Scheduling Real-Time Mixed-Criticality Jobs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baruah, Sanjoy K.; Bonifaci, Vincenzo; D'Angelo, Gianlorenzo; Li, Haohan; Marchetti-Spaccamela, Alberto; Megow, Nicole; Stougie, Leen

Many safety-critical embedded systems are subject to certification requirements; some systems may be required to meet multiple sets of certification requirements, from different certification authorities. Certification requirements in such "mixed-criticality" systems give rise to interesting scheduling problems, that cannot be satisfactorily addressed using techniques from conventional scheduling theory. In this paper, we study a formal model for representing such mixed-criticality workloads. We demonstrate first the intractability of determining whether a system specified in this model can be scheduled to meet all its certification requirements, even for systems subject to two sets of certification requirements. Then we quantify, via the metric of processor speedup factor, the effectiveness of two techniques, reservation-based scheduling and priority-based scheduling, that are widely used in scheduling such mixed-criticality systems, showing that the latter of the two is superior to the former. We also show that the speedup factors are tight for these two techniques.

Communication-Driven Codesign for Multiprocessor Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

processors, FPGA or ASIC subsystems, mi- croprocessors, and microcontrollers. When a processor is embedded within a SLOT architecture, one or more...Broderson, Low-power CMOS digital design, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 27 (1992), no. 4, 473–484. [25] L. Chao and E. Sha , Scheduling data-flow...1997), 239– 256 . [82] P. K. Murthy, E. G. Cohen, and S. Rowland, System Canvas: A new design en- vironment for embedded DSP and telecommunications

Embedded real-time operating system micro kernel design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Xiao-hui; Li, Ming-qiang; Wang, Xin-zheng

2005-12-01

Embedded systems usually require a real-time character. Base on an 8051 microcontroller, an embedded real-time operating system micro kernel is proposed consisting of six parts, including a critical section process, task scheduling, interruption handle, semaphore and message mailbox communication, clock managent and memory managent. Distributed CPU and other resources are among tasks rationally according to the importance and urgency. The design proposed here provides the position, definition, function and principle of micro kernel. The kernel runs on the platform of an ATMEL AT89C51 microcontroller. Simulation results prove that the designed micro kernel is stable and reliable and has quick response while operating in an application system.

Characterization of ferromagnetic or conductive properties of metallic foreign objects embedded within the human body with magnetic iron detector (MID): Screening patients for MRI.

PubMed

Gianesin, Barbara; Zefiro, Daniele; Paparo, Francesco; Caminata, Alessio; Balocco, Manuela; Carrara, Paola; Quintino, Sabrina; Pinto, Valeria; Bacigalupo, Lorenzo; Rollandi, Gian Andrea; Marinelli, Mauro; Forni, Gian Luca

2015-05-01

A preliminary assessment of the MRI-compatibility of metallic object possibly embedded within the patient is required before conducting the MRI examination. The Magnetic Iron Detector (MID) is a highly sensitive susceptometer that uses a weak magnetic field to measure iron overload in the liver. MID might be used to perform a screening procedure for MRI by determining the ferromagnetic/conductive properties of embedded metallic objects. The study was composed by: (i) definition of MID sensitivity threshold; (ii) application of MID in a procedure to characterize the ferromagnetic/conductive properties of metallic foreign objects in 958 patients scheduled for MID examination. The detection threshold for ferromagnetic objects was found to be the equivalent of a piece of wire of length 2 mm and gauge 0.8 mm(2) and, representing purely conductive objects, an aluminum sheet of area 2 × 2 cm(2) . Of 958 patients, 165 had foreign bodies of unknown nature. MID was able to detect those with ferromagnetic and/or conducting properties based on fluctuations in the magnetic and eddy current signals versus control. The high sensitivity of MID makes it suitable for assessing the ferromagnetic/conductive properties of metallic foreign objects embedded within the body of patients scheduled for MRI. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Scheduling for energy and reliability management on multiprocessor real-time systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xuan

Scheduling algorithms for multiprocessor real-time systems have been studied for years with many well-recognized algorithms proposed. However, it is still an evolving research area and many problems remain open due to their intrinsic complexities. With the emergence of multicore processors, it is necessary to re-investigate the scheduling problems and design/develop efficient algorithms for better system utilization, low scheduling overhead, high energy efficiency, and better system reliability. Focusing cluster schedulings with optimal global schedulers, we study the utilization bound and scheduling overhead for a class of cluster-optimal schedulers. Then, taking energy/power consumption into consideration, we developed energy-efficient scheduling algorithms for real-time systems, especially for the proliferating embedded systems with limited energy budget. As the commonly deployed energy-saving technique (e.g. dynamic voltage frequency scaling (DVFS)) will significantly affect system reliability, we study schedulers that have intelligent mechanisms to recuperate system reliability to satisfy the quality assurance requirements. Extensive simulation is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms on reduction of scheduling overhead, energy saving, and reliability improvement. The simulation results show that the proposed reliability-aware power management schemes could preserve the system reliability while still achieving substantial energy saving.

Generating variable and random schedules of reinforcement using Microsoft Excel macros.

PubMed

Bancroft, Stacie L; Bourret, Jason C

2008-01-01

Variable reinforcement schedules are used to arrange the availability of reinforcement following varying response ratios or intervals of time. Random reinforcement schedules are subtypes of variable reinforcement schedules that can be used to arrange the availability of reinforcement at a constant probability across number of responses or time. Generating schedule values for variable and random reinforcement schedules can be difficult. The present article describes the steps necessary to write macros in Microsoft Excel that will generate variable-ratio, variable-interval, variable-time, random-ratio, random-interval, and random-time reinforcement schedule values.

Generation of Controlled Analog Emissions from Embedded Devices using Software Stress Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

Generation of Controlled Analog Emissions from Embedded Devices using Software Stress Methods Oren Sternberg, Jonathan H. Nelson, Israel Perez...Abstract: In this paper, we present a new method that uses software diagnostic tools to study the generation of induced spurious physical emissions from...types of attacks warrants an understanding of unwanted signal generation. We examine this connection by observing the emission profile of an embedded

Optimization-based manufacturing scheduling with multiple resources and setup requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dong; Luh, Peter B.; Thakur, Lakshman S.; Moreno, Jack, Jr.

1998-10-01

The increasing demand for on-time delivery and low price forces manufacturer to seek effective schedules to improve coordination of multiple resources and to reduce product internal costs associated with labor, setup and inventory. This study describes the design and implementation of a scheduling system for J. M. Product Inc. whose manufacturing is characterized by the need to simultaneously consider machines and operators while an operator may attend several operations at the same time, and the presence of machines requiring significant setup times. The scheduling problem with these characteristics are typical for many manufacturers, very difficult to be handled, and have not been adequately addressed in the literature. In this study, both machine and operators are modeled as resources with finite capacities to obtain efficient coordination between them, and an operator's time can be shared by several operations at the same time to make full use of the operator. Setups are explicitly modeled following our previous work, with additional penalties on excessive setups to reduce setup costs and avoid possible scraps. An integer formulation with a separable structure is developed to maximize on-time delivery of products, low inventory and small number of setups. Within the Lagrangian relaxation framework, the problem is decomposed into individual subproblems that are effectively solved by using dynamic programming with additional penalties embedded in state transitions. Heuristics is then developed to obtain a feasible schedule following on our previous work with new mechanism to satisfy operator capacity constraints. The method has been implemented using the object-oriented programming language C++ with a user-friendly interface, and numerical testing shows that the method generates high quality schedules in a timely fashion. Through simultaneous consideration of machines and operators, machines and operators are well coordinated to facilitate the smooth flow of parts through the system. The explicit modeling of setups and the associated penalties let parts with same setup requirements clustered together to avoid excessive setups.

Embedded fiber optic ultrasonic sensors and generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorighi, John F.; Krishnaswamy, Sridhar; Achenbach, Jan D.

1995-04-01

Ultrasonic sensors and generators based on fiber-optic systems are described. It is shown that intrinsic fiber optic Fabry-Perot ultrasound sensors that are embedded in a structure can be stabilized by actively tuning the laser frequency. The need for this method of stabilization is demonstrated by detecting piezoelectric transducer-generated ultrasonic pulses in the presence of low frequency dynamic strains that are intentionally induced to cause sensor drift. The actively stabilized embedded fiber optic Fabry-Perot sensor is also shown to have sufficient sensitivity to detect ultrasound that is generated in the interior of a structure by means of a high-power optical fiber that pipes energy from a pulsed laser to an embedded generator of ultrasound.

Frameworks and Tools for High-Confidence Design of Adaptive, Distributed Embedded Control Systems. Multi-University Research Initiative on High-Confidence Design for Distributed Embedded Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

controllers (currently using the Robostix+Gumstix pair ). The interface between the plant simulator and the controller is ‘hard real-time’, and the xPC box... simulation ) on aerobatic maneuver design for the STARMAC quadrotor helicopter testbed. In related work, we have developed a new optimization scheme...for scheduling hybrid systems, and have demonstrated the results on an autonomous car simulation testbed. We are focusing efforts this summer for

Generating Variable and Random Schedules of Reinforcement Using Microsoft Excel Macros

PubMed Central

Bancroft, Stacie L; Bourret, Jason C

2008-01-01

Variable reinforcement schedules are used to arrange the availability of reinforcement following varying response ratios or intervals of time. Random reinforcement schedules are subtypes of variable reinforcement schedules that can be used to arrange the availability of reinforcement at a constant probability across number of responses or time. Generating schedule values for variable and random reinforcement schedules can be difficult. The present article describes the steps necessary to write macros in Microsoft Excel that will generate variable-ratio, variable-interval, variable-time, random-ratio, random-interval, and random-time reinforcement schedule values. PMID:18595286

Influencing preschoolers' free-play activity preferences: an evaluation of satiation and embedded reinforcement.

PubMed

Hanley, Gregory P; Tiger, Jeffrey H; Ingvarsson, Einar T; Cammilleri, Anthony P

2009-01-01

The present study evaluated the effects of classwide satiation and embedded reinforcement procedures on preschoolers' activity preferences during scheduled free-play periods. The goal of the study was to increase time allocation to originally nonpreferred, but important, activities (instructional zone, library, and science) while continuing to provide access to all free-play activities. The satiation intervention applied to preferred activities resulted in increased time allocation to the instructional and science activities, the customized embedded reinforcement interventions resulted in increased time allocation to all three target activities, and high levels of attendance to the instructional and library activities were maintained during follow-up observations. Implications for the design of preschool free-play periods are discussed.

Neighbourhood generation mechanism applied in simulated annealing to job shop scheduling problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Chávez, Marco Antonio

2015-11-01

This paper presents a neighbourhood generation mechanism for the job shop scheduling problems (JSSPs). In order to obtain a feasible neighbour with the generation mechanism, it is only necessary to generate a permutation of an adjacent pair of operations in a scheduling of the JSSP. If there is no slack time between the adjacent pair of operations that is permuted, then it is proven, through theory and experimentation, that the new neighbour (schedule) generated is feasible. It is demonstrated that the neighbourhood generation mechanism is very efficient and effective in a simulated annealing.

An embedded multi-core parallel model for real-time stereo imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wenjing; Hu, Jian; Niu, Jingyu; Li, Chuanrong; Liu, Guangyu

2018-04-01

The real-time processing based on embedded system will enhance the application capability of stereo imaging for LiDAR and hyperspectral sensor. The task partitioning and scheduling strategies for embedded multiprocessor system starts relatively late, compared with that for PC computer. In this paper, aimed at embedded multi-core processing platform, a parallel model for stereo imaging is studied and verified. After analyzing the computing amount, throughout capacity and buffering requirements, a two-stage pipeline parallel model based on message transmission is established. This model can be applied to fast stereo imaging for airborne sensors with various characteristics. To demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the parallel model, a parallel software was designed using test flight data, based on the 8-core DSP processor TMS320C6678. The results indicate that the design performed well in workload distribution and had a speed-up ratio up to 6.4.

Influencing Preschoolers' Free-Play Activity Preferences: An Evaluation of Satiation and Embedded Reinforcement

PubMed Central

Hanley, Gregory P; Tiger, Jeffrey H; Ingvarsson, Einar T; Cammilleri, Anthony P

2009-01-01

The present study evaluated the effects of classwide satiation and embedded reinforcement procedures on preschoolers' activity preferences during scheduled free-play periods. The goal of the study was to increase time allocation to originally nonpreferred, but important, activities (instructional zone, library, and science) while continuing to provide access to all free-play activities. The satiation intervention applied to preferred activities resulted in increased time allocation to the instructional and science activities, the customized embedded reinforcement interventions resulted in increased time allocation to all three target activities, and high levels of attendance to the instructional and library activities were maintained during follow-up observations. Implications for the design of preschool free-play periods are discussed. PMID:19721728

The effect of embedded bonus rounds on slot machine preference.

PubMed

Belisle, Jordan; Owens, Kelti; Dixon, Mark R; Malkin, Albert; Jordan, Sam D

2017-04-01

Twenty-three university students completed a simulated slot machine task involving the concurrent presentation of two slot machines that were varied both in win density and the inclusion of a bonus round feature to evaluate the effect of embedded bonus rounds on participant response allocation. The results suggest that participants allocated a greater percentage of responses to machines with embedded bonus rounds across both dense (Bonus: M = 68.4, SD = 19.2; No Bonus: M = 51.2; 9.6) and lean (Bonus: M = 48.8, SD = 9.6; No Bonus: M = 31.6, SD = 19.2) reinforcement schedules, in which the overall reinforcement rate across all machines was held constant. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Generically Used Expert Scheduling System (GUESS): User's Guide Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebowitz, Jay; Krishnamurthy, Vijaya; Rodens, Ira

1996-01-01

This user's guide contains instructions explaining how to best operate the program GUESS, a generic expert scheduling system. GUESS incorporates several important features for a generic scheduler, including automatic scheduling routines to generate a 'first' schedule for the user, a user interface that includes Gantt charts and enables the human scheduler to manipulate schedules manually, diagnostic report generators, and a variety of scheduling techniques. The current version of GUESS runs on an IBM PC or compatible in the Windows 3.1 or Windows '95 environment.

Embedded Hyperchaotic Generators: A Comparative Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadoudi, Said; Tanougast, Camel; Azzaz, Mohamad Salah; Dandache, Abbas

In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of FPGA implementation performances, in terms of throughput and resources cost, of five well known autonomous continuous hyperchaotic systems. The goal of this analysis is to identify the embedded hyperchaotic generator which leads to designs with small logic area cost, satisfactory throughput rates, low power consumption and low latency required for embedded applications such as secure digital communications between embedded systems. To implement the four-dimensional (4D) chaotic systems, we use a new structural hardware architecture based on direct VHDL description of the forth order Runge-Kutta method (RK-4). The comparative analysis shows that the hyperchaotic Lorenz generator provides attractive performances compared to that of others. In fact, its hardware implementation requires only 2067 CLB-slices, 36 multipliers and no block RAMs, and achieves a throughput rate of 101.6 Mbps, at the output of the FPGA circuit, at a clock frequency of 25.315 MHz with a low latency time of 316 ns. Consequently, these good implementation performances offer to the embedded hyperchaotic Lorenz generator the advantage of being the best candidate for embedded communications applications.

Mass Uncertainty and Application For Space Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beech, Geoffrey

2013-01-01

Expected development maturity under contract (spec) should correlate with Project/Program Approved MGA Depletion Schedule in Mass Properties Control Plan. If specification NTE, MGA is inclusive of Actual MGA (A5 & A6). If specification is not an NTE Actual MGA (e.g. nominal), then MGA values are reduced by A5 values and A5 is representative of remaining uncertainty. Basic Mass = Engineering Estimate based on design and construction principles with NO embedded margin MGA Mass = Basic Mass * assessed % from approved MGA schedule. Predicted Mass = Basic + MGA. Aggregate MGA % = (Aggregate Predicted - Aggregate Basic) /Aggregate Basic.

A New Lagrangian Relaxation Method Considering Previous Hour Scheduling for Unit Commitment Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khorasani, H.; Rashidinejad, M.; Purakbari-Kasmaie, M.; Abdollahi, A.

2009-08-01

Generation scheduling is a crucial challenge in power systems especially under new environment of liberalization of electricity industry. A new Lagrangian relaxation method for unit commitment (UC) has been presented for solving generation scheduling problem. This paper focuses on the economical aspect of UC problem, while the previous hour scheduling as a very important issue is studied. In this paper generation scheduling of present hour has been conducted by considering the previous hour scheduling. The impacts of hot/cold start-up cost have been taken in to account in this paper. Case studies and numerical analysis presents significant outcomes while it demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Fracture Mechanics Method for Word Embedding Generation of Neural Probabilistic Linguistic Model.

PubMed

Bi, Size; Liang, Xiao; Huang, Ting-Lei

2016-01-01

Word embedding, a lexical vector representation generated via the neural linguistic model (NLM), is empirically demonstrated to be appropriate for improvement of the performance of traditional language model. However, the supreme dimensionality that is inherent in NLM contributes to the problems of hyperparameters and long-time training in modeling. Here, we propose a force-directed method to improve such problems for simplifying the generation of word embedding. In this framework, each word is assumed as a point in the real world; thus it can approximately simulate the physical movement following certain mechanics. To simulate the variation of meaning in phrases, we use the fracture mechanics to do the formation and breakdown of meaning combined by a 2-gram word group. With the experiments on the natural linguistic tasks of part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition and semantic role labeling, the result demonstrated that the 2-dimensional word embedding can rival the word embeddings generated by classic NLMs, in terms of accuracy, recall, and text visualization.

Probe Measures Fouling As In Heat Exchangers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marner, Wilbur J.; Macdavid, Kenton S.

1990-01-01

Combustion deposits reduce transfer of heat. Instrument measures fouling like that on gas side of heat exchanger in direct-fired boiler or heat-recovery system. Heat-flux probe includes tube with embedded meter in outer shell. Combustion gases flow over probe, and fouling accumulates on it, just as fouling would on heat exchanger. Embedded heat-flow meter is sandwich structure in which thin Chromel layers and middle alloy form thermopile. Users determine when fouling approaches unacceptable levels so they schedule cleaning and avoid decreased transfer of heat and increased drop in pressure fouling causes. Avoids cost of premature, unnecessary maintenance.

Predicting Exposure to Consumer-Products Using Agent-Based Models Embedded with Needs-Based Artificial Intelligence and Empirically -Based Scheduling Models

EPA Science Inventory

Information on human behavior and consumer product use is important for characterizing exposures to chemicals in consumer products and in indoor environments. Traditionally, exposure-assessors have relied on time-use surveys to obtain information on exposure-related behavior. In ...

Embedding Support for Students Transitioning into Higher Education: Evaluation of a New Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hebdon, Sharon

2015-01-01

The Learning Academic Skills Support program was designed to improve progression and retention rates for students articulating from vocational education into the Bachelor of Hospitality Management at Holmesglen Institute. The program is scheduled around the student experience during their first semester in higher education and incorporates…

12 CFR 217.36 - Guarantees and credit derivatives: substitution treatment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... treatment. 217.36 Section 217.36 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM CAPITAL ADEQUACY OF BOARD-REGULATED INSTITUTIONS Risk-Weighted Assets-Standardized Approach... is scheduled to fulfil its obligation on the hedged exposure. If a credit risk mitigant has embedded...

An on-time power-aware scheduling scheme for medical sensor SoC-based WBAN systems.

PubMed

Hwang, Tae-Ho; Kim, Dong-Sun; Kim, Jung-Guk

2012-12-27

The focus of many leading technologies in the field of medical sensor systems is on low power consumption and robust data transmission. For example, the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which is used to maintain the heart in a healthy state, requires a reliable wireless communication scheme with an extremely low duty-cycle, high bit rate, and energy-efficient media access protocols. Because such devices must be sustained for over 5 years without access to battery replacement, they must be designed to have extremely low power consumption in sleep mode. Here, an on-time, energy-efficient scheduling scheme is proposed that performs power adjustments to minimize the sleep-mode current. The novelty of this scheduler is that it increases the determinacy of power adjustment and the predictability of scheduling by employing non-pre-emptible dual priority scheduling. This predictable scheduling also guarantees the punctuality of important periodic tasks based on their serialization, by using their worst case execution time) and the power consumption optimization. The scheduler was embedded into a system on chip (SoC) developed to support the wireless body area network-a wakeup-radio and wakeup-timer for implantable medical devices. This scheduling system is validated by the experimental results of its performance when used with life-time extensions of ICD devices.

An On-Time Power-Aware Scheduling Scheme for Medical Sensor SoC-Based WBAN Systems

PubMed Central

Hwang, Tae-Ho; Kim, Dong-Sun; Kim, Jung-Guk

2013-01-01

The focus of many leading technologies in the field of medical sensor systems is on low power consumption and robust data transmission. For example, the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which is used to maintain the heart in a healthy state, requires a reliable wireless communication scheme with an extremely low duty-cycle, high bit rate, and energy-efficient media access protocols. Because such devices must be sustained for over 5 years without access to battery replacement, they must be designed to have extremely low power consumption in sleep mode. Here, an on-time, energy-efficient scheduling scheme is proposed that performs power adjustments to minimize the sleep-mode current. The novelty of this scheduler is that it increases the determinacy of power adjustment and the predictability of scheduling by employing non-pre-emptible dual priority scheduling. This predictable scheduling also guarantees the punctuality of important periodic tasks based on their serialization, by using their worst case execution time) and the power consumption optimization. The scheduler was embedded into a system on chip (SoC) developed to support the wireless body area network—a wakeup-radio and wakeup-timer for implantable medical devices. This scheduling system is validated by the experimental results of its performance when used with life-time extensions of ICD devices. PMID:23271602

The Traffic Management Advisor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nedell, William; Erzberger, Heinz; Neuman, Frank

1990-01-01

The traffic management advisor (TMA) is comprised of algorithms, a graphical interface, and interactive tools for controlling the flow of air traffic into the terminal area. The primary algorithm incorporated in it is a real-time scheduler which generates efficient landing sequences and landing times for arrivals within about 200 n.m. from touchdown. A unique feature of the TMA is its graphical interface that allows the traffic manager to modify the computer-generated schedules for specific aircraft while allowing the automatic scheduler to continue generating schedules for all other aircraft. The graphical interface also provides convenient methods for monitoring the traffic flow and changing scheduling parameters during real-time operation.

On an LAS-integrated soft PLC system based on WorldFIP fieldbus.

PubMed

Liang, Geng; Li, Zhijun; Li, Wen; Bai, Yan

2012-01-01

Communication efficiency is lowered and real-time performance is not good enough in discrete control based on traditional WorldFIP field intelligent nodes in case that the scale of control in field is large. A soft PLC system based on WorldFIP fieldbus was designed and implemented. Link Activity Scheduler (LAS) was integrated into the system and field intelligent I/O modules acted as networked basic nodes. Discrete control logic was implemented with the LAS-integrated soft PLC system. The proposed system was composed of configuration and supervisory sub-systems and running sub-systems. The configuration and supervisory sub-system was implemented with a personal computer or an industrial personal computer; running subsystems were designed and implemented based on embedded hardware and software systems. Communication and schedule in the running subsystem was implemented with an embedded sub-module; discrete control and system self-diagnosis were implemented with another embedded sub-module. Structure of the proposed system was presented. Methodology for the design of the sub-systems was expounded. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed system both in discrete and process control by investigating the effect of network data transmission delay induced by the soft PLC in WorldFIP network and CPU workload on resulting control performances. The experimental observations indicated that the proposed system is practically applicable. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Securing resource constraints embedded devices using elliptic curve cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Tony; Alfasi, Mohamed; Mozumdar, Mohammad

2014-06-01

The use of smart embedded device has been growing rapidly in recent time because of miniaturization of sensors and platforms. Securing data from these embedded devices is now become one of the core challenges both in industry and research community. Being embedded, these devices have tight constraints on resources such as power, computation, memory, etc. Hence it is very difficult to implement traditional Public Key Cryptography (PKC) into these resource constrained embedded devices. Moreover, most of the public key security protocols requires both public and private key to be generated together. In contrast with this, Identity Based Encryption (IBE), a public key cryptography protocol, allows a public key to be generated from an arbitrary string and the corresponding private key to be generated later on demand. While IBE has been actively studied and widely applied in cryptography research, conventional IBE primitives are also computationally demanding and cannot be efficiently implemented on embedded system. Simplified version of the identity based encryption has proven its competence in being robust and also satisfies tight budget of the embedded platform. In this paper, we describe the choice of several parameters for implementing lightweight IBE in resource constrained embedded sensor nodes. Our implementation of IBE is built using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC).

Flexible work schedules, older workers, and retirement.

PubMed

Siegenthaler, J K; Brenner, A M

2000-01-01

Older workers in the United States indicate that they would prefer flexible work arrangements rather than abrupt retirement, yet management has done very little to make this possible. A review of two bodies of literature from the late 1980s is presented: social science writings including sociological, gerontological, and economic literature, and business and management literature. There is a clash between the way jobs are traditionally scheduled and the needs of growing numbers of older workers. Workers continue to be subject to obstacles to phased retirement due to the structuring of health care and pension benefits, downsizing, organizational inflexibility, and "corporate culture." Thus, general views among social scientists regarding the desirability of flexible schedules toward retirement will not produce real changes unless management becomes committed to such changes and they are securely embedded in company policies.

Aeon: Synthesizing Scheduling Algorithms from High-Level Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monette, Jean-Noël; Deville, Yves; van Hentenryck, Pascal

This paper describes the aeon system whose aim is to synthesize scheduling algorithms from high-level models. A eon, which is entirely written in comet, receives as input a high-level model for a scheduling application which is then analyzed to generate a dedicated scheduling algorithm exploiting the structure of the model. A eon provides a variety of synthesizers for generating complete or heuristic algorithms. Moreover, synthesizers are compositional, making it possible to generate complex hybrid algorithms naturally. Preliminary experimental results indicate that this approach may be competitive with state-of-the-art search algorithms.

Constraint monitoring in TOSCA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, Howard

1992-01-01

The Job-Shop Scheduling Problem (JSSP) deals with the allocation of resources over time to factory operations. Allocations are subject to various constraints (e.g., production precedence relationships, factory capacity constraints, and limits on the allowable number of machine setups) which must be satisfied for a schedule to be valid. The identification of constraint violations and the monitoring of constraint threats plays a vital role in schedule generation in terms of the following: (1) directing the scheduling process; and (2) informing scheduling decisions. This paper describes a general mechanism for identifying constraint violations and monitoring threats to the satisfaction of constraints throughout schedule generation.

An expert system for planning and scheduling in a telerobotic environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ntuen, Celestine A.; Park, Eui H.

1991-01-01

A knowledge based approach to assigning tasks to multi-agents working cooperatively in jobs that require a telerobot in the loop was developed. The generality of the approach allows for such a concept to be applied in a nonteleoperational domain. The planning architecture known as the task oriented planner (TOP) uses the principle of flow mechanism and the concept of planning by deliberation to preserve and use knowledge about a particular task. The TOP is an open ended architecture developed with a NEXPERT expert system shell and its knowledge organization allows for indirect consultation at various levels of task abstraction. Considering that a telerobot operates in a hostile and nonstructured environment, task scheduling should respond to environmental changes. A general heuristic was developed for scheduling jobs with the TOP system. The technique is not to optimize a given scheduling criterion as in classical job and/or flow shop problems. For a teleoperation job schedule, criteria are situation dependent. A criterion selection is fuzzily embedded in the task-skill matrix computation. However, goal achievement with minimum expected risk to the human operator is emphasized.

Fabrication of a smart air intake structure using shape memory alloy wire embedded composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Beom-Seok; Kim, Min-Saeng; Kim, Ji-Soo; Kim, Yun-Mi; Lee, Woo-Yong; Ahn, Sung-Hoon

2010-05-01

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have been actively studied in many fields utilizing their high energy density. Applying SMA wire-embedded composite to aerospace structures, such as air intake of jet engines and guided missiles, is attracting significant attention because it could generate a comparatively large actuating force. In this research, a scaled structure of SMA wire-embedded composite was fabricated for the air intake of aircraft. The structure was composed of several prestrained Nitinol (Ni-Ti) SMA wires embedded in ∩-shape glass fabric reinforced plastic (GFRP), and it was cured at room temperature for 72 h. The SMA wire-embedded GFRP could be actuated by applying electric current through the embedded SMA wires. The activation angle generated from the composite structure was large enough to make a smart air intake structure.

A System for Automatically Generating Scheduling Heuristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robert

1996-01-01

The goal of this research is to improve the performance of automated schedulers by designing and implementing an algorithm by automatically generating heuristics by selecting a schedule. The particular application selected by applying this method solves the problem of scheduling telescope observations, and is called the Associate Principal Astronomer. The input to the APA scheduler is a set of observation requests submitted by one or more astronomers. Each observation request specifies an observation program as well as scheduling constraints and preferences associated with the program. The scheduler employs greedy heuristic search to synthesize a schedule that satisfies all hard constraints of the domain and achieves a good score with respect to soft constraints expressed as an objective function established by an astronomer-user.

A Method for Optimal Load Dispatch of a Multi-zone Power System with Zonal Exchange Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazarika, Durlav; Das, Ranjay

2018-04-01

This paper presented a method for economic generation scheduling of a multi-zone power system having inter zonal operational constraints. For this purpose, the generator rescheduling for a multi area power system having inter zonal operational constraints has been represented as a two step optimal generation scheduling problem. At first, the optimal generation scheduling has been carried out for the zone having surplus or deficient generation with proper spinning reserve using co-ordination equation. The power exchange required for the deficit zones and zones having no generation are estimated based on load demand and generation for the zone. The incremental transmission loss formulas for the transmission lines participating in the power transfer process among the zones are formulated. Using these, incremental transmission loss expression in co-ordination equation, the optimal generation scheduling for the zonal exchange has been determined. Simulation is carried out on IEEE 118 bus test system to examine the applicability and validity of the method.

Integrated Dynamic Process Planning and Scheduling in Flexible Manufacturing Systems via Autonomous Agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nejad, Hossein Tehrani Nik; Sugimura, Nobuhiro; Iwamura, Koji; Tanimizu, Yoshitaka

Process planning and scheduling are important manufacturing planning activities which deal with resource utilization and time span of manufacturing operations. The process plans and the schedules generated in the planning phase shall be modified in the execution phase due to the disturbances in the manufacturing systems. This paper deals with a multi-agent architecture of an integrated and dynamic system for process planning and scheduling for multi jobs. A negotiation protocol is discussed, in this paper, to generate the process plans and the schedules of the manufacturing resources and the individual jobs, dynamically and incrementally, based on the alternative manufacturing processes. The alternative manufacturing processes are presented by the process plan networks discussed in the previous paper, and the suitable process plans and schedules are searched and generated to cope with both the dynamic status and the disturbances of the manufacturing systems. We initiatively combine the heuristic search algorithms of the process plan networks with the negotiation protocols, in order to generate suitable process plans and schedules in the dynamic manufacturing environment. A simulation software has been developed to carry out case studies, aimed at verifying the performance of the proposed multi-agent architecture.

A generalized network flow model for the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Miawjane; Yan, Shangyao; Wang, Sin-Siang; Liu, Chiu-Lan

2015-02-01

An effective project schedule is essential for enterprises to increase their efficiency of project execution, to maximize profit, and to minimize wastage of resources. Heuristic algorithms have been developed to efficiently solve the complicated multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows (MRCPSPDCF) that characterize real problems. However, the solutions obtained in past studies have been approximate and are difficult to evaluate in terms of optimality. In this study, a generalized network flow model, embedded in a time-precedence network, is proposed to formulate the MRCPSPDCF with the payment at activity completion times. Mathematically, the model is formulated as an integer network flow problem with side constraints, which can be efficiently solved for optimality, using existing mathematical programming software. To evaluate the model performance, numerical tests are performed. The test results indicate that the model could be a useful planning tool for project scheduling in the real world.

Metroplex Optimization Model Expansion and Analysis: The Airline Fleet, Route, and Schedule Optimization Model (AFRS-OM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherry, Lance; Ferguson, John; Hoffman, Karla; Donohue, George; Beradino, Frank

2012-01-01

This report describes the Airline Fleet, Route, and Schedule Optimization Model (AFRS-OM) that is designed to provide insights into airline decision-making with regards to markets served, schedule of flights on these markets, the type of aircraft assigned to each scheduled flight, load factors, airfares, and airline profits. The main inputs to the model are hedged fuel prices, airport capacity limits, and candidate markets. Embedded in the model are aircraft performance and associated cost factors, and willingness-to-pay (i.e. demand vs. airfare curves). Case studies demonstrate the application of the model for analysis of the effects of increased capacity and changes in operating costs (e.g. fuel prices). Although there are differences between airports (due to differences in the magnitude of travel demand and sensitivity to airfare), the system is more sensitive to changes in fuel prices than capacity. Further, the benefits of modernization in the form of increased capacity could be undermined by increases in hedged fuel prices

Stochastic Modeling of Airlines' Scheduled Services Revenue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamed, M. M.

1999-01-01

Airlines' revenue generated from scheduled services account for the major share in the total revenue. As such, predicting airlines' total scheduled services revenue is of great importance both to the governments (in case of national airlines) and private airlines. This importance stems from the need to formulate future airline strategic management policies, determine government subsidy levels, and formulate governmental air transportation policies. The prediction of the airlines' total scheduled services revenue is dealt with in this paper. Four key components of airline's scheduled services are considered. These include revenues generated from passenger, cargo, mail, and excess baggage. By addressing the revenue generated from each schedule service separately, air transportation planners and designers arc able to enhance their ability to formulate specific strategies for each component. Estimation results clearly indicate that the four stochastic processes (scheduled services components) are represented by different Box-Jenkins ARIMA models. The results demonstrate the appropriateness of the developed models and their ability to provide air transportation planners with future information vital to the planning and design processes.

Stochastic Modeling of Airlines' Scheduled Services Revenue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamed, M. M.

1999-01-01

Airlines' revenue generated from scheduled services account for the major share in the total revenue. As such, predicting airlines' total scheduled services revenue is of great importance both to the governments (in case of national airlines) and private airlines. This importance stems from the need to formulate future airline strategic management policies, determine government subsidy levels, and formulate governmental air transportation policies. The prediction of the airlines' total scheduled services revenue is dealt with in this paper. Four key components of airline's scheduled services are considered. These include revenues generated from passenger, cargo, mail, and excess baggage. By addressing the revenue generated from each schedule service separately, air transportation planners and designers are able to enhance their ability to formulate specific strategies for each component. Estimation results clearly indicate that the four stochastic processes (scheduled services components) are represented by different Box-Jenkins ARIMA models. The results demonstrate the appropriateness of the developed models and their ability to provide air transportation planners with future information vital to the planning and design processes.

Escalator: An Autonomous Scheduling Scheme for Convergecast in TSCH

PubMed Central

Oh, Sukho; Hwang, DongYeop; Kim, Ki-Hyung; Kim, Kangseok

2018-01-01

Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) is widely used in the industrial wireless sensor networks due to its high reliability and energy efficiency. Various timeslot and channel scheduling schemes have been proposed for achieving high reliability and energy efficiency for TSCH networks. Recently proposed autonomous scheduling schemes provide flexible timeslot scheduling based on the routing topology, but do not take into account the network traffic and packet forwarding delays. In this paper, we propose an autonomous scheduling scheme for convergecast in TSCH networks with RPL as a routing protocol, named Escalator. Escalator generates a consecutive timeslot schedule along the packet forwarding path to minimize the packet transmission delay. The schedule is generated autonomously by utilizing only the local routing topology information without any additional signaling with other nodes. The generated schedule is guaranteed to be conflict-free, in that all nodes in the network could transmit packets to the sink in every slotframe cycle. We implement Escalator and evaluate its performance with existing autonomous scheduling schemes through a testbed and simulation. Experimental results show that the proposed Escalator has lower end-to-end delay and higher packet delivery ratio compared to the existing schemes regardless of the network topology. PMID:29659508

Escalator: An Autonomous Scheduling Scheme for Convergecast in TSCH.

PubMed

Oh, Sukho; Hwang, DongYeop; Kim, Ki-Hyung; Kim, Kangseok

2018-04-16

Time Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) is widely used in the industrial wireless sensor networks due to its high reliability and energy efficiency. Various timeslot and channel scheduling schemes have been proposed for achieving high reliability and energy efficiency for TSCH networks. Recently proposed autonomous scheduling schemes provide flexible timeslot scheduling based on the routing topology, but do not take into account the network traffic and packet forwarding delays. In this paper, we propose an autonomous scheduling scheme for convergecast in TSCH networks with RPL as a routing protocol, named Escalator. Escalator generates a consecutive timeslot schedule along the packet forwarding path to minimize the packet transmission delay. The schedule is generated autonomously by utilizing only the local routing topology information without any additional signaling with other nodes. The generated schedule is guaranteed to be conflict-free, in that all nodes in the network could transmit packets to the sink in every slotframe cycle. We implement Escalator and evaluate its performance with existing autonomous scheduling schemes through a testbed and simulation. Experimental results show that the proposed Escalator has lower end-to-end delay and higher packet delivery ratio compared to the existing schemes regardless of the network topology.

Multi-time scale energy management of wind farms based on comprehensive evaluation technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y. P.; Huang, Y. H.; Liu, Z. J.; Wang, Y. F.; Li, Z. Y.; Guo, L.

2017-11-01

A novel energy management of wind farms is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a novel comprehensive evaluation system is proposed to quantify economic properties of each wind farm to make the energy management more economical and reasonable. Then, a combination of multi time-scale schedule method is proposed to develop a novel energy management. The day-ahead schedule optimizes unit commitment of thermal power generators. The intraday schedule is established to optimize power generation plan for all thermal power generating units, hydroelectric generating sets and wind power plants. At last, the power generation plan can be timely revised in the process of on-line schedule. The paper concludes with simulations conducted on a real provincial integrated energy system in northeast China. Simulation results have validated the proposed model and corresponding solving algorithms.

Coordination between Generation and Transmission Maintenance Scheduling by Means of Multi-agent Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagata, Takeshi; Tao, Yasuhiro; Utatani, Masahiro; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Fujita, Hideki

This paper proposes a multi-agent approach to maintenance scheduling in restructured power systems. The restructuring of electric power industry has resulted in market-based approaches for unbundling a multitude of service provided by self-interested entities such as power generating companies (GENCOs), transmission providers (TRANSCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOs). The Independent System Operator (ISO) is responsible for the security of the system operation. The schedule submitted to ISO by GENCOs and TRANSCOs should satisfy security and reliability constraints. The proposed method consists of several GENCO Agents (GAGs), TARNSCO Agents (TAGs) and a ISO Agent(IAG). The IAG’s role in maintenance scheduling is limited to ensuring that the submitted schedules do not cause transmission congestion or endanger the system reliability. From the simulation results, it can be seen the proposed multi-agent approach could coordinate between generation and transmission maintenance schedules.

Small Private Key PKS on an Embedded Microprocessor

PubMed Central

Seo, Hwajeong; Kim, Jihyun; Choi, Jongseok; Park, Taehwan; Liu, Zhe; Kim, Howon

2014-01-01

Multivariate quadratic ( ) cryptography requires the use of long public and private keys to ensure a sufficient security level, but this is not favorable to embedded systems, which have limited system resources. Recently, various approaches to cryptography using reduced public keys have been studied. As a result of this, at CHES2011 (Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems, 2011), a small public key scheme, was proposed, and its feasible implementation on an embedded microprocessor was reported at CHES2012. However, the implementation of a small private key scheme was not reported. For efficient implementation, random number generators can contribute to reduce the key size, but the cost of using a random number generator is much more complex than computing on modern microprocessors. Therefore, no feasible results have been reported on embedded microprocessors. In this paper, we propose a feasible implementation on embedded microprocessors for a small private key scheme using a pseudo-random number generator and hash function based on a block-cipher exploiting a hardware Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) accelerator. To speed up the performance, we apply various implementation methods, including parallel computation, on-the-fly computation, optimized logarithm representation, vinegar monomials and assembly programming. The proposed method reduces the private key size by about 99.9% and boosts signature generation and verification by 5.78% and 12.19% than previous results in CHES2012. PMID:24651722

Small private key MQPKS on an embedded microprocessor.

PubMed

Seo, Hwajeong; Kim, Jihyun; Choi, Jongseok; Park, Taehwan; Liu, Zhe; Kim, Howon

2014-03-19

Multivariate quadratic (MQ) cryptography requires the use of long public and private keys to ensure a sufficient security level, but this is not favorable to embedded systems, which have limited system resources. Recently, various approaches to MQ cryptography using reduced public keys have been studied. As a result of this, at CHES2011 (Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems, 2011), a small public key MQ scheme, was proposed, and its feasible implementation on an embedded microprocessor was reported at CHES2012. However, the implementation of a small private key MQ scheme was not reported. For efficient implementation, random number generators can contribute to reduce the key size, but the cost of using a random number generator is much more complex than computing MQ on modern microprocessors. Therefore, no feasible results have been reported on embedded microprocessors. In this paper, we propose a feasible implementation on embedded microprocessors for a small private key MQ scheme using a pseudo-random number generator and hash function based on a block-cipher exploiting a hardware Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) accelerator. To speed up the performance, we apply various implementation methods, including parallel computation, on-the-fly computation, optimized logarithm representation, vinegar monomials and assembly programming. The proposed method reduces the private key size by about 99.9% and boosts signature generation and verification by 5.78% and 12.19% than previous results in CHES2012.

The Effects of Embedding Generative Cognitive Strategies in Science Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barba, Robertta H.; Merchant, Linda J.

1990-01-01

Discussed is whether embedding generative cognitive strategies in microcomputer courseware improves student performance on cognitive assessment measures and on insect classification tasks. The effects of transactional software on students' knowledge of insect anatomy and principles of insect classification were also investigated. (KR)

Research on Generating Method of Embedded Software Test Document Based on Dynamic Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, MingCheng; Wu, XiangHu; Tao, YongChao; Liu, Ying

2018-03-01

This paper provides a dynamic model-based test document generation method for embedded software that provides automatic generation of two documents: test requirements specification documentation and configuration item test documentation. This method enables dynamic test requirements to be implemented in dynamic models, enabling dynamic test demand tracking to be easily generated; able to automatically generate standardized, standardized test requirements and test documentation, improved document-related content inconsistency and lack of integrity And other issues, improve the efficiency.

Real-Time Considerations for Rugged Embedded Systems

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

Tumeo, Antonino; Ceriani, Marco; Palermo, Gianluca

This chapter introduces the characterizing aspects of embedded systems, and discusses the specific features that a designer should address to an embedded system “rugged”, i.e., able to operate reliably in harsh environments. The chapter addresses both the hardware and the less obvious software aspect. After presenting a current list of certifications for ruggedization, the chapters present a case study that focuses on the interaction of the hardware and software layers in reactive real-time system. In particular, it shows how the use of fast FPGA prototyping could provide insights on unexpected factors that influence the performance and thus responsiveness to eventsmore » of a scheduling algorithm for multiprocessor systems that manages both periodic, hard real-time task, and aperiodic tasks. The main lesson is that to make the system “rugged”, a designer should consider these issues by, for example, overprovisioning resources and/or computation capabilities.« less

A novel edge based embedding in medical images based on unique key generated using sudoku puzzle design.

PubMed

Santhi, B; Dheeptha, B

2016-01-01

The field of telemedicine has gained immense momentum, owing to the need for transmitting patients' information securely. This paper puts forth a unique method for embedding data in medical images. It is based on edge based embedding and XOR coding. The algorithm proposes a novel key generation technique by utilizing the design of a sudoku puzzle to enhance the security of the transmitted message. The edge blocks of the cover image alone, are utilized to embed the payloads. The least significant bit of the pixel values are changed by XOR coding depending on the data to be embedded and the key generated. Hence the distortion in the stego image is minimized and the information is retrieved accurately. Data is embedded in the RGB planes of the cover image, thus increasing its embedding capacity. Several measures including peak signal noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE), universal image quality index (UIQI) and correlation coefficient (R) are the image quality measures that have been used to analyze the quality of the stego image. It is evident from the results that the proposed technique outperforms the former methodologies.

Embedded object concept with a telepresence robot system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallius, Tero; Röning, Juha

2005-10-01

This paper presents the Embedded Object Concept (EOC) and a telepresence robot system which is a test case for the EOC. The EOC utilizes common object-oriented methods used in software by applying them to combined Lego-like software-hardware entities. These entities represent objects in object-oriented design methods, and they are the building blocks of embedded systems. The goal of the EOC is to make the designing of embedded systems faster and easier. This concept enables people without comprehensive knowledge in electronics design to create new embedded systems, and for experts it shortens the design time of new embedded systems. We present the current status of the EOC, including two generations of embedded objects named Atomi objects. The first generation of the Atomi objects has been tested with different applications, and found to be functional, but not optimal. The second generation aims to correct the issues found with the first generation, and it is being tested in a relatively complex test case. The test case is a telepresence robot consisting of a two wheeled human height robot and its computer counter part. The robot has been constructed using incremental device development, which is made possible by the architecture of the EOC. The robot contains video and audio exchange capability, and a controlling and balancing system for driving with two wheels. The robot is built in two versions, the first consisting of a PDA device and Atomi objects, and the second consisting of only Atomi objects. The robot is currently incomplete, but for the most part it has been successfully tested.

Energy Awareness and Scheduling in Mobile Devices and High End Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawaskar, Sachin S.

2013-01-01

In the context of the big picture as energy demands rise due to growing economies and growing populations, there will be greater emphasis on sustainable supply, conservation, and efficient usage of this vital resource. Even at a smaller level, the need for minimizing energy consumption continues to be compelling in embedded, mobile, and server…

Fossil Ridge School Intermediate: Restructure the Culture--Transform the School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2013

2013-01-01

Ask a room full of sixth and seventh graders at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School in St. George, UT, to name their favorite part of the day and the answer is, in unison, always the same: REAL (respect, explore, achieve, lead) Time. This 35-minute block embedded into the school's schedule three days each week provides immediate, specific…

Study of Composite Plate Damages Using Embedded PZT Sensors with Various Center Frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Kyoung-Tak; Chun, Heoung-Jae; Son, Ju-Hyun; Byun, Joon-Hyung; Um, Moon-Kwang; Lee, Sang-Kwan

This study presents part of an experimental and analytical survey of candidate methods for damage detection of composite structural. Embedded piezoceramic (PZT) sensors were excited with the high power ultrasonic wave generator generating a propagation of stress wave along the composite plate. The same embedded piezoceramic (PZT) sensors are used as receivers for acquiring stress signals. The effects of center frequency of embedded sensor were evaluated for the damage identification capability with known localized defects. The study was carried out to assess damage in composite plate by fusing information from multiple sensing paths of the embedded network. It was based on the Hilbert transform, signal correlation and probabilistic searching. The obtained results show that satisfactory detection of defects could be achieved by proposed method.

Technology for planning and scheduling under complex constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alguire, Karen M.; Pedro Gomes, Carla O.

1997-02-01

Within the context of law enforcement, several problems fall into the category of planning and scheduling under constraints. Examples include resource and personnel scheduling, and court scheduling. In the case of court scheduling, a schedule must be generated considering available resources, e.g., court rooms and personnel. Additionally, there are constraints on individual court cases, e.g., temporal and spatial, and between different cases, e.g., precedence. Finally, there are overall objectives that the schedule should satisfy such as timely processing of cases and optimal use of court facilities. Manually generating a schedule that satisfies all of the constraints is a very time consuming task. As the number of court cases and constraints increases, this becomes increasingly harder to handle without the assistance of automatic scheduling techniques. This paper describes artificial intelligence (AI) technology that has been used to develop several high performance scheduling applications including a military transportation scheduler, a military in-theater airlift scheduler, and a nuclear power plant outage scheduler. We discuss possible law enforcement applications where we feel the same technology could provide long-term benefits to law enforcement agencies and their operations personnel.

Application of a hybrid generation/utility assessment heuristic to a class of scheduling problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyward, Ann O.

1989-01-01

A two-stage heuristic solution approach for a class of multiobjective, n-job, 1-machine scheduling problems is described. Minimization of job-to-job interference for n jobs is sought. The first stage generates alternative schedule sequences by interchanging pairs of schedule elements. The set of alternative sequences can represent nodes of a decision tree; each node is reached via decision to interchange job elements. The second stage selects the parent node for the next generation of alternative sequences through automated paired comparison of objective performance for all current nodes. An application of the heuristic approach to communications satellite systems planning is presented.

Evolutionarily stable learning schedules and cumulative culture in discrete generation models.

PubMed

Aoki, Kenichi; Wakano, Joe Yuichiro; Lehmann, Laurent

2012-06-01

Individual learning (e.g., trial-and-error) and social learning (e.g., imitation) are alternative ways of acquiring and expressing the appropriate phenotype in an environment. The optimal choice between using individual learning and/or social learning may be dictated by the life-stage or age of an organism. Of special interest is a learning schedule in which social learning precedes individual learning, because such a schedule is apparently a necessary condition for cumulative culture. Assuming two obligatory learning stages per discrete generation, we obtain the evolutionarily stable learning schedules for the three situations where the environment is constant, fluctuates between generations, or fluctuates within generations. During each learning stage, we assume that an organism may target the optimal phenotype in the current environment by individual learning, and/or the mature phenotype of the previous generation by oblique social learning. In the absence of exogenous costs to learning, the evolutionarily stable learning schedules are predicted to be either pure social learning followed by pure individual learning ("bang-bang" control) or pure individual learning at both stages ("flat" control). Moreover, we find for each situation that the evolutionarily stable learning schedule is also the one that optimizes the learned phenotype at equilibrium. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Space communications scheduler: A rule-based approach to adaptive deadline scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Straguzzi, Nicholas

1990-01-01

Job scheduling is a deceptively complex subfield of computer science. The highly combinatorial nature of the problem, which is NP-complete in nearly all cases, requires a scheduling program to intelligently transverse an immense search tree to create the best possible schedule in a minimal amount of time. In addition, the program must continually make adjustments to the initial schedule when faced with last-minute user requests, cancellations, unexpected device failures, quests, cancellations, unexpected device failures, etc. A good scheduler must be quick, flexible, and efficient, even at the expense of generating slightly less-than-optimal schedules. The Space Communication Scheduler (SCS) is an intelligent rule-based scheduling system. SCS is an adaptive deadline scheduler which allocates modular communications resources to meet an ordered set of user-specified job requests on board the NASA Space Station. SCS uses pattern matching techniques to detect potential conflicts through algorithmic and heuristic means. As a result, the system generates and maintains high density schedules without relying heavily on backtracking or blind search techniques. SCS is suitable for many common real-world applications.

Multi-Satellite Scheduling Approach for Dynamic Areal Tasks Triggered by Emergent Disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, X. N.; Zhai, X. J.; Tang, H.; Wu, L. X.

2016-06-01

The process of satellite mission scheduling, which plays a significant role in rapid response to emergent disasters, e.g. earthquake, is used to allocate the observation resources and execution time to a series of imaging tasks by maximizing one or more objectives while satisfying certain given constraints. In practice, the information obtained of disaster situation changes dynamically, which accordingly leads to the dynamic imaging requirement of users. We propose a satellite scheduling model to address dynamic imaging tasks triggered by emergent disasters. The goal of proposed model is to meet the emergency response requirements so as to make an imaging plan to acquire rapid and effective information of affected area. In the model, the reward of the schedule is maximized. To solve the model, we firstly present a dynamic segmenting algorithm to partition area targets. Then the dynamic heuristic algorithm embedding in a greedy criterion is designed to obtain the optimal solution. To evaluate the model, we conduct experimental simulations in the scene of Wenchuan Earthquake. The results show that the simulated imaging plan can schedule satellites to observe a wider scope of target area. We conclude that our satellite scheduling model can optimize the usage of satellite resources so as to obtain images in disaster response in a more timely and efficient manner.

Treatment of Escape-Maintained Challenging Behavior Using Chained Schedules: An Evaluation of the Effects of Thinning Positive plus Negative Reinforcement During Functional Communication Training.

PubMed

Zangrillo, Amanda N; Fisher, Wayne W; Greer, Brian D; Owen, Todd M; DeSouza, Andresa A

2016-01-01

Previous research has supported functional communication training (FCT) as an effective intervention for reducing challenging behavior. Clinicians often program schedule-thinning procedures to increase the portability of the treatment (i.e., reinforcement is provided less frequently). For individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior, chained schedules have proven effective in increasing task completion and supplemental procedures may ameliorate reemergence of challenging behavior as access to reinforcement is decreased. The present study compared the use of a chained schedule-thinning procedure with and without alternative reinforcement (e.g., toys and activities) embedded in an intervention in which escape from the task is provided contingent on a request for a break. Two individuals with escape-maintained challenging behavior participated. We compared two treatment conditions, escape-only and escape-to-tangibles, using a single-subject, alternating treatments design with each treatment implemented in a distinct academic context. With the escape-to-tangibles treatment, we reached the final schedule in both contexts with both participants (4 successes out of 4 applications). We did not reach the final schedule with either participant with the escape-only intervention (0 successes out of 2 applications). The current results provided preliminary confirmation that providing positive plus negative reinforcement would decrease destructive behavior, increase compliance, and facilitate reinforcer-schedule thinning.

Treatment of Escape-Maintained Challenging Behavior Using Chained Schedules: An Evaluation of the Effects of Thinning Positive plus Negative Reinforcement During Functional Communication Training

PubMed Central

Zangrillo, Amanda N.; Fisher, Wayne W.; Greer, Brian D.; Owen, Todd M.; DeSouza, Andresa A.

2016-01-01

Objective Previous research has supported functional communication training (FCT) as an effective intervention for reducing challenging behavior. Clinicians often program schedule-thinning procedures to increase the portability of the treatment (i.e., reinforcement is provided less frequently). For individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior, chained schedules have proven effective in increasing task completion and supplemental procedures may ameliorate reemergence of challenging behavior as access to reinforcement is decreased. The present study compared the use of a chained schedule-thinning procedure with and without alternative reinforcement (e.g., toys and activities) embedded in an intervention in which escape from the task is provided contingent on a request for a break. Method Two individuals with escape-maintained challenging behavior participated. We compared two treatment conditions, escape-only and escape-to-tangibles, using a single-subject, alternating treatments design with each treatment implemented in a distinct academic context. Results With the escape-to-tangibles treatment, we reached the final schedule in both contexts with both participants (4 successes out of 4 applications). We did not reach the final schedule with either participant with the escape-only intervention (0 successes out of 2 applications). Conclusion The current results provided preliminary confirmation that providing positive plus negative reinforcement would decrease destructive behavior, increase compliance, and facilitate reinforcer-schedule thinning. PMID:28626579

Intelligent scheduling of execution for customized physical fitness and healthcare system.

PubMed

Huang, Chung-Chi; Liu, Hsiao-Man; Huang, Chung-Lin

2015-01-01

Physical fitness and health of white collar business person is getting worse and worse in recent years. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a system which can enhance physical fitness and health for people. Although the exercise prescription can be generated after diagnosing for customized physical fitness and healthcare. It is hard to meet individual execution needs for general scheduling of physical fitness and healthcare system. So the main purpose of this research is to develop an intelligent scheduling of execution for customized physical fitness and healthcare system. The results of diagnosis and prescription for customized physical fitness and healthcare system will be generated by fuzzy logic Inference. Then the results of diagnosis and prescription for customized physical fitness and healthcare system will be scheduled and executed by intelligent computing. The scheduling of execution is generated by using genetic algorithm method. It will improve traditional scheduling of exercise prescription for physical fitness and healthcare. Finally, we will demonstrate the advantages of the intelligent scheduling of execution for customized physical fitness and healthcare system.

Automated wind load characterization of wind turbine structures by embedded model updating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swartz, R. Andrew; Zimmerman, Andrew T.; Lynch, Jerome P.

2010-04-01

The continued development of renewable energy resources is for the nation to limit its carbon footprint and to enjoy independence in energy production. Key to that effort are reliable generators of renewable energy sources that are economically competitive with legacy sources. In the area of wind energy, a major contributor to the cost of implementation is large uncertainty regarding the condition of wind turbines in the field due to lack of information about loading, dynamic response, and fatigue life of the structure expended. Under favorable circumstances, this uncertainty leads to overly conservative designs and maintenance schedules. Under unfavorable circumstances, it leads to inadequate maintenance schedules, damage to electrical systems, or even structural failure. Low-cost wireless sensors can provide more certainty for stakeholders by measuring the dynamic response of the structure to loading, estimating the fatigue state of the structure, and extracting loading information from the structural response without the need of an upwind instrumentation tower. This study presents a method for using wireless sensor networks to estimate the spectral properties of a wind turbine tower loading based on its measured response and some rudimentary knowledge of its structure. Structural parameters are estimated via model-updating in the frequency domain to produce an identification of the system. The updated structural model and the measured output spectra are then used to estimate the input spectra. Laboratory results are presented indicating accurate load characterization.

The embedded operating system project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, R. H.

1985-01-01

The design and construction of embedded operating systems for real-time advanced aerospace applications was investigated. The applications require reliable operating system support that must accommodate computer networks. Problems that arise in the construction of such operating systems, reconfiguration, consistency and recovery in a distributed system, and the issues of real-time processing are reported. A thesis that provides theoretical foundations for the use of atomic actions to support fault tolerance and data consistency in real-time object-based system is included. The following items are addressed: (1) atomic actions and fault-tolerance issues; (2) operating system structure; (3) program development; (4) a reliable compiler for path Pascal; and (5) mediators, a mechanism for scheduling distributed system processes.

Space power system scheduling using an expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahrami, K. A.; Biefeld, E.; Costello, L.; Klein, J. W.

1986-01-01

A most pressing problem in space exploration is timely spacecraft power system sequence generation, which requires the scheduling of a set of loads given a set of resource constraints. This is particularly important after an anomaly or failure. This paper discusses the power scheduling problem and how the software program, Plan-It, can be used as a consultant for scheduling power system activities. Modeling of power activities, human interface, and two of the many strategies used by Plan-It are discussed. Preliminary results showing the development of a conflict-free sequence from an initial sequence with conflicts is presented. It shows that a 4-day schedule can be generated in a matter of a few minutes, which provides sufficient time in many cases to aid the crew in the replanning of loads and generation use following a failure or anomaly.

Flexible Coordination in Resource-Constrained Domains

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-07-01

Experiments (TIEs) with planning technologies developed at both BBN (FMERG) and SRI ( SOCAP ). We have also exported scheduling support capabilities provided by...SRI’s SOCAP course of action (COA) plan generator. "* Development and demonstration of distributed, multi-level deployment scheduling - Through analysis...scheduler was adapted for integration with the SOCAP planning system to provide feedback on transportation feasibility during generation of the

The Effects of Embedded Generative Learning Strategies and Collaboration on Knowledge Acquisition in a Cognitive Flexibility-Based Computer Learning Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-08-07

cognitive flexibility theory and generative learning theory which focus primarily on the individual student’s cognitive development , collaborative... develop "Handling Transfusion Hazards," a computer program based upon cognitive flexibility theory principles. The Program: Handling Transfusion Hazards...computer program was developed according to cognitive flexibility theory principles. A generative version was then developed by embedding

A case study in programming a quantum annealer for hard operational planning problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieffel, Eleanor G.; Venturelli, Davide; O'Gorman, Bryan; Do, Minh B.; Prystay, Elicia M.; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.

2015-01-01

We report on a case study in programming an early quantum annealer to attack optimization problems related to operational planning. While a number of studies have looked at the performance of quantum annealers on problems native to their architecture, and others have examined performance of select problems stemming from an application area, ours is one of the first studies of a quantum annealer's performance on parametrized families of hard problems from a practical domain. We explore two different general mappings of planning problems to quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems, and apply them to two parametrized families of planning problems, navigation-type and scheduling-type. We also examine two more compact, but problem-type specific, mappings to QUBO, one for the navigation-type planning problems and one for the scheduling-type planning problems. We study embedding properties and parameter setting and examine their effect on the efficiency with which the quantum annealer solves these problems. From these results, we derive insights useful for the programming and design of future quantum annealers: problem choice, the mapping used, the properties of the embedding, and the annealing profile all matter, each significantly affecting the performance.

An expert system for scheduling requests for communications Links between TDRSS and ERBS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclean, David R.; Littlefield, Ronald G.; Beyer, David S.

1987-01-01

An ERBS-TDRSS Contact Planning System (ERBS-TDRSS CPS) is described which uses a graphics interface and the NASA Transportable Interference Engine. The procedure involves transfer of the ERBS-TDRSS Ground Track Orbit Prediction data to the ERBS flight operations area, where the ERBS-TDRSS CPS automatically generates requests for TDRSS service. As requested events are rejected, alternative context sensitive strategies are employed to generate new requested events until a schedule is completed. A report generator builds schedule requests for separate ERBS-TDRSS contacts.

Automatic generation of efficient orderings of events for scheduling applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robert A.

1994-01-01

In scheduling a set of tasks, it is often not known with certainty how long a given event will take. We call this duration uncertainty. Duration uncertainty is a primary obstacle to the successful completion of a schedule. If a duration of one task is longer than expected, the remaining tasks are delayed. The delay may result in the abandonment of the schedule itself, a phenomenon known as schedule breakage. One response to schedule breakage is on-line, dynamic rescheduling. A more recent alternative is called proactive rescheduling. This method uses statistical data about the durations of events in order to anticipate the locations in the schedule where breakage is likely prior to the execution of the schedule. It generates alternative schedules at such sensitive points, which can be then applied by the scheduler at execution time, without the delay incurred by dynamic rescheduling. This paper proposes a technique for making proactive error management more effective. The technique is based on applying a similarity-based method of clustering to the problem of identifying similar events in a set of events.

Scheduling Results for the THEMIS Observation Scheduling Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclaren, David; Rabideau, Gregg; Chien, Steve; Knight, Russell; Anwar, Sadaat; Mehall, Greg; Christensen, Philip

2011-01-01

We describe a scheduling system intended to assist in the development of instrument data acquisitions for the THEMIS instrument, onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, and compare results from multiple scheduling algorithms. This tool creates observations of both (a) targeted geographical regions of interest and (b) general mapping observations, while respecting spacecraft constraints such as data volume, observation timing, visibility, lighting, season, and science priorities. This tool therefore must address both geometric and state/timing/resource constraints. We describe a tool that maps geometric polygon overlap constraints to set covering constraints using a grid-based approach. These set covering constraints are then incorporated into a greedy optimization scheduling algorithm incorporating operations constraints to generate feasible schedules. The resultant tool generates schedules of hundreds of observations per week out of potential thousands of observations. This tool is currently under evaluation by the THEMIS observation planning team at Arizona State University.

Automated Scheduling Via Artificial Intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biefeld, Eric W.; Cooper, Lynne P.

1991-01-01

Artificial-intelligence software that automates scheduling developed in Operations Mission Planner (OMP) research project. Software used in both generation of new schedules and modification of existing schedules in view of changes in tasks and/or available resources. Approach based on iterative refinement. Although project focused upon scheduling of operations of scientific instruments and other equipment aboard spacecraft, also applicable to such terrestrial problems as scheduling production in factory.

Exploring packaging strategies of nano-embedded thermoelectric generators

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

Singha, Aniket; Muralidharan, Bhaskaran, E-mail: bm@ee.iitb.ac.in; Mahanti, Subhendra D.

2015-10-15

Embedding nanostructures within a bulk matrix is an important practical approach towards the electronic engineering of high performance thermoelectric systems. For power generation applications, it ideally combines the efficiency benefit offered by low dimensional systems along with the high power output advantage offered by bulk systems. In this work, we uncover a few crucial details about how to embed nanowires and nanoflakes in a bulk matrix so that an overall advantage over pure bulk may be achieved. First and foremost, we point out that a performance degradation with respect to bulk is inevitable as the nanostructure transitions to a multimore » moded one. It is then shown that a nano embedded system of suitable cross-section offers a power density advantage over a wide range of efficiencies at higher packing fractions, and this range gradually narrows down to the high efficiency regime, as the packing fraction is reduced. Finally, we introduce a metric - the advantage factor, to elucidate quantitatively, the enhancement in the power density offered via nano-embedding at a given efficiency. In the end, we explore the maximum effective width of nano-embedding which serves as a reference in designing generators in the efficiency range of interest.« less

An Interactive Decision Support System for Scheduling Fighter Pilot Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-03-26

Deitel , H.M. and Deitel , P.J. C: How to Program , 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, 1994. 8. Deitel , H.M. and Deitel , P.J. How to Program Java...Visual Basic Programming language, the Excel tool is modified in several ways. Scheduling Dispatch rules are implemented to automatically generate... programming language, the Excel tool was modified in several ways. Scheduling dispatch rules are implemented to automatically generate

Real-Time Embedded High Performance Computing: Communications Scheduling.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-06-01

real - time operating system must explicitly limit the degradation of the timing performance of all processes as the number of processes...adequately supported by a real - time operating system , could compound the development problems encountered in the past. Many experts feel that the... real - time operating system support for an MPP, although they all provide some support for distributed real-time applications. A distributed real

USASOC Engineering and Analysis Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-18

detection using a corona discharge driven by a textile-embedded electrode array (final report attached) Schedule  All tasks completed. Project was...Billed Invoices Paid $324,212 - Invoices $317,804 - Actual 8 A proof of principle study: Chemical and radiation detection using a corona discharge ... corona discharge for the purpose of detecting chemicals and radioactive isotopes. The scope of work detailed here includes design and test of a

Teaching Children with Autism to Play a Video Game Using Activity Schedules and Game-Embedded Simultaneous Video Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blum-Dimaya, Alyssa; Reeve, Sharon A.; Reeve, Kenneth F.; Hoch, Hannah

2010-01-01

Children with autism have severe and pervasive impairments in social interactions and communication that impact most areas of daily living and often limit independent engagement in leisure activities. We taught four children with autism to engage in an age-appropriate leisure skill, playing the video game Guitar Hero II[TM], through the use of (a)…

Scheduler software for tracking and data relay satellite system loading analysis: User manual and programmer guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craft, R.; Dunn, C.; Mccord, J.; Simeone, L.

1980-01-01

A user guide and programmer documentation is provided for a system of PRIME 400 minicomputer programs. The system was designed to support loading analyses on the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The system is a scheduler for various types of data relays (including tape recorder dumps and real time relays) from orbiting payloads to the TDRSS. Several model options are available to statistically generate data relay requirements. TDRSS time lines (representing resources available for scheduling) and payload/TDRSS acquisition and loss of sight time lines are input to the scheduler from disk. Tabulated output from the interactive system includes a summary of the scheduler activities over time intervals specified by the user and overall summary of scheduler input and output information. A history file, which records every event generated by the scheduler, is written to disk to allow further scheduling on remaining resources and to provide data for graphic displays or additional statistical analysis.

Run-time implementation issues for real-time embedded Ada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maule, Ruth A.

1986-01-01

A motivating factor in the development of Ada as the department of defense standard language was the high cost of embedded system software development. It was with embedded system requirements in mind that many of the features of the language were incorporated. Yet it is the designers of embedded systems that seem to comprise the majority of the Ada community dissatisfied with the language. There are a variety of reasons for this dissatisfaction, but many seem to be related in some way to the Ada run-time support system. Some of the areas in which the inconsistencies were found to have the greatest impact on performance from the standpoint of real-time systems are presented. In particular, a large part of the duties of the tasking supervisor are subject to the design decisions of the implementer. These include scheduling, rendezvous, delay processing, and task activation and termination. Some of the more general issues presented include time and space efficiencies, generic expansions, memory management, pragmas, and tracing features. As validated compilers become available for bare computer targets, it is important for a designer to be aware that, at least for many real-time issues, all validated Ada compilers are not created equal.

Study on optimization of the short-term operation of cascade hydropower stations by considering output error

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Liping; Wang, Boquan; Zhang, Pu; Liu, Minghao; Li, Chuangang

2017-06-01

The study of reservoir deterministic optimal operation can improve the utilization rate of water resource and help the hydropower stations develop more reasonable power generation schedules. However, imprecise forecasting inflow may lead to output error and hinder implementation of power generation schedules. In this paper, output error generated by the uncertainty of the forecasting inflow was regarded as a variable to develop a short-term reservoir optimal operation model for reducing operation risk. To accomplish this, the concept of Value at Risk (VaR) was first applied to present the maximum possible loss of power generation schedules, and then an extreme value theory-genetic algorithm (EVT-GA) was proposed to solve the model. The cascade reservoirs of Yalong River Basin in China were selected as a case study to verify the model, according to the results, different assurance rates of schedules can be derived by the model which can present more flexible options for decision makers, and the highest assurance rate can reach 99%, which is much higher than that without considering output error, 48%. In addition, the model can greatly improve the power generation compared with the original reservoir operation scheme under the same confidence level and risk attitude. Therefore, the model proposed in this paper can significantly improve the effectiveness of power generation schedules and provide a more scientific reference for decision makers.

Syntactic Structure and Artificial Grammar Learning: The Learnability of Embedded Hierarchical Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Vries, Meinou H.; Monaghan, Padraic; Knecht, Stefan; Zwitserlood, Pienie

2008-01-01

Embedded hierarchical structures, such as "the rat the cat ate was brown", constitute a core generative property of a natural language theory. Several recent studies have reported learning of hierarchical embeddings in artificial grammar learning (AGL) tasks, and described the functional specificity of Broca's area for processing such structures.…

An Infrastructure for UML-Based Code Generation Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehrmeister, Marco A.; Freitas, Edison P.; Pereira, Carlos E.

The use of Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) techniques in the domain of distributed embedded real-time systems are gain importance in order to cope with the increasing design complexity of such systems. This paper discusses an infrastructure created to build GenERTiCA, a flexible tool that supports a MDE approach, which uses aspect-oriented concepts to handle non-functional requirements from embedded and real-time systems domain. GenERTiCA generates source code from UML models, and also performs weaving of aspects, which have been specified within the UML model. Additionally, this paper discusses the Distributed Embedded Real-Time Compact Specification (DERCS), a PIM created to support UML-based code generation tools. Some heuristics to transform UML models into DERCS, which have been implemented in GenERTiCA, are also discussed.

Hybrid scheduling mechanisms for Next-generation Passive Optical Networks based on network coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jijun; Bai, Wei; Liu, Xin; Feng, Nan; Maier, Martin

2014-10-01

Network coding (NC) integrated into Passive Optical Networks (PONs) is regarded as a promising solution to achieve higher throughput and energy efficiency. To efficiently support multimedia traffic under this new transmission mode, novel NC-based hybrid scheduling mechanisms for Next-generation PONs (NG-PONs) including energy management, time slot management, resource allocation, and Quality-of-Service (QoS) scheduling are proposed in this paper. First, we design an energy-saving scheme that is based on Bidirectional Centric Scheduling (BCS) to reduce the energy consumption of both the Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Units (ONUs). Next, we propose an intra-ONU scheduling and an inter-ONU scheduling scheme, which takes NC into account to support service differentiation and QoS assurance. The presented simulation results show that BCS achieves higher energy efficiency under low traffic loads, clearly outperforming the alternative NC-based Upstream Centric Scheduling (UCS) scheme. Furthermore, BCS is shown to provide better QoS assurance.

Audio Watermark Embedding Technique Applying Auditory Stream Segregation: "G-encoder Mark" Able to Be Extracted by Mobile Phone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modegi, Toshio

We are developing audio watermarking techniques which enable extraction of embedded data by cell phones. For that we have to embed data onto frequency ranges, where our auditory response is prominent, therefore data embedding will cause much auditory noises. Previously we have proposed applying a two-channel stereo play-back feature, where noises generated by a data embedded left-channel signal will be reduced by the other right-channel signal. However, this proposal has practical problems of restricting extracting terminal location. In this paper, we propose synthesizing the noise reducing right-channel signal with the left-signal and reduces noises completely by generating an auditory stream segregation phenomenon to users. This newly proposed makes the noise reducing right-channel signal unnecessary and supports monaural play-back operations. Moreover, we propose a wide-band embedding method causing dual auditory stream segregation phenomena, which enables data embedding on whole public phone frequency ranges and stable extractions with 3-G mobile phones. From these proposals, extraction precisions become higher than those by the previously proposed method whereas the quality damages of embedded signals become smaller. In this paper we present an abstract of our newly proposed method and experimental results comparing with those by the previously proposed method.

An Efficient Randomized Algorithm for Real-Time Process Scheduling in PicOS Operating System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helmy*, Tarek; Fatai, Anifowose; Sallam, El-Sayed

PicOS is an event-driven operating environment designed for use with embedded networked sensors. More specifically, it is designed to support the concurrency in intensive operations required by networked sensors with minimal hardware requirements. Existing process scheduling algorithms of PicOS; a commercial tiny, low-footprint, real-time operating system; have their associated drawbacks. An efficient, alternative algorithm, based on a randomized selection policy, has been proposed, demonstrated, confirmed for efficiency and fairness, on the average, and has been recommended for implementation in PicOS. Simulations were carried out and performance measures such as Average Waiting Time (AWT) and Average Turn-around Time (ATT) were used to assess the efficiency of the proposed randomized version over the existing ones. The results prove that Randomized algorithm is the best and most attractive for implementation in PicOS, since it is most fair and has the least AWT and ATT on average over the other non-preemptive scheduling algorithms implemented in this paper.

Generating Variable and Random Schedules of Reinforcement Using Microsoft Excel Macros

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bancroft, Stacie L.; Bourret, Jason C.

2008-01-01

Variable reinforcement schedules are used to arrange the availability of reinforcement following varying response ratios or intervals of time. Random reinforcement schedules are subtypes of variable reinforcement schedules that can be used to arrange the availability of reinforcement at a constant probability across number of responses or time.…

Short-term scheduling of an open-pit mine with multiple objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blom, Michelle; Pearce, Adrian R.; Stuckey, Peter J.

2017-05-01

This article presents a novel algorithm for the generation of multiple short-term production schedules for an open-pit mine, in which several objectives, of varying priority, characterize the quality of each solution. A short-term schedule selects regions of a mine site, known as 'blocks', to be extracted in each week of a planning horizon (typically spanning 13 weeks). Existing tools for constructing these schedules use greedy heuristics, with little optimization. To construct a single schedule in which infrastructure is sufficiently utilized, with production grades consistently close to a desired target, a planner must often run these heuristics many times, adjusting parameters after each iteration. A planner's intuition and experience can evaluate the relative quality and mineability of different schedules in a way that is difficult to automate. Of interest to a short-term planner is the generation of multiple schedules, extracting available ore and waste in varying sequences, which can then be manually compared. This article presents a tool in which multiple, diverse, short-term schedules are constructed, meeting a range of common objectives without the need for iterative parameter adjustment.

Projecting Future Scheduled Airline Demand, Schedules and NGATS Benefits Using TSAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dollyhigh, Samuel; Smith, Jeremy; Viken, Jeff; Trani, Antonio; Baik, Hojong; Hinze, Nickolas; Ashiabor, Senanu

2006-01-01

The Transportation Systems Analysis Model (TSAM) developed by Virginia Tech s Air Transportation Systems Lab and NASA Langley can provide detailed analysis of the effects on the demand for air travel of a full range of NASA and FAA aviation projects. TSAM has been used to project the passenger demand for very light jet (VLJ) air taxi service, scheduled airline demand growth and future schedules, Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) benefits, and future passenger revenues for the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. TSAM can project the resulting demand when new vehicles and/or technology is inserted into the long distance (100 or more miles one-way) transportation system, as well as, changes in demand as a result of fare yield increases or decreases, airport transit times, scheduled flight times, ticket taxes, reductions or increases in flight delays, and so on. TSAM models all long distance travel in the contiguous U.S. and determines the mode choice of the traveler based on detailed trip costs, travel time, schedule frequency, purpose of the trip (business or non-business), and household income level of the traveler. Demand is modeled at the county level, with an airport choice module providing up to three airports as part of the mode choice. Future enplanements at airports can be projected for different scenarios. A Fratar algorithm and a schedule generator are applied to generate future flight schedules. This paper presents the application of TSAM to modeling future scheduled air passenger demand and resulting airline schedules, the impact of NGATS goals and objectives on passenger demand, along with projections for passenger fee receipts for several scenarios for the FAA Airport and Airway Trust Fund.

Autonomously generating operations sequences for a Mars Rover using AI-based planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Rob; Mishkin, Andrew; Estlin, Tara; Chien, Steve; Backes, Paul; Cooper, Brian; Maxwell, Scott; Rabideau, Gregg

2001-01-01

This paper discusses a proof-of-concept prototype for ground-based automatic generation of validated rover command sequences from highlevel science and engineering activities. This prototype is based on ASPEN, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) based planning and scheduling system will automatically generate a command sequence that will execute within resource constraints and satisfy flight rules.

Online Optimization Method for Operation of Generators in a Micro Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Yasuhiro; Miyamoto, Hideki; Matsuki, Junya; Iizuka, Toshio; Azuma, Hitoshi

Recently a lot of studies and developments about distributed generator such as photovoltaic generation system, wind turbine generation system and fuel cell have been performed under the background of the global environment issues and deregulation of the electricity market, and the technique of these distributed generators have progressed. Especially, micro grid which consists of several distributed generators, loads and storage battery is expected as one of the new operation system of distributed generator. However, since precipitous load fluctuation occurs in micro grid for the reason of its smaller capacity compared with conventional power system, high-accuracy load forecasting and control scheme to balance of supply and demand are needed. Namely, it is necessary to improve the precision of operation in micro grid by observing load fluctuation and correcting start-stop schedule and output of generators online. But it is not easy to determine the operation schedule of each generator in short time, because the problem to determine start-up, shut-down and output of each generator in micro grid is a mixed integer programming problem. In this paper, the authors propose an online optimization method for the optimal operation schedule of generators in micro grid. The proposed method is based on enumeration method and particle swarm optimization (PSO). In the proposed method, after picking up all unit commitment patterns of each generators satisfied with minimum up time and minimum down time constraint by using enumeration method, optimal schedule and output of generators are determined under the other operational constraints by using PSO. Numerical simulation is carried out for a micro grid model with five generators and photovoltaic generation system in order to examine the validity of the proposed method.

An Introduction to Sked

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gipson, John

2010-01-01

In this note I give an overview of the VLBI scheduling software sked. I describe some of the algorithms used in automatic scheduling and some sked commands which have been introduced at users requests. I also give a cookbook for generating some schedules.

Design and Scheduling of Microgrids using Benders Decomposition

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

Nagarajan, Adarsh; Ayyanar, Raja

2016-11-21

The distribution feeder laterals in a distribution feeder with relatively high PV generation as compared to the load can be operated as microgrids to achieve reliability, power quality and economic benefits. However, renewable resources are intermittent and stochastic in nature. A novel approach for sizing and scheduling an energy storage system and microturbine for reliable operation of microgrids is proposed. The size and schedule of an energy storage system and microturbine are determined using Benders' decomposition, considering PV generation as a stochastic resource.

The structure and development of streamwise vortex arrays embedded in a turbulent boundary layer. Ph.D. Thesis - Case Western Reserve Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendt, Bruce J.; Greber, Isaac; Hingst, Warren R.

1991-01-01

An investigation of the structure and development of streamwise vortices embedded in a turbulent boundary layer was conducted. The vortices were generated by a single spanwise row of rectangular vortex generator blades. A single embedded vortex was examined, as well as arrays of embedded counter rotating vortices produced by equally spaced vortex generators. Measurements of the secondary velocity field in the crossplane provided the basis for characterization of vortex structure. Vortex structure was characterized by four descriptors. The center of each vortex core was located at the spanwise and normal position of peak streamwise vorticity. Vortex concentration was characterized by the magnitude of the peak streamwise vorticity, and the vortex strength by its circulation. Measurements of the secondary velocity field were conducted at two crossplane locations to examine the streamwise development of the vortex arrays. Large initial spacings of the vortex generators produced pairs of strong vortices which tended to move away from the wall region while smaller spacings produced tight arrays of weak vortices close to the wall. A model of vortex interaction and development is constructed using the experimental results. The model is based on the structure of the Oseen Vortex. Vortex trajectories are modelled by including the convective effects of neighbors.

Periodic, On-Demand, and User-Specified Information Reconciliation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolano, Paul

2007-01-01

Automated sequence generation (autogen) signifies both a process and software used to automatically generate sequences of commands to operate various spacecraft. Autogen requires fewer workers than are needed for older manual sequence-generation processes and reduces sequence-generation times from weeks to minutes. The autogen software comprises the autogen script plus the Activity Plan Generator (APGEN) program. APGEN can be used for planning missions and command sequences. APGEN includes a graphical user interface that facilitates scheduling of activities on a time line and affords a capability to automatically expand, decompose, and schedule activities.

Automatic Generation of Heuristics for Scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, Robert A.; Bresina, John L.; Rodgers, Stuart M.

1997-01-01

This paper presents a technique, called GenH, that automatically generates search heuristics for scheduling problems. The impetus for developing this technique is the growing consensus that heuristics encode advice that is, at best, useful in solving most, or typical, problem instances, and, at worst, useful in solving only a narrowly defined set of instances. In either case, heuristic problem solvers, to be broadly applicable, should have a means of automatically adjusting to the idiosyncrasies of each problem instance. GenH generates a search heuristic for a given problem instance by hill-climbing in the space of possible multi-attribute heuristics, where the evaluation of a candidate heuristic is based on the quality of the solution found under its guidance. We present empirical results obtained by applying GenH to the real world problem of telescope observation scheduling. These results demonstrate that GenH is a simple and effective way of improving the performance of an heuristic scheduler.

Embedded Gaussian unitary ensembles with U(Ω)⊗SU(r) embedding generated by random two-body interactions with SU(r) symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyas, Manan; Kota, V. K. B.

2012-12-01

Following the earlier studies on embedded unitary ensembles generated by random two-body interactions [EGUE(2)] with spin SU(2) and spin-isospin SU(4) symmetries, developed is a general formulation, for deriving lower order moments of the one- and two-point correlation functions in eigenvalues, that is valid for any EGUE(2) and BEGUE(2) ("B" stands for bosons) with U(Ω)⊗SU(r) embedding and with two-body interactions preserving SU(r) symmetry. Using this formulation with r = 1, we recover the results derived by Asaga et al. [Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) 297, 344 (2002)], 10.1006/aphy.2002.6248 for spinless boson systems. Going further, new results are obtained for r = 2 (this corresponds to two species boson systems) and r = 3 (this corresponds to spin 1 boson systems).

On second harmonic generation and multiphoton-absorption induced luminescence from laser-reshaped silver nanoparticles embedded in glass.

PubMed

Zolotovskaya, S A; Tyrk, M A; Stalmashonak, A; Gillespie, W A; Abdolvand, A

2016-10-28

Spherical silver nanoparticles (NPs) of 30 nm diameter embedded in soda-lime glass were uniformly reshaped (elongated) after irradiation by a linearly polarised 250 fs pulsed laser operating within the NPs' surface plasmon resonance band. We observed second harmonic generation (SHG) and multiphoton-absorption-induced luminescence (MAIL) in the embedded laser-reshaped NPs upon picosecond (10 ps) pulsed laser excitation at 1064 nm. A complementary study of SHG and MAIL was conducted in soda-lime glass containing embedded, mechanically-reshaped silver NPs of a similar elongation ratio (aspect ratio) to the laser-reshaped NPs. This supports the notion that the observed difference in SHG and MAIL in the studied nanocomposite systems is due to the shape modification mechanism. The discrete dipole approximation method was used to assess the absorption and scattering cross-sections of the reshaped NPs with different elongation ratios.

Intelligent Embedded Instruction for Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

difficulties were predicted and six lessons were prepared that were aimed at preventing error pattern formation. The lessons were programmed in AUTOLISP ...and arcs, angles of lines, layering (linetype and color), and block creation and insertion. A program written in AUTOLISP examined the values in the...One site had AutoCAD reference manuals nearby and others had no manuals . * Only one site set a schedule for the users. * The attitudes of managers

Permutation entropy with vector embedding delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Douglas J.; Kane, Deb M.

2017-12-01

Permutation entropy (PE) is a statistic used widely for the detection of structure within a time series. Embedding delay times at which the PE is reduced are characteristic timescales for which such structure exists. Here, a generalized scheme is investigated where embedding delays are represented by vectors rather than scalars, permitting PE to be calculated over a (D -1 ) -dimensional space, where D is the embedding dimension. This scheme is applied to numerically generated noise, sine wave and logistic map series, and experimental data sets taken from a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser exhibiting temporally localized pulse structures within the round-trip time of the laser cavity. Results are visualized as PE maps as a function of embedding delay, with low PE values indicating combinations of embedding delays where correlation structure is present. It is demonstrated that vector embedding delays enable identification of structure that is ambiguous or masked, when the embedding delay is constrained to scalar form.

Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization for Hybrid Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Maintenance Activities

PubMed Central

Li, Jun-qing; Pan, Quan-ke; Mao, Kun

2014-01-01

A hybrid algorithm which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) and iterated local search (ILS) is proposed for solving the hybrid flowshop scheduling (HFS) problem with preventive maintenance (PM) activities. In the proposed algorithm, different crossover operators and mutation operators are investigated. In addition, an efficient multiple insert mutation operator is developed for enhancing the searching ability of the algorithm. Furthermore, an ILS-based local search procedure is embedded in the algorithm to improve the exploitation ability of the proposed algorithm. The detailed experimental parameter for the canonical PSO is tuning. The proposed algorithm is tested on the variation of 77 Carlier and Néron's benchmark problems. Detailed comparisons with the present efficient algorithms, including hGA, ILS, PSO, and IG, verify the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. PMID:24883414

Design of a QoS-controlled ATM-based communications system in chorus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulson, Geoff; Campbell, Andrew; Robin, Philippe; Blair, Gordon; Papathomas, Michael; Shepherd, Doug

1995-05-01

We describe the design of an application platform able to run distributed real-time and multimedia applications alongside conventional UNIX programs. The platform is embedded in a microkernel/PC environment and supported by an ATM-based, QoS-driven communications stack. In particular, we focus on resource-management aspects of the design and deal with CPU scheduling, network resource-management and memory-management issues. An architecture is presented that guarantees QoS levels of both communications and processing with varying degrees of commitment as specified by user-level QoS parameters. The architecture uses admission tests to determine whether or not new activities can be accepted and includes modules to translate user-level QoS parameters into representations usable by the scheduling, network, and memory-management subsystems.

A novel Web-based graduate medical education management system including ACGME compliance algorithms.

PubMed

Gauger, Paul G; Davis, Janice W; Orr, Peter J

2002-09-01

Administration of graduate medical education programs has become more difficult as compliance with ACGME work guidelines has assumed increased importance. These guidelines have caused many changes in the resident work environment, including the emergence of complicated cross-cover arrangements. Many participating residents (each with his or her own individual scheduling requirements) usually generate these schedules. Accordingly, schedules are often not submitted in a timely fashion and they may not be in compliance with the ACGME guidelines for maximum on-call assignments and mandatory days off. Our objective was the establishment of a Web-based system that guides residents in creating on-call schedules that follow ACGME guidelines while still allowing maximum flexibility -- thus allowing each resident to maintain an internal locus of control. A versatile and scalable system with password-protected user (resident) and administrator interfaces was created. An entire academic year is included, and past months and years are automatically archived. The residents log on within the first 15 days of the preceding month and choose their positions in a schedule template. They then make adjustments while receiving immediate summary feedback on compliance with ACGME guidelines. The schedule is electronically submitted to the educational administrator for final approval. If a cross-cover system is required, the program automatically generates an optimal schedule using both of the approved participating service schedules. The residents then have an additional five-day period to make adjustments in the cross-cover schedule while still receiving compliance feedback. The administrator again provides final approval electronically. The communication interface automatically pages or e-mails the residents when schedules are updated or approved. Since the information exists in a relational database, simple reporting tools are included to extract the information necessary to generate records for institutional GME management. Implementation of this program has been met with great enthusiasm from the institutional stakeholders. Specifically, residents have embraced the ability to directly control their schedules and have gained appreciation for the regulatory matrix in which they function. Institutional administrators have praised the improvement in compliance and the ease of documentation. We anticipate that the system will also meet with approval from reviewing regulatory bodies, as it generates and stores accurate information about the resident work environment. This program is robust and versatile enough to be modified for any GME training program in the country.

N2O + CO reaction over single Ga or Ge atom embedded graphene: A DFT study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esrafili, Mehdi D.; Vessally, Esmail

2018-01-01

The possibility of using a single Ga or Ge atom embedded graphene as an efficient catalyst for the reduction of N2O molecule by CO is examined. We perform density functional theory calculations to calculate adsorption energies as well as analysis of the structural and electronic properties of different species involved in the N2O + CO reaction. The large activation energy for the diffusion of the single Ga or Ge atom on the C vacancy site of graphene shows the high stability of both Ga- and Ge-embedded graphene sheets in the N2O reduction. The activation energy needed for the decomposition of N2O is calculated to be 18.4 and 14.1 kcal/mol over Ga- and Ge-embedded graphene, respectively. The results indicate that the Ge-embedded graphene may serve as an effective catalyst for the N2O reduction. Moreover, the activation energy for the disproportionation of N2O molecules that generates N2 and O2 is relatively high; so, the generation of these side products may be hindered by decreasing the temperature.

Multi-Satellite Observation Scheduling for Large Area Disaster Emergency Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, X. N.; Tang, H.; Wu, L. X.

2018-04-01

an optimal imaging plan, plays a key role in coordinating multiple satellites to monitor the disaster area. In the paper, to generate imaging plan dynamically according to the disaster relief, we propose a dynamic satellite task scheduling method for large area disaster response. First, an initial robust scheduling scheme is generated by a robust satellite scheduling model in which both the profit and the robustness of the schedule are simultaneously maximized. Then, we use a multi-objective optimization model to obtain a series of decomposing schemes. Based on the initial imaging plan, we propose a mixed optimizing algorithm named HA_NSGA-II to allocate the decomposing results thus to obtain an adjusted imaging schedule. A real disaster scenario, i.e., 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, is revisited in terms of rapid response using satellite resources and used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method with state-of-the-art approaches. We conclude that our satellite scheduling model can optimize the usage of satellite resources so as to obtain images in disaster response in a more timely and efficient manner.

Prescriptions for schedule II opioids and benzodiazepines increase after the introduction of computer-generated prescriptions.

PubMed

McGerald, Genevieve; Dvorkin, Ronald; Levy, David; Lovell-Rose, Stephanie; Sharma, Adhi

2009-06-01

Prescriptions for controlled substances decrease when regulatory barriers are put in place. The converse has not been studied. The objective was to determine whether a less complicated prescription writing process is associated with a change in the prescribing patterns of controlled substances in the emergency department (ED). The authors conducted a retrospective nonconcurrent cohort study of all patients seen in an adult ED between April 19, 2005, and April 18, 2007, who were discharged with a prescription. Prior to April 19, 2006, a specialized prescription form stored in a locked cabinet was obtained from the nursing staff to write a prescription for benzodiazepines or Schedule II opioids. After April 19, 2006, New York State mandated that all prescriptions, regardless of schedule classification, be generated on a specialized bar-coded prescription form. The main outcome of the study was to compare the proportion of Schedule III-V opioids to Schedule II opioids and benzodiazepines prescribed in the ED before and after the introduction of a less cumbersome prescription writing process. Of the 26,638 charts reviewed, 2.1% of the total number of prescriptions generated were for a Schedule II controlled opioid before the new system was implemented compared to 13.6% after (odds ratio [OR] = 7.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.4 to 8.4). The corresponding percentages for Schedule III-V opioids were 29.9% to 18.1% (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.55) and for benzodiazepines 1.4% to 3.9% (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 2.4 to 3.4). Patients were more likely to receive a prescription for a Schedule II opioid or a benzodiazepine after a more streamlined computer-generated prescription writing process was introduced in this ED. (c) 2009 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

A planning language for activity scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoch, David R.; Lavallee, David; Weinstein, Stuart; Tong, G. Michael

1991-01-01

Mission planning and scheduling of spacecraft operations are becoming more complex at NASA. Described here are a mission planning process; a robust, flexible planning language for spacecraft and payload operations; and a software scheduling system that generates schedules based on planning language inputs. The mission planning process often involves many people and organizations. Consequently, a planning language is needed to facilitate communication, to provide a standard interface, and to represent flexible requirements. The software scheduling system interprets the planning language and uses the resource, time duration, constraint, and alternative plan flexibilities to resolve scheduling conflicts.

An intelligent stand-alone ultrasonic device for monitoring local structural damage: implementation and preliminary experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pertsch, Alexander; Kim, Jin-Yeon; Wang, Yang; Jacobs, Laurence J.

2011-01-01

Continuous structural health monitoring has the potential to significantly improve the safety management of aged, in-service civil structures. In particular, monitoring of local damage growth at hot-spot areas can help to prevent disastrous structural failures. Although ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) has proved to be effective in monitoring local damage growth, conventional equipment and devices are usually bulky and only suitable for scheduled human inspections. The objective of this research is to harness the latest developments in embedded hardware and wireless communication for developing a stand-alone, compact ultrasonic device. The device is directed at the continuous structural health monitoring of civil structures. Relying on battery power, the device possesses the functionalities of high-speed actuation, sensing, signal processing, and wireless communication. Integrated with contact ultrasonic transducers, the device can generate 1 MHz Rayleigh surface waves in a steel specimen and measure response waves. An envelope detection algorithm based on the Hilbert transform is presented for efficiently determining the peak values of the response signals, from which small surface cracks are successfully identified.

Development of damage suppression system using embedded SMA foil in CFRP laminates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogisu, Toshimichi; Nomura, Masato; Ando, Norio; Takaki, Junji; Kobayashi, Masakazu; Okabe, Tomonaga; Takeda, Nobuo

2001-07-01

Some recent studies have suggested possible applications of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) for a smart health monitoring and suppression of damage growth. The authors have been conducting research and development studies on applications of embedded SMA foil actuators in CFRP laminates as the basic research for next generation aircrafts. First the effective surface treatment for improvement of bonding properties between SMA and CFRP was studied. It was certified that the anodic oxide treatment by 10% NaOH solution was the most effective treatment from the results of peel resistance test and shear strength test. Then, CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils were successfully fabricated using this effective surface treatment. The damage behavior of quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils was characterized in both quasi-static load-unload and fatigue tests. The relationship between crack density and applied strain was obtained. The recovery stress generated by embedded SMA foils could increase the onset strain of transverse cracking by 0.2%. The onset strain of delmination in CFRP laminates was also increased accordingly. The shear-lag analysis was also conducted to predict the damage evolution in CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils. The adhesive layers on both sides of SMA foils were treated as shear elements. The theoretical analysis successfully predicted the experimental results.

Implementing Embedded Training (ET): Volume 4. Identifying ET Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

procedures that support the effective co::sidet·;,tion, definition, development , and integration of e::1 11cddcd trzd;Li:1r; (ET) ;~.:1p:1bilities...an effective ET compo- nent would be impossible or have undesired schedule or cost impacts. Iteration Two: Early System Development Once the new...ET. These needs can sometimes have a significant effect on the design of the prime item system. It is critical that materiel developers be made aware

Integrating Security in Real-Time Embedded Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-26

b) detect any intrusions/a ttacks once tl1ey occur and (c) keep the overall system safe in the event of an attack. 4. Analysis and evaluation of...beyond), we expanded our work in both security integration and attack mechanisms, and worked on demonstrations and evaluations in hardware. Year I...scheduling for each busy interval w ith the calculated arrival time w indow. Step 1 focuses on the problem of finding the quanti ty of each task

Development of wireless brain computer interface with embedded multitask scheduling and its application on real-time driver's drowsiness detection and warning.

PubMed

Lin, Chin-Teng; Chen, Yu-Chieh; Huang, Teng-Yi; Chiu, Tien-Ting; Ko, Li-Wei; Liang, Sheng-Fu; Hsieh, Hung-Yi; Hsu, Shang-Hwa; Duann, Jeng-Ren

2008-05-01

Biomedical signal monitoring systems have been rapidly advanced with electronic and information technologies in recent years. However, most of the existing physiological signal monitoring systems can only record the signals without the capability of automatic analysis. In this paper, we proposed a novel brain-computer interface (BCI) system that can acquire and analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in real-time to monitor human physiological as well as cognitive states, and, in turn, provide warning signals to the users when needed. The BCI system consists of a four-channel biosignal acquisition/amplification module, a wireless transmission module, a dual-core signal processing unit, and a host system for display and storage. The embedded dual-core processing system with multitask scheduling capability was proposed to acquire and process the input EEG signals in real time. In addition, the wireless transmission module, which eliminates the inconvenience of wiring, can be switched between radio frequency (RF) and Bluetooth according to the transmission distance. Finally, the real-time EEG-based drowsiness monitoring and warning algorithms were implemented and integrated into the system to close the loop of the BCI system. The practical online testing demonstrates the feasibility of using the proposed system with the ability of real-time processing, automatic analysis, and online warning feedback in real-world operation and living environments.

A criterion autoscheduler for long range planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sponsler, Jeffrey L.

1994-01-01

A constraint-based scheduling system called SPIKE is used to create long-term schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. A meta-level scheduler called the Criterion Autoscheduler for Long range planning (CASL) was created to guide SPIKE's schedule generation according to the agenda of the planning scientists. It is proposed that sufficient flexibility exists in a schedule to allow high level planning heuristics to be applied without adversely affected crucial constraints such as spacecraft efficiency. This hypothesis is supported by test data which is described.

Development of Watch Schedule Using Rules Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurkevicius, Darius; Vasilecas, Olegas

The software for schedule creation and optimization solves a difficult, important and practical problem. The proposed solution is an online employee portal where administrator users can create and manage watch schedules and employee requests. Each employee can login with his/her own account and see his/her assignments, manage requests, etc. Employees set as administrators can perform the employee scheduling online, manage requests, etc. This scheduling software allows users not only to see the initial and optimized watch schedule in a simple and understandable form, but also to create special rules and criteria and input their business. The system using rules automatically will generate watch schedule.

Assessing Potential Energy Savings in Household Travel: Methodological and Empirical Considerations of Vehicle Capability Constraints and Multi-day Activity Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolon, Kevin M.

The lack of multi-day data for household travel and vehicle capability requirements is an impediment to evaluations of energy savings strategies, since (1) travel requirements vary from day-to-day, and (2) energy-saving transportation options often have reduced capability. This work demonstrates a survey methodology and modeling system for evaluating the energy-savings potential of household travel, considering multi-day travel requirements and capability constraints imposed by the available transportation resources. A stochastic scheduling model is introduced---the multi-day Household Activity Schedule Estimator (mPHASE)---which generates synthetic daily schedules based on "fuzzy" descriptions of activity characteristics using a finite-element representation of activity flexibility, coordination among household members, and scheduling conflict resolution. Results of a thirty-household pilot study are presented in which responses to an interactive computer assisted personal interview were used as inputs to the mPHASE model in order to illustrate the feasibility of generating complex, realistic multi-day household schedules. Study vehicles were equipped with digital cameras and GPS data acquisition equipment to validate the model results. The synthetically generated schedules captured an average of 60 percent of household travel distance, and exhibited many of the characteristics of complex household travel, including day-to-day travel variation, and schedule coordination among household members. Future advances in the methodology may improve the model results, such as encouraging more detailed and accurate responses by providing a selection of generated schedules during the interview. Finally, the Constraints-based Transportation Resource Assignment Model (CTRAM) is introduced. Using an enumerative optimization approach, CTRAM determines the energy-minimizing vehicle-to-trip assignment decisions, considering trip schedules, occupancy, and vehicle capability. Designed to accept either actual or synthetic schedules, results of an application of the optimization model to the 2001 and 2009 National Household Travel Survey data show that U.S. households can reduce energy use by 10 percent, on average, by modifying the assignment of existing vehicles to trips. Households in 2009 show a higher tendency to assign vehicles optimally than in 2001, and multi-vehicle households with diverse fleets have greater savings potential, indicating that fleet modification strategies may be effective, particularly under higher energy price conditions.

Impact of perceived importance of ecosystem services and stated financial constraints on willingness to pay for riparian meadow restoration in Flanders (Belgium).

PubMed

Chen, Wendy Y; Aertsens, Joris; Liekens, Inge; Broekx, Steven; De Nocker, Leo

2014-08-01

The strategic importance of ecosystem service valuation as an operational basis for policy decisions on natural restoration has been increasingly recognized in order to align the provision of ecosystem services with the expectation of human society. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is widely used to quantify various ecosystem services. However, two areas of concern arise: (1) whether people value specific functional ecosystem services and overlook some intrinsic aspects of natural restoration, and (2) whether people understand the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules given in the contingent scenarios. Using a peri-urban riparian meadow restoration project in Flanders, Belgium as a case, we explored the impacts of residents' perceived importance of various ecosystem services and stated financial constraints on their willingness-to-pay for the proposed restoration project employing the CVM. The results indicated that people tended to value all the benefits of riparian ecosystem restoration concurrently, although they accorded different importances to each individual category of ecosystem services. A longer payment scheme can help the respondents to think more about the flow of ecosystem services into future generations. A weak temporal embedding effect can be detected, which might be attributed to respondents' concern about current financial constraints, rather than financial bindings associated with their income and perceived future financial constraints. This demonstrates the multidimensionality of respondents' financial concerns in CV. This study sheds light on refining future CV studies, especially with regard to public expectation of ecosystem services and the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules.

Impact of Perceived Importance of Ecosystem Services and Stated Financial Constraints on Willingness to Pay for Riparian Meadow Restoration in Flanders (Belgium)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wendy Y.; Aertsens, Joris; Liekens, Inge; Broekx, Steven; De Nocker, Leo

2014-08-01

The strategic importance of ecosystem service valuation as an operational basis for policy decisions on natural restoration has been increasingly recognized in order to align the provision of ecosystem services with the expectation of human society. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is widely used to quantify various ecosystem services. However, two areas of concern arise: (1) whether people value specific functional ecosystem services and overlook some intrinsic aspects of natural restoration, and (2) whether people understand the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules given in the contingent scenarios. Using a peri-urban riparian meadow restoration project in Flanders, Belgium as a case, we explored the impacts of residents' perceived importance of various ecosystem services and stated financial constraints on their willingness-to-pay for the proposed restoration project employing the CVM. The results indicated that people tended to value all the benefits of riparian ecosystem restoration concurrently, although they accorded different importances to each individual category of ecosystem services. A longer payment scheme can help the respondents to think more about the flow of ecosystem services into future generations. A weak temporal embedding effect can be detected, which might be attributed to respondents' concern about current financial constraints, rather than financial bindings associated with their income and perceived future financial constraints. This demonstrates the multidimensionality of respondents' financial concerns in CV. This study sheds light on refining future CV studies, especially with regard to public expectation of ecosystem services and the temporal dimension of ecosystem services and payment schedules.

Ant Colony Optimization for Mapping, Scheduling and Placing in Reconfigurable Systems

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

Ferrandi, Fabrizio; Lanzi, Pier Luca; Pilato, Christian

Modern heterogeneous embedded platforms, com- posed of several digital signal, application specific and general purpose processors, also include reconfigurable devices support- ing partial dynamic reconfiguration. These devices can change the behavior of some of their parts during execution, allowing hardware acceleration of more sections of the applications. Never- theless, partial dynamic reconfiguration imposes severe overheads in terms of latency. For such systems, a critical part of the design phase is deciding on which processing elements (mapping) and when (scheduling) executing a task, but also how to place them on the reconfigurable device to guarantee the most efficient reuse of themore » programmable logic. In this paper we propose an algorithm based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) that simultaneously executes the scheduling, the mapping and the linear placing of tasks, hiding reconfiguration overheads through prefetching. Our heuristic gradually constructs solutions and then searches around the best ones, cutting out non-promising areas of the design space. We show how to consider the partial dynamic reconfiguration constraints in the scheduling, placing and mapping problems and compare our formulation to other heuristics that address the same problems. We demonstrate that our proposal is more general and robust, and finds better solutions (16.5% in average) with respect to competing solutions.« less

Scheduling the resident 80-hour work week: an operations research algorithm.

PubMed

Day, T Eugene; Napoli, Joseph T; Kuo, Paul C

2006-01-01

The resident 80-hour work week requires that programs now schedule duty hours. Typically, scheduling is performed in an empirical "trial-and-error" fashion. However, this is a classic "scheduling" problem from the field of operations research (OR). It is similar to scheduling issues that airlines must face with pilots and planes routing through various airports at various times. The authors hypothesized that an OR approach using iterative computer algorithms could provide a rational scheduling solution. Institution-specific constraints of the residency problem were formulated. A total of 56 residents are rotating through 4 hospitals. Additional constraints were dictated by the Residency Review Committee (RRC) rules or the specific surgical service. For example, at Hospital 1, during the weekday hours between 6 am and 6 pm, there will be a PGY4 or PGY5 and a PGY2 or PGY3 on-duty to cover Service "A." A series of equations and logic statements was generated to satisfy all constraints and requirements. These were restated in the Optimization Programming Language used by the ILOG software suite for solving mixed integer programming problems. An integer programming solution was generated to this resource-constrained assignment problem. A total of 30,900 variables and 12,443 constraints were required. A total of man-hours of programming were used; computer run-time was 25.9 hours. A weekly schedule was generated for each resident that satisfied the RRC regulations while fulfilling all stated surgical service requirements. Each required between 64 and 80 weekly resident duty hours. The authors conclude that OR is a viable approach to schedule resident work hours. This technique is sufficiently robust to accommodate changes in resident numbers, service requirements, and service and hospital rotations.

Optimization of nas lemoore scheduling to support a growing aircraft population

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

requirements, and, without knowing the other squadrons’ flight plans , creates his or her squadron’s flight schedule. Figure 2 illustrates the process each...Lemoore, they do not communicate their flight schedules among themselves; hence, the daily flight plan generated by each squadron is independently...manual process for aircraft flight scheduling at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore accommodates the independent needs of 16 fighter resident squadrons as

Wireless Sensor Network Metrics for Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-20

to compute the probability of end-to-end packet delivery as a function of latency, the expected radio energy consumption on the nodes from relaying... schedules for WSNs. Particularly, we focus on the impact scheduling has on path diversity, using short repeating schedules and Greedy Maximal Matching...a greedy algorithm for constructing a mesh routing topology. Finally, we study the implications of using distributed scheduling schemes to generate

Generation of Look-Up Tables for Dynamic Job Shop Scheduling Decision Support Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktaviandri, Muchamad; Hassan, Adnan; Mohd Shaharoun, Awaluddin

2016-02-01

Majority of existing scheduling techniques are based on static demand and deterministic processing time, while most job shop scheduling problem are concerned with dynamic demand and stochastic processing time. As a consequence, the solutions obtained from the traditional scheduling technique are ineffective wherever changes occur to the system. Therefore, this research intends to develop a decision support tool (DST) based on promising artificial intelligent that is able to accommodate the dynamics that regularly occur in job shop scheduling problem. The DST was designed through three phases, i.e. (i) the look-up table generation, (ii) inverse model development and (iii) integration of DST components. This paper reports the generation of look-up tables for various scenarios as a part in development of the DST. A discrete event simulation model was used to compare the performance among SPT, EDD, FCFS, S/OPN and Slack rules; the best performances measures (mean flow time, mean tardiness and mean lateness) and the job order requirement (inter-arrival time, due dates tightness and setup time ratio) which were compiled into look-up tables. The well-known 6/6/J/Cmax Problem from Muth and Thompson (1963) was used as a case study. In the future, the performance measure of various scheduling scenarios and the job order requirement will be mapped using ANN inverse model.

Consensus embedding: theory, algorithms and application to segmentation and classification of biomedical data

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Dimensionality reduction (DR) enables the construction of a lower dimensional space (embedding) from a higher dimensional feature space while preserving object-class discriminability. However several popular DR approaches suffer from sensitivity to choice of parameters and/or presence of noise in the data. In this paper, we present a novel DR technique known as consensus embedding that aims to overcome these problems by generating and combining multiple low-dimensional embeddings, hence exploiting the variance among them in a manner similar to ensemble classifier schemes such as Bagging. We demonstrate theoretical properties of consensus embedding which show that it will result in a single stable embedding solution that preserves information more accurately as compared to any individual embedding (generated via DR schemes such as Principal Component Analysis, Graph Embedding, or Locally Linear Embedding). Intelligent sub-sampling (via mean-shift) and code parallelization are utilized to provide for an efficient implementation of the scheme. Results Applications of consensus embedding are shown in the context of classification and clustering as applied to: (1) image partitioning of white matter and gray matter on 10 different synthetic brain MRI images corrupted with 18 different combinations of noise and bias field inhomogeneity, (2) classification of 4 high-dimensional gene-expression datasets, (3) cancer detection (at a pixel-level) on 16 image slices obtained from 2 different high-resolution prostate MRI datasets. In over 200 different experiments concerning classification and segmentation of biomedical data, consensus embedding was found to consistently outperform both linear and non-linear DR methods within all applications considered. Conclusions We have presented a novel framework termed consensus embedding which leverages ensemble classification theory within dimensionality reduction, allowing for application to a wide range of high-dimensional biomedical data classification and segmentation problems. Our generalizable framework allows for improved representation and classification in the context of both imaging and non-imaging data. The algorithm offers a promising solution to problems that currently plague DR methods, and may allow for extension to other areas of biomedical data analysis. PMID:22316103

Evidence for positive, but not negative, behavioral contrast with wheel-running reinforcement on multiple variable-ratio schedules.

PubMed

Belke, Terry W; Pierce, W David

2016-12-01

Rats responded on a multiple variable-ratio (VR) 10 VR 10 schedule of reinforcement in which lever pressing was reinforced by the opportunity to run in a wheel for 30s in both the changed (manipulated) and unchanged components. To generate positive contrast, the schedule of reinforcement in the changed component was shifted to extinction; to generate negative contrast, the schedule was shifted to VR 3. With the shift to extinction in the changed component, wheel-running and local lever-pressing rates increased in the unchanged component, a result supporting positive contrast; however, the shift to a VR 3 schedule in the changed component showed no evidence of negative contrast in the unaltered setting, only wheel running decreased in the unchanged component. Changes in wheel-running rates across components were consistent in showing a compensation effect, depending on whether the schedule manipulation increased or decreased opportunities for wheel running in the changed component. These findings are the first to demonstrate positive behavioral contrast on a multiple schedule with wheel running as reinforcement in both components. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Integrated Approach to Locality-Conscious Processor Allocation and Scheduling of Mixed-Parallel Applications

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

Vydyanathan, Naga; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Sabin, Gerald M.

2009-08-01

Complex parallel applications can often be modeled as directed acyclic graphs of coarse-grained application-tasks with dependences. These applications exhibit both task- and data-parallelism, and combining these two (also called mixedparallelism), has been shown to be an effective model for their execution. In this paper, we present an algorithm to compute the appropriate mix of task- and data-parallelism required to minimize the parallel completion time (makespan) of these applications. In other words, our algorithm determines the set of tasks that should be run concurrently and the number of processors to be allocated to each task. The processor allocation and scheduling decisionsmore » are made in an integrated manner and are based on several factors such as the structure of the taskgraph, the runtime estimates and scalability characteristics of the tasks and the inter-task data communication volumes. A locality conscious scheduling strategy is used to improve inter-task data reuse. Evaluation through simulations and actual executions of task graphs derived from real applications as well as synthetic graphs shows that our algorithm consistently generates schedules with lower makespan as compared to CPR and CPA, two previously proposed scheduling algorithms. Our algorithm also produces schedules that have lower makespan than pure taskand data-parallel schedules. For task graphs with known optimal schedules or lower bounds on the makespan, our algorithm generates schedules that are closer to the optima than other scheduling approaches.« less

Dynamic Voltage-Frequency and Workload Joint Scaling Power Management for Energy Harvesting Multi-Core WSN Node SoC

PubMed Central

Li, Xiangyu; Xie, Nijie; Tian, Xinyue

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a scheduling and power management solution for energy harvesting heterogeneous multi-core WSN node SoC such that the system continues to operate perennially and uses the harvested energy efficiently. The solution consists of a heterogeneous multi-core system oriented task scheduling algorithm and a low-complexity dynamic workload scaling and configuration optimization algorithm suitable for light-weight platforms. Moreover, considering the power consumption of most WSN applications have the characteristic of data dependent behavior, we introduce branches handling mechanism into the solution as well. The experimental result shows that the proposed algorithm can operate in real-time on a lightweight embedded processor (MSP430), and that it can make a system do more valuable works and make more than 99.9% use of the power budget. PMID:28208730

Dynamic Voltage-Frequency and Workload Joint Scaling Power Management for Energy Harvesting Multi-Core WSN Node SoC.

PubMed

Li, Xiangyu; Xie, Nijie; Tian, Xinyue

2017-02-08

This paper proposes a scheduling and power management solution for energy harvesting heterogeneous multi-core WSN node SoC such that the system continues to operate perennially and uses the harvested energy efficiently. The solution consists of a heterogeneous multi-core system oriented task scheduling algorithm and a low-complexity dynamic workload scaling and configuration optimization algorithm suitable for light-weight platforms. Moreover, considering the power consumption of most WSN applications have the characteristic of data dependent behavior, we introduce branches handling mechanism into the solution as well. The experimental result shows that the proposed algorithm can operate in real-time on a lightweight embedded processor (MSP430), and that it can make a system do more valuable works and make more than 99.9% use of the power budget.

Raman Monte Carlo simulation for light propagation for tissue with embedded objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Periyasamy, Vijitha; Jaafar, Humaira Bte; Pramanik, Manojit

2018-02-01

Monte Carlo (MC) stimulation is one of the prominent simulation technique and is rapidly becoming the model of choice to study light-tissue interaction. Monte Carlo simulation for light transport in multi-layered tissue (MCML) is adapted and modelled with different geometry by integrating embedded objects of various shapes (i.e., sphere, cylinder, cuboid and ellipsoid) into the multi-layered structure. These geometries would be useful in providing a realistic tissue structure such as modelling for lymph nodes, tumors, blood vessels, head and other simulation medium. MC simulations were performed on various geometric medium. Simulation of MCML with embedded object (MCML-EO) was improvised for propagation of the photon in the defined medium with Raman scattering. The location of Raman photon generation is recorded. Simulations were experimented on a modelled breast tissue with tumor (spherical and ellipsoidal) and blood vessels (cylindrical). Results were presented in both A-line and B-line scans for embedded objects to determine spatial location where Raman photons were generated. Studies were done for different Raman probabilities.

Production of Supra-regular Spatial Sequences by Macaque Monkeys.

PubMed

Jiang, Xinjian; Long, Tenghai; Cao, Weicong; Li, Junru; Dehaene, Stanislas; Wang, Liping

2018-06-18

Understanding and producing embedded sequences in language, music, or mathematics, is a central characteristic of our species. These domains are hypothesized to involve a human-specific competence for supra-regular grammars, which can generate embedded sequences that go beyond the regular sequences engendered by finite-state automata. However, is this capacity truly unique to humans? Using a production task, we show that macaque monkeys can be trained to produce time-symmetrical embedded spatial sequences whose formal description requires supra-regular grammars or, equivalently, a push-down stack automaton. Monkeys spontaneously generalized the learned grammar to novel sequences, including longer ones, and could generate hierarchical sequences formed by an embedding of two levels of abstract rules. Compared to monkeys, however, preschool children learned the grammars much faster using a chunking strategy. While supra-regular grammars are accessible to nonhuman primates through extensive training, human uniqueness may lie in the speed and learning strategy with which they are acquired. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pigeons' Choices between Fixed-Interval and Random-Interval Schedules: Utility of Variability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrzejewski, Matthew E.; Cardinal, Claudia D.; Field, Douglas P.; Flannery, Barbara A.; Johnson, Michael; Bailey, Kathleen; Hineline, Philip N.

2005-01-01

Pigeons' choosing between fixed-interval and random-interval schedules of reinforcement was investigated in three experiments using a discrete-trial procedure. In all three experiments, the random-interval schedule was generated by sampling a probability distribution at an interval (and in multiples of the interval) equal to that of the…

An Online Scheduling Algorithm with Advance Reservation for Large-Scale Data Transfers

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

Balman, Mehmet; Kosar, Tevfik

Scientific applications and experimental facilities generate massive data sets that need to be transferred to remote collaborating sites for sharing, processing, and long term storage. In order to support increasingly data-intensive science, next generation research networks have been deployed to provide high-speed on-demand data access between collaborating institutions. In this paper, we present a practical model for online data scheduling in which data movement operations are scheduled in advance for end-to-end high performance transfers. In our model, data scheduler interacts with reservation managers and data transfer nodes in order to reserve available bandwidth to guarantee completion of jobs that aremore » accepted and confirmed to satisfy preferred time constraint given by the user. Our methodology improves current systems by allowing researchers and higher level meta-schedulers to use data placement as a service where theycan plan ahead and reserve the scheduler time in advance for their data movement operations. We have implemented our algorithm and examined possible techniques for incorporation into current reservation frameworks. Performance measurements confirm that the proposed algorithm is efficient and scalable.« less

Reactive Scheduling in Multipurpose Batch Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayani, A.; Shaik, Munawar A.

2010-10-01

Scheduling is an important operation in process industries for improving resource utilization resulting in direct economic benefits. It has a two-fold objective of fulfilling customer orders within the specified time as well as maximizing the plant profit. Unexpected disturbances such as machine breakdown, arrival of rush orders and cancellation of orders affect the schedule of the plant. Reactive scheduling is generation of a new schedule which has minimum deviation from the original schedule in spite of the occurrence of unexpected events in the plant operation. Recently, Shaik & Floudas (2009) proposed a novel unified model for short-term scheduling of multipurpose batch plants using unit-specific event-based continuous time representation. In this paper, we extend the model of Shaik & Floudas (2009) to handle reactive scheduling.

Hiding Techniques for Dynamic Encryption Text based on Corner Point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullatif, Firas A.; Abdullatif, Alaa A.; al-Saffar, Amna

2018-05-01

Hiding technique for dynamic encryption text using encoding table and symmetric encryption method (AES algorithm) is presented in this paper. The encoding table is generated dynamically from MSB of the cover image points that used as the first phase of encryption. The Harris corner point algorithm is applied on cover image to generate the corner points which are used to generate dynamic AES key to second phase of text encryption. The embedded process in the LSB for the image pixels except the Harris corner points for more robust. Experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed scheme have embedding quality, error-free text recovery, and high value in PSNR.

Embedding Multiple Literacies into STEM Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soules, Aline; Nielsen, Sarah; LeDuc, Danika; Inouye, Caron; Singley, Jason; Wildy, Erica; Seitz, Jeff

2014-01-01

In fall 2012, an interdisciplinary team of science, English, and library faculty embedded reading, writing, and information literacy strategies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula as a first step in improving student learning and retention in science courses and aligning them with the Next Generation Science and…

Scheduling time-critical graphics on multiple processors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Tom W.; Hughes, John F.

1995-01-01

This paper describes an algorithm for the scheduling of time-critical rendering and computation tasks on single- and multiple-processor architectures, with minimal pipelining. It was developed to manage scientific visualization scenes consisting of hundreds of objects, each of which can be computed and displayed at thousands of possible resolution levels. The algorithm generates the time-critical schedule using progressive-refinement techniques; it always returns a feasible schedule and, when allowed to run to completion, produces a near-optimal schedule which takes advantage of almost the entire multiple-processor system.

JSC Wireless Sensor Network Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagner, Robert

2010-01-01

Sensor nodes composed of three basic components... radio module: COTS radio module implementing standardized WSN protocol; treated as WSN modem by main board main board: contains application processor (TI MSP430 microcontroller), memory, power supply; responsible for sensor data acquisition, pre-processing, and task scheduling; re-used in every application with growing library of embedded C code sensor card: contains application-specific sensors, data conditioning hardware, and any advanced hardware not built into main board (DSPs, faster A/D, etc.); requires (re-) development for each application.

Integrated resource scheduling in a distributed scheduling environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoch, David; Hall, Gardiner

1988-01-01

The Space Station era presents a highly-complex multi-mission planning and scheduling environment exercised over a highly distributed system. In order to automate the scheduling process, customers require a mechanism for communicating their scheduling requirements to NASA. A request language that a remotely-located customer can use to specify his scheduling requirements to a NASA scheduler, thus automating the customer-scheduler interface, is described. This notation, Flexible Envelope-Request Notation (FERN), allows the user to completely specify his scheduling requirements such as resource usage, temporal constraints, and scheduling preferences and options. The FERN also contains mechanisms for representing schedule and resource availability information, which are used in the inter-scheduler inconsistency resolution process. Additionally, a scheduler is described that can accept these requests, process them, generate schedules, and return schedule and resource availability information to the requester. The Request-Oriented Scheduling Engine (ROSE) was designed to function either as an independent scheduler or as a scheduling element in a network of schedulers. When used in a network of schedulers, each ROSE communicates schedule and resource usage information to other schedulers via the FERN notation, enabling inconsistencies to be resolved between schedulers. Individual ROSE schedules are created by viewing the problem as a constraint satisfaction problem with a heuristically guided search strategy.

Exploring the Effect of Embedded Scaffolding Within Curricular Tasks on Third-Grade Students' Model-Based Explanations about Hydrologic Cycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zangori, Laura; Forbes, Cory T.; Schwarz, Christina V.

2015-10-01

Opportunities to generate model-based explanations are crucial for elementary students, yet are rarely foregrounded in elementary science learning environments despite evidence that early learners can reason from models when provided with scaffolding. We used a quasi-experimental research design to investigate the comparative impact of a scaffold test condition consisting of embedded physical scaffolds within a curricular modeling task on third-grade (age 8-9) students' formulation of model-based explanations for the water cycle. This condition was contrasted to the control condition where third-grade students used a curricular modeling task with no embedded physical scaffolds. Students from each condition ( n scaffold = 60; n unscaffold = 56) generated models of the water cycle before and after completion of a 10-week water unit. Results from quantitative analyses suggest that students in the scaffolded condition represented and linked more subsurface water process sequences with surface water process sequences than did students in the unscaffolded condition. However, results of qualitative analyses indicate that students in the scaffolded condition were less likely to build upon these process sequences to generate model-based explanations and experienced difficulties understanding their models as abstracted representations rather than recreations of real-world phenomena. We conclude that embedded curricular scaffolds may support students to consider non-observable components of the water cycle but, alone, may be insufficient for generation of model-based explanations about subsurface water movement.

Safe and Efficient Support for Embeded Multi-Processors in ADA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, Jose F.

2010-08-01

New software demands increasing processing power, and multi-processor platforms are spreading as the answer to achieve the required performance. Embedded real-time systems are also subject to this trend, but in the case of real-time mission-critical systems, the properties of reliability, predictability and analyzability are also paramount. The Ada 2005 language defined a subset of its tasking model, the Ravenscar profile, that provides the basis for the implementation of deterministic and time analyzable applications on top of a streamlined run-time system. This Ravenscar tasking profile, originally designed for single processors, has proven remarkably useful for modelling verifiable real-time single-processor systems. This paper proposes a simple extension to the Ravenscar profile to support multi-processor systems using a fully partitioned approach. The implementation of this scheme is simple, and it can be used to develop applications amenable to schedulability analysis.

EOS: A project to investigate the design and construction of real-time distributed embedded operating systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, R. H.; Essick, R. B.; Grass, J.; Johnston, G.; Kenny, K.; Russo, V.

1986-01-01

The EOS project is investigating the design and construction of a family of real-time distributed embedded operating systems for reliable, distributed aerospace applications. Using the real-time programming techniques developed in co-operation with NASA in earlier research, the project staff is building a kernel for a multiple processor networked system. The first six months of the grant included a study of scheduling in an object-oriented system, the design philosophy of the kernel, and the architectural overview of the operating system. In this report, the operating system and kernel concepts are described. An environment for the experiments has been built and several of the key concepts of the system have been prototyped. The kernel and operating system is intended to support future experimental studies in multiprocessing, load-balancing, routing, software fault-tolerance, distributed data base design, and real-time processing.

Solar fuel generator

DOEpatents

Lewis, Nathan S.; West, William C.

2017-01-17

The disclosure provides conductive membranes for water splitting and solar fuel generation. The membranes comprise an embedded semiconductive/photoactive material and an oxygen or hydrogen evolution catalyst. Also provided are chassis and cassettes containing the membranes for use in fuel generation.

Solar Fuel Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, William C. (Inventor); Lewis, Nathan S. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

The disclosure provides conductive membranes for water splitting and solar fuel generation. The membranes comprise an embedded semiconductive/photoactive material and an oxygen or hydrogen evolution catalyst. Also provided are chassis and cassettes containing the membranes for use in fuel generation.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2008-08-01

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

Software for Planning Scientific Activities on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ai-Chang, Mitchell; Bresina, John; Jonsson, Ari; Hsu, Jennifer; Kanefsky, Bob; Morris, Paul; Rajan, Kanna; Yglesias, Jeffrey; Charest, Len; Maldague, Pierre

2003-01-01

Mixed-Initiative Activity Plan Generator (MAPGEN) is a ground-based computer program for planning and scheduling the scientific activities of instrumented exploratory robotic vehicles, within the limitations of available resources onboard the vehicle. MAPGEN is a combination of two prior software systems: (1) an activity-planning program, APGEN, developed at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and (2) the Europa planner/scheduler from NASA Ames Research Center. MAPGEN performs all of the following functions: Automatic generation of plans and schedules for scientific and engineering activities; Testing of hypotheses (or what-if analyses of various scenarios); Editing of plans; Computation and analysis of resources; and Enforcement and maintenance of constraints, including resolution of temporal and resource conflicts among planned activities. MAPGEN can be used in either of two modes: one in which the planner/scheduler is turned off and only the basic APGEN functionality is utilized, or one in which both component programs are used to obtain the full planning, scheduling, and constraint-maintenance functionality.

Cost-efficient scheduling of FAST observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Qi; Zhao, Laiping; Yu, Ce; Xiao, Jian; Sun, Jizhou; Zhu, Ming; Zhong, Yi

2018-03-01

A cost-efficient schedule for the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) requires to maximize the number of observable proposals and the overall scientific priority, and minimize the overall slew-cost generated by telescope shifting, while taking into account the constraints including the astronomical objects visibility, user-defined observable times, avoiding Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). In this contribution, first we solve the problem of maximizing the number of observable proposals and scientific priority by modeling it as a Minimum Cost Maximum Flow (MCMF) problem. The optimal schedule can be found by any MCMF solution algorithm. Then, for minimizing the slew-cost of the generated schedule, we devise a maximally-matchable edges detection-based method to reduce the problem size, and propose a backtracking algorithm to find the perfect matching with minimum slew-cost. Experiments on a real dataset from NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) show that, the proposed scheduler can increase the usage of available times with high scientific priority and reduce the slew-cost significantly in a very short time.

Artificial Immune Algorithm for Subtask Industrial Robot Scheduling in Cloud Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suma, T.; Murugesan, R.

2018-04-01

The current generation of manufacturing industry requires an intelligent scheduling model to achieve an effective utilization of distributed manufacturing resources, which motivated us to work on an Artificial Immune Algorithm for subtask robot scheduling in cloud manufacturing. This scheduling model enables a collaborative work between the industrial robots in different manufacturing centers. This paper discussed two optimizing objectives which includes minimizing the cost and load balance of industrial robots through scheduling. To solve these scheduling problems, we used the algorithm based on Artificial Immune system. The parameters are simulated with MATLAB and the results compared with the existing algorithms. The result shows better performance than existing.

Rules and Self-Rules: Effects of Variation upon Behavioral Sensitivity to Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumann, Ana A.; Abreu-Rodrigues, Josele; da Silva Souza, Alessandra

2009-01-01

Four experiments compared the effects of self-rules and rules, and varied and specific schedules of reinforcement. Participants were first exposed to either several schedules (varied groups) or to one schedule (specific groups) and either were asked to generate rules (self-rule groups), were provided rules (rule groups), or were not asked nor…

A new paradigm on battery powered embedded system design based on User-Experience-Oriented method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhuoran; Wu, Yue

2014-03-01

The battery sustainable time has been an active research topic recently for the development of battery powered embedded products such as tablets and smart phones, which are determined by the battery capacity and power consumption. Despite numerous efforts on the improvement of battery capacity in the field of material engineering, the power consumption also plays an important role and easier to ameliorate in delivering a desirable user-experience, especially considering the moderate advancement on batteries for decades. In this study, a new Top-Down modelling method, User-Experience-Oriented Battery Powered Embedded System Design Paradigm, is proposed to estimate the target average power consumption, to guide the hardware and software design, and eventually to approach the theoretical lowest power consumption that the application is still able to provide the full functionality. Starting from the 10-hour sustainable time standard, average working current is defined with battery design capacity and set as a target. Then an implementation is illustrated from both hardware perspective, which is summarized as Auto-Gating power management, and from software perspective, which introduces a new algorithm, SleepVote, to guide the system task design and scheduling.

Developing optimal nurses work schedule using integer programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahidin, Ainon Mardhiyah; Said, Mohd Syazwan Md; Said, Noor Hizwan Mohamad; Sazali, Noor Izatie Amaliena

2017-08-01

Time management is the art of arranging, organizing and scheduling one's time for the purpose of generating more effective work and productivity. Scheduling is the process of deciding how to commit resources between varieties of possible tasks. Thus, it is crucial for every organization to have a good work schedule for their staffs. The job of Ward nurses at hospitals runs for 24 hours every day. Therefore, nurses will be working using shift scheduling. This study is aimed to solve the nurse scheduling problem at an emergency ward of a private hospital. A 7-day work schedule for 7 consecutive weeks satisfying all the constraints set by the hospital will be developed using Integer Programming. The work schedule for the nurses obtained gives an optimal solution where all the constraints are being satisfied successfully.

Electric Vehicles Charging Scheduling Strategy Considering the Uncertainty of Photovoltaic Output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xiangxiang; Su, Su; Yue, Yunli; Wang, Wei; He, Luobin; Li, Hao; Ota, Yutaka

2017-05-01

The rapid development of electric vehicles and distributed generation bring new challenges to security and economic operation of the power system, so the collaborative research of the EVs and the distributed generation have important significance in distribution network. Under this background, an EVs charging scheduling strategy considering the uncertainty of photovoltaic(PV) output is proposed. The characteristics of EVs charging are analysed first. A PV output prediction method is proposed with a PV database then. On this basis, an EVs charging scheduling strategy is proposed with the goal to satisfy EVs users’ charging willingness and decrease the power loss in distribution network. The case study proves that the proposed PV output prediction method can predict the PV output accurately and the EVs charging scheduling strategy can reduce the power loss and stabilize the fluctuation of the load in distributed network.

PLAN-IT-2: The next generation planning and scheduling tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggemeyer, William C.; Cruz, Jennifer W.

1990-01-01

PLAN-IT is a scheduling program which has been demonstrated and evaluated in a variety of scheduling domains. The capability enhancements being made for the next generation of PLAN-IT, called PLAN-IT-2 is discussed. PLAN-IT-2 represents a complete rewrite of the original PLAN-IT incorporating major changes as suggested by the application experiences with the original PLAN-IT. A few of the enhancements described are additional types of constraints, such as states and resettable-depletables (batteries), dependencies between constraints, multiple levels of activity planning during the scheduling process, pattern constraint searching for opportunities as opposed to just minimizing the amount of conflicts, additional customization construction features for display and handling of diverse multiple time systems, and reduction in both the size and the complexity for creating the knowledge-base to address the different problem domains.

Rapid Prototyping of High Performance Signal Processing Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sane, Nimish

Advances in embedded systems for digital signal processing (DSP) are enabling many scientific projects and commercial applications. At the same time, these applications are key to driving advances in many important kinds of computing platforms. In this region of high performance DSP, rapid prototyping is critical for faster time-to-market (e.g., in the wireless communications industry) or time-to-science (e.g., in radio astronomy). DSP system architectures have evolved from being based on application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to incorporate reconfigurable off-the-shelf field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), the latest multiprocessors such as graphics processing units (GPUs), or heterogeneous combinations of such devices. We, thus, have a vast design space to explore based on performance trade-offs, and expanded by the multitude of possibilities for target platforms. In order to allow systematic design space exploration, and develop scalable and portable prototypes, model based design tools are increasingly used in design and implementation of embedded systems. These tools allow scalable high-level representations, model based semantics for analysis and optimization, and portable implementations that can be verified at higher levels of abstractions and targeted toward multiple platforms for implementation. The designer can experiment using such tools at an early stage in the design cycle, and employ the latest hardware at later stages. In this thesis, we have focused on dataflow-based approaches for rapid DSP system prototyping. This thesis contributes to various aspects of dataflow-based design flows and tools as follows: 1. We have introduced the concept of topological patterns, which exploits commonly found repetitive patterns in DSP algorithms to allow scalable, concise, and parameterizable representations of large scale dataflow graphs in high-level languages. We have shown how an underlying design tool can systematically exploit a high-level application specification consisting of topological patterns in various aspects of the design flow. 2. We have formulated the core functional dataflow (CFDF) model of computation, which can be used to model a wide variety of deterministic dynamic dataflow behaviors. We have also presented key features of the CFDF model and tools based on these features. These tools provide support for heterogeneous dataflow behaviors, an intuitive and common framework for functional specification, support for functional simulation, portability from several existing dataflow models to CFDF, integrated emphasis on minimally-restricted specification of actor functionality, and support for efficient static, quasi-static, and dynamic scheduling techniques. 3. We have developed a generalized scheduling technique for CFDF graphs based on decomposition of a CFDF graph into static graphs that interact at run-time. Furthermore, we have refined this generalized scheduling technique using a new notion of "mode grouping," which better exposes the underlying static behavior. We have also developed a scheduling technique for a class of dynamic applications that generates parameterized looped schedules (PLSs), which can handle dynamic dataflow behavior without major limitations on compile-time predictability. 4. We have demonstrated the use of dataflow-based approaches for design and implementation of radio astronomy DSP systems using an application example of a tunable digital downconverter (TDD) for spectrometers. Design and implementation of this module has been an integral part of this thesis work. This thesis demonstrates a design flow that consists of a high-level software prototype, analysis, and simulation using the dataflow interchange format (DIF) tool, and integration of this design with the existing tool flow for the target implementation on an FPGA platform, called interconnect break-out board (IBOB). We have also explored the trade-off between low hardware cost for fixed configurations of digital downconverters and flexibility offered by TDD designs. 5. This thesis has contributed significantly to the development and release of the latest version of a graph package oriented toward models of computation (MoCGraph). Our enhancements to this package include support for tree data structures, and generalized schedule trees (GSTs), which provide a useful data structure for a wide variety of schedule representations. Our extensions to the MoCGraph package provided key support for the CFDF model, and functional simulation capabilities in the DIF package.

Linear-parameter-varying gain-scheduled control of aerospace systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Jeffrey Michael

The dynamics of many aerospace systems vary significantly as a function of flight condition. Robust control provides methods of guaranteeing performance and stability goals across flight conditions. In mu-syntthesis, changes to the dynamical system are primarily treated as uncertainty. This method has been successfully applied to many control problems, and here is applied to flutter control. More recently, two techniques for generating robust gain-scheduled controller have been developed. Linear fractional transformation (LFT) gain-scheduled control is an extension of mu-synthesis in which the plant and controller are explicit functions of parameters measurable in real-time. This LFT gain-scheduled control technique is applied to the Benchmark Active Control Technology (BACT) wing, and compared with mu-synthesis control. Linear parameter-varying (LPV) gain-scheduled control is an extension of Hinfinity control to parameter varying systems. LPV gain-scheduled control directly incorporates bounds on the rate of change of the scheduling parameters, and often reduces conservatism inherent in LFT gain-scheduled control. Gain-scheduled LPV control of the BACT wing compares very favorably with the LFT controller. Gain-scheduled LPV controllers are generated for the lateral-directional and longitudinal axes of the Innovative Control Effectors (ICE) aircraft and implemented in nonlinear simulations and real-time piloted nonlinear simulations. Cooper-Harper and pilot-induced oscillation ratings were obtained for an initial design, a reference aircraft and a redesign. Piloted simulation results for the initial LPV gain-scheduled control of the ICE aircraft are compared with results for a conventional fighter aircraft in discrete pitch and roll angle tracking tasks. The results for the redesigned controller are significantly better than both the previous LPV controller and the conventional aircraft.

Automated Long - Term Scheduling for the SOFIA Airborne Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Civeit, Thomas

2013-01-01

The NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint US/German project to develop and operate a gyro-stabilized 2.5-meter telescope in a Boeing 747SP. SOFIA's first science observations were made in December 2010. During 2011, SOFIA accomplished 30 flights in the "Early Science" program as well as a deployment to Germany. The new observing period, known as Cycle 1, is scheduled to begin in 2012. It includes 46 science flights grouped in four multi-week observing campaigns spread through a 13-month span. Automation of the flight scheduling process offers a major challenge to the SOFIA mission operations. First because it is needed to mitigate its relatively high cost per unit observing time compared to space-borne missions. Second because automated scheduling techniques available for ground-based and space-based telescopes are inappropriate for an airborne observatory. Although serious attempts have been made in the past to solve part of the problem, until recently mission operations staff was still manually scheduling flights. We present in this paper a new automated solution for generating SOFIA long-term schedules that will be used in operations from the Cycle 1 observing period. We describe the constraints that should be satisfied to solve the SOFIA scheduling problem in the context of real operations. We establish key formulas required to efficiently calculate the aircraft course over ground when evaluating flight schedules. We describe the foundations of the SOFIA long-term scheduler, the constraint representation, and the random search based algorithm that generates observation and instrument schedules. Finally, we report on how the new long-term scheduler has been used in operations to date.

Microgrid Optimal Scheduling With Chance-Constrained Islanding Capability

DOE PAGES

Liu, Guodong; Starke, Michael R.; Xiao, B.; ...

2017-01-13

To facilitate the integration of variable renewable generation and improve the resilience of electricity sup-ply in a microgrid, this paper proposes an optimal scheduling strategy for microgrid operation considering constraints of islanding capability. A new concept, probability of successful islanding (PSI), indicating the probability that a microgrid maintains enough spinning reserve (both up and down) to meet local demand and accommodate local renewable generation after instantaneously islanding from the main grid, is developed. The PSI is formulated as mixed-integer linear program using multi-interval approximation taking into account the probability distributions of forecast errors of wind, PV and load. With themore » goal of minimizing the total operating cost while preserving user specified PSI, a chance-constrained optimization problem is formulated for the optimal scheduling of mirogrids and solved by mixed integer linear programming (MILP). Numerical simulations on a microgrid consisting of a wind turbine, a PV panel, a fuel cell, a micro-turbine, a diesel generator and a battery demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling strategy. Lastly, we verify the relationship between PSI and various factors.« less

A quantum physical design flow using ILP and graph drawing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yazdani, Maryam; Saheb Zamani, Morteza; Sedighi, Mehdi

2013-10-01

Implementing large-scale quantum circuits is one of the challenges of quantum computing. One of the central challenges of accurately modeling the architecture of these circuits is to schedule a quantum application and generate the layout while taking into account the cost of communications and classical resources as well as the maximum exploitable parallelism. In this paper, we present and evaluate a design flow for arbitrary quantum circuits in ion trap technology. Our design flow consists of two parts. First, a scheduler takes a description of a circuit and finds the best order for the execution of its quantum gates using integer linear programming regarding the classical resources (qubits) and instruction dependencies. Then a layout generator receives the schedule produced by the scheduler and generates a layout for this circuit using a graph-drawing algorithm. Our experimental results show that the proposed flow decreases the average latency of quantum circuits by about 11 % for a set of attempted benchmarks and by about 9 % for another set of benchmarks compared with the best in literature.

A hierarchical scheduling and management solution for dynamic reconfiguration in FPGA-based embedded systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cervero, T.; Gómez, A.; López, S.; Sarmiento, R.; Dondo, J.; Rincón, F.; López, J. C.

2013-05-01

One of the limiting factors that have prevented a widely dissemination of the reconfigurable technology is the absence of an appropriate model for certain target applications capable of offering a reliable control. Moreover, the lack of flexible and easy-to-use scheduling and management systems are also relevant drawbacks to be considered. Under static scenarios, it is relatively easy to schedule and manage the reconfiguration process since all the variations corresponding to predetermined and well-known tasks. However, the difficulty increases when the adaptation needs of the overall system change semi-randomly according to the environmental fluctuations. In this context, this work proposes a change in the paradigm of dynamically reconfigurable systems, by attending to the dynamically reconfigurable control problematic as a whole, in which the scheduling and the placement issues are packed together as a hierarchical management structure, interacting together as one entity from the system point of view, but performing their tasks with certain degree of independence each other. In this sense, the top hierarchical level corresponds with a dynamic scheduler in charge of planning and adjusting all the reconfigurable modules according to the variations of the external stimulus. The lower level interacts with the physical layer of the device by means of instantiating, relocating, removing a reconfigurable module following the scheduler's instructions. In regards to how fast is the proposed solution, the total partial reconfiguration time achieved with this proposal has been measured and compared with other two approaches: 1) using traditional Xilinx's tools; 2) using an optimized version of the Xilinx's drivers. The collected numbers demonstrate that our solution reaches a gain up to 10 times faster than the other approaches.

On recursion.

PubMed

Watumull, Jeffrey; Hauser, Marc D; Roberts, Ian G; Hornstein, Norbert

2014-01-08

It is a truism that conceptual understanding of a hypothesis is required for its empirical investigation. However, the concept of recursion as articulated in the context of linguistic analysis has been perennially confused. Nowhere has this been more evident than in attempts to critique and extend Hauseretal's. (2002) articulation. These authors put forward the hypothesis that what is uniquely human and unique to the faculty of language-the faculty of language in the narrow sense (FLN)-is a recursive system that generates and maps syntactic objects to conceptual-intentional and sensory-motor systems. This thesis was based on the standard mathematical definition of recursion as understood by Gödel and Turing, and yet has commonly been interpreted in other ways, most notably and incorrectly as a thesis about the capacity for syntactic embedding. As we explain, the recursiveness of a function is defined independent of such output, whether infinite or finite, embedded or unembedded-existent or non-existent. And to the extent that embedding is a sufficient, though not necessary, diagnostic of recursion, it has not been established that the apparent restriction on embedding in some languages is of any theoretical import. Misunderstanding of these facts has generated research that is often irrelevant to the FLN thesis as well as to other theories of language competence that focus on its generative power of expression. This essay is an attempt to bring conceptual clarity to such discussions as well as to future empirical investigations by explaining three criterial properties of recursion: computability (i.e., rules in intension rather than lists in extension); definition by induction (i.e., rules strongly generative of structure); and mathematical induction (i.e., rules for the principled-and potentially unbounded-expansion of strongly generated structure). By these necessary and sufficient criteria, the grammars of all natural languages are recursive.

On recursion

PubMed Central

Watumull, Jeffrey; Hauser, Marc D.; Roberts, Ian G.; Hornstein, Norbert

2014-01-01

It is a truism that conceptual understanding of a hypothesis is required for its empirical investigation. However, the concept of recursion as articulated in the context of linguistic analysis has been perennially confused. Nowhere has this been more evident than in attempts to critique and extend Hauseretal's. (2002) articulation. These authors put forward the hypothesis that what is uniquely human and unique to the faculty of language—the faculty of language in the narrow sense (FLN)—is a recursive system that generates and maps syntactic objects to conceptual-intentional and sensory-motor systems. This thesis was based on the standard mathematical definition of recursion as understood by Gödel and Turing, and yet has commonly been interpreted in other ways, most notably and incorrectly as a thesis about the capacity for syntactic embedding. As we explain, the recursiveness of a function is defined independent of such output, whether infinite or finite, embedded or unembedded—existent or non-existent. And to the extent that embedding is a sufficient, though not necessary, diagnostic of recursion, it has not been established that the apparent restriction on embedding in some languages is of any theoretical import. Misunderstanding of these facts has generated research that is often irrelevant to the FLN thesis as well as to other theories of language competence that focus on its generative power of expression. This essay is an attempt to bring conceptual clarity to such discussions as well as to future empirical investigations by explaining three criterial properties of recursion: computability (i.e., rules in intension rather than lists in extension); definition by induction (i.e., rules strongly generative of structure); and mathematical induction (i.e., rules for the principled—and potentially unbounded—expansion of strongly generated structure). By these necessary and sufficient criteria, the grammars of all natural languages are recursive. PMID:24409164

Design and analysis of a flux intensifying permanent magnet embedded salient pole wind generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yujing; Jin, Ping; Lin, Heyun; Yang, Hui; Lyu, Shukang

2018-05-01

This paper presents an improved flux intensifying permanent magnet embedded salient pole wind generator (FI-PMESPWG) with mirror symmetrical magnetizing directions permanent magnet (PM) for improving generator's performances. The air-gap flux densities, the output voltage, the cogging torque and the d- and q-axis inductances of FI-PMESPWG are all calculated and analyzed by using the finite element method (FEM). To highlight the advantages of the proposed FI-PMESPWG, an original permanent magnet embedded salient pole wind generator (PMESPWG) model is adopted for comparison under the same operating conditions. The calculating results show that the air-gap flux densities of FI-PMESPWG are intensified with the same magnet amounts because the PMs are set in a form of V shape in each pole. The difference between d-axis inductance and q-axis inductance of the proposed FI-PMESPWG is reduced. Thus, the output power of the proposed FI-PMESPWG reaches a higher value than that of the original PMESPWG at the same current phase angle. The cogging torque is diminished because the flux path is changed. All the analysis results indicate that the electromagnetic characteristics of the proposed FI-PMESPWG are significantly better than that of the original PMESPWG.

Interactive experimenters' planning procedures and mission control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desjardins, R. L.

1973-01-01

The computerized mission control and planning system routinely generates a 24-hour schedule in one hour of operator time by including time dimensions into experimental planning procedures. Planning is validated interactively as it is being generated segment by segment in the frame of specific event times. The planner simply points a light pen at the time mark of interest on the time line for entering specific event times into the schedule.

Plant maintenance and advanced reactors, 2005

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

Agnihotri, Newal

2005-09-15

The focus of the September-October issue is on plant maintenance and advanced reactors. Major articles/reports in this issue include: First U.S. EPRs in 2015, by Ray Ganthner, Framatome ANP; Pursuing several opportunities, by William E. (Ed) Cummins, Westinghouse Electric Company; Vigorous plans to develop advanced reactors, by Yuliang Sun, Tsinghua University, China; Multiple designs, small and large, by Kumiaki Moriya, Hitachi Ltd., Japan; Sealed and embedded for safety and security, by Handa Norihiko, Toshiba Corporation, Japan; Scheduled online in 2010, by Johan Slabber, PMBR (Pty) Ltd., South Africa; Multi-application reactors, by Nikolay G. Kodochigov, OKBM, Russia; Six projects under budgetmore » and on schedule, by David F. Togerson, AECL, Canada; Creating a positive image, by Scott Peterson, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI); Advanced plans for nuclear power's renaissance, by John Cleveland, International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria; and, Plant profile: last five outages in less than 20 days, by Beth Rapczynski, Exelon Nuclear.« less

APGEN Scheduling: 15 Years of Experience in Planning Automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maldague, Pierre F.; Wissler, Steve; Lenda, Matthew; Finnerty, Daniel

2014-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the scheduling capability of APGEN (Activity Plan Generator), a multi-mission planning application that is part of the NASA AMMOS (Advanced Multi- Mission Operations System), and how APGEN scheduling evolved over its applications to specific Space Missions. Our analysis identifies two major reasons for the successful application of APGEN scheduling to real problems: an expressive DSL (Domain-Specific Language) for formulating scheduling algorithms, and a well-defined process for enlisting the help of auxiliary modeling tools in providing high-fidelity, system-level simulations of the combined spacecraft and ground support system.

Automated Planning and Scheduling for Planetary Rover Distributed Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Backes, Paul G.; Rabideau, Gregg; Tso, Kam S.; Chien, Steve

1999-01-01

Automated planning and Scheduling, including automated path planning, has been integrated with an Internet-based distributed operations system for planetary rover operations. The resulting prototype system enables faster generation of valid rover command sequences by a distributed planetary rover operations team. The Web Interface for Telescience (WITS) provides Internet-based distributed collaboration, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN) provides automated planning and scheduling, and an automated path planner provided path planning. The system was demonstrated on the Rocky 7 research rover at JPL.

The Impact of Block Scheduling on Various Indicators of School Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Joe D.

This project focused on the collection and analysis of longitudinal student data generated by six high schools from a large urban school system in the Midwest. Two of the schools recently converted to a 4 X 4 scheduling structure, while 3 additional schools have used a block-8 scheduling structure for a number of years. One school maintains a…

Variable-Domain Displacement Transfer Functions for Converting Surface Strains into Deflections for Structural Deformed Shape Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Fleischer, Van Tran

2015-01-01

Variable-Domain Displacement Transfer Functions were formulated for shape predictions of complex wing structures, for which surface strain-sensing stations must be properly distributed to avoid jointed junctures, and must be increased in the high strain gradient region. Each embedded beam (depth-wise cross section of structure along a surface strain-sensing line) was discretized into small variable domains. Thus, the surface strain distribution can be described with a piecewise linear or a piecewise nonlinear function. Through discretization, the embedded beam curvature equation can be piece-wisely integrated to obtain the Variable-Domain Displacement Transfer Functions (for each embedded beam), which are expressed in terms of geometrical parameters of the embedded beam and the surface strains along the strain-sensing line. By inputting the surface strain data into the Displacement Transfer Functions, slopes and deflections along each embedded beam can be calculated for mapping out overall structural deformed shapes. A long tapered cantilever tubular beam was chosen for shape prediction analysis. The input surface strains were analytically generated from finite-element analysis. The shape prediction accuracies of the Variable- Domain Displacement Transfer Functions were then determined in light of the finite-element generated slopes and deflections, and were fofound to be comparable to the accuracies of the constant-domain Displacement Transfer Functions

A Genetic Algorithm for Flow Shop Scheduling with Assembly Operations to Minimize Makespan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhongade, A. S.; Khodke, P. M.

2014-04-01

Manufacturing systems, in which, several parts are processed through machining workstations and later assembled to form final products, is common. Though scheduling of such problems are solved using heuristics, available solution approaches can provide solution for only moderate sized problems due to large computation time required. In this work, scheduling approach is developed for such flow-shop manufacturing system having machining workstations followed by assembly workstations. The initial schedule is generated using Disjunctive method and genetic algorithm (GA) is applied further for generating schedule for large sized problems. GA is found to give near optimal solution based on the deviation of makespan from lower bound. The lower bound of makespan of such problem is estimated and percent deviation of makespan from lower bounds is used as a performance measure to evaluate the schedules. Computational experiments are conducted on problems developed using fractional factorial orthogonal array, varying the number of parts per product, number of products, and number of workstations (ranging upto 1,520 number of operations). A statistical analysis indicated the significance of all the three factors considered. It is concluded that GA method can obtain optimal makespan.

Goal programming for cyclical auxiliary police scheduling at UiTM Cawangan Perlis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustapar, Wasilatul Effah; Nasir, Diana Sirmayunie Mohd; Nor, Nor Azriani Mohamad; Abas, Sharifah Fhahriyah Syed

2017-11-01

Constructing a good and fair schedule for shift workers poses a great challenge as it requires a lot of time and effort. In this study, goal programming has been applied on scheduling to achieve the hard and soft constraints for a cyclical schedule that would ease the head of auxiliary police at building new schedules. To accomplish this goal, shift types were assigned in order to provide a fair schedule that takes into account the auxiliary police's policies and preferences. The model was run using Lingo software. Three out of four goals set for the study were achieved. In addition, the results considered an equal allocation for every auxiliary police, namely 70% for total duty and 30% for the day. Furthermore, the schedule was able to cyclically generate another 10 sets schedule. More importantly, the model has provided unbiased scheduling of auxiliary policies which led to high satisfaction in auxiliary police management.

The comparison of predictive scheduling algorithms for different sizes of job shop scheduling problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paprocka, I.; Kempa, W. M.; Grabowik, C.; Kalinowski, K.; Krenczyk, D.

2016-08-01

In the paper a survey of predictive and reactive scheduling methods is done in order to evaluate how the ability of prediction of reliability characteristics influences over robustness criteria. The most important reliability characteristics are: Mean Time to Failure, Mean Time of Repair. Survey analysis is done for a job shop scheduling problem. The paper answers the question: what method generates robust schedules in the case of a bottleneck failure occurrence before, at the beginning of planned maintenance actions or after planned maintenance actions? Efficiency of predictive schedules is evaluated using criteria: makespan, total tardiness, flow time, idle time. Efficiency of reactive schedules is evaluated using: solution robustness criterion and quality robustness criterion. This paper is the continuation of the research conducted in the paper [1], where the survey of predictive and reactive scheduling methods is done only for small size scheduling problems.

Embedded system based on PWM control of hydrogen generator with SEPIC converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fall, Cheikh; Setiawan, Eko; Habibi, Muhammad Afnan; Hodaka, Ichijo

2017-09-01

The objective of this paper is to design and to produce a micro electrical plant system based on fuel cell for teaching material-embedded systems in technical vocational training center. Based on this, the student can experience generating hydrogen by fuel cells, controlling the rate of hydrogen generation by the duty ration of single-ended primary-inductor converter(SEPIC), drawing the curve rate of hydrogen to duty ratio, generating electrical power by using hydrogen, and calculating the fuel cell efficiency when it is used as electrical energy generator. This project is of great importance insofar as students will need to acquire several skills to be able to realize it such as continuous DC DC conversion and the scientific concept behind the converter, the regulation of systems with integral proportional controllers, the installation of photovoltaic cells, the use of high-tech sensors, microcontroller programming, object-oriented programming, mastery of the fuel cell syste

The application of connectionism to query planning/scheduling in intelligent user interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Short, Nicholas, Jr.; Shastri, Lokendra

1990-01-01

In the mid nineties, the Earth Observing System (EOS) will generate an estimated 10 terabytes of data per day. This enormous amount of data will require the use of sophisticated technologies from real time distributed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data management. Without regard to the overall problems in distributed AI, efficient models were developed for doing query planning and/or scheduling in intelligent user interfaces that reside in a network environment. Before intelligent query/planning can be done, a model for real time AI planning and/or scheduling must be developed. As Connectionist Models (CM) have shown promise in increasing run times, a connectionist approach to AI planning and/or scheduling is proposed. The solution involves merging a CM rule based system to a general spreading activation model for the generation and selection of plans. The system was implemented in the Rochester Connectionist Simulator and runs on a Sun 3/260.

Maintaining consistency between planning hierarchies: Techniques and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoch, David R.

1987-01-01

In many planning and scheduling environments, it is desirable to be able to view and manipulate plans at different levels of abstraction, allowing the users the option of viewing and manipulating either a very detailed representation of the plan or a high-level more abstract version of the plan. Generating a detailed plan from a more abstract plan requires domain-specific planning/scheduling knowledge; the reverse process of generating a high-level plan from a detailed plan Reverse Plan Maintenance, or RPM) requires having the system remember the actions it took based on its domain-specific knowledge and its reasons for taking those actions. This reverse plan maintenance process is described as implemented in a specific planning and scheduling tool, The Mission Operations Planning Assistant (MOPA), as well as the applications of RPM to other planning and scheduling problems; emphasizing the knowledge that is needed to maintain the correspondence between the different hierarchical planning levels.

Impact of Feed Delivery Pattern on Aerial Particulate Matter and Behavior of Feedlot Cattle †

PubMed Central

Mitloehner, Frank M.; Dailey, Jeff W.; Morrow, Julie L.; McGlone, John J.

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Fine particulate matter (with less than 2.5 microns diameter; aka PM2.5) are a human and animal health concern because they can carry microbes and chemicals into the lungs. Particulate matter (PM) in general emitted from cattle feedlots can reach high concentrations. When feedlot cattle were given an altered feeding schedule (ALT) that more closely reflected their biological feeding times compared with conventional morning feeding (CON), PM2.5 generation at peak times was substantially lowered. Average daily generation of PM2.5 was decreased by 37% when cattle behavior was redirected away from PM-generating behaviors and toward evening feeding behaviors. Behavioral problems such as agonistic (i.e., aggressive) and bulling (i.e., mounting each other) behaviors also were reduced several fold among ALT compared with CON cattle. Intake of feed was less and daily body weight gain tended to be less with the altered feeding schedule while efficiency of feed utilization was not affected. Although ALT may pose a challenge in feed delivery and labor scheduling, cattle had fewer behavioral problems and reduced PM2.5 generation when feed delivery times matched with the natural drive to eat in a crepuscular pattern. Abstract Fine particulate matter with less than 2.5 microns diameter (PM2.5) generated by cattle in feedlots is an environmental pollutant and a potential human and animal health issue. The objective of this study was to determine if a feeding schedule affects cattle behaviors that promote PM2.5 in a commercial feedlot. The study used 2813 crossbred steers housed in 14 adjacent pens at a large-scale commercial West Texas feedlot. Treatments were conventional feeding at 0700, 1000, and 1200 (CON) or feeding at 0700, 1000, and 1830 (ALT), the latter feeding time coincided with dusk. A mobile behavior lab was used to quantify behaviors of steers that were associated with generation of PM2.5 (e.g., fighting, mounting of peers, and increased locomotion). PM2.5 samplers measured respirable particles with a mass median diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) every 15 min over a period of 7 d in April and May. Simultaneously, the ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, air pressure, and solar radiation were measured with a weather station. Elevated downwind PM2.5 concentrations were measured at dusk, when cattle that were fed according to the ALT vs. the CON feeding schedule, demonstrated less PM2.5-generating behaviors (p < 0.05). At dusk, steers on ALT vs. CON feeding schedules ate or were waiting to eat (standing in second row behind feeding cattle) at much greater rates (p < 0.05). Upwind PM2.5 concentrations were similar between the treatments. Downwind PM2.5 concentrations averaged over 24 h were lower from ALT compared with CON pens (0.072 vs. 0.115 mg/m3, p < 0.01). However, dry matter intake (DMI) was less (p < 0.05), and average daily gain (ADG) tended to be less (p < 0.1) in cattle that were fed according to the ALT vs. the CON feeding schedules, whereas feed efficiency (aka gain to feed, G:F) was not affected. Although ALT feeding may pose a challenge in feed delivery and labor scheduling, cattle exhibited fewer PM2.5-generating behaviors and reduced generation of PM2.5 when feed delivery times matched the natural desires of cattle to eat in a crepuscular pattern. PMID:28257061

Exploiting loop level parallelism in nonprocedural dataflow programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gokhale, Maya B.

1987-01-01

Discussed are how loop level parallelism is detected in a nonprocedural dataflow program, and how a procedural program with concurrent loops is scheduled. Also discussed is a program restructuring technique which may be applied to recursive equations so that concurrent loops may be generated for a seemingly iterative computation. A compiler which generates C code for the language described below has been implemented. The scheduling component of the compiler and the restructuring transformation are described.

Improved Weather Forecasting for the Dynamic Scheduling System of the Green Bank Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henry, Kari; Maddalena, Ronald

2018-01-01

The Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) uses a software system that dynamically schedules observations based on models of vertical weather forecasts produced by the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS provides hourly forecasted values for ~60 layers that extend into the stratosphere over the observatory. We use models, recommended by the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunications Union, to derive the absorption coefficient in each layer for each hour in the NWS forecasts and for all frequencies over which the GBT has receivers, 0.1 to 115 GHz. We apply radiative transfer models to derive the opacity and the atmospheric contributions to the system temperature, thereby deriving forecasts applicable to scheduling radio observations for up to 10 days into the future. Additionally, the algorithms embedded in the data processing pipeline use historical values of the forecasted opacity to calibrate observations. Until recently, we have concentrated on predictions for high frequency (> 15 GHz) observing, as these need to be scheduled carefully around bad weather. We have been using simple models for the contribution of rain and clouds since we only schedule low-frequency observations under these conditions. In this project, we wanted to improve the scheduling of the GBT and data calibration at low frequencies by deriving better algorithms for clouds and rain. To address the limitation at low frequency, the observatory acquired a Radiometrics Corporation MP-1500A radiometer, which operates in 27 channels between 22 and 30 GHz. By comparing 16 months of measurements from the radiometer against forecasted system temperatures, we have confirmed that forecasted system temperatures are indistinguishable from those measured under good weather conditions. Small miss-calibrations of the radiometer data dominate the comparison. By using recalibrated radiometer measurements, we looked at bad weather days to derive better models for forecasting the contribution of clouds to the opacity and system temperatures. We will show how these revised algorithms should help us improve both data calibration and the accuracy of scheduling low-frequency observations.

OSCAR API for Real-Time Low-Power Multicores and Its Performance on Multicores and SMP Servers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Keiji; Mase, Masayoshi; Mikami, Hiroki; Miyamoto, Takamichi; Shirako, Jun; Kasahara, Hironori

OSCAR (Optimally Scheduled Advanced Multiprocessor) API has been designed for real-time embedded low-power multicores to generate parallel programs for various multicores from different vendors by using the OSCAR parallelizing compiler. The OSCAR API has been developed by Waseda University in collaboration with Fujitsu Laboratory, Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, and Toshiba in an METI/NEDO project entitled "Multicore Technology for Realtime Consumer Electronics." By using the OSCAR API as an interface between the OSCAR compiler and backend compilers, the OSCAR compiler enables hierarchical multigrain parallel processing with memory optimization under capacity restriction for cache memory, local memory, distributed shared memory, and on-chip/off-chip shared memory; data transfer using a DMA controller; and power reduction control using DVFS (Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling), clock gating, and power gating for various embedded multicores. In addition, a parallelized program automatically generated by the OSCAR compiler with OSCAR API can be compiled by the ordinary OpenMP compilers since the OSCAR API is designed on a subset of the OpenMP. This paper describes the OSCAR API and its compatibility with the OSCAR compiler by showing code examples. Performance evaluations of the OSCAR compiler and the OSCAR API are carried out using an IBM Power5+ workstation, an IBM Power6 high-end SMP server, and a newly developed consumer electronics multicore chip RP2 by Renesas, Hitachi and Waseda. From the results of scalability evaluation, it is found that on an average, the OSCAR compiler with the OSCAR API can exploit 5.8 times speedup over the sequential execution on the Power5+ workstation with eight cores and 2.9 times speedup on RP2 with four cores, respectively. In addition, the OSCAR compiler can accelerate an IBM XL Fortran compiler up to 3.3 times on the Power6 SMP server. Due to low-power optimization on RP2, the OSCAR compiler with the OSCAR API achieves a maximum power reduction of 84% in the real-time execution mode.

Generation of high-order Hermite-Gaussian modes in end-pumped solid-state lasers for square vortex array laser beam generation.

PubMed

Chu, Shu-Chun; Chen, Yun-Ting; Tsai, Ko-Fan; Otsuka, Kenju

2012-03-26

This study reports the first systematic approach to the excitation of all high-order Hermite-Gaussian modes (HGMs) in end-pumped solid-state lasers. This study uses a metal-wire-inserted laser resonator accompanied with the "off axis pumping" approach. This study presents numerical analysis of the excitation of HGMs in end-pumped solid-state lasers and experimentally generated HGM patterns. This study also experimentally demonstrates the generation of an square vortex array laser beams by passing specific high-order HGMs (HGn,n + 1 or HGn + 1,n modes) through a Dove prism-embedded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer [Optics Express 16, 19934-19949]. The resulting square vortex array laser beams with embedded vortexes aligned in a square array can be applied to multi-spot dark optical traps in the future.

Embedded Advertising on Television: Classic Legal Environment and Business Law Content "Brought to You by ..."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cain, Rita Marie

2010-01-01

Students are familiar with some or all depictions of branded products in popular television shows. But they probably have no idea the number of legal and public policy issues these product appearances are generating. This article explains how embedded advertising in television shows can be the attention-grabbing vehicle for teaching numerous…

Embedded "wh"-Questions in L2 English in India: Inversion as a Main Clause Phenomenon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stringer, David

2015-01-01

This corpus study brings a second language (L2) research perspective, insights from generative grammar, and new empirical evidence to bear on a long-accepted claim in the World Englishes literature--namely, that inversion with "wh"-movement in colloquial Indian English is obligatory in embedded clauses and impossible in main clauses. It…

Departure Queue Prediction for Strategic and Tactical Surface Scheduler Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zelinski, Shannon; Windhorst, Robert

2016-01-01

A departure metering concept to be demonstrated at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) will integrate strategic and tactical surface scheduling components to enable the respective collaborative decision making and improved efficiency benefits these two methods of scheduling provide. This study analyzes the effect of tactical scheduling on strategic scheduler predictability. Strategic queue predictions and target gate pushback times to achieve a desired queue length are compared between fast time simulations of CLT surface operations with and without tactical scheduling. The use of variable departure rates as a strategic scheduler input was shown to substantially improve queue predictions over static departure rates. With target queue length calibration, the strategic scheduler can be tuned to produce average delays within one minute of the tactical scheduler. However, root mean square differences between strategic and tactical delays were between 12 and 15 minutes due to the different methods the strategic and tactical schedulers use to predict takeoff times and generate gate pushback clearances. This demonstrates how difficult it is for the strategic scheduler to predict tactical scheduler assigned gate delays on an individual flight basis as the tactical scheduler adjusts departure sequence to accommodate arrival interactions. Strategic/tactical scheduler compatibility may be improved by providing more arrival information to the strategic scheduler and stabilizing tactical scheduler changes to runway sequence in response to arrivals.

Spatial network surrogates for disentangling complex system structure from spatial embedding of nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiedermann, Marc; Donges, Jonathan F.; Kurths, Jürgen; Donner, Reik V.

2016-04-01

Networks with nodes embedded in a metric space have gained increasing interest in recent years. The effects of spatial embedding on the networks' structural characteristics, however, are rarely taken into account when studying their macroscopic properties. Here, we propose a hierarchy of null models to generate random surrogates from a given spatially embedded network that can preserve certain global and local statistics associated with the nodes' embedding in a metric space. Comparing the original network's and the resulting surrogates' global characteristics allows one to quantify to what extent these characteristics are already predetermined by the spatial embedding of the nodes and links. We apply our framework to various real-world spatial networks and show that the proposed models capture macroscopic properties of the networks under study much better than standard random network models that do not account for the nodes' spatial embedding. Depending on the actual performance of the proposed null models, the networks are categorized into different classes. Since many real-world complex networks are in fact spatial networks, the proposed approach is relevant for disentangling the underlying complex system structure from spatial embedding of nodes in many fields, ranging from social systems over infrastructure and neurophysiology to climatology.

Adapting Word Embeddings from Multiple Domains to Symptom Recognition from Psychiatric Notes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yaoyun; Li, Hee-Jin; Wang, Jingqi; Cohen, Trevor; Roberts, Kirk; Xu, Hua

2018-01-01

Mental health is increasingly recognized an important topic in healthcare. Information concerning psychiatric symptoms is critical for the timely diagnosis of mental disorders, as well as for the personalization of interventions. However, the diversity and sparsity of psychiatric symptoms make it challenging for conventional natural language processing techniques to automatically extract such information from clinical text. To address this problem, this study takes the initiative to use and adapt word embeddings from four source domains – intensive care, biomedical literature, Wikipedia and Psychiatric Forum – to recognize symptoms in the target domain of psychiatry. We investigated four different approaches including 1) only using word embeddings of the source domain, 2) directly combining data of the source and target to generate word embeddings, 3) assigning different weights to word embeddings, and 4) retraining the word embedding model of the source domain using a corpus of the target domain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work of adapting multiple word embeddings of external domains to improve psychiatric symptom recognition in clinical text. Experimental results showed that the last two approaches outperformed the baseline methods, indicating the effectiveness of our new strategies to leverage embeddings from other domains. PMID:29888086

Resistance is Futile: STScI's Science Planning and Scheduling Team Switches From VMS to Unix Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, D. S.

2000-12-01

The Science Planning and Scheduling Team (SPST) of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) has historically operated exclusively under VMS. Due to diminished support for VMS-based platforms at STScI, SPST is in the process of transitioning to Unix operations. In the summer of 1999, SPST selected Python as the primary scripting language for the operational tools and began translation of the VMS DCL code. As of October 2000, SPST has installed a utility library of 16 modules consisting of 8000 lines of code and 80 Python tools consisting of 13000 lines of code. All tasks related to calendar generation have been switched to Unix operations. Current work focuses on translating the tools used to generate the Science Mission Specifications (SMS). The software required to generate the Mission Schedule and Command Loads (PASS), maintained by another team at STScI, will take longer to translate than the rest of the SPST operational code. SPST is planning on creating tools to access PASS from Unix in the short term. We are on schedule to complete the work needed to fully transition SPST to Unix operations (while remotely accessing PASS on VMS) by the fall of 2001.

Robust optimisation-based microgrid scheduling with islanding constraints

DOE PAGES

Liu, Guodong; Starke, Michael; Xiao, Bailu; ...

2017-02-17

This paper proposes a robust optimization based optimal scheduling model for microgrid operation considering constraints of islanding capability. Our objective is to minimize the total operation cost, including generation cost and spinning reserve cost of local resources as well as purchasing cost of energy from the main grid. In order to ensure the resiliency of a microgrid and improve the reliability of the local electricity supply, the microgrid is required to maintain enough spinning reserve (both up and down) to meet local demand and accommodate local renewable generation when the supply of power from the main grid is interrupted suddenly,more » i.e., microgrid transitions from grid-connected into islanded mode. Prevailing operational uncertainties in renewable energy resources and load are considered and captured using a robust optimization method. With proper robust level, the solution of the proposed scheduling model ensures successful islanding of the microgrid with minimum load curtailment and guarantees robustness against all possible realizations of the modeled operational uncertainties. Numerical simulations on a microgrid consisting of a wind turbine, a PV panel, a fuel cell, a micro-turbine, a diesel generator and a battery demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling model.« less

Automatic scheduling of outages of nuclear power plants with time windows. Final report, January-December 1995

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

Gomes, C.

This report describes a successful project for transference of advanced AI technology into the domain of planning of outages of nuclear power plants as part of DOD`s dual-use program. ROMAN (Rome Lab Outage Manager) is the prototype system that was developed as a result of this project. ROMAN`s main innovation compared to the current state-of-the-art of outage management tools is its capability to automatically enforce safety constraints during the planning and scheduling phase. Another innovative aspect of ROMAN is the generation of more robust schedules that are feasible over time windows. In other words, ROMAN generates a family of schedulesmore » by assigning time intervals as start times to activities rather than single start times, without affecting the overall duration of the project. ROMAN uses a constraint satisfaction paradigm combining a global search tactic with constraint propagation. The derivation of very specialized representations for the constraints to perform efficient propagation is a key aspect for the generation of very fast schedules - constraints are compiled into the code, which is a novel aspect of our work using an automatic programming system, KIDS.« less

Charge scheduling of an energy storage system under time-of-use pricing and a demand charge.

PubMed

Yoon, Yourim; Kim, Yong-Hyuk

2014-01-01

A real-coded genetic algorithm is used to schedule the charging of an energy storage system (ESS), operated in tandem with renewable power by an electricity consumer who is subject to time-of-use pricing and a demand charge. Simulations based on load and generation profiles of typical residential customers show that an ESS scheduled by our algorithm can reduce electricity costs by approximately 17%, compared to a system without an ESS and by 8% compared to a scheduling algorithm based on net power.

Charge Scheduling of an Energy Storage System under Time-of-Use Pricing and a Demand Charge

PubMed Central

Yoon, Yourim

2014-01-01

A real-coded genetic algorithm is used to schedule the charging of an energy storage system (ESS), operated in tandem with renewable power by an electricity consumer who is subject to time-of-use pricing and a demand charge. Simulations based on load and generation profiles of typical residential customers show that an ESS scheduled by our algorithm can reduce electricity costs by approximately 17%, compared to a system without an ESS and by 8% compared to a scheduling algorithm based on net power. PMID:25197720

Chief of Naval Air Training Automated Management Information System (CAMIS). User’s Guide.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

display. This display allows the user to insert, update, delete , or analyze various data elements, or generate reports. The Flight Schedule Input...instructor, student, and aircraft utiliza- tion. Additionally, it provides a means to delete any erroneous sortie information previously entered. 5...appear: 10 Technical Report 121 VT-## FLIGHT SCHEDULE PROGRAM 1. ADD NEW FLIGHT SCHEDULE DATA 2. DELETE ERRONEOUS SORTIES PREVIOUSLY ENTERED KEY IN

Human factors issues in the design of user interfaces for planning and scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Elizabeth D.

1991-01-01

The purpose is to provide and overview of human factors issues that impact the effectiveness of user interfaces to automated scheduling tools. The following methods are employed: (1) a survey of planning and scheduling tools; (2) the identification and analysis of human factors issues; (3) the development of design guidelines based on human factors literature; and (4) the generation of display concepts to illustrate guidelines.

Optimal Scheduling of Time-Shiftable Electric Loads in Expeditionary Power Grids

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS OPTIMAL SCHEDULING OF TIME-SHIFTABLE ELECTRIC LOADS IN EXPEDITIONARY POWER GRIDS by John G...to 09-25-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE OPTIMAL SCHEDULING OF TIME-SHIFTABLE ELECTRIC LOADS IN EXPEDI- TIONARY POWER GRIDS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S...eliminate unmanaged peak demand, reduce generator peak-to-average power ratios, and facilitate a persistent shift to higher fuel efficiency. Using

Availability Based Tariff and its impact On different Industry Players-A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmukhe, R. M.; Pawar, Yogini; Desai, R. S.; Hasarmani, T. S.

2010-10-01

ABT is a performance-based tariff for the supply of electricity by generators owned and controlled by the central government. It is also a new system of scheduling and dispatch, which requires both generators and beneficiaries to commit to day-ahead schedules. It is a system of rewards and penalties seeking to enforce day ahead pre-committed schedules, though variations are permitted if notified One and one half hours in advance. The order emphasizes prompt payment of dues. ABT (Availability Based Tariff) along with the Electricity Act of 2003 is perhaps the most significant and definitive step taken in the Indian power sector so far to bring more efficiency and focus to this vital infrastructure. The ABT mechanism is based on financial principles. ABT scheme is for unscheduled interchange of power. The paper reviews ABT issues, its components, clauses, mechanism, benefits and the impact of grid on different players like generation utilities, grid operator, consumers involved in power generation, transmission and distribution. While the proposed tariff structure has wide implications for each player, this deals exclusively with the technology challenges/opportunities thrown up by ABT.

Generating High-Resolution Lake Bathymetry over Lake Mead using the ICESat-2 Airborne Simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Gao, H.; Jasinski, M. F.; Zhang, S.; Stoll, J.

2017-12-01

Precise lake bathymetry (i.e., elevation/contour) mapping is essential for optimal decision making in water resources management. Although the advancement of remote sensing has made it possible to monitor global reservoirs from space, most of the existing studies focus on estimating the elevation, area, and storage of reservoirs—and not on estimating the bathymetry. This limitation is attributed to the low spatial resolution of satellite altimeters. With the significant enhancement of ICESat-2—the Ice, Cloud & Land Elevation Satellite #2, which is scheduled to launch in 2018—producing satellite-based bathymetry becomes feasible. Here we present a pilot study for deriving the bathymetry of Lake Mead by combining Landsat area estimations with airborne elevation data using the prototype of ICESat-2—the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). First, an ISODATA classifier was adopted to extract the lake area from Landsat images during the period from 1982 to 2017. Then the lake area classifications were paired with MABEL elevations to establish an Area-Elevation (AE) relationship, which in turn was applied to the classification contour map to obtain the bathymetry. Finally, the Lake Mead bathymetry image was embedded onto the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), to replace the existing constant values. Validation against sediment survey data indicates that the bathymetry derived from this study is reliable. This algorithm has the potential for generating global lake bathymetry when ICESat-2 data become available after next year's launch.

A comprehensive approach to reactive power scheduling in restructured power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Meera

Financial constraints, regulatory pressure, and need for more economical power transfers have increased the loading of interconnected transmission systems. As a consequence, power systems have been operated close to their maximum power transfer capability limits, making the system more vulnerable to voltage instability events. The problem of voltage collapse characterized by a severe local voltage depression is generally believed to be associated with inadequate VAr support at key buses. The goal of reactive power planning is to maintain a high level of voltage security, through installation of properly sized and located reactive sources and their optimal scheduling. In case of vertically-operated power systems, the reactive requirement of the system is normally satisfied by using all of its reactive sources. But in case of different scenarios of restructured power systems, one may consider a fixed amount of exchange of reactive power through tie lines. Reviewed literature suggests a need for optimal scheduling of reactive power generation for fixed inter area reactive power exchange. The present work proposed a novel approach for reactive power source placement and a novel approach for its scheduling. The VAr source placement technique was based on the property of system connectivity. This is followed by development of optimal reactive power dispatch formulation which facilitated fixed inter area tie line reactive power exchange. This formulation used a Line Flow-Based (LFB) model of power flow analysis. The formulation determined the generation schedule for fixed inter area tie line reactive power exchange. Different operating scenarios were studied to analyze the impact of VAr management approach for vertically operated and restructured power systems. The system loadability, losses, generation and the cost of generation were the performance measures to study the impact of VAr management strategy. The novel approach was demonstrated on IEEE 30 bus system.

An Optimizing Space Data-Communications Scheduling Method and Algorithm with Interference Mitigation, Generalized for a Broad Class of Optimization Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James

2014-01-01

NASA's space data-communications infrastructure-the Space Network and the Ground Network-provide scheduled (as well as some limited types of unscheduled) data-communications services to user spacecraft. The Space Network operates several orbiting geostationary platforms (the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)), each with its own servicedelivery antennas onboard. The Ground Network operates service-delivery antennas at ground stations located around the world. Together, these networks enable data transfer between user spacecraft and their mission control centers on Earth. Scheduling data-communications events for spacecraft that use the NASA communications infrastructure-the relay satellites and the ground stations-can be accomplished today with software having an operational heritage dating from the 1980s or earlier. An implementation of the scheduling methods and algorithms disclosed and formally specified herein will produce globally optimized schedules with not only optimized service delivery by the space data-communications infrastructure but also optimized satisfaction of all user requirements and prescribed constraints, including radio frequency interference (RFI) constraints. Evolutionary algorithms, a class of probabilistic strategies for searching large solution spaces, is the essential technology invoked and exploited in this disclosure. Also disclosed are secondary methods and algorithms for optimizing the execution efficiency of the schedule-generation algorithms themselves. The scheduling methods and algorithms as presented are adaptable to accommodate the complexity of scheduling the civilian and/or military data-communications infrastructure within the expected range of future users and space- or ground-based service-delivery assets. Finally, the problem itself, and the methods and algorithms, are generalized and specified formally. The generalized methods and algorithms are applicable to a very broad class of combinatorial-optimization problems that encompasses, among many others, the problem of generating optimal space-data communications schedules.

Spec2Harv: Converting Spectrum output to HARVEST input

Treesearch

Eric J. Gustafson; Luke V. Rasmussen; Larry A. Leefers

2003-01-01

Spec2Harv was developed to automate the conversion of harvest schedules generated by the Spectrum model into script files that can be used by the HARVEST simulation model to simulate the implementation of the Spectrum schedules in a spatially explicit way.

Parametric embedding for class visualization.

PubMed

Iwata, Tomoharu; Saito, Kazumi; Ueda, Naonori; Stromsten, Sean; Griffiths, Thomas L; Tenenbaum, Joshua B

2007-09-01

We propose a new method, parametric embedding (PE), that embeds objects with the class structure into a low-dimensional visualization space. PE takes as input a set of class conditional probabilities for given data points and tries to preserve the structure in an embedding space by minimizing a sum of Kullback-Leibler divergences, under the assumption that samples are generated by a gaussian mixture with equal covariances in the embedding space. PE has many potential uses depending on the source of the input data, providing insight into the classifier's behavior in supervised, semisupervised, and unsupervised settings. The PE algorithm has a computational advantage over conventional embedding methods based on pairwise object relations since its complexity scales with the product of the number of objects and the number of classes. We demonstrate PE by visualizing supervised categorization of Web pages, semisupervised categorization of digits, and the relations of words and latent topics found by an unsupervised algorithm, latent Dirichlet allocation.

Nested Interrupt Analysis of Low Cost and High Performance Embedded Systems Using GSPN Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Cheng-Min

Interrupt service routines are a key technology for embedded systems. In this paper, we introduce the standard approach for using Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets (GSPNs) as a high-level model for generating CTMC Continuous-Time Markov Chains (CTMCs) and then use Markov Reward Models (MRMs) to compute the performance for embedded systems. This framework is employed to analyze two embedded controllers with low cost and high performance, ARM7 and Cortex-M3. Cortex-M3 is designed with a tail-chaining mechanism to improve the performance of ARM7 when a nested interrupt occurs on an embedded controller. The Platform Independent Petri net Editor 2 (PIPE2) tool is used to model and evaluate the controllers in terms of power consumption and interrupt overhead performance. Using numerical results, in spite of the power consumption or interrupt overhead, Cortex-M3 performs better than ARM7.

Planet-disc interaction in laminar and turbulent discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoll, Moritz H. R.; Picogna, Giovanni; Kley, Wilhelm

2017-07-01

In weakly ionised discs turbulence can be generated through the vertical shear instability (VSI). Embedded planets are affected by a stochastic component in the torques acting on them, which can impact their migration. In this work we study the interplay between a growing planet embedded in a protoplanetary disc and the VSI turbulence. We performed a series of 3D hydrodynamical simulations for locally isothermal discs with embedded planets in the mass range from 5 to 100 Earth masses. We study planets embedded in an inviscid disc that is VSI unstable, becomes turbulent, and generates angular momentum transport with an effective α = 5 × 10-4. This is compared to the corresponding viscous disc using exactly this α-value. In general we find that the planets have only a weak impact on the disc turbulence. Only for the largest planet (100 M⊕) does the turbulent activity become enhanced inside of the planet. The depth and width of a gap created by the more massive planets (30,100 M⊕) in the turbulent disc equal exactly that of the corresponding viscous case, leading to very similar torque strengths acting on the planet, with small stochastic fluctuations for the VSI disc. At the gap edges vortices are generated that are stronger and longer-lived in the VSI disc. Low mass planets (with Mp ≤ 10 M⊕) do not open gaps in the disc in either case, but generate for the turbulent disc an overdensity behind the planet that exerts a significant negative torque. This can boost the inward migration in VSI turbulent discs well above the Type I rate. Owing to the finite turbulence level in realistic 3D discs the gap depth will always be limited and migration will not stall in inviscid discs.

A Photo Album of Earth Scheduling Landsat 7 Mission Daily Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, William; Gasch, John; Bauer, Cynthia

1998-01-01

Landsat7 is a member of a new generation of Earth observation satellites. Landsat7 will carry on the mission of the aging Landsat 5 spacecraft by acquiring high resolution, multi-spectral images of the Earth surface for strategic, environmental, commercial, agricultural and civil analysis and research. One of the primary mission goals of Landsat7 is to accumulate and seasonally refresh an archive of global images with full coverage of Earth's landmass, less the central portion of Antarctica. This archive will enable further research into seasonal, annual and long-range trending analysis in such diverse research areas as crop yields, deforestation, population growth, and pollution control, to name just a few. A secondary goal of Landsat7 is to fulfill imaging requests from our international partners in the mission. Landsat7 will transmit raw image data from the spacecraft to 25 ground stations in 20 subscribing countries. Whereas earlier Landsat missions were scheduled manually (as are the majority of current low-orbit satellite missions), the task of manually planning and scheduling Landsat7 mission activities would be overwhelmingly complex when considering the large volume of image requests, the limited resources available, spacecraft instrument limitations, and the limited ground image processing capacity, not to mention avoidance of foul weather systems. The Landsat7 Mission Operation Center (MOC) includes an image scheduler subsystem that is designed to automate the majority of mission planning and scheduling, including selection of the images to be acquired, managing the recording and playback of the images by the spacecraft, scheduling ground station contacts for downlink of images, and generating the spacecraft commands for controlling the imager, recorder, transmitters and antennas. The image scheduler subsystem autonomously generates 90% of the spacecraft commanding with minimal manual intervention. The image scheduler produces a conflict-free schedule for acquiring images of the "best" 250 scenes daily for refreshing the global archive. It then equitably distributes the remaining resources for acquiring up to 430 scenes to satisfy requests by international subscribers. The image scheduler selects candidate scenes based on priority and age of the requests, and predicted cloud cover and sun angle at each scene. It also selects these scenes to avoid instrument constraint violations and maximizes efficiency of resource usage by encouraging acquisition of scenes in clusters. Of particular interest to the mission planners, it produces the resulting schedule in a reasonable time, typically within 15 minutes.

Experience with 3-D composite grids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benek, J. A.; Donegan, T. L.; Suhs, N. E.

1987-01-01

Experience with the three-dimensional (3-D), chimera grid embedding scheme is described. Applications of the inviscid version to a multiple-body configuration, a wind/body/tail configuration, and an estimate of wind tunnel wall interference are described. Applications to viscous flows include a 3-D cavity and another multi-body configuration. A variety of grid generators is used, and several embedding strategies are described.

Scheduling lessons learned from the Autonomous Power System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.

1992-01-01

The Autonomous Power System (APS) project at NASA LeRC is designed to demonstrate the applications of integrated intelligent diagnosis, control, and scheduling techniques to space power distribution systems. The project consists of three elements: the Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) for Fault Diagnosis, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR); the Autonomous Intelligent Power Scheduler (AIPS) to efficiently assign activities start times and resources; and power hardware (Brassboard) to emulate a space-based power system. The AIPS scheduler was tested within the APS system. This scheduler is able to efficiently assign available power to the requesting activities and share this information with other software agents within the APS system in order to implement the generated schedule. The AIPS scheduler is also able to cooperatively recover from fault situations by rescheduling the affected loads on the Brassboard in conjunction with the APEX FDIR system. AIPS served as a learning tool and an initial scheduling testbed for the integration of FDIR and automated scheduling systems. Many lessons were learned from the AIPS scheduler and are now being integrated into a new scheduler called SCRAP (Scheduler for Continuous Resource Allocation and Planning). This paper will service three purposes: an overview of the AIPS implementation, lessons learned from the AIPS scheduler, and a brief section on how these lessons are being applied to the new SCRAP scheduler.

Efficient second harmonic generation by para-nitroaniline embedded in electro-spun polymeric nanofibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, Hugo; Saavedra, Inês; Ferreira, Rute AS; Lopes, PE; de Matos Gomes, Etelvina; Belsley, Michael

2018-03-01

Intense well polarized second harmonic light was generated by poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibres with embedded para-nitroaniline nanocrystals. Subwavelength diameter fibres were electro-spun using a 1:2 weight ratio of chromophore to polymer. Analysis of the generated second harmonic light indicates that the para-nitroaniline molecules, which nominally crystalize in the centrosymmetric space group, were organized into noncentrosymmetric structures leading to a second order susceptibility dominated by a single tensor element. Under the best deposition conditions, the nanofibrers display an effective nonlinear optical susceptibility approximately two orders of magnitude greater than that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Generalizing this approach to a broad range of organic molecules with strong individual molecular second order nonlinear responses, but which nominally form centrosymmetric organic crystals, could open a new pathway for the fabrication of efficient sub-micron sized second harmonic light generators.

Generation of vortex array laser beams with Dove prism embedded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Shu-Chun

2009-02-01

This paper introduces a scheme for generation of vortex laser beams from a solid-state laser with off-axis laser-diode pumping. The proposed system consists of a Dove prism embedded in an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. This configuration allows controlled construction of p × p vortex array beams from Ince-Gaussian modes, IGep,p modes. An incident IGe p,p laser beam of variety order p can easily be generated from an end-pumped solid-state laser with an off-axis pumping mechanism. This study simulates this type of vortex array laser beam generation and discusses beam propagation effects. The formation of ordered transverse emission patterns have applications in a variety of areas such as optical data storage, distribution, and processing that exploit the robustness of soliton and vortex fields and optical manipulations of small particles and atoms in the featured intensity distribution.

Pitch Guidance Optimization for the Orion Abort Flight Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stillwater, Ryan Allanque

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration created the Constellation program to develop the next generation of manned space vehicles and launch vehicles. The Orion abort system is initiated in the event of an unsafe condition during launch. The system has a controller gains schedule that can be tuned to reduce the attitude errors between the simulated Orion abort trajectories and the guidance trajectory. A program was created that uses the method of steepest descent to tune the pitch gains schedule by an automated procedure. The gains schedule optimization was applied to three potential abort scenarios; each scenario tested using the optimized gains schedule resulted in reduced attitude errors when compared to the Orion production gains schedule.

An assessment of PERT as a technique for schedule planning and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibbers, C. W.

1982-01-01

The PERT technique including the types of reports which can be computer generated using the NASA/LaRC PPARS System is described. An assessment is made of the effectiveness of PERT on various types of efforts as well as for specific purposes, namely, schedule planning, schedule analysis, schedule control, monitoring contractor schedule performance, and management reporting. This assessment is based primarily on the author's knowledge of the usage of PERT by NASA/LaRC personnel since the early 1960's. Both strengths and weaknesses of the technique for various applications are discussed. It is intended to serve as a reference guide for personnel performing project planning and control functions and technical personnel whose responsibilities either include schedule planning and control or require a general knowledge of the subject.

Misattributing the Source of Self-Generated Representations Related to Dissociative and Psychotic Symptoms

PubMed Central

Chiu, Chui-De; Tseng, Mei-Chih Meg; Chien, Yi-Ling; Liao, Shih-Cheng; Liu, Chih-Min; Yeh, Yei-Yu; Hwu, Hai-Gwo

2016-01-01

Objective: An intertwined relationship has been found between dissociative and psychotic symptoms, as the two symptom clusters frequently co-occur, suggesting some shared risk factors. Using a source monitoring paradigm, previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia made more errors in source monitoring, suggesting that a weakened sense of individuality may be associated with psychotic symptoms. However, no studies have verified a relationship between sense of individuality and dissociation, and it is unclear whether an altered sense of individuality is a shared sociocognitive deficit underlying both dissociation and psychosis. Method: Data from 80 acute psychiatric patients with unspecified mental disorders were analyzed to test the hypothesis that an altered sense of individuality underlies dissociation and psychosis. Behavioral tasks, including tests of intelligence and source monitoring, as well as interview schedules and self-report measures of dissociative and psychotic symptoms, general psychopathology, and trauma history, were administered. Results: Significant correlations of medium effect sizes indicated an association between errors attributing the source of self-generated items and positive psychotic symptoms and the absorption and amnesia measures of dissociation. The associations with dissociative measures remained significant after the effects of intelligence, general psychopathology, and trauma history were excluded. Moreover, the relationships between source misattribution and dissociative measures remained marginally significant and significant after controlling for positive and negative psychotic symptoms, respectively. Limitations: Self-reported measures were collected from a small sample, and most of the participants were receiving medications when tested, which may have influenced their cognitive performance. Conclusions: A tendency to misidentify the source of self-generated items characterized both dissociation and psychosis. An altered sense of individuality embedded in self-referential representations appears to be a common sociocognitive deficit of dissociation and psychosis. PMID:27148147

Transferrin-mediated targeting of hypericin embedded in sterically stabilized PEG-liposomes.

PubMed

Derycke, Annelies S L; De Witte, Peter A M

2002-01-01

Over the last few decades, photodynamic therapy evolved to a promising new treating modality for cancer. The photosensitizers used, induce light sensitivity to a normal light insensitive chemical or physical process. Third generation photosensitizers are derivatives of second generation photosensitizers introduced into or attached to chemical devices. This modification increases the biological specificity to deliver photosensitizers to a defined cell type. The aim of this study was to improve the specificity of hypericin for tumor cells using transferrin-conjugated PEG-liposomes. Transferrin was used as tumor-seeking molecule, since many tumor cells, among which HeLa cells, overexpress transferrin receptors on their surface. Hypericin, a potent second generation photosensitizer, was integrated in the lipid bilayers of the liposomes. The antiproliferative effect of the targeted PEG-liposomes was determined and compared with the results of non-targeted PEG-liposomes and free hypericin. Additionally, the intracellular accumulation assay was performed. All manipulations were done on HeLa cells. To interpret the results, the data were supplemented by findings concerning embedding stability. Targeting hypericin by transferrin-conjugated PEG-liposomes did not significantly favour the photocytotoxicity and the intracellular accumulation of hypericin, in comparison with non-targeted PEG-liposomes or free hypericin. Embedding stability experiments showed only limited stable embedding. Despite of their proven efficiency as a targeting carrier system, transferrin-conjugated PEG-liposomes seem less effective in targeting hypericin to tumor cells due to the amount of hypericin leaking out of the PEG-liposomes.

A derived heuristics based multi-objective optimization procedure for micro-grid scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin; Deb, Kalyanmoy; Fang, Yanjun

2017-06-01

With the availability of different types of power generators to be used in an electric micro-grid system, their operation scheduling as the load demand changes with time becomes an important task. Besides satisfying load balance constraints and the generator's rated power, several other practicalities, such as limited availability of grid power and restricted ramping of power output from generators, must all be considered during the operation scheduling process, which makes it difficult to decide whether the optimization results are accurate and satisfactory. In solving such complex practical problems, heuristics-based customized optimization algorithms are suggested. However, due to nonlinear and complex interactions of variables, it is difficult to come up with heuristics in such problems off-hand. In this article, a two-step strategy is proposed in which the first task deciphers important heuristics about the problem and the second task utilizes the derived heuristics to solve the original problem in a computationally fast manner. Specifically, the specific operation scheduling is considered from a two-objective (cost and emission) point of view. The first task develops basic and advanced level knowledge bases offline from a series of prior demand-wise optimization runs and then the second task utilizes them to modify optimized solutions in an application scenario. Results on island and grid connected modes and several pragmatic formulations of the micro-grid operation scheduling problem clearly indicate the merit of the proposed two-step procedure.

Project Listen Compute Show (LCS) - Marine

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-02-01

Figure 15. Block diagram of a BB-5. Notice the discrete components between the FPGA and the display connection. All of these are scheduled to be... scheduled to form the core of the next generation projection product. This architecture is expected to scale to true HDTV resolution of 1920 by 1080...flight schedule obtained from a SABRE database in order to offer on-time status. We have developed more sophisticated mechanisms for dealing with

Ultra-High Capacity Networking Enabled By Optical Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-08-01

interface that raises an interrupt regardless of what the kernel may be doing. Piglet also uses fast wakeup signals to optimise scheduling in certain...executed which switches context driectly to the now-runnable application i.e., without invoking the scheduler . Since the fast wakeup handler does not...and scheduling , the first one has been built and tested. 10 Gb/s data patterns have been generated with this board. A systems experiment has

ESSOPE: Towards S/C operations with reactive schedule planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheadon, J.

1993-01-01

The ESSOPE is a prototype front-end tool running on a Sun workstation and interfacing to ESOC's MSSS spacecraft control system for the exchange of telecommand requests (to MSSS) and telemetry reports (from MSSS). ESSOPE combines an operations Planner-Scheduler, with a Schedule Execution Control function. Using an internal 'model' of the spacecraft, the Planner generates a schedule based on utilization requests for a variety of payload services by a community of Olympus users, and incorporating certain housekeeping operations. Conflicts based on operational constraints are automatically resolved, by employing one of several available strategies. The schedule is passed to the execution function which drives MSSS to perform it. When the schedule can no longer be met, either because the operator interferes (by delays or changes of requirements), or because ESSOPE has recognized some spacecraft anomalies, the Planner produces a modified schedule maintaining the on-going procedures as far as consistent with the new constraints or requirements.

Enhancing Adoption of Irrigation Scheduling to Sustain the Viability of Fruit and Nut Crops in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulton, A.; Snyder, R.; Hillyer, C.; English, M.; Sanden, B.; Munk, D.

2012-04-01

Enhancing Adoption of Irrigation Scheduling to Sustain the Viability of Fruit and Nut Crops in California Allan Fulton, Richard Snyder, Charles Hillyer, Marshall English, Blake Sanden, and Dan Munk Adoption of scientific methods to decide when to irrigate and how much water to apply to a crop has increased over the last three decades in California. In 1988, less than 4.3 percent of US farmers employed some type of science-based technique to assist in making irrigation scheduling decisions (USDA, 1995). An ongoing survey in California, representing an industry irrigating nearly 0.4 million planted almond hectares, indicates adoption rates ranging from 38 to 55 percent of either crop evapotranspiration (ETc), soil moisture monitoring, plant water status, or some combination of these irrigation scheduling techniques to assist with making irrigation management decisions (California Almond Board, 2011). High capital investment to establish fruit and nut crops, sensitivity to over and under-irrigation on crop performance and longevity, and increasing costs and competition for water have all contributed to increased adoption of scientific irrigation scheduling methods. These trends in adoption are encouraging and more opportunities exist to develop improved irrigation scheduling tools, especially computer decision-making models. In 2009 and 2010, an "On-line Irrigation Scheduling Advisory Service" (OISO, 2012), also referred to as Online Irrigation Management (IMO), was used and evaluated in commercial walnut, almond, and French prune orchards in the northern Sacramento Valley of California. This specific model has many features described as the "Next Generation of Irrigation Schedulers" (Hillyer, 2010). While conventional irrigation management involves simply irrigating as needed to avoid crop stress, this IMO is designed to control crop stress, which requires: (i) precise control of crop water availability (rather than controlling applied water); (ii) quantifying crop stress in order to manage it in heterogeneous fields; and (iii) predicting crop responses to water stress. The capacities of this IMO include: 1. Modeling of the disposition of applied water in spatially variable fields; 2. Conjunctive scheduling for multiple fields, rather than scheduling each field independently; 3. Long range forecasting of crop water requirements to better utilize limited water or limited delivery system capacity: and 4. Explicit modeling of the uncertainties of water use and crop yield. This was one of the first efforts to employ a "Next Generation" type computer irrigation scheduling advisory model or IMO in orchard crops. This paper discusses experiences with introducing this model to fruit and nut growers of various size and scale in the northern Sacramento Valley of California and the accuracy of its forecasts of irrigation needs in fruit and nut crops. Strengths and opportunities to forge ahead in the development of a "Next Generation" irrigation scheduler were identified from this on-farm evaluation.

Development of the Optimum Operation Scheduling Model of Domestic Electric Appliances for the Supply-Demand Adjustment in a Power System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikegami, Takashi; Iwafune, Yumiko; Ogimoto, Kazuhiko

The high penetration of variable renewable generation such as Photovoltaic (PV) systems will cause the issue of supply-demand imbalance in a whole power system. The activation of the residential power usage, storage and generation by sophisticated scheduling and control using the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) will be needed to balance power supply and demand in the near future. In order to evaluate the applicability of the HEMS as a distributed controller for local and system-wide supply-demand balances, we developed an optimum operation scheduling model of domestic electric appliances using the mixed integer linear programming. Applying this model to several houses with dynamic electricity prices reflecting the power balance of the total power system, it was found that the adequate changes in electricity prices bring about the shift of residential power usages to control the amount of the reverse power flow due to excess PV generation.

Electrical generating unit inventory, 1976-1986: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia

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

Jansen, S.D.

1981-09-01

The report was prepared as part of the Ohio River Basin Energy Study (ORBES), a multidisciplinary policy research program. The ORBES region consists of all of Kentucky, most of West Virginia, substantial parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and southwestern Pennsylvania. The inventory lists installed electrical generating capacity in commercial service as of December 1, 1976, and scheduled capacity additions and removals between 1977 and 1986 in the six ORBES states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). The following information is included for each electrical generating unit: unit ID code, company index, whether joint or industrial ownership, plantmore » name, whether inside or outside the ORBES region, FIPS county code, type of unit, size in megawatts, type of megawatt rating, status of unit, date of commercial operation (actual or scheduled), scheduled retirement date (if any), primary fuel, alternate fuel, type of cooling, source of cooling water, and source of information.« less

Conflict-Aware Scheduling Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yeou-Fang; Borden, Chester

2006-01-01

conflict-aware scheduling algorithm is being developed to help automate the allocation of NASA s Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas and equipment that are used to communicate with interplanetary scientific spacecraft. The current approach for scheduling DSN ground resources seeks to provide an equitable distribution of tracking services among the multiple scientific missions and is very labor intensive. Due to the large (and increasing) number of mission requests for DSN services, combined with technical and geometric constraints, the DSN is highly oversubscribed. To help automate the process, and reduce the DSN and spaceflight project labor effort required for initiating, maintaining, and negotiating schedules, a new scheduling algorithm is being developed. The scheduling algorithm generates a "conflict-aware" schedule, where all requests are scheduled based on a dynamic priority scheme. The conflict-aware scheduling algorithm allocates all requests for DSN tracking services while identifying and maintaining the conflicts to facilitate collaboration and negotiation between spaceflight missions. These contrast with traditional "conflict-free" scheduling algorithms that assign tracks that are not in conflict and mark the remainder as unscheduled. In the case where full schedule automation is desired (based on mission/event priorities, fairness, allocation rules, geometric constraints, and ground system capabilities/ constraints), a conflict-free schedule can easily be created from the conflict-aware schedule by removing lower priority items that are in conflict.

Advanced timeline systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bulfin, R. L.; Perdue, C. A.

1994-01-01

The Mission Planning Division of the Mission Operations Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for scheduling experiment activities for space missions controlled at MSFC. In order to draw statistically relevant conclusions, all experiments must be scheduled at least once and may have repeated performances during the mission. An experiment consists of a series of steps which, when performed, provide results pertinent to the experiment's functional objective. Since these experiments require a set of resources such as crew and power, the task of creating a timeline of experiment activities for the mission is one of resource constrained scheduling. For each experiment, a computer model with detailed information of the steps involved in running the experiment, including crew requirements, processing times, and resource requirements is created. These models are then loaded into the Experiment Scheduling Program (ESP) which attempts to create a schedule which satisfies all resource constraints. ESP uses a depth-first search technique to place each experiment into a time interval, and a scoring function to evaluate the schedule. The mission planners generate several schedules and choose one with a high value of the scoring function to send through the approval process. The process of approving a mission timeline can take several months. Each timeline must meet the requirements of the scientists, the crew, and various engineering departments as well as enforce all resource restrictions. No single objective is considered in creating a timeline. The experiment scheduling problem is: given a set of experiments, place each experiment along the mission timeline so that all resource requirements and temporal constraints are met and the timeline is acceptable to all who must approve it. Much work has been done on multicriteria decision making (MCDM). When there are two criteria, schedules which perform well with respect to one criterion will often perform poorly with respect to the other. One schedule dominates another if it performs strictly better on one criterion, and no worse on the other. Clearly, dominated schedules are undesireable. A nondominated schedule can be generated by some sort of optimization problem. Generally there are two approaches: the first is a hierarchical approach while the second requires optimizing a weighting or scoring function.

Stocks, Flows, and Distribution of Critical Metals in Embedded Electronics in Passenger Vehicles.

PubMed

Restrepo, Eliette; Løvik, Amund N; Wäger, Patrick; Widmer, Rolf; Lonka, Radek; Müller, Daniel B

2017-02-07

One of the major applications of critical metals (CMs) is in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), which is increasingly embedded in other products, notably passenger vehicles. However, recycling strategies for future CM quantities in end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are poorly understood, mainly due to a limited understating of the complexity of automotive embedded EEE. We introduce a harmonization of the network structure of automotive electronics that enables a comprehensive quantification of CMs in all embedded EEE in a vehicle. This network is combined with a material flow analysis along the vehicle lifecycle in Switzerland to quantify the stocks and flows of Ag, Au, Pd, Ru, Dy, La, Nd, and Co in automotive embedded EEE. In vehicles in use, we calculated 5 -2 +3 t precious metals in controllers embedded in all vehicle types and 220 -60 +90 t rare earth elements (REE); found mainly in five electric motors: alternator, starter, radiator-fan and electronic power steering motor embedded in conventional passenger vehicles and drive motor/generator embedded in hybrid and electric vehicles. Dismantling these devices before ELV shredding, as well as postshredder treatment of automobile shredder residue may increase the recovery of CMs from ELVs. Environmental and economic implications of such recycling strategies must be considered.

Spacesuit Data Display and Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, David G.; Sells, Aaron; Shah, Hemal

2009-01-01

A prototype embedded avionics system has been designed for the next generation of NASA extra-vehicular-activity (EVA) spacesuits. The system performs biomedical and other sensor monitoring, image capture, data display, and data transmission. An existing NASA Phase I and II award winning design for an embedded computing system (ZIN vMetrics - BioWATCH) has been modified. The unit has a reliable, compact form factor with flexible packaging options. These innovations are significant, because current state-of-the-art EVA spacesuits do not provide capability for data displays or embedded data acquisition and management. The Phase 1 effort achieved Technology Readiness Level 4 (high fidelity breadboard demonstration). The breadboard uses a commercial-grade field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with embedded processor core that can be upgraded to a space-rated device for future revisions.

New technologies for supporting real-time on-board software development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerridge, D.

1995-03-01

The next generation of on-board data management systems will be significantly more complex than current designs, and will be required to perform more complex and demanding tasks in software. Improved hardware technology, in the form of the MA31750 radiation hard processor, is one key component in addressing the needs of future embedded systems. However, to complement these hardware advances, improved support for the design and implementation of real-time data management software is now needed. This will help to control the cost and risk assoicated with developing data management software development as it becomes an increasingly significant element within embedded systems. One particular problem with developing embedded software is managing the non-functional requirements in a systematic way. This paper identifies how Logica has exploited recent developments in hard real-time theory to address this problem through the use of new hard real-time analysis and design methods which can be supported by specialized tools. The first stage in transferring this technology from the research domain to industrial application has already been completed. The MA37150 Hard Real-Time Embedded Software Support Environment (HESSE) is a loosely integrated set of hardware and software tools which directly support the process of hard real-time analysis for software targeting the MA31750 processor. With further development, this HESSE promises to provide embedded system developers with software tools which can reduce the risks associated with developing complex hard real-time software. Supported in this way by more sophisticated software methods and tools, it is foreseen that MA31750 based embedded systems can meet the processing needs for the next generation of on-board data management systems.

OGUPSA sensor scheduling architecture and algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhixiong; Hintz, Kenneth J.

1996-06-01

This paper introduces a new architecture for a sensor measurement scheduler as well as a dynamic sensor scheduling algorithm called the on-line, greedy, urgency-driven, preemptive scheduling algorithm (OGUPSA). OGUPSA incorporates a preemptive mechanism which uses three policies, (1) most-urgent-first (MUF), (2) earliest- completed-first (ECF), and (3) least-versatile-first (LVF). The three policies are used successively to dynamically allocate and schedule and distribute a set of arriving tasks among a set of sensors. OGUPSA also can detect the failure of a task to meet a deadline as well as generate an optimal schedule in the sense of minimum makespan for a group of tasks with the same priorities. A side benefit is OGUPSA's ability to improve dynamic load balance among all sensors while being a polynomial time algorithm. Results of a simulation are presented for a simple sensor system.

The data embedding method

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

Sandford, M.T. II; Bradley, J.N.; Handel, T.G.

Data embedding is a new steganographic method for combining digital information sets. This paper describes the data embedding method and gives examples of its application using software written in the C-programming language. Sandford and Handel produced a computer program (BMPEMBED, Ver. 1.51 written for IBM PC/AT or compatible, MS/DOS Ver. 3.3 or later) that implements data embedding in an application for digital imagery. Information is embedded into, and extracted from, Truecolor or color-pallet images in Microsoft{reg_sign} bitmap (.BMP) format. Hiding data in the noise component of a host, by means of an algorithm that modifies or replaces the noise bits,more » is termed {open_quote}steganography.{close_quote} Data embedding differs markedly from conventional steganography, because it uses the noise component of the host to insert information with few or no modifications to the host data values or their statistical properties. Consequently, the entropy of the host data is affected little by using data embedding to add information. The data embedding method applies to host data compressed with transform, or {open_quote}lossy{close_quote} compression algorithms, as for example ones based on discrete cosine transform and wavelet functions. Analysis of the host noise generates a key required for embedding and extracting the auxiliary data from the combined data. The key is stored easily in the combined data. Images without the key cannot be processed to extract the embedded information. To provide security for the embedded data, one can remove the key from the combined data and manage it separately. The image key can be encrypted and stored in the combined data or transmitted separately as a ciphertext much smaller in size than the embedded data. The key size is typically ten to one-hundred bytes, and it is in data an analysis algorithm.« less

Data embedding method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandford, Maxwell T., II; Bradley, Jonathan N.; Handel, Theodore G.

1996-01-01

Data embedding is a new steganographic method for combining digital information sets. This paper describes the data embedding method and gives examples of its application using software written in the C-programming language. Sandford and Handel produced a computer program (BMPEMBED, Ver. 1.51 written for IBM PC/AT or compatible, MS/DOS Ver. 3.3 or later) that implements data embedding in an application for digital imagery. Information is embedded into, and extracted from, Truecolor or color-pallet images in MicrosoftTM bitmap (BMP) format. Hiding data in the noise component of a host, by means of an algorithm that modifies or replaces the noise bits, is termed `steganography.' Data embedding differs markedly from conventional steganography, because it uses the noise component of the host to insert information with few or no modifications to the host data values or their statistical properties. Consequently, the entropy of the host data is affected little by using data embedding to add information. The data embedding method applies to host data compressed with transform, or `lossy' compression algorithms, as for example ones based on discrete cosine transform and wavelet functions. Analysis of the host noise generates a key required for embedding and extracting the auxiliary data from the combined data. The key is stored easily in the combined data. Images without the key cannot be processed to extract the embedded information. To provide security for the embedded data, one can remove the key from the combined data and manage it separately. The image key can be encrypted and stored in the combined data or transmitted separately as a ciphertext much smaller in size than the embedded data. The key size is typically ten to one-hundred bytes, and it is derived from the original host data by an analysis algorithm.

1 Tbit/inch2 Recording in Angular-Multiplexing Holographic Memory with Constant Signal-to-Scatter Ratio Schedule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosaka, Makoto; Ishii, Toshiki; Tanaka, Asato; Koga, Shogo; Hoshizawa, Taku

2013-09-01

We developed an iterative method for optimizing the exposure schedule to obtain a constant signal-to-scatter ratio (SSR) to accommodate various recording conditions and achieve high-density recording. 192 binary images were recorded in the same location of a medium in approximately 300×300 µm2 using an experimental system embedded with a blue laser diode with a 405 nm wavelength and an objective lens with a 0.85 numerical aperture. The recording density of this multiplexing corresponds to 1 Tbit/in.2. The recording exposure time was optimized through the iteration of a three-step sequence consisting of total reproduced intensity measurement, target signal calculation, and recording energy density calculation. The SSR of pages recorded with this method was almost constant throughout the entire range of the reference beam angle. The signal-to-noise ratio of the sampled pages was over 2.9 dB, which is higher than the reproducible limit of 1.5 dB in our experimental system.

Workforce deployment--a critical organizational competency.

PubMed

Harms, Roxanne

2009-01-01

Staff scheduling has historically been embedded within hospital operations, often defined by each new manager of a unit or program, and notably absent from the organization's practice and standards infrastructure and accountabilities of the executive team. Silvestro and Silvestro contend that "there is a need to recognize that hospital performance relies critically on the competence and effectiveness of roster planning activities, and that these activities are therefore of strategic importance." This article highlights the importance of including staff scheduling--or workforce deployment--in health care organizations' long-term strategic solutions to cope with the deepening workforce shortage (which is likely to hit harder than ever as the economy begins to recover). Viewing workforce deployment as a key organizational competency is a critical success factor for health care in the next decade, and the Workforce Deployment Maturity Model is discussed as a framework to enable organizations to measure their current capabilities, identify priorities and set goals for increasing organizational competency using a methodical and deliberate approach.

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

Yu, Kuang; Libisch, Florian; Carter, Emily A., E-mail: eac@princeton.edu

We report a new implementation of the density functional embedding theory (DFET) in the VASP code, using the projector-augmented-wave (PAW) formalism. Newly developed algorithms allow us to efficiently perform optimized effective potential optimizations within PAW. The new algorithm generates robust and physically correct embedding potentials, as we verified using several test systems including a covalently bound molecule, a metal surface, and bulk semiconductors. We show that with the resulting embedding potential, embedded cluster models can reproduce the electronic structure of point defects in bulk semiconductors, thereby demonstrating the validity of DFET in semiconductors for the first time. Compared to ourmore » previous version, the new implementation of DFET within VASP affords use of all features of VASP (e.g., a systematic PAW library, a wide selection of functionals, a more flexible choice of U correction formalisms, and faster computational speed) with DFET. Furthermore, our results are fairly robust with respect to both plane-wave and Gaussian type orbital basis sets in the embedded cluster calculations. This suggests that the density functional embedding method is potentially an accurate and efficient way to study properties of isolated defects in semiconductors.« less

Plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in single crystals synthesized by gold ion implantation for enhanced optical nonlinearity and efficient Q-switched lasing.

PubMed

Nie, W J; Zhang, Y X; Yu, H H; Li, R; He, R Y; Dong, N N; Wang, J; Hübner, R; Böttger, R; Zhou, S Q; Amekura, H; Chen, F

2018-03-01

We report on the synthesis of embedded gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) in Nd:YAG single crystals using ion implantation and subsequent thermal annealing. Both linear and nonlinear absorption of the Nd:YAG crystals have been enhanced significantly due to the embedded Au NPs, which is induced by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect in the visible light wavelength band. Particularly, through a typical Z-scan system excited by a femtosecond laser at 515 nm within the SPR band, the nonlinear absorption coefficients of crystals with Au NPs have been observed to be nearly 5 orders of magnitude larger than that without Au NPs. This giant enhancement of nonlinear absorption properties is correlated with the saturable absorption (SA) effect, which is the basis of passive Q-switching or mode-locking for pulsed laser generation. In addition, the linear and nonlinear absorption enhancement could be tailored by varying the fluence of implanted Au + ions, corresponding to the NP size and concentration modulation. Finally, the Nd:YAG wafer with embedded Au NPs has been applied as a saturable absorber in a Pr:LuLiF 4 crystal laser cavity, and efficient pulsed laser generation at 639 nm has been realized, which presents superior performance to the MoS 2 saturable absorber based system. This work opens an avenue to enhance and modulate the nonlinearities of dielectrics by embedding plasmonic Au NPs for efficient pulsed laser operation.

Cloud computing task scheduling strategy based on improved differential evolution algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Junwei; He, Qian; Fang, Yiqiu

2017-04-01

In order to optimize the cloud computing task scheduling scheme, an improved differential evolution algorithm for cloud computing task scheduling is proposed. Firstly, the cloud computing task scheduling model, according to the model of the fitness function, and then used improved optimization calculation of the fitness function of the evolutionary algorithm, according to the evolution of generation of dynamic selection strategy through dynamic mutation strategy to ensure the global and local search ability. The performance test experiment was carried out in the CloudSim simulation platform, the experimental results show that the improved differential evolution algorithm can reduce the cloud computing task execution time and user cost saving, good implementation of the optimal scheduling of cloud computing tasks.

EMG biofeedback: the effects of CRF, FR, VR, FI, and VI schedules of reinforcement on the acquisition and extinction of increases in forearm muscle tension.

PubMed

Cohen, S L; Richardson, J; Klebez, J; Febbo, S; Tucker, D

2001-09-01

Biofeedback was used to increase forearm-muscle tension. Feedback was delivered under continuous reinforcement (CRF), variable interval (VI), fixed interval (FI), variable ratio (VR), and fixed ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement when college students increased their muscle tension (electromyograph, EMG) above a high threshold. There were three daily sessions of feedback, and Session 3 was immediately followed by a session without feedback (extinction). The CRF schedule resulted in the highest EMG, closely followed by the FR and VR schedules, and the lowest EMG scores were produced by the FI and VI schedules. Similarly, the CRF schedule resulted in the greatest amount of time-above-threshold and the VI and FI schedules produced the lowest time-above-threshold. The highest response rates were generated by the FR schedule, followed by the VR schedule. The CRF schedule produced relatively low response rates, comparable to the rates under the VI and FI schedules. Some of the data are consistent with the partial-reinforcement-extinction effect. The present data suggest that different schedules of feedback should be considered in muscle-strengthening-contexts such as during the rehabilitation of muscles following brain damage or peripheral nervous-system injury.

78 FR 63176 - Notice Announcing Workshop; Zero Rate Reactive Power Rate Schedules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-23

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. AD14-1-000] Notice Announcing Workshop; Zero Rate Reactive Power Rate Schedules Concurrent with this notice, the Commission is issuing an order in Chehalis Power Generating, L.P., Docket No. ER05-1056-007 clarifying its policy...

Logic Model Checking of Time-Periodic Real-Time Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Florian, Mihai; Gamble, Ed; Holzmann, Gerard

2012-01-01

In this paper we report on the work we performed to extend the logic model checker SPIN with built-in support for the verification of periodic, real-time embedded software systems, as commonly used in aircraft, automobiles, and spacecraft. We first extended the SPIN verification algorithms to model priority based scheduling policies. Next, we added a library to support the modeling of periodic tasks. This library was used in a recent application of the SPIN model checker to verify the engine control software of an automobile, to study the feasibility of software triggers for unintended acceleration events.

Configuration Management (CM) Support for KM Processes at NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cioletti, Louis

2010-01-01

Collection and processing of information are critical aspects of every business activity from raw data to information to an executable decision. Configuration Management (CM) supports KM practices through its automated business practices and its integrated operations within the organization. This presentation delivers an overview of JSC/Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) and its methods to encourage innovation through collaboration and participation. Specifically, this presentation will illustrate how SLSD CM creates an embedded KM activity with an established IT platform to control and update baselines, requirements, documents, schedules, budgets, while tracking changes essentially managing critical knowledge elements.

ATAMM enhancement and multiprocessing performance evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoughton, John W.

1994-01-01

The algorithm to architecture mapping model (ATAAM) is a Petri net based model which provides a strategy for periodic execution of a class of real-time algorithms on multicomputer dataflow architecture. The execution of large-grained, decision-free algorithms on homogeneous processing elements is studied. The ATAAM provides an analytical basis for calculating performance bounds on throughput characteristics. Extension of the ATAMM as a strategy for cyclo-static scheduling provides for a truly distributed ATAMM multicomputer operating system. An ATAAM testbed consisting of a centralized graph manager and three processors is described using embedded firmware on 68HC11 microcontrollers.

Integrated planning and scheduling for Earth science data processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boddy, Mark; White, Jim; Goldman, Robert; Short, Nick, Jr.

1995-01-01

Several current NASA programs such as the EOSDIS Core System (ECS) have data processing and data management requirements that call for an integrated planning and scheduling capability. In this paper, we describe the experience of applying advanced scheduling technology operationally, in terms of what was accomplished, lessons learned, and what remains to be done in order to achieve similar successes in ECS and other programs. We discuss the importance and benefits of advanced scheduling tools, and our progress toward realizing them, through examples and illustrations based on ECS requirements. The first part of the paper focuses on the Data Archive and Distribution (DADS) V0 Scheduler. We then discuss system integration issues ranging from communication with the scheduler to the monitoring of system events and re-scheduling in response to them. The challenge of adapting the scheduler to domain-specific features and scheduling policies is also considered. Extrapolation to the ECS domain raises issues of integrating scheduling with a product-generation planner (such as PlaSTiC), and implementing conditional planning in an operational system. We conclude by briefly noting ongoing technology development and deployment projects being undertaken by HTC and the ISTB.

Investigations into Generalization of Constraint-Based Scheduling Theories with Applications to Space Telescope Observation Scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muscettola, Nicola; Smith, Steven S.

1996-01-01

This final report summarizes research performed under NASA contract NCC 2-531 toward generalization of constraint-based scheduling theories and techniques for application to space telescope observation scheduling problems. Our work into theories and techniques for solution of this class of problems has led to the development of the Heuristic Scheduling Testbed System (HSTS), a software system for integrated planning and scheduling. Within HSTS, planning and scheduling are treated as two complementary aspects of the more general process of constructing a feasible set of behaviors of a target system. We have validated the HSTS approach by applying it to the generation of observation schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. This report summarizes the HSTS framework and its application to the Hubble Space Telescope domain. First, the HSTS software architecture is described, indicating (1) how the structure and dynamics of a system is modeled in HSTS, (2) how schedules are represented at multiple levels of abstraction, and (3) the problem solving machinery that is provided. Next, the specific scheduler developed within this software architecture for detailed management of Hubble Space Telescope operations is presented. Finally, experimental performance results are given that confirm the utility and practicality of the approach.

Diverse task scheduling for individualized requirements in cloud manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Longfei; Zhang, Lin; Zhao, Chun; Laili, Yuanjun; Xu, Lida

2018-03-01

Cloud manufacturing (CMfg) has emerged as a new manufacturing paradigm that provides ubiquitous, on-demand manufacturing services to customers through network and CMfg platforms. In CMfg system, task scheduling as an important means of finding suitable services for specific manufacturing tasks plays a key role in enhancing the system performance. Customers' requirements in CMfg are highly individualized, which leads to diverse manufacturing tasks in terms of execution flows and users' preferences. We focus on diverse manufacturing tasks and aim to address their scheduling issue in CMfg. First of all, a mathematical model of task scheduling is built based on analysis of the scheduling process in CMfg. To solve this scheduling problem, we propose a scheduling method aiming for diverse tasks, which enables each service demander to obtain desired manufacturing services. The candidate service sets are generated according to subtask directed graphs. An improved genetic algorithm is applied to searching for optimal task scheduling solutions. The effectiveness of the scheduling method proposed is verified by a case study with individualized customers' requirements. The results indicate that the proposed task scheduling method is able to achieve better performance than some usual algorithms such as simulated annealing and pattern search.

Parallel scheduling of recursively defined arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, T. J.; Gokhale, M. B.

1986-01-01

A new method of automatic generation of concurrent programs which constructs arrays defined by sets of recursive equations is described. It is assumed that the time of computation of an array element is a linear combination of its indices, and integer programming is used to seek a succession of hyperplanes along which array elements can be computed concurrently. The method can be used to schedule equations involving variable length dependency vectors and mutually recursive arrays. Portions of the work reported here have been implemented in the PS automatic program generation system.

Simulation of ultraviolet- and soft X-ray-pulse generation as a result of cooperative recombination of excitons in diamond nanocrystals embedded in a polymer film

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

Kukushkin, V. A., E-mail: vakuk@appl.sci-nnov.ru

2013-11-15

Using numerical simulation, it is shown that the recombination of free excitons photoexcited in diamond nanocrystals embedded in a polymer film can occur in the cooperative mode. It is found that this mode can be implemented despite the fact that diamond is an 'indirect' semiconductor. It is shown that the power of the generated radiation at the pulse peak during the cooperative recombination of free excitons can exceed that of the incoherent spontaneous emission of the same initial number of free excitons by more than an order of magnitude. Finally, it is shown that the process under consideration can bemore » used to generate picosecond pulses of ultraviolet and soft X-ray electromagnetic field at a wavelength of 235 nm.« less

A novel discrete PSO algorithm for solving job shop scheduling problem to minimize makespan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rameshkumar, K.; Rajendran, C.

2018-02-01

In this work, a discrete version of PSO algorithm is proposed to minimize the makespan of a job-shop. A novel schedule builder has been utilized to generate active schedules. The discrete PSO is tested using well known benchmark problems available in the literature. The solution produced by the proposed algorithms is compared with best known solution published in the literature and also compared with hybrid particle swarm algorithm and variable neighborhood search PSO algorithm. The solution construction methodology adopted in this study is found to be effective in producing good quality solutions for the various benchmark job-shop scheduling problems.

flexplan: Mission Planning System for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnoy, Assaf; Beech, Theresa

2013-01-01

flexplan is a mission planning and scheduling (MPS) tool that uses soft algorithms to define mission scheduling rules and constraints. This allows the operator to configure the tool for any mission without the need to modify or recompile code. In addition, flexplan uses an ID system to track every output on the schedule to the input from which it was generated. This allows flexplan to receive feedback as the schedules are executed, and update the status of all activities in a Web-based client. flexplan outputs include various planning reports, stored command loads for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), ephemeris loads, and pass scripts for automation.

Compiling Planning into Scheduling: A Sketch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedrax-Weiss, Tania; Crawford, James M.; Smith, David E.

2004-01-01

Although there are many approaches for compiling a planning problem into a static CSP or a scheduling problem, current approaches essentially preserve the structure of the planning problem in the encoding. In this pape: we present a fundamentally different encoding that more accurately resembles a scheduling problem. We sketch the approach and argue, based on an example, that it is possible to automate the generation of such an encoding for problems with certain properties and thus produce a compiler of planning into scheduling problems. Furthermore we argue that many NASA problems exhibit these properties and that such a compiler would provide benefits to both theory and practice.

Synthesis of power plant outage schedules. Final technical report, April 1995-January 1996

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

Smith, D.R.

This document provides a report on the creation of domain theories in the power plant outage domain. These were developed in conjunction with the creation of a demonstration system of advanced scheduling technology for the outage problem. In 1994 personnel from Rome Laboratory (RL), Kaman Science (KS), Kestrel Institute, and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) began a joint project to develop scheduling tools for power plant outage activities. This report describes our support for this joint effort. The project uses KIDS (Kestrel Interactive Development System) to generate schedulers from formal specifications of the power plant domain outage activities.

Modeling Off-Nominal Recovery in NextGen Terminal-Area Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callantine, Todd J.

2011-01-01

Robust schedule-based arrival management requires efficient recovery from off-nominal situations. This paper presents research on modeling off-nominal situations and plans for recovering from them using TRAC, a route/airspace design, fast-time simulation, and analysis tool for studying NextGen trajectory-based operations. The paper provides an overview of a schedule-based arrival-management concept and supporting controller tools, then describes TRAC implementations of methods for constructing off-nominal scenarios, generating trajectory options to meet scheduling constraints, and automatically producing recovery plans.

Curved Displacement Transfer Functions for Geometric Nonlinear Large Deformation Structure Shape Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, William L.; Fleischer, Van Tran; Lung, Shun-Fat

2017-01-01

For shape predictions of structures under large geometrically nonlinear deformations, Curved Displacement Transfer Functions were formulated based on a curved displacement, traced by a material point from the undeformed position to deformed position. The embedded beam (depth-wise cross section of a structure along a surface strain-sensing line) was discretized into multiple small domains, with domain junctures matching the strain-sensing stations. Thus, the surface strain distribution could be described with a piecewise linear or a piecewise nonlinear function. The discretization approach enabled piecewise integrations of the embedded-beam curvature equations to yield the Curved Displacement Transfer Functions, expressed in terms of embedded beam geometrical parameters and surface strains. By entering the surface strain data into the Displacement Transfer Functions, deflections along each embedded beam can be calculated at multiple points for mapping the overall structural deformed shapes. Finite-element linear and nonlinear analyses of a tapered cantilever tubular beam were performed to generate linear and nonlinear surface strains and the associated deflections to be used for validation. The shape prediction accuracies were then determined by comparing the theoretical deflections with the finiteelement- generated deflections. The results show that the newly developed Curved Displacement Transfer Functions are very accurate for shape predictions of structures under large geometrically nonlinear deformations.

Getting the Most from the Twin Mars Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laufenberg, Larry

2003-01-01

The report discusses the Mixed-initiative Activity Planning GENerator (MARGEN) automatically generates activity plans for rovers. Decision support system mixes autonomous planning/scheduling with user modifications. Accommodating change. Technology spotlight

Guidelines for reporting embedded recruitment trials.

PubMed

Madurasinghe, Vichithranie W

2016-01-14

Recruitment to clinical trials is difficult with many trials failing to recruit to target and within time. Embedding trials of recruitment interventions within host trials may provide a successful way to improve this. There are no guidelines for reporting such embedded methodology trials. As part of the Medical Research Council funded Systematic Techniques for Assisting Recruitment to Trials (MRC START) programme designed to test interventions to improve recruitment to trials, we developed guidelines for reporting embedded trials. We followed a three-phase guideline development process: (1) pre-meeting literature review to generate items for the reporting guidelines; (2) face-to-face consensus meetings to draft the reporting guidelines; and (3) post-meeting feedback review, and pilot testing, followed by finalisation of the reporting guidelines. We developed a reporting checklist based on the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement 2010. Embedded trials evaluating recruitment interventions should follow the CONSORT statement 2010 and report all items listed as essential. We used a number of examples to illustrate key issues that arise in embedded trials and how best to report them, including (a) how to deal with description of the host trial; (b) the importance of describing items that may differ in the host and embedded trials (such as the setting and the eligible population); and (c) the importance of identifying clearly the point at which the recruitment interventions were embedded in the host trial. Implementation of these guidelines will improve the quality of reports of embedded recruitment trials while advancing the science, design and conduct of embedded trials as a whole.

A format for the interchange of scheduling models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaap, John P.; Davis, Elizabeth K.

1994-01-01

In recent years a variety of space-activity schedulers have been developed within the aerospace community. Space-activity schedulers are characterized by their need to handle large numbers of activities which are time-window constrained and make high demands on many scarce resources, but are minimally constrained by predecessor/successor requirements or critical paths. Two needs to exchange data between these schedulers have materialized. First, there is significant interest in comparing and evaluating the different scheduling engines to ensure that the best technology is applied to each scheduling endeavor. Second, there is a developing requirement to divide a single scheduling task among different sites, each using a different scheduler. In fact, the scheduling task for International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) will be distributed among NASA centers and among the international partners. The format used to interchange scheduling data for ISSA will likely use a growth version of the format discussed in this paper. The model interchange format (or MIF, pronounced as one syllable) discussed in this paper is a robust solution to the need to interchange scheduling requirements for space activities. It is highly extensible, human-readable, and can be generated or edited with common text editors. It also serves well the need to support a 'benchmark' data case which can be delivered on any computer platform.

Scheduling Software for Complex Scenarios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Preparing a vehicle and its payload for a single launch is a complex process that involves thousands of operations. Because the equipment and facilities required to carry out these operations are extremely expensive and limited in number, optimal assignment and efficient use are critically important. Overlapping missions that compete for the same resources, ground rules, safety requirements, and the unique needs of processing vehicles and payloads destined for space impose numerous constraints that, when combined, require advanced scheduling. Traditional scheduling systems use simple algorithms and criteria when selecting activities and assigning resources and times to each activity. Schedules generated by these simple decision rules are, however, frequently far from optimal. To resolve mission-critical scheduling issues and predict possible problem areas, NASA historically relied upon expert human schedulers who used their judgment and experience to determine where things should happen, whether they will happen on time, and whether the requested resources are truly necessary.

A method of operation scheduling based on video transcoding for cluster equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Haojie; Yan, Chun

2018-04-01

Because of the cluster technology in real-time video transcoding device, the application of facing the massive growth in the number of video assignments and resolution and bit rate of diversity, task scheduling algorithm, and analyze the current mainstream of cluster for real-time video transcoding equipment characteristics of the cluster, combination with the characteristics of the cluster equipment task delay scheduling algorithm is proposed. This algorithm enables the cluster to get better performance in the generation of the job queue and the lower part of the job queue when receiving the operation instruction. In the end, a small real-time video transcode cluster is constructed to analyze the calculation ability, running time, resource occupation and other aspects of various algorithms in operation scheduling. The experimental results show that compared with traditional clustering task scheduling algorithm, task delay scheduling algorithm has more flexible and efficient characteristics.

Scheduling IT Staff at a Bank: A Mathematical Programming Approach

PubMed Central

Labidi, M.; Mrad, M.; Gharbi, A.; Louly, M. A.

2014-01-01

We address a real-world optimization problem: the scheduling of a Bank Information Technologies (IT) staff. This problem can be defined as the process of constructing optimized work schedules for staff. In a general sense, it requires the allocation of suitably qualified staff to specific shifts to meet the demands for services of an organization while observing workplace regulations and attempting to satisfy individual work preferences. A monthly shift schedule is prepared to determine the shift duties of each staff considering shift coverage requirements, seniority-based workload rules, and staff work preferences. Due to the large number of conflicting constraints, a multiobjective programming model has been proposed to automate the schedule generation process. The suggested mathematical model has been implemented using Lingo software. The results indicate that high quality solutions can be obtained within a few seconds compared to the manually prepared schedules. PMID:24772032

Scheduling nursing personnel on a microcomputer.

PubMed

Liao, C J; Kao, C Y

1997-01-01

Suggests that with the shortage of nursing personnel, hospital administrators have to pay more attention to the needs of nurses to retain and recruit them. Also asserts that improving nurses' schedules is one of the most economic ways for the hospital administration to create a better working environment for nurses. Develops an algorithm for scheduling nursing personnel. Contrary to the current hospital approach, which schedules nurses on a person-by-person basis, the proposed algorithm constructs schedules on a day-by-day basis. The algorithm has inherent flexibility in handling a variety of possible constraints and goals, similar to other non-cyclical approaches. But, unlike most other non-cyclical approaches, it can also generate a quality schedule in a short time on a microcomputer. The algorithm was coded in C language and run on a microcomputer. The developed software is currently implemented at a leading hospital in Taiwan. The response to the initial implementation is quite promising.

Scheduling IT staff at a bank: a mathematical programming approach.

PubMed

Labidi, M; Mrad, M; Gharbi, A; Louly, M A

2014-01-01

We address a real-world optimization problem: the scheduling of a Bank Information Technologies (IT) staff. This problem can be defined as the process of constructing optimized work schedules for staff. In a general sense, it requires the allocation of suitably qualified staff to specific shifts to meet the demands for services of an organization while observing workplace regulations and attempting to satisfy individual work preferences. A monthly shift schedule is prepared to determine the shift duties of each staff considering shift coverage requirements, seniority-based workload rules, and staff work preferences. Due to the large number of conflicting constraints, a multiobjective programming model has been proposed to automate the schedule generation process. The suggested mathematical model has been implemented using Lingo software. The results indicate that high quality solutions can be obtained within a few seconds compared to the manually prepared schedules.

Functional DNA quantification guides accurate next-generation sequencing mutation detection in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor biopsies

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsy is a challenging sample for molecular assays such as targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). We compared three methods for FFPE DNA quantification, including a novel PCR assay (‘QFI-PCR’) that measures the absolute copy number of amplifiable DNA, across 165 residual clinical specimens. The results reveal the limitations of commonly used approaches, and demonstrate the value of an integrated workflow using QFI-PCR to improve the accuracy of NGS mutation detection and guide changes in input that can rescue low quality FFPE DNA. These findings address a growing need for improved quality measures in NGS-based patient testing. PMID:24001039

Coordinating space telescope operations in an integrated planning and scheduling architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muscettola, Nicola; Smith, Stephen F.; Cesta, Amedeo; D'Aloisi, Daniela

1992-01-01

The Heuristic Scheduling Testbed System (HSTS), a software architecture for integrated planning and scheduling, is discussed. The architecture has been applied to the problem of generating observation schedules for the Hubble Space Telescope. This problem is representative of the class of problems that can be addressed: their complexity lies in the interaction of resource allocation and auxiliary task expansion. The architecture deals with this interaction by viewing planning and scheduling as two complementary aspects of the more general process of constructing behaviors of a dynamical system. The principal components of the software architecture are described, indicating how to model the structure and dynamics of a system, how to represent schedules at multiple levels of abstraction in the temporal database, and how the problem solving machinery operates. A scheduler for the detailed management of Hubble Space Telescope operations that has been developed within HSTS is described. Experimental performance results are given that indicate the utility and practicality of the approach.

Interactive Dynamic Mission Scheduling for ASCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antunes, A.; Nagase, F.; Isobe, T.

The Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite ASCA (Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics) mission requires scheduling for each 6-month observation phase, further broken down into weekly schedules at a few minutes resolution. Two tools, SPIKE and NEEDLE, written in Lisp and C, use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques combined with a graphic user interface for fast creation and alteration of mission schedules. These programs consider viewing and satellite attitude constraints as well as observer-requested criteria and present an optimized set of solutions for review by the planner. Six-month schedules at 1 day resolution are created for an oversubscribed set of targets by the SPIKE software, originally written for HST and presently being adapted for EUVE, XTE and AXAF. The NEEDLE code creates weekly schedules at 1 min resolution using in-house orbital routines and creates output for processing by the command generation software. Schedule creation on both the long- and short-term scale is rapid, less than 1 day for long-term, and one hour for short-term.

A space station onboard scheduling assistant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brindle, A. F.; Anderson, B. H.

1988-01-01

One of the goals for the Space Station is to achieve greater autonomy, and have less reliance on ground commanding than previous space missions. This means that the crew will have to take an active role in scheduling and rescheduling their activities onboard, perhaps working from preliminary schedules generated on the ground. Scheduling is a time intensive task, whether performed manually or automatically, so the best approach to solving onboard scheduling problems may involve crew members working with an interactive software scheduling package. A project is described which investigates a system that uses knowledge based techniques for the rescheduling of experiments within the Materials Technology Laboratory of the Space Station. Particular attention is paid to: (1) methods for rapid response rescheduling to accommodate unplanned changes in resource availability, (2) the nature of the interface to the crew, (3) the representation of the many types of data within the knowledge base, and (4) the possibility of applying rule-based and constraint-based reasoning methods to onboard activity scheduling.

Comparison of OPC job prioritization schemes to generate data for mask manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Travis; Veeraraghavan, Vijay; Jantzen, Kenneth; Kim, Stephen; Park, Minyoung; Russell, Gordon; Simmons, Mark

2015-03-01

Delivering mask ready OPC corrected data to the mask shop on-time is critical for a foundry to meet the cycle time commitment for a new product. With current OPC compute resource sharing technology, different job scheduling algorithms are possible, such as, priority based resource allocation and fair share resource allocation. In order to maximize computer cluster efficiency, minimize the cost of the data processing and deliver data on schedule, the trade-offs of each scheduling algorithm need to be understood. Using actual production jobs, each of the scheduling algorithms will be tested in a production tape-out environment. Each scheduling algorithm will be judged on its ability to deliver data on schedule and the trade-offs associated with each method will be analyzed. It is now possible to introduce advance scheduling algorithms to the OPC data processing environment to meet the goals of on-time delivery of mask ready OPC data while maximizing efficiency and reducing cost.

Population dynamics of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in commercial honey bee colonies and implications for control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Treatment schedules to maintain low levels of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies were tested in hives started from either package bees or splits of larger colonies. The schedules were developed based on predictions of Varroa population growth generated from a mathematical model of honey bee colony ...

Distributed network scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, Bradley J.; Schaffer, Steven R.

2004-01-01

Distributed Network Scheduling is the scheduling of future communications of a network by nodes in the network. This report details software for doing this onboard spacecraft in a remote network. While prior work on distributed scheduling has been applied to remote spacecraft networks, the software reported here focuses on modeling communication activities in greater detail and including quality of service constraints. Our main results are based on a Mars network of spacecraft and include identifying a maximum opportunity of improving traverse exploration rate a factor of three; a simulation showing reduction in one-way delivery times from a rover to Earth from as much as 5 to 1.5 hours; simulated response to unexpected events averaging under an hour onboard; and ground schedule generation ranging from seconds to 50 minutes for 15 to 100 communication goals.

Operating room scheduling using hybrid clustering priority rule and genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoso, Linda Wahyuni; Sinawan, Aisyah Ashrinawati; Wijaya, Andi Rahadiyan; Sudiarso, Andi; Masruroh, Nur Aini; Herliansyah, Muhammad Kusumawan

2017-11-01

Operating room is a bottleneck resource in most hospitals so that operating room scheduling system will influence the whole performance of the hospitals. This research develops a mathematical model of operating room scheduling for elective patients which considers patient priority with limit number of surgeons, operating rooms, and nurse team. Clustering analysis was conducted to the data of surgery durations using hierarchical and non-hierarchical methods. The priority rule of each resulting cluster was determined using Shortest Processing Time method. Genetic Algorithm was used to generate daily operating room schedule which resulted in the lowest values of patient waiting time and nurse overtime. The computational results show that this proposed model reduced patient waiting time by approximately 32.22% and nurse overtime by approximately 32.74% when compared to actual schedule.

A telepresence robot system realized by embedded object concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallius, Tero; Röning, Juha

2006-10-01

This paper presents the Embedded Object Concept (EOC) and a telepresence robot system which is a test case for the EOC. The EOC utilizes common object-oriented methods used in software by applying them to combined Lego-like software-hardware entities. These entities represent objects in object-oriented design methods, and they are the building blocks of embedded systems. The goal of the EOC is to make the designing embedded systems faster and easier. This concept enables people without comprehensive knowledge in electronics design to create new embedded systems, and for experts it shortens the design time of new embedded systems. We present the current status of a telepresence robot created with second-generation Atomi-objects, which is the name for our implementation of the embedded objects. The telepresence robot is a relatively complex test case for the EOC. The robot has been constructed using incremental device development, which is made possible by the architecture of the EOC. The robot contains video and audio exchange capability and a controlling system for driving with two wheels. The robot is built in two versions, the first consisting of a PC device and Atomi-objects, and the second consisting of only Atomi-objects. The robot is currently incomplete, but most of it has been successfully tested.

Machine Learning Based Online Performance Prediction for Runtime Parallelization and Task Scheduling

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

Li, J; Ma, X; Singh, K

2008-10-09

With the emerging many-core paradigm, parallel programming must extend beyond its traditional realm of scientific applications. Converting existing sequential applications as well as developing next-generation software requires assistance from hardware, compilers and runtime systems to exploit parallelism transparently within applications. These systems must decompose applications into tasks that can be executed in parallel and then schedule those tasks to minimize load imbalance. However, many systems lack a priori knowledge about the execution time of all tasks to perform effective load balancing with low scheduling overhead. In this paper, we approach this fundamental problem using machine learning techniques first to generatemore » performance models for all tasks and then applying those models to perform automatic performance prediction across program executions. We also extend an existing scheduling algorithm to use generated task cost estimates for online task partitioning and scheduling. We implement the above techniques in the pR framework, which transparently parallelizes scripts in the popular R language, and evaluate their performance and overhead with both a real-world application and a large number of synthetic representative test scripts. Our experimental results show that our proposed approach significantly improves task partitioning and scheduling, with maximum improvements of 21.8%, 40.3% and 22.1% and average improvements of 15.9%, 16.9% and 4.2% for LMM (a real R application) and synthetic test cases with independent and dependent tasks, respectively.« less

Optimizing human activity patterns using global sensitivity analysis.

PubMed

Fairchild, Geoffrey; Hickmann, Kyle S; Mniszewski, Susan M; Del Valle, Sara Y; Hyman, James M

2014-12-01

Implementing realistic activity patterns for a population is crucial for modeling, for example, disease spread, supply and demand, and disaster response. Using the dynamic activity simulation engine, DASim, we generate schedules for a population that capture regular (e.g., working, eating, and sleeping) and irregular activities (e.g., shopping or going to the doctor). We use the sample entropy (SampEn) statistic to quantify a schedule's regularity for a population. We show how to tune an activity's regularity by adjusting SampEn, thereby making it possible to realistically design activities when creating a schedule. The tuning process sets up a computationally intractable high-dimensional optimization problem. To reduce the computational demand, we use Bayesian Gaussian process regression to compute global sensitivity indices and identify the parameters that have the greatest effect on the variance of SampEn. We use the harmony search (HS) global optimization algorithm to locate global optima. Our results show that HS combined with global sensitivity analysis can efficiently tune the SampEn statistic with few search iterations. We demonstrate how global sensitivity analysis can guide statistical emulation and global optimization algorithms to efficiently tune activities and generate realistic activity patterns. Though our tuning methods are applied to dynamic activity schedule generation, they are general and represent a significant step in the direction of automated tuning and optimization of high-dimensional computer simulations.

A Search Algorithm for Generating Alternative Process Plans in Flexible Manufacturing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tehrani, Hossein; Sugimura, Nobuhiro; Tanimizu, Yoshitaka; Iwamura, Koji

Capabilities and complexity of manufacturing systems are increasing and striving for an integrated manufacturing environment. Availability of alternative process plans is a key factor for integration of design, process planning and scheduling. This paper describes an algorithm for generation of alternative process plans by extending the existing framework of the process plan networks. A class diagram is introduced for generating process plans and process plan networks from the viewpoint of the integrated process planning and scheduling systems. An incomplete search algorithm is developed for generating and searching the process plan networks. The benefit of this algorithm is that the whole process plan network does not have to be generated before the search algorithm starts. This algorithm is applicable to large and enormous process plan networks and also to search wide areas of the network based on the user requirement. The algorithm can generate alternative process plans and to select a suitable one based on the objective functions.

An Intelligent Crop Planning Tool for Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, Laura O.; Leon, Jorge

1996-01-01

This paper describes a crop planning tool developed for the Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) project which is in the research phases at various NASA facilities. The Crop Planning Tool was developed to assist in the understanding of the long term applications of a CELSS environment. The tool consists of a crop schedule generator as well as a crop schedule simulator. The importance of crop planning tools such as the one developed is discussed. The simulator is outlined in detail while the schedule generator is touched upon briefly. The simulator consists of data inputs, plant and human models, and various other CELSS activity models such as food consumption and waste regeneration. The program inputs such as crew data and crop states are discussed. References are included for all nominal parameters used. Activities including harvesting, planting, plant respiration, and human respiration are discussed using mathematical models. Plans provided to the simulator by the plan generator are evaluated for their 'fitness' to the CELSS environment with an objective function based upon daily reservoir levels. Sample runs of the Crop Planning Tool and future needs for the tool are detailed.

A stable dual-wavelength Q-switch using a compact passive device containing photonics crystal fiber embedded with carbon platinum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safaei, R.; Amiri, I. S.; Rezayi, M.; Ahmad, H.

2018-01-01

A compact fiber laser utilizing platinum nanoparticles doped on carbon (Pt/C) embedded in photonic crystal fiber capable of generating a stable Q-switch dual-wavelength is designed and verified. Stable Q-switch pulses, with a repetition rate of 73.6 kHz, pulse width of 1.45 µs and power of 3.8 nJ in two separated wavelengths of 1557.39 nm and 1558.86 nm at a pump power of 350 mW, have been obtained. This is a novel method for generating Q-switch dual-wavelength pulses using a well-protected component that introduces both a saturable absorber and Mach-Zehnder interferometer effects simultaneously in the laser cavity. Furthermore, to best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Pt/C nanoparticles have been used in a saturable absorber for optical pulse generation.

Scalable hierarchical PDE sampler for generating spatially correlated random fields using nonmatching meshes: Scalable hierarchical PDE sampler using nonmatching meshes

DOE PAGES

Osborn, Sarah; Zulian, Patrick; Benson, Thomas; ...

2018-01-30

This work describes a domain embedding technique between two nonmatching meshes used for generating realizations of spatially correlated random fields with applications to large-scale sampling-based uncertainty quantification. The goal is to apply the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method for the quantification of output uncertainties of PDEs with random input coefficients on general and unstructured computational domains. We propose a highly scalable, hierarchical sampling method to generate realizations of a Gaussian random field on a given unstructured mesh by solving a reaction–diffusion PDE with a stochastic right-hand side. The stochastic PDE is discretized using the mixed finite element method on anmore » embedded domain with a structured mesh, and then, the solution is projected onto the unstructured mesh. This work describes implementation details on how to efficiently transfer data from the structured and unstructured meshes at coarse levels, assuming that this can be done efficiently on the finest level. We investigate the efficiency and parallel scalability of the technique for the scalable generation of Gaussian random fields in three dimensions. An application of the MLMC method is presented for quantifying uncertainties of subsurface flow problems. Here, we demonstrate the scalability of the sampling method with nonmatching mesh embedding, coupled with a parallel forward model problem solver, for large-scale 3D MLMC simulations with up to 1.9·109 unknowns.« less

Experiences with a generator tool for building clinical application modules.

PubMed

Kuhn, K A; Lenz, R; Elstner, T; Siegele, H; Moll, R

2003-01-01

To elaborate main system characteristics and relevant deployment experiences for the health information system (HIS) Orbis/OpenMed, which is in widespread use in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In a deployment phase of 3 years in a 1.200 bed university hospital, where the system underwent significant improvements, the system's functionality and its software design have been analyzed in detail. We focus on an integrated CASE tool for generating embedded clinical applications and for incremental system evolution. We present a participatory and iterative software engineering process developed for efficient utilization of such a tool. The system's functionality is comparable to other commercial products' functionality; its components are embedded in a vendor-specific application framework, and standard interfaces are being used for connecting subsystems. The integrated generator tool is a remarkable feature; it became a key factor of our project. Tool generated applications are workflow enabled and embedded into the overall data base schema. Rapid prototyping and iterative refinement are supported, so application modules can be adapted to the users' work practice. We consider tools supporting an iterative and participatory software engineering process highly relevant for health information system architects. The potential of a system to continuously evolve and to be effectively adapted to changing needs may be more important than sophisticated but hard-coded HIS functionality. More work will focus on HIS software design and on software engineering. Methods and tools are needed for quick and robust adaptation of systems to health care processes and changing requirements.

Scalable hierarchical PDE sampler for generating spatially correlated random fields using nonmatching meshes: Scalable hierarchical PDE sampler using nonmatching meshes

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

Osborn, Sarah; Zulian, Patrick; Benson, Thomas

This work describes a domain embedding technique between two nonmatching meshes used for generating realizations of spatially correlated random fields with applications to large-scale sampling-based uncertainty quantification. The goal is to apply the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method for the quantification of output uncertainties of PDEs with random input coefficients on general and unstructured computational domains. We propose a highly scalable, hierarchical sampling method to generate realizations of a Gaussian random field on a given unstructured mesh by solving a reaction–diffusion PDE with a stochastic right-hand side. The stochastic PDE is discretized using the mixed finite element method on anmore » embedded domain with a structured mesh, and then, the solution is projected onto the unstructured mesh. This work describes implementation details on how to efficiently transfer data from the structured and unstructured meshes at coarse levels, assuming that this can be done efficiently on the finest level. We investigate the efficiency and parallel scalability of the technique for the scalable generation of Gaussian random fields in three dimensions. An application of the MLMC method is presented for quantifying uncertainties of subsurface flow problems. Here, we demonstrate the scalability of the sampling method with nonmatching mesh embedding, coupled with a parallel forward model problem solver, for large-scale 3D MLMC simulations with up to 1.9·109 unknowns.« less

Tracking Data Acquisition System (TDAS) for the 1990's. Volume 6: TDAS navigation system architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elrod, B. D.; Jacobsen, A.; Cook, R. A.; Singh, R. N. P.

1983-01-01

One-way range and Doppler methods for providing user orbit and time determination are examined. Forward link beacon tracking, with on-board processing of independent navigation signals broadcast continuously by TDAS spacecraft; forward link scheduled tracking; with on-board processing of navigation data received during scheduled TDAS forward link service intervals; and return link scheduled tracking; with ground-based processing of user generated navigation data during scheduled TDAS return link service intervals are discussed. A system level definition and requirements assessment for each alternative, an evaluation of potential navigation performance and comparison with TDAS mission model requirements is included. TDAS satellite tracking is also addressed for two alternatives: BRTS and VLBI tracking.

Flexible Energy Scheduling Tool for Integrating Variable Generation | Grid

Science.gov Websites

, security-constrained economic dispatch, and automatic generation control programs. DOWNLOAD PAPER Electric commitment, security-constrained economic dispatch, and automatic generation control sub-models. Each sub resolutions and operating strategies can be explored. FESTIV produces not only economic metrics but also

Profit-based conventional resource scheduling with renewable energy penetration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, K. Srikanth; Panwar, Lokesh Kumar; Kumar, Rajesh; Panigrahi, B. K.

2017-08-01

Technological breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies (RETs) enabled them to attain grid parity thereby making them potential contenders for existing conventional resources. To examine the market participation of RETs, this paper formulates a scheduling problem accommodating energy market participation of wind- and solar-independent power producers (IPPs) treating both conventional and RETs as identical entities. Furthermore, constraints pertaining to penetration and curtailments of RETs are restructured. Additionally, an appropriate objective function for profit incurred by conventional resource IPPs through reserve market participation as a function of renewable energy curtailment is also proposed. The proposed concept is simulated with a test system comprising 10 conventional generation units in conjunction with solar photovoltaic (SPV) and wind energy generators (WEG). The simulation results indicate that renewable energy integration and its curtailment limits influence the market participation or scheduling strategies of conventional resources in both energy and reserve markets. Furthermore, load and reliability parameters are also affected.

Potential of Micro Hydroelectric Generator Embedded at 30,000 PE Effluent Discharge of Sewerage Treatment Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che Munaaim, M. A.; Razali, N.; Ayob, A.; Hamidin, N.; Othuman Mydin, M. A.

2018-03-01

A micro hydroelectric generator is an energy conversion approach to generate electricity from potential (motion) energy to an electrical energy. In this research, it is desired to be implemented by using a micro hydroelectric generator which is desired to be embedded at the continuous flow of effluent discharge point of domestic sewerage treatment plant (STP). This research evaluates the potential of electricity generation from micro hydroelectric generator attached to 30,000 PE sewerage treatment plant. The power output obtained from calculation of electrical power conversion is used to identify the possibility of this system and its ability to provide electrical energy, which can minimize the cost of electric bill especially for the pumping system. The overview of this system on the practical application with the consideration of payback period is summarized. The ultimate aim of the whole application is to have a self-ecosystem electrical power generated for the internal use of STP by using its own flowing water in supporting the sustainable engineering towards renewable energy and energy efficient approach. The results shows that the output power obtained is lower than expected output power (12 kW) and fall beyond of the range of a micro hydro power (5kW - 100kW) since it is only generating 1.58 kW energy by calculation. It is also observed that the estimated payback period is longer which i.e 7 years to recoup the return of investment. A range of head from 4.5 m and above for the case where the flow shall at least have maintained at 0.05 m3/s in the selected plant in order to achieved a feasible power output. In conclusion, wastewater treatment process involves the flowing water (potential energy) especially at the effluent discharge point of STP is possibly harvested for electricity generation by embedding the micro hydroelectric generator. However, the selection of STP needs to have minimum 4.5 meter head with 0.05 m3/s of continuously flowing water to make it feasible to harvest.

Autonomously Generating Operations Sequences for a Mars Rover Using Artificial Intelligence-Based Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherwood, R.; Mutz, D.; Estlin, T.; Chien, S.; Backes, P.; Norris, J.; Tran, D.; Cooper, B.; Rabideau, G.; Mishkin, A.; Maxwell, S.

2001-07-01

This article discusses a proof-of-concept prototype for ground-based automatic generation of validated rover command sequences from high-level science and engineering activities. This prototype is based on ASPEN, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment. This artificial intelligence (AI)-based planning and scheduling system will automatically generate a command sequence that will execute within resource constraints and satisfy flight rules. An automated planning and scheduling system encodes rover design knowledge and uses search and reasoning techniques to automatically generate low-level command sequences while respecting rover operability constraints, science and engineering preferences, environmental predictions, and also adhering to hard temporal constraints. This prototype planning system has been field-tested using the Rocky 7 rover at JPL and will be field-tested on more complex rovers to prove its effectiveness before transferring the technology to flight operations for an upcoming NASA mission. Enabling goal-driven commanding of planetary rovers greatly reduces the requirements for highly skilled rover engineering personnel. This in turn greatly reduces mission operations costs. In addition, goal-driven commanding permits a faster response to changes in rover state (e.g., faults) or science discoveries by removing the time-consuming manual sequence validation process, allowing rapid "what-if" analyses, and thus reducing overall cycle times.

75 FR 14103 - Version One Regional Reliability Standard for Resource and Demand Balancing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-24

... meant to maintain scheduled frequency and avoid loss of firm load following transmission or generation... capacity is available at all times to maintain scheduled frequency, and avoid loss of firm load following... the possibility that firm load could be shed due to the loss of a single element on the system.\\40...

Dynamic Scheduling for Web Monitoring Crawler

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-27

researches on static scheduling methods , but they are not included in this project, because this project mainly focuses on the event-driven...pages from public search engines. This research aims to propose various query generation methods using MCRDR knowledge base and evaluates them to...South Wales Professor Hiroshi Motoda/Osaka University Dr. John Salerno, Air Force Research Laboratory/Information Directorate Report

False-nearest-neighbors algorithm and noise-corrupted time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, Carl; Morari, Manfred

1997-05-01

The false-nearest-neighbors (FNN) algorithm was originally developed to determine the embedding dimension for autonomous time series. For noise-free computer-generated time series, the algorithm does a good job in predicting the embedding dimension. However, the problem of predicting the embedding dimension when the time-series data are corrupted by noise was not fully examined in the original studies of the FNN algorithm. Here it is shown that with large data sets, even small amounts of noise can lead to incorrect prediction of the embedding dimension. Surprisingly, as the length of the time series analyzed by FNN grows larger, the cause of incorrect prediction becomes more pronounced. An analysis of the effect of noise on the FNN algorithm and a solution for dealing with the effects of noise are given here. Some results on the theoretically correct choice of the FNN threshold are also presented.

Scheduling algorithm for mission planning and logistics evaluation users' guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, H.; Williams, J. M.

1976-01-01

The scheduling algorithm for mission planning and logistics evaluation (SAMPLE) program is a mission planning tool composed of three subsystems; the mission payloads subsystem (MPLS), which generates a list of feasible combinations from a payload model for a given calendar year; GREEDY, which is a heuristic model used to find the best traffic model; and the operations simulation and resources scheduling subsystem (OSARS), which determines traffic model feasibility for available resources. The SAMPLE provides the user with options to allow the execution of MPLS, GREEDY, GREEDY-OSARS, or MPLS-GREEDY-OSARS.

Accelerating a MPEG-4 video decoder through custom software/hardware co-design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, Jorge L.; Barreto, Dacil; García, Luz; Marrero, Gustavo; Carballo, Pedro P.; Núñez, Antonio

2007-05-01

In this paper we present a novel methodology to accelerate an MPEG-4 video decoder using software/hardware co-design for wireless DAB/DMB networks. Software support includes the services provided by the embedded kernel μC/OS-II, and the application tasks mapped to software. Hardware support includes several custom co-processors and a communication architecture with bridges to the main system bus and with a dual port SRAM. Synchronization among tasks is achieved at two levels, by a hardware protocol and by kernel level scheduling services. Our reference application is an MPEG-4 video decoder composed of several software functions and written using a special C++ library named CASSE. Profiling and space exploration techniques were used previously over the Advanced Simple Profile (ASP) MPEG-4 decoder to determinate the best HW/SW partition developed here. This research is part of the ARTEMI project and its main goal is the establishment of methodologies for the design of real-time complex digital systems using Programmable Logic Devices with embedded microprocessors as target technology and the design of multimedia systems for broadcasting networks as reference application.

Collaborative Scheduling Using JMS in a Mixed Java and .NET Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yeou-Fang; Wax, Allan; Lam, Ray; Baldwin, John; Borden, Chet

2006-01-01

A collaborative framework/environment was proto-typed to prove the feasibility of scheduling space flight missions on NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) in a distributed fashion. In this environment, effective collaboration relies on efficient communications among all flight mission and DSN scheduling users. There-fore, messaging becomes critical to timely event notification and data synchronization. In the prototype, a rapid messaging system using Java Message Service (JMS) in a mixed Java and .NET environment is established. This scheme allows both Java and .NET applications to communicate with each other for data synchronization and schedule negotiation. The JMS approach we used is based on a centralized messaging scheme. With proper use of a high speed messaging system, all users in this collaborative framework can communicate with each other to generate a schedule collaboratively to meet DSN and projects tracking needs.

Enhancing Learning Outcomes in Computer-Based Training via Self-Generated Elaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuevas, Haydee M.; Fiore, Stephen M.

2014-01-01

The present study investigated the utility of an instructional strategy known as the "query method" for enhancing learning outcomes in computer-based training. The query method involves an embedded guided, sentence generation task requiring elaboration of key concepts in the training material that encourages learners to "stop and…

Stimulated Brillouin scattering of laser in semiconductor plasma embedded with nano-sized grains

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

Sharma, Giriraj, E-mail: grsharma@gmail.com; Dad, R. C.; Ghosh, S.

2015-07-31

A high power laser propagating through semiconductor plasma undergoes Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) from the electrostrictively generated acoustic perturbations. We have considered that nano-sized grains (NSGs) ions are embedded in semiconductor plasma by means of ion implantation. The NSGs are bombarded by the surrounding plasma particles and collect electrons. By considering a negative charge on the NSGs, we present an analytically study on the effects of NSGs on threshold field for the onset of SBS and Brillouin gain of generated Brillouin scattered mode. It is found that as the charge on the NSGs builds up, the Brillouin gain is significantlymore » raised and the threshold pump field for the onset of SBS process is lowered.« less

Mobile Phones Democratize and Cultivate Next-Generation Imaging, Diagnostics and Measurement Tools

PubMed Central

Ozcan, Aydogan

2014-01-01

In this article, I discuss some of the emerging applications and the future opportunities and challenges created by the use of mobile phones and their embedded components for the development of next-generation imaging, sensing, diagnostics and measurement tools. The massive volume of mobile phone users, which has now reached ~7 billion, drives the rapid improvements of the hardware, software and high-end imaging and sensing technologies embedded in our phones, transforming the mobile phone into a cost-effective and yet extremely powerful platform to run e.g., biomedical tests and perform scientific measurements that would normally require advanced laboratory instruments. This rapidly evolving and continuing trend will help us transform how medicine, engineering and sciences are practiced and taught globally. PMID:24647550

Smart concrete slabs with embedded tubular PZT transducers for damage detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Weihang; Huo, Linsheng; Li, Hongnan; Song, Gangbing

2018-02-01

The objective of this study is to develop a new concept and methodology of smart concrete slab (SCS) with embedded tubular lead zirconate titanate transducer array for image based damage detection. Stress waves, as the detecting signals, are generated by the embedded tubular piezoceramic transducers in the SCS. Tubular piezoceramic transducers are used due to their capacity of generating radially uniform stress waves in a two-dimensional concrete slab (such as bridge decks and walls), increasing the monitoring range. A circular type delay-and-sum (DAS) imaging algorithm is developed to image the active acoustic sources based on the direct response received by each sensor. After the scattering signals from the damage are obtained by subtracting the baseline response of the concrete structures from those of the defective ones, the elliptical type DAS imaging algorithm is employed to process the scattering signals and reconstruct the image of the damage. Finally, two experiments, including active acoustic source monitoring and damage imaging for concrete structures, are carried out to illustrate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Embedding the shapes of regions of interest into a Clinical Document Architecture document.

PubMed

Minh, Nguyen Hai; Yi, Byoung-Kee; Kim, Il Kon; Song, Joon Hyun; Binh, Pham Viet

2015-03-01

Sharing a medical image visually annotated by a region of interest with a remotely located specialist for consultation is a good practice. It may, however, require a special-purpose (and most likely expensive) system to send and view them, which is an unfeasible solution in developing countries such as Vietnam. In this study, we design and implement interoperable methods based on the HL7 Clinical Document Architecture and the eXtensible Markup Language Stylesheet Language for Transformation standards to seamlessly exchange and visually present the shapes of regions of interest using web browsers. We also propose a new integration architecture for a Clinical Document Architecture generator that enables embedding of regions of interest and simultaneous auto-generation of corresponding style sheets. Using the Clinical Document Architecture document and style sheet, a sender can transmit clinical documents and medical images together with coordinate values of regions of interest to recipients. Recipients can easily view the documents and display embedded regions of interest by rendering them in their web browser of choice. © The Author(s) 2014.

Packaging and Embedded Electronics for the Next Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sampson, Michael J.

2010-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes examples of electronic packaging that protects an electronic element from handling, contamination, shock, vibration and light penetration. The use of Hermetic and non-hermetic packaging is also discussed. The topics include: 1) What is Electronic Packaging? 2) Why Package Electronic Parts? 3) Evolution of Packaging; 4) General Packaging Discussion; 5) Advanced non-hermetic packages; 6) Discussion of Hermeticity; 7) The Class Y Concept and Possible Extensions; 8) Embedded Technologies; and 9) NEPP Activities.

Water Resource Impacts Embedded in the Western US Electrical Energy Trade; Current Patterns and Adaptation to Future Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, E. A.; Herron, S.; Qiu, Y.; Tidwell, V. C.; Ruddell, B. L.

2013-12-01

Water resources are a key element in the global coupled natural-human (CNH) system, because they are tightly coupled with the world's social, environmental, and economic subsystems, and because water resources are under increasing pressure worldwide. A fundamental adaptive tool used especially by cities to overcome local water resource scarcity is the outsourcing of water resource impacts through substitutionary economic trade. This is generally understood as the indirect component of a water footprint, and as ';virtual water' trade. This work employs generalized CNH methods to reveal the trade in water resource impacts embedded in electrical energy within the Western US power grid, and utilizes a general equilibrium economic trade model combined with drought and demand growth constraints to estimate the future status of this trade. Trade in embedded water resource impacts currently increases total water used for electricity production in the Western US and shifts water use to more water-limited States. Extreme drought and large increases in electrical energy demand increase the need for embedded water resource impact trade, while motivating a shift to more water-efficient generation technologies and more water-abundant generating locations. Cities are the largest users of electrical energy, and in the 21st Century will outsource a larger fraction of their water resource impacts through trade. This trade exposes cities to risks associated with disruption of long-distance transmission and distant hydrological droughts.

Experimental and numeric stress analysis of titanium and zirconia one-piece dental implants.

PubMed

Mobilio, Nicola; Stefanoni, Filippo; Contiero, Paolo; Mollica, Francesco; Catapano, Santo

2013-01-01

To compare the stress in bone around zirconia and titanium implants under loading. A one-piece zirconia implant and a replica of the same implant made of commercially pure titanium were embedded in two self-curing acrylic resin blocks. To measure strain, a strain gauge was applied on the surface of the two samples. Loads of 50, 100, and 150 N, with orientations of 30, 45, and 60 degrees with respect to the implant axis were applied on the implant. Strain under all loading conditions on both samples was measured. Three-dimensional virtual replicas of both the implants were reproduced using the finite element method and inserted into a virtual acrylic resin block. All the materials were considered isotropic, linear, and elastic. The same geometry and loading conditions of the experimental setup were used to realize two new models, with the implants embedded within a virtual bone block. Very close values of strain in the two implants embedded in acrylic resin were obtained both experimentally and numerically. The stress states generated by the implants embedded in virtual bone were also very similar, even if the two implants moved differently. Moreover, the stress levels were higher on cortical bone than on trabecular bone. The stress levels in bone, generated by the two implants, appeared to be very similar. From a mechanical point of view, zirconia is a feasible substitute for titanium.

Dynamic Resource Allocation for IEEE802.16e

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nascimento, Alberto; Rodriguez, Jonathan

Mobile communications has witnessed an exponential increase in the amount of users, services and applications. New high bandwidth consuming applications are targeted for B3G networks raising more stringent requirements for Dynamic Resource Allocation (DRA) architectures and packet schedulers that must be spectrum efficient and deliver QoS for heterogeneous applications and services. In this paper we propose a new cross layer-based architecture framework embedded in a newly designed DRA architecture for the Mobile WiMAX standard. System level simulation results show that the proposed architecture can be considered a viable candidate solution for supporting mixed services in a cost-effective manner in contrast to existing approaches.

Collaborative Resource Allocation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yeou-Fang; Wax, Allan; Lam, Raymond; Baldwin, John; Borden, Chester

2007-01-01

Collaborative Resource Allocation Networking Environment (CRANE) Version 0.5 is a prototype created to prove the newest concept of using a distributed environment to schedule Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna times in a collaborative fashion. This program is for all space-flight and terrestrial science project users and DSN schedulers to perform scheduling activities and conflict resolution, both synchronously and asynchronously. Project schedulers can, for the first time, participate directly in scheduling their tracking times into the official DSN schedule, and negotiate directly with other projects in an integrated scheduling system. A master schedule covers long-range, mid-range, near-real-time, and real-time scheduling time frames all in one, rather than the current method of separate functions that are supported by different processes and tools. CRANE also provides private workspaces (both dynamic and static), data sharing, scenario management, user control, rapid messaging (based on Java Message Service), data/time synchronization, workflow management, notification (including emails), conflict checking, and a linkage to a schedule generation engine. The data structure with corresponding database design combines object trees with multiple associated mortal instances and relational database to provide unprecedented traceability and simplify the existing DSN XML schedule representation. These technologies are used to provide traceability, schedule negotiation, conflict resolution, and load forecasting from real-time operations to long-range loading analysis up to 20 years in the future. CRANE includes a database, a stored procedure layer, an agent-based middle tier, a Web service wrapper, a Windows Integrated Analysis Environment (IAE), a Java application, and a Web page interface.

Tiled architecture of a CNN-mostly IP system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaanenburg, Lambert; Malki, Suleyman

2009-05-01

Multi-core architectures have been popularized with the advent of the IBM CELL. On a finer grain the problems in scheduling multi-cores have already existed in the tiled architectures, such as the EPIC and Da Vinci. It is not easy to evaluate the performance of a schedule on such architecture as historical data are not available. One solution is to compile algorithms for which an optimal schedule is known by analysis. A typical example is an algorithm that is already defined in terms of many collaborating simple nodes, such as a Cellular Neural Network (CNN). A simple node with a local register stack together with a 'rotating wheel' internal communication mechanism has been proposed. Though the basic CNN allows for a tiled implementation of a tiled algorithm on a tiled structure, a practical CNN system will have to disturb this regularity by the additional need for arithmetical and logical operations. Arithmetic operations are needed for instance to accommodate for low-level image processing, while logical operations are needed to fork and merge different data streams without use of the external memory. It is found that the 'rotating wheel' internal communication mechanism still handles such mechanisms without the need for global control. Overall the CNN system provides for a practical network size as implemented on a FPGA, can be easily used as embedded IP and provides a clear benchmark for a multi-core compiler.

GPU surface extraction using the closest point embedding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mark; Hansen, Charles

2015-01-01

Isosurface extraction is a fundamental technique used for both surface reconstruction and mesh generation. One method to extract well-formed isosurfaces is a particle system; unfortunately, particle systems can be slow. In this paper, we introduce an enhanced parallel particle system that uses the closest point embedding as the surface representation to speedup the particle system for isosurface extraction. The closest point embedding is used in the Closest Point Method (CPM), a technique that uses a standard three dimensional numerical PDE solver on two dimensional embedded surfaces. To fully take advantage of the closest point embedding, it is coupled with a Barnes-Hut tree code on the GPU. This new technique produces well-formed, conformal unstructured triangular and tetrahedral meshes from labeled multi-material volume datasets. Further, this new parallel implementation of the particle system is faster than any known methods for conformal multi-material mesh extraction. The resulting speed-ups gained in this implementation can reduce the time from labeled data to mesh from hours to minutes and benefits users, such as bioengineers, who employ triangular and tetrahedral meshes

Quantum Optimization of Fully Connected Spin Glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venturelli, Davide; Mandrà, Salvatore; Knysh, Sergey; O'Gorman, Bryan; Biswas, Rupak; Smelyanskiy, Vadim

2015-07-01

Many NP-hard problems can be seen as the task of finding a ground state of a disordered highly connected Ising spin glass. If solutions are sought by means of quantum annealing, it is often necessary to represent those graphs in the annealer's hardware by means of the graph-minor embedding technique, generating a final Hamiltonian consisting of coupled chains of ferromagnetically bound spins, whose binding energy is a free parameter. In order to investigate the effect of embedding on problems of interest, the fully connected Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model with random ±1 couplings is programmed on the D-Wave TwoTM annealer using up to 270 qubits interacting on a Chimera-type graph. We present the best embedding prescriptions for encoding the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick problem in the Chimera graph. The results indicate that the optimal choice of embedding parameters could be associated with the emergence of the spin-glass phase of the embedded problem, whose presence was previously uncertain. This optimal parameter setting allows the performance of the quantum annealer to compete with (and potentially outperform, in the absence of analog control errors) optimized simulated annealing algorithms.

Drag Measurements over Embedded Cavities in a Low Reynolds Number Couette Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilmer, Caleb; Lang, Amy; Jones, Robert

2010-11-01

Recent research has revealed that thin-walled, embedded cavities in low Reynolds number flow have the potential to reduce the net viscous drag force acting on the surface. This reduction is due to the formation of embedded vortices allowing the outer flow to pass over the surface via a roller bearing effect. It is also hypothesized that the scales found on butterfly wings may act in a similar manner to cause a net increase in flying efficiency. In this experimental study, rectangular embedded cavities were designed as a means of successfully reducing the net drag across surfaces in a low Reynolds number flow. A Couette flow was generated via a rotating conveyor belt immersed in a tank of high viscosity mineral oil above which the plates with embedded cavities were placed. Drag induced on the plate models was measured using a force gauge and compared directly to measurements acquired over a flat plate. Various cavity aspect ratios and gap heights were tested in order to determine the conditions under which the greatest drag reductions occurred.

Development of active and sensitive material systems based on composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asanuma, Hiroshi

2002-07-01

This paper describes new concepts proposed by the author to realize active and sensitive structural material systems. Two examples of multifunctional composites were fabricated and evaluated in this study as follows: (1) An active laminate of aluminum plate (works as muscle), epoxy film (as insulator), unidirectional CFRP prepreg (as bone and blood vessel) and copper foil electrode (to apply voltage on CFRP) was made with an embedded optical fiber multiply fractured in the CFRP layer (works as nerve), of which curvature change could be effectively monitored with the fractured optical fiber. (2) A stainless steel fiber/aluminum active composite with embedded Ti oxide/Ti composite fiber was fabricated. The Ti oxide/Ti fiber could work as a sensor for temperature by removing a part of the oxide before embedment to make a metallic contact between the embedded titanium fiber and aluminum matrix to be able to generate thermal electromotive force, and also could work as a sensor for strain and as a heater for actuation. In the both cases, the outputs from their embedded sensors can be used to control their actuations.

Geometric Distribution-Based Readers Scheduling Optimization Algorithm Using Artificial Immune System.

PubMed

Duan, Litian; Wang, Zizhong John; Duan, Fu

2016-11-16

In the multiple-reader environment (MRE) of radio frequency identification (RFID) system, multiple readers are often scheduled to interrogate the randomized tags via operating at different time slots or frequency channels to decrease the signal interferences. Based on this, a Geometric Distribution-based Multiple-reader Scheduling Optimization Algorithm using Artificial Immune System (GD-MRSOA-AIS) is proposed to fairly and optimally schedule the readers operating from the viewpoint of resource allocations. GD-MRSOA-AIS is composed of two parts, where a geometric distribution function combined with the fairness consideration is first introduced to generate the feasible scheduling schemes for reader operation. After that, artificial immune system (including immune clone, immune mutation and immune suppression) quickly optimize these feasible ones as the optimal scheduling scheme to ensure that readers are fairly operating with larger effective interrogation range and lower interferences. Compared with the state-of-the-art algorithm, the simulation results indicate that GD-MRSOA-AIS could efficiently schedules the multiple readers operating with a fairer resource allocation scheme, performing in larger effective interrogation range.

Geometric Distribution-Based Readers Scheduling Optimization Algorithm Using Artificial Immune System

PubMed Central

Duan, Litian; Wang, Zizhong John; Duan, Fu

2016-01-01

In the multiple-reader environment (MRE) of radio frequency identification (RFID) system, multiple readers are often scheduled to interrogate the randomized tags via operating at different time slots or frequency channels to decrease the signal interferences. Based on this, a Geometric Distribution-based Multiple-reader Scheduling Optimization Algorithm using Artificial Immune System (GD-MRSOA-AIS) is proposed to fairly and optimally schedule the readers operating from the viewpoint of resource allocations. GD-MRSOA-AIS is composed of two parts, where a geometric distribution function combined with the fairness consideration is first introduced to generate the feasible scheduling schemes for reader operation. After that, artificial immune system (including immune clone, immune mutation and immune suppression) quickly optimize these feasible ones as the optimal scheduling scheme to ensure that readers are fairly operating with larger effective interrogation range and lower interferences. Compared with the state-of-the-art algorithm, the simulation results indicate that GD-MRSOA-AIS could efficiently schedules the multiple readers operating with a fairer resource allocation scheme, performing in larger effective interrogation range. PMID:27854342

A distributed computing environment with support for constraint-based task scheduling and scientific experimentation

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

Ahrens, J.P.; Shapiro, L.G.; Tanimoto, S.L.

1997-04-01

This paper describes a computing environment which supports computer-based scientific research work. Key features include support for automatic distributed scheduling and execution and computer-based scientific experimentation. A new flexible and extensible scheduling technique that is responsive to a user`s scheduling constraints, such as the ordering of program results and the specification of task assignments and processor utilization levels, is presented. An easy-to-use constraint language for specifying scheduling constraints, based on the relational database query language SQL, is described along with a search-based algorithm for fulfilling these constraints. A set of performance studies show that the environment can schedule and executemore » program graphs on a network of workstations as the user requests. A method for automatically generating computer-based scientific experiments is described. Experiments provide a concise method of specifying a large collection of parameterized program executions. The environment achieved significant speedups when executing experiments; for a large collection of scientific experiments an average speedup of 3.4 on an average of 5.5 scheduled processors was obtained.« less

Nonpreemptive run-time scheduling issues on a multitasked, multiprogrammed multiprocessor with dependencies, bidimensional tasks, folding and dynamic graphs

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

Miller, Allan Ray

1987-05-01

Increases in high speed hardware have mandated studies in software techniques to exploit the parallel capabilities. This thesis examines the effects a run-time scheduler has on a multiprocessor. The model consists of directed, acyclic graphs, generated from serial FORTRAN benchmark programs by the parallel compiler Parafrase. A multitasked, multiprogrammed environment is created. Dependencies are generated by the compiler. Tasks are bidimensional, i.e., they may specify both time and processor requests. Processor requests may be folded into execution time by the scheduler. The graphs may arrive at arbitrary time intervals. The general case is NP-hard, thus, a variety of heuristics aremore » examined by a simulator. Multiprogramming demonstrates a greater need for a run-time scheduler than does monoprogramming for a variety of reasons, e.g., greater stress on the processors, a larger number of independent control paths, more variety in the task parameters, etc. The dynamic critical path series of algorithms perform well. Dynamic critical volume did not add much. Unfortunately, dynamic critical path maximizes turnaround time as well as throughput. Two schedulers are presented which balance throughput and turnaround time. The first requires classification of jobs by type; the second requires selection of a ratio value which is dependent upon system parameters. 45 refs., 19 figs., 20 tabs.« less

An Algorithm for Automatically Modifying Train Crew Schedule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Satoru; Kataoka, Kenji; Kojima, Teruhito; Asami, Masayuki

Once the break-down of the train schedule occurs, the crew schedule as well as the train schedule has to be modified as quickly as possible to restore them. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for automatically modifying a crew schedule that takes all constraints into consideration, presenting a model of the combined problem of crews and trains. The proposed algorithm builds an initial solution by relaxing some of the constraint conditions, and then uses a Taboo-search method to revise this solution in order to minimize the degree of constraint violation resulting from these relaxed conditions. Then we show not only that the algorithm can generate a constraint satisfaction solution, but also that the solution will satisfy the experts. That is, we show the proposed algorithm is capable of producing a usable solution in a short time by applying to actual cases of train-schedule break-down, and that the solution is at least as good as those produced manually, by comparing the both solutions with several point of view.

Strategies for managing work/life interaction among women and men with variable and unpredictable work hours in retail sales in Québec, Canada.

PubMed

Messing, Karen; Tissot, France; Couture, Vanessa; Bernstein, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Increasingly, work schedules in retail sales are generated by software that takes into account variations in predicted sales. The resulting variable and unpredictable schedules require employees to be available, unpaid, over extended periods. At the request of a union, we studied schedule preferences in a retail chain in Québec using observations, interviews, and questionnaires. Shift start times had varied on average by four hours over the previous week; 83 percent had worked at least one day the previous weekend. Difficulties with work/life balance were associated with schedules and, among women, with family responsibilities. Most workers wanted: more advance notice; early shifts; regular schedules; two days off in sequence; and weekends off. Choices varied, so software could be adapted to take preferences into account. Also, employers could give better advance notice and establish systems for shift exchanges. Governments could limit store hours and schedule variability while prolonging the minimum sequential duration of leave per week.

Learning for VMM + WTA Embedded Classifiers

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-31

enabling correct classification of each novel acoustic signal (generator, idle car , and idle truck). The classification structure requires, after...measured on our SoC FPAA IC. The test input is composed of signals from urban environment for 3 objects (generator, idle car , and idle truck...classifier results from a rural truck data set, an urban generator set, and urban idle car dataset. Solid lines represent our extracted background

Embedding the Form Generator in a Content Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, A.; Wicenec, A.; Delmotte, N.; Tejero, A.

2008-08-01

Given the tremendous amount of data generated by ESO's telescopes and the rapid evolution of the World Wide Web, the ESO archive web interface needs to offer more flexible services and advanced functionalities to a growing community of users all over the world. To achieve this endeavour, a query form generator is being developed inside a Content Management System. We present here a progress report.

The GBT Dynamic Scheduling System: A New Scheduling Paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neil, K.; Balser, D.; Bignell, C.; Clark, M.; Condon, J.; McCarty, M.; Marganian, P.; Shelton, A.; Braatz, J.; Harnett, J.; Maddalena, R.; Mello, M.; Sessoms, E.

2009-09-01

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is implementing a new Dynamic Scheduling System (DSS) designed to maximize the observing efficiency of the telescope while ensuring that none of the flexibility and ease of use of the GBT is harmed and that the data quality of observations is not adversely affected. To accomplish this, the GBT DSS is implementing a dynamic scheduling system which schedules observers, rather than running scripts. The DSS works by breaking each project into one or more sessions which have associated observing criteria such as RA, Dec, and frequency. Potential observers may also enter dates when members of their team will not be available for either on-site or remote observing. The scheduling algorithm uses those data, along with the predicted weather, to determine the most efficient schedule for the GBT. The DSS provides all observers at least 24 hours notice of their upcoming observing. In the uncommon (< 20%) case where the actual weather does not match the predictions, a backup project, chosen from the database, is run instead. Here we give an overview of the GBT DSS project, including the ranking and scheduling algorithms for the sessions, the scheduling probabilities generation, the web framework for the system, and an overview of the results from the beta testing which were held from June - September, 2008.

Study and Demonstration of Planning and Scheduling Concepts for the Earth Observing System Data and Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Randal; Thalman, Nancy

1993-01-01

The University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) along with the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed, implemented, tested, and demonstrated a prototype of the distributed, hierarchical planning and scheduling system comtemplated for the Earth Observing System (EOS) project. The planning and scheduling prototype made use of existing systems: CU/LASP's Operations and Science Instrument Support Planning and Scheduling (OASIS-PS) software package; GSFC's Request Oriented Scheduling Engine (ROSE); and JPL's Plan Integrated Timeliner 2 (Plan-It-2). Using these tools, four scheduling nodes were implemented and tied together using a new communications protocol for scheduling applications called the Scheduling Applications Interface Language (SAIL). An extensive and realistic scenario of EOS satellite operations was then developed and the prototype scheduling system was tested and demonstrated using the scenario. Two demonstrations of the system were given to NASA personnel and EOS core system (ECS) contractor personnel. A comprehensive volume of lessons learned was generated and a meeting was held with NASA and ECS representatives to review these lessons learned. A paper and presentation on the project's final results was given at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Computing in Aerospace 9 conference.

On program restructuring, scheduling, and communication for parallel processor systems

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

Polychronopoulos, Constantine D.

1986-08-01

This dissertation discusses several software and hardware aspects of program execution on large-scale, high-performance parallel processor systems. The issues covered are program restructuring, partitioning, scheduling and interprocessor communication, synchronization, and hardware design issues of specialized units. All this work was performed focusing on a single goal: to maximize program speedup, or equivalently, to minimize parallel execution time. Parafrase, a Fortran restructuring compiler was used to transform programs in a parallel form and conduct experiments. Two new program restructuring techniques are presented, loop coalescing and subscript blocking. Compile-time and run-time scheduling schemes are covered extensively. Depending on the program construct, thesemore » algorithms generate optimal or near-optimal schedules. For the case of arbitrarily nested hybrid loops, two optimal scheduling algorithms for dynamic and static scheduling are presented. Simulation results are given for a new dynamic scheduling algorithm. The performance of this algorithm is compared to that of self-scheduling. Techniques for program partitioning and minimization of interprocessor communication for idealized program models and for real Fortran programs are also discussed. The close relationship between scheduling, interprocessor communication, and synchronization becomes apparent at several points in this work. Finally, the impact of various types of overhead on program speedup and experimental results are presented.« less

Optimal seasonal schedules and the relative dominance of heteromorphic and isomorphic life cycles in macroalgae.

PubMed

Bessho, Kazuhiro; Iwasa, Yoh

2010-11-21

Marine macroalgae (seaweed) show diverse life cycles. Species with a heteromorphic life cycle have a large multicellular algal body in one generation but have a very small body in the second generation of the same year. In contrast, the diploid and haploid life forms of isomorphic species have similar morphology, and these species often have more than two generations in a year. Here, we first study the optimal life cycle schedule of marine macroalgae when daily mortality changes seasonally, and then we discuss the conditions for coexistence and relative dominance of different life cycles. According to the optimal life cycle schedule, heteromorphic species tend to have a generation with a large algal body when mortality is low, and a microscopic-sized generation when mortality is high. In contrast, isomorphic species tend to mature when body size reaches a threshold value that is the same for different generations. We then examine the coexistence of the two life cycles when growth rate decreases with biomass. The model predicts that (1) at high latitudes (i.e., in strongly seasonal environments), heteromorphic species are likely to dominate over isomorphic species, and (2) species with a heteromorphic life cycle should dominate in the supratidal and upper intertidal zones where macroalgae tend to suffer high mortality, and also in the subtidal zone, where mortality is low, whereas isomorphic species are likely to be more successful when mortality is intermediate. These predictions are consistent with the observed distribution patterns of the two life cycles in macroalgae. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrical generating unit inventory 1976-1986: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, S. D.

1981-09-01

The ORBES region consists of all of Kentucky, most of West Virginia, substantial parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and southwestern Pennsylvania. The inventory lists installed electrical generating capacity in commercial service as of December 1, 1976, and scheduled capacity additions and removals between 1977 and 1986 in the six ORBES states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). The following information is included for each electrical generating unit: unit ID code, company index, whether point or industrial ownership, plant name, whether inside or outside the ORBES region, FIPS county code, type of unit, size in megawatts, type of megawatt rating, status of unit, data of commercial operation, scheduled retirement date, primary fuel, alternate fuel, type of cooling, source of cooling water, and source of information.

Nonstandard Work Schedules and Developmentally Generative Parenting Practices: An Application of Propensity Score Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Daniel, Stephanie S.; Tucker, Jenna; Walls, Jill; Leerkes, Esther

2011-01-01

Data from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (Phase I) and propensity score techniques were used to determine whether working full time in a nonstandard schedule job during the child's first year predicted parenting practices over 3 years. Results indicated that women who worked full time in a…

Optimal Power Scheduling for a Medium Voltage AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Network

DOE PAGES

Zhu, Zhenshan; Liu, Dichen; Liao, Qingfen; ...

2018-01-26

With the great increase of renewable generation as well as the DC loads in the distribution network; DC distribution technology is receiving more attention; since the DC distribution network can improve operating efficiency and power quality by reducing the energy conversion stages. This paper presents a new architecture for the medium voltage AC/DC hybrid distribution network; where the AC and DC subgrids are looped by normally closed AC soft open point (ACSOP) and DC soft open point (DCSOP); respectively. The proposed AC/DC hybrid distribution systems contain renewable generation (i.e., wind power and photovoltaic (PV) generation); energy storage systems (ESSs); softmore » open points (SOPs); and both AC and DC flexible demands. An energy management strategy for the hybrid system is presented based on the dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) method. The main objective of the proposed power scheduling strategy is to minimize the operating cost and reduce the curtailment of renewable generation while meeting operational and technical constraints. The proposed approach is verified in five scenarios. The five scenarios are classified as pure AC system; hybrid AC/DC system; hybrid system with interlinking converter; hybrid system with DC flexible demand; and hybrid system with SOPs. Results show that the proposed scheduling method can successfully dispatch the controllable elements; and that the presented architecture for the AC/DC hybrid distribution system is beneficial for reducing operating cost and renewable generation curtailment.« less

Optimal Power Scheduling for a Medium Voltage AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Network

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

Zhu, Zhenshan; Liu, Dichen; Liao, Qingfen

With the great increase of renewable generation as well as the DC loads in the distribution network; DC distribution technology is receiving more attention; since the DC distribution network can improve operating efficiency and power quality by reducing the energy conversion stages. This paper presents a new architecture for the medium voltage AC/DC hybrid distribution network; where the AC and DC subgrids are looped by normally closed AC soft open point (ACSOP) and DC soft open point (DCSOP); respectively. The proposed AC/DC hybrid distribution systems contain renewable generation (i.e., wind power and photovoltaic (PV) generation); energy storage systems (ESSs); softmore » open points (SOPs); and both AC and DC flexible demands. An energy management strategy for the hybrid system is presented based on the dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) method. The main objective of the proposed power scheduling strategy is to minimize the operating cost and reduce the curtailment of renewable generation while meeting operational and technical constraints. The proposed approach is verified in five scenarios. The five scenarios are classified as pure AC system; hybrid AC/DC system; hybrid system with interlinking converter; hybrid system with DC flexible demand; and hybrid system with SOPs. Results show that the proposed scheduling method can successfully dispatch the controllable elements; and that the presented architecture for the AC/DC hybrid distribution system is beneficial for reducing operating cost and renewable generation curtailment.« less

Ensuring the Reliable Operation of the Power Grid: State-Based and Distributed Approaches to Scheduling Energy and Contingency Reserves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prada, Jose Fernando

Keeping a contingency reserve in power systems is necessary to preserve the security of real-time operations. This work studies two different approaches to the optimal allocation of energy and reserves in the day-ahead generation scheduling process. Part I presents a stochastic security-constrained unit commitment model to co-optimize energy and the locational reserves required to respond to a set of uncertain generation contingencies, using a novel state-based formulation. The model is applied in an offer-based electricity market to allocate contingency reserves throughout the power grid, in order to comply with the N-1 security criterion under transmission congestion. The objective is to minimize expected dispatch and reserve costs, together with post contingency corrective redispatch costs, modeling the probability of generation failure and associated post contingency states. The characteristics of the scheduling problem are exploited to formulate a computationally efficient method, consistent with established operational practices. We simulated the distribution of locational contingency reserves on the IEEE RTS96 system and compared the results with the conventional deterministic method. We found that assigning locational spinning reserves can guarantee an N-1 secure dispatch accounting for transmission congestion at a reasonable extra cost. The simulations also showed little value of allocating downward reserves but sizable operating savings from co-optimizing locational nonspinning reserves. Overall, the results indicate the computational tractability of the proposed method. Part II presents a distributed generation scheduling model to optimally allocate energy and spinning reserves among competing generators in a day-ahead market. The model is based on the coordination between individual generators and a market entity. The proposed method uses forecasting, augmented pricing and locational signals to induce efficient commitment of generators based on firm posted prices. It is price-based but does not rely on multiple iterations, minimizes information exchange and simplifies the market clearing process. Simulations of the distributed method performed on a six-bus test system showed that, using an appropriate set of prices, it is possible to emulate the results of a conventional centralized solution, without need of providing make-whole payments to generators. Likewise, they showed that the distributed method can accommodate transactions with different products and complex security constraints.

Three-dimensional plotting of a cell-laden alginate/methylcellulose blend: towards biofabrication of tissue engineering constructs with clinically relevant dimensions.

PubMed

Schütz, Kathleen; Placht, Anna-Maria; Paul, Birgit; Brüggemeier, Sophie; Gelinsky, Michael; Lode, Anja

2017-05-01

Biofabrication of tissue engineering constructs with tailored architecture and organized cell placement using rapid prototyping technologies is a major research focus in the field of regenerative therapies. This study describes a novel alginate-based material suitable for both cell embedding and fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) structures with predefined geometry by 3D plotting. The favourable printing properties of the material were achieved by using a simple strategy: addition of methylcellulose (MC) to a 3% alginate solution resulted in a strongly enhanced viscosity, which enabled accurate and easy deposition without high technical efforts. After scaffold plotting, the alginate chains were crosslinked with Ca 2+ ; MC did not contribute to the gelation and was released from the scaffolds during the following cultivation. The resulting constructs are characterized by high elasticity and stability, as well as an enhanced microporosity caused by the transient presence of MC. The suitability of the alginate/MC blend for cell embedding was evaluated by direct incorporation of mesenchymal stem cells during scaffold fabrication. The embedded cells showed high viability after 3 weeks of cultivation, which was similar to those of cells within pure alginate scaffolds which served as control. Maintenance of the differentiation potential of embedded cells, as an important requirement for the generation of functional tissue engineering constructs, was proven for adipogenic differentiation as a model for soft tissue formation. In conclusion, the temporary integration of MC into a low-concentrated alginate solution allowed the generation of scaffolds with dimensions in the range of centimetres without loss of the positive properties of low-concentrated alginate hydrogels with regard to cell embedding. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Expert mission planning and replanning scheduling system for NASA KSC payload operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, Roger

1987-01-01

EMPRESS (Expert Mission Planning and REplanning Scheduling System) is an expert system created to assist payload mission planners at Kennedy in the long range planning and scheduling of horizontal payloads for space shuttle flights. Using the current flight manifest, these planners develop mission and payload schedules detailing all processing to be performed in the Operations and Checkout building at Kennedy. With the EMPRESS system, schedules are generated quickly using standard flows that represent the tasks and resources required to process a specific horizontal carrier. Resources can be tracked and resource conflicts can be determined and resolved interactively. Constraint relationships between tasks are maintained and can be enforced when a task is moved or rescheduled. The domain, structure, and functionality of the EMPRESS system is briefly designed. The limitations of the EMPRESS system are described as well as improvements expected with the EMPRESS-2 development.

Integrated scheduling of a container handling system with simultaneous loading and discharging operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chen; Lu, Zhiqiang; Han, Xiaole; Zhang, Yuejun; Wang, Li

2016-03-01

The integrated scheduling of container handling systems aims to optimize the coordination and overall utilization of all handling equipment, so as to minimize the makespan of a given set of container tasks. A modified disjunctive graph is proposed and a mixed 0-1 programming model is formulated. A heuristic algorithm is presented, in which the original problem is divided into two subproblems. In the first subproblem, contiguous bay crane operations are applied to obtain a good quay crane schedule. In the second subproblem, proper internal truck and yard crane schedules are generated to match the given quay crane schedule. Furthermore, a genetic algorithm based on the heuristic algorithm is developed to search for better solutions. The computational results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently find high-quality solutions. They also indicate the effectiveness of simultaneous loading and discharging operations compared with separate ones.

Uncertainty management by relaxation of conflicting constraints in production process scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorn, Juergen; Slany, Wolfgang; Stary, Christian

1992-01-01

Mathematical-analytical methods as used in Operations Research approaches are often insufficient for scheduling problems. This is due to three reasons: the combinatorial complexity of the search space, conflicting objectives for production optimization, and the uncertainty in the production process. Knowledge-based techniques, especially approximate reasoning and constraint relaxation, are promising ways to overcome these problems. A case study from an industrial CIM environment, namely high-grade steel production, is presented to demonstrate how knowledge-based scheduling with the desired capabilities could work. By using fuzzy set theory, the applied knowledge representation technique covers the uncertainty inherent in the problem domain. Based on this knowledge representation, a classification of jobs according to their importance is defined which is then used for the straightforward generation of a schedule. A control strategy which comprises organizational, spatial, temporal, and chemical constraints is introduced. The strategy supports the dynamic relaxation of conflicting constraints in order to improve tentative schedules.

Multi-trip vehicle routing and scheduling problem with time window in real life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sze, San-Nah; Chiew, Kang-Leng; Sze, Jeeu-Fong

2012-09-01

This paper studies a manpower scheduling problem with multiple maintenance operations and vehicle routing considerations. Service teams located at a common service centre are required to travel to different customer sites. All customers must be served within given time window, which are known in advance. The scheduling process must take into consideration complex constraints such as a meal break during the team's shift, multiple travelling trips, synchronisation of service teams and working shifts. The main objective of this study is to develop a heuristic that can generate high quality solution in short time for large problem instances. A Two-stage Scheduling Heuristic is developed for different variants of the problem. Empirical results show that the proposed solution performs effectively and efficiently. In addition, our proposed approximation algorithm is very flexible and can be easily adapted to different scheduling environments and operational requirements.

Optimizing Chemotherapy Dose and Schedule by Norton-Simon Mathematical Modeling

PubMed Central

Traina, Tiffany A.; Dugan, Ute; Higgins, Brian; Kolinsky, Kenneth; Theodoulou, Maria; Hudis, Clifford A.; Norton, Larry

2011-01-01

Background To hasten and improve anticancer drug development, we created a novel approach to generating and analyzing preclinical dose-scheduling data so as to optimize benefit-to-toxicity ratios. Methods We applied mathematical methods based upon Norton-Simon growth kinetic modeling to tumor-volume data from breast cancer xenografts treated with capecitabine (Xeloda®, Roche) at the conventional schedule of 14 days of treatment followed by a 7-day rest (14 - 7). Results The model predicted that 7 days of treatment followed by a 7-day rest (7 - 7) would be superior. Subsequent preclinical studies demonstrated that this biweekly capecitabine schedule allowed for safe delivery of higher daily doses, improved tumor response, and prolonged animal survival. Conclusions We demonstrated that the application of Norton-Simon modeling to the design and analysis of preclinical data predicts an improved capecitabine dosing schedule in xenograft models. This method warrants further investigation and application in clinical drug development. PMID:20519801

A COTS-Based Attitude Dependent Contact Scheduling System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeGumbia, Jonathan D.; Stezelberger, Shane T.; Woodard, Mark

2006-01-01

The mission architecture of the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) requires a sophisticated ground system component for scheduling the downlink of science data. Contacts between the ````````````````` satellite and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) are restricted by the limited field-of-view of the science data downlink antenna. In addition, contacts must be scheduled when permitted by the satellite s complex and non-repeating attitude profile. Complicating the matter further, the long lead-time required to schedule TDRSS services, combined with the short duration of the downlink contact opportunities, mandates accurate GLAST orbit and attitude modeling. These circumstances require the development of a scheduling system that is capable of predictively and accurately modeling not only the orbital position of GLAST but also its attitude. This paper details the methods used in the design of a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS)-based attitude-dependent. TDRSS contact Scheduling system that meets the unique scheduling requirements of the GLAST mission, and it suggests a COTS-based scheduling approach to support future missions. The scheduling system applies filtering and smoothing algorithms to telemetered GPS data to produce high-accuracy predictive GLAST orbit ephemerides. Next, bus pointing commands from the GLAST Science Support Center are used to model the complexities of the two dynamic science gathering attitude modes. Attitude-dependent view periods are then generated between GLAST and each of the supporting TDRSs. Numerous scheduling constraints are then applied to account for various mission specific resource limitations. Next, an optimization engine is used to produce an optimized TDRSS contact schedule request which is sent to TDRSS scheduling for confirmation. Lastly, the confirmed TDRSS contact schedule is rectified with an updated ephemeris and adjusted bus pointing commands to produce a final science downlink contact schedule.

Automated Planning and Scheduling for Orbital Express (151)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Russell

2008-01-01

The challenging timeline for DARPA's Orbital Express mission demanded a flexible, responsive, and (above all) safe approach to mission planning. Because the mission was a technology demonstration, pertinent planning information was learned during actual mission execution. This information led to amendments to procedures, which led to changes in the mission plan. In general, we used the ASPEN planner scheduler to generate and validate the mission plans. We enhanced ASPEN to enable it to reason about uncertainty. We also developed a model generator that would read the text of a procedure and translate it into an ASPEN model. These technologies had a significant impact on the success of the Orbital Express mission.

Content-independent embedding scheme for multi-modal medical image watermarking.

PubMed

Nyeem, Hussain; Boles, Wageeh; Boyd, Colin

2015-02-04

As the increasing adoption of information technology continues to offer better distant medical services, the distribution of, and remote access to digital medical images over public networks continues to grow significantly. Such use of medical images raises serious concerns for their continuous security protection, which digital watermarking has shown great potential to address. We present a content-independent embedding scheme for medical image watermarking. We observe that the perceptual content of medical images varies widely with their modalities. Recent medical image watermarking schemes are image-content dependent and thus they may suffer from inconsistent embedding capacity and visual artefacts. To attain the image content-independent embedding property, we generalise RONI (region of non-interest, to the medical professionals) selection process and use it for embedding by utilising RONI's least significant bit-planes. The proposed scheme thus avoids the need for RONI segmentation that incurs capacity and computational overheads. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed embedding scheme performs consistently over a dataset of 370 medical images including their 7 different modalities. Experimental results also verify how the state-of-the-art reversible schemes can have an inconsistent performance for different modalities of medical images. Our scheme has MSSIM (Mean Structural SIMilarity) larger than 0.999 with a deterministically adaptable embedding capacity. Our proposed image-content independent embedding scheme is modality-wise consistent, and maintains a good image quality of RONI while keeping all other pixels in the image untouched. Thus, with an appropriate watermarking framework (i.e., with the considerations of watermark generation, embedding and detection functions), our proposed scheme can be viable for the multi-modality medical image applications and distant medical services such as teleradiology and eHealth.

Impact of Feed Delivery Pattern on Aerial Particulate Matter and Behavior of Feedlot Cattle.

PubMed

Mitloehner, Frank M; Dailey, Jeff W; Morrow, Julie L; McGlone, John J

2017-03-01

Fine particulate matter with less than 2.5 microns diameter (PM 2.5 ) generated by cattle in feedlots is an environmental pollutant and a potential human and animal health issue. The objective of this study was to determine if a feeding schedule affects cattle behaviors that promote PM 2.5 in a commercial feedlot. The study used 2813 crossbred steers housed in 14 adjacent pens at a large-scale commercial West Texas feedlot. Treatments were conventional feeding at 0700, 1000, and 1200 (CON) or feeding at 0700, 1000, and 1830 (ALT), the latter feeding time coincided with dusk. A mobile behavior lab was used to quantify behaviors of steers that were associated with generation of PM 2.5 (e.g., fighting, mounting of peers, and increased locomotion). PM 2.5 samplers measured respirable particles with a mass median diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) every 15 min over a period of 7 d in April and May. Simultaneously, the ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, air pressure, and solar radiation were measured with a weather station. Elevated downwind PM 2.5 concentrations were measured at dusk, when cattle that were fed according to the ALT vs. the CON feeding schedule, demonstrated less PM 2.5 -generating behaviors ( p < 0.05). At dusk, steers on ALT vs. CON feeding schedules ate or were waiting to eat (standing in second row behind feeding cattle) at much greater rates ( p < 0.05). Upwind PM 2.5 concentrations were similar between the treatments. Downwind PM 2.5 concentrations averaged over 24 h were lower from ALT compared with CON pens (0.072 vs. 0.115 mg/m³, p < 0.01). However, dry matter intake (DMI) was less ( p < 0.05), and average daily gain (ADG) tended to be less ( p < 0.1) in cattle that were fed according to the ALT vs. the CON feeding schedules, whereas feed efficiency (aka gain to feed, G:F) was not affected. Although ALT feeding may pose a challenge in feed delivery and labor scheduling, cattle exhibited fewer PM 2.5 -generating behaviors and reduced generation of PM 2.5 when feed delivery times matched the natural desires of cattle to eat in a crepuscular pattern.

Non-contact thermoacoustic detection of embedded targets using airborne-capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nan, Hao; Boyle, Kevin C.; Apte, Nikhil; Aliroteh, Miaad S.; Bhuyan, Anshuman; Nikoozadeh, Amin; Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T.; Arbabian, Amin

2015-02-01

A radio frequency (RF)/ultrasound hybrid imaging system using airborne capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) is proposed for the remote detection of embedded objects in highly dispersive media (e.g., water, soil, and tissue). RF excitation provides permittivity contrast, and ultra-sensitive airborne-ultrasound detection measures thermoacoustic-generated acoustic waves that initiate at the boundaries of the embedded target, go through the medium-air interface, and finally reach the transducer. Vented wideband CMUTs interface to 0.18 μm CMOS low-noise amplifiers to provide displacement detection sensitivity of 1.3 pm at the transducer surface. The carefully designed vented CMUT structure provides a fractional bandwidth of 3.5% utilizing the squeeze-film damping of the air in the cavity.

Connes' embedding problem and Tsirelson's problem

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

Junge, M.; Palazuelos, C.; Navascues, M.

2011-01-15

We show that Tsirelson's problem concerning the set of quantum correlations and Connes' embedding problem on finite approximations in von Neumann algebras (known to be equivalent to Kirchberg's QWEP conjecture) are essentially equivalent. Specifically, Tsirelson's problem asks whether the set of bipartite quantum correlations generated between tensor product separated systems is the same as the set of correlations between commuting C{sup *}-algebras. Connes' embedding problem asks whether any separable II{sub 1} factor is a subfactor of the ultrapower of the hyperfinite II{sub 1} factor. We show that an affirmative answer to Connes' question implies a positive answer to Tsirelson's. Conversely,more » a positive answer to a matrix valued version of Tsirelson's problem implies a positive one to Connes' problem.« less

GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes Grown on Nanoscale Patterned Sapphire Substrates with Void-Embedded Cortex-Like Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Sheng; Yeh, J. Andrew

2011-09-01

High-efficiency GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with an emitting wavelength of 438 nm were demonstrated utilizing nanoscale patterned sapphire substrates with void-embedded cortex-like nanostructures (NPSS-VECN). Unlike the previous nanopatterned sapphire substrates, the presented substrate has a new morphology that can not only improve the crystalline quality of GaN epilayers but also generate a void-embedded nanostructural layer to enhance light extraction. Under a driving current of 20 mA, the external quantum efficiency of an LED with NPSS-VECN is enhanced by 2.4-fold compared with that of the conventional LED. Moreover, the output powers of two devices respectively are 33.1 and 13.9 mW.

Timing generator of scientific grade CCD camera and its implementation based on FPGA technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Si, Guoliang; Li, Yunfei; Guo, Yongfei

2010-10-01

The Timing Generator's functions of Scientific Grade CCD Camera is briefly presented: it generates various kinds of impulse sequence for the TDI-CCD, video processor and imaging data output, acting as the synchronous coordinator for time in the CCD imaging unit. The IL-E2TDI-CCD sensor produced by DALSA Co.Ltd. use in the Scientific Grade CCD Camera. Driving schedules of IL-E2 TDI-CCD sensor has been examined in detail, the timing generator has been designed for Scientific Grade CCD Camera. FPGA is chosen as the hardware design platform, schedule generator is described with VHDL. The designed generator has been successfully fulfilled function simulation with EDA software and fitted into XC2VP20-FF1152 (a kind of FPGA products made by XILINX). The experiments indicate that the new method improves the integrated level of the system. The Scientific Grade CCD camera system's high reliability, stability and low power supply are achieved. At the same time, the period of design and experiment is sharply shorted.

Recurrence plot statistics and the effect of embedding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

March, T. K.; Chapman, S. C.; Dendy, R. O.

2005-01-01

Recurrence plots provide a graphical representation of the recurrent patterns in a timeseries, the quantification of which is a relatively new field. Here we derive analytical expressions which relate the values of key statistics, notably determinism and entropy of line length distribution, to the correlation sum as a function of embedding dimension. These expressions are obtained by deriving the transformation which generates an embedded recurrence plot from an unembedded plot. A single unembedded recurrence plot thus provides the statistics of all possible embedded recurrence plots. If the correlation sum scales exponentially with embedding dimension, we show that these statistics are determined entirely by the exponent of the exponential. This explains the results of Iwanski and Bradley [J.S. Iwanski, E. Bradley, Recurrence plots of experimental data: to embed or not to embed? Chaos 8 (1998) 861-871] who found that certain recurrence plot statistics are apparently invariant to embedding dimension for certain low-dimensional systems. We also examine the relationship between the mutual information content of two timeseries and the common recurrent structure seen in their recurrence plots. This allows time-localized contributions to mutual information to be visualized. This technique is demonstrated using geomagnetic index data; we show that the AU and AL geomagnetic indices share half their information, and find the timescale on which mutual features appear.

Comparison of coherently coupled multi-cavity and quantum dot embedded single cavity systems.

PubMed

Kocaman, Serdar; Sayan, Gönül Turhan

2016-12-12

Temporal group delays originating from the optical analogue to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) are compared in two systems. Similar transmission characteristics are observed between a coherently coupled high-Q multi-cavity array and a single quantum dot (QD) embedded cavity in the weak coupling regime. However, theoretically generated group delay values for the multi-cavity case are around two times higher. Both configurations allow direct scalability for chip-scale optical pulse trapping and coupled-cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED).

Active Fail-Safe Micro-Array Flow Control for Advanced Embedded Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Bernhard H.; Mace, James L.; Mani, Mori

2009-01-01

The primary objective of this research effort was to develop and analytically demonstrate enhanced first generation active "fail-safe" hybrid flow-control techniques to simultaneously manage the boundary layer on the vehicle fore-body and to control the secondary flow generated within modern serpentine or embedded inlet S-duct configurations. The enhanced first-generation technique focused on both micro-vanes and micro-ramps highly-integrated with micro -jets to provide nonlinear augmentation for the "strength' or effectiveness of highly-integrated flow control systems. The study focused on the micro -jet mass flow ratio (Wjet/Waip) range from 0.10 to 0.30 percent and jet total pressure ratios (Pjet/Po) from 1.0 to 3.0. The engine bleed airflow range under study represents about a 10 fold decrease in micro -jet airflow than previously required. Therefore, by pre-conditioning, or injecting a very small amount of high-pressure jet flow into the vortex generated by the micro-vane and/or micro-ramp, active flow control is achieved and substantial augmentation of the controlling flow is realized.

Development of an intelligent controller for power generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxted, Clive; Waller, Winston

2005-01-01

This paper is a description of the development of an embedded controller for high power industrial diesel generators. The aim of the project was to replace the existing discrete logic design by an intelligent versatile and user configurable control system. A prototype embedded PC controlled system was developed, capable of fully replacing the existing system, with a colour TFT display and keypad. Features include fully automatic generator control as before with status and alarm display and monitoring of engine parameters, along with data logging, remote communications and a means of analysing data. The unit was tested on the bench and on diesel generators for the core controlling functionality to prove compliance with the specifications. The results of the testing proved the unit's suitability as a replacement for the existing system in its intended environment. The significance of this study is that a low cost replacement solution has been found for an industrial application by transferring modern technological knowledge to a small business. The company are now able to build on the design and take it into production, reducing servicing and production costs.

Short-term hydro generation and interchange contract scheduling for Swiss Rail

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

Christoforidis, M.; Awobamise, B.; Tong, S.

This paper describes the Short-Term Resource Scheduling (STRS) function that has been developed by Siemens-Empros as part of the new SBB/Direktion Kraftwerk (Swiss Rail) Energy Management System. Optimal scheduling of the single-phase hydro plants, single-phase and three-phase energy accounts, and purchase and sale of three phase energy subject to a multitude of physical and contractual constraints (including spinning and regulating reserve requirements), is the main objective of the STRS function. The operations planning horizon of STRS is one day to one week using an hourly time increment.

System and method for optimal load and source scheduling in context aware homes

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

Shetty, Pradeep; Foslien Graber, Wendy; Mangsuli, Purnaprajna R.

A controller for controlling energy consumption in a home includes a constraints engine to define variables for multiple appliances in the home corresponding to various home modes and persona of an occupant of the home. A modeling engine models multiple paths of energy utilization of the multiple appliances to place the home into a desired state from a current context. An optimal scheduler receives the multiple paths of energy utilization and generates a schedule as a function of the multiple paths and a selected persona to place the home in a desired state.

Analysis of electric power industry restructuring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Agtash, Salem Yahya

1998-10-01

This thesis evaluates alternative structures of the electric power industry in a competitive environment. One structure is based on the principle of creating a mandatory power pool to foster competition and manage system economics. The structure is PoolCo (pool coordination). A second structure is based on the principle of allowing independent multilateral trading and decentralized market coordination. The structure is DecCo (decentralized coordination). The criteria I use to evaluate these two structures are: economic efficiency, system reliability and freedom of choice. Economic efficiency evaluation considers strategic behavior of individual generators as well as behavioral variations of different classes of consumers. A supply-function equilibria model is characterized for deriving bidding strategies of competing generators under PoolCo. It is shown that asymmetric equilibria can exist within the capacities of generators. An augmented Lagrangian approach is introduced to solve iteratively for global optimal operations schedules. Under DecCo, the process involves solving iteratively for system operations schedules. The schedules reflect generators strategic behavior and brokers' interactions for arranging profitable trades, allocating losses and managing network congestion. In the determination of PoolCo and DecCo operations schedules, overall costs of power generation (start-up and shut-down costs and availability of hydro electric power) as well as losses and costs of transmission network are considered. For system reliability evaluation, I examine the effect of PoolCo and DecCo operating conditions on the system security. Random component failure perturbations are generated to simulate the actual system behavior. This is done using Monte Carlo simulation. Freedom of choice evaluation accounts for schemes' beneficial opportunities and capabilities to respond to consumers expressed preferences. An IEEE 24-bus test system is used to illustrate the concepts developed for economic efficiency evaluation. The system was tested over two years time period. The results indicate 2.6684 and 2.7269 percent of efficiency loss on average for PoolCo and DecCo, respectively. These values, however, do not represent forecasts of efficiency losses of PoolCo- and DecCo-based competitive industries. Rather, they are illustrations of the efficiency losses for the given IEEE test system and based on the modeling assumptions underlying framework development.

Power harvesting using PZT ceramics embedded in orthopedic implants.

PubMed

Chen, Hong; Liu, Ming; Jia, Chen; Wang, Zihua

2009-09-01

Battery lifetime has been the stumbling block for many power-critical or maintenance-free real-time embedded applications, such as wireless sensors and orthopedic implants. Thus a piezoelectric material that could convert human motion into electrical energy provides a very attractive solution for clinical implants. In this work, we analyze the power generation characteristics of stiff lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics and the equivalent circuit through extensive experiments. Our experimental framework allows us to explore many important design considerations of such a PZT-based power generator. Overall we can achieve a PZT element volume of 0.5 x 0.5 x 1.8 cm, which is considerably smaller than the results reported so far. Finally, we outline the application of our PZT elements in a total knee replacement (TKR) implant.

Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) Instrument Thermal Subsystem Design and Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otero, Veronica; Mosier, Carol; Neuberger, David

2013-01-01

The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) is one of two instruments on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), which is scheduled to launch in February of 2013. The TIRS instrument was officially added to the mission later in the flow, which led to a highly aggressive schedule that became one of the main drivers during instrument development. The thermal subsystem design of the TIRS Sensor Unit is comprised of five thermal zones which range in temperature from less than 43 Kelvin to 330 Kelvin. Most zones are proportional heater controlled, and all are within a volume of 35 cu.ft. A two-stage cryocooler is used to cool the "cold stage" including three QWIP detectors to less than 43 Kelvin, and cool the "warm stage" to 105 Kelvin. The excess power dissipation from the cryocooler is rejected via ammonia transport heat pipes to a dedicated Cryocooler Radiator with embedded ammonia heat pipes. The cryogenic subsystem includes a series of shells used to radiatively and conductively isolate the cold stage from the warmer surroundings. The Optical System (telescope) is passively cooled to 180-190 Kelvin using a "thermal link" (comprised of a Flexible Conductive Thermal Strap and an APG Bar) which couples the telescope stage to a dedicated radiator with embedded ethane heat pipes. The Scene Select Mechanism, which is responsible for moving the Scene Select Mirror to three distinct positions (including Nadir, Space, and On-board Black Body Calibrator pointing), runs nominally at 278 Kelvin and is thermally isolated from the cryogenic thermal zones. The On-board Black Body Calibrator requires a dedicated radiator which allows for a temperature range of 260-330 Kelvin at the Source. The detectors are powered by the FPE Box, which is mounted to the nadir external surface of the composite honeycomb structure. There are two additional electronics boxes which are wet-mounted directly to the spacecraft shear panel, the Main Electronics Box and Cryocooler Electronics Box; thermal control of these boxes is the responsibility of Orbital Sciences Corporation, the spacecraft developer. The TIRS thermal subsystem design was successfully verified during months of testing campaign, from component & subsystem level to two instrument-level thermal vacuum tests. The Instrument, despite an aggressive schedule, was delivered to the spacecraft vendor in February of 2012 and is currently undergoing the final stages of spacecraft environmental testing in preparation for launch.

A Scheduling Algorithm for Cloud Computing System Based on the Driver of Dynamic Essential Path.

PubMed

Xie, Zhiqiang; Shao, Xia; Xin, Yu

2016-01-01

To solve the problem of task scheduling in the cloud computing system, this paper proposes a scheduling algorithm for cloud computing based on the driver of dynamic essential path (DDEP). This algorithm applies a predecessor-task layer priority strategy to solve the problem of constraint relations among task nodes. The strategy assigns different priority values to every task node based on the scheduling order of task node as affected by the constraint relations among task nodes, and the task node list is generated by the different priority value. To address the scheduling order problem in which task nodes have the same priority value, the dynamic essential long path strategy is proposed. This strategy computes the dynamic essential path of the pre-scheduling task nodes based on the actual computation cost and communication cost of task node in the scheduling process. The task node that has the longest dynamic essential path is scheduled first as the completion time of task graph is indirectly influenced by the finishing time of task nodes in the longest dynamic essential path. Finally, we demonstrate the proposed algorithm via simulation experiments using Matlab tools. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the task Makespan in most cases and meet a high quality performance objective.

A Scheduling Algorithm for Cloud Computing System Based on the Driver of Dynamic Essential Path

PubMed Central

Xie, Zhiqiang; Shao, Xia; Xin, Yu

2016-01-01

To solve the problem of task scheduling in the cloud computing system, this paper proposes a scheduling algorithm for cloud computing based on the driver of dynamic essential path (DDEP). This algorithm applies a predecessor-task layer priority strategy to solve the problem of constraint relations among task nodes. The strategy assigns different priority values to every task node based on the scheduling order of task node as affected by the constraint relations among task nodes, and the task node list is generated by the different priority value. To address the scheduling order problem in which task nodes have the same priority value, the dynamic essential long path strategy is proposed. This strategy computes the dynamic essential path of the pre-scheduling task nodes based on the actual computation cost and communication cost of task node in the scheduling process. The task node that has the longest dynamic essential path is scheduled first as the completion time of task graph is indirectly influenced by the finishing time of task nodes in the longest dynamic essential path. Finally, we demonstrate the proposed algorithm via simulation experiments using Matlab tools. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the task Makespan in most cases and meet a high quality performance objective. PMID:27490901

New VLBI2010 scheduling strategies and implications on the terrestrial reference frames.

PubMed

Sun, Jing; Böhm, Johannes; Nilsson, Tobias; Krásná, Hana; Böhm, Sigrid; Schuh, Harald

In connection with the work for the next generation VLBI2010 Global Observing System (VGOS) of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry, a new scheduling package (Vie_Sched) has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology as a part of the Vienna VLBI Software. In addition to the classical station-based approach it is equipped with a new scheduling strategy based on the radio sources to be observed. We introduce different configurations of source-based scheduling options and investigate the implications on present and future VLBI2010 geodetic schedules. By comparison to existing VLBI schedules of the continuous campaign CONT11, we find that the source-based approach with two sources has a performance similar to the station-based approach in terms of number of observations, sky coverage, and geodetic parameters. For an artificial 16 station VLBI2010 network, the source-based approach with four sources provides an improved distribution of source observations on the celestial sphere. Monte Carlo simulations yield slightly better repeatabilities of station coordinates with the source-based approach with two sources or four sources than the classical strategy. The new VLBI scheduling software with its alternative scheduling strategy offers a promising option with respect to applications of the VGOS.

Mission Operations Planning and Scheduling System (MOPSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Terri; Hempel, Paul

2011-01-01

MOPSS is a generic framework that can be configured on the fly to support a wide range of planning and scheduling applications. It is currently used to support seven missions at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in roles that include science planning, mission planning, and real-time control. Prior to MOPSS, each spacecraft project built its own planning and scheduling capability to plan satellite activities and communications and to create the commands to be uplinked to the spacecraft. This approach required creating a data repository for storing planning and scheduling information, building user interfaces to display data, generating needed scheduling algorithms, and implementing customized external interfaces. Complex scheduling problems that involved reacting to multiple variable situations were analyzed manually. Operators then used the results to add commands to the schedule. Each architecture was unique to specific satellite requirements. MOPSS is an expert system that automates mission operations and frees the flight operations team to concentrate on critical activities. It is easily reconfigured by the flight operations team as the mission evolves. The heart of the system is a custom object-oriented data layer mapped onto an Oracle relational database. The combination of these two technologies allows a user or system engineer to capture any type of scheduling or planning data in the system's generic data storage via a GUI.

New VLBI2010 scheduling strategies and implications on the terrestrial reference frames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jing; Böhm, Johannes; Nilsson, Tobias; Krásná, Hana; Böhm, Sigrid; Schuh, Harald

2014-05-01

In connection with the work for the next generation VLBI2010 Global Observing System (VGOS) of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry, a new scheduling package (Vie_Sched) has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology as a part of the Vienna VLBI Software. In addition to the classical station-based approach it is equipped with a new scheduling strategy based on the radio sources to be observed. We introduce different configurations of source-based scheduling options and investigate the implications on present and future VLBI2010 geodetic schedules. By comparison to existing VLBI schedules of the continuous campaign CONT11, we find that the source-based approach with two sources has a performance similar to the station-based approach in terms of number of observations, sky coverage, and geodetic parameters. For an artificial 16 station VLBI2010 network, the source-based approach with four sources provides an improved distribution of source observations on the celestial sphere. Monte Carlo simulations yield slightly better repeatabilities of station coordinates with the source-based approach with two sources or four sources than the classical strategy. The new VLBI scheduling software with its alternative scheduling strategy offers a promising option with respect to applications of the VGOS.

Graphics processing unit (GPU) real-time infrared scene generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christie, Chad L.; Gouthas, Efthimios (Themie); Williams, Owen M.

2007-04-01

VIRSuite, the GPU-based suite of software tools developed at DSTO for real-time infrared scene generation, is described. The tools include the painting of scene objects with radiometrically-associated colours, translucent object generation, polar plot validation and versatile scene generation. Special features include radiometric scaling within the GPU and the presence of zoom anti-aliasing at the core of VIRSuite. Extension of the zoom anti-aliasing construct to cover target embedding and the treatment of translucent objects is described.

Multi-time Scale Joint Scheduling Method Considering the Grid of Renewable Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhijun, E.; Wang, Weichen; Cao, Jin; Wang, Xin; Kong, Xiangyu; Quan, Shuping

2018-01-01

Renewable new energy power generation prediction error like wind and light, brings difficulties to dispatch the power system. In this paper, a multi-time scale robust scheduling method is set to solve this problem. It reduces the impact of clean energy prediction bias to the power grid by using multi-time scale (day-ahead, intraday, real time) and coordinating the dispatching power output of various power supplies such as hydropower, thermal power, wind power, gas power and. The method adopts the robust scheduling method to ensure the robustness of the scheduling scheme. By calculating the cost of the abandon wind and the load, it transforms the robustness into the risk cost and optimizes the optimal uncertainty set for the smallest integrative costs. The validity of the method is verified by simulation.

Integration of scheduling and discrete event simulation systems to improve production flow planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krenczyk, D.; Paprocka, I.; Kempa, W. M.; Grabowik, C.; Kalinowski, K.

2016-08-01

The increased availability of data and computer-aided technologies such as MRPI/II, ERP and MES system, allowing producers to be more adaptive to market dynamics and to improve production scheduling. Integration of production scheduling and computer modelling, simulation and visualization systems can be useful in the analysis of production system constraints related to the efficiency of manufacturing systems. A integration methodology based on semi-automatic model generation method for eliminating problems associated with complexity of the model and labour-intensive and time-consuming process of simulation model creation is proposed. Data mapping and data transformation techniques for the proposed method have been applied. This approach has been illustrated through examples of practical implementation of the proposed method using KbRS scheduling system and Enterprise Dynamics simulation system.

A primary shift rotation nurse scheduling using zero-one linear goal programming.

PubMed

Huarng, F

1999-01-01

In this study, the author discusses the effect of nurse shift schedules on circadian rhythm and some important ergonomics criteria. The author also reviews and compares different nurse shift scheduling methods via the criteria of flexibility, fairness, continuity in shift assignments, nurses' preferences, and ergonomics principles. In this article, a primary shift rotation system is proposed to provide better continuity in shift assignments to satisfy nurses' preferences. The primary shift rotation system is modeled as a zero-one linear goal programming (LGP) problem. To generate the shift assignment for a unit with 13 nurses, the zero-one LGP model takes less than 3 minutes on average, whereas the head nurses spend approximately 2 to 3 hours on shift scheduling. This study reports the process of implementing the primary shift rotation system.

"The stone which the builders rejected...": Delay of reinforcement and response rate on fixed-interval and related schedules.

PubMed

Wearden, J H; Lejeune, Helga

2006-02-28

The article deals with response rates (mainly running and peak or terminal rates) on simple and on some mixed-FI schedules and explores the idea that these rates are determined by the average delay of reinforcement for responses occurring during the response periods that the schedules generate. The effects of reinforcement delay are assumed to be mediated by a hyperbolic delay of reinforcement gradient. The account predicts that (a) running rates on simple FI schedules should increase with increasing rate of reinforcement, in a manner close to that required by Herrnstein's equation, (b) improving temporal control during acquisition should be associated with increasing running rates, (c) two-valued mixed-FI schedules with equiprobable components should produce complex results, with peak rates sometimes being higher on the longer component schedule, and (d) that effects of reinforcement probability on mixed-FI should affect the response rate at the time of the shorter component only. All these predictions were confirmed by data, although effects in some experiments remain outside the scope of the model. In general, delay of reinforcement as a determinant of response rate on FI and related schedules (rather than temporal control on such schedules) seems a useful starting point for a more thorough analysis of some neglected questions about performance on FI and related schedules.

A new technology for manufacturing scheduling derived from space system operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornstein, R. S.; Willoughby, J. K.

1993-01-01

A new technology for producing finite capacity schedules has been developed in response to complex requirements for operating space systems such as the Space Shuttle, the Space Station, and the Deep Space Network for telecommunications. This technology has proven its effectiveness in manufacturing environments where popular scheduling techniques associated with Materials Resources Planning (MRPII) and with factory simulation are not adequate for shop-floor work planning and control. The technology has three components. The first is a set of data structures that accommodate an extremely general description of a factory's resources, its manufacturing activities, and the constraints imposed by the environment. The second component is a language and set of software utilities that enable a rapid synthesis of functional capabilities. The third component is an algorithmic architecture called the Five Ruleset Model which accommodates the unique needs of each factory. Using the new technology, systems can model activities that generate, consume, and/or obligate resources. This allows work-in-process (WIP) to be generated and used; it permits constraints to be imposed or intermediate as well as finished goods inventories. It is also possible to match as closely as possible both the current factory state and future conditions such as promise dates. Schedule revisions can be accommodated without impacting the entire production schedule. Applications have been successful in both discrete and process manufacturing environments. The availability of a high-quality finite capacity production planning capability enhances the data management capabilities of MRP II systems. These schedules can be integrated with shop-floor data collection systems and accounting systems. Using the new technology, semi-custom systems can be developed at costs that are comparable to products that do not have equivalent functional capabilities and/or extensibility.

An FMS Dynamic Production Scheduling Algorithm Considering Cutting Tool Failure and Cutting Tool Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, A.; Wangsaputra, R.; Martawirya, Y. Y.; Halim, A. H.

2016-02-01

This paper deals with Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) production rescheduling due to unavailability of cutting tools caused either of cutting tool failure or life time limit. The FMS consists of parallel identical machines integrated with an automatic material handling system and it runs fully automatically. Each machine has a same cutting tool configuration that consists of different geometrical cutting tool types on each tool magazine. The job usually takes two stages. Each stage has sequential operations allocated to machines considering the cutting tool life. In the real situation, the cutting tool can fail before the cutting tool life is reached. The objective in this paper is to develop a dynamic scheduling algorithm when a cutting tool is broken during unmanned and a rescheduling needed. The algorithm consists of four steps. The first step is generating initial schedule, the second step is determination the cutting tool failure time, the third step is determination of system status at cutting tool failure time and the fourth step is the rescheduling for unfinished jobs. The approaches to solve the problem are complete-reactive scheduling and robust-proactive scheduling. The new schedules result differences starting time and completion time of each operations from the initial schedule.

Untangling Brain-Wide Dynamics in Consciousness by Cross-Embedding

PubMed Central

Tajima, Satohiro; Yanagawa, Toru; Fujii, Naotaka; Toyoizumi, Taro

2015-01-01

Brain-wide interactions generating complex neural dynamics are considered crucial for emergent cognitive functions. However, the irreducible nature of nonlinear and high-dimensional dynamical interactions challenges conventional reductionist approaches. We introduce a model-free method, based on embedding theorems in nonlinear state-space reconstruction, that permits a simultaneous characterization of complexity in local dynamics, directed interactions between brain areas, and how the complexity is produced by the interactions. We demonstrate this method in large-scale electrophysiological recordings from awake and anesthetized monkeys. The cross-embedding method captures structured interaction underlying cortex-wide dynamics that may be missed by conventional correlation-based analysis, demonstrating a critical role of time-series analysis in characterizing brain state. The method reveals a consciousness-related hierarchy of cortical areas, where dynamical complexity increases along with cross-area information flow. These findings demonstrate the advantages of the cross-embedding method in deciphering large-scale and heterogeneous neuronal systems, suggesting a crucial contribution by sensory-frontoparietal interactions to the emergence of complex brain dynamics during consciousness. PMID:26584045

Mapping higher-order relations between brain structure and function with embedded vector representations of connectomes.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Gideon; Váša, František; Griffa, Alessandra; Hagmann, Patric; Amico, Enrico; Goñi, Joaquín; Avidan, Galia; Sporns, Olaf

2018-06-05

Connectomics generates comprehensive maps of brain networks, represented as nodes and their pairwise connections. The functional roles of nodes are defined by their direct and indirect connectivity with the rest of the network. However, the network context is not directly accessible at the level of individual nodes. Similar problems in language processing have been addressed with algorithms such as word2vec that create embeddings of words and their relations in a meaningful low-dimensional vector space. Here we apply this approach to create embedded vector representations of brain networks or connectome embeddings (CE). CE can characterize correspondence relations among brain regions, and can be used to infer links that are lacking from the original structural diffusion imaging, e.g., inter-hemispheric homotopic connections. Moreover, we construct predictive deep models of functional and structural connectivity, and simulate network-wide lesion effects using the face processing system as our application domain. We suggest that CE offers a novel approach to revealing relations between connectome structure and function.

Development of an embedded thin-film strain-gauge-based SHM network into 3D-woven composite structure for wind turbine blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Dongning; Rasool, Shafqat; Forde, Micheal; Weafer, Bryan; Archer, Edward; McIlhagger, Alistair; McLaughlin, James

2017-04-01

Recently, there has been increasing demand in developing low-cost, effective structure health monitoring system to be embedded into 3D-woven composite wind turbine blades to determine structural integrity and presence of defects. With measuring the strain and temperature inside composites at both in-situ blade resin curing and in-service stages, we are developing a novel scheme to embed a resistive-strain-based thin-metal-film sensory into the blade spar-cap that is made of composite laminates to determine structural integrity and presence of defects. Thus, with fiberglass, epoxy, and a thinmetal- film sensing element, a three-part, low-cost, smart composite laminate is developed. Embedded strain sensory inside composite laminate prototype survived after laminate curing process. The internal strain reading from embedded strain sensor under three-point-bending test standard is comparable. It proves that our proposed method will provide another SHM alternative to reduce sensing costs during the renewable green energy generation.

A customizable, scalable scheduling and reporting system.

PubMed

Wood, Jody L; Whitman, Beverly J; Mackley, Lisa A; Armstrong, Robert; Shotto, Robert T

2014-06-01

Scheduling is essential for running a facility smoothly and for summarizing activities in use reports. The Penn State Hershey Clinical Simulation Center has developed a scheduling interface that uses off-the-shelf components, with customizations that adapt to each institution's data collection and reporting needs. The system is designed using programs within the Microsoft Office 2010 suite. Outlook provides the scheduling component, while the reporting is performed using Access or Excel. An account with a calendar is created for the main schedule, with separate resource accounts created for each room within the center. The Outlook appointment form's 2 default tabs are used, in addition to a customized third tab. The data are then copied from the calendar into either a database table or a spreadsheet, where the reports are generated.Incorporating this system into an institution-wide structure allows integration of personnel lists and potentially enables all users to check the schedule from their desktop. Outlook also has a Web-based application for viewing the basic schedule from outside the institution, although customized data cannot be accessed. The scheduling and reporting functions have been used for a year at the Penn State Hershey Clinical Simulation Center. The schedule has increased workflow efficiency, improved the quality of recorded information, and provided more accurate reporting. The Penn State Hershey Clinical Simulation Center's scheduling and reporting system can be adapted easily to most simulation centers and can expand and change to meet future growth with little or no expense to the center.

A new window on the cosmos: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehrz, R. D.; Becklin, E. E.; de Pater, I.; Lester, D. F.; Roellig, T. L.; Woodward, C. E.

2009-08-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint US/German Project to develop and operate a gyrostabilized 2.5-m telescope in a Boeing 747-SP. This observatory will allow astronomical observations from 0.3 μm to sub-millimeter wavelengths at stratospheric altitudes as high as 45,000 ft where the atmosphere is not only cloud-free, but largely transparent at infrared wavelengths. The dynamics and chemistry of interstellar matter, and the details of embedded star formation will be key science goals. In addition, SOFIA's unique portability will enable large-telescope observations at sites required to observe transient phenomena and location specific events. SOFIA will offer the convenient accessibility of a ground-based telescope for servicing, maintenance, and regular technology upgrades, yet will also have many of the performance advantages of a space-based telescope. Initially, SOFIA will fly with nine first-generation focal plane instruments that include broad-band imagers, moderate resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features from dust and large molecules, and high resolution spectrometers capable of studying the chemistry and detailed kinematics of molecular and atomic gas. First science flights will begin in 2010, leading to a full operations schedule of about 120 8-10 h flights per year by 2014. The next call for instrument development that can respond to scientifically exciting new technologies will be issued in 2010. We describe the SOFIA facility and outline the opportunities for observations by the general scientific community with cutting edge focal plane technology. We summarize the operational characteristics of the first-generation instruments and give specific examples of the types of fundamental scientific studies these instruments are expected to make.

Active Flash: Out-of-core Data Analytics on Flash Storage

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

Boboila, Simona; Kim, Youngjae; Vazhkudai, Sudharshan S

2012-01-01

Next generation science will increasingly come to rely on the ability to perform efficient, on-the-fly analytics of data generated by high-performance computing (HPC) simulations, modeling complex physical phenomena. Scientific computing workflows are stymied by the traditional chaining of simulation and data analysis, creating multiple rounds of redundant reads and writes to the storage system, which grows in cost with the ever-increasing gap between compute and storage speeds in HPC clusters. Recent HPC acquisitions have introduced compute node-local flash storage as a means to alleviate this I/O bottleneck. We propose a novel approach, Active Flash, to expedite data analysis pipelines bymore » migrating to the location of the data, the flash device itself. We argue that Active Flash has the potential to enable true out-of-core data analytics by freeing up both the compute core and the associated main memory. By performing analysis locally, dependence on limited bandwidth to a central storage system is reduced, while allowing this analysis to proceed in parallel with the main application. In addition, offloading work from the host to the more power-efficient controller reduces peak system power usage, which is already in the megawatt range and poses a major barrier to HPC system scalability. We propose an architecture for Active Flash, explore energy and performance trade-offs in moving computation from host to storage, demonstrate the ability of appropriate embedded controllers to perform data analysis and reduction tasks at speeds sufficient for this application, and present a simulation study of Active Flash scheduling policies. These results show the viability of the Active Flash model, and its capability to potentially have a transformative impact on scientific data analysis.« less

Teaching Scientific Practices: Meeting the Challenge of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jonathan

2014-01-01

This paper provides a rationale for the changes advocated by the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. It provides an argument for why the model embedded in the Next Generation Science Standards is seen as an improvement. The Case made here is that the underlying model that the new Framework presents of…

For Future Generations: Funding Culturally Embedded Higher Education at Tribal Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clairmont, Tanksi

2014-01-01

From their inception, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have played a special cultural as well as educational role in Native communities. These dual roles are integral to the preservation of American Indian language and traditions, as they open the door for future generations to acquire and perpetuate cultural knowledge. The American Indian…

A Software Assurance Framework for Mitigating the Risks of Malicious Software in Embedded Systems Used in Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

to show cryptographic signature # generation on a UNIX system # SHA=/bin/ sha256 CSDB=/tmp/csdb CODEBASE=. touch "$CSDB" find "$CODEBASE" -type f...artifacts generated earlier. 81 #! /bin/sh # # Demo program to show cryptographic signature # verification on a UNIX system # SHA=/bin/ sha256 CSDB=/tmp

An application generator for rapid prototyping of Ada real-time control software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Jim; Biglari, Haik; Lehman, Larry

1990-01-01

The need to increase engineering productivity and decrease software life cycle costs in real-time system development establishes a motivation for a method of rapid prototyping. The design by iterative rapid prototyping technique is described. A tool which facilitates such a design methodology for the generation of embedded control software is described.

A Vision for the Net Generation Media Center. Media Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Doug

2005-01-01

Many children today have never lived in a home without a computer. They are the "Net Generation," constantly "connected" by iPod, cell phone, keyboard, digital video camera, or game controller to various technologies. Recent studies have found that Net Genners see technology as "embedded in society," a primary means of connection with friends, and…

Active Tube-Shaped Actuator with Embedded Square Rod-Shaped Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites for Robotic-Assisted Manipulation

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiayu; Zhu, Denglin; Chen, Hualing

2018-01-01

This paper reports a new technique involving the design, fabrication, and characterization of an ionic polymer-metal composite- (IPMC-) embedded active tube, which can achieve multidegree-of-freedom (MODF) bending motions desirable in many applications, such as a manipulator and an active catheter. However, traditional strip-type IPMC actuators are limited in only being able to generate 1-dimensional bending motion. So, in this paper, we try to develop an approach which involves molding or integrating rod-shaped IPMC actuators into a soft silicone rubber structure to create an active tube. We modified the Nafion solution casting method and developed a complete sequence of a fabrication process for rod-shaped IPMCs with square cross sections and four insulated electrodes on the surface. The silicone gel was cured at a suitable temperature to form a flexible tube using molds fabricated by 3D printing technology. By applying differential voltages to the four electrodes of each IPMC rod-shaped actuator, MDOF bending motions of the active tube can be generated. Experimental results show that such IPMC-embedded tube designs can be used for developing robotic-assisted manipulation. PMID:29770160

Active Tube-Shaped Actuator with Embedded Square Rod-Shaped Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites for Robotic-Assisted Manipulation.

PubMed

Wang, Yanjie; Liu, Jiayu; Zhu, Denglin; Chen, Hualing

2018-01-01

This paper reports a new technique involving the design, fabrication, and characterization of an ionic polymer-metal composite- (IPMC-) embedded active tube, which can achieve multidegree-of-freedom (MODF) bending motions desirable in many applications, such as a manipulator and an active catheter. However, traditional strip-type IPMC actuators are limited in only being able to generate 1-dimensional bending motion. So, in this paper, we try to develop an approach which involves molding or integrating rod-shaped IPMC actuators into a soft silicone rubber structure to create an active tube. We modified the Nafion solution casting method and developed a complete sequence of a fabrication process for rod-shaped IPMCs with square cross sections and four insulated electrodes on the surface. The silicone gel was cured at a suitable temperature to form a flexible tube using molds fabricated by 3D printing technology. By applying differential voltages to the four electrodes of each IPMC rod-shaped actuator, MDOF bending motions of the active tube can be generated. Experimental results show that such IPMC-embedded tube designs can be used for developing robotic-assisted manipulation.

Quantum Error Correction for Minor Embedded Quantum Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinci, Walter; Paz Silva, Gerardo; Mishra, Anurag; Albash, Tameem; Lidar, Daniel

2015-03-01

While quantum annealing can take advantage of the intrinsic robustness of adiabatic dynamics, some form of quantum error correction (QEC) is necessary in order to preserve its advantages over classical computation. Moreover, realistic quantum annealers are subject to a restricted connectivity between qubits. Minor embedding techniques use several physical qubits to represent a single logical qubit with a larger set of interactions, but necessarily introduce new types of errors (whenever the physical qubits corresponding to the same logical qubit disagree). We present a QEC scheme where a minor embedding is used to generate a 8 × 8 × 2 cubic connectivity out of the native one and perform experiments on a D-Wave quantum annealer. Using a combination of optimized encoding and decoding techniques, our scheme enables the D-Wave device to solve minor embedded hard instances at least as well as it would on a native implementation. Our work is a proof-of-concept that minor embedding can be advantageously implemented in order to increase both the robustness and the connectivity of a programmable quantum annealer. Applied in conjunction with decoding techniques, this paves the way toward scalable quantum annealing with applications to hard optimization problems.

Communication: Density functional theory embedding with the orthogonality constrained basis set expansion procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Culpitt, Tanner; Brorsen, Kurt R.; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

2017-06-01

Density functional theory (DFT) embedding approaches have generated considerable interest in the field of computational chemistry because they enable calculations on larger systems by treating subsystems at different levels of theory. To circumvent the calculation of the non-additive kinetic potential, various projector methods have been developed to ensure the orthogonality of molecular orbitals between subsystems. Herein the orthogonality constrained basis set expansion (OCBSE) procedure is implemented to enforce this subsystem orbital orthogonality without requiring a level shifting parameter. This scheme is a simple alternative to existing parameter-free projector-based schemes, such as the Huzinaga equation. The main advantage of the OCBSE procedure is that excellent convergence behavior is attained for DFT-in-DFT embedding without freezing any of the subsystem densities. For the three chemical systems studied, the level of accuracy is comparable to or higher than that obtained with the Huzinaga scheme with frozen subsystem densities. Allowing both the high-level and low-level DFT densities to respond to each other during DFT-in-DFT embedding calculations provides more flexibility and renders this approach more generally applicable to chemical systems. It could also be useful for future extensions to embedding approaches combining wavefunction theories and DFT.

Embedded biofilm, a new biofilm model based on the embedded growth of bacteria.

PubMed

Jung, Yong-Gyun; Choi, Jungil; Kim, Soo-Kyoung; Lee, Joon-Hee; Kwon, Sunghoon

2015-01-01

A variety of systems have been developed to study biofilm formation. However, most systems are based on the surface-attached growth of microbes under shear stress. In this study, we designed a microfluidic channel device, called a microfluidic agarose channel (MAC), and found that microbial cells in the MAC system formed an embedded cell aggregative structure (ECAS). ECASs were generated from the embedded growth of bacterial cells in an agarose matrix and better mimicked the clinical environment of biofilms formed within mucus or host tissue under shear-free conditions. ECASs were developed with the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the most important feature of biofilms, and eventually burst to release planktonic cells, which resembles the full developmental cycle of biofilms. Chemical and genetic effects have also confirmed that ECASs are a type of biofilm. Unlike the conventional biofilms formed in the flow cell model system, this embedded-type biofilm completes the developmental cycle in only 9 to 12 h and can easily be observed with ordinary microscopes. We suggest that ECASs are a type of biofilm and that the MAC is a system for observing biofilm formation. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Coordination of appointments for anesthesia care outside of operating rooms using an enterprise-wide scheduling system.

PubMed

Dexter, Franklin; Xiao, Yan; Dow, Angella J; Strader, Melissa M; Ho, Danny; Wachtel, Ruth E

2007-12-01

An anesthesia department implemented scheduling of anesthetics outside of operating rooms (non-OR) by clerks and nurses from other departments using its hospital's enterprise-wide scheduling system. Observational studies chronicled the change over 2 yr as non-OR time was allocated by specialty, and nonanesthesia clerks and nurses scheduled anesthesia teams. Experimental studies investigated how tabular and graphical displays affected the scheduling of milestones (e.g., NPO times) and appointments before anesthetics. Anesthetics performed in allocated time increased progressively from 0% to 75%. Scheduling of anesthetics by nonanesthesia clerks and nurses increased progressively from 0% to 77%. Consistency of patient instructions was improved. The quality of resulting schedules was good. Implementation was not associated with worsening of multiple operational measures of performance such as cancellation rates, turnover times, or complaints. However, schedulers struggled to understand fasting and arrival times of patients, despite using a web site with statistically generated values in tabular formats. Experiments revealed that people ignored their knowledge that anesthetics can start earlier than scheduled. Participants made good decisions with both tabular and graphical displays when scheduling appointments preceding anesthesia. Enterprise-wide scheduling can coordinate anesthetics with other appointments on the same date and improve consistency and accuracy of patient instructions customized to the probability of an anesthetic starting early. The usefulness of implementation depends on the value in having more patient-centered care and/or in having patients arrive just in time for non-OR anesthesia, surgery, or regional block placement (e.g., at facilities with limited physical space).

Power Management for Space Advanced Life Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry

2001-01-01

Space power systems include the power source, storage, and management subsystems. In current crewed spacecraft, solar cells are the power source, batteries provide storage, and the crew performs any required load scheduling. For future crewed planetary surface systems using Advanced Life Support, we assume that plants will be grown to produce much of the crew's food and that nuclear power will be employed. Battery storage is much more costly than nuclear power capacity and so is not likely to be used. We investigate the scheduling of power demands by the crew or automatic control, to reduce the peak power load and the required generating capacity. The peak to average power ratio is a good measure of power use efficiency. We can easily schedule power demands to reduce the peak power from its maximum, but simple scheduling approaches may not find the lowest possible peak to average power ratio. An initial power scheduling example was simple enough for a human to solve, but a more complex example with many intermittent load demands required automatic scheduling. Excess power is a free resource and can be used even for minor benefits.

Static-dynamic hybrid communication scheduling and control co-design for networked control systems.

PubMed

Wen, Shixi; Guo, Ge

2017-11-01

In this paper, the static-dynamic hybrid communication scheduling and control co-design is proposed for the networked control systems (NCSs) to solve the capacity limitation of the wireless communication network. The analytical most regular binary sequences (MRBSs) are used as the communication scheduling function for NCSs. When the communication conflicts yielded in the binary sequence MRBSs, a dynamic scheduling strategy is proposed to on-line reallocate the medium access status for each plant. Under such static-dynamic hybrid scheduling policy, plants in NCSs are described as the non-uniform sampled-control systems, whose controller have a group of controller gains and switch according to the sampling interval yielded by the binary sequence. A useful communication scheduling and control co-design framework is proposed for the NCSs to simultaneously decide the controller gains and the parameters used to generate the communication sequences MRBS. Numerical example and realistic example are respectively given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed co-design method. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Study on Real-Time Scheduling Methods in Holonic Manufacturing Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamura, Koji; Taimizu, Yoshitaka; Sugimura, Nobuhiro

Recently, new architectures of manufacturing systems have been proposed to realize flexible control structures of the manufacturing systems, which can cope with the dynamic changes in the volume and the variety of the products and also the unforeseen disruptions, such as failures of manufacturing resources and interruptions by high priority jobs. They are so called as the autonomous distributed manufacturing system, the biological manufacturing system and the holonic manufacturing system. Rule-based scheduling methods were proposed and applied to the real-time production scheduling problems of the HMS (Holonic Manufacturing System) in the previous report. However, there are still remaining problems from the viewpoint of the optimization of the whole production schedules. New procedures are proposed, in the present paper, to select the production schedules, aimed at generating effective production schedules in real-time. The proposed methods enable the individual holons to select suitable machining operations to be carried out in the next time period. Coordination process among the holons is also proposed to carry out the coordination based on the effectiveness values of the individual holons.

Simultaneous Scheduling of Jobs, AGVs and Tools Considering Tool Transfer Times in Multi Machine FMS By SOS Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivarami Reddy, N.; Ramamurthy, D. V., Dr.; Prahlada Rao, K., Dr.

2017-08-01

This article addresses simultaneous scheduling of machines, AGVs and tools where machines are allowed to share the tools considering transfer times of jobs and tools between machines, to generate best optimal sequences that minimize makespan in a multi-machine Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). Performance of FMS is expected to improve by effective utilization of its resources, by proper integration and synchronization of their scheduling. Symbiotic Organisms Search (SOS) algorithm is a potent tool which is a better alternative for solving optimization problems like scheduling and proven itself. The proposed SOS algorithm is tested on 22 job sets with makespan as objective for scheduling of machines and tools where machines are allowed to share tools without considering transfer times of jobs and tools and the results are compared with the results of existing methods. The results show that the SOS has outperformed. The same SOS algorithm is used for simultaneous scheduling of machines, AGVs and tools where machines are allowed to share tools considering transfer times of jobs and tools to determine the best optimal sequences that minimize makespan.

An Optimizing Space Data-Communications Scheduling Method and Algorithm with Interference Mitigation, Generalized for a Broad Class of Optimization Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rash, James L.

2010-01-01

NASA's space data-communications infrastructure, the Space Network and the Ground Network, provide scheduled (as well as some limited types of unscheduled) data-communications services to user spacecraft via orbiting relay satellites and ground stations. An implementation of the methods and algorithms disclosed herein will be a system that produces globally optimized schedules with not only optimized service delivery by the space data-communications infrastructure but also optimized satisfaction of all user requirements and prescribed constraints, including radio frequency interference (RFI) constraints. Evolutionary search, a class of probabilistic strategies for searching large solution spaces, constitutes the essential technology in this disclosure. Also disclosed are methods and algorithms for optimizing the execution efficiency of the schedule-generation algorithm itself. The scheduling methods and algorithms as presented are adaptable to accommodate the complexity of scheduling the civilian and/or military data-communications infrastructure. Finally, the problem itself, and the methods and algorithms, are generalized and specified formally, with applicability to a very broad class of combinatorial optimization problems.

The development and validation of command schedules for SeaWiFS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodward, Robert H.; Gregg, Watson W.; Patt, Frederick S.

1994-11-01

An automated method for developing and assessing spacecraft and instrument command schedules is presented for the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project. SeaWiFS is to be carried on the polar-orbiting SeaStar satellite in 1995. The primary goal of the SeaWiFS mission is to provide global ocean chlorophyll concentrations every four days by employing onboard recorders and a twice-a-day data downlink schedule. Global Area Coverage (GAC) data with about 4.5 km resolution will be used to produce the global coverage. Higher resolution (1.1 km resolution) Local Area Coverage (LAC) data will also be recorded to calibrate the sensor. In addition, LAC will be continuously transmitted from the satellite and received by High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) stations. The methods used to generate commands for SeaWiFS employ numerous hierarchical checks as a means of maximizing coverage of the Earth's surface and fulfilling the LAC data requirements. The software code is modularized and written in Fortran with constructs to mirror the pre-defined mission rules. The overall method is specifically developed for low orbit Earth-observing satellites with finite onboard recording capabilities and regularly scheduled data downlinks. Two software packages using the Interactive Data Language (IDL) for graphically displaying and verifying the resultant command decisions are presented. Displays can be generated which show portions of the Earth viewed by the sensor and spacecraft sub-orbital locations during onboard calibration activities. An IDL-based interactive method of selecting and testing LAC targets and calibration activities for command generation is also discussed.

Self-balancing dynamic scheduling of electrical energy for energy-intensive enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yunlong; Gao, Feng; Zhai, Qiaozhu; Guan, Xiaohong

2013-06-01

Balancing production and consumption with self-generation capacity in energy-intensive enterprises has huge economic and environmental benefits. However, balancing production and consumption with self-generation capacity is a challenging task since the energy production and consumption must be balanced in real time with the criteria specified by power grid. In this article, a mathematical model for minimising the production cost with exactly realisable energy delivery schedule is formulated. And a dynamic programming (DP)-based self-balancing dynamic scheduling algorithm is developed to obtain the complete solution set for such a multiple optimal solutions problem. For each stage, a set of conditions are established to determine whether a feasible control trajectory exists. The state space under these conditions is partitioned into subsets and each subset is viewed as an aggregate state, the cost-to-go function is then expressed as a function of initial and terminal generation levels of each stage and is proved to be a staircase function with finite steps. This avoids the calculation of the cost-to-go of every state to resolve the issue of dimensionality in DP algorithm. In the backward sweep process of the algorithm, an optimal policy is determined to maximise the realisability of energy delivery schedule across the entire time horizon. And then in the forward sweep process, the feasible region of the optimal policy with the initial and terminal state at each stage is identified. Different feasible control trajectories can be identified based on the region; therefore, optimising for the feasible control trajectory is performed based on the region with economic and reliability objectives taken into account.

Development of Next Generation Energy Audit Protocols for the Rapid and Advanced Analysis of Building Energy Use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartley, Christopher Ahlvin

Current building energy auditing techniques are outdated and lack targeted, actionable information. These analyses only use one year's worth of monthly electricity and gas bills to define energy conservation and efficiency measures. These limited data sets cannot provide robust, directed energy reduction recommendations. The need is apparent for an overhaul of existing energy audit protocols to utilize all data that is available from the building's utility provider, installed energy management system (EMS), and sub-metering devices. This thesis analyzed the current state-of-the-art in energy audits, generated a next generation energy audit protocol, and conducted both audits types on four case study buildings to find out what additional information can be obtained from additional data sources and increased data gathering resolutions. Energy data from each case study building were collected using a variety of means including utility meters, whole building energy meters, EMS systems, and sub-metering devices. In addition to conducting an energy analysis for each case study building using the current and next generation energy audit protocols, two building energy models were created using the programs eQuest and EnergyPlus. The current and next generation energy audit protocol results were compared to one another upon completion. The results show that using the current audit protocols, only variations in season are apparent. Results from the developed next generation energy audit protocols show that in addition to seasonal variations, building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) schedules, occupancy schedules, baseline and peak energy demand levels, and malfunctioning equipment can be found. This new protocol may also be used to quickly generate accurate building models because of the increased resolution that yields scheduling information. The developed next generation energy auditing protocol is scalable and can work for many building types across the United States, and perhaps the world.

A Scalable Nonuniform Pointer Analysis for Embedded Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venet, Arnaud

2004-01-01

In this paper we present a scalable pointer analysis for embedded applications that is able to distinguish between instances of recursively defined data structures and elements of arrays. The main contribution consists of an efficient yet precise algorithm that can handle multithreaded programs. We first perform an inexpensive flow-sensitive analysis of each function in the program that generates semantic equations describing the effect of the function on the memory graph. These equations bear numerical constraints that describe nonuniform points-to relationships. We then iteratively solve these equations in order to obtain an abstract storage graph that describes the shape of data structures at every point of the program for all possible thread interleavings. We bring experimental evidence that this approach is tractable and precise for real-size embedded applications.

Reluctance apparatus for flywheel energy storage

DOEpatents

Hull, John R.

2000-01-01

A motor generator for providing high efficiency, controlled voltage output or storage of energy in a flywheel system. A motor generator includes a stator of a soft ferromagnetic material, a motor coil and a generator coil, and a rotor has at least one embedded soft ferromagnetic piece. Control of voltage output is achieved by use of multiple stator pieces and multiple rotors with controllable gaps between the stator pieces and the soft ferromagnetic piece.

The Mine Locomotive Wireless Network Strategy Based on Successive Interference Cancellation

PubMed Central

Wu, Liaoyuan; Han, Jianghong; Wei, Xing; Shi, Lei; Ding, Xu

2015-01-01

We consider a wireless network strategy based on successive interference cancellation (SIC) for mine locomotives. We firstly build the original mathematical model for the strategy which is a non-convex model. Then, we examine this model intensively, and figure out that there are certain regulations embedded in it. Based on these findings, we are able to reformulate the model into a new form and design a simple algorithm which can assign each locomotive with a proper transmitting scheme during the whole schedule procedure. Simulation results show that the outcomes obtained through this algorithm are improved by around 50% compared with those that do not apply the SIC technique. PMID:26569240

Two tradeoffs between economy and reliability in loss of load probability constrained unit commitment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuan; Wang, Mingqiang; Ning, Xingyao

2018-02-01

Spinning reserve (SR) should be scheduled considering the balance between economy and reliability. To address the computational intractability cursed by the computation of loss of load probability (LOLP), many probabilistic methods use simplified formulations of LOLP to improve the computational efficiency. Two tradeoffs embedded in the SR optimization model are not explicitly analyzed in these methods. In this paper, two tradeoffs including primary tradeoff and secondary tradeoff between economy and reliability in the maximum LOLP constrained unit commitment (UC) model are explored and analyzed in a small system and in IEEE-RTS System. The analysis on the two tradeoffs can help in establishing new efficient simplified LOLP formulations and new SR optimization models.

Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons): Undergraduate Education Through Interdisciplinary, Team-Based, Real-World Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuominen, Mark

2013-03-01

Attitude, Skills, Knowledge (ASK) - In this order, these are fundamental characteristics of scientific innovators. Through first-hand practice in using science to unpack and solve complex real-world problems, students can become self-motivated scientific leaders. This presentation describes the pedagogy of a recently developed interdisciplinary undergraduate science education program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focused on addressing global challenges with scientific solutions. Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) is an overarching concentration program that supplements the curricula provided within each student's chosen major. iCons is a platform for students to perform student-led research in interdisciplinary collaborative teams. With a schedule of one course per year over four years, the cohort of students move through case studies, analysis of real-world problems, development of potential solutions, integrative communication, laboratory practice, and capstone research projects. In this presentation, a track emphasizing renewable energy science is used to illustrate the iCons pedagogical methods. This includes discussion of a third-year laboratory course in renewable energy that is educationally scaffolded: beginning with a boot camp in laboratory techniques and culminating with student-designed research projects. Among other objectives, this course emphasizes the practice of using reflection and redesign, as a means of generating better solutions and embedding learning for the long term. This work is supported in part by NSF grant DUE-1140805.

A Three-Stage Enhanced Reactive Power and Voltage Optimization Method for High Penetration of Solar

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

Ke, Xinda; Huang, Renke; Vallem, Mallikarjuna R.

This paper presents a three-stage enhanced volt/var optimization method to stabilize voltage fluctuations in transmission networks by optimizing the usage of reactive power control devices. In contrast with existing volt/var optimization algorithms, the proposed method optimizes the voltage profiles of the system, while keeping the voltage and real power output of the generators as close to the original scheduling values as possible. This allows the method to accommodate realistic power system operation and market scenarios, in which the original generation dispatch schedule will not be affected. The proposed method was tested and validated on a modified IEEE 118-bus system withmore » photovoltaic data.« less

A scheduling and diagnostic system for scientific satellite GEOTAIL using expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakatani, I; Hashimoto, M.; Mukai, T.; Obara, T.; Nishigori, N.

1994-01-01

The Intelligent Satellite Control Software (ISACS) for the geoMagnetic tail observation satellite named GEOTAIL (launched in July 1992) has been successfully developed. ISACS has made it possible by applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology including an expert system to autonomously generate a tracking schedule, which originally used to be conducted manually. Using ISACS, a satellite operator can generate a maximum four day period of stored command stream autonomously and can easily confirm its safety. The ISACS system has another function -- to diagnose satellite troubles and to suggest necessary remedies. The workload of satellite operators has drastically been reduced since ISACS has been introduced into the operations of GEOTAIL.

Smart grid integration of small-scale trigeneration systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vacheva, Gergana; Kanchev, Hristiyan; Hinov, Nikolay

2017-12-01

This paper presents a study on the possibilities for implementation of local heating, air-conditioning and electricity generation (trigeneration) as distributed energy resource in the Smart Grid. By the means of microturbine-based generators and absorption chillers buildings are able to meet partially or entirely their electrical load curve or even supply power to the grid by following their heating and air-conditioning daily schedule. The principles of small-scale cooling, heating and power generation systems are presented at first, then the thermal calculations of an example building are performed: the heat losses due to thermal conductivity and the estimated daily heating and air-conditioning load curves. By considering daily power consumption curves and weather data for several winter and summer days, the heating/air-conditioning schedule is estimated and the available electrical energy from a microturbine-based cogeneration system is estimated. Simulation results confirm the potential of using cogeneration and trigeneration systems for local distributed electricity generation and grid support in the daily peaks of power consumption.

Dosing Schedules for Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Since second generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) targeting 10 and 13 serotypes became available in 2010, the number of national policy makers considering these vaccines has steadily increased. An important consideration for a national immunization program is the timing and number of doses—the schedule—that will best prevent disease in the population. Data on disease epidemiology and the efficacy or effectiveness of PCV schedules are typically considered when choosing a schedule. Practical concerns, such as the existing vaccine schedule, and vaccine program performance are also important. In low-income countries, pneumococcal disease and deaths typically peak well before the end of the first year of life, making a schedule that provides PCV doses early in life (eg, a 6-, 10- and 14-week schedule) potentially the best option. In other settings, a schedule including a booster dose may address disease that peaks in the second year of life or may be seen to enhance a schedule already in place. A large and growing body of evidence from immunogenicity studies, as well as clinical trials and observational studies of carriage, pneumonia and invasive disease, has been systematically reviewed; these data indicate that schedules of 3 or 4 doses all work well, and that the differences between these regimens are subtle, especially in a mature program in which coverage is high and indirect (herd) effects help enhance protection provided directly by a vaccine schedule. The recent World Health Organization policy statement on PCVs endorsed a schedule of 3 primary doses without a booster or, as a new alternative, 2 primary doses with a booster dose. While 1 schedule may be preferred in a particular setting based on local epidemiology or practical considerations, achieving high coverage with 3 doses is likely more important than the specific timing of doses. PMID:24336059

Cost and schedule analytical techniques development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This contract provided technical services and products to the Marshall Space Flight Center's Engineering Cost Office (PP03) and the Program Plans and Requirements Office (PP02) for the period of 3 Aug. 1991 - 30 Nov. 1994. Accomplishments summarized cover the REDSTAR data base, NASCOM hard copy data base, NASCOM automated data base, NASCOM cost model, complexity generators, program planning, schedules, NASA computer connectivity, other analytical techniques, and special project support.

10 CFR 50.46 - Acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems for light-water nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... schedule for providing a reanalysis or taking other action as may be needed to show compliance with § 50.46... schedule for providing a reanalysis or taking other action as may be needed to show compliance with § 50.46... generated from the chemical reaction of the cladding with water or steam shall not exceed 0.01 times the...

Determinants of choice for pigeons and humans on concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement.

PubMed

Belke, T W; Pierce, W D; Powell, R A

1989-09-01

Concurrent-chains schedules of reinforcement were arranged for humans and pigeons. Responses of humans were reinforced with tokens exchangeable for money, and key pecks of 4 birds were reinforced with food. Variable-interval 30-s and 40-s schedules operated in the terminal links of the chains. Condition 1 exposed subjects to variable-interval 90-s and variable-interval 30-s initial links, respectively. Conditions 2 and 3 arranged equal initial-link schedules of 40 s or 120 s. Experimental conditions tested the descriptive adequacy of five equations: reinforcement density, delay reduction, modified delay reduction, matching and maximization. Results based on choice proportions and switch rates during the initial links showed that pigeons behaved in accord with delay-reduction models, whereas humans maximized overall rate of reinforcement. As discussed by Logue and associates in self-control research, different types of reinforcement may affect sensitivity to delay differentially. Pigeons' responses were reinforced with food, a reinforcer that is consumable upon presentation. Humans' responses were reinforced with money, a reinforcer exchanged for consumable reinforcers after it was earned. Reinforcers that are immediately consumed may generate high sensitivity to delay and behavior described as delay reduction. Reinforces with longer times to consumption may generate low sensitivity to delay and behavior that maximizes overall payoff.

A comparison of mixed-integer linear programming models for workforce scheduling with position-dependent processing times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno-Camacho, Carlos A.; Montoya-Torres, Jairo R.; Vélez-Gallego, Mario C.

2018-06-01

Only a few studies in the available scientific literature address the problem of having a group of workers that do not share identical levels of productivity during the planning horizon. This study considers a workforce scheduling problem in which the actual processing time is a function of the scheduling sequence to represent the decline in workers' performance, evaluating two classical performance measures separately: makespan and maximum tardiness. Several mathematical models are compared with each other to highlight the advantages of each approach. The mathematical models are tested with randomly generated instances available from a public e-library.

Systematic Approach to Better Understanding Integration Costs: Preprint

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

Stark, Gregory B.

2015-09-28

When someone mentions integration costs, thoughts of the costs of integrating renewable generation into an existing system come to mind. We think about how variability and uncertainty can increase power system cycling costs as increasing amounts of wind or solar generation are incorporated into the generation mix. However, seldom do we think about what happens to system costs when new baseload generation is added to an existing system or when generation self-schedules. What happens when a highly flexible combined-cycle plant is added? Do system costs go up, or do they go down? Are other, non-cycling, maintenance costs impacted? In thismore » paper we investigate six technologies and operating practices--including VG, baseload generation, generation mix, gas prices, self-scheduling, and fast-start generation--and how changes in these areas can impact a system's operating costs. This paper provides a working definition of integration costs and four components of variable costs. It describes the study approach and how a production cost modeling-based method was used to determine the cost effects, and, as a part of the study approach section, it describes the test system and data used for the comparisons. Finally, it presents the research findings, and, in closing, suggests three areas for future work.« less

Effect of Embedding Cu-Graphene Hybrid Powder into 2-Phase In-Cu Solders on Its Suitability as Metallic Thermal Interface Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Deepak; Jain, Aman; Somaiah, Nalla; Narayanan, P. Ramesh; Kumar, Praveen

2018-05-01

The effect of embedding Cu-graphene hybrid powder, namely "graphene nano-sheet Cu" (GNS-Cu) powder, into In-40 vol.% Cu solder alloy on the electrical and mechanical properties of In-Cu solder is investigated. GNS-Cu hybrid powders were prepared by mixing reduced graphene oxide powders and CuSO4·5H2O, followed by reduction of the mixture with hydrazine. Subsequently, In-Cu solders with GNS-Cu powders were prepared using a 2-step process, comprising liquid phase sintering (LPS) of In and Cu powders followed by accumulative roll bonding (ARB). During ARB, the GNS-Cu powders were embedded as distinct layers into In-Cu composite solders. Electrical conductivity of the GNS-Cu embedded solders increased by > 20% as compared to pure In-Cu solders processed through the same combination of LPS-ARB steps. The yield strength of In-Cu solder increased by only 10% with the addition of GNS-Cu powders and thus retained the moderate strength often associated with pure In-Cu composite solders. Moreover, the thermal conductivity of GNS-Cu-embedded solders was estimated theoretically to increase by > 60%. These promising findings suggest that GNS-Cu-embedded In-Cu solders can be suitable for next-generation metallic thermal interface material and package-level interconnect applications.

Toward a Proof of Concept Cloud Framework for Physics Applications on Blue Gene Supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreher, Patrick; Scullin, William; Vouk, Mladen

2015-09-01

Traditional high performance supercomputers are capable of delivering large sustained state-of-the-art computational resources to physics applications over extended periods of time using batch processing mode operating environments. However, today there is an increasing demand for more complex workflows that involve large fluctuations in the levels of HPC physics computational requirements during the simulations. Some of the workflow components may also require a richer set of operating system features and schedulers than normally found in a batch oriented HPC environment. This paper reports on progress toward a proof of concept design that implements a cloud framework onto BG/P and BG/Q platforms at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility. The BG/P implementation utilizes the Kittyhawk utility and the BG/Q platform uses an experimental heterogeneous FusedOS operating system environment. Both platforms use the Virtual Computing Laboratory as the cloud computing system embedded within the supercomputer. This proof of concept design allows a cloud to be configured so that it can capitalize on the specialized infrastructure capabilities of a supercomputer and the flexible cloud configurations without resorting to virtualization. Initial testing of the proof of concept system is done using the lattice QCD MILC code. These types of user reconfigurable environments have the potential to deliver experimental schedulers and operating systems within a working HPC environment for physics computations that may be different from the native OS and schedulers on production HPC supercomputers.

Embedded random matrix ensembles from nuclear structure and their recent applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kota, V. K. B.; Chavda, N. D.

Embedded random matrix ensembles generated by random interactions (of low body rank and usually two-body) in the presence of a one-body mean field, introduced in nuclear structure physics, are now established to be indispensable in describing statistical properties of a large number of isolated finite quantum many-particle systems. Lie algebra symmetries of the interactions, as identified from nuclear shell model and the interacting boson model, led to the introduction of a variety of embedded ensembles (EEs). These ensembles with a mean field and chaos generating two-body interaction generate in three different stages, delocalization of wave functions in the Fock space of the mean-field basis states. The last stage corresponds to what one may call thermalization and complex nuclei, as seen from many shell model calculations, lie in this region. Besides briefly describing them, their recent applications to nuclear structure are presented and they are (i) nuclear level densities with interactions; (ii) orbit occupancies; (iii) neutrinoless double beta decay nuclear transition matrix elements as transition strengths. In addition, their applications are also presented briefly that go beyond nuclear structure and they are (i) fidelity, decoherence, entanglement and thermalization in isolated finite quantum systems with interactions; (ii) quantum transport in disordered networks connected by many-body interactions with centrosymmetry; (iii) semicircle to Gaussian transition in eigenvalue densities with k-body random interactions and its relation to the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model for majorana fermions.

An Expedient Regio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Hybrid Frameworks with Embedded Spiro[9,10]dihydroanthracene [9,3']-pyrrolidine and Spiro[oxindole-3,2'-pyrrolidine] Motifs via an Ionic Liquid-Mediated Multicomponent Reaction.

PubMed

Arumugam, Natarajan; Almansour, Abdulrahman I; Kumar, Raju Suresh; Menéndez, J Carlos; Sultan, Mujeeb A; Karama, Usama; Ghabbour, Hazem A; Fun, Hoong-Kun

2015-09-03

A series of hitherto unreported anthracene-embedded dispirooxindoles has been synthesized via a one-pot three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of an azomethine ylide, generated in situ from the reaction of isatin and sarcosine to 10-benzylideneanthracen-9(10H)-one as a dipolarophile in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide([bmim]Br), an ionic liquid. This reaction proceeded regio- and diastereoselectively, in good to excellent yields.

A 3-D chimera grid embedding technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benek, J. A.; Buning, P. G.; Steger, J. L.

1985-01-01

A three-dimensional (3-D) chimera grid-embedding technique is described. The technique simplifies the construction of computational grids about complex geometries. The method subdivides the physical domain into regions which can accommodate easily generated grids. Communication among the grids is accomplished by interpolation of the dependent variables at grid boundaries. The procedures for constructing the composite mesh and the associated data structures are described. The method is demonstrated by solution of the Euler equations for the transonic flow about a wing/body, wing/body/tail, and a configuration of three ellipsoidal bodies.

Protecting superconducting qubits from radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Córcoles, Antonio D.; Chow, Jerry M.; Gambetta, Jay M.; Rigetti, Chad; Rozen, J. R.; Keefe, George A.; Beth Rothwell, Mary; Ketchen, Mark B.; Steffen, M.

2011-10-01

We characterize a superconducting qubit before and after embedding it along with its package in an absorptive medium. We observe a drastic improvement in the effective qubit temperature and over a tenfold improvement in the relaxation time up to 5.7 μs. Our results suggest the presence of external radiation inside the cryogenic apparatus can be a limiting factor for both qubit initialization and coherence. Calculations support the hypothesis that the relaxation is not limited by direct coupling of thermal photons to the qubit prior to embedding, but by dissipation arising from quasiparticle generation.

Analysis of supersonic combustion flow fields with embedded subsonic regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dash, S.; Delguidice, P.

1972-01-01

The viscous characteristic analysis for supersonic chemically reacting flows was extended to include provisions for analyzing embedded subsonic regions. The numerical method developed to analyze this mixed subsonic-supersonic flow fields is described. The boundary conditions are discussed related to the supersonic-subsonic and subsonic-supersonic transition, as well as a heuristic description of several other numerical schemes for analyzing this problem. An analysis of shock waves generated either by pressure mismatch between the injected fluid and surrounding flow or by chemical heat release is also described.

Embedded Streaming Deep Neural Networks Accelerator With Applications.

PubMed

Dundar, Aysegul; Jin, Jonghoon; Martini, Berin; Culurciello, Eugenio

2017-07-01

Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have become a very powerful tool in visual perception. DCNNs have applications in autonomous robots, security systems, mobile phones, and automobiles, where high throughput of the feedforward evaluation phase and power efficiency are important. Because of this increased usage, many field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based accelerators have been proposed. In this paper, we present an optimized streaming method for DCNNs' hardware accelerator on an embedded platform. The streaming method acts as a compiler, transforming a high-level representation of DCNNs into operation codes to execute applications in a hardware accelerator. The proposed method utilizes maximum computational resources available based on a novel-scheduled routing topology that combines data reuse and data concatenation. It is tested with a hardware accelerator implemented on the Xilinx Kintex-7 XC7K325T FPGA. The system fully explores weight-level and node-level parallelizations of DCNNs and achieves a peak performance of 247 G-ops while consuming less than 4 W of power. We test our system with applications on object classification and object detection in real-world scenarios. Our results indicate high-performance efficiency, outperforming all other presented platforms while running these applications.

Eating routines: Embedded, value based, modifiable, and reflective

PubMed Central

Jastran, Margaret; Bisogni, Carole A.; Sobal, Jeffery; Blake, Christine; Devine, Carol M.

2009-01-01

Eating routines are a compelling issue because recurring eating behaviors influence nutrition and health. As non-traditional and individualized eating patterns have become more common, new ways of thinking about routine eating practices are needed. This study sought to gain conceptual understanding of working adults' eating routines. Forty-two purposively sampled US adults reported food intake and contextual details about eating episodes in qualitative 24-hour dietary recalls conducted over 7 consecutive days. Using the constant comparative method, researchers analyzed interview transcripts for recurrent ways of eating that were either explicitly reported by study participants as “routines” or emergent in the data. Participants' eating routines included repetition in food consumption as well as eating context, and also involved sequences of eating episodes. Eating routines were embedded in daily schedules for work, family, and recreation. Participants maintained purposeful routines that helped balance tension between demands and values, but they modified routines as circumstances changed. Participants monitored and reflected upon their eating practices and tended to assess their practices in light of their personal identities. These findings provide conceptual insights for food choice researchers and present a perspective from which practitioners who work with individuals seeking to adopt healthful eating practices might usefully approach their tasks. PMID:18835305

Some design constraints required for the use of generic software in embedded systems: Packages which manage abstract dynamic structures without the need for garbage collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Charles S.

1986-01-01

The embedded systems running real-time applications, for which Ada was designed, require their own mechanisms for the management of dynamically allocated storage. There is a need for packages which manage their own internalo structures to control their deallocation as well, due to the performance implications of garbage collection by the KAPSE. This places a requirement upon the design of generic packages which manage generically structured private types built-up from application-defined input types. These kinds of generic packages should figure greatly in the development of lower-level software such as operating systems, schedulers, controllers, and device driver; and will manage structures such as queues, stacks, link-lists, files, and binary multary (hierarchical) trees. Controlled to prevent inadvertent de-designation of dynamic elements, which is implicit in the assignment operation A study was made of the use of limited private type, in solving the problems of controlling the accumulation of anonymous, detached objects in running systems. The use of deallocator prodecures for run-down of application-defined input types during deallocation operations during satellites.

The Dynamic Planner: The Sequencer, Scheduler, and Runway Allocator for Air Traffic Control Automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Gregory L.; Denery, Dallas (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Dynamic Planner (DP) has been designed, implemented, and integrated into the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) to assist Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs), in real time, with the task of planning and scheduling arrival traffic approximately 35 to 200 nautical miles from the destination airport. The TMC may input to the DP a series of current and future scheduling constraints that reflect the operation and environmental conditions of the airspace. Under these constraints, the DP uses flight plans, track updates, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) predictions to calculate optimal runway assignments and arrival schedules that help ensure an orderly, efficient, and conflict-free flow of traffic into the terminal area. These runway assignments and schedules can be shown directly to controllers or they can be used by other CTAS tools to generate advisories to the controllers. Additionally, the TMC and controllers may override the decisions made by the DP for tactical considerations. The DP will adapt to computations to accommodate these manual inputs.

Meta-RaPS Algorithm for the Aerial Refueling Scheduling Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Sezgin; Arin, Arif; Rabadi, Ghaith

2011-01-01

The Aerial Refueling Scheduling Problem (ARSP) can be defined as determining the refueling completion times for each fighter aircraft (job) on multiple tankers (machines). ARSP assumes that jobs have different release times and due dates, The total weighted tardiness is used to evaluate schedule's quality. Therefore, ARSP can be modeled as a parallel machine scheduling with release limes and due dates to minimize the total weighted tardiness. Since ARSP is NP-hard, it will be more appropriate to develop a pproimate or heuristic algorithm to obtain solutions in reasonable computation limes. In this paper, Meta-Raps-ATC algorithm is implemented to create high quality solutions. Meta-RaPS (Meta-heuristic for Randomized Priority Search) is a recent and promising meta heuristic that is applied by introducing randomness to a construction heuristic. The Apparent Tardiness Rule (ATC), which is a good rule for scheduling problems with tardiness objective, is used to construct initial solutions which are improved by an exchanging operation. Results are presented for generated instances.

Quantifying Scheduling Challenges for Exascale System Software

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

Mondragon, Oscar; Bridges, Patrick G.; Jones, Terry R

2015-01-01

The move towards high-performance computing (HPC) ap- plications comprised of coupled codes and the need to dra- matically reduce data movement is leading to a reexami- nation of time-sharing vs. space-sharing in HPC systems. In this paper, we discuss and begin to quantify the perfor- mance impact of a move away from strict space-sharing of nodes for HPC applications. Specifically, we examine the po- tential performance cost of time-sharing nodes between ap- plication components, we determine whether a simple coor- dinated scheduling mechanism can address these problems, and we research how suitable simple constraint-based opti- mization techniques are for solvingmore » scheduling challenges in this regime. Our results demonstrate that current general- purpose HPC system software scheduling and resource al- location systems are subject to significant performance de- ciencies which we quantify for six representative applica- tions. Based on these results, we discuss areas in which ad- ditional research is needed to meet the scheduling challenges of next-generation HPC systems.« less

An adaptive random search for short term generation scheduling with network constraints.

PubMed

Marmolejo, J A; Velasco, Jonás; Selley, Héctor J

2017-01-01

This paper presents an adaptive random search approach to address a short term generation scheduling with network constraints, which determines the startup and shutdown schedules of thermal units over a given planning horizon. In this model, we consider the transmission network through capacity limits and line losses. The mathematical model is stated in the form of a Mixed Integer Non Linear Problem with binary variables. The proposed heuristic is a population-based method that generates a set of new potential solutions via a random search strategy. The random search is based on the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. The main key of the proposed method is that the noise level of the random search is adaptively controlled in order to exploring and exploiting the entire search space. In order to improve the solutions, we consider coupling a local search into random search process. Several test systems are presented to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristic. We use a commercial optimizer to compare the quality of the solutions provided by the proposed method. The solution of the proposed algorithm showed a significant reduction in computational effort with respect to the full-scale outer approximation commercial solver. Numerical results show the potential and robustness of our approach.

Thermooptical properties of gold nanoparticles embedded in ice: characterization of heat generation and melting.

PubMed

Richardson, Hugh H; Hickman, Zackary N; Govorov, Alexander O; Thomas, Alyssa C; Zhang, Wei; Kordesch, Martin E

2006-04-01

We investigate the system of optically excited gold NPs in an ice matrix aiming to understand heat generation and melting processes at the nanoscale level. Along with the traditional fluorescence method, we introduce thermooptical spectroscopy based on phase transformation of a matrix. With this, we can not only measure optical response but also thermal response, that is, heat generation. After several recrystallization cycles, the nanoparticles are embedded into the ice film where the optical and thermal properties of the nanoparticles are probed. Spatial fluorescence mapping shows the locations of Au nanoparticles, whereas the time-resolved Raman signal of ice reveals the melting process. From the time-dependent Raman signals, we determine the critical light intensities at which the laser beam is able to melt ice around the nanoparticles. The melting intensity depends strongly on temperature and position. The position-dependence is especially strong and reflects a mesoscopic character of heat generation. We think that it comes from the fact that nanoparticles form small complexes of different geometry and each complex has a unique thermal response. Theoretical calculations and experimental data are combined to make a quantitative measure of the amount of heat generated by optically excited Au nanoparticles and agglomerates. The information obtained in this study can be used to design nanoscale heaters and actuators.

Dynamic scheduling and planning parallel observations on large Radio Telescope Arrays with the Square Kilometre Array in mind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchner, Johannes

2011-12-01

Scheduling, the task of producing a time table for resources and tasks, is well-known to be a difficult problem the more resources are involved (a NP-hard problem). This is about to become an issue in Radio astronomy as observatories consisting of hundreds to thousands of telescopes are planned and operated. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which Australia and New Zealand bid to host, is aiming for scales where current approaches -- in construction, operation but also scheduling -- are insufficent. Although manual scheduling is common today, the problem is becoming complicated by the demand for (1) independent sub-arrays doing simultaneous observations, which requires the scheduler to plan parallel observations and (2) dynamic re-scheduling on changed conditions. Both of these requirements apply to the SKA, especially in the construction phase. We review the scheduling approaches taken in the astronomy literature, as well as investigate techniques from human schedulers and today's observatories. The scheduling problem is specified in general for scientific observations and in particular on radio telescope arrays. Also taken into account is the fact that the observatory may be oversubscribed, requiring the scheduling problem to be integrated with a planning process. We solve this long-term scheduling problem using a time-based encoding that works in the very general case of observation scheduling. This research then compares algorithms from various approaches, including fast heuristics from CPU scheduling, Linear Integer Programming and Genetic algorithms, Branch-and-Bound enumeration schemes. Measures include not only goodness of the solution, but also scalability and re-scheduling capabilities. In conclusion, we have identified a fast and good scheduling approach that allows (re-)scheduling difficult and changing problems by combining heuristics with a Genetic algorithm using block-wise mutation operations. We are able to explain and eradicate two problems in the literature: The inability of a GA to properly improve schedules and the generation of schedules with frequent interruptions. Finally, we demonstrate the scheduling framework for several operating telescopes: (1) Dynamic re-scheduling with the AUT Warkworth 12m telescope, (2) Scheduling for the Australian Mopra 22m telescope and scheduling for the Allen Telescope Array. Furthermore, we discuss the applicability of the presented scheduling framework to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA, in construction) and the SKA. In particular, during the development phase of the SKA, this dynamic, scalable scheduling framework can accommodate changing conditions.

A sparse grid based method for generative dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohn, Bastian; Garcke, Jochen; Griebel, Michael

2016-03-01

Generative dimensionality reduction methods play an important role in machine learning applications because they construct an explicit mapping from a low-dimensional space to the high-dimensional data space. We discuss a general framework to describe generative dimensionality reduction methods, where the main focus lies on a regularized principal manifold learning variant. Since most generative dimensionality reduction algorithms exploit the representer theorem for reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, their computational costs grow at least quadratically in the number n of data. Instead, we introduce a grid-based discretization approach which automatically scales just linearly in n. To circumvent the curse of dimensionality of full tensor product grids, we use the concept of sparse grids. Furthermore, in real-world applications, some embedding directions are usually more important than others and it is reasonable to refine the underlying discretization space only in these directions. To this end, we employ a dimension-adaptive algorithm which is based on the ANOVA (analysis of variance) decomposition of a function. In particular, the reconstruction error is used to measure the quality of an embedding. As an application, the study of large simulation data from an engineering application in the automotive industry (car crash simulation) is performed.

Dissecting psychiatric spectrum disorders by generative embedding☆☆☆

PubMed Central

Brodersen, Kay H.; Deserno, Lorenz; Schlagenhauf, Florian; Lin, Zhihao; Penny, Will D.; Buhmann, Joachim M.; Stephan, Klaas E.

2013-01-01

This proof-of-concept study examines the feasibility of defining subgroups in psychiatric spectrum disorders by generative embedding, using dynamical system models which infer neuronal circuit mechanisms from neuroimaging data. To this end, we re-analysed an fMRI dataset of 41 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 42 healthy controls performing a numerical n-back working-memory task. In our generative-embedding approach, we used parameter estimates from a dynamic causal model (DCM) of a visual–parietal–prefrontal network to define a model-based feature space for the subsequent application of supervised and unsupervised learning techniques. First, using a linear support vector machine for classification, we were able to predict individual diagnostic labels significantly more accurately (78%) from DCM-based effective connectivity estimates than from functional connectivity between (62%) or local activity within the same regions (55%). Second, an unsupervised approach based on variational Bayesian Gaussian mixture modelling provided evidence for two clusters which mapped onto patients and controls with nearly the same accuracy (71%) as the supervised approach. Finally, when restricting the analysis only to the patients, Gaussian mixture modelling suggested the existence of three patient subgroups, each of which was characterised by a different architecture of the visual–parietal–prefrontal working-memory network. Critically, even though this analysis did not have access to information about the patients' clinical symptoms, the three neurophysiologically defined subgroups mapped onto three clinically distinct subgroups, distinguished by significant differences in negative symptom severity, as assessed on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). In summary, this study provides a concrete example of how psychiatric spectrum diseases may be split into subgroups that are defined in terms of neurophysiological mechanisms specified by a generative model of network dynamics such as DCM. The results corroborate our previous findings in stroke patients that generative embedding, compared to analyses of more conventional measures such as functional connectivity or regional activity, can significantly enhance both the interpretability and performance of computational approaches to clinical classification. PMID:24363992

Air Force Civil Engineer, Volume 9, Number 1, Spring 2001

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

generated some important lessons learned. The Gulf War was a wakeup call for contingency training. When it began, many in CE had never trained on bare...square foot, corrosion control facility at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Construction is scheduled for comple- tion in early 2002. The facility is...Rhein Main Transition Program. This program, scheduled for completion in 2005, transfers operational capability from Rhein Main AB to Spangdahlem and

The needs and expectations of generation Y nurses in the workplace.

PubMed

Lavoie-Tremblay, Melanie; Leclerc, Edith; Marchionni, Caroline; Drevniok, Ulrika

2010-01-01

Generation Y nurses represent the new nursing workforce. This article describes a study examining the needs, motivations, and expectations of generation Y nurses at the start of their careers. New nurses, on average 24.1 years old in 2007, were interviewed. The generation Y nurses reported that recognition was a key motivator. Their needs are stability, flexible work schedules and shifts, recognition, opportunities for professional development, and adequate supervision.

Effects of restricted feeding schedules on circadian organization in squirrel monkeys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boulos, Z.; Frim, D. M.; Dewey, L. K.; Moore-Ede, M. C.

1989-01-01

Free running circadian rhythms of motor activity, food-motivated lever-pressing, and either drinking (N = 7) or body temperature (N = 3) were recorded from 10 squirrel monkeys maintained in constant illumination with unlimited access to food. Food availability was then restricted to a single unsignaled 3-hour interval each day. The feeding schedule failed to entrain the activity rhythms of 8 monkeys, which continued to free-run. Drinking was almost completely synchronized by the schedule, while body temperature showed a feeding-induced rise superimposed on a free-running rhythm. Nonreinforced lever-pressing showed both a free-running component and a 24-hour component that anticipated the time of feeding. At the termination of the schedule, all recorded variables showed free-running rhythms, but in 3 animals the initial phase of the postschedule rhythms was advanced by several hours, suggesting relative coordination. Of the remaining 2 animals, one exhibited stable entrainment of all 3 recorded rhythms, while the other appeared to entrain temporarily to the feeding schedule. These results indicate that restricted feeding schedules are only a weak zeitgeber for the circadian pacemaker generating free-running rhythms in the squirrel monkey. Such schedules, however, may entrain a separate circadian system responsible for the timing of food-anticipatory changes in behavior and physiology.

78 FR 75562 - Zero Rate Reactive Power Rate Schedules; Notice of Staff Workshop

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-12

..., DC 20426. The workshop will be led by Commission staff, with presentations from panelists. The... Generator Interconnection Agreement and Article 1.8 of the pro forma Small Generator Interconnection... Affairs, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8368...

Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation: Improving System Operations, Greening the Grid (Spanish Version)

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

Tian, Tian; Chernyakhovskiy, Ilya; Brancucci Martinez-Anido, Carlo

This document is the Spanish version of 'Greening the Grid- Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation Improving System Operations'. It discusses improving system operations with forecasting with and solar generation. By integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) forecasts into system operations, power system operators can anticipate up- and down-ramps in VRE generation in order to cost-effectively balance load and generation in intra-day and day-ahead scheduling. This leads to reduced fuel costs, improved system reliability, and maximum use of renewable resources.

Fiber Optic Sensor Embedment Study for Multi-Parameter Strain Sensing

PubMed Central

Drissi-Habti, Monssef; Raman, Venkadesh; Khadour, Aghiad; Timorian, Safiullah

2017-01-01

The fiber optic sensors (FOSs) are commonly used for large-scale structure monitoring systems for their small size, noise free and low electrical risk characteristics. Embedded fiber optic sensors (FOSs) lead to micro-damage in composite structures. This damage generation threshold is based on the coating material of the FOSs and their diameter. In addition, embedded FOSs are aligned parallel to reinforcement fibers to avoid micro-damage creation. This linear positioning of distributed FOS fails to provide all strain parameters. We suggest novel sinusoidal sensor positioning to overcome this issue. This method tends to provide multi-parameter strains in a large surface area. The effectiveness of sinusoidal FOS positioning over linear FOS positioning is studied under both numerical and experimental methods. This study proves the advantages of the sinusoidal positioning method for FOS in composite material’s bonding. PMID:28333117

Charge storage and tunneling mechanism of Ni nanocrystals embedded HfOx film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, H. X.; Zhang, T.; Wang, R. X.; Zhang, Y. Y.; Li, L. T.; Qiu, X. Y.

2016-05-01

A nano-floating gate memory structure based on Ni nanocrystals (NCs) embedded HfOx film is deposited by means of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Microstructure investigations reveal that self-organized Ni-NCs with diameters of 4-8 nm are well dispersed in amorphous HfOx matrix. Pt/Ni-NCs embedded HfOx/Si/Ag capacitor structures exhibit voltage-dependent capacitance-voltage hysteresis, and a maximum flat-band voltage shift of 1.5 V, corresponding to a charge storage density of 6.0 × 1012 electrons/cm2, is achieved. These capacitor memory cells exhibit good endurance characteristic up to 4 × 104 cycles and excellent retention performance of 105 s, fulfilling the requirements of next generation non-volatile memory devices. Schottky tunneling is proven to be responsible for electrons tunneling in these capacitors.

Baryon spectrum from superconformal quantum mechanics and its light-front holographic embedding

DOE PAGES

de Teramond, Guy F.; Dosch, Hans Gunter; Brodsky, Stanley J.

2015-02-27

We describe the observed light-baryon spectrum by extending superconformal quantum mechanics to the light front and its embedding in AdS space. This procedure uniquely determines the confinement potential for arbitrary half-integer spin. To this end, we show that fermionic wave equations in AdS space are dual to light-front supersymmetric quantum-mechanical bound-state equations in physical space-time. The specific breaking of conformal invariance explains hadronic properties common to light mesons and baryons, such as the observed mass pattern in the radial and orbital excitations, from the spectrum generating algebra. Lastly, the holographic embedding in AdS also explains distinctive and systematic features, suchmore » as the spin-J degeneracy for states with the same orbital angular momentum, observed in the light-baryon spectrum.« less

Optimal Learning Paths in Information Networks

PubMed Central

Rodi, G. C.; Loreto, V.; Servedio, V. D. P.; Tria, F.

2015-01-01

Each sphere of knowledge and information could be depicted as a complex mesh of correlated items. By properly exploiting these connections, innovative and more efficient navigation strategies could be defined, possibly leading to a faster learning process and an enduring retention of information. In this work we investigate how the topological structure embedding the items to be learned can affect the efficiency of the learning dynamics. To this end we introduce a general class of algorithms that simulate the exploration of knowledge/information networks standing on well-established findings on educational scheduling, namely the spacing and lag effects. While constructing their learning schedules, individuals move along connections, periodically revisiting some concepts, and sometimes jumping on very distant ones. In order to investigate the effect of networked information structures on the proposed learning dynamics we focused both on synthetic and real-world graphs such as subsections of Wikipedia and word-association graphs. We highlight the existence of optimal topological structures for the simulated learning dynamics whose efficiency is affected by the balance between hubs and the least connected items. Interestingly, the real-world graphs we considered lead naturally to almost optimal learning performances. PMID:26030508

Automated Planning for a Deep Space Communications Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estlin, Tara; Fisher, Forest; Mutz, Darren; Chien, Steve

1999-01-01

This paper describes the application of Artificial Intelligence planning techniques to the problem of antenna track plan generation for a NASA Deep Space Communications Station. Me described system enables an antenna communications station to automatically respond to a set of tracking goals by correctly configuring the appropriate hardware and software to provide the requested communication services. To perform this task, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment (ASPEN) has been applied to automatically produce antenna trucking plans that are tailored to support a set of input goals. In this paper, we describe the antenna automation problem, the ASPEN planning and scheduling system, how ASPEN is used to generate antenna track plans, the results of several technology demonstrations, and future work utilizing dynamic planning technology.

Life sciences payload definition and integration study. Volume 4: Appendix, costs, and data management requirements of the dedicated 30-day laboratory. [carry-on laboratory for Spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The results of the updated 30-day life sciences dedicated laboratory scheduling and costing activities are documented, and the 'low cost' methodology used to establish individual equipment item costs is explained in terms of its allowances for equipment that is commerical off-the-shelf, modified commercial, and laboratory prototype; a method which significantly lowers program costs. The costs generated include estimates for non-recurring development, recurring production, and recurring operations costs. A cost for a biomedical emphasis laboratory and a Delta cost to provide a bioscience and technology laboratory were also generated. All cost reported are commensurate with the design and schedule definitions available.

Advanced turboprop testbed systems study. Volume 1: Testbed program objectives and priorities, drive system and aircraft design studies, evaluation and recommendations and wind tunnel test plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bradley, E. S.; Little, B. H.; Warnock, W.; Jenness, C. M.; Wilson, J. M.; Powell, C. W.; Shoaf, L.

1982-01-01

The establishment of propfan technology readiness was determined and candidate drive systems for propfan application were identified. Candidate testbed aircraft were investigated for testbed aircraft suitability and four aircraft selected as possible propfan testbed vehicles. An evaluation of the four candidates was performed and the Boeing KC-135A and the Gulfstream American Gulfstream II recommended as the most suitable aircraft for test application. Conceptual designs of the two recommended aircraft were performed and cost and schedule data for the entire testbed program were generated. The program total cost was estimated and a wind tunnel program cost and schedule is generated in support of the testbed program.

Test Scheduling for Core-Based SOCs Using Genetic Algorithm Based Heuristic Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giri, Chandan; Sarkar, Soumojit; Chattopadhyay, Santanu

This paper presents a Genetic algorithm (GA) based solution to co-optimize test scheduling and wrapper design for core based SOCs. Core testing solutions are generated as a set of wrapper configurations, represented as rectangles with width equal to the number of TAM (Test Access Mechanism) channels and height equal to the corresponding testing time. A locally optimal best-fit heuristic based bin packing algorithm has been used to determine placement of rectangles minimizing the overall test times, whereas, GA has been utilized to generate the sequence of rectangles to be considered for placement. Experimental result on ITC'02 benchmark SOCs shows that the proposed method provides better solutions compared to the recent works reported in the literature.

Force Field for Water Based on Neural Network.

PubMed

Wang, Hao; Yang, Weitao

2018-05-18

We developed a novel neural network based force field for water based on training with high level ab initio theory. The force field was built based on electrostatically embedded many-body expansion method truncated at binary interactions. Many-body expansion method is a common strategy to partition the total Hamiltonian of large systems into a hierarchy of few-body terms. Neural networks were trained to represent electrostatically embedded one-body and two-body interactions, which require as input only one and two water molecule calculations at the level of ab initio electronic structure method CCSD/aug-cc-pVDZ embedded in the molecular mechanics water environment, making it efficient as a general force field construction approach. Structural and dynamic properties of liquid water calculated with our force field show good agreement with experimental results. We constructed two sets of neural network based force fields: non-polarizable and polarizable force fields. Simulation results show that the non-polarizable force field using fixed TIP3P charges has already behaved well, since polarization effects and many-body effects are implicitly included due to the electrostatic embedding scheme. Our results demonstrate that the electrostatically embedded many-body expansion combined with neural network provides a promising and systematic way to build the next generation force fields at high accuracy and low computational costs, especially for large systems.

Metric Optimization for Surface Analysis in the Laplace-Beltrami Embedding Space

PubMed Central

Lai, Rongjie; Wang, Danny J.J.; Pelletier, Daniel; Mohr, David; Sicotte, Nancy; Toga, Arthur W.

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a novel approach for the intrinsic mapping of anatomical surfaces and its application in brain mapping research. Using the Laplace-Beltrami eigen-system, we represent each surface with an isometry invariant embedding in a high dimensional space. The key idea in our system is that we realize surface deformation in the embedding space via the iterative optimization of a conformal metric without explicitly perturbing the surface or its embedding. By minimizing a distance measure in the embedding space with metric optimization, our method generates a conformal map directly between surfaces with highly uniform metric distortion and the ability of aligning salient geometric features. Besides pairwise surface maps, we also extend the metric optimization approach for group-wise atlas construction and multi-atlas cortical label fusion. In experimental results, we demonstrate the robustness and generality of our method by applying it to map both cortical and hippocampal surfaces in population studies. For cortical labeling, our method achieves excellent performance in a cross-validation experiment with 40 manually labeled surfaces, and successfully models localized brain development in a pediatric study of 80 subjects. For hippocampal mapping, our method produces much more significant results than two popular tools on a multiple sclerosis study of 109 subjects. PMID:24686245

ADAPTIVE METHODS FOR STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS VIA NATURAL EMBEDDINGS AND REJECTION SAMPLING WITH MEMORY.

PubMed

Rackauckas, Christopher; Nie, Qing

2017-01-01

Adaptive time-stepping with high-order embedded Runge-Kutta pairs and rejection sampling provides efficient approaches for solving differential equations. While many such methods exist for solving deterministic systems, little progress has been made for stochastic variants. One challenge in developing adaptive methods for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is the construction of embedded schemes with direct error estimates. We present a new class of embedded stochastic Runge-Kutta (SRK) methods with strong order 1.5 which have a natural embedding of strong order 1.0 methods. This allows for the derivation of an error estimate which requires no additional function evaluations. Next we derive a general method to reject the time steps without losing information about the future Brownian path termed Rejection Sampling with Memory (RSwM). This method utilizes a stack data structure to do rejection sampling, costing only a few floating point calculations. We show numerically that the methods generate statistically-correct and tolerance-controlled solutions. Lastly, we show that this form of adaptivity can be applied to systems of equations, and demonstrate that it solves a stiff biological model 12.28x faster than common fixed timestep algorithms. Our approach only requires the solution to a bridging problem and thus lends itself to natural generalizations beyond SDEs.

ADAPTIVE METHODS FOR STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS VIA NATURAL EMBEDDINGS AND REJECTION SAMPLING WITH MEMORY

PubMed Central

Rackauckas, Christopher

2017-01-01

Adaptive time-stepping with high-order embedded Runge-Kutta pairs and rejection sampling provides efficient approaches for solving differential equations. While many such methods exist for solving deterministic systems, little progress has been made for stochastic variants. One challenge in developing adaptive methods for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) is the construction of embedded schemes with direct error estimates. We present a new class of embedded stochastic Runge-Kutta (SRK) methods with strong order 1.5 which have a natural embedding of strong order 1.0 methods. This allows for the derivation of an error estimate which requires no additional function evaluations. Next we derive a general method to reject the time steps without losing information about the future Brownian path termed Rejection Sampling with Memory (RSwM). This method utilizes a stack data structure to do rejection sampling, costing only a few floating point calculations. We show numerically that the methods generate statistically-correct and tolerance-controlled solutions. Lastly, we show that this form of adaptivity can be applied to systems of equations, and demonstrate that it solves a stiff biological model 12.28x faster than common fixed timestep algorithms. Our approach only requires the solution to a bridging problem and thus lends itself to natural generalizations beyond SDEs. PMID:29527134

Active sensing of fatigue damage using embedded ultrasonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagrai, Andrei; Kruse, Walter A.; Gigineishvili, Vlasi

2009-03-01

Embedded ultrasonics has demonstrated considerable utility in structural health monitoring of aeronautical vehicle. This active sensing approach has been widely used to detect and monitor cracks, delaminations, and disbonds in a broad spectrum of metallic and composite structures. However, application of the embedded ultrasonics for active sensing of incipient damage before fracture has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of embedded ultrasonics and nonlinear acoustic signatures for monitoring pre-crack fatigue damage in aerospace structural material. A harmonic load was applied to structural specimens in order to induce fatigue damage accumulation and growth. Specimens of simple geometry were considered and piezoelectric active sensors were employed for generation and reception of elastic waves. The elastic wave signatures were analyzed in the frequency domain using nonlinear impedance and nonlinear resonance methods. A relationship between fatigue severity and linear as well as nonlinear acoustic signatures was investigated and considered in the damage classification procedure. Practical aspects of the active sensing of the fatigue damage before fracture were discussed and prospective avenues for future research were suggested.

Named Entity Recognition in Chinese Clinical Text Using Deep Neural Network.

PubMed

Wu, Yonghui; Jiang, Min; Lei, Jianbo; Xu, Hua

2015-01-01

Rapid growth in electronic health records (EHRs) use has led to an unprecedented expansion of available clinical data in electronic formats. However, much of the important healthcare information is locked in the narrative documents. Therefore Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, e.g., Named Entity Recognition that identifies boundaries and types of entities, has been extensively studied to unlock important clinical information in free text. In this study, we investigated a novel deep learning method to recognize clinical entities in Chinese clinical documents using the minimal feature engineering approach. We developed a deep neural network (DNN) to generate word embeddings from a large unlabeled corpus through unsupervised learning and another DNN for the NER task. The experiment results showed that the DNN with word embeddings trained from the large unlabeled corpus outperformed the state-of-the-art CRF's model in the minimal feature engineering setting, achieving the highest F1-score of 0.9280. Further analysis showed that word embeddings derived through unsupervised learning from large unlabeled corpus remarkably improved the DNN with randomized embedding, denoting the usefulness of unsupervised feature learning.

Integration of Si-CMOS embedded photo detector array and mixed signal processing system with embedded optical waveguide input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Daeik D.; Thomas, Mikkel A.; Brooke, Martin A.; Jokerst, Nan M.

2004-06-01

Arrays of embedded bipolar junction transistor (BJT) photo detectors (PD) and a parallel mixed-signal processing system were fabricated as a silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (Si-CMOS) circuit for the integration optical sensors on the surface of the chip. The circuit was fabricated with AMI 1.5um n-well CMOS process and the embedded PNP BJT PD has a pixel size of 8um by 8um. BJT PD was chosen to take advantage of its higher gain amplification of photo current than that of PiN type detectors since the target application is a low-speed and high-sensitivity sensor. The photo current generated by BJT PD is manipulated by mixed-signal processing system, which consists of parallel first order low-pass delta-sigma oversampling analog-to-digital converters (ADC). There are 8 parallel ADCs on the chip and a group of 8 BJT PDs are selected with CMOS switches. An array of PD is composed of three or six groups of PDs depending on the number of rows.

Matrix-assisted energy conversion in nanostructured piezoelectric arrays

DOEpatents

Sirbuly, Donald J.; Wang, Xianying; Wang, Yinmin

2013-01-01

A nanoconverter is capable of directly generating electricity through a nanostructure embedded in a polymer layer experiencing differential thermal expansion in a stress transfer zone. High surface-to-volume ratio semiconductor nanowires or nanotubes (such as ZnO, silicon, carbon, etc.) are grown either aligned or substantially vertically aligned on a substrate. The resulting nanoforest is then embedded with the polymer layer, which transfers stress to the nanostructures in the stress transfer zone, thereby creating a nanostructure voltage output due to the piezoelectric effect acting on the nanostructure. Electrodes attached at both ends of the nanostructures generate output power at densities of .about.20 nW/cm.sup.2 with heating temperatures of .about.65.degree. C. Nanoconverters arrayed in a series parallel arrangement may be constructed in planar, stacked, or rolled arrays to supply power to nano- and micro-devices without use of external batteries.

Interdependencies, values and the reshaping of difference: gender and generation at the birth of twentieth-century modernity.

PubMed

Irwin, Sarah

2003-12-01

The paper explores the mutuality of values, claims and social relations in the process of social change. Values are not separable from social relations but are embedded in the shaping and reshaping of social difference and interdependence. The paper focuses on developments around the turn of the twentieth century, and analyses changes in the relative social positioning of children and adults, and women and men, shifting patterns of interdependence, and linked values and ideas about difference. The reconfiguring of generational and gender relations was integral to the first fertility decline, to transformation in family life and societal divisions of labour, and to the embedding of particular values and claims regarding gendered difference, identities and gender appropriate roles. Analysis of these developments reveals the mutuality of 'cultural' and 'material' processes and holds lessons for interpreting social change today.

Towards an easier creation of three-dimensional data for embedding into scholarly 3D PDF (Portable Document Format) files

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The Portable Document Format (PDF) allows for embedding three-dimensional (3D) models and is therefore particularly suitable to communicate respective data, especially as regards scholarly articles. The generation of the necessary model data, however, is still challenging, especially for inexperienced users. This prevents an unrestrained proliferation of 3D PDF usage in scholarly communication. This article introduces a new solution for the creation of three of types of 3D geometry (point clouds, polylines and triangle meshes), that is based on MeVisLab, a framework for biomedical image processing. This solution enables even novice users to generate the model data files without requiring programming skills and without the need for an intensive training by simply using it as a conversion tool. Advanced users can benefit from the full capability of MeVisLab to generate and export the model data as part of an overall processing chain. Although MeVisLab is primarily designed for handling biomedical image data, the new module is not restricted to this domain. It can be used for all scientific disciplines. PMID:25780759

Towards an easier creation of three-dimensional data for embedding into scholarly 3D PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

PubMed

Newe, Axel

2015-01-01

The Portable Document Format (PDF) allows for embedding three-dimensional (3D) models and is therefore particularly suitable to communicate respective data, especially as regards scholarly articles. The generation of the necessary model data, however, is still challenging, especially for inexperienced users. This prevents an unrestrained proliferation of 3D PDF usage in scholarly communication. This article introduces a new solution for the creation of three of types of 3D geometry (point clouds, polylines and triangle meshes), that is based on MeVisLab, a framework for biomedical image processing. This solution enables even novice users to generate the model data files without requiring programming skills and without the need for an intensive training by simply using it as a conversion tool. Advanced users can benefit from the full capability of MeVisLab to generate and export the model data as part of an overall processing chain. Although MeVisLab is primarily designed for handling biomedical image data, the new module is not restricted to this domain. It can be used for all scientific disciplines.

Scheduling optimization of design stream line for production research and development projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qinming; Geng, Xiuli; Dong, Ming; Lv, Wenyuan; Ye, Chunming

2017-05-01

In a development project, efficient design stream line scheduling is difficult and important owing to large design imprecision and the differences in the skills and skill levels of employees. The relative skill levels of employees are denoted as fuzzy numbers. Multiple execution modes are generated by scheduling different employees for design tasks. An optimization model of a design stream line scheduling problem is proposed with the constraints of multiple executive modes, multi-skilled employees and precedence. The model considers the parallel design of multiple projects, different skills of employees, flexible multi-skilled employees and resource constraints. The objective function is to minimize the duration and tardiness of the project. Moreover, a two-dimensional particle swarm algorithm is used to find the optimal solution. To illustrate the validity of the proposed method, a case is examined in this article, and the results support the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm.

A Strategy for Autogeneration of Space Shuttle Ground Processing Simulation Models for Project Makespan Estimations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madden, Michael G.; Wyrick, Roberta; O'Neill, Dale E.

2005-01-01

Space Shuttle Processing is a complicated and highly variable project. The planning and scheduling problem, categorized as a Resource Constrained - Stochastic Project Scheduling Problem (RC-SPSP), has a great deal of variability in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) process flow from one flight to the next. Simulation Modeling is a useful tool in estimation of the makespan of the overall process. However, simulation requires a model to be developed, which itself is a labor and time consuming effort. With such a dynamic process, often the model would potentially be out of synchronization with the actual process, limiting the applicability of the simulation answers in solving the actual estimation problem. Integration of TEAMS model enabling software with our existing schedule program software is the basis of our solution. This paper explains the approach used to develop an auto-generated simulation model from planning and schedule efforts and available data.

A hybrid dynamic harmony search algorithm for identical parallel machines scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing; Pan, Quan-Ke; Wang, Ling; Li, Jun-Qing

2012-02-01

In this article, a dynamic harmony search (DHS) algorithm is proposed for the identical parallel machines scheduling problem with the objective to minimize makespan. First, an encoding scheme based on a list scheduling rule is developed to convert the continuous harmony vectors to discrete job assignments. Second, the whole harmony memory (HM) is divided into multiple small-sized sub-HMs, and each sub-HM performs evolution independently and exchanges information with others periodically by using a regrouping schedule. Third, a novel improvisation process is applied to generate a new harmony by making use of the information of harmony vectors in each sub-HM. Moreover, a local search strategy is presented and incorporated into the DHS algorithm to find promising solutions. Simulation results show that the hybrid DHS (DHS_LS) is very competitive in comparison to its competitors in terms of mean performance and average computational time.

A Course-Embedded Comparison of Instructor-Generated Videos of Either an Instructor Alone or an Instructor and a Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Katelyn M.; Ding, Lu; Stephens, Michelle D.; Chi, Michelene T. H.; Brownell, Sara E.

2018-01-01

Instructor-generated videos have become a popular way to engage students with material before a class, yet this is a relatively unexplored area of research. There is support for the use of videos in which instructors tutor students, but few studies have been conducted within the context of a classroom. In this study, conducted in a…

Static strain tuning of quantum dots embedded in a photonic wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumanov, D.; Vaish, N.; Nguyen, H. A.; Curé, Y.; Gérard, J.-M.; Claudon, J.; Donatini, F.; Poizat, J.-Ph.

2018-03-01

We use strain to statically tune the semiconductor band gap of individual InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a GaAs photonic wire featuring very efficient single photon collection. Thanks to the geometry of the structure, we are able to shift the QD excitonic transition by more than 25 meV by using nano-manipulators to apply the stress. Moreover, owing to the strong transverse strain gradient generated in the structure, we can relatively tune two QDs located in the wire waveguide and bring them in resonance, opening the way to the observation of collective effects such as superradiance.

Time-Tag Generation Script

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Dan E.

2010-01-01

Time-Tag Generation Script (TTaGS) is an application program, written in the AWK scripting language, for generating commands for aiming one Ku-band antenna and two S-band antennas for communicating with spacecraft. TTaGS saves between 2 and 4 person-hours per every 24 hours by automating the repetitious process of building between 150 and 180 antenna-control commands. TTaGS reads a text database of communication satellite schedules and a text database of satellite rise and set times and cross-references items in the two databases. It then compares the scheduled start and stop with the geometric rise and set to compute the times to execute antenna control commands. While so doing, TTaGS determines whether to generate commands for guidance, navigation, and control computers to tell them which satellites to track. To help prevent Ku-band irradiation of the Earth, TTaGS accepts input from the user about horizon tolerance and accordingly restricts activation and effects deactivation of the transmitter. TTaGS can be modified easily to enable tracking of additional satellites and for such other tasks as reading Sun-rise/set tables to generate commands to point the solar photovoltaic arrays of the International Space Station at the Sun.

A variable-gain output feedback control design approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haylo, Nesim

1989-01-01

A multi-model design technique to find a variable-gain control law defined over the whole operating range is proposed. The design is formulated as an optimal control problem which minimizes a cost function weighing the performance at many operating points. The solution is obtained by embedding into the Multi-Configuration Control (MCC) problem, a multi-model robust control design technique. In contrast to conventional gain scheduling which uses a curve fit of single model designs, the optimal variable-gain control law stabilizes the plant at every operating point included in the design. An iterative algorithm to compute the optimal control gains is presented. The methodology has been successfully applied to reconfigurable aircraft flight control and to nonlinear flight control systems.

Fabrication, sensation and control of fluidic elastomer actuators and their application towards hand orthotics and prosthetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Huichan

Due to their continuous and natural motion, fluidic elastomer actuators (FEAs) have shown potential in a range of robotic applications including prosthetics and orthotics. Despite their advantages and rapid developments, robots using these actuators still have several challenging issues to be addressed. First, the reliable production of low cost and complex actuators that can apply high forces is necessary, yet none of existing fabrication methods are both easy to implement and of high force output. Next, compliant or stretchable sensors that can be embedded into their bodies for sophisticated functions are required, however, many of these sensors suffer from hysteresis, fabrication complexity, chemical safety and environmental instability, and material incompatibility with soft actuators. Finally, feedback control for FEAs is necessary to achieve better performance, but most soft robots are still "open-loop". In this dissertation, I intend to help solve the above issues and drive the applications of soft robotics towards hand orthotics and prosthetics. First, I adapt rotational casting as a new manufacturing method for soft actuators. I present a cuboid soft actuator that can generate a force of >25 N at its tip, a near ten-fold increase over similar actuators previously reported. Next, I propose a soft orthotic finger with position control enabled via embedded optical fiber. I monitor both the static and dynamic states via the optical sensor and achieve the prescribed curvatures accurately and with stability by a gain-scheduled proportional-integral-derivative controller. Then I develop the soft orthotic fingers into a low-cost, closed-loop controlled, soft orthotic glove that can be worn by a typical human hand and helpful for grasping light objects, while also providing finger position control. I achieve motion control with inexpensive, binary pneumatic switches controlled by a simple finite-state-machine. Finally, I report the first use of stretchable optical waveguides for strain sensing in a soft prosthetic hand. These optoelectronic strain sensors are easy to fabricate, chemically inert, and demonstrate low hysteresis and high precision in their output signals. I use the optoelectronically innervated prosthetic hand to conduct various active sensation experiments inspired by the capabilities of a real hand.

Job Grading Standard for Electric Power Controller WG-5407.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Civil Service Commission, Washington, DC. Bureau of Policies and Standards.

The standard is used to grade nonsupervisory jobs involved in controlling the generation or distribution of electric power. The jobs are located at power generating plants, power distribution centers, and substations. The work requires ability to anticipate load changes due to work schedules, weather, and other variables, in order to engage or cut…

77 FR 135 - Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; Exemption

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-03

...) exercise from September 27, 2011, to June 2012. The licensee's request states that Hurricane Irene passed... that OCNGS reschedule specific functions of the offsite portion of the biennial EP exercise scheduled... postpone the exercise until 2012, citing the ongoing response to the Hurricane Irene aftermath. By letter...

Collective neurodynamic optimization for economic emission dispatch problem considering valve point effect in microgrid.

PubMed

Wang, Tiancai; He, Xing; Huang, Tingwen; Li, Chuandong; Zhang, Wei

2017-09-01

The economic emission dispatch (EED) problem aims to control generation cost and reduce the impact of waste gas on the environment. It has multiple constraints and nonconvex objectives. To solve it, the collective neurodynamic optimization (CNO) method, which combines heuristic approach and projection neural network (PNN), is attempted to optimize scheduling of an electrical microgrid with ten thermal generators and minimize the plus of generation and emission cost. As the objective function has non-derivative points considering valve point effect (VPE), differential inclusion approach is employed in the PNN model introduced to deal with them. Under certain conditions, the local optimality and convergence of the dynamic model for the optimization problem is analyzed. The capability of the algorithm is verified in a complicated situation, where transmission loss and prohibited operating zones are considered. In addition, the dynamic variation of load power at demand side is considered and the optimal scheduling of generators within 24 h is described. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Embedded Thermal Control for Subsystems for Next Generation Spacecraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Didion, Jeffrey R.

2015-01-01

Thermal Fluids and Analysis Workshop, Silver Spring MD NCTS 21070-15. NASA, the Defense Department and commercial interests are actively engaged in developing miniaturized spacecraft systems and scientific instruments to leverage smaller cheaper spacecraft form factors such as CubeSats. This paper outlines research and development efforts among Goddard Space Flight Center personnel and its several partners to develop innovative embedded thermal control subsystems. Embedded thermal control subsystems is a cross cutting enabling technology integrating advanced manufacturing techniques to develop multifunctional intelligent structures to reduce Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) consumption of both the thermal control subsystem and overall spacecraft. Embedded thermal control subsystems permit heat acquisition and rejection at higher temperatures than state of the art systems by employing both advanced heat transfer equipment (integrated heat exchangers) and high heat transfer phenomena. The Goddard Space Flight Center Thermal Engineering Branch has active investigations seeking to characterize advanced thermal control systems for near term spacecraft missions. The embedded thermal control subsystem development effort consists of fundamental research as well as development of breadboard and prototype hardware and spaceflight validation efforts. This paper will outline relevant fundamental investigations of micro-scale heat transfer and electrically driven liquid film boiling. The hardware development efforts focus upon silicon based high heat flux applications (electronic chips, power electronics etc.) and multifunctional structures. Flight validation efforts include variable gravity campaigns and a proposed CubeSat based flight demonstration of a breadboard embedded thermal control system. The CubeSat investigation is technology demonstration will characterize in long-term low earth orbit a breadboard embedded thermal subsystem and its individual components to develop optimized operational schema.

Direct Formalin Fixation Induces Widespread Genomic Effects in Archival Tissues

EPA Science Inventory

Recent advances in next generation sequencing have dramatically improved transcriptional analysis of degraded RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples. However, little is known about potential genomic artifacts induced by formalin fixation, which could affect toxi...

Complex oxides useful for thermoelectric energy conversion

DOEpatents

Majumdar, Arunava [Orinda, CA; Ramesh, Ramamoorthy [Moraga, CA; Yu, Choongho [College Station, TX; Scullin, Matthew L [Berkeley, CA; Huijben, Mark [Enschede, NL

2012-07-17

The invention provides for a thermoelectric system comprising a substrate comprising a first complex oxide, wherein the substrate is optionally embedded with a second complex oxide. The thermoelectric system can be used for thermoelectric power generation or thermoelectric cooling.

Optimizing human activity patterns using global sensitivity analysis

PubMed Central

Hickmann, Kyle S.; Mniszewski, Susan M.; Del Valle, Sara Y.; Hyman, James M.

2014-01-01

Implementing realistic activity patterns for a population is crucial for modeling, for example, disease spread, supply and demand, and disaster response. Using the dynamic activity simulation engine, DASim, we generate schedules for a population that capture regular (e.g., working, eating, and sleeping) and irregular activities (e.g., shopping or going to the doctor). We use the sample entropy (SampEn) statistic to quantify a schedule’s regularity for a population. We show how to tune an activity’s regularity by adjusting SampEn, thereby making it possible to realistically design activities when creating a schedule. The tuning process sets up a computationally intractable high-dimensional optimization problem. To reduce the computational demand, we use Bayesian Gaussian process regression to compute global sensitivity indices and identify the parameters that have the greatest effect on the variance of SampEn. We use the harmony search (HS) global optimization algorithm to locate global optima. Our results show that HS combined with global sensitivity analysis can efficiently tune the SampEn statistic with few search iterations. We demonstrate how global sensitivity analysis can guide statistical emulation and global optimization algorithms to efficiently tune activities and generate realistic activity patterns. Though our tuning methods are applied to dynamic activity schedule generation, they are general and represent a significant step in the direction of automated tuning and optimization of high-dimensional computer simulations. PMID:25580080

Networked Microgrids for Self-healing Power Systems

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

Wang, Zhaoyu; Chen, Bokan; Wang, Jianhui

This paper proposes a transformative architecture for the normal operation and self-healing of networked microgrids (MGs). MGs can support and interchange electricity with each other in the proposed infrastructure. The networked MGs are connected by a physical common bus and a designed two-layer cyber communication network. The lower layer is within each MG where the energy management system (EMS) schedules the MG operation; the upper layer links a number of EMSs for global optimization and communication. In the normal operation mode, the objective is to schedule dispatchable distributed generators (DGs), energy storage systems (ESs) and controllable loads to minimize themore » operation costs and maximize the supply adequacy of each MG. When a generation deficiency or fault happens in a MG, the model switches to the self-healing mode and the local generation capacities of other MGs can be used to support the on-emergency portion of the system. A consensus algorithm is used to distribute portions of the desired power support to each individual MG in a decentralized way. The allocated portion corresponds to each MG’s local power exchange target which is used by its EMS to perform the optimal schedule. The resultant aggregated power output of networked MGs will be used to provide the requested power support. Test cases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.« less

Optimizing human activity patterns using global sensitivity analysis

DOE PAGES

Fairchild, Geoffrey; Hickmann, Kyle S.; Mniszewski, Susan M.; ...

2013-12-10

Implementing realistic activity patterns for a population is crucial for modeling, for example, disease spread, supply and demand, and disaster response. Using the dynamic activity simulation engine, DASim, we generate schedules for a population that capture regular (e.g., working, eating, and sleeping) and irregular activities (e.g., shopping or going to the doctor). We use the sample entropy (SampEn) statistic to quantify a schedule’s regularity for a population. We show how to tune an activity’s regularity by adjusting SampEn, thereby making it possible to realistically design activities when creating a schedule. The tuning process sets up a computationally intractable high-dimensional optimizationmore » problem. To reduce the computational demand, we use Bayesian Gaussian process regression to compute global sensitivity indices and identify the parameters that have the greatest effect on the variance of SampEn. Here we use the harmony search (HS) global optimization algorithm to locate global optima. Our results show that HS combined with global sensitivity analysis can efficiently tune the SampEn statistic with few search iterations. We demonstrate how global sensitivity analysis can guide statistical emulation and global optimization algorithms to efficiently tune activities and generate realistic activity patterns. Finally, though our tuning methods are applied to dynamic activity schedule generation, they are general and represent a significant step in the direction of automated tuning and optimization of high-dimensional computer simulations.« less

26. Generator Voltage Regulator Cabinet Exterior for Unit 1, view ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

26. Generator Voltage Regulator Cabinet Exterior for Unit 1, view to the northwest. The exciter supplies the DC current to the generator rotor to create electricity. Each of the four original units has an exciter identical to this one, and all are scheduled for replacement. - Washington Water Power Clark Fork River Noxon Rapids Hydroelectric Development, Powerhouse, South bank of Clark Fork River at Noxon Rapids, Noxon, Sanders County, MT

A DAG Scheduling Scheme on Heterogeneous Computing Systems Using Tuple-Based Chemical Reaction Optimization

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yuyi; Shao, Zhiqing; Guo, Yi

2014-01-01

A complex computing problem can be solved efficiently on a system with multiple computing nodes by dividing its implementation code into several parallel processing modules or tasks that can be formulated as directed acyclic graph (DAG) problems. The DAG jobs may be mapped to and scheduled on the computing nodes to minimize the total execution time. Searching an optimal DAG scheduling solution is considered to be NP-complete. This paper proposed a tuple molecular structure-based chemical reaction optimization (TMSCRO) method for DAG scheduling on heterogeneous computing systems, based on a very recently proposed metaheuristic method, chemical reaction optimization (CRO). Comparing with other CRO-based algorithms for DAG scheduling, the design of tuple reaction molecular structure and four elementary reaction operators of TMSCRO is more reasonable. TMSCRO also applies the concept of constrained critical paths (CCPs), constrained-critical-path directed acyclic graph (CCPDAG) and super molecule for accelerating convergence. In this paper, we have also conducted simulation experiments to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of TMSCRO upon a large set of randomly generated graphs and the graphs for real world problems. PMID:25143977

A DAG scheduling scheme on heterogeneous computing systems using tuple-based chemical reaction optimization.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuyi; Shao, Zhiqing; Guo, Yi

2014-01-01

A complex computing problem can be solved efficiently on a system with multiple computing nodes by dividing its implementation code into several parallel processing modules or tasks that can be formulated as directed acyclic graph (DAG) problems. The DAG jobs may be mapped to and scheduled on the computing nodes to minimize the total execution time. Searching an optimal DAG scheduling solution is considered to be NP-complete. This paper proposed a tuple molecular structure-based chemical reaction optimization (TMSCRO) method for DAG scheduling on heterogeneous computing systems, based on a very recently proposed metaheuristic method, chemical reaction optimization (CRO). Comparing with other CRO-based algorithms for DAG scheduling, the design of tuple reaction molecular structure and four elementary reaction operators of TMSCRO is more reasonable. TMSCRO also applies the concept of constrained critical paths (CCPs), constrained-critical-path directed acyclic graph (CCPDAG) and super molecule for accelerating convergence. In this paper, we have also conducted simulation experiments to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of TMSCRO upon a large set of randomly generated graphs and the graphs for real world problems.

Advance Resource Provisioning in Bulk Data Scheduling

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

Balman, Mehmet

2012-10-01

Today?s scientific and business applications generate mas- sive data sets that need to be transferred to remote sites for sharing, processing, and long term storage. Because of increasing data volumes and enhancement in current net- work technology that provide on-demand high-speed data access between collaborating institutions, data handling and scheduling problems have reached a new scale. In this paper, we present a new data scheduling model with ad- vance resource provisioning, in which data movement operations are defined with earliest start and latest comple- tion times. We analyze time-dependent resource assign- ment problem, and propose a new methodology to improvemore » the current systems by allowing researchers and higher-level meta-schedulers to use data-placement as-a-service, so they can plan ahead and submit transfer requests in advance. In general, scheduling with time and resource conflicts is NP-hard. We introduce an efficient algorithm to organize multiple requests on the fly, while satisfying users? time and resource constraints. We successfully tested our algorithm in a simple benchmark simulator that we have developed, and demonstrated its performance with initial test results.« less

Contagious flexibility? A study on whether schedule flexibility facilitates work-life enrichment.

PubMed

Pedersen, Vivi Bach; Jeppesen, Hans Jeppe

2012-08-01

Schedule flexibility defines an important generating resource for work-life enrichment; however, our knowledge about how such spillovers take place is limited. This multiple case study examines how workers from different working time contexts with varying levels of schedule flexibility experience work-life interplay. Given the adopted explorative design, it is important to interpret the findings in a tentative light. Nonetheless, the study offers important insight into work-life enrichment that may guide future research in this field. The findings indicate that schedule flexibility may act as a boundary-spanning resource owing to the agency potential it offers workers. Thus, it seemed that flexible schedule opportunities enabled workers to engage more fully in personal life activities, which in turn had a positive influence on their work involvement through positive affect. Such positive role engagements appeared, however, to be greatly determined by workers' boundary management and by time conditions of work and family. In conclusion, the major findings and limitation of the study are discussed against existing research and theory. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

PNS predictions for supersonic/hypersonic flows over finned missile configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhutta, Bilal A.; Lewis, Clark H.

1992-01-01

Finned missile design entails accurate and computationally fast numerical techniques for predicting viscous flows over complex lifting configurations at small to moderate angles of attack and over Mach 3 to 15; these flows are often characterized by strong embedded shocks, so that numerical algorithms are also required to capture embedded shocks. The recent real-gas Flux Vector Splitting technique is here extended to investigate the Mach 3 flow over a typical finned missile configuration with/without side fin deflections. Elliptic grid-generation techniques for Mach 15 flows are shown to be inadequate for Mach 3 flows over finned configurations and need to be modified. Fin-deflection studies indicate that even small amounts of missile fin deflection can substantially modify vehicle aerodynamics. This 3D parabolized Navier-Stokes scheme is also extended into an efficient embedded algorithm for studying small axially separated flow regions due to strong fin and control surface deflections.

Application study on aircraft structures of CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogisu, Toshimichi; Nomura, Masato; Ando, Norio; Takaki, Junji; Takeda, Nobuo

2002-07-01

This paper reports some research results for the application study of the smart materials an structural using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) foils. First, the authors acquired the recovery strain of CFRP laminates generated by the recovery stress of the pre-strained SMA foils. Then, the quasi-static load-unload tests were conducted using several kinds of quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates with embedded SMA foils. Micro-mechanics of damage behavior due to the effects of the recovery strain and the first transverse crack strain were discussed. The improvement of maximum 40 percent for the onset strain of the transverse cracks and maximum 60 percent for the onset strain of delamination were achieved for CFRP laminates with embedded pre-strained SMA foils compared with standard CFRP laminates. Furthermore, the authors conducted the structural element test for application to actual structures. Testing technique and the manufacturing technique of the structural element specimen were established.

Applications of Blue Light-curing Acrylic Resin to Forensic Sample Preparation and Microtomy.

PubMed

Groves, Ethan; Palenik, Christopher S

2016-03-01

This study discusses the results of an evaluation of a one-part blue light-curing acrylic resin for embedding trace evidence prior to the preparation of thin sections with a microtome. Through a comparison to several epoxy resins, the physical properties relevant to both trace evidence examination and analytical microscopy in general, including as viscosity, clarity, color, hardness, and cure speed, were explored. Finally, thin sections from paint samples embedded in this acrylic resin were evaluated to determine if, through smearing or impregnation, the resin contributed to the infrared spectra. The results of this study show that blue light-curing acrylic resins provide the desired properties of an embedding medium, generate high-quality thin sections, and can significantly simplify the preparation of paint chips, fibers and a multitude of other types of microscopic samples in the forensic trace evidence laboratory. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Cobalt-embedded nitrogen-rich carbon nanotubes efficiently catalyze hydrogen evolution reaction at all pH values.

PubMed

Zou, Xiaoxin; Huang, Xiaoxi; Goswami, Anandarup; Silva, Rafael; Sathe, Bhaskar R; Mikmeková, Eliška; Asefa, Tewodros

2014-04-22

Despite being technically possible, splitting water to generate hydrogen is still practically unfeasible due mainly to the lack of sustainable and efficient catalysts for the half reactions involved. Herein we report the synthesis of cobalt-embedded nitrogen-rich carbon nanotubes (NRCNTs) that 1) can efficiently electrocatalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with activities close to that of Pt and 2) function well under acidic, neutral or basic media alike, allowing them to be coupled with the best available oxygen-evolving catalysts-which also play crucial roles in the overall water-splitting reaction. The materials are synthesized by a simple, easily scalable synthetic route involving thermal treatment of Co(2+) -embedded graphitic carbon nitride derived from inexpensive starting materials (dicyandiamide and CoCl2 ). The materials' efficient catalytic activity is mainly attributed to their nitrogen dopants and concomitant structural defects. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Clear Resin Casting of Arthropods of Medical Importance for Use in Educational and Outreach Activities

PubMed Central

Bejcek, Justin R; Curtis-Robles, Rachel; Riley, Michael; Brundage, Adrienne; Hamer, Gabriel L

2018-01-01

Abstract Arthropod-related morbidity and mortality represent a major threat to human and animal health. An important component of reducing vector-borne diseases and injuries is training the next generation of medical entomologists and educating the public in proper identification of arthropods of medical importance. One challenge of student training and public outreach is achieving a safe mounting technique that allows observation of morphological characteristics, while minimizing damage to specimens that are often difficult to replace. Although resin-embedded specimens are available from commercial retailers, there is a need for a published protocol that allows entomologists to economically create high-quality resin-embedded arthropods for use in teaching and outreach activities. We developed a detailed protocol using readily obtained equipment and supplies for creating resin-embedded arthropods of many species for use in teaching and outreach activities. PMID:29718496

Air Emission Reduction Benefits of Biogas Electricity Generation at Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.

PubMed

Gingerich, Daniel B; Mauter, Meagan S

2018-02-06

Conventional processes for municipal wastewater treatment facilities are energy and materially intensive. This work quantifies the air emission implications of energy consumption, chemical use, and direct pollutant release at municipal wastewater treatment facilities across the U.S. and assesses the potential to avoid these damages by generating electricity and heat from the combustion of biogas produced during anaerobic sludge digestion. We find that embedded and on-site air emissions from municipal wastewater treatment imposed human health, environmental, and climate (HEC) damages on the order of $1.63 billion USD in 2012, with 85% of these damages attributed to the estimated consumption of 19 500 GWh of electricity by treatment processes annually, or 0.53% of the US electricity demand. An additional 11.8 million tons of biogenic CO 2 are directly emitted by wastewater treatment and sludge digestion processes currently installed at plants. Retrofitting existing wastewater treatment facilities with anaerobic sludge digestion for biogas production and biogas-fueled heat and electricity generation has the potential to reduce HEC damages by up to 24.9% relative to baseline emissions. Retrofitting only large plants (>5 MGD), where biogas generation is more likely to be economically viable, would generate HEC benefits of $254 annually. These findings reinforce the importance of accounting for use-phase embedded air emissions and spatially resolved marginal damage estimates when designing sustainable infrastructure systems.

Stimulant effects of adenosine antagonists on operant behavior: differential actions of selective A2A and A1 antagonists

PubMed Central

Randall, Patrick A.; Nunes, Eric J.; Janniere, Simone L.; Stopper, Colin M.; Farrar, Andrew M.; Sager, Thomas N.; Baqi, Younis; Hockemeyer, Jörg; Müller, Christa E.

2012-01-01

Rationale Adenosine A2A antagonists can reverse many of the behavioral effects of dopamine antagonists, including actions on instrumental behavior. However, little is known about the effects of selective adenosine antagonists on operant behavior when these drugs are administered alone. Objective The present studies were undertaken to investigate the potential for rate-dependent stimulant effects of both selective and nonselective adenosine antagonists. Methods Six drugs were tested: two nonselective adenosine antagonists (caffeine and theophylline), two adenosine A1 antagonists (DPCPX and CPT), and two adenosine A2A antagonists (istradefylline (KW6002) and MSX-3). Two schedules of reinforcement were employed; a fixed interval 240-s (FI-240 sec) schedule was used to generate low baseline rates of responding and a fixed ratio 20 (FR20) schedule generated high rates. Results Caffeine and theophylline produced rate-dependent effects on lever pressing, increasing responding on the FI-240 sec schedule but decreasing responding on the FR20 schedule. The A2A antagonists MSX-3 and istradefylline increased FI-240 sec lever pressing but did not suppress FR20 lever pressing in the dose range tested. In fact, there was a tendency for istradefylline to increase FR20 responding at a moderate dose. A1 antagonists failed to increase lever pressing rate, but DPCPX decreased FR20 responding at higher doses. Conclusions These results suggest that adenosine A2A antagonists enhance operant response rates, but A1 antagonists do not. The involvement of adenosine A2A receptors in regulating aspects of instrumental response output and behavioral activation may have implications for the treatment of effort-related psychiatric dysfunctions, such as psychomotor slowing and anergia in depression. PMID:21347642

Cascaded Optimization for a Persistent Data Ferrying Unmanned Aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carfang, Anthony

This dissertation develops and assesses a cascaded method for designing optimal periodic trajectories and link schedules for an unmanned aircraft to ferry data between stationary ground nodes. This results in a fast solution method without the need to artificially constrain system dynamics. Focusing on a fundamental ferrying problem that involves one source and one destination, but includes complex vehicle and Radio-Frequency (RF) dynamics, a cascaded structure to the system dynamics is uncovered. This structure is exploited by reformulating the nonlinear optimization problem into one that reduces the independent control to the vehicle's motion, while the link scheduling control is folded into the objective function and implemented as an optimal policy that depends on candidate motion control. This formulation is proven to maintain optimality while reducing computation time in comparison to traditional ferry optimization methods. The discrete link scheduling problem takes the form of a combinatorial optimization problem that is known to be NP-Hard. A derived necessary condition for optimality guides the development of several heuristic algorithms, specifically the Most-Data-First Algorithm and the Knapsack Adaptation. These heuristics are extended to larger ferrying scenarios, and assessed analytically and through Monte Carlo simulation, showing better throughput performance in the same order of magnitude of computation time in comparison to other common link scheduling policies. The cascaded optimization method is implemented with a novel embedded software system on a small, unmanned aircraft to validate the simulation results with field experiments. To address the sensitivity of results on trajectory tracking performance, a system that combines motion and link control with waypoint-based navigation is developed and assessed through field experiments. The data ferrying algorithms are further extended by incorporating a Gaussian process to opportunistically learn the RF environment. By continuously improving RF models, the cascaded planner can continually improve the ferrying system's overall performance.

Privacy-Preserving Predictive Modeling: Harmonization of Contextual Embeddings From Different Sources.

PubMed

Huang, Yingxiang; Lee, Junghye; Wang, Shuang; Sun, Jimeng; Liu, Hongfang; Jiang, Xiaoqian

2018-05-16

Data sharing has been a big challenge in biomedical informatics because of privacy concerns. Contextual embedding models have demonstrated a very strong representative capability to describe medical concepts (and their context), and they have shown promise as an alternative way to support deep-learning applications without the need to disclose original data. However, contextual embedding models acquired from individual hospitals cannot be directly combined because their embedding spaces are different, and naive pooling renders combined embeddings useless. The aim of this study was to present a novel approach to address these issues and to promote sharing representation without sharing data. Without sacrificing privacy, we also aimed to build a global model from representations learned from local private data and synchronize information from multiple sources. We propose a methodology that harmonizes different local contextual embeddings into a global model. We used Word2Vec to generate contextual embeddings from each source and Procrustes to fuse different vector models into one common space by using a list of corresponding pairs as anchor points. We performed prediction analysis with harmonized embeddings. We used sequential medical events extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database to evaluate the proposed methodology in predicting the next likely diagnosis of a new patient using either structured data or unstructured data. Under different experimental scenarios, we confirmed that the global model built from harmonized local models achieves a more accurate prediction than local models and global models built from naive pooling. Such aggregation of local models using our unique harmonization can serve as the proxy for a global model, combining information from a wide range of institutions and information sources. It allows information unique to a certain hospital to become available to other sites, increasing the fluidity of information flow in health care. ©Yingxiang Huang, Junghye Lee, Shuang Wang, Jimeng Sun, Hongfang Liu, Xiaoqian Jiang. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 16.05.2018.

Cache Sharing and Isolation Tradeoffs in Multicore Mixed-Criticality Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

form of lockdown registers, to provide way-based partitioning. These alternatives are illustrated in Fig. 1 with respect to a quad-core ARM Cortex A9... processor (as we do for Level-A and -B tasks), but they did not consider MC systems. Altmeyer et al. [1] considered uniprocessor scheduling on a system with a...framework. We randomly generated task sets and determined the fraction that were schedulable on our target hardware platform, the quad-core ARM Cortex A9

A Comparison of Declarative and Hybrid Declarative-Procedural Models for Rover Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Russell; Rabideau, Gregg; Lenda, Matthew; Maldague, Pierre

2012-01-01

The MAPGEN [2] (Mixed-initiative Activity Plan GENerator) planning system is a great example of a hybrid procedural/declarative system where the advantages of each are leveraged to produce an effective planner/scheduler for Mars Exploration Rover tactical planning. We explore the adaptation of the same domain to an entirely declarative planning system (ASPEN [4] Activity Scheduling and Planning ENvironment), and demonstrate that, with some translation, much of the procedural knowledge encoding is amenable to a declarative knowledge encoding.

Orion GN and C Mitigation Efforts for Van Allen Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Ellis T.; Jackson, Mark

2013-01-01

The Orion Crew Module (CM) is NASA's next generation manned space vehicle, scheduled to return humans to lunar orbit in the coming decade. The Orion avionics and GN&C architectures have progressed through a number of project phases and are nearing completion of a major milestone. The first unmanned test mission, dubbed "Exploration Flight Test One" (EFT-1) is scheduled to launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center late next year and provides the first integrated test of all the vehicle systems, avionics and software.

A ranking algorithm for spacelab crew and experiment scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grone, R. D.; Mathis, F. H.

1980-01-01

The problem of obtaining an optimal or near optimal schedule for scientific experiments to be performed on Spacelab missions is addressed. The current capabilities in this regard are examined and a method of ranking experiments in order of difficulty is developed to support the existing software. Experimental data is obtained from applying this method to the sets of experiments corresponding to Spacelab mission 1, 2, and 3. Finally, suggestions are made concerning desirable modifications and features of second generation software being developed for this problem.

NASDA knowledge-based network planning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamaya, K.; Fujiwara, M.; Kosugi, S.; Yambe, M.; Ohmori, M.

1993-01-01

One of the SODS (space operation and data system) sub-systems, NP (network planning) was the first expert system used by NASDA (national space development agency of Japan) for tracking and control of satellite. The major responsibilities of the NP system are: first, the allocation of network and satellite control resources and, second, the generation of the network operation plan data (NOP) used in automated control of the stations and control center facilities. Up to now, the first task of network resource scheduling was done by network operators. NP system automatically generates schedules using its knowledge base, which contains information on satellite orbits, station availability, which computer is dedicated to which satellite, and how many stations must be available for a particular satellite pass or a certain time period. The NP system is introduced.

MPR

PubMed Central

Killeen, Peter R.; Sitomer, Matthew T.

2008-01-01

Mathematical Principles of Reinforcement (MPR) is a theory of reinforcement schedules. This paper reviews the origin of the principles constituting MPR: arousal, association and constraint. Incentives invigorate responses, in particular those preceding and predicting the incentive. The process that generates an associative bond between stimuli, responses and incentives is called coupling. The combination of arousal and coupling constitutes reinforcement. Models of coupling play a central role in the evolution of the theory. The time required to respond constrains the maximum response rates, and generates a hyperbolic relation between rate of responding and rate of reinforcement. Models of control by ratio schedules are developed to illustrate the interaction of the principles. Correlations among parameters are incorporated into the structure of the models, and assumptions that were made in the original theory are refined in light of current data. PMID:12729968

Wind Energy Management System EMS Integration Project: Incorporating Wind Generation and Load Forecast Uncertainties into Power Grid Operations

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

Makarov, Yuri V.; Huang, Zhenyu; Etingov, Pavel V.

2010-01-01

The power system balancing process, which includes the scheduling, real time dispatch (load following) and regulation processes, is traditionally based on deterministic models. Since the conventional generation needs time to be committed and dispatched to a desired megawatt level, the scheduling and load following processes use load and wind and solar power production forecasts to achieve future balance between the conventional generation and energy storage on the one side, and system load, intermittent resources (such as wind and solar generation), and scheduled interchange on the other side. Although in real life the forecasting procedures imply some uncertainty around the loadmore » and wind/solar forecasts (caused by forecast errors), only their mean values are actually used in the generation dispatch and commitment procedures. Since the actual load and intermittent generation can deviate from their forecasts, it becomes increasingly unclear (especially, with the increasing penetration of renewable resources) whether the system would be actually able to meet the conventional generation requirements within the look-ahead horizon, what the additional balancing efforts would be needed as we get closer to the real time, and what additional costs would be incurred by those needs. To improve the system control performance characteristics, maintain system reliability, and minimize expenses related to the system balancing functions, it becomes necessary to incorporate the predicted uncertainty ranges into the scheduling, load following, and, in some extent, into the regulation processes. It is also important to address the uncertainty problem comprehensively by including all sources of uncertainty (load, intermittent generation, generators’ forced outages, etc.) into consideration. All aspects of uncertainty such as the imbalance size (which is the same as capacity needed to mitigate the imbalance) and generation ramping requirement must be taken into account. The latter unique features make this work a significant step forward toward the objective of incorporating of wind, solar, load, and other uncertainties into power system operations. Currently, uncertainties associated with wind and load forecasts, as well as uncertainties associated with random generator outages and unexpected disconnection of supply lines, are not taken into account in power grid operation. Thus, operators have little means to weigh the likelihood and magnitude of upcoming events of power imbalance. In this project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a framework has been developed for incorporating uncertainties associated with wind and load forecast errors, unpredicted ramps, and forced generation disconnections into the energy management system (EMS) as well as generation dispatch and commitment applications. A new approach to evaluate the uncertainty ranges for the required generation performance envelope including balancing capacity, ramping capability, and ramp duration has been proposed. The approach includes three stages: forecast and actual data acquisition, statistical analysis of retrospective information, and prediction of future grid balancing requirements for specified time horizons and confidence levels. Assessment of the capacity and ramping requirements is performed using a specially developed probabilistic algorithm based on a histogram analysis, incorporating all sources of uncertainties of both continuous (wind and load forecast errors) and discrete (forced generator outages and start-up failures) nature. A new method called the “flying brick” technique has been developed to evaluate the look-ahead required generation performance envelope for the worst case scenario within a user-specified confidence level. A self-validation algorithm has been developed to validate the accuracy of the confidence intervals.« less

Sensor Transmission Power Schedule for Smart Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, C.; Huang, Y. H.; Li, J.; Liu, X. D.

2017-11-01

Smart grid has attracted much attention by the requirement of new generation renewable energy. Nowadays, the real-time state estimation, with the help of phasor measurement unit, plays an important role to keep smart grid stable and efficient. However, the limitation of the communication channel is not considered by related work. Considering the familiar limited on-board batteries wireless sensor in smart grid, transmission power schedule is designed in this paper, which minimizes energy consumption with proper EKF filtering performance requirement constrain. Based on the event-triggered estimation theory, the filtering algorithm is also provided to utilize the information contained in the power schedule. Finally, its feasibility and performance is demonstrated using the standard IEEE 39-bus system with phasor measurement units (PMUs).

LogiKit - assisting complex logic specification and implementation for embedded control systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diglio, A.; Nicolodi, B.

2002-07-01

LogiKit provides an overall lifecycle solution. LogiKit is a powerful software engineering case toolkit for requirements specification, simulation and documentation. LogiKit also provides an automatic ADA software design, code and unit test generator.

Performance and policy dimensions in internet routing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mills, David L.; Boncelet, Charles G.; Elias, John G.; Schragger, Paul A.; Jackson, Alden W.; Thyagarajan, Ajit

1995-01-01

The Internet Routing Project, referred to in this report as the 'Highball Project', has been investigating architectures suitable for networks spanning large geographic areas and capable of very high data rates. The Highball network architecture is based on a high speed crossbar switch and an adaptive, distributed, TDMA scheduling algorithm. The scheduling algorithm controls the instantaneous configuration and swell time of the switch, one of which is attached to each node. In order to send a single burst or a multi-burst packet, a reservation request is sent to all nodes. The scheduling algorithm then configures the switches immediately prior to the arrival of each burst, so it can be relayed immediately without requiring local storage. Reservations and housekeeping information are sent using a special broadcast-spanning-tree schedule. Progress to date in the Highball Project includes the design and testing of a suite of scheduling algorithms, construction of software reservation/scheduling simulators, and construction of a strawman hardware and software implementation. A prototype switch controller and timestamp generator have been completed and are in test. Detailed documentation on the algorithms, protocols and experiments conducted are given in various reports and papers published. Abstracts of this literature are included in the bibliography at the end of this report, which serves as an extended executive summary.

Empirical results on scheduling and dynamic backtracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boddy, Mark S.; Goldman, Robert P.

1994-01-01

At the Honeywell Technology Center (HTC), we have been working on a scheduling problem related to commercial avionics. This application is large, complex, and hard to solve. To be a little more concrete: 'large' means almost 20,000 activities, 'complex' means several activity types, periodic behavior, and assorted types of temporal constraints, and 'hard to solve' means that we have been unable to eliminate backtracking through the use of search heuristics. At this point, we can generate solutions, where solutions exist, or report failure and sometimes why the system failed. To the best of our knowledge, this is among the largest and most complex scheduling problems to have been solved as a constraint satisfaction problem, at least that has appeared in the published literature. This abstract is a preliminary report on what we have done and how. In the next section, we present our approach to treating scheduling as a constraint satisfaction problem. The following sections present the application in more detail and describe how we solve scheduling problems in the application domain. The implemented system makes use of Ginsberg's Dynamic Backtracking algorithm, with some minor extensions to improve its utility for scheduling. We describe those extensions and the performance of the resulting system. The paper concludes with some general remarks, open questions and plans for future work.

76 FR 49769 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-11

... partner or limited partner, (4) adding event types to the 4(k) schedule, (5) requiring the reporting of...: FR Y-10, FR Y-6, and FR Y-7. OMB control number: 7100-0297. Frequency: FR Y-10: Event-generated; FR Y... an event generated information collection submitted by FBOs; top-tier BHCs; state member banks...

The mission events graphic generator software: A small tool with big results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lupisella, Mark; Leibee, Jack; Scaffidi, Charles

1993-01-01

Utilization of graphics has long been a useful methodology for many aspects of spacecraft operations. A personal computer based software tool that implements straight-forward graphics and greatly enhances spacecraft operations is presented. This unique software tool is the Mission Events Graphic Generator (MEGG) software which is used in support of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Project. MEGG reads the HST mission schedule and generates a graphical timeline.

Analysis of EDP performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The objective of this contract was the investigation of the potential performance gains that would result from an upgrade of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Data Management System (DMS) Embedded Data Processor (EDP) '386' design with the Intel Pentium (registered trade-mark of Intel Corp.) '586' microprocessor. The Pentium ('586') is the latest member of the industry standard Intel X86 family of CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) microprocessors. This contract was scheduled to run in parallel with an internal IBM Federal Systems Company (FSC) Internal Research and Development (IR&D) task that had the goal to generate a baseline flight design for an upgraded EDP using the Pentium. This final report summarizes the activities performed in support of Contract NAS2-13758. Our plan was to baseline performance analyses and measurements on the latest state-of-the-art commercially available Pentium processor, representative of the proposed space station design, and then phase to an IBM capital funded breadboard version of the flight design (if available from IR&D and Space Station work) for additional evaluation of results. Unfortunately, the phase-over to the flight design breadboard did not take place, since the IBM Data Management System (DMS) for the Space Station Freedom was terminated by NASA before the referenced capital funded EDP breadboard could be completed. The baseline performance analyses and measurements, however, were successfully completed, as planned, on the commercial Pentium hardware. The results of those analyses, evaluations, and measurements are presented in this final report.

Embeddings of the "New Massive Gravity"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalmazi, D.; Mendonça, E. L.

2016-07-01

Here we apply different types of embeddings of the equations of motion of the linearized "New Massive Gravity" in order to generate alternative and even higher-order (in derivatives) massive gravity theories in D=2+1. In the first part of the work we use the Weyl symmetry as a guiding principle for the embeddings. First we show that a Noether gauge embedding of the Weyl symmetry leads to a sixth-order model in derivatives with either a massive or a massless ghost, according to the chosen overall sign of the theory. On the other hand, if the Weyl symmetry is implemented by means of a Stueckelberg field we obtain a new scalar-tensor model for massive gravitons. It is ghost-free and Weyl invariant at the linearized level around Minkowski space. The model can be nonlinearly completed into a scalar field coupled to the NMG theory. The elimination of the scalar field leads to a nonlocal modification of the NMG. In the second part of the work we prove to all orders in derivatives that there is no local, ghost-free embedding of the linearized NMG equations of motion around Minkowski space when written in terms of one symmetric tensor. Regarding that point, NMG differs from the Fierz-Pauli theory, since in the latter case we can replace the Einstein-Hilbert action by specific f(R,Box R) generalizations and still keep the theory ghost-free at the linearized level.

Low-Rank Discriminant Embedding for Multiview Learning.

PubMed

Li, Jingjing; Wu, Yue; Zhao, Jidong; Lu, Ke

2017-11-01

This paper focuses on the specific problem of multiview learning where samples have the same feature set but different probability distributions, e.g., different viewpoints or different modalities. Since samples lying in different distributions cannot be compared directly, this paper aims to learn a latent subspace shared by multiple views assuming that the input views are generated from this latent subspace. Previous approaches usually learn the common subspace by either maximizing the empirical likelihood, or preserving the geometric structure. However, considering the complementarity between the two objectives, this paper proposes a novel approach, named low-rank discriminant embedding (LRDE), for multiview learning by taking full advantage of both sides. By further considering the duality between data points and features of multiview scene, i.e., data points can be grouped based on their distribution on features, while features can be grouped based on their distribution on the data points, LRDE not only deploys low-rank constraints on both sample level and feature level to dig out the shared factors across different views, but also preserves geometric information in both the ambient sample space and the embedding feature space by designing a novel graph structure under the framework of graph embedding. Finally, LRDE jointly optimizes low-rank representation and graph embedding in a unified framework. Comprehensive experiments in both multiview manner and pairwise manner demonstrate that LRDE performs much better than previous approaches proposed in recent literatures.

Design of a universal logic block for fault-tolerant realization of any logic operation in trapped-ion quantum circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goudarzi, H.; Dousti, M. J.; Shafaei, A.; Pedram, M.

2014-05-01

This paper presents a physical mapping tool for quantum circuits, which generates the optimal universal logic block (ULB) that can, on average, perform any logical fault-tolerant (FT) quantum operations with the minimum latency. The operation scheduling, placement, and qubit routing problems tackled by the quantum physical mapper are highly dependent on one another. More precisely, the scheduling solution affects the quality of the achievable placement solution due to resource pressures that may be created as a result of operation scheduling, whereas the operation placement and qubit routing solutions influence the scheduling solution due to resulting distances between predecessor and current operations, which in turn determines routing latencies. The proposed flow for the quantum physical mapper captures these dependencies by applying (1) a loose scheduling step, which transforms an initial quantum data flow graph into one that explicitly captures the no-cloning theorem of the quantum computing and then performs instruction scheduling based on a modified force-directed scheduling approach to minimize the resource contention and quantum circuit latency, (2) a placement step, which uses timing-driven instruction placement to minimize the approximate routing latencies while making iterative calls to the aforesaid force-directed scheduler to correct scheduling levels of quantum operations as needed, and (3) a routing step that finds dynamic values of routing latencies for the qubits. In addition to the quantum physical mapper, an approach is presented to determine the single best ULB size for a target quantum circuit by examining the latency of different FT quantum operations mapped onto different ULB sizes and using information about the occurrence frequency of operations on critical paths of the target quantum algorithm to weigh these latencies. Experimental results show an average latency reduction of about 40 % compared to previous work.

Wind Energy Management System Integration Project Incorporating Wind Generation and Load Forecast Uncertainties into Power Grid Operations

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

Makarov, Yuri V.; Huang, Zhenyu; Etingov, Pavel V.

2010-09-01

The power system balancing process, which includes the scheduling, real time dispatch (load following) and regulation processes, is traditionally based on deterministic models. Since the conventional generation needs time to be committed and dispatched to a desired megawatt level, the scheduling and load following processes use load and wind power production forecasts to achieve future balance between the conventional generation and energy storage on the one side, and system load, intermittent resources (such as wind and solar generation) and scheduled interchange on the other side. Although in real life the forecasting procedures imply some uncertainty around the load and windmore » forecasts (caused by forecast errors), only their mean values are actually used in the generation dispatch and commitment procedures. Since the actual load and intermittent generation can deviate from their forecasts, it becomes increasingly unclear (especially, with the increasing penetration of renewable resources) whether the system would be actually able to meet the conventional generation requirements within the look-ahead horizon, what the additional balancing efforts would be needed as we get closer to the real time, and what additional costs would be incurred by those needs. In order to improve the system control performance characteristics, maintain system reliability, and minimize expenses related to the system balancing functions, it becomes necessary to incorporate the predicted uncertainty ranges into the scheduling, load following, and, in some extent, into the regulation processes. It is also important to address the uncertainty problem comprehensively, by including all sources of uncertainty (load, intermittent generation, generators’ forced outages, etc.) into consideration. All aspects of uncertainty such as the imbalance size (which is the same as capacity needed to mitigate the imbalance) and generation ramping requirement must be taken into account. The latter unique features make this work a significant step forward toward the objective of incorporating of wind, solar, load, and other uncertainties into power system operations. In this report, a new methodology to predict the uncertainty ranges for the required balancing capacity, ramping capability and ramp duration is presented. Uncertainties created by system load forecast errors, wind and solar forecast errors, generation forced outages are taken into account. The uncertainty ranges are evaluated for different confidence levels of having the actual generation requirements within the corresponding limits. The methodology helps to identify system balancing reserve requirement based on a desired system performance levels, identify system “breaking points”, where the generation system becomes unable to follow the generation requirement curve with the user-specified probability level, and determine the time remaining to these potential events. The approach includes three stages: statistical and actual data acquisition, statistical analysis of retrospective information, and prediction of future grid balancing requirements for specified time horizons and confidence intervals. Assessment of the capacity and ramping requirements is performed using a specially developed probabilistic algorithm based on a histogram analysis incorporating all sources of uncertainty and parameters of a continuous (wind forecast and load forecast errors) and discrete (forced generator outages and failures to start up) nature. Preliminary simulations using California Independent System Operator (California ISO) real life data have shown the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A tool developed based on the new methodology described in this report will be integrated with the California ISO systems. Contractual work is currently in place to integrate the tool with the AREVA EMS system.« less

Signal processing techniques for damage detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors and embedded ultrasonic structural radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Lingyu; Bao, Jingjing; Giurgiutiu, Victor

2004-07-01

Embedded ultrasonic structural radar (EUSR) algorithm is developed for using piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) array to detect defects within a large area of a thin-plate specimen. Signal processing techniques are used to extract the time of flight of the wave packages, and thereby to determine the location of the defects with the EUSR algorithm. In our research, the transient tone-burst wave propagation signals are generated and collected by the embedded PWAS. Then, with signal processing, the frequency contents of the signals and the time of flight of individual frequencies are determined. This paper starts with an introduction of embedded ultrasonic structural radar algorithm. Then we will describe the signal processing methods used to extract the time of flight of the wave packages. The signal processing methods being used include the wavelet denoising, the cross correlation, and Hilbert transform. Though hardware device can provide averaging function to eliminate the noise coming from the signal collection process, wavelet denoising is included to ensure better signal quality for the application in real severe environment. For better recognition of time of flight, cross correlation method is used. Hilbert transform is applied to the signals after cross correlation in order to extract the envelope of the signals. Signal processing and EUSR are both implemented by developing a graphical user-friendly interface program in LabView. We conclude with a description of our vision for applying EUSR signal analysis to structural health monitoring and embedded nondestructive evaluation. To this end, we envisage an automatic damage detection application utilizing embedded PWAS, EUSR, and advanced signal processing.

A framework for optimal kernel-based manifold embedding of medical image data.

PubMed

Zimmer, Veronika A; Lekadir, Karim; Hoogendoorn, Corné; Frangi, Alejandro F; Piella, Gemma

2015-04-01

Kernel-based dimensionality reduction is a widely used technique in medical image analysis. To fully unravel the underlying nonlinear manifold the selection of an adequate kernel function and of its free parameters is critical. In practice, however, the kernel function is generally chosen as Gaussian or polynomial and such standard kernels might not always be optimal for a given image dataset or application. In this paper, we present a study on the effect of the kernel functions in nonlinear manifold embedding of medical image data. To this end, we first carry out a literature review on existing advanced kernels developed in the statistics, machine learning, and signal processing communities. In addition, we implement kernel-based formulations of well-known nonlinear dimensional reduction techniques such as Isomap and Locally Linear Embedding, thus obtaining a unified framework for manifold embedding using kernels. Subsequently, we present a method to automatically choose a kernel function and its associated parameters from a pool of kernel candidates, with the aim to generate the most optimal manifold embeddings. Furthermore, we show how the calculated selection measures can be extended to take into account the spatial relationships in images, or used to combine several kernels to further improve the embedding results. Experiments are then carried out on various synthetic and phantom datasets for numerical assessment of the methods. Furthermore, the workflow is applied to real data that include brain manifolds and multispectral images to demonstrate the importance of the kernel selection in the analysis of high-dimensional medical images. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marching to the beat of Moore's Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borodovsky, Yan

2006-03-01

Area density scaling in integrated circuits, defined as transistor count per unit area, has followed the famous observation-cum-prediction by Gordon Moore for many generations. Known as "Moore's Law" which predicts density doubling every 18-24 month, it has provided all important synchronizing guidance and reference for tools and materials suppliers, IC manufacturers and their customers as to what minimal requirements their products and services need to meet to satisfy technical and financial expectations in support of the infrastructure required for the development and manufacturing of corresponding technology generation nodes. Multiple lithography solutions are usually under considerations for any given node. In general, three broad classes of solutions are considered: evolutionary - technology that is extension of existing technology infrastructure at similar or slightly higher cost and risk to schedule; revolutionary - technology that discards significant parts of the existing infrastructure at similar cost, higher risk to schedule but promises higher capability as compared to the evolutionary approach; and last but not least, disruptive - approach that as a rule promises similar or better capabilities, much lower cost and wholly unpredictable risk to schedule and products yields. This paper examines various lithography approaches, their respective merits against criteria of respective infrastructure availability, affordability and risk to IC manufacturer's schedules and strategy involved in developing and selecting best solution in an attempt to sort out key factors that will impact the decision on the lithography choice for large-scale manufacturing for the future technology nodes.