, J.; Silva, L. O.; Fonseca, R. A.

2017-10-01

Particle-in-Cell (PIC) codes are used in almost all areas of plasma physics, such as fusion energy research, plasma accelerators, space physics, ion propulsion, and plasma processing, and many other areas. In this work, we present the ZPIC educational code suite, a new initiative to foster training in plasma physics using computer simulations. Leveraging on our expertise and experience from the development and use of the OSIRIS PIC code, we have developed a suite of 1D/2D fully relativistic electromagnetic PIC codes, as well as 1D electrostatic. These codes are self-contained and require only a standard laptop/desktop computer with a C compiler to be run. The output files are written in a new file format called ZDF that can be easily read using the supplied routines in a number of languages, such as Python, and IDL. The code suite also includes a number of example problems that can be used to illustrate several textbook and advanced plasma mechanisms, including instructions for parameter space exploration. We also invite contributions to this repository of test problems that will be made freely available to the community provided the input files comply with the format defined by the ZPIC team. The code suite is freely available and hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/zambzamb/zpic. Work partially supported by PICKSC.

Evaluation of seismic design spectrum based on UHS implementing fourth-generation seismic hazard maps of Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Ali; Hasan, Rafiq; Pekau, Oscar A.

2016-12-01

Two recent developments have come into the forefront with reference to updating the seismic design provisions for codes: (1) publication of new seismic hazard maps for Canada by the Geological Survey of Canada, and (2) emergence of the concept of new spectral format outdating the conventional standardized spectral format. The fourth -generation seismic hazard maps are based on enriched seismic data, enhanced knowledge of regional seismicity and improved seismic hazard modeling techniques. Therefore, the new maps are more accurate and need to incorporate into the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC) for its next edition similar to its building counterpart National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). In fact, the code writers expressed similar intentions with comments in the commentary of CHBCD 2006. During the process of updating codes, NBCC, and AASHTO Guide Specifications for LRFD Seismic Bridge Design, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington (2009) lowered the probability level from 10 to 2% and 10 to 5%, respectively. This study has brought five sets of hazard maps corresponding to 2%, 5% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years developed by the GSC under investigation. To have a sound statistical inference, 389 Canadian cities are selected. This study shows the implications of the changes of new hazard maps on the design process (i.e., extent of magnification or reduction of the design forces).

Aeroacoustic Codes for Rotor Harmonic and BVI Noise. CAMRAD.Mod1/HIRES: Methodology and Users' Manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, D. Douglas, Jr.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Burley, Casey L.; Jolly, J. Ralph, Jr.

1998-01-01

This document details the methodology and use of the CAMRAD.Mod1/HIRES codes, which were developed at NASA Langley Research Center for the prediction of helicopter harmonic and Blade-Vortex Interaction (BVI) noise. CANMAD.Mod1 is a substantially modified version of the performance/trim/wake code CANMAD. High resolution blade loading is determined in post-processing by HIRES and an associated indicial aerodynamics code. Extensive capabilities of importance to noise prediction accuracy are documented, including a new multi-core tip vortex roll-up wake model, higher harmonic and individual blade control, tunnel and fuselage correction input, diagnostic blade motion input, and interfaces for acoustic and CFD aerodynamics codes. Modifications and new code capabilities are documented with examples. A users' job preparation guide and listings of variables and namelists are given.

A Bayesian network coding scheme for annotating biomedical information presented to genetic counseling clients.

PubMed

Green, Nancy

2005-04-01

We developed a Bayesian network coding scheme for annotating biomedical content in layperson-oriented clinical genetics documents. The coding scheme supports the representation of probabilistic and causal relationships among concepts in this domain, at a high enough level of abstraction to capture commonalities among genetic processes and their relationship to health. We are using the coding scheme to annotate a corpus of genetic counseling patient letters as part of the requirements analysis and knowledge acquisition phase of a natural language generation project. This paper describes the coding scheme and presents an evaluation of intercoder reliability for its tag set. In addition to giving examples of use of the coding scheme for analysis of discourse and linguistic features in this genre, we suggest other uses for it in analysis of layperson-oriented text and dialogue in medical communication.

Preliminary results of 3D dose calculations with MCNP-4B code from a SPECT image.

PubMed

Rodríguez Gual, M; Lima, F F; Sospedra Alfonso, R; González González, J; Calderón Marín, C

2004-01-01

Interface software was developed to generate the input file to run Monte Carlo MCNP-4B code from medical image in Interfile format version 3.3. The software was tested using a spherical phantom of tomography slides with known cumulated activity distribution in Interfile format generated with IMAGAMMA medical image processing system. The 3D dose calculation obtained with Monte Carlo MCNP-4B code was compared with the voxel S factor method. The results show a relative error between both methods less than 1 %.

DSP code optimization based on cache

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chengfa; Li, Chengcheng; Tang, Bin

2013-03-01

DSP program's running efficiency on board is often lower than which via the software simulation during the program development, which is mainly resulted from the user's improper use and incomplete understanding of the cache-based memory. This paper took the TI TMS320C6455 DSP as an example, analyzed its two-level internal cache, and summarized the methods of code optimization. Processor can achieve its best performance when using these code optimization methods. At last, a specific algorithm application in radar signal processing is proposed. Experiment result shows that these optimization are efficient.

Development and Validation of a Natural Language Processing Tool to Identify Patients Treated for Pneumonia across VA Emergency Departments.

PubMed

Jones, B E; South, B R; Shao, Y; Lu, C C; Leng, J; Sauer, B C; Gundlapalli, A V; Samore, M H; Zeng, Q

2018-01-01

Identifying pneumonia using diagnosis codes alone may be insufficient for research on clinical decision making. Natural language processing (NLP) may enable the inclusion of cases missed by diagnosis codes. This article (1) develops a NLP tool that identifies the clinical assertion of pneumonia from physician emergency department (ED) notes, and (2) compares classification methods using diagnosis codes versus NLP against a gold standard of manual chart review to identify patients initially treated for pneumonia. Among a national population of ED visits occurring between 2006 and 2012 across the Veterans Affairs health system, we extracted 811 physician documents containing search terms for pneumonia for training, and 100 random documents for validation. Two reviewers annotated span- and document-level classifications of the clinical assertion of pneumonia. An NLP tool using a support vector machine was trained on the enriched documents. We extracted diagnosis codes assigned in the ED and upon hospital discharge and calculated performance characteristics for diagnosis codes, NLP, and NLP plus diagnosis codes against manual review in training and validation sets. Among the training documents, 51% contained clinical assertions of pneumonia; in the validation set, 9% were classified with pneumonia, of which 100% contained pneumonia search terms. After enriching with search terms, the NLP system alone demonstrated a recall/sensitivity of 0.72 (training) and 0.55 (validation), and a precision/positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.89 (training) and 0.71 (validation). ED-assigned diagnostic codes demonstrated lower recall/sensitivity (0.48 and 0.44) but higher precision/PPV (0.95 in training, 1.0 in validation); the NLP system identified more "possible-treated" cases than diagnostic coding. An approach combining NLP and ED-assigned diagnostic coding classification achieved the best performance (sensitivity 0.89 and PPV 0.80). System-wide application of NLP to clinical text can increase capture of initial diagnostic hypotheses, an important inclusion when studying diagnosis and clinical decision-making under uncertainty. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

Leap Frog and Time Step Sub-Cycle Scheme for Coupled Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic Codes

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

Lu, S.

2002-07-01

As the result of the advancing TCP/IP based inter-process communication technology, more and more legacy thermal-hydraulic codes have been coupled with neutronics codes to provide best-estimate capabilities for reactivity related reactor transient analysis. Most of the coupling schemes are based on closely coupled serial or parallel approaches. Therefore, the execution of the coupled codes usually requires significant CPU time, when a complicated system is analyzed. Leap Frog scheme has been used to reduce the run time. The extent of the decoupling is usually determined based on a trial and error process for a specific analysis. It is the intent ofmore » this paper to develop a set of general criteria, which can be used to invoke the automatic Leap Frog algorithm. The algorithm will not only provide the run time reduction but also preserve the accuracy. The criteria will also serve as the base of an automatic time step sub-cycle scheme when a sudden reactivity change is introduced and the thermal-hydraulic code is marching with a relatively large time step. (authors)« less

Semi-automated Modular Program Constructor for physiological modeling: Building cell and organ models.

PubMed

Jardine, Bartholomew; Raymond, Gary M; Bassingthwaighte, James B

2015-01-01

The Modular Program Constructor (MPC) is an open-source Java based modeling utility, built upon JSim's Mathematical Modeling Language (MML) ( http://www.physiome.org/jsim/) that uses directives embedded in model code to construct larger, more complicated models quickly and with less error than manually combining models. A major obstacle in writing complex models for physiological processes is the large amount of time it takes to model the myriad processes taking place simultaneously in cells, tissues, and organs. MPC replaces this task with code-generating algorithms that take model code from several different existing models and produce model code for a new JSim model. This is particularly useful during multi-scale model development where many variants are to be configured and tested against data. MPC encodes and preserves information about how a model is built from its simpler model modules, allowing the researcher to quickly substitute or update modules for hypothesis testing. MPC is implemented in Java and requires JSim to use its output. MPC source code and documentation are available at http://www.physiome.org/software/MPC/.

SHARAKU: an algorithm for aligning and clustering read mapping profiles of deep sequencing in non-coding RNA processing.

PubMed

Tsuchiya, Mariko; Amano, Kojiro; Abe, Masaya; Seki, Misato; Hase, Sumitaka; Sato, Kengo; Sakakibara, Yasubumi

2016-06-15

Deep sequencing of the transcripts of regulatory non-coding RNA generates footprints of post-transcriptional processes. After obtaining sequence reads, the short reads are mapped to a reference genome, and specific mapping patterns can be detected called read mapping profiles, which are distinct from random non-functional degradation patterns. These patterns reflect the maturation processes that lead to the production of shorter RNA sequences. Recent next-generation sequencing studies have revealed not only the typical maturation process of miRNAs but also the various processing mechanisms of small RNAs derived from tRNAs and snoRNAs. We developed an algorithm termed SHARAKU to align two read mapping profiles of next-generation sequencing outputs for non-coding RNAs. In contrast with previous work, SHARAKU incorporates the primary and secondary sequence structures into an alignment of read mapping profiles to allow for the detection of common processing patterns. Using a benchmark simulated dataset, SHARAKU exhibited superior performance to previous methods for correctly clustering the read mapping profiles with respect to 5'-end processing and 3'-end processing from degradation patterns and in detecting similar processing patterns in deriving the shorter RNAs. Further, using experimental data of small RNA sequencing for the common marmoset brain, SHARAKU succeeded in identifying the significant clusters of read mapping profiles for similar processing patterns of small derived RNA families expressed in the brain. The source code of our program SHARAKU is available at http://www.dna.bio.keio.ac.jp/sharaku/, and the simulated dataset used in this work is available at the same link. Accession code: The sequence data from the whole RNA transcripts in the hippocampus of the left brain used in this work is available from the DNA DataBank of Japan (DDBJ) Sequence Read Archive (DRA) under the accession number DRA004502. yasu@bio.keio.ac.jp Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Noise suppression methods for robust speech processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boll, S. F.; Ravindra, H.; Randall, G.; Armantrout, R.; Power, R.

1980-05-01

Robust speech processing in practical operating environments requires effective environmental and processor noise suppression. This report describes the technical findings and accomplishments during this reporting period for the research program funded to develop real time, compressed speech analysis synthesis algorithms whose performance in invariant under signal contamination. Fulfillment of this requirement is necessary to insure reliable secure compressed speech transmission within realistic military command and control environments. Overall contributions resulting from this research program include the understanding of how environmental noise degrades narrow band, coded speech, development of appropriate real time noise suppression algorithms, and development of speech parameter identification methods that consider signal contamination as a fundamental element in the estimation process. This report describes the current research and results in the areas of noise suppression using the dual input adaptive noise cancellation using the short time Fourier transform algorithms, articulation rate change techniques, and a description of an experiment which demonstrated that the spectral subtraction noise suppression algorithm can improve the intelligibility of 2400 bps, LPC 10 coded, helicopter speech by 10.6 point.

Measuring diagnoses: ICD code accuracy.

PubMed

O'Malley, Kimberly J; Cook, Karon F; Price, Matt D; Wildes, Kimberly Raiford; Hurdle, John F; Ashton, Carol M

2005-10-01

To examine potential sources of errors at each step of the described inpatient International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding process. The use of disease codes from the ICD has expanded from classifying morbidity and mortality information for statistical purposes to diverse sets of applications in research, health care policy, and health care finance. By describing a brief history of ICD coding, detailing the process for assigning codes, identifying where errors can be introduced into the process, and reviewing methods for examining code accuracy, we help code users more systematically evaluate code accuracy for their particular applications. We summarize the inpatient ICD diagnostic coding process from patient admission to diagnostic code assignment. We examine potential sources of errors at each step and offer code users a tool for systematically evaluating code accuracy. Main error sources along the "patient trajectory" include amount and quality of information at admission, communication among patients and providers, the clinician's knowledge and experience with the illness, and the clinician's attention to detail. Main error sources along the "paper trail" include variance in the electronic and written records, coder training and experience, facility quality-control efforts, and unintentional and intentional coder errors, such as misspecification, unbundling, and upcoding. By clearly specifying the code assignment process and heightening their awareness of potential error sources, code users can better evaluate the applicability and limitations of codes for their particular situations. ICD codes can then be used in the most appropriate ways.

Inter-individual differences in how presentation modality affects verbal learning performance in children aged 5 to 16.

PubMed

Meijs, Celeste; Hurks, Petra P M; Wassenberg, Renske; Feron, Frans J M; Jolles, Jelle

2016-01-01

This study examines inter-individual differences in how presentation modality affects verbal learning performance. Children aged 5 to 16 performed a verbal learning test within one of three presentation modalities: pictorial, auditory, or textual. The results indicated that a beneficial effect of pictures exists over auditory and textual presentation modalities and that this effect increases with age. However, this effect is only found if the information to be learned is presented once (or at most twice) and only in children above the age of 7. The results may be explained in terms of single or dual coding of information in which the phonological loop is involved. Development of the (sub)vocal rehearsal system in the phonological loop is believed to be a gradual process that begins developing around the age of 7. The developmental trajectories are similar for boys and girls. Additionally, auditory information and textual information both seemed to be processed in a similar manner, namely without labeling or recoding, leading to single coding. In contrast, pictures are assumed to be processed by the dual coding of both the visual information and a (verbal) labeling of the pictures.

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

De Blas, Alfredo; Tapia, Carlos; Riego, Albert

pGamma is a code developed by the NERG group of the Technical University of Catalonia - Barcelona Tech for the analysis of gamma spectra generated by the Equipment for the Continuous Measurement and Identification of Gamma Radioactivity on Aerosols with Paper Filter developed for our group and Raditel Servies company. Nowadays the code is in the process of adaptation for the monitors of the Environmental Radiological Surveillance Network of the Local Government of Catalonia (Generalitat of Catalonia), Spain. The code is a Spectrum Analysis System, it identifies the gamma emitters on the spectrum, determines its Concentration of Activity, generates alarmsmore » depending on the Activity of the emitters and generates a report. The Spectrum Analysis System includes a library with emitters of interest, NORM and artificial. The code is being used on the three stations with the aerosol monitor of the Network (Asco and Vandellos, near both Nuclear Power Plants and Barcelona). (authors)« less

Development of Tripropellant CFD Design Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farmer, Richard C.; Cheng, Gary C.; Anderson, Peter G.

1998-01-01

A tripropellant, such as GO2/H2/RP-1, CFD design code has been developed to predict the local mixing of multiple propellant streams as they are injected into a rocket motor. The code utilizes real fluid properties to account for the mixing and finite-rate combustion processes which occur near an injector faceplate, thus the analysis serves as a multi-phase homogeneous spray combustion model. Proper accounting of the combustion allows accurate gas-side temperature predictions which are essential for accurate wall heating analyses. The complex secondary flows which are predicted to occur near a faceplate cannot be quantitatively predicted by less accurate methodology. Test cases have been simulated to describe an axisymmetric tripropellant coaxial injector and a 3-dimensional RP-1/LO2 impinger injector system. The analysis has been shown to realistically describe such injector combustion flowfields. The code is also valuable to design meaningful future experiments by determining the critical location and type of measurements needed.

TRENCADIS--a WSRF grid MiddleWare for managing DICOM structured reporting objects.

PubMed

Blanquer, Ignacio; Hernandez, Vicente; Segrelles, Damià

2006-01-01

The adoption of the digital processing of medical data, especially on radiology, has leaded to the availability of millions of records (images and reports). However, this information is mainly used at patient level, being the extraction of information, organised according to administrative criteria, which make the extraction of knowledge difficult. Moreover, legal constraints make the direct integration of information systems complex or even impossible. On the other side, the widespread of the DICOM format has leaded to the inclusion of other information different from just radiological images. The possibility of coding radiology reports in a structured form, adding semantic information about the data contained in the DICOM objects, eases the process of structuring images according to content. DICOM Structured Reporting (DICOM-SR) is a specification of tags and sections to code and integrate radiology reports, with seamless references to findings and regions of interests of the associated images, movies, waveforms, signals, etc. The work presented in this paper aims at developing of a framework to efficiently and securely share medical images and radiology reports, as well as to provide high throughput processing services. This system is based on a previously developed architecture in the framework of the TRENCADIS project, and uses other components such as the security system and the Grid processing service developed in previous activities. The work presented here introduces a semantic structuring and an ontology framework, to organise medical images considering standard terminology and disease coding formats (SNOMED, ICD9, LOINC..).

Iterative categorization (IC): a systematic technique for analysing qualitative data.

PubMed

Neale, Joanne

2016-06-01

The processes of analysing qualitative data, particularly the stage between coding and publication, are often vague and/or poorly explained within addiction science and research more broadly. A simple but rigorous and transparent technique for analysing qualitative textual data, developed within the field of addiction, is described. The technique, iterative categorization (IC), is suitable for use with inductive and deductive codes and can support a range of common analytical approaches, e.g. thematic analysis, Framework, constant comparison, analytical induction, content analysis, conversational analysis, discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis and narrative analysis. Once the data have been coded, the only software required is a standard word processing package. Worked examples are provided. © 2016 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.

Legacy Code Modernization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hribar, Michelle R.; Frumkin, Michael; Jin, Haoqiang; Waheed, Abdul; Yan, Jerry; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

Over the past decade, high performance computing has evolved rapidly; systems based on commodity microprocessors have been introduced in quick succession from at least seven vendors/families. Porting codes to every new architecture is a difficult problem; in particular, here at NASA, there are many large CFD applications that are very costly to port to new machines by hand. The LCM ("Legacy Code Modernization") Project is the development of an integrated parallelization environment (IPE) which performs the automated mapping of legacy CFD (Fortran) applications to state-of-the-art high performance computers. While most projects to port codes focus on the parallelization of the code, we consider porting to be an iterative process consisting of several steps: 1) code cleanup, 2) serial optimization,3) parallelization, 4) performance monitoring and visualization, 5) intelligent tools for automated tuning using performance prediction and 6) machine specific optimization. The approach for building this parallelization environment is to build the components for each of the steps simultaneously and then integrate them together. The demonstration will exhibit our latest research in building this environment: 1. Parallelizing tools and compiler evaluation. 2. Code cleanup and serial optimization using automated scripts 3. Development of a code generator for performance prediction 4. Automated partitioning 5. Automated insertion of directives. These demonstrations will exhibit the effectiveness of an automated approach for all the steps involved with porting and tuning a legacy code application for a new architecture.

Sifting, sorting and saturating data in a grounded theory study of information use by practice nurses: a worked example.

PubMed

Hoare, Karen J; Mills, Jane; Francis, Karen

2012-12-01

The terminology used to analyse data in a grounded theory study can be confusing. Different grounded theorists use a variety of terms which all have similar meanings. In the following study, we use terms adopted by Charmaz including: initial, focused and axial coding. Initial codes are used to analyse data with an emphasis on identifying gerunds, a verb acting as a noun. If initial codes are relevant to the developing theory, they are grouped with similar codes into categories. Categories become saturated when there are no new codes identified in the data. Axial codes are used to link categories together into a grounded theory process. Memo writing accompanies this data sifting and sorting. The following article explains how one initial code became a category providing a worked example of the grounded theory method of constant comparative analysis. The interplay between coding and categorization is facilitated by the constant comparative method. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Simulating Coupling Complexity in Space Plasmas: First Results from a new code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryukov, I.; Zank, G. P.; Pogorelov, N. V.; Raeder, J.; Ciardo, G.; Florinski, V. A.; Heerikhuisen, J.; Li, G.; Petrini, F.; Shematovich, V. I.; Winske, D.; Shaikh, D.; Webb, G. M.; Yee, H. M.

2005-12-01

The development of codes that embrace 'coupling complexity' via the self-consistent incorporation of multiple physical scales and multiple physical processes in models has been identified by the NRC Decadal Survey in Solar and Space Physics as a crucial necessary development in simulation/modeling technology for the coming decade. The National Science Foundation, through its Information Technology Research (ITR) Program, is supporting our efforts to develop a new class of computational code for plasmas and neutral gases that integrates multiple scales and multiple physical processes and descriptions. We are developing a highly modular, parallelized, scalable code that incorporates multiple scales by synthesizing 3 simulation technologies: 1) Computational fluid dynamics (hydrodynamics or magneto-hydrodynamics-MHD) for the large-scale plasma; 2) direct Monte Carlo simulation of atoms/neutral gas, and 3) transport code solvers to model highly energetic particle distributions. We are constructing the code so that a fourth simulation technology, hybrid simulations for microscale structures and particle distributions, can be incorporated in future work, but for the present, this aspect will be addressed at a test-particle level. This synthesis we will provide a computational tool that will advance our understanding of the physics of neutral and charged gases enormously. Besides making major advances in basic plasma physics and neutral gas problems, this project will address 3 Grand Challenge space physics problems that reflect our research interests: 1) To develop a temporal global heliospheric model which includes the interaction of solar and interstellar plasma with neutral populations (hydrogen, helium, etc., and dust), test-particle kinetic pickup ion acceleration at the termination shock, anomalous cosmic ray production, interaction with galactic cosmic rays, while incorporating the time variability of the solar wind and the solar cycle. 2) To develop a coronal mass ejection and interplanetary shock propagation model for the inner and outer heliosphere, including, at a test-particle level, wave-particle interactions and particle acceleration at traveling shock waves and compression regions. 3) To develop an advanced Geospace General Circulation Model (GGCM) capable of realistically modeling space weather events, in particular the interaction with CMEs and geomagnetic storms. Furthermore, by implementing scalable run-time supports and sophisticated off- and on-line prediction algorithms, we anticipate important advances in the development of automatic and intelligent system software to optimize a wide variety of 'embedded' computations on parallel computers. Finally, public domain MHD and hydrodynamic codes had a transforming effect on space and astrophysics. We expect that our new generation, open source, public domain multi-scale code will have a similar transformational effect in a variety of disciplines, opening up new classes of problems to physicists and engineers alike.

A code inspection process for security reviews

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

Garzoglio, Gabriele; /Fermilab

2009-05-01

In recent years, it has become more and more evident that software threat communities are taking an increasing interest in Grid infrastructures. To mitigate the security risk associated with the increased numbers of attacks, the Grid software development community needs to scale up effort to reduce software vulnerabilities. This can be achieved by introducing security review processes as a standard project management practice. The Grid Facilities Department of the Fermilab Computing Division has developed a code inspection process, tailored to reviewing security properties of software. The goal of the process is to identify technical risks associated with an application andmore » their impact. This is achieved by focusing on the business needs of the application (what it does and protects), on understanding threats and exploit communities (what an exploiter gains), and on uncovering potential vulnerabilities (what defects can be exploited). The desired outcome of the process is an improvement of the quality of the software artifact and an enhanced understanding of possible mitigation strategies for residual risks. This paper describes the inspection process and lessons learned on applying it to Grid middleware.« less

A code inspection process for security reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garzoglio, Gabriele

2010-04-01

In recent years, it has become more and more evident that software threat communities are taking an increasing interest in Grid infrastructures. To mitigate the security risk associated with the increased numbers of attacks, the Grid software development community needs to scale up effort to reduce software vulnerabilities. This can be achieved by introducing security review processes as a standard project management practice. The Grid Facilities Department of the Fermilab Computing Division has developed a code inspection process, tailored to reviewing security properties of software. The goal of the process is to identify technical risks associated with an application and their impact. This is achieved by focusing on the business needs of the application (what it does and protects), on understanding threats and exploit communities (what an exploiter gains), and on uncovering potential vulnerabilities (what defects can be exploited). The desired outcome of the process is an improvement of the quality of the software artifact and an enhanced understanding of possible mitigation strategies for residual risks. This paper describes the inspection process and lessons learned on applying it to Grid middleware.

SQA of finite element method (FEM) codes used for analyses of pit storage/transport packages

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

Russel, E.

1997-11-01

This report contains viewgraphs on the software quality assurance of finite element method codes used for analyses of pit storage and transport projects. This methodology utilizes the ISO 9000-3: Guideline for application of 9001 to the development, supply, and maintenance of software, for establishing well-defined software engineering processes to consistently maintain high quality management approaches.

A model of self-directed learning in internal medicine residency: a qualitative study using grounded theory.

PubMed

Sawatsky, Adam P; Ratelle, John T; Bonnes, Sara L; Egginton, Jason S; Beckman, Thomas J

2017-02-02

Existing theories of self-directed learning (SDL) have emphasized the importance of process, personal, and contextual factors. Previous medical education research has largely focused on the process of SDL. We explored the experience with and perception of SDL among internal medicine residents to gain understanding of the personal and contextual factors of SDL in graduate medical education. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we conducted 7 focus group interviews with 46 internal medicine residents at an academic medical center. We processed the data by using open coding and writing analytic memos. Team members organized open codes to create axial codes, which were applied to all transcripts. Guided by a previous model of SDL, we developed a theoretical model that was revised through constant comparison with new data as they were collected, and we refined the theory until it had adequate explanatory power and was appropriately grounded in the experiences of residents. We developed a theoretical model of SDL to explain the process, personal, and contextual factors affecting SDL during residency training. The process of SDL began with a trigger that uncovered a knowledge gap. Residents progressed to formulating learning objectives, using resources, applying knowledge, and evaluating learning. Personal factors included motivations, individual characteristics, and the change in approach to SDL over time. Contextual factors included the need for external guidance, the influence of residency program structure and culture, and the presence of contextual barriers. We developed a theoretical model of SDL in medical education that can be used to promote and assess resident SDL through understanding the process, person, and context of SDL.

Force field development with GOMC, a fast new Monte Carlo molecular simulation code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mick, Jason Richard

In this work GOMC (GPU Optimized Monte Carlo) a new fast, flexible, and free molecular Monte Carlo code for the simulation atomistic chemical systems is presented. The results of a large Lennard-Jonesium simulation in the Gibbs ensemble is presented. Force fields developed using the code are also presented. To fit the models a quantitative fitting process is outlined using a scoring function and heat maps. The presented n-6 force fields include force fields for noble gases and branched alkanes. These force fields are shown to be the most accurate LJ or n-6 force fields to date for these compounds, capable of reproducing pure fluid behavior and binary mixture behavior to a high degree of accuracy.

Microphysics of Waves and Instabilities in the Solar Wind and Their Macro Manifestations in the Corona and Interplanetary Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habbal, Shadia Rifai

2005-01-01

Investigations of the physical processes responsible for coronal heating and the acceleration of the solar wind were pursued with the use of our recently developed 2D MHD solar wind code and our 1D multifluid code. In particular, we explored: (1) the role of proton temperature anisotropy in the expansion of the solar (2) the role of plasma parameters at the coronal base in the formation of high (3) a three-fluid model of the slow solar wind (4) the heating of coronal loops (5) a newly developed hybrid code for the study of ion cyclotron resonance in wind, speed solar wind streams at mid-latitudes, the solar wind.

Characteristics code for shock initiation

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

Partom, Y.

1986-10-01

We developed SHIN, a characteristics code for shock initiation studies. We describe in detail the equations of state, reaction model, rate equations, and numerical difference equations that SHIN incorporates. SHIN uses the previously developed surface burning reaction model which better represents the shock initiation process in TATB, than do bulk reaction models. A large number of computed simulations prove the code is a reliable and efficient tool for shock initiation studies. A parametric study shows the effect on build-up and run distance to detonation of (1) type of boundary condtion, (2) burning velocity curve, (3) shock duration, (4) rise timemore » in ramp loading, (5) initial density (or porosity) of the explosive, (6) initial temperature, and (7) grain size. 29 refs., 65 figs.« less

Standard terminology and labeling of ocular tissue for transplantation.

PubMed

Armitage, W John; Ashford, Paul; Crow, Barbara; Dahl, Patricia; DeMatteo, Jennifer; Distler, Pat; Gopinathan, Usha; Madden, Peter W; Mannis, Mark J; Moffatt, S Louise; Ponzin, Diego; Tan, Donald

2013-06-01

To develop an internationally agreed terminology for describing ocular tissue grafts to improve the accuracy and reliability of information transfer, to enhance tissue traceability, and to facilitate the gathering of comparative global activity data, including denominator data for use in biovigilance analyses. ICCBBA, the international standards organization for terminology, coding, and labeling of blood, cells, and tissues, approached the major Eye Bank Associations to form an expert advisory group. The group met by regular conference calls to develop a standard terminology, which was released for public consultation and amended accordingly. The terminology uses broad definitions (Classes) with modifying characteristics (Attributes) to define each ocular tissue product. The terminology may be used within the ISBT 128 system to label tissue products with standardized bar codes enabling the electronic capture of critical data in the collection, processing, and distribution of tissues. Guidance on coding and labeling has also been developed. The development of a standard terminology for ocular tissue marks an important step for improving traceability and reducing the risk of mistakes due to transcription errors. ISBT 128 computer codes have been assigned and may now be used to label ocular tissues. Eye banks are encouraged to adopt this standard terminology and move toward full implementation of ISBT 128 nomenclature, coding, and labeling.

Transferring ecosystem simulation codes to supercomputers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skiles, J. W.; Schulbach, C. H.

1995-01-01

Many ecosystem simulation computer codes have been developed in the last twenty-five years. This development took place initially on main-frame computers, then mini-computers, and more recently, on micro-computers and workstations. Supercomputing platforms (both parallel and distributed systems) have been largely unused, however, because of the perceived difficulty in accessing and using the machines. Also, significant differences in the system architectures of sequential, scalar computers and parallel and/or vector supercomputers must be considered. We have transferred a grassland simulation model (developed on a VAX) to a Cray Y-MP/C90. We describe porting the model to the Cray and the changes we made to exploit the parallelism in the application and improve code execution. The Cray executed the model 30 times faster than the VAX and 10 times faster than a Unix workstation. We achieved an additional speedup of 30 percent by using the compiler's vectoring and 'in-line' capabilities. The code runs at only about 5 percent of the Cray's peak speed because it ineffectively uses the vector and parallel processing capabilities of the Cray. We expect that by restructuring the code, it could execute an additional six to ten times faster.

Linking theory with qualitative research through study of stroke caregiving families.

PubMed

Pierce, Linda L; Steiner, Victoria; Cervantez Thompson, Teresa L; Friedemann, Marie-Luise

2014-01-01

This theoretical article outlines the deliberate process of applying a qualitative data analysis method rooted in Friedemann's Framework of Systemic Organization through the study of a web-based education and support intervention for stroke caregiving families. Directed by Friedemann's framework, the analytic method involved developing, refining, and using a coding rubric to explore interactive patterns between caregivers and care recipients from this 3-month feasibility study using this education and support intervention. Specifically, data were gathered from the intervention's web-based discussion component between caregivers and the nurse specialist, as well as from telephone caregiver interviews. A theoretical framework guided the process of developing and refining this coding rubric for the purpose of organizing data; but, more importantly, guided the investigators' thought processes, allowing them to extract rich information from the data set, as well as synthesize this information to generate a broad understanding of the caring situation. © 2013 Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

Development and application of computational aerothermodynamics flowfield computer codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj

1994-01-01

Research was performed in the area of computational modeling and application of hypersonic, high-enthalpy, thermo-chemical nonequilibrium flow (Aerothermodynamics) problems. A number of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes were developed and applied to simulate high altitude rocket-plume, the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE), hypersonic base flow for planetary probes, the single expansion ramp model (SERN) connected with the National Aerospace Plane, hypersonic drag devices, hypersonic ramp flows, ballistic range models, shock tunnel facility nozzles, transient and steady flows in the shock tunnel facility, arc-jet flows, thermochemical nonequilibrium flows around simple and complex bodies, axisymmetric ionized flows of interest to re-entry, unsteady shock induced combustion phenomena, high enthalpy pulsed facility simulations, and unsteady shock boundary layer interactions in shock tunnels. Computational modeling involved developing appropriate numerical schemes for the flows on interest and developing, applying, and validating appropriate thermochemical processes. As part of improving the accuracy of the numerical predictions, adaptive grid algorithms were explored, and a user-friendly, self-adaptive code (SAGE) was developed. Aerothermodynamic flows of interest included energy transfer due to strong radiation, and a significant level of effort was spent in developing computational codes for calculating radiation and radiation modeling. In addition, computational tools were developed and applied to predict the radiative heat flux and spectra that reach the model surface.

Just-in-time coding of the problem list in a clinical environment.

PubMed Central

Warren, J. J.; Collins, J.; Sorrentino, C.; Campbell, J. R.

1998-01-01

Clinically useful problem lists are essential to the CPR. Providing a terminology that is standardized and understood by all clinicians is a major challenge. UNMC has developed a lexicon to support their problem list. Using a just-in-time coding strategy, the lexicon is maintained and extended prospectively in a dynamic clinical environment. The terms in the lexicon are mapped to ICD-9-CM, NANDA, and SNOMED International classification schemes. Currently, the lexicon contains 12,000 terms. This process of development and maintenance of the lexicon is described. PMID:9929226

Predictive information processing is a fundamental learning mechanism present in early development: evidence from infants.

PubMed

Trainor, Laurel J

2012-02-01

Evidence is presented that predictive coding is fundamental to brain function and present in early infancy. Indeed, mismatch responses to unexpected auditory stimuli are among the earliest robust cortical event-related potential responses, and have been measured in young infants in response to many types of deviation, including in pitch, timing, and melodic pattern. Furthermore, mismatch responses change quickly with specific experience, suggesting that predictive coding reflects a powerful, early-developing learning mechanism. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computations in turbulent flows and off-design performance predictions for airframe-integrated scramjets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goglia, G. L.; Spiegler, E.

1977-01-01

The research activity focused on two main tasks: (1) the further development of the SCRAM program and, in particular, the addition of a procedure for modeling the mechanism of the internal adjustment process of the flow, in response to the imposed thermal load across the combustor and (2) the development of a numerical code for the computation of the variation of concentrations throughout a turbulent field, where finite-rate reactions occur. The code also includes an estimation of the effect of the phenomenon called 'unmixedness'.

Probabilistic accident consequence uncertainty analysis: Dispersion and deposition uncertainty assessment, appendices A and B

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

Harper, F.T.; Young, M.L.; Miller, L.A.

The development of two new probabilistic accident consequence codes, MACCS and COSYMA, completed in 1990, estimate the risks presented by nuclear installations based on postulated frequencies and magnitudes of potential accidents. In 1991, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) began a joint uncertainty analysis of the two codes. The objective was to develop credible and traceable uncertainty distributions for the input variables of the codes. Expert elicitation, developed independently, was identified as the best technology available for developing a library of uncertainty distributions for the selected consequence parameters. The study was formulatedmore » jointly and was limited to the current code models and to physical quantities that could be measured in experiments. To validate the distributions generated for the wet deposition input variables, samples were taken from these distributions and propagated through the wet deposition code model along with the Gaussian plume model (GPM) implemented in the MACCS and COSYMA codes. Resulting distributions closely replicated the aggregated elicited wet deposition distributions. Project teams from the NRC and CEC cooperated successfully to develop and implement a unified process for the elaboration of uncertainty distributions on consequence code input parameters. Formal expert judgment elicitation proved valuable for synthesizing the best available information. Distributions on measurable atmospheric dispersion and deposition parameters were successfully elicited from experts involved in the many phenomenological areas of consequence analysis. This volume is the second of a three-volume document describing the project and contains two appendices describing the rationales for the dispersion and deposition data along with short biographies of the 16 experts who participated in the project.« less

Networks for image acquisition, processing and display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahumada, Albert J., Jr.

1990-01-01

The human visual system comprises layers of networks which sample, process, and code images. Understanding these networks is a valuable means of understanding human vision and of designing autonomous vision systems based on network processing. Ames Research Center has an ongoing program to develop computational models of such networks. The models predict human performance in detection of targets and in discrimination of displayed information. In addition, the models are artificial vision systems sharing properties with biological vision that has been tuned by evolution for high performance. Properties include variable density sampling, noise immunity, multi-resolution coding, and fault-tolerance. The research stresses analysis of noise in visual networks, including sampling, photon, and processing unit noises. Specific accomplishments include: models of sampling array growth with variable density and irregularity comparable to that of the retinal cone mosaic; noise models of networks with signal-dependent and independent noise; models of network connection development for preserving spatial registration and interpolation; multi-resolution encoding models based on hexagonal arrays (HOP transform); and mathematical procedures for simplifying analysis of large networks.

Developing a systematic evaluation approach for training programs within a train-the-trainer model for youth cognitive behavior therapy.

PubMed

Nakamura, Brad J; Selbo-Bruns, Alexandra; Okamura, Kelsie; Chang, Jaime; Slavin, Lesley; Shimabukuro, Scott

2014-02-01

The purpose of this small pilot study was three-fold: (a) to begin development of a coding scheme for supervisor and therapist skill acquisition, (b) to preliminarily investigate a pilot train-the-trainer paradigm for skill development, and (c) to evaluate self-reported versus observed indicators of skill mastery in that pilot program. Participants included four supervisor-therapist dyads (N = 8) working with public mental health sector youth. Master trainers taught cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques to supervisors, who in turn trained therapists on these techniques. Supervisor and therapist skill acquisition and supervisor use of teaching strategies were repeatedly assessed through coding of scripted role-plays with a multiple-baseline across participants and behaviors design. The coding system, the Practice Element Train the Trainer - Supervisor/Therapist Versions of the Therapy Process Observational Coding System for Child Psychotherapy, was developed and evaluated though the course of the investigation. The coding scheme demonstrated excellent reliability (ICCs [1,2] = 0.81-0.91) across 168 video recordings. As calculated through within-subject effect sizes, supervisor and therapist participants, respectively, evidenced skill improvements related to teaching and performing therapy techniques. Self-reported indicators of skill mastery were inflated in comparison to observed skill mastery. Findings lend initial support for further developing an evaluative approach for a train-the-trainer effort focused on disseminating evidence-based practices. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Methodology, status and plans for development and assessment of the code ATHLET

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

Teschendorff, V.; Austregesilo, H.; Lerchl, G.

1997-07-01

The thermal-hydraulic computer code ATHLET (Analysis of THermal-hydraulics of LEaks and Transients) is being developed by the Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) for the analysis of anticipated and abnormal plant transients, small and intermediate leaks as well as large breaks in light water reactors. The aim of the code development is to cover the whole spectrum of design basis and beyond design basis accidents (without core degradation) for PWRs and BWRs with only one code. The main code features are: advanced thermal-hydraulics; modular code architecture; separation between physical models and numerical methods; pre- and post-processing tools; portability. The codemore » has features that are of special interest for applications to small leaks and transients with accident management, e.g. initialization by a steady-state calculation, full-range drift-flux model, dynamic mixture level tracking. The General Control Simulation Module of ATHLET is a flexible tool for the simulation of the balance-of-plant and control systems including the various operator actions in the course of accident sequences with AM measures. The code development is accompained by a systematic and comprehensive validation program. A large number of integral experiments and separate effect tests, including the major International Standard Problems, have been calculated by GRS and by independent organizations. The ATHLET validation matrix is a well balanced set of integral and separate effects tests derived from the CSNI proposal emphasizing, however, the German combined ECC injection system which was investigated in the UPTF, PKL and LOBI test facilities.« less

The Early Development of Programmable Machinery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Martin D.

1985-01-01

Programmable equipment innovations, precursors of today's technology, are examined, including the development of the binary code and feedback control systems, such as temperature sensing devices, interchangeable parts, punched cards carrying instructions, continuous flow oil refining process, assembly lines for mass production, and the…

Measuring Diagnoses: ICD Code Accuracy

PubMed Central

O'Malley, Kimberly J; Cook, Karon F; Price, Matt D; Wildes, Kimberly Raiford; Hurdle, John F; Ashton, Carol M

2005-01-01

Objective To examine potential sources of errors at each step of the described inpatient International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding process. Data Sources/Study Setting The use of disease codes from the ICD has expanded from classifying morbidity and mortality information for statistical purposes to diverse sets of applications in research, health care policy, and health care finance. By describing a brief history of ICD coding, detailing the process for assigning codes, identifying where errors can be introduced into the process, and reviewing methods for examining code accuracy, we help code users more systematically evaluate code accuracy for their particular applications. Study Design/Methods We summarize the inpatient ICD diagnostic coding process from patient admission to diagnostic code assignment. We examine potential sources of errors at each step and offer code users a tool for systematically evaluating code accuracy. Principle Findings Main error sources along the “patient trajectory” include amount and quality of information at admission, communication among patients and providers, the clinician's knowledge and experience with the illness, and the clinician's attention to detail. Main error sources along the “paper trail” include variance in the electronic and written records, coder training and experience, facility quality-control efforts, and unintentional and intentional coder errors, such as misspecification, unbundling, and upcoding. Conclusions By clearly specifying the code assignment process and heightening their awareness of potential error sources, code users can better evaluate the applicability and limitations of codes for their particular situations. ICD codes can then be used in the most appropriate ways. PMID:16178999

Generic reactive transport codes as flexible tools to integrate soil organic matter degradation models with water, transport and geochemistry in soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacques, Diederik; Gérard, Fréderic; Mayer, Uli; Simunek, Jirka; Leterme, Bertrand

2016-04-01

A large number of organic matter degradation, CO2 transport and dissolved organic matter models have been developed during the last decades. However, organic matter degradation models are in many cases strictly hard-coded in terms of organic pools, degradation kinetics and dependency on environmental variables. The scientific input of the model user is typically limited to the adjustment of input parameters. In addition, the coupling with geochemical soil processes including aqueous speciation, pH-dependent sorption and colloid-facilitated transport are not incorporated in many of these models, strongly limiting the scope of their application. Furthermore, the most comprehensive organic matter degradation models are combined with simplified representations of flow and transport processes in the soil system. We illustrate the capability of generic reactive transport codes to overcome these shortcomings. The formulations of reactive transport codes include a physics-based continuum representation of flow and transport processes, while biogeochemical reactions can be described as equilibrium processes constrained by thermodynamic principles and/or kinetic reaction networks. The flexibility of these type of codes allows for straight-forward extension of reaction networks, permits the inclusion of new model components (e.g.: organic matter pools, rate equations, parameter dependency on environmental conditions) and in such a way facilitates an application-tailored implementation of organic matter degradation models and related processes. A numerical benchmark involving two reactive transport codes (HPx and MIN3P) demonstrates how the process-based simulation of transient variably saturated water flow (Richards equation), solute transport (advection-dispersion equation), heat transfer and diffusion in the gas phase can be combined with a flexible implementation of a soil organic matter degradation model. The benchmark includes the production of leachable organic matter and inorganic carbon in the aqueous and gaseous phases, as well as different decomposition functions with first-order, linear dependence or nonlinear dependence on a biomass pool. In addition, we show how processes such as local bioturbation (bio-diffusion) can be included implicitly through a Fickian formulation of transport of soil organic matter. Coupling soil organic matter models with generic and flexible reactive transport codes offers a valuable tool to enhance insights into coupled physico-chemical processes at different scales within the scope of C-biogeochemical cycles, possibly linked with other chemical elements such as plant nutrients and pollutants.

Web Service Model for Plasma Simulations with Automatic Post Processing and Generation of Visual Diagnostics*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Exby, J.; Busby, R.; Dimitrov, D. A.; Bruhwiler, D.; Cary, J. R.

2003-10-01

We present our design and initial implementation of a web service model for running particle-in-cell (PIC) codes remotely from a web browser interface. PIC codes have grown significantly in complexity and now often require parallel execution on multiprocessor computers, which in turn requires sophisticated post-processing and data analysis. A significant amount of time and effort is required for a physicist to develop all the necessary skills, at the expense of actually doing research. Moreover, parameter studies with a computationally intensive code justify the systematic management of results with an efficient way to communicate them among a group of remotely located collaborators. Our initial implementation uses the OOPIC Pro code [1], Linux, Apache, MySQL, Python, and PHP. The Interactive Data Language is used for visualization. [1] D.L. Bruhwiler et al., Phys. Rev. ST-AB 4, 101302 (2001). * This work is supported by DOE grant # DE-FG02-03ER83857 and by Tech-X Corp. ** Also University of Colorado.

Identifying Falls Risk Screenings Not Documented with Administrative Codes Using Natural Language Processing

PubMed Central

Zhu, Vivienne J; Walker, Tina D; Warren, Robert W; Jenny, Peggy B; Meystre, Stephane; Lenert, Leslie A

2017-01-01

Quality reporting that relies on coded administrative data alone may not completely and accurately depict providers’ performance. To assess this concern with a test case, we developed and evaluated a natural language processing (NLP) approach to identify falls risk screenings documented in clinical notes of patients without coded falls risk screening data. Extracting information from 1,558 clinical notes (mainly progress notes) from 144 eligible patients, we generated a lexicon of 38 keywords relevant to falls risk screening, 26 terms for pre-negation, and 35 terms for post-negation. The NLP algorithm identified 62 (out of the 144) patients who falls risk screening documented only in clinical notes and not coded. Manual review confirmed 59 patients as true positives and 77 patients as true negatives. Our NLP approach scored 0.92 for precision, 0.95 for recall, and 0.93 for F-measure. These results support the concept of utilizing NLP to enhance healthcare quality reporting. PMID:29854264

Numerical Study of HHFW Heating in FRC Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceccherini, Francesco; Galeotti, Laura; Brambilla, Marco; Dettrick, Sean; Yang, Xiaokang; TAE Team

2017-10-01

The TriAlpha Energy (TAE) code RF-Pisa is a Finite Larmor Radius (FLR) full wave code developed over the years to study RF heating in the Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) in both the ion and electron cyclotron regimes. The FLR approximation is perfectly adequate to address RF propagation and absorption at the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies (as in the minority heating scheme), but it is not able to describe higher order processes such as high-harmonic fast waves (HHFW). The latter ones have frequencies lying between the ion cyclotron and lower hybrid resonances and they may represent a viable path to develop an efficient method to deposit energy inside the FRC separatrix, as suggested by recent results obtained at NSTX. A significant upgrade of RF-Pisa to include HHFW has been undertaken. In particular, the so-called ``quasi local approximation'' originally proposed for toroidal geometries has been re-derived for the cylindrical geometry and a new HHFW version of RF-Pisa concurrent to the FLR version has been developed. Here we present the first results of the application of the new code to FRC equilibria and we discuss the features of the dispersion relations and the absorption processes which characterize this novel regime.

Processing module operating methods, processing modules, and communications systems

DOEpatents

McCown, Steven Harvey; Derr, Kurt W.; Moore, Troy

2014-09-09

A processing module operating method includes using a processing module physically connected to a wireless communications device, requesting that the wireless communications device retrieve encrypted code from a web site and receiving the encrypted code from the wireless communications device. The wireless communications device is unable to decrypt the encrypted code. The method further includes using the processing module, decrypting the encrypted code, executing the decrypted code, and preventing the wireless communications device from accessing the decrypted code. Another processing module operating method includes using a processing module physically connected to a host device, executing an application within the processing module, allowing the application to exchange user interaction data communicated using a user interface of the host device with the host device, and allowing the application to use the host device as a communications device for exchanging information with a remote device distinct from the host device.

Calibration and comparison of the NASA Lewis free-piston Stirling engine model predictions with RE-1000 test data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geng, Steven M.

1987-01-01

A free-piston Stirling engine performance code is being upgraded and validated at the NASA Lewis Research Center under an interagency agreement between the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA Lewis. Many modifications were made to the free-piston code in an attempt to decrease the calibration effort. A procedure was developed that made the code calibration process more systematic. Engine-specific calibration parameters are often used to bring predictions and experimental data into better agreement. The code was calibrated to a matrix of six experimental data points. Predictions of the calibrated free-piston code are compared with RE-1000 free-piston Stirling engine sensitivity test data taken at NASA Lewis. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the code prediction and the experimental data over a wide range of engine operating conditions.

Calibration and comparison of the NASA Lewis free-piston Stirling engine model predictions with RE-1000 test data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geng, Steven M.

1987-01-01

A free-piston Stirling engine performance code is being upgraded and validated at the NASA Lewis Research Center under an interagency agreement between the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA Lewis. Many modifications were made to the free-piston code in an attempt to decrease the calibration effort. A procedure was developed that made the code calibration process more systematic. Engine-specific calibration parameters are often used to bring predictions and experimental data into better agreement. The code was calibrated to a matrix of six experimental data points. Predictions of the calibrated free-piston code are compared with RE-1000 free-piston Stirling engine sensitivity test data taken at NASA Lewis. Resonable agreement was obtained between the code predictions and the experimental data over a wide range of engine operating conditions.

Selection of a computer code for Hanford low-level waste engineered-system performance assessment

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

McGrail, B.P.; Mahoney, L.A.

Planned performance assessments for the proposed disposal of low-level waste (LLW) glass produced from remediation of wastes stored in underground tanks at Hanford, Washington will require calculations of radionuclide release rates from the subsurface disposal facility. These calculations will be done with the aid of computer codes. Currently available computer codes were ranked in terms of the feature sets implemented in the code that match a set of physical, chemical, numerical, and functional capabilities needed to assess release rates from the engineered system. The needed capabilities were identified from an analysis of the important physical and chemical process expected tomore » affect LLW glass corrosion and the mobility of radionuclides. The highest ranked computer code was found to be the ARES-CT code developed at PNL for the US Department of Energy for evaluation of and land disposal sites.« less

Modeling Cometary Coma with a Three Dimensional, Anisotropic Multiple Scattering Distributed Processing Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luchini, Chris B.

1997-01-01

Development of camera and instrument simulations for space exploration requires the development of scientifically accurate models of the objects to be studied. Several planned cometary missions have prompted the development of a three dimensional, multi-spectral, anisotropic multiple scattering model of cometary coma.

PFLOTRAN Verification: Development of a Testing Suite to Ensure Software Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J. M.

2016-12-01

In scientific computing, code verification ensures the reliability and numerical accuracy of a model simulation by comparing the simulation results to experimental data or known analytical solutions. The model is typically defined by a set of partial differential equations with initial and boundary conditions, and verification ensures whether the mathematical model is solved correctly by the software. Code verification is especially important if the software is used to model high-consequence systems which cannot be physically tested in a fully representative environment [Oberkampf and Trucano (2007)]. Justified confidence in a particular computational tool requires clarity in the exercised physics and transparency in its verification process with proper documentation. We present a quality assurance (QA) testing suite developed by Sandia National Laboratories that performs code verification for PFLOTRAN, an open source, massively-parallel subsurface simulator. PFLOTRAN solves systems of generally nonlinear partial differential equations describing multiphase, multicomponent and multiscale reactive flow and transport processes in porous media. PFLOTRAN's QA test suite compares the numerical solutions of benchmark problems in heat and mass transport against known, closed-form, analytical solutions, including documentation of the exercised physical process models implemented in each PFLOTRAN benchmark simulation. The QA test suite development strives to follow the recommendations given by Oberkampf and Trucano (2007), which describes four essential elements in high-quality verification benchmark construction: (1) conceptual description, (2) mathematical description, (3) accuracy assessment, and (4) additional documentation and user information. Several QA tests within the suite will be presented, including details of the benchmark problems and their closed-form analytical solutions, implementation of benchmark problems in PFLOTRAN simulations, and the criteria used to assess PFLOTRAN's performance in the code verification procedure. References Oberkampf, W. L., and T. G. Trucano (2007), Verification and Validation Benchmarks, SAND2007-0853, 67 pgs., Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM.

The r-Java 2.0 code: nuclear physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostka, M.; Koning, N.; Shand, Z.; Ouyed, R.; Jaikumar, P.

2014-08-01

Aims: We present r-Java 2.0, a nucleosynthesis code for open use that performs r-process calculations, along with a suite of other analysis tools. Methods: Equipped with a straightforward graphical user interface, r-Java 2.0 is capable of simulating nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE), calculating r-process abundances for a wide range of input parameters and astrophysical environments, computing the mass fragmentation from neutron-induced fission and studying individual nucleosynthesis processes. Results: In this paper we discuss enhancements to this version of r-Java, especially the ability to solve the full reaction network. The sophisticated fission methodology incorporated in r-Java 2.0 that includes three fission channels (beta-delayed, neutron-induced, and spontaneous fission), along with computation of the mass fragmentation, is compared to the upper limit on mass fission approximation. The effects of including beta-delayed neutron emission on r-process yield is studied. The role of Coulomb interactions in NSE abundances is shown to be significant, supporting previous findings. A comparative analysis was undertaken during the development of r-Java 2.0 whereby we reproduced the results found in the literature from three other r-process codes. This code is capable of simulating the physical environment of the high-entropy wind around a proto-neutron star, the ejecta from a neutron star merger, or the relativistic ejecta from a quark nova. Likewise the users of r-Java 2.0 are given the freedom to define a custom environment. This software provides a platform for comparing proposed r-process sites.

Flexible, secure agent development framework

DOEpatents

Goldsmith,; Steven, Y [Rochester, MN

2009-04-07

While an agent generator is generating an intelligent agent, it can also evaluate the data processing platform on which it is executing, in order to assess a risk factor associated with operation of the agent generator on the data processing platform. The agent generator can retrieve from a location external to the data processing platform an open site that is configurable by the user, and load the open site into an agent substrate, thereby creating a development agent with code development capabilities. While an intelligent agent is executing a functional program on a data processing platform, it can also evaluate the data processing platform to assess a risk factor associated with performing the data processing function on the data processing platform.

Experiences and wisdom behind the numbers: qualitative analysis of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's Research Prioritization Task Force stakeholder survey.

PubMed

Booth, Chelsea L

2014-09-01

The Research Prioritization Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention conducted a stakeholder survey including 716 respondents from 49 U.S. states and 18 foreign countries. To conduct a qualitative analysis on responses from individuals representing four main stakeholder groups: attempt and loss survivors, researchers, providers, and policy/administrators. This article focuses on a qualitative analysis of the early-round, open-ended responses collected in a modified online Delphi process, and, as an illustration of the research method, focuses on analysis of respondents' views of the role of life and emotional skills in suicide prevention. Content analysis was performed using both inductive and deductive code and category development and systematic qualitative methods. After the inductive coding was completed, the same data set was re-coded using the 12 Aspirational Goals (AGs) identified by the Delphi process. Codes and thematic categories produced from the inductive coding process were, in some cases, very similar or identical to the 12 AGs (i.e., those dealing with risk and protective factors, provider training, preventing reattempts, and stigma). Other codes highlighted areas that were not identified as important in the Delphi process (e.g., cultural/social factors of suicide, substance use). Qualitative and mixed-methods research are essential to the future of suicide prevention work. By design, qualitative research is explorative and appropriate for complex, culturally embedded social issues such as suicide. Such research can be used to generate hypotheses for testing and, as in this analysis, illuminate areas that would be missed in an approach that imposed predetermined categories on data. Published by Elsevier Inc.

SU-E-T-493: Accelerated Monte Carlo Methods for Photon Dosimetry Using a Dual-GPU System and CUDA.

PubMed

Liu, T; Ding, A; Xu, X

2012-06-01

To develop a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) based Monte Carlo (MC) code that accelerates dose calculations on a dual-GPU system. We simulated a clinical case of prostate cancer treatment. A voxelized abdomen phantom derived from 120 CT slices was used containing 218×126×60 voxels, and a GE LightSpeed 16-MDCT scanner was modeled. A CPU version of the MC code was first developed in C++ and tested on Intel Xeon X5660 2.8GHz CPU, then it was translated into GPU version using CUDA C 4.1 and run on a dual Tesla m 2 090 GPU system. The code was featured with automatic assignment of simulation task to multiple GPUs, as well as accurate calculation of energy- and material- dependent cross-sections. Double-precision floating point format was used for accuracy. Doses to the rectum, prostate, bladder and femoral heads were calculated. When running on a single GPU, the MC GPU code was found to be ×19 times faster than the CPU code and ×42 times faster than MCNPX. These speedup factors were doubled on the dual-GPU system. The dose Result was benchmarked against MCNPX and a maximum difference of 1% was observed when the relative error is kept below 0.1%. A GPU-based MC code was developed for dose calculations using detailed patient and CT scanner models. Efficiency and accuracy were both guaranteed in this code. Scalability of the code was confirmed on the dual-GPU system. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Inter-view prediction of intra mode decision for high-efficiency video coding-based multiview video coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, Thaísa Leal; Agostini, Luciano Volcan; da Silva Cruz, Luis A.

2014-05-01

Intra prediction is a very important tool in current video coding standards. High-efficiency video coding (HEVC) intra prediction presents relevant gains in encoding efficiency when compared to previous standards, but with a very important increase in the computational complexity since 33 directional angular modes must be evaluated. Motivated by this high complexity, this article presents a complexity reduction algorithm developed to reduce the HEVC intra mode decision complexity targeting multiview videos. The proposed algorithm presents an efficient fast intra prediction compliant with singleview and multiview video encoding. This fast solution defines a reduced subset of intra directions according to the video texture and it exploits the relationship between prediction units (PUs) of neighbor depth levels of the coding tree. This fast intra coding procedure is used to develop an inter-view prediction method, which exploits the relationship between the intra mode directions of adjacent views to further accelerate the intra prediction process in multiview video encoding applications. When compared to HEVC simulcast, our method achieves a complexity reduction of up to 47.77%, at the cost of an average BD-PSNR loss of 0.08 dB.

Interplay between cardiac transcription factors and non-coding RNAs in predisposing to atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Mikhailov, Alexander T; Torrado, Mario

2018-05-12

There is growing evidence that putative gene regulatory networks including cardio-enriched transcription factors, such as PITX2, TBX5, ZFHX3, and SHOX2, and their effector/target genes along with downstream non-coding RNAs can play a potentially important role in the process of adaptive and maladaptive atrial rhythm remodeling. In turn, expression of atrial fibrillation-associated transcription factors is under the control of upstream regulatory non-coding RNAs. This review broadly explores gene regulatory mechanisms associated with susceptibility to atrial fibrillation-with key examples from both animal models and patients-within the context of both cardiac transcription factors and non-coding RNAs. These two systems appear to have multiple levels of cross-regulation and act coordinately to achieve effective control of atrial rhythm effector gene expression. Perturbations of a dynamic expression balance between transcription factors and corresponding non-coding RNAs can provoke the development or promote the progression of atrial fibrillation. We also outline deficiencies in current models and discuss ongoing studies to clarify remaining mechanistic questions. An understanding of the function of transcription factors and non-coding RNAs in gene regulatory networks associated with atrial fibrillation risk will enable the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

EVA - A Textual Data Processing Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakopin, Primoz

EVA, a text processing tool designed to be self-contained and useful for a variety of languages, is described briefly, and its extensive coded character set is illustrated. Features, specifications, and database functions are noted. Its application in development of a Slovenian literary dictionary is also described. (MSE)

Advancing Underwater Acoustic Communication for Autonomous Distributed Networks via Sparse Channel Sensing, Coding, and Navigation Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

underwater acoustic communication technologies for autonomous distributed underwater networks, through innovative signal processing, coding, and navigation...in real enviroments , an offshore testbed has been developed to conduct field experimetns. The testbed consists of four nodes and has been deployed...Leadership by the Connecticut Technology Council. Dr. Zhaohui Wang joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at

Onboard Image Processing System for Hyperspectral Sensor

PubMed Central

Hihara, Hiroki; Moritani, Kotaro; Inoue, Masao; Hoshi, Yoshihiro; Iwasaki, Akira; Takada, Jun; Inada, Hitomi; Suzuki, Makoto; Seki, Taeko; Ichikawa, Satoshi; Tanii, Jun

2015-01-01

Onboard image processing systems for a hyperspectral sensor have been developed in order to maximize image data transmission efficiency for large volume and high speed data downlink capacity. Since more than 100 channels are required for hyperspectral sensors on Earth observation satellites, fast and small-footprint lossless image compression capability is essential for reducing the size and weight of a sensor system. A fast lossless image compression algorithm has been developed, and is implemented in the onboard correction circuitry of sensitivity and linearity of Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensors in order to maximize the compression ratio. The employed image compression method is based on Fast, Efficient, Lossless Image compression System (FELICS), which is a hierarchical predictive coding method with resolution scaling. To improve FELICS’s performance of image decorrelation and entropy coding, we apply a two-dimensional interpolation prediction and adaptive Golomb-Rice coding. It supports progressive decompression using resolution scaling while still maintaining superior performance measured as speed and complexity. Coding efficiency and compression speed enlarge the effective capacity of signal transmission channels, which lead to reducing onboard hardware by multiplexing sensor signals into a reduced number of compression circuits. The circuitry is embedded into the data formatter of the sensor system without adding size, weight, power consumption, and fabrication cost. PMID:26404281

Preface to the Special Issue on TOUGH Symposium 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Martín, Laura

2017-11-01

The TOUGH Symposium 2015 was held in Berkeley, California, September 28-30, 2015. The TOUGH family of codes, developed at the Energy Geosciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), is a suite of computer programs for the simulation of multiphase and multicomponent fluid and heat flows in porous and fractured media with applications in many geosciences fields, such as geothermal reservoir engineering, nuclear waste disposal, geological carbon sequestration, oil and gas reservoirs, gas hydrate research, vadose zone hydrology and environmental remediation. Since the first release in the 1980s, many modifications and enhancements have been continuously made to TOUGH and its various descendants (iTOUGH2, TOUGH+, TOUGH-MP, TOUGHREACT, TOUGH+HYDRATE, TMVOC...), at LBNL and elsewhere. Today, these codes are used worldwide in academia, government organizations and private companies in problems involving coupled hydrological, thermal, biogeochemical and geomechanical processes. The Symposia, organized every 2-3 years, bring together developers and users for an open exchange on recent code enhancements and applications. In 2015, the Symposium was attended by one hundred participants, representing thirty-four nationalities. This Special Issue in Computers & Geosciences gathers extended versions of selected Symposium proceedings related to (i) recent enhancements to the TOUGH family of codes and (ii) coupled flow and geomechanics processes modeling.

Do Over or Make Do? Climate Models as a Software Development Challenge (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Easterbrook, S. M.

2010-12-01

We present the results of a comparative study of the software engineering culture and practices at four different earth system modeling centers: the UK Met Office Hadley Centre, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), The Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie (MPI-M), and the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL). The study investigated the software tools and techniques used at each center to assess their effectiveness. We also investigated how differences in the organizational structures, collaborative relationships, and technical infrastructures constrain the software development and affect software quality. Specific questions for the study included 1) Verification and Validation - What techniques are used to ensure that the code matches the scientists’ understanding of what it should do? How effective are these are at eliminating errors of correctness and errors of understanding? 2) Coordination - How are the contributions from across the modeling community coordinated? For coupled models, how are the differences in the priorities of different, overlapping communities of users addressed? 3) Division of responsibility - How are the responsibilities for coding, verification, and coordination distributed between different roles (scientific, engineering, support) in the organization? 4) Planning and release processes - How do modelers decide on priorities for model development, how do they decide which changes to tackle in a particular release of the model? 5) Debugging - How do scientists debug the models, what types of bugs do they find in their code, and how they find them? The results show that each center has evolved a set of model development practices that are tailored to their needs and organizational constraints. These practices emphasize scientific validity, but tend to neglect other software qualities, and all the centers struggle frequently with software problems. The testing processes are effective at removing software errors prior to release, but the code is hard to understand and hard to change. Software errors and model configuration problems are common during model development, and appear to have a serious impact on scientific productivity. These problems have grown dramatically in recent years with the growth in size and complexity of earth system models. Much of the success in obtaining valid simulations from the models depends on the scientists developing their own code, experimenting with alternatives, running frequent full system tests, and exploring patterns in the results. Blind application of generic software engineering processes is unlikely to work well. Instead, each center needs to lean how to balance the need for better coordination through a more disciplined approach with the freedom to explore, and the value of having scientists work directly with the code. This suggests that each center can learn a lot from comparing their practices with others, but that each might need to develop a different set of best practices.

RELAP5-3D Resolution of Known Restart/Backup Issues

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

Mesina, George L.; Anderson, Nolan A.

2014-12-01

The state-of-the-art nuclear reactor system safety analysis computer program developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), RELAP5-3D, continues to adapt to changes in computer hardware and software and to develop to meet the ever-expanding needs of the nuclear industry. To continue at the forefront, code testing must evolve with both code and industry developments, and it must work correctly. To best ensure this, the processes of Software Verification and Validation (V&V) are applied. Verification compares coding against its documented algorithms and equations and compares its calculations against analytical solutions and the method of manufactured solutions. A form of this, sequentialmore » verification, checks code specifications against coding only when originally written then applies regression testing which compares code calculations between consecutive updates or versions on a set of test cases to check that the performance does not change. A sequential verification testing system was specially constructed for RELAP5-3D to both detect errors with extreme accuracy and cover all nuclear-plant-relevant code features. Detection is provided through a “verification file” that records double precision sums of key variables. Coverage is provided by a test suite of input decks that exercise code features and capabilities necessary to model a nuclear power plant. A matrix of test features and short-running cases that exercise them is presented. This testing system is used to test base cases (called null testing) as well as restart and backup cases. It can test RELAP5-3D performance in both standalone and coupled (through PVM to other codes) runs. Application of verification testing revealed numerous restart and backup issues in both standalone and couple modes. This document reports the resolution of these issues.« less

Implementing Scientific Simulation Codes Highly Tailored for Vector Architectures Using Custom Configurable Computing Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rutishauser, David

2006-01-01

The motivation for this work comes from an observation that amidst the push for Massively Parallel (MP) solutions to high-end computing problems such as numerical physical simulations, large amounts of legacy code exist that are highly optimized for vector supercomputers. Because re-hosting legacy code often requires a complete re-write of the original code, which can be a very long and expensive effort, this work examines the potential to exploit reconfigurable computing machines in place of a vector supercomputer to implement an essentially unmodified legacy source code. Custom and reconfigurable computing resources could be used to emulate an original application's target platform to the extent required to achieve high performance. To arrive at an architecture that delivers the desired performance subject to limited resources involves solving a multi-variable optimization problem with constraints. Prior research in the area of reconfigurable computing has demonstrated that designing an optimum hardware implementation of a given application under hardware resource constraints is an NP-complete problem. The premise of the approach is that the general issue of applying reconfigurable computing resources to the implementation of an application, maximizing the performance of the computation subject to physical resource constraints, can be made a tractable problem by assuming a computational paradigm, such as vector processing. This research contributes a formulation of the problem and a methodology to design a reconfigurable vector processing implementation of a given application that satisfies a performance metric. A generic, parametric, architectural framework for vector processing implemented in reconfigurable logic is developed as a target for a scheduling/mapping algorithm that maps an input computation to a given instance of the architecture. This algorithm is integrated with an optimization framework to arrive at a specification of the architecture parameters that attempts to minimize execution time, while staying within resource constraints. The flexibility of using a custom reconfigurable implementation is exploited in a unique manner to leverage the lessons learned in vector supercomputer development. The vector processing framework is tailored to the application, with variable parameters that are fixed in traditional vector processing. Benchmark data that demonstrates the functionality and utility of the approach is presented. The benchmark data includes an identified bottleneck in a real case study example vector code, the NASA Langley Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) application.

CTF Theory Manual

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

Avramova, Maria N.; Salko, Robert K.

Coolant-Boiling in Rod Arrays|Two Fluids (COBRA-TF) is a thermal/ hydraulic (T/H) simulation code designed for light water reactor (LWR) vessel analysis. It uses a two-fluid, three-field (i.e. fluid film, fluid drops, and vapor) modeling approach. Both sub-channel and 3D Cartesian forms of 9 conservation equations are available for LWR modeling. The code was originally developed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory in 1980 and had been used and modified by several institutions over the last few decades. COBRA-TF also found use at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) by the Reactor Dynamics and Fuel Management Group (RDFMG) and has been improved, updated, andmore » subsequently re-branded as CTF. As part of the improvement process, it was necessary to generate sufficient documentation for the open-source code which had lacked such material upon being adopted by RDFMG. This document serves mainly as a theory manual for CTF, detailing the many two-phase heat transfer, drag, and important accident scenario models contained in the code as well as the numerical solution process utilized. Coding of the models is also discussed, all with consideration for updates that have been made when transitioning from COBRA-TF to CTF. Further documentation outside of this manual is also available at RDFMG which focus on code input deck generation and source code global variable and module listings.« less

DAGON: a 3D Maxwell-Bloch code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliva, Eduardo; Cotelo, Manuel; Escudero, Juan Carlos; González-Fernández, Agustín.; Sanchís, Alberto; Vera, Javier; Vicéns, Sergio; Velarde, Pedro

2017-05-01

The amplification of UV radiation and high order harmonics (HOH) in plasmas is a subject of raising interest due to its different potential applications in several fields like environment and security (detection at distance), biology, materials science and industry (3D imaging) and atomic and plasma physics (pump-probe experiments). In order to develop these sources, it is necessary to properly understand the amplification process. Being the plasma an inhomogeneous medium which changes with time, it is desirable to have a full time-dependent 3D description of the interaction of UV and XUV radiation with plasmas. For these reasons, at the Instituto de Fusíon Nuclear we have developed DAGON, a 3D Maxwell-Bloch code capable of studying the full spationtemporal structure of the amplification process abovementioned.

CATS, continuous automated testing of seismological, hydroacoustic, and infrasound (SHI) processing software.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brouwer, Albert; Brown, David; Tomuta, Elena

2017-04-01

To detect nuclear explosions, waveform data from over 240 SHI stations world-wide flows into the International Data Centre (IDC) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), located in Vienna, Austria. A complex pipeline of software applications processes this data in numerous ways to form event hypotheses. The software codebase comprises over 2 million lines of code, reflects decades of development, and is subject to frequent enhancement and revision. Since processing must run continuously and reliably, software changes are subjected to thorough testing before being put into production. To overcome the limitations and cost of manual testing, the Continuous Automated Testing System (CATS) has been created. CATS provides an isolated replica of the IDC processing environment, and is able to build and test different versions of the pipeline software directly from code repositories that are placed under strict configuration control. Test jobs are scheduled automatically when code repository commits are made. Regressions are reported. We present the CATS design choices and test methods. Particular attention is paid to how the system accommodates the individual testing of strongly interacting software components that lack test instrumentation.

Ethics in occupational health: deliberations of an international workgroup addressing challenges in an African context.

PubMed

London, Leslie; Tangwa, Godfrey; Matchaba-Hove, Reginald; Mkhize, Nhlanhla; Nwabueze, Remi; Nyika, Aceme; Westerholm, Peter

2014-06-23

International codes of ethics play an important role in guiding professional practice in developing countries. In the occupational health setting, codes developed by international agencies have substantial import on protecting working populations from harm. This is particularly so under globalisation which has transformed processes of production in fundamental ways across the globe. As part of the process of revising the Ethical Code of the International Commission on Occupational Health, an Africa Working Group addressed key challenges for the relevance and cogency of an ethical code in occupational health for an African context through an iterative consultative process. Firstly, even in the absence of strong legal systems of enforcement, and notwithstanding the value of legal institutionalisation of ethical codes, guidelines alone may offer advantageous routes to enhancing ethical practice in occupational health. Secondly, globalisation has particularly impacted on health and safety at workplaces in Africa, challenging occupational health professionals to be sensitive to, and actively redress imbalance of power. Thirdly, the different ways in which vulnerability is exemplified in the workplace in Africa often places the occupational health professional in invidious positions of Dual Loyalty. Fourth, the particular cultural emphasis in traditional African societies on collective responsibilities within the community impacts directly on how consent should be sought in occupational health practice, and how stigma should be dealt with, balancing individual autonomy with ideas of personhood that are more collective as in the African philosophy of ubuntu. To address stigma, practitioners need to be additionally sensitive to how power imbalances at the workplace intersect with traditional cultural norms related to solidarity. Lastly, particularly in the African context, the inseparability of workplace and community means that efforts to address workplace hazards demand that actions for occupational health extend beyond just the workplace. A stronger articulation of occupational health practice with advocacy for prevention should be an ethical norm. Ethical codes should ideally harmonize and balance individual and community needs so as to provide stronger moral authority guidelines. There is a need to consider an African Charter on Bioethics as complementary and strengthening of existing codes for the region.

Ethics in occupational health: deliberations of an international workgroup addressing challenges in an African context

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background International codes of ethics play an important role in guiding professional practice in developing countries. In the occupational health setting, codes developed by international agencies have substantial import on protecting working populations from harm. This is particularly so under globalisation which has transformed processes of production in fundamental ways across the globe. As part of the process of revising the Ethical Code of the International Commission on Occupational Health, an Africa Working Group addressed key challenges for the relevance and cogency of an ethical code in occupational health for an African context through an iterative consultative process. Discussion Firstly, even in the absence of strong legal systems of enforcement, and notwithstanding the value of legal institutionalisation of ethical codes, guidelines alone may offer advantageous routes to enhancing ethical practice in occupational health. Secondly, globalisation has particularly impacted on health and safety at workplaces in Africa, challenging occupational health professionals to be sensitive to, and actively redress imbalance of power. Thirdly, the different ways in which vulnerability is exemplified in the workplace in Africa often places the occupational health professional in invidious positions of Dual Loyalty. Fourth, the particular cultural emphasis in traditional African societies on collective responsibilities within the community impacts directly on how consent should be sought in occupational health practice, and how stigma should be dealt with, balancing individual autonomy with ideas of personhood that are more collective as in the African philosophy of ubuntu. To address stigma, practitioners need to be additionally sensitive to how power imbalances at the workplace intersect with traditional cultural norms related to solidarity. Lastly, particularly in the African context, the inseparability of workplace and community means that efforts to address workplace hazards demand that actions for occupational health extend beyond just the workplace. Summary A stronger articulation of occupational health practice with advocacy for prevention should be an ethical norm. Ethical codes should ideally harmonize and balance individual and community needs so as to provide stronger moral authority guidelines. There is a need to consider an African Charter on Bioethics as complementary and strengthening of existing codes for the region. PMID:24957477

Report from the Integrated Modeling Panel at the Workshop on the Science of Ignition on NIF

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

Marinak, M; Lamb, D

2012-07-03

This section deals with multiphysics radiation hydrodynamics codes used to design and simulate targets in the ignition campaign. These topics encompass all the physical processes they model, and include consideration of any approximations necessary due to finite computer resources. The section focuses on what developments would have the highest impact on reducing uncertainties in modeling most relevant to experimental observations. It considers how the ICF codes should be employed in the ignition campaign. This includes a consideration of how the experiments can be best structured to test the physical models the codes employ.

Nanoscale Microelectronic Circuit Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-17

structure to obtain a one-hot-encoded output instead of a thermometer code …………………………………………………………………………44 Figure 37. A folded ...thermometer code Figure 37. A folded PLINCO cell. The output of the PLINCO is 8-wide, but only the left half or right half is passed on. A carry...noise figure requirements are not stringent since the GPS signal is spread spectrum coded , providing over 40 dB of processing gain and easing the

Network Coding on Heterogeneous Multi-Core Processors for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Kim, Deokho; Park, Karam; Ro, Won W.

2011-01-01

While network coding is well known for its efficiency and usefulness in wireless sensor networks, the excessive costs associated with decoding computation and complexity still hinder its adoption into practical use. On the other hand, high-performance microprocessors with heterogeneous multi-cores would be used as processing nodes of the wireless sensor networks in the near future. To this end, this paper introduces an efficient network coding algorithm developed for the heterogenous multi-core processors. The proposed idea is fully tested on one of the currently available heterogeneous multi-core processors referred to as the Cell Broadband Engine. PMID:22164053

An integrated development workflow for community-driven FOSS-projects using continuous integration tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilke, Lars; Watanabe, Norihiro; Naumov, Dmitri; Kolditz, Olaf

2016-04-01

A complex software project in general with high standards regarding code quality requires automated tools to help developers in doing repetitive and tedious tasks such as compilation on different platforms and configurations, doing unit testing as well as end-to-end tests and generating distributable binaries and documentation. This is known as continuous integration (CI). A community-driven FOSS-project within the Earth Sciences benefits even more from CI as time and resources regarding software development are often limited. Therefore testing developed code on more than the developers PC is a task which is often neglected and where CI can be the solution. We developed an integrated workflow based on GitHub, Travis and Jenkins for the community project OpenGeoSys - a coupled multiphysics modeling and simulation package - allowing developers to concentrate on implementing new features in a tight feedback loop. Every interested developer/user can create a pull request containing source code modifications on the online collaboration platform GitHub. The modifications are checked (compilation, compiler warnings, memory leaks, undefined behaviors, unit tests, end-to-end tests, analyzing differences in simulation run results between changes etc.) from the CI system which automatically responds to the pull request or by email on success or failure with detailed reports eventually requesting to improve the modifications. Core team developers review the modifications and merge them into the main development line once they satisfy agreed standards. We aim for efficient data structures and algorithms, self-explaining code, comprehensive documentation and high test code coverage. This workflow keeps entry barriers to get involved into the project low and permits an agile development process concentrating on feature additions rather than software maintenance procedures.

Comparative performance evaluation of transform coding in image pre-processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Vignesh V.; NB, Harikrishnan; Narayanan, Gayathri; CK, Niveditha

2017-07-01

We are in the midst of a communication transmute which drives the development as largely as dissemination of pioneering communication systems with ever-increasing fidelity and resolution. Distinguishable researches have been appreciative in image processing techniques crazed by a growing thirst for faster and easier encoding, storage and transmission of visual information. In this paper, the researchers intend to throw light on many techniques which could be worn at the transmitter-end in order to ease the transmission and reconstruction of the images. The researchers investigate the performance of different image transform coding schemes used in pre-processing, their comparison, and effectiveness, the necessary and sufficient conditions, properties and complexity in implementation. Whimsical by prior advancements in image processing techniques, the researchers compare various contemporary image pre-processing frameworks- Compressed Sensing, Singular Value Decomposition, Integer Wavelet Transform on performance. The paper exposes the potential of Integer Wavelet transform to be an efficient pre-processing scheme.

Particle-in-cell simulations with charge-conserving current deposition on graphic processing units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Chuang; Kong, Xianglong; Huang, Michael; Decyk, Viktor; Mori, Warren

2011-10-01

Recently using CUDA, we have developed an electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code with charge-conserving current deposition for Nvidia graphic processing units (GPU's) (Kong et al., Journal of Computational Physics 230, 1676 (2011). On a Tesla M2050 (Fermi) card, the GPU PIC code can achieve a one-particle-step process time of 1.2 - 3.2 ns in 2D and 2.3 - 7.2 ns in 3D, depending on plasma temperatures. In this talk we will discuss novel algorithms for GPU-PIC including charge-conserving current deposition scheme with few branching and parallel particle sorting. These algorithms have made efficient use of the GPU shared memory. We will also discuss how to replace the computation kernels of existing parallel CPU codes while keeping their parallel structures. This work was supported by U.S. Department of Energy under Grant Nos. DE-FG02-06ER54879 and DE-FC02-04ER54789 and by NSF under Grant Nos. PHY-0903797 and CCF-0747324.

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

Gilkey, Lindsay

This milestone presents a demonstration of the High-to-Low (Hi2Lo) process in the VVI focus area. Validation and additional calculations with the commercial computational fluid dynamics code, STAR-CCM+, were performed using a 5x5 fuel assembly with non-mixing geometry and spacer grids. This geometry was based on the benchmark experiment provided by Westinghouse. Results from the simulations were compared to existing experimental data and to the subchannel thermal-hydraulics code COBRA-TF (CTF). An uncertainty quantification (UQ) process was developed for the STAR-CCM+ model and results of the STAR UQ were communicated to CTF. Results from STAR-CCM+ simulations were used as experimental design pointsmore » in CTF to calibrate the mixing parameter β and compared to results obtained using experimental data points. This demonstrated that CTF’s β parameter can be calibrated to match existing experimental data more closely. The Hi2Lo process for the STAR-CCM+/CTF code coupling was documented in this milestone and closely linked L3:VVI.H2LP15.01 milestone report.« less

Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of dopant-defect systems under submicrosecond laser thermal processes

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

Fisicaro, G.; Pelaz, Lourdes; Lopez, P.

2012-11-06

An innovative Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) code has been developed, which rules the post-implant kinetics of the defects system in the extremely far-from-the equilibrium conditions caused by the laser irradiation close to the liquid-solid interface. It considers defect diffusion, annihilation and clustering. The code properly implements, consistently to the stochastic formalism, the fast varying local event rates related to the thermal field T(r,t) evolution. This feature of our numerical method represents an important advancement with respect to current state of the art KMC codes. The reduction of the implantation damage and its reorganization in defect aggregates are studied as amore » function of the process conditions. Phosphorus activation efficiency, experimentally determined in similar conditions, has been related to the emerging damage scenario.« less

Real-Space Density Functional Theory on Graphical Processing Units: Computational Approach and Comparison to Gaussian Basis Set Methods.

PubMed

Andrade, Xavier; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán

2013-10-08

We discuss the application of graphical processing units (GPUs) to accelerate real-space density functional theory (DFT) calculations. To make our implementation efficient, we have developed a scheme to expose the data parallelism available in the DFT approach; this is applied to the different procedures required for a real-space DFT calculation. We present results for current-generation GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, which show that our scheme, implemented in the free code Octopus, can reach a sustained performance of up to 90 GFlops for a single GPU, representing a significant speed-up when compared to the CPU version of the code. Moreover, for some systems, our implementation can outperform a GPU Gaussian basis set code, showing that the real-space approach is a competitive alternative for DFT simulations on GPUs.

Facial expression coding in children and adolescents with autism: Reduced adaptability but intact norm-based coding.

PubMed

Rhodes, Gillian; Burton, Nichola; Jeffery, Linda; Read, Ainsley; Taylor, Libby; Ewing, Louise

2018-05-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have difficulty recognizing emotional expressions. Here, we asked whether the underlying perceptual coding of expression is disrupted. Typical individuals code expression relative to a perceptual (average) norm that is continuously updated by experience. This adaptability of face-coding mechanisms has been linked to performance on various face tasks. We used an adaptation aftereffect paradigm to characterize expression coding in children and adolescents with autism. We asked whether face expression coding is less adaptable in autism and whether there is any fundamental disruption of norm-based coding. If expression coding is norm-based, then the face aftereffects should increase with adaptor expression strength (distance from the average expression). We observed this pattern in both autistic and typically developing participants, suggesting that norm-based coding is fundamentally intact in autism. Critically, however, expression aftereffects were reduced in the autism group, indicating that expression-coding mechanisms are less readily tuned by experience. Reduced adaptability has also been reported for coding of face identity and gaze direction. Thus, there appears to be a pervasive lack of adaptability in face-coding mechanisms in autism, which could contribute to face processing and broader social difficulties in the disorder. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Gear optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, G. N.; Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Ning-Tian

1988-01-01

The use of formal numerical optimization methods for the design of gears is investigated. To achieve this, computer codes were developed for the analysis of spur gears and spiral bevel gears. These codes calculate the life, dynamic load, bending strength, surface durability, gear weight and size, and various geometric parameters. It is necessary to calculate all such important responses because they all represent competing requirements in the design process. The codes developed here were written in subroutine form and coupled to the COPES/ADS general purpose optimization program. This code allows the user to define the optimization problem at the time of program execution. Typical design variables include face width, number of teeth and diametral pitch. The user is free to choose any calculated response as the design objective to minimize or maximize and may impose lower and upper bounds on any calculated responses. Typical examples include life maximization with limits on dynamic load, stress, weight, etc. or minimization of weight subject to limits on life, dynamic load, etc. The research codes were written in modular form for easy expansion and so that they could be combined to create a multiple reduction optimization capability in future.

The Advanced Software Development and Commercialization Project

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

Gallopoulos, E.; Canfield, T.R.; Minkoff, M.

1990-09-01

This is the first of a series of reports pertaining to progress in the Advanced Software Development and Commercialization Project, a joint collaborative effort between the Center for Supercomputing Research and Development of the University of Illinois and the Computing and Telecommunications Division of Argonne National Laboratory. The purpose of this work is to apply techniques of parallel computing that were pioneered by University of Illinois researchers to mature computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and structural dynamics (SD) computer codes developed at Argonne. The collaboration in this project will bring this unique combination of expertise to bear, for the first time,more » on industrially important problems. By so doing, it will expose the strengths and weaknesses of existing techniques for parallelizing programs and will identify those problems that need to be solved in order to enable wide spread production use of parallel computers. Secondly, the increased efficiency of the CFD and SD codes themselves will enable the simulation of larger, more accurate engineering models that involve fluid and structural dynamics. In order to realize the above two goals, we are considering two production codes that have been developed at ANL and are widely used by both industry and Universities. These are COMMIX and WHAMS-3D. The first is a computational fluid dynamics code that is used for both nuclear reactor design and safety and as a design tool for the casting industry. The second is a three-dimensional structural dynamics code used in nuclear reactor safety as well as crashworthiness studies. These codes are currently available for both sequential and vector computers only. Our main goal is to port and optimize these two codes on shared memory multiprocessors. In so doing, we shall establish a process that can be followed in optimizing other sequential or vector engineering codes for parallel processors.« less

nRC: non-coding RNA Classifier based on structural features.

PubMed

Fiannaca, Antonino; La Rosa, Massimo; La Paglia, Laura; Rizzo, Riccardo; Urso, Alfonso

2017-01-01

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) are small non-coding sequences involved in gene expression regulation of many biological processes and diseases. The recent discovery of a large set of different ncRNAs with biologically relevant roles has opened the way to develop methods able to discriminate between the different ncRNA classes. Moreover, the lack of knowledge about the complete mechanisms in regulative processes, together with the development of high-throughput technologies, has required the help of bioinformatics tools in addressing biologists and clinicians with a deeper comprehension of the functional roles of ncRNAs. In this work, we introduce a new ncRNA classification tool, nRC (non-coding RNA Classifier). Our approach is based on features extraction from the ncRNA secondary structure together with a supervised classification algorithm implementing a deep learning architecture based on convolutional neural networks. We tested our approach for the classification of 13 different ncRNA classes. We obtained classification scores, using the most common statistical measures. In particular, we reach an accuracy and sensitivity score of about 74%. The proposed method outperforms other similar classification methods based on secondary structure features and machine learning algorithms, including the RNAcon tool that, to date, is the reference classifier. nRC tool is freely available as a docker image at https://hub.docker.com/r/tblab/nrc/. The source code of nRC tool is also available at https://github.com/IcarPA-TBlab/nrc.

Utilization of an agility assessment module in analysis and optimization of preliminary fighter configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ngan, Angelen; Biezad, Daniel

1996-01-01

A study has been conducted to develop and to analyze a FORTRAN computer code for performing agility analysis on fighter aircraft configurations. This program is one of the modules of the NASA Ames ACSYNT (AirCraft SYNThesis) design code. The background of the agility research in the aircraft industry and a survey of a few agility metrics are discussed. The methodology, techniques, and models developed for the code are presented. The validity of the existing code was evaluated by comparing with existing flight test data. A FORTRAN program was developed for a specific metric, PM (Pointing Margin), as part of the agility module. Example trade studies using the agility module along with ACSYNT were conducted using a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet aircraft model. Tile sensitivity of thrust loading, wing loading, and thrust vectoring on agility criteria were investigated. The module can compare the agility potential between different configurations and has capability to optimize agility performance in the preliminary design process. This research provides a new and useful design tool for analyzing fighter performance during air combat engagements in the preliminary design.

Development of an agility assessment module for preliminary fighter design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ngan, Angelen; Bauer, Brent; Biezad, Daniel; Hahn, Andrew

1996-01-01

A FORTRAN computer program is presented to perform agility analysis on fighter aircraft configurations. This code is one of the modules of the NASA Ames ACSYNT (AirCraft SYNThesis) design code. The background of the agility research in the aircraft industry and a survey of a few agility metrics are discussed. The methodology, techniques, and models developed for the code are presented. FORTRAN programs were developed for two specific metrics, CCT (Combat Cycle Time) and PM (Pointing Margin), as part of the agility module. The validity of the code was evaluated by comparing with existing flight test data. Example trade studies using the agility module along with ACSYNT were conducted using Northrop F-20 Tigershark and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet aircraft models. The sensitivity of thrust loading and wing loading on agility criteria were investigated. The module can compare the agility potential between different configurations and has the capability to optimize agility performance in the preliminary design process. This research provides a new and useful design tool for analyzing fighter performance during air combat engagements.

NESTEM-QRAS: A Tool for Estimating Probability of Failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patel, Bhogilal M.; Nagpal, Vinod K.; Lalli, Vincent A.; Pai, Shantaram; Rusick, Jeffrey J.

2002-01-01

An interface between two NASA GRC specialty codes, NESTEM and QRAS has been developed. This interface enables users to estimate, in advance, the risk of failure of a component, a subsystem, and/or a system under given operating conditions. This capability would be able to provide a needed input for estimating the success rate for any mission. NESTEM code, under development for the last 15 years at NASA Glenn Research Center, has the capability of estimating probability of failure of components under varying loading and environmental conditions. This code performs sensitivity analysis of all the input variables and provides their influence on the response variables in the form of cumulative distribution functions. QRAS, also developed by NASA, assesses risk of failure of a system or a mission based on the quantitative information provided by NESTEM or other similar codes, and user provided fault tree and modes of failure. This paper will describe briefly, the capabilities of the NESTEM, QRAS and the interface. Also, in this presentation we will describe stepwise process the interface uses using an example.

NESTEM-QRAS: A Tool for Estimating Probability of Failure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Bhogilal M.; Nagpal, Vinod K.; Lalli, Vincent A.; Pai, Shantaram; Rusick, Jeffrey J.

2002-10-01

An interface between two NASA GRC specialty codes, NESTEM and QRAS has been developed. This interface enables users to estimate, in advance, the risk of failure of a component, a subsystem, and/or a system under given operating conditions. This capability would be able to provide a needed input for estimating the success rate for any mission. NESTEM code, under development for the last 15 years at NASA Glenn Research Center, has the capability of estimating probability of failure of components under varying loading and environmental conditions. This code performs sensitivity analysis of all the input variables and provides their influence on the response variables in the form of cumulative distribution functions. QRAS, also developed by NASA, assesses risk of failure of a system or a mission based on the quantitative information provided by NESTEM or other similar codes, and user provided fault tree and modes of failure. This paper will describe briefly, the capabilities of the NESTEM, QRAS and the interface. Also, in this presentation we will describe stepwise process the interface uses using an example.

Developing and Implementing the Data Mining Algorithms in RAVEN

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

Sen, Ramazan Sonat; Maljovec, Daniel Patrick; Alfonsi, Andrea

The RAVEN code is becoming a comprehensive tool to perform probabilistic risk assessment, uncertainty quantification, and verification and validation. The RAVEN code is being developed to support many programs and to provide a set of methodologies and algorithms for advanced analysis. Scientific computer codes can generate enormous amounts of data. To post-process and analyze such data might, in some cases, take longer than the initial software runtime. Data mining algorithms/methods help in recognizing and understanding patterns in the data, and thus discover knowledge in databases. The methodologies used in the dynamic probabilistic risk assessment or in uncertainty and error quantificationmore » analysis couple system/physics codes with simulation controller codes, such as RAVEN. RAVEN introduces both deterministic and stochastic elements into the simulation while the system/physics code model the dynamics deterministically. A typical analysis is performed by sampling values of a set of parameter values. A major challenge in using dynamic probabilistic risk assessment or uncertainty and error quantification analysis for a complex system is to analyze the large number of scenarios generated. Data mining techniques are typically used to better organize and understand data, i.e. recognizing patterns in the data. This report focuses on development and implementation of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for different data mining algorithms, and the application of these algorithms to different databases.« less

[Death certificate data in France: Production process and main types of analyses].

PubMed

Rey, G

2016-10-01

Mortality data, by the unambiguity of their definition and understanding by all stakeholders, and completeness of registration, are a cornerstone of public health statistics in France and in most industrialized countries. This article describes the data production process, and the main types of possible analyses. Data production is composed of different stages: death certification by a medical doctor on paper or electronic (using a web application) format, data transmission to Inserm, capture and coding of information. The encoding of the information follows the WHO recommendations of the International Classification of Diseases ([ICD], 10th revision used since 2000). It is carried out using an automatic coding software, called Iris, developed in an international consortium. The coding aims, first, at assigning an ICD code to all nosologic entities encountered on the certificate, and then at selecting the underlying cause of death. The latter is the main information used for statistical analyses. Three main types of analysis emerge in the literature: the exploitation of data on the death certificate only, ecological analyses (studies of associations between variables measured across groups) and analysis from data individually linked to other databases. Many public health issues can be addressed with these various analyses. Several developments in the production process are being implemented: the deployment of electronic certification, increased automation of the death certificate information processing and durable and complete record linkage with health insurance and hospitalisation data. They could soon be deeply expanding the scope of possible uses of causes of death data. Copyright © 2016 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Local spatio-temporal analysis in vision systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geisler, Wilson S.; Bovik, Alan; Cormack, Lawrence; Ghosh, Joydeep; Gildeen, David

1994-07-01

The aims of this project are the following: (1) develop a physiologically and psychophysically based model of low-level human visual processing (a key component of which are local frequency coding mechanisms); (2) develop image models and image-processing methods based upon local frequency coding; (3) develop algorithms for performing certain complex visual tasks based upon local frequency representations, (4) develop models of human performance in certain complex tasks based upon our understanding of low-level processing; and (5) develop a computational testbed for implementing, evaluating and visualizing the proposed models and algorithms, using a massively parallel computer. Progress has been substantial on all aims. The highlights include the following: (1) completion of a number of psychophysical and physiological experiments revealing new, systematic and exciting properties of the primate (human and monkey) visual system; (2) further development of image models that can accurately represent the local frequency structure in complex images; (3) near completion in the construction of the Texas Active Vision Testbed; (4) development and testing of several new computer vision algorithms dealing with shape-from-texture, shape-from-stereo, and depth-from-focus; (5) implementation and evaluation of several new models of human visual performance; and (6) evaluation, purchase and installation of a MasPar parallel computer.

Development of comprehensive numerical schemes for predicting evaporating gas-droplets flow processes of a liquid-fueled combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, C. P.

1990-01-01

An existing Computational Fluid Dynamics code for simulating complex turbulent flows inside a liquid rocket combustion chamber was validated and further developed. The Advanced Rocket Injector/Combustor Code (ARICC) is simplified and validated against benchmark flow situations for laminar and turbulent flows. The numerical method used in ARICC Code is re-examined for incompressible flow calculations. For turbulent flows, both the subgrid and the two equation k-epsilon turbulence models are studied. Cases tested include idealized Burger's equation in complex geometries and boundaries, a laminar pipe flow, a high Reynolds number turbulent flow, and a confined coaxial jet with recirculations. The accuracy of the algorithm is examined by comparing the numerical results with the analytical solutions as well as experimented data with different grid sizes.

Comparisons of anomalous and collisional radial transport with a continuum kinetic edge code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodi, K.; Krasheninnikov, S.; Cohen, R.; Rognlien, T.

2009-05-01

Modeling of anomalous (turbulence-driven) radial transport in controlled-fusion plasmas is necessary for long-time transport simulations. Here the focus is continuum kinetic edge codes such as the (2-D, 2-V) transport version of TEMPEST, NEO, and the code being developed by the Edge Simulation Laboratory, but the model also has wider application. Our previously developed anomalous diagonal transport matrix model with velocity-dependent convection and diffusion coefficients allows contact with typical fluid transport models (e.g., UEDGE). Results are presented that combine the anomalous transport model and collisional transport owing to ion drift orbits utilizing a Krook collision operator that conserves density and energy. Comparison is made of the relative magnitudes and possible synergistic effects of the two processes for typical tokamak device parameters.

ISBT 128 Standard for Coding Medical Products of Human Origin

PubMed Central

Ashford, Paul; Delgado, Matthew

2017-01-01

Background ISBT 128 is an international standard for the terminology, coding, labeling, and identification of medical products of human origin (MPHO). Full implementation of ISBT 128 improves traceability, transparency, vigilance and surveillance, and interoperability. Methods ICCBBA maintains the ISBT 128 standard through the activities of a network of expert volunteers, including representatives from professional scientific societies, governments and users, to standardize and maintain MPHO identification. These individuals are organized into Technical Advisory Groups and work within a structured framework as part of a quality-controlled standards development process. Results The extensive involvement of international scientific and professional societies in the development of the standard has ensured that ISBT 128 has gained widespread recognition. The user community has developed confidence in the ability of the standard to adapt to new developments in their fields of interest. The standard is fully compatible with Single European Code requirements for tissues and cells and is utilized by many European tissue establishments. ISBT 128's flexibility and robustness has allowed for expansions into subject areas such as cellular therapy, regenerative medicine, and tissue banking. Conclusion ISBT 128 is the internationally recognized standard for coding MPHO and has gained widespread use globally throughout the past two decades. PMID:29344013

Assessment and Application of the ROSE Code for Reactor Outage Thermal-Hydraulic and Safety Analysis

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

Liang, Thomas K.S.; Ko, F.-K.; Dai, L.-C

The currently available tools, such as RELAP5, RETRAN, and others, cannot easily and correctly perform the task of analyzing the system behavior during plant outages. Therefore, a medium-sized program aiming at reactor outage simulation and evaluation, such as midloop operation (MLO) with loss of residual heat removal (RHR), has been developed. Important thermal-hydraulic processes involved during MLO with loss of RHR can be properly simulated by the newly developed reactor outage simulation and evaluation (ROSE) code. The two-region approach with a modified two-fluid model has been adopted to be the theoretical basis of the ROSE code.To verify the analytical modelmore » in the first step, posttest calculations against the integral midloop experiments with loss of RHR have been performed. The excellent simulation capacity of the ROSE code against the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research Integral System Test Facility test data is demonstrated. To further mature the ROSE code in simulating a full-sized pressurized water reactor, assessment against the WGOTHIC code and the Maanshan momentary-loss-of-RHR event has been undertaken. The successfully assessed ROSE code is then applied to evaluate the abnormal operation procedure (AOP) with loss of RHR during MLO (AOP 537.4) for the Maanshan plant. The ROSE code also has been successfully transplanted into the Maanshan training simulator to support operator training. How the simulator was upgraded by the ROSE code for MLO will be presented in the future.« less

Graphical Representation of Parallel Algorithmic Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

interface with the AAARF main process . The source code for the AAARF class-common library is in the common subdi- rectory and consists of the following files... for public release; distribution unlimited AFIT/GCE/ENG/90D-07 Graphical Representation of Parallel Algorithmic Processes THESIS Presented to the...goal of this study is to develop an algorithm animation facility for parallel processes executing on different architectures, from multiprocessor

Numerical investigations in three-dimensional internal flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, William C.

1991-01-01

In previous efforts, a two-dimensional full Navier-Stokes (FNS) code (SCRAM2D) was used in a design process that involved parametric modifications of the inlet geometry to arrive at what appeared to be an optimum inlet flowfield that produced a uniform flow at the exit in a very short distance. In these previous studies, the technologies for determining the contours with a 'man-in-the-loop' approach for both the ramp and cowl of the inlet were demonstrated, and nearly shock-free exiting flowfields were shown to be obtainable. The resulting two-dimensional compression contours were then used with swept sidewalls to form a three-dimensional inlet. Then the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code (SCRAM3D) was used to investigate the inlet's three-dimensional flow. One of the major difficulties encountered in the previous studies was that associated with the relatively long time required to obtain a solution using even the 2D FNS code in the design process. Since one of the goals of high-speed inlet design is to produce inputs to the overall aircraft design in a timely manner, it was proposed for this year's research to examine 2D and 3D viscous flow solver techniques alternative to the NFS codes used to date. Areas of the inlet particularly identified for code speed up are those associated with the forebody and external flow ramp systems of the inlet. In these areas, parabolized, or space-marched, Navier-Stokes codes were proposed to be investigated for their applicability in the design process developed previously. This report describes the results of an investigation into the use of two other codes for analyzing the forebody and inlet ramp systems of high-speed inlets.

Electromagnetic plasma simulation in realistic geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandon, S.; Ambrosiano, J. J.; Nielsen, D.

1991-08-01

Particle-in-Cell (PIC) calculations have become an indispensable tool to model the nonlinear collective behavior of charged particle species in electromagnetic fields. Traditional finite difference codes, such as CONDOR (2-D) and ARGUS (3-D), are used extensively to design experiments and develop new concepts. A wide variety of physical processes can be modeled simply and efficiently by these codes. However, experiments have become more complex. Geometrical shapes and length scales are becoming increasingly more difficult to model. Spatial resolution requirements for the electromagnetic calculation force large grids and small time steps. Many hours of CRAY YMP time may be required to complete 2-D calculation -- many more for 3-D calculations. In principle, the number of mesh points and particles need only to be increased until all relevant physical processes are resolved. In practice, the size of a calculation is limited by the computer budget. As a result, experimental design is being limited by the ability to calculate, not by the experimenters ingenuity or understanding of the physical processes involved. Several approaches to meet these computational demands are being pursued. Traditional PIC codes continue to be the major design tools. These codes are being actively maintained, optimized, and extended to handle large and more complex problems. Two new formulations are being explored to relax the geometrical constraints of the finite difference codes. A modified finite volume test code, TALUS, uses a data structure compatible with that of standard finite difference meshes. This allows a basic conformal boundary/variable grid capability to be retrofitted to CONDOR. We are also pursuing an unstructured grid finite element code, MadMax. The unstructured mesh approach provides maximum flexibility in the geometrical model while also allowing local mesh refinement.

Neptune: An astrophysical smooth particle hydrodynamics code for massively parallel computer architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandalski, Stou

Smooth particle hydrodynamics is an efficient method for modeling the dynamics of fluids. It is commonly used to simulate astrophysical processes such as binary mergers. We present a newly developed GPU accelerated smooth particle hydrodynamics code for astrophysical simulations. The code is named neptune after the Roman god of water. It is written in OpenMP parallelized C++ and OpenCL and includes octree based hydrodynamic and gravitational acceleration. The design relies on object-oriented methodologies in order to provide a flexible and modular framework that can be easily extended and modified by the user. Several pre-built scenarios for simulating collisions of polytropes and black-hole accretion are provided. The code is released under the MIT Open Source license and publicly available at http://code.google.com/p/neptune-sph/.

Progress towards a world-wide code of conduct

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

Lee, J.A.N.; Berleur, J.

1994-12-31

In this paper the work of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Task Group on Ethics is described and the recommendations presented to the General Assembly are reviewed. While a common code of ethics or conduct has been not recommended for consideration by the member societies of IMP, a set of guidelines for the establishment and evaluation of codes has been produced and procedures for the assistance of code development have been established within IMP. This paper proposes that the data collected by the Task Group and the proposed guidelines can be used as a tool for the studymore » of codes of practice providing a teachable, learnable educational module in courses related to the ethics of computing and computation, and looks at the next steps in bringing ethical awareness to the IT community.« less

BASIC Language Flow Charting Program (BASCHART). Technical Note 3-82.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Charles C.; And Others

This document describes BASCHART, a computer aid designed to decipher and automatically flow chart computer program logic; it also provides the computer code necessary for this process. Developed to reduce the labor intensive manual process of producing a flow chart for an undocumented or inadequately documented program, BASCHART will…

Session on High Speed Civil Transport Design Capability Using MDO and High Performance Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehder, Joe

2000-01-01

Since the inception of CAS in 1992, NASA Langley has been conducting research into applying multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) and high performance computing toward reducing aircraft design cycle time. The focus of this research has been the development of a series of computational frameworks and associated applications that increased in capability, complexity, and performance over time. The culmination of this effort is an automated high-fidelity analysis capability for a high speed civil transport (HSCT) vehicle installed on a network of heterogeneous computers with a computational framework built using Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Java. The main focus of the research in the early years was the development of the Framework for Interdisciplinary Design Optimization (FIDO) and associated HSCT applications. While the FIDO effort was eventually halted, work continued on HSCT applications of ever increasing complexity. The current application, HSCT4.0, employs high fidelity CFD and FEM analysis codes. For each analysis cycle, the vehicle geometry and computational grids are updated using new values for design variables. Processes for aeroelastic trim, loads convergence, displacement transfer, stress and buckling, and performance have been developed. In all, a total of 70 processes are integrated in the analysis framework. Many of the key processes include automatic differentiation capabilities to provide sensitivity information that can be used in optimization. A software engineering process was developed to manage this large project. Defining the interactions among 70 processes turned out to be an enormous, but essential, task. A formal requirements document was prepared that defined data flow among processes and subprocesses. A design document was then developed that translated the requirements into actual software design. A validation program was defined and implemented to ensure that codes integrated into the framework produced the same results as their standalone counterparts. Finally, a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) configuration management system was used to organize the software development. A computational environment, CJOPT, based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture, CORBA, and the Java programming language has been developed as a framework for multidisciplinary analysis and Optimization. The environment exploits the parallelisms inherent in the application and distributes the constituent disciplines on machines best suited to their needs. In CJOpt, a discipline code is "wrapped" as an object. An interface to the object identifies the functionality (services) provided by the discipline, defined in Interface Definition Language (IDL) and implemented using Java. The results of using the HSCT4.0 capability are described. A summary of lessons learned is also presented. The use of some of the processes, codes, and techniques by industry are highlighted. The application of the methodology developed in this research to other aircraft are described. Finally, we show how the experience gained is being applied to entirely new vehicles, such as the Reusable Space Transportation System. Additional information is contained in the original.

High Resolution Near Real Time Image Processing and Support for MSSS Modernization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, R. B.; Sabol, C.; Borelli, K.; Spetka, S.; Addison, J.; Mallo, A.; Farnsworth, B.; Viloria, R.

2012-09-01

This paper describes image enhancement software applications engineering development work that has been performed in support of Maui Space Surveillance System (MSSS) Modernization. It also includes R&D and transition activity that has been performed over the past few years with the objective of providing increased space situational awareness (SSA) capabilities. This includes Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) use of an FY10 Dedicated High Performance Investment (DHPI) cluster award -- and our selection and planned use for an FY12 DHPI award. We provide an introduction to image processing of electro optical (EO) telescope sensors data; and a high resolution image enhancement and near real time processing and summary status overview. We then describe recent image enhancement applications development and support for MSSS Modernization, results to date, and end with a discussion of desired future development work and conclusions. Significant improvements to image processing enhancement have been realized over the past several years, including a key application that has realized more than a 10,000-times speedup compared to the original R&D code -- and a greater than 72-times speedup over the past few years. The latest version of this code maintains software efficiency for post-mission processing while providing optimization for image processing of data from a new EO sensor at MSSS. Additional work has also been performed to develop low latency, near real time processing of data that is collected by the ground-based sensor during overhead passes of space objects.

Use of SUSA in Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis for INL VHTR Coupled Codes

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

Gerhard Strydom

2010-06-01

The need for a defendable and systematic Uncertainty and Sensitivity approach that conforms to the Code Scaling, Applicability, and Uncertainty (CSAU) process, and that could be used for a wide variety of software codes, was defined in 2008.The GRS (Gesellschaft für Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit) company of Germany has developed one type of CSAU approach that is particularly well suited for legacy coupled core analysis codes, and a trial version of their commercial software product SUSA (Software for Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analyses) was acquired on May 12, 2010. This interim milestone report provides an overview of the current status of themore » implementation and testing of SUSA at the INL VHTR Project Office.« less

Hybrid-PIC Computer Simulation of the Plasma and Erosion Processes in Hall Thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofer, Richard R.; Katz, Ira; Mikellides, Ioannis G.; Gamero-Castano, Manuel

2010-01-01

HPHall software simulates and tracks the time-dependent evolution of the plasma and erosion processes in the discharge chamber and near-field plume of Hall thrusters. HPHall is an axisymmetric solver that employs a hybrid fluid/particle-in-cell (Hybrid-PIC) numerical approach. HPHall, originally developed by MIT in 1998, was upgraded to HPHall-2 by the Polytechnic University of Madrid in 2006. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has continued the development of HPHall-2 through upgrades to the physical models employed in the code, and the addition of entirely new ones. Primary among these are the inclusion of a three-region electron mobility model that more accurately depicts the cross-field electron transport, and the development of an erosion sub-model that allows for the tracking of the erosion of the discharge chamber wall. The code is being developed to provide NASA science missions with a predictive tool of Hall thruster performance and lifetime that can be used to validate Hall thrusters for missions.

Introducing Python tools for magnetotellurics: MTpy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krieger, L.; Peacock, J.; Inverarity, K.; Thiel, S.; Robertson, K.

2013-12-01

Within the framework of geophysical exploration techniques, the magnetotelluric method (MT) is relatively immature: It is still not as widely spread as other geophysical methods like seismology, and its processing schemes and data formats are not thoroughly standardized. As a result, the file handling and processing software within the academic community is mainly based on a loose collection of codes, which are sometimes highly adapted to the respective local specifications. Although tools for the estimation of the frequency dependent MT transfer function, as well as inversion and modelling codes, are available, the standards and software for handling MT data are generally not unified throughout the community. To overcome problems that arise from missing standards, and to simplify the general handling of MT data, we have developed the software package "MTpy", which allows the handling, processing, and imaging of magnetotelluric data sets. It is written in Python and the code is open-source. The setup of this package follows the modular approach of successful software packages like GMT or Obspy. It contains sub-packages and modules for various tasks within the standard MT data processing and handling scheme. Besides pure Python classes and functions, MTpy provides wrappers and convenience scripts to call external software, e.g. modelling and inversion codes. Even though still under development, MTpy already contains ca. 250 functions that work on raw and preprocessed data. However, as our aim is not to produce a static collection of software, we rather introduce MTpy as a flexible framework, which will be dynamically extended in the future. It then has the potential to help standardise processing procedures and at same time be a versatile supplement for existing algorithms. We introduce the concept and structure of MTpy, and we illustrate the workflow of MT data processing utilising MTpy on an example data set collected over a geothermal exploration site in South Australia. Workflow of MT data processing. Within the structural diagram, the MTpy sub-packages are shown in red (time series data processing), green (handling of EDI files and impedance tensor data), yellow (connection to modelling/inversion algorithms), black (impedance tensor interpretation, e.g. by Phase Tensor calculations), and blue (generation of visual representations, e.g pseudo sections or resistivity models).

Image Coding Based on Address Vector Quantization.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yushu

Image coding is finding increased application in teleconferencing, archiving, and remote sensing. This thesis investigates the potential of Vector Quantization (VQ), a relatively new source coding technique, for compression of monochromatic and color images. Extensions of the Vector Quantization technique to the Address Vector Quantization method have been investigated. In Vector Quantization, the image data to be encoded are first processed to yield a set of vectors. A codeword from the codebook which best matches the input image vector is then selected. Compression is achieved by replacing the image vector with the index of the code-word which produced the best match, the index is sent to the channel. Reconstruction of the image is done by using a table lookup technique, where the label is simply used as an address for a table containing the representative vectors. A code-book of representative vectors (codewords) is generated using an iterative clustering algorithm such as K-means, or the generalized Lloyd algorithm. A review of different Vector Quantization techniques are given in chapter 1. Chapter 2 gives an overview of codebook design methods including the Kohonen neural network to design codebook. During the encoding process, the correlation of the address is considered and Address Vector Quantization is developed for color image and monochrome image coding. Address VQ which includes static and dynamic processes is introduced in chapter 3. In order to overcome the problems in Hierarchical VQ, Multi-layer Address Vector Quantization is proposed in chapter 4. This approach gives the same performance as that of the normal VQ scheme but the bit rate is about 1/2 to 1/3 as that of the normal VQ method. In chapter 5, a Dynamic Finite State VQ based on a probability transition matrix to select the best subcodebook to encode the image is developed. In chapter 6, a new adaptive vector quantization scheme, suitable for color video coding, called "A Self -Organizing Adaptive VQ Technique" is presented. In addition to chapters 2 through 6 which report on new work, this dissertation includes one chapter (chapter 1) and part of chapter 2 which review previous work on VQ and image coding, respectively. Finally, a short discussion of directions for further research is presented in conclusion.

JDFTx: Software for joint density-functional theory

DOE PAGES

Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Letchworth-Weaver, Kendra; Schwarz, Kathleen A.; ...

2017-11-14

Density-functional theory (DFT) has revolutionized computational prediction of atomic-scale properties from first principles in physics, chemistry and materials science. Continuing development of new methods is necessary for accurate predictions of new classes of materials and properties, and for connecting to nano- and mesoscale properties using coarse-grained theories. JDFTx is a fully-featured open-source electronic DFT software designed specifically to facilitate rapid development of new theories, models and algorithms. Using an algebraic formulation as an abstraction layer, compact C++11 code automatically performs well on diverse hardware including GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). This code hosts the development of joint density-functional theory (JDFT) thatmore » combines electronic DFT with classical DFT and continuum models of liquids for first-principles calculations of solvated and electrochemical systems. In addition, the modular nature of the code makes it easy to extend and interface with, facilitating the development of multi-scale toolkits that connect to ab initio calculations, e.g. photo-excited carrier dynamics combining electron and phonon calculations with electromagnetic simulations.« less

Development code for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of input on the MCNPX for neutronic calculation in PWR core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartini, Entin; Andiwijayakusuma, Dinan

2014-09-01

This research was carried out on the development of code for uncertainty analysis is based on a statistical approach for assessing the uncertainty input parameters. In the butn-up calculation of fuel, uncertainty analysis performed for input parameters fuel density, coolant density and fuel temperature. This calculation is performed during irradiation using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport. The Uncertainty method based on the probabilities density function. Development code is made in python script to do coupling with MCNPX for criticality and burn-up calculations. Simulation is done by modeling the geometry of PWR terrace, with MCNPX on the power 54 MW with fuel type UO2 pellets. The calculation is done by using the data library continuous energy cross-sections ENDF / B-VI. MCNPX requires nuclear data in ACE format. Development of interfaces for obtaining nuclear data in the form of ACE format of ENDF through special process NJOY calculation to temperature changes in a certain range.

JDFTx: Software for joint density-functional theory

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

Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Letchworth-Weaver, Kendra; Schwarz, Kathleen A.

Density-functional theory (DFT) has revolutionized computational prediction of atomic-scale properties from first principles in physics, chemistry and materials science. Continuing development of new methods is necessary for accurate predictions of new classes of materials and properties, and for connecting to nano- and mesoscale properties using coarse-grained theories. JDFTx is a fully-featured open-source electronic DFT software designed specifically to facilitate rapid development of new theories, models and algorithms. Using an algebraic formulation as an abstraction layer, compact C++11 code automatically performs well on diverse hardware including GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). This code hosts the development of joint density-functional theory (JDFT) thatmore » combines electronic DFT with classical DFT and continuum models of liquids for first-principles calculations of solvated and electrochemical systems. In addition, the modular nature of the code makes it easy to extend and interface with, facilitating the development of multi-scale toolkits that connect to ab initio calculations, e.g. photo-excited carrier dynamics combining electron and phonon calculations with electromagnetic simulations.« less

A Software Development Platform for Wearable Medical Applications.

PubMed

Zhang, Ruikai; Lin, Wei

2015-10-01

Wearable medical devices have become a leading trend in healthcare industry. Microcontrollers are computers on a chip with sufficient processing power and preferred embedded computing units in those devices. We have developed a software platform specifically for the design of the wearable medical applications with a small code footprint on the microcontrollers. It is supported by the open source real time operating system FreeRTOS and supplemented with a set of standard APIs for the architectural specific hardware interfaces on the microcontrollers for data acquisition and wireless communication. We modified the tick counter routine in FreeRTOS to include a real time soft clock. When combined with the multitasking features in the FreeRTOS, the platform offers the quick development of wearable applications and easy porting of the application code to different microprocessors. Test results have demonstrated that the application software developed using this platform are highly efficient in CPU usage while maintaining a small code foot print to accommodate the limited memory space in microcontrollers.

Development code for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of input on the MCNPX for neutronic calculation in PWR core

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

Hartini, Entin, E-mail: entin@batan.go.id; Andiwijayakusuma, Dinan, E-mail: entin@batan.go.id

2014-09-30

This research was carried out on the development of code for uncertainty analysis is based on a statistical approach for assessing the uncertainty input parameters. In the butn-up calculation of fuel, uncertainty analysis performed for input parameters fuel density, coolant density and fuel temperature. This calculation is performed during irradiation using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport. The Uncertainty method based on the probabilities density function. Development code is made in python script to do coupling with MCNPX for criticality and burn-up calculations. Simulation is done by modeling the geometry of PWR terrace, with MCNPX on the power 54 MW with fuelmore » type UO2 pellets. The calculation is done by using the data library continuous energy cross-sections ENDF / B-VI. MCNPX requires nuclear data in ACE format. Development of interfaces for obtaining nuclear data in the form of ACE format of ENDF through special process NJOY calculation to temperature changes in a certain range.« less

Building Energy Efficiency in India: Compliance Evaluation of Energy Conservation Building Code

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

Yu, Sha; Evans, Meredydd; Delgado, Alison

India is experiencing unprecedented construction boom. The country doubled its floorspace between 2001 and 2005 and is expected to add 35 billion m2 of new buildings by 2050. Buildings account for 35% of total final energy consumption in India today, and building energy use is growing at 8% annually. Studies have shown that carbon policies will have little effect on reducing building energy demand. Chaturvedi et al. predicted that, if there is no specific sectoral policies to curb building energy use, final energy demand of the Indian building sector will grow over five times by the end of this century,more » driven by rapid income and population growth. The growing energy demand in buildings is accompanied by a transition from traditional biomass to commercial fuels, particularly an increase in electricity use. This also leads to a rapid increase in carbon emissions and aggravates power shortage in India. Growth in building energy use poses challenges to the Indian government. To curb energy consumption in buildings, the Indian government issued the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) in 2007, which applies to commercial buildings with a connected load of 100 kW or 120kVA. It is predicted that the implementation of ECBC can help save 25-40% of energy, compared to reference buildings without energy-efficiency measures. However, the impact of ECBC depends on the effectiveness of its enforcement and compliance. Currently, the majority of buildings in India are not ECBC-compliant. The United Nations Development Programme projected that code compliance in India would reach 35% by 2015 and 64% by 2017. Whether the projected targets can be achieved depends on how the code enforcement system is designed and implemented. Although the development of ECBC lies in the hands of the national government – the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power, the adoption and implementation of ECBC largely relies on state and local governments. Six years after ECBC’s enactment, only two states and one territory out of 35 Indian states and union territories formally adopted ECBC and six additional states are in the legislative process of approving ECBC. There are several barriers that slow down the process. First, stakeholders, such as architects, developers, and state and local governments, lack awareness of building energy efficiency, and do not have enough capacity and resources to implement ECBC. Second, institution for implementing ECBC is not set up yet; ECBC is not included in local building by-laws or incorporated into the building permit process. Third, there is not a systematic approach to measuring and verifying compliance and energy savings, and thus the market does not have enough confidence in ECBC. Energy codes achieve energy savings only when projects comply with codes, yet only few countries measure compliance consistently and periodic checks often indicate poor compliance in many jurisdictions. China and the U.S. appear to be two countries with comprehensive systems in code enforcement and compliance The United States recently developed methodologies measuring compliance with building energy codes at the state level. China has an annual survey investigating code compliance rate at the design and construction stages in major cities. Like many developing countries, India has only recently begun implementing an energy code and would benefit from international experience on code compliance. In this paper, we examine lessons learned from the U.S. and China on compliance assessment and how India can apply these lessons to develop its own compliance evaluation approach. This paper also provides policy suggestions to national, state, and local governments to improve compliance and speed up ECBC implementation.« less

Matlab Based LOCO

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

Portmann, Greg; /LBL, Berkeley; Safranek, James

The LOCO algorithm has been used by many accelerators around the world. Although the uses for LOCO vary, the most common use has been to find calibration errors and correct the optics functions. The light source community in particular has made extensive use of the LOCO algorithms to tightly control the beta function and coupling. Maintaining high quality beam parameters requires constant attention so a relatively large effort was put into software development for the LOCO application. The LOCO code was originally written in FORTRAN. This code worked fine but it was somewhat awkward to use. For instance, the FORTRANmore » code itself did not calculate the model response matrix. It required a separate modeling code such as MAD to calculate the model matrix then one manually loads the data into the LOCO code. As the number of people interested in LOCO grew, it required making it easier to use. The decision to port LOCO to Matlab was relatively easy. It's best to use a matrix programming language with good graphics capability; Matlab was also being used for high level machine control; and the accelerator modeling code AT, [5], was already developed for Matlab. Since LOCO requires collecting and processing a relative large amount of data, it is very helpful to have the LOCO code compatible with the high level machine control, [3]. A number of new features were added while porting the code from FORTRAN and new methods continue to evolve, [7][9]. Although Matlab LOCO was written with AT as the underlying tracking code, a mechanism to connect to other modeling codes has been provided.« less

Visual Computing Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Charles; Putt, Charles W.

1997-01-01

The Visual Computing Environment (VCE) is a NASA Lewis Research Center project to develop a framework for intercomponent and multidisciplinary computational simulations. Many current engineering analysis codes simulate various aspects of aircraft engine operation. For example, existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes can model the airflow through individual engine components such as the inlet, compressor, combustor, turbine, or nozzle. Currently, these codes are run in isolation, making intercomponent and complete system simulations very difficult to perform. In addition, management and utilization of these engineering codes for coupled component simulations is a complex, laborious task, requiring substantial experience and effort. To facilitate multicomponent aircraft engine analysis, the CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) is developing the VCE system. This system, which is part of NASA's Numerical Propulsion Simulation System (NPSS) program, can couple various engineering disciplines, such as CFD, structural analysis, and thermal analysis. The objectives of VCE are to (1) develop a visual computing environment for controlling the execution of individual simulation codes that are running in parallel and are distributed on heterogeneous host machines in a networked environment, (2) develop numerical coupling algorithms for interchanging boundary conditions between codes with arbitrary grid matching and different levels of dimensionality, (3) provide a graphical interface for simulation setup and control, and (4) provide tools for online visualization and plotting. VCE was designed to provide a distributed, object-oriented environment. Mechanisms are provided for creating and manipulating objects, such as grids, boundary conditions, and solution data. This environment includes parallel virtual machine (PVM) for distributed processing. Users can interactively select and couple any set of codes that have been modified to run in a parallel distributed fashion on a cluster of heterogeneous workstations. A scripting facility allows users to dictate the sequence of events that make up the particular simulation.

Non-adiabatic Excited State Molecule Dynamics Modeling of Photochemistry and Photophysics of Materials

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

Nelson, Tammie Renee; Tretiak, Sergei

2017-01-06

Understanding and controlling excited state dynamics lies at the heart of all our efforts to design photoactive materials with desired functionality. This tailor-design approach has become the standard for many technological applications (e.g., solar energy harvesting) including the design of organic conjugated electronic materials with applications in photovoltaic and light-emitting devices. Over the years, our team has developed efficient LANL-based codes to model the relevant photophysical processes following photoexcitation (spatial energy transfer, excitation localization/delocalization, and/or charge separation). The developed approach allows the non-radiative relaxation to be followed on up to ~10 ps timescales for large realistic molecules (hundreds of atomsmore » in size) in the realistic solvent dielectric environment. The Collective Electronic Oscillator (CEO) code is used to compute electronic excited states, and the Non-adiabatic Excited State Molecular Dynamics (NA-ESMD) code is used to follow the non-adiabatic dynamics on multiple coupled Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surfaces. Our preliminary NA-ESMD simulations have revealed key photoinduced mechanisms controlling competing interactions and relaxation pathways in complex materials, including organic conjugated polymer materials, and have provided a detailed understanding of photochemical products and intermediates and the internal conversion process during the initiation of energetic materials. This project will be using LANL-based CEO and NA-ESMD codes to model nonradiative relaxation in organic and energetic materials. The NA-ESMD and CEO codes belong to a class of electronic structure/quantum chemistry codes that require large memory, “long-queue-few-core” distribution of resources in order to make useful progress. The NA-ESMD simulations are trivially parallelizable requiring ~300 processors for up to one week runtime to reach a meaningful restart point.« less

Cyclotron resonant scattering feature simulations. II. Description of the CRSF simulation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarm, F.-W.; Ballhausen, R.; Falkner, S.; Schönherr, G.; Pottschmidt, K.; Wolff, M. T.; Becker, P. A.; Fürst, F.; Marcu-Cheatham, D. M.; Hemphill, P. B.; Sokolova-Lapa, E.; Dauser, T.; Klochkov, D.; Ferrigno, C.; Wilms, J.

2017-05-01

Context. Cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) are formed by scattering of X-ray photons off quantized plasma electrons in the strong magnetic field (of the order 1012 G) close to the surface of an accreting X-ray pulsar. Due to the complex scattering cross-sections, the line profiles of CRSFs cannot be described by an analytic expression. Numerical methods, such as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the scattering processes, are required in order to predict precise line shapes for a given physical setup, which can be compared to observations to gain information about the underlying physics in these systems. Aims: A versatile simulation code is needed for the generation of synthetic cyclotron lines. Sophisticated geometries should be investigatable by making their simulation possible for the first time. Methods: The simulation utilizes the mean free path tables described in the first paper of this series for the fast interpolation of propagation lengths. The code is parallelized to make the very time-consuming simulations possible on convenient time scales. Furthermore, it can generate responses to monoenergetic photon injections, producing Green's functions, which can be used later to generate spectra for arbitrary continua. Results: We develop a new simulation code to generate synthetic cyclotron lines for complex scenarios, allowing for unprecedented physical interpretation of the observed data. An associated XSPEC model implementation is used to fit synthetic line profiles to NuSTAR data of Cep X-4. The code has been developed with the main goal of overcoming previous geometrical constraints in MC simulations of CRSFs. By applying this code also to more simple, classic geometries used in previous works, we furthermore address issues of code verification and cross-comparison of various models. The XSPEC model and the Green's function tables are available online (see link in footnote, page 1).

Porting ONETEP to graphical processing unit-based coprocessors. 1. FFT box operations.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Karl; Skylaris, Chris-Kriton

2013-10-30

We present the first graphical processing unit (GPU) coprocessor-enabled version of the Order-N Electronic Total Energy Package (ONETEP) code for linear-scaling first principles quantum mechanical calculations on materials. This work focuses on porting to the GPU the parts of the code that involve atom-localized fast Fourier transform (FFT) operations. These are among the most computationally intensive parts of the code and are used in core algorithms such as the calculation of the charge density, the local potential integrals, the kinetic energy integrals, and the nonorthogonal generalized Wannier function gradient. We have found that direct porting of the isolated FFT operations did not provide any benefit. Instead, it was necessary to tailor the port to each of the aforementioned algorithms to optimize data transfer to and from the GPU. A detailed discussion of the methods used and tests of the resulting performance are presented, which show that individual steps in the relevant algorithms are accelerated by a significant amount. However, the transfer of data between the GPU and host machine is a significant bottleneck in the reported version of the code. In addition, an initial investigation into a dynamic precision scheme for the ONETEP energy calculation has been performed to take advantage of the enhanced single precision capabilities of GPUs. The methods used here result in no disruption to the existing code base. Furthermore, as the developments reported here concern the core algorithms, they will benefit the full range of ONETEP functionality. Our use of a directive-based programming model ensures portability to other forms of coprocessors and will allow this work to form the basis of future developments to the code designed to support emerging high-performance computing platforms. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Research into language concepts for the mission control center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dellenback, Steven W.; Barton, Timothy J.; Ratner, Jeremiah M.

1990-01-01

A final report is given on research into language concepts for the Mission Control Center (MCC). The Specification Driven Language research is described. The state of the image processing field and how image processing techniques could be applied toward automating the generation of the language known as COmputation Development Environment (CODE or Comp Builder) are discussed. Also described is the development of a flight certified compiler for Comps.

Editing of EIA coded, numerically controlled, machine tool tapes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiner, J. M.

1975-01-01

Editing of numerically controlled (N/C) machine tool tapes (8-level paper tape) using an interactive graphic display processor is described. A rapid technique required for correcting production errors in N/C tapes was developed using the interactive text editor on the IMLAC PDS-ID graphic display system and two special programs resident on disk. The correction technique and special programs for processing N/C tapes coded to EIA specifications are discussed.

The ENSDF Java Package

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

Sonzogni, A.A.

2005-05-24

A package of computer codes has been developed to process and display nuclear structure and decay data stored in the ENSDF (Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File) library. The codes were written in an object-oriented fashion using the java language. This allows for an easy implementation across multiple platforms as well as deployment on web pages. The structure of the different java classes that make up the package is discussed as well as several different implementations.

ARC integration into the NEAMS Workbench

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

Stauff, N.; Gaughan, N.; Kim, T.

2017-01-01

One of the objectives of the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Integration Product Line (IPL) is to facilitate the deployment of the high-fidelity codes developed within the program. The Workbench initiative was launched in FY-2017 by the IPL to facilitate the transition from conventional tools to high fidelity tools. The Workbench provides a common user interface for model creation, real-time validation, execution, output processing, and visualization for integrated codes.

Spotted star mapping by light curve inversion: Tests and application to HD 12545

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolbin, A. I.; Shimansky, V. V.

2013-06-01

A code for mapping the surfaces of spotted stars is developed. The concept of the code is to analyze rotational-modulated light curves. We simulate the process of reconstruction for the star surface and the results of simulation are presented. The reconstruction atrifacts caused by the ill-posed nature of the problem are deduced. The surface of the spotted component of system HD 12545 is mapped using the procedure.

Integrated Predictive Tools for Customizing Microstructure and Material Properties of Additively Manufactured Aerospace Components

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

Radhakrishnan, Balasubramaniam; Fattebert, Jean-Luc; Gorti, Sarma B.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to a process by which digital three-dimensional (3-D) design data is converted to build up a component by depositing material layer-by-layer. United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is currently involved in fabrication and certification of several AM aerospace structural components made from aerospace materials. This is accomplished by using optimized process parameters determined through numerous design-of-experiments (DOE)-based studies. Certification of these components is broadly recognized as a significant challenge, with long lead times, very expensive new product development cycles and very high energy consumption. Because of these challenges, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), together with UTC business unitsmore » have been developing and validating an advanced physics-based process model. The specific goal is to develop a physics-based framework of an AM process and reliably predict fatigue properties of built-up structures as based on detailed solidification microstructures. Microstructures are predicted using process control parameters including energy source power, scan velocity, deposition pattern, and powder properties. The multi-scale multi-physics model requires solution and coupling of governing physics that will allow prediction of the thermal field and enable solution at the microstructural scale. The state-of-the-art approach to solve these problems requires a huge computational framework and this kind of resource is only available within academia and national laboratories. The project utilized the parallel phase-fields codes at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), along with the high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities existing at the two labs to demonstrate the simulation of multiple dendrite growth in threedimensions (3-D). The LLNL code AMPE was used to implement the UTRC phase field model that was previously developed for a model binary alloy, and the simulation results were compared against the UTRC simulation results, followed by extension of the UTRC model to simulate multiple dendrite growth in 3-D. The ORNL MEUMAPPS code was used to simulate dendritic growth in a model ternary alloy with the same equilibrium solidification range as the Ni-base alloy 718 using realistic model parameters, including thermodynamic integration with a Calphad based model for the ternary alloy. Implementation of the UTRC model in AMPE met with several numerical and parametric issues that were resolved and good comparison between the simulation results obtained by the two codes was demonstrated for two dimensional (2-D) dendrites. 3-D dendrite growth was then demonstrated with the AMPE code using nondimensional parameters obtained in 2-D simulations. Multiple dendrite growth in 2-D and 3-D were demonstrated using ORNL’s MEUMAPPS code using simple thermal boundary conditions. MEUMAPPS was then modified to incorporate the complex, time-dependent thermal boundary conditions obtained by UTRC’s thermal modeling of single track AM experiments to drive the phase field simulations. The results were in good agreement with UTRC’s experimental measurements.« less

Analyses in Support of Risk-Informed Natural Gas Vehicle Maintenance Facility Codes and Standards: Phase II.

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

Blaylock, Myra L.; LaFleur, Chris Bensdotter; Muna, Alice Baca

Safety standards development for maintenance facilities of liquid and compressed natural gas fueled vehicles is required to ensure proper facility design and operating procedures. Standard development organizations are utilizing risk-informed concepts to develop natural gas vehicle (NGV) codes and standards so that maintenance facilities meet acceptable risk levels. The present report summarizes Phase II work for existing NGV repair facility code requirements and highlights inconsistencies that need quantitative analysis into their effectiveness. A Hazardous and Operability study was performed to identify key scenarios of interest using risk ranking. Detailed simulations and modeling were performed to estimate the location and behaviormore » of natural gas releases based on these scenarios. Specific code conflicts were identified, and ineffective code requirements were highlighted and resolutions proposed. These include ventilation rate basis on area or volume, as well as a ceiling offset which seems ineffective at protecting against flammable gas concentrations. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge Bill Houf (SNL -- Retired) for his assistance with the set-up and post-processing of the numerical simulations. The authors also acknowledge Doug Horne (retired) for his helpful discussions. We would also like to acknowledge the support from the Clean Cities program of DOE's Vehicle Technology Office.« less

Solar prediction and intelligent machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Gordon G.

1987-01-01

The solar prediction program is aimed at reducing or eliminating the need to throughly understand the process previously developed and to still be able to produce a prediction. Substantial progress was made in identifying the procedures to be coded as well as testing some of the presently coded work. Another project involves work on developing ideas and software that should result in a machine capable of learning as well as carrying on an intelligent conversation over a wide range of topics. The underlying idea is to use primitive ideas and construct higher order ideas from these, which can then be easily related one to another.

Heart Pump Design for Cleveland Clinic Foundation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Through a Lewis CommTech Program project with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the NASA Lewis Research Center is playing a key role in the design and development of a permanently implantable, artificial heart pump assist device. Known as the Innovative Ventricular Assist System (IVAS), this device will take on the pumping role of the damaged left ventricle of the heart. The key part of the IVAS is a nonpulsatile (continuous flow) artificial heart pump with centrifugal impeller blades, driven by an electric motor. Lewis is part of an industry and academia team, led by the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), that is working with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation to make IVAS a reality. This device has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year, since 80 percent of heart attack victims suffer irreversible damage to the left ventricle, the part of the heart that does most of the pumping. Impeller blade design codes and flow-modeling analytical codes will be used in the project. These codes were developed at Lewis for the aerospace industry but will be applicable to the IVAS design project. The analytical codes, which currently simulate the flow through the compressor and pump systems, will be used to simulate the flow within the blood pump in the artificial heart assist device. The Interdisciplinary Technology Office heads up Lewis' efforts in the IVAS project. With the aid of numerical modeling, the blood pump will address many design issues, including some fluid-dynamic design considerations that are unique to the properties of blood. Some of the issues that will be addressed in the design process include hemolysis, deposition, recirculation, pump efficiency, rotor thrust balance, and bearing lubrication. Optimum pumping system performance will be achieved by modeling all the interactions between the pump components. The interactions can be multidisciplinary and, therefore, are influenced not only by the fluid dynamics of adjacent components but also by thermal and structural effects. Lewis-developed flow-modeling codes to be used in the pump simulations will include a one-dimensional code and an incompressible three-dimensional Navier-Stokes flow code. These codes will analyze the prototype pump designed by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. With an improved understanding of the flow phenomena within the prototype pump, design changes to improve the performance of the pump system can be verified by computer prior to fabrication in order to reduce risks. The use of Lewis flow modeling codes during the design and development process will improve pump system performance and reduce the number of prototypes built in the development phase. The first phase of the IVAS project is to fully develop the prototype in a laboratory environment that uses a water/glycerin mixture as the surrogate fluid to simulate blood. A later phase of the project will include testing in animals for final validation. Lewis will be involved in the IVAS project for 3 to 5 years.

Decoding the Emerging Patterns Exhibited in Non-coding RNAs Characteristic of Lung Cancer with Regard to their Clinical Significance.

PubMed

Sonea, Laura; Buse, Mihail; Gulei, Diana; Onaciu, Anca; Simon, Ioan; Braicu, Cornelia; Berindan-Neagoe, Ioana

2018-05-01

Lung cancer continues to be the leading topic concerning global mortality rate caused by can-cer; it needs to be further investigated to reduce these dramatic unfavorable statistic data. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been shown to be important cellular regulatory factors and the alteration of their expression levels has become correlated to extensive number of pathologies. Specifically, their expres-sion profiles are correlated with development and progression of lung cancer, generating great interest for further investigation. This review focuses on the complex role of non-coding RNAs, namely miR-NAs, piwi-interacting RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs in the process of developing novel biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic factors that can then be utilized for personalized therapies toward this devastating disease. To support the concept of personalized medi-cine, we will focus on the roles of miRNAs in lung cancer tumorigenesis, their use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and their application for patient therapy.

An evaluation of the effect of JPEG, JPEG2000, and H.264/AVC on CQR codes decoding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vizcarra Melgar, Max E.; Farias, Mylène C. Q.; Zaghetto, Alexandre

2015-02-01

This paper presents a binarymatrix code based on QR Code (Quick Response Code), denoted as CQR Code (Colored Quick Response Code), and evaluates the effect of JPEG, JPEG2000 and H.264/AVC compression on the decoding process. The proposed CQR Code has three additional colors (red, green and blue), what enables twice as much storage capacity when compared to the traditional black and white QR Code. Using the Reed-Solomon error-correcting code, the CQR Code model has a theoretical correction capability of 38.41%. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the effect that degradations inserted by common image compression algorithms have on the decoding process. Results show that a successful decoding process can be achieved for compression rates up to 0.3877 bits/pixel, 0.1093 bits/pixel and 0.3808 bits/pixel for JPEG, JPEG2000 and H.264/AVC formats, respectively. The algorithm that presents the best performance is the H.264/AVC, followed by the JPEG2000, and JPEG.

Conversion of HSPF Legacy Model to a Platform-Independent, Open-Source Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heaphy, R. T.; Burke, M. P.; Love, J. T.

2015-12-01

Since its initial development over 30 years ago, the Hydrologic Simulation Program - FORTAN (HSPF) model has been used worldwide to support water quality planning and management. In the United States, HSPF receives widespread endorsement as a regulatory tool at all levels of government and is a core component of the EPA's Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) system, which was developed to support nationwide Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analysis. However, the model's legacy code and data management systems have limitations in their ability to integrate with modern software, hardware, and leverage parallel computing, which have left voids in optimization, pre-, and post-processing tools. Advances in technology and our scientific understanding of environmental processes that have occurred over the last 30 years mandate that upgrades be made to HSPF to allow it to evolve and continue to be a premiere tool for water resource planners. This work aims to mitigate the challenges currently facing HSPF through two primary tasks: (1) convert code to a modern widely accepted, open-source, high-performance computing (hpc) code; and (2) convert model input and output files to modern widely accepted, open-source, data model, library, and binary file format. Python was chosen as the new language for the code conversion. It is an interpreted, object-oriented, hpc code with dynamic semantics that has become one of the most popular open-source languages. While python code execution can be slow compared to compiled, statically typed programming languages, such as C and FORTRAN, the integration of Numba (a just-in-time specializing compiler) has allowed this challenge to be overcome. For the legacy model data management conversion, HDF5 was chosen to store the model input and output. The code conversion for HSPF's hydrologic and hydraulic modules has been completed. The converted code has been tested against HSPF's suite of "test" runs and shown good agreement and similar execution times while using the Numba compiler. Continued verification of the accuracy of the converted code against more complex legacy applications and improvement upon execution times by incorporating an intelligent network change detection tool is currently underway, and preliminary results will be presented.

Parallel-Processing CMOS Circuitry for M-QAM and 8PSK TCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, Andrew; Lee, Dennis; Hoy, Scott; Fisher, Dave; Fong, Wai; Ghuman, Parminder

2009-01-01

There has been some additional development of parts reported in "Multi-Modulator for Bandwidth-Efficient Communication" (NPO-40807), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 6 (June 2009), page 34. The focus was on 1) The generation of M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) and octonary-phase-shift-keying, trellis-coded modulation (8PSK TCM), 2) The use of square-root raised-cosine pulse-shaping filters, 3) A parallel-processing architecture that enables low-speed [complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS)] circuitry to perform the coding, modulation, and pulse-shaping computations at a high rate; and 4) Implementation of the architecture in a CMOS field-programmable gate array.

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

A. Alfonsi; C. Rabiti; D. Mandelli

The Reactor Analysis and Virtual control ENviroment (RAVEN) code is a software tool that acts as the control logic driver and post-processing engine for the newly developed Thermal-Hydraulic code RELAP-7. RAVEN is now a multi-purpose Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) software framework that allows dispatching different functionalities: Derive and actuate the control logic required to simulate the plant control system and operator actions (guided procedures), allowing on-line monitoring/controlling in the Phase Space Perform both Monte-Carlo sampling of random distributed events and Dynamic Event Tree based analysis Facilitate the input/output handling through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a post-processing data miningmore » module« less

Multi-Zone Liquid Thrust Chamber Performance Code with Domain Decomposition for Parallel Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Navaz, Homayun K.

2002-01-01

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has considerably evolved in the last decade. There are many computer programs that can perform computations on viscous internal or external flows with chemical reactions. CFD has become a commonly used tool in the design and analysis of gas turbines, ramjet combustors, turbo-machinery, inlet ducts, rocket engines, jet interaction, missile, and ramjet nozzles. One of the problems of interest to NASA has always been the performance prediction for rocket and air-breathing engines. Due to the complexity of flow in these engines it is necessary to resolve the flowfield into a fine mesh to capture quantities like turbulence and heat transfer. However, calculation on a high-resolution grid is associated with a prohibitively increasing computational time that can downgrade the value of the CFD for practical engineering calculations. The Liquid Thrust Chamber Performance (LTCP) code was developed for NASA/MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) to perform liquid rocket engine performance calculations. This code is a 2D/axisymmetric full Navier-Stokes (NS) solver with fully coupled finite rate chemistry and Eulerian treatment of liquid fuel and/or oxidizer droplets. One of the advantages of this code has been the resemblance of its input file to the JANNAF (Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force Interagency Propulsion Committee) standard TDK code, and its automatic grid generation for JANNAF defined combustion chamber wall geometry. These options minimize the learning effort for TDK users, and make the code a good candidate for performing engineering calculations. Although the LTCP code was developed for liquid rocket engines, it is a general-purpose code and has been used for solving many engineering problems. However, the single zone formulation of the LTCP has limited the code to be applicable to problems with complex geometry. Furthermore, the computational time becomes prohibitively large for high-resolution problems with chemistry, two-equation turbulence model, and two-phase flow. To overcome these limitations, the LTCP code is rewritten to include the multi-zone capability with domain decomposition that makes it suitable for parallel processing, i.e., enabling the code to run every zone or sub-domain on a separate processor. This can reduce the run time by a factor of 6 to 8, depending on the problem.

9 CFR 355.25 - Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. 355.25 Section 355.25... processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. (a... storage and transportation as evidenced by the incubation test. (h) Lots of canned products shall be...

9 CFR 355.25 - Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. 355.25 Section 355.25... processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. (a... storage and transportation as evidenced by the incubation test. (h) Lots of canned products shall be...

9 CFR 355.25 - Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. 355.25 Section 355.25... processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. (a... storage and transportation as evidenced by the incubation test. (h) Lots of canned products shall be...

9 CFR 355.25 - Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. 355.25 Section 355.25... processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. (a... storage and transportation as evidenced by the incubation test. (h) Lots of canned products shall be...

9 CFR 355.25 - Canning with heat processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. 355.25 Section 355.25... processing and hermetically sealed containers; closures; code marking; heat processing; incubation. (a... storage and transportation as evidenced by the incubation test. (h) Lots of canned products shall be...

Web processing service for climate impact and extreme weather event analyses. Flyingpigeon (Version 1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hempelmann, Nils; Ehbrecht, Carsten; Alvarez-Castro, Carmen; Brockmann, Patrick; Falk, Wolfgang; Hoffmann, Jörg; Kindermann, Stephan; Koziol, Ben; Nangini, Cathy; Radanovics, Sabine; Vautard, Robert; Yiou, Pascal

2018-01-01

Analyses of extreme weather events and their impacts often requires big data processing of ensembles of climate model simulations. Researchers generally proceed by downloading the data from the providers and processing the data files ;at home; with their own analysis processes. However, the growing amount of available climate model and observation data makes this procedure quite awkward. In addition, data processing knowledge is kept local, instead of being consolidated into a common resource of reusable code. These drawbacks can be mitigated by using a web processing service (WPS). A WPS hosts services such as data analysis processes that are accessible over the web, and can be installed close to the data archives. We developed a WPS named 'flyingpigeon' that communicates over an HTTP network protocol based on standards defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), to be used by climatologists and impact modelers as a tool for analyzing large datasets remotely. Here, we present the current processes we developed in flyingpigeon relating to commonly-used processes (preprocessing steps, spatial subsets at continent, country or region level, and climate indices) as well as methods for specific climate data analysis (weather regimes, analogues of circulation, segetal flora distribution, and species distribution models). We also developed a novel, browser-based interactive data visualization for circulation analogues, illustrating the flexibility of WPS in designing custom outputs. Bringing the software to the data instead of transferring the data to the code is becoming increasingly necessary, especially with the upcoming massive climate datasets.

SORTA: a system for ontology-based re-coding and technical annotation of biomedical phenotype data.

PubMed

Pang, Chao; Sollie, Annet; Sijtsma, Anna; Hendriksen, Dennis; Charbon, Bart; de Haan, Mark; de Boer, Tommy; Kelpin, Fleur; Jetten, Jonathan; van der Velde, Joeri K; Smidt, Nynke; Sijmons, Rolf; Hillege, Hans; Swertz, Morris A

2015-01-01

There is an urgent need to standardize the semantics of biomedical data values, such as phenotypes, to enable comparative and integrative analyses. However, it is unlikely that all studies will use the same data collection protocols. As a result, retrospective standardization is often required, which involves matching of original (unstructured or locally coded) data to widely used coding or ontology systems such as SNOMED CT (clinical terms), ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease) and HPO (Human Phenotype Ontology). This data curation process is usually a time-consuming process performed by a human expert. To help mechanize this process, we have developed SORTA, a computer-aided system for rapidly encoding free text or locally coded values to a formal coding system or ontology. SORTA matches original data values (uploaded in semicolon delimited format) to a target coding system (uploaded in Excel spreadsheet, OWL ontology web language or OBO open biomedical ontologies format). It then semi- automatically shortlists candidate codes for each data value using Lucene and n-gram based matching algorithms, and can also learn from matches chosen by human experts. We evaluated SORTA's applicability in two use cases. For the LifeLines biobank, we used SORTA to recode 90 000 free text values (including 5211 unique values) about physical exercise to MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) codes. For the CINEAS clinical symptom coding system, we used SORTA to map to HPO, enriching HPO when necessary (315 terms matched so far). Out of the shortlists at rank 1, we found a precision/recall of 0.97/0.98 in LifeLines and of 0.58/0.45 in CINEAS. More importantly, users found the tool both a major time saver and a quality improvement because SORTA reduced the chances of human mistakes. Thus, SORTA can dramatically ease data (re)coding tasks and we believe it will prove useful for many more projects. Database URL: http://molgenis.org/sorta or as an open source download from http://www.molgenis.org/wiki/SORTA. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

SORTA: a system for ontology-based re-coding and technical annotation of biomedical phenotype data

PubMed Central

Pang, Chao; Sollie, Annet; Sijtsma, Anna; Hendriksen, Dennis; Charbon, Bart; de Haan, Mark; de Boer, Tommy; Kelpin, Fleur; Jetten, Jonathan; van der Velde, Joeri K.; Smidt, Nynke; Sijmons, Rolf; Hillege, Hans; Swertz, Morris A.

2015-01-01

There is an urgent need to standardize the semantics of biomedical data values, such as phenotypes, to enable comparative and integrative analyses. However, it is unlikely that all studies will use the same data collection protocols. As a result, retrospective standardization is often required, which involves matching of original (unstructured or locally coded) data to widely used coding or ontology systems such as SNOMED CT (clinical terms), ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease) and HPO (Human Phenotype Ontology). This data curation process is usually a time-consuming process performed by a human expert. To help mechanize this process, we have developed SORTA, a computer-aided system for rapidly encoding free text or locally coded values to a formal coding system or ontology. SORTA matches original data values (uploaded in semicolon delimited format) to a target coding system (uploaded in Excel spreadsheet, OWL ontology web language or OBO open biomedical ontologies format). It then semi- automatically shortlists candidate codes for each data value using Lucene and n-gram based matching algorithms, and can also learn from matches chosen by human experts. We evaluated SORTA’s applicability in two use cases. For the LifeLines biobank, we used SORTA to recode 90 000 free text values (including 5211 unique values) about physical exercise to MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) codes. For the CINEAS clinical symptom coding system, we used SORTA to map to HPO, enriching HPO when necessary (315 terms matched so far). Out of the shortlists at rank 1, we found a precision/recall of 0.97/0.98 in LifeLines and of 0.58/0.45 in CINEAS. More importantly, users found the tool both a major time saver and a quality improvement because SORTA reduced the chances of human mistakes. Thus, SORTA can dramatically ease data (re)coding tasks and we believe it will prove useful for many more projects. Database URL: http://molgenis.org/sorta or as an open source download from http://www.molgenis.org/wiki/SORTA PMID:26385205

Bioinformatic pipelines in Python with Leaf

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background An incremental, loosely planned development approach is often used in bioinformatic studies when dealing with custom data analysis in a rapidly changing environment. Unfortunately, the lack of a rigorous software structuring can undermine the maintainability, communicability and replicability of the process. To ameliorate this problem we propose the Leaf system, the aim of which is to seamlessly introduce the pipeline formality on top of a dynamical development process with minimum overhead for the programmer, thus providing a simple layer of software structuring. Results Leaf includes a formal language for the definition of pipelines with code that can be transparently inserted into the user’s Python code. Its syntax is designed to visually highlight dependencies in the pipeline structure it defines. While encouraging the developer to think in terms of bioinformatic pipelines, Leaf supports a number of automated features including data and session persistence, consistency checks between steps of the analysis, processing optimization and publication of the analytic protocol in the form of a hypertext. Conclusions Leaf offers a powerful balance between plan-driven and change-driven development environments in the design, management and communication of bioinformatic pipelines. Its unique features make it a valuable alternative to other related tools. PMID:23786315

Optimization of residual stresses in MMC's through the variation of interfacial layer architectures and processing parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pindera, Marek-Jerzy; Salzar, Robert S.

1996-01-01

The objective of this work was the development of efficient, user-friendly computer codes for optimizing fabrication-induced residual stresses in metal matrix composites through the use of homogeneous and heterogeneous interfacial layer architectures and processing parameter variation. To satisfy this objective, three major computer codes have been developed and delivered to the NASA-Lewis Research Center, namely MCCM, OPTCOMP, and OPTCOMP2. MCCM is a general research-oriented code for investigating the effects of microstructural details, such as layered morphology of SCS-6 SiC fibers and multiple homogeneous interfacial layers, on the inelastic response of unidirectional metal matrix composites under axisymmetric thermomechanical loading. OPTCOMP and OPTCOMP2 combine the major analysis module resident in MCCM with a commercially-available optimization algorithm and are driven by user-friendly interfaces which facilitate input data construction and program execution. OPTCOMP enables the user to identify those dimensions, geometric arrangements and thermoelastoplastic properties of homogeneous interfacial layers that minimize thermal residual stresses for the specified set of constraints. OPTCOMP2 provides additional flexibility in the residual stress optimization through variation of the processing parameters (time, temperature, external pressure and axial load) as well as the microstructure of the interfacial region which is treated as a heterogeneous two-phase composite. Overviews of the capabilities of these codes are provided together with a summary of results that addresses the effects of various microstructural details of the fiber, interfacial layers and matrix region on the optimization of fabrication-induced residual stresses in metal matrix composites.

Neural-Network-Development Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, Todd A.

1993-01-01

NETS, software tool for development and evaluation of neural networks, provides simulation of neural-network algorithms plus computing environment for development of such algorithms. Uses back-propagation learning method for all of networks it creates. Enables user to customize patterns of connections between layers of network. Also provides features for saving, during learning process, values of weights, providing more-precise control over learning process. Written in ANSI standard C language. Machine-independent version (MSC-21588) includes only code for command-line-interface version of NETS 3.0.

A Strategy for Reusing the Data of Electronic Medical Record Systems for Clinical Research.

PubMed

Matsumura, Yasushi; Hattori, Atsushi; Manabe, Shiro; Tsuda, Tsutomu; Takeda, Toshihiro; Okada, Katsuki; Murata, Taizo; Mihara, Naoki

2016-01-01

There is a great need to reuse data stored in electronic medical records (EMR) databases for clinical research. We previously reported the development of a system in which progress notes and case report forms (CRFs) were simultaneously recorded using a template in the EMR in order to exclude redundant data entry. To make the data collection process more efficient, we are developing a system in which the data originally stored in the EMR database can be populated within a frame in a template. We developed interface plugin modules that retrieve data from the databases of other EMR applications. A universal keyword written in a template master is converted to a local code using a data conversion table, then the objective data is retrieved from the corresponding database. The template element data, which are entered by a template, are stored in the template element database. To retrieve the data entered by other templates, the objective data is designated by the template element code with the template code, or by the concept code if it is written for the element. When the application systems in the EMR generate documents, they also generate a PDF file and a corresponding document profile XML, which includes important data, and send them to the document archive server and the data sharing saver, respectively. In the data sharing server, the data are represented by an item with an item code with a document class code and its value. By linking a concept code to an item identifier, an objective data can be retrieved by designating a concept code. We employed a flexible strategy in which a unique identifier for a hospital is initially attached to all of the data that the hospital generates. The identifier is secondarily linked with concept codes. The data that are not linked with a concept code can also be retrieved using the unique identifier of the hospital. This strategy makes it possible to reuse any of a hospital's data.

Design of monitoring system for mail-sorting based on the Profibus S7 series PLC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Jia, S. H.; Wang, Y. H.; Liu, H.; Tang, G. C.

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of the postal express, the workload of mail sorting is increasing, but the automatic technology of mail sorting is not mature enough. In view of this, the system uses Siemens S7-300 PLC as the main station controller, PLC of Siemens S7-200/400 is from the station controller, through the man-machine interface configuration software MCGS, PROFIBUS-DP communication, RFID technology and mechanical sorting hand achieve mail classification sorting monitoring. Among them, distinguish mail-sorting by scanning RFID posted in the mail electronic bar code (fixed code), the system uses the corresponding controller on the acquisition of information processing, the processed information transmit to the sorting manipulator by PROFIBUS-DP. The system can realize accurate and efficient mail sorting, which will promote the development of mail sorting technology.

Dusty Plasmas in Planetary Magnetospheres Award

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horanyi, Mihaly

2005-01-01

This is my final report for the grant Dusty Plasmas in Planetary Magnetospheres. The funding from this grant supported our research on dusty plasmas to study: a) dust plasma interactions in general plasma environments, and b) dusty plasma processes in planetary magnetospheres (Earth, Jupiter and Saturn). We have developed a general purpose transport code in order to follow the spatial and temporal evolution of dust density distributions in magnetized plasma environments. The code allows the central body to be represented by a multipole expansion of its gravitational and magnetic fields. The density and the temperature of the possibly many-component plasma environment can be pre-defined as a function of coordinates and, if necessary, the time as well. The code simultaneously integrates the equations of motion with the equations describing the charging processes. The charging currents are dependent not only on the instantaneous plasma parameters but on the velocity, as well as on the previous charging history of the dust grains.

FPGA acceleration of rigid-molecule docking codes

PubMed Central

Sukhwani, B.; Herbordt, M.C.

2011-01-01

Modelling the interactions of biological molecules, or docking, is critical both to understanding basic life processes and to designing new drugs. The field programmable gate array (FPGA) based acceleration of a recently developed, complex, production docking code is described. The authors found that it is necessary to extend their previous three-dimensional (3D) correlation structure in several ways, most significantly to support simultaneous computation of several correlation functions. The result for small-molecule docking is a 100-fold speed-up of a section of the code that represents over 95% of the original run-time. An additional 2% is accelerated through a previously described method, yielding a total acceleration of 36× over a single core and 10× over a quad-core. This approach is found to be an ideal complement to graphics processing unit (GPU) based docking, which excels in the protein–protein domain. PMID:21857870

NOR-USA Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica: Science and Logistics on a Three-Month Expedition Across Antarctica's Farthest Frontier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albert, Mary R.

2012-01-01

Dr. Albert's current research is centered on transfer processes in porous media, including air-snow exchange in the Polar Regions and in soils in temperate areas. Her research includes field measurements, laboratory experiments, and theoretical modeling. Mary conducts field and laboratory measurements of the physical properties of natural terrain surfaces, including permeability, microstructure, and thermal conductivity. Mary uses the measurements to examine the processes of diffusion and advection of heat, mass, and chemical transport through snow and other porous media. She has developed numerical models for investigation of a variety of problems, from interstitial transport to freezing of flowing liquids. These models include a two-dimensional finite element code for air flow with heat, water vapor, and chemical transport in porous media, several multidimensional codes for diffusive transfer, as well as a computational fluid dynamics code for analysis of turbulent water flow in moving-boundary phase change problems.

Signal processing of aircraft flyover noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Jeffrey J.

1991-01-01

A detailed analysis of signal processing concerns for measuring aircraft flyover noise is presented. Development of a de-Dopplerization scheme for both corrected time history and spectral data is discussed along with an analysis of motion effects on measured spectra. A computer code was written to implement the de-Dopplerization scheme. Input to the code is the aircraft position data and the pressure time histories. To facilitate ensemble averaging, a uniform level flyover is considered but the code can accept more general flight profiles. The effects of spectral smearing and its removal is discussed. Using data acquired from XV-15 tilt rotor flyover test comparisons are made showing the measured and corrected spectra. Frequency shifts are accurately accounted for by the method. It is shown that correcting for spherical spreading, Doppler amplitude, and frequency can give some idea about source directivity. The analysis indicated that smearing increases with frequency and is more severe on approach than recession.

Image management research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Andrew B.

1988-01-01

Two types of research issues are involved in image management systems with space station applications: image processing research and image perception research. The image processing issues are the traditional ones of digitizing, coding, compressing, storing, analyzing, and displaying, but with a new emphasis on the constraints imposed by the human perceiver. Two image coding algorithms have been developed that may increase the efficiency of image management systems (IMS). Image perception research involves a study of the theoretical and practical aspects of visual perception of electronically displayed images. Issues include how rapidly a user can search through a library of images, how to make this search more efficient, and how to present images in terms of resolution and split screens. Other issues include optimal interface to an IMS and how to code images in a way that is optimal for the human perceiver. A test-bed within which such issues can be addressed has been designed.

Interframe vector wavelet coding technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wus, John P.; Li, Weiping

1997-01-01

Wavelet coding is often used to divide an image into multi- resolution wavelet coefficients which are quantized and coded. By 'vectorizing' scalar wavelet coding and combining this with vector quantization (VQ), vector wavelet coding (VWC) can be implemented. Using a finite number of states, finite-state vector quantization (FSVQ) takes advantage of the similarity between frames by incorporating memory into the video coding system. Lattice VQ eliminates the potential mismatch that could occur using pre-trained VQ codebooks. It also eliminates the need for codebook storage in the VQ process, thereby creating a more robust coding system. Therefore, by using the VWC coding method in conjunction with the FSVQ system and lattice VQ, the formulation of a high quality very low bit rate coding systems is proposed. A coding system using a simple FSVQ system where the current state is determined by the previous channel symbol only is developed. To achieve a higher degree of compression, a tree-like FSVQ system is implemented. The groupings are done in this tree-like structure from the lower subbands to the higher subbands in order to exploit the nature of subband analysis in terms of the parent-child relationship. Class A and Class B video sequences from the MPEG-IV testing evaluations are used in the evaluation of this coding method.

An efficient decoding for low density parity check codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ling; Zhang, Xiaolin; Zhu, Manjie

2009-12-01

Low density parity check (LDPC) codes are a class of forward-error-correction codes. They are among the best-known codes capable of achieving low bit error rates (BER) approaching Shannon's capacity limit. Recently, LDPC codes have been adopted by the European Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-S2) standard, and have also been proposed for the emerging IEEE 802.16 fixed and mobile broadband wireless-access standard. The consultative committee for space data system (CCSDS) has also recommended using LDPC codes in the deep space communications and near-earth communications. It is obvious that LDPC codes will be widely used in wired and wireless communication, magnetic recording, optical networking, DVB, and other fields in the near future. Efficient hardware implementation of LDPC codes is of great interest since LDPC codes are being considered for a wide range of applications. This paper presents an efficient partially parallel decoder architecture suited for quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC codes using Belief propagation algorithm for decoding. Algorithmic transformation and architectural level optimization are incorporated to reduce the critical path. First, analyze the check matrix of LDPC code, to find out the relationship between the row weight and the column weight. And then, the sharing level of the check node updating units (CNU) and the variable node updating units (VNU) are determined according to the relationship. After that, rearrange the CNU and the VNU, and divide them into several smaller parts, with the help of some assistant logic circuit, these smaller parts can be grouped into CNU during the check node update processing and grouped into VNU during the variable node update processing. These smaller parts are called node update kernel units (NKU) and the assistant logic circuit are called node update auxiliary unit (NAU). With NAUs' help, the two steps of iteration operation are completed by NKUs, which brings in great hardware resource reduction. Meanwhile, efficient techniques have been developed to reduce the computation delay of the node processing units and to minimize hardware overhead for parallel processing. This method may be applied not only to regular LDPC codes, but also to the irregular ones. Based on the proposed architectures, a (7493, 6096) irregular QC-LDPC code decoder is described using verilog hardware design language and implemented on Altera field programmable gate array (FPGA) StratixII EP2S130. The implementation results show that over 20% of logic core size can be saved than conventional partially parallel decoder architectures without any performance degradation. If the decoding clock is 100MHz, the proposed decoder can achieve a maximum (source data) decoding throughput of 133 Mb/s at 18 iterations.

VENTURE/PC manual: A multidimensional multigroup neutron diffusion code system

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

Shapiro, A.; Huria, H.C.; Cho, K.W.

1991-12-01

VENTURE/PC is a recompilation of part of the Oak Ridge BOLD VENTURE code system, which will operate on an IBM PC or compatible computer. Neutron diffusion theory solutions are obtained for multidimensional, multigroup problems. This manual contains information associated with operating the code system. The purpose of the various modules used in the code system, and the input for these modules are discussed. The PC code structure is also given. Version 2 included several enhancements not given in the original version of the code. In particular, flux iterations can be done in core rather than by reading and writing tomore » disk, for problems which allow sufficient memory for such in-core iterations. This speeds up the iteration process. Version 3 does not include any of the special processors used in the previous versions. These special processors utilized formatted input for various elements of the code system. All such input data is now entered through the Input Processor, which produces standard interface files for the various modules in the code system. In addition, a Standard Interface File Handbook is included in the documentation which is distributed with the code, to assist in developing the input for the Input Processor.« less

GEOS. User Tutorials

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

Fu, Pengchen; Settgast, Randolph R.; Johnson, Scott M.

2014-12-17

GEOS is a massively parallel, multi-physics simulation application utilizing high performance computing (HPC) to address subsurface reservoir stimulation activities with the goal of optimizing current operations and evaluating innovative stimulation methods. GEOS enables coupling of di erent solvers associated with the various physical processes occurring during reservoir stimulation in unique and sophisticated ways, adapted to various geologic settings, materials and stimulation methods. Developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a part of a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Strategic Initiative (SI) project, GEOS represents the culmination of a multi-year ongoing code development and improvement e ort that hasmore » leveraged existing code capabilities and sta expertise to design new computational geosciences software.« less

Coupling Legacy and Contemporary Deterministic Codes to Goldsim for Probabilistic Assessments of Potential Low-Level Waste Repository Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattie, P. D.; Knowlton, R. G.; Arnold, B. W.; Tien, N.; Kuo, M.

2006-12-01

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), a U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory, has over 30 years experience in radioactive waste disposal and is providing assistance internationally in a number of areas relevant to the safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal systems. International technology transfer efforts are often hampered by small budgets, time schedule constraints, and a lack of experienced personnel in countries with small radioactive waste disposal programs. In an effort to surmount these difficulties, Sandia has developed a system that utilizes a combination of commercially available codes and existing legacy codes for probabilistic safety assessment modeling that facilitates the technology transfer and maximizes limited available funding. Numerous codes developed and endorsed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and codes developed and maintained by United States Department of Energy are generally available to foreign countries after addressing import/export control and copyright requirements. From a programmatic view, it is easier to utilize existing codes than to develop new codes. From an economic perspective, it is not possible for most countries with small radioactive waste disposal programs to maintain complex software, which meets the rigors of both domestic regulatory requirements and international peer review. Therefore, re-vitalization of deterministic legacy codes, as well as an adaptation of contemporary deterministic codes, provides a creditable and solid computational platform for constructing probabilistic safety assessment models. External model linkage capabilities in Goldsim and the techniques applied to facilitate this process will be presented using example applications, including Breach, Leach, and Transport-Multiple Species (BLT-MS), a U.S. NRC sponsored code simulating release and transport of contaminants from a subsurface low-level waste disposal facility used in a cooperative technology transfer project between Sandia National Laboratories and Taiwan's Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) for the preliminary assessment of several candidate low-level waste repository sites. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE AC04 94AL85000.

Natural language processing of clinical notes for identification of critical limb ischemia.

PubMed

Afzal, Naveed; Mallipeddi, Vishnu Priya; Sohn, Sunghwan; Liu, Hongfang; Chaudhry, Rajeev; Scott, Christopher G; Kullo, Iftikhar J; Arruda-Olson, Adelaide M

2018-03-01

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a complication of advanced peripheral artery disease (PAD) with diagnosis based on the presence of clinical signs and symptoms. However, automated identification of cases from electronic health records (EHRs) is challenging due to absence of a single definitive International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 or ICD-10) code for CLI. In this study, we extend a previously validated natural language processing (NLP) algorithm for PAD identification to develop and validate a subphenotyping NLP algorithm (CLI-NLP) for identification of CLI cases from clinical notes. We compared performance of the CLI-NLP algorithm with CLI-related ICD-9 billing codes. The gold standard for validation was human abstraction of clinical notes from EHRs. Compared to billing codes the CLI-NLP algorithm had higher positive predictive value (PPV) (CLI-NLP 96%, billing codes 67%, p < 0.001), specificity (CLI-NLP 98%, billing codes 74%, p < 0.001) and F1-score (CLI-NLP 90%, billing codes 76%, p < 0.001). The sensitivity of these two methods was similar (CLI-NLP 84%; billing codes 88%; p < 0.12). The CLI-NLP algorithm for identification of CLI from narrative clinical notes in an EHR had excellent PPV and has potential for translation to patient care as it will enable automated identification of CLI cases for quality projects, clinical decision support tools and support a learning healthcare system. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A model of a code of ethics for tissue banks operating in developing countries.

PubMed

Morales Pedraza, Jorge

2012-12-01

Ethical practice in the field of tissue banking requires the setting of principles, the identification of possible deviations and the establishment of mechanisms that will detect and hinder abuses that may occur during the procurement, processing and distribution of tissues for transplantation. This model of a Code of Ethics has been prepared with the purpose of being used for the elaboration of a Code of Ethics for tissue banks operating in the Latin American and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific and the African regions in order to guide the day-to-day operation of these banks. The purpose of this model of Code of Ethics is to assist interested tissue banks in the preparation of their own Code of Ethics towards ensuring that the tissue bank staff support with their actions the mission and values associated with tissue banking.

Chemical reactivity and spectroscopy explored from QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations using the LIO code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcolongo, Juan P.; Zeida, Ari; Semelak, Jonathan A.; Foglia, Nicolás O.; Morzan, Uriel N.; Estrin, Dario A.; González Lebrero, Mariano C.; Scherlis, Damián A.

2018-03-01

In this work we present the current advances in the development and the applications of LIO, a lab-made code designed for density functional theory calculations in graphical processing units (GPU), that can be coupled with different classical molecular dynamics engines. This code has been thoroughly optimized to perform efficient molecular dynamics simulations at the QM/MM DFT level, allowing for an exhaustive sampling of the configurational space. Selected examples are presented for the description of chemical reactivity in terms of free energy profiles, and also for the computation of optical properties, such as vibrational and electronic spectra in solvent and protein environments.

Metal Matrix Laminate Tailoring (MMLT) code: User's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murthy, P. L. N.; Morel, M. R.; Saravanos, D. A.

1993-01-01

The User's Manual for the Metal Matrix Laminate Tailoring (MMLT) program is presented. The code is capable of tailoring the fabrication process, constituent characteristics, and laminate parameters (individually or concurrently) for a wide variety of metal matrix composite (MMC) materials, to improve the performance and identify trends or behavior of MMC's under different thermo-mechanical loading conditions. This document is meant to serve as a guide in the use of the MMLT code. Detailed explanations of the composite mechanics and tailoring analysis are beyond the scope of this document, and may be found in the references. MMLT was developed by the Structural Mechanics Branch at NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC).

Turbulence Modeling: Progress and Future Outlook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marvin, Joseph G.; Huang, George P.

1996-01-01

Progress in the development of the hierarchy of turbulence models for Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes codes used in aerodynamic applications is reviewed. Steady progress is demonstrated, but transfer of the modeling technology has not kept pace with the development and demands of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. An examination of the process of model development leads to recommendations for a mid-course correction involving close coordination between modelers, CFD developers, and application engineers. In instances where the old process is changed and cooperation enhanced, timely transfer is realized. A turbulence modeling information database is proposed to refine the process and open it to greater participation among modeling and CFD practitioners.

A HO-IRT Based Diagnostic Assessment System with Constructed Response Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Chih-Wei; Kuo, Bor-Chen; Liao, Chen-Huei

2011-01-01

The aim of the present study was to develop an on-line assessment system with constructed response items in the context of elementary mathematics curriculum. The system recorded the problem solving process of constructed response items and transfered the process to response codes for further analyses. An inference mechanism based on artificial…

78 FR 48655 - Multistakeholder Meeting To Develop Consumer Data Privacy Code of Conduct Concerning Mobile...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights applies in specific business contexts.\\2\\ On July 12, 2012, NTIA convened... most efficiently; how future processes might make stakeholder participation easier and more effective; and how future processes might start with one or more sessions that provide factual background on a...

A Methodological Self-Study of Quantitizing: Negotiating Meaning and Revealing Multiplicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seltzer-Kelly, Deborah; Westwood, Sean J.; Pena-Guzman, David M.

2012-01-01

This inquiry developed during the process of "quantitizing" qualitative data the authors had gathered for a mixed methods curriculum efficacy study. Rather than providing the intended rigor to their data coding process, their use of an intercoder reliability metric prompted their investigation of the multiplicity and messiness that, as they…

The NEST Dry-Run Mode: Efficient Dynamic Analysis of Neuronal Network Simulation Code.

PubMed

Kunkel, Susanne; Schenck, Wolfram

2017-01-01

NEST is a simulator for spiking neuronal networks that commits to a general purpose approach: It allows for high flexibility in the design of network models, and its applications range from small-scale simulations on laptops to brain-scale simulations on supercomputers. Hence, developers need to test their code for various use cases and ensure that changes to code do not impair scalability. However, running a full set of benchmarks on a supercomputer takes up precious compute-time resources and can entail long queuing times. Here, we present the NEST dry-run mode, which enables comprehensive dynamic code analysis without requiring access to high-performance computing facilities. A dry-run simulation is carried out by a single process, which performs all simulation steps except communication as if it was part of a parallel environment with many processes. We show that measurements of memory usage and runtime of neuronal network simulations closely match the corresponding dry-run data. Furthermore, we demonstrate the successful application of the dry-run mode in the areas of profiling and performance modeling.

The NEST Dry-Run Mode: Efficient Dynamic Analysis of Neuronal Network Simulation Code

PubMed Central

Kunkel, Susanne; Schenck, Wolfram

2017-01-01

NEST is a simulator for spiking neuronal networks that commits to a general purpose approach: It allows for high flexibility in the design of network models, and its applications range from small-scale simulations on laptops to brain-scale simulations on supercomputers. Hence, developers need to test their code for various use cases and ensure that changes to code do not impair scalability. However, running a full set of benchmarks on a supercomputer takes up precious compute-time resources and can entail long queuing times. Here, we present the NEST dry-run mode, which enables comprehensive dynamic code analysis without requiring access to high-performance computing facilities. A dry-run simulation is carried out by a single process, which performs all simulation steps except communication as if it was part of a parallel environment with many processes. We show that measurements of memory usage and runtime of neuronal network simulations closely match the corresponding dry-run data. Furthermore, we demonstrate the successful application of the dry-run mode in the areas of profiling and performance modeling. PMID:28701946

A systems neurophysiology approach to voluntary event coding.

PubMed

Petruo, Vanessa A; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Münchau, Alexander; Beste, Christian

2016-07-15

Mechanisms responsible for the integration of perceptual events and appropriate actions (sensorimotor processes) have been subject to intense research. Different theoretical frameworks have been put forward with the "Theory of Event Coding (TEC)" being one of the most influential. In the current study, we focus on the concept of 'event files' within TEC and examine what sub-processes being dissociable by means of cognitive-neurophysiological methods are involved in voluntary event coding. This was combined with EEG source localization. We also introduce reward manipulations to delineate the neurophysiological sub-processes most relevant for performance variations during event coding. The results show that processes involved in voluntary event coding included predominantly stimulus categorization, feature unbinding and response selection, which were reflected by distinct neurophysiological processes (the P1, N2 and P3 ERPs). On a system's neurophysiological level, voluntary event-file coding is thus related to widely distributed parietal-medial frontal networks. Attentional selection processes (N1 ERP) turned out to be less important. Reward modulated stimulus categorization in parietal regions likely reflecting aspects of perceptual decision making but not in other processes. The perceptual categorization stage appears central for voluntary event-file coding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction task guided representation learning of medical codes in EHR.

PubMed

Cui, Liwen; Xie, Xiaolei; Shen, Zuojun

2018-06-18

There have been rapidly growing applications using machine learning models for predictive analytics in Electronic Health Records (EHR) to improve the quality of hospital services and the efficiency of healthcare resource utilization. A fundamental and crucial step in developing such models is to convert medical codes in EHR to feature vectors. These medical codes are used to represent diagnoses or procedures. Their vector representations have a tremendous impact on the performance of machine learning models. Recently, some researchers have utilized representation learning methods from Natural Language Processing (NLP) to learn vector representations of medical codes. However, most previous approaches are unsupervised, i.e. the generation of medical code vectors is independent from prediction tasks. Thus, the obtained feature vectors may be inappropriate for a specific prediction task. Moreover, unsupervised methods often require a lot of samples to obtain reliable results, but most practical problems have very limited patient samples. In this paper, we develop a new method called Prediction Task Guided Health Record Aggregation (PTGHRA), which aggregates health records guided by prediction tasks, to construct training corpus for various representation learning models. Compared with unsupervised approaches, representation learning models integrated with PTGHRA yield a significant improvement in predictive capability of generated medical code vectors, especially for limited training samples. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Current and anticipated uses of thermal-hydraulic codes in Spain

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

Pelayo, F.; Reventos, F.

1997-07-01

Spanish activities in the field of Applied Thermal-Hydraulics are steadily increasing as the codes are becoming practicable enough to efficiently sustain engineering decision in the Nuclear Power industry. Before reaching this point, a lot of effort has been devoted to achieve this goal. This paper briefly describes this process, points at the current applications and draws conclusions on the limitations. Finally it establishes the applications where the use of T-H codes would be worth in the future, this in turn implies further development of the codes to widen the scope of application and improve the general performance. Due to themore » different uses of the codes, the applications mainly come from the authority, industry, universities and research institutions. The main conclusion derived from this paper establishes that further code development is justified if the following requisites are considered: (1) Safety relevance of scenarios not presently covered is established. (2) A substantial gain in margins or the capability to use realistic assumptions is obtained. (3) A general consensus on the licensability and methodology for application is reached. The role of Regulatory Body is stressed, as the most relevant outcome of the project may be related to the evolution of the licensing frame.« less

Second International Workshop on Software Engineering and Code Design in Parallel Meteorological and Oceanographic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

OKeefe, Matthew (Editor); Kerr, Christopher L. (Editor)

1998-01-01

This report contains the abstracts and technical papers from the Second International Workshop on Software Engineering and Code Design in Parallel Meteorological and Oceanographic Applications, held June 15-18, 1998, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The purpose of the workshop is to bring together software developers in meteorology and oceanography to discuss software engineering and code design issues for parallel architectures, including Massively Parallel Processors (MPP's), Parallel Vector Processors (PVP's), Symmetric Multi-Processors (SMP's), Distributed Shared Memory (DSM) multi-processors, and clusters. Issues to be discussed include: (1) code architectures for current parallel models, including basic data structures, storage allocation, variable naming conventions, coding rules and styles, i/o and pre/post-processing of data; (2) designing modular code; (3) load balancing and domain decomposition; (4) techniques that exploit parallelism efficiently yet hide the machine-related details from the programmer; (5) tools for making the programmer more productive; and (6) the proliferation of programming models (F--, OpenMP, MPI, and HPF).

CACTI: free, open-source software for the sequential coding of behavioral interactions.

PubMed

Glynn, Lisa H; Hallgren, Kevin A; Houck, Jon M; Moyers, Theresa B

2012-01-01

The sequential analysis of client and clinician speech in psychotherapy sessions can help to identify and characterize potential mechanisms of treatment and behavior change. Previous studies required coding systems that were time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. Existing software can be expensive and inflexible, and furthermore, no single package allows for pre-parsing, sequential coding, and assignment of global ratings. We developed a free, open-source, and adaptable program to meet these needs: The CASAA Application for Coding Treatment Interactions (CACTI). Without transcripts, CACTI facilitates the real-time sequential coding of behavioral interactions using WAV-format audio files. Most elements of the interface are user-modifiable through a simple XML file, and can be further adapted using Java through the terms of the GNU Public License. Coding with this software yields interrater reliabilities comparable to previous methods, but at greatly reduced time and expense. CACTI is a flexible research tool that can simplify psychotherapy process research, and has the potential to contribute to the improvement of treatment content and delivery.

A Radiation Chemistry Code Based on the Green's Function of the Diffusion Equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plante, Ianik; Wu, Honglu

2014-01-01

Stochastic radiation track structure codes are of great interest for space radiation studies and hadron therapy in medicine. These codes are used for a many purposes, notably for microdosimetry and DNA damage studies. In the last two decades, they were also used with the Independent Reaction Times (IRT) method in the simulation of chemical reactions, to calculate the yield of various radiolytic species produced during the radiolysis of water and in chemical dosimeters. Recently, we have developed a Green's function based code to simulate reversible chemical reactions with an intermediate state, which yielded results in excellent agreement with those obtained by using the IRT method. This code was also used to simulate and the interaction of particles with membrane receptors. We are in the process of including this program for use with the Monte-Carlo track structure code Relativistic Ion Tracks (RITRACKS). This recent addition should greatly expand the capabilities of RITRACKS, notably to simulate DNA damage by both the direct and indirect effect.

Digital Signal Processing Based Biotelemetry Receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Avtar; Hines, John; Somps, Chris

1997-01-01

This is an attempt to develop a biotelemetry receiver using digital signal processing technology and techniques. The receiver developed in this work is based on recovering signals that have been encoded using either Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) or Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technique. A prototype has been developed using state-of-the-art digital signal processing technology. A Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is being developed based on the technique and technology described here. This board is intended to be used in the UCSF Fetal Monitoring system developed at NASA. The board is capable of handling a variety of PPM and PCM signals encoding signals such as ECG, temperature, and pressure. A signal processing program has also been developed to analyze the received ECG signal to determine heart rate. This system provides a base for using digital signal processing in biotelemetry receivers and other similar applications.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of long non-coding RNAs in developmental skeletal muscle of fetal goat.

PubMed

Zhan, Siyuan; Dong, Yao; Zhao, Wei; Guo, Jiazhong; Zhong, Tao; Wang, Linjie; Li, Li; Zhang, Hongping

2016-08-22

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been studied extensively over the past few years. Large numbers of lncRNAs have been identified in mouse, rat, and human, and some of them have been shown to play important roles in muscle development and myogenesis. However, there are few reports on the characterization of lncRNAs covering all the development stages of skeletal muscle in livestock. RNA libraries constructed from developing longissimus dorsi muscle of fetal (45, 60, and 105 days of gestation) and postnatal (3 days after birth) goat (Capra hircus) were sequenced. A total of 1,034,049,894 clean reads were generated. Among them, 3981 lncRNA transcripts corresponding to 2739 lncRNA genes were identified, including 3515 intergenic lncRNAs and 466 anti-sense lncRNAs. Notably, in pairwise comparisons between the libraries of skeletal muscle at the different development stages, a total of 577 transcripts were differentially expressed (P < 0.05) which were validated by qPCR using randomly selected six lncRNA genes. The identified goat lncRNAs shared some characteristics, such as fewer exons and shorter length, with the lncRNAs in other mammals. We also found 1153 lncRNAs genes were neighbored 1455 protein-coding genes (<10 kb upstream and downstream) and functionally enriched in transcriptional regulation and development-related processes, indicating they may be in cis-regulatory relationships. Additionally, Pearson's correlation coefficients of co-expression levels suggested 1737 lncRNAs and 19,422 mRNAs were possibly in trans-regulatory relationships (r > 0.95 or r < -0.95). These co-expressed mRNAs were enriched in development-related biological processes such as muscle system processes, regulation of cell growth, muscle cell development, regulation of transcription, and embryonic morphogenesis. This study provides a catalog of goat muscle-related lncRNAs, and will contribute to a fuller understanding of the molecular mechanism underpinning muscle development in mammals.

Biodegradation of paint stripper solvents in a modified gas lift loop bioreactor.

PubMed

Vanderberg-Twary, L; Steenhoudt, K; Travis, B J; Hanners, J L; Foreman, T M; Brainard, J R

1997-07-05

Paint stripping wastes generated during the decontamination and decommissioning of former nuclear facilities contain paint stripping organics (dichloromethane, 2-propanol, and methanol) and bulk materials containing paint pigments. It is desirable to degrade the organic residues as part of an integrated chemical-biological treatment system. We have developed a modified gas lift loop bioreactor employing a defined consortium of Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain OFS and Hyphomicrobium sp. DM-2 that degrades paint stripper organics. Mass transfer coefficients and kinetic constants for biodegradation in the system were determined. It was found that transfer of organic substrates from surrogate waste into the air and further into the liquid medium in the bioreactor were rapid processes, occurring within minutes. Monod kinetics was employed to model the biodegradation of paint stripping organics. Analysis of the bioreactor process was accomplished with BIOLAB, a mathematical code that simulates coupled mass transfer and biodegradation processes. This code was used to fit experimental data to Monod kinetics and to determine kinetic parameters. The BIOLAB code was also employed to compare activities in the bioreactor of individual microbial cultures to the activities of combined cultures in the bioreactor. This code is of benefit for further optimization and scale-up of the bioreactor for treatment of paint stripping and other volatile organic wastes in bulk materials.

Adapting a Navier-Stokes code to the ICL-DAP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosch, C. E.

1985-01-01

The results of an experiment are reported, i.c., to adapt a Navier-Stokes code, originally developed on a serial computer, to concurrent processing on the CL Distributed Array Processor (DAP). The algorithm used in solving the Navier-Stokes equations is briefly described. The architecture of the DAP and DAP FORTRAN are also described. The modifications of the algorithm so as to fit the DAP are given and discussed. Finally, performance results are given and conclusions are drawn.

NEAMS SOFTWARE V&V PLAN FOR THE MARMOT SOFTWARE

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

Michael R Tonks

2014-03-01

In order to ensure the accuracy and quality of the microstructure based materials models being developed in conjunction with MARMOT simulations, MARMOT must undergo exhaustive verification and validation. Only after this process can we confidently rely on the MARMOT code to predict the microstructure evolution within the fuel. Therefore, in this report we lay out a V&V plan for the MARMOT code, highlighting where existing data could be used and where new data is required.

Coding and non-coding gene regulatory networks underlie the immune response in liver cirrhosis.

PubMed

Gao, Bo; Zhang, Xueming; Huang, Yongming; Yang, Zhengpeng; Zhang, Yuguo; Zhang, Weihui; Gao, Zu-Hua; Xue, Dongbo

2017-01-01

Liver cirrhosis is recognized as being the consequence of immune-mediated hepatocyte damage and repair processes. However, the regulation of these immune responses underlying liver cirrhosis has not been elucidated. In this study, we used GEO datasets and bioinformatics methods to established coding and non-coding gene regulatory networks including transcription factor-/lncRNA-microRNA-mRNA, and competing endogenous RNA interaction networks. Our results identified 2224 mRNAs, 70 lncRNAs and 46 microRNAs were differentially expressed in liver cirrhosis. The transcription factor -/lncRNA- microRNA-mRNA network we uncovered that results in immune-mediated liver cirrhosis is comprised of 5 core microRNAs (e.g., miR-203; miR-219-5p), 3 transcription factors (i.e., FOXP3, ETS1 and FOS) and 7 lncRNAs (e.g., ENTS00000671336, ENST00000575137). The competing endogenous RNA interaction network we identified includes a complex immune response regulatory subnetwork that controls the entire liver cirrhosis network. Additionally, we found 10 overlapping GO terms shared by both liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma including "immune response" as well. Interestingly, the overlapping differentially expressed genes in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were enriched in immune response-related functional terms. In summary, a complex gene regulatory network underlying immune response processes may play an important role in the development and progression of liver cirrhosis, and its development into hepatocellular carcinoma.

Performance and Application of Parallel OVERFLOW Codes on Distributed and Shared Memory Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Djomehri, M. Jahed; Rizk, Yehia M.

1999-01-01

The presentation discusses recent studies on the performance of the two parallel versions of the aerodynamics CFD code, OVERFLOW_MPI and _MLP. Developed at NASA Ames, the serial version, OVERFLOW, is a multidimensional Navier-Stokes flow solver based on overset (Chimera) grid technology. The code has recently been parallelized in two ways. One is based on the explicit message-passing interface (MPI) across processors and uses the _MPI communication package. This approach is primarily suited for distributed memory systems and workstation clusters. The second, termed the multi-level parallel (MLP) method, is simple and uses shared memory for all communications. The _MLP code is suitable on distributed-shared memory systems. For both methods, the message passing takes place across the processors or processes at the advancement of each time step. This procedure is, in effect, the Chimera boundary conditions update, which is done in an explicit "Jacobi" style. In contrast, the update in the serial code is done in more of the "Gauss-Sidel" fashion. The programming efforts for the _MPI code is more complicated than for the _MLP code; the former requires modification of the outer and some inner shells of the serial code, whereas the latter focuses only on the outer shell of the code. The _MPI version offers a great deal of flexibility in distributing grid zones across a specified number of processors in order to achieve load balancing. The approach is capable of partitioning zones across multiple processors or sending each zone and/or cluster of several zones into a single processor. The message passing across the processors consists of Chimera boundary and/or an overlap of "halo" boundary points for each partitioned zone. The MLP version is a new coarse-grain parallel concept at the zonal and intra-zonal levels. A grouping strategy is used to distribute zones into several groups forming sub-processes which will run in parallel. The total volume of grid points in each group are approximately balanced. A proper number of threads are initially allocated to each group, and in subsequent iterations during the run-time, the number of threads are adjusted to achieve load balancing across the processes. Each process exploits the multitasking directives already established in Overflow.

Disentangling the Developmental Trajectories of Letter Position and Letter Identity Coding Using Masked Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kezilas, Yvette; McKague, Meredith; Kohnen, Saskia; Badcock, Nicholas A.; Castles, Anne

2017-01-01

Masked transposed-letter (TL) priming effects have been used to index letter position processing over the course of reading development. Whereas some studies have reported an increase in TL priming over development, others have reported a decrease. These findings have led to the development of 2 somewhat contradictory accounts of letter position…

An Integrated Magnetic Circuit Model and Finite Element Model Approach to Magnetic Bearing Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provenza, Andrew J.; Kenny, Andrew; Palazzolo, Alan B.

2003-01-01

A code for designing magnetic bearings is described. The code generates curves from magnetic circuit equations relating important bearing performance parameters. Bearing parameters selected from the curves by a designer to meet the requirements of a particular application are input directly by the code into a three-dimensional finite element analysis preprocessor. This means that a three-dimensional computer model of the bearing being developed is immediately available for viewing. The finite element model solution can be used to show areas of magnetic saturation and make more accurate predictions of the bearing load capacity, current stiffness, position stiffness, and inductance than the magnetic circuit equations did at the start of the design process. In summary, the code combines one-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling methods for designing magnetic bearings.

Software Model Checking of ARINC-653 Flight Code with MCP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Sarah J.; Brat, Guillaume; Venet, Arnaud

2010-01-01

The ARINC-653 standard defines a common interface for Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) code. In particular, ARINC-653 Part 1 specifies a process- and partition-management API that is analogous to POSIX threads, but with certain extensions and restrictions intended to support the implementation of high reliability flight code. MCP is a software model checker, developed at NASA Ames, that provides capabilities for model checking C and C++ source code. In this paper, we present recent work aimed at implementing extensions to MCP that support ARINC-653, and we discuss the challenges and opportunities that consequentially arise. Providing support for ARINC-653 s time and space partitioning is nontrivial, though there are implicit benefits for partial order reduction possible as a consequence of the API s strict interprocess communication policy.

Space experiment development process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depauw, James F.

1987-01-01

Described is a process for developing space experiments utilizing the Space Shuttle. The role of the Principal Investigator is described as well as the Principal Investigator's relation with the project development team. Described also is the sequence of events from an early definition phase through the steps of hardware development. The major interactions between the hardware development program and the Shuttle integration and safety activities are also shown. The presentation is directed to people with limited Shuttle experiment experience. The objective is to summarize the development process, discuss the roles of major participants, and list some lessons learned. Two points should be made at the outset. First, no two projects are the same so the process varies from case to case. Second, the emphasis here is on Code EN/Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD).

Motion makes sense: an adaptive motor-sensory strategy underlies the perception of object location in rats.

PubMed

Saraf-Sinik, Inbar; Assa, Eldad; Ahissar, Ehud

2015-06-10

Tactile perception is obtained by coordinated motor-sensory processes. We studied the processes underlying the perception of object location in freely moving rats. We trained rats to identify the relative location of two vertical poles placed in front of them and measured at high resolution the motor and sensory variables (19 and 2 variables, respectively) associated with this whiskers-based perceptual process. We found that the rats developed stereotypic head and whisker movements to solve this task, in a manner that can be described by several distinct behavioral phases. During two of these phases, the rats' whiskers coded object position by first temporal and then angular coding schemes. We then introduced wind (in two opposite directions) and remeasured their perceptual performance and motor-sensory variables. Our rats continued to perceive object location in a consistent manner under wind perturbations while maintaining all behavioral phases and relatively constant sensory coding. Constant sensory coding was achieved by keeping one group of motor variables (the "controlled variables") constant, despite the perturbing wind, at the cost of strongly modulating another group of motor variables (the "modulated variables"). The controlled variables included coding-relevant variables, such as head azimuth and whisker velocity. These results indicate that consistent perception of location in the rat is obtained actively, via a selective control of perception-relevant motor variables. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/358777-13$15.00/0.

Automated identification of wound information in clinical notes of patients with heart diseases: Developing and validating a natural language processing application.

PubMed

Topaz, Maxim; Lai, Kenneth; Dowding, Dawn; Lei, Victor J; Zisberg, Anna; Bowles, Kathryn H; Zhou, Li

2016-12-01

Electronic health records are being increasingly used by nurses with up to 80% of the health data recorded as free text. However, only a few studies have developed nursing-relevant tools that help busy clinicians to identify information they need at the point of care. This study developed and validated one of the first automated natural language processing applications to extract wound information (wound type, pressure ulcer stage, wound size, anatomic location, and wound treatment) from free text clinical notes. First, two human annotators manually reviewed a purposeful training sample (n=360) and random test sample (n=1100) of clinical notes (including 50% discharge summaries and 50% outpatient notes), identified wound cases, and created a gold standard dataset. We then trained and tested our natural language processing system (known as MTERMS) to process the wound information. Finally, we assessed our automated approach by comparing system-generated findings against the gold standard. We also compared the prevalence of wound cases identified from free-text data with coded diagnoses in the structured data. The testing dataset included 101 notes (9.2%) with wound information. The overall system performance was good (F-measure is a compiled measure of system's accuracy=92.7%), with best results for wound treatment (F-measure=95.7%) and poorest results for wound size (F-measure=81.9%). Only 46.5% of wound notes had a structured code for a wound diagnosis. The natural language processing system achieved good performance on a subset of randomly selected discharge summaries and outpatient notes. In more than half of the wound notes, there were no coded wound diagnoses, which highlight the significance of using natural language processing to enrich clinical decision making. Our future steps will include expansion of the application's information coverage to other relevant wound factors and validation of the model with external data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data processing with microcode designed with source coding

DOEpatents

McCoy, James A; Morrison, Steven E

2013-05-07

Programming for a data processor to execute a data processing application is provided using microcode source code. The microcode source code is assembled to produce microcode that includes digital microcode instructions with which to signal the data processor to execute the data processing application.

The Five 'R's' for Developing Trusted Software Frameworks to increase confidence in, and maximise reuse of, Open Source Software.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Ryan; Gross, Lutz; Wyborn, Lesley; Evans, Ben; Klump, Jens

2015-04-01

Recent investments in HPC, cloud and Petascale data stores, have dramatically increased the scale and resolution that earth science challenges can now be tackled. These new infrastructures are highly parallelised and to fully utilise them and access the large volumes of earth science data now available, a new approach to software stack engineering needs to be developed. The size, complexity and cost of the new infrastructures mean any software deployed has to be reliable, trusted and reusable. Increasingly software is available via open source repositories, but these usually only enable code to be discovered and downloaded. As a user it is hard for a scientist to judge the suitability and quality of individual codes: rarely is there information on how and where codes can be run, what the critical dependencies are, and in particular, on the version requirements and licensing of the underlying software stack. A trusted software framework is proposed to enable reliable software to be discovered, accessed and then deployed on multiple hardware environments. More specifically, this framework will enable those who generate the software, and those who fund the development of software, to gain credit for the effort, IP, time and dollars spent, and facilitate quantification of the impact of individual codes. For scientific users, the framework delivers reviewed and benchmarked scientific software with mechanisms to reproduce results. The trusted framework will have five separate, but connected components: Register, Review, Reference, Run, and Repeat. 1) The Register component will facilitate discovery of relevant software from multiple open source code repositories. The registration process of the code should include information about licensing, hardware environments it can be run on, define appropriate validation (testing) procedures and list the critical dependencies. 2) The Review component is targeting on the verification of the software typically against a set of benchmark cases. This will be achieved by linking the code in the software framework to peer review forums such as Mozilla Science or appropriate Journals (e.g. Geoscientific Model Development Journal) to assist users to know which codes to trust. 3) Referencing will be accomplished by linking the Software Framework to groups such as Figshare or ImpactStory that help disseminate and measure the impact of scientific research, including program code. 4) The Run component will draw on information supplied in the registration process, benchmark cases described in the review and relevant information to instantiate the scientific code on the selected environment. 5) The Repeat component will tap into existing Provenance Workflow engines that will automatically capture information that relate to a particular run of that software, including identification of all input and output artefacts, and all elements and transactions within that workflow. The proposed trusted software framework will enable users to rapidly discover and access reliable code, reduce the time to deploy it and greatly facilitate sharing, reuse and reinstallation of code. Properly designed it could enable an ability to scale out to massively parallel systems and be accessed nationally/ internationally for multiple use cases, including Supercomputer centres, cloud facilities, and local computers.

[Quality management and strategic consequences of assessing documentation and coding under the German Diagnostic Related Groups system].

PubMed

Schnabel, M; Mann, D; Efe, T; Schrappe, M; V Garrel, T; Gotzen, L; Schaeg, M

2004-10-01

The introduction of the German Diagnostic Related Groups (D-DRG) system requires redesigning administrative patient management strategies. Wrong coding leads to inaccurate grouping and endangers the reimbursement of treatment costs. This situation emphasizes the roles of documentation and coding as factors of economical success. The aims of this study were to assess the quantity and quality of initial documentation and coding (ICD-10 and OPS-301) and find operative strategies to improve efficiency and strategic means to ensure optimal documentation and coding quality. In a prospective study, documentation and coding quality were evaluated in a standardized way by weekly assessment. Clinical data from 1385 inpatients were processed for initial correctness and quality of documentation and coding. Principal diagnoses were found to be accurate in 82.7% of cases, inexact in 7.1%, and wrong in 10.1%. Effects on financial returns occurred in 16%. Based on these findings, an optimized, interdisciplinary, and multiprofessional workflow on medical documentation, coding, and data control was developed. Workflow incorporating regular assessment of documentation and coding quality is required by the DRG system to ensure efficient accounting of hospital services. Interdisciplinary and multiprofessional cooperation is recognized to be an important factor in establishing an efficient workflow in medical documentation and coding.

OpenGeoSys: Performance-Oriented Computational Methods for Numerical Modeling of Flow in Large Hydrogeological Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naumov, D.; Fischer, T.; Böttcher, N.; Watanabe, N.; Walther, M.; Rink, K.; Bilke, L.; Shao, H.; Kolditz, O.

2014-12-01

OpenGeoSys (OGS) is a scientific open source code for numerical simulation of thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes in porous and fractured media. Its basic concept is to provide a flexible numerical framework for solving multi-field problems for applications in geoscience and hydrology as e.g. for CO2 storage applications, geothermal power plant forecast simulation, salt water intrusion, water resources management, etc. Advances in computational mathematics have revolutionized the variety and nature of the problems that can be addressed by environmental scientists and engineers nowadays and an intensive code development in the last years enables in the meantime the solutions of much larger numerical problems and applications. However, solving environmental processes along the water cycle at large scales, like for complete catchment or reservoirs, stays computationally still a challenging task. Therefore, we started a new OGS code development with focus on execution speed and parallelization. In the new version, a local data structure concept improves the instruction and data cache performance by a tight bundling of data with an element-wise numerical integration loop. Dedicated analysis methods enable the investigation of memory-access patterns in the local and global assembler routines, which leads to further data structure optimization for an additional performance gain. The concept is presented together with a technical code analysis of the recent development and a large case study including transient flow simulation in the unsaturated / saturated zone of the Thuringian Syncline, Germany. The analysis is performed on a high-resolution mesh (up to 50M elements) with embedded fault structures.

Development of the Diagnostic Expert System for Tea Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshitomi, Hitoshi; Yamaguchi, Yuichi

A diagnostic expert system for tea processing which can presume the cause of the defect of the processed tea was developed to contribute to the improvement of tea processing. This system that consists of some programs can be used through the Internet. The inference engine, the core of the system adopts production system which is well used on artificial intelligence, and is coded by Prolog as the artificial intelligence oriented language. At present, 176 rules for inference have been registered on this system. The system will be able to presume better if more rules are added to the system.

Automated processing of thermal infrared images of Osservatorio Vesuviano permanent surveillance network by using Matlab code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sansivero, Fabio; Vilardo, Giuseppe; Caputo, Teresa

2017-04-01

The permanent thermal infrared surveillance network of Osservatorio Vesuviano (INGV) is composed of 6 stations which acquire IR frames of fumarole fields in the Campi Flegrei caldera and inside the Vesuvius crater (Italy). The IR frames are uploaded to a dedicated server in the Surveillance Center of Osservatorio Vesuviano in order to process the infrared data and to excerpt all the information contained. In a first phase the infrared data are processed by an automated system (A.S.I.R.A. Acq- Automated System of IR Analysis and Acquisition) developed in Matlab environment and with a user-friendly graphic user interface (GUI). ASIRA daily generates time-series of residual temperature values of the maximum temperatures observed in the IR scenes after the removal of seasonal effects. These time-series are displayed in the Surveillance Room of Osservatorio Vesuviano and provide information about the evolution of shallow temperatures field of the observed areas. In particular the features of ASIRA Acq include: a) efficient quality selection of IR scenes, b) IR images co-registration in respect of a reference frame, c) seasonal correction by using a background-removal methodology, a) filing of IR matrices and of the processed data in shared archives accessible to interrogation. The daily archived records can be also processed by ASIRA Plot (Matlab code with GUI) to visualize IR data time-series and to help in evaluating inputs parameters for further data processing and analysis. Additional processing features are accomplished in a second phase by ASIRA Tools which is Matlab code with GUI developed to extract further information from the dataset in automated way. The main functions of ASIRA Tools are: a) the analysis of temperature variations of each pixel of the IR frame in a given time interval, b) the removal of seasonal effects from temperature of every pixel in the IR frames by using an analytic approach (removal of sinusoidal long term seasonal component by using a polynomial fit Matlab function - LTFC_SCOREF), c) the export of data in different raster formats (i.e. Surfer grd). An interesting example of elaborations of the data produced by ASIRA Tools is the map of the temperature changing rate, which provide remarkable information about the potential migration of fumarole activity. The high efficiency of Matlab in processing matrix data from IR scenes and the flexibility of this code-developing tool proved to be very useful to produce applications to use in volcanic surveillance aimed to monitor the evolution of surface temperatures field in diffuse degassing volcanic areas.

Moment method analysis of linearly tapered slot antennas: Low loss components for switched beam radiometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koeksal, Adnan; Trew, Robert J.; Kauffman, J. Frank

1992-01-01

A Moment Method Model for the radiation pattern characterization of single Linearly Tapered Slot Antennas (LTSA) in air or on a dielectric substrate is developed. This characterization consists of: (1) finding the radiated far-fields of the antenna; (2) determining the E-Plane and H-Plane beamwidths and sidelobe levels; and (3) determining the D-Plane beamwidth and cross polarization levels, as antenna parameters length, height, taper angle, substrate thickness, and the relative substrate permittivity vary. The LTSA geometry does not lend itself to analytical solution with the given parameter ranges. Therefore, a computer modeling scheme and a code are necessary to analyze the problem. This necessity imposes some further objectives or requirements on the solution method (modeling) and tool (computer code). These may be listed as follows: (1) a good approximation to the real antenna geometry; and (2) feasible computer storage and time requirements. According to these requirements, the work is concentrated on the development of efficient modeling schemes for these type of problems and on reducing the central processing unit (CPU) time required from the computer code. A Method of Moments (MoM) code is developed for the analysis of LTSA's within the parameter ranges given.

The development of the Nucleus Freedom Cochlear implant system.

PubMed

Patrick, James F; Busby, Peter A; Gibson, Peter J

2006-12-01

Cochlear Limited (Cochlear) released the fourth-generation cochlear implant system, Nucleus Freedom, in 2005. Freedom is based on 25 years of experience in cochlear implant research and development and incorporates advances in medicine, implantable materials, electronic technology, and sound coding. This article presents the development of Cochlear's implant systems, with an overview of the first 3 generations, and details of the Freedom system: the CI24RE receiver-stimulator, the Contour Advance electrode, the modular Freedom processor, the available speech coding strategies, the input processing options of Smart Sound to improve the signal before coding as electrical signals, and the programming software. Preliminary results from multicenter studies with the Freedom system are reported, demonstrating better levels of performance compared with the previous systems. The final section presents the most recent implant reliability data, with the early findings at 18 months showing improved reliability of the Freedom implant compared with the earlier Nucleus 3 System. Also reported are some of the findings of Cochlear's collaborative research programs to improve recipient outcomes. Included are studies showing the benefits from bilateral implants, electroacoustic stimulation using an ipsilateral and/or contralateral hearing aid, advanced speech coding, and streamlined speech processor programming.

Benchmark Problems of the Geothermal Technologies Office Code Comparison Study

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

White, Mark D.; Podgorney, Robert; Kelkar, Sharad M.

A diverse suite of numerical simulators is currently being applied to predict or understand the performance of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). To build confidence and identify critical development needs for these analytical tools, the United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office has sponsored a Code Comparison Study (GTO-CCS), with participants from universities, industry, and national laboratories. A principal objective for the study was to create a community forum for improvement and verification of numerical simulators for EGS modeling. Teams participating in the study were those representing U.S. national laboratories, universities, and industries, and each team brought unique numerical simulationmore » capabilities to bear on the problems. Two classes of problems were developed during the study, benchmark problems and challenge problems. The benchmark problems were structured to test the ability of the collection of numerical simulators to solve various combinations of coupled thermal, hydrologic, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. This class of problems was strictly defined in terms of properties, driving forces, initial conditions, and boundary conditions. Study participants submitted solutions to problems for which their simulation tools were deemed capable or nearly capable. Some participating codes were originally developed for EGS applications whereas some others were designed for different applications but can simulate processes similar to those in EGS. Solution submissions from both were encouraged. In some cases, participants made small incremental changes to their numerical simulation codes to address specific elements of the problem, and in other cases participants submitted solutions with existing simulation tools, acknowledging the limitations of the code. The challenge problems were based on the enhanced geothermal systems research conducted at Fenton Hill, near Los Alamos, New Mexico, between 1974 and 1995. The problems involved two phases of research, stimulation, development, and circulation in two separate reservoirs. The challenge problems had specific questions to be answered via numerical simulation in three topical areas: 1) reservoir creation/stimulation, 2) reactive and passive transport, and 3) thermal recovery. Whereas the benchmark class of problems were designed to test capabilities for modeling coupled processes under strictly specified conditions, the stated objective for the challenge class of problems was to demonstrate what new understanding of the Fenton Hill experiments could be realized via the application of modern numerical simulation tools by recognized expert practitioners.« less

Genetic Code Expansion as a Tool to Study Regulatory Processes of Transcription

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Moritz; Summerer, Daniel

2014-02-01

The expansion of the genetic code with noncanonical amino acids (ncAA) enables the chemical and biophysical properties of proteins to be tailored, inside cells, with a previously unattainable level of precision. A wide range of ncAA with functions not found in canonical amino acids have been genetically encoded in recent years and have delivered insights into biological processes that would be difficult to access with traditional approaches of molecular biology. A major field for the development and application of novel ncAA-functions has been transcription and its regulation. This is particularly attractive, since advanced DNA sequencing- and proteomics-techniques continue to deliver vast information on these processes on a global level, but complementing methodologies to study them on a detailed, molecular level and in living cells have been comparably scarce. In a growing number of studies, genetic code expansion has now been applied to precisely control the chemical properties of transcription factors, RNA polymerases and histones, and this has enabled new insights into their interactions, conformational changes, cellular localizations and the functional roles of posttranslational modifications.