Sample records for deterministic computer codes

  1. 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

  2. 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.

  3. PCEMCAN - Probabilistic Ceramic Matrix Composites Analyzer: User's Guide, Version 1.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shah, Ashwin R.; Mital, Subodh K.; Murthy, Pappu L. N.

    1998-01-01

    PCEMCAN (Probabalistic CEramic Matrix Composites ANalyzer) is an integrated computer code developed at NASA Lewis Research Center that simulates uncertainties associated with the constituent properties, manufacturing process, and geometric parameters of fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites and quantifies their random thermomechanical behavior. The PCEMCAN code can perform the deterministic as well as probabilistic analyses to predict thermomechanical properties. This User's guide details the step-by-step procedure to create input file and update/modify the material properties database required to run PCEMCAN computer code. An overview of the geometric conventions, micromechanical unit cell, nonlinear constitutive relationship and probabilistic simulation methodology is also provided in the manual. Fast probability integration as well as Monte-Carlo simulation methods are available for the uncertainty simulation. Various options available in the code to simulate probabilistic material properties and quantify sensitivity of the primitive random variables have been described. The description of deterministic as well as probabilistic results have been described using demonstration problems. For detailed theoretical description of deterministic and probabilistic analyses, the user is referred to the companion documents "Computational Simulation of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic Matrix Composite Behavior," NASA TP-3602, 1996 and "Probabilistic Micromechanics and Macromechanics for Ceramic Matrix Composites", NASA TM 4766, June 1997.

  4. On the Use of Statistics in Design and the Implications for Deterministic Computer Experiments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simpson, Timothy W.; Peplinski, Jesse; Koch, Patrick N.; Allen, Janet K.

    1997-01-01

    Perhaps the most prevalent use of statistics in engineering design is through Taguchi's parameter and robust design -- using orthogonal arrays to compute signal-to-noise ratios in a process of design improvement. In our view, however, there is an equally exciting use of statistics in design that could become just as prevalent: it is the concept of metamodeling whereby statistical models are built to approximate detailed computer analysis codes. Although computers continue to get faster, analysis codes always seem to keep pace so that their computational time remains non-trivial. Through metamodeling, approximations of these codes are built that are orders of magnitude cheaper to run. These metamodels can then be linked to optimization routines for fast analysis, or they can serve as a bridge for integrating analysis codes across different domains. In this paper we first review metamodeling techniques that encompass design of experiments, response surface methodology, Taguchi methods, neural networks, inductive learning, and kriging. We discuss their existing applications in engineering design and then address the dangers of applying traditional statistical techniques to approximate deterministic computer analysis codes. We conclude with recommendations for the appropriate use of metamodeling techniques in given situations and how common pitfalls can be avoided.

  5. Development of probabilistic multimedia multipathway computer codes.

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

    Yu, C.; LePoire, D.; Gnanapragasam, E.

    2002-01-01

    The deterministic multimedia dose/risk assessment codes RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD have been widely used for many years for evaluation of sites contaminated with residual radioactive materials. The RESRAD code applies to the cleanup of sites (soils) and the RESRAD-BUILD code applies to the cleanup of buildings and structures. This work describes the procedure used to enhance the deterministic RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes for probabilistic dose analysis. A six-step procedure was used in developing default parameter distributions and the probabilistic analysis modules. These six steps include (1) listing and categorizing parameters; (2) ranking parameters; (3) developing parameter distributions; (4) testing parameter distributionsmore » for probabilistic analysis; (5) developing probabilistic software modules; and (6) testing probabilistic modules and integrated codes. The procedures used can be applied to the development of other multimedia probabilistic codes. The probabilistic versions of RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes provide tools for studying the uncertainty in dose assessment caused by uncertain input parameters. The parameter distribution data collected in this work can also be applied to other multimedia assessment tasks and multimedia computer codes.« less

  6. Computation of a Canadian SCWR unit cell with deterministic and Monte Carlo codes

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

    Harrisson, G.; Marleau, G.

    2012-07-01

    The Canadian SCWR has the potential to achieve the goals that the generation IV nuclear reactors must meet. As part of the optimization process for this design concept, lattice cell calculations are routinely performed using deterministic codes. In this study, the first step (self-shielding treatment) of the computation scheme developed with the deterministic code DRAGON for the Canadian SCWR has been validated. Some options available in the module responsible for the resonance self-shielding calculation in DRAGON 3.06 and different microscopic cross section libraries based on the ENDF/B-VII.0 evaluated nuclear data file have been tested and compared to a reference calculationmore » performed with the Monte Carlo code SERPENT under the same conditions. Compared to SERPENT, DRAGON underestimates the infinite multiplication factor in all cases. In general, the original Stammler model with the Livolant-Jeanpierre approximations are the most appropriate self-shielding options to use in this case of study. In addition, the 89 groups WIMS-AECL library for slight enriched uranium and the 172 groups WLUP library for a mixture of plutonium and thorium give the most consistent results with those of SERPENT. (authors)« less

  7. A Deep Penetration Problem Calculation Using AETIUS:An Easy Modeling Discrete Ordinates Transport Code UsIng Unstructured Tetrahedral Mesh, Shared Memory Parallel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    KIM, Jong Woon; LEE, Young-Ouk

    2017-09-01

    As computing power gets better and better, computer codes that use a deterministic method seem to be less useful than those using the Monte Carlo method. In addition, users do not like to think about space, angles, and energy discretization for deterministic codes. However, a deterministic method is still powerful in that we can obtain a solution of the flux throughout the problem, particularly as when particles can barely penetrate, such as in a deep penetration problem with small detection volumes. Recently, a new state-of-the-art discrete-ordinates code, ATTILA, was developed and has been widely used in several applications. ATTILA provides the capabilities to solve geometrically complex 3-D transport problems by using an unstructured tetrahedral mesh. Since 2009, we have been developing our own code by benchmarking ATTILA. AETIUS is a discrete ordinates code that uses an unstructured tetrahedral mesh such as ATTILA. For pre- and post- processing, Gmsh is used to generate an unstructured tetrahedral mesh by importing a CAD file (*.step) and visualizing the calculation results of AETIUS. Using a CAD tool, the geometry can be modeled very easily. In this paper, we describe a brief overview of AETIUS and provide numerical results from both AETIUS and a Monte Carlo code, MCNP5, in a deep penetration problem with small detection volumes. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of AETIUS for such calculations.

  8. The viability of ADVANTG deterministic method for synthetic radiography generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bingham, Andrew; Lee, Hyoung K.

    2018-07-01

    Fast simulation techniques to generate synthetic radiographic images of high resolution are helpful when new radiation imaging systems are designed. However, the standard stochastic approach requires lengthy run time with poorer statistics at higher resolution. The investigation of the viability of a deterministic approach to synthetic radiography image generation was explored. The aim was to analyze a computational time decrease over the stochastic method. ADVANTG was compared to MCNP in multiple scenarios including a small radiography system prototype, to simulate high resolution radiography images. By using ADVANTG deterministic code to simulate radiography images the computational time was found to decrease 10 to 13 times compared to the MCNP stochastic approach while retaining image quality.

  9. On the Development of a Deterministic Three-Dimensional Radiation Transport Code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rockell, Candice; Tweed, John

    2011-01-01

    Since astronauts on future deep space missions will be exposed to dangerous radiations, there is a need to accurately model the transport of radiation through shielding materials and to estimate the received radiation dose. In response to this need a three dimensional deterministic code for space radiation transport is now under development. The new code GRNTRN is based on a Green's function solution of the Boltzmann transport equation that is constructed in the form of a Neumann series. Analytical approximations will be obtained for the first three terms of the Neumann series and the remainder will be estimated by a non-perturbative technique . This work discusses progress made to date and exhibits some computations based on the first two Neumann series terms.

  10. A Deterministic Computational Procedure for Space Environment Electron Transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

    2010-01-01

    A deterministic computational procedure for describing the transport of electrons in condensed media is formulated to simulate the effects and exposures from spectral distributions typical of electrons trapped in planetary magnetic fields. The primary purpose for developing the procedure is to provide a means of rapidly performing numerous repetitive transport calculations essential for electron radiation exposure assessments for complex space structures. The present code utilizes well-established theoretical representations to describe the relevant interactions and transport processes. A combined mean free path and average trajectory approach is used in the transport formalism. For typical space environment spectra, several favorable comparisons with Monte Carlo calculations are made which have indicated that accuracy is not compromised at the expense of the computational speed.

  11. Space Radiation Transport Methods Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. W.; Tripathi, R. K.; Qualls, G. D.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Prael, R. E.; Norbury, J. W.; Heinbockel, J. H.; Tweed, J.

    2002-01-01

    Improved spacecraft shield design requires early entry of radiation constraints into the design process to maximize performance and minimize costs. As a result, we have been investigating high-speed computational procedures to allow shield analysis from the preliminary design concepts to the final design. In particular, we will discuss the progress towards a full three-dimensional and computationally efficient deterministic code for which the current HZETRN evaluates the lowest order asymptotic term. HZETRN is the first deterministic solution to the Boltzmann equation allowing field mapping within the International Space Station (ISS) in tens of minutes using standard Finite Element Method (FEM) geometry common to engineering design practice enabling development of integrated multidisciplinary design optimization methods. A single ray trace in ISS FEM geometry requires 14 milliseconds and severely limits application of Monte Carlo methods to such engineering models. A potential means of improving the Monte Carlo efficiency in coupling to spacecraft geometry is given in terms of reconfigurable computing and could be utilized in the final design as verification of the deterministic method optimized design.

  12. Metamodels for Computer-Based Engineering Design: Survey and Recommendations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simpson, Timothy W.; Peplinski, Jesse; Koch, Patrick N.; Allen, Janet K.

    1997-01-01

    The use of statistical techniques to build approximations of expensive computer analysis codes pervades much of todays engineering design. These statistical approximations, or metamodels, are used to replace the actual expensive computer analyses, facilitating multidisciplinary, multiobjective optimization and concept exploration. In this paper we review several of these techniques including design of experiments, response surface methodology, Taguchi methods, neural networks, inductive learning, and kriging. We survey their existing application in engineering design and then address the dangers of applying traditional statistical techniques to approximate deterministic computer analysis codes. We conclude with recommendations for the appropriate use of statistical approximation techniques in given situations and how common pitfalls can be avoided.

  13. The concerted calculation of the BN-600 reactor for the deterministic and stochastic codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bogdanova, E. V.; Kuznetsov, A. N.

    2017-01-01

    The solution of the problem of increasing the safety of nuclear power plants implies the existence of complete and reliable information about the processes occurring in the core of a working reactor. Nowadays the Monte-Carlo method is the most general-purpose method used to calculate the neutron-physical characteristic of the reactor. But it is characterized by large time of calculation. Therefore, it may be useful to carry out coupled calculations with stochastic and deterministic codes. This article presents the results of research for possibility of combining stochastic and deterministic algorithms in calculation the reactor BN-600. This is only one part of the work, which was carried out in the framework of the graduation project at the NRC “Kurchatov Institute” in cooperation with S. S. Gorodkov and M. A. Kalugin. It is considering the 2-D layer of the BN-600 reactor core from the international benchmark test, published in the report IAEA-TECDOC-1623. Calculations of the reactor were performed with MCU code and then with a standard operative diffusion algorithm with constants taken from the Monte - Carlo computation. Macro cross-section, diffusion coefficients, the effective multiplication factor and the distribution of neutron flux and power were obtained in 15 energy groups. The reasonable agreement between stochastic and deterministic calculations of the BN-600 is observed.

  14. A space radiation transport method development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. W.; Tripathi, R. K.; Qualls, G. D.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Prael, R. E.; Norbury, J. W.; Heinbockel, J. H.; Tweed, J.

    2004-01-01

    Improved spacecraft shield design requires early entry of radiation constraints into the design process to maximize performance and minimize costs. As a result, we have been investigating high-speed computational procedures to allow shield analysis from the preliminary design concepts to the final design. In particular, we will discuss the progress towards a full three-dimensional and computationally efficient deterministic code for which the current HZETRN evaluates the lowest-order asymptotic term. HZETRN is the first deterministic solution to the Boltzmann equation allowing field mapping within the International Space Station (ISS) in tens of minutes using standard finite element method (FEM) geometry common to engineering design practice enabling development of integrated multidisciplinary design optimization methods. A single ray trace in ISS FEM geometry requires 14 ms and severely limits application of Monte Carlo methods to such engineering models. A potential means of improving the Monte Carlo efficiency in coupling to spacecraft geometry is given in terms of re-configurable computing and could be utilized in the final design as verification of the deterministic method optimized design. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

  15. Comparison of space radiation calculations for deterministic and Monte Carlo transport codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Zi-Wei; Adams, James; Barghouty, Abdulnasser; Randeniya, Sharmalee; Tripathi, Ram; Watts, John; Yepes, Pablo

    For space radiation protection of astronauts or electronic equipments, it is necessary to develop and use accurate radiation transport codes. Radiation transport codes include deterministic codes, such as HZETRN from NASA and UPROP from the Naval Research Laboratory, and Monte Carlo codes such as FLUKA, the Geant4 toolkit and HETC-HEDS. The deterministic codes and Monte Carlo codes complement each other in that deterministic codes are very fast while Monte Carlo codes are more elaborate. Therefore it is important to investigate how well the results of deterministic codes compare with those of Monte Carlo transport codes and where they differ. In this study we evaluate these different codes in their space radiation applications by comparing their output results in the same given space radiation environments, shielding geometry and material. Typical space radiation environments such as the 1977 solar minimum galactic cosmic ray environment are used as the well-defined input, and simple geometries made of aluminum, water and/or polyethylene are used to represent the shielding material. We then compare various outputs of these codes, such as the dose-depth curves and the flux spectra of different fragments and other secondary particles. These comparisons enable us to learn more about the main differences between these space radiation transport codes. At the same time, they help us to learn the qualitative and quantitative features that these transport codes have in common.

  16. Implementing a strand of a scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing fabric.

    PubMed

    Chow, Jerry M; Gambetta, Jay M; Magesan, Easwar; Abraham, David W; Cross, Andrew W; Johnson, B R; Masluk, Nicholas A; Ryan, Colm A; Smolin, John A; Srinivasan, Srikanth J; Steffen, M

    2014-06-24

    With favourable error thresholds and requiring only nearest-neighbour interactions on a lattice, the surface code is an error-correcting code that has garnered considerable attention. At the heart of this code is the ability to perform a low-weight parity measurement of local code qubits. Here we demonstrate high-fidelity parity detection of two code qubits via measurement of a third syndrome qubit. With high-fidelity gates, we generate entanglement distributed across three superconducting qubits in a lattice where each code qubit is coupled to two bus resonators. Via high-fidelity measurement of the syndrome qubit, we deterministically entangle the code qubits in either an even or odd parity Bell state, conditioned on the syndrome qubit state. Finally, to fully characterize this parity readout, we develop a measurement tomography protocol. The lattice presented naturally extends to larger networks of qubits, outlining a path towards fault-tolerant quantum computing.

  17. Semi-quantum communication: protocols for key agreement, controlled secure direct communication and dialogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shukla, Chitra; Thapliyal, Kishore; Pathak, Anirban

    2017-12-01

    Semi-quantum protocols that allow some of the users to remain classical are proposed for a large class of problems associated with secure communication and secure multiparty computation. Specifically, first-time semi-quantum protocols are proposed for key agreement, controlled deterministic secure communication and dialogue, and it is shown that the semi-quantum protocols for controlled deterministic secure communication and dialogue can be reduced to semi-quantum protocols for e-commerce and private comparison (socialist millionaire problem), respectively. Complementing with the earlier proposed semi-quantum schemes for key distribution, secret sharing and deterministic secure communication, set of schemes proposed here and subsequent discussions have established that almost every secure communication and computation tasks that can be performed using fully quantum protocols can also be performed in semi-quantum manner. Some of the proposed schemes are completely orthogonal-state-based, and thus, fundamentally different from the existing semi-quantum schemes that are conjugate coding-based. Security, efficiency and applicability of the proposed schemes have been discussed with appropriate importance.

  18. Non-Deterministic Dynamic Instability of Composite Shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.; Abumeri, Galib H.

    2004-01-01

    A computationally effective method is described to evaluate the non-deterministic dynamic instability (probabilistic dynamic buckling) of thin composite shells. The method is a judicious combination of available computer codes for finite element, composite mechanics, and probabilistic structural analysis. The solution method is incrementally updated Lagrangian. It is illustrated by applying it to thin composite cylindrical shell subjected to dynamic loads. Both deterministic and probabilistic buckling loads are evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. A universal plot is obtained for the specific shell that can be used to approximate buckling loads for different load rates and different probability levels. Results from this plot show that the faster the rate, the higher the buckling load and the shorter the time. The lower the probability, the lower is the buckling load for a specific time. Probabilistic sensitivity results show that the ply thickness, the fiber volume ratio and the fiber longitudinal modulus, dynamic load and loading rate are the dominant uncertainties, in that order.

  19. Probabilistic Evaluation of Advanced Ceramic Matrix Composite Structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abumeri, Galib H.; Chamis, Christos C.

    2003-01-01

    The objective of this report is to summarize the deterministic and probabilistic structural evaluation results of two structures made with advanced ceramic composites (CMC): internally pressurized tube and uniformly loaded flange. The deterministic structural evaluation includes stress, displacement, and buckling analyses. It is carried out using the finite element code MHOST, developed for the 3-D inelastic analysis of structures that are made with advanced materials. The probabilistic evaluation is performed using the integrated probabilistic assessment of composite structures computer code IPACS. The affects of uncertainties in primitive variables related to the material, fabrication process, and loadings on the material property and structural response behavior are quantified. The primitive variables considered are: thermo-mechanical properties of fiber and matrix, fiber and void volume ratios, use temperature, and pressure. The probabilistic structural analysis and probabilistic strength results are used by IPACS to perform reliability and risk evaluation of the two structures. The results will show that the sensitivity information obtained for the two composite structures from the computational simulation can be used to alter the design process to meet desired service requirements. In addition to detailed probabilistic analysis of the two structures, the following were performed specifically on the CMC tube: (1) predicted the failure load and the buckling load, (2) performed coupled non-deterministic multi-disciplinary structural analysis, and (3) demonstrated that probabilistic sensitivities can be used to select a reduced set of design variables for optimization.

  20. Criticality Calculations with MCNP6 - Practical Lectures

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

    Brown, Forrest B.; Rising, Michael Evan; Alwin, Jennifer Louise

    2016-11-29

    These slides are used to teach MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) usage to nuclear criticality safety analysts. The following are the lecture topics: course information, introduction, MCNP basics, criticality calculations, advanced geometry, tallies, adjoint-weighted tallies and sensitivities, physics and nuclear data, parameter studies, NCS validation I, NCS validation II, NCS validation III, case study 1 - solution tanks, case study 2 - fuel vault, case study 3 - B&W core, case study 4 - simple TRIGA, case study 5 - fissile mat. vault, criticality accident alarm systems. After completion of this course, you should be able to: Develop an input modelmore » for MCNP; Describe how cross section data impact Monte Carlo and deterministic codes; Describe the importance of validation of computer codes and how it is accomplished; Describe the methodology supporting Monte Carlo codes and deterministic codes; Describe pitfalls of Monte Carlo calculations; Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Monte Carlo and Discrete Ordinants codes; The diffusion theory model is not strictly valid for treating fissile systems in which neutron absorption, voids, and/or material boundaries are present. In the context of these limitations, identify a fissile system for which a diffusion theory solution would be adequate.« less

  1. Deterministic quantum dense coding networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, Saptarshi; Chanda, Titas; Das, Tamoghna; Sen(De), Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

    2018-07-01

    We consider the scenario of deterministic classical information transmission between multiple senders and a single receiver, when they a priori share a multipartite quantum state - an attempt towards building a deterministic dense coding network. Specifically, we prove that in the case of two or three senders and a single receiver, generalized Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (gGHZ) states are not beneficial for sending classical information deterministically beyond the classical limit, except when the shared state is the GHZ state itself. On the other hand, three- and four-qubit generalized W (gW) states with specific parameters as well as the four-qubit Dicke states can provide a quantum advantage of sending the information in deterministic dense coding. Interestingly however, numerical simulations in the three-qubit scenario reveal that the percentage of states from the GHZ-class that are deterministic dense codeable is higher than that of states from the W-class.

  2. The use of the SRIM code for calculation of radiation damage induced by neutrons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohammadi, A.; Hamidi, S.; Asadabad, Mohsen Asadi

    2017-12-01

    Materials subjected to neutron irradiation will being evolve to structural changes by the displacement cascades initiated by nuclear reaction. This study discusses a methodology to compute primary knock-on atoms or PKAs information that lead to radiation damage. A program AMTRACK has been developed for assessing of the PKAs information. This software determines the specifications of recoil atoms (using PTRAC card of MCNPX code) and also the kinematics of interactions. The deterministic method was used for verification of the results of (MCNPX+AMTRACK). The SRIM (formely TRIM) code is capable to compute neutron radiation damage. The PKAs information was extracted by AMTRACK program, which can be used as an input of SRIM codes for systematic analysis of primary radiation damage. Then the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) radiation damage on reactor pressure vessel is calculated.

  3. Automated variance reduction for MCNP using deterministic methods.

    PubMed

    Sweezy, J; Brown, F; Booth, T; Chiaramonte, J; Preeg, B

    2005-01-01

    In order to reduce the user's time and the computer time needed to solve deep penetration problems, an automated variance reduction capability has been developed for the MCNP Monte Carlo transport code. This new variance reduction capability developed for MCNP5 employs the PARTISN multigroup discrete ordinates code to generate mesh-based weight windows. The technique of using deterministic methods to generate importance maps has been widely used to increase the efficiency of deep penetration Monte Carlo calculations. The application of this method in MCNP uses the existing mesh-based weight window feature to translate the MCNP geometry into geometry suitable for PARTISN. The adjoint flux, which is calculated with PARTISN, is used to generate mesh-based weight windows for MCNP. Additionally, the MCNP source energy spectrum can be biased based on the adjoint energy spectrum at the source location. This method can also use angle-dependent weight windows.

  4. GUINEVERE experiment: Kinetic analysis of some reactivity measurement methods by deterministic and Monte Carlo codes

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

    Bianchini, G.; Burgio, N.; Carta, M.

    The GUINEVERE experiment (Generation of Uninterrupted Intense Neutrons at the lead Venus Reactor) is an experimental program in support of the ADS technology presently carried out at SCK-CEN in Mol (Belgium). In the experiment a modified lay-out of the original thermal VENUS critical facility is coupled to an accelerator, built by the French body CNRS in Grenoble, working in both continuous and pulsed mode and delivering 14 MeV neutrons by bombardment of deuterons on a tritium-target. The modified lay-out of the facility consists of a fast subcritical core made of 30% U-235 enriched metallic Uranium in a lead matrix. Severalmore » off-line and on-line reactivity measurement techniques will be investigated during the experimental campaign. This report is focused on the simulation by deterministic (ERANOS French code) and Monte Carlo (MCNPX US code) calculations of three reactivity measurement techniques, Slope ({alpha}-fitting), Area-ratio and Source-jerk, applied to a GUINEVERE subcritical configuration (namely SC1). The inferred reactivity, in dollar units, by the Area-ratio method shows an overall agreement between the two deterministic and Monte Carlo computational approaches, whereas the MCNPX Source-jerk results are affected by large uncertainties and allow only partial conclusions about the comparison. Finally, no particular spatial dependence of the results is observed in the case of the GUINEVERE SC1 subcritical configuration. (authors)« less

  5. Neo-deterministic seismic hazard scenarios for India—a preventive tool for disaster mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parvez, Imtiyaz A.; Magrin, Andrea; Vaccari, Franco; Ashish; Mir, Ramees R.; Peresan, Antonella; Panza, Giuliano Francesco

    2017-11-01

    Current computational resources and physical knowledge of the seismic wave generation and propagation processes allow for reliable numerical and analytical models of waveform generation and propagation. From the simulation of ground motion, it is easy to extract the desired earthquake hazard parameters. Accordingly, a scenario-based approach to seismic hazard assessment has been developed, namely the neo-deterministic seismic hazard assessment (NDSHA), which allows for a wide range of possible seismic sources to be used in the definition of reliable scenarios by means of realistic waveforms modelling. Such reliable and comprehensive characterization of expected earthquake ground motion is essential to improve building codes, particularly for the protection of critical infrastructures and for land use planning. Parvez et al. (Geophys J Int 155:489-508, 2003) published the first ever neo-deterministic seismic hazard map of India by computing synthetic seismograms with input data set consisting of structural models, seismogenic zones, focal mechanisms and earthquake catalogues. As described in Panza et al. (Adv Geophys 53:93-165, 2012), the NDSHA methodology evolved with respect to the original formulation used by Parvez et al. (Geophys J Int 155:489-508, 2003): the computer codes were improved to better fit the need of producing realistic ground shaking maps and ground shaking scenarios, at different scale levels, exploiting the most significant pertinent progresses in data acquisition and modelling. Accordingly, the present study supplies a revised NDSHA map for India. The seismic hazard, expressed in terms of maximum displacement (Dmax), maximum velocity (Vmax) and design ground acceleration (DGA), has been extracted from the synthetic signals and mapped on a regular grid over the studied territory.

  6. Deterministic and robust generation of single photons from a single quantum dot with 99.5% indistinguishability using adiabatic rapid passage.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yu-Jia; He, Yu-Ming; Chen, Ming-Cheng; Hu, Yi-Nan; He, Yu; Wu, Dian; Schneider, Christian; Kamp, Martin; Höfling, Sven; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

    2014-11-12

    Single photons are attractive candidates of quantum bits (qubits) for quantum computation and are the best messengers in quantum networks. Future scalable, fault-tolerant photonic quantum technologies demand both stringently high levels of photon indistinguishability and generation efficiency. Here, we demonstrate deterministic and robust generation of pulsed resonance fluorescence single photons from a single semiconductor quantum dot using adiabatic rapid passage, a method robust against fluctuation of driving pulse area and dipole moments of solid-state emitters. The emitted photons are background-free, have a vanishing two-photon emission probability of 0.3% and a raw (corrected) two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel interference visibility of 97.9% (99.5%), reaching a precision that places single photons at the threshold for fault-tolerant surface-code quantum computing. This single-photon source can be readily scaled up to multiphoton entanglement and used for quantum metrology, boson sampling, and linear optical quantum computing.

  7. 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.

  8. 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

  9. Development of the 3DHZETRN code for space radiation protection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, John; Badavi, Francis; Slaba, Tony; Reddell, Brandon; Bahadori, Amir; Singleterry, Robert

    Space radiation protection requires computationally efficient shield assessment methods that have been verified and validated. The HZETRN code is the engineering design code used for low Earth orbit dosimetric analysis and astronaut record keeping with end-to-end validation to twenty percent in Space Shuttle and International Space Station operations. HZETRN treated diffusive leakage only at the distal surface limiting its application to systems with a large radius of curvature. A revision of HZETRN that included forward and backward diffusion allowed neutron leakage to be evaluated at both the near and distal surfaces. That revision provided a deterministic code of high computational efficiency that was in substantial agreement with Monte Carlo (MC) codes in flat plates (at least to the degree that MC codes agree among themselves). In the present paper, the 3DHZETRN formalism capable of evaluation in general geometry is described. Benchmarking will help quantify uncertainty with MC codes (Geant4, FLUKA, MCNP6, and PHITS) in simple shapes such as spheres within spherical shells and boxes. Connection of the 3DHZETRN to general geometry will be discussed.

  10. Coupled multi-group neutron photon transport for the simulation of high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burns, Kimberly Ann

    The accurate and efficient simulation of coupled neutron-photon problems is necessary for several important radiation detection applications. Examples include the detection of nuclear threats concealed in cargo containers and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis for nondestructive determination of elemental composition of unknown samples. In these applications, high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers are used to preserve as much information as possible about the emitted photon flux, which consists of both continuum and characteristic gamma rays with discrete energies. Monte Carlo transport is the most commonly used modeling tool for this type of problem, but computational times for many problems can be prohibitive. This work explores the use of coupled Monte Carlo-deterministic methods for the simulation of neutron-induced photons for high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applications. RAdiation Detection Scenario Analysis Toolbox (RADSAT), a code which couples deterministic and Monte Carlo transport to perform radiation detection scenario analysis in three dimensions [1], was used as the building block for the methods derived in this work. RADSAT was capable of performing coupled deterministic-Monte Carlo simulations for gamma-only and neutron-only problems. The purpose of this work was to develop the methodology necessary to perform coupled neutron-photon calculations and add this capability to RADSAT. Performing coupled neutron-photon calculations requires four main steps: the deterministic neutron transport calculation, the neutron-induced photon spectrum calculation, the deterministic photon transport calculation, and the Monte Carlo detector response calculation. The necessary requirements for each of these steps were determined. A major challenge in utilizing multigroup deterministic transport methods for neutron-photon problems was maintaining the discrete neutron-induced photon signatures throughout the simulation. Existing coupled neutron-photon cross-section libraries and the methods used to produce neutron-induced photons were unsuitable for high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applications. Central to this work was the development of a method for generating multigroup neutron-photon cross-sections in a way that separates the discrete and continuum photon emissions so the neutron-induced photon signatures were preserved. The RADSAT-NG cross-section library was developed as a specialized multigroup neutron-photon cross-section set for the simulation of high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applications. The methodology and cross sections were tested using code-to-code comparison with MCNP5 [2] and NJOY [3]. A simple benchmark geometry was used for all cases compared with MCNP. The geometry consists of a cubical sample with a 252Cf neutron source on one side and a HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer on the opposing side. Different materials were examined in the cubical sample: polyethylene (C2H4), P, N, O, and Fe. The cross sections for each of the materials were compared to cross sections collapsed using NJOY. Comparisons of the volume-averaged neutron flux within the sample, volume-averaged photon flux within the detector, and high-purity gamma-ray spectrometer response (only for polyethylene) were completed using RADSAT and MCNP. The code-to-code comparisons show promising results for the coupled Monte Carlo-deterministic method. The RADSAT-NG cross-section production method showed good agreement with NJOY for all materials considered although some additional work is needed in the resonance region and in the first and last energy bin. Some cross section discrepancies existed in the lowest and highest energy bin, but the overall shape and magnitude of the two methods agreed. For the volume-averaged photon flux within the detector, typically the five most intense lines agree to within approximately 5% of the MCNP calculated flux for all of materials considered. The agreement in the code-to-code comparisons cases demonstrates a proof-of-concept of the method for use in RADSAT for coupled neutron-photon problems in high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applications. One of the primary motivators for using the coupled method over pure Monte Carlo method is the potential for significantly lower computational times. For the code-to-code comparison cases, the run times for RADSAT were approximately 25--500 times shorter than for MCNP, as shown in Table 1. This was assuming a 40 mCi 252Cf neutron source and 600 seconds of "real-world" measurement time. The only variance reduction technique implemented in the MCNP calculation was forward biasing of the source toward the sample target. Improved MCNP runtimes could be achieved with the addition of more advanced variance reduction techniques.

  11. Deterministically estimated fission source distributions for Monte Carlo k-eigenvalue problems

    DOE PAGES

    Biondo, Elliott D.; Davidson, Gregory G.; Pandya, Tara M.; ...

    2018-04-30

    The standard Monte Carlo (MC) k-eigenvalue algorithm involves iteratively converging the fission source distribution using a series of potentially time-consuming inactive cycles before quantities of interest can be tallied. One strategy for reducing the computational time requirements of these inactive cycles is the Sourcerer method, in which a deterministic eigenvalue calculation is performed to obtain an improved initial guess for the fission source distribution. This method has been implemented in the Exnihilo software suite within SCALE using the SPNSPN or SNSN solvers in Denovo and the Shift MC code. The efficacy of this method is assessed with different Denovo solutionmore » parameters for a series of typical k-eigenvalue problems including small criticality benchmarks, full-core reactors, and a fuel cask. Here it is found that, in most cases, when a large number of histories per cycle are required to obtain a detailed flux distribution, the Sourcerer method can be used to reduce the computational time requirements of the inactive cycles.« less

  12. Deterministically estimated fission source distributions for Monte Carlo k-eigenvalue problems

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

    Biondo, Elliott D.; Davidson, Gregory G.; Pandya, Tara M.

    The standard Monte Carlo (MC) k-eigenvalue algorithm involves iteratively converging the fission source distribution using a series of potentially time-consuming inactive cycles before quantities of interest can be tallied. One strategy for reducing the computational time requirements of these inactive cycles is the Sourcerer method, in which a deterministic eigenvalue calculation is performed to obtain an improved initial guess for the fission source distribution. This method has been implemented in the Exnihilo software suite within SCALE using the SPNSPN or SNSN solvers in Denovo and the Shift MC code. The efficacy of this method is assessed with different Denovo solutionmore » parameters for a series of typical k-eigenvalue problems including small criticality benchmarks, full-core reactors, and a fuel cask. Here it is found that, in most cases, when a large number of histories per cycle are required to obtain a detailed flux distribution, the Sourcerer method can be used to reduce the computational time requirements of the inactive cycles.« less

  13. Dynamic Probabilistic Instability of Composite Structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.

    2009-01-01

    A computationally effective method is described to evaluate the non-deterministic dynamic instability (probabilistic dynamic buckling) of thin composite shells. The method is a judicious combination of available computer codes for finite element, composite mechanics and probabilistic structural analysis. The solution method is incrementally updated Lagrangian. It is illustrated by applying it to thin composite cylindrical shell subjected to dynamic loads. Both deterministic and probabilistic buckling loads are evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. A universal plot is obtained for the specific shell that can be used to approximate buckling loads for different load rates and different probability levels. Results from this plot show that the faster the rate, the higher the buckling load and the shorter the time. The lower the probability, the lower is the buckling load for a specific time. Probabilistic sensitivity results show that the ply thickness, the fiber volume ratio and the fiber longitudinal modulus, dynamic load and loading rate are the dominant uncertainties in that order.

  14. Laser targets compensate for limitations in inertial confinement fusion drivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kilkenny, J. D.; Alexander, N. B.; Nikroo, A.; Steinman, D. A.; Nobile, A.; Bernat, T.; Cook, R.; Letts, S.; Takagi, M.; Harding, D.

    2005-10-01

    Success in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) requires sophisticated, characterized targets. The increasing fidelity of three-dimensional (3D), radiation hydrodynamic computer codes has made it possible to design targets for ICF which can compensate for limitations in the existing single shot laser and Z pinch ICF drivers. Developments in ICF target fabrication technology allow more esoteric target designs to be fabricated. At present, requirements require new deterministic nano-material fabrication on micro scale.

  15. An efficient HZETRN (a galactic cosmic ray transport code)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shinn, Judy L.; Wilson, John W.

    1992-01-01

    An accurate and efficient engineering code for analyzing the shielding requirements against the high-energy galactic heavy ions is needed. The HZETRN is a deterministic code developed at Langley Research Center that is constantly under improvement both in physics and numerical computation and is targeted for such use. One problem area connected with the space-marching technique used in this code is the propagation of the local truncation error. By improving the numerical algorithms for interpolation, integration, and grid distribution formula, the efficiency of the code is increased by a factor of eight as the number of energy grid points is reduced. The numerical accuracy of better than 2 percent for a shield thickness of 150 g/cm(exp 2) is found when a 45 point energy grid is used. The propagating step size, which is related to the perturbation theory, is also reevaluated.

  16. Composite Load Spectra for Select Space Propulsion Structural Components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ho, Hing W.; Newell, James F.

    1994-01-01

    Generic load models are described with multiple levels of progressive sophistication to simulate the composite (combined) load spectra (CLS) that are induced in space propulsion system components, representative of Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME), such as transfer ducts, turbine blades and liquid oxygen (LOX) posts. These generic (coupled) models combine the deterministic models for composite load dynamic, acoustic, high-pressure and high rotational speed, etc., load simulation using statistically varying coefficients. These coefficients are then determined using advanced probabilistic simulation methods with and without strategically selected experimental data. The entire simulation process is included in a CLS computer code. Applications of the computer code to various components in conjunction with the PSAM (Probabilistic Structural Analysis Method) to perform probabilistic load evaluation and life prediction evaluations are also described to illustrate the effectiveness of the coupled model approach.

  17. RDS - A systematic approach towards system thermal hydraulics input code development for a comprehensive deterministic safety analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salim, Mohd Faiz; Roslan, Ridha; Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal Mamat @

    2014-02-01

    Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) is one of the mandatory requirements conducted for Nuclear Power Plant licensing process, with the aim of ensuring safety compliance with relevant regulatory acceptance criteria. DSA is a technique whereby a set of conservative deterministic rules and requirements are applied for the design and operation of facilities or activities. Computer codes are normally used to assist in performing all required analysis under DSA. To ensure a comprehensive analysis, the conduct of DSA should follow a systematic approach. One of the methodologies proposed is the Standardized and Consolidated Reference Experimental (and Calculated) Database (SCRED) developed by University of Pisa. Based on this methodology, the use of Reference Data Set (RDS) as a pre-requisite reference document for developing input nodalization was proposed. This paper shall describe the application of RDS with the purpose of assessing its effectiveness. Two RDS documents were developed for an Integral Test Facility of LOBI-MOD2 and associated Test A1-83. Data and information from various reports and drawings were referred in preparing the RDS. The results showed that by developing RDS, it has made possible to consolidate all relevant information in one single document. This is beneficial as it enables preservation of information, promotes quality assurance, allows traceability, facilitates continuous improvement, promotes solving of contradictions and finally assisting in developing thermal hydraulic input regardless of whichever code selected. However, some disadvantages were also recognized such as the need for experience in making engineering judgments, language barrier in accessing foreign information and limitation of resources. Some possible improvements are suggested to overcome these challenges.

  18. Nested polynomial trends for the improvement of Gaussian process-based predictors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perrin, G.; Soize, C.; Marque-Pucheu, S.; Garnier, J.

    2017-10-01

    The role of simulation keeps increasing for the sensitivity analysis and the uncertainty quantification of complex systems. Such numerical procedures are generally based on the processing of a huge amount of code evaluations. When the computational cost associated with one particular evaluation of the code is high, such direct approaches based on the computer code only, are not affordable. Surrogate models have therefore to be introduced to interpolate the information given by a fixed set of code evaluations to the whole input space. When confronted to deterministic mappings, the Gaussian process regression (GPR), or kriging, presents a good compromise between complexity, efficiency and error control. Such a method considers the quantity of interest of the system as a particular realization of a Gaussian stochastic process, whose mean and covariance functions have to be identified from the available code evaluations. In this context, this work proposes an innovative parametrization of this mean function, which is based on the composition of two polynomials. This approach is particularly relevant for the approximation of strongly non linear quantities of interest from very little information. After presenting the theoretical basis of this method, this work compares its efficiency to alternative approaches on a series of examples.

  19. A Radiation Shielding Code for Spacecraft and Its Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shinn, J. L.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Singleterry, R. C.; Wilson, J. W.; Badavi, F. F.; Badhwar, G. D.; Miller, J.; Zeitlin, C.; Heilbronn, L.; Tripathi, R. K.

    2000-01-01

    The HZETRN code, which uses a deterministic approach pioneered at NASA Langley Research Center, has been developed over the past decade to evaluate the local radiation fields within sensitive materials (electronic devices and human tissue) on spacecraft in the space environment. The code describes the interactions of shield materials with the incident galactic cosmic rays, trapped protons, or energetic protons from solar particle events in free space and low Earth orbit. The content of incident radiations is modified by atomic and nuclear reactions with the spacecraft and radiation shield materials. High-energy heavy ions are fragmented into less massive reaction products, and reaction products are produced by direct knockout of shield constituents or from de-excitation products. An overview of the computational procedures and database which describe these interactions is given. Validation of the code with recent Monte Carlo benchmarks, and laboratory and flight measurement is also included.

  20. Review of Hybrid (Deterministic/Monte Carlo) Radiation Transport Methods, Codes, and Applications at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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

    Wagner, John C; Peplow, Douglas E.; Mosher, Scott W

    2011-01-01

    This paper provides a review of the hybrid (Monte Carlo/deterministic) radiation transport methods and codes used at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and examples of their application for increasing the efficiency of real-world, fixed-source Monte Carlo analyses. The two principal hybrid methods are (1) Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) for optimization of a localized detector (tally) region (e.g., flux, dose, or reaction rate at a particular location) and (2) Forward Weighted CADIS (FW-CADIS) for optimizing distributions (e.g., mesh tallies over all or part of the problem space) or multiple localized detector regions (e.g., simultaneous optimization of two or moremore » localized tally regions). The two methods have been implemented and automated in both the MAVRIC sequence of SCALE 6 and ADVANTG, a code that works with the MCNP code. As implemented, the methods utilize the results of approximate, fast-running 3-D discrete ordinates transport calculations (with the Denovo code) to generate consistent space- and energy-dependent source and transport (weight windows) biasing parameters. These methods and codes have been applied to many relevant and challenging problems, including calculations of PWR ex-core thermal detector response, dose rates throughout an entire PWR facility, site boundary dose from arrays of commercial spent fuel storage casks, radiation fields for criticality accident alarm system placement, and detector response for special nuclear material detection scenarios and nuclear well-logging tools. Substantial computational speed-ups, generally O(102-4), have been realized for all applications to date. This paper provides a brief review of the methods, their implementation, results of their application, and current development activities, as well as a considerable list of references for readers seeking more information about the methods and/or their applications.« less

  1. The DANTE Boltzmann transport solver: An unstructured mesh, 3-D, spherical harmonics algorithm compatible with parallel computer architectures

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

    McGhee, J.M.; Roberts, R.M.; Morel, J.E.

    1997-06-01

    A spherical harmonics research code (DANTE) has been developed which is compatible with parallel computer architectures. DANTE provides 3-D, multi-material, deterministic, transport capabilities using an arbitrary finite element mesh. The linearized Boltzmann transport equation is solved in a second order self-adjoint form utilizing a Galerkin finite element spatial differencing scheme. The core solver utilizes a preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm. Other distinguishing features of the code include options for discrete-ordinates and simplified spherical harmonics angular differencing, an exact Marshak boundary treatment for arbitrarily oriented boundary faces, in-line matrix construction techniques to minimize memory consumption, and an effective diffusion based preconditioner formore » scattering dominated problems. Algorithm efficiency is demonstrated for a massively parallel SIMD architecture (CM-5), and compatibility with MPP multiprocessor platforms or workstation clusters is anticipated.« less

  2. Dynamical Motor Control Learned with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Conventional models of motor control exploit the spatial representation of the controlled system to generate control commands. Typically, the control command is gained with the feedback state of a specific instant in time, which behaves like an optimal regulator or spatial filter to the feedback state. Yet, recent neuroscience studies found that the motor network may constitute an autonomous dynamical system and the temporal patterns of the control command can be contained in the dynamics of the motor network, that is, the dynamical system hypothesis (DSH). Inspired by these findings, here we propose a computational model that incorporates this neural mechanism, in which the control command could be unfolded from a dynamical controller whose initial state is specified with the task parameters. The model is trained in a trial-and-error manner in the framework of deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The experimental results show that the dynamical controller successfully learns the control policy for arm reaching movements, while the analysis of the internal activities of the dynamical controller provides the computational evidence to the DSH of the neural coding in motor cortices. PMID:29666634

  3. Dynamical Motor Control Learned with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient.

    PubMed

    Shi, Haibo; Sun, Yaoru; Li, Jie

    2018-01-01

    Conventional models of motor control exploit the spatial representation of the controlled system to generate control commands. Typically, the control command is gained with the feedback state of a specific instant in time, which behaves like an optimal regulator or spatial filter to the feedback state. Yet, recent neuroscience studies found that the motor network may constitute an autonomous dynamical system and the temporal patterns of the control command can be contained in the dynamics of the motor network, that is, the dynamical system hypothesis (DSH). Inspired by these findings, here we propose a computational model that incorporates this neural mechanism, in which the control command could be unfolded from a dynamical controller whose initial state is specified with the task parameters. The model is trained in a trial-and-error manner in the framework of deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG). The experimental results show that the dynamical controller successfully learns the control policy for arm reaching movements, while the analysis of the internal activities of the dynamical controller provides the computational evidence to the DSH of the neural coding in motor cortices.

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

    Dustin Popp; Zander Mausolff; Sedat Goluoglu

    We are proposing to use the code, TDKENO, to model TREAT. TDKENO solves the time dependent, three dimensional Boltzmann transport equation with explicit representation of delayed neutrons. Instead of directly integrating this equation, the neutron flux is factored into two components – a rapidly varying amplitude equation and a slowly varying shape equation and each is solved separately on different time scales. The shape equation is solved using the 3D Monte Carlo transport code KENO, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s SCALE code package. Using the Monte Carlo method to solve the shape equation is still computationally intensive, but the operationmore » is only performed when needed. The amplitude equation is solved deterministically and frequently, so the solution gives an accurate time-dependent solution without having to repeatedly We have modified TDKENO to incorporate KENO-VI so that we may accurately represent the geometries within TREAT. This paper explains the motivation behind using generalized geometry, and provides the results of our modifications. TDKENO uses the Improved Quasi-Static method to accomplish this. In this method, the neutron flux is factored into two components. One component is a purely time-dependent and rapidly varying amplitude function, which is solved deterministically and very frequently (small time steps). The other is a slowly varying flux shape function that weakly depends on time and is only solved when needed (significantly larger time steps).« less

  5. Comparison of three controllers applied to helicopter vibration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leyland, Jane A.

    1992-01-01

    A comparison was made of the applicability and suitability of the deterministic controller, the cautious controller, and the dual controller for the reduction of helicopter vibration by using higher harmonic blade pitch control. A randomly generated linear plant model was assumed and the performance index was defined to be a quadratic output metric of this linear plant. A computer code, designed to check out and evaluate these controllers, was implemented and used to accomplish this comparison. The effects of random measurement noise, the initial estimate of the plant matrix, and the plant matrix propagation rate were determined for each of the controllers. With few exceptions, the deterministic controller yielded the greatest vibration reduction (as characterized by the quadratic output metric) and operated with the greatest reliability. Theoretical limitations of these controllers were defined and appropriate candidate alternative methods, including one method particularly suitable to the cockpit, were identified.

  6. Estimation of electromagnetic dosimetric values from non-ionizing radiofrequency fields in an indoor commercial airplane environment.

    PubMed

    Aguirre, Erik; Arpón, Javier; Azpilicueta, Leire; López, Peio; de Miguel, Silvia; Ramos, Victoria; Falcone, Francisco

    2014-12-01

    In this article, the impact of topology as well as morphology of a complex indoor environment such as a commercial aircraft in the estimation of dosimetric assessment is presented. By means of an in-house developed deterministic 3D ray-launching code, estimation of electric field amplitude as a function of position for the complete volume of a commercial passenger airplane is obtained. Estimation of electromagnetic field exposure in this environment is challenging, due to the complexity and size of the scenario, as well as to the large metallic content, giving rise to strong multipath components. By performing the calculation with a deterministic technique, the complete scenario can be considered with an optimized balance between accuracy and computational cost. The proposed method can aid in the assessment of electromagnetic dosimetry in the future deployment of embarked wireless systems in commercial aircraft.

  7. ODECS -- A computer code for the optimal design of S.I. engine control strategies

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

    Arsie, I.; Pianese, C.; Rizzo, G.

    1996-09-01

    The computer code ODECS (Optimal Design of Engine Control Strategies) for the design of Spark Ignition engine control strategies is presented. This code has been developed starting from the author`s activity in this field, availing of some original contributions about engine stochastic optimization and dynamical models. This code has a modular structure and is composed of a user interface for the definition, the execution and the analysis of different computations performed with 4 independent modules. These modules allow the following calculations: (1) definition of the engine mathematical model from steady-state experimental data; (2) engine cycle test trajectory corresponding to amore » vehicle transient simulation test such as ECE15 or FTP drive test schedule; (3) evaluation of the optimal engine control maps with a steady-state approach; (4) engine dynamic cycle simulation and optimization of static control maps and/or dynamic compensation strategies, taking into account dynamical effects due to the unsteady fluxes of air and fuel and the influences of combustion chamber wall thermal inertia on fuel consumption and emissions. Moreover, in the last two modules it is possible to account for errors generated by a non-deterministic behavior of sensors and actuators and the related influences on global engine performances, and compute robust strategies, less sensitive to stochastic effects. In the paper the four models are described together with significant results corresponding to the simulation and the calculation of optimal control strategies for dynamic transient tests.« less

  8. Computationally intensive econometrics using a distributed matrix-programming language.

    PubMed

    Doornik, Jurgen A; Hendry, David F; Shephard, Neil

    2002-06-15

    This paper reviews the need for powerful computing facilities in econometrics, focusing on concrete problems which arise in financial economics and in macroeconomics. We argue that the profession is being held back by the lack of easy-to-use generic software which is able to exploit the availability of cheap clusters of distributed computers. Our response is to extend, in a number of directions, the well-known matrix-programming interpreted language Ox developed by the first author. We note three possible levels of extensions: (i) Ox with parallelization explicit in the Ox code; (ii) Ox with a parallelized run-time library; and (iii) Ox with a parallelized interpreter. This paper studies and implements the first case, emphasizing the need for deterministic computing in science. We give examples in the context of financial economics and time-series modelling.

  9. Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling using Space, Energy and Angle

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

    Peplow, Douglas E.; Mosher, Scott W; Evans, Thomas M

    2012-08-01

    For challenging radiation transport problems, hybrid methods combine the accuracy of Monte Carlo methods with the global information present in deterministic methods. One of the most successful hybrid methods is CADIS Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling. This method uses a deterministic adjoint solution to construct a biased source distribution and consistent weight windows to optimize a specific tally in a Monte Carlo calculation. The method has been implemented into transport codes using just the spatial and energy information from the deterministic adjoint and has been used in many applications to compute tallies with much higher figures-of-merit than analog calculations. CADISmore » also outperforms user-supplied importance values, which usually take long periods of user time to develop. This work extends CADIS to develop weight windows that are a function of the position, energy, and direction of the Monte Carlo particle. Two types of consistent source biasing are presented: one method that biases the source in space and energy while preserving the original directional distribution and one method that biases the source in space, energy, and direction. Seven simple example problems are presented which compare the use of the standard space/energy CADIS with the new space/energy/angle treatments.« less

  10. Faster Heavy Ion Transport for HZETRN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slaba, Tony C.

    2013-01-01

    The deterministic particle transport code HZETRN was developed to enable fast and accurate space radiation transport through materials. As more complex transport solutions are implemented for neutrons, light ions (Z < 2), mesons, and leptons, it is important to maintain overall computational efficiency. In this work, the heavy ion (Z > 2) transport algorithm in HZETRN is reviewed, and a simple modification is shown to provide an approximate 5x decrease in execution time for galactic cosmic ray transport. Convergence tests and other comparisons are carried out to verify that numerical accuracy is maintained in the new algorithm.

  11. Fluctuating Hydrodynamics Confronts the Rapidity Dependence of Transverse Momentum Fluctuations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pokharel, Rajendra; Gavin, Sean; Moschelli, George

    2012-10-01

    Interest in the development of the theory of fluctuating hydrodynamics is growing [1]. Early efforts suggested that viscous diffusion broadens the rapidity dependence of transverse momentum correlations [2]. That work stimulated an experimental analysis by STAR [3]. We attack this new data along two fronts. First, we compute STAR's fluctuation observable using the NeXSPheRIO code, which combines fluctuating initial conditions from a string fragmentation model with deterministic viscosity-free hydrodynamic evolution. We find that NeXSPheRIO produces a longitudinal narrowing, in contrast to the data. Second, we study the hydrodynamic evolution using second order causal viscous hydrodynamics including Langevin noise. We obtain a deterministic evolution equation for the transverse momentum density correlation function. We use the latest theoretical equations of state and transport coefficients to compute STAR's observable. The results are in excellent accord with the measured broadening. In addition, we predict features of the distribution that can distinguish 2nd and 1st order diffusion. [4pt] [1] J. Kapusta, B. Mueller, M. Stephanov, arXiv:1112.6405 [nucl-th].[0pt] [2] S. Gavin and M. Abdel-Aziz, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 162302 (2006)[0pt] [3] H. Agakishiev et al., STAR, STAR, Phys. Lett. B704

  12. Scoping analysis of the Advanced Test Reactor using SN2ND

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

    Wolters, E.; Smith, M.; SC)

    2012-07-26

    A detailed set of calculations was carried out for the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) using the SN2ND solver of the UNIC code which is part of the SHARP multi-physics code being developed under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program in DOE-NE. The primary motivation of this work is to assess whether high fidelity deterministic transport codes can tackle coupled dynamics simulations of the ATR. The successful use of such codes in a coupled dynamics simulation can impact what experiments are performed and what power levels are permitted during those experiments at the ATR. The advantages of themore » SN2ND solver over comparable neutronics tools are its superior parallel performance and demonstrated accuracy on large scale homogeneous and heterogeneous reactor geometries. However, it should be noted that virtually no effort from this project was spent constructing a proper cross section generation methodology for the ATR usable in the SN2ND solver. While attempts were made to use cross section data derived from SCALE, the minimal number of compositional cross section sets were generated to be consistent with the reference Monte Carlo input specification. The accuracy of any deterministic transport solver is impacted by such an approach and clearly it causes substantial errors in this work. The reasoning behind this decision is justified given the overall funding dedicated to the task (two months) and the real focus of the work: can modern deterministic tools actually treat complex facilities like the ATR with heterogeneous geometry modeling. SN2ND has been demonstrated to solve problems with upwards of one trillion degrees of freedom which translates to tens of millions of finite elements, hundreds of angles, and hundreds of energy groups, resulting in a very high-fidelity model of the system unachievable by most deterministic transport codes today. A space-angle convergence study was conducted to determine the meshing and angular cubature requirements for the ATR, and also to demonstrate the feasibility of performing this analysis with a deterministic transport code capable of modeling heterogeneous geometries. The work performed indicates that a minimum of 260,000 linear finite elements combined with a L3T11 cubature (96 angles on the sphere) is required for both eigenvalue and flux convergence of the ATR. A critical finding was that the fuel meat and water channels must each be meshed with at least 3 'radial zones' for accurate flux convergence. A small number of 3D calculations were also performed to show axial mesh and eigenvalue convergence for a full core problem. Finally, a brief analysis was performed with different cross sections sets generated from DRAGON and SCALE, and the findings show that more effort will be required to improve the multigroup cross section generation process. The total number of degrees of freedom for a converged 27 group, 2D ATR problem is {approx}340 million. This number increases to {approx}25 billion for a 3D ATR problem. This scoping study shows that both 2D and 3D calculations are well within the capabilities of the current SN2ND solver, given the availability of a large-scale computing center such as BlueGene/P. However, dynamics calculations are not realistic without the implementation of improvements in the solver.« less

  13. Investigation of HZETRN 2010 as a Tool for Single Event Effect Qualification of Avionics Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rojdev, Kristina; Atwell, William; Boeder, Paul; Koontz, Steve

    2014-01-01

    NASA's future missions are focused on deep space for human exploration that do not provide a simple emergency return to Earth. In addition, the deep space environment contains a constant background Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) radiation exposure, as well as periodic Solar Particle Events (SPEs) that can produce intense amounts of radiation in a short amount of time. Given these conditions, it is important that the avionics systems for deep space human missions are not susceptible to Single Event Effects (SEE) that can occur from radiation interactions with electronic components. The typical process to minimizing SEE effects is through using heritage hardware and extensive testing programs that are very costly. Previous work by Koontz, et al. [1] utilized an analysis-based method for investigating electronic component susceptibility. In their paper, FLUKA, a Monte Carlo transport code, was used to calculate SEE and single event upset (SEU) rates. This code was then validated against in-flight data. In addition, CREME-96, a deterministic code, was also compared with FLUKA and in-flight data. However, FLUKA has a long run-time (on the order of days), and CREME-96 has not been updated in several years. This paper will investigate the use of HZETRN 2010, a deterministic transport code developed at NASA Langley Research Center, as another tool that can be used to analyze SEE and SEU rates. The benefits to using HZETRN over FLUKA and CREME-96 are that it has a very fast run time (on the order of minutes) and has been shown to be of similar accuracy as other deterministic and Monte Carlo codes when considering dose [2, 3, 4]. The 2010 version of HZETRN has updated its treatment of secondary neutrons and thus has improved its accuracy over previous versions. In this paper, the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) spectra are of interest rather than the total ionizing dose. Therefore, the LET spectra output from HZETRN 2010 will be compared with the FLUKA and in-flight data to validate HZETRN 2010 as a computational tool for SEE qualification by analysis. Furthermore, extrapolation of these data to interplanetary environments at 1 AU will be investigated to determine whether HZETRN 2010 can be used successfully and confidently for deep space mission analyses.

  14. Computer program for prediction of capture maneuver probability for an on-off reaction controlled upper stage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knauber, R. N.

    1982-01-01

    A FORTRAN coded computer program which computes the capture transient of a launch vehicle upper stage at the ignition and/or separation event is presented. It is for a single degree-of-freedom on-off reaction jet attitude control system. The Monte Carlo method is used to determine the statistical value of key parameters at the outcome of the event. Aerodynamic and booster induced disturbances, vehicle and control system characteristics, and initial conditions are treated as random variables. By appropriate selection of input data pitch, yaw and roll axes can be analyzed. Transient response of a single deterministic case can be computed. The program is currently set up on a CDC CYBER 175 computer system but is compatible with ANSI FORTRAN computer language. This routine has been used over the past fifteen (15) years for the SCOUT Launch Vehicle and has been run on RECOMP III, IBM 7090, IBM 360/370, CDC6600 and CDC CYBER 175 computers with little modification.

  15. Peak Dose Assessment for Proposed DOE-PPPO Authorized Limits

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

    Maldonado, Delis

    2012-06-01

    The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prime contractor, was contracted by the DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (DOE-PPPO) to conduct a peak dose assessment in support of the Authorized Limits Request for Solid Waste Disposal at Landfill C-746-U at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (DOE-PPPO 2011a). The peak doses were calculated based on the DOE-PPPO Proposed Single Radionuclides Soil Guidelines and the DOE-PPPO Proposed Authorized Limits (AL) Volumetric Concentrations available in DOE-PPPO 2011a. This work is provided as an appendix to the Dose Modeling Evaluations and Technical Support Document for the Authorizedmore » Limits Request for the C-746-U Landfill at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky (ORISE 2012). The receptors evaluated in ORISE 2012 were selected by the DOE-PPPO for the additional peak dose evaluations. These receptors included a Landfill Worker, Trespasser, Resident Farmer (onsite), Resident Gardener, Recreational User, Outdoor Worker and an Offsite Resident Farmer. The RESRAD (Version 6.5) and RESRAD-OFFSITE (Version 2.5) computer codes were used for the peak dose assessments. Deterministic peak dose assessments were performed for all the receptors and a probabilistic dose assessment was performed only for the Offsite Resident Farmer at the request of the DOE-PPPO. In a deterministic analysis, a single input value results in a single output value. In other words, a deterministic analysis uses single parameter values for every variable in the code. By contrast, a probabilistic approach assigns parameter ranges to certain variables, and the code randomly selects the values for each variable from the parameter range each time it calculates the dose (NRC 2006). The receptor scenarios, computer codes and parameter input files were previously used in ORISE 2012. A few modifications were made to the parameter input files as appropriate for this effort. Some of these changes included increasing the time horizon beyond 1,050 years (yr), and using the radionuclide concentrations provided by the DOE-PPPO as inputs into the codes. The deterministic peak doses were evaluated within time horizons of 70 yr (for the Landfill Worker and Trespasser), 1,050 yr, 10,000 yr and 100,000 yr (for the Resident Farmer [onsite], Resident Gardener, Recreational User, Outdoor Worker and Offsite Resident Farmer) at the request of the DOE-PPPO. The time horizons of 10,000 yr and 100,000 yr were used at the request of the DOE-PPPO for informational purposes only. The probabilistic peak of the mean dose assessment was performed for the Offsite Resident Farmer using Technetium-99 (Tc-99) and a time horizon of 1,050 yr. The results of the deterministic analyses indicate that among all receptors and time horizons evaluated, the highest projected dose, 2,700 mrem/yr, occurred for the Resident Farmer (onsite) at 12,773 yr. The exposure pathways contributing to the peak dose are ingestion of plants, external gamma, and ingestion of milk, meat and soil. However, this receptor is considered an implausible receptor. The only receptors considered plausible are the Landfill Worker, Recreational User, Outdoor Worker and the Offsite Resident Farmer. The maximum projected dose among the plausible receptors is 220 mrem/yr for the Outdoor Worker and it occurs at 19,045 yr. The exposure pathways contributing to the dose for this receptor are external gamma and soil ingestion. The results of the probabilistic peak of the mean dose analysis for the Offsite Resident Farmer indicate that the average (arithmetic mean) of the peak of the mean doses for this receptor is 0.98 mrem/yr and it occurs at 1,050 yr. This dose corresponds to Tc-99 within the time horizon of 1,050 yr.« less

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

    Argo, P.E.; DeLapp, D.; Sutherland, C.D.

    TRACKER is an extension of a three-dimensional Hamiltonian raytrace code developed some thirty years ago by R. Michael Jones. Subsequent modifications to this code, which is commonly called the {open_quotes}Jones Code,{close_quotes} were documented by Jones and Stephensen (1975). TRACKER incorporates an interactive user`s interface, modern differential equation integrators, graphical outputs, homing algorithms, and the Ionospheric Conductivity and Electron Density (ICED) ionosphere. TRACKER predicts the three-dimensional paths of radio waves through model ionospheres by numerically integrating Hamilton`s equations, which are a differential expression of Fermat`s principle of least time. By using continuous models, the Hamiltonian method avoids false caustics and discontinuousmore » raypath properties often encountered in other raytracing methods. In addition to computing the raypath, TRACKER also calculates the group path (or pulse travel time), the phase path, the geometrical (or {open_quotes}real{close_quotes}) pathlength, and the Doppler shift (if the time variation of the ionosphere is explicitly included). Computational speed can be traded for accuracy by specifying the maximum allowable integration error per step in the integration. Only geometrical optics are included in the main raytrace code; no partial reflections or diffraction effects are taken into account. In addition, TRACKER does not lend itself to statistical descriptions of propagation -- it requires a deterministic model of the ionosphere.« less

  17. Review of Hybrid (Deterministic/Monte Carlo) Radiation Transport Methods, Codes, and Applications at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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

    Wagner, John C; Peplow, Douglas E.; Mosher, Scott W

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides a review of the hybrid (Monte Carlo/deterministic) radiation transport methods and codes used at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and examples of their application for increasing the efficiency of real-world, fixed-source Monte Carlo analyses. The two principal hybrid methods are (1) Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) for optimization of a localized detector (tally) region (e.g., flux, dose, or reaction rate at a particular location) and (2) Forward Weighted CADIS (FW-CADIS) for optimizing distributions (e.g., mesh tallies over all or part of the problem space) or multiple localized detector regions (e.g., simultaneous optimization of two or moremore » localized tally regions). The two methods have been implemented and automated in both the MAVRIC sequence of SCALE 6 and ADVANTG, a code that works with the MCNP code. As implemented, the methods utilize the results of approximate, fast-running 3-D discrete ordinates transport calculations (with the Denovo code) to generate consistent space- and energy-dependent source and transport (weight windows) biasing parameters. These methods and codes have been applied to many relevant and challenging problems, including calculations of PWR ex-core thermal detector response, dose rates throughout an entire PWR facility, site boundary dose from arrays of commercial spent fuel storage casks, radiation fields for criticality accident alarm system placement, and detector response for special nuclear material detection scenarios and nuclear well-logging tools. Substantial computational speed-ups, generally O(10{sup 2-4}), have been realized for all applications to date. This paper provides a brief review of the methods, their implementation, results of their application, and current development activities, as well as a considerable list of references for readers seeking more information about the methods and/or their applications.« less

  18. Coupling of Multiple Coulomb Scattering with Energy Loss and Straggling in HZETRN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mertens, Christopher J.; Wilson, John W.; Walker, Steven A.; Tweed, John

    2007-01-01

    The new version of the HZETRN deterministic transport code based on Green's function methods, and the incorporation of ground-based laboratory boundary conditions, has lead to the development of analytical and numerical procedures to include off-axis dispersion of primary ion beams due to small-angle multiple Coulomb scattering. In this paper we present the theoretical formulation and computational procedures to compute ion beam broadening and a methodology towards achieving a self-consistent approach to coupling multiple scattering interactions with ionization energy loss and straggling. Our initial benchmark case is a 60 MeV proton beam on muscle tissue, for which we can compare various attributes of beam broadening with Monte Carlo simulations reported in the open literature.

  19. Deterministic Computer-Controlled Polishing Process for High-Energy X-Ray Optics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Khan, Gufran S.; Gubarev, Mikhail; Speegle, Chet; Ramsey, Brian

    2010-01-01

    A deterministic computer-controlled polishing process for large X-ray mirror mandrels is presented. Using tool s influence function and material removal rate extracted from polishing experiments, design considerations of polishing laps and optimized operating parameters are discussed

  20. Solving difficult problems creatively: a role for energy optimised deterministic/stochastic hybrid computing

    PubMed Central

    Palmer, Tim N.; O’Shea, Michael

    2015-01-01

    How is the brain configured for creativity? What is the computational substrate for ‘eureka’ moments of insight? Here we argue that creative thinking arises ultimately from a synergy between low-energy stochastic and energy-intensive deterministic processing, and is a by-product of a nervous system whose signal-processing capability per unit of available energy has become highly energy optimised. We suggest that the stochastic component has its origin in thermal (ultimately quantum decoherent) noise affecting the activity of neurons. Without this component, deterministic computational models of the brain are incomplete. PMID:26528173

  1. Comparison of Space Radiation Calculations from Deterministic and Monte Carlo Transport Codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, J. H.; Lin, Z. W.; Nasser, A. F.; Randeniya, S.; Tripathi, r. K.; Watts, J. W.; Yepes, P.

    2010-01-01

    The presentation outline includes motivation, radiation transport codes being considered, space radiation cases being considered, results for slab geometry, results from spherical geometry, and summary. ///////// main physics in radiation transport codes hzetrn uprop fluka geant4, slab geometry, spe, gcr,

  2. Dual Roles for Spike Signaling in Cortical Neural Populations

    PubMed Central

    Ballard, Dana H.; Jehee, Janneke F. M.

    2011-01-01

    A prominent feature of signaling in cortical neurons is that of randomness in the action potential. The output of a typical pyramidal cell can be well fit with a Poisson model, and variations in the Poisson rate repeatedly have been shown to be correlated with stimuli. However while the rate provides a very useful characterization of neural spike data, it may not be the most fundamental description of the signaling code. Recent data showing γ frequency range multi-cell action potential correlations, together with spike timing dependent plasticity, are spurring a re-examination of the classical model, since precise timing codes imply that the generation of spikes is essentially deterministic. Could the observed Poisson randomness and timing determinism reflect two separate modes of communication, or do they somehow derive from a single process? We investigate in a timing-based model whether the apparent incompatibility between these probabilistic and deterministic observations may be resolved by examining how spikes could be used in the underlying neural circuits. The crucial component of this model draws on dual roles for spike signaling. In learning receptive fields from ensembles of inputs, spikes need to behave probabilistically, whereas for fast signaling of individual stimuli, the spikes need to behave deterministically. Our simulations show that this combination is possible if deterministic signals using γ latency coding are probabilistically routed through different members of a cortical cell population at different times. This model exhibits standard features characteristic of Poisson models such as orientation tuning and exponential interval histograms. In addition, it makes testable predictions that follow from the γ latency coding. PMID:21687798

  3. GPELab, a Matlab toolbox to solve Gross-Pitaevskii equations II: Dynamics and stochastic simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antoine, Xavier; Duboscq, Romain

    2015-08-01

    GPELab is a free Matlab toolbox for modeling and numerically solving large classes of systems of Gross-Pitaevskii equations that arise in the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates. The aim of this second paper, which follows (Antoine and Duboscq, 2014), is to first present the various pseudospectral schemes available in GPELab for computing the deterministic and stochastic nonlinear dynamics of Gross-Pitaevskii equations (Antoine, et al., 2013). Next, the corresponding GPELab functions are explained in detail. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to show how the code works for the complex dynamics of BEC problems.

  4. Acceleration of MCNP calculations for small pipes configurations by using Weigth Windows Importance cards created by the SN-3D ATTILA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castanier, Eric; Paterne, Loic; Louis, Céline

    2017-09-01

    In the nuclear engineering, you have to manage time and precision. Especially in shielding design, you have to be more accurate and efficient to reduce cost (shielding thickness optimization), and for this, you use 3D codes. In this paper, we want to see if we can easily applicate the CADIS methods for design shielding of small pipes which go through large concrete walls. We assess the impact of the WW generated by the 3D-deterministic code ATTILA versus WW directly generated by MCNP (iterative and manual process). The comparison is based on the quality of the convergence (estimated relative error (σ), Variance of Variance (VOV) and Figure of Merit (FOM)), on time (computer time + modelling) and on the implement for the engineer.

  5. Automated Weight-Window Generation for Threat Detection Applications Using ADVANTG

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

    Mosher, Scott W; Miller, Thomas Martin; Evans, Thomas M

    2009-01-01

    Deterministic transport codes have been used for some time to generate weight-window parameters that can improve the efficiency of Monte Carlo simulations. As the use of this hybrid computational technique is becoming more widespread, the scope of applications in which it is being applied is expanding. An active source of new applications is the field of homeland security--particularly the detection of nuclear material threats. For these problems, automated hybrid methods offer an efficient alternative to trial-and-error variance reduction techniques (e.g., geometry splitting or the stochastic weight window generator). The ADVANTG code has been developed to automate the generation of weight-windowmore » parameters for MCNP using the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling method and employs the TORT or Denovo 3-D discrete ordinates codes to generate importance maps. In this paper, we describe the application of ADVANTG to a set of threat-detection simulations. We present numerical results for an 'active-interrogation' problem in which a standard cargo container is irradiated by a deuterium-tritium fusion neutron generator. We also present results for two passive detection problems in which a cargo container holding a shielded neutron or gamma source is placed near a portal monitor. For the passive detection problems, ADVANTG obtains an O(10{sup 4}) speedup and, for a detailed gamma spectrum tally, an average O(10{sup 2}) speedup relative to implicit-capture-only simulations, including the deterministic calculation time. For the active-interrogation problem, an O(10{sup 4}) speedup is obtained when compared to a simulation with angular source biasing and crude geometry splitting.« less

  6. SU-F-T-111: Investigation of the Attila Deterministic Solver as a Supplement to Monte Carlo for Calculating Out-Of-Field Radiotherapy Dose

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

    Mille, M; Lee, C; Failla, G

    Purpose: To use the Attila deterministic solver as a supplement to Monte Carlo for calculating out-of-field organ dose in support of epidemiological studies looking at the risks of second cancers. Supplemental dosimetry tools are needed to speed up dose calculations for studies involving large-scale patient cohorts. Methods: Attila is a multi-group discrete ordinates code which can solve the 3D photon-electron coupled linear Boltzmann radiation transport equation on a finite-element mesh. Dose is computed by multiplying the calculated particle flux in each mesh element by a medium-specific energy deposition cross-section. The out-of-field dosimetry capability of Attila is investigated by comparing averagemore » organ dose to that which is calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The test scenario consists of a 6 MV external beam treatment of a female patient with a tumor in the left breast. The patient is simulated by a whole-body adult reference female computational phantom. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using MCNP6 and XVMC. Attila can export a tetrahedral mesh for MCNP6, allowing for a direct comparison between the two codes. The Attila and Monte Carlo methods were also compared in terms of calculation speed and complexity of simulation setup. A key perquisite for this work was the modeling of a Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator. Results: The solid mesh of the torso part of the adult female phantom for the Attila calculation was prepared using the CAD software SpaceClaim. Preliminary calculations suggest that Attila is a user-friendly software which shows great promise for our intended application. Computational performance is related to the number of tetrahedral elements included in the Attila calculation. Conclusion: Attila is being explored as a supplement to the conventional Monte Carlo radiation transport approach for performing retrospective patient dosimetry. The goal is for the dosimetry to be sufficiently accurate for use in retrospective epidemiological investigations.« less

  7. An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salim, Mohd Faiz; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie; Mamat @ Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal; Roslan, Ridha; Sadri, Abd Aziz; Farid, Mohd Fairus Abd

    2016-01-01

    Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to be employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH1.6, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D® computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.

  8. An approach to model reactor core nodalization for deterministic safety analysis

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

    Salim, Mohd Faiz, E-mail: mohdfaizs@tnb.com.my; Samsudin, Mohd Rafie, E-mail: rafies@tnb.com.my; Mamat Ibrahim, Mohd Rizal, E-mail: m-rizal@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my

    Adopting good nodalization strategy is essential to produce an accurate and high quality input model for Deterministic Safety Analysis (DSA) using System Thermal-Hydraulic (SYS-TH) computer code. The purpose of such analysis is to demonstrate the compliance against regulatory requirements and to verify the behavior of the reactor during normal and accident conditions as it was originally designed. Numerous studies in the past have been devoted to the development of the nodalization strategy for small research reactor (e.g. 250kW) up to the bigger research reactor (e.g. 30MW). As such, this paper aims to discuss the state-of-arts thermal hydraulics channel to bemore » employed in the nodalization for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor specifically for the reactor core. At present, the required thermal-hydraulic parameters for reactor core, such as core geometrical data (length, coolant flow area, hydraulic diameters, and axial power profile) and material properties (including the UZrH{sub 1.6}, stainless steel clad, graphite reflector) have been collected, analyzed and consolidated in the Reference Database of RTP using standardized methodology, mainly derived from the available technical documentations. Based on the available information in the database, assumptions made on the nodalization approach and calculations performed will be discussed and presented. The development and identification of the thermal hydraulics channel for the reactor core will be implemented during the SYS-TH calculation using RELAP5-3D{sup ®} computer code. This activity presented in this paper is part of the development of overall nodalization description for RTP-TRIGA Research Reactor under the IAEA Norwegian Extra-Budgetary Programme (NOKEBP) mentoring project on Expertise Development through the Analysis of Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics for Malaysia, denoted as EARTH-M.« less

  9. Computing the apparent centroid of radar targets

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

    Lee, C.E.

    1996-12-31

    A high-frequency multibounce radar scattering code was used as a simulation platform for demonstrating an algorithm to compute the ARC of specific radar targets. To illustrate this simulation process, several targets models were used. Simulation results for a sphere model were used to determine the errors of approximation associated with the simulation; verifying the process. The severity of glint induced tracking errors was also illustrated using a model of an F-15 aircraft. It was shown, in a deterministic manner, that the ARC of a target can fall well outside its physical extent. Finally, the apparent radar centroid simulation based onmore » a ray casting procedure is well suited for use on most massively parallel computing platforms and could lead to the development of a near real-time radar tracking simulation for applications such as endgame fuzing, survivability, and vulnerability analyses using specific radar targets and fuze algorithms.« less

  10. Fault-tolerant clock synchronization validation methodology. [in computer systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, Ricky W.; Palumbo, Daniel L.; Johnson, Sally C.

    1987-01-01

    A validation method for the synchronization subsystem of a fault-tolerant computer system is presented. The high reliability requirement of flight-crucial systems precludes the use of most traditional validation methods. The method presented utilizes formal design proof to uncover design and coding errors and experimentation to validate the assumptions of the design proof. The experimental method is described and illustrated by validating the clock synchronization system of the Software Implemented Fault Tolerance computer. The design proof of the algorithm includes a theorem that defines the maximum skew between any two nonfaulty clocks in the system in terms of specific system parameters. Most of these parameters are deterministic. One crucial parameter is the upper bound on the clock read error, which is stochastic. The probability that this upper bound is exceeded is calculated from data obtained by the measurement of system parameters. This probability is then included in a detailed reliability analysis of the system.

  11. Nonlinear dynamics of laser systems with elements of a chaos: Advanced computational code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buyadzhi, V. V.; Glushkov, A. V.; Khetselius, O. Yu; Kuznetsova, A. A.; Buyadzhi, A. A.; Prepelitsa, G. P.; Ternovsky, V. B.

    2017-10-01

    A general, uniform chaos-geometric computational approach to analysis, modelling and prediction of the non-linear dynamics of quantum and laser systems (laser and quantum generators system etc) with elements of the deterministic chaos is briefly presented. The approach is based on using the advanced generalized techniques such as the wavelet analysis, multi-fractal formalism, mutual information approach, correlation integral analysis, false nearest neighbour algorithm, the Lyapunov’s exponents analysis, and surrogate data method, prediction models etc There are firstly presented the numerical data on the topological and dynamical invariants (in particular, the correlation, embedding, Kaplan-York dimensions, the Lyapunov’s exponents, Kolmogorov’s entropy and other parameters) for laser system (the semiconductor GaAs/GaAlAs laser with a retarded feedback) dynamics in a chaotic and hyperchaotic regimes.

  12. fissioncore: A desktop-computer simulation of a fission-bomb core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cameron Reed, B.; Rohe, Klaus

    2014-10-01

    A computer program, fissioncore, has been developed to deterministically simulate the growth of the number of neutrons within an exploding fission-bomb core. The program allows users to explore the dependence of criticality conditions on parameters such as nuclear cross-sections, core radius, number of secondary neutrons liberated per fission, and the distance between nuclei. Simulations clearly illustrate the existence of a critical radius given a particular set of parameter values, as well as how the exponential growth of the neutron population (the condition that characterizes criticality) depends on these parameters. No understanding of neutron diffusion theory is necessary to appreciate the logic of the program or the results. The code is freely available in FORTRAN, C, and Java and is configured so that modifications to accommodate more refined physical conditions are possible.

  13. Parallel Monte Carlo transport modeling in the context of a time-dependent, three-dimensional multi-physics code

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

    Procassini, R.J.

    1997-12-31

    The fine-scale, multi-space resolution that is envisioned for accurate simulations of complex weapons systems in three spatial dimensions implies flop-rate and memory-storage requirements that will only be obtained in the near future through the use of parallel computational techniques. Since the Monte Carlo transport models in these simulations usually stress both of these computational resources, they are prime candidates for parallelization. The MONACO Monte Carlo transport package, which is currently under development at LLNL, will utilize two types of parallelism within the context of a multi-physics design code: decomposition of the spatial domain across processors (spatial parallelism) and distribution ofmore » particles in a given spatial subdomain across additional processors (particle parallelism). This implementation of the package will utilize explicit data communication between domains (message passing). Such a parallel implementation of a Monte Carlo transport model will result in non-deterministic communication patterns. The communication of particles between subdomains during a Monte Carlo time step may require a significant level of effort to achieve a high parallel efficiency.« less

  14. Convergence studies of deterministic methods for LWR explicit reflector methodology

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

    Canepa, S.; Hursin, M.; Ferroukhi, H.

    2013-07-01

    The standard approach in modem 3-D core simulators, employed either for steady-state or transient simulations, is to use Albedo coefficients or explicit reflectors at the core axial and radial boundaries. In the latter approach, few-group homogenized nuclear data are a priori produced with lattice transport codes using 2-D reflector models. Recently, the explicit reflector methodology of the deterministic CASMO-4/SIMULATE-3 code system was identified to potentially constitute one of the main sources of errors for core analyses of the Swiss operating LWRs, which are all belonging to GII design. Considering that some of the new GIII designs will rely on verymore » different reflector concepts, a review and assessment of the reflector methodology for various LWR designs appeared as relevant. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to first recall the concepts of the explicit reflector modelling approach as employed by CASMO/SIMULATE. Then, for selected reflector configurations representative of both GII and GUI designs, a benchmarking of the few-group nuclear data produced with the deterministic lattice code CASMO-4 and its successor CASMO-5, is conducted. On this basis, a convergence study with regards to geometrical requirements when using deterministic methods with 2-D homogenous models is conducted and the effect on the downstream 3-D core analysis accuracy is evaluated for a typical GII deflector design in order to assess the results against available plant measurements. (authors)« less

  15. On the usage of ultrasound computational models for decision making under ambiguity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dib, Gerges; Sexton, Samuel; Prowant, Matthew; Crawford, Susan; Diaz, Aaron

    2018-04-01

    Computer modeling and simulation is becoming pervasive within the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) industry as a convenient tool for designing and assessing inspection techniques. This raises a pressing need for developing quantitative techniques for demonstrating the validity and applicability of the computational models. Computational models provide deterministic results based on deterministic and well-defined input, or stochastic results based on inputs defined by probability distributions. However, computational models cannot account for the effects of personnel, procedures, and equipment, resulting in ambiguity about the efficacy of inspections based on guidance from computational models only. In addition, ambiguity arises when model inputs, such as the representation of realistic cracks, cannot be defined deterministically, probabilistically, or by intervals. In this work, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory demonstrates the ability of computational models to represent field measurements under known variabilities, and quantify the differences using maximum amplitude and power spectrum density metrics. Sensitivity studies are also conducted to quantify the effects of different input parameters on the simulation results.

  16. Subspace algorithms for identifying separable-in-denominator 2D systems with deterministic-stochastic inputs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramos, José A.; Mercère, Guillaume

    2016-12-01

    In this paper, we present an algorithm for identifying two-dimensional (2D) causal, recursive and separable-in-denominator (CRSD) state-space models in the Roesser form with deterministic-stochastic inputs. The algorithm implements the N4SID, PO-MOESP and CCA methods, which are well known in the literature on 1D system identification, but here we do so for the 2D CRSD Roesser model. The algorithm solves the 2D system identification problem by maintaining the constraint structure imposed by the problem (i.e. Toeplitz and Hankel) and computes the horizontal and vertical system orders, system parameter matrices and covariance matrices of a 2D CRSD Roesser model. From a computational point of view, the algorithm has been presented in a unified framework, where the user can select which of the three methods to use. Furthermore, the identification task is divided into three main parts: (1) computing the deterministic horizontal model parameters, (2) computing the deterministic vertical model parameters and (3) computing the stochastic components. Specific attention has been paid to the computation of a stabilised Kalman gain matrix and a positive real solution when required. The efficiency and robustness of the unified algorithm have been demonstrated via a thorough simulation example.

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

    Yang, Y M; Bush, K; Han, B

    Purpose: Accurate and fast dose calculation is a prerequisite of precision radiation therapy in modern photon and particle therapy. While Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation provides high dosimetric accuracy, the drastically increased computational time hinders its routine use. Deterministic dose calculation methods are fast, but problematic in the presence of tissue density inhomogeneity. We leverage the useful features of deterministic methods and MC to develop a hybrid dose calculation platform with autonomous utilization of MC and deterministic calculation depending on the local geometry, for optimal accuracy and speed. Methods: Our platform utilizes a Geant4 based “localized Monte Carlo” (LMC) methodmore » that isolates MC dose calculations only to volumes that have potential for dosimetric inaccuracy. In our approach, additional structures are created encompassing heterogeneous volumes. Deterministic methods calculate dose and energy fluence up to the volume surfaces, where the energy fluence distribution is sampled into discrete histories and transported using MC. Histories exiting the volume are converted back into energy fluence, and transported deterministically. By matching boundary conditions at both interfaces, deterministic dose calculation account for dose perturbations “downstream” of localized heterogeneities. Hybrid dose calculation was performed for water and anthropomorphic phantoms. Results: We achieved <1% agreement between deterministic and MC calculations in the water benchmark for photon and proton beams, and dose differences of 2%–15% could be observed in heterogeneous phantoms. The saving in computational time (a factor ∼4–7 compared to a full Monte Carlo dose calculation) was found to be approximately proportional to the volume of the heterogeneous region. Conclusion: Our hybrid dose calculation approach takes advantage of the computational efficiency of deterministic method and accuracy of MC, providing a practical tool for high performance dose calculation in modern RT. The approach is generalizable to all modalities where heterogeneities play a large role, notably particle therapy.« less

  18. Probabilistic evaluation of SSME structural components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rajagopal, K. R.; Newell, J. F.; Ho, H.

    1991-05-01

    The application is described of Composite Load Spectra (CLS) and Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress (NESSUS) family of computer codes to the probabilistic structural analysis of four Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) space propulsion system components. These components are subjected to environments that are influenced by many random variables. The applications consider a wide breadth of uncertainties encountered in practice, while simultaneously covering a wide area of structural mechanics. This has been done consistent with the primary design requirement for each component. The probabilistic application studies are discussed using finite element models that have been typically used in the past in deterministic analysis studies.

  19. Validation of a multi-layer Green's function code for ion beam transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walker, Steven; Tweed, John; Tripathi, Ram; Badavi, Francis F.; Miller, Jack; Zeitlin, Cary; Heilbronn, Lawrence

    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 radiations is needed. In consequence, a new version of the HZETRN code capable of simulating high charge and energy (HZE) ions with either laboratory or space boundary conditions is currently under development. The new code, GRNTRN, is based on a Green's function approach to the solution of Boltzmann's transport equation and like its predecessor is deterministic in nature. The computational model consists of the lowest order asymptotic approximation followed by a Neumann series expansion with non-perturbative corrections. The physical description includes energy loss with straggling, nuclear attenuation, nuclear fragmentation with energy dispersion and down shift. Code validation in the laboratory environment is addressed by showing that GRNTRN accurately predicts energy loss spectra as measured by solid-state detectors in ion beam experiments with multi-layer targets. In order to validate the code with space boundary conditions, measured particle fluences are propagated through several thicknesses of shielding using both GRNTRN and the current version of HZETRN. The excellent agreement obtained indicates that GRNTRN accurately models the propagation of HZE ions in the space environment as well as in laboratory settings and also provides verification of the HZETRN propagator.

  20. Transmission over UWB channels with OFDM system using LDPC coding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dziwoki, Grzegorz; Kucharczyk, Marcin; Sulek, Wojciech

    2009-06-01

    Hostile wireless environment requires use of sophisticated signal processing methods. The paper concerns on Ultra Wideband (UWB) transmission over Personal Area Networks (PAN) including MB-OFDM specification of physical layer. In presented work the transmission system with OFDM modulation was connected with LDPC encoder/decoder. Additionally the frame and bit error rate (FER and BER) of the system was decreased using results from the LDPC decoder in a kind of turbo equalization algorithm for better channel estimation. Computational block using evolutionary strategy, from genetic algorithms family, was also used in presented system. It was placed after SPA (Sum-Product Algorithm) decoder and is conditionally turned on in the decoding process. The result is increased effectiveness of the whole system, especially lower FER. The system was tested with two types of LDPC codes, depending on type of parity check matrices: randomly generated and constructed deterministically, optimized for practical decoder architecture implemented in the FPGA device.

  1. Improved Convergence Rate of Multi-Group Scattering Moment Tallies for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nelson, Adam

    Multi-group scattering moment matrices are critical to the solution of the multi-group form of the neutron transport equation, as they are responsible for describing the change in direction and energy of neutrons. These matrices, however, are difficult to correctly calculate from the measured nuclear data with both deterministic and stochastic methods. Calculating these parameters when using deterministic methods requires a set of assumptions which do not hold true in all conditions. These quantities can be calculated accurately with stochastic methods, however doing so is computationally expensive due to the poor efficiency of tallying scattering moment matrices. This work presents an improved method of obtaining multi-group scattering moment matrices from a Monte Carlo neutron transport code. This improved method of tallying the scattering moment matrices is based on recognizing that all of the outgoing particle information is known a priori and can be taken advantage of to increase the tallying efficiency (therefore reducing the uncertainty) of the stochastically integrated tallies. In this scheme, the complete outgoing probability distribution is tallied, supplying every one of the scattering moment matrices elements with its share of data. In addition to reducing the uncertainty, this method allows for the use of a track-length estimation process potentially offering even further improvement to the tallying efficiency. Unfortunately, to produce the needed distributions, the probability functions themselves must undergo an integration over the outgoing energy and scattering angle dimensions. This integration is too costly to perform during the Monte Carlo simulation itself and therefore must be performed in advance by way of a pre-processing code. The new method increases the information obtained from tally events and therefore has a significantly higher efficiency than the currently used techniques. The improved method has been implemented in a code system containing a new pre-processor code, NDPP, and a Monte Carlo neutron transport code, OpenMC. This method is then tested in a pin cell problem and a larger problem designed to accentuate the importance of scattering moment matrices. These tests show that accuracy was retained while the figure-of-merit for generating scattering moment matrices and fission energy spectra was significantly improved.

  2. Deterministic Local Sensitivity Analysis of Augmented Systems - II: Applications to the QUENCH-04 Experiment Using the RELAP5/MOD3.2 Code System

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

    Ionescu-Bujor, Mihaela; Jin Xuezhou; Cacuci, Dan G.

    2005-09-15

    The adjoint sensitivity analysis procedure for augmented systems for application to the RELAP5/MOD3.2 code system is illustrated. Specifically, the adjoint sensitivity model corresponding to the heat structure models in RELAP5/MOD3.2 is derived and subsequently augmented to the two-fluid adjoint sensitivity model (ASM-REL/TF). The end product, called ASM-REL/TFH, comprises the complete adjoint sensitivity model for the coupled fluid dynamics/heat structure packages of the large-scale simulation code RELAP5/MOD3.2. The ASM-REL/TFH model is validated by computing sensitivities to the initial conditions for various time-dependent temperatures in the test bundle of the Quench-04 reactor safety experiment. This experiment simulates the reflooding with water ofmore » uncovered, degraded fuel rods, clad with material (Zircaloy-4) that has the same composition and size as that used in typical pressurized water reactors. The most important response for the Quench-04 experiment is the time evolution of the cladding temperature of heated fuel rods. The ASM-REL/TFH model is subsequently used to perform an illustrative sensitivity analysis of this and other time-dependent temperatures within the bundle. The results computed by using the augmented adjoint sensitivity system, ASM-REL/TFH, highlight the reliability, efficiency, and usefulness of the adjoint sensitivity analysis procedure for computing time-dependent sensitivities.« less

  3. Radiation protection effectiveness of a proposed magnetic shielding concept for manned Mars missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Townsend, Lawrence W.; Wilson, John W.; Shinn, J. L.; Nealy, John E.; Simonsen, Lisa C.

    1990-01-01

    The effectiveness of a proposed concept for shielding a manned Mars vehicle using a confined magnetic field configuration is evaluated by computing estimated crew radiation exposures resulting from galactic cosmic rays and a large solar flare event. In the study the incident radiation spectra are transported through the spacecraft structure/magnetic shield using the deterministic space radiation transport computer codes developed at Langley Research Center. The calculated exposures unequivocally demonstrate that magnetic shielding could provide an effective barrier against solar flare protons but is virtually transparent to the more energetic galactic cosmic rays. It is then demonstrated that through proper selection of materials and shield configuration, adequate and reliable bulk material shielding can be provided for the same total mass as needed to generate and support the more risky magnetic field configuration.

  4. Hybrid discrete ordinates and characteristics method for solving the linear Boltzmann equation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Ce

    With the ability of computer hardware and software increasing rapidly, deterministic methods to solve the linear Boltzmann equation (LBE) have attracted some attention for computational applications in both the nuclear engineering and medical physics fields. Among various deterministic methods, the discrete ordinates method (SN) and the method of characteristics (MOC) are two of the most widely used methods. The SN method is the traditional approach to solve the LBE for its stability and efficiency. While the MOC has some advantages in treating complicated geometries. However, in 3-D problems requiring a dense discretization grid in phase space (i.e., a large number of spatial meshes, directions, or energy groups), both methods could suffer from the need for large amounts of memory and computation time. In our study, we developed a new hybrid algorithm by combing the two methods into one code, TITAN. The hybrid approach is specifically designed for application to problems containing low scattering regions. A new serial 3-D time-independent transport code has been developed. Under the hybrid approach, the preferred method can be applied in different regions (blocks) within the same problem model. Since the characteristics method is numerically more efficient in low scattering media, the hybrid approach uses a block-oriented characteristics solver in low scattering regions, and a block-oriented SN solver in the remainder of the physical model. In the TITAN code, a physical problem model is divided into a number of coarse meshes (blocks) in Cartesian geometry. Either the characteristics solver or the SN solver can be chosen to solve the LBE within a coarse mesh. A coarse mesh can be filled with fine meshes or characteristic rays depending on the solver assigned to the coarse mesh. Furthermore, with its object-oriented programming paradigm and layered code structure, TITAN allows different individual spatial meshing schemes and angular quadrature sets for each coarse mesh. Two quadrature types (level-symmetric and Legendre-Chebyshev quadrature) along with the ordinate splitting techniques (rectangular splitting and PN-TN splitting) are implemented. In the S N solver, we apply a memory-efficient 'front-line' style paradigm to handle the fine mesh interface fluxes. In the characteristics solver, we have developed a novel 'backward' ray-tracing approach, in which a bi-linear interpolation procedure is used on the incoming boundaries of a coarse mesh. A CPU-efficient scattering kernel is shared in both solvers within the source iteration scheme. Angular and spatial projection techniques are developed to transfer the angular fluxes on the interfaces of coarse meshes with different discretization grids. The performance of the hybrid algorithm is tested in a number of benchmark problems in both nuclear engineering and medical physics fields. Among them are the Kobayashi benchmark problems and a computational tomography (CT) device model. We also developed an extra sweep procedure with the fictitious quadrature technique to calculate angular fluxes along directions of interest. The technique is applied in a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) phantom model to simulate the SPECT projection images. The accuracy and efficiency of the TITAN code are demonstrated in these benchmarks along with its scalability. A modified version of the characteristics solver is integrated in the PENTRAN code and tested within the parallel engine of PENTRAN. The limitations on the hybrid algorithm are also studied.

  5. Hybrid deterministic/stochastic simulation of complex biochemical systems.

    PubMed

    Lecca, Paola; Bagagiolo, Fabio; Scarpa, Marina

    2017-11-21

    In a biological cell, cellular functions and the genetic regulatory apparatus are implemented and controlled by complex networks of chemical reactions involving genes, proteins, and enzymes. Accurate computational models are indispensable means for understanding the mechanisms behind the evolution of a complex system, not always explored with wet lab experiments. To serve their purpose, computational models, however, should be able to describe and simulate the complexity of a biological system in many of its aspects. Moreover, it should be implemented by efficient algorithms requiring the shortest possible execution time, to avoid enlarging excessively the time elapsing between data analysis and any subsequent experiment. Besides the features of their topological structure, the complexity of biological networks also refers to their dynamics, that is often non-linear and stiff. The stiffness is due to the presence of molecular species whose abundance fluctuates by many orders of magnitude. A fully stochastic simulation of a stiff system is computationally time-expensive. On the other hand, continuous models are less costly, but they fail to capture the stochastic behaviour of small populations of molecular species. We introduce a new efficient hybrid stochastic-deterministic computational model and the software tool MoBioS (MOlecular Biology Simulator) implementing it. The mathematical model of MoBioS uses continuous differential equations to describe the deterministic reactions and a Gillespie-like algorithm to describe the stochastic ones. Unlike the majority of current hybrid methods, the MoBioS algorithm divides the reactions' set into fast reactions, moderate reactions, and slow reactions and implements a hysteresis switching between the stochastic model and the deterministic model. Fast reactions are approximated as continuous-deterministic processes and modelled by deterministic rate equations. Moderate reactions are those whose reaction waiting time is greater than the fast reaction waiting time but smaller than the slow reaction waiting time. A moderate reaction is approximated as a stochastic (deterministic) process if it was classified as a stochastic (deterministic) process at the time at which it crosses the threshold of low (high) waiting time. A Gillespie First Reaction Method is implemented to select and execute the slow reactions. The performances of MoBios were tested on a typical example of hybrid dynamics: that is the DNA transcription regulation. The simulated dynamic profile of the reagents' abundance and the estimate of the error introduced by the fully deterministic approach were used to evaluate the consistency of the computational model and that of the software tool.

  6. Comparison of Transport Codes, HZETRN, HETC and FLUKA, Using 1977 GCR Solar Minimum Spectra

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heinbockel, John H.; Slaba, Tony C.; Tripathi, Ram K.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Norbury, John W.; Badavi, Francis F.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Handler, Thomas; Gabriel, Tony A.; Pinsky, Lawrence S.; hide

    2009-01-01

    The HZETRN deterministic radiation transport code is one of several tools developed to analyze the effects of harmful galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE) on mission planning, astronaut shielding and instrumentation. This paper is a comparison study involving the two Monte Carlo transport codes, HETC-HEDS and FLUKA, and the deterministic transport code, HZETRN. Each code is used to transport ions from the 1977 solar minimum GCR spectrum impinging upon a 20 g/cm2 Aluminum slab followed by a 30 g/cm2 water slab. This research is part of a systematic effort of verification and validation to quantify the accuracy of HZETRN and determine areas where it can be improved. Comparisons of dose and dose equivalent values at various depths in the water slab are presented in this report. This is followed by a comparison of the proton fluxes, and the forward, backward and total neutron fluxes at various depths in the water slab. Comparisons of the secondary light ion 2H, 3H, 3He and 4He fluxes are also examined.

  7. A Comparison of Monte Carlo and Deterministic Solvers for keff and Sensitivity Calculations

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

    Haeck, Wim; Parsons, Donald Kent; White, Morgan Curtis

    Verification and validation of our solutions for calculating the neutron reactivity for nuclear materials is a key issue to address for many applications, including criticality safety, research reactors, power reactors, and nuclear security. Neutronics codes solve variations of the Boltzmann transport equation. The two main variants are Monte Carlo versus deterministic solutions, e.g. the MCNP [1] versus PARTISN [2] codes, respectively. There have been many studies over the decades that examined the accuracy of such solvers and the general conclusion is that when the problems are well-posed, either solver can produce accurate results. However, the devil is always in themore » details. The current study examines the issue of self-shielding and the stress it puts on deterministic solvers. Most Monte Carlo neutronics codes use continuous-energy descriptions of the neutron interaction data that are not subject to this effect. The issue of self-shielding occurs because of the discretisation of data used by the deterministic solutions. Multigroup data used in these solvers are the average cross section and scattering parameters over an energy range. Resonances in cross sections can occur that change the likelihood of interaction by one to three orders of magnitude over a small energy range. Self-shielding is the numerical effect that the average cross section in groups with strong resonances can be strongly affected as neutrons within that material are preferentially absorbed or scattered out of the resonance energies. This affects both the average cross section and the scattering matrix.« less

  8. Ordinal optimization and its application to complex deterministic problems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Mike Shang-Yu

    1998-10-01

    We present in this thesis a new perspective to approach a general class of optimization problems characterized by large deterministic complexities. Many problems of real-world concerns today lack analyzable structures and almost always involve high level of difficulties and complexities in the evaluation process. Advances in computer technology allow us to build computer models to simulate the evaluation process through numerical means, but the burden of high complexities remains to tax the simulation with an exorbitant computing cost for each evaluation. Such a resource requirement makes local fine-tuning of a known design difficult under most circumstances, let alone global optimization. Kolmogorov equivalence of complexity and randomness in computation theory is introduced to resolve this difficulty by converting the complex deterministic model to a stochastic pseudo-model composed of a simple deterministic component and a white-noise like stochastic term. The resulting randomness is then dealt with by a noise-robust approach called Ordinal Optimization. Ordinal Optimization utilizes Goal Softening and Ordinal Comparison to achieve an efficient and quantifiable selection of designs in the initial search process. The approach is substantiated by a case study in the turbine blade manufacturing process. The problem involves the optimization of the manufacturing process of the integrally bladed rotor in the turbine engines of U.S. Air Force fighter jets. The intertwining interactions among the material, thermomechanical, and geometrical changes makes the current FEM approach prohibitively uneconomical in the optimization process. The generalized OO approach to complex deterministic problems is applied here with great success. Empirical results indicate a saving of nearly 95% in the computing cost.

  9. Complexity, information loss, and model building: from neuro- to cognitive dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arecchi, F. Tito

    2007-06-01

    A scientific problem described within a given code is mapped by a corresponding computational problem, We call complexity (algorithmic) the bit length of the shortest instruction which solves the problem. Deterministic chaos in general affects a dynamical systems making the corresponding problem experimentally and computationally heavy, since one must reset the initial conditions at a rate higher than that of information loss (Kolmogorov entropy). One can control chaos by adding to the system new degrees of freedom (information swapping: information lost by chaos is replaced by that arising from the new degrees of freedom). This implies a change of code, or a new augmented model. Within a single code, changing hypotheses is equivalent to fixing different sets of control parameters, each with a different a-priori probability, to be then confirmed and transformed to an a-posteriori probability via Bayes theorem. Sequential application of Bayes rule is nothing else than the Darwinian strategy in evolutionary biology. The sequence is a steepest ascent algorithm, which stops once maximum probability has been reached. At this point the hypothesis exploration stops. By changing code (and hence the set of relevant variables) one can start again to formulate new classes of hypotheses . We call semantic complexity the number of accessible scientific codes, or models, that describe a situation. It is however a fuzzy concept, in so far as this number changes due to interaction of the operator with the system under investigation. These considerations are illustrated with reference to a cognitive task, starting from synchronization of neuron arrays in a perceptual area and tracing the putative path toward a model building.

  10. Radiation Transport Tools for Space Applications: A Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jun, Insoo; Evans, Robin; Cherng, Michael; Kang, Shawn

    2008-01-01

    This slide presentation contains a brief discussion of nuclear transport codes widely used in the space radiation community for shielding and scientific analyses. Seven radiation transport codes that are addressed. The two general methods (i.e., Monte Carlo Method, and the Deterministic Method) are briefly reviewed.

  11. Development of an extensible dual-core wireless sensing node for cyber-physical systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kane, Michael; Zhu, Dapeng; Hirose, Mitsuhito; Dong, Xinjun; Winter, Benjamin; Häckell, Mortiz; Lynch, Jerome P.; Wang, Yang; Swartz, A.

    2014-04-01

    The introduction of wireless telemetry into the design of monitoring and control systems has been shown to reduce system costs while simplifying installations. To date, wireless nodes proposed for sensing and actuation in cyberphysical systems have been designed using microcontrollers with one computational pipeline (i.e., single-core microcontrollers). While concurrent code execution can be implemented on single-core microcontrollers, concurrency is emulated by splitting the pipeline's resources to support multiple threads of code execution. For many applications, this approach to multi-threading is acceptable in terms of speed and function. However, some applications such as feedback controls demand deterministic timing of code execution and maximum computational throughput. For these applications, the adoption of multi-core processor architectures represents one effective solution. Multi-core microcontrollers have multiple computational pipelines that can execute embedded code in parallel and can be interrupted independent of one another. In this study, a new wireless platform named Martlet is introduced with a dual-core microcontroller adopted in its design. The dual-core microcontroller design allows Martlet to dedicate one core to standard wireless sensor operations while the other core is reserved for embedded data processing and real-time feedback control law execution. Another distinct feature of Martlet is a standardized hardware interface that allows specialized daughter boards (termed wing boards) to be interfaced to the Martlet baseboard. This extensibility opens opportunity to encapsulate specialized sensing and actuation functions in a wing board without altering the design of Martlet. In addition to describing the design of Martlet, a few example wings are detailed, along with experiments showing the Martlet's ability to monitor and control physical systems such as wind turbines and buildings.

  12. Inherent Conservatism in Deterministic Quasi-Static Structural Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Verderaime, V.

    1997-01-01

    The cause of the long-suspected excessive conservatism in the prevailing structural deterministic safety factor has been identified as an inherent violation of the error propagation laws when reducing statistical data to deterministic values and then combining them algebraically through successive structural computational processes. These errors are restricted to the applied stress computations, and because mean and variations of the tolerance limit format are added, the errors are positive, serially cumulative, and excessively conservative. Reliability methods circumvent these errors and provide more efficient and uniform safe structures. The document is a tutorial on the deficiencies and nature of the current safety factor and of its improvement and transition to absolute reliability.

  13. Radiation production and absorption in human spacecraft shielding systems under high charge and energy Galactic Cosmic Rays: Material medium, shielding depth, and byproduct aspects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barthel, Joseph; Sarigul-Klijn, Nesrin

    2018-03-01

    Deep space missions such as the planned 2025 mission to asteroids require spacecraft shields to protect electronics and humans from adverse effects caused by the space radiation environment, primarily Galactic Cosmic Rays. This paper first reviews the theory on how these rays of charged particles interact with matter, and then presents a simulation for a 500 day Mars flyby mission using a deterministic based computer code. High density polyethylene and aluminum shielding materials at a solar minimum are considered. Plots of effective dose with varying shield depth, charged particle flux, and dose in silicon and human tissue behind shielding are presented.

  14. Variational approach to probabilistic finite elements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Belytschko, T.; Liu, W. K.; Mani, A.; Besterfield, G.

    1991-01-01

    Probabilistic finite element methods (PFEM), synthesizing the power of finite element methods with second-moment techniques, are formulated for various classes of problems in structural and solid mechanics. Time-invariant random materials, geometric properties and loads are incorporated in terms of their fundamental statistics viz. second-moments. Analogous to the discretization of the displacement field in finite element methods, the random fields are also discretized. Preserving the conceptual simplicity, the response moments are calculated with minimal computations. By incorporating certain computational techniques, these methods are shown to be capable of handling large systems with many sources of uncertainties. By construction, these methods are applicable when the scale of randomness is not very large and when the probabilistic density functions have decaying tails. The accuracy and efficiency of these methods, along with their limitations, are demonstrated by various applications. Results obtained are compared with those of Monte Carlo simulation and it is shown that good accuracy can be obtained for both linear and nonlinear problems. The methods are amenable to implementation in deterministic FEM based computer codes.

  15. Variational approach to probabilistic finite elements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belytschko, T.; Liu, W. K.; Mani, A.; Besterfield, G.

    1991-08-01

    Probabilistic finite element methods (PFEM), synthesizing the power of finite element methods with second-moment techniques, are formulated for various classes of problems in structural and solid mechanics. Time-invariant random materials, geometric properties and loads are incorporated in terms of their fundamental statistics viz. second-moments. Analogous to the discretization of the displacement field in finite element methods, the random fields are also discretized. Preserving the conceptual simplicity, the response moments are calculated with minimal computations. By incorporating certain computational techniques, these methods are shown to be capable of handling large systems with many sources of uncertainties. By construction, these methods are applicable when the scale of randomness is not very large and when the probabilistic density functions have decaying tails. The accuracy and efficiency of these methods, along with their limitations, are demonstrated by various applications. Results obtained are compared with those of Monte Carlo simulation and it is shown that good accuracy can be obtained for both linear and nonlinear problems. The methods are amenable to implementation in deterministic FEM based computer codes.

  16. Variational approach to probabilistic finite elements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Belytschko, T.; Liu, W. K.; Mani, A.; Besterfield, G.

    1987-01-01

    Probabilistic finite element method (PFEM), synthesizing the power of finite element methods with second-moment techniques, are formulated for various classes of problems in structural and solid mechanics. Time-invariant random materials, geometric properties, and loads are incorporated in terms of their fundamental statistics viz. second-moments. Analogous to the discretization of the displacement field in finite element methods, the random fields are also discretized. Preserving the conceptual simplicity, the response moments are calculated with minimal computations. By incorporating certain computational techniques, these methods are shown to be capable of handling large systems with many sources of uncertainties. By construction, these methods are applicable when the scale of randomness is not very large and when the probabilistic density functions have decaying tails. The accuracy and efficiency of these methods, along with their limitations, are demonstrated by various applications. Results obtained are compared with those of Monte Carlo simulation and it is shown that good accuracy can be obtained for both linear and nonlinear problems. The methods are amenable to implementation in deterministic FEM based computer codes.

  17. Quantum computation based on photonic systems with two degrees of freedom assisted by the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Ming-Xing; Li, Hui-Ran; Lai, Hong

    2016-01-01

    Most of previous quantum computations only take use of one degree of freedom (DoF) of photons. An experimental system may possess various DoFs simultaneously. In this paper, with the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity, we investigate the parallel quantum computation dependent on photonic systems with two DoFs. We construct nearly deterministic controlled-not (CNOT) gates operating on the polarization spatial DoFs of the two-photon or one-photon system. These CNOT gates show that two photonic DoFs can be encoded as independent qubits without auxiliary DoF in theory. Only the coherent states are required. Thus one half of quantum simulation resources may be saved in quantum applications if more complicated circuits are involved. Hence, one may trade off the implementation complexity and simulation resources by using different photonic systems. These CNOT gates are also used to complete various applications including the quantum teleportation and quantum superdense coding. PMID:27424767

  18. Quantum computation based on photonic systems with two degrees of freedom assisted by the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity.

    PubMed

    Luo, Ming-Xing; Li, Hui-Ran; Lai, Hong

    2016-07-18

    Most of previous quantum computations only take use of one degree of freedom (DoF) of photons. An experimental system may possess various DoFs simultaneously. In this paper, with the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearity, we investigate the parallel quantum computation dependent on photonic systems with two DoFs. We construct nearly deterministic controlled-not (CNOT) gates operating on the polarization spatial DoFs of the two-photon or one-photon system. These CNOT gates show that two photonic DoFs can be encoded as independent qubits without auxiliary DoF in theory. Only the coherent states are required. Thus one half of quantum simulation resources may be saved in quantum applications if more complicated circuits are involved. Hence, one may trade off the implementation complexity and simulation resources by using different photonic systems. These CNOT gates are also used to complete various applications including the quantum teleportation and quantum superdense coding.

  19. Human exposure to large solar particle events in space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Townsend, L. W.; Wilson, J. W.; Shinn, J. L.; Curtis, S. B.

    1992-01-01

    Whenever energetic solar protons produced by solar particle events traverse bulk matter, they undergo various nuclear and atomic collision processes which significantly alter the physical characteristics and biologically important properties of their transported radiation fields. These physical interactions and their effect on the resulting radiation field within matter are described within the context of a recently developed deterministic, coupled neutron-proton space radiation transport computer code (BRYNTRN). Using this computer code, estimates of human exposure in interplanetary space, behind nominal (2 g/sq cm) and storm shelter (20 g/sq cm) thicknesses of aluminum shielding, are made for the large solar proton event of August 1972. Included in these calculations are estimates of cumulative exposures to the skin, ocular lens, and bone marrow as a function of time during the event. Risk assessment in terms of absorbed dose and dose equivalent is discussed for these organs. Also presented are estimates of organ exposures for hypothetical, worst-case flare scenarios. The rate of dose equivalent accumulation places this situation in an interesting region of dose rate between the very low values of usual concern in terrestrial radiation environments and the high-dose-rate values prevalent in radiation therapy.

  20. Fencing network direct memory access data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2015-07-07

    Fencing direct memory access (`DMA`) data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through DMA controllers operatively coupled to a deterministic data communications network through which the DMA controllers deliver data communications deterministically, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active DMA instructions for DMA data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic DMA data transfers through a DMA controller and the deterministic data communications network; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for DMA data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all DMA instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for DMA data transfers between the two endpoints.

  1. Fencing network direct memory access data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2015-07-14

    Fencing direct memory access (`DMA`) data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through DMA controllers operatively coupled to a deterministic data communications network through which the DMA controllers deliver data communications deterministically, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active DMA instructions for DMA data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic DMA data transfers through a DMA controller and the deterministic data communications network; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for DMA data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all DMA instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for DMA data transfers between the two endpoints.

  2. Overview of Recent Radiation Transport Code Comparisons for Space Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Townsend, Lawrence

    Recent advances in radiation transport code development for space applications have resulted in various comparisons of code predictions for a variety of scenarios and codes. Comparisons among both Monte Carlo and deterministic codes have been made and published by vari-ous groups and collaborations, including comparisons involving, but not limited to HZETRN, HETC-HEDS, FLUKA, GEANT, PHITS, and MCNPX. In this work, an overview of recent code prediction inter-comparisons, including comparisons to available experimental data, is presented and discussed, with emphases on those areas of agreement and disagreement among the various code predictions and published data.

  3. Evaluation of SNS Beamline Shielding Configurations using MCNPX Accelerated by ADVANTG

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

    Risner, Joel M; Johnson, Seth R.; Remec, Igor

    2015-01-01

    Shielding analyses for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory pose significant computational challenges, including highly anisotropic high-energy sources, a combination of deep penetration shielding and an unshielded beamline, and a desire to obtain well-converged nearly global solutions for mapping of predicted radiation fields. The majority of these analyses have been performed using MCNPX with manually generated variance reduction parameters (source biasing and cell-based splitting and Russian roulette) that were largely based on the analyst's insight into the problem specifics. Development of the variance reduction parameters required extensive analyst time, and was often tailored to specific portionsmore » of the model phase space. We previously applied a developmental version of the ADVANTG code to an SNS beamline study to perform a hybrid deterministic/Monte Carlo analysis and showed that we could obtain nearly global Monte Carlo solutions with essentially uniform relative errors for mesh tallies that cover extensive portions of the model with typical voxel spacing of a few centimeters. The use of weight window maps and consistent biased sources produced using the FW-CADIS methodology in ADVANTG allowed us to obtain these solutions using substantially less computer time than the previous cell-based splitting approach. While those results were promising, the process of using the developmental version of ADVANTG was somewhat laborious, requiring user-developed Python scripts to drive much of the analysis sequence. In addition, limitations imposed by the size of weight-window files in MCNPX necessitated the use of relatively coarse spatial and energy discretization for the deterministic Denovo calculations that we used to generate the variance reduction parameters. We recently applied the production version of ADVANTG to this beamline analysis, which substantially streamlined the analysis process. We also tested importance function collapsing (in space and energy) capabilities in ADVANTG. These changes, along with the support for parallel Denovo calculations using the current version of ADVANTG, give us the capability to improve the fidelity of the deterministic portion of the hybrid analysis sequence, obtain improved weight-window maps, and reduce both the analyst and computational time required for the analysis process.« less

  4. Development of DCGLs by using both probabilistic and deterministic analyses in RESRAD (onsite) and RESRAD-OFFSITE codes.

    PubMed

    Kamboj, Sunita; Yu, Charley; Johnson, Robert

    2013-05-01

    The Derived Concentration Guideline Levels for two building areas previously used in waste processing and storage at Argonne National Laboratory were developed using both probabilistic and deterministic radiological environmental pathway analysis. Four scenarios were considered. The two current uses considered were on-site industrial use and off-site residential use with farming. The two future uses (i.e., after an institutional control period of 100 y) were on-site recreational use and on-site residential use with farming. The RESRAD-OFFSITE code was used for the current-use off-site residential/farming scenario and RESRAD (onsite) was used for the other three scenarios. Contaminants of concern were identified from the past operations conducted in the buildings and the actual characterization done at the site. Derived Concentration Guideline Levels were developed for all four scenarios using deterministic and probabilistic approaches, which include both "peak-of-the-means" and "mean-of-the-peaks" analyses. The future-use on-site residential/farming scenario resulted in the most restrictive Derived Concentration Guideline Levels for most radionuclides.

  5. A comparative study of space radiation organ doses and associated cancer risks using PHITS and HZETRN.

    PubMed

    Bahadori, Amir A; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Slaba, Tony C; Shavers, Mark R; Semones, Edward J; Van Baalen, Mary; Bolch, Wesley E

    2013-10-21

    NASA currently uses one-dimensional deterministic transport to generate values of the organ dose equivalent needed to calculate stochastic radiation risk following crew space exposures. In this study, organ absorbed doses and dose equivalents are calculated for 50th percentile male and female astronaut phantoms using both the NASA High Charge and Energy Transport Code to perform one-dimensional deterministic transport and the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System to perform three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport. Two measures of radiation risk, effective dose and risk of exposure-induced death (REID) are calculated using the organ dose equivalents resulting from the two methods of radiation transport. For the space radiation environments and simplified shielding configurations considered, small differences (<8%) in the effective dose and REID are found. However, for the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) boundary condition, compensating errors are observed, indicating that comparisons between the integral measurements of complex radiation environments and code calculations can be misleading. Code-to-code benchmarks allow for the comparison of differential quantities, such as secondary particle differential fluence, to provide insight into differences observed in integral quantities for particular components of the GCR spectrum.

  6. A comparative study of space radiation organ doses and associated cancer risks using PHITS and HZETRN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bahadori, Amir A.; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Slaba, Tony C.; Shavers, Mark R.; Semones, Edward J.; Van Baalen, Mary; Bolch, Wesley E.

    2013-10-01

    NASA currently uses one-dimensional deterministic transport to generate values of the organ dose equivalent needed to calculate stochastic radiation risk following crew space exposures. In this study, organ absorbed doses and dose equivalents are calculated for 50th percentile male and female astronaut phantoms using both the NASA High Charge and Energy Transport Code to perform one-dimensional deterministic transport and the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System to perform three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport. Two measures of radiation risk, effective dose and risk of exposure-induced death (REID) are calculated using the organ dose equivalents resulting from the two methods of radiation transport. For the space radiation environments and simplified shielding configurations considered, small differences (<8%) in the effective dose and REID are found. However, for the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) boundary condition, compensating errors are observed, indicating that comparisons between the integral measurements of complex radiation environments and code calculations can be misleading. Code-to-code benchmarks allow for the comparison of differential quantities, such as secondary particle differential fluence, to provide insight into differences observed in integral quantities for particular components of the GCR spectrum.

  7. Theory and applications of a deterministic approximation to the coalescent model

    PubMed Central

    Jewett, Ethan M.; Rosenberg, Noah A.

    2014-01-01

    Under the coalescent model, the random number nt of lineages ancestral to a sample is nearly deterministic as a function of time when nt is moderate to large in value, and it is well approximated by its expectation E[nt]. In turn, this expectation is well approximated by simple deterministic functions that are easy to compute. Such deterministic functions have been applied to estimate allele age, effective population size, and genetic diversity, and they have been used to study properties of models of infectious disease dynamics. Although a number of simple approximations of E[nt] have been derived and applied to problems of population-genetic inference, the theoretical accuracy of the formulas and the inferences obtained using these approximations is not known, and the range of problems to which they can be applied is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate general procedures by which the approximation nt ≈ E[nt] can be used to reduce the computational complexity of coalescent formulas, and we show that the resulting approximations converge to their true values under simple assumptions. Such approximations provide alternatives to exact formulas that are computationally intractable or numerically unstable when the number of sampled lineages is moderate or large. We also extend an existing class of approximations of E[nt] to the case of multiple populations of time-varying size with migration among them. Our results facilitate the use of the deterministic approximation nt ≈ E[nt] for deriving functionally simple, computationally efficient, and numerically stable approximations of coalescent formulas under complicated demographic scenarios. PMID:24412419

  8. Thermal-Structural Optimization of Integrated Cryogenic Propellant Tank Concepts for a Reusable Launch Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Theodore F.; Waters, W. Allen; Singer, Thomas N.; Haftka, Raphael T.

    2004-01-01

    A next generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV) will require thermally efficient and light-weight cryogenic propellant tank structures. Since these tanks will be weight-critical, analytical tools must be developed to aid in sizing the thickness of insulation layers and structural geometry for optimal performance. Finite element method (FEM) models of the tank and insulation layers were created to analyze the thermal performance of the cryogenic insulation layer and thermal protection system (TPS) of the tanks. The thermal conditions of ground-hold and re-entry/soak-through for a typical RLV mission were used in the thermal sizing study. A general-purpose nonlinear FEM analysis code, capable of using temperature and pressure dependent material properties, was used as the thermal analysis code. Mechanical loads from ground handling and proof-pressure testing were used to size the structural geometry of an aluminum cryogenic tank wall. Nonlinear deterministic optimization and reliability optimization techniques were the analytical tools used to size the geometry of the isogrid stiffeners and thickness of the skin. The results from the sizing study indicate that a commercial FEM code can be used for thermal analyses to size the insulation thicknesses where the temperature and pressure were varied. The results from the structural sizing study show that using combined deterministic and reliability optimization techniques can obtain alternate and lighter designs than the designs obtained from deterministic optimization methods alone.

  9. Machine tools error characterization and compensation by on-line measurement of artifact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wahid Khan, Abdul; Chen, Wuyi; Wu, Lili

    2009-11-01

    Most manufacturing machine tools are utilized for mass production or batch production with high accuracy at a deterministic manufacturing principle. Volumetric accuracy of machine tools depends on the positional accuracy of the cutting tool, probe or end effector related to the workpiece in the workspace volume. In this research paper, a methodology is presented for volumetric calibration of machine tools by on-line measurement of an artifact or an object of a similar type. The machine tool geometric error characterization was carried out through a standard or an artifact, having similar geometry to the mass production or batch production product. The artifact was measured at an arbitrary position in the volumetric workspace with a calibrated Renishaw touch trigger probe system. Positional errors were stored into a computer for compensation purpose, to further run the manufacturing batch through compensated codes. This methodology was found quite effective to manufacture high precision components with more dimensional accuracy and reliability. Calibration by on-line measurement gives the advantage to improve the manufacturing process by use of deterministic manufacturing principle and found efficient and economical but limited to the workspace or envelop surface of the measured artifact's geometry or the profile.

  10. GPU accelerated simulations of 3D deterministic particle transport using discrete ordinates method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Chunye; Liu, Jie; Chi, Lihua; Huang, Haowei; Fang, Jingyue; Gong, Zhenghu

    2011-07-01

    Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), originally developed for real-time, high-definition 3D graphics in computer games, now provides great faculty in solving scientific applications. The basis of particle transport simulation is the time-dependent, multi-group, inhomogeneous Boltzmann transport equation. The numerical solution to the Boltzmann equation involves the discrete ordinates ( Sn) method and the procedure of source iteration. In this paper, we present a GPU accelerated simulation of one energy group time-independent deterministic discrete ordinates particle transport in 3D Cartesian geometry (Sweep3D). The performance of the GPU simulations are reported with the simulations of vacuum boundary condition. The discussion of the relative advantages and disadvantages of the GPU implementation, the simulation on multi GPUs, the programming effort and code portability are also reported. The results show that the overall performance speedup of one NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPU ranges from 2.56 compared with one Intel Xeon X5670 chip to 8.14 compared with one Intel Core Q6600 chip for no flux fixup. The simulation with flux fixup on one M2050 is 1.23 times faster than on one X5670.

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

    Haghighat, A.; Sjoden, G.E.; Wagner, J.C.

    In the past 10 yr, the Penn State Transport Theory Group (PSTTG) has concentrated its efforts on developing accurate and efficient particle transport codes to address increasing needs for efficient and accurate simulation of nuclear systems. The PSTTG's efforts have primarily focused on shielding applications that are generally treated using multigroup, multidimensional, discrete ordinates (S{sub n}) deterministic and/or statistical Monte Carlo methods. The difficulty with the existing public codes is that they require significant (impractical) computation time for simulation of complex three-dimensional (3-D) problems. For the S{sub n} codes, the large memory requirements are handled through the use of scratchmore » files (i.e., read-from and write-to-disk) that significantly increases the necessary execution time. Further, the lack of flexible features and/or utilities for preparing input and processing output makes these codes difficult to use. The Monte Carlo method becomes impractical because variance reduction (VR) methods have to be used, and normally determination of the necessary parameters for the VR methods is very difficult and time consuming for a complex 3-D problem. For the deterministic method, the authors have developed the 3-D parallel PENTRAN (Parallel Environment Neutral-particle TRANsport) code system that, in addition to a parallel 3-D S{sub n} solver, includes pre- and postprocessing utilities. PENTRAN provides for full phase-space decomposition, memory partitioning, and parallel input/output to provide the capability of solving large problems in a relatively short time. Besides having a modular parallel structure, PENTRAN has several unique new formulations and features that are necessary for achieving high parallel performance. For the Monte Carlo method, the major difficulty currently facing most users is the selection of an effective VR method and its associated parameters. For complex problems, generally, this process is very time consuming and may be complicated due to the possibility of biasing the results. In an attempt to eliminate this problem, the authors have developed the A{sup 3}MCNP (automated adjoint accelerated MCNP) code that automatically prepares parameters for source and transport biasing within a weight-window VR approach based on the S{sub n} adjoint function. A{sup 3}MCNP prepares the necessary input files for performing multigroup, 3-D adjoint S{sub n} calculations using TORT.« less

  12. Coupled Neutron Transport for HZETRN

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slaba, Tony C.; Blattnig, Steve R.

    2009-01-01

    Exposure estimates inside space vehicles, surface habitats, and high altitude aircrafts exposed to space radiation are highly influenced by secondary neutron production. The deterministic transport code HZETRN has been identified as a reliable and efficient tool for such studies, but improvements to the underlying transport models and numerical methods are still necessary. In this paper, the forward-backward (FB) and directionally coupled forward-backward (DC) neutron transport models are derived, numerical methods for the FB model are reviewed, and a computationally efficient numerical solution is presented for the DC model. Both models are compared to the Monte Carlo codes HETC-HEDS, FLUKA, and MCNPX, and the DC model is shown to agree closely with the Monte Carlo results. Finally, it is found in the development of either model that the decoupling of low energy neutrons from the light particle transport procedure adversely affects low energy light ion fluence spectra and exposure quantities. A first order correction is presented to resolve the problem, and it is shown to be both accurate and efficient.

  13. Impacts of DNAPL Source Treatment: Experimental and Modeling Assessment of the Benefits of Partial DNAPL Source Removal

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-09-01

    nuclear industry for conducting performance assessment calculations. The analytical FORTRAN code for the DNAPL source function, REMChlor, was...project. The first was to apply existing deterministic codes , such as T2VOC and UTCHEM, to the DNAPL source zone to simulate the remediation processes...but describe the spatial variability of source zones unlike one-dimensional flow and transport codes that assume homogeneity. The Lagrangian models

  14. Positive dwell time algorithm with minimum equal extra material removal in deterministic optical surfacing technology.

    PubMed

    Li, Longxiang; Xue, Donglin; Deng, Weijie; Wang, Xu; Bai, Yang; Zhang, Feng; Zhang, Xuejun

    2017-11-10

    In deterministic computer-controlled optical surfacing, accurate dwell time execution by computer numeric control machines is crucial in guaranteeing a high-convergence ratio for the optical surface error. It is necessary to consider the machine dynamics limitations in the numerical dwell time algorithms. In this paper, these constraints on dwell time distribution are analyzed, and a model of the equal extra material removal is established. A positive dwell time algorithm with minimum equal extra material removal is developed. Results of simulations based on deterministic magnetorheological finishing demonstrate the necessity of considering machine dynamics performance and illustrate the validity of the proposed algorithm. Indeed, the algorithm effectively facilitates the determinacy of sub-aperture optical surfacing processes.

  15. Computing exponentially faster: implementing a non-deterministic universal Turing machine using DNA

    PubMed Central

    Currin, Andrew; Korovin, Konstantin; Ababi, Maria; Roper, Katherine; Kell, Douglas B.; Day, Philip J.

    2017-01-01

    The theory of computer science is based around universal Turing machines (UTMs): abstract machines able to execute all possible algorithms. Modern digital computers are physical embodiments of classical UTMs. For the most important class of problem in computer science, non-deterministic polynomial complete problems, non-deterministic UTMs (NUTMs) are theoretically exponentially faster than both classical UTMs and quantum mechanical UTMs (QUTMs). However, no attempt has previously been made to build an NUTM, and their construction has been regarded as impossible. Here, we demonstrate the first physical design of an NUTM. This design is based on Thue string rewriting systems, and thereby avoids the limitations of most previous DNA computing schemes: all the computation is local (simple edits to strings) so there is no need for communication, and there is no need to order operations. The design exploits DNA's ability to replicate to execute an exponential number of computational paths in P time. Each Thue rewriting step is embodied in a DNA edit implemented using a novel combination of polymerase chain reactions and site-directed mutagenesis. We demonstrate that the design works using both computational modelling and in vitro molecular biology experimentation: the design is thermodynamically favourable, microprogramming can be used to encode arbitrary Thue rules, all classes of Thue rule can be implemented, and non-deterministic rule implementation. In an NUTM, the resource limitation is space, which contrasts with classical UTMs and QUTMs where it is time. This fundamental difference enables an NUTM to trade space for time, which is significant for both theoretical computer science and physics. It is also of practical importance, for to quote Richard Feynman ‘there's plenty of room at the bottom’. This means that a desktop DNA NUTM could potentially utilize more processors than all the electronic computers in the world combined, and thereby outperform the world's current fastest supercomputer, while consuming a tiny fraction of its energy. PMID:28250099

  16. Connectivity Restoration in Wireless Sensor Networks via Space Network Coding.

    PubMed

    Uwitonze, Alfred; Huang, Jiaqing; Ye, Yuanqing; Cheng, Wenqing

    2017-04-20

    The problem of finding the number and optimal positions of relay nodes for restoring the network connectivity in partitioned Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is Non-deterministic Polynomial-time hard (NP-hard) and thus heuristic methods are preferred to solve it. This paper proposes a novel polynomial time heuristic algorithm, namely, Relay Placement using Space Network Coding (RPSNC), to solve this problem, where Space Network Coding, also called Space Information Flow (SIF), is a new research paradigm that studies network coding in Euclidean space, in which extra relay nodes can be introduced to reduce the cost of communication. Unlike contemporary schemes that are often based on Minimum Spanning Tree (MST), Euclidean Steiner Minimal Tree (ESMT) or a combination of MST with ESMT, RPSNC is a new min-cost multicast space network coding approach that combines Delaunay triangulation and non-uniform partitioning techniques for generating a number of candidate relay nodes, and then linear programming is applied for choosing the optimal relay nodes and computing their connection links with terminals. Subsequently, an equilibrium method is used to refine the locations of the optimal relay nodes, by moving them to balanced positions. RPSNC can adapt to any density distribution of relay nodes and terminals, as well as any density distribution of terminals. The performance and complexity of RPSNC are analyzed and its performance is validated through simulation experiments.

  17. SU-G-TeP1-15: Toward a Novel GPU Accelerated Deterministic Solution to the Linear Boltzmann Transport Equation

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

    Yang, R; Fallone, B; Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB

    Purpose: To develop a Graphic Processor Unit (GPU) accelerated deterministic solution to the Linear Boltzmann Transport Equation (LBTE) for accurate dose calculations in radiotherapy (RT). A deterministic solution yields the potential for major speed improvements due to the sparse matrix-vector and vector-vector multiplications and would thus be of benefit to RT. Methods: In order to leverage the massively parallel architecture of GPUs, the first order LBTE was reformulated as a second order self-adjoint equation using the Least Squares Finite Element Method (LSFEM). This produces a symmetric positive-definite matrix which is efficiently solved using a parallelized conjugate gradient (CG) solver. Themore » LSFEM formalism is applied in space, discrete ordinates is applied in angle, and the Multigroup method is applied in energy. The final linear system of equations produced is tightly coupled in space and angle. Our code written in CUDA-C was benchmarked on an Nvidia GeForce TITAN-X GPU against an Intel i7-6700K CPU. A spatial mesh of 30,950 tetrahedral elements was used with an S4 angular approximation. Results: To avoid repeating a full computationally intensive finite element matrix assembly at each Multigroup energy, a novel mapping algorithm was developed which minimized the operations required at each energy. Additionally, a parallelized memory mapping for the kronecker product between the sparse spatial and angular matrices, including Dirichlet boundary conditions, was created. Atomicity is preserved by graph-coloring overlapping nodes into separate kernel launches. The one-time mapping calculations for matrix assembly, kronecker product, and boundary condition application took 452±1ms on GPU. Matrix assembly for 16 energy groups took 556±3s on CPU, and 358±2ms on GPU using the mappings developed. The CG solver took 93±1s on CPU, and 468±2ms on GPU. Conclusion: Three computationally intensive subroutines in deterministically solving the LBTE have been formulated on GPU, resulting in two orders of magnitude speedup. Funding support from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Alberta Innovates Health Solutions. Dr. Fallone is a co-founder and CEO of MagnetTx Oncology Solutions (under discussions to license Alberta bi-planar linac MR for commercialization).« less

  18. A Deterministic Electron, Photon, Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Transport Suite for the Study of the Jovian System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norman, Ryan B.; Badavi, Francis F.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Atwell, William

    2011-01-01

    A deterministic suite of radiation transport codes, developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), which describe the transport of electrons, photons, protons, and heavy ions in condensed media is used to simulate exposures from spectral distributions typical of electrons, protons and carbon-oxygen-sulfur (C-O-S) trapped heavy ions in the Jovian radiation environment. The particle transport suite consists of a coupled electron and photon deterministic transport algorithm (CEPTRN) and a coupled light particle and heavy ion deterministic transport algorithm (HZETRN). The primary purpose for the development of the transport suite is to provide a means for the spacecraft design community to rapidly perform numerous repetitive calculations essential for electron, proton and heavy ion radiation exposure assessments in complex space structures. In this paper, the radiation environment of the Galilean satellite Europa is used as a representative boundary condition to show the capabilities of the transport suite. While the transport suite can directly access the output electron spectra of the Jovian environment as generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Galileo Interim Radiation Electron (GIRE) model of 2003; for the sake of relevance to the upcoming Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM), the 105 days at Europa mission fluence energy spectra provided by JPL is used to produce the corresponding dose-depth curve in silicon behind an aluminum shield of 100 mils ( 0.7 g/sq cm). The transport suite can also accept ray-traced thickness files from a computer-aided design (CAD) package and calculate the total ionizing dose (TID) at a specific target point. In that regard, using a low-fidelity CAD model of the Galileo probe, the transport suite was verified by comparing with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for orbits JOI--J35 of the Galileo extended mission (1996-2001). For the upcoming EJSM mission with a potential launch date of 2020, the transport suite is used to compute the traditional aluminum-silicon dose-depth calculation as a standard shield-target combination output, as well as the shielding response of high charge (Z) shields such as tantalum (Ta). Finally, a shield optimization algorithm is used to guide the instrument designer with the choice of graded-Z shield analysis.

  19. Automatic mesh adaptivity for hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic neutronics modeling of difficult shielding problems

    DOE PAGES

    Ibrahim, Ahmad M.; Wilson, Paul P.H.; Sawan, Mohamed E.; ...

    2015-06-30

    The CADIS and FW-CADIS hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic techniques dramatically increase the efficiency of neutronics modeling, but their use in the accurate design analysis of very large and geometrically complex nuclear systems has been limited by the large number of processors and memory requirements for their preliminary deterministic calculations and final Monte Carlo calculation. Three mesh adaptivity algorithms were developed to reduce the memory requirements of CADIS and FW-CADIS without sacrificing their efficiency improvement. First, a macromaterial approach enhances the fidelity of the deterministic models without changing the mesh. Second, a deterministic mesh refinement algorithm generates meshes that capture as muchmore » geometric detail as possible without exceeding a specified maximum number of mesh elements. Finally, a weight window coarsening algorithm decouples the weight window mesh and energy bins from the mesh and energy group structure of the deterministic calculations in order to remove the memory constraint of the weight window map from the deterministic mesh resolution. The three algorithms were used to enhance an FW-CADIS calculation of the prompt dose rate throughout the ITER experimental facility. Using these algorithms resulted in a 23.3% increase in the number of mesh tally elements in which the dose rates were calculated in a 10-day Monte Carlo calculation and, additionally, increased the efficiency of the Monte Carlo simulation by a factor of at least 3.4. The three algorithms enabled this difficult calculation to be accurately solved using an FW-CADIS simulation on a regular computer cluster, eliminating the need for a world-class super computer.« less

  20. A deterministic particle method for one-dimensional reaction-diffusion equations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mascagni, Michael

    1995-01-01

    We derive a deterministic particle method for the solution of nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations in one spatial dimension. This deterministic method is an analog of a Monte Carlo method for the solution of these problems that has been previously investigated by the author. The deterministic method leads to the consideration of a system of ordinary differential equations for the positions of suitably defined particles. We then consider the time explicit and implicit methods for this system of ordinary differential equations and we study a Picard and Newton iteration for the solution of the implicit system. Next we solve numerically this system and study the discretization error both analytically and numerically. Numerical computation shows that this deterministic method is automatically adaptive to large gradients in the solution.

  1. Applied Mathematics in EM Studies with Special Emphasis on an Uncertainty Quantification and 3-D Integral Equation Modelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pankratov, Oleg; Kuvshinov, Alexey

    2016-01-01

    Despite impressive progress in the development and application of electromagnetic (EM) deterministic inverse schemes to map the 3-D distribution of electrical conductivity within the Earth, there is one question which remains poorly addressed—uncertainty quantification of the recovered conductivity models. Apparently, only an inversion based on a statistical approach provides a systematic framework to quantify such uncertainties. The Metropolis-Hastings (M-H) algorithm is the most popular technique for sampling the posterior probability distribution that describes the solution of the statistical inverse problem. However, all statistical inverse schemes require an enormous amount of forward simulations and thus appear to be extremely demanding computationally, if not prohibitive, if a 3-D set up is invoked. This urges development of fast and scalable 3-D modelling codes which can run large-scale 3-D models of practical interest for fractions of a second on high-performance multi-core platforms. But, even with these codes, the challenge for M-H methods is to construct proposal functions that simultaneously provide a good approximation of the target density function while being inexpensive to be sampled. In this paper we address both of these issues. First we introduce a variant of the M-H method which uses information about the local gradient and Hessian of the penalty function. This, in particular, allows us to exploit adjoint-based machinery that has been instrumental for the fast solution of deterministic inverse problems. We explain why this modification of M-H significantly accelerates sampling of the posterior probability distribution. In addition we show how Hessian handling (inverse, square root) can be made practicable by a low-rank approximation using the Lanczos algorithm. Ultimately we discuss uncertainty analysis based on stochastic inversion results. In addition, we demonstrate how this analysis can be performed within a deterministic approach. In the second part, we summarize modern trends in the development of efficient 3-D EM forward modelling schemes with special emphasis on recent advances in the integral equation approach.

  2. Operations analysis (study 2.1): Program manual and users guide for the LOVES computer code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wray, S. T., Jr.

    1975-01-01

    Information is provided necessary to use the LOVES Computer Program in its existing state, or to modify the program to include studies not properly handled by the basic model. The Users Guide defines the basic elements assembled together to form the model for servicing satellites in orbit. As the program is a simulation, the method of attack is to disassemble the problem into a sequence of events, each occurring instantaneously and each creating one or more other events in the future. The main driving force of the simulation is the deterministic launch schedule of satellites and the subsequent failure of the various modules which make up the satellites. The LOVES Computer Program uses a random number generator to simulate the failure of module elements and therefore operates over a long span of time typically 10 to 15 years. The sequence of events is varied by making several runs in succession with different random numbers resulting in a Monte Carlo technique to determine statistical parameters of minimum value, average value, and maximum value.

  3. SuperSpike: Supervised Learning in Multilayer Spiking Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Zenke, Friedemann; Ganguli, Surya

    2018-06-01

    A vast majority of computation in the brain is performed by spiking neural networks. Despite the ubiquity of such spiking, we currently lack an understanding of how biological spiking neural circuits learn and compute in vivo, as well as how we can instantiate such capabilities in artificial spiking circuits in silico. Here we revisit the problem of supervised learning in temporally coding multilayer spiking neural networks. First, by using a surrogate gradient approach, we derive SuperSpike, a nonlinear voltage-based three-factor learning rule capable of training multilayer networks of deterministic integrate-and-fire neurons to perform nonlinear computations on spatiotemporal spike patterns. Second, inspired by recent results on feedback alignment, we compare the performance of our learning rule under different credit assignment strategies for propagating output errors to hidden units. Specifically, we test uniform, symmetric, and random feedback, finding that simpler tasks can be solved with any type of feedback, while more complex tasks require symmetric feedback. In summary, our results open the door to obtaining a better scientific understanding of learning and computation in spiking neural networks by advancing our ability to train them to solve nonlinear problems involving transformations between different spatiotemporal spike time patterns.

  4. Implementing Molecular Dynamics on Hybrid High Performance Computers - Three-Body Potentials

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

    Brown, W Michael; Yamada, Masako

    The use of coprocessors or accelerators such as graphics processing units (GPUs) has become popular in scientific computing applications due to their low cost, impressive floating-point capabilities, high memory bandwidth, and low electrical power re- quirements. Hybrid high-performance computers, defined as machines with nodes containing more than one type of floating-point processor (e.g. CPU and GPU), are now becoming more prevalent due to these advantages. Although there has been extensive research into methods to efficiently use accelerators to improve the performance of molecular dynamics (MD) employing pairwise potential energy models, little is reported in the literature for models that includemore » many-body effects. 3-body terms are required for many popular potentials such as MEAM, Tersoff, REBO, AIREBO, Stillinger-Weber, Bond-Order Potentials, and others. Because the per-atom simulation times are much higher for models incorporating 3-body terms, there is a clear need for efficient algo- rithms usable on hybrid high performance computers. Here, we report a shared-memory force-decomposition for 3-body potentials that avoids memory conflicts to allow for a deterministic code with substantial performance improvements on hybrid machines. We describe modifications necessary for use in distributed memory MD codes and show results for the simulation of water with Stillinger-Weber on the hybrid Titan supercomputer. We compare performance of the 3-body model to the SPC/E water model when using accelerators. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach can attain a speedup of 5.1 with acceleration on Titan for production simulations to study water droplet freezing on a surface.« less

  5. SLUG - stochastically lighting up galaxies - III. A suite of tools for simulated photometry, spectroscopy, and Bayesian inference with stochastic stellar populations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krumholz, Mark R.; Fumagalli, Michele; da Silva, Robert L.; Rendahl, Theodore; Parra, Jonathan

    2015-09-01

    Stellar population synthesis techniques for predicting the observable light emitted by a stellar population have extensive applications in numerous areas of astronomy. However, accurate predictions for small populations of young stars, such as those found in individual star clusters, star-forming dwarf galaxies, and small segments of spiral galaxies, require that the population be treated stochastically. Conversely, accurate deductions of the properties of such objects also require consideration of stochasticity. Here we describe a comprehensive suite of modular, open-source software tools for tackling these related problems. These include the following: a greatly-enhanced version of the SLUG code introduced by da Silva et al., which computes spectra and photometry for stochastically or deterministically sampled stellar populations with nearly arbitrary star formation histories, clustering properties, and initial mass functions; CLOUDY_SLUG, a tool that automatically couples SLUG-computed spectra with the CLOUDY radiative transfer code in order to predict stochastic nebular emission; BAYESPHOT, a general-purpose tool for performing Bayesian inference on the physical properties of stellar systems based on unresolved photometry; and CLUSTER_SLUG and SFR_SLUG, a pair of tools that use BAYESPHOT on a library of SLUG models to compute the mass, age, and extinction of mono-age star clusters, and the star formation rate of galaxies, respectively. The latter two tools make use of an extensive library of pre-computed stellar population models, which are included in the software. The complete package is available at http://www.slugsps.com.

  6. Efficient Algorithms for Handling Nondeterministic Automata

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vojnar, Tomáš

    Finite (word, tree, or omega) automata play an important role in different areas of computer science, including, for instance, formal verification. Often, deterministic automata are used for which traditional algorithms for important operations such as minimisation and inclusion checking are available. However, the use of deterministic automata implies a need to determinise nondeterministic automata that often arise during various computations even when the computations start with deterministic automata. Unfortunately, determinisation is a very expensive step since deterministic automata may be exponentially bigger than the original nondeterministic automata. That is why, it appears advantageous to avoid determinisation and work directly with nondeterministic automata. This, however, brings a need to be able to implement operations traditionally done on deterministic automata on nondeterministic automata instead. In particular, this is the case of inclusion checking and minimisation (or rather reduction of the size of automata). In the talk, we review several recently proposed techniques for inclusion checking on nondeterministic finite word and tree automata as well as Büchi automata. These techniques are based on using the so called antichains, possibly combined with a use of suitable simulation relations (and, in the case of Büchi automata, the so called Ramsey-based or rank-based approaches). Further, we discuss techniques for reducing the size of nondeterministic word and tree automata using quotienting based on the recently proposed notion of mediated equivalences. The talk is based on several common works with Parosh Aziz Abdulla, Ahmed Bouajjani, Yu-Fang Chen, Peter Habermehl, Lisa Kaati, Richard Mayr, Tayssir Touili, Lorenzo Clemente, Lukáš Holík, and Chih-Duo Hong.

  7. Optimization of a Boiling Water Reactor Loading Pattern Using an Improved Genetic Algorithm

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

    Kobayashi, Yoko; Aiyoshi, Eitaro

    2003-08-15

    A search method based on genetic algorithms (GA) using deterministic operators has been developed to generate optimized boiling water reactor (BWR) loading patterns (LPs). The search method uses an Improved GA operator, that is, crossover, mutation, and selection. The handling of the encoding technique and constraint conditions is designed so that the GA reflects the peculiar characteristics of the BWR. In addition, some strategies such as elitism and self-reproduction are effectively used to improve the search speed. LP evaluations were performed with a three-dimensional diffusion code that coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic models. Strong axial heterogeneities and three-dimensional-dependent constraints have alwaysmore » necessitated the use of three-dimensional core simulators for BWRs, so that an optimization method is required for computational efficiency. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated by successfully generating LPs for an actual BWR plant applying the Haling technique. In test calculations, candidates that shuffled fresh and burned fuel assemblies within a reasonable computation time were obtained.« less

  8. ({The) Solar System Large Planets influence on a new Maunder Miniμm}

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yndestad, Harald; Solheim, Jan-Erik

    2016-04-01

    In 1890´s G. Spörer and E. W. Maunder (1890) reported that the solar activity stopped in a period of 70 years from 1645 to 1715. Later a reconstruction of the solar activity confirms the grand minima Maunder (1640-1720), Spörer (1390-1550), Wolf (1270-1340), and the minima Oort (1010-1070) and Dalton (1785-1810) since the year 1000 A.D. (Usoskin et al. 2007). These minimum periods have been associated with less irradiation from the Sun and cold climate periods on Earth. An identification of a three grand Maunder type periods and two Dalton type periods in a period thousand years, indicates that sooner or later there will be a colder climate on Earth from a new Maunder- or Dalton- type period. The cause of these minimum periods, are not well understood. An expected new Maunder-type period is based on the properties of solar variability. If the solar variability has a deterministic element, we can estimate better a new Maunder grand minimum. A random solar variability can only explain the past. This investigation is based on the simple idea that if the solar variability has a deterministic property, it must have a deterministic source, as a first cause. If this deterministic source is known, we can compute better estimates the next expected Maunder grand minimum period. The study is based on a TSI ACRIM data series from 1700, a TSI ACRIM data series from 1000 A.D., sunspot data series from 1611 and a Solar Barycenter orbit data series from 1000. The analysis method is based on a wavelet spectrum analysis, to identify stationary periods, coincidence periods and their phase relations. The result shows that the TSI variability and the sunspots variability have deterministic oscillations, controlled by the large planets Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, as the first cause. A deterministic model of TSI variability and sunspot variability confirms the known minimum and grand minimum periods since 1000. From this deterministic model we may expect a new Maunder type sunspot minimum period from about 2018 to 2055. The deterministic model of a TSI ACRIM data series from 1700 computes a new Maunder type grand minimum period from 2015 to 2071. A model of the longer TSI ACRIM data series from 1000 computes a new Dalton to Maunder type minimum irradiation period from 2047 to 2068.

  9. Down to the roughness scale assessment of piston-ring/liner contacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Checo, H. M.; Jaramillo, A.; Ausas, R. F.; Jai, M.; Buscaglia, G. C.

    2017-02-01

    The effects of surface roughness in hydrodynamic bearings been accounted for through several approaches, the most widely used being averaging or stochastic techniques. With these the surface is not treated “as it is”, but by means of an assumed probability distribution for the roughness. The so called direct, deterministic or measured-surface simulation) solve the lubrication problem with realistic surfaces down to the roughness scale. This leads to expensive computational problems. Most researchers have tackled this problem considering non-moving surfaces and neglecting the ring dynamics to reduce the computational burden. What is proposed here is to solve the fully-deterministic simulation both in space and in time, so that the actual movement of the surfaces and the rings dynamics are taken into account. This simulation is much more complex than previous ones, as it is intrinsically transient. The feasibility of these fully-deterministic simulations is illustrated two cases: fully deterministic simulation of liner surfaces with diverse finishings (honed and coated bores) with constant piston velocity and load on the ring and also in real engine conditions.

  10. *K-means and cluster models for cancer signatures.

    PubMed

    Kakushadze, Zura; Yu, Willie

    2017-09-01

    We present *K-means clustering algorithm and source code by expanding statistical clustering methods applied in https://ssrn.com/abstract=2802753 to quantitative finance. *K-means is statistically deterministic without specifying initial centers, etc. We apply *K-means to extracting cancer signatures from genome data without using nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). *K-means' computational cost is a fraction of NMF's. Using 1389 published samples for 14 cancer types, we find that 3 cancers (liver cancer, lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma) stand out and do not have cluster-like structures. Two clusters have especially high within-cluster correlations with 11 other cancers indicating common underlying structures. Our approach opens a novel avenue for studying such structures. *K-means is universal and can be applied in other fields. We discuss some potential applications in quantitative finance.

  11. Spatio-Temporal Data Analysis at Scale Using Models Based on Gaussian Processes

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

    Stein, Michael

    Gaussian processes are the most commonly used statistical model for spatial and spatio-temporal processes that vary continuously. They are broadly applicable in the physical sciences and engineering and are also frequently used to approximate the output of complex computer models, deterministic or stochastic. We undertook research related to theory, computation, and applications of Gaussian processes as well as some work on estimating extremes of distributions for which a Gaussian process assumption might be inappropriate. Our theoretical contributions include the development of new classes of spatial-temporal covariance functions with desirable properties and new results showing that certain covariance models lead tomore » predictions with undesirable properties. To understand how Gaussian process models behave when applied to deterministic computer models, we derived what we believe to be the first significant results on the large sample properties of estimators of parameters of Gaussian processes when the actual process is a simple deterministic function. Finally, we investigated some theoretical issues related to maxima of observations with varying upper bounds and found that, depending on the circumstances, standard large sample results for maxima may or may not hold. Our computational innovations include methods for analyzing large spatial datasets when observations fall on a partially observed grid and methods for estimating parameters of a Gaussian process model from observations taken by a polar-orbiting satellite. In our application of Gaussian process models to deterministic computer experiments, we carried out some matrix computations that would have been infeasible using even extended precision arithmetic by focusing on special cases in which all elements of the matrices under study are rational and using exact arithmetic. The applications we studied include total column ozone as measured from a polar-orbiting satellite, sea surface temperatures over the Pacific Ocean, and annual temperature extremes at a site in New York City. In each of these applications, our theoretical and computational innovations were directly motivated by the challenges posed by analyzing these and similar types of data.« less

  12. Comparison of numerical weather prediction based deterministic and probabilistic wind resource assessment methods

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

    Zhang, Jie; Draxl, Caroline; Hopson, Thomas

    Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models have been widely used for wind resource assessment. Model runs with higher spatial resolution are generally more accurate, yet extremely computational expensive. An alternative approach is to use data generated by a low resolution NWP model, in conjunction with statistical methods. In order to analyze the accuracy and computational efficiency of different types of NWP-based wind resource assessment methods, this paper performs a comparison of three deterministic and probabilistic NWP-based wind resource assessment methodologies: (i) a coarse resolution (0.5 degrees x 0.67 degrees) global reanalysis data set, the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applicationsmore » (MERRA); (ii) an analog ensemble methodology based on the MERRA, which provides both deterministic and probabilistic predictions; and (iii) a fine resolution (2-km) NWP data set, the Wind Integration National Dataset (WIND) Toolkit, based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Results show that: (i) as expected, the analog ensemble and WIND Toolkit perform significantly better than MERRA confirming their ability to downscale coarse estimates; (ii) the analog ensemble provides the best estimate of the multi-year wind distribution at seven of the nine sites, while the WIND Toolkit is the best at one site; (iii) the WIND Toolkit is more accurate in estimating the distribution of hourly wind speed differences, which characterizes the wind variability, at five of the available sites, with the analog ensemble being best at the remaining four locations; and (iv) the analog ensemble computational cost is negligible, whereas the WIND Toolkit requires large computational resources. Future efforts could focus on the combination of the analog ensemble with intermediate resolution (e.g., 10-15 km) NWP estimates, to considerably reduce the computational burden, while providing accurate deterministic estimates and reliable probabilistic assessments.« less

  13. Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Risk Assessment With Bumper 3

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyde, J.; Bjorkman, M.; Christiansen, E.; Lear, D.

    2017-01-01

    The Bumper 3 computer code is the primary tool used by NASA for micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) risk analysis. Bumper 3 (and its predecessors) have been used to analyze a variety of manned and unmanned spacecraft. The code uses NASA's latest micrometeoroid (MEM-R2) and orbital debris (ORDEM 3.0) environment definition models and is updated frequently with ballistic limit equations that describe the hypervelocity impact performance of spacecraft materials. The Bumper 3 program uses these inputs along with a finite element representation of spacecraft geometry to provide a deterministic calculation of the expected number of failures. The Bumper 3 software is configuration controlled by the NASA/JSC Hypervelocity Impact Technology (HVIT) Group. This paper will demonstrate MMOD risk assessment techniques with Bumper 3 used by NASA's HVIT Group. The Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) was added to the International Space Station in 2011. A Bumper 3 MMOD risk assessment of this module will show techniques used to create the input model and assign the property IDs. The methodology used to optimize the MMOD shielding for minimum mass while still meeting structural penetration requirements will also be demonstrated.

  14. Neutron Transport Models and Methods for HZETRN and Coupling to Low Energy Light Ion Transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blattnig, S.R.; Slaba, T.C.; Heinbockel, J.H.

    2008-01-01

    Exposure estimates inside space vehicles, surface habitats, and high altitude aircraft exposed to space radiation are highly influenced by secondary neutron production. The deterministic transport code HZETRN has been identified as a reliable and efficient tool for such studies, but improvements to the underlying transport models and numerical methods are still necessary. In this paper, the forward-backward (FB) and directionally coupled forward-backward (DC) neutron transport models are derived, numerical methods for the FB model are reviewed, and a computationally efficient numerical solution is presented for the DC model. Both models are compared to the Monte Carlo codes HETCHEDS and FLUKA, and the DC model is shown to agree closely with the Monte Carlo results. Finally, it is found in the development of either model that the decoupling of low energy neutrons from the light ion (A<4) transport procedure adversely affects low energy light ion fluence spectra and exposure quantities. A first order correction is presented to resolve the problem, and it is shown to be both accurate and efficient.

  15. Simulation of the ALTEA experiment with Monte Carlo (PHITS) and deterministic (GNAC, SihverCC and Tripathi97) codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    La Tessa, Chiara; Mancusi, Davide; Rinaldi, Adele; di Fino, Luca; Zaconte, Veronica; Larosa, Marianna; Narici, Livio; Gustafsson, Katarina; Sihver, Lembit

    ALTEA-Space is the principal in-space experiment of an international and multidisciplinary project called ALTEA (Anomalus Long Term Effects on Astronauts). The measurements were performed on the International Space Station between August 2006 and July 2007 and aimed at characterising the space radiation environment inside the station. The analysis of the collected data provided the abundances of elements with charge 5 ≤ Z ≤ 26 and energy above 100 MeV/nucleon. The same results have been obtained by simulating the experiment with the three-dimensional Monte Carlo code PHITS (Particle and Heavy Ion Transport System). The simulation reproduces accurately the composition of the space radiation environment as well as the geometry of the experimental apparatus; moreover the presence of several materials, e.g. the spacecraft hull and the shielding, that surround the device has been taken into account. An estimate of the abundances has also been calculated with the help of experimental fragmentation cross sections taken from literature and predictions of the deterministic codes GNAC, SihverCC and Tripathi97. The comparison between the experimental and simulated data has two important aspects: it validates the codes giving possible hints how to benchmark them; it helps to interpret the measurements and therefore have a better understanding of the results.

  16. Analyzing simulation-based PRA data through traditional and topological clustering: A BWR station blackout case study

    DOE PAGES

    Maljovec, D.; Liu, S.; Wang, B.; ...

    2015-07-14

    Here, dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (DPRA) methodologies couple system simulator codes (e.g., RELAP and MELCOR) with simulation controller codes (e.g., RAVEN and ADAPT). Whereas system simulator codes model system dynamics deterministically, simulation controller codes introduce both deterministic (e.g., system control logic and operating procedures) and stochastic (e.g., component failures and parameter uncertainties) elements into the simulation. Typically, a DPRA is performed by sampling values of a set of parameters and simulating the system behavior for that specific set of parameter values. For complex systems, a major challenge in using DPRA methodologies is to analyze the large number of scenarios generated,more » where clustering techniques are typically employed to better organize and interpret the data. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of two nuclear simulation datasets that are part of the risk-informed safety margin characterization (RISMC) boiling water reactor (BWR) station blackout (SBO) case study. We provide the domain experts a software tool that encodes traditional and topological clustering techniques within an interactive analysis and visualization environment, for understanding the structures of such high-dimensional nuclear simulation datasets. We demonstrate through our case study that both types of clustering techniques complement each other for enhanced structural understanding of the data.« less

  17. Evaluation of the DRAGON code for VHTR design analysis.

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

    Taiwo, T. A.; Kim, T. K.; Nuclear Engineering Division

    2006-01-12

    This letter report summarizes three activities that were undertaken in FY 2005 to gather information on the DRAGON code and to perform limited evaluations of the code performance when used in the analysis of the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) designs. These activities include: (1) Use of the code to model the fuel elements of the helium-cooled and liquid-salt-cooled VHTR designs. Results were compared to those from another deterministic lattice code (WIMS8) and a Monte Carlo code (MCNP). (2) The preliminary assessment of the nuclear data library currently used with the code and libraries that have been provided by themore » IAEA WIMS-D4 Library Update Project (WLUP). (3) DRAGON workshop held to discuss the code capabilities for modeling the VHTR.« less

  18. Renewable energy in electric utility capacity planning: a decomposition approach with application to a Mexican utility

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

    Staschus, K.

    1985-01-01

    In this dissertation, efficient algorithms for electric-utility capacity expansion planning with renewable energy are developed. The algorithms include a deterministic phase that quickly finds a near-optimal expansion plan using derating and a linearized approximation to the time-dependent availability of nondispatchable energy sources. A probabilistic second phase needs comparatively few computer-time consuming probabilistic simulation iterations to modify this solution towards the optimal expansion plan. For the deterministic first phase, two algorithms, based on a Lagrangian Dual decomposition and a Generalized Benders Decomposition, are developed. The probabilistic second phase uses a Generalized Benders Decomposition approach. Extensive computational tests of the algorithms aremore » reported. Among the deterministic algorithms, the one based on Lagrangian Duality proves fastest. The two-phase approach is shown to save up to 80% in computing time as compared to a purely probabilistic algorithm. The algorithms are applied to determine the optimal expansion plan for the Tijuana-Mexicali subsystem of the Mexican electric utility system. A strong recommendation to push conservation programs in the desert city of Mexicali results from this implementation.« less

  19. Monte Carlo treatment planning for molecular targeted radiotherapy within the MINERVA system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehmann, Joerg; Hartmann Siantar, Christine; Wessol, Daniel E.; Wemple, Charles A.; Nigg, David; Cogliati, Josh; Daly, Tom; Descalle, Marie-Anne; Flickinger, Terry; Pletcher, David; DeNardo, Gerald

    2005-03-01

    The aim of this project is to extend accurate and patient-specific treatment planning to new treatment modalities, such as molecular targeted radiation therapy, incorporating previously crafted and proven Monte Carlo and deterministic computation methods. A flexible software environment is being created that allows planning radiation treatment for these new modalities and combining different forms of radiation treatment with consideration of biological effects. The system uses common input interfaces, medical image sets for definition of patient geometry and dose reporting protocols. Previously, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Montana State University (MSU) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had accrued experience in the development and application of Monte Carlo based, three-dimensional, computational dosimetry and treatment planning tools for radiotherapy in several specialized areas. In particular, INEEL and MSU have developed computational dosimetry systems for neutron radiotherapy and neutron capture therapy, while LLNL has developed the PEREGRINE computational system for external beam photon-electron therapy. Building on that experience, the INEEL and MSU are developing the MINERVA (modality inclusive environment for radiotherapeutic variable analysis) software system as a general framework for computational dosimetry and treatment planning for a variety of emerging forms of radiotherapy. In collaboration with this development, LLNL has extended its PEREGRINE code to accommodate internal sources for molecular targeted radiotherapy (MTR), and has interfaced it with the plugin architecture of MINERVA. Results from the extended PEREGRINE code have been compared to published data from other codes, and found to be in general agreement (EGS4—2%, MCNP—10%) (Descalle et al 2003 Cancer Biother. Radiopharm. 18 71-9). The code is currently being benchmarked against experimental data. The interpatient variability of the drug pharmacokinetics in MTR can only be properly accounted for by image-based, patient-specific treatment planning, as has been common in external beam radiation therapy for many years. MINERVA offers 3D Monte Carlo-based MTR treatment planning as its first integrated operational capability. The new MINERVA system will ultimately incorporate capabilities for a comprehensive list of radiation therapies. In progress are modules for external beam photon-electron therapy and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Brachytherapy and proton therapy are planned. Through the open application programming interface (API), other groups can add their own modules and share them with the community.

  20. ShinyGPAS: interactive genomic prediction accuracy simulator based on deterministic formulas.

    PubMed

    Morota, Gota

    2017-12-20

    Deterministic formulas for the accuracy of genomic predictions highlight the relationships among prediction accuracy and potential factors influencing prediction accuracy prior to performing computationally intensive cross-validation. Visualizing such deterministic formulas in an interactive manner may lead to a better understanding of how genetic factors control prediction accuracy. The software to simulate deterministic formulas for genomic prediction accuracy was implemented in R and encapsulated as a web-based Shiny application. Shiny genomic prediction accuracy simulator (ShinyGPAS) simulates various deterministic formulas and delivers dynamic scatter plots of prediction accuracy versus genetic factors impacting prediction accuracy, while requiring only mouse navigation in a web browser. ShinyGPAS is available at: https://chikudaisei.shinyapps.io/shinygpas/ . ShinyGPAS is a shiny-based interactive genomic prediction accuracy simulator using deterministic formulas. It can be used for interactively exploring potential factors that influence prediction accuracy in genome-enabled prediction, simulating achievable prediction accuracy prior to genotyping individuals, or supporting in-class teaching. ShinyGPAS is open source software and it is hosted online as a freely available web-based resource with an intuitive graphical user interface.

  1. Rare event computation in deterministic chaotic systems using genealogical particle analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wouters, J.; Bouchet, F.

    2016-09-01

    In this paper we address the use of rare event computation techniques to estimate small over-threshold probabilities of observables in deterministic dynamical systems. We demonstrate that genealogical particle analysis algorithms can be successfully applied to a toy model of atmospheric dynamics, the Lorenz ’96 model. We furthermore use the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck system to illustrate a number of implementation issues. We also show how a time-dependent objective function based on the fluctuation path to a high threshold can greatly improve the performance of the estimator compared to a fixed-in-time objective function.

  2. No-go theorem for passive single-rail linear optical quantum computing.

    PubMed

    Wu, Lian-Ao; Walther, Philip; Lidar, Daniel A

    2013-01-01

    Photonic quantum systems are among the most promising architectures for quantum computers. It is well known that for dual-rail photons effective non-linearities and near-deterministic non-trivial two-qubit gates can be achieved via the measurement process and by introducing ancillary photons. While in principle this opens a legitimate path to scalable linear optical quantum computing, the technical requirements are still very challenging and thus other optical encodings are being actively investigated. One of the alternatives is to use single-rail encoded photons, where entangled states can be deterministically generated. Here we prove that even for such systems universal optical quantum computing using only passive optical elements such as beam splitters and phase shifters is not possible. This no-go theorem proves that photon bunching cannot be passively suppressed even when extra ancilla modes and arbitrary number of photons are used. Our result provides useful guidance for the design of optical quantum computers.

  3. Addressing Uncertainty in the ISCORS Multimedia Radiological Dose Assessment of Municipal Sewage Sludge and Ash

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiu, W. A.; Bachmaier, J.; Bastian, R.; Hogan, R.; Lenhart, T.; Schmidt, D.; Wolbarst, A.; Wood, R.; Yu, C.

    2002-05-01

    Managing municipal wastewater at publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) leads to the production of considerable amounts of residual solid material, which is known as sewage sludge or biosolids. If the wastewater entering a POTW contains radioactive material, then the treatment process may concentrate radionuclides in the sludge, leading to possible exposure of the general public or the POTW workers. The Sewage Sludge Subcommittee of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS), which consists of representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and several other federal, state, and local agencies, is developing guidance for POTWs on the management of sewage sludge that may contain radioactive materials. As part of this effort, they are conducting an assessment of potential radiation exposures using the Department of Energy's RESidual RADioactivity (RESRAD) family of computer codes developed by Argonne National Laboratory. This poster describes several approaches used by the Subcommittee to address the uncertainties associated with their assessment. For instance, uncertainties in the source term are addressed through a combination of analytic and deterministic computer code calculations. Uncertainties in the exposure pathways are addressed through the specification of a number of hypothetical scenarios, some of which can be scaled to address changes in exposure parameters. In addition, the uncertainty in some physical and behavioral parameters are addressed through probabilistic methods.

  4. Investigation on imperfection sensitivity of composite cylindrical shells using the nonlinearity reduction technique and the polynomial chaos method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Ke; Sun, Qin; Liu, Xiaoran

    2018-05-01

    The theoretical buckling load of a perfect cylinder must be reduced by a knock-down factor to account for structural imperfections. The EU project DESICOS proposed a new robust design for imperfection-sensitive composite cylindrical shells using the combination of deterministic and stochastic simulations, however the high computational complexity seriously affects its wider application in aerospace structures design. In this paper, the nonlinearity reduction technique and the polynomial chaos method are implemented into the robust design process, to significantly lower computational costs. The modified Newton-type Koiter-Newton approach which largely reduces the number of degrees of freedom in the nonlinear finite element model, serves as the nonlinear buckling solver to trace the equilibrium paths of geometrically nonlinear structures efficiently. The non-intrusive polynomial chaos method provides the buckling load with an approximate chaos response surface with respect to imperfections and uses buckling solver codes as black boxes. A fast large-sample study can be applied using the approximate chaos response surface to achieve probability characteristics of buckling loads. The performance of the method in terms of reliability, accuracy and computational effort is demonstrated with an unstiffened CFRP cylinder.

  5. Structure-related statistical singularities along protein sequences: a correlation study.

    PubMed

    Colafranceschi, Mauro; Colosimo, Alfredo; Zbilut, Joseph P; Uversky, Vladimir N; Giuliani, Alessandro

    2005-01-01

    A data set composed of 1141 proteins representative of all eukaryotic protein sequences in the Swiss-Prot Protein Knowledge base was coded by seven physicochemical properties of amino acid residues. The resulting numerical profiles were submitted to correlation analysis after the application of a linear (simple mean) and a nonlinear (Recurrence Quantification Analysis, RQA) filter. The main RQA variables, Recurrence and Determinism, were subsequently analyzed by Principal Component Analysis. The RQA descriptors showed that (i) within protein sequences is embedded specific information neither present in the codes nor in the amino acid composition and (ii) the most sensitive code for detecting ordered recurrent (deterministic) patterns of residues in protein sequences is the Miyazawa-Jernigan hydrophobicity scale. The most deterministic proteins in terms of autocorrelation properties of primary structures were found (i) to be involved in protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions and (ii) to display a significantly higher proportion of structural disorder with respect to the average data set. A study of the scaling behavior of the average determinism with the setting parameters of RQA (embedding dimension and radius) allows for the identification of patterns of minimal length (six residues) as possible markers of zones specifically prone to inter- and intramolecular interactions.

  6. Credibility Assessment of Deterministic Computational Models and Simulations for Space Biomedical Research and Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mulugeta, Lealem; Walton, Marlei; Nelson, Emily; Myers, Jerry

    2015-01-01

    Human missions beyond low earth orbit to destinations, such as to Mars and asteroids will expose astronauts to novel operational conditions that may pose health risks that are currently not well understood and perhaps unanticipated. In addition, there are limited clinical and research data to inform development and implementation of health risk countermeasures for these missions. Consequently, NASA's Digital Astronaut Project (DAP) is working to develop and implement computational models and simulations (M&S) to help predict and assess spaceflight health and performance risks, and enhance countermeasure development. In order to effectively accomplish these goals, the DAP evaluates its models and simulations via a rigorous verification, validation and credibility assessment process to ensure that the computational tools are sufficiently reliable to both inform research intended to mitigate potential risk as well as guide countermeasure development. In doing so, DAP works closely with end-users, such as space life science researchers, to establish appropriate M&S credibility thresholds. We will present and demonstrate the process the DAP uses to vet computational M&S for space biomedical analysis using real M&S examples. We will also provide recommendations on how the larger space biomedical community can employ these concepts to enhance the credibility of their M&S codes.

  7. Improving predictive power of physically based rainfall-induced shallow landslide models: a probablistic approach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Raia, S.; Alvioli, M.; Rossi, M.; Baum, R.L.; Godt, J.W.; Guzzetti, F.

    2013-01-01

    Distributed models to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides are deterministic. These models extend spatially the static stability models adopted in geotechnical engineering and adopt an infinite-slope geometry to balance the resisting and the driving forces acting on the sliding mass. An infiltration model is used to determine how rainfall changes pore-water conditions, modulating the local stability/instability conditions. A problem with the existing models is the difficulty in obtaining accurate values for the several variables that describe the material properties of the slopes. The problem is particularly severe when the models are applied over large areas, for which sufficient information on the geotechnical and hydrological conditions of the slopes is not generally available. To help solve the problem, we propose a probabilistic Monte Carlo approach to the distributed modeling of shallow rainfall-induced landslides. For the purpose, we have modified the Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Analysis (TRIGRS) code. The new code (TRIGRS-P) adopts a stochastic approach to compute, on a cell-by-cell basis, transient pore-pressure changes and related changes in the factor of safety due to rainfall infiltration. Infiltration is modeled using analytical solutions of partial differential equations describing one-dimensional vertical flow in isotropic, homogeneous materials. Both saturated and unsaturated soil conditions can be considered. TRIGRS-P copes with the natural variability inherent to the mechanical and hydrological properties of the slope materials by allowing values of the TRIGRS model input parameters to be sampled randomly from a given probability distribution. The range of variation and the mean value of the parameters can be determined by the usual methods used for preparing the TRIGRS input parameters. The outputs of several model runs obtained varying the input parameters are analyzed statistically, and compared to the original (deterministic) model output. The comparison suggests an improvement of the predictive power of the model of about 10% and 16% in two small test areas, i.e. the Frontignano (Italy) and the Mukilteo (USA) areas, respectively. We discuss the computational requirements of TRIGRS-P to determine the potential use of the numerical model to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides in very large areas, extending for several hundreds or thousands of square kilometers. Parallel execution of the code using a simple process distribution and the Message Passing Interface (MPI) on multi-processor machines was successful, opening the possibly of testing the use of TRIGRS-P for the operational forecasting of rainfall-induced shallow landslides over large regions.

  8. An efficient deterministic-probabilistic approach to modeling regional groundwater flow: 2. Application to Owens Valley, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guymon, Gary L.; Yen, Chung-Cheng

    1990-01-01

    The applicability of a deterministic-probabilistic model for predicting water tables in southern Owens Valley, California, is evaluated. The model is based on a two-layer deterministic model that is cascaded with a two-point probability model. To reduce the potentially large number of uncertain variables in the deterministic model, lumping of uncertain variables was evaluated by sensitivity analysis to reduce the total number of uncertain variables to three variables: hydraulic conductivity, storage coefficient or specific yield, and source-sink function. Results demonstrate that lumping of uncertain parameters reduces computational effort while providing sufficient precision for the case studied. Simulated spatial coefficients of variation for water table temporal position in most of the basin is small, which suggests that deterministic models can predict water tables in these areas with good precision. However, in several important areas where pumping occurs or the geology is complex, the simulated spatial coefficients of variation are over estimated by the two-point probability method.

  9. An efficient deterministic-probabilistic approach to modeling regional groundwater flow: 2. Application to Owens Valley, California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guymon, Gary L.; Yen, Chung-Cheng

    1990-07-01

    The applicability of a deterministic-probabilistic model for predicting water tables in southern Owens Valley, California, is evaluated. The model is based on a two-layer deterministic model that is cascaded with a two-point probability model. To reduce the potentially large number of uncertain variables in the deterministic model, lumping of uncertain variables was evaluated by sensitivity analysis to reduce the total number of uncertain variables to three variables: hydraulic conductivity, storage coefficient or specific yield, and source-sink function. Results demonstrate that lumping of uncertain parameters reduces computational effort while providing sufficient precision for the case studied. Simulated spatial coefficients of variation for water table temporal position in most of the basin is small, which suggests that deterministic models can predict water tables in these areas with good precision. However, in several important areas where pumping occurs or the geology is complex, the simulated spatial coefficients of variation are over estimated by the two-point probability method.

  10. Path Toward a Unifid Geometry for Radiation Transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Kerry; Barzilla, Janet; Davis, Andrew; Zachmann

    2014-01-01

    The Direct Accelerated Geometry for Radiation Analysis and Design (DAGRAD) element of the RadWorks Project under Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) of NASA will enable new designs and concepts of operation for radiation risk assessment, mitigation and protection. This element is designed to produce a solution that will allow NASA to calculate the transport of space radiation through complex computer-aided design (CAD) models using the state-of-the-art analytic and Monte Carlo radiation transport codes. Due to the inherent hazard of astronaut and spacecraft exposure to ionizing radiation in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or in deep space, risk analyses must be performed for all crew vehicles and habitats. Incorporating these analyses into the design process can minimize the mass needed solely for radiation protection. Transport of the radiation fields as they pass through shielding and body materials can be simulated using Monte Carlo techniques or described by the Boltzmann equation, which is obtained by balancing changes in particle fluxes as they traverse a small volume of material with the gains and losses caused by atomic and nuclear collisions. Deterministic codes that solve the Boltzmann transport equation, such as HZETRN [high charge and energy transport code developed by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)], are generally computationally faster than Monte Carlo codes such as FLUKA, GEANT4, MCNP(X) or PHITS; however, they are currently limited to transport in one dimension, which poorly represents the secondary light ion and neutron radiation fields. NASA currently uses HZETRN space radiation transport software, both because it is computationally efficient and because proven methods have been developed for using this software to analyze complex geometries. Although Monte Carlo codes describe the relevant physics in a fully three-dimensional manner, their computational costs have thus far prevented their widespread use for analysis of complex CAD models, leading to the creation and maintenance of toolkit-specific simplistic geometry models. The work presented here builds on the Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) toolkit developed for use with the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code. The workflow for achieving radiation transport on CAD models using MCNP and FLUKA has been demonstrated and the results of analyses on realistic spacecraft/habitats will be presented. Future work is planned that will further automate this process and enable the use of multiple radiation transport codes on identical geometry models imported from CAD. This effort will enhance the modeling tools used by NASA to accurately evaluate the astronaut space radiation risk and accurately determine the protection provided by as-designed exploration mission vehicles and habitats

  11. 360° deterministic magnetization rotation in a three-ellipse magnetoelectric heterostructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kundu, Auni A.; Chavez, Andres C.; Keller, Scott M.; Carman, Gregory P.; Lynch, Christopher S.

    2018-03-01

    A magnetic dipole-coupled magnetoelectric heterostructure comprised of three closely spaced ellipse shapes was designed and shown to be capable of achieving deterministic in-plane magnetization rotation. The design approach used a combination of conventional micromagnetic simulations to obtain preliminary configurations followed by simulations using a fully strain-coupled, time domain micromagnetic code for a detailed assessment of performance. The conventional micromagnetic code has short run times and was used to refine the ellipse shape and orientation, but it does not accurately capture the effects of the strain gradients present in the piezoelectric and magnetostrictive layers that contribute to magnetization reorientation. The fully coupled code was used to assess the effects of strain and magnetic field gradients on precessional switching in the side ellipses and on the resulting dipole-field driven magnetization reorientation in the center ellipse. The work led to a geometry with a CoFeB ellipse (125 nm × 95 nm × 4 nm) positioned between two smaller CoFeB ellipses (75 nm × 50 nm × 4 nm) on a 500 nm PZT-5H film substrate clamped at its bottom surface. The smaller ellipses were oriented at 45° and positioned at 70° and 250° about the central ellipse due to the film deposition on a thick substrate. A 7.3 V pulse applied to the PZT for 0.22 ns produced 180° switching of the magnetization in the outer ellipses that then drove switching in the center ellipse through dipole-dipole coupling. Full 360° deterministic rotation was achieved with a second pulse. The temporal response of the resulting design is discussed.

  12. Path Toward a Unified Geometry for Radiation Transport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Kerry

    The Direct Accelerated Geometry for Radiation Analysis and Design (DAGRAD) element of the RadWorks Project under Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) of NASA will enable new designs and concepts of operation for radiation risk assessment, mitigation and protection. This element is designed to produce a solution that will allow NASA to calculate the transport of space radiation through complex CAD models using the state-of-the-art analytic and Monte Carlo radiation transport codes. Due to the inherent hazard of astronaut and spacecraft exposure to ionizing radiation in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or in deep space, risk analyses must be performed for all crew vehicles and habitats. Incorporating these analyses into the design process can minimize the mass needed solely for radiation protection. Transport of the radiation fields as they pass through shielding and body materials can be simulated using Monte Carlo techniques or described by the Boltzmann equation, which is obtained by balancing changes in particle fluxes as they traverse a small volume of material with the gains and losses caused by atomic and nuclear collisions. Deterministic codes that solve the Boltzmann transport equation, such as HZETRN (high charge and energy transport code developed by NASA LaRC), are generally computationally faster than Monte Carlo codes such as FLUKA, GEANT4, MCNP(X) or PHITS; however, they are currently limited to transport in one dimension, which poorly represents the secondary light ion and neutron radiation fields. NASA currently uses HZETRN space radiation transport software, both because it is computationally efficient and because proven methods have been developed for using this software to analyze complex geometries. Although Monte Carlo codes describe the relevant physics in a fully three-dimensional manner, their computational costs have thus far prevented their widespread use for analysis of complex CAD models, leading to the creation and maintenance of toolkit specific simplistic geometry models. The work presented here builds on the Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) toolkit developed for use with the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code. The work-flow for doing radiation transport on CAD models using MCNP and FLUKA has been demonstrated and the results of analyses on realistic spacecraft/habitats will be presented. Future work is planned that will further automate this process and enable the use of multiple radiation transport codes on identical geometry models imported from CAD. This effort will enhance the modeling tools used by NASA to accurately evaluate the astronaut space radiation risk and accurately determine the protection provided by as-designed exploration mission vehicles and habitats.

  13. Parameter Estimation in Epidemiology: from Simple to Complex Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aguiar, Maíra; Ballesteros, Sebastién; Boto, João Pedro; Kooi, Bob W.; Mateus, Luís; Stollenwerk, Nico

    2011-09-01

    We revisit the parameter estimation framework for population biological dynamical systems, and apply it to calibrate various models in epidemiology with empirical time series, namely influenza and dengue fever. When it comes to more complex models like multi-strain dynamics to describe the virus-host interaction in dengue fever, even most recently developed parameter estimation techniques, like maximum likelihood iterated filtering, come to their computational limits. However, the first results of parameter estimation with data on dengue fever from Thailand indicate a subtle interplay between stochasticity and deterministic skeleton. The deterministic system on its own already displays complex dynamics up to deterministic chaos and coexistence of multiple attractors.

  14. Prediction of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux for the Double Chooz Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Chirstopher LaDon

    This thesis benchmarks the deterministic lattice code, DRAGON, against data, and then applies this code to make a prediction for the antineutrino flux from the Chooz Bl and B2 reactors. Data from the destructive assay of rods from the Takahama-3 reactor and from the SONGS antineutrino detector are used for comparisons. The resulting prediction from the tuned DRAGON code is then compared to the first antineutrino event spectra from Double Chooz. Use of this simulation in nuclear nonproliferation studies is discussed. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - docs@mit.edu)

  15. Current and anticipated uses of thermalhydraulic and neutronic codes at PSI

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

    Aksan, S.N.; Zimmermann, M.A.; Yadigaroglu, G.

    1997-07-01

    The thermalhydraulic and/or neutronic codes in use at PSI mainly provide the capability to perform deterministic safety analysis for Swiss NPPs and also serve as analysis tools for experimental facilities for LWR and ALWR simulations. In relation to these applications, physical model development and improvements, and assessment of the codes are also essential components of the activities. In this paper, a brief overview is provided on the thermalhydraulic and/or neutronic codes used for safety analysis of LWRs, at PSI, and also of some experiences and applications with these codes. Based on these experiences, additional assessment needs are indicated, together withmore » some model improvement needs. The future needs that could be used to specify both the development of a new code and also improvement of available codes are summarized.« less

  16. Advances in the computation of the Sjöstrand, Rossi, and Feynman distributions

    DOE PAGES

    Talamo, A.; Gohar, Y.; Gabrielli, F.; ...

    2017-02-01

    This study illustrates recent computational advances in the application of the Sjöstrand (area), Rossi, and Feynman methods to estimate the effective multiplication factor of a subcritical system driven by an external neutron source. The methodologies introduced in this study have been validated with the experimental results from the KUKA facility of Japan by Monte Carlo (MCNP6 and MCNPX) and deterministic (ERANOS, VARIANT, and PARTISN) codes. When the assembly is driven by a pulsed neutron source generated by a particle accelerator and delayed neutrons are at equilibrium, the Sjöstrand method becomes extremely fast if the integral of the reaction rate frommore » a single pulse is split into two parts. These two integrals distinguish between the neutron counts during and after the pulse period. To conclude, when the facility is driven by a spontaneous fission neutron source, the timestamps of the detector neutron counts can be obtained up to the nanosecond precision using MCNP6, which allows obtaining the Rossi and Feynman distributions.« less

  17. Stability analysis of multi-group deterministic and stochastic epidemic models with vaccination rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhi-Gang; Gao, Rui-Mei; Fan, Xiao-Ming; Han, Qi-Xing

    2014-09-01

    We discuss in this paper a deterministic multi-group MSIR epidemic model with a vaccination rate, the basic reproduction number ℛ0, a key parameter in epidemiology, is a threshold which determines the persistence or extinction of the disease. By using Lyapunov function techniques, we show if ℛ0 is greater than 1 and the deterministic model obeys some conditions, then the disease will prevail, the infective persists and the endemic state is asymptotically stable in a feasible region. If ℛ0 is less than or equal to 1, then the infective disappear so the disease dies out. In addition, stochastic noises around the endemic equilibrium will be added to the deterministic MSIR model in order that the deterministic model is extended to a system of stochastic ordinary differential equations. In the stochastic version, we carry out a detailed analysis on the asymptotic behavior of the stochastic model. In addition, regarding the value of ℛ0, when the stochastic system obeys some conditions and ℛ0 is greater than 1, we deduce the stochastic system is stochastically asymptotically stable. Finally, the deterministic and stochastic model dynamics are illustrated through computer simulations.

  18. Converting differential-equation models of biological systems to membrane computing.

    PubMed

    Muniyandi, Ravie Chandren; Zin, Abdullah Mohd; Sanders, J W

    2013-12-01

    This paper presents a method to convert the deterministic, continuous representation of a biological system by ordinary differential equations into a non-deterministic, discrete membrane computation. The dynamics of the membrane computation is governed by rewrite rules operating at certain rates. That has the advantage of applying accurately to small systems, and to expressing rates of change that are determined locally, by region, but not necessary globally. Such spatial information augments the standard differentiable approach to provide a more realistic model. A biological case study of the ligand-receptor network of protein TGF-β is used to validate the effectiveness of the conversion method. It demonstrates the sense in which the behaviours and properties of the system are better preserved in the membrane computing model, suggesting that the proposed conversion method may prove useful for biological systems in particular. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Fencing data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2015-08-11

    Fencing data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint comprising a specification of data communications parameters for a thread of execution on a compute node, including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the compute nodes coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through data communications resources including a deterministic data communications network, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active SEND instructions for SEND data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic SEND data transfers; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for SEND data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all SEND instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for SEND data transfers between the two endpoints.

  20. Fencing data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2015-06-30

    Fencing data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint comprising a specification of data communications parameters for a thread of execution on a compute node, including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the compute nodes coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through data communications resources including a deterministic data communications network, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active SEND instructions for SEND data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic SEND data transfers; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for SEND data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all SEND instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for SEND data transfers between the two endpoints.

  1. A hybrid (Monte Carlo/deterministic) approach for multi-dimensional radiation transport

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

    Bal, Guillaume, E-mail: gb2030@columbia.edu; Davis, Anthony B., E-mail: Anthony.B.Davis@jpl.nasa.gov; Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kohn Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4030

    2011-08-20

    Highlights: {yields} We introduce a variance reduction scheme for Monte Carlo (MC) transport. {yields} The primary application is atmospheric remote sensing. {yields} The technique first solves the adjoint problem using a deterministic solver. {yields} Next, the adjoint solution is used as an importance function for the MC solver. {yields} The adjoint problem is solved quickly since it ignores the volume. - Abstract: A novel hybrid Monte Carlo transport scheme is demonstrated in a scene with solar illumination, scattering and absorbing 2D atmosphere, a textured reflecting mountain, and a small detector located in the sky (mounted on a satellite or amore » airplane). It uses a deterministic approximation of an adjoint transport solution to reduce variance, computed quickly by ignoring atmospheric interactions. This allows significant variance and computational cost reductions when the atmospheric scattering and absorption coefficient are small. When combined with an atmospheric photon-redirection scheme, significant variance reduction (equivalently acceleration) is achieved in the presence of atmospheric interactions.« less

  2. Shielding Calculations on Waste Packages - The Limits and Possibilities of different Calculation Methods by the example of homogeneous and inhomogeneous Waste Packages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Mike; Smalian, Silva

    2017-09-01

    For nuclear waste packages the expected dose rates and nuclide inventory are beforehand calculated. Depending on the package of the nuclear waste deterministic programs like MicroShield® provide a range of results for each type of packaging. Stochastic programs like "Monte-Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System" (MCNP®) on the other hand provide reliable results for complex geometries. However this type of program requires a fully trained operator and calculations are time consuming. The problem here is to choose an appropriate program for a specific geometry. Therefore we compared the results of deterministic programs like MicroShield® and stochastic programs like MCNP®. These comparisons enable us to make a statement about the applicability of the various programs for chosen types of containers. As a conclusion we found that for thin-walled geometries deterministic programs like MicroShield® are well suited to calculate the dose rate. For cylindrical containers with inner shielding however, deterministic programs hit their limits. Furthermore we investigate the effect of an inhomogeneous material and activity distribution on the results. The calculations are still ongoing. Results will be presented in the final abstract.

  3. Development of probabilistic internal dosimetry computer code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noh, Siwan; Kwon, Tae-Eun; Lee, Jai-Ki

    2017-02-01

    Internal radiation dose assessment involves biokinetic models, the corresponding parameters, measured data, and many assumptions. Every component considered in the internal dose assessment has its own uncertainty, which is propagated in the intake activity and internal dose estimates. For research or scientific purposes, and for retrospective dose reconstruction for accident scenarios occurring in workplaces having a large quantity of unsealed radionuclides, such as nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and facilities in which nuclear medicine is practiced, a quantitative uncertainty assessment of the internal dose is often required. However, no calculation tools or computer codes that incorporate all the relevant processes and their corresponding uncertainties, i.e., from the measured data to the committed dose, are available. Thus, the objective of the present study is to develop an integrated probabilistic internal-dose-assessment computer code. First, the uncertainty components in internal dosimetry are identified, and quantitative uncertainty data are collected. Then, an uncertainty database is established for each component. In order to propagate these uncertainties in an internal dose assessment, a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment system that employs the Bayesian and Monte Carlo methods. Based on the developed system, we developed a probabilistic internal-dose-assessment code by using MATLAB so as to estimate the dose distributions from the measured data with uncertainty. Using the developed code, we calculated the internal dose distribution and statistical values ( e.g. the 2.5th, 5th, median, 95th, and 97.5th percentiles) for three sample scenarios. On the basis of the distributions, we performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the influence of each component on the resulting dose in order to identify the major component of the uncertainty in a bioassay. The results of this study can be applied to various situations. In cases of severe internal exposure, the causation probability of a deterministic health effect can be derived from the dose distribution, and a high statistical value ( e.g., the 95th percentile of the distribution) can be used to determine the appropriate intervention. The distribution-based sensitivity analysis can also be used to quantify the contribution of each factor to the dose uncertainty, which is essential information for reducing and optimizing the uncertainty in the internal dose assessment. Therefore, the present study can contribute to retrospective dose assessment for accidental internal exposure scenarios, as well as to internal dose monitoring optimization and uncertainty reduction.

  4. Deterministic quantum state transfer and remote entanglement using microwave photons.

    PubMed

    Kurpiers, P; Magnard, P; Walter, T; Royer, B; Pechal, M; Heinsoo, J; Salathé, Y; Akin, A; Storz, S; Besse, J-C; Gasparinetti, S; Blais, A; Wallraff, A

    2018-06-01

    Sharing information coherently between nodes of a quantum network is fundamental to distributed quantum information processing. In this scheme, the computation is divided into subroutines and performed on several smaller quantum registers that are connected by classical and quantum channels 1 . A direct quantum channel, which connects nodes deterministically rather than probabilistically, achieves larger entanglement rates between nodes and is advantageous for distributed fault-tolerant quantum computation 2 . Here we implement deterministic state-transfer and entanglement protocols between two superconducting qubits fabricated on separate chips. Superconducting circuits 3 constitute a universal quantum node 4 that is capable of sending, receiving, storing and processing quantum information 5-8 . Our implementation is based on an all-microwave cavity-assisted Raman process 9 , which entangles or transfers the qubit state of a transmon-type artificial atom 10 with a time-symmetric itinerant single photon. We transfer qubit states by absorbing these itinerant photons at the receiving node, with a probability of 98.1 ± 0.1 per cent, achieving a transfer-process fidelity of 80.02 ± 0.07 per cent for a protocol duration of only 180 nanoseconds. We also prepare remote entanglement on demand with a fidelity as high as 78.9 ± 0.1 per cent at a rate of 50 kilohertz. Our results are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations based on a master-equation description of the system. This deterministic protocol has the potential to be used for quantum computing distributed across different nodes of a cryogenic network.

  5. Work plan for improving the DARWIN2.3 depleted material balance calculation of nuclides of interest for the fuel cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rizzo, Axel; Vaglio-Gaudard, Claire; Martin, Julie-Fiona; Noguère, Gilles; Eschbach, Romain

    2017-09-01

    DARWIN2.3 is the reference package used for fuel cycle applications in France. It solves the Boltzmann and Bateman equations in a coupling way, with the European JEFF-3.1.1 nuclear data library, to compute the fuel cycle values of interest. It includes both deterministic transport codes APOLLO2 (for light water reactors) and ERANOS2 (for fast reactors), and the DARWIN/PEPIN2 depletion code, each of them being developed by CEA/DEN with the support of its industrial partners. The DARWIN2.3 package has been experimentally validated for pressurized and boiling water reactors, as well as for sodium fast reactors; this experimental validation relies on the analysis of post-irradiation experiments (PIE). The DARWIN2.3 experimental validation work points out some isotopes for which the depleted concentration calculation can be improved. Some other nuclides have no available experimental validation, and their concentration calculation uncertainty is provided by the propagation of a priori nuclear data uncertainties. This paper describes the work plan of studies initiated this year to improve the accuracy of the DARWIN2.3 depleted material balance calculation concerning some nuclides of interest for the fuel cycle.

  6. Apparatus for fixing latency

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

    Hall, David R; Bartholomew, David B; Moon, Justin

    2009-09-08

    An apparatus for fixing computational latency within a deterministic region on a network comprises a network interface modem, a high priority module and at least one deterministic peripheral device. The network interface modem is in communication with the network. The high priority module is in communication with the network interface modem. The at least one deterministic peripheral device is connected to the high priority module. The high priority module comprises a packet assembler/disassembler, and hardware for performing at least one operation. Also disclosed is an apparatus for executing at least one instruction on a downhole device within a deterministic region,more » the apparatus comprising a control device, a downhole network, and a downhole device. The control device is near the surface of a downhole tool string. The downhole network is integrated into the tool string. The downhole device is in communication with the downhole network.« less

  7. Nonlinear Boltzmann equation for the homogeneous isotropic case: Minimal deterministic Matlab program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asinari, Pietro

    2010-10-01

    The homogeneous isotropic Boltzmann equation (HIBE) is a fundamental dynamic model for many applications in thermodynamics, econophysics and sociodynamics. Despite recent hardware improvements, the solution of the Boltzmann equation remains extremely challenging from the computational point of view, in particular by deterministic methods (free of stochastic noise). This work aims to improve a deterministic direct method recently proposed [V.V. Aristov, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001] for solving the HIBE with a generic collisional kernel and, in particular, for taking care of the late dynamics of the relaxation towards the equilibrium. Essentially (a) the original problem is reformulated in terms of particle kinetic energy (exact particle number and energy conservation during microscopic collisions) and (b) the computation of the relaxation rates is improved by the DVM-like correction, where DVM stands for Discrete Velocity Model (ensuring that the macroscopic conservation laws are exactly satisfied). Both these corrections make possible to derive very accurate reference solutions for this test case. Moreover this work aims to distribute an open-source program (called HOMISBOLTZ), which can be redistributed and/or modified for dealing with different applications, under the terms of the GNU General Public License. The program has been purposely designed in order to be minimal, not only with regards to the reduced number of lines (less than 1000), but also with regards to the coding style (as simple as possible). Program summaryProgram title: HOMISBOLTZ Catalogue identifier: AEGN_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEGN_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 23 340 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 7 635 236 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Tested with Matlab version ⩽6.5. However, in principle, any recent version of Matlab or Octave should work Computer: All supporting Matlab or Octave Operating system: All supporting Matlab or Octave RAM: 300 MBytes Classification: 23 Nature of problem: The problem consists in integrating the homogeneous Boltzmann equation for a generic collisional kernel in case of isotropic symmetry, by a deterministic direct method. Difficulties arise from the multi-dimensionality of the collisional operator and from satisfying the conservation of particle number and energy (momentum is trivial for this test case) as accurately as possible, in order to preserve the late dynamics. Solution method: The solution is based on the method proposed by Aristov (2001) [1], but with two substantial improvements: (a) the original problem is reformulated in terms of particle kinetic energy (this allows one to ensure exact particle number and energy conservation during microscopic collisions) and (b) a DVM-like correction (where DVM stands for Discrete Velocity Model) is adopted for improving the relaxation rates (this allows one to satisfy exactly the conservation laws at macroscopic level, which is particularly important for describing the late dynamics in the relaxation towards the equilibrium). Both these corrections make possible to derive very accurate reference solutions for this test case. Restrictions: The nonlinear Boltzmann equation is extremely challenging from the computational point of view, in particular for deterministic methods, despite the increased computational power of recent hardware. In this work, only the homogeneous isotropic case is considered, for making possible the development of a minimal program (by a simple scripting language) and allowing the user to check the advantages of the proposed improvements beyond Aristov's (2001) method [1]. The initial conditions are supposed parameterized according to a fixed analytical expression, but this can be easily modified. Running time: From minutes to hours (depending on the adopted discretization of the kinetic energy space). For example, on a 64 bit workstation with Intel CoreTM i7-820Q Quad Core CPU at 1.73 GHz and 8 MBytes of RAM, the provided test run (with the corresponding binary data file storing the pre-computed relaxation rates) requires 154 seconds. References:V.V. Aristov, Direct Methods for Solving the Boltzmann Equation and Study of Nonequilibrium Flows, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

  8. Using linked data to evaluate motor vehicle crashes involving elderly drivers in Connecticut : Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) linked data demonstration project

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-09-01

    A deterministic algorithm was developed which allowed data from Department of Transportation motor vehicle crash records, state mortality registry records, and hospital admission and emergency department records to be linked for analysis of the impac...

  9. The relationship between stochastic and deterministic quasi-steady state approximations.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jae Kyoung; Josić, Krešimir; Bennett, Matthew R

    2015-11-23

    The quasi steady-state approximation (QSSA) is frequently used to reduce deterministic models of biochemical networks. The resulting equations provide a simplified description of the network in terms of non-elementary reaction functions (e.g. Hill functions). Such deterministic reductions are frequently a basis for heuristic stochastic models in which non-elementary reaction functions are used to define reaction propensities. Despite their popularity, it remains unclear when such stochastic reductions are valid. It is frequently assumed that the stochastic reduction can be trusted whenever its deterministic counterpart is accurate. However, a number of recent examples show that this is not necessarily the case. Here we explain the origin of these discrepancies, and demonstrate a clear relationship between the accuracy of the deterministic and the stochastic QSSA for examples widely used in biological systems. With an analysis of a two-state promoter model, and numerical simulations for a variety of other models, we find that the stochastic QSSA is accurate whenever its deterministic counterpart provides an accurate approximation over a range of initial conditions which cover the likely fluctuations from the quasi steady-state (QSS). We conjecture that this relationship provides a simple and computationally inexpensive way to test the accuracy of reduced stochastic models using deterministic simulations. The stochastic QSSA is one of the most popular multi-scale stochastic simulation methods. While the use of QSSA, and the resulting non-elementary functions has been justified in the deterministic case, it is not clear when their stochastic counterparts are accurate. In this study, we show how the accuracy of the stochastic QSSA can be tested using their deterministic counterparts providing a concrete method to test when non-elementary rate functions can be used in stochastic simulations.

  10. SCEC Earthquake System Science Using High Performance Computing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maechling, P. J.; Jordan, T. H.; Archuleta, R.; Beroza, G.; Bielak, J.; Chen, P.; Cui, Y.; Day, S.; Deelman, E.; Graves, R. W.; Minster, J. B.; Olsen, K. B.

    2008-12-01

    The SCEC Community Modeling Environment (SCEC/CME) collaboration performs basic scientific research using high performance computing with the goal of developing a predictive understanding of earthquake processes and seismic hazards in California. SCEC/CME research areas including dynamic rupture modeling, wave propagation modeling, probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), and full 3D tomography. SCEC/CME computational capabilities are organized around the development and application of robust, re- usable, well-validated simulation systems we call computational platforms. The SCEC earthquake system science research program includes a wide range of numerical modeling efforts and we continue to extend our numerical modeling codes to include more realistic physics and to run at higher and higher resolution. During this year, the SCEC/USGS OpenSHA PSHA computational platform was used to calculate PSHA hazard curves and hazard maps using the new UCERF2.0 ERF and new 2008 attenuation relationships. Three SCEC/CME modeling groups ran 1Hz ShakeOut simulations using different codes and computer systems and carefully compared the results. The DynaShake Platform was used to calculate several dynamic rupture-based source descriptions equivalent in magnitude and final surface slip to the ShakeOut 1.2 kinematic source description. A SCEC/CME modeler produced 10Hz synthetic seismograms for the ShakeOut 1.2 scenario rupture by combining 1Hz deterministic simulation results with 10Hz stochastic seismograms. SCEC/CME modelers ran an ensemble of seven ShakeOut-D simulations to investigate the variability of ground motions produced by dynamic rupture-based source descriptions. The CyberShake Platform was used to calculate more than 15 new probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) hazard curves using full 3D waveform modeling and the new UCERF2.0 ERF. The SCEC/CME group has also produced significant computer science results this year. Large-scale SCEC/CME high performance codes were run on NSF TeraGrid sites including simulations that use the full PSC Big Ben supercomputer (4096 cores) and simulations that ran on more than 10K cores at TACC Ranger. The SCEC/CME group used scientific workflow tools and grid-computing to run more than 1.5 million jobs at NCSA for the CyberShake project. Visualizations produced by a SCEC/CME researcher of the 10Hz ShakeOut 1.2 scenario simulation data were used by USGS in ShakeOut publications and public outreach efforts. OpenSHA was ported onto an NSF supercomputer and was used to produce very high resolution hazard PSHA maps that contained more than 1.6 million hazard curves.

  11. Uncertainty analysis on reactivity and discharged inventory for a pressurized water reactor fuel assembly due to {sup 235,238}U nuclear data uncertainties

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

    Da Cruz, D. F.; Rochman, D.; Koning, A. J.

    2012-07-01

    This paper discusses the uncertainty analysis on reactivity and inventory for a typical PWR fuel element as a result of uncertainties in {sup 235,238}U nuclear data. A typical Westinghouse 3-loop fuel assembly fuelled with UO{sub 2} fuel with 4.8% enrichment has been selected. The Total Monte-Carlo method has been applied using the deterministic transport code DRAGON. This code allows the generation of the few-groups nuclear data libraries by directly using data contained in the nuclear data evaluation files. The nuclear data used in this study is from the JEFF3.1 evaluation, and the nuclear data files for {sup 238}U and {supmore » 235}U (randomized for the generation of the various DRAGON libraries) are taken from the nuclear data library TENDL. The total uncertainty (obtained by randomizing all {sup 238}U and {sup 235}U nuclear data in the ENDF files) on the reactor parameters has been split into different components (different nuclear reaction channels). Results show that the TMC method in combination with a deterministic transport code constitutes a powerful tool for performing uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of reactor physics parameters. (authors)« less

  12. Distinct Sources of Deterministic and Stochastic Components of Action Timing Decisions in Rodent Frontal Cortex.

    PubMed

    Murakami, Masayoshi; Shteingart, Hanan; Loewenstein, Yonatan; Mainen, Zachary F

    2017-05-17

    The selection and timing of actions are subject to determinate influences such as sensory cues and internal state as well as to effectively stochastic variability. Although stochastic choice mechanisms are assumed by many theoretical models, their origin and mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we investigated this issue by studying how neural circuits in the frontal cortex determine action timing in rats performing a waiting task. Electrophysiological recordings from two regions necessary for this behavior, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and secondary motor cortex (M2), revealed an unexpected functional dissociation. Both areas encoded deterministic biases in action timing, but only M2 neurons reflected stochastic trial-by-trial fluctuations. This differential coding was reflected in distinct timescales of neural dynamics in the two frontal cortical areas. These results suggest a two-stage model in which stochastic components of action timing decisions are injected by circuits downstream of those carrying deterministic bias signals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Optimization Testbed Cometboards Extended into Stochastic Domain

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patnaik, Surya N.; Pai, Shantaram S.; Coroneos, Rula M.; Patnaik, Surya N.

    2010-01-01

    COMparative Evaluation Testbed of Optimization and Analysis Routines for the Design of Structures (CometBoards) is a multidisciplinary design optimization software. It was originally developed for deterministic calculation. It has now been extended into the stochastic domain for structural design problems. For deterministic problems, CometBoards is introduced through its subproblem solution strategy as well as the approximation concept in optimization. In the stochastic domain, a design is formulated as a function of the risk or reliability. Optimum solution including the weight of a structure, is also obtained as a function of reliability. Weight versus reliability traced out an inverted-S-shaped graph. The center of the graph corresponded to 50 percent probability of success, or one failure in two samples. A heavy design with weight approaching infinity could be produced for a near-zero rate of failure that corresponded to unity for reliability. Weight can be reduced to a small value for the most failure-prone design with a compromised reliability approaching zero. The stochastic design optimization (SDO) capability for an industrial problem was obtained by combining three codes: MSC/Nastran code was the deterministic analysis tool, fast probabilistic integrator, or the FPI module of the NESSUS software, was the probabilistic calculator, and CometBoards became the optimizer. The SDO capability requires a finite element structural model, a material model, a load model, and a design model. The stochastic optimization concept is illustrated considering an academic example and a real-life airframe component made of metallic and composite materials.

  14. Depletion Calculations Based on Perturbations. Application to the Study of a Rep-Like Assembly at Beginning of Cycle with TRIPOLI-4®.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dieudonne, Cyril; Dumonteil, Eric; Malvagi, Fausto; M'Backé Diop, Cheikh

    2014-06-01

    For several years, Monte Carlo burnup/depletion codes have appeared, which couple Monte Carlo codes to simulate the neutron transport to deterministic methods, which handle the medium depletion due to the neutron flux. Solving Boltzmann and Bateman equations in such a way allows to track fine 3-dimensional effects and to get rid of multi-group hypotheses done by deterministic solvers. The counterpart is the prohibitive calculation time due to the Monte Carlo solver called at each time step. In this paper we present a methodology to avoid the repetitive and time-expensive Monte Carlo simulations, and to replace them by perturbation calculations: indeed the different burnup steps may be seen as perturbations of the isotopic concentration of an initial Monte Carlo simulation. In a first time we will present this method, and provide details on the perturbative technique used, namely the correlated sampling. In a second time the implementation of this method in the TRIPOLI-4® code will be discussed, as well as the precise calculation scheme a meme to bring important speed-up of the depletion calculation. Finally, this technique will be used to calculate the depletion of a REP-like assembly, studied at beginning of its cycle. After having validated the method with a reference calculation we will show that it can speed-up by nearly an order of magnitude standard Monte-Carlo depletion codes.

  15. MC2-3 / DIF3D Analysis for the ZPPR-15 Doppler and Sodium Void Worth Measurements

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

    Smith, Micheal A.; Lell, Richard M.; Lee, Changho

    This manuscript covers validation efforts for our deterministic codes at Argonne National Laboratory. The experimental results come from the ZPPR-15 work in 1985-1986 which was focused on the accuracy of physics data for the integral fast reactor concept. Results for six loadings are studied in this document and focus on Doppler sample worths and sodium void worths. The ZPPR-15 loadings are modeled using the MC2-3/DIF3D codes developed and maintained at ANL and the MCNP code from LANL. The deterministic models are generated by processing the as-built geometry information, i.e. MCNP input, and generating MC2-3 cross section generation instructions and amore » drawer homogenized equivalence problem. The Doppler reactivity worth measurements are small heated samples which insert very small amounts of reactivity into the system (< 2 pcm). The results generated by the MC2-3/DIF3D codes were excellent for ZPPR-15A and ZPPR-15B and good for ZPPR-15D, compared to the MCNP solutions. In all cases, notable improvements were made over the analysis techniques applied to the same problems in 1987. The sodium void worths from MC2-3/DIF3D were quite good at 37.5 pcm while MCNP result was 33 pcm and the measured result was 31.5 pcm. Copyright © (2015) by the American Nuclear Society All rights reserved.« less

  16. Investigation of HZETRN 2010 as a Tool for Single Event Effect Qualification of Avionics Systems - Part II

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rojdev, Kristina; Koontz, Steve; Reddell, Brandon; Atwell, William; Boeder, Paul

    2015-01-01

    An accurate prediction of spacecraft avionics single event effect (SEE) radiation susceptibility is key to ensuring a safe and reliable vehicle. This is particularly important for long-duration deep space missions for human exploration where there is little or no chance for a quick emergency return to Earth. Monte Carlo nuclear reaction and transport codes such as FLUKA can be used to generate very accurate models of the expected in-flight radiation environment for SEE analyses. A major downside to using a Monte Carlo-based code is that the run times can be very long (on the order of days). A more popular choice for SEE calculations is the CREME96 deterministic code, which offers significantly shorter run times (on the order of seconds). However, CREME96, though fast and easy to use, has not been updated in several years and underestimates secondary particle shower effects in spacecraft structural shielding mass. Another modeling option to consider is the deterministic code HZETRN 20104, which includes updates to address secondary particle shower effects more accurately. This paper builds on previous work by Rojdev, et al. to compare the use of HZETRN 2010 against CREME96 as a tool to verify spacecraft avionics system reliability in a space flight SEE environment. This paper will discuss modifications made to HZETRN 2010 to improve its performance for calculating SEE rates and compare results with both in-flight SEE rates and other calculation methods.

  17. A deterministic partial differential equation model for dose calculation in electron radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Duclous, R; Dubroca, B; Frank, M

    2010-07-07

    High-energy ionizing radiation is a prominent modality for the treatment of many cancers. The approaches to electron dose calculation can be categorized into semi-empirical models (e.g. Fermi-Eyges, convolution-superposition) and probabilistic methods (e.g.Monte Carlo). A third approach to dose calculation has only recently attracted attention in the medical physics community. This approach is based on the deterministic kinetic equations of radiative transfer. We derive a macroscopic partial differential equation model for electron transport in tissue. This model involves an angular closure in the phase space. It is exact for the free streaming and the isotropic regime. We solve it numerically by a newly developed HLLC scheme based on Berthon et al (2007 J. Sci. Comput. 31 347-89) that exactly preserves the key properties of the analytical solution on the discrete level. We discuss several test cases taken from the medical physics literature. A test case with an academic Henyey-Greenstein scattering kernel is considered. We compare our model to a benchmark discrete ordinate solution. A simplified model of electron interactions with tissue is employed to compute the dose of an electron beam in a water phantom, and a case of irradiation of the vertebral column. Here our model is compared to the PENELOPE Monte Carlo code. In the academic example, the fluences computed with the new model and a benchmark result differ by less than 1%. The depths at half maximum differ by less than 0.6%. In the two comparisons with Monte Carlo, our model gives qualitatively reasonable dose distributions. Due to the crude interaction model, these so far do not have the accuracy needed in clinical practice. However, the new model has a computational cost that is less than one-tenth of the cost of a Monte Carlo simulation. In addition, simulations can be set up in a similar way as a Monte Carlo simulation. If more detailed effects such as coupled electron-photon transport, bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering and the production of delta electrons are added to our model, the computation time will only slightly increase. Its margin of error, on the other hand, will decrease and should be within a few per cent of the actual dose. Therefore, the new model has the potential to become useful for dose calculations in clinical practice.

  18. A deterministic partial differential equation model for dose calculation in electron radiotherapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duclous, R.; Dubroca, B.; Frank, M.

    2010-07-01

    High-energy ionizing radiation is a prominent modality for the treatment of many cancers. The approaches to electron dose calculation can be categorized into semi-empirical models (e.g. Fermi-Eyges, convolution-superposition) and probabilistic methods (e.g. Monte Carlo). A third approach to dose calculation has only recently attracted attention in the medical physics community. This approach is based on the deterministic kinetic equations of radiative transfer. We derive a macroscopic partial differential equation model for electron transport in tissue. This model involves an angular closure in the phase space. It is exact for the free streaming and the isotropic regime. We solve it numerically by a newly developed HLLC scheme based on Berthon et al (2007 J. Sci. Comput. 31 347-89) that exactly preserves the key properties of the analytical solution on the discrete level. We discuss several test cases taken from the medical physics literature. A test case with an academic Henyey-Greenstein scattering kernel is considered. We compare our model to a benchmark discrete ordinate solution. A simplified model of electron interactions with tissue is employed to compute the dose of an electron beam in a water phantom, and a case of irradiation of the vertebral column. Here our model is compared to the PENELOPE Monte Carlo code. In the academic example, the fluences computed with the new model and a benchmark result differ by less than 1%. The depths at half maximum differ by less than 0.6%. In the two comparisons with Monte Carlo, our model gives qualitatively reasonable dose distributions. Due to the crude interaction model, these so far do not have the accuracy needed in clinical practice. However, the new model has a computational cost that is less than one-tenth of the cost of a Monte Carlo simulation. In addition, simulations can be set up in a similar way as a Monte Carlo simulation. If more detailed effects such as coupled electron-photon transport, bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering and the production of δ electrons are added to our model, the computation time will only slightly increase. Its margin of error, on the other hand, will decrease and should be within a few per cent of the actual dose. Therefore, the new model has the potential to become useful for dose calculations in clinical practice.

  19. Deterministic absorbed dose estimation in computed tomography using a discrete ordinates method

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

    Norris, Edward T.; Liu, Xin, E-mail: xinliu@mst.edu; Hsieh, Jiang

    Purpose: Organ dose estimation for a patient undergoing computed tomography (CT) scanning is very important. Although Monte Carlo methods are considered gold-standard in patient dose estimation, the computation time required is formidable for routine clinical calculations. Here, the authors instigate a deterministic method for estimating an absorbed dose more efficiently. Methods: Compared with current Monte Carlo methods, a more efficient approach to estimating the absorbed dose is to solve the linear Boltzmann equation numerically. In this study, an axial CT scan was modeled with a software package, Denovo, which solved the linear Boltzmann equation using the discrete ordinates method. Themore » CT scanning configuration included 16 x-ray source positions, beam collimators, flat filters, and bowtie filters. The phantom was the standard 32 cm CT dose index (CTDI) phantom. Four different Denovo simulations were performed with different simulation parameters, including the number of quadrature sets and the order of Legendre polynomial expansions. A Monte Carlo simulation was also performed for benchmarking the Denovo simulations. A quantitative comparison was made of the simulation results obtained by the Denovo and the Monte Carlo methods. Results: The difference in the simulation results of the discrete ordinates method and those of the Monte Carlo methods was found to be small, with a root-mean-square difference of around 2.4%. It was found that the discrete ordinates method, with a higher order of Legendre polynomial expansions, underestimated the absorbed dose near the center of the phantom (i.e., low dose region). Simulations of the quadrature set 8 and the first order of the Legendre polynomial expansions proved to be the most efficient computation method in the authors’ study. The single-thread computation time of the deterministic simulation of the quadrature set 8 and the first order of the Legendre polynomial expansions was 21 min on a personal computer. Conclusions: The simulation results showed that the deterministic method can be effectively used to estimate the absorbed dose in a CTDI phantom. The accuracy of the discrete ordinates method was close to that of a Monte Carlo simulation, and the primary benefit of the discrete ordinates method lies in its rapid computation speed. It is expected that further optimization of this method in routine clinical CT dose estimation will improve its accuracy and speed.« less

  20. ASP-based method for the enumeration of attractors in non-deterministic synchronous and asynchronous multi-valued networks.

    PubMed

    Ben Abdallah, Emna; Folschette, Maxime; Roux, Olivier; Magnin, Morgan

    2017-01-01

    This paper addresses the problem of finding attractors in biological regulatory networks. We focus here on non-deterministic synchronous and asynchronous multi-valued networks, modeled using automata networks (AN). AN is a general and well-suited formalism to study complex interactions between different components (genes, proteins,...). An attractor is a minimal trap domain, that is, a part of the state-transition graph that cannot be escaped. Such structures are terminal components of the dynamics and take the form of steady states (singleton) or complex compositions of cycles (non-singleton). Studying the effect of a disease or a mutation on an organism requires finding the attractors in the model to understand the long-term behaviors. We present a computational logical method based on answer set programming (ASP) to identify all attractors. Performed without any network reduction, the method can be applied on any dynamical semantics. In this paper, we present the two most widespread non-deterministic semantics: the asynchronous and the synchronous updating modes. The logical approach goes through a complete enumeration of the states of the network in order to find the attractors without the necessity to construct the whole state-transition graph. We realize extensive computational experiments which show good performance and fit the expected theoretical results in the literature. The originality of our approach lies on the exhaustive enumeration of all possible (sets of) states verifying the properties of an attractor thanks to the use of ASP. Our method is applied to non-deterministic semantics in two different schemes (asynchronous and synchronous). The merits of our methods are illustrated by applying them to biological examples of various sizes and comparing the results with some existing approaches. It turns out that our approach succeeds to exhaustively enumerate on a desktop computer, in a large model (100 components), all existing attractors up to a given size (20 states). This size is only limited by memory and computation time.

  1. Earthquake Hazard Mitigation Using a Systems Analysis Approach to Risk Assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Legg, M.; Eguchi, R. T.

    2015-12-01

    The earthquake hazard mitigation goal is to reduce losses due to severe natural events. The first step is to conduct a Seismic Risk Assessment consisting of 1) hazard estimation, 2) vulnerability analysis, 3) exposure compilation. Seismic hazards include ground deformation, shaking, and inundation. The hazard estimation may be probabilistic or deterministic. Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) is generally applied to site-specific Risk assessments, but may involve large areas as in a National Seismic Hazard Mapping program. Deterministic hazard assessments are needed for geographically distributed exposure such as lifelines (infrastructure), but may be important for large communities. Vulnerability evaluation includes quantification of fragility for construction or components including personnel. Exposure represents the existing or planned construction, facilities, infrastructure, and population in the affected area. Risk (expected loss) is the product of the quantified hazard, vulnerability (damage algorithm), and exposure which may be used to prepare emergency response plans, retrofit existing construction, or use community planning to avoid hazards. The risk estimate provides data needed to acquire earthquake insurance to assist with effective recovery following a severe event. Earthquake Scenarios used in Deterministic Risk Assessments provide detailed information on where hazards may be most severe, what system components are most susceptible to failure, and to evaluate the combined effects of a severe earthquake to the whole system or community. Casualties (injuries and death) have been the primary factor in defining building codes for seismic-resistant construction. Economic losses may be equally significant factors that can influence proactive hazard mitigation. Large urban earthquakes may produce catastrophic losses due to a cascading of effects often missed in PSHA. Economic collapse may ensue if damaged workplaces, disruption of utilities, and resultant loss of income produces widespread default on payments. With increased computational power and more complete inventories of exposure, Monte Carlo methods may provide more accurate estimation of severe losses and the opportunity to increase resilience of vulnerable systems and communities.

  2. Using linked data to evaluate medical and financial outcomes of motor vehicle crashes in Connecticut : Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) linked data demonstration project

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-09-01

    A deterministic algorithm was developed which allowed data from Department of Transportation motor vehicle crash records, state mortality registry records, and hospital admission and emergency department records to be linked for analysis of the finan...

  3. Thermodynamics of quasideterministic digital computers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chu, Dominique

    2018-02-01

    A central result of stochastic thermodynamics is that irreversible state transitions of Markovian systems entail a cost in terms of an infinite entropy production. A corollary of this is that strictly deterministic computation is not possible. Using a thermodynamically consistent model, we show that quasideterministic computation can be achieved at finite, and indeed modest cost with accuracies that are indistinguishable from deterministic behavior for all practical purposes. Concretely, we consider the entropy production of stochastic (Markovian) systems that behave like and and a not gates. Combinations of these gates can implement any logical function. We require that these gates return the correct result with a probability that is very close to 1, and additionally, that they do so within finite time. The central component of the model is a machine that can read and write binary tapes. We find that the error probability of the computation of these gates falls with the power of the system size, whereas the cost only increases linearly with the system size.

  4. Flow injection analysis simulations and diffusion coefficient determination by stochastic and deterministic optimization methods.

    PubMed

    Kucza, Witold

    2013-07-25

    Stochastic and deterministic simulations of dispersion in cylindrical channels on the Poiseuille flow have been presented. The random walk (stochastic) and the uniform dispersion (deterministic) models have been used for computations of flow injection analysis responses. These methods coupled with the genetic algorithm and the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization methods, respectively, have been applied for determination of diffusion coefficients. The diffusion coefficients of fluorescein sodium, potassium hexacyanoferrate and potassium dichromate have been determined by means of the presented methods and FIA responses that are available in literature. The best-fit results agree with each other and with experimental data thus validating both presented approaches. Copyright © 2013 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Deterministic entanglement distillation for secure double-server blind quantum computation.

    PubMed

    Sheng, Yu-Bo; Zhou, Lan

    2015-01-15

    Blind quantum computation (BQC) provides an efficient method for the client who does not have enough sophisticated technology and knowledge to perform universal quantum computation. The single-server BQC protocol requires the client to have some minimum quantum ability, while the double-server BQC protocol makes the client's device completely classical, resorting to the pure and clean Bell state shared by two servers. Here, we provide a deterministic entanglement distillation protocol in a practical noisy environment for the double-server BQC protocol. This protocol can get the pure maximally entangled Bell state. The success probability can reach 100% in principle. The distilled maximally entangled states can be remaind to perform the BQC protocol subsequently. The parties who perform the distillation protocol do not need to exchange the classical information and they learn nothing from the client. It makes this protocol unconditionally secure and suitable for the future BQC protocol.

  6. Deterministic entanglement distillation for secure double-server blind quantum computation

    PubMed Central

    Sheng, Yu-Bo; Zhou, Lan

    2015-01-01

    Blind quantum computation (BQC) provides an efficient method for the client who does not have enough sophisticated technology and knowledge to perform universal quantum computation. The single-server BQC protocol requires the client to have some minimum quantum ability, while the double-server BQC protocol makes the client's device completely classical, resorting to the pure and clean Bell state shared by two servers. Here, we provide a deterministic entanglement distillation protocol in a practical noisy environment for the double-server BQC protocol. This protocol can get the pure maximally entangled Bell state. The success probability can reach 100% in principle. The distilled maximally entangled states can be remaind to perform the BQC protocol subsequently. The parties who perform the distillation protocol do not need to exchange the classical information and they learn nothing from the client. It makes this protocol unconditionally secure and suitable for the future BQC protocol. PMID:25588565

  7. RES: Regularized Stochastic BFGS Algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mokhtari, Aryan; Ribeiro, Alejandro

    2014-12-01

    RES, a regularized stochastic version of the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) quasi-Newton method is proposed to solve convex optimization problems with stochastic objectives. The use of stochastic gradient descent algorithms is widespread, but the number of iterations required to approximate optimal arguments can be prohibitive in high dimensional problems. Application of second order methods, on the other hand, is impracticable because computation of objective function Hessian inverses incurs excessive computational cost. BFGS modifies gradient descent by introducing a Hessian approximation matrix computed from finite gradient differences. RES utilizes stochastic gradients in lieu of deterministic gradients for both, the determination of descent directions and the approximation of the objective function's curvature. Since stochastic gradients can be computed at manageable computational cost RES is realizable and retains the convergence rate advantages of its deterministic counterparts. Convergence results show that lower and upper bounds on the Hessian egeinvalues of the sample functions are sufficient to guarantee convergence to optimal arguments. Numerical experiments showcase reductions in convergence time relative to stochastic gradient descent algorithms and non-regularized stochastic versions of BFGS. An application of RES to the implementation of support vector machines is developed.

  8. Implementation and characterization of active feed-forward for deterministic linear optics quantum computing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Böhi, P.; Prevedel, R.; Jennewein, T.; Stefanov, A.; Tiefenbacher, F.; Zeilinger, A.

    2007-12-01

    In general, quantum computer architectures which are based on the dynamical evolution of quantum states, also require the processing of classical information, obtained by measurements of the actual qubits that make up the computer. This classical processing involves fast, active adaptation of subsequent measurements and real-time error correction (feed-forward), so that quantum gates and algorithms can be executed in a deterministic and hence error-free fashion. This is also true in the linear optical regime, where the quantum information is stored in the polarization state of photons. The adaptation of the photon’s polarization can be achieved in a very fast manner by employing electro-optical modulators, which change the polarization of a trespassing photon upon appliance of a high voltage. In this paper we discuss techniques for implementing fast, active feed-forward at the single photon level and we present their application in the context of photonic quantum computing. This includes the working principles and the characterization of the EOMs as well as a description of the switching logics, both of which allow quantum computation at an unprecedented speed.

  9. A combinatorial model of malware diffusion via bluetooth connections.

    PubMed

    Merler, Stefano; Jurman, Giuseppe

    2013-01-01

    We outline here the mathematical expression of a diffusion model for cellphones malware transmitted through Bluetooth channels. In particular, we provide the deterministic formula underlying the proposed infection model, in its equivalent recursive (simple but computationally heavy) and closed form (more complex but efficiently computable) expression.

  10. Topology optimization under stochastic stiffness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asadpoure, Alireza

    Topology optimization is a systematic computational tool for optimizing the layout of materials within a domain for engineering design problems. It allows variation of structural boundaries and connectivities. This freedom in the design space often enables discovery of new, high performance designs. However, solutions obtained by performing the optimization in a deterministic setting may be impractical or suboptimal when considering real-world engineering conditions with inherent variabilities including (for example) variabilities in fabrication processes and operating conditions. The aim of this work is to provide a computational methodology for topology optimization in the presence of uncertainties associated with structural stiffness, such as uncertain material properties and/or structural geometry. Existing methods for topology optimization under deterministic conditions are first reviewed. Modifications are then proposed to improve the numerical performance of the so-called Heaviside Projection Method (HPM) in continuum domains. Next, two approaches, perturbation and Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE), are proposed to account for uncertainties in the optimization procedure. These approaches are intrusive, allowing tight and efficient coupling of the uncertainty quantification with the optimization sensitivity analysis. The work herein develops a robust topology optimization framework aimed at reducing the sensitivity of optimized solutions to uncertainties. The perturbation-based approach combines deterministic topology optimization with a perturbation method for the quantification of uncertainties. The use of perturbation transforms the problem of topology optimization under uncertainty to an augmented deterministic topology optimization problem. The PCE approach combines the spectral stochastic approach for the representation and propagation of uncertainties with an existing deterministic topology optimization technique. The resulting compact representations for the response quantities allow for efficient and accurate calculation of sensitivities of response statistics with respect to the design variables. The proposed methods are shown to be successful at generating robust optimal topologies. Examples from topology optimization in continuum and discrete domains (truss structures) under uncertainty are presented. It is also shown that proposed methods lead to significant computational savings when compared to Monte Carlo-based optimization which involve multiple formations and inversions of the global stiffness matrix and that results obtained from the proposed method are in excellent agreement with those obtained from a Monte Carlo-based optimization algorithm.

  11. Deterministic multi-zone ice accretion modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yamaguchi, K.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Kazmierczak, Michael

    1991-01-01

    The focus here is on a deterministic model of the surface roughness transition behavior of glaze ice. The initial smooth/rough transition location, bead formation, and the propagation of the transition location are analyzed. Based on the hypothesis that the smooth/rough transition location coincides with the laminar/turbulent boundary layer transition location, a multizone model is implemented in the LEWICE code. In order to verify the effectiveness of the model, ice accretion predictions for simple cylinders calculated by the multizone LEWICE are compared to experimental ice shapes. The glaze ice shapes are found to be sensitive to the laminar surface roughness and bead thickness parameters controlling the transition location, while the ice shapes are found to be insensitive to the turbulent surface roughness.

  12. Probabilistic Dynamic Buckling of Smart Composite Shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abumeri, Galib H.; Chamis, Christos C.

    2003-01-01

    A computational simulation method is presented to evaluate the deterministic and nondeterministic dynamic buckling of smart composite shells. The combined use of composite mechanics, finite element computer codes, and probabilistic analysis enable the effective assessment of the dynamic buckling load of smart composite shells. A universal plot is generated to estimate the dynamic buckling load of composite shells at various load rates and probabilities. The shell structure is also evaluated with smart fibers embedded in the plies right below the outer plies. The results show that, on the average, the use of smart fibers improved the shell buckling resistance by about 10 percent at different probabilities and delayed the buckling occurrence time. The probabilistic sensitivities results indicate that uncertainties in the fiber volume ratio and ply thickness have major effects on the buckling load while uncertainties in the electric field strength and smart material volume fraction have moderate effects. For the specific shell considered in this evaluation, the use of smart composite material is not recommended because the shell buckling resistance can be improved by simply re-arranging the orientation of the outer plies, as shown in the dynamic buckling analysis results presented in this report.

  13. Probabilistic Dynamic Buckling of Smart Composite Shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.; Abumeri, Galib H.

    2007-01-01

    A computational simulation method is presented to evaluate the deterministic and nondeterministic dynamic buckling of smart composite shells. The combined use of intraply hybrid composite mechanics, finite element computer codes, and probabilistic analysis enable the effective assessment of the dynamic buckling load of smart composite shells. A universal plot is generated to estimate the dynamic buckling load of composite shells at various load rates and probabilities. The shell structure is also evaluated with smart fibers embedded in the plies right next to the outer plies. The results show that, on the average, the use of smart fibers improved the shell buckling resistance by about 10% at different probabilities and delayed the buckling occurrence time. The probabilistic sensitivities results indicate that uncertainties in the fiber volume ratio and ply thickness have major effects on the buckling load while uncertainties in the electric field strength and smart material volume fraction have moderate effects. For the specific shell considered in this evaluation, the use of smart composite material is not recommended because the shell buckling resistance can be improved by simply re-arranging the orientation of the outer plies, as shown in the dynamic buckling analysis results presented in this report.

  14. A Combinatorial Model of Malware Diffusion via Bluetooth Connections

    PubMed Central

    Merler, Stefano; Jurman, Giuseppe

    2013-01-01

    We outline here the mathematical expression of a diffusion model for cellphones malware transmitted through Bluetooth channels. In particular, we provide the deterministic formula underlying the proposed infection model, in its equivalent recursive (simple but computationally heavy) and closed form (more complex but efficiently computable) expression. PMID:23555677

  15. Star Cluster Properties in Two LEGUS Galaxies Computed with Stochastic Stellar Population Synthesis Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krumholz, Mark R.; Adamo, Angela; Fumagalli, Michele; Wofford, Aida; Calzetti, Daniela; Lee, Janice C.; Whitmore, Bradley C.; Bright, Stacey N.; Grasha, Kathryn; Gouliermis, Dimitrios A.; Kim, Hwihyun; Nair, Preethi; Ryon, Jenna E.; Smith, Linda J.; Thilker, David; Ubeda, Leonardo; Zackrisson, Erik

    2015-10-01

    We investigate a novel Bayesian analysis method, based on the Stochastically Lighting Up Galaxies (slug) code, to derive the masses, ages, and extinctions of star clusters from integrated light photometry. Unlike many analysis methods, slug correctly accounts for incomplete initial mass function (IMF) sampling, and returns full posterior probability distributions rather than simply probability maxima. We apply our technique to 621 visually confirmed clusters in two nearby galaxies, NGC 628 and NGC 7793, that are part of the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS). LEGUS provides Hubble Space Telescope photometry in the NUV, U, B, V, and I bands. We analyze the sensitivity of the derived cluster properties to choices of prior probability distribution, evolutionary tracks, IMF, metallicity, treatment of nebular emission, and extinction curve. We find that slug's results for individual clusters are insensitive to most of these choices, but that the posterior probability distributions we derive are often quite broad, and sometimes multi-peaked and quite sensitive to the choice of priors. In contrast, the properties of the cluster population as a whole are relatively robust against all of these choices. We also compare our results from slug to those derived with a conventional non-stochastic fitting code, Yggdrasil. We show that slug's stochastic models are generally a better fit to the observations than the deterministic ones used by Yggdrasil. However, the overall properties of the cluster populations recovered by both codes are qualitatively similar.

  16. Deterministic analysis of processes at corroding metal surfaces and the study of electrochemical noise in these systems

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

    Latanision, R.M.

    1990-12-01

    Electrochemical corrosion is pervasive in virtually all engineering systems and in virtually all industrial circumstances. Although engineers now understand how to design systems to minimize corrosion in many instances, many fundamental questions remain poorly understood and, therefore, the development of corrosion control strategies is based more on empiricism than on a deep understanding of the processes by which metals corrode in electrolytes. Fluctuations in potential, or current, in electrochemical systems have been observed for many years. To date, all investigations of this phenomenon have utilized non-deterministic analyses. In this work it is proposed to study electrochemical noise from a deterministicmore » viewpoint by comparison of experimental parameters, such as first and second order moments (non-deterministic), with computer simulation of corrosion at metal surfaces. In this way it is proposed to analyze the origins of these fluctuations and to elucidate the relationship between these fluctuations and kinetic parameters associated with metal dissolution and cathodic reduction reactions. This research program addresses in essence two areas of interest: (a) computer modeling of corrosion processes in order to study the electrochemical processes on an atomistic scale, and (b) experimental investigations of fluctuations in electrochemical systems and correlation of experimental results with computer modeling. In effect, the noise generated by mathematical modeling will be analyzed and compared to experimental noise in electrochemical systems. 1 fig.« less

  17. Deterministic Stress Modeling of Hot Gas Segregation in a Turbine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Busby, Judy; Sondak, Doug; Staubach, Brent; Davis, Roger

    1998-01-01

    Simulation of unsteady viscous turbomachinery flowfields is presently impractical as a design tool due to the long run times required. Designers rely predominantly on steady-state simulations, but these simulations do not account for some of the important unsteady flow physics. Unsteady flow effects can be modeled as source terms in the steady flow equations. These source terms, referred to as Lumped Deterministic Stresses (LDS), can be used to drive steady flow solution procedures to reproduce the time-average of an unsteady flow solution. The goal of this work is to investigate the feasibility of using inviscid lumped deterministic stresses to model unsteady combustion hot streak migration effects on the turbine blade tip and outer air seal heat loads using a steady computational approach. The LDS model is obtained from an unsteady inviscid calculation. The LDS model is then used with a steady viscous computation to simulate the time-averaged viscous solution. Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional applications are examined. The inviscid LDS model produces good results for the two-dimensional case and requires less than 10% of the CPU time of the unsteady viscous run. For the three-dimensional case, the LDS model does a good job of reproducing the time-averaged viscous temperature migration and separation as well as heat load on the outer air seal at a CPU cost that is 25% of that of an unsteady viscous computation.

  18. SCALE Code System 6.2.2

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

    Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

    The SCALE Code System is a widely used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor physics, radiation shielding, radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including 3 deterministic and 3 Monte Carlomore » radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results. SCALE 6.2 represents one of the most comprehensive revisions in the history of SCALE, providing several new capabilities and significant improvements in many existing features.« less

  19. Stochastic Stability of Sampled Data Systems with a Jump Linear Controller

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gonzalez, Oscar R.; Herencia-Zapana, Heber; Gray, W. Steven

    2004-01-01

    In this paper an equivalence between the stochastic stability of a sampled-data system and its associated discrete-time representation is established. The sampled-data system consists of a deterministic, linear, time-invariant, continuous-time plant and a stochastic, linear, time-invariant, discrete-time, jump linear controller. The jump linear controller models computer systems and communication networks that are subject to stochastic upsets or disruptions. This sampled-data model has been used in the analysis and design of fault-tolerant systems and computer-control systems with random communication delays without taking into account the inter-sample response. This paper shows that the known equivalence between the stability of a deterministic sampled-data system and the associated discrete-time representation holds even in a stochastic framework.

  20. Exact and approximate stochastic simulation of intracellular calcium dynamics.

    PubMed

    Wieder, Nicolas; Fink, Rainer H A; Wegner, Frederic von

    2011-01-01

    In simulations of chemical systems, the main task is to find an exact or approximate solution of the chemical master equation (CME) that satisfies certain constraints with respect to computation time and accuracy. While Brownian motion simulations of single molecules are often too time consuming to represent the mesoscopic level, the classical Gillespie algorithm is a stochastically exact algorithm that provides satisfying results in the representation of calcium microdomains. Gillespie's algorithm can be approximated via the tau-leap method and the chemical Langevin equation (CLE). Both methods lead to a substantial acceleration in computation time and a relatively small decrease in accuracy. Elimination of the noise terms leads to the classical, deterministic reaction rate equations (RRE). For complex multiscale systems, hybrid simulations are increasingly proposed to combine the advantages of stochastic and deterministic algorithms. An often used exemplary cell type in this context are striated muscle cells (e.g., cardiac and skeletal muscle cells). The properties of these cells are well described and they express many common calcium-dependent signaling pathways. The purpose of the present paper is to provide an overview of the aforementioned simulation approaches and their mutual relationships in the spectrum ranging from stochastic to deterministic algorithms.

  1. Modeling disease transmission near eradication: An equation free approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Matthew O.; Proctor, Joshua L.; Kutz, J. Nathan

    2015-01-01

    Although disease transmission in the near eradication regime is inherently stochastic, deterministic quantities such as the probability of eradication are of interest to policy makers and researchers. Rather than running large ensembles of discrete stochastic simulations over long intervals in time to compute these deterministic quantities, we create a data-driven and deterministic "coarse" model for them using the Equation Free (EF) framework. In lieu of deriving an explicit coarse model, the EF framework approximates any needed information, such as coarse time derivatives, by running short computational experiments. However, the choice of the coarse variables (i.e., the state of the coarse system) is critical if the resulting model is to be accurate. In this manuscript, we propose a set of coarse variables that result in an accurate model in the endemic and near eradication regimes, and demonstrate this on a compartmental model representing the spread of Poliomyelitis. When combined with adaptive time-stepping coarse projective integrators, this approach can yield over a factor of two speedup compared to direct simulation, and due to its lower dimensionality, could be beneficial when conducting systems level tasks such as designing eradication or monitoring campaigns.

  2. Computer modeling of dynamic necking in bars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Partom, Yehuda; Lindenfeld, Avishay

    2017-06-01

    Necking of thin bodies (bars, plates, shells) is one form of strain localization in ductile materials that may lead to fracture. The phenomenon of necking has been studied extensively, initially for quasistatic loading and then also for dynamic loading. Nevertheless, many issues concerning necking are still unclear. Among these are: 1) is necking a random or deterministic process; 2) how does the specimen choose the final neck location; 3) to what extent do perturbations (material or geometrical) influence the neck forming process; and 4) how do various parameters (material, geometrical, loading) influence the neck forming process. Here we address these issues and others using computer simulations with a hydrocode. Among other things we find that: 1) neck formation is a deterministic process, and by changing one of the parameters influencing it monotonously, the final neck location moves monotonously as well; 2) the final neck location is sensitive to the radial velocity of the end boundaries, and as motion of these boundaries is not fully controlled in tests, this may be the reason why neck formation is sometimes regarded as a random process; and 3) neck formation is insensitive to small perturbations, which is probably why it is a deterministic process.

  3. Application of Game Theory to Improve the Defense of the Smart Grid

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-01

    Computer Systems and Networks ...............................................22 2.4.2 Trust Models ...systems. In this environment, developers assumed deterministic communications mediums rather than the “best effort” models provided in most modern... models or computational models to validate the SPSs design. Finally, the study reveals concerns about the performance of load rejection schemes

  4. More reliable forecasts with less precise computations: a fast-track route to cloud-resolved weather and climate simulators?

    PubMed Central

    Palmer, T. N.

    2014-01-01

    This paper sets out a new methodological approach to solving the equations for simulating and predicting weather and climate. In this approach, the conventionally hard boundary between the dynamical core and the sub-grid parametrizations is blurred. This approach is motivated by the relatively shallow power-law spectrum for atmospheric energy on scales of hundreds of kilometres and less. It is first argued that, because of this, the closure schemes for weather and climate simulators should be based on stochastic–dynamic systems rather than deterministic formulae. Second, as high-wavenumber elements of the dynamical core will necessarily inherit this stochasticity during time integration, it is argued that the dynamical core will be significantly over-engineered if all computations, regardless of scale, are performed completely deterministically and if all variables are represented with maximum numerical precision (in practice using double-precision floating-point numbers). As the era of exascale computing is approached, an energy- and computationally efficient approach to cloud-resolved weather and climate simulation is described where determinism and numerical precision are focused on the largest scales only. PMID:24842038

  5. More reliable forecasts with less precise computations: a fast-track route to cloud-resolved weather and climate simulators?

    PubMed

    Palmer, T N

    2014-06-28

    This paper sets out a new methodological approach to solving the equations for simulating and predicting weather and climate. In this approach, the conventionally hard boundary between the dynamical core and the sub-grid parametrizations is blurred. This approach is motivated by the relatively shallow power-law spectrum for atmospheric energy on scales of hundreds of kilometres and less. It is first argued that, because of this, the closure schemes for weather and climate simulators should be based on stochastic-dynamic systems rather than deterministic formulae. Second, as high-wavenumber elements of the dynamical core will necessarily inherit this stochasticity during time integration, it is argued that the dynamical core will be significantly over-engineered if all computations, regardless of scale, are performed completely deterministically and if all variables are represented with maximum numerical precision (in practice using double-precision floating-point numbers). As the era of exascale computing is approached, an energy- and computationally efficient approach to cloud-resolved weather and climate simulation is described where determinism and numerical precision are focused on the largest scales only.

  6. Uncertainty Aware Structural Topology Optimization Via a Stochastic Reduced Order Model Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aguilo, Miguel A.; Warner, James E.

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a stochastic reduced order modeling strategy for the quantification and propagation of uncertainties in topology optimization. Uncertainty aware optimization problems can be computationally complex due to the substantial number of model evaluations that are necessary to accurately quantify and propagate uncertainties. This computational complexity is greatly magnified if a high-fidelity, physics-based numerical model is used for the topology optimization calculations. Stochastic reduced order model (SROM) methods are applied here to effectively 1) alleviate the prohibitive computational cost associated with an uncertainty aware topology optimization problem; and 2) quantify and propagate the inherent uncertainties due to design imperfections. A generic SROM framework that transforms the uncertainty aware, stochastic topology optimization problem into a deterministic optimization problem that relies only on independent calls to a deterministic numerical model is presented. This approach facilitates the use of existing optimization and modeling tools to accurately solve the uncertainty aware topology optimization problems in a fraction of the computational demand required by Monte Carlo methods. Finally, an example in structural topology optimization is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed uncertainty aware structural topology optimization approach.

  7. Deterministic Remote Entanglement of Superconducting Circuits through Microwave Two-Photon Transitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campagne-Ibarcq, P.; Zalys-Geller, E.; Narla, A.; Shankar, S.; Reinhold, P.; Burkhart, L.; Axline, C.; Pfaff, W.; Frunzio, L.; Schoelkopf, R. J.; Devoret, M. H.

    2018-05-01

    Large-scale quantum information processing networks will most probably require the entanglement of distant systems that do not interact directly. This can be done by performing entangling gates between standing information carriers, used as memories or local computational resources, and flying ones, acting as quantum buses. We report the deterministic entanglement of two remote transmon qubits by Raman stimulated emission and absorption of a traveling photon wave packet. We achieve a Bell state fidelity of 73%, well explained by losses in the transmission line and decoherence of each qubit.

  8. Deterministic and storable single-photon source based on a quantum memory.

    PubMed

    Chen, Shuai; Chen, Yu-Ao; Strassel, Thorsten; Yuan, Zhen-Sheng; Zhao, Bo; Schmiedmayer, Jörg; Pan, Jian-Wei

    2006-10-27

    A single-photon source is realized with a cold atomic ensemble (87Rb atoms). A single excitation, written in an atomic quantum memory by Raman scattering of a laser pulse, is retrieved deterministically as a single photon at a predetermined time. It is shown that the production rate of single photons can be enhanced considerably by a feedback circuit while the single-photon quality is conserved. Such a single-photon source is well suited for future large-scale realization of quantum communication and linear optical quantum computation.

  9. Deterministic Remote Entanglement of Superconducting Circuits through Microwave Two-Photon Transitions.

    PubMed

    Campagne-Ibarcq, P; Zalys-Geller, E; Narla, A; Shankar, S; Reinhold, P; Burkhart, L; Axline, C; Pfaff, W; Frunzio, L; Schoelkopf, R J; Devoret, M H

    2018-05-18

    Large-scale quantum information processing networks will most probably require the entanglement of distant systems that do not interact directly. This can be done by performing entangling gates between standing information carriers, used as memories or local computational resources, and flying ones, acting as quantum buses. We report the deterministic entanglement of two remote transmon qubits by Raman stimulated emission and absorption of a traveling photon wave packet. We achieve a Bell state fidelity of 73%, well explained by losses in the transmission line and decoherence of each qubit.

  10. Optimal entangling operations between deterministic blocks of qubits encoded into single photons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Jake A.; Kaplan, Lev

    2018-01-01

    Here, we numerically simulate probabilistic elementary entangling operations between rail-encoded photons for the purpose of scalable universal quantum computation or communication. We propose grouping logical qubits into single-photon blocks wherein single-qubit rotations and the controlled-not (cnot) gate are fully deterministic and simple to implement. Interblock communication is then allowed through said probabilistic entangling operations. We find a promising trend in the increasing probability of successful interblock communication as we increase the number of optical modes operated on by our elementary entangling operations.

  11. Benchmarking study of the MCNP code against cold critical experiments

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

    Sitaraman, S.

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to benchmark the widely used Monte Carlo code MCNP against a set of cold critical experiments with a view to using the code as a means of independently verifying the performance of faster but less accurate Monte Carlo and deterministic codes. The experiments simulated consisted of both fast and thermal criticals as well as fuel in a variety of chemical forms. A standard set of benchmark cold critical experiments was modeled. These included the two fast experiments, GODIVA and JEZEBEL, the TRX metallic uranium thermal experiments, the Babcock and Wilcox oxide and mixed oxidemore » experiments, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) nitrate solution experiments. The principal case studied was a small critical experiment that was performed with boiling water reactor bundles.« less

  12. Comparison of deterministic and stochastic approaches for isotopic concentration and decay heat uncertainty quantification on elementary fission pulse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lahaye, S.; Huynh, T. D.; Tsilanizara, A.

    2016-03-01

    Uncertainty quantification of interest outputs in nuclear fuel cycle is an important issue for nuclear safety, from nuclear facilities to long term deposits. Most of those outputs are functions of the isotopic vector density which is estimated by fuel cycle codes, such as DARWIN/PEPIN2, MENDEL, ORIGEN or FISPACT. CEA code systems DARWIN/PEPIN2 and MENDEL propagate by two different methods the uncertainty from nuclear data inputs to isotopic concentrations and decay heat. This paper shows comparisons between those two codes on a Uranium-235 thermal fission pulse. Effects of nuclear data evaluation's choice (ENDF/B-VII.1, JEFF-3.1.1 and JENDL-2011) is inspected in this paper. All results show good agreement between both codes and methods, ensuring the reliability of both approaches for a given evaluation.

  13. Analytical three-dimensional neutron transport benchmarks for verification of nuclear engineering codes. Final report

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

    Ganapol, B.D.; Kornreich, D.E.

    Because of the requirement of accountability and quality control in the scientific world, a demand for high-quality analytical benchmark calculations has arisen in the neutron transport community. The intent of these benchmarks is to provide a numerical standard to which production neutron transport codes may be compared in order to verify proper operation. The overall investigation as modified in the second year renewal application includes the following three primary tasks. Task 1 on two dimensional neutron transport is divided into (a) single medium searchlight problem (SLP) and (b) two-adjacent half-space SLP. Task 2 on three-dimensional neutron transport covers (a) pointmore » source in arbitrary geometry, (b) single medium SLP, and (c) two-adjacent half-space SLP. Task 3 on code verification, includes deterministic and probabilistic codes. The primary aim of the proposed investigation was to provide a suite of comprehensive two- and three-dimensional analytical benchmarks for neutron transport theory applications. This objective has been achieved. The suite of benchmarks in infinite media and the three-dimensional SLP are a relatively comprehensive set of one-group benchmarks for isotropically scattering media. Because of time and resource limitations, the extensions of the benchmarks to include multi-group and anisotropic scattering are not included here. Presently, however, enormous advances in the solution for the planar Green`s function in an anisotropically scattering medium have been made and will eventually be implemented in the two- and three-dimensional solutions considered under this grant. Of particular note in this work are the numerical results for the three-dimensional SLP, which have never before been presented. The results presented were made possible only because of the tremendous advances in computing power that have occurred during the past decade.« less

  14. The Role of Architectural and Learning Constraints in Neural Network Models: A Case Study on Visual Space Coding.

    PubMed

    Testolin, Alberto; De Filippo De Grazia, Michele; Zorzi, Marco

    2017-01-01

    The recent "deep learning revolution" in artificial neural networks had strong impact and widespread deployment for engineering applications, but the use of deep learning for neurocomputational modeling has been so far limited. In this article we argue that unsupervised deep learning represents an important step forward for improving neurocomputational models of perception and cognition, because it emphasizes the role of generative learning as opposed to discriminative (supervised) learning. As a case study, we present a series of simulations investigating the emergence of neural coding of visual space for sensorimotor transformations. We compare different network architectures commonly used as building blocks for unsupervised deep learning by systematically testing the type of receptive fields and gain modulation developed by the hidden neurons. In particular, we compare Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), which are stochastic, generative networks with bidirectional connections trained using contrastive divergence, with autoencoders, which are deterministic networks trained using error backpropagation. For both learning architectures we also explore the role of sparse coding, which has been identified as a fundamental principle of neural computation. The unsupervised models are then compared with supervised, feed-forward networks that learn an explicit mapping between different spatial reference frames. Our simulations show that both architectural and learning constraints strongly influenced the emergent coding of visual space in terms of distribution of tuning functions at the level of single neurons. Unsupervised models, and particularly RBMs, were found to more closely adhere to neurophysiological data from single-cell recordings in the primate parietal cortex. These results provide new insights into how basic properties of artificial neural networks might be relevant for modeling neural information processing in biological systems.

  15. The Role of Architectural and Learning Constraints in Neural Network Models: A Case Study on Visual Space Coding

    PubMed Central

    Testolin, Alberto; De Filippo De Grazia, Michele; Zorzi, Marco

    2017-01-01

    The recent “deep learning revolution” in artificial neural networks had strong impact and widespread deployment for engineering applications, but the use of deep learning for neurocomputational modeling has been so far limited. In this article we argue that unsupervised deep learning represents an important step forward for improving neurocomputational models of perception and cognition, because it emphasizes the role of generative learning as opposed to discriminative (supervised) learning. As a case study, we present a series of simulations investigating the emergence of neural coding of visual space for sensorimotor transformations. We compare different network architectures commonly used as building blocks for unsupervised deep learning by systematically testing the type of receptive fields and gain modulation developed by the hidden neurons. In particular, we compare Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), which are stochastic, generative networks with bidirectional connections trained using contrastive divergence, with autoencoders, which are deterministic networks trained using error backpropagation. For both learning architectures we also explore the role of sparse coding, which has been identified as a fundamental principle of neural computation. The unsupervised models are then compared with supervised, feed-forward networks that learn an explicit mapping between different spatial reference frames. Our simulations show that both architectural and learning constraints strongly influenced the emergent coding of visual space in terms of distribution of tuning functions at the level of single neurons. Unsupervised models, and particularly RBMs, were found to more closely adhere to neurophysiological data from single-cell recordings in the primate parietal cortex. These results provide new insights into how basic properties of artificial neural networks might be relevant for modeling neural information processing in biological systems. PMID:28377709

  16. Stability and accuracy of 3D neutron transport simulations using the 2D/1D method in MPACT

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

    Collins, Benjamin, E-mail: collinsbs@ornl.gov; Stimpson, Shane, E-mail: stimpsonsg@ornl.gov; Kelley, Blake W., E-mail: kelleybl@umich.edu

    2016-12-01

    A consistent “2D/1D” neutron transport method is derived from the 3D Boltzmann transport equation, to calculate fuel-pin-resolved neutron fluxes for realistic full-core Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) problems. The 2D/1D method employs the Method of Characteristics to discretize the radial variables and a lower order transport solution to discretize the axial variable. This paper describes the theory of the 2D/1D method and its implementation in the MPACT code, which has become the whole-core deterministic neutron transport solver for the Consortium for Advanced Simulations of Light Water Reactors (CASL) core simulator VERA-CS. Several applications have been performed on both leadership-class and industry-classmore » computing clusters. Results are presented for whole-core solutions of the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 and compared to both continuous-energy Monte Carlo results and plant data.« less

  17. 2009.1 Revision of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2009.1)

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

    Thompson, I. J.; Beck, B.; Descalles, M. A.

    LLNL’s Computational Nuclear Data and Theory Group have created a 2009.1 revised release of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2009.1). This library is designed to support LLNL’s current and future nuclear data needs and will be employed in nuclear reactor, nuclear security and stockpile stewardship simulations with ASC codes. The ENDL2009 database was the most complete nuclear database for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport of neutrons and charged particles. It was assembled with strong support from the ASC PEM and Attribution programs, leveraged with support from Campaign 4 and the DOE/Office of Science’s US Nuclear Data Program. This document listsmore » the revisions and fixes made in a new release called ENDL2009.1, by comparing with the existing data in the original release which is now called ENDL2009.0. These changes are made in conjunction with the revisions for ENDL2011.1, so that both the .1 releases are as free as possible of known defects.« less

  18. Stability and accuracy of 3D neutron transport simulations using the 2D/1D method in MPACT

    DOE PAGES

    Collins, Benjamin; Stimpson, Shane; Kelley, Blake W.; ...

    2016-08-25

    We derived a consistent “2D/1D” neutron transport method from the 3D Boltzmann transport equation, to calculate fuel-pin-resolved neutron fluxes for realistic full-core Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) problems. The 2D/1D method employs the Method of Characteristics to discretize the radial variables and a lower order transport solution to discretize the axial variable. Our paper describes the theory of the 2D/1D method and its implementation in the MPACT code, which has become the whole-core deterministic neutron transport solver for the Consortium for Advanced Simulations of Light Water Reactors (CASL) core simulator VERA-CS. We also performed several applications on both leadership-class and industry-classmore » computing clusters. Results are presented for whole-core solutions of the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 and compared to both continuous-energy Monte Carlo results and plant data.« less

  19. 2009.3 Revision of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2009.3)

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

    Thompson, I. J.; Beck, B.; Descalle, M. A.

    LLNL's Computational Nuclear Data and Theory Group have created a 2009.3 revised release of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2009.3). This library is designed to support LLNL's current and future nuclear data needs and will be employed in nuclear reactor, nuclear security and stockpile stewardship simulations with ASC codes. The ENDL2009 database was the most complete nuclear database for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport of neutrons and charged particles. It was assembled with strong support from the ASC PEM and Attribution programs, leveraged with support from Campaign 4 and the DOE/Office of Science's US Nuclear Data Program. This document listsmore » the revisions and fixes made in a new release called ENDL2009.3, by com- paring with the existing data in the previous release ENDL2009.2. These changes are made in conjunction with the revisions for ENDL2011.3, so that both the .3 releases are as free as possible of known defects.« less

  20. 2011.2 Revision of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2011.2)

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

    Beck, B.; Descalles, M. A.; Mattoon, C.

    LLNL's Computational Nuclear Physics Group and Nuclear Theory and Modeling Group have col- laborated to create the 2011.2 revised release of the Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (ENDL2011.2). ENDL2011.2 is designed to support LLNL's current and future nuclear data needs and will be em- ployed in nuclear reactor, nuclear security and stockpile stewardship simulations with ASC codes. This database is currently the most complete nuclear database for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport of neutrons and charged particles. This library was assembled with strong support from the ASC PEM and Attribution programs, leveraged with support from Campaign 4 and the DOE/O cemore » of Science's US Nuclear Data Program. This document lists the revisions made in ENDL2011.2 compared with the data existing in the original ENDL2011.0 release and the ENDL2011.1-rc4 re- lease candidate of April 2015. These changes are made in parallel with some similar revisions for ENDL2009.2.« less

  1. Validation of an advanced analytical procedure applied to the measurement of environmental radioactivity.

    PubMed

    Thanh, Tran Thien; Vuong, Le Quang; Ho, Phan Long; Chuong, Huynh Dinh; Nguyen, Vo Hoang; Tao, Chau Van

    2018-04-01

    In this work, an advanced analytical procedure was applied to calculate radioactivity in spiked water samples in a close geometry gamma spectroscopy. It included MCNP-CP code in order to calculate the coincidence summing correction factor (CSF). The CSF results were validated by a deterministic method using ETNA code for both p-type HPGe detectors. It showed that a good agreement for both codes. Finally, the validity of the developed procedure was confirmed by a proficiency test to calculate the activities of various radionuclides. The results of the radioactivity measurement with both detectors using the advanced analytical procedure were received the ''Accepted'' statuses following the proficiency test. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Advanced Test Reactor Core Modeling Update Project Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2012

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

    David W. Nigg, Principal Investigator; Kevin A. Steuhm, Project Manager

    Legacy computational reactor physics software tools and protocols currently used for support of Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) core fuel management and safety assurance, and to some extent, experiment management, are inconsistent with the state of modern nuclear engineering practice, and are difficult, if not impossible, to properly verify and validate (V&V) according to modern standards. Furthermore, the legacy staff knowledge required for application of these tools and protocols from the 1960s and 1970s is rapidly being lost due to staff turnover and retirements. In late 2009, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) initiated a focused effort, the ATR Core Modeling Updatemore » Project, to address this situation through the introduction of modern high-fidelity computational software and protocols. This aggressive computational and experimental campaign will have a broad strategic impact on the operation of the ATR, both in terms of improved computational efficiency and accuracy for support of ongoing DOE programs as well as in terms of national and international recognition of the ATR National Scientific User Facility (NSUF). The ATR Core Modeling Update Project, targeted for full implementation in phase with the next anticipated ATR Core Internals Changeout (CIC) in the 2014-2015 time frame, began during the last quarter of Fiscal Year 2009, and has just completed its third full year. Key accomplishments so far have encompassed both computational as well as experimental work. A new suite of stochastic and deterministic transport theory based reactor physics codes and their supporting nuclear data libraries (HELIOS, KENO6/SCALE, NEWT/SCALE, ATTILA, and an extended implementation of MCNP5) has been installed at the INL under various licensing arrangements. Corresponding models of the ATR and ATRC are now operational with all five codes, demonstrating the basic feasibility of the new code packages for their intended purpose. Of particular importance, a set of as-run core depletion HELIOS calculations for all ATR cycles since August 2009, Cycle 145A through Cycle 151B, was successfully completed during 2012. This major effort supported a decision late in the year to proceed with the phased incorporation of the HELIOS methodology into the ATR Core Safety Analysis Package (CSAP) preparation process, in parallel with the established PDQ-based methodology, beginning late in Fiscal Year 2012. Acquisition of the advanced SERPENT (VTT-Finland) and MC21 (DOE-NR) Monte Carlo stochastic neutronics simulation codes was also initiated during the year and some initial applications of SERPENT to ATRC experiment analysis were demonstrated. These two new codes will offer significant additional capability, including the possibility of full-3D Monte Carlo fuel management support capabilities for the ATR at some point in the future. Finally, a capability for rigorous sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification based on the TSUNAMI system has been implemented and initial computational results have been obtained. This capability will have many applications as a tool for understanding the margins of uncertainty in the new models as well as for validation experiment design and interpretation.« less

  3. Construction, classification and parametrization of complex Hadamard matrices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szöllősi, Ferenc

    To improve the design of nuclear systems, high-fidelity neutron fluxes are required. Leadership-class machines provide platforms on which very large problems can be solved. Computing such fluxes efficiently requires numerical methods with good convergence properties and algorithms that can scale to hundreds of thousands of cores. Many 3-D deterministic transport codes are decomposable in space and angle only, limiting them to tens of thousands of cores. Most codes rely on methods such as Gauss Seidel for fixed source problems and power iteration for eigenvalue problems, which can be slow to converge for challenging problems like those with highly scattering materials or high dominance ratios. Three methods have been added to the 3-D SN transport code Denovo that are designed to improve convergence and enable the full use of cutting-edge computers. The first is a multigroup Krylov solver that converges more quickly than Gauss Seidel and parallelizes the code in energy such that Denovo can use hundreds of thousand of cores effectively. The second is Rayleigh quotient iteration (RQI), an old method applied in a new context. This eigenvalue solver finds the dominant eigenvalue in a mathematically optimal way and should converge in fewer iterations than power iteration. RQI creates energy-block-dense equations that the new Krylov solver treats efficiently. However, RQI can have convergence problems because it creates poorly conditioned systems. This can be overcome with preconditioning. The third method is a multigrid-in-energy preconditioner. The preconditioner takes advantage of the new energy decomposition because the grids are in energy rather than space or angle. The preconditioner greatly reduces iteration count for many problem types and scales well in energy. It also allows RQI to be successful for problems it could not solve otherwise. The methods added to Denovo accomplish the goals of this work. They converge in fewer iterations than traditional methods and enable the use of hundreds of thousands of cores. Each method can be used individually, with the multigroup Krylov solver and multigrid-in-energy preconditioner being particularly successful on their own. The largest benefit, though, comes from using these methods in concert.

  4. Using linked data to evaluate severity and outcome of injury by type of object struck (first object struck only) for motor vehicle crashes in Connecticut : Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) linked data demonstration project

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-09-01

    A deterministic algorithm was developed which allowed data from Department of Transportation motor vehicle crash records, state mortality registry records, and hospital admission and emergency department records to be linked for analysis of the types...

  5. Probabilistic Simulation of Multi-Scale Composite Behavior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.

    2012-01-01

    A methodology is developed to computationally assess the non-deterministic composite response at all composite scales (from micro to structural) due to the uncertainties in the constituent (fiber and matrix) properties, in the fabrication process and in structural variables (primitive variables). The methodology is computationally efficient for simulating the probability distributions of composite behavior, such as material properties, laminate and structural responses. Bi-products of the methodology are probabilistic sensitivities of the composite primitive variables. The methodology has been implemented into the computer codes PICAN (Probabilistic Integrated Composite ANalyzer) and IPACS (Integrated Probabilistic Assessment of Composite Structures). The accuracy and efficiency of this methodology are demonstrated by simulating the uncertainties in composite typical laminates and comparing the results with the Monte Carlo simulation method. Available experimental data of composite laminate behavior at all scales fall within the scatters predicted by PICAN. Multi-scaling is extended to simulate probabilistic thermo-mechanical fatigue and to simulate the probabilistic design of a composite redome in order to illustrate its versatility. Results show that probabilistic fatigue can be simulated for different temperature amplitudes and for different cyclic stress magnitudes. Results also show that laminate configurations can be selected to increase the redome reliability by several orders of magnitude without increasing the laminate thickness--a unique feature of structural composites. The old reference denotes that nothing fundamental has been done since that time.

  6. MT71x: Multi-Temperature Library Based on ENDF/B-VII.1

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

    Conlin, Jeremy Lloyd; Parsons, Donald Kent; Gray, Mark Girard

    The Nuclear Data Team has released a multitemperature transport library, MT71x, based upon ENDF/B-VII.1 with a few modifications as well as additional evaluations for a total of 427 isotope tables. The library was processed using NJOY2012.39 into 23 temperatures. MT71x consists of two sub-libraries; MT71xMG for multigroup energy representation data and MT71xCE for continuous energy representation data. These sub-libraries are suitable for deterministic transport and Monte Carlo transport applications, respectively. The SZAs used are the same for the two sub-libraries; that is, the same SZA can be used for both libraries. This makes comparisons between the two libraries and betweenmore » deterministic and Monte Carlo codes straightforward. Both the multigroup energy and continuous energy libraries were verified and validated with our checking codes checkmg and checkace (multigroup and continuous energy, respectively) Then an expanded suite of tests was used for additional verification and, finally, verified using an extensive suite of critical benchmark models. We feel that this library is suitable for all calculations and is particularly useful for calculations sensitive to temperature effects.« less

  7. CBP PHASE I CODE INTEGRATION

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

    Smith, F.; Brown, K.; Flach, G.

    The goal of the Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) is to develop a reasonable and credible set of software tools to predict the structural, hydraulic, and chemical performance of cement barriers used in nuclear applications over extended time frames (greater than 100 years for operating facilities and greater than 1000 years for waste management). The simulation tools will be used to evaluate and predict the behavior of cementitious barriers used in near surface engineered waste disposal systems including waste forms, containment structures, entombments, and environmental remediation. These cementitious materials are exposed to dynamic environmental conditions that cause changes in material propertiesmore » via (i) aging, (ii) chloride attack, (iii) sulfate attack, (iv) carbonation, (v) oxidation, and (vi) primary constituent leaching. A set of state-of-the-art software tools has been selected as a starting point to capture these important aging and degradation phenomena. Integration of existing software developed by the CBP partner organizations was determined to be the quickest method of meeting the CBP goal of providing a computational tool that improves the prediction of the long-term behavior of cementitious materials. These partner codes were selected based on their maturity and ability to address the problems outlined above. The GoldSim Monte Carlo simulation program (GTG 2010a, GTG 2010b) was chosen as the code integration platform (Brown & Flach 2009b). GoldSim (current Version 10.5) is a Windows based graphical object-oriented computer program that provides a flexible environment for model development (Brown & Flach 2009b). The linking of GoldSim to external codes has previously been successfully demonstrated (Eary 2007, Mattie et al. 2007). GoldSim is capable of performing deterministic and probabilistic simulations and of modeling radioactive decay and constituent transport. As part of the CBP project, a general Dynamic Link Library (DLL) interface was developed to link GoldSim with external codes (Smith III et al. 2010). The DLL uses a list of code inputs provided by GoldSim to create an input file for the external application, runs the external code, and returns a list of outputs (read from files created by the external application) back to GoldSim. In this way GoldSim provides: (1) a unified user interface to the applications, (2) the capability of coupling selected codes in a synergistic manner, and (3) the capability of performing probabilistic uncertainty analysis with the codes. GoldSim is made available by the GoldSim Technology Group as a free 'Player' version that allows running but not editing GoldSim models. The player version makes the software readily available to a wider community of users that would wish to use the CBP application but do not have a license for GoldSim.« less

  8. Deterministic generation of multiparticle entanglement by quantum Zeno dynamics.

    PubMed

    Barontini, Giovanni; Hohmann, Leander; Haas, Florian; Estève, Jérôme; Reichel, Jakob

    2015-09-18

    Multiparticle entangled quantum states, a key resource in quantum-enhanced metrology and computing, are usually generated by coherent operations exclusively. However, unusual forms of quantum dynamics can be obtained when environment coupling is used as part of the state generation. In this work, we used quantum Zeno dynamics (QZD), based on nondestructive measurement with an optical microcavity, to deterministically generate different multiparticle entangled states in an ensemble of 36 qubit atoms in less than 5 microseconds. We characterized the resulting states by performing quantum tomography, yielding a time-resolved account of the entanglement generation. In addition, we studied the dependence of quantum states on measurement strength and quantified the depth of entanglement. Our results show that QZD is a versatile tool for fast and deterministic entanglement generation in quantum engineering applications. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  9. Discrete-Time Deterministic $Q$ -Learning: A Novel Convergence Analysis.

    PubMed

    Wei, Qinglai; Lewis, Frank L; Sun, Qiuye; Yan, Pengfei; Song, Ruizhuo

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, a novel discrete-time deterministic Q -learning algorithm is developed. In each iteration of the developed Q -learning algorithm, the iterative Q function is updated for all the state and control spaces, instead of updating for a single state and a single control in traditional Q -learning algorithm. A new convergence criterion is established to guarantee that the iterative Q function converges to the optimum, where the convergence criterion of the learning rates for traditional Q -learning algorithms is simplified. During the convergence analysis, the upper and lower bounds of the iterative Q function are analyzed to obtain the convergence criterion, instead of analyzing the iterative Q function itself. For convenience of analysis, the convergence properties for undiscounted case of the deterministic Q -learning algorithm are first developed. Then, considering the discounted factor, the convergence criterion for the discounted case is established. Neural networks are used to approximate the iterative Q function and compute the iterative control law, respectively, for facilitating the implementation of the deterministic Q -learning algorithm. Finally, simulation results and comparisons are given to illustrate the performance of the developed algorithm.

  10. A deterministic electron, photon, proton and heavy ion transport suite for the study of the Jovian moon Europa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badavi, Francis F.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Atwell, William; Nealy, John E.; Norman, Ryan B.

    2011-02-01

    A Langley research center (LaRC) developed deterministic suite of radiation transport codes describing the propagation of electron, photon, proton and heavy ion in condensed media is used to simulate the exposure from the spectral distribution of the aforementioned particles in the Jovian radiation environment. Based on the measurements by the Galileo probe (1995-2003) heavy ion counter (HIC), the choice of trapped heavy ions is limited to carbon, oxygen and sulfur (COS). The deterministic particle transport suite consists of a coupled electron photon algorithm (CEPTRN) and a coupled light heavy ion algorithm (HZETRN). The primary purpose for the development of the transport suite is to provide a means to the spacecraft design community to rapidly perform numerous repetitive calculations essential for electron, photon, proton and heavy ion exposure assessment in a complex space structure. In this paper, the reference radiation environment of the Galilean satellite Europa is used as a representative boundary condition to show the capabilities of the transport suite. While the transport suite can directly access the output electron and proton spectra of the Jovian environment as generated by the jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) Galileo interim radiation electron (GIRE) model of 2003; for the sake of relevance to the upcoming Europa Jupiter system mission (EJSM), the JPL provided Europa mission fluence spectrum, is used to produce the corresponding depth dose curve in silicon behind a default aluminum shield of 100 mils (˜0.7 g/cm2). The transport suite can also accept a geometry describing ray traced thickness file from a computer aided design (CAD) package and calculate the total ionizing dose (TID) at a specific target point within the interior of the vehicle. In that regard, using a low fidelity CAD model of the Galileo probe generated by the authors, the transport suite was verified versus Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for orbits JOI-J35 of the Galileo probe extended mission. For the upcoming EJSM mission with an expected launch date of 2020, the transport suite is used to compute the depth dose profile for the traditional aluminum silicon as a standard shield target combination, as well as simulating the shielding response of a high charge number (Z) material such as tantalum (Ta). Finally, a shield optimization algorithm is discussed which can guide the instrument designers and fabrication personnel with the choice of graded-Z shield selection and analysis.

  11. Copper benchmark experiment for the testing of JEFF-3.2 nuclear data for fusion applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Angelone, M.; Flammini, D.; Loreti, S.; Moro, F.; Pillon, M.; Villar, R.; Klix, A.; Fischer, U.; Kodeli, I.; Perel, R. L.; Pohorecky, W.

    2017-09-01

    A neutronics benchmark experiment on a pure Copper block (dimensions 60 × 70 × 70 cm3) aimed at testing and validating the recent nuclear data libraries for fusion applications was performed in the frame of the European Fusion Program at the 14 MeV ENEA Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG). Reaction rates, neutron flux spectra and doses were measured using different experimental techniques (e.g. activation foils techniques, NE213 scintillator and thermoluminescent detectors). This paper first summarizes the analyses of the experiment carried-out using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code and the European JEFF-3.2 library. Large discrepancies between calculation (C) and experiment (E) were found for the reaction rates both in the high and low neutron energy range. The analysis was complemented by sensitivity/uncertainty analyses (S/U) using the deterministic and Monte Carlo SUSD3D and MCSEN codes, respectively. The S/U analyses enabled to identify the cross sections and energy ranges which are mostly affecting the calculated responses. The largest discrepancy among the C/E values was observed for the thermal (capture) reactions indicating severe deficiencies in the 63,65Cu capture and elastic cross sections at lower rather than at high energy. Deterministic and MC codes produced similar results. The 14 MeV copper experiment and its analysis thus calls for a revision of the JEFF-3.2 copper cross section and covariance data evaluation. A new analysis of the experiment was performed with the MCNP5 code using the revised JEFF-3.3-T2 library released by NEA and a new, not yet distributed, revised JEFF-3.2 Cu evaluation produced by KIT. A noticeable improvement of the C/E results was obtained with both new libraries.

  12. Risk-Based Probabilistic Approach to Aeropropulsion System Assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tong, Michael T.

    2002-01-01

    In an era of shrinking development budgets and resources, where there is also an emphasis on reducing the product development cycle, the role of system assessment, performed in the early stages of an engine development program, becomes very critical to the successful development of new aeropropulsion systems. A reliable system assessment not only helps to identify the best propulsion system concept among several candidates, it can also identify which technologies are worth pursuing. This is particularly important for advanced aeropropulsion technology development programs, which require an enormous amount of resources. In the current practice of deterministic, or point-design, approaches, the uncertainties of design variables are either unaccounted for or accounted for by safety factors. This could often result in an assessment with unknown and unquantifiable reliability. Consequently, it would fail to provide additional insight into the risks associated with the new technologies, which are often needed by decision makers to determine the feasibility and return-on-investment of a new aircraft engine. In this work, an alternative approach based on the probabilistic method was described for a comprehensive assessment of an aeropropulsion system. The statistical approach quantifies the design uncertainties inherent in a new aeropropulsion system and their influences on engine performance. Because of this, it enhances the reliability of a system assessment. A technical assessment of a wave-rotor-enhanced gas turbine engine was performed to demonstrate the methodology. The assessment used probability distributions to account for the uncertainties that occur in component efficiencies and flows and in mechanical design variables. The approach taken in this effort was to integrate the thermodynamic cycle analysis embedded in the computer code NEPP (NASA Engine Performance Program) and the engine weight analysis embedded in the computer code WATE (Weight Analysis of Turbine Engines) with the fast probability integration technique (FPI). FPI was developed by Southwest Research Institute under contract with the NASA Glenn Research Center. The results were plotted in the form of cumulative distribution functions and sensitivity analyses and were compared with results from the traditional deterministic approach. The comparison showed that the probabilistic approach provides a more realistic and systematic way to assess an aeropropulsion system. The current work addressed the application of the probabilistic approach to assess specific fuel consumption, engine thrust, and weight. Similarly, the approach can be used to assess other aspects of aeropropulsion system performance, such as cost, acoustic noise, and emissions. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

  13. Hybrid stochastic and deterministic simulations of calcium blips.

    PubMed

    Rüdiger, S; Shuai, J W; Huisinga, W; Nagaiah, C; Warnecke, G; Parker, I; Falcke, M

    2007-09-15

    Intracellular calcium release is a prime example for the role of stochastic effects in cellular systems. Recent models consist of deterministic reaction-diffusion equations coupled to stochastic transitions of calcium channels. The resulting dynamics is of multiple time and spatial scales, which complicates far-reaching computer simulations. In this article, we introduce a novel hybrid scheme that is especially tailored to accurately trace events with essential stochastic variations, while deterministic concentration variables are efficiently and accurately traced at the same time. We use finite elements to efficiently resolve the extreme spatial gradients of concentration variables close to a channel. We describe the algorithmic approach and we demonstrate its efficiency compared to conventional methods. Our single-channel model matches experimental data and results in intriguing dynamics if calcium is used as charge carrier. Random openings of the channel accumulate in bursts of calcium blips that may be central for the understanding of cellular calcium dynamics.

  14. A Stochastic Tick-Borne Disease Model: Exploring the Probability of Pathogen Persistence.

    PubMed

    Maliyoni, Milliward; Chirove, Faraimunashe; Gaff, Holly D; Govinder, Keshlan S

    2017-09-01

    We formulate and analyse a stochastic epidemic model for the transmission dynamics of a tick-borne disease in a single population using a continuous-time Markov chain approach. The stochastic model is based on an existing deterministic metapopulation tick-borne disease model. We compare the disease dynamics of the deterministic and stochastic models in order to determine the effect of randomness in tick-borne disease dynamics. The probability of disease extinction and that of a major outbreak are computed and approximated using the multitype Galton-Watson branching process and numerical simulations, respectively. Analytical and numerical results show some significant differences in model predictions between the stochastic and deterministic models. In particular, we find that a disease outbreak is more likely if the disease is introduced by infected deer as opposed to infected ticks. These insights demonstrate the importance of host movement in the expansion of tick-borne diseases into new geographic areas.

  15. Probabilistic track coverage in cooperative sensor networks.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Silvia; Zhang, Guoxian; Wettergren, Thomas A

    2010-12-01

    The quality of service of a network performing cooperative track detection is represented by the probability of obtaining multiple elementary detections over time along a target track. Recently, two different lines of research, namely, distributed-search theory and geometric transversals, have been used in the literature for deriving the probability of track detection as a function of random and deterministic sensors' positions, respectively. In this paper, we prove that these two approaches are equivalent under the same problem formulation. Also, we present a new performance function that is derived by extending the geometric-transversal approach to the case of random sensors' positions using Poisson flats. As a result, a unified approach for addressing track detection in both deterministic and probabilistic sensor networks is obtained. The new performance function is validated through numerical simulations and is shown to bring about considerable computational savings for both deterministic and probabilistic sensor networks.

  16. Detecting and disentangling nonlinear structure from solar flux time series

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ashrafi, S.; Roszman, L.

    1992-01-01

    Interest in solar activity has grown in the past two decades for many reasons. Most importantly for flight dynamics, solar activity changes the atmospheric density, which has important implications for spacecraft trajectory and lifetime prediction. Building upon the previously developed Rayleigh-Benard nonlinear dynamic solar model, which exhibits many dynamic behaviors observed in the Sun, this work introduces new chaotic solar forecasting techniques. Our attempt to use recently developed nonlinear chaotic techniques to model and forecast solar activity has uncovered highly entangled dynamics. Numerical techniques for decoupling additive and multiplicative white noise from deterministic dynamics and examines falloff of the power spectra at high frequencies as a possible means of distinguishing deterministic chaos from noise than spectrally white or colored are presented. The power spectral techniques presented are less cumbersome than current methods for identifying deterministic chaos, which require more computationally intensive calculations, such as those involving Lyapunov exponents and attractor dimension.

  17. On the Hosoya index of a family of deterministic recursive trees

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xufeng; Zhang, Jingyuan; Sun, Weigang

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we calculate the Hosoya index in a family of deterministic recursive trees with a special feature that includes new nodes which are connected to existing nodes with a certain rule. We then obtain a recursive solution of the Hosoya index based on the operations of a determinant. The computational complexity of our proposed algorithm is O(log2 n) with n being the network size, which is lower than that of the existing numerical methods. Finally, we give a weighted tree shrinking method as a graphical interpretation of the recurrence formula for the Hosoya index.

  18. Deterministic modelling and stochastic simulation of biochemical pathways using MATLAB.

    PubMed

    Ullah, M; Schmidt, H; Cho, K H; Wolkenhauer, O

    2006-03-01

    The analysis of complex biochemical networks is conducted in two popular conceptual frameworks for modelling. The deterministic approach requires the solution of ordinary differential equations (ODEs, reaction rate equations) with concentrations as continuous state variables. The stochastic approach involves the simulation of differential-difference equations (chemical master equations, CMEs) with probabilities as variables. This is to generate counts of molecules for chemical species as realisations of random variables drawn from the probability distribution described by the CMEs. Although there are numerous tools available, many of them free, the modelling and simulation environment MATLAB is widely used in the physical and engineering sciences. We describe a collection of MATLAB functions to construct and solve ODEs for deterministic simulation and to implement realisations of CMEs for stochastic simulation using advanced MATLAB coding (Release 14). The program was successfully applied to pathway models from the literature for both cases. The results were compared to implementations using alternative tools for dynamic modelling and simulation of biochemical networks. The aim is to provide a concise set of MATLAB functions that encourage the experimentation with systems biology models. All the script files are available from www.sbi.uni-rostock.de/ publications_matlab-paper.html.

  19. Exact Bayesian Inference for Phylogenetic Birth-Death Models.

    PubMed

    Parag, K V; Pybus, O G

    2018-04-26

    Inferring the rates of change of a population from a reconstructed phylogeny of genetic sequences is a central problem in macro-evolutionary biology, epidemiology, and many other disciplines. A popular solution involves estimating the parameters of a birth-death process (BDP), which links the shape of the phylogeny to its birth and death rates. Modern BDP estimators rely on random Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling to infer these rates. Such methods, while powerful and scalable, cannot be guaranteed to converge, leading to results that may be hard to replicate or difficult to validate. We present a conceptually and computationally different parametric BDP inference approach using flexible and easy to implement Snyder filter (SF) algorithms. This method is deterministic so its results are provable, guaranteed, and reproducible. We validate the SF on constant rate BDPs and find that it solves BDP likelihoods known to produce robust estimates. We then examine more complex BDPs with time-varying rates. Our estimates compare well with a recently developed parametric MCMC inference method. Lastly, we performmodel selection on an empirical Agamid species phylogeny, obtaining results consistent with the literature. The SF makes no approximations, beyond those required for parameter quantisation and numerical integration, and directly computes the posterior distribution of model parameters. It is a promising alternative inference algorithm that may serve either as a standalone Bayesian estimator or as a useful diagnostic reference for validating more involved MCMC strategies. The Snyder filter is implemented in Matlab and the time-varying BDP models are simulated in R. The source code and data are freely available at https://github.com/kpzoo/snyder-birth-death-code. kris.parag@zoo.ox.ac.uk. Supplementary material is available at Bioinformatics online.

  20. Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics of Reactor Pressure Vessels with Populations of Flaws

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

    Spencer, Benjamin; Backman, Marie; Williams, Paul

    This report documents recent progress in developing a tool that uses the Grizzly and RAVEN codes to perform probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses of reactor pressure vessels in light water reactor nuclear power plants. The Grizzly code is being developed with the goal of creating a general tool that can be applied to study a variety of degradation mechanisms in nuclear power plant components. Because of the central role of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in a nuclear power plant, particular emphasis is being placed on developing capabilities to model fracture in embrittled RPVs to aid in the process surrounding decisionmore » making relating to life extension of existing plants. A typical RPV contains a large population of pre-existing flaws introduced during the manufacturing process. The use of probabilistic techniques is necessary to assess the likelihood of crack initiation at one or more of these flaws during a transient event. This report documents development and initial testing of a capability to perform probabilistic fracture mechanics of large populations of flaws in RPVs using reduced order models to compute fracture parameters. The work documented here builds on prior efforts to perform probabilistic analyses of a single flaw with uncertain parameters, as well as earlier work to develop deterministic capabilities to model the thermo-mechanical response of the RPV under transient events, and compute fracture mechanics parameters at locations of pre-defined flaws. The capabilities developed as part of this work provide a foundation for future work, which will develop a platform that provides the flexibility needed to consider scenarios that cannot be addressed with the tools used in current practice.« less

  1. ADAPT

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

    Reynolds, John; Jankovsky, Zachary; Metzroth, Kyle G

    2018-04-04

    The purpose of the ADAPT code is to generate Dynamic Event Trees (DET) using a user specified set of simulators. ADAPT can utilize any simulation tool which meets a minimal set of requirements. ADAPT is based on the concept of DET which uses explicit modeling of the deterministic dynamic processes that take place during a nuclear reactor plant system (or other complex system) evolution along with stochastic modeling. When DET are used to model various aspects of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), all accident progression scenarios starting from an initiating event are considered simultaneously. The DET branching occurs at user specifiedmore » times and/or when an action is required by the system and/or the operator. These outcomes then decide how the dynamic system variables will evolve in time for each DET branch. Since two different outcomes at a DET branching may lead to completely different paths for system evolution, the next branching for these paths may occur not only at separate times, but can be based on different branching criteria. The computational infrastructure allows for flexibility in ADAPT to link with different system simulation codes, parallel processing of the scenarios under consideration, on-line scenario management (initiation as well as termination), analysis of results, and user friendly graphical capabilities. The ADAPT system is designed for a distributed computing environment; the scheduler can track multiple concurrent branches simultaneously. The scheduler is modularized so that the DET branching strategy can be modified (e.g. biasing towards the worst-case scenario/event). Independent database systems store data from the simulation tasks and the DET structure so that the event tree can be constructed and analyzed later. ADAPT is provided with a user-friendly client which can easily sort through and display the results of an experiment, precluding the need for the user to manually inspect individual simulator runs.« less

  2. Rapid simulation of X-ray transmission imaging for baggage inspection via GPU-based ray-tracing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Qian; Stoian, Razvan-Ionut; Coccarelli, David S.; Greenberg, Joel A.; Vera, Esteban; Gehm, Michael E.

    2018-01-01

    We present a pipeline that rapidly simulates X-ray transmission imaging for arbitrary system architectures using GPU-based ray-tracing techniques. The purpose of the pipeline is to enable statistical analysis of threat detection in the context of airline baggage inspection. As a faster alternative to Monte Carlo methods, we adopt a deterministic approach for simulating photoelectric absorption-based imaging. The highly-optimized NVIDIA OptiX API is used to implement ray-tracing, greatly speeding code execution. In addition, we implement the first hierarchical representation structure to determine the interaction path length of rays traversing heterogeneous media described by layered polygons. The accuracy of the pipeline has been validated by comparing simulated data with experimental data collected using a heterogenous phantom and a laboratory X-ray imaging system. On a single computer, our approach allows us to generate over 400 2D transmission projections (125 × 125 pixels per frame) per hour for a bag packed with hundreds of everyday objects. By implementing our approach on cloud-based GPU computing platforms, we find that the same 2D projections of approximately 3.9 million bags can be obtained in a single day using 400 GPU instances, at a cost of only 0.001 per bag.

  3. Multi-Strain Deterministic Chaos in Dengue Epidemiology, A Challenge for Computational Mathematics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aguiar, Maíra; Kooi, Bob W.; Stollenwerk, Nico

    2009-09-01

    Recently, we have analysed epidemiological models of competing strains of pathogens and hence differences in transmission for first versus secondary infection due to interaction of the strains with previously aquired immunities, as has been described for dengue fever, known as antibody dependent enhancement (ADE). These models show a rich variety of dynamics through bifurcations up to deterministic chaos. Including temporary cross-immunity even enlarges the parameter range of such chaotic attractors, and also gives rise to various coexisting attractors, which are difficult to identify by standard numerical bifurcation programs using continuation methods. A combination of techniques, including classical bifurcation plots and Lyapunov exponent spectra has to be applied in comparison to get further insight into such dynamical structures. Especially, Lyapunov spectra, which quantify the predictability horizon in the epidemiological system, are computationally very demanding. We show ways to speed up computations of such Lyapunov spectra by a factor of more than ten by parallelizing previously used sequential C programs. Such fast computations of Lyapunov spectra will be especially of use in future investigations of seasonally forced versions of the present models, as they are needed for data analysis.

  4. Extracting Information about the Rotator Cuff from Magnetic Resonance Images Using Deterministic and Random Techniques

    PubMed Central

    De Los Ríos, F. A.; Paluszny, M.

    2015-01-01

    We consider some methods to extract information about the rotator cuff based on magnetic resonance images; the study aims to define an alternative method of display that might facilitate the detection of partial tears in the supraspinatus tendon. Specifically, we are going to use families of ellipsoidal triangular patches to cover the humerus head near the affected area. These patches are going to be textured and displayed with the information of the magnetic resonance images using the trilinear interpolation technique. For the generation of points to texture each patch, we propose a new method that guarantees the uniform distribution of its points using a random statistical method. Its computational cost, defined as the average computing time to generate a fixed number of points, is significantly lower as compared with deterministic and other standard statistical techniques. PMID:25650281

  5. Stochastic inference with spiking neurons in the high-conductance state

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrovici, Mihai A.; Bill, Johannes; Bytschok, Ilja; Schemmel, Johannes; Meier, Karlheinz

    2016-10-01

    The highly variable dynamics of neocortical circuits observed in vivo have been hypothesized to represent a signature of ongoing stochastic inference but stand in apparent contrast to the deterministic response of neurons measured in vitro. Based on a propagation of the membrane autocorrelation across spike bursts, we provide an analytical derivation of the neural activation function that holds for a large parameter space, including the high-conductance state. On this basis, we show how an ensemble of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons with conductance-based synapses embedded in a spiking environment can attain the correct firing statistics for sampling from a well-defined target distribution. For recurrent networks, we examine convergence toward stationarity in computer simulations and demonstrate sample-based Bayesian inference in a mixed graphical model. This points to a new computational role of high-conductance states and establishes a rigorous link between deterministic neuron models and functional stochastic dynamics on the network level.

  6. Intelligent Manufacturing of Commercial Optics Final Report CRADA No. TC-0313-92

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

    Taylor, J. S.; Pollicove, H.

    The project combined the research and development efforts of LLNL and the University of Rochester Center for Manufacturing Optics (COM), to develop a new generation of flexible computer controlled optics· grinding machines. COM's principal near term development effort is to commercialize the OPTICAM-SM, a new prototype spherical grinding machine. A crucial requirement for commercializing the OPTICAM-SM is the development of a predictable and repeatable material removal process ( deterministic micro-grinding) that yields high quality surfaces that minimize non-deterministic polishing. OPTICAM machine tools and the fabrication process development studies are part of COM' s response to the DOD (ARPA) request tomore » implement a modernization strategy for revitalizing the U.S. optics manufacturing base. This project was entered into in order to develop a new generation of :flexible, computer-controlled optics grinding machines.« less

  7. The Stochastic Parcel Model: A deterministic parameterization of stochastically entraining convection

    DOE PAGES

    Romps, David M.

    2016-03-01

    Convective entrainment is a process that is poorly represented in existing convective parameterizations. By many estimates, convective entrainment is the leading source of error in global climate models. As a potential remedy, an Eulerian implementation of the Stochastic Parcel Model (SPM) is presented here as a convective parameterization that treats entrainment in a physically realistic and computationally efficient way. Drawing on evidence that convecting clouds comprise air parcels subject to Poisson-process entrainment events, the SPM calculates the deterministic limit of an infinite number of such parcels. For computational efficiency, the SPM groups parcels at each height by their purity, whichmore » is a measure of their total entrainment up to that height. This reduces the calculation of convective fluxes to a sequence of matrix multiplications. The SPM is implemented in a single-column model and compared with a large-eddy simulation of deep convection.« less

  8. Fencing direct memory access data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2013-09-03

    Fencing direct memory access (`DMA`) data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through DMA controllers operatively coupled to segments of shared random access memory through which the DMA controllers deliver data communications deterministically, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active DMA instructions for DMA data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic DMA data transfers through a DMA controller and a segment of shared memory; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for DMA data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all DMA instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for DMA data transfers between the two endpoints.

  9. Fencing direct memory access data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

    DOEpatents

    Blocksome, Michael A; Mamidala, Amith R

    2014-02-11

    Fencing direct memory access (`DMA`) data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through DMA controllers operatively coupled to segments of shared random access memory through which the DMA controllers deliver data communications deterministically, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active DMA instructions for DMA data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic DMA data transfers through a DMA controller and a segment of shared memory; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for DMA data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all DMA instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for DMA data transfers between the two endpoints.

  10. Optimum spaceborne computer system design by simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, T.; Kerner, H.; Weatherbee, J. E.; Taylor, D. S.; Hodges, B.

    1973-01-01

    A deterministic simulator is described which models the Automatically Reconfigurable Modular Multiprocessor System (ARMMS), a candidate computer system for future manned and unmanned space missions. Its use as a tool to study and determine the minimum computer system configuration necessary to satisfy the on-board computational requirements of a typical mission is presented. The paper describes how the computer system configuration is determined in order to satisfy the data processing demand of the various shuttle booster subsytems. The configuration which is developed as a result of studies with the simulator is optimal with respect to the efficient use of computer system resources.

  11. Calculating complete and exact Pareto front for multiobjective optimization: a new deterministic approach for discrete problems.

    PubMed

    Hu, Xiao-Bing; Wang, Ming; Di Paolo, Ezequiel

    2013-06-01

    Searching the Pareto front for multiobjective optimization problems usually involves the use of a population-based search algorithm or of a deterministic method with a set of different single aggregate objective functions. The results are, in fact, only approximations of the real Pareto front. In this paper, we propose a new deterministic approach capable of fully determining the real Pareto front for those discrete problems for which it is possible to construct optimization algorithms to find the k best solutions to each of the single-objective problems. To this end, two theoretical conditions are given to guarantee the finding of the actual Pareto front rather than its approximation. Then, a general methodology for designing a deterministic search procedure is proposed. A case study is conducted, where by following the general methodology, a ripple-spreading algorithm is designed to calculate the complete exact Pareto front for multiobjective route optimization. When compared with traditional Pareto front search methods, the obvious advantage of the proposed approach is its unique capability of finding the complete Pareto front. This is illustrated by the simulation results in terms of both solution quality and computational efficiency.

  12. Prior-Based Quantization Bin Matching for Cloud Storage of JPEG Images.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xianming; Cheung, Gene; Lin, Chia-Wen; Zhao, Debin; Gao, Wen

    2018-07-01

    Millions of user-generated images are uploaded to social media sites like Facebook daily, which translate to a large storage cost. However, there exists an asymmetry in upload and download data: only a fraction of the uploaded images are subsequently retrieved for viewing. In this paper, we propose a cloud storage system that reduces the storage cost of all uploaded JPEG photos, at the expense of a controlled increase in computation mainly during download of requested image subset. Specifically, the system first selectively re-encodes code blocks of uploaded JPEG images using coarser quantization parameters for smaller storage sizes. Then during download, the system exploits known signal priors-sparsity prior and graph-signal smoothness prior-for reverse mapping to recover original fine quantization bin indices, with either deterministic guarantee (lossless mode) or statistical guarantee (near-lossless mode). For fast reverse mapping, we use small dictionaries and sparse graphs that are tailored for specific clusters of similar blocks, which are classified via tree-structured vector quantizer. During image upload, cluster indices identifying the appropriate dictionaries and graphs for the re-quantized blocks are encoded as side information using a differential distributed source coding scheme to facilitate reverse mapping during image download. Experimental results show that our system can reap significant storage savings (up to 12.05%) at roughly the same image PSNR (within 0.18 dB).

  13. The EDIT-COMGEOM Code

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-09-01

    This report assumes a familiarity with the GIFT and MAGIC computer codes. The EDIT-COMGEOM code is a FORTRAN computer code. The EDIT-COMGEOM code...converts the target description data which was used in the MAGIC computer code to the target description data which can be used in the GIFT computer code

  14. Use of FEC coding to improve statistical multiplexing performance for video transport over ATM networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurceren, Ragip; Modestino, James W.

    1998-12-01

    The use of forward error-control (FEC) coding, possibly in conjunction with ARQ techniques, has emerged as a promising approach for video transport over ATM networks for cell-loss recovery and/or bit error correction, such as might be required for wireless links. Although FEC provides cell-loss recovery capabilities it also introduces transmission overhead which can possibly cause additional cell losses. A methodology is described to maximize the number of video sources multiplexed at a given quality of service (QoS), measured in terms of decoded cell loss probability, using interlaced FEC codes. The transport channel is modelled as a block interference channel (BIC) and the multiplexer as single server, deterministic service, finite buffer supporting N users. Based upon an information-theoretic characterization of the BIC and large deviation bounds on the buffer overflow probability, the described methodology provides theoretically achievable upper limits on the number of sources multiplexed. Performance of specific coding techniques using interlaced nonbinary Reed-Solomon (RS) codes and binary rate-compatible punctured convolutional (RCPC) codes is illustrated.

  15. Seismic hazard study for selected sites in New Mexico and Nevada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnston, J. C.

    1983-12-01

    Seismic hazard evaluations were conducted for specific sites in New Mexico and Nevada. For New Mexico, a model of seismicity was developed from historical accounts of medium to large shocks and the current microactivity record from local networks. Ninety percent confidence levels at Albuquerque and Roswell were computed to be 56 gals for a 10-year period and 77 gals for a 20-year period. Values of ground motion for Clovis were below these values. Peak velocity and displacement were also computed for each site. Deterministic spectra based on the estimated maximum credible earthquake for the zones which the sites occupy were also computed. For the sites in Nevada, the regionalizations used in Battis (1982) for the uniform seismicity model were slightly modified. For 10- and 20-year time periods, peak acceleration values for Indian Springs were computed to be 94 gals and 123 gals and for Hawthorne 206 gals and 268 gals. Deterministic spectra were also computed. The input parameters were well determined for the analysis for the Nevada sites because of the abundance of data. The values computed for New Mexico, however, are likely upper limits. As more data are collected from the area of the Rio Grande rift zone, the pattern of seismicity will become better understood. At this time a more detailed, and thus more accurate, model may emerge.

  16. Rule-based programming paradigm: a formal basis for biological, chemical and physical computation.

    PubMed

    Krishnamurthy, V; Krishnamurthy, E V

    1999-03-01

    A rule-based programming paradigm is described as a formal basis for biological, chemical and physical computations. In this paradigm, the computations are interpreted as the outcome arising out of interaction of elements in an object space. The interactions can create new elements (or same elements with modified attributes) or annihilate old elements according to specific rules. Since the interaction rules are inherently parallel, any number of actions can be performed cooperatively or competitively among the subsets of elements, so that the elements evolve toward an equilibrium or unstable or chaotic state. Such an evolution may retain certain invariant properties of the attributes of the elements. The object space resembles Gibbsian ensemble that corresponds to a distribution of points in the space of positions and momenta (called phase space). It permits the introduction of probabilities in rule applications. As each element of the ensemble changes over time, its phase point is carried into a new phase point. The evolution of this probability cloud in phase space corresponds to a distributed probabilistic computation. Thus, this paradigm can handle tor deterministic exact computation when the initial conditions are exactly specified and the trajectory of evolution is deterministic. Also, it can handle probabilistic mode of computation if we want to derive macroscopic or bulk properties of matter. We also explain how to support this rule-based paradigm using relational-database like query processing and transactions.

  17. Numerical predictions and measurements in the lubrication of aeronautical engine and transmission components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moraru, Laurentiu Eugen

    2005-11-01

    This dissertation treats a variety of aspects of the lubrication of mechanical components encountered in aeronautical engines and transmissions. The study covers dual clearance squeeze film dampers, mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) cases and thermal elastohydrodynamic contacts. The dual clearance squeeze film damper (SFD) invented by Fleming is investigated both theoretically and experimentally for cases when the sleeve that separates the two oil films is free to float and for cases when the separating sleeve is supported by a squirrel cage. The Reynolds equation is developed to handle each of these cases and it is solved analytically for short bearings. A rotordynamic model of a test rig is developed, for both the single and dual SFD cases. A computer code is written to calculate the motion of the test rig rotor. Experiments are performed in order to validate the theoretical results. Rotordynamics computations are found to favorably agree with measured data. A probabilistic model for mixed EHL is developed and implemented. Surface roughness of gears are measured and processed. The mixed EHL model incorporates the average flow model of Patir and Cheng and the elasto-plastic contact mechanics model of Chang Etsion and Bogy. The current algorithm allows for the computation of the load supported by an oil film and for the load supported by the elasto-plastically deformed asperities. This work also presents a way to incorporate the effect of the fluid induced roughness deformation by utilizing the "amplitude reduction" results provided by the deterministic analyses. The Lobatto point Gaussian integration algorithm of Elrod and Brewe was extended for thermal lubrication problems involving compressible lubricants and it was implemented in thermal elastohydrodynamic cases. The unknown variables across the film are written in series of Legendre polynomials. The thermal Reynolds equation is obtained in terms of the series coefficients and it is proven that it can only explicitly contain the information from the first three Legendre polynomials. A computer code was written to implement the Lobatto point algorithm for a EHL line contact. Use of the Labatto point calculation method has resulted in greater accuracy without the use of a larger number of grid points.

  18. Computational analysis of the roles of biochemical reactions in anomalous diffusion dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naruemon, Rueangkham; Charin, Modchang

    2016-04-01

    Most biochemical processes in cells are usually modeled by reaction-diffusion (RD) equations. In these RD models, the diffusive process is assumed to be Gaussian. However, a growing number of studies have noted that intracellular diffusion is anomalous at some or all times, which may result from a crowded environment and chemical kinetics. This work aims to computationally study the effects of chemical reactions on the diffusive dynamics of RD systems by using both stochastic and deterministic algorithms. Numerical method to estimate the mean-square displacement (MSD) from a deterministic algorithm is also investigated. Our computational results show that anomalous diffusion can be solely due to chemical reactions. The chemical reactions alone can cause anomalous sub-diffusion in the RD system at some or all times. The time-dependent anomalous diffusion exponent is found to depend on many parameters, including chemical reaction rates, reaction orders, and chemical concentrations. Project supported by the Thailand Research Fund and Mahidol University (Grant No. TRG5880157), the Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics (ThEP), CHE, Thailand, and the Development Promotion of Science and Technology.

  19. The importance of diverse data types to calibrate a watershed model of the Trout Lake Basin, Northern Wisconsin, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hunt, R.J.; Feinstein, D.T.; Pint, C.D.; Anderson, M.P.

    2006-01-01

    As part of the USGS Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets project and the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research work, a parameter estimation code was used to calibrate a deterministic groundwater flow model of the Trout Lake Basin in northern Wisconsin. Observations included traditional calibration targets (head, lake stage, and baseflow observations) as well as unconventional targets such as groundwater flows to and from lakes, depth of a lake water plume, and time of travel. The unconventional data types were important for parameter estimation convergence and allowed the development of a more detailed parameterization capable of resolving model objectives with well-constrained parameter values. Independent estimates of groundwater inflow to lakes were most important for constraining lakebed leakance and the depth of the lake water plume was important for determining hydraulic conductivity and conceptual aquifer layering. The most important target overall, however, was a conventional regional baseflow target that led to correct distribution of flow between sub-basins and the regional system during model calibration. The use of an automated parameter estimation code: (1) facilitated the calibration process by providing a quantitative assessment of the model's ability to match disparate observed data types; and (2) allowed assessment of the influence of observed targets on the calibration process. The model calibration required the use of a 'universal' parameter estimation code in order to include all types of observations in the objective function. The methods described in this paper help address issues of watershed complexity and non-uniqueness common to deterministic watershed models. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Deterministic quantum teleportation of photonic quantum bits by a hybrid technique.

    PubMed

    Takeda, Shuntaro; Mizuta, Takahiro; Fuwa, Maria; van Loock, Peter; Furusawa, Akira

    2013-08-15

    Quantum teleportation allows for the transfer of arbitrary unknown quantum states from a sender to a spatially distant receiver, provided that the two parties share an entangled state and can communicate classically. It is the essence of many sophisticated protocols for quantum communication and computation. Photons are an optimal choice for carrying information in the form of 'flying qubits', but the teleportation of photonic quantum bits (qubits) has been limited by experimental inefficiencies and restrictions. Main disadvantages include the fundamentally probabilistic nature of linear-optics Bell measurements, as well as the need either to destroy the teleported qubit or attenuate the input qubit when the detectors do not resolve photon numbers. Here we experimentally realize fully deterministic quantum teleportation of photonic qubits without post-selection. The key step is to make use of a hybrid technique involving continuous-variable teleportation of a discrete-variable, photonic qubit. When the receiver's feedforward gain is optimally tuned, the continuous-variable teleporter acts as a pure loss channel, and the input dual-rail-encoded qubit, based on a single photon, represents a quantum error detection code against photon loss and hence remains completely intact for most teleportation events. This allows for a faithful qubit transfer even with imperfect continuous-variable entangled states: for four qubits the overall transfer fidelities range from 0.79 to 0.82 and all of them exceed the classical limit of teleportation. Furthermore, even for a relatively low level of the entanglement, qubits are teleported much more efficiently than in previous experiments, albeit post-selectively (taking into account only the qubit subspaces), and with a fidelity comparable to the previously reported values.

  1. Deterministic theory of Monte Carlo variance

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

    Ueki, T.; Larsen, E.W.

    1996-12-31

    The theoretical estimation of variance in Monte Carlo transport simulations, particularly those using variance reduction techniques, is a substantially unsolved problem. In this paper, the authors describe a theory that predicts the variance in a variance reduction method proposed by Dwivedi. Dwivedi`s method combines the exponential transform with angular biasing. The key element of this theory is a new modified transport problem, containing the Monte Carlo weight w as an extra independent variable, which simulates Dwivedi`s Monte Carlo scheme. The (deterministic) solution of this modified transport problem yields an expression for the variance. The authors give computational results that validatemore » this theory.« less

  2. Deterministic nonlinear phase gates induced by a single qubit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Kimin; Marek, Petr; Filip, Radim

    2018-05-01

    We propose deterministic realizations of nonlinear phase gates by repeating a finite sequence of non-commuting Rabi interactions between a harmonic oscillator and only a single two-level ancillary qubit. We show explicitly that the key nonclassical features of the ideal cubic phase gate and the quartic phase gate are generated in the harmonic oscillator faithfully by our method. We numerically analyzed the performance of our scheme under realistic imperfections of the oscillator and the two-level system. The methodology is extended further to higher-order nonlinear phase gates. This theoretical proposal completes the set of operations required for continuous-variable quantum computation.

  3. Deterministic and reliability based optimization of integrated thermal protection system composite panel using adaptive sampling techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ravishankar, Bharani

    Conventional space vehicles have thermal protection systems (TPS) that provide protection to an underlying structure that carries the flight loads. In an attempt to save weight, there is interest in an integrated TPS (ITPS) that combines the structural function and the TPS function. This has weight saving potential, but complicates the design of the ITPS that now has both thermal and structural failure modes. The main objectives of this dissertation was to optimally design the ITPS subjected to thermal and mechanical loads through deterministic and reliability based optimization. The optimization of the ITPS structure requires computationally expensive finite element analyses of 3D ITPS (solid) model. To reduce the computational expenses involved in the structural analysis, finite element based homogenization method was employed, homogenizing the 3D ITPS model to a 2D orthotropic plate. However it was found that homogenization was applicable only for panels that are much larger than the characteristic dimensions of the repeating unit cell in the ITPS panel. Hence a single unit cell was used for the optimization process to reduce the computational cost. Deterministic and probabilistic optimization of the ITPS panel required evaluation of failure constraints at various design points. This further demands computationally expensive finite element analyses which was replaced by efficient, low fidelity surrogate models. In an optimization process, it is important to represent the constraints accurately to find the optimum design. Instead of building global surrogate models using large number of designs, the computational resources were directed towards target regions near constraint boundaries for accurate representation of constraints using adaptive sampling strategies. Efficient Global Reliability Analyses (EGRA) facilitates sequentially sampling of design points around the region of interest in the design space. EGRA was applied to the response surface construction of the failure constraints in the deterministic and reliability based optimization of the ITPS panel. It was shown that using adaptive sampling, the number of designs required to find the optimum were reduced drastically, while improving the accuracy. System reliability of ITPS was estimated using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) based method. Separable Monte Carlo method was employed that allowed separable sampling of the random variables to predict the probability of failure accurately. The reliability analysis considered uncertainties in the geometry, material properties, loading conditions of the panel and error in finite element modeling. These uncertainties further increased the computational cost of MCS techniques which was also reduced by employing surrogate models. In order to estimate the error in the probability of failure estimate, bootstrapping method was applied. This research work thus demonstrates optimization of the ITPS composite panel with multiple failure modes and large number of uncertainties using adaptive sampling techniques.

  4. Computing Interactions Of Free-Space Radiation With Matter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. W.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Shinn, J. L.; Townsend, L. W.; Badavi, F. F.; Tripathi, R. K.; Silberberg, R.; Tsao, C. H.; Badwar, G. D.

    1995-01-01

    High Charge and Energy Transport (HZETRN) computer program computationally efficient, user-friendly package of software adressing problem of transport of, and shielding against, radiation in free space. Designed as "black box" for design engineers not concerned with physics of underlying atomic and nuclear radiation processes in free-space environment, but rather primarily interested in obtaining fast and accurate dosimetric information for design and construction of modules and devices for use in free space. Computational efficiency achieved by unique algorithm based on deterministic approach to solution of Boltzmann equation rather than computationally intensive statistical Monte Carlo method. Written in FORTRAN.

  5. Documentation of Computer Program INFIL3.0 - A Distributed-Parameter Watershed Model to Estimate Net Infiltration Below the Root Zone

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    2008-01-01

    This report documents the computer program INFIL3.0, which is a grid-based, distributed-parameter, deterministic water-balance watershed model that calculates the temporal and spatial distribution of daily net infiltration of water across the lower boundary of the root zone. The bottom of the root zone is the estimated maximum depth below ground surface affected by evapotranspiration. In many field applications, net infiltration below the bottom of the root zone can be assumed to equal net recharge to an underlying water-table aquifer. The daily water balance simulated by INFIL3.0 includes precipitation as either rain or snow; snowfall accumulation, sublimation, and snowmelt; infiltration into the root zone; evapotranspiration from the root zone; drainage and water-content redistribution within the root-zone profile; surface-water runoff from, and run-on to, adjacent grid cells; and net infiltration across the bottom of the root zone. The water-balance model uses daily climate records of precipitation and air temperature and a spatially distributed representation of drainage-basin characteristics defined by topography, geology, soils, and vegetation to simulate daily net infiltration at all locations, including stream channels with intermittent streamflow in response to runoff from rain and snowmelt. The model does not simulate streamflow originating as ground-water discharge. Drainage-basin characteristics are represented in the model by a set of spatially distributed input variables uniquely assigned to each grid cell of a model grid. The report provides a description of the conceptual model of net infiltration on which the INFIL3.0 computer code is based and a detailed discussion of the methods by which INFIL3.0 simulates the net-infiltration process. The report also includes instructions for preparing input files necessary for an INFIL3.0 simulation, a description of the output files that are created as part of an INFIL3.0 simulation, and a sample problem that illustrates application of the code to a field setting. Brief descriptions of the main program routine and of each of the modules and subroutines of the INFIL3.0 code, as well as definitions of the variables used in each subroutine, are provided in an appendix.

  6. Estimate Tsunami Flow Conditions and Large-Debris Tracks for the Design of Coastal Infrastructures along Coastlines of the U.S. Pacific Northwest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Y.; Thomas, S.; Zhou, H.; Arcas, D.; Titov, V. V.

    2017-12-01

    The increasing potential tsunami hazards pose great challenges for infrastructures along the coastlines of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Tsunami impact at a coastal site is usually assessed from deterministic scenarios based on 10,000 years of geological records in the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ). Aside from these deterministic methods, the new ASCE 7-16 tsunami provisions provide engineering design criteria of tsunami loads on buildings based on a probabilistic approach. This work develops a site-specific model near Newport, OR using high-resolution grids, and compute tsunami inundation depth and velocities at the study site resulted from credible probabilistic and deterministic earthquake sources in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Three Cascadia scenarios, two deterministic scenarios, XXL1 and L1, and a 2,500-yr probabilistic scenario compliant with the new ASCE 7-16 standard, are simulated using combination of a depth-averaged shallow water model for offshore propagation and a Boussinesq-type model for onshore inundation. We speculate on the methods and procedure to obtain the 2,500-year probabilistic scenario for Newport that is compliant with the ASCE 7-16 tsunami provisions. We provide details of model results, particularly the inundation depth and flow speed for a new building, which will also be designated as a tsunami vertical evacuation shelter, at Newport, Oregon. We show that the ASCE 7-16 consistent hazards are between those obtained from deterministic L1 and XXL1 scenarios, and the greatest impact on the building may come from later waves. As a further step, we utilize the inundation model results to numerically compute tracks of large vessels in the vicinity of the building site and estimate if these vessels will impact on the building site during the extreme XXL1 and ASCE 7-16 hazard-consistent scenarios. Two-step study is carried out first to study tracks of massless particles and then large vessels with assigned mass considering drag force, inertial force, ship grounding and mooring. The simulation results show that none of the large vessels will impact on the building site in all tested scenarios.

  7. Preliminary estimates of radiation exposures for manned interplanetary missions from anomalously large solar flare events

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Townsend, Lawrence W.; Nealy, John E.; Wilson, John W.

    1988-01-01

    Preliminary estimates of radiation exposures for manned interplanetary missions resulting from anomalously large solar flare events are presented. The calculations use integral particle fluences for the February 1956, November 1960, and August 1972 events as inputs into the Langley Research Center nucleon transport code BRYNTRN. This deterministic code transports primary and secondary nucleons (protons and neutrons) through any number of layers of target material of arbitrary thickness and composition. Contributions from target nucleus fragmentation and recoil are also included. Estimates of 5 cm depth doses and dose equivalents in tissue are presented behind various thicknesses of aluminum, water, and composite aluminum/water shields for each of the three solar flare events.

  8. Systematic Evaluation of Stochastic Methods in Power System Scheduling and Dispatch with Renewable Energy

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

    Wang, Yishen; Zhou, Zhi; Liu, Cong

    2016-08-01

    As more wind power and other renewable resources are being integrated into the electric power grid, the forecast uncertainty brings operational challenges for the power system operators. In this report, different operational strategies for uncertainty management are presented and evaluated. A comprehensive and consistent simulation framework is developed to analyze the performance of different reserve policies and scheduling techniques under uncertainty in wind power. Numerical simulations are conducted on a modified version of the IEEE 118-bus system with a 20% wind penetration level, comparing deterministic, interval, and stochastic unit commitment strategies. The results show that stochastic unit commitment provides amore » reliable schedule without large increases in operational costs. Moreover, decomposition techniques, such as load shift factor and Benders decomposition, can help in overcoming the computational obstacles to stochastic unit commitment and enable the use of a larger scenario set to represent forecast uncertainty. In contrast, deterministic and interval unit commitment tend to give higher system costs as more reserves are being scheduled to address forecast uncertainty. However, these approaches require a much lower computational effort Choosing a proper lower bound for the forecast uncertainty is important for balancing reliability and system operational cost in deterministic and interval unit commitment. Finally, we find that the introduction of zonal reserve requirements improves reliability, but at the expense of higher operational costs.« less

  9. Computing rates of Markov models of voltage-gated ion channels by inverting partial differential equations governing the probability density functions of the conducting and non-conducting states.

    PubMed

    Tveito, Aslak; Lines, Glenn T; Edwards, Andrew G; McCulloch, Andrew

    2016-07-01

    Markov models are ubiquitously used to represent the function of single ion channels. However, solving the inverse problem to construct a Markov model of single channel dynamics from bilayer or patch-clamp recordings remains challenging, particularly for channels involving complex gating processes. Methods for solving the inverse problem are generally based on data from voltage clamp measurements. Here, we describe an alternative approach to this problem based on measurements of voltage traces. The voltage traces define probability density functions of the functional states of an ion channel. These probability density functions can also be computed by solving a deterministic system of partial differential equations. The inversion is based on tuning the rates of the Markov models used in the deterministic system of partial differential equations such that the solution mimics the properties of the probability density function gathered from (pseudo) experimental data as well as possible. The optimization is done by defining a cost function to measure the difference between the deterministic solution and the solution based on experimental data. By evoking the properties of this function, it is possible to infer whether the rates of the Markov model are identifiable by our method. We present applications to Markov model well-known from the literature. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Parallel deterministic neutronics with AMR in 3D

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

    Clouse, C.; Ferguson, J.; Hendrickson, C.

    1997-12-31

    AMTRAN, a three dimensional Sn neutronics code with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) has been parallelized over spatial domains and energy groups and runs on the Meiko CS-2 with MPI message passing. Block refined AMR is used with linear finite element representations for the fluxes, which allows for a straight forward interpretation of fluxes at block interfaces with zoning differences. The load balancing algorithm assumes 8 spatial domains, which minimizes idle time among processors.

  11. The Deterministic Mine Burial Prediction System

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-12

    or below the water-line, initial linear and angular velocities, and fall angle relative to the mine’s axis of symmetry. Other input data needed...c. Run_DMBP.m: start-up MATLAB script for the program 2. C:\\DMBP\\DMBP_src: This directory contains source code, geotechnical databases, and...approved for public release). b. \\Impact_35: The IMPACT35 model c. \\MakeTPARfiles: scripts for creating wave height and wave period input data from

  12. Deterministic Execution of Ptides Programs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-05-15

    at a time no later than 30+1+5 = 36. Assume the maximum clock synchronization error is . Therefore, the AddSubtract adder must delay processing the...the synchronization of the platform real- time clock to its peers in other system platforms. The portions of PtidyOS code that implement access to the...interesting opportunities for future research. References [1] Y. Zhao, E. A. Lee, and J. Liu, “A programming model for time - synchronized distributed real

  13. Deterministic and probabilistic analysis of damping device resistance under impact loads from nuclear fuel container drop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kala, J.; Bajer, M.; Barnat, J.; Smutný, J.

    2010-12-01

    Pedestrian-induced vibrations are a criterion for serviceability. This loading is significant for light-weight footbridge structures, but was established as a basic loading for the ceilings of various ordinary buildings. Wide variations of this action exist. To verify the different conclusions of various authors, vertical pressure measurements invoked during walking were performed. In the article the approaches of different design codes are also shown.

  14. Hybrid Methods for Muon Accelerator Simulations with Ionization Cooling

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

    Kunz, Josiah; Snopok, Pavel; Berz, Martin

    Muon ionization cooling involves passing particles through solid or liquid absorbers. Careful simulations are required to design muon cooling channels. New features have been developed for inclusion in the transfer map code COSY Infinity to follow the distribution of charged particles through matter. To study the passage of muons through material, the transfer map approach alone is not sufficient. The interplay of beam optics and atomic processes must be studied by a hybrid transfer map--Monte-Carlo approach in which transfer map methods describe the deterministic behavior of the particles, and Monte-Carlo methods are used to provide corrections accounting for the stochasticmore » nature of scattering and straggling of particles. The advantage of the new approach is that the vast majority of the dynamics are represented by fast application of the high-order transfer map of an entire element and accumulated stochastic effects. The gains in speed are expected to simplify the optimization of cooling channels which is usually computationally demanding. Progress on the development of the required algorithms and their application to modeling muon ionization cooling channels is reported.« less

  15. Mixed Legendre moments and discrete scattering cross sections for anisotropy representation

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

    Calloo, A.; Vidal, J. F.; Le Tellier, R.

    2012-07-01

    This paper deals with the resolution of the integro-differential form of the Boltzmann transport equation for neutron transport in nuclear reactors. In multigroup theory, deterministic codes use transfer cross sections which are expanded on Legendre polynomials. This modelling leads to negative values of the transfer cross section for certain scattering angles, and hence, the multigroup scattering source term is wrongly computed. The first part compares the convergence of 'Legendre-expanded' cross sections with respect to the order used with the method of characteristics (MOC) for Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) type cells. Furthermore, the cross section is developed using piecewise-constant functions, whichmore » better models the multigroup transfer cross section and prevents the occurrence of any negative value for it. The second part focuses on the method of solving the transport equation with the above-mentioned piecewise-constant cross sections for lattice calculations for PWR cells. This expansion thereby constitutes a 'reference' method to compare the conventional Legendre expansion to, and to determine its pertinence when applied to reactor physics calculations. (authors)« less

  16. An approximate methods approach to probabilistic structural analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcclung, R. C.; Millwater, H. R.; Wu, Y.-T.; Thacker, B. H.; Burnside, O. H.

    1989-01-01

    A major research and technology program in Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods (PSAM) is currently being sponsored by the NASA Lewis Research Center with Southwest Research Institute as the prime contractor. This program is motivated by the need to accurately predict structural response in an environment where the loadings, the material properties, and even the structure may be considered random. The heart of PSAM is a software package which combines advanced structural analysis codes with a fast probability integration (FPI) algorithm for the efficient calculation of stochastic structural response. The basic idea of PAAM is simple: make an approximate calculation of system response, including calculation of the associated probabilities, with minimal computation time and cost, based on a simplified representation of the geometry, loads, and material. The deterministic solution resulting should give a reasonable and realistic description of performance-limiting system responses, although some error will be inevitable. If the simple model has correctly captured the basic mechanics of the system, however, including the proper functional dependence of stress, frequency, etc. on design parameters, then the response sensitivities calculated may be of significantly higher accuracy.

  17. GPU-accelerated Tersoff potentials for massively parallel Molecular Dynamics simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Trung Dac

    2017-03-01

    The Tersoff potential is one of the empirical many-body potentials that has been widely used in simulation studies at atomic scales. Unlike pair-wise potentials, the Tersoff potential involves three-body terms, which require much more arithmetic operations and data dependency. In this contribution, we have implemented the GPU-accelerated version of several variants of the Tersoff potential for LAMMPS, an open-source massively parallel Molecular Dynamics code. Compared to the existing MPI implementation in LAMMPS, the GPU implementation exhibits a better scalability and offers a speedup of 2.2X when run on 1000 compute nodes on the Titan supercomputer. On a single node, the speedup ranges from 2.0 to 8.0 times, depending on the number of atoms per GPU and hardware configurations. The most notable features of our GPU-accelerated version include its design for MPI/accelerator heterogeneous parallelism, its compatibility with other functionalities in LAMMPS, its ability to give deterministic results and to support both NVIDIA CUDA- and OpenCL-enabled accelerators. Our implementation is now part of the GPU package in LAMMPS and accessible for public use.

  18. Probabilistic versus deterministic hazard assessment in liquefaction susceptible zones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daminelli, Rosastella; Gerosa, Daniele; Marcellini, Alberto; Tento, Alberto

    2015-04-01

    Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA), usually adopted in the framework of seismic codes redaction, is based on Poissonian description of the temporal occurrence, negative exponential distribution of magnitude and attenuation relationship with log-normal distribution of PGA or response spectrum. The main positive aspect of this approach stems into the fact that is presently a standard for the majority of countries, but there are weak points in particular regarding the physical description of the earthquake phenomenon. Factors like site effects, source characteristics like duration of the strong motion and directivity that could significantly influence the expected motion at the site are not taken into account by PSHA. Deterministic models can better evaluate the ground motion at a site from a physical point of view, but its prediction reliability depends on the degree of knowledge of the source, wave propagation and soil parameters. We compare these two approaches in selected sites affected by the May 2012 Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia earthquake, that caused widespread liquefaction phenomena unusually for magnitude less than 6. We focus on sites liquefiable because of their soil mechanical parameters and water table level. Our analysis shows that the choice between deterministic and probabilistic hazard analysis is strongly dependent on site conditions. The looser the soil and the higher the liquefaction potential, the more suitable is the deterministic approach. Source characteristics, in particular the duration of strong ground motion, have long since recognized as relevant to induce liquefaction; unfortunately a quantitative prediction of these parameters appears very unlikely, dramatically reducing the possibility of their adoption in hazard assessment. Last but not least, the economic factors are relevant in the choice of the approach. The case history of 2012 Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia earthquake, with an officially estimated cost of 6 billions Euros, shows that geological and geophysical investigations necessary to assess a reliable deterministic hazard evaluation are largely justified.

  19. Stochastic Multi-Timescale Power System Operations With Variable Wind Generation

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

    Wu, Hongyu; Krad, Ibrahim; Florita, Anthony

    This paper describes a novel set of stochastic unit commitment and economic dispatch models that consider stochastic loads and variable generation at multiple operational timescales. The stochastic model includes four distinct stages: stochastic day-ahead security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC), stochastic real-time SCUC, stochastic real-time security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED), and deterministic automatic generation control (AGC). These sub-models are integrated together such that they are continually updated with decisions passed from one to another. The progressive hedging algorithm (PHA) is applied to solve the stochastic models to maintain the computational tractability of the proposed models. Comparative case studies with deterministic approaches are conductedmore » in low wind and high wind penetration scenarios to highlight the advantages of the proposed methodology, one with perfect forecasts and the other with current state-of-the-art but imperfect deterministic forecasts. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated with sensitivity tests using both economic and reliability metrics to provide a broader view of its impact.« less

  20. JCCRER Project 2.3 -- Deterministic effects of occupational exposure to radiation. Phase 1: Feasibility study; Final report

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

    Okladnikova, N.; Pesternikova, V.; Sumina, M.

    1998-12-01

    Phase 1 of Project 2.3, a short-term collaborative Feasibility Study, was funded for 12 months starting on 1 February 1996. The overall aim of the study was to determine the practical feasibility of using the dosimetric and clinical data on the MAYAK worker population to study the deterministic effects of exposure to external gamma radiation and to internal alpha radiation from inhaled plutonium. Phase 1 efforts were limited to the period of greatest worker exposure (1948--1954) and focused on collaboratively: assessing the comprehensiveness, availability, quality, and suitability of the Russian clinical and dosimetric data for the study of deterministic effects;more » creating an electronic data base containing complete clinical and dosimetric data on a small, representative sample of MAYAK workers; developing computer software for the testing of a currently used health risk model of hematopoietic effects; and familiarizing the US team with the Russian diagnostic criteria and techniques used in the identification of Chronic Radiation Sickness.« less

  1. Extended method of moments for deterministic analysis of stochastic multistable neurodynamical systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deco, Gustavo; Martí, Daniel

    2007-03-01

    The analysis of transitions in stochastic neurodynamical systems is essential to understand the computational principles that underlie those perceptual and cognitive processes involving multistable phenomena, like decision making and bistable perception. To investigate the role of noise in a multistable neurodynamical system described by coupled differential equations, one usually considers numerical simulations, which are time consuming because of the need for sufficiently many trials to capture the statistics of the influence of the fluctuations on that system. An alternative analytical approach involves the derivation of deterministic differential equations for the moments of the distribution of the activity of the neuronal populations. However, the application of the method of moments is restricted by the assumption that the distribution of the state variables of the system takes on a unimodal Gaussian shape. We extend in this paper the classical moments method to the case of bimodal distribution of the state variables, such that a reduced system of deterministic coupled differential equations can be derived for the desired regime of multistability.

  2. Coupled Multi-Disciplinary Optimization for Structural Reliability and Affordability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abumeri, Galib H.; Chamis, Christos C.

    2003-01-01

    A computational simulation method is presented for Non-Deterministic Multidisciplinary Optimization of engine composite materials and structures. A hypothetical engine duct made with ceramic matrix composites (CMC) is evaluated probabilistically in the presence of combined thermo-mechanical loading. The structure is tailored by quantifying the uncertainties in all relevant design variables such as fabrication, material, and loading parameters. The probabilistic sensitivities are used to select critical design variables for optimization. In this paper, two approaches for non-deterministic optimization are presented. The non-deterministic minimization of combined failure stress criterion is carried out by: (1) performing probabilistic evaluation first and then optimization and (2) performing optimization first and then probabilistic evaluation. The first approach shows that the optimization feasible region can be bounded by a set of prescribed probability limits and that the optimization follows the cumulative distribution function between those limits. The second approach shows that the optimization feasible region is bounded by 0.50 and 0.999 probabilities.

  3. Using MCBEND for neutron or gamma-ray deterministic calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geoff, Dobson; Adam, Bird; Brendan, Tollit; Paul, Smith

    2017-09-01

    MCBEND 11 is the latest version of the general radiation transport Monte Carlo code from AMEC Foster Wheeler's ANSWERS® Software Service. MCBEND is well established in the UK shielding community for radiation shielding and dosimetry assessments. MCBEND supports a number of acceleration techniques, for example the use of an importance map in conjunction with Splitting/Russian Roulette. MCBEND has a well established automated tool to generate this importance map, commonly referred to as the MAGIC module using a diffusion adjoint solution. This method is fully integrated with the MCBEND geometry and material specification, and can easily be run as part of a normal MCBEND calculation. An often overlooked feature of MCBEND is the ability to use this method for forward scoping calculations, which can be run as a very quick deterministic method. Additionally, the development of the Visual Workshop environment for results display provides new capabilities for the use of the forward calculation as a productivity tool. In this paper, we illustrate the use of the combination of the old and new in order to provide an enhanced analysis capability. We also explore the use of more advanced deterministic methods for scoping calculations used in conjunction with MCBEND, with a view to providing a suite of methods to accompany the main Monte Carlo solver.

  4. Probabilistically modeling lava flows with MOLASSES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, J. A.; Connor, L.; Connor, C.; Gallant, E.

    2017-12-01

    Modeling lava flows through Cellular Automata methods enables a computationally inexpensive means to quickly forecast lava flow paths and ultimate areal extents. We have developed a lava flow simulator, MOLASSES, that forecasts lava flow inundation over an elevation model from a point source eruption. This modular code can be implemented in a deterministic fashion with given user inputs that will produce a single lava flow simulation. MOLASSES can also be implemented in a probabilistic fashion where given user inputs define parameter distributions that are randomly sampled to create many lava flow simulations. This probabilistic approach enables uncertainty in input data to be expressed in the model results and MOLASSES outputs a probability map of inundation instead of a determined lava flow extent. Since the code is comparatively fast, we use it probabilistically to investigate where potential vents are located that may impact specific sites and areas, as well as the unconditional probability of lava flow inundation of sites or areas from any vent. We have validated the MOLASSES code to community-defined benchmark tests and to the real world lava flows at Tolbachik (2012-2013) and Pico do Fogo (2014-2015). To determine the efficacy of the MOLASSES simulator at accurately and precisely mimicking the inundation area of real flows, we report goodness of fit using both model sensitivity and the Positive Predictive Value, the latter of which is a Bayesian posterior statistic. Model sensitivity is often used in evaluating lava flow simulators, as it describes how much of the lava flow was successfully modeled by the simulation. We argue that the positive predictive value is equally important in determining how good a simulator is, as it describes the percentage of the simulation space that was actually inundated by lava.

  5. Meeting Radiation Protection Requirements and Reducing Spacecraft Mass - A Multifunctional Materials Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atwell, William; Koontz, Steve; Reddell, Brandon; Rojdev, Kristina; Franklin, Jennifer

    2010-01-01

    Both crew and radio-sensitive systems, especially electronics must be protected from the effects of the space radiation environment. One method of mitigating this radiation exposure is to use passive-shielding materials. In previous vehicle designs such as the International Space Station (ISS), materials such as aluminum and polyethylene have been used as parasitic shielding to protect crew and electronics from exposure, but these designs add mass and decrease the amount of usable volume inside the vehicle. Thus, it is of interest to understand whether structural materials can also be designed to provide the radiation shielding capability needed for crew and electronics, while still providing weight savings and increased useable volume when compared against previous vehicle shielding designs. In this paper, we present calculations and analysis using the HZETRN (deterministic) and FLUKA (Monte Carlo) codes to investigate the radiation mitigation properties of these structural shielding materials, which includes graded-Z and composite materials. This work is also a follow-on to an earlier paper, that compared computational results for three radiation transport codes, HZETRN, HETC, and FLUKA, using the Feb. 1956 solar particle event (SPE) spectrum. In the following analysis, we consider the October 1989 Ground Level Enhanced (GLE) SPE as the input source term based on the Band function fitting method. Using HZETRN and FLUKA, parametric absorbed doses at the center of a hemispherical structure on the lunar surface are calculated for various thicknesses of graded-Z layups and an all-aluminum structure. HZETRN and FLUKA calculations are compared and are in reasonable (18% to 27%) agreement. Both codes are in agreement with respect to the predicted shielding material performance trends. The results from both HZETRN and FLUKA are analyzed and the radiation protection properties and potential weight savings of various materials and materials lay-ups are compared.

  6. Deterministic and stochastic models for middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suryani, Dessy Rizki; Zevika, Mona; Nuraini, Nuning

    2018-03-01

    World Health Organization (WHO) data stated that since September 2012, there were 1,733 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) with 628 death cases that occurred in 27 countries. MERS was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and the largest cases of MERS outside Saudi Arabia occurred in South Korea in 2015. MERS is a disease that attacks the respiratory system caused by infection of MERS-CoV. MERS-CoV transmission occurs directly through direct contact between infected individual with non-infected individual or indirectly through contaminated object by the free virus. Suspected, MERS can spread quickly because of the free virus in environment. Mathematical modeling is used to illustrate the transmission of MERS disease using deterministic model and stochastic model. Deterministic model is used to investigate the temporal dynamic from the system to analyze the steady state condition. Stochastic model approach using Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC) is used to predict the future states by using random variables. From the models that were built, the threshold value for deterministic models and stochastic models obtained in the same form and the probability of disease extinction can be computed by stochastic model. Simulations for both models using several of different parameters are shown, and the probability of disease extinction will be compared with several initial conditions.

  7. Stochastic Plume Simulations for the Fukushima Accident and the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coelho, E.; Peggion, G.; Rowley, C.; Hogan, P.

    2012-04-01

    The Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant suffered damage leading to radioactive contamination of coastal waters. Major issues in characterizing the extent of the affected waters were a poor knowledge of the radiation released to the coastal waters and the rather complex coastal dynamics of the region, not deterministically captured by the available prediction systems. Equivalently, during the Gulf of Mexico Deep Water Horizon oil platform accident in April 2010, significant amounts of oil and gas were released from the ocean floor. For this case, issues in mapping and predicting the extent of the affected waters in real-time were a poor knowledge of the actual amounts of oil reaching the surface and the fact that coastal dynamics over the region were not deterministically captured by the available prediction systems. To assess the ocean regions and times that were most likely affected by these accidents while capturing the above sources of uncertainty, ensembles of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) were configured over the two regions (NE Japan and Northern Gulf of Mexico). For the Fukushima case tracers were released on each ensemble member; their locations at each instant provided reference positions of water volumes where the signature of water released from the plant could be found. For the Deep Water Horizon oil spill case each ensemble member was coupled with a diffusion-advection solution to estimate possible scenarios of oil concentrations using perturbed estimates of the released amounts as the source terms at the surface. Stochastic plumes were then defined using a Risk Assessment Code (RAC) analysis that associates a number from 1 to 5 to each grid point, determined by the likelihood of having tracer particle within short ranges (for the Fukushima case), hence defining the high risk areas and those recommended for monitoring. For the Oil Spill case the RAC codes were determined by the likelihood of reaching oil concentrations as defined in the Bonn Agreement Oil Appearance Code. The likelihoods were taken in both cases from probability distribution functions derived from the ensemble runs. Results were compared with a control-deterministic solution and checked against available reports to assess their skill in capturing the actual observed plumes and other in-situ data, as well as their relevance for planning surveys and reconnaissance flights for both cases.

  8. Comparative Petrographic Maturity of River and Beach Sand, and Origin of Quartz Arenites.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferree, Rob A.; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Describes a deterministic computer model that incorporates: (1) initial framework composition; (2) abrasion factors for quartz, feldspar, and rock fragments; and (3) a fragmentation ratio for rock fragments to simulate the recycling of coastal sands by rivers and beaches. (TW)

  9. Risk and benefit assessment of potential neurodevelopmental effect resulting from consumption of marine fish from a coastal archipelago in China.

    PubMed

    Gao, Yi-Xiong; Zhang, Hongxia; Yu, Xinwei; He, Jia-lu; Shang, Xiaohong; Li, Xiaowei; Zhao, Yunfeng; Wu, Yongning

    2014-06-04

    The aim of this study was to assess net neurodevelopmental effect via maternal consumption of marine fish. A total of thirty-one species were collected from Zhoushan, China. The net IQ point gain was assessed by FAO/WHO deterministic approach and probabilistic computation (if necessary). Results of the deterministic assessment of two samples belonging to Scoliodon sorrakowah showed negative IQ point gain in both common and extreme consumption scenarios (175 and 450 g/week, respectively); the net IQ gain caused by both consumption scenarios of other species were positive. Both consumption scenarios of Scoliodon sorrakowah showed beneficial neurodevelopmental effect according to probabilistic computation (95% CI for mean of net IQ gain: 0.0536-0.0554 and 0.1377-0.1425, respectively). Except for Scoliodon sorrakowah, this study indicates that both consumption scenarios of other studied species would be recommended according to the FAO/WHO approach. There would be no recommendation of consumption scenarios of Scoliodon sorrakowah for the reason for carefulness.

  10. Hardware-software face detection system based on multi-block local binary patterns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Acasandrei, Laurentiu; Barriga, Angel

    2015-03-01

    Face detection is an important aspect for biometrics, video surveillance and human computer interaction. Due to the complexity of the detection algorithms any face detection system requires a huge amount of computational and memory resources. In this communication an accelerated implementation of MB LBP face detection algorithm targeting low frequency, low memory and low power embedded system is presented. The resulted implementation is time deterministic and uses a customizable AMBA IP hardware accelerator. The IP implements the kernel operations of the MB-LBP algorithm and can be used as universal accelerator for MB LBP based applications. The IP employs 8 parallel MB-LBP feature evaluators cores, uses a deterministic bandwidth, has a low area profile and the power consumption is ~95 mW on a Virtex5 XC5VLX50T. The resulted implementation acceleration gain is between 5 to 8 times, while the hardware MB-LBP feature evaluation gain is between 69 and 139 times.

  11. Stochastic Stability of Nonlinear Sampled Data Systems with a Jump Linear Controller

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gonzalez, Oscar R.; Herencia-Zapana, Heber; Gray, W. Steven

    2004-01-01

    This paper analyzes the stability of a sampled- data system consisting of a deterministic, nonlinear, time- invariant, continuous-time plant and a stochastic, discrete- time, jump linear controller. The jump linear controller mod- els, for example, computer systems and communication net- works that are subject to stochastic upsets or disruptions. This sampled-data model has been used in the analysis and design of fault-tolerant systems and computer-control systems with random communication delays without taking into account the inter-sample response. To analyze stability, appropriate topologies are introduced for the signal spaces of the sampled- data system. With these topologies, the ideal sampling and zero-order-hold operators are shown to be measurable maps. This paper shows that the known equivalence between the stability of a deterministic, linear sampled-data system and its associated discrete-time representation as well as between a nonlinear sampled-data system and a linearized representation holds even in a stochastic framework.

  12. Faster PET reconstruction with a stochastic primal-dual hybrid gradient method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ehrhardt, Matthias J.; Markiewicz, Pawel; Chambolle, Antonin; Richtárik, Peter; Schott, Jonathan; Schönlieb, Carola-Bibiane

    2017-08-01

    Image reconstruction in positron emission tomography (PET) is computationally challenging due to Poisson noise, constraints and potentially non-smooth priors-let alone the sheer size of the problem. An algorithm that can cope well with the first three of the aforementioned challenges is the primal-dual hybrid gradient algorithm (PDHG) studied by Chambolle and Pock in 2011. However, PDHG updates all variables in parallel and is therefore computationally demanding on the large problem sizes encountered with modern PET scanners where the number of dual variables easily exceeds 100 million. In this work, we numerically study the usage of SPDHG-a stochastic extension of PDHG-but is still guaranteed to converge to a solution of the deterministic optimization problem with similar rates as PDHG. Numerical results on a clinical data set show that by introducing randomization into PDHG, similar results as the deterministic algorithm can be achieved using only around 10 % of operator evaluations. Thus, making significant progress towards the feasibility of sophisticated mathematical models in a clinical setting.

  13. Fencing direct memory access data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface of a parallel computer

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

    Blocksome, Michael A.; Mamidala, Amith R.

    2013-09-03

    Fencing direct memory access (`DMA`) data transfers in a parallel active messaging interface (`PAMI`) of a parallel computer, the PAMI including data communications endpoints, each endpoint including specifications of a client, a context, and a task, the endpoints coupled for data communications through the PAMI and through DMA controllers operatively coupled to segments of shared random access memory through which the DMA controllers deliver data communications deterministically, including initiating execution through the PAMI of an ordered sequence of active DMA instructions for DMA data transfers between two endpoints, effecting deterministic DMA data transfers through a DMA controller and a segmentmore » of shared memory; and executing through the PAMI, with no FENCE accounting for DMA data transfers, an active FENCE instruction, the FENCE instruction completing execution only after completion of all DMA instructions initiated prior to execution of the FENCE instruction for DMA data transfers between the two endpoints.« less

  14. Use of Fluka to Create Dose Calculations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Kerry T.; Barzilla, Janet; Townsend, Lawrence; Brittingham, John

    2012-01-01

    Monte Carlo codes provide an effective means of modeling three dimensional radiation transport; however, their use is both time- and resource-intensive. The creation of a lookup table or parameterization from Monte Carlo simulation allows users to perform calculations with Monte Carlo results without replicating lengthy calculations. FLUKA Monte Carlo transport code was used to develop lookup tables and parameterizations for data resulting from the penetration of layers of aluminum, polyethylene, and water with areal densities ranging from 0 to 100 g/cm^2. Heavy charged ion radiation including ions from Z=1 to Z=26 and from 0.1 to 10 GeV/nucleon were simulated. Dose, dose equivalent, and fluence as a function of particle identity, energy, and scattering angle were examined at various depths. Calculations were compared against well-known results and against the results of other deterministic and Monte Carlo codes. Results will be presented.

  15. FY16 Status Report on NEAMS Neutronics Activities

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

    Lee, C. H.; Shemon, E. R.; Smith, M. A.

    2016-09-30

    The goal of the NEAMS neutronics effort is to develop a neutronics toolkit for use on sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) which can be extended to other reactor types. The neutronics toolkit includes the high-fidelity deterministic neutron transport code PROTEUS and many supporting tools such as a cross section generation code MC 2-3, a cross section library generation code, alternative cross section generation tools, mesh generation and conversion utilities, and an automated regression test tool. The FY16 effort for NEAMS neutronics focused on supporting the release of the SHARP toolkit and existing and new users, continuing to develop PROTEUS functions necessarymore » for performance improvement as well as the SHARP release, verifying PROTEUS against available existing benchmark problems, and developing new benchmark problems as needed. The FY16 research effort was focused on further updates of PROTEUS-SN and PROTEUS-MOCEX and cross section generation capabilities as needed.« less

  16. Distinguishing humans from computers in the game of go: A complex network approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coquidé, C.; Georgeot, B.; Giraud, O.

    2017-08-01

    We compare complex networks built from the game of go and obtained from databases of human-played games with those obtained from computer-played games. Our investigations show that statistical features of the human-based networks and the computer-based networks differ, and that these differences can be statistically significant on a relatively small number of games using specific estimators. We show that the deterministic or stochastic nature of the computer algorithm playing the game can also be distinguished from these quantities. This can be seen as a tool to implement a Turing-like test for go simulators.

  17. Automated Assume-Guarantee Reasoning by Abstraction Refinement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pasareanu, Corina S.; Giannakopoulous, Dimitra; Glannakopoulou, Dimitra

    2008-01-01

    Current automated approaches for compositional model checking in the assume-guarantee style are based on learning of assumptions as deterministic automata. We propose an alternative approach based on abstraction refinement. Our new method computes the assumptions for the assume-guarantee rules as conservative and not necessarily deterministic abstractions of some of the components, and refines those abstractions using counter-examples obtained from model checking them together with the other components. Our approach also exploits the alphabets of the interfaces between components and performs iterative refinement of those alphabets as well as of the abstractions. We show experimentally that our preliminary implementation of the proposed alternative achieves similar or better performance than a previous learning-based implementation.

  18. Investigation of HZETRN 2010 as a Tool for Single Event Effect Qualification of Avionics Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rojdev, Kristina; Koontz, Steve; Atwell, William; Boeder, Paul

    2014-01-01

    NASA's future missions are focused on long-duration deep space missions for human exploration which offers no options for a quick emergency return to Earth. The combination of long mission duration with no quick emergency return option leads to unprecedented spacecraft system safety and reliability requirements. It is important that spacecraft avionics systems for human deep space missions are not susceptible to Single Event Effect (SEE) failures caused by space radiation (primarily the continuous galactic cosmic ray background and the occasional solar particle event) interactions with electronic components and systems. SEE effects are typically managed during the design, development, and test (DD&T) phase of spacecraft development by using heritage hardware (if possible) and through extensive component level testing, followed by system level failure analysis tasks that are both time consuming and costly. The ultimate product of the SEE DD&T program is a prediction of spacecraft avionics reliability in the flight environment produced using various nuclear reaction and transport codes in combination with the component and subsystem level radiation test data. Previous work by Koontz, et al.1 utilized FLUKA, a Monte Carlo nuclear reaction and transport code, to calculate SEE and single event upset (SEU) rates. This code was then validated against in-flight data for a variety of spacecraft and space flight environments. However, FLUKA has a long run-time (on the order of days). CREME962, an easy to use deterministic code offering short run times, was also compared with FLUKA predictions and in-flight data. CREME96, though fast and easy to use, has not been updated in several years and underestimates secondary particle shower effects in spacecraft structural shielding mass. Thus, this paper will investigate the use of HZETRN 20103, a fast and easy to use deterministic transport code, similar to CREME96, that was developed at NASA Langley Research Center primarily for flight crew ionizing radiation dose assessments. HZETRN 2010 includes updates to address secondary particle shower effects more accurately, and might be used as another tool to verify spacecraft avionics system reliability in space flight SEE environments.

  19. Statistical emulation of landslide-induced tsunamis at the Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic

    PubMed Central

    Guillas, S.; Georgiopoulou, A.; Dias, F.

    2017-01-01

    Statistical methods constitute a useful approach to understand and quantify the uncertainty that governs complex tsunami mechanisms. Numerical experiments may often have a high computational cost. This forms a limiting factor for performing uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, where numerous simulations are required. Statistical emulators, as surrogates of these simulators, can provide predictions of the physical process in a much faster and computationally inexpensive way. They can form a prominent solution to explore thousands of scenarios that would be otherwise numerically expensive and difficult to achieve. In this work, we build a statistical emulator of the deterministic codes used to simulate submarine sliding and tsunami generation at the Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic Ocean, in two stages. First we calibrate, against observations of the landslide deposits, the parameters used in the landslide simulations. This calibration is performed under a Bayesian framework using Gaussian Process (GP) emulators to approximate the landslide model, and the discrepancy function between model and observations. Distributions of the calibrated input parameters are obtained as a result of the calibration. In a second step, a GP emulator is built to mimic the coupled landslide-tsunami numerical process. The emulator propagates the uncertainties in the distributions of the calibrated input parameters inferred from the first step to the outputs. As a result, a quantification of the uncertainty of the maximum free surface elevation at specified locations is obtained. PMID:28484339

  20. Optimization of Boiling Water Reactor Loading Pattern Using Two-Stage Genetic Algorithm

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

    Kobayashi, Yoko; Aiyoshi, Eitaro

    2002-10-15

    A new two-stage optimization method based on genetic algorithms (GAs) using an if-then heuristic rule was developed to generate optimized boiling water reactor (BWR) loading patterns (LPs). In the first stage, the LP is optimized using an improved GA operator. In the second stage, an exposure-dependent control rod pattern (CRP) is sought using GA with an if-then heuristic rule. The procedure of the improved GA is based on deterministic operators that consist of crossover, mutation, and selection. The handling of the encoding technique and constraint conditions by that GA reflects the peculiar characteristics of the BWR. In addition, strategies suchmore » as elitism and self-reproduction are effectively used in order to improve the search speed. The LP evaluations were performed with a three-dimensional diffusion code that coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic models. Strong axial heterogeneities and constraints dependent on three dimensions have always necessitated the use of three-dimensional core simulators for BWRs, so that optimization of computational efficiency is required. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated by successfully generating LPs for an actual BWR plant in two phases. One phase is only LP optimization applying the Haling technique. The other phase is an LP optimization that considers the CRP during reactor operation. In test calculations, candidates that shuffled fresh and burned fuel assemblies within a reasonable computation time were obtained.« less

  1. Statistical emulation of landslide-induced tsunamis at the Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic.

    PubMed

    Salmanidou, D M; Guillas, S; Georgiopoulou, A; Dias, F

    2017-04-01

    Statistical methods constitute a useful approach to understand and quantify the uncertainty that governs complex tsunami mechanisms. Numerical experiments may often have a high computational cost. This forms a limiting factor for performing uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, where numerous simulations are required. Statistical emulators, as surrogates of these simulators, can provide predictions of the physical process in a much faster and computationally inexpensive way. They can form a prominent solution to explore thousands of scenarios that would be otherwise numerically expensive and difficult to achieve. In this work, we build a statistical emulator of the deterministic codes used to simulate submarine sliding and tsunami generation at the Rockall Bank, NE Atlantic Ocean, in two stages. First we calibrate, against observations of the landslide deposits, the parameters used in the landslide simulations. This calibration is performed under a Bayesian framework using Gaussian Process (GP) emulators to approximate the landslide model, and the discrepancy function between model and observations. Distributions of the calibrated input parameters are obtained as a result of the calibration. In a second step, a GP emulator is built to mimic the coupled landslide-tsunami numerical process. The emulator propagates the uncertainties in the distributions of the calibrated input parameters inferred from the first step to the outputs. As a result, a quantification of the uncertainty of the maximum free surface elevation at specified locations is obtained.

  2. Preparation and measurement of three-qubit entanglement in a superconducting circuit.

    PubMed

    Dicarlo, L; Reed, M D; Sun, L; Johnson, B R; Chow, J M; Gambetta, J M; Frunzio, L; Girvin, S M; Devoret, M H; Schoelkopf, R J

    2010-09-30

    Traditionally, quantum entanglement has been central to foundational discussions of quantum mechanics. The measurement of correlations between entangled particles can have results at odds with classical behaviour. These discrepancies grow exponentially with the number of entangled particles. With the ample experimental confirmation of quantum mechanical predictions, entanglement has evolved from a philosophical conundrum into a key resource for technologies such as quantum communication and computation. Although entanglement in superconducting circuits has been limited so far to two qubits, the extension of entanglement to three, eight and ten qubits has been achieved among spins, ions and photons, respectively. A key question for solid-state quantum information processing is whether an engineered system could display the multi-qubit entanglement necessary for quantum error correction, which starts with tripartite entanglement. Here, using a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture, we demonstrate deterministic production of three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states with fidelity of 88 per cent, measured with quantum state tomography. Several entanglement witnesses detect genuine three-qubit entanglement by violating biseparable bounds by 830 ± 80 per cent. We demonstrate the first step of basic quantum error correction, namely the encoding of a logical qubit into a manifold of GHZ-like states using a repetition code. The integration of this encoding with decoding and error-correcting steps in a feedback loop will be the next step for quantum computing with integrated circuits.

  3. Stochastic many-body problems in ecology, evolution, neuroscience, and systems biology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Butler, Thomas C.

    Using the tools of many-body theory, I analyze problems in four different areas of biology dominated by strong fluctuations: The evolutionary history of the genetic code, spatiotemporal pattern formation in ecology, spatiotemporal pattern formation in neuroscience and the robustness of a model circadian rhythm circuit in systems biology. In the first two research chapters, I demonstrate that the genetic code is extremely optimal (in the sense that it manages the effects of point mutations or mistranslations efficiently), more than an order of magnitude beyond what was previously thought. I further show that the structure of the genetic code implies that early proteins were probably only loosely defined. Both the nature of early proteins and the extreme optimality of the genetic code are interpreted in light of recent theory [1] as evidence that the evolution of the genetic code was driven by evolutionary dynamics that were dominated by horizontal gene transfer. I then explore the optimality of a proposed precursor to the genetic code. The results show that the precursor code has only limited optimality, which is interpreted as evidence that the precursor emerged prior to translation, or else never existed. In the next part of the dissertation, I introduce a many-body formalism for reaction-diffusion systems described at the mesoscopic scale with master equations. I first apply this formalism to spatially-extended predator-prey ecosystems, resulting in the prediction that many-body correlations and fluctuations drive population cycles in time, called quasicycles. Most of these results were previously known, but were derived using the system size expansion [2, 3]. I next apply the analytical techniques developed in the study of quasi-cycles to a simple model of Turing patterns in a predator-prey ecosystem. This analysis shows that fluctuations drive the formation of a new kind of spatiotemporal pattern formation that I name "quasi-patterns." These quasi-patterns exist over a much larger range of physically accessible parameters than the patterns predicted in mean field theory and therefore account for the apparent observations in ecology of patterns in regimes where Turing patterns do not occur. I further show that quasi-patterns have statistical properties that allow them to be distinguished empirically from mean field Turing patterns. I next analyze a model of visual cortex in the brain that has striking similarities to the activator-inhibitor model of ecosystem quasi-pattern formation. Through analysis of the resulting phase diagram, I show that the architecture of the neural network in the visual cortex is configured to make the visual cortex robust to unwanted internally generated spatial structure that interferes with normal visual function. I also predict that some geometric visual hallucinations are quasi-patterns and that the visual cortex supports a new phase of spatially scale invariant behavior present far from criticality. In the final chapter, I explore the effects of fluctuations on cycles in systems biology, specifically the pervasive phenomenon of circadian rhythms. By exploring the behavior of a generic stochastic model of circadian rhythms, I show that the circadian rhythm circuit exploits leaky mRNA production to safeguard the cycle from failure. I also show that this safeguard mechanism is highly robust to changes in the rate of leaky mRNA production. Finally, I explore the failure of the deterministic model in two different contexts, one where the deterministic model predicts cycles where they do not exist, and another context in which cycles are not predicted by the deterministic model.

  4. Results of comparative RBMK neutron computation using VNIIEF codes (cell computation, 3D statics, 3D kinetics). Final report

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

    Grebennikov, A.N.; Zhitnik, A.K.; Zvenigorodskaya, O.A.

    1995-12-31

    In conformity with the protocol of the Workshop under Contract {open_quotes}Assessment of RBMK reactor safety using modern Western Codes{close_quotes} VNIIEF performed a neutronics computation series to compare western and VNIIEF codes and assess whether VNIIEF codes are suitable for RBMK type reactor safety assessment computation. The work was carried out in close collaboration with M.I. Rozhdestvensky and L.M. Podlazov, NIKIET employees. The effort involved: (1) cell computations with the WIMS, EKRAN codes (improved modification of the LOMA code) and the S-90 code (VNIIEF Monte Carlo). Cell, polycell, burnup computation; (2) 3D computation of static states with the KORAT-3D and NEUmore » codes and comparison with results of computation with the NESTLE code (USA). The computations were performed in the geometry and using the neutron constants presented by the American party; (3) 3D computation of neutron kinetics with the KORAT-3D and NEU codes. These computations were performed in two formulations, both being developed in collaboration with NIKIET. Formulation of the first problem maximally possibly agrees with one of NESTLE problems and imitates gas bubble travel through a core. The second problem is a model of the RBMK as a whole with imitation of control and protection system controls (CPS) movement in a core.« less

  5. Failed rib region prediction in a human body model during crash events with precrash braking.

    PubMed

    Guleyupoglu, B; Koya, B; Barnard, R; Gayzik, F S

    2018-02-28

    The objective of this study is 2-fold. We used a validated human body finite element model to study the predicted chest injury (focusing on rib fracture as a function of element strain) based on varying levels of simulated precrash braking. Furthermore, we compare deterministic and probabilistic methods of rib injury prediction in the computational model. The Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) M50-O model was gravity settled in the driver position of a generic interior equipped with an advanced 3-point belt and airbag. Twelve cases were investigated with permutations for failure, precrash braking system, and crash severity. The severities used were median (17 kph), severe (34 kph), and New Car Assessment Program (NCAP; 56.4 kph). Cases with failure enabled removed rib cortical bone elements once 1.8% effective plastic strain was exceeded. Alternatively, a probabilistic framework found in the literature was used to predict rib failure. Both the probabilistic and deterministic methods take into consideration location (anterior, lateral, and posterior). The deterministic method is based on a rubric that defines failed rib regions dependent on a threshold for contiguous failed elements. The probabilistic method depends on age-based strain and failure functions. Kinematics between both methods were similar (peak max deviation: ΔX head = 17 mm; ΔZ head = 4 mm; ΔX thorax = 5 mm; ΔZ thorax = 1 mm). Seat belt forces at the time of probabilistic failed region initiation were lower than those at deterministic failed region initiation. The probabilistic method for rib fracture predicted more failed regions in the rib (an analog for fracture) than the deterministic method in all but 1 case where they were equal. The failed region patterns between models are similar; however, there are differences that arise due to stress reduced from element elimination that cause probabilistic failed regions to continue to rise after no deterministic failed region would be predicted. Both the probabilistic and deterministic methods indicate similar trends with regards to the effect of precrash braking; however, there are tradeoffs. The deterministic failed region method is more spatially sensitive to failure and is more sensitive to belt loads. The probabilistic failed region method allows for increased capability in postprocessing with respect to age. The probabilistic failed region method predicted more failed regions than the deterministic failed region method due to force distribution differences.

  6. Deterministic and unambiguous dense coding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Shengjun; Cohen, Scott M.; Sun, Yuqing; Griffiths, Robert B.

    2006-04-01

    Optimal dense coding using a partially-entangled pure state of Schmidt rank Dmacr and a noiseless quantum channel of dimension D is studied both in the deterministic case where at most Ld messages can be transmitted with perfect fidelity, and in the unambiguous case where when the protocol succeeds (probability τx ) Bob knows for sure that Alice sent message x , and when it fails (probability 1-τx ) he knows it has failed. Alice is allowed any single-shot (one use) encoding procedure, and Bob any single-shot measurement. For Dmacr ⩽D a bound is obtained for Ld in terms of the largest Schmidt coefficient of the entangled state, and is compared with published results by Mozes [Phys. Rev. A71, 012311 (2005)]. For Dmacr >D it is shown that Ld is strictly less than D2 unless Dmacr is an integer multiple of D , in which case uniform (maximal) entanglement is not needed to achieve the optimal protocol. The unambiguous case is studied for Dmacr ⩽D , assuming τx>0 for a set of Dmacr D messages, and a bound is obtained for the average ⟨1/τ⟩ . A bound on the average ⟨τ⟩ requires an additional assumption of encoding by isometries (unitaries when Dmacr =D ) that are orthogonal for different messages. Both bounds are saturated when τx is a constant independent of x , by a protocol based on one-shot entanglement concentration. For Dmacr >D it is shown that (at least) D2 messages can be sent unambiguously. Whether unitary (isometric) encoding suffices for optimal protocols remains a major unanswered question, both for our work and for previous studies of dense coding using partially-entangled states, including noisy (mixed) states.

  7. Application of technology developed for flight simulation at NASA. Langley Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cleveland, Jeff I., II

    1991-01-01

    In order to meet the stringent time-critical requirements for real-time man-in-the-loop flight simulation, computer processing operations including mathematical model computation and data input/output to the simulators must be deterministic and be completed in as short a time as possible. Personnel at NASA's Langley Research Center are currently developing the use of supercomputers for simulation mathematical model computation for real-time simulation. This, coupled with the use of an open systems software architecture, will advance the state-of-the-art in real-time flight simulation.

  8. General Methodology Combining Engineering Optimization of Primary HVAC and R Plants with Decision Analysis Methods--Part II: Uncertainty and Decision Analysis

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

    Jiang, Wei; Reddy, T. A.; Gurian, Patrick

    2007-01-31

    A companion paper to Jiang and Reddy that presents a general and computationally efficient methodology for dyanmic scheduling and optimal control of complex primary HVAC&R plants using a deterministic engineering optimization approach.

  9. Development and application of the GIM code for the Cyber 203 computer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stainaker, J. F.; Robinson, M. A.; Rawlinson, E. G.; Anderson, P. G.; Mayne, A. W.; Spradley, L. W.

    1982-01-01

    The GIM computer code for fluid dynamics research was developed. Enhancement of the computer code, implicit algorithm development, turbulence model implementation, chemistry model development, interactive input module coding and wing/body flowfield computation are described. The GIM quasi-parabolic code development was completed, and the code used to compute a number of example cases. Turbulence models, algebraic and differential equations, were added to the basic viscous code. An equilibrium reacting chemistry model and implicit finite difference scheme were also added. Development was completed on the interactive module for generating the input data for GIM. Solutions for inviscid hypersonic flow over a wing/body configuration are also presented.

  10. From Earth to Mars, Radiation Intensities in Interplanetary Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Brien, Keran

    2007-10-01

    The radiation field in interplanetary space between Earth and Mars is rather intense. Using a modified version of the ATROPOS Monte Carlo code combined with a modified version of the deterministic code, PLOTINUS, the effective dose rate to crew members in space craft hull shielded with a shell of 2 g/cm^2 of aluminum and 20 g/cm^2 of polyethylene was calculated to be 51 rem/y. The total dose during the solar-particle event of September 29, 1989, GLE 42, was calculated to be 50 rem. The dose in a ``storm cellar'' of 100 g/cm^2 of polyethylene equivalent during this time was calculated to be 5 rem. The calculations were for conditions corresponding to a recent solar minimum.

  11. EBR-II Static Neutronic Calculations by PHISICS / MCNP6 codes

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

    Paolo Balestra; Carlo Parisi; Andrea Alfonsi

    2016-02-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Shutdown Heat Removal Tests (SHRT) performed in the '80s at the Experimental fast Breeder Reactor EBR-II, USA. The scope of the CRP is to improve and validate the simulation tools for the study and the design of the liquid metal cooled fast reactors. Moreover, training of the next generation of fast reactor analysts is being also considered the other scope of the CRP. In this framework, a static neutronic model was developed, using state-of-the art neutron transport codes like SCALE/PHISICS (deterministic solution) and MCNP6 (stochastic solution).more » Comparison between both solutions is briefly illustrated in this summary.« less

  12. Automated Calibration For Numerical Models Of Riverflow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez, Betsaida; Kopmann, Rebekka; Oladyshkin, Sergey

    2017-04-01

    Calibration of numerical models is fundamental since the beginning of all types of hydro system modeling, to approximate the parameters that can mimic the overall system behavior. Thus, an assessment of different deterministic and stochastic optimization methods is undertaken to compare their robustness, computational feasibility, and global search capacity. Also, the uncertainty of the most suitable methods is analyzed. These optimization methods minimize the objective function that comprises synthetic measurements and simulated data. Synthetic measurement data replace the observed data set to guarantee an existing parameter solution. The input data for the objective function derivate from a hydro-morphological dynamics numerical model which represents an 180-degree bend channel. The hydro- morphological numerical model shows a high level of ill-posedness in the mathematical problem. The minimization of the objective function by different candidate methods for optimization indicates a failure in some of the gradient-based methods as Newton Conjugated and BFGS. Others reveal partial convergence, such as Nelder-Mead, Polak und Ribieri, L-BFGS-B, Truncated Newton Conjugated, and Trust-Region Newton Conjugated Gradient. Further ones indicate parameter solutions that range outside the physical limits, such as Levenberg-Marquardt and LeastSquareRoot. Moreover, there is a significant computational demand for genetic optimization methods, such as Differential Evolution and Basin-Hopping, as well as for Brute Force methods. The Deterministic Sequential Least Square Programming and the scholastic Bayes Inference theory methods present the optimal optimization results. keywords: Automated calibration of hydro-morphological dynamic numerical model, Bayesian inference theory, deterministic optimization methods.

  13. On the Application of a Response Surface Technique to Analyze Roll-over Stability of Capsules with Airbags Using LS-Dyna

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horta, Lucas G.; Reaves, Mercedes C.

    2008-01-01

    As NASA moves towards developing technologies needed to implement its new Exploration program, studies conducted for Apollo in the 1960's to understand the rollover stability of capsules landing are being revisited. Although rigid body kinematics analyses of the roll-over behavior of capsules on impact provided critical insight to the Apollo problem, extensive ground test programs were also used. For the new Orion spacecraft being developed to implement today's Exploration program, new air-bag designs have improved sufficiently for NASA to consider their use to mitigate landing loads to ensure crew safety and to enable re-usability of the capsule. Simple kinematics models provide only limited understanding of the behavior of these air bag systems, and more sophisticated tools must be used. In particular, NASA and its contractors are using the LS-Dyna nonlinear simulation code for impact response predictions of the full Orion vehicle with air bags by leveraging the extensive air bag prediction work previously done by the automotive industry. However, even in today's computational environment, these analyses are still high-dimensional, time consuming, and computationally intensive. To alleviate the computational burden, this paper presents an approach that uses deterministic sampling techniques and an adaptive response surface method to not only use existing LS-Dyna solutions but also to interpolate from LS-Dyna solutions to predict the stability boundaries for a capsule on airbags. Results for the stability boundary in terms of impact velocities, capsule attitude, impact plane orientation, and impact surface friction are discussed.

  14. Workflows and Provenance: Toward Information Science Solutions for the Natural Sciences.

    PubMed

    Gryk, Michael R; Ludäscher, Bertram

    2017-01-01

    The era of big data and ubiquitous computation has brought with it concerns about ensuring reproducibility in this new research environment. It is easy to assume computational methods self-document by their very nature of being exact, deterministic processes. However, similar to laboratory experiments, ensuring reproducibility in the computational realm requires the documentation of both the protocols used (workflows) as well as a detailed description of the computational environment: algorithms, implementations, software environments as well as the data ingested and execution logs of the computation. These two aspects of computational reproducibility (workflows and execution details) are discussed in the context of biomolecular Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (bioNMR) as well as the PRIMAD model for computational reproducibility.

  15. Reliable computation from contextual correlations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oestereich, André L.; Galvão, Ernesto F.

    2017-12-01

    An operational approach to the study of computation based on correlations considers black boxes with one-bit inputs and outputs, controlled by a limited classical computer capable only of performing sums modulo-two. In this setting, it was shown that noncontextual correlations do not provide any extra computational power, while contextual correlations were found to be necessary for the deterministic evaluation of nonlinear Boolean functions. Here we investigate the requirements for reliable computation in this setting; that is, the evaluation of any Boolean function with success probability bounded away from 1 /2 . We show that bipartite CHSH quantum correlations suffice for reliable computation. We also prove that an arbitrarily small violation of a multipartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger noncontextuality inequality also suffices for reliable computation.

  16. CyberShake: Running Seismic Hazard Workflows on Distributed HPC Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Callaghan, S.; Maechling, P. J.; Graves, R. W.; Gill, D.; Olsen, K. B.; Milner, K. R.; Yu, J.; Jordan, T. H.

    2013-12-01

    As part of its program of earthquake system science research, the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) has developed a simulation platform, CyberShake, to perform physics-based probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) using 3D deterministic wave propagation simulations. CyberShake performs PSHA by simulating a tensor-valued wavefield of Strain Green Tensors, and then using seismic reciprocity to calculate synthetic seismograms for about 415,000 events per site of interest. These seismograms are processed to compute ground motion intensity measures, which are then combined with probabilities from an earthquake rupture forecast to produce a site-specific hazard curve. Seismic hazard curves for hundreds of sites in a region can be used to calculate a seismic hazard map, representing the seismic hazard for a region. We present a recently completed PHSA study in which we calculated four CyberShake seismic hazard maps for the Southern California area to compare how CyberShake hazard results are affected by different SGT computational codes (AWP-ODC and AWP-RWG) and different community velocity models (Community Velocity Model - SCEC (CVM-S4) v11.11 and Community Velocity Model - Harvard (CVM-H) v11.9). We present our approach to running workflow applications on distributed HPC resources, including systems without support for remote job submission. We show how our approach extends the benefits of scientific workflows, such as job and data management, to large-scale applications on Track 1 and Leadership class open-science HPC resources. We used our distributed workflow approach to perform CyberShake Study 13.4 on two new NSF open-science HPC computing resources, Blue Waters and Stampede, executing over 470 million tasks to calculate physics-based hazard curves for 286 locations in the Southern California region. For each location, we calculated seismic hazard curves with two different community velocity models and two different SGT codes, resulting in over 1100 hazard curves. We will report on the performance of this CyberShake study, four times larger than previous studies. Additionally, we will examine the challenges we face applying these workflow techniques to additional open-science HPC systems and discuss whether our workflow solutions continue to provide value to our large-scale PSHA calculations.

  17. A reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for 1D inversion of magnetotelluric data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandolesi, Eric; Ogaya, Xenia; Campanyà, Joan; Piana Agostinetti, Nicola

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a new computer code developed to solve the 1D magnetotelluric (MT) inverse problem using a Bayesian trans-dimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. MT data are sensitive to the depth-distribution of rock electric conductivity (or its reciprocal, resistivity). The solution provided is a probability distribution - the so-called posterior probability distribution (PPD) for the conductivity at depth, together with the PPD of the interface depths. The PPD is sampled via a reversible-jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo (rjMcMC) algorithm, using a modified Metropolis-Hastings (MH) rule to accept or discard candidate models along the chains. As the optimal parameterization for the inversion process is generally unknown a trans-dimensional approach is used to allow the dataset itself to indicate the most probable number of parameters needed to sample the PPD. The algorithm is tested against two simulated datasets and a set of MT data acquired in the Clare Basin (County Clare, Ireland). For the simulated datasets the correct number of conductive layers at depth and the associated electrical conductivity values is retrieved, together with reasonable estimates of the uncertainties on the investigated parameters. Results from the inversion of field measurements are compared with results obtained using a deterministic method and with well-log data from a nearby borehole. The PPD is in good agreement with the well-log data, showing as a main structure a high conductive layer associated with the Clare Shale formation. In this study, we demonstrate that our new code go beyond algorithms developend using a linear inversion scheme, as it can be used: (1) to by-pass the subjective choices in the 1D parameterizations, i.e. the number of horizontal layers in the 1D parameterization, and (2) to estimate realistic uncertainties on the retrieved parameters. The algorithm is implemented using a simple MPI approach, where independent chains run on isolated CPU, to take full advantage of parallel computer architectures. In case of a large number of data, a master/slave appoach can be used, where the master CPU samples the parameter space and the slave CPUs compute forward solutions.

  18. Cross-frequency and band-averaged response variance prediction in the hybrid deterministic-statistical energy analysis method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reynders, Edwin P. B.; Langley, Robin S.

    2018-08-01

    The hybrid deterministic-statistical energy analysis method has proven to be a versatile framework for modeling built-up vibro-acoustic systems. The stiff system components are modeled deterministically, e.g., using the finite element method, while the wave fields in the flexible components are modeled as diffuse. In the present paper, the hybrid method is extended such that not only the ensemble mean and variance of the harmonic system response can be computed, but also of the band-averaged system response. This variance represents the uncertainty that is due to the assumption of a diffuse field in the flexible components of the hybrid system. The developments start with a cross-frequency generalization of the reciprocity relationship between the total energy in a diffuse field and the cross spectrum of the blocked reverberant loading at the boundaries of that field. By making extensive use of this generalization in a first-order perturbation analysis, explicit expressions are derived for the cross-frequency and band-averaged variance of the vibrational energies in the diffuse components and for the cross-frequency and band-averaged variance of the cross spectrum of the vibro-acoustic field response of the deterministic components. These expressions are extensively validated against detailed Monte Carlo analyses of coupled plate systems in which diffuse fields are simulated by randomly distributing small point masses across the flexible components, and good agreement is found.

  19. Usefulness of multiqubit W-type states in quantum information processing

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

    Singh, P.; Adhikari, S.; Kumar, A., E-mail: atulk@iitj.ac.in

    We analyze the efficiency of multiqubit W-type states as resources for quantum information. For this, we identify and generalize four-qubit W-type states. Our results show that these states can be used as resources for deterministic quantum information processing. The utility of results, however, is limited by the availability of experimental setups to perform and distinguish multiqubit measurements. We therefore emphasize protocols where two users want to establish an optimal bipartite entanglement using the partially entangled W-type states. We find that for such practical purposes, four-qubit W-type states can be a better resource in comparison to three-qubit W-type states. For amore » dense coding protocol, our states can be used deterministically to send two bits of classical message by locally manipulating a single qubit. In addition, we also propose a realistic experimental method to prepare the four-qubit W-type states using standard unitary operations and weak measurements.« less

  20. Development of a First-of-a-Kind Deterministic Decision-Making Tool for Supervisory Control System

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

    Cetiner, Sacit M; Kisner, Roger A; Muhlheim, Michael David

    2015-07-01

    Decision-making is the process of identifying and choosing alternatives where each alternative offers a different approach or path to move from a given state or condition to a desired state or condition. The generation of consistent decisions requires that a structured, coherent process be defined, immediately leading to a decision-making framework. The overall objective of the generalized framework is for it to be adopted into an autonomous decision-making framework and tailored to specific requirements for various applications. In this context, automation is the use of computing resources to make decisions and implement a structured decision-making process with limited or nomore » human intervention. The overriding goal of automation is to replace or supplement human decision makers with reconfigurable decision- making modules that can perform a given set of tasks reliably. Risk-informed decision making requires a probabilistic assessment of the likelihood of success given the status of the plant/systems and component health, and a deterministic assessment between plant operating parameters and reactor protection parameters to prevent unnecessary trips and challenges to plant safety systems. The implementation of the probabilistic portion of the decision-making engine of the proposed supervisory control system was detailed in previous milestone reports. Once the control options are identified and ranked based on the likelihood of success, the supervisory control system transmits the options to the deterministic portion of the platform. The deterministic multi-attribute decision-making framework uses variable sensor data (e.g., outlet temperature) and calculates where it is within the challenge state, its trajectory, and margin within the controllable domain using utility functions to evaluate current and projected plant state space for different control decisions. Metrics to be evaluated include stability, cost, time to complete (action), power level, etc. The integration of deterministic calculations using multi-physics analyses (i.e., neutronics, thermal, and thermal-hydraulics) and probabilistic safety calculations allows for the examination and quantification of margin recovery strategies. This also provides validation of the control options identified from the probabilistic assessment. Thus, the thermal-hydraulics analyses are used to validate the control options identified from the probabilistic assessment. Future work includes evaluating other possible metrics and computational efficiencies.« less

  1. Statistically qualified neuro-analytic failure detection method and system

    DOEpatents

    Vilim, Richard B.; Garcia, Humberto E.; Chen, Frederick W.

    2002-03-02

    An apparatus and method for monitoring a process involve development and application of a statistically qualified neuro-analytic (SQNA) model to accurately and reliably identify process change. The development of the SQNA model is accomplished in two stages: deterministic model adaption and stochastic model modification of the deterministic model adaptation. Deterministic model adaption involves formulating an analytic model of the process representing known process characteristics, augmenting the analytic model with a neural network that captures unknown process characteristics, and training the resulting neuro-analytic model by adjusting the neural network weights according to a unique scaled equation error minimization technique. Stochastic model modification involves qualifying any remaining uncertainty in the trained neuro-analytic model by formulating a likelihood function, given an error propagation equation, for computing the probability that the neuro-analytic model generates measured process output. Preferably, the developed SQNA model is validated using known sequential probability ratio tests and applied to the process as an on-line monitoring system. Illustrative of the method and apparatus, the method is applied to a peristaltic pump system.

  2. Effect of nonlinearity in hybrid kinetic Monte Carlo-continuum models.

    PubMed

    Balter, Ariel; Lin, Guang; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M

    2012-01-01

    Recently there has been interest in developing efficient ways to model heterogeneous surface reactions with hybrid computational models that couple a kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) model for a surface to a finite-difference model for bulk diffusion in a continuous domain. We consider two representative problems that validate a hybrid method and show that this method captures the combined effects of nonlinearity and stochasticity. We first validate a simple deposition-dissolution model with a linear rate showing that the KMC-continuum hybrid agrees with both a fully deterministic model and its analytical solution. We then study a deposition-dissolution model including competitive adsorption, which leads to a nonlinear rate, and show that in this case the KMC-continuum hybrid and fully deterministic simulations do not agree. However, we are able to identify the difference as a natural result of the stochasticity coming from the KMC surface process. Because KMC captures inherent fluctuations, we consider it to be more realistic than a purely deterministic model. Therefore, we consider the KMC-continuum hybrid to be more representative of a real system.

  3. Effect of Nonlinearity in Hybrid Kinetic Monte Carlo-Continuum Models

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

    Balter, Ariel I.; Lin, Guang; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M.

    2012-04-23

    Recently there has been interest in developing efficient ways to model heterogeneous surface reactions with hybrid computational models that couple a KMC model for a surface to a finite difference model for bulk diffusion in a continuous domain. We consider two representative problems that validate a hybrid method and also show that this method captures the combined effects of nonlinearity and stochasticity. We first validate a simple deposition/dissolution model with a linear rate showing that the KMC-continuum hybrid agrees with both a fully deterministic model and its analytical solution. We then study a deposition/dissolution model including competitive adsorption, which leadsmore » to a nonlinear rate, and show that, in this case, the KMC-continuum hybrid and fully deterministic simulations do not agree. However, we are able to identify the difference as a natural result of the stochasticity coming from the KMC surface process. Because KMC captures inherent fluctuations, we consider it to be more realistic than a purely deterministic model. Therefore, we consider the KMC-continuum hybrid to be more representative of a real system.« less

  4. Integrated Arrival and Departure Schedule Optimization Under Uncertainty

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Xue, Min; Zelinski, Shannon

    2014-01-01

    In terminal airspace, integrating arrivals and departures with shared waypoints provides the potential of improving operational efficiency by allowing direct routes when possible. Incorporating stochastic evaluation as a post-analysis process of deterministic optimization, and imposing a safety buffer in deterministic optimization, are two ways to learn and alleviate the impact of uncertainty and to avoid unexpected outcomes. This work presents a third and direct way to take uncertainty into consideration during the optimization. The impact of uncertainty was incorporated into cost evaluations when searching for the optimal solutions. The controller intervention count was computed using a heuristic model and served as another stochastic cost besides total delay. Costs under uncertainty were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations. The Pareto fronts that contain a set of solutions were identified and the trade-off between delays and controller intervention count was shown. Solutions that shared similar delays but had different intervention counts were investigated. The results showed that optimization under uncertainty could identify compromise solutions on Pareto fonts, which is better than deterministic optimization with extra safety buffers. It helps decision-makers reduce controller intervention while achieving low delays.

  5. Deciphering the Landauer-Büttiker Transmission Function from Single Molecule Break Junction Experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reuter, Matthew; Tschudi, Stephen

    When investigating the electrical response properties of molecules, experiments often measure conductance whereas computation predicts transmission probabilities. Although the Landauer-Büttiker theory relates the two in the limit of coherent scattering through the molecule, a direct comparison between experiment and computation can still be difficult. Experimental data (specifically that from break junctions) is statistical and computational results are deterministic. Many studies compare the most probable experimental conductance with computation, but such an analysis discards almost all of the experimental statistics. In this work we develop tools to decipher the Landauer-Büttiker transmission function directly from experimental statistics and then apply them to enable a fairer comparison between experimental and computational results.

  6. Mutation Clusters from Cancer Exome.

    PubMed

    Kakushadze, Zura; Yu, Willie

    2017-08-15

    We apply our statistically deterministic machine learning/clustering algorithm *K-means (recently developed in https://ssrn.com/abstract=2908286) to 10,656 published exome samples for 32 cancer types. A majority of cancer types exhibit a mutation clustering structure. Our results are in-sample stable. They are also out-of-sample stable when applied to 1389 published genome samples across 14 cancer types. In contrast, we find in- and out-of-sample instabilities in cancer signatures extracted from exome samples via nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), a computationally-costly and non-deterministic method. Extracting stable mutation structures from exome data could have important implications for speed and cost, which are critical for early-stage cancer diagnostics, such as novel blood-test methods currently in development.

  7. Churchill: an ultra-fast, deterministic, highly scalable and balanced parallelization strategy for the discovery of human genetic variation in clinical and population-scale genomics.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Benjamin J; Fitch, James R; Hu, Yangqiu; Corsmeier, Donald J; Zhong, Huachun; Wetzel, Amy N; Nordquist, Russell D; Newsom, David L; White, Peter

    2015-01-20

    While advances in genome sequencing technology make population-scale genomics a possibility, current approaches for analysis of these data rely upon parallelization strategies that have limited scalability, complex implementation and lack reproducibility. Churchill, a balanced regional parallelization strategy, overcomes these challenges, fully automating the multiple steps required to go from raw sequencing reads to variant discovery. Through implementation of novel deterministic parallelization techniques, Churchill allows computationally efficient analysis of a high-depth whole genome sample in less than two hours. The method is highly scalable, enabling full analysis of the 1000 Genomes raw sequence dataset in a week using cloud resources. http://churchill.nchri.org/.

  8. Mutation Clusters from Cancer Exome

    PubMed Central

    Kakushadze, Zura; Yu, Willie

    2017-01-01

    We apply our statistically deterministic machine learning/clustering algorithm *K-means (recently developed in https://ssrn.com/abstract=2908286) to 10,656 published exome samples for 32 cancer types. A majority of cancer types exhibit a mutation clustering structure. Our results are in-sample stable. They are also out-of-sample stable when applied to 1389 published genome samples across 14 cancer types. In contrast, we find in- and out-of-sample instabilities in cancer signatures extracted from exome samples via nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), a computationally-costly and non-deterministic method. Extracting stable mutation structures from exome data could have important implications for speed and cost, which are critical for early-stage cancer diagnostics, such as novel blood-test methods currently in development. PMID:28809811

  9. Optimum spaceborne computer system design by simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, T.; Weatherbee, J. E.; Taylor, D. S.

    1972-01-01

    A deterministic digital simulation model is described which models the Automatically Reconfigurable Modular Multiprocessor System (ARMMS), a candidate computer system for future manned and unmanned space missions. Use of the model as a tool in configuring a minimum computer system for a typical mission is demonstrated. The configuration which is developed as a result of studies with the simulator is optimal with respect to the efficient use of computer system resources, i.e., the configuration derived is a minimal one. Other considerations such as increased reliability through the use of standby spares would be taken into account in the definition of a practical system for a given mission.

  10. Metabolic Free Energy and Biological Codes: A 'Data Rate Theorem' Aging Model.

    PubMed

    Wallace, Rodrick

    2015-06-01

    A famous argument by Maturana and Varela (Autopoiesis and cognition. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1980) holds that the living state is cognitive at every scale and level of organization. Since it is possible to associate many cognitive processes with 'dual' information sources, pathologies can sometimes be addressed using statistical models based on the Shannon Coding, the Shannon-McMillan Source Coding, the Rate Distortion, and the Data Rate Theorems, which impose necessary conditions on information transmission and system control. Deterministic-but-for-error biological codes do not directly invoke cognition, but may be essential subcomponents within larger cognitive processes. A formal argument, however, places such codes within a similar framework, with metabolic free energy serving as a 'control signal' stabilizing biochemical code-and-translator dynamics in the presence of noise. Demand beyond available energy supply triggers punctuated destabilization of the coding channel, affecting essential biological functions. Aging, normal or prematurely driven by psychosocial or environmental stressors, must interfere with the routine operation of such mechanisms, initiating the chronic diseases associated with senescence. Amyloid fibril formation, intrinsically disordered protein logic gates, and cell surface glycan/lectin 'kelp bed' logic gates are reviewed from this perspective. The results generalize beyond coding machineries having easily recognizable symmetry modes, and strip a layer of mathematical complication from the study of phase transitions in nonequilibrium biological systems.

  11. Implementation of a 3D mixing layer code on parallel computers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Roe, K.; Thakur, R.; Dang, T.; Bogucz, E.

    1995-01-01

    This paper summarizes our progress and experience in the development of a Computational-Fluid-Dynamics code on parallel computers to simulate three-dimensional spatially-developing mixing layers. In this initial study, the three-dimensional time-dependent Euler equations are solved using a finite-volume explicit time-marching algorithm. The code was first programmed in Fortran 77 for sequential computers. The code was then converted for use on parallel computers using the conventional message-passing technique, while we have not been able to compile the code with the present version of HPF compilers.

  12. Design Analysis of SNS Target StationBiological Shielding Monoligh with Proton Power Uprate

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

    Bekar, Kursat B.; Ibrahim, Ahmad M.

    2017-05-01

    This report documents the analysis of the dose rate in the experiment area outside the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) target station shielding monolith with proton beam energy of 1.3 GeV. The analysis implemented a coupled three dimensional (3D)/two dimensional (2D) approach that used both the Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNPX) 3D Monte Carlo code and the Discrete Ordinates Transport (DORT) two dimensional deterministic code. The analysis with proton beam energy of 1.3 GeV showed that the dose rate in continuously occupied areas on the lateral surface outside the SNS target station shielding monolith is less than 0.25 mrem/h, which compliesmore » with the SNS facility design objective. However, the methods and codes used in this analysis are out of date and unsupported, and the 2D approximation of the target shielding monolith does not accurately represent the geometry. We recommend that this analysis is updated with modern codes and libraries such as ADVANTG or SHIFT. These codes have demonstrated very high efficiency in performing full 3D radiation shielding analyses of similar and even more difficult problems.« less

  13. Photometrically-derived properties of massive-star clusters obtained with different massive-star evolution tracks and deterministic models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wofford, Aida; Charlot, Stéphane; Eldridge, John

    2015-08-01

    We compute libraries of stellar + nebular spectra of populations of coeval stars with ages of <100 Myr and metallicities of Z=0.001 to 0.040, using different sets of massive-star evolution tracks, i.e., new Padova tracks for single non-rotating stars, the Geneva tracks for single non-rotating and rotating stars, and the Auckland tracks for single non-rotating and binary stars. For the stellar component, we use population synthesis codes galaxev, starburst99, and BPASS, depending on the set of tracks. For the nebular component we use photoionization code cloudy. From these spectra, we obtain magnitudes in filters F275W, F336W, F438W, F547M, F555W, F657N, and F814W of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera Three. We use i) our computed magnitudes, ii) new multi-band photometry of massive-star clusters in nearby (<11 Mpc) galaxies spanning the metallicity range 12+log(O/H)=7.2-9.2, observed as part of HST programs 13364 (PI Calzetti) and 13773 (PI Chandar), and iii) Bayesian inference to a) establish how well the different models are able to constrain the metallicities, extinctions, ages, and masses of the star clusters, b) quantify differences in the cluster properties obtained with the different models, and c) assess how properties of lower-mass clusters are affected by the stochastic sampling of the IMF. In our models, the stellar evolution tracks, stellar atmospheres, and nebulae have similar chemical compositions. Different metallicities are available with different sets of tracks and we compare results from models of similar metallicities. Our results have implications for studies of the formation and evolution of star clusters, the cluster age and mass functions, and the star formation histories of galaxies.

  14. 40 CFR 194.23 - Models and computer codes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Models and computer codes. 194.23... General Requirements § 194.23 Models and computer codes. (a) Any compliance application shall include: (1... obtain stable solutions; (iv) Computer models accurately implement the numerical models; i.e., computer...

  15. 40 CFR 194.23 - Models and computer codes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Models and computer codes. 194.23... General Requirements § 194.23 Models and computer codes. (a) Any compliance application shall include: (1... obtain stable solutions; (iv) Computer models accurately implement the numerical models; i.e., computer...

  16. 40 CFR 194.23 - Models and computer codes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Models and computer codes. 194.23... General Requirements § 194.23 Models and computer codes. (a) Any compliance application shall include: (1... obtain stable solutions; (iv) Computer models accurately implement the numerical models; i.e., computer...

  17. 40 CFR 194.23 - Models and computer codes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Models and computer codes. 194.23... General Requirements § 194.23 Models and computer codes. (a) Any compliance application shall include: (1... obtain stable solutions; (iv) Computer models accurately implement the numerical models; i.e., computer...

  18. 40 CFR 194.23 - Models and computer codes.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Models and computer codes. 194.23... General Requirements § 194.23 Models and computer codes. (a) Any compliance application shall include: (1... obtain stable solutions; (iv) Computer models accurately implement the numerical models; i.e., computer...

  19. Results of the Simulation of the HTR-Proteus Core 4.2 Using PEBBED-COMBINE: FY10 Report

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

    Hans Gougar

    2010-07-01

    ABSTRACT The Idaho National Laboratory’s deterministic neutronics analysis codes and methods were applied to the computation of the core multiplication factor of the HTR-Proteus pebble bed reactor critical facility. This report is a follow-on to INL/EXT-09-16620 in which the same calculation was performed but using earlier versions of the codes and less developed methods. In that report, results indicated that the cross sections generated using COMBINE-7.0 did not yield satisfactory estimates of keff. It was concluded in the report that the modeling of control rods was not satisfactory. In the past year, improvements to the homogenization capability in COMBINE havemore » enabled the explicit modeling of TRIS particles, pebbles, and heterogeneous core zones including control rod regions using a new multi-scale version of COMBINE in which the 1-dimensional discrete ordinate transport code ANISN has been integrated. The new COMBINE is shown to yield benchmark quality results for pebble unit cell models, the first step in preparing few-group diffusion parameters for core simulations. In this report, the full critical core is modeled once again but with cross sections generated using the capabilities and physics of the improved COMBINE code. The new PEBBED-COMBINE model enables the exact modeling of the pebbles and control rod region along with better approximation to structures in the reflector. Initial results for the core multiplication factor indicate significant improvement in the INL’s tools for modeling the neutronic properties of a pebble bed reactor. Errors on the order of 1.6-2.5% in keff are obtained; a significant improvement over the 5-6% error observed in the earlier This is acceptable for a code system and model in the early stages of development but still too high for a production code. Analysis of a simpler core model indicates an over-prediction of the flux in the low end of the thermal spectrum. Causes of this discrepancy are under investigation. New homogenization techniques and assumptions were used in this analysis and as such, they require further confirmation and validation. Further refinement and review of the complex Proteus core model are likely to reduce the errors even further.« less

  20. Towards a Quantum Game of Life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flitney, Adrian P.; Abbott, Derek

    Cellular automata provide a means of obtaining complex behaviour from a simple array of cells and a deterministic transition function. They supply a method of computation that dispenses with the need for manipulation of individual cells and they are computationally universal. Classical cellular automata have proved of great interest to computer scientists but the construction of quantum cellular automata pose particular difficulties. We present a version of John Conway's famous two-dimensional classical cellular automata Life that has some quantum-like features, including interference effects. Some basic structures in the new automata are given and comparisons are made with Conway's game.

  1. P ≠NP Millenium-Problem(MP) TRIVIAL Physics Proof Via NATURAL TRUMPS Artificial-``Intelligence'' Via: Euclid Geometry, Plato Forms, Aristotle Square-of-Opposition, Menger Dimension-Theory Connections!!! NO Computational-Complexity(CC)/ANYthing!!!: Geometry!!!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clay, London; Menger, Karl; Rota, Gian-Carlo; Euclid, Alexandria; Siegel, Edward

    P ≠NP MP proof is by computer-''science''/SEANCE(!!!)(CS) computational-''intelligence'' lingo jargonial-obfuscation(JO) NATURAL-Intelligence(NI) DISambiguation! CS P =(?) =NP MEANS (Deterministic)(PC) = (?) =(Non-D)(PC) i.e. D(P) =(?) = N(P). For inclusion(equality) vs. exclusion (inequality) irrelevant (P) simply cancels!!! (Equally any/all other CCs IF both sides identical). Crucial question left: (D) =(?) =(ND), i.e. D =(?) = N. Algorithmics[Sipser[Intro. Thy.Comp.(`97)-p.49Fig.1.15!!!

  2. Nonlinear optics quantum computing with circuit QED.

    PubMed

    Adhikari, Prabin; Hafezi, Mohammad; Taylor, J M

    2013-02-08

    One approach to quantum information processing is to use photons as quantum bits and rely on linear optical elements for most operations. However, some optical nonlinearity is necessary to enable universal quantum computing. Here, we suggest a circuit-QED approach to nonlinear optics quantum computing in the microwave regime, including a deterministic two-photon phase gate. Our specific example uses a hybrid quantum system comprising a LC resonator coupled to a superconducting flux qubit to implement a nonlinear coupling. Compared to the self-Kerr nonlinearity, we find that our approach has improved tolerance to noise in the qubit while maintaining fast operation.

  3. Load balancing strategy and its lookup-table enhancement in deterministic space delay/disruption tolerant networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jinhui; Liu, Wenxiang; Su, Yingxue; Wang, Feixue

    2018-02-01

    Space networks, in which connectivity is deterministic and intermittent, can be modeled by delay/disruption tolerant networks. In space delay/disruption tolerant networks, a packet is usually transmitted from the source node to the destination node indirectly via a series of relay nodes. If anyone of the nodes in the path becomes congested, the packet will be dropped due to buffer overflow. One of the main reasons behind congestion is the unbalanced network traffic distribution. We propose a load balancing strategy which takes the congestion status of both the local node and relay nodes into account. The congestion status, together with the end-to-end delay, is used in the routing selection. A lookup-table enhancement is also proposed. The off-line computation and the on-line adjustment are combined together to make a more precise estimate of the end-to-end delay while at the same time reducing the onboard computation. Simulation results show that the proposed strategy helps to distribute network traffic more evenly and therefore reduces the packet drop ratio. In addition, the average delay is also decreased in most cases. The lookup-table enhancement provides a compromise between the need for better communication performance and the desire for less onboard computation.

  4. Kiwi: An Evaluated Library of Uncertainties in Nuclear Data and Package for Nuclear Sensitivity Studies

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

    Pruet, J

    2007-06-23

    This report describes Kiwi, a program developed at Livermore to enable mature studies of the relation between imperfectly known nuclear physics and uncertainties in simulations of complicated systems. Kiwi includes a library of evaluated nuclear data uncertainties, tools for modifying data according to these uncertainties, and a simple interface for generating processed data used by transport codes. As well, Kiwi provides access to calculations of k eigenvalues for critical assemblies. This allows the user to check implications of data modifications against integral experiments for multiplying systems. Kiwi is written in python. The uncertainty library has the same format and directorymore » structure as the native ENDL used at Livermore. Calculations for critical assemblies rely on deterministic and Monte Carlo codes developed by B division.« less

  5. Stochastic hydrogeology: what professionals really need?

    PubMed

    Renard, Philippe

    2007-01-01

    Quantitative hydrogeology celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. Geostatistics is younger but has had a very large impact in hydrogeology. Today, geostatistics is used routinely to interpolate deterministically most of the parameters that are required to analyze a problem or make a quantitative analysis. In a small number of cases, geostatistics is combined with deterministic approaches to forecast uncertainty. At a more academic level, geostatistics is used extensively to study physical processes in heterogeneous aquifers. Yet, there is an important gap between the academic use and the routine applications of geostatistics. The reasons for this gap are diverse. These include aspects related to the hydrogeology consulting market, technical reasons such as the lack of widely available software, but also a number of misconceptions. A change in this situation requires acting at different levels. First, regulators must be convinced of the benefit of using geostatistics. Second, the economic potential of the approach must be emphasized to customers. Third, the relevance of the theories needs to be increased. Last, but not least, software, data sets, and computing infrastructure such as grid computing need to be widely available.

  6. Predicting the Stochastic Properties of the Shallow Subsurface for Improved Geophysical Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stroujkova, A.; Vynne, J.; Bonner, J.; Lewkowicz, J.

    2005-12-01

    Strong ground motion data from numerous explosive field experiments and from moderate to large earthquakes show significant variations in amplitude and waveform shape with respect to both azimuth and range. Attempts to model these variations using deterministic models have often been unsuccessful. It has been hypothesized that a stochastic description of the geological medium is a more realistic approach. To estimate the stochastic properties of the shallow subsurface, we use Measurement While Drilling (MWD) data, which are routinely collected by mines in order to facilitate design of blast patterns. The parameters, such as rotation speed of the drill, torque, and penetration rate, are used to compute the rock's Specific Energy (SE), which is then related to a blastability index. We use values of SE measured at two different mines and calibrated to laboratory measurements of rock properties to determine correlation lengths of the subsurface rocks in 2D, needed to obtain 2D and 3D stochastic models. The stochastic models are then combined with the deterministic models and used to compute synthetic seismic waveforms.

  7. Simulation of the M13 life cycle I: Assembly of a genetically-structured deterministic chemical kinetic simulation.

    PubMed

    Smeal, Steven W; Schmitt, Margaret A; Pereira, Ronnie Rodrigues; Prasad, Ashok; Fisk, John D

    2017-01-01

    To expand the quantitative, systems level understanding and foster the expansion of the biotechnological applications of the filamentous bacteriophage M13, we have unified the accumulated quantitative information on M13 biology into a genetically-structured, experimentally-based computational simulation of the entire phage life cycle. The deterministic chemical kinetic simulation explicitly includes the molecular details of DNA replication, mRNA transcription, protein translation and particle assembly, as well as the competing protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions that control the timing and extent of phage production. The simulation reproduces the holistic behavior of M13, closely matching experimentally reported values of the intracellular levels of phage species and the timing of events in the M13 life cycle. The computational model provides a quantitative description of phage biology, highlights gaps in the present understanding of M13, and offers a framework for exploring alternative mechanisms of regulation in the context of the complete M13 life cycle. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Sorting signed permutations by inversions in O(nlogn) time.

    PubMed

    Swenson, Krister M; Rajan, Vaibhav; Lin, Yu; Moret, Bernard M E

    2010-03-01

    The study of genomic inversions (or reversals) has been a mainstay of computational genomics for nearly 20 years. After the initial breakthrough of Hannenhalli and Pevzner, who gave the first polynomial-time algorithm for sorting signed permutations by inversions, improved algorithms have been designed, culminating with an optimal linear-time algorithm for computing the inversion distance and a subquadratic algorithm for providing a shortest sequence of inversions--also known as sorting by inversions. Remaining open was the question of whether sorting by inversions could be done in O(nlogn) time. In this article, we present a qualified answer to this question, by providing two new sorting algorithms, a simple and fast randomized algorithm and a deterministic refinement. The deterministic algorithm runs in time O(nlogn + kn), where k is a data-dependent parameter. We provide the results of extensive experiments showing that both the average and the standard deviation for k are small constants, independent of the size of the permutation. We conclude (but do not prove) that almost all signed permutations can be sorted by inversions in O(nlogn) time.

  9. Deterministic alternatives to the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method for strongly correlated systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tubman, Norm; Whaley, Birgitta

    The development of exponential scaling methods has seen great progress in tackling larger systems than previously thought possible. One such technique, full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo, allows exact diagonalization through stochastically sampling of determinants. The method derives its utility from the information in the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian, together with a stochastic projected wave function, which are used to explore the important parts of Hilbert space. However, a stochastic representation of the wave function is not required to search Hilbert space efficiently and new deterministic approaches have recently been shown to efficiently find the important parts of determinant space. We shall discuss the technique of Adaptive Sampling Configuration Interaction (ASCI) and the related heat-bath Configuration Interaction approach for ground state and excited state simulations. We will present several applications for strongly correlated Hamiltonians. This work was supported through the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Basic Energy Sciences.

  10. Blocked inverted indices for exact clustering of large chemical spaces.

    PubMed

    Thiel, Philipp; Sach-Peltason, Lisa; Ottmann, Christian; Kohlbacher, Oliver

    2014-09-22

    The calculation of pairwise compound similarities based on fingerprints is one of the fundamental tasks in chemoinformatics. Methods for efficient calculation of compound similarities are of the utmost importance for various applications like similarity searching or library clustering. With the increasing size of public compound databases, exact clustering of these databases is desirable, but often computationally prohibitively expensive. We present an optimized inverted index algorithm for the calculation of all pairwise similarities on 2D fingerprints of a given data set. In contrast to other algorithms, it neither requires GPU computing nor yields a stochastic approximation of the clustering. The algorithm has been designed to work well with multicore architectures and shows excellent parallel speedup. As an application example of this algorithm, we implemented a deterministic clustering application, which has been designed to decompose virtual libraries comprising tens of millions of compounds in a short time on current hardware. Our results show that our implementation achieves more than 400 million Tanimoto similarity calculations per second on a common desktop CPU. Deterministic clustering of the available chemical space thus can be done on modern multicore machines within a few days.

  11. Computer Description of Black Hawk Helicopter

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-06-01

    Model Combinatorial Geometry Models Black Hawk Helicopter Helicopter GIFT Computer Code Geometric Description of Targets 20. ABSTRACT...description was made using the technique of combinatorial geometry (COM-GEOM) and will be used as input to the GIFT computer code which generates Tliic...rnHp The data used bv the COVART comtmter code was eenerated bv the Geometric Information for Targets ( GIFT )Z computer code. This report documents

  12. Stochastic density functional theory at finite temperatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cytter, Yael; Rabani, Eran; Neuhauser, Daniel; Baer, Roi

    2018-03-01

    Simulations in the warm dense matter regime using finite temperature Kohn-Sham density functional theory (FT-KS-DFT), while frequently used, are computationally expensive due to the partial occupation of a very large number of high-energy KS eigenstates which are obtained from subspace diagonalization. We have developed a stochastic method for applying FT-KS-DFT, that overcomes the bottleneck of calculating the occupied KS orbitals by directly obtaining the density from the KS Hamiltonian. The proposed algorithm scales as O (" close=")N3T3)">N T-1 and is compared with the high-temperature limit scaling O Analysis of Mass Averaged Tissue Doses in CAM, CAF, MAX, and FAX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slaba, Tony C.; Qualls, Garry D.; Clowdsley, Martha S.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Simonsen, Lisa C.; Walker, Steven A.; Singleterry, Robert C.

    2009-01-01

    To estimate astronaut health risk due to space radiation, one must have the ability to calculate exposure-related quantities averaged over specific organs and tissue types. In this study, we first examine the anatomical properties of the Computerized Anatomical Man (CAM), Computerized Anatomical Female (CAF), Male Adult voXel (MAX), and Female Adult voXel (FAX) models by comparing the masses of various tissues to the reference values specified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Major discrepancies are found between the CAM and CAF tissue masses and the ICRP reference data for almost all of the tissues. We next examine the distribution of target points used with the deterministic transport code HZETRN to compute mass averaged exposure quantities. A numerical algorithm is used to generate multiple point distributions for many of the effective dose tissues identified in CAM, CAF, MAX, and FAX. It is concluded that the previously published CAM and CAF point distributions were under-sampled and that the set of point distributions presented here should be adequate for future studies involving CAM, CAF, MAX, or FAX. It is concluded that MAX and FAX are more accurate than CAM and CAF for space radiation analyses.

  13. Shielding evaluation for solar particle events using MCNPX, PHITS and OLTARIS codes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aghara, S. K.; Sriprisan, S. I.; Singleterry, R. C.; Sato, T.

    2015-01-01

    Detailed analyses of Solar Particle Events (SPE) were performed to calculate primary and secondary particle spectra behind aluminum, at various thicknesses in water. The simulations were based on Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport codes, MCNPX 2.7.0 and PHITS 2.64, and the space radiation analysis website called OLTARIS (On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space) version 3.4 (uses deterministic code, HZETRN, for transport). The study is set to investigate the impact of SPEs spectra transporting through 10 or 20 g/cm2 Al shield followed by 30 g/cm2 of water slab. Four historical SPE events were selected and used as input source spectra particle differential spectra for protons, neutrons, and photons are presented. The total particle fluence as a function of depth is presented. In addition to particle flux, the dose and dose equivalent values are calculated and compared between the codes and with the other published results. Overall, the particle fluence spectra from all three codes show good agreement with the MC codes showing closer agreement compared to the OLTARIS results. The neutron particle fluence from OLTARIS is lower than the results from MC codes at lower energies (E < 100 MeV). Based on mean square difference analysis the results from MCNPX and PHITS agree better for fluence, dose and dose equivalent when compared to OLTARIS results.

  14. Characterizing the topology of probabilistic biological networks.

    PubMed

    Todor, Andrei; Dobra, Alin; Kahveci, Tamer

    2013-01-01

    Biological interactions are often uncertain events, that may or may not take place with some probability. This uncertainty leads to a massive number of alternative interaction topologies for each such network. The existing studies analyze the degree distribution of biological networks by assuming that all the given interactions take place under all circumstances. This strong and often incorrect assumption can lead to misleading results. In this paper, we address this problem and develop a sound mathematical basis to characterize networks in the presence of uncertain interactions. Using our mathematical representation, we develop a method that can accurately describe the degree distribution of such networks. We also take one more step and extend our method to accurately compute the joint-degree distributions of node pairs connected by edges. The number of possible network topologies grows exponentially with the number of uncertain interactions. However, the mathematical model we develop allows us to compute these degree distributions in polynomial time in the number of interactions. Our method works quickly even for entire protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. It also helps us find an adequate mathematical model using MLE. We perform a comparative study of node-degree and joint-degree distributions in two types of biological networks: the classical deterministic networks and the more flexible probabilistic networks. Our results confirm that power-law and log-normal models best describe degree distributions for both probabilistic and deterministic networks. Moreover, the inverse correlation of degrees of neighboring nodes shows that, in probabilistic networks, nodes with large number of interactions prefer to interact with those with small number of interactions more frequently than expected. We also show that probabilistic networks are more robust for node-degree distribution computation than the deterministic ones. all the data sets used, the software implemented and the alignments found in this paper are available at http://bioinformatics.cise.ufl.edu/projects/probNet/.

  15. User manual for semi-circular compact range reflector code: Version 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupta, Inder J.; Burnside, Walter D.

    1987-01-01

    A computer code has been developed at the Ohio State University ElectroScience Laboratory to analyze a semi-circular paraboloidal reflector with or without a rolled edge at the top and a skirt at the bottom. The code can be used to compute the total near field of the reflector or its individual components at a given distance from the center of the paraboloid. The code computes the fields along a radial, horizontal, vertical or axial cut at that distance. Thus, it is very effective in computing the size of the sweet spot for a semi-circular compact range reflector. This report describes the operation of the code. Various input and output statements are explained. Some results obtained using the computer code are presented to illustrate the code's capability as well as being samples of input/output sets.

  16. Distributed single source coding with side information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vila-Forcen, Jose E.; Koval, Oleksiy; Voloshynovskiy, Sviatoslav V.

    2004-01-01

    In the paper we advocate image compression technique in the scope of distributed source coding framework. The novelty of the proposed approach is twofold: classical image compression is considered from the positions of source coding with side information and, contrarily to the existing scenarios, where side information is given explicitly, side information is created based on deterministic approximation of local image features. We consider an image in the transform domain as a realization of a source with a bounded codebook of symbols where each symbol represents a particular edge shape. The codebook is image independent and plays the role of auxiliary source. Due to the partial availability of side information at both encoder and decoder we treat our problem as a modification of Berger-Flynn-Gray problem and investigate a possible gain over the solutions when side information is either unavailable or available only at decoder. Finally, we present a practical compression algorithm for passport photo images based on our concept that demonstrates the superior performance in very low bit rate regime.

  17. CESAR5.3: Isotopic depletion for Research and Testing Reactor decommissioning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritter, Guillaume; Eschbach, Romain; Girieud, Richard; Soulard, Maxime

    2018-05-01

    CESAR stands in French for "simplified depletion applied to reprocessing". The current version is now number 5.3 as it started 30 years ago from a long lasting cooperation with ORANO, co-owner of the code with CEA. This computer code can characterize several types of nuclear fuel assemblies, from the most regular PWR power plants to the most unexpected gas cooled and graphite moderated old timer research facility. Each type of fuel can also include numerous ranges of compositions like UOX, MOX, LEU or HEU. Such versatility comes from a broad catalog of cross section libraries, each corresponding to a specific reactor and fuel matrix design. CESAR goes beyond fuel characterization and can also provide an evaluation of structural materials activation. The cross-sections libraries are generated using the most refined assembly or core level transport code calculation schemes (CEA APOLLO2 or ERANOS), based on the European JEFF3.1.1 nuclear data base. Each new CESAR self shielded cross section library benefits all most recent CEA recommendations as for deterministic physics options. Resulting cross sections are organized as a function of burn up and initial fuel enrichment which allows to condensate this costly process into a series of Legendre polynomials. The final outcome is a fast, accurate and compact CESAR cross section library. Each library is fully validated, against a stochastic transport code (CEA TRIPOLI 4) if needed and against a reference depletion code (CEA DARWIN). Using CESAR does not require any of the neutron physics expertise implemented into cross section libraries generation. It is based on top quality nuclear data (JEFF3.1.1 for ˜400 isotopes) and includes up to date Bateman equation solving algorithms. However, defining a CESAR computation case can be very straightforward. Most results are only 3 steps away from any beginner's ambition: Initial composition, in core depletion and pool decay scenario. On top of a simple utilization architecture, CESAR includes a portable Graphical User Interface which can be broadly deployed in R&D or industrial facilities. Aging facilities currently face decommissioning and dismantling issues. This way to the end of the nuclear fuel cycle requires a careful assessment of source terms in the fuel, core structures and all parts of a facility that must be disposed of with "industrial nuclear" constraints. In that perspective, several CESAR cross section libraries were constructed for early CEA Research and Testing Reactors (RTR's). The aim of this paper is to describe how CESAR operates and how it can be used to help these facilities care for waste disposal, nuclear materials transport or basic safety cases. The test case will be based on the PHEBUS Facility located at CEA - Cadarache.

  18. Hanford meteorological station computer codes: Volume 9, The quality assurance computer codes

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

    Burk, K.W.; Andrews, G.L.

    1989-02-01

    The Hanford Meteorological Station (HMS) was established in 1944 on the Hanford Site to collect and archive meteorological data and provide weather forecasts and related services for Hanford Site approximately 1/2 mile east of the 200 West Area and is operated by PNL for the US Department of Energy. Meteorological data are collected from various sensors and equipment located on and off the Hanford Site. These data are stored in data bases on the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX 11/750 at the HMS (hereafter referred to as the HMS computer). Files from those data bases are routinely transferred to themore » Emergency Management System (EMS) computer at the Unified Dose Assessment Center (UDAC). To ensure the quality and integrity of the HMS data, a set of Quality Assurance (QA) computer codes has been written. The codes will be routinely used by the HMS system manager or the data base custodian. The QA codes provide detailed output files that will be used in correcting erroneous data. The following sections in this volume describe the implementation and operation of QA computer codes. The appendices contain detailed descriptions, flow charts, and source code listings of each computer code. 2 refs.« less

  19. Optimization of Multi-Fidelity Computer Experiments via the EQIE Criterion

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

    He, Xu; Tuo, Rui; Jeff Wu, C. F.

    Computer experiments based on mathematical models are powerful tools for understanding physical processes. This article addresses the problem of kriging-based optimization for deterministic computer experiments with tunable accuracy. Our approach is to use multi- delity computer experiments with increasing accuracy levels and a nonstationary Gaussian process model. We propose an optimization scheme that sequentially adds new computer runs by following two criteria. The first criterion, called EQI, scores candidate inputs with given level of accuracy, and the second criterion, called EQIE, scores candidate combinations of inputs and accuracy. Here, from simulation results and a real example using finite element analysis,more » our method out-performs the expected improvement (EI) criterion which works for single-accuracy experiments.« less

  1. Optimization of Multi-Fidelity Computer Experiments via the EQIE Criterion

    DOE PAGES

    He, Xu; Tuo, Rui; Jeff Wu, C. F.

    2017-01-31

    Computer experiments based on mathematical models are powerful tools for understanding physical processes. This article addresses the problem of kriging-based optimization for deterministic computer experiments with tunable accuracy. Our approach is to use multi- delity computer experiments with increasing accuracy levels and a nonstationary Gaussian process model. We propose an optimization scheme that sequentially adds new computer runs by following two criteria. The first criterion, called EQI, scores candidate inputs with given level of accuracy, and the second criterion, called EQIE, scores candidate combinations of inputs and accuracy. Here, from simulation results and a real example using finite element analysis,more » our method out-performs the expected improvement (EI) criterion which works for single-accuracy experiments.« less

  2. Validation of a Deterministic Vibroacoustic Response Prediction Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caimi, Raoul E.; Margasahayam, Ravi

    1997-01-01

    This report documents the recently completed effort involving validation of a deterministic theory for the random vibration problem of predicting the response of launch pad structures in the low-frequency range (0 to 50 hertz). Use of the Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) methods is not suitable in this range. Measurements of launch-induced acoustic loads and subsequent structural response were made on a cantilever beam structure placed in close proximity (200 feet) to the launch pad. Innovative ways of characterizing random, nonstationary, non-Gaussian acoustics are used for the development of a structure's excitation model. Extremely good correlation was obtained between analytically computed responses and those measured on the cantilever beam. Additional tests are recommended to bound the problem to account for variations in launch trajectory and inclination.

  3. Enhancing the photon-extraction efficiency of site-controlled quantum dots by deterministically fabricated microlenses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaganskiy, Arsenty; Fischbach, Sarah; Strittmatter, André; Rodt, Sven; Heindel, Tobias; Reitzenstein, Stephan

    2018-04-01

    We report on the realization of scalable single-photon sources (SPSs) based on single site-controlled quantum dots (SCQDs) and deterministically fabricated microlenses. The fabrication process comprises the buried-stressor growth technique complemented with low-temperature in-situ electron-beam lithography for the integration of SCQDs into microlens structures with high yield and high alignment accuracy. The microlens-approach leads to a broadband enhancement of the photon-extraction efficiency of up to (21 ± 2)% and a high suppression of multi-photon events with g (2)(τ = 0) < 0.06 without background subtraction. The demonstrated combination of site-controlled growth of QDs and in-situ electron-beam lithography is relevant for arrays of efficient SPSs which, can be applied in photonic quantum circuits and advanced quantum computation schemes.

  4. A stochastic chemostat model with an inhibitor and noise independent of population sizes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Shulin; Zhang, Xiaolu

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, a stochastic chemostat model with an inhibitor is considered, here the inhibitor is input from an external source and two organisms in chemostat compete for a nutrient. Firstly, we show that the system has a unique global positive solution. Secondly, by constructing some suitable Lyapunov functions, we investigate that the average in time of the second moment of the solutions of the stochastic model is bounded for a relatively small noise. That is, the asymptotic behaviors of the stochastic system around the equilibrium points of the deterministic system are studied. However, the sufficient large noise can make the microorganisms become extinct with probability one, although the solutions to the original deterministic model may be persistent. Finally, the obtained analytical results are illustrated by computer simulations.

  5. Trend analysis of Arctic sea ice extent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Silva, M. E.; Barbosa, S. M.; Antunes, Luís; Rocha, Conceição

    2009-04-01

    The extent of Arctic sea ice is a fundamental parameter of Arctic climate variability. In the context of climate change, the area covered by ice in the Arctic is a particularly useful indicator of recent changes in the Arctic environment. Climate models are in near universal agreement that Arctic sea ice extent will decline through the 21st century as a consequence of global warming and many studies predict a ice free Arctic as soon as 2012. Time series of satellite passive microwave observations allow to assess the temporal changes in the extent of Arctic sea ice. Much of the analysis of the ice extent time series, as in most climate studies from observational data, have been focussed on the computation of deterministic linear trends by ordinary least squares. However, many different processes, including deterministic, unit root and long-range dependent processes can engender trend like features in a time series. Several parametric tests have been developed, mainly in econometrics, to discriminate between stationarity (no trend), deterministic trend and stochastic trends. Here, these tests are applied in the trend analysis of the sea ice extent time series available at National Snow and Ice Data Center. The parametric stationary tests, Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF), Phillips-Perron (PP) and the KPSS, do not support an overall deterministic trend in the time series of Arctic sea ice extent. Therefore, alternative parametrizations such as long-range dependence should be considered for characterising long-term Arctic sea ice variability.

  6. The forecasting research of early warning systems for atmospheric pollutants: A case in Yangtze River Delta region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Yiliao; Qin, Shanshan; Qu, Jiansheng; Liu, Feng

    2015-10-01

    The issue of air quality regarding PM pollution levels in China is a focus of public attention. To address that issue, to date, a series of studies is in progress, including PM monitoring programs, PM source apportionment, and the enactment of new ambient air quality index standards. However, related research concerning computer modeling for PM future trends estimation is rare, despite its significance to forecasting and early warning systems. Thereby, a study regarding deterministic and interval forecasts of PM is performed. In this study, data on hourly and 12 h-averaged air pollutants are applied to forecast PM concentrations within the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China. The characteristics of PM emissions have been primarily examined and analyzed using different distribution functions. To improve the distribution fitting that is crucial for estimating PM levels, an artificial intelligence algorithm is incorporated to select the optimal parameters. Following that step, an ANF model is used to conduct deterministic forecasts of PM. With the identified distributions and deterministic forecasts, different levels of PM intervals are estimated. The results indicate that the lognormal or gamma distributions are highly representative of the recorded PM data with a goodness-of-fit R2 of approximately 0.998. Furthermore, the results of the evaluation metrics (MSE, MAPE and CP, AW) also show high accuracy within the deterministic and interval forecasts of PM, indicating that this method enables the informative and effective quantification of future PM trends.

  7. Deterministic Modeling of the High Temperature Test Reactor

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

    Ortensi, J.; Cogliati, J. J.; Pope, M. A.

    2010-06-01

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is tasked with the development of reactor physics analysis capability of the Next Generation Nuclear Power (NGNP) project. In order to examine INL’s current prismatic reactor deterministic analysis tools, the project is conducting a benchmark exercise based on modeling the High Temperature Test Reactor (HTTR). This exercise entails the development of a model for the initial criticality, a 19 column thin annular core, and the fully loaded core critical condition with 30 columns. Special emphasis is devoted to the annular core modeling, which shares more characteristics with the NGNP base design. The DRAGON code is usedmore » in this study because it offers significant ease and versatility in modeling prismatic designs. Despite some geometric limitations, the code performs quite well compared to other lattice physics codes. DRAGON can generate transport solutions via collision probability (CP), method of characteristics (MOC), and discrete ordinates (Sn). A fine group cross section library based on the SHEM 281 energy structure is used in the DRAGON calculations. HEXPEDITE is the hexagonal z full core solver used in this study and is based on the Green’s Function solution of the transverse integrated equations. In addition, two Monte Carlo (MC) based codes, MCNP5 and PSG2/SERPENT, provide benchmarking capability for the DRAGON and the nodal diffusion solver codes. The results from this study show a consistent bias of 2–3% for the core multiplication factor. This systematic error has also been observed in other HTTR benchmark efforts and is well documented in the literature. The ENDF/B VII graphite and U235 cross sections appear to be the main source of the error. The isothermal temperature coefficients calculated with the fully loaded core configuration agree well with other benchmark participants but are 40% higher than the experimental values. This discrepancy with the measurement stems from the fact that during the experiments the control rods were adjusted to maintain criticality, whereas in the model, the rod positions were fixed. In addition, this work includes a brief study of a cross section generation approach that seeks to decouple the domain in order to account for neighbor effects. This spectral interpenetration is a dominant effect in annular HTR physics. This analysis methodology should be further explored in order to reduce the error that is systematically propagated in the traditional generation of cross sections.« less

  8. User's manual for semi-circular compact range reflector code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupta, Inder J.; Burnside, Walter D.

    1986-01-01

    A computer code was developed to analyze a semi-circular paraboloidal reflector antenna with a rolled edge at the top and a skirt at the bottom. The code can be used to compute the total near field of the antenna or its individual components at a given distance from the center of the paraboloid. Thus, it is very effective in computing the size of the sweet spot for RCS or antenna measurement. The operation of the code is described. Various input and output statements are explained. Some results obtained using the computer code are presented to illustrate the code's capability as well as being samples of input/output sets.

  9. Highly fault-tolerant parallel computation

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

    Spielman, D.A.

    We re-introduce the coded model of fault-tolerant computation in which the input and output of a computational device are treated as words in an error-correcting code. A computational device correctly computes a function in the coded model if its input and output, once decoded, are a valid input and output of the function. In the coded model, it is reasonable to hope to simulate all computational devices by devices whose size is greater by a constant factor but which are exponentially reliable even if each of their components can fail with some constant probability. We consider fine-grained parallel computations inmore » which each processor has a constant probability of producing the wrong output at each time step. We show that any parallel computation that runs for time t on w processors can be performed reliably on a faulty machine in the coded model using w log{sup O(l)} w processors and time t log{sup O(l)} w. The failure probability of the computation will be at most t {center_dot} exp(-w{sup 1/4}). The codes used to communicate with our fault-tolerant machines are generalized Reed-Solomon codes and can thus be encoded and decoded in O(n log{sup O(1)} n) sequential time and are independent of the machine they are used to communicate with. We also show how coded computation can be used to self-correct many linear functions in parallel with arbitrarily small overhead.« less

  10. An emulator for minimizing computer resources for finite element analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Melosh, R.; Utku, S.; Islam, M.; Salama, M.

    1984-01-01

    A computer code, SCOPE, has been developed for predicting the computer resources required for a given analysis code, computer hardware, and structural problem. The cost of running the code is a small fraction (about 3 percent) of the cost of performing the actual analysis. However, its accuracy in predicting the CPU and I/O resources depends intrinsically on the accuracy of calibration data that must be developed once for the computer hardware and the finite element analysis code of interest. Testing of the SCOPE code on the AMDAHL 470 V/8 computer and the ELAS finite element analysis program indicated small I/O errors (3.2 percent), larger CPU errors (17.8 percent), and negligible total errors (1.5 percent).

  11. Neo-deterministic definition of earthquake hazard scenarios: a multiscale application to India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peresan, Antonella; Magrin, Andrea; Parvez, Imtiyaz A.; Rastogi, Bal K.; Vaccari, Franco; Cozzini, Stefano; Bisignano, Davide; Romanelli, Fabio; Panza, Giuliano F.; Ashish, Mr; Mir, Ramees R.

    2014-05-01

    The development of effective mitigation strategies requires scientifically consistent estimates of seismic ground motion; recent analysis, however, showed that the performances of the classical probabilistic approach to seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) are very unsatisfactory in anticipating ground shaking from future large earthquakes. Moreover, due to their basic heuristic limitations, the standard PSHA estimates are by far unsuitable when dealing with the protection of critical structures (e.g. nuclear power plants) and cultural heritage, where it is necessary to consider extremely long time intervals. Nonetheless, the persistence in resorting to PSHA is often explained by the need to deal with uncertainties related with ground shaking and earthquakes recurrence. We show that current computational resources and physical knowledge of the seismic waves generation and propagation processes, along with the improving quantity and quality of geophysical data, allow nowadays for viable numerical and analytical alternatives to the use of PSHA. The advanced approach considered in this study, namely the NDSHA (neo-deterministic seismic hazard assessment), is based on the physically sound definition of a wide set of credible scenario events and accounts for uncertainties and earthquakes recurrence in a substantially different way. The expected ground shaking due to a wide set of potential earthquakes is defined by means of full waveforms modelling, based on the possibility to efficiently compute synthetic seismograms in complex laterally heterogeneous anelastic media. In this way a set of scenarios of ground motion can be defined, either at national and local scale, the latter considering the 2D and 3D heterogeneities of the medium travelled by the seismic waves. The efficiency of the NDSHA computational codes allows for the fast generation of hazard maps at the regional scale even on a modern laptop computer. At the scenario scale, quick parametric studies can be easily performed to understand the influence of the model characteristics on the computed ground shaking scenarios. For massive parametric tests, or for the repeated generation of large scale hazard maps, the methodology can take advantage of more advanced computational platforms, ranging from GRID computing infrastructures to HPC dedicated clusters up to Cloud computing. In such a way, scientists can deal efficiently with the variety and complexity of the potential earthquake sources, and perform parametric studies to characterize the related uncertainties. NDSHA provides realistic time series of expected ground motion readily applicable for seismic engineering analysis and other mitigation actions. The methodology has been successfully applied to strategic buildings, lifelines and cultural heritage sites, and for the purpose of seismic microzoning in several urban areas worldwide. A web application is currently being developed that facilitates the access to the NDSHA methodology and the related outputs by end-users, who are interested in reliable territorial planning and in the design and construction of buildings and infrastructures in seismic areas. At the same, the web application is also shaping up as an advanced educational tool to explore interactively how seismic waves are generated at the source, propagate inside structural models, and build up ground shaking scenarios. We illustrate the preliminary results obtained from a multiscale application of NDSHA approach to the territory of India, zooming from large scale hazard maps of ground shaking at bedrock, to the definition of local scale earthquake scenarios for selected sites in the Gujarat state (NW India). The study aims to provide the community (e.g. authorities and engineers) with advanced information for earthquake risk mitigation, which is particularly relevant to Gujarat in view of the rapid development and urbanization of the region.

  12. A generalized one-dimensional computer code for turbomachinery cooling passage flow calculations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumar, Ganesh N.; Roelke, Richard J.; Meitner, Peter L.

    1989-01-01

    A generalized one-dimensional computer code for analyzing the flow and heat transfer in the turbomachinery cooling passages was developed. This code is capable of handling rotating cooling passages with turbulators, 180 degree turns, pin fins, finned passages, by-pass flows, tip cap impingement flows, and flow branching. The code is an extension of a one-dimensional code developed by P. Meitner. In the subject code, correlations for both heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss computations were developed to model each of the above mentioned type of coolant passages. The code has the capability of independently computing the friction factor and heat transfer coefficient on each side of a rectangular passage. Either the mass flow at the inlet to the channel or the exit plane pressure can be specified. For a specified inlet total temperature, inlet total pressure, and exit static pressure, the code computers the flow rates through the main branch and the subbranches, flow through tip cap for impingement cooling, in addition to computing the coolant pressure, temperature, and heat transfer coefficient distribution in each coolant flow branch. Predictions from the subject code for both nonrotating and rotating passages agree well with experimental data. The code was used to analyze the cooling passage of a research cooled radial rotor.

  13. 3D Dynamic Rupture Simulations along the Wasatch Fault, Utah, Incorporating Rough-fault Topography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Withers, Kyle; Moschetti, Morgan

    2017-04-01

    Studies have found that the Wasatch Fault has experienced successive large magnitude (>Mw 7.2) earthquakes, with an average recurrence interval near 350 years. To date, no large magnitude event has been recorded along the fault, with the last rupture along the Salt Lake City segment occurring 1300 years ago. Because of this, as well as the lack of strong ground motion records in basins and from normal-faulting earthquakes worldwide, seismic hazard in the region is not well constrained. Previous numerical simulations have modeled deterministic ground motion in the heavily populated regions of Utah, near Salt Lake City, but were primarily restricted to low frequencies ( 1 Hz). Our goal is to better assess broadband ground motions from the Wasatch Fault Zone. Here, we extend deterministic ground motion prediction to higher frequencies ( 5 Hz) in this region by using physics-based spontaneous dynamic rupture simulations along a normal fault with characteristics derived from geologic observations. We use a summation by parts finite difference code (Waveqlab3D) with rough-fault topography following a self-similar fractal distribution (over length scales from 100 m to the size of the fault) and include off-fault plasticity to simulate ruptures > Mw 6.5. Geometric complexity along fault planes has previously been shown to generate broadband sources with spectral energy matching that of observations. We investigate the impact of varying the hypocenter location, as well as the influence that multiple realizations of rough-fault topography have on the rupture process and resulting ground motion. We utilize Waveqlab3's computational efficiency to model wave-propagation to a significant distance from the fault with media heterogeneity at both long and short spatial wavelengths. These simulations generate a synthetic dataset of ground motions to compare with GMPEs, in terms of both the median and inter and intraevent variability.

  14. Image processing with cellular nonlinear networks implemented on field-programmable gate arrays for real-time applications in nuclear fusion

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

    Palazzo, S.; Vagliasindi, G.; Arena, P.

    2010-08-15

    In the past years cameras have become increasingly common tools in scientific applications. They are now quite systematically used in magnetic confinement fusion, to the point that infrared imaging is starting to be used systematically for real-time machine protection in major devices. However, in order to guarantee that the control system can always react rapidly in case of critical situations, the time required for the processing of the images must be as predictable as possible. The approach described in this paper combines the new computational paradigm of cellular nonlinear networks (CNNs) with field-programmable gate arrays and has been tested inmore » an application for the detection of hot spots on the plasma facing components in JET. The developed system is able to perform real-time hot spot recognition, by processing the image stream captured by JET wide angle infrared camera, with the guarantee that computational time is constant and deterministic. The statistical results obtained from a quite extensive set of examples show that this solution approximates very well an ad hoc serial software algorithm, with no false or missed alarms and an almost perfect overlapping of alarm intervals. The computational time can be reduced to a millisecond time scale for 8 bit 496x560-sized images. Moreover, in our implementation, the computational time, besides being deterministic, is practically independent of the number of iterations performed by the CNN - unlike software CNN implementations.« less

  15. Efficient Proximity Computation Techniques Using ZIP Code Data for Smart Cities †

    PubMed Central

    Murdani, Muhammad Harist; Hong, Bonghee

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we are interested in computing ZIP code proximity from two perspectives, proximity between two ZIP codes (Ad-Hoc) and neighborhood proximity (Top-K). Such a computation can be used for ZIP code-based target marketing as one of the smart city applications. A naïve approach to this computation is the usage of the distance between ZIP codes. We redefine a distance metric combining the centroid distance with the intersecting road network between ZIP codes by using a weighted sum method. Furthermore, we prove that the results of our combined approach conform to the characteristics of distance measurement. We have proposed a general and heuristic approach for computing Ad-Hoc proximity, while for computing Top-K proximity, we have proposed a general approach only. Our experimental results indicate that our approaches are verifiable and effective in reducing the execution time and search space. PMID:29587366

  16. Efficient Proximity Computation Techniques Using ZIP Code Data for Smart Cities †.

    PubMed

    Murdani, Muhammad Harist; Kwon, Joonho; Choi, Yoon-Ho; Hong, Bonghee

    2018-03-24

    In this paper, we are interested in computing ZIP code proximity from two perspectives, proximity between two ZIP codes ( Ad-Hoc ) and neighborhood proximity ( Top-K ). Such a computation can be used for ZIP code-based target marketing as one of the smart city applications. A naïve approach to this computation is the usage of the distance between ZIP codes. We redefine a distance metric combining the centroid distance with the intersecting road network between ZIP codes by using a weighted sum method. Furthermore, we prove that the results of our combined approach conform to the characteristics of distance measurement. We have proposed a general and heuristic approach for computing Ad-Hoc proximity, while for computing Top-K proximity, we have proposed a general approach only. Our experimental results indicate that our approaches are verifiable and effective in reducing the execution time and search space.

  17. Short-range solar radiation forecasts over Sweden

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Landelius, Tomas; Lindskog, Magnus; Körnich, Heiner; Andersson, Sandra

    2018-04-01

    In this article the performance for short-range solar radiation forecasts by the global deterministic and ensemble models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is compared with an ensemble of the regional mesoscale model HARMONIE-AROME used by the national meteorological services in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Note however that only the control members and the ensemble means are included in the comparison. The models resolution differs considerably with 18 km for the ECMWF ensemble, 9 km for the ECMWF deterministic model, and 2.5 km for the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble. The models share the same radiation code. It turns out that they all underestimate systematically the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) for clear-sky conditions. Except for this shortcoming, the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble model shows the best agreement with the distribution of observed Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and DNI values. During mid-day the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble mean performs best. The control member of the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble also scores better than the global deterministic ECMWF model. This is an interesting result since mesoscale models have so far not shown good results when compared to the ECMWF models. Three days with clear, mixed and cloudy skies are used to illustrate the possible added value of a probabilistic forecast. It is shown that in these cases the mesoscale ensemble could provide decision support to a grid operator in terms of forecasts of both the amount of solar power and its probabilities.

  18. Volume accumulator design analysis computer codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitaker, W. D.; Shimazaki, T. T.

    1973-01-01

    The computer codes, VANEP and VANES, were written and used to aid in the design and performance calculation of the volume accumulator units (VAU) for the 5-kwe reactor thermoelectric system. VANEP computes the VAU design which meets the primary coolant loop VAU volume and pressure performance requirements. VANES computes the performance of the VAU design, determined from the VANEP code, at the conditions of the secondary coolant loop. The codes can also compute the performance characteristics of the VAU's under conditions of possible modes of failure which still permit continued system operation.

  19. "Hour of Code": Can It Change Students' Attitudes toward Programming?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Du, Jie; Wimmer, Hayden; Rada, Roy

    2016-01-01

    The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the impact of the Hour of Code on students' attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two…

  20. Merced

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

    Hedstrom, Gerald; Beck, Bret; Mattoon, Caleb

    2016-10-01

    Merced performs a multi-dimensional integral tl generate so-called 'transfer matrices' for use in deterministic radiation transport applications. It produces transfer matrices on the user-defind energy grid. The angular dependence of outgoing products is captured in a Legendre expansion, up to a user-specified maximun Legendre order. Merced calculations can use multi-threading for enhanced performance on a single compute node.

  1. Fast-slow asymptotics for a Markov chain model of fast sodium current

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Starý, Tomáš; Biktashev, Vadim N.

    2017-09-01

    We explore the feasibility of using fast-slow asymptotics to eliminate the computational stiffness of discrete-state, continuous-time deterministic Markov chain models of ionic channels underlying cardiac excitability. We focus on a Markov chain model of fast sodium current, and investigate its asymptotic behaviour with respect to small parameters identified in different ways.

  2. Computers in the Undergraduate Curriculum: An Aspect of the Many Section Problem.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Churchill, Geoffrey

    A brief case study of the resistance to technological change is presented using DOG, a small scale deterministic business game, as the example of technology. DOG, a decision mathematics game for the purpose of providing an environment for application of mathematical concepts, consists of assignments mostly utilizing matrix algebra but also some…

  3. Talking about Code: Integrating Pedagogical Code Reviews into Early Computing Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hundhausen, Christopher D.; Agrawal, Anukrati; Agarwal, Pawan

    2013-01-01

    Given the increasing importance of soft skills in the computing profession, there is good reason to provide students withmore opportunities to learn and practice those skills in undergraduate computing courses. Toward that end, we have developed an active learning approach for computing education called the "Pedagogical Code Review"…

  4. Abstract quantum computing machines and quantum computational logics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiara, Maria Luisa Dalla; Giuntini, Roberto; Sergioli, Giuseppe; Leporini, Roberto

    2016-06-01

    Classical and quantum parallelism are deeply different, although it is sometimes claimed that quantum Turing machines are nothing but special examples of classical probabilistic machines. We introduce the concepts of deterministic state machine, classical probabilistic state machine and quantum state machine. On this basis, we discuss the question: To what extent can quantum state machines be simulated by classical probabilistic state machines? Each state machine is devoted to a single task determined by its program. Real computers, however, behave differently, being able to solve different kinds of problems. This capacity can be modeled, in the quantum case, by the mathematical notion of abstract quantum computing machine, whose different programs determine different quantum state machines. The computations of abstract quantum computing machines can be linguistically described by the formulas of a particular form of quantum logic, termed quantum computational logic.

  5. 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.

  6. The Helicopter Antenna Radiation Prediction Code (HARP)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Klevenow, F. T.; Lynch, B. G.; Newman, E. H.; Rojas, R. G.; Scheick, J. T.; Shamansky, H. T.; Sze, K. Y.

    1990-01-01

    The first nine months effort in the development of a user oriented computer code, referred to as the HARP code, for analyzing the radiation from helicopter antennas is described. The HARP code uses modern computer graphics to aid in the description and display of the helicopter geometry. At low frequencies the helicopter is modeled by polygonal plates, and the method of moments is used to compute the desired patterns. At high frequencies the helicopter is modeled by a composite ellipsoid and flat plates, and computations are made using the geometrical theory of diffraction. The HARP code will provide a user friendly interface, employing modern computer graphics, to aid the user to describe the helicopter geometry, select the method of computation, construct the desired high or low frequency model, and display the results.

  7. Enhanced fault-tolerant quantum computing in d-level systems.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Earl T

    2014-12-05

    Error-correcting codes protect quantum information and form the basis of fault-tolerant quantum computing. Leading proposals for fault-tolerant quantum computation require codes with an exceedingly rare property, a transversal non-Clifford gate. Codes with the desired property are presented for d-level qudit systems with prime d. The codes use n=d-1 qudits and can detect up to ∼d/3 errors. We quantify the performance of these codes for one approach to quantum computation known as magic-state distillation. Unlike prior work, we find performance is always enhanced by increasing d.

  8. Convergence acceleration of the Proteus computer code with multigrid methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Demuren, A. O.; Ibraheem, S. O.

    1992-01-01

    Presented here is the first part of a study to implement convergence acceleration techniques based on the multigrid concept in the Proteus computer code. A review is given of previous studies on the implementation of multigrid methods in computer codes for compressible flow analysis. Also presented is a detailed stability analysis of upwind and central-difference based numerical schemes for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Results are given of a convergence study of the Proteus code on computational grids of different sizes. The results presented here form the foundation for the implementation of multigrid methods in the Proteus code.

  9. 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.

  10. Nonuniform code concatenation for universal fault-tolerant quantum computing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nikahd, Eesa; Sedighi, Mehdi; Saheb Zamani, Morteza

    2017-09-01

    Using transversal gates is a straightforward and efficient technique for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Since transversal gates alone cannot be computationally universal, they must be combined with other approaches such as magic state distillation, code switching, or code concatenation to achieve universality. In this paper we propose an alternative approach for universal fault-tolerant quantum computing, mainly based on the code concatenation approach proposed in [T. Jochym-O'Connor and R. Laflamme, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 010505 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.010505], but in a nonuniform fashion. The proposed approach is described based on nonuniform concatenation of the 7-qubit Steane code with the 15-qubit Reed-Muller code, as well as the 5-qubit code with the 15-qubit Reed-Muller code, which lead to two 49-qubit and 47-qubit codes, respectively. These codes can correct any arbitrary single physical error with the ability to perform a universal set of fault-tolerant gates, without using magic state distillation.

  11. Integrated Risk-Informed Decision-Making for an ALMR PRISM

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

    Muhlheim, Michael David; Belles, Randy; Denning, Richard S.

    Decision-making is the process of identifying decision alternatives, assessing those alternatives based on predefined metrics, selecting an alternative (i.e., making a decision), and then implementing that alternative. The generation of decisions requires a structured, coherent process, or a decision-making process. The overall objective for this work is that the generalized framework is adopted into an autonomous decision-making framework and tailored to specific requirements for various applications. In this context, automation is the use of computing resources to make decisions and implement a structured decision-making process with limited or no human intervention. The overriding goal of automation is to replace ormore » supplement human decision makers with reconfigurable decision-making modules that can perform a given set of tasks rationally, consistently, and reliably. Risk-informed decision-making requires a probabilistic assessment of the likelihood of success given the status of the plant/systems and component health, and a deterministic assessment between plant operating parameters and reactor protection parameters to prevent unnecessary trips and challenges to plant safety systems. The probabilistic portion of the decision-making engine of the supervisory control system is based on the control actions associated with an ALMR PRISM. Newly incorporated into the probabilistic models are the prognostic/diagnostic models developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. These allow decisions to incorporate the health of components into the decision–making process. Once the control options are identified and ranked based on the likelihood of success, the supervisory control system transmits the options to the deterministic portion of the platform. The deterministic portion of the decision-making engine uses thermal-hydraulic modeling and components for an advanced liquid-metal reactor Power Reactor Inherently Safe Module. The deterministic multi-attribute decision-making framework uses various sensor data (e.g., reactor outlet temperature, steam generator drum level) and calculates its position within the challenge state, its trajectory, and its margin within the controllable domain using utility functions to evaluate current and projected plant state space for different control decisions. The metrics that are evaluated are based on reactor trip set points. The integration of the deterministic calculations using multi-physics analyses and probabilistic safety calculations allows for the examination and quantification of margin recovery strategies. This also provides validation of the control options identified from the probabilistic assessment. Thus, the thermalhydraulics analyses are used to validate the control options identified from the probabilistic assessment. Future work includes evaluating other possible metrics and computational efficiencies, and developing a user interface to mimic display panels at a modern nuclear power plant.« less

  12. Universal Quantum Computing with Measurement-Induced Continuous-Variable Gate Sequence in a Loop-Based Architecture.

    PubMed

    Takeda, Shuntaro; Furusawa, Akira

    2017-09-22

    We propose a scalable scheme for optical quantum computing using measurement-induced continuous-variable quantum gates in a loop-based architecture. Here, time-bin-encoded quantum information in a single spatial mode is deterministically processed in a nested loop by an electrically programmable gate sequence. This architecture can process any input state and an arbitrary number of modes with almost minimum resources, and offers a universal gate set for both qubits and continuous variables. Furthermore, quantum computing can be performed fault tolerantly by a known scheme for encoding a qubit in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space of a single light mode.

  13. Universal Quantum Computing with Measurement-Induced Continuous-Variable Gate Sequence in a Loop-Based Architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takeda, Shuntaro; Furusawa, Akira

    2017-09-01

    We propose a scalable scheme for optical quantum computing using measurement-induced continuous-variable quantum gates in a loop-based architecture. Here, time-bin-encoded quantum information in a single spatial mode is deterministically processed in a nested loop by an electrically programmable gate sequence. This architecture can process any input state and an arbitrary number of modes with almost minimum resources, and offers a universal gate set for both qubits and continuous variables. Furthermore, quantum computing can be performed fault tolerantly by a known scheme for encoding a qubit in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space of a single light mode.

  14. An improved target velocity sampling algorithm for free gas elastic scattering

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

    Romano, Paul K.; Walsh, Jonathan A.

    We present an improved algorithm for sampling the target velocity when simulating elastic scattering in a Monte Carlo neutron transport code that correctly accounts for the energy dependence of the scattering cross section. The algorithm samples the relative velocity directly, thereby avoiding a potentially inefficient rejection step based on the ratio of cross sections. Here, we have shown that this algorithm requires only one rejection step, whereas other methods of similar accuracy require two rejection steps. The method was verified against stochastic and deterministic reference results for upscattering percentages in 238U. Simulations of a light water reactor pin cell problemmore » demonstrate that using this algorithm results in a 3% or less penalty in performance when compared with an approximate method that is used in most production Monte Carlo codes« less

  15. An improved target velocity sampling algorithm for free gas elastic scattering

    DOE PAGES

    Romano, Paul K.; Walsh, Jonathan A.

    2018-02-03

    We present an improved algorithm for sampling the target velocity when simulating elastic scattering in a Monte Carlo neutron transport code that correctly accounts for the energy dependence of the scattering cross section. The algorithm samples the relative velocity directly, thereby avoiding a potentially inefficient rejection step based on the ratio of cross sections. Here, we have shown that this algorithm requires only one rejection step, whereas other methods of similar accuracy require two rejection steps. The method was verified against stochastic and deterministic reference results for upscattering percentages in 238U. Simulations of a light water reactor pin cell problemmore » demonstrate that using this algorithm results in a 3% or less penalty in performance when compared with an approximate method that is used in most production Monte Carlo codes« less

  16. Analysis of dosimetry from the H.B. Robinson unit 2 pressure vessel benchmark using RAPTOR-M3G and ALPAN

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

    Fischer, G.A.

    2011-07-01

    Document available in abstract form only, full text of document follows: The dosimetry from the H. B. Robinson Unit 2 Pressure Vessel Benchmark is analyzed with a suite of Westinghouse-developed codes and data libraries. The radiation transport from the reactor core to the surveillance capsule and ex-vessel locations is performed by RAPTOR-M3G, a parallel deterministic radiation transport code that calculates high-resolution neutron flux information in three dimensions. The cross-section library used in this analysis is the ALPAN library, an Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF)/B-VII.0-based library designed for reactor dosimetry and fluence analysis applications. Dosimetry is evaluated with the industry-standard SNLRMLmore » reactor dosimetry cross-section data library. (authors)« less

  17. Green's function methods in heavy ion shielding

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, John W.; Costen, Robert C.; Shinn, Judy L.; Badavi, Francis F.

    1993-01-01

    An analytic solution to the heavy ion transport in terms of Green's function is used to generate a highly efficient computer code for space applications. The efficiency of the computer code is accomplished by a nonperturbative technique extending Green's function over the solution domain. The computer code can also be applied to accelerator boundary conditions to allow code validation in laboratory experiments.

  18. Controlled deterministic implantation by nanostencil lithography at the limit of ion-aperture straggling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alves, A. D. C.; Newnham, J.; van Donkelaar, J. A.; Rubanov, S.; McCallum, J. C.; Jamieson, D. N.

    2013-04-01

    Solid state electronic devices fabricated in silicon employ many ion implantation steps in their fabrication. In nanoscale devices deterministic implants of dopant atoms with high spatial precision will be needed to overcome problems with statistical variations in device characteristics and to open new functionalities based on controlled quantum states of single atoms. However, to deterministically place a dopant atom with the required precision is a significant technological challenge. Here we address this challenge with a strategy based on stepped nanostencil lithography for the construction of arrays of single implanted atoms. We address the limit on spatial precision imposed by ion straggling in the nanostencil—fabricated with the readily available focused ion beam milling technique followed by Pt deposition. Two nanostencils have been fabricated; a 60 nm wide aperture in a 3 μm thick Si cantilever and a 30 nm wide aperture in a 200 nm thick Si3N4 membrane. The 30 nm wide aperture demonstrates the fabricating process for sub-50 nm apertures while the 60 nm aperture was characterized with 500 keV He+ ion forward scattering to measure the effect of ion straggling in the collimator and deduce a model for its internal structure using the GEANT4 ion transport code. This model is then applied to simulate collimation of a 14 keV P+ ion beam in a 200 nm thick Si3N4 membrane nanostencil suitable for the implantation of donors in silicon. We simulate collimating apertures with widths in the range of 10-50 nm because we expect the onset of J-coupling in a device with 30 nm donor spacing. We find that straggling in the nanostencil produces mis-located implanted ions with a probability between 0.001 and 0.08 depending on the internal collimator profile and the alignment with the beam direction. This result is favourable for the rapid prototyping of a proof-of-principle device containing multiple deterministically implanted dopants.

  19. Faster and more accurate transport procedures for HZETRN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slaba, T. C.; Blattnig, S. R.; Badavi, F. F.

    2010-12-01

    The deterministic transport code HZETRN was developed for research scientists and design engineers studying the effects of space radiation on astronauts and instrumentation protected by various shielding materials and structures. In this work, several aspects of code verification are examined. First, a detailed derivation of the light particle ( A ⩽ 4) and heavy ion ( A > 4) numerical marching algorithms used in HZETRN is given. References are given for components of the derivation that already exist in the literature, and discussions are given for details that may have been absent in the past. The present paper provides a complete description of the numerical methods currently used in the code and is identified as a key component of the verification process. Next, a new numerical method for light particle transport is presented, and improvements to the heavy ion transport algorithm are discussed. A summary of round-off error is also given, and the impact of this error on previously predicted exposure quantities is shown. Finally, a coupled convergence study is conducted by refining the discretization parameters (step-size and energy grid-size). From this study, it is shown that past efforts in quantifying the numerical error in HZETRN were hindered by single precision calculations and computational resources. It is determined that almost all of the discretization error in HZETRN is caused by the use of discretization parameters that violate a numerical convergence criterion related to charged target fragments below 50 AMeV. Total discretization errors are given for the old and new algorithms to 100 g/cm 2 in aluminum and water, and the improved accuracy of the new numerical methods is demonstrated. Run time comparisons between the old and new algorithms are given for one, two, and three layer slabs of 100 g/cm 2 of aluminum, polyethylene, and water. The new algorithms are found to be almost 100 times faster for solar particle event simulations and almost 10 times faster for galactic cosmic ray simulations.

  20. Initial Probabilistic Evaluation of Reactor Pressure Vessel Fracture with Grizzly and Raven

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

    Spencer, Benjamin; Hoffman, William; Sen, Sonat

    2015-10-01

    The Grizzly code is being developed with the goal of creating a general tool that can be applied to study a variety of degradation mechanisms in nuclear power plant components. The first application of Grizzly has been to study fracture in embrittled reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). Grizzly can be used to model the thermal/mechanical response of an RPV under transient conditions that would be observed in a pressurized thermal shock (PTS) scenario. The global response of the vessel provides boundary conditions for local models of the material in the vicinity of a flaw. Fracture domain integrals are computed to obtainmore » stress intensity factors, which can in turn be used to assess whether a fracture would initiate at a pre-existing flaw. These capabilities have been demonstrated previously. A typical RPV is likely to contain a large population of pre-existing flaws introduced during the manufacturing process. This flaw population is characterized stastistically through probability density functions of the flaw distributions. The use of probabilistic techniques is necessary to assess the likelihood of crack initiation during a transient event. This report documents initial work to perform probabilistic analysis of RPV fracture during a PTS event using a combination of the RAVEN risk analysis code and Grizzly. This work is limited in scope, considering only a single flaw with deterministic geometry, but with uncertainty introduced in the parameters that influence fracture toughness. These results are benchmarked against equivalent models run in the FAVOR code. When fully developed, the RAVEN/Grizzly methodology for modeling probabilistic fracture in RPVs will provide a general capability that can be used to consider a wider variety of vessel and flaw conditions that are difficult to consider with current tools. In addition, this will provide access to advanced probabilistic techniques provided by RAVEN, including adaptive sampling and parallelism, which can dramatically decrease run times.« less

  1. Faster and more accurate transport procedures for HZETRN

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

    Slaba, T.C., E-mail: Tony.C.Slaba@nasa.go; Blattnig, S.R., E-mail: Steve.R.Blattnig@nasa.go; Badavi, F.F., E-mail: Francis.F.Badavi@nasa.go

    The deterministic transport code HZETRN was developed for research scientists and design engineers studying the effects of space radiation on astronauts and instrumentation protected by various shielding materials and structures. In this work, several aspects of code verification are examined. First, a detailed derivation of the light particle (A {<=} 4) and heavy ion (A > 4) numerical marching algorithms used in HZETRN is given. References are given for components of the derivation that already exist in the literature, and discussions are given for details that may have been absent in the past. The present paper provides a complete descriptionmore » of the numerical methods currently used in the code and is identified as a key component of the verification process. Next, a new numerical method for light particle transport is presented, and improvements to the heavy ion transport algorithm are discussed. A summary of round-off error is also given, and the impact of this error on previously predicted exposure quantities is shown. Finally, a coupled convergence study is conducted by refining the discretization parameters (step-size and energy grid-size). From this study, it is shown that past efforts in quantifying the numerical error in HZETRN were hindered by single precision calculations and computational resources. It is determined that almost all of the discretization error in HZETRN is caused by the use of discretization parameters that violate a numerical convergence criterion related to charged target fragments below 50 AMeV. Total discretization errors are given for the old and new algorithms to 100 g/cm{sup 2} in aluminum and water, and the improved accuracy of the new numerical methods is demonstrated. Run time comparisons between the old and new algorithms are given for one, two, and three layer slabs of 100 g/cm{sup 2} of aluminum, polyethylene, and water. The new algorithms are found to be almost 100 times faster for solar particle event simulations and almost 10 times faster for galactic cosmic ray simulations.« less

  2. Waves generated by Asteroid impacts and their effects on US shorelines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ezzedine, S. M.; Miller, P. L.; Dearborn, D. S.; Dennison, D. S.; Glascoe, L. G.; Antoun, T.

    2013-12-01

    On February 15, 2013 an undetected ~17-20-m diameter asteroid entered earth's atmosphere and, due to its large entry speed of 18.6 km/s and its shallow entry angle, the asteroid exploded in an airburst over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating a bright flash, producing many small fragment meteorites and causing a powerful shock wave which released the equivalent of ~440 kt TNT of energy. About 16 hours after the Chelyabinsk asteroid, the elongated ~20m by ~40m (~30 m diameter) NEA 2012 DA14 with an estimated mass of 40 kt neared the earth surface at ~28,100km, ~2.2 earth's diameter. These two consecutive events, which were unrelated and had drastically different orbits, generated considerable attention and awareness from the public, confusion among the local residents, and raised the issue of emergency response and preparedness of local, state and government agencies. LLNL and other government agencies have performed numerical simulations of a postulated asteroid impact onto the ocean and generated data to support an emergency preparedness exercise. We illustrate the exercise through the application of several codes from source (asteroid entry) to ocean impact (splash rim) to wave generation, propagation and interaction with the shoreline. Using state-of-the-art high performance computing codes we simulate three impact sites; one site is located off the eat coat by Maryland's shoreline and two other sites on the west coast: the San Francisco bay and the Los Angeles bay shorelines, respectively. Simulations were conducted not only under deterministic conditions but also under conditions of uncertainty. Uncertainty assessment of flood hazards zones and structural integrity of infrastructures will be presented. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, and partially funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at LLNL under tracking code 12-ERD-005.

  3. Analytical modeling of operating characteristics of premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages. Volume 2: User's manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, O. L.; Chiappetta, L. M.; Edwards, D. E.; Mcvey, J. B.

    1982-01-01

    A user's manual describing the operation of three computer codes (ADD code, PTRAK code, and VAPDIF code) is presented. The general features of the computer codes, the input/output formats, run streams, and sample input cases are described.

  4. ShareSync: A Solution for Deterministic Data Sharing over Ethernet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dunn, Daniel J., II; Koons, William A.; Kennedy, Richard D.; Davis, Philip A.

    2007-01-01

    As part of upgrading the Contact Dynamics Simulation Laboratory (CDSL) at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a simple, cost effective method was needed to communicate data among the networked simulation machines and I/O controllers used to run the facility. To fill this need and similar applicable situations, a generic protocol was developed, called ShareSync. ShareSync is a lightweight, real-time, publish-subscribe Ethernet protocol for simple and deterministic data sharing across diverse machines and operating systems. ShareSync provides a simple Application Programming Interface (API) for simulation programmers to incorporate into their code. The protocol is compatible with virtually all Ethernet-capable machines, is flexible enough to support a variety of applications, is fast enough to provide soft real-time determinism, and is a low-cost resource for distributed simulation development, deployment, and maintenance. The first design cycle iteration of ShareSync has been completed, and the protocol has undergone several testing procedures including endurance and benchmarking tests and approaches the 2001ts data synchronization design goal for the CDSL.

  5. Monte Carlo capabilities of the SCALE code system

    DOE PAGES

    Rearden, Bradley T.; Petrie, Jr., Lester M.; Peplow, Douglas E.; ...

    2014-09-12

    SCALE is a broadly used suite of tools for nuclear systems modeling and simulation that provides comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly capabilities for criticality safety, reactor physics, radiation shielding, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. For more than 30 years, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for nuclear safety analysis and design. SCALE provides a “plug-and-play” framework that includes three deterministic and three Monte Carlo radiation transport solvers that can be selected based on the desired solution, including hybrid deterministic/Monte Carlo simulations. SCALE includes the latest nuclear data libraries for continuous-energy and multigroup radiation transport asmore » well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization, and convenient access to desired results. SCALE 6.2 will provide several new capabilities and significant improvements in many existing features, especially with expanded continuous-energy Monte Carlo capabilities for criticality safety, shielding, depletion, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Finally, an overview of the Monte Carlo capabilities of SCALE is provided here, with emphasis on new features for SCALE 6.2.« less

  6. Automated apparatus and method of generating native code for a stitching machine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Jeffrey L. (Inventor)

    2000-01-01

    A computer system automatically generates CNC code for a stitching machine. The computer determines the locations of a present stitching point and a next stitching point. If a constraint is not found between the present stitching point and the next stitching point, the computer generates code for making a stitch at the next stitching point. If a constraint is found, the computer generates code for changing a condition (e.g., direction) of the stitching machine's stitching head.

  7. Computer codes developed and under development at Lewis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.

    1992-01-01

    The objective of this summary is to provide a brief description of: (1) codes developed or under development at LeRC; and (2) the development status of IPACS with some typical early results. The computer codes that have been developed and/or are under development at LeRC are listed in the accompanying charts. This list includes: (1) the code acronym; (2) select physics descriptors; (3) current enhancements; and (4) present (9/91) code status with respect to its availability and documentation. The computer codes list is grouped by related functions such as: (1) composite mechanics; (2) composite structures; (3) integrated and 3-D analysis; (4) structural tailoring; and (5) probabilistic structural analysis. These codes provide a broad computational simulation infrastructure (technology base-readiness) for assessing the structural integrity/durability/reliability of propulsion systems. These codes serve two other very important functions: they provide an effective means of technology transfer; and they constitute a depository of corporate memory.

  8. Iterative algorithms for computing the feedback Nash equilibrium point for positive systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ivanov, I.; Imsland, Lars; Bogdanova, B.

    2017-03-01

    The paper studies N-player linear quadratic differential games on an infinite time horizon with deterministic feedback information structure. It introduces two iterative methods (the Newton method as well as its accelerated modification) in order to compute the stabilising solution of a set of generalised algebraic Riccati equations. The latter is related to the Nash equilibrium point of the considered game model. Moreover, we derive the sufficient conditions for convergence of the proposed methods. Finally, we discuss two numerical examples so as to illustrate the performance of both of the algorithms.

  9. Analysis of whisker-toughened CMC structural components using an interactive reliability model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duffy, Stephen F.; Palko, Joseph L.

    1992-01-01

    Realizing wider utilization of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) requires the development of advanced structural analysis technologies. This article focuses on the use of interactive reliability models to predict component probability of failure. The deterministic William-Warnke failure criterion serves as theoretical basis for the reliability model presented here. The model has been implemented into a test-bed software program. This computer program has been coupled to a general-purpose finite element program. A simple structural problem is presented to illustrate the reliability model and the computer algorithm.

  10. Space Radiation Transport Codes: A Comparative Study for Galactic Cosmic Rays Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tripathi, Ram; Wilson, John W.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Gabriel, Tony; Pinsky, Lawrence S.; Slaba, Tony

    For long duration and/or deep space human missions, protection from severe space radiation exposure is a challenging design constraint and may be a potential limiting factor. The space radiation environment consists of galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar particle events (SPE), trapped radiation, and includes ions of all the known elements over a very broad energy range. These ions penetrate spacecraft materials producing nuclear fragments and secondary particles that damage biological tissues, microelectronic devices, and materials. In deep space missions, where the Earth's magnetic field does not provide protection from space radiation, the GCR environment is significantly enhanced due to the absence of geomagnetic cut-off and is a major component of radiation exposure. Accurate risk assessments critically depend on the accuracy of the input information as well as radiation transport codes used, and so systematic verification of codes is necessary. In this study, comparisons are made between the deterministic code HZETRN2006 and the Monte Carlo codes HETC-HEDS and FLUKA for an aluminum shield followed by a water target exposed to the 1977 solar minimum GCR spectrum. Interaction and transport of high charge ions present in GCR radiation environment provide a more stringent constraint in the comparison of the codes. Dose, dose equivalent and flux spectra are compared; details of the comparisons will be discussed, and conclusions will be drawn for future directions.

  11. A review of recent advances in the spherical harmonics expansion method for semiconductor device simulation.

    PubMed

    Rupp, K; Jungemann, C; Hong, S-M; Bina, M; Grasser, T; Jüngel, A

    The Boltzmann transport equation is commonly considered to be the best semi-classical description of carrier transport in semiconductors, providing precise information about the distribution of carriers with respect to time (one dimension), location (three dimensions), and momentum (three dimensions). However, numerical solutions for the seven-dimensional carrier distribution functions are very demanding. The most common solution approach is the stochastic Monte Carlo method, because the gigabytes of memory requirements of deterministic direct solution approaches has not been available until recently. As a remedy, the higher accuracy provided by solutions of the Boltzmann transport equation is often exchanged for lower computational expense by using simpler models based on macroscopic quantities such as carrier density and mean carrier velocity. Recent developments for the deterministic spherical harmonics expansion method have reduced the computational cost for solving the Boltzmann transport equation, enabling the computation of carrier distribution functions even for spatially three-dimensional device simulations within minutes to hours. We summarize recent progress for the spherical harmonics expansion method and show that small currents, reasonable execution times, and rare events such as low-frequency noise, which are all hard or even impossible to simulate with the established Monte Carlo method, can be handled in a straight-forward manner. The applicability of the method for important practical applications is demonstrated for noise simulation, small-signal analysis, hot-carrier degradation, and avalanche breakdown.

  12. Probabilistic arithmetic automata and their applications.

    PubMed

    Marschall, Tobias; Herms, Inke; Kaltenbach, Hans-Michael; Rahmann, Sven

    2012-01-01

    We present a comprehensive review on probabilistic arithmetic automata (PAAs), a general model to describe chains of operations whose operands depend on chance, along with two algorithms to numerically compute the distribution of the results of such probabilistic calculations. PAAs provide a unifying framework to approach many problems arising in computational biology and elsewhere. We present five different applications, namely 1) pattern matching statistics on random texts, including the computation of the distribution of occurrence counts, waiting times, and clump sizes under hidden Markov background models; 2) exact analysis of window-based pattern matching algorithms; 3) sensitivity of filtration seeds used to detect candidate sequence alignments; 4) length and mass statistics of peptide fragments resulting from enzymatic cleavage reactions; and 5) read length statistics of 454 and IonTorrent sequencing reads. The diversity of these applications indicates the flexibility and unifying character of the presented framework. While the construction of a PAA depends on the particular application, we single out a frequently applicable construction method: We introduce deterministic arithmetic automata (DAAs) to model deterministic calculations on sequences, and demonstrate how to construct a PAA from a given DAA and a finite-memory random text model. This procedure is used for all five discussed applications and greatly simplifies the construction of PAAs. Implementations are available as part of the MoSDi package. Its application programming interface facilitates the rapid development of new applications based on the PAA framework.

  13. Reactivity effects in VVER-1000 of the third unit of the kalinin nuclear power plant at physical start-up. Computations in ShIPR intellectual code system with library of two-group cross sections generated by UNK code

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

    Zizin, M. N.; Zimin, V. G.; Zizina, S. N., E-mail: zizin@adis.vver.kiae.ru

    2010-12-15

    The ShIPR intellectual code system for mathematical simulation of nuclear reactors includes a set of computing modules implementing the preparation of macro cross sections on the basis of the two-group library of neutron-physics cross sections obtained for the SKETCH-N nodal code. This library is created by using the UNK code for 3D diffusion computation of first VVER-1000 fuel loadings. Computation of neutron fields in the ShIPR system is performed using the DP3 code in the two-group diffusion approximation in 3D triangular geometry. The efficiency of all groups of control rods for the first fuel loading of the third unit ofmore » the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant is computed. The temperature, barometric, and density effects of reactivity as well as the reactivity coefficient due to the concentration of boric acid in the reactor were computed additionally. Results of computations are compared with the experiment.« less

  14. Reactivity effects in VVER-1000 of the third unit of the kalinin nuclear power plant at physical start-up. Computations in ShIPR intellectual code system with library of two-group cross sections generated by UNK code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zizin, M. N.; Zimin, V. G.; Zizina, S. N.; Kryakvin, L. V.; Pitilimov, V. A.; Tereshonok, V. A.

    2010-12-01

    The ShIPR intellectual code system for mathematical simulation of nuclear reactors includes a set of computing modules implementing the preparation of macro cross sections on the basis of the two-group library of neutron-physics cross sections obtained for the SKETCH-N nodal code. This library is created by using the UNK code for 3D diffusion computation of first VVER-1000 fuel loadings. Computation of neutron fields in the ShIPR system is performed using the DP3 code in the two-group diffusion approximation in 3D triangular geometry. The efficiency of all groups of control rods for the first fuel loading of the third unit of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant is computed. The temperature, barometric, and density effects of reactivity as well as the reactivity coefficient due to the concentration of boric acid in the reactor were computed additionally. Results of computations are compared with the experiment.

  15. Users manual and modeling improvements for axial turbine design and performance computer code TD2-2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glassman, Arthur J.

    1992-01-01

    Computer code TD2 computes design point velocity diagrams and performance for multistage, multishaft, cooled or uncooled, axial flow turbines. This streamline analysis code was recently modified to upgrade modeling related to turbine cooling and to the internal loss correlation. These modifications are presented in this report along with descriptions of the code's expanded input and output. This report serves as the users manual for the upgraded code, which is named TD2-2.

  16. An Object-Oriented Approach to Writing Computational Electromagnetics Codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zimmerman, Martin; Mallasch, Paul G.

    1996-01-01

    Presently, most computer software development in the Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) community employs the structured programming paradigm, particularly using the Fortran language. Other segments of the software community began switching to an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm in recent years to help ease design and development of highly complex codes. This paper examines design of a time-domain numerical analysis CEM code using the OOP paradigm, comparing OOP code and structured programming code in terms of software maintenance, portability, flexibility, and speed.

  17. Advanced Test Reactor Core Modeling Update Project Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2011

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

    David W. Nigg; Devin A. Steuhm

    2011-09-01

    Legacy computational reactor physics software tools and protocols currently used for support of Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) core fuel management and safety assurance and, to some extent, experiment management are obsolete, inconsistent with the state of modern nuclear engineering practice, and are becoming increasingly difficult to properly verify and validate (V&V). Furthermore, the legacy staff knowledge required for application of these tools and protocols from the 1960s and 1970s is rapidly being lost due to staff turnover and retirements. In 2009 the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) initiated a focused effort to address this situation through the introduction of modern high-fidelitymore » computational software and protocols, with appropriate V&V, within the next 3-4 years via the ATR Core Modeling and Simulation and V&V Update (or 'Core Modeling Update') Project. This aggressive computational and experimental campaign will have a broad strategic impact on the operation of the ATR, both in terms of improved computational efficiency and accuracy for support of ongoing DOE programs as well as in terms of national and international recognition of the ATR National Scientific User Facility (NSUF). The ATR Core Modeling Update Project, targeted for full implementation in phase with the anticipated ATR Core Internals Changeout (CIC) in the 2014 time frame, began during the last quarter of Fiscal Year 2009, and has just completed its first full year. Key accomplishments so far have encompassed both computational as well as experimental work. A new suite of stochastic and deterministic transport theory based reactor physics codes and their supporting nuclear data libraries (SCALE, KENO-6, HELIOS, NEWT, and ATTILA) have been installed at the INL under various permanent sitewide license agreements and corresponding baseline models of the ATR and ATRC are now operational, demonstrating the basic feasibility of these code packages for their intended purpose. Furthermore, a capability for rigorous sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification based on the TSUNAMI system is being implemented and initial computational results have been obtained. This capability will have many applications in 2011 and beyond as a tool for understanding the margins of uncertainty in the new models as well as for validation experiment design and interpretation. Finally we note that although full implementation of the new computational models and protocols will extend over a period 3-4 years as noted above, interim applications in the much nearer term have already been demonstrated. In particular, these demonstrations included an analysis that was useful for understanding the cause of some issues in December 2009 that were triggered by a larger than acceptable discrepancy between the measured excess core reactivity and a calculated value that was based on the legacy computational methods. As the Modeling Update project proceeds we anticipate further such interim, informal, applications in parallel with formal qualification of the system under the applicable INL Quality Assurance procedures and standards.« less

  18. Efficient quantum computing using coherent photon conversion.

    PubMed

    Langford, N K; Ramelow, S; Prevedel, R; Munro, W J; Milburn, G J; Zeilinger, A

    2011-10-12

    Single photons are excellent quantum information carriers: they were used in the earliest demonstrations of entanglement and in the production of the highest-quality entanglement reported so far. However, current schemes for preparing, processing and measuring them are inefficient. For example, down-conversion provides heralded, but randomly timed, single photons, and linear optics gates are inherently probabilistic. Here we introduce a deterministic process--coherent photon conversion (CPC)--that provides a new way to generate and process complex, multiquanta states for photonic quantum information applications. The technique uses classically pumped nonlinearities to induce coherent oscillations between orthogonal states of multiple quantum excitations. One example of CPC, based on a pumped four-wave-mixing interaction, is shown to yield a single, versatile process that provides a full set of photonic quantum processing tools. This set satisfies the DiVincenzo criteria for a scalable quantum computing architecture, including deterministic multiqubit entanglement gates (based on a novel form of photon-photon interaction), high-quality heralded single- and multiphoton states free from higher-order imperfections, and robust, high-efficiency detection. It can also be used to produce heralded multiphoton entanglement, create optically switchable quantum circuits and implement an improved form of down-conversion with reduced higher-order effects. Such tools are valuable building blocks for many quantum-enabled technologies. Finally, using photonic crystal fibres we experimentally demonstrate quantum correlations arising from a four-colour nonlinear process suitable for CPC and use these measurements to study the feasibility of reaching the deterministic regime with current technology. Our scheme, which is based on interacting bosonic fields, is not restricted to optical systems but could also be implemented in optomechanical, electromechanical and superconducting systems with extremely strong intrinsic nonlinearities. Furthermore, exploiting higher-order nonlinearities with multiple pump fields yields a mechanism for multiparty mediation of the complex, coherent dynamics.

  19. Importance sampling with imperfect cloning for the computation of generalized Lyapunov exponents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anteneodo, Celia; Camargo, Sabrina; Vallejos, Raúl O.

    2017-12-01

    We revisit the numerical calculation of generalized Lyapunov exponents, L (q ) , in deterministic dynamical systems. The standard method consists of adding noise to the dynamics in order to use importance sampling algorithms. Then L (q ) is obtained by taking the limit noise-amplitude → 0 after the calculation. We focus on a particular method that involves periodic cloning and pruning of a set of trajectories. However, instead of considering a noisy dynamics, we implement an imperfect (noisy) cloning. This alternative method is compared with the standard one and, when possible, with analytical results. As a workbench we use the asymmetric tent map, the standard map, and a system of coupled symplectic maps. The general conclusion of this study is that the imperfect-cloning method performs as well as the standard one, with the advantage of preserving the deterministic dynamics.

  20. A new method for predicting response in complex linear systems. II. [under random or deterministic steady state excitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bogdanoff, J. L.; Kayser, K.; Krieger, W.

    1977-01-01

    The paper describes convergence and response studies in the low frequency range of complex systems, particularly with low values of damping of different distributions, and reports on the modification of the relaxation procedure required under these conditions. A new method is presented for response estimation in complex lumped parameter linear systems under random or deterministic steady state excitation. The essence of the method is the use of relaxation procedures with a suitable error function to find the estimated response; natural frequencies and normal modes are not computed. For a 45 degree of freedom system, and two relaxation procedures, convergence studies and frequency response estimates were performed. The low frequency studies are considered in the framework of earlier studies (Kayser and Bogdanoff, 1975) involving the mid to high frequency range.

  1. Scattering effects of machined optical surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, Anita Kotha

    1998-09-01

    Optical fabrication is one of the most labor-intensive industries in existence. Lensmakers use pitch to affix glass blanks to metal chucks that hold the glass as they grind it with tools that have not changed much in fifty years. Recent demands placed on traditional optical fabrication processes in terms of surface accuracy, smoothnesses, and cost effectiveness has resulted in the exploitation of precision machining technology to develop a new generation of computer numerically controlled (CNC) optical fabrication equipment. This new kind of precision machining process is called deterministic microgrinding. The most conspicuous feature of optical surfaces manufactured by the precision machining processes (such as single-point diamond turning or deterministic microgrinding) is the presence of residual cutting tool marks. These residual tool marks exhibit a highly structured topography of periodic azimuthal or radial deterministic marks in addition to random microroughness. These distinct topographic features give rise to surface scattering effects that can significantly degrade optical performance. In this dissertation project we investigate the scattering behavior of machined optical surfaces and their imaging characteristics. In particular, we will characterize the residual optical fabrication errors and relate the resulting scattering behavior to the tool and machine parameters in order to evaluate and improve the deterministic microgrinding process. Other desired information derived from the investigation of scattering behavior is the optical fabrication tolerances necessary to satisfy specific image quality requirements. Optical fabrication tolerances are a major cost driver for any precision optical manufacturing technology. The derivation and control of the optical fabrication tolerances necessary for different applications and operating wavelength regimes will play a unique and central role in establishing deterministic microgrinding as a preferred and a cost-effective optical fabrication process. Other well understood optical fabrication processes will also be reviewed and a performance comparison with the conventional grinding and polishing technique will be made to determine any inherent advantages in the optical quality of surfaces produced by other techniques.

  2. Shielding evaluation for solar particle events using MCNPX, PHITS and OLTARIS codes.

    PubMed

    Aghara, S K; Sriprisan, S I; Singleterry, R C; Sato, T

    2015-01-01

    Detailed analyses of Solar Particle Events (SPE) were performed to calculate primary and secondary particle spectra behind aluminum, at various thicknesses in water. The simulations were based on Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport codes, MCNPX 2.7.0 and PHITS 2.64, and the space radiation analysis website called OLTARIS (On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space) version 3.4 (uses deterministic code, HZETRN, for transport). The study is set to investigate the impact of SPEs spectra transporting through 10 or 20 g/cm(2) Al shield followed by 30 g/cm(2) of water slab. Four historical SPE events were selected and used as input source spectra particle differential spectra for protons, neutrons, and photons are presented. The total particle fluence as a function of depth is presented. In addition to particle flux, the dose and dose equivalent values are calculated and compared between the codes and with the other published results. Overall, the particle fluence spectra from all three codes show good agreement with the MC codes showing closer agreement compared to the OLTARIS results. The neutron particle fluence from OLTARIS is lower than the results from MC codes at lower energies (E<100 MeV). Based on mean square difference analysis the results from MCNPX and PHITS agree better for fluence, dose and dose equivalent when compared to OLTARIS results. Copyright © 2015 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). All rights reserved.

  3. Computer Description of the Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-04-01

    Combinatorial Geometry (COM-GEOM) GIFT Computer Code Computer Target Description 2& AfTNACT (Cmne M feerve shb N ,neemssalyan ify by block number) A...input to the GIFT computer code to generate target vulnerability data. F.a- 4 ono OF I NOV 5S OLETE UNCLASSIFIED SECUOITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE...Combinatorial Geometry (COM-GEOM) desrription. The "Geometric Information for Tarqets" ( GIFT ) computer code accepts the CO!-GEOM description and

  4. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 - Rights in technical data-Noncommercial items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... causing a computer to perform a specific operation or series of operations. (3) Computer software means computer programs, source code, source code listings, object code listings, design details, algorithms... or will be developed exclusively with Government funds; (ii) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar...

  5. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 - Rights in technical data-Noncommercial items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... causing a computer to perform a specific operation or series of operations. (3) Computer software means computer programs, source code, source code listings, object code listings, design details, algorithms... or will be developed exclusively with Government funds; (ii) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar...

  6. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 - Rights in technical data-Noncommercial items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... causing a computer to perform a specific operation or series of operations. (3) Computer software means computer programs, source code, source code listings, object code listings, design details, algorithms... or will be developed exclusively with Government funds; (ii) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar...

  7. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 - Rights in technical data-Noncommercial items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... causing a computer to perform a specific operation or series of operations. (3) Computer software means computer programs, source code, source code listings, object code listings, design details, algorithms... developed exclusively with Government funds; (ii) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar data produced for...

  8. Deterministic Function Computation with Chemical Reaction Networks*

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Ho-Lin; Doty, David; Soloveichik, David

    2013-01-01

    Chemical reaction networks (CRNs) formally model chemistry in a well-mixed solution. CRNs are widely used to describe information processing occurring in natural cellular regulatory networks, and with upcoming advances in synthetic biology, CRNs are a promising language for the design of artificial molecular control circuitry. Nonetheless, despite the widespread use of CRNs in the natural sciences, the range of computational behaviors exhibited by CRNs is not well understood. CRNs have been shown to be efficiently Turing-universal (i.e., able to simulate arbitrary algorithms) when allowing for a small probability of error. CRNs that are guaranteed to converge on a correct answer, on the other hand, have been shown to decide only the semilinear predicates (a multi-dimensional generalization of “eventually periodic” sets). We introduce the notion of function, rather than predicate, computation by representing the output of a function f : ℕk → ℕl by a count of some molecular species, i.e., if the CRN starts with x1, …, xk molecules of some “input” species X1, …, Xk, the CRN is guaranteed to converge to having f(x1, …, xk) molecules of the “output” species Y1, …, Yl. We show that a function f : ℕk → ℕl is deterministically computed by a CRN if and only if its graph {(x, y) ∈ ℕk × ℕl ∣ f(x) = y} is a semilinear set. Finally, we show that each semilinear function f (a function whose graph is a semilinear set) can be computed by a CRN on input x in expected time O(polylog ∥x∥1). PMID:25383068

  9. Novel metaheuristic for parameter estimation in nonlinear dynamic biological systems

    PubMed Central

    Rodriguez-Fernandez, Maria; Egea, Jose A; Banga, Julio R

    2006-01-01

    Background We consider the problem of parameter estimation (model calibration) in nonlinear dynamic models of biological systems. Due to the frequent ill-conditioning and multi-modality of many of these problems, traditional local methods usually fail (unless initialized with very good guesses of the parameter vector). In order to surmount these difficulties, global optimization (GO) methods have been suggested as robust alternatives. Currently, deterministic GO methods can not solve problems of realistic size within this class in reasonable computation times. In contrast, certain types of stochastic GO methods have shown promising results, although the computational cost remains large. Rodriguez-Fernandez and coworkers have presented hybrid stochastic-deterministic GO methods which could reduce computation time by one order of magnitude while guaranteeing robustness. Our goal here was to further reduce the computational effort without loosing robustness. Results We have developed a new procedure based on the scatter search methodology for nonlinear optimization of dynamic models of arbitrary (or even unknown) structure (i.e. black-box models). In this contribution, we describe and apply this novel metaheuristic, inspired by recent developments in the field of operations research, to a set of complex identification problems and we make a critical comparison with respect to the previous (above mentioned) successful methods. Conclusion Robust and efficient methods for parameter estimation are of key importance in systems biology and related areas. The new metaheuristic presented in this paper aims to ensure the proper solution of these problems by adopting a global optimization approach, while keeping the computational effort under reasonable values. This new metaheuristic was applied to a set of three challenging parameter estimation problems of nonlinear dynamic biological systems, outperforming very significantly all the methods previously used for these benchmark problems. PMID:17081289

  10. Novel metaheuristic for parameter estimation in nonlinear dynamic biological systems.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez-Fernandez, Maria; Egea, Jose A; Banga, Julio R

    2006-11-02

    We consider the problem of parameter estimation (model calibration) in nonlinear dynamic models of biological systems. Due to the frequent ill-conditioning and multi-modality of many of these problems, traditional local methods usually fail (unless initialized with very good guesses of the parameter vector). In order to surmount these difficulties, global optimization (GO) methods have been suggested as robust alternatives. Currently, deterministic GO methods can not solve problems of realistic size within this class in reasonable computation times. In contrast, certain types of stochastic GO methods have shown promising results, although the computational cost remains large. Rodriguez-Fernandez and coworkers have presented hybrid stochastic-deterministic GO methods which could reduce computation time by one order of magnitude while guaranteeing robustness. Our goal here was to further reduce the computational effort without loosing robustness. We have developed a new procedure based on the scatter search methodology for nonlinear optimization of dynamic models of arbitrary (or even unknown) structure (i.e. black-box models). In this contribution, we describe and apply this novel metaheuristic, inspired by recent developments in the field of operations research, to a set of complex identification problems and we make a critical comparison with respect to the previous (above mentioned) successful methods. Robust and efficient methods for parameter estimation are of key importance in systems biology and related areas. The new metaheuristic presented in this paper aims to ensure the proper solution of these problems by adopting a global optimization approach, while keeping the computational effort under reasonable values. This new metaheuristic was applied to a set of three challenging parameter estimation problems of nonlinear dynamic biological systems, outperforming very significantly all the methods previously used for these benchmark problems.

  11. A semi-Lagrangian transport method for kinetic problems with application to dense-to-dilute polydisperse reacting spray flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doisneau, François; Arienti, Marco; Oefelein, Joseph C.

    2017-01-01

    For sprays, as described by a kinetic disperse phase model strongly coupled to the Navier-Stokes equations, the resolution strategy is constrained by accuracy objectives, robustness needs, and the computing architecture. In order to leverage the good properties of the Eulerian formalism, we introduce a deterministic particle-based numerical method to solve transport in physical space, which is simple to adapt to the many types of closures and moment systems. The method is inspired by the semi-Lagrangian schemes, developed for Gas Dynamics. We show how semi-Lagrangian formulations are relevant for a disperse phase far from equilibrium and where the particle-particle coupling barely influences the transport; i.e., when particle pressure is negligible. The particle behavior is indeed close to free streaming. The new method uses the assumption of parcel transport and avoids to compute fluxes and their limiters, which makes it robust. It is a deterministic resolution method so that it does not require efforts on statistical convergence, noise control, or post-processing. All couplings are done among data under the form of Eulerian fields, which allows one to use efficient algorithms and to anticipate the computational load. This makes the method both accurate and efficient in the context of parallel computing. After a complete verification of the new transport method on various academic test cases, we demonstrate the overall strategy's ability to solve a strongly-coupled liquid jet with fine spatial resolution and we apply it to the case of high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulation of a dense spray flow. A fuel spray is simulated after atomization at Diesel engine combustion chamber conditions. The large, parallel, strongly coupled computation proves the efficiency of the method for dense, polydisperse, reacting spray flows.

  12. A semi-Lagrangian transport method for kinetic problems with application to dense-to-dilute polydisperse reacting spray flows

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

    Doisneau, François, E-mail: fdoisne@sandia.gov; Arienti, Marco, E-mail: marient@sandia.gov; Oefelein, Joseph C., E-mail: oefelei@sandia.gov

    For sprays, as described by a kinetic disperse phase model strongly coupled to the Navier–Stokes equations, the resolution strategy is constrained by accuracy objectives, robustness needs, and the computing architecture. In order to leverage the good properties of the Eulerian formalism, we introduce a deterministic particle-based numerical method to solve transport in physical space, which is simple to adapt to the many types of closures and moment systems. The method is inspired by the semi-Lagrangian schemes, developed for Gas Dynamics. We show how semi-Lagrangian formulations are relevant for a disperse phase far from equilibrium and where the particle–particle coupling barelymore » influences the transport; i.e., when particle pressure is negligible. The particle behavior is indeed close to free streaming. The new method uses the assumption of parcel transport and avoids to compute fluxes and their limiters, which makes it robust. It is a deterministic resolution method so that it does not require efforts on statistical convergence, noise control, or post-processing. All couplings are done among data under the form of Eulerian fields, which allows one to use efficient algorithms and to anticipate the computational load. This makes the method both accurate and efficient in the context of parallel computing. After a complete verification of the new transport method on various academic test cases, we demonstrate the overall strategy's ability to solve a strongly-coupled liquid jet with fine spatial resolution and we apply it to the case of high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulation of a dense spray flow. A fuel spray is simulated after atomization at Diesel engine combustion chamber conditions. The large, parallel, strongly coupled computation proves the efficiency of the method for dense, polydisperse, reacting spray flows.« less

  13. Antenna pattern study, task 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harper, Warren

    1989-01-01

    Two electromagnetic scattering codes, NEC-BSC and ESP3, were delivered and installed on a NASA VAX computer for use by Marshall Space Flight Center antenna design personnel. The existing codes and certain supplementary software were updated, the codes installed on a computer that will be delivered to the customer, to provide capability for graphic display of the data to be computed by the use of the codes and to assist the customer in the solution of specific problems that demonstrate the use of the codes. With the exception of one code revision, all of these tasks were performed.

  14. Initialization of high resolution surface wind simulations using NWS gridded data

    Treesearch

    J. Forthofer; K. Shannon; Bret Butler

    2010-01-01

    WindNinja is a standalone computer model designed to provide the user with simulations of surface wind flow. It is deterministic and steady state. It is currently being modified to allow the user to initialize the flow calculation using National Digital Forecast Database. It essentially allows the user to downscale the coarse scale simulations from meso-scale models to...

  15. Efficient Characterization of Parametric Uncertainty of Complex (Bio)chemical Networks.

    PubMed

    Schillings, Claudia; Sunnåker, Mikael; Stelling, Jörg; Schwab, Christoph

    2015-08-01

    Parametric uncertainty is a particularly challenging and relevant aspect of systems analysis in domains such as systems biology where, both for inference and for assessing prediction uncertainties, it is essential to characterize the system behavior globally in the parameter space. However, current methods based on local approximations or on Monte-Carlo sampling cope only insufficiently with high-dimensional parameter spaces associated with complex network models. Here, we propose an alternative deterministic methodology that relies on sparse polynomial approximations. We propose a deterministic computational interpolation scheme which identifies most significant expansion coefficients adaptively. We present its performance in kinetic model equations from computational systems biology with several hundred parameters and state variables, leading to numerical approximations of the parametric solution on the entire parameter space. The scheme is based on adaptive Smolyak interpolation of the parametric solution at judiciously and adaptively chosen points in parameter space. As Monte-Carlo sampling, it is "non-intrusive" and well-suited for massively parallel implementation, but affords higher convergence rates. This opens up new avenues for large-scale dynamic network analysis by enabling scaling for many applications, including parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, and systems design.

  16. Efficient Characterization of Parametric Uncertainty of Complex (Bio)chemical Networks

    PubMed Central

    Schillings, Claudia; Sunnåker, Mikael; Stelling, Jörg; Schwab, Christoph

    2015-01-01

    Parametric uncertainty is a particularly challenging and relevant aspect of systems analysis in domains such as systems biology where, both for inference and for assessing prediction uncertainties, it is essential to characterize the system behavior globally in the parameter space. However, current methods based on local approximations or on Monte-Carlo sampling cope only insufficiently with high-dimensional parameter spaces associated with complex network models. Here, we propose an alternative deterministic methodology that relies on sparse polynomial approximations. We propose a deterministic computational interpolation scheme which identifies most significant expansion coefficients adaptively. We present its performance in kinetic model equations from computational systems biology with several hundred parameters and state variables, leading to numerical approximations of the parametric solution on the entire parameter space. The scheme is based on adaptive Smolyak interpolation of the parametric solution at judiciously and adaptively chosen points in parameter space. As Monte-Carlo sampling, it is “non-intrusive” and well-suited for massively parallel implementation, but affords higher convergence rates. This opens up new avenues for large-scale dynamic network analysis by enabling scaling for many applications, including parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, and systems design. PMID:26317784

  17. Experimental study and simulation of space charge stimulated discharge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noskov, M. D.; Malinovski, A. S.; Cooke, C. M.; Wright, K. A.; Schwab, A. J.

    2002-11-01

    The electrical discharge of volume distributed space charge in poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) has been investigated both experimentally and by computer simulation. The experimental space charge was implanted in dielectric samples by exposure to a monoenergetic electron beam of 3 MeV. Electrical breakdown through the implanted space charge region within the sample was initiated by a local electric field enhancement applied to the sample surface. A stochastic-deterministic dynamic model for electrical discharge was developed and used in a computer simulation of these breakdowns. The model employs stochastic rules to describe the physical growth of the discharge channels, and deterministic laws to describe the electric field, the charge, and energy dynamics within the discharge channels and the dielectric. Simulated spatial-temporal and current characteristics of the expanding discharge structure during physical growth are quantitatively compared with the experimental data to confirm the discharge model. It was found that a single fixed set of physically based dielectric parameter values was adequate to simulate the complete family of experimental space charge discharges in PMMA. It is proposed that such a set of parameters also provides a useful means to quantify the breakdown properties of other dielectrics.

  18. On salesmen and tourists: Two-step optimization in deterministic foragers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maya, Miguel; Miramontes, Octavio; Boyer, Denis

    2017-02-01

    We explore a two-step optimization problem in random environments, the so-called restaurant-coffee shop problem, where a walker aims at visiting the nearest and better restaurant in an area and then move to the nearest and better coffee-shop. This is an extension of the Tourist Problem, a one-step optimization dynamics that can be viewed as a deterministic walk in a random medium. A certain amount of heterogeneity in the values of the resources to be visited causes the emergence of power-laws distributions for the steps performed by the walker, similarly to a Lévy flight. The fluctuations of the step lengths tend to decrease as a consequence of multiple-step planning, thus reducing the foraging uncertainty. We find that the first and second steps of each planned movement play very different roles in heterogeneous environments. The two-step process improves only slightly the foraging efficiency compared to the one-step optimization, at a much higher computational cost. We discuss the implications of these findings for animal and human mobility, in particular in relation to the computational effort that informed agents should deploy to solve search problems.

  19. Uncertainty Quantification of Non-linear Oscillation Triggering in a Multi-injector Liquid-propellant Rocket Combustion Chamber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Popov, Pavel; Sideris, Athanasios; Sirignano, William

    2014-11-01

    We examine the non-linear dynamics of the transverse modes of combustion-driven acoustic instability in a liquid-propellant rocket engine. Triggering can occur, whereby small perturbations from mean conditions decay, while larger disturbances grow to a limit-cycle of amplitude that may compare to the mean pressure. For a deterministic perturbation, the system is also deterministic, computed by coupled finite-volume solvers at low computational cost for a single realization. The randomness of the triggering disturbance is captured by treating the injector flow rates, local pressure disturbances, and sudden acceleration of the entire combustion chamber as random variables. The combustor chamber with its many sub-fields resulting from many injector ports may be viewed as a multi-scale complex system wherein the developing acoustic oscillation is the emergent structure. Numerical simulation of the resulting stochastic PDE system is performed using the polynomial chaos expansion method. The overall probability of unstable growth is assessed in different regions of the parameter space. We address, in particular, the seven-injector, rectangular Purdue University experimental combustion chamber. In addition to the novel geometry, new features include disturbances caused by engine acceleration and unsteady thruster nozzle flow.

  20. Efficient Integrative Multi-SNP Association Analysis via Deterministic Approximation of Posteriors.

    PubMed

    Wen, Xiaoquan; Lee, Yeji; Luca, Francesca; Pique-Regi, Roger

    2016-06-02

    With the increasing availability of functional genomic data, incorporating genomic annotations into genetic association analysis has become a standard procedure. However, the existing methods often lack rigor and/or computational efficiency and consequently do not maximize the utility of functional annotations. In this paper, we propose a rigorous inference procedure to perform integrative association analysis incorporating genomic annotations for both traditional GWASs and emerging molecular QTL mapping studies. In particular, we propose an algorithm, named deterministic approximation of posteriors (DAP), which enables highly efficient and accurate joint enrichment analysis and identification of multiple causal variants. We use a series of simulation studies to highlight the power and computational efficiency of our proposed approach and further demonstrate it by analyzing the cross-population eQTL data from the GEUVADIS project and the multi-tissue eQTL data from the GTEx project. In particular, we find that genetic variants predicted to disrupt transcription factor binding sites are enriched in cis-eQTLs across all tissues. Moreover, the enrichment estimates obtained across the tissues are correlated with the cell types for which the annotations are derived. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Multiple object tracking with non-unique data-to-object association via generalized hypothesis testing. [tracking several aircraft near each other or ships at sea

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Porter, D. W.; Lefler, R. M.

    1979-01-01

    A generalized hypothesis testing approach is applied to the problem of tracking several objects where several different associations of data with objects are possible. Such problems occur, for instance, when attempting to distinctly track several aircraft maneuvering near each other or when tracking ships at sea. Conceptually, the problem is solved by first, associating data with objects in a statistically reasonable fashion and then, tracking with a bank of Kalman filters. The objects are assumed to have motion characterized by a fixed but unknown deterministic portion plus a random process portion modeled by a shaping filter. For example, the object might be assumed to have a mean straight line path about which it maneuvers in a random manner. Several hypothesized associations of data with objects are possible because of ambiguity as to which object the data comes from, false alarm/detection errors, and possible uncertainty in the number of objects being tracked. The statistical likelihood function is computed for each possible hypothesized association of data with objects. Then the generalized likelihood is computed by maximizing the likelihood over parameters that define the deterministic motion of the object.

  2. ACCELERATING FUSION REACTOR NEUTRONICS MODELING BY AUTOMATIC COUPLING OF HYBRID MONTE CARLO/DETERMINISTIC TRANSPORT ON CAD GEOMETRY

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

    Biondo, Elliott D; Ibrahim, Ahmad M; Mosher, Scott W

    2015-01-01

    Detailed radiation transport calculations are necessary for many aspects of the design of fusion energy systems (FES) such as ensuring occupational safety, assessing the activation of system components for waste disposal, and maintaining cryogenic temperatures within superconducting magnets. Hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)/deterministic techniques are necessary for this analysis because FES are large, heavily shielded, and contain streaming paths that can only be resolved with MC. The tremendous complexity of FES necessitates the use of CAD geometry for design and analysis. Previous ITER analysis has required the translation of CAD geometry to MCNP5 form in order to use the AutomateD VAriaNcemore » reducTion Generator (ADVANTG) for hybrid MC/deterministic transport. In this work, ADVANTG was modified to support CAD geometry, allowing hybrid (MC)/deterministic transport to be done automatically and eliminating the need for this translation step. This was done by adding a new ray tracing routine to ADVANTG for CAD geometries using the Direct Accelerated Geometry Monte Carlo (DAGMC) software library. This new capability is demonstrated with a prompt dose rate calculation for an ITER computational benchmark problem using both the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) method an the Forward Weighted (FW)-CADIS method. The variance reduction parameters produced by ADVANTG are shown to be the same using CAD geometry and standard MCNP5 geometry. Significant speedups were observed for both neutrons (as high as a factor of 7.1) and photons (as high as a factor of 59.6).« less

  3. Random sphere packing model of heterogeneous propellants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kochevets, Sergei Victorovich

    It is well recognized that combustion of heterogeneous propellants is strongly dependent on the propellant morphology. Recent developments in computing systems make it possible to start three-dimensional modeling of heterogeneous propellant combustion. A key component of such large scale computations is a realistic model of industrial propellants which retains the true morphology---a goal never achieved before. The research presented develops the Random Sphere Packing Model of heterogeneous propellants and generates numerical samples of actual industrial propellants. This is done by developing a sphere packing algorithm which randomly packs a large number of spheres with a polydisperse size distribution within a rectangular domain. First, the packing code is developed, optimized for performance, and parallelized using the OpenMP shared memory architecture. Second, the morphology and packing fraction of two simple cases of unimodal and bimodal packs are investigated computationally and analytically. It is shown that both the Loose Random Packing and Dense Random Packing limits are not well defined and the growth rate of the spheres is identified as the key parameter controlling the efficiency of the packing. For a properly chosen growth rate, computational results are found to be in excellent agreement with experimental data. Third, two strategies are developed to define numerical samples of polydisperse heterogeneous propellants: the Deterministic Strategy and the Random Selection Strategy. Using these strategies, numerical samples of industrial propellants are generated. The packing fraction is investigated and it is shown that the experimental values of the packing fraction can be achieved computationally. It is strongly believed that this Random Sphere Packing Model of propellants is a major step forward in the realistic computational modeling of heterogeneous propellant of combustion. In addition, a method of analysis of the morphology of heterogeneous propellants is developed which uses the concept of multi-point correlation functions. A set of intrinsic length scales of local density fluctuations in random heterogeneous propellants is identified by performing a Monte-Carlo study of the correlation functions. This method of analysis shows great promise for understanding the origins of the combustion instability of heterogeneous propellants, and is believed to become a valuable tool for the development of safe and reliable rocket engines.

  4. On the predictivity of pore-scale simulations: Estimating uncertainties with multilevel Monte Carlo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Icardi, Matteo; Boccardo, Gianluca; Tempone, Raúl

    2016-09-01

    A fast method with tunable accuracy is proposed to estimate errors and uncertainties in pore-scale and Digital Rock Physics (DRP) problems. The overall predictivity of these studies can be, in fact, hindered by many factors including sample heterogeneity, computational and imaging limitations, model inadequacy and not perfectly known physical parameters. The typical objective of pore-scale studies is the estimation of macroscopic effective parameters such as permeability, effective diffusivity and hydrodynamic dispersion. However, these are often non-deterministic quantities (i.e., results obtained for specific pore-scale sample and setup are not totally reproducible by another ;equivalent; sample and setup). The stochastic nature can arise due to the multi-scale heterogeneity, the computational and experimental limitations in considering large samples, and the complexity of the physical models. These approximations, in fact, introduce an error that, being dependent on a large number of complex factors, can be modeled as random. We propose a general simulation tool, based on multilevel Monte Carlo, that can reduce drastically the computational cost needed for computing accurate statistics of effective parameters and other quantities of interest, under any of these random errors. This is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to include Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) in pore-scale physics and simulation. The method can also provide estimates of the discretization error and it is tested on three-dimensional transport problems in heterogeneous materials, where the sampling procedure is done by generation algorithms able to reproduce realistic consolidated and unconsolidated random sphere and ellipsoid packings and arrangements. A totally automatic workflow is developed in an open-source code [1], that include rigid body physics and random packing algorithms, unstructured mesh discretization, finite volume solvers, extrapolation and post-processing techniques. The proposed method can be efficiently used in many porous media applications for problems such as stochastic homogenization/upscaling, propagation of uncertainty from microscopic fluid and rock properties to macro-scale parameters, robust estimation of Representative Elementary Volume size for arbitrary physics.

  5. Comparisons of Lagrangian and Eulerian PDF methods in simulations of non-premixed turbulent jet flames with moderate-to-strong turbulence-chemistry interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaishree, J.; Haworth, D. C.

    2012-06-01

    Transported probability density function (PDF) methods have been applied widely and effectively for modelling turbulent reacting flows. In most applications of PDF methods to date, Lagrangian particle Monte Carlo algorithms have been used to solve a modelled PDF transport equation. However, Lagrangian particle PDF methods are computationally intensive and are not readily integrated into conventional Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. Eulerian field PDF methods have been proposed as an alternative. Here a systematic comparison is performed among three methods for solving the same underlying modelled composition PDF transport equation: a consistent hybrid Lagrangian particle/Eulerian mesh (LPEM) method, a stochastic Eulerian field (SEF) method and a deterministic Eulerian field method with a direct-quadrature-method-of-moments closure (a multi-environment PDF-MEPDF method). The comparisons have been made in simulations of a series of three non-premixed, piloted methane-air turbulent jet flames that exhibit progressively increasing levels of local extinction and turbulence-chemistry interactions: Sandia/TUD flames D, E and F. The three PDF methods have been implemented using the same underlying CFD solver, and results obtained using the three methods have been compared using (to the extent possible) equivalent physical models and numerical parameters. Reasonably converged mean and rms scalar profiles are obtained using 40 particles per cell for the LPEM method or 40 Eulerian fields for the SEF method. Results from these stochastic methods are compared with results obtained using two- and three-environment MEPDF methods. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each method in terms of accuracy and computational requirements are explored and identified. In general, the results obtained from the two stochastic methods (LPEM and SEF) are very similar, and are in closer agreement with experimental measurements than those obtained using the MEPDF method, while MEPDF is the most computationally efficient of the three methods. These and other findings are discussed in detail.

  6. The use of imprecise processing to improve accuracy in weather & climate prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Düben, Peter D.; McNamara, Hugh; Palmer, T. N.

    2014-08-01

    The use of stochastic processing hardware and low precision arithmetic in atmospheric models is investigated. Stochastic processors allow hardware-induced faults in calculations, sacrificing bit-reproducibility and precision in exchange for improvements in performance and potentially accuracy of forecasts, due to a reduction in power consumption that could allow higher resolution. A similar trade-off is achieved using low precision arithmetic, with improvements in computation and communication speed and savings in storage and memory requirements. As high-performance computing becomes more massively parallel and power intensive, these two approaches may be important stepping stones in the pursuit of global cloud-resolving atmospheric modelling. The impact of both hardware induced faults and low precision arithmetic is tested using the Lorenz '96 model and the dynamical core of a global atmosphere model. In the Lorenz '96 model there is a natural scale separation; the spectral discretisation used in the dynamical core also allows large and small scale dynamics to be treated separately within the code. Such scale separation allows the impact of lower-accuracy arithmetic to be restricted to components close to the truncation scales and hence close to the necessarily inexact parametrised representations of unresolved processes. By contrast, the larger scales are calculated using high precision deterministic arithmetic. Hardware faults from stochastic processors are emulated using a bit-flip model with different fault rates. Our simulations show that both approaches to inexact calculations do not substantially affect the large scale behaviour, provided they are restricted to act only on smaller scales. By contrast, results from the Lorenz '96 simulations are superior when small scales are calculated on an emulated stochastic processor than when those small scales are parametrised. This suggests that inexact calculations at the small scale could reduce computation and power costs without adversely affecting the quality of the simulations. This would allow higher resolution models to be run at the same computational cost.

  7. 48 CFR 252.227-7013 - Rights in technical data-Noncommercial items.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... causing a computer to perform a specific operation or series of operations. (3) Computer software means computer programs, source code, source code listings, object code listings, design details, algorithms... funds; (ii) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar data produced for this contract, when the study...

  8. Parallel Computation of the Jacobian Matrix for Nonlinear Equation Solvers Using MATLAB

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rose, Geoffrey K.; Nguyen, Duc T.; Newman, Brett A.

    2017-01-01

    Demonstrating speedup for parallel code on a multicore shared memory PC can be challenging in MATLAB due to underlying parallel operations that are often opaque to the user. This can limit potential for improvement of serial code even for the so-called embarrassingly parallel applications. One such application is the computation of the Jacobian matrix inherent to most nonlinear equation solvers. Computation of this matrix represents the primary bottleneck in nonlinear solver speed such that commercial finite element (FE) and multi-body-dynamic (MBD) codes attempt to minimize computations. A timing study using MATLAB's Parallel Computing Toolbox was performed for numerical computation of the Jacobian. Several approaches for implementing parallel code were investigated while only the single program multiple data (spmd) method using composite objects provided positive results. Parallel code speedup is demonstrated but the goal of linear speedup through the addition of processors was not achieved due to PC architecture.

  9. User Instructions for the Systems Assessment Capability, Rev. 1, Computer Codes Volume 3: Utility Codes

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

    Eslinger, Paul W.; Aaberg, Rosanne L.; Lopresti, Charles A.

    2004-09-14

    This document contains detailed user instructions for a suite of utility codes developed for Rev. 1 of the Systems Assessment Capability. The suite of computer codes for Rev. 1 of Systems Assessment Capability performs many functions.

  10. Mass fluctuation kinetics: Capturing stochastic effects in systems of chemical reactions through coupled mean-variance computations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gómez-Uribe, Carlos A.; Verghese, George C.

    2007-01-01

    The intrinsic stochastic effects in chemical reactions, and particularly in biochemical networks, may result in behaviors significantly different from those predicted by deterministic mass action kinetics (MAK). Analyzing stochastic effects, however, is often computationally taxing and complex. The authors describe here the derivation and application of what they term the mass fluctuation kinetics (MFK), a set of deterministic equations to track the means, variances, and covariances of the concentrations of the chemical species in the system. These equations are obtained by approximating the dynamics of the first and second moments of the chemical master equation. Apart from needing knowledge of the system volume, the MFK description requires only the same information used to specify the MAK model, and is not significantly harder to write down or apply. When the effects of fluctuations are negligible, the MFK description typically reduces to MAK. The MFK equations are capable of describing the average behavior of the network substantially better than MAK, because they incorporate the effects of fluctuations on the evolution of the means. They also account for the effects of the means on the evolution of the variances and covariances, to produce quite accurate uncertainty bands around the average behavior. The MFK computations, although approximate, are significantly faster than Monte Carlo methods for computing first and second moments in systems of chemical reactions. They may therefore be used, perhaps along with a few Monte Carlo simulations of sample state trajectories, to efficiently provide a detailed picture of the behavior of a chemical system.

  11. 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.

  12. Comparison of two computer codes for crack growth analysis: NASCRAC Versus NASA/FLAGRO

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stallworth, R.; Meyers, C. A.; Stinson, H. C.

    1989-01-01

    Results are presented from the comparison study of two computer codes for crack growth analysis - NASCRAC and NASA/FLAGRO. The two computer codes gave compatible conservative results when the part through crack analysis solutions were analyzed versus experimental test data. Results showed good correlation between the codes for the through crack at a lug solution. For the through crack at a lug solution, NASA/FLAGRO gave the most conservative results.

  13. Computational Predictions of the Performance Wright 'Bent End' Propellers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Xiang-Yu; Ash, Robert L.; Bobbitt, Percy J.; Prior, Edwin (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Computational analysis of two 1911 Wright brothers 'Bent End' wooden propeller reproductions have been performed and compared with experimental test results from the Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel. The purpose of the analysis was to check the consistency of the experimental results and to validate the reliability of the tests. This report is one part of the project on the propeller performance research of the Wright 'Bent End' propellers, intend to document the Wright brothers' pioneering propeller design contributions. Two computer codes were used in the computational predictions. The FLO-MG Navier-Stokes code is a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code based on the Navier-Stokes Equations. It is mainly used to compute the lift coefficient and the drag coefficient at specified angles of attack at different radii. Those calculated data are the intermediate results of the computation and a part of the necessary input for the Propeller Design Analysis Code (based on Adkins and Libeck method), which is a propeller design code used to compute the propeller thrust coefficient, the propeller power coefficient and the propeller propulsive efficiency.

  14. Proceduracy: Computer Code Writing in the Continuum of Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vee, Annette

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation looks at computer programming through the lens of literacy studies, building from the concept of code as a written text with expressive and rhetorical power. I focus on the intersecting technological and social factors of computer code writing as a literacy--a practice I call "proceduracy". Like literacy, proceduracy is a human…

  15. Computer Code Aids Design Of Wings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carlson, Harry W.; Darden, Christine M.

    1993-01-01

    AERO2S computer code developed to aid design engineers in selection and evaluation of aerodynamically efficient wing/canard and wing/horizontal-tail configurations that includes simple hinged-flap systems. Code rapidly estimates longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of conceptual airplane lifting-surface arrangements. Developed in FORTRAN V on CDC 6000 computer system, and ported to MS-DOS environment.

  16. Medical privacy protection based on granular computing.

    PubMed

    Wang, Da-Wei; Liau, Churn-Jung; Hsu, Tsan-Sheng

    2004-10-01

    Based on granular computing methodology, we propose two criteria to quantitatively measure privacy invasion. The total cost criterion measures the effort needed for a data recipient to find private information. The average benefit criterion measures the benefit a data recipient obtains when he received the released data. These two criteria remedy the inadequacy of the deterministic privacy formulation proposed in Proceedings of Asia Pacific Medical Informatics Conference, 2000; Int J Med Inform 2003;71:17-23. Granular computing methodology provides a unified framework for these quantitative measurements and previous bin size and logical approaches. These two new criteria are implemented in a prototype system Cellsecu 2.0. Preliminary system performance evaluation is conducted and reviewed.

  17. WTO — a deterministic approach to 4-fermion physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Passarino, Giampiero

    1996-09-01

    The program WTO, which is designed for computing cross sections and other relevant observables in the e+e- annihilation into four fermions, is described. The various quantities are computed over both a completely inclusive experimental set-up and a realistic one, i.e. with cuts on the final state energies, final state angles, scattering angles and final state invariant masses. Initial state QED corrections are included by means of the structure function approach while final state QCD corrections are applicable in their naive formulation. A gauge restoring mechanism is included according to the Fermion-Loop scheme. The program structure is highly modular and particular care has been devoted to computing efficiency and speed.

  18. Cloud Computing for Complex Performance Codes.

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

    Appel, Gordon John; Hadgu, Teklu; Klein, Brandon Thorin

    This report describes the use of cloud computing services for running complex public domain performance assessment problems. The work consisted of two phases: Phase 1 was to demonstrate complex codes, on several differently configured servers, could run and compute trivial small scale problems in a commercial cloud infrastructure. Phase 2 focused on proving non-trivial large scale problems could be computed in the commercial cloud environment. The cloud computing effort was successfully applied using codes of interest to the geohydrology and nuclear waste disposal modeling community.

  19. APC: A New Code for Atmospheric Polarization Computations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Korkin, Sergey V.; Lyapustin, Alexei I.; Rozanov, Vladimir V.

    2014-01-01

    A new polarized radiative transfer code Atmospheric Polarization Computations (APC) is described. The code is based on separation of the diffuse light field into anisotropic and smooth (regular) parts. The anisotropic part is computed analytically. The smooth regular part is computed numerically using the discrete ordinates method. Vertical stratification of the atmosphere, common types of bidirectional surface reflection and scattering by spherical particles or spheroids are included. A particular consideration is given to computation of the bidirectional polarization distribution function (BPDF) of the waved ocean surface.

  20. FY2017 Updates to the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 Safety Analysis Code

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

    Fanning, T. H.

    The SAS4A/SASSYS-1 safety analysis software is used to perform deterministic analysis of anticipated events as well as design-basis and beyond-design-basis accidents for advanced fast reactors. It plays a central role in the analysis of U.S. DOE conceptual designs, proposed test and demonstration reactors, and in domestic and international collaborations. This report summarizes the code development activities that have taken place during FY2017. Extensions to the void and cladding reactivity feedback models have been implemented, and Control System capabilities have been improved through a new virtual data acquisition system for plant state variables and an additional Block Signal for a variablemore » lag compensator to represent reactivity feedback for novel shutdown devices. Current code development and maintenance needs are also summarized in three key areas: software quality assurance, modeling improvements, and maintenance of related tools. With ongoing support, SAS4A/SASSYS-1 can continue to fulfill its growing role in fast reactor safety analysis and help solidify DOE’s leadership role in fast reactor safety both domestically and in international collaborations.« less

  1. RAINIER: A simulation tool for distributions of excited nuclear states and cascade fluctuations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirsch, L. E.; Bernstein, L. A.

    2018-06-01

    A new code has been developed named RAINIER that simulates the γ-ray decay of discrete and quasi-continuum nuclear levels for a user-specified range of energy, angular momentum, and parity including a realistic treatment of level spacing and transition width fluctuations. A similar program, DICEBOX, uses the Monte Carlo method to simulate level and width fluctuations but is restricted in its initial level population algorithm. On the other hand, modern reaction codes such as TALYS and EMPIRE populate a wide range of states in the residual nucleus prior to γ-ray decay, but do not go beyond the use of deterministic functions and therefore neglect cascade fluctuations. This combination of capabilities allows RAINIER to be used to determine quasi-continuum properties through comparison with experimental data. Several examples are given that demonstrate how cascade fluctuations influence experimental high-resolution γ-ray spectra from reactions that populate a wide range of initial states.

  2. Balloon Ascent: 3-D Simulation Tool for the Ascent and Float of High-Altitude Balloons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Rodger E.

    2005-01-01

    The BalloonAscent balloon flight simulation code represents a from-scratch development using Visual Basic 5 as the software platform. The simulation code is a transient analysis of balloon flight, predicting the skin and gas temperatures along with the 3-D position and velocity in a time and spatially varying environment. There are manual and automated controls for gas valving and the dropping of ballast. Also, there are many handy calculators, such as appropriate free lift, and steady-state thermal solutions with temperature gradients. The strength of this simulation model over others in the past is that the infrared environment is deterministic rather than guessed at. The ground temperature is specified along with the emissivity, which creates a ground level IR environment that is then partially absorbed as it travels upward through the atmosphere to the altitude of the balloon.

  3. New Tools to Prepare ACE Cross-section Files for MCNP Analytic Test Problems

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

    Brown, Forrest B.

    Monte Carlo calculations using one-group cross sections, multigroup cross sections, or simple continuous energy cross sections are often used to: (1) verify production codes against known analytical solutions, (2) verify new methods and algorithms that do not involve detailed collision physics, (3) compare Monte Carlo calculation methods with deterministic methods, and (4) teach fundamentals to students. In this work we describe 2 new tools for preparing the ACE cross-section files to be used by MCNP ® for these analytic test problems, simple_ace.pl and simple_ace_mg.pl.

  4. Hypercube matrix computation task

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calalo, Ruel H.; Imbriale, William A.; Jacobi, Nathan; Liewer, Paulett C.; Lockhart, Thomas G.; Lyzenga, Gregory A.; Lyons, James R.; Manshadi, Farzin; Patterson, Jean E.

    1988-01-01

    A major objective of the Hypercube Matrix Computation effort at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is to investigate the applicability of a parallel computing architecture to the solution of large-scale electromagnetic scattering problems. Three scattering analysis codes are being implemented and assessed on a JPL/California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Mark 3 Hypercube. The codes, which utilize different underlying algorithms, give a means of evaluating the general applicability of this parallel architecture. The three analysis codes being implemented are a frequency domain method of moments code, a time domain finite difference code, and a frequency domain finite elements code. These analysis capabilities are being integrated into an electromagnetics interactive analysis workstation which can serve as a design tool for the construction of antennas and other radiating or scattering structures. The first two years of work on the Hypercube Matrix Computation effort is summarized. It includes both new developments and results as well as work previously reported in the Hypercube Matrix Computation Task: Final Report for 1986 to 1987 (JPL Publication 87-18).

  5. Stochastic modelling of microstructure formation in solidification processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nastac, Laurentiu; Stefanescu, Doru M.

    1997-07-01

    To relax many of the assumptions used in continuum approaches, a general stochastic model has been developed. The stochastic model can be used not only for an accurate description of the fraction of solid evolution, and therefore accurate cooling curves, but also for simulation of microstructure formation in castings. The advantage of using the stochastic approach is to give a time- and space-dependent description of solidification processes. Time- and space-dependent processes can also be described by partial differential equations. Unlike a differential formulation which, in most cases, has to be transformed into a difference equation and solved numerically, the stochastic approach is essentially a direct numerical algorithm. The stochastic model is comprehensive, since the competition between various phases is considered. Furthermore, grain impingement is directly included through the structure of the model. In the present research, all grain morphologies are simulated with this procedure. The relevance of the stochastic approach is that the simulated microstructures can be directly compared with microstructures obtained from experiments. The computer becomes a `dynamic metallographic microscope'. A comparison between deterministic and stochastic approaches has been performed. An important objective of this research was to answer the following general questions: (1) `Would fully deterministic approaches continue to be useful in solidification modelling?' and (2) `Would stochastic algorithms be capable of entirely replacing purely deterministic models?'

  6. Deterministic delivery of remote entanglement on a quantum network.

    PubMed

    Humphreys, Peter C; Kalb, Norbert; Morits, Jaco P J; Schouten, Raymond N; Vermeulen, Raymond F L; Twitchen, Daniel J; Markham, Matthew; Hanson, Ronald

    2018-06-01

    Large-scale quantum networks promise to enable secure communication, distributed quantum computing, enhanced sensing and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics through the distribution of entanglement across nodes 1-7 . Moving beyond current two-node networks 8-13 requires the rate of entanglement generation between nodes to exceed the decoherence (loss) rate of the entanglement. If this criterion is met, intrinsically probabilistic entangling protocols can be used to provide deterministic remote entanglement at pre-specified times. Here we demonstrate this using diamond spin qubit nodes separated by two metres. We realize a fully heralded single-photon entanglement protocol that achieves entangling rates of up to 39 hertz, three orders of magnitude higher than previously demonstrated two-photon protocols on this platform 14 . At the same time, we suppress the decoherence rate of remote-entangled states to five hertz through dynamical decoupling. By combining these results with efficient charge-state control and mitigation of spectral diffusion, we deterministically deliver a fresh remote state with an average entanglement fidelity of more than 0.5 at every clock cycle of about 100 milliseconds without any pre- or post-selection. These results demonstrate a key building block for extended quantum networks and open the door to entanglement distribution across multiple remote nodes.

  7. Population density equations for stochastic processes with memory kernels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lai, Yi Ming; de Kamps, Marc

    2017-06-01

    We present a method for solving population density equations (PDEs)-a mean-field technique describing homogeneous populations of uncoupled neurons—where the populations can be subject to non-Markov noise for arbitrary distributions of jump sizes. The method combines recent developments in two different disciplines that traditionally have had limited interaction: computational neuroscience and the theory of random networks. The method uses a geometric binning scheme, based on the method of characteristics, to capture the deterministic neurodynamics of the population, separating the deterministic and stochastic process cleanly. We can independently vary the choice of the deterministic model and the model for the stochastic process, leading to a highly modular numerical solution strategy. We demonstrate this by replacing the master equation implicit in many formulations of the PDE formalism by a generalization called the generalized Montroll-Weiss equation—a recent result from random network theory—describing a random walker subject to transitions realized by a non-Markovian process. We demonstrate the method for leaky- and quadratic-integrate and fire neurons subject to spike trains with Poisson and gamma-distributed interspike intervals. We are able to model jump responses for both models accurately to both excitatory and inhibitory input under the assumption that all inputs are generated by one renewal process.

  8. Refinement and evaluation of helicopter real-time self-adaptive active vibration controller algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, M. W.

    1984-01-01

    A Real-Time Self-Adaptive (RTSA) active vibration controller was used as the framework in developing a computer program for a generic controller that can be used to alleviate helicopter vibration. Based upon on-line identification of system parameters, the generic controller minimizes vibration in the fuselage by closed-loop implementation of higher harmonic control in the main rotor system. The new generic controller incorporates a set of improved algorithms that gives the capability to readily define many different configurations by selecting one of three different controller types (deterministic, cautious, and dual), one of two linear system models (local and global), and one or more of several methods of applying limits on control inputs (external and/or internal limits on higher harmonic pitch amplitude and rate). A helicopter rotor simulation analysis was used to evaluate the algorithms associated with the alternative controller types as applied to the four-bladed H-34 rotor mounted on the NASA Ames Rotor Test Apparatus (RTA) which represents the fuselage. After proper tuning all three controllers provide more effective vibration reduction and converge more quickly and smoothly with smaller control inputs than the initial RTSA controller (deterministic with external pitch-rate limiting). It is demonstrated that internal limiting of the control inputs a significantly improves the overall performance of the deterministic controller.

  9. Calculation of Water Drop Trajectories to and About Arbitrary Three-Dimensional Bodies in Potential Airflow

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norment, H. G.

    1980-01-01

    Calculations can be performed for any atmospheric conditions and for all water drop sizes, from the smallest cloud droplet to large raindrops. Any subsonic, external, non-lifting flow can be accommodated; flow into, but not through, inlets also can be simulated. Experimental water drop drag relations are used in the water drop equations of motion and effects of gravity settling are included. Seven codes are described: (1) a code used to debug and plot body surface description data; (2) a code that processes the body surface data to yield the potential flow field; (3) a code that computes flow velocities at arrays of points in space; (4) a code that computes water drop trajectories from an array of points in space; (5) a code that computes water drop trajectories and fluxes to arbitrary target points; (6) a code that computes water drop trajectories tangent to the body; and (7) a code that produces stereo pair plots which include both the body and trajectories. Code descriptions include operating instructions, card inputs and printouts for example problems, and listing of the FORTRAN codes. Accuracy of the calculations is discussed, and trajectory calculation results are compared with prior calculations and with experimental data.

  10. Utilizing GPUs to Accelerate Turbomachinery CFD Codes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    MacCalla, Weylin; Kulkarni, Sameer

    2016-01-01

    GPU computing has established itself as a way to accelerate parallel codes in the high performance computing world. This work focuses on speeding up APNASA, a legacy CFD code used at NASA Glenn Research Center, while also drawing conclusions about the nature of GPU computing and the requirements to make GPGPU worthwhile on legacy codes. Rewriting and restructuring of the source code was avoided to limit the introduction of new bugs. The code was profiled and investigated for parallelization potential, then OpenACC directives were used to indicate parallel parts of the code. The use of OpenACC directives was not able to reduce the runtime of APNASA on either the NVIDIA Tesla discrete graphics card, or the AMD accelerated processing unit. Additionally, it was found that in order to justify the use of GPGPU, the amount of parallel work being done within a kernel would have to greatly exceed the work being done by any one portion of the APNASA code. It was determined that in order for an application like APNASA to be accelerated on the GPU, it should not be modular in nature, and the parallel portions of the code must contain a large portion of the code's computation time.

  11. PASCO: Structural panel analysis and sizing code: Users manual - Revised

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, M. S.; Stroud, W. J.; Durling, B. J.; Hennessy, K. W.

    1981-01-01

    A computer code denoted PASCO is described for analyzing and sizing uniaxially stiffened composite panels. Buckling and vibration analyses are carried out with a linked plate analysis computer code denoted VIPASA, which is included in PASCO. Sizing is based on nonlinear mathematical programming techniques and employs a computer code denoted CONMIN, also included in PASCO. Design requirements considered are initial buckling, material strength, stiffness and vibration frequency. A user's manual for PASCO is presented.

  12. 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.

  13. The dynamics of discrete-time computation, with application to recurrent neural networks and finite state machine extraction.

    PubMed

    Casey, M

    1996-08-15

    Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) can learn to perform finite state computations. It is shown that an RNN performing a finite state computation must organize its state space to mimic the states in the minimal deterministic finite state machine that can perform that computation, and a precise description of the attractor structure of such systems is given. This knowledge effectively predicts activation space dynamics, which allows one to understand RNN computation dynamics in spite of complexity in activation dynamics. This theory provides a theoretical framework for understanding finite state machine (FSM) extraction techniques and can be used to improve training methods for RNNs performing FSM computations. This provides an example of a successful approach to understanding a general class of complex systems that has not been explicitly designed, e.g., systems that have evolved or learned their internal structure.

  14. Results of a Neutronic Simulation of HTR-Proteus Core 4.2 using PEBBED and other INL Reactor Physics Tools: FY-09 Report

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

    Hans D. Gougar

    The Idaho National Laboratory’s deterministic neutronics analysis codes and methods were applied to the computation of the core multiplication factor of the HTR-Proteus pebble bed reactor critical facility. A combination of unit cell calculations (COMBINE-PEBDAN), 1-D discrete ordinates transport (SCAMP), and nodal diffusion calculations (PEBBED) were employed to yield keff and flux profiles. Preliminary results indicate that these tools, as currently configured and used, do not yield satisfactory estimates of keff. If control rods are not modeled, these methods can deliver much better agreement with experimental core eigenvalues which suggests that development efforts should focus on modeling control rod andmore » other absorber regions. Under some assumptions and in 1D subcore analyses, diffusion theory agrees well with transport. This suggests that developments in specific areas can produce a viable core simulation approach. Some corrections have been identified and can be further developed, specifically: treatment of the upper void region, treatment of inter-pebble streaming, and explicit (multiscale) transport modeling of TRISO fuel particles as a first step in cross section generation. Until corrections are made that yield better agreement with experiment, conclusions from core design and burnup analyses should be regarded as qualitative and not benchmark quality.« less

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

    Pitarka, A.

    In this project we developed GEN_SRF4 a computer program for generating kinematic rupture models, compatible with the SRF format, using Irikura and Miyake (2011) asperity-­based earthquake rupture model (IM2011, hereafter). IM2011, also known as Irkura’s recipe, has been widely used to model and simulate ground motion from earthquakes in Japan. An essential part of the method is its kinematic rupture generation technique, which is based on a deterministic rupture asperity modeling approach. The source model simplicity and efficiency of IM2011 at reproducing ground motion from earthquakes recorded in Japan makes it attractive to developers and users of the Southern Californiamore » Earthquake Center Broadband Platform (SCEC BB platform). Besides writing the code the objective of our study was to test the transportability of IM2011 to broadband simulation methods used by the SCEC BB platform. Here we test it using the Graves and Pitarka (2010) method, implemented in the platform. We performed broadband (0.1- -10 Hz) ground motion simulations for a M6.7 scenario earthquake using rupture models produced with both GEN_SRF4 and rupture generator of Graves and Pitarka (2016), (GP2016 hereafter). In the simulations we used the same Green’s functions, and same high frequency approach for calculating the low-­frequency and high-­frequency parts of ground motion, respectively.« less

  16. Making classical ground-state spin computing fault-tolerant.

    PubMed

    Crosson, I J; Bacon, D; Brown, K R

    2010-09-01

    We examine a model of classical deterministic computing in which the ground state of the classical system is a spatial history of the computation. This model is relevant to quantum dot cellular automata as well as to recent universal adiabatic quantum computing constructions. In its most primitive form, systems constructed in this model cannot compute in an error-free manner when working at nonzero temperature. However, by exploiting a mapping between the partition function for this model and probabilistic classical circuits we are able to show that it is possible to make this model effectively error-free. We achieve this by using techniques in fault-tolerant classical computing and the result is that the system can compute effectively error-free if the temperature is below a critical temperature. We further link this model to computational complexity and show that a certain problem concerning finite temperature classical spin systems is complete for the complexity class Merlin-Arthur. This provides an interesting connection between the physical behavior of certain many-body spin systems and computational complexity.

  17. Scattering from binary optics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ricks, Douglas W.

    1993-01-01

    There are a number of sources of scattering in binary optics: etch depth errors, line edge errors, quantization errors, roughness, and the binary approximation to the ideal surface. These sources of scattering can be systematic (deterministic) or random. In this paper, scattering formulas for both systematic and random errors are derived using Fourier optics. These formulas can be used to explain the results of scattering measurements and computer simulations.

  18. NASA Rotor 37 CFD Code Validation: Glenn-HT Code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ameri, Ali A.

    2010-01-01

    In order to advance the goals of NASA aeronautics programs, it is necessary to continuously evaluate and improve the computational tools used for research and design at NASA. One such code is the Glenn-HT code which is used at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for turbomachinery computations. Although the code has been thoroughly validated for turbine heat transfer computations, it has not been utilized for compressors. In this work, Glenn-HT was used to compute the flow in a transonic compressor and comparisons were made to experimental data. The results presented here are in good agreement with this data. Most of the measures of performance are well within the measurement uncertainties and the exit profiles of interest agree with the experimental measurements.

  19. Detection of "noisy" chaos in a time series

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chon, K. H.; Kanters, J. K.; Cohen, R. J.; Holstein-Rathlou, N. H.

    1997-01-01

    Time series from biological system often displays fluctuations in the measured variables. Much effort has been directed at determining whether this variability reflects deterministic chaos, or whether it is merely "noise". The output from most biological systems is probably the result of both the internal dynamics of the systems, and the input to the system from the surroundings. This implies that the system should be viewed as a mixed system with both stochastic and deterministic components. We present a method that appears to be useful in deciding whether determinism is present in a time series, and if this determinism has chaotic attributes. The method relies on fitting a nonlinear autoregressive model to the time series followed by an estimation of the characteristic exponents of the model over the observed probability distribution of states for the system. The method is tested by computer simulations, and applied to heart rate variability data.

  20. Synchronization of random bit generators based on coupled chaotic lasers and application to cryptography.

    PubMed

    Kanter, Ido; Butkovski, Maria; Peleg, Yitzhak; Zigzag, Meital; Aviad, Yaara; Reidler, Igor; Rosenbluh, Michael; Kinzel, Wolfgang

    2010-08-16

    Random bit generators (RBGs) constitute an important tool in cryptography, stochastic simulations and secure communications. The later in particular has some difficult requirements: high generation rate of unpredictable bit strings and secure key-exchange protocols over public channels. Deterministic algorithms generate pseudo-random number sequences at high rates, however, their unpredictability is limited by the very nature of their deterministic origin. Recently, physical RBGs based on chaotic semiconductor lasers were shown to exceed Gbit/s rates. Whether secure synchronization of two high rate physical RBGs is possible remains an open question. Here we propose a method, whereby two fast RBGs based on mutually coupled chaotic lasers, are synchronized. Using information theoretic analysis we demonstrate security against a powerful computational eavesdropper, capable of noiseless amplification, where all parameters are publicly known. The method is also extended to secure synchronization of a small network of three RBGs.

  1. Deterministic versus stochastic model of reprogramming: new evidence from cellular barcoding technique

    PubMed Central

    Yunusova, Anastasia M.; Fishman, Veniamin S.; Vasiliev, Gennady V.

    2017-01-01

    Factor-mediated reprogramming of somatic cells towards pluripotency is a low-efficiency process during which only small subsets of cells are successfully reprogrammed. Previous analyses of the determinants of the reprogramming potential are based on average measurements across a large population of cells or on monitoring a relatively small number of single cells with live imaging. Here, we applied lentiviral genetic barcoding, a powerful tool enabling the identification of familiar relationships in thousands of cells. High-throughput sequencing of barcodes from successfully reprogrammed cells revealed a significant number of barcodes from related cells. We developed a computer model, according to which a probability of synchronous reprogramming of sister cells equals 10–30%. We conclude that the reprogramming success is pre-established in some particular cells and, being a heritable trait, can be maintained through cell division. Thus, reprogramming progresses in a deterministic manner, at least at the level of cell lineages. PMID:28446707

  2. The value of believing in free will: encouraging a belief in determinism increases cheating.

    PubMed

    Vohs, Kathleen D; Schooler, Jonathan W

    2008-01-01

    Does moral behavior draw on a belief in free will? Two experiments examined whether inducing participants to believe that human behavior is predetermined would encourage cheating. In Experiment 1, participants read either text that encouraged a belief in determinism (i.e., that portrayed behavior as the consequence of environmental and genetic factors) or neutral text. Exposure to the deterministic message increased cheating on a task in which participants could passively allow a flawed computer program to reveal answers to mathematical problems that they had been instructed to solve themselves. Moreover, increased cheating behavior was mediated by decreased belief in free will. In Experiment 2, participants who read deterministic statements cheated by overpaying themselves for performance on a cognitive task; participants who read statements endorsing free will did not. These findings suggest that the debate over free will has societal, as well as scientific and theoretical, implications.

  3. The way to uncover community structure with core and diversity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Y. F.; Han, S. K.; Wang, X. D.

    2018-07-01

    Communities are ubiquitous in nature and society. Individuals that share common properties often self-organize to form communities. Avoiding the shortages of computation complexity, pre-given information and unstable results in different run, in this paper, we propose a simple and efficient method to deepen our understanding of the emergence and diversity of communities in complex systems. By introducing the rational random selection, our method reveals the hidden deterministic and normal diverse community states of community structure. To demonstrate this method, we test it with real-world systems. The results show that our method could not only detect community structure with high sensitivity and reliability, but also provide instructional information about the hidden deterministic community world and the real normal diverse community world by giving out the core-community, the real-community, the tide and the diversity. Thizs is of paramount importance in understanding, predicting, and controlling a variety of collective behaviors in complex systems.

  4. Pest persistence and eradication conditions in a deterministic model for sterile insect release.

    PubMed

    Gordillo, Luis F

    2015-01-01

    The release of sterile insects is an environment friendly pest control method used in integrated pest management programmes. Difference or differential equations based on Knipling's model often provide satisfactory qualitative descriptions of pest populations subject to sterile release at relatively high densities with large mating encounter rates, but fail otherwise. In this paper, I derive and explore numerically deterministic population models that include sterile release together with scarce mating encounters in the particular case of species with long lifespan and multiple matings. The differential equations account separately the effects of mating failure due to sterile male release and the frequency of mating encounters. When insects spatial spread is incorporated through diffusion terms, computations reveal the possibility of steady pest persistence in finite size patches. In the presence of density dependence regulation, it is observed that sterile release might contribute to induce sudden suppression of the pest population.

  5. Surpassing the no-cloning limit with a heralded hybrid linear amplifier for coherent states

    PubMed Central

    Haw, Jing Yan; Zhao, Jie; Dias, Josephine; Assad, Syed M.; Bradshaw, Mark; Blandino, Rémi; Symul, Thomas; Ralph, Timothy C.; Lam, Ping Koy

    2016-01-01

    The no-cloning theorem states that an unknown quantum state cannot be cloned exactly and deterministically due to the linearity of quantum mechanics. Associated with this theorem is the quantitative no-cloning limit that sets an upper bound to the quality of the generated clones. However, this limit can be circumvented by abandoning determinism and using probabilistic methods. Here, we report an experimental demonstration of probabilistic cloning of arbitrary coherent states that clearly surpasses the no-cloning limit. Our scheme is based on a hybrid linear amplifier that combines an ideal deterministic linear amplifier with a heralded measurement-based noiseless amplifier. We demonstrate the production of up to five clones with the fidelity of each clone clearly exceeding the corresponding no-cloning limit. Moreover, since successful cloning events are heralded, our scheme has the potential to be adopted in quantum repeater, teleportation and computing applications. PMID:27782135

  6. Single-photon non-linear optics with a quantum dot in a waveguide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Javadi, A.; Söllner, I.; Arcari, M.; Hansen, S. Lindskov; Midolo, L.; Mahmoodian, S.; Kiršanskė, G.; Pregnolato, T.; Lee, E. H.; Song, J. D.; Stobbe, S.; Lodahl, P.

    2015-10-01

    Strong non-linear interactions between photons enable logic operations for both classical and quantum-information technology. Unfortunately, non-linear interactions are usually feeble and therefore all-optical logic gates tend to be inefficient. A quantum emitter deterministically coupled to a propagating mode fundamentally changes the situation, since each photon inevitably interacts with the emitter, and highly correlated many-photon states may be created. Here we show that a single quantum dot in a photonic-crystal waveguide can be used as a giant non-linearity sensitive at the single-photon level. The non-linear response is revealed from the intensity and quantum statistics of the scattered photons, and contains contributions from an entangled photon-photon bound state. The quantum non-linearity will find immediate applications for deterministic Bell-state measurements and single-photon transistors and paves the way to scalable waveguide-based photonic quantum-computing architectures.

  7. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis incorporating the bootstrap: an example comparing treatments for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

    PubMed

    Pasta, D J; Taylor, J L; Henning, J M

    1999-01-01

    Decision-analytic models are frequently used to evaluate the relative costs and benefits of alternative therapeutic strategies for health care. Various types of sensitivity analysis are used to evaluate the uncertainty inherent in the models. Although probabilistic sensitivity analysis is more difficult theoretically and computationally, the results can be much more powerful and useful than deterministic sensitivity analysis. The authors show how a Monte Carlo simulation can be implemented using standard software to perform a probabilistic sensitivity analysis incorporating the bootstrap. The method is applied to a decision-analytic model evaluating the cost-effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori eradication. The necessary steps are straightforward and are described in detail. The use of the bootstrap avoids certain difficulties encountered with theoretical distributions. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis provided insights into the decision-analytic model beyond the traditional base-case and deterministic sensitivity analyses and should become the standard method for assessing sensitivity.

  8. Unifying Complexity and Information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ke, Da-Guan

    2013-04-01

    Complex systems, arising in many contexts in the computer, life, social, and physical sciences, have not shared a generally-accepted complexity measure playing a fundamental role as the Shannon entropy H in statistical mechanics. Superficially-conflicting criteria of complexity measurement, i.e. complexity-randomness (C-R) relations, have given rise to a special measure intrinsically adaptable to more than one criterion. However, deep causes of the conflict and the adaptability are not much clear. Here I trace the root of each representative or adaptable measure to its particular universal data-generating or -regenerating model (UDGM or UDRM). A representative measure for deterministic dynamical systems is found as a counterpart of the H for random process, clearly redefining the boundary of different criteria. And a specific UDRM achieving the intrinsic adaptability enables a general information measure that ultimately solves all major disputes. This work encourages a single framework coving deterministic systems, statistical mechanics and real-world living organisms.

  9. Final report for the Tera Computer TTI CRADA

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

    Davidson, G.S.; Pavlakos, C.; Silva, C.

    1997-01-01

    Tera Computer and Sandia National Laboratories have completed a CRADA, which examined the Tera Multi-Threaded Architecture (MTA) for use with large codes of importance to industry and DOE. The MTA is an innovative architecture that uses parallelism to mask latency between memories and processors. The physical implementation is a parallel computer with high cross-section bandwidth and GaAs processors designed by Tera, which support many small computation threads and fast, lightweight context switches between them. When any thread blocks while waiting for memory accesses to complete, another thread immediately begins execution so that high CPU utilization is maintained. The Tera MTAmore » parallel computer has a single, global address space, which is appealing when porting existing applications to a parallel computer. This ease of porting is further enabled by compiler technology that helps break computations into parallel threads. DOE and Sandia National Laboratories were interested in working with Tera to further develop this computing concept. While Tera Computer would continue the hardware development and compiler research, Sandia National Laboratories would work with Tera to ensure that their compilers worked well with important Sandia codes, most particularly CTH, a shock physics code used for weapon safety computations. In addition to that important code, Sandia National Laboratories would complete research on a robotic path planning code, SANDROS, which is important in manufacturing applications, and would evaluate the MTA performance on this code. Finally, Sandia would work directly with Tera to develop 3D visualization codes, which would be appropriate for use with the MTA. Each of these tasks has been completed to the extent possible, given that Tera has just completed the MTA hardware. All of the CRADA work had to be done on simulators.« less

  10. Operations analysis (study 2.1). Program listing for the LOVES computer code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wray, S. T., Jr.

    1974-01-01

    A listing of the LOVES computer program is presented. The program is coded partially in SIMSCRIPT and FORTRAN. This version of LOVES is compatible with both the CDC 7600 and the UNIVAC 1108 computers. The code has been compiled, loaded, and executed successfully on the EXEC 8 system for the UNIVAC 1108.

  11. A Probabilistic Performance Assessment Study of Potential Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Sites in Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knowlton, R. G.; Arnold, B. W.; Mattie, P. D.; Kuo, M.; Tien, N.

    2006-12-01

    For several years now, Taiwan has been engaged in a process to select a low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal site. Taiwan is generating LLW from operational and decommissioning wastes associated with nuclear power reactors, as well as research, industrial, and medical radioactive wastes. The preliminary selection process has narrowed the search to four potential candidate sites. These sites are to be evaluated in a performance assessment analysis to determine the likelihood of meeting the regulatory criteria for disposal. Sandia National Laboratories and Taiwan's Institute of Nuclear Energy Research have been working together to develop the necessary performance assessment methodology and associated computer models to perform these analyses. The methodology utilizes both deterministic (e.g., single run) and probabilistic (e.g., multiple statistical realizations) analyses to achieve the goals. The probabilistic approach provides a means of quantitatively evaluating uncertainty in the model predictions and a more robust basis for performing sensitivity analyses to better understand what is driving the dose predictions from the models. Two types of disposal configurations are under consideration: a shallow land burial concept and a cavern disposal concept. The shallow land burial option includes a protective cover to limit infiltration potential to the waste. Both conceptual designs call for the disposal of 55 gallon waste drums within concrete lined trenches or tunnels, and backfilled with grout. Waste emplaced in the drums may be solidified. Both types of sites are underlain or placed within saturated fractured bedrock material. These factors have influenced the conceptual model development of each site, as well as the selection of the models to employ for the performance assessment analyses. Several existing codes were integrated in order to facilitate a comprehensive performance assessment methodology to evaluate the potential disposal sites. First, a need existed to simulate the failure processes of the waste containers, with subsequent leaching of the waste form to the underlying host rock. The Breach, Leach, and Transport Multiple Species (BLT-MS) code was selected to meet these needs. BLT-MS also has a 2-D finite-element advective-dispersive transport module, with radionuclide in-growth and decay. BLT-MS does not solve the groundwater flow equation, but instead requires the input of Darcy flow velocity terms. These terms were abstracted from a groundwater flow model using the FEHM code. For the shallow land burial site, the HELP code was also used to evaluate the performance of the protective cover. The GoldSim code was used for two purposes: quantifying uncertainties in the predictions, and providing a platform to evaluate an alternative conceptual model involving matrix-diffusion transport. Results of the preliminary performance assessment analyses using examples to illustrate the computational framework will be presented. 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.

  12. Analysis of the Length of Braille Texts in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth Code, and Computer Braille Code versus the Unified English Braille Code

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knowlton, Marie; Wetzel, Robin

    2006-01-01

    This study compared the length of text in English Braille American Edition, the Nemeth code, and the computer braille code with the Unified English Braille Code (UEBC)--also known as Unified English Braille (UEB). The findings indicate that differences in the length of text are dependent on the type of material that is transcribed and the grade…

  13. A MATLAB based 3D modeling and inversion code for MT data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Arun; Dehiya, Rahul; Gupta, Pravin K.; Israil, M.

    2017-07-01

    The development of a MATLAB based computer code, AP3DMT, for modeling and inversion of 3D Magnetotelluric (MT) data is presented. The code comprises two independent components: grid generator code and modeling/inversion code. The grid generator code performs model discretization and acts as an interface by generating various I/O files. The inversion code performs core computations in modular form - forward modeling, data functionals, sensitivity computations and regularization. These modules can be readily extended to other similar inverse problems like Controlled-Source EM (CSEM). The modular structure of the code provides a framework useful for implementation of new applications and inversion algorithms. The use of MATLAB and its libraries makes it more compact and user friendly. The code has been validated on several published models. To demonstrate its versatility and capabilities the results of inversion for two complex models are presented.

  14. Experimental quantum computing without entanglement.

    PubMed

    Lanyon, B P; Barbieri, M; Almeida, M P; White, A G

    2008-11-14

    Deterministic quantum computation with one pure qubit (DQC1) is an efficient model of computation that uses highly mixed states. Unlike pure-state models, its power is not derived from the generation of a large amount of entanglement. Instead it has been proposed that other nonclassical correlations are responsible for the computational speedup, and that these can be captured by the quantum discord. In this Letter we implement DQC1 in an all-optical architecture, and experimentally observe the generated correlations. We find no entanglement, but large amounts of quantum discord-except in three cases where an efficient classical simulation is always possible. Our results show that even fully separable, highly mixed, states can contain intrinsically quantum mechanical correlations and that these could offer a valuable resource for quantum information technologies.

  15. EASAMS' Ariane 5 on-board software experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Birnie, Steven Andrew

    The design and development of the prototype flight software for the Ariane 5 satellite launch vehicle is considered. This was specified as being representative of the eventual real flight program in terms of timing constraints and target computer loading. The usability of HOOD (Hierarchical Object Oriented Design) and Ada for development of such preemptive multitasking computer programs was verified. Features of the prototype development included: design methods supplementary to HOOD for representation of concurrency aspects; visibility of Ada enumerated type literals across HOOD parent-child interfaces; deterministic timings achieved by modification of Ada delays; and linking of interrupts to Ada task entries.

  16. A Markov Chain-based quantitative study of angular distribution of photons through turbid slabs via isotropic light scattering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xuesong; Northrop, William F.

    2016-04-01

    This paper describes a quantitative approach to approximate multiple scattering through an isotropic turbid slab based on Markov Chain theorem. There is an increasing need to utilize multiple scattering for optical diagnostic purposes; however, existing methods are either inaccurate or computationally expensive. Here, we develop a novel Markov Chain approximation approach to solve multiple scattering angular distribution (AD) that can accurately calculate AD while significantly reducing computational cost compared to Monte Carlo simulation. We expect this work to stimulate ongoing multiple scattering research and deterministic reconstruction algorithm development with AD measurements.

  17. Application of queueing models to multiprogrammed computer systems operating in a time-critical environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eckhardt, D. E., Jr.

    1979-01-01

    A model of a central processor (CPU) which services background applications in the presence of time critical activity is presented. The CPU is viewed as an M/M/1 queueing system subject to periodic interrupts by deterministic, time critical process. The Laplace transform of the distribution of service times for the background applications is developed. The use of state of the art queueing models for studying the background processing capability of time critical computer systems is discussed and the results of a model validation study which support this application of queueing models are presented.

  18. Applications of automatic differentiation in computational fluid dynamics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, Lawrence L.; Carle, A.; Bischof, C.; Haigler, Kara J.; Newman, Perry A.

    1994-01-01

    Automatic differentiation (AD) is a powerful computational method that provides for computing exact sensitivity derivatives (SD) from existing computer programs for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) or in sensitivity analysis. A pre-compiler AD tool for FORTRAN programs called ADIFOR has been developed. The ADIFOR tool has been easily and quickly applied by NASA Langley researchers to assess the feasibility and computational impact of AD in MDO with several different FORTRAN programs. These include a state-of-the-art three dimensional multigrid Navier-Stokes flow solver for wings or aircraft configurations in transonic turbulent flow. With ADIFOR the user specifies sets of independent and dependent variables with an existing computer code. ADIFOR then traces the dependency path throughout the code, applies the chain rule to formulate derivative expressions, and generates new code to compute the required SD matrix. The resulting codes have been verified to compute exact non-geometric and geometric SD for a variety of cases. in less time than is required to compute the SD matrix using centered divided differences.

  19. Fundamentals, current state of the development of, and prospects for further improvement of the new-generation thermal-hydraulic computational HYDRA-IBRAE/LM code for simulation of fast reactor systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alipchenkov, V. M.; Anfimov, A. M.; Afremov, D. A.; Gorbunov, V. S.; Zeigarnik, Yu. A.; Kudryavtsev, A. V.; Osipov, S. L.; Mosunova, N. A.; Strizhov, V. F.; Usov, E. V.

    2016-02-01

    The conceptual fundamentals of the development of the new-generation system thermal-hydraulic computational HYDRA-IBRAE/LM code are presented. The code is intended to simulate the thermalhydraulic processes that take place in the loops and the heat-exchange equipment of liquid-metal cooled fast reactor systems under normal operation and anticipated operational occurrences and during accidents. The paper provides a brief overview of Russian and foreign system thermal-hydraulic codes for modeling liquid-metal coolants and gives grounds for the necessity of development of a new-generation HYDRA-IBRAE/LM code. Considering the specific engineering features of the nuclear power plants (NPPs) equipped with the BN-1200 and the BREST-OD-300 reactors, the processes and the phenomena are singled out that require a detailed analysis and development of the models to be correctly described by the system thermal-hydraulic code in question. Information on the functionality of the computational code is provided, viz., the thermalhydraulic two-phase model, the properties of the sodium and the lead coolants, the closing equations for simulation of the heat-mass exchange processes, the models to describe the processes that take place during the steam-generator tube rupture, etc. The article gives a brief overview of the usability of the computational code, including a description of the support documentation and the supply package, as well as possibilities of taking advantages of the modern computer technologies, such as parallel computations. The paper shows the current state of verification and validation of the computational code; it also presents information on the principles of constructing of and populating the verification matrices for the BREST-OD-300 and the BN-1200 reactor systems. The prospects are outlined for further development of the HYDRA-IBRAE/LM code, introduction of new models into it, and enhancement of its usability. It is shown that the program of development and practical application of the code will allow carrying out in the nearest future the computations to analyze the safety of potential NPP projects at a qualitatively higher level.

  20. Performance assessment of KORAT-3D on the ANL IBM-SP computer

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

    Alexeyev, A.V.; Zvenigorodskaya, O.A.; Shagaliev, R.M.

    1999-09-01

    The TENAR code is currently being developed at the Russian Federal Nuclear Center (VNIIEF) as a coupled dynamics code for the simulation of transients in VVER and RBMK systems and other nuclear systems. The neutronic module in this code system is KORAT-3D. This module is also one of the most computationally intensive components of the code system. A parallel version of KORAT-3D has been implemented to achieve the goal of obtaining transient solutions in reasonable computational time, particularly for RBMK calculations that involve the application of >100,000 nodes. An evaluation of the KORAT-3D code performance was recently undertaken on themore » Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) IBM ScalablePower (SP) parallel computer located in the Mathematics and Computer Science Division of ANL. At the time of the study, the ANL IBM-SP computer had 80 processors. This study was conducted under the auspices of a technical staff exchange program sponsored by the International Nuclear Safety Center (INSC).« less

Top