A software engineering approach to expert system design and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bochsler, Daniel C.; Goodwin, Mary Ann

1988-01-01

Software engineering design and verification methods for developing expert systems are not yet well defined. Integration of expert system technology into software production environments will require effective software engineering methodologies to support the entire life cycle of expert systems. The software engineering methods used to design and verify an expert system, RENEX, is discussed. RENEX demonstrates autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, including replanning trajectory events and subsystem fault detection, onboard a space vehicle during flight. The RENEX designers utilized a number of software engineering methodologies to deal with the complex problems inherent in this system. An overview is presented of the methods utilized. Details of the verification process receive special emphasis. The benefits and weaknesses of the methods for supporting the development life cycle of expert systems are evaluated, and recommendations are made based on the overall experiences with the methods.

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 3: Working group summary. 4: Software (E-4). A. Summary. B. Technology needs (form 1). C. Priority assessment (form 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Only a few efforts are currently underway to develop an adequate technology base for the various themes. Particular attention must be given to software commonality and evolutionary capability, to increased system integrity and autonomy; and to improved communications among the program users, the program developers, and the programs themselves. There is a need for quantum improvement in software development methods and increasing the awareness of software by all concerned. Major thrusts identified include: (1) data and systems management; (2) software technology for autonomous systems; (3) technology and methods for improving the software development process; (4) advances related to systems of software elements including their architecture, their attributes as systems, and their interfaces with users and other systems; and (5) applications of software including both the basic algorithms used in a number of applications and the software specific to a particular theme or discipline area. The impact of each theme on software is assessed.

An XML-based method for astronomy software designing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Mingxue; Aili, Yusupu; Zhang, Jin

XML-based method for standardization of software designing is introduced and analyzed and successfully applied to renovating the hardware and software of the digital clock at Urumqi Astronomical Station. Basic strategy for eliciting time information from the new digital clock of FT206 in the antenna control program is introduced. By FT206, the need to compute how many centuries passed since a certain day with sophisticated formulas is eliminated and it is no longer necessary to set right UT time for the computer holding control over antenna because the information about year, month, day are all deduced from Julian day dwelling in FT206, rather than from computer time. With XML-based method and standard for software designing, various existing designing methods are unified, communications and collaborations between developers are facilitated, and thus Internet-based mode of developing software becomes possible. The trend of development of XML-based designing method is predicted.

Software Program: Software Management Guidebook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

The purpose of this NASA Software Management Guidebook is twofold. First, this document defines the core products and activities required of NASA software projects. It defines life-cycle models and activity-related methods but acknowledges that no single life-cycle model is appropriate for all NASA software projects. It also acknowledges that the appropriate method for accomplishing a required activity depends on characteristics of the software project. Second, this guidebook provides specific guidance to software project managers and team leaders in selecting appropriate life cycles and methods to develop a tailored plan for a software engineering project.

Learning Human Aspects of Collaborative Software Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadar, Irit; Sherman, Sofia; Hazzan, Orit

2008-01-01

Collaboration has become increasingly widespread in the software industry as systems have become larger and more complex, adding human complexity to the technological complexity already involved in developing software systems. To deal with this complexity, human-centric software development methods, such as Extreme Programming and other agile…

Pathways to lean software development: An analysis of effective methods of change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, Richard D.

This qualitative Delphi study explored the challenges that exist in delivering software on time, within budget, and with the original scope identified. The literature review identified many attempts over the past several decades to reform the methods used to develop software. These attempts found that the classical waterfall method, which is firmly entrenched in American business today was to blame for this difficulty (Chatterjee, 2010). Each of these proponents of new methods sought to remove waste, lighten out the process, and implement lean principles in software development. Through this study, the experts evaluated the barriers to effective development principles and defined leadership qualities necessary to overcome these barriers. The barriers identified were issues of resistance to change, risk and reward issues, and management buy-in. Thirty experts in software development from several Fortune 500 companies across the United States explored each of these issues in detail. The conclusion reached by these experts was that visionary leadership is necessary to overcome these challenges.

A Roadmap for Using Agile Development in a Traditional Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara; Starbird, Thomas; Grenander, Sven

2006-01-01

One of the newer classes of software engineering techniques is called 'Agile Development'. In Agile Development software engineers take small implementation steps and, in some cases, they program in pairs. In addition, they develop automatic tests prior to implementing their small functional piece. Agile Development focuses on rapid turnaround, incremental planning, customer involvement and continuous integration. Agile Development is not the traditional waterfall method or even a rapid prototyping method (although this methodology is closer to Agile Development). At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) a few groups have begun Agile Development software implementations. The difficulty with this approach becomes apparent when Agile Development is used in an organization that has specific criteria and requirements handed down for how software development is to be performed. The work at the JPL is performed for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Both organizations have specific requirements, rules and processes for developing software. This paper will discuss some of the initial uses of the Agile Development methodology, the spread of this method and the current status of the successful incorporation into the current JPL development policies and processes.

A Roadmap for Using Agile Development in a Traditional Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streiffert, Barbara A.; Starbird, Thomas; Grenander, Sven

2006-01-01

One of the newer classes of software engineering techniques is called 'Agile Development'. In Agile Development software engineers take small implementation steps and, in some cases they program in pairs. In addition, they develop automatic tests prior to implementing their small functional piece. Agile Development focuses on rapid turnaround, incremental planning, customer involvement and continuous integration. Agile Development is not the traditional waterfall method or even a rapid prototyping method (although this methodology is closer to Agile Development). At Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) a few groups have begun Agile Development software implementations. The difficulty with this approach becomes apparent when Agile Development is used in an organization that has specific criteria and requirements handed down for how software development is to be performed. The work at the JPL is performed for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Both organizations have specific requirements, rules and procedure for developing software. This paper will discuss the some of the initial uses of the Agile Development methodology, the spread of this method and the current status of the successful incorporation into the current JPL development policies.

The Implications of Using Integrated Software Support Environment for Design of Guidance and Control Systems Software

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

inspections are performed before each formal review of each software life cycle phase. * Required software audits are performed . " The software is acceptable... Audits : Software audits are performed bySQA consistent with thegeneral audit rules and an auditreportis prepared. Software Quality Inspection (SQI...DSD Software Development Method 3-34 DEFINITION OF ACRONYMS Acronym Full Name or Description MACH Methode d’Analyse et de Conception Flierarchisee

Collaborative Software Development Approach Used to Deliver the New Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirby, Randy L.; Mann, David; Prenger, Stephen G.; Craig, Wayne; Greenwood, Andrew; Morsics, Jonathan; Fricker, Charles H.; Quach, Son; Lechese, Paul

2003-01-01

United Space Alliance (USA) developed and used a new software development method to meet technical, schedule, and budget challenges faced during the development and delivery of the new Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station at Kennedy Space Center. This method, called Collaborative Software Development, enabled KSC to effectively leverage industrial software and build additional capabilities to meet shuttle system and operational requirements. Application of this method resulted in reduced time to market, reduced development cost, improved product quality, and improved programmer competence while developing technologies of benefit to a small company in California (AP Labs Inc.). Many modifications were made to the baseline software product (VMEwindow), which improved its quality and functionality. In addition, six new software capabilities were developed, which are the subject of this article and add useful functionality to the VMEwindow environment. These new software programs are written in C or VXWorks and are used in conjunction with other ground station software packages, such as VMEwindow, Matlab, Dataviews, and PVWave. The Space Shuttle Telemetry Ground Station receives frequency-modulation (FM) and pulse-code-modulated (PCM) signals from the shuttle and support equipment. The hardware architecture (see figure) includes Sun workstations connected to multiple PCM- and FM-processing VersaModule Eurocard (VME) chassis. A reflective memory network transports raw data from PCM Processors (PCMPs) to the programmable digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, strip chart recorders, and analysis and controller workstations.

Design and Effects of Scenario Educational Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Mark

1993-01-01

Describes the development of educational computer software called scenario software that was designed to incorporate advances in cognitive, affective, and physiological research. Instructional methods are outlined; the need to change from didactic methods to discovery learning is explained; and scenario software design features are discussed. (24…

A Quantitative Inquiry into Software Developers' Intentions to Use Agile Scrum Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huq, M. Shamsul

2017-01-01

In recent years, organizations have shown increasing willingness to adopt agile scrum method (ASM) to meet the demand of modern-day software development; that is to deliver faster and better software, with a built-in flexibility to absorb last minute changes in requirements. This research study was undertaken to uncover the underlying factors that…

Predicting Software Suitability Using a Bayesian Belief Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaver, Justin M.; Schiavone, Guy A.; Berrios, Joseph S.

2005-01-01

The ability to reliably predict the end quality of software under development presents a significant advantage for a development team. It provides an opportunity to address high risk components earlier in the development life cycle, when their impact is minimized. This research proposes a model that captures the evolution of the quality of a software product, and provides reliable forecasts of the end quality of the software being developed in terms of product suitability. Development team skill, software process maturity, and software problem complexity are hypothesized as driving factors of software product quality. The cause-effect relationships between these factors and the elements of software suitability are modeled using Bayesian Belief Networks, a machine learning method. This research presents a Bayesian Network for software quality, and the techniques used to quantify the factors that influence and represent software quality. The developed model is found to be effective in predicting the end product quality of small-scale software development efforts.

The Effects of Development Team Skill on Software Product Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beaver, Justin M.; Schiavone, Guy A.

2006-01-01

This paper provides an analysis of the effect of the skill/experience of the software development team on the quality of the final software product. A method for the assessment of software development team skill and experience is proposed, and was derived from a workforce management tool currently in use by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Using data from 26 smallscale software development projects, the team skill measures are correlated to 5 software product quality metrics from the ISO/IEC 9126 Software Engineering Product Quality standard. in the analysis of the results, development team skill is found to be a significant factor in the adequacy of the design and implementation. In addition, the results imply that inexperienced software developers are tasked with responsibilities ill-suited to their skill level, and thus have a significant adverse effect on the quality of the software product. Keywords: software quality, development skill, software metrics

The Preliminary Results of GMSTech: A Software Development for Microseismic Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohaman, Maman; Suhendi, Cahli; Verdhora Ry, Rexha; Sugiartono Prabowo, Billy; Widiyantoro, Sri; Nugraha, Andri Dian; Yudistira, Tedi; Mujihardi, Bambang

2017-04-01

The processing of microseismic data requires reliable software for imaging the condition of subsurface related to occurring microseismicity. In general, the currently available software is only specific for certain processing module and developed by the different developer. However, the software with integrated processing modules will give a better value because the users can use it easier and faster. We developed GMSTech (Ganesha Microseismic Technology), a C# language-based standing-alone software consisting several modules for processing of microseismic data. Its function is to solve a non-linear inverse problem and imaging the subsurface. C# library is supported by ILNumerics to reduce time consumption and give good visualization. In this preliminary result, we will present four developed modules: (1) hypocenter determination, (2) moment magnitude calculation, and (3) 3D seismic tomography. In the first module, we provide four methods for locating the microseismic events that can be chosen by a user independently: simulated annealing method, guided grid-search method, Geiger’s method, and joint hypocenter determination (JHD). The second module can be used for calculating moment magnitude using Brune method and to estimate the released energy of the event. At last, we also provided the module of 3-D seismic tomography for imaging the velocity structures based on delay time tomography. We demonstrated the software using both a synthetic data and a real data from a certain geothermal field in Indonesia. The results for all modules are reliable and remarkable, reviewed statistically by RMS error. We will keep examining the software using another set of data and developing further modules of processing.

Software safety - A user's practical perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, William R.; Corliss, Lloyd D.

1990-01-01

Software safety assurance philosophy and practices at the NASA Ames are discussed. It is shown that, to be safe, software must be error-free. Software developments on two digital flight control systems and two ground facility systems are examined, including the overall system and software organization and function, the software-safety issues, and their resolution. The effectiveness of safety assurance methods is discussed, including conventional life-cycle practices, verification and validation testing, software safety analysis, and formal design methods. It is concluded (1) that a practical software safety technology does not yet exist, (2) that it is unlikely that a set of general-purpose analytical techniques can be developed for proving that software is safe, and (3) that successful software safety-assurance practices will have to take into account the detailed design processes employed and show that the software will execute correctly under all possible conditions.

Manager's handbook for software development, revision 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Methods and aids for the management of software development projects are presented. The recommendations are based on analyses and experiences of the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) with flight dynamics software development. The management aspects of the following subjects are described: organizing the project, producing a development plan, estimating costs, scheduling, staffing, preparing deliverable documents, using management tools, monitoring the project, conducting reviews, auditing, testing, and certifying.

3D graphics hardware accelerator programming methods for real-time visualization systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souetov, Andrew E.

2001-02-01

The paper deals with new approaches in software design for creating real-time applications that use modern graphics acceleration hardware. The growing complexity of such type of software compels programmers to use different types of CASE systems in design and development process. The subject under discussion is integration of such systems in a development process, their effective use, and the combination of these new methods with the necessity to produce optimal codes. A method of simulation integration and modeling tools in real-time software development cycle is described.

3D graphics hardware accelerator programming methods for real-time visualization systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souetov, Andrew E.

2000-02-01

The paper deals with new approaches in software design for creating real-time applications that use modern graphics acceleration hardware. The growing complexity of such type of software compels programmers to use different types of CASE systems in design and development process. The subject under discussion is integration of such systems in a development process, their effective use, and the combination of these new methods with the necessity to produce optimal codes. A method of simulation integration and modeling tools in real-time software development cycle is described.

Enhancing requirements engineering for patient registry software systems with evidence-based components.

PubMed

Lindoerfer, Doris; Mansmann, Ulrich

2017-07-01

Patient registries are instrumental for medical research. Often their structures are complex and their implementations use composite software systems to meet the wide spectrum of challenges. Commercial and open-source systems are available for registry implementation, but many research groups develop their own systems. Methodological approaches in the selection of software as well as the construction of proprietary systems are needed. We propose an evidence-based checklist, summarizing essential items for patient registry software systems (CIPROS), to accelerate the requirements engineering process. Requirements engineering activities for software systems follow traditional software requirements elicitation methods, general software requirements specification (SRS) templates, and standards. We performed a multistep procedure to develop a specific evidence-based CIPROS checklist: (1) A systematic literature review to build a comprehensive collection of technical concepts, (2) a qualitative content analysis to define a catalogue of relevant criteria, and (3) a checklist to construct a minimal appraisal standard. CIPROS is based on 64 publications and covers twelve sections with a total of 72 items. CIPROS also defines software requirements. Comparing CIPROS with traditional software requirements elicitation methods, SRS templates and standards show a broad consensus but differences in issues regarding registry-specific aspects. Using an evidence-based approach to requirements engineering for registry software adds aspects to the traditional methods and accelerates the software engineering process for registry software. The method we used to construct CIPROS serves as a potential template for creating evidence-based checklists in other fields. The CIPROS list supports developers in assessing requirements for existing systems and formulating requirements for their own systems, while strengthening the reporting of patient registry software system descriptions. It may be a first step to create standards for patient registry software system assessments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and Implementation of Scientific Software Components to Enable Multiscale Modeling: The Effective Fragment Potential (QM/EFP) Method

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

Gaenko, Alexander; Windus, Theresa L.; Sosonkina, Masha

2012-10-19

The design and development of scientific software components to provide an interface to the effective fragment potential (EFP) methods are reported. Multiscale modeling of physical and chemical phenomena demands the merging of software packages developed by research groups in significantly different fields. Componentization offers an efficient way to realize new high performance scientific methods by combining the best models available in different software packages without a need for package readaptation after the initial componentization is complete. The EFP method is an efficient electronic structure theory based model potential that is suitable for predictive modeling of intermolecular interactions in large molecularmore » systems, such as liquids, proteins, atmospheric aerosols, and nanoparticles, with an accuracy that is comparable to that of correlated ab initio methods. The developed components make the EFP functionality accessible for any scientific component-aware software package. The performance of the component is demonstrated on a protein interaction model, and its accuracy is compared with results obtained with coupled cluster methods.« less

Application of AI methods to aircraft guidance and control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hueschen, Richard M.; Mcmanus, John W.

1988-01-01

A research program for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with tools and methods used for aircraft flight control system design, development, and implementation is discussed. The application of the AI methods for the development and implementation of the logic software which operates with the control mode panel (CMP) of an aircraft is presented. The CMP is the pilot control panel for the automatic flight control system of a commercial-type research aircraft of Langley Research Center's Advanced Transport Operating Systems (ATOPS) program. A mouse-driven color-display emulation of the CMP, which was developed with AI methods and used to test the AI software logic implementation, is discussed. The operation of the CMP was enhanced with the addition of a display which was quickly developed with AI methods. The display advises the pilot of conditions not satisfied when a mode does not arm or engage. The implementation of the CMP software logic has shown that the time required to develop, implement, and modify software systems can be significantly reduced with the use of the AI methods.

An overview of very high level software design methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asdjodi, Maryam; Hooper, James W.

1988-01-01

Very High Level design methods emphasize automatic transfer of requirements to formal design specifications, and/or may concentrate on automatic transformation of formal design specifications that include some semantic information of the system into machine executable form. Very high level design methods range from general domain independent methods to approaches implementable for specific applications or domains. Applying AI techniques, abstract programming methods, domain heuristics, software engineering tools, library-based programming and other methods different approaches for higher level software design are being developed. Though one finds that a given approach does not always fall exactly in any specific class, this paper provides a classification for very high level design methods including examples for each class. These methods are analyzed and compared based on their basic approaches, strengths and feasibility for future expansion toward automatic development of software systems.

Lessons learned applying CASE methods/tools to Ada software development projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blumberg, Maurice H.; Randall, Richard L.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the lessons learned from introducing CASE methods/tools into organizations and applying them to actual Ada software development projects. This paper will be useful to any organization planning to introduce a software engineering environment (SEE) or evolving an existing one. It contains management level lessons learned, as well as lessons learned in using specific SEE tools/methods. The experiences presented are from Alpha Test projects established under the STARS (Software Technology for Adaptable and Reliable Systems) project. They reflect the front end efforts by those projects to understand the tools/methods, initial experiences in their introduction and use, and later experiences in the use of specific tools/methods and the introduction of new ones.

NASA Software Cost Estimation Model: An Analogy Based Estimation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hihn, Jairus; Juster, Leora; Menzies, Tim; Mathew, George; Johnson, James

2015-01-01

The cost estimation of software development activities is increasingly critical for large scale integrated projects such as those at DOD and NASA especially as the software systems become larger and more complex. As an example MSL (Mars Scientific Laboratory) developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched with over 2 million lines of code making it the largest robotic spacecraft ever flown (Based on the size of the software). Software development activities are also notorious for their cost growth, with NASA flight software averaging over 50% cost growth. All across the agency, estimators and analysts are increasingly being tasked to develop reliable cost estimates in support of program planning and execution. While there has been extensive work on improving parametric methods there is very little focus on the use of models based on analogy and clustering algorithms. In this paper we summarize our findings on effort/cost model estimation and model development based on ten years of software effort estimation research using data mining and machine learning methods to develop estimation models based on analogy and clustering. The NASA Software Cost Model performance is evaluated by comparing it to COCOMO II, linear regression, and K-­ nearest neighbor prediction model performance on the same data set.

Software life cycle methodologies and environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fridge, Ernest

1991-01-01

Products of this project will significantly improve the quality and productivity of Space Station Freedom Program software processes by: improving software reliability and safety; and broadening the range of problems that can be solved with computational solutions. Projects brings in Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) technology for: Environments such as Engineering Script Language/Parts Composition System (ESL/PCS) application generator, Intelligent User Interface for cost avoidance in setting up operational computer runs, Framework programmable platform for defining process and software development work flow control, Process for bringing CASE technology into an organization's culture, and CLIPS/CLIPS Ada language for developing expert systems; and methodologies such as Method for developing fault tolerant, distributed systems and a method for developing systems for common sense reasoning and for solving expert systems problems when only approximate truths are known.

Methods for cost estimation in software project management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briciu, C. V.; Filip, I.; Indries, I. I.

2016-02-01

The speed in which the processes used in software development field have changed makes it very difficult the task of forecasting the overall costs for a software project. By many researchers, this task has been considered unachievable, but there is a group of scientist for which this task can be solved using the already known mathematical methods (e.g. multiple linear regressions) and the new techniques as genetic programming and neural networks. The paper presents a solution for building a model for the cost estimation models in the software project management using genetic algorithms starting from the PROMISE datasets related COCOMO 81 model. In the first part of the paper, a summary of the major achievements in the research area of finding a model for estimating the overall project costs is presented together with the description of the existing software development process models. In the last part, a basic proposal of a mathematical model of a genetic programming is proposed including here the description of the chosen fitness function and chromosome representation. The perspective of model described it linked with the current reality of the software development considering as basis the software product life cycle and the current challenges and innovations in the software development area. Based on the author's experiences and the analysis of the existing models and product lifecycle it was concluded that estimation models should be adapted with the new technologies and emerging systems and they depend largely by the chosen software development method.

Advanced software development workstation project: Engineering scripting language. Graphical editor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Software development is widely considered to be a bottleneck in the development of complex systems, both in terms of development and in terms of maintenance of deployed systems. Cost of software development and maintenance can also be very high. One approach to reducing costs and relieving this bottleneck is increasing the reuse of software designs and software components. A method for achieving such reuse is a software parts composition system. Such a system consists of a language for modeling software parts and their interfaces, a catalog of existing parts, an editor for combining parts, and a code generator that takes a specification and generates code for that application in the target language. The Advanced Software Development Workstation is intended to be an expert system shell designed to provide the capabilities of a software part composition system.

Software technology insertion: A study of success factors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lydon, Tom

1990-01-01

Managing software development in large organizations has become increasingly difficult due to increasing technical complexity, stricter government standards, a shortage of experienced software engineers, competitive pressure for improved productivity and quality, the need to co-develop hardware and software together, and the rapid changes in both hardware and software technology. The 'software factory' approach to software development minimizes risks while maximizing productivity and quality through standardization, automation, and training. However, in practice, this approach is relatively inflexible when adopting new software technologies. The methods that a large multi-project software engineering organization can use to increase the likelihood of successful software technology insertion (STI), especially in a standardized engineering environment, are described.

Software Dependability and Safety Evaluations ESA's Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernek, M.

ESA has allocated funds for an initiative to evaluate Dependability and Safety methods of Software. The objectives of this initiative are; · More extensive validation of Safety and Dependability techniques for Software · Provide valuable results to improve the quality of the Software thus promoting the application of Dependability and Safety methods and techniques. ESA space systems are being developed according to defined PA requirement specifications. These requirements may be implemented through various design concepts, e.g. redundancy, diversity etc. varying from project to project. Analysis methods (FMECA. FTA, HA, etc) are frequently used during requirements analysis and design activities to assure the correct implementation of system PA requirements. The criticality level of failures, functions and systems is determined and by doing that the critical sub-systems are identified, on which dependability and safety techniques are to be applied during development. Proper performance of the software development requires the development of a technical specification for the products at the beginning of the life cycle. Such technical specification comprises both functional and non-functional requirements. These non-functional requirements address characteristics of the product such as quality, dependability, safety and maintainability. Software in space systems is more and more used in critical functions. Also the trend towards more frequent use of COTS and reusable components pose new difficulties in terms of assuring reliable and safe systems. Because of this, its dependability and safety must be carefully analysed. ESA identified and documented techniques, methods and procedures to ensure that software dependability and safety requirements are specified and taken into account during the design and development of a software system and to verify/validate that the implemented software systems comply with these requirements [R1].

A multi-center study benchmarks software tools for label-free proteome quantification

PubMed Central

Gillet, Ludovic C; Bernhardt, Oliver M.; MacLean, Brendan; Röst, Hannes L.; Tate, Stephen A.; Tsou, Chih-Chiang; Reiter, Lukas; Distler, Ute; Rosenberger, George; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I.; Aebersold, Ruedi; Tenzer, Stefan

2016-01-01

The consistent and accurate quantification of proteins by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics depends on the performance of instruments, acquisition methods and data analysis software. In collaboration with the software developers, we evaluated OpenSWATH, SWATH2.0, Skyline, Spectronaut and DIA-Umpire, five of the most widely used software methods for processing data from SWATH-MS (sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra), a method that uses data-independent acquisition (DIA) for label-free protein quantification. We analyzed high-complexity test datasets from hybrid proteome samples of defined quantitative composition acquired on two different MS instruments using different SWATH isolation windows setups. For consistent evaluation we developed LFQbench, an R-package to calculate metrics of precision and accuracy in label-free quantitative MS, and report the identification performance, robustness and specificity of each software tool. Our reference datasets enabled developers to improve their software tools. After optimization, all tools provided highly convergent identification and reliable quantification performance, underscoring their robustness for label-free quantitative proteomics. PMID:27701404

Verification and Validation in a Rapid Software Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John R.; Easterbrook, Steve M.

1997-01-01

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

Managers Handbook for Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agresti, W.; Mcgarry, F.; Card, D.; Page, J.; Church, V.; Werking, R.

1984-01-01

Methods and aids for the management of software development projects are presented. The recommendations are based on analyses and experiences with flight dynamics software development. The management aspects of organizing the project, producing a development plan, estimation costs, scheduling, staffing, preparing deliverable documents, using management tools, monitoring the project, conducting reviews, auditing, testing, and certifying are described.

Whole earth modeling: developing and disseminating scientific software for computational geophysics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, L. H.

2016-12-01

Historically, a great deal of specialized scientific software for modeling and data analysis has been developed by individual researchers or small groups of scientists working on their own specific research problems. As the magnitude of available data and computer power has increased, so has the complexity of scientific problems addressed by computational methods, creating both a need to sustain existing scientific software, and expand its development to take advantage of new algorithms, new software approaches, and new computational hardware. To that end, communities like the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) have been established to support the use of best practices in scientific computing for solid earth geophysics research and teaching. Working as a scientific community enables computational geophysicists to take advantage of technological developments, improve the accuracy and performance of software, build on prior software development, and collaborate more readily. The CIG community, and others, have adopted an open-source development model, in which code is developed and disseminated by the community in an open fashion, using version control and software repositories like Git. One emerging issue is how to adequately identify and credit the intellectual contributions involved in creating open source scientific software. The traditional method of disseminating scientific ideas, peer reviewed publication, was not designed for review or crediting scientific software, although emerging publication strategies such software journals are attempting to address the need. We are piloting an integrated approach in which authors are identified and credited as scientific software is developed and run. Successful software citation requires integration with the scholarly publication and indexing mechanisms as well, to assign credit, ensure discoverability, and provide provenance for software.

Cross Sectional Study of Agile Software Development Methods and Project Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Tracy

2011-01-01

Agile software development methods, characterized by delivering customer value via incremental and iterative time-boxed development processes, have moved into the mainstream of the Information Technology (IT) industry. However, despite a growing body of research which suggests that a predictive manufacturing approach, with big up-front…

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Toshio

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

Survey of Verification and Validation Techniques for Small Satellite Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacklin, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current trends and practices in small-satellite software verification and validation. This document is not intended to promote a specific software assurance method. Rather, it seeks to present an unbiased survey of software assurance methods used to verify and validate small satellite software and to make mention of the benefits and value of each approach. These methods include simulation and testing, verification and validation with model-based design, formal methods, and fault-tolerant software design with run-time monitoring. Although the literature reveals that simulation and testing has by far the longest legacy, model-based design methods are proving to be useful for software verification and validation. Some work in formal methods, though not widely used for any satellites, may offer new ways to improve small satellite software verification and validation. These methods need to be further advanced to deal with the state explosion problem and to make them more usable by small-satellite software engineers to be regularly applied to software verification. Last, it is explained how run-time monitoring, combined with fault-tolerant software design methods, provides an important means to detect and correct software errors that escape the verification process or those errors that are produced after launch through the effects of ionizing radiation.

Framework for Small-Scale Experiments in Software Engineering: Guidance and Control Software Project: Software Engineering Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayhurst, Kelly J.

1998-01-01

Software is becoming increasingly significant in today's critical avionics systems. To achieve safe, reliable software, government regulatory agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense mandate the use of certain software development methods. However, little scientific evidence exists to show a correlation between software development methods and product quality. Given this lack of evidence, a series of experiments has been conducted to understand why and how software fails. The Guidance and Control Software (GCS) project is the latest in this series. The GCS project is a case study of the Requirements and Technical Concepts for Aviation RTCA/DO-178B guidelines, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification. All civil transport airframe and equipment vendors are expected to comply with these guidelines in building systems to be certified by the FAA for use in commercial aircraft. For the case study, two implementations of a guidance and control application were developed to comply with the DO-178B guidelines for Level A (critical) software. The development included the requirements, design, coding, verification, configuration management, and quality assurance processes. This paper discusses the details of the GCS project and presents the results of the case study.

Recommended approach to software development, revision 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Linda; Waligora, Sharon; Mcgarry, Frank; Pajerski, Rose; Stark, Mike; Johnson, Kevin Orlin; Cover, Donna

1992-01-01

Guidelines for an organized, disciplined approach to software development that is based on studies conducted by the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) since 1976 are presented. It describes methods and practices for each phase of a software development life cycle that starts with requirements definition and ends with acceptance testing. For each defined life cycle phase, guidelines for the development process and its management, and for the products produced and their reviews are presented.

Technology-driven dietary assessment: a software developer’s perspective

PubMed Central

Buday, Richard; Tapia, Ramsey; Maze, Gary R.

2015-01-01

Dietary researchers need new software to improve nutrition data collection and analysis, but creating information technology is difficult. Software development projects may be unsuccessful due to inadequate understanding of needs, management problems, technology barriers or legal hurdles. Cost overruns and schedule delays are common. Barriers facing scientific researchers developing software include workflow, cost, schedule, and team issues. Different methods of software development and the role that intellectual property rights play are discussed. A dietary researcher must carefully consider multiple issues to maximize the likelihood of success when creating new software. PMID:22591224

Applying Evolutionary Prototyping In Developing LMIS: A Spatial Web-Based System For Land Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agustiono, W.

2018-01-01

Software development project is a difficult task. Especially for software designed to comply with regulations that are constantly being introduced or changed, it is almost impossible to make just one change during the development process. Even if it is possible, nonetheless, the developers may take bulk of works to fix the design to meet specified needs. This iterative work also means that it takes additional time and potentially leads to failing to meet the original schedule and budget. In such inevitable changes, it is essential for developers to carefully consider and use an appropriate method which will help them carry out software project development. This research aims to examine the implementation of a software development method called evolutionary prototyping for developing software for complying regulation. It investigates the development of Land Management Information System (pseudonym), initiated by the Australian government, for use by farmers to meet regulatory demand requested by Soil and Land Conservation Act. By doing so, it sought to provide understanding the efficacy of evolutionary prototyping in helping developers address frequent changing requirements and iterative works but still within schedule. The findings also offer useful practical insights for other developers who seek to build similar regulatory compliance software.

Experience report: Using formal methods for requirements analysis of critical spacecraft software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutz, Robyn R.; Ampo, Yoko

1994-01-01

Formal specification and analysis of requirements continues to gain support as a method for producing more reliable software. However, the introduction of formal methods to a large software project is difficult, due in part to the unfamiliarity of the specification languages and the lack of graphics. This paper reports results of an investigation into the effectiveness of formal methods as an aid to the requirements analysis of critical, system-level fault-protection software on a spacecraft currently under development. Our experience indicates that formal specification and analysis can enhance the accuracy of the requirements and add assurance prior to design development in this domain. The work described here is part of a larger, NASA-funded research project whose purpose is to use formal-methods techniques to improve the quality of software in space applications. The demonstration project described here is part of the effort to evaluate experimentally the effectiveness of supplementing traditional engineering approaches to requirements specification with the more rigorous specification and analysis available with formal methods.

NASA software specification and evaluation system design, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The research to develop methods for reducing the effort expended in software and verification is reported. The development of a formal software requirements methodology, a formal specifications language, a programming language, a language preprocessor, and code analysis tools are discussed.

Formal Methods Case Studies for DO-333

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cofer, Darren; Miller, Steven P.

2014-01-01

RTCA DO-333, Formal Methods Supplement to DO-178C and DO-278A provides guidance for software developers wishing to use formal methods in the certification of airborne systems and air traffic management systems. The supplement identifies the modifications and additions to DO-178C and DO-278A objectives, activities, and software life cycle data that should be addressed when formal methods are used as part of the software development process. This report presents three case studies describing the use of different classes of formal methods to satisfy certification objectives for a common avionics example - a dual-channel Flight Guidance System. The three case studies illustrate the use of theorem proving, model checking, and abstract interpretation. The material presented is not intended to represent a complete certification effort. Rather, the purpose is to illustrate how formal methods can be used in a realistic avionics software development project, with a focus on the evidence produced that could be used to satisfy the verification objectives found in Section 6 of DO-178C.

Assurance of Complex Electronics. What Path Do We Take?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plastow, Richard A.

2007-01-01

Many of the methods used to develop software bare a close resemblance to Complex Electronics (CE) development. CE are now programmed to perform tasks that were previously handled in software, such as communication protocols. For instance, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can have over a million logic gates while system-on-chip (SOC) devices can combine a microprocessor, input and output channels, and sometimes an FPGA for programmability. With this increased intricacy, the possibility of "software-like" bugs such as incorrect design, logic, and unexpected interactions within the logic is great. Since CE devices are obscuring the hardware/software boundary, we propose that mature software methodologies may be utilized with slight modifications to develop these devices. By using standardized S/W Engineering methods such as checklists, missing requirements and "bugs" can be detected earlier in the development cycle, thus creating a development process for CE that will be easily maintained and configurable based on the device used.

Improving Video Game Development: Facilitating Heterogeneous Team Collaboration through Flexible Software Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musil, Juergen; Schweda, Angelika; Winkler, Dietmar; Biffl, Stefan

Based on our observations of Austrian video game software development (VGSD) practices we identified a lack of systematic processes/method support and inefficient collaboration between various involved disciplines, i.e. engineers and artists. VGSD includes heterogeneous disciplines, e.g. creative arts, game/content design, and software. Nevertheless, improving team collaboration and process support is an ongoing challenge to enable a comprehensive view on game development projects. Lessons learned from software engineering practices can help game developers to increase game development processes within a heterogeneous environment. Based on a state of the practice survey in the Austrian games industry, this paper presents (a) first results with focus on process/method support and (b) suggests a candidate flexible process approach based on Scrum to improve VGSD and team collaboration. Results showed (a) a trend to highly flexible software processes involving various disciplines and (b) identified the suggested flexible process approach as feasible and useful for project application.

Practical Issues in Implementing Software Reliability Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nikora, Allen P.; Schneidewind, Norman F.; Everett, William W.; Munson, John C.; Vouk, Mladen A.; Musa, John D.

1999-01-01

Many ways of estimating software systems' reliability, or reliability-related quantities, have been developed over the past several years. Of particular interest are methods that can be used to estimate a software system's fault content prior to test, or to discriminate between components that are fault-prone and those that are not. The results of these methods can be used to: 1) More accurately focus scarce fault identification resources on those portions of a software system most in need of it. 2) Estimate and forecast the risk of exposure to residual faults in a software system during operation, and develop risk and safety criteria to guide the release of a software system to fielded use. 3) Estimate the efficiency of test suites in detecting residual faults. 4) Estimate the stability of the software maintenance process.

Success Factors for Using Case Method in Teaching and Learning Software Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razali, Rozilawati; Zainal, Dzulaiha Aryanee Putri

2013-01-01

The Case Method (CM) has long been used effectively in Social Science education. Its potential use in Applied Science such as Software Engineering (SE) however has yet to be further explored. SE is an engineering discipline that concerns the principles, methods and tools used throughout the software development lifecycle. In CM, subjects are…

Agile Development Methods for Space Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trimble, Jay; Webster, Chris

2012-01-01

Main stream industry software development practice has gone from a traditional waterfall process to agile iterative development that allows for fast response to customer inputs and produces higher quality software at lower cost. How can we, the space ops community, adopt state of the art software development practice, achieve greater productivity at lower cost, and maintain safe and effective space flight operations? At NASA Ames, we are developing Mission Control Technologies Software, in collaboration with Johnson Space Center (JSC) and, more recently, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Data analysis software for the autoradiographic enhancement process. Volumes 1, 2, and 3, and appendix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, S. P.

1979-01-01

The computer software developed to set up a method for Wiener spectrum analysis of photographic films is presented. This method is used for the quantitative analysis of the autoradiographic enhancement process. The software requirements and design for the autoradiographic enhancement process are given along with the program listings and the users manual. A software description and program listings modification of the data analysis software are included.

Microcomputer software development facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorman, J. S.; Mathiasen, C.

1980-01-01

A more efficient and cost effective method for developing microcomputer software is to utilize a host computer with high-speed peripheral support. Application programs such as cross assemblers, loaders, and simulators are implemented in the host computer for each of the microcomputers for which software development is a requirement. The host computer is configured to operate in a time share mode for multiusers. The remote terminals, printers, and down loading capabilities provided are based on user requirements. With this configuration a user, either local or remote, can use the host computer for microcomputer software development. Once the software is developed (through the code and modular debug stage) it can be downloaded to the development system or emulator in a test area where hardware/software integration functions can proceed. The microcomputer software program sources reside in the host computer and can be edited, assembled, loaded, and then downloaded as required until the software development project has been completed.

Development and Application of Collaborative Optimization Software for Plate - fin Heat Exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chunzhen, Qiao; Ze, Zhang; Jiangfeng, Guo; Jian, Zhang

2017-12-01

This paper introduces the design ideas of the calculation software and application examples for plate - fin heat exchangers. Because of the large calculation quantity in the process of designing and optimizing heat exchangers, we used Visual Basic 6.0 as a software development carrier to design a basic calculation software to reduce the calculation quantity. Its design condition is plate - fin heat exchanger which was designed according to the boiler tail flue gas. The basis of the software is the traditional design method of the plate-fin heat exchanger. Using the software for design and calculation of plate-fin heat exchangers, discovery will effectively reduce the amount of computation, and similar to traditional methods, have a high value.

Training Software Developers and Designers to Conduct Usability Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skov, Mikael Brasholt; Stage, Jan

2012-01-01

Many efforts to improve the interplay between usability evaluation and software development rely either on better methods for conducting usability evaluations or on better formats for presenting evaluation results in ways that are useful for software designers and developers. Both of these approaches depend on a complete division of work between…

Product assurance policies and procedures for flight dynamics software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Sandra; Jordan, Leon; Decker, William; Page, Gerald; Mcgarry, Frank E.; Valett, Jon

1987-01-01

The product assurance policies and procedures necessary to support flight dynamics software development projects for Goddard Space Flight Center are presented. The quality assurance and configuration management methods and tools for each phase of the software development life cycles are described, from requirements analysis through acceptance testing; maintenance and operation are not addressed.

Software Safety Risk in Legacy Safety-Critical Computer Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Janice; Baggs, Rhoda

2007-01-01

Safety-critical computer systems must be engineered to meet system and software safety requirements. For legacy safety-critical computer systems, software safety requirements may not have been formally specified during development. When process-oriented software safety requirements are levied on a legacy system after the fact, where software development artifacts don't exist or are incomplete, the question becomes 'how can this be done?' The risks associated with only meeting certain software safety requirements in a legacy safety-critical computer system must be addressed should such systems be selected as candidates for reuse. This paper proposes a method for ascertaining formally, a software safety risk assessment, that provides measurements for software safety for legacy systems which may or may not have a suite of software engineering documentation that is now normally required. It relies upon the NASA Software Safety Standard, risk assessment methods based upon the Taxonomy-Based Questionnaire, and the application of reverse engineering CASE tools to produce original design documents for legacy systems.

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.

Automated Reuse of Scientific Subroutine Libraries through Deductive Synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowry, Michael R.; Pressburger, Thomas; VanBaalen, Jeffrey; Roach, Steven

1997-01-01

Systematic software construction offers the potential of elevating software engineering from an art-form to an engineering discipline. The desired result is more predictable software development leading to better quality and more maintainable software. However, the overhead costs associated with the formalisms, mathematics, and methods of systematic software construction have largely precluded their adoption in real-world software development. In fact, many mainstream software development organizations, such as Microsoft, still maintain a predominantly oral culture for software development projects; which is far removed from a formalism-based culture for software development. An exception is the limited domain of safety-critical software, where the high-assuiance inherent in systematic software construction justifies the additional cost. We believe that systematic software construction will only be adopted by mainstream software development organization when the overhead costs have been greatly reduced. Two approaches to cost mitigation are reuse (amortizing costs over many applications) and automation. For the last four years, NASA Ames has funded the Amphion project, whose objective is to automate software reuse through techniques from systematic software construction. In particular, deductive program synthesis (i.e., program extraction from proofs) is used to derive a composition of software components (e.g., subroutines) that correctly implements a specification. The construction of reuse libraries of software components is the standard software engineering solution for improving software development productivity and quality.

SAGA: A project to automate the management of software production systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, R. H.; Badger, W.; Beckman, C. S.; Beshers, G.; Hammerslag, D.; Kimball, J.; Kirslis, P. A.; Render, H.; Richards, P.; Terwilliger, R.

1984-01-01

The project to automate the management of software production systems is described. The SAGA system is a software environment that is designed to support most of the software development activities that occur in a software lifecycle. The system can be configured to support specific software development applications using given programming languages, tools, and methodologies. Meta-tools are provided to ease configuration. Several major components of the SAGA system are completed to prototype form. The construction methods are described.

Implicity restarted Arnoldi/Lanczos methods for large scale eigenvalue calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sorensen, Danny C.

1996-01-01

Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of linear operators are important to many areas of applied mathematics. The ability to approximate these quantities numerically is becoming increasingly important in a wide variety of applications. This increasing demand has fueled interest in the development of new methods and software for the numerical solution of large-scale algebraic eigenvalue problems. In turn, the existence of these new methods and software, along with the dramatically increased computational capabilities now available, has enabled the solution of problems that would not even have been posed five or ten years ago. Until very recently, software for large-scale nonsymmetric problems was virtually non-existent. Fortunately, the situation is improving rapidly. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the numerical solution of large-scale algebraic eigenvalue problems. The focus will be on a class of methods called Krylov subspace projection methods. The well-known Lanczos method is the premier member of this class. The Arnoldi method generalizes the Lanczos method to the nonsymmetric case. A recently developed variant of the Arnoldi/Lanczos scheme called the Implicitly Restarted Arnoldi Method is presented here in some depth. This method is highlighted because of its suitability as a basis for software development.

Fault Tree Analysis Application for Safety and Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Dolores R.

2003-01-01

Many commercial software tools exist for fault tree analysis (FTA), an accepted method for mitigating risk in systems. The method embedded in the tools identifies a root as use in system components, but when software is identified as a root cause, it does not build trees into the software component. No commercial software tools have been built specifically for development and analysis of software fault trees. Research indicates that the methods of FTA could be applied to software, but the method is not practical without automated tool support. With appropriate automated tool support, software fault tree analysis (SFTA) may be a practical technique for identifying the underlying cause of software faults that may lead to critical system failures. We strive to demonstrate that existing commercial tools for FTA can be adapted for use with SFTA, and that applied to a safety-critical system, SFTA can be used to identify serious potential problems long before integrator and system testing.

Implications of Responsive Space on the Flight Software Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilmot, Jonathan

2006-01-01

The Responsive Space initiative has several implications for flight software that need to be addressed not only within the run-time element, but the development infrastructure and software life-cycle process elements as well. The runtime element must at a minimum support Plug & Play, while the development and process elements need to incorporate methods to quickly generate the needed documentation, code, tests, and all of the artifacts required of flight quality software. Very rapid response times go even further, and imply little or no new software development, requiring instead, using only predeveloped and certified software modules that can be integrated and tested through automated methods. These elements have typically been addressed individually with significant benefits, but it is when they are combined that they can have the greatest impact to Responsive Space. The Flight Software Branch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been developing the runtime, infrastructure and process elements needed for rapid integration with the Core Flight software System (CFS) architecture. The CFS architecture consists of three main components; the core Flight Executive (cFE), the component catalog, and the Integrated Development Environment (DE). This paper will discuss the design of the components, how they facilitate rapid integration, and lessons learned as the architecture is utilized for an upcoming spacecraft.

Artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johannes, James D.; Macdonald, James R.

1988-01-01

Artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering are examined. The software development life cycle is a sequence of not so well-defined phases. Improved techniques for developing systems have been formulated over the past 15 years, but pressure continues to attempt to reduce current costs. Software development technology seems to be standing still. The primary objective of the knowledge-based approach to software development presented in this paper is to avoid problem areas that lead to schedule slippages, cost overruns, or software products that fall short of their desired goals. Identifying and resolving software problems early, often in the phase in which they first occur, has been shown to contribute significantly to reducing risks in software development. Software development is not a mechanical process but a basic human activity. It requires clear thinking, work, and rework to be successful. The artificial intelligence approaches to software engineering presented support the software development life cycle through the use of software development techniques and methodologies in terms of changing current practices and methods. These should be replaced by better techniques that that improve the process of of software development and the quality of the resulting products. The software development process can be structured into well-defined steps, of which the interfaces are standardized, supported and checked by automated procedures that provide error detection, production of the documentation and ultimately support the actual design of complex programs.

A Remote Registration Based on MIDAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

JIN, Xin

2017-04-01

We often need for software registration to protect the interests of the software developers. This article narrated one kind of software long-distance registration technology. The registration method is: place the registration information in a database table, after the procedure starts in check table registration information, if it has registered then the procedure may the normal operation; Otherwise, the customer must input the sequence number and registers through the network on the long-distance server. If it registers successfully, then records the registration information in the database table. This remote registration method can protect the rights of software developers.

Providing structural modules with self-integrity monitoring software user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Contract NAS7-961 (A Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) contract from NASA) involved research dealing with remote structural damage detection using the concept of substructures. Several approaches were developed. The main two were: (1) the module (substructure) transfer function matrix (MTFM) approach; and (2) modal strain energy distribution method (MSEDM). Either method can be used with a global structure; however, the focus was on substructures. As part of the research contract, computer software was to be developed which would implement the developed methods. This was done and it was used to process all the finite element generated numerical data for the research. The software was written for the IBM AT personal computer. Copies of it were placed on floppy disks. This report serves as a user's manual for the two sets of damage detection software. Sections 2.0 and 3.0 discuss the use of the MTFM and MSEDM software, respectively.

A Framework for Teaching Software Development Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubinsky, Yael; Hazzan, Orit

2005-01-01

This article presents a study that aims at constructing a teaching framework for software development methods in higher education. The research field is a capstone project-based course, offered by the Technion's Department of Computer Science, in which Extreme Programming is introduced. The research paradigm is an Action Research that involves…

[Example of product development by industry and research solidarity].

PubMed

Seki, Masayoshi

2014-01-01

When the industrial firms develop the product, the research result from research institutions is used or to reflect the ideas from users on the developed product would be significant in order to improve the product. To state the software product which developed jointly as an example to describe the adopted development technique and its result, and to consider the modality of the industry solidarity seen from the company side and joint development. The software development methods have the merit and demerit and necessary to choose the optimal development technique by the system which develops. We have been jointly developed the dose distribution browsing software. As the software development method, we adopted the prototype model. In order to display the dose distribution information, it is necessary to load four objects which are CT-Image, Structure Set, RT-Plan, and RT-Dose, are displayed in a composite manner. The prototype model which is the development technique was adopted by this joint development was optimal especially to develop the dose distribution browsing software. In a prototype model, since the detail design was created based on the program source code after the program was finally completed, there was merit on the period shortening of document written and consist in design and implementation. This software eventually opened to the public as an open source. Based on this developed prototype software, the release version of the dose distribution browsing software was developed. Developing this type of novelty software, it normally takes two to three years, but since the joint development was adopted, it shortens the development period to one year. Shortening the development period was able to hold down to the minimum development cost for a company and thus, this will be reflected to the product price. The specialists make requests on the product from user's point of view are important, but increase in specialists as professionals for product development will increase the expectations to develop a product to meet the users demand.

Built To Last: Using Iterative Development Models for Sustainable Scientific Software Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasiak, M. E.; Truslove, I.; Savoie, M.

2013-12-01

In scientific research, software development exists fundamentally for the results they create. The core research must take focus. It seems natural to researchers, driven by grant deadlines, that every dollar invested in software development should be used to push the boundaries of problem solving. This system of values is frequently misaligned with those of the software being created in a sustainable fashion; short-term optimizations create longer-term sustainability issues. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has taken bold cultural steps in using agile and lean development and management methodologies to help its researchers meet critical deadlines, while building in the necessary support structure for the code to live far beyond its original milestones. Agile and lean software development and methodologies including Scrum, Kanban, Continuous Delivery and Test-Driven Development have seen widespread adoption within NSIDC. This focus on development methods is combined with an emphasis on explaining to researchers why these methods produce more desirable results for everyone, as well as promoting developers interacting with researchers. This presentation will describe NSIDC's current scientific software development model, how this addresses the short-term versus sustainability dichotomy, the lessons learned and successes realized by transitioning to this agile and lean-influenced model, and the current challenges faced by the organization.

The discounting model selector: Statistical software for delay discounting applications.

PubMed

Gilroy, Shawn P; Franck, Christopher T; Hantula, Donald A

2017-05-01

Original, open-source computer software was developed and validated against established delay discounting methods in the literature. The software executed approximate Bayesian model selection methods from user-supplied temporal discounting data and computed the effective delay 50 (ED50) from the best performing model. Software was custom-designed to enable behavior analysts to conveniently apply recent statistical methods to temporal discounting data with the aid of a graphical user interface (GUI). The results of independent validation of the approximate Bayesian model selection methods indicated that the program provided results identical to that of the original source paper and its methods. Monte Carlo simulation (n = 50,000) confirmed that true model was selected most often in each setting. Simulation code and data for this study were posted to an online repository for use by other researchers. The model selection approach was applied to three existing delay discounting data sets from the literature in addition to the data from the source paper. Comparisons of model selected ED50 were consistent with traditional indices of discounting. Conceptual issues related to the development and use of computer software by behavior analysts and the opportunities afforded by free and open-sourced software are discussed and a review of possible expansions of this software are provided. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Software development environments: Status and trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duffel, Larry E.

1988-01-01

Currently software engineers are the essential integrating factors tying several components together. The components consist of process, methods, computers, tools, support environments, and software engineers. The engineers today empower the tools versus the tools empowering the engineers. Some of the issues in software engineering are quality, managing the software engineering process, and productivity. A strategy to accomplish this is to promote the evolution of software engineering from an ad hoc, labor intensive activity to a managed, technology supported discipline. This strategy may be implemented by putting the process under management control, adopting appropriate methods, inserting the technology that provides automated support for the process and methods, collecting automated tools into an integrated environment and educating the personnel.

Reuse Metrics for Object Oriented Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bieman, James M.

1998-01-01

One way to increase the quality of software products and the productivity of software development is to reuse existing software components when building new software systems. In order to monitor improvements in reuse, the level of reuse must be measured. In this NASA supported project we (1) derived a suite of metrics which quantify reuse attributes for object oriented, object based, and procedural software, (2) designed prototype tools to take these measurements in Ada, C++, Java, and C software, (3) evaluated the reuse in available software, (4) analyzed the relationship between coupling, cohesion, inheritance, and reuse, (5) collected object oriented software systems for our empirical analyses, and (6) developed quantitative criteria and methods for restructuring software to improve reusability.

Medical device software: defining key terms.

PubMed

Pashkov, Vitalii; Gutorova, Nataliya; Harkusha, Andrii

one of the areas of significant growth in medical devices has been the role of software - as an integral component of a medical device, as a standalone device and more recently as applications on mobile devices. The risk related to a malfunction of the standalone software used within healthcare is in itself not a criterion for its qualification or not as a medical device. It is therefore, necessary to clarify some criteria for the qualification of stand-alone software as medical devices Materials and methods: Ukrainian, European Union, United States of America legislation, Guidelines developed by European Commission and Food and Drug Administration's, recommendations represented by international voluntary group and scientific works. This article is based on dialectical, comparative, analytic, synthetic and comprehensive research methods. the legal regulation of software which is used for medical purpose in Ukraine limited to one definition. In European Union and United States of America were developed and applying special guidelines that help developers, manufactures and end users to difference software on types standing on medical purpose criteria. Software becomes more and more incorporated into medical devices. Developers and manufacturers may not have initially appreciated potential risks to patients and users such situation could have dangerous results for patients or users. It is necessary to develop and adopt the legislation that will intend to define the criteria for the qualification of medical device software and the application of the classification criteria to such software, provide some illustrative examples and step by step recommendations to qualify software as medical device.

Filling the Assurance Gap on Complex Electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plastow, Richard A.

2007-01-01

Many of the methods used to develop software bare a close resemblance to Complex Electronics (CE) development. CE are now programmed to perform tasks that were previously handled by software, such as communication protocols. For example, the James Webb Space Telescope will use Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which can have over a million logic gates, to send telemetry. System-on-chip (SoC) devices, another type of complex electronics, can combine a microprocessor, input and output channels, and sometimes an FPGA for programmability. With this increased intricacy, the possibility of software-like bugs such as incorrect design, logic, and unexpected interactions within the logic is great. Since CE devices are obscuring the hardware/software boundary, mature software methodologies have been proposed, with slight modifications, to develop these devices. By using standardized S/W Engineering methods such as checklists, missing requirements and bugs can be detected earlier in the development cycle, thus creating a development process for CE that can be easily maintained and configurable based on the device used.

Developing Confidence Limits For Reliability Of Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayhurst, Kelly J.

1991-01-01

Technique developed for estimating reliability of software by use of Moranda geometric de-eutrophication model. Pivotal method enables straightforward construction of exact bounds with associated degree of statistical confidence about reliability of software. Confidence limits thus derived provide precise means of assessing quality of software. Limits take into account number of bugs found while testing and effects of sampling variation associated with random order of discovering bugs.

Statistical modeling of software reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Douglas R.

1992-01-01

This working paper discusses the statistical simulation part of a controlled software development experiment being conducted under the direction of the System Validation Methods Branch, Information Systems Division, NASA Langley Research Center. The experiment uses guidance and control software (GCS) aboard a fictitious planetary landing spacecraft: real-time control software operating on a transient mission. Software execution is simulated to study the statistical aspects of reliability and other failure characteristics of the software during development, testing, and random usage. Quantification of software reliability is a major goal. Various reliability concepts are discussed. Experiments are described for performing simulations and collecting appropriate simulated software performance and failure data. This data is then used to make statistical inferences about the quality of the software development and verification processes as well as inferences about the reliability of software versions and reliability growth under random testing and debugging.

NASA software specification and evaluation system design, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

A survey and analysis of the existing methods, tools and techniques employed in the development of software are presented along with recommendations for the construction of reliable software. Functional designs for software specification language, and the data base verifier are presented.

Canary: An NLP Platform for Clinicians and Researchers.

PubMed

Malmasi, Shervin; Sandor, Nicolae L; Hosomura, Naoshi; Goldberg, Matt; Skentzos, Stephen; Turchin, Alexander

2017-05-03

Information Extraction methods can help discover critical knowledge buried in the vast repositories of unstructured clinical data. However, these methods are underutilized in clinical research, potentially due to the absence of free software geared towards clinicians with little technical expertise. The skills required for developing/using such software constitute a major barrier for medical researchers wishing to employ these methods. To address this, we have developed Canary, a free and open-source solution designed for users without natural language processing (NLP) or software engineering experience. It was designed to be fast and work out of the box via a user-friendly graphical interface.

Detection and avoidance of errors in computer software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinsler, Les

1989-01-01

The acceptance test errors of a computer software project to determine if the errors could be detected or avoided in earlier phases of development. GROAGSS (Gamma Ray Observatory Attitude Ground Support System) was selected as the software project to be examined. The development of the software followed the standard Flight Dynamics Software Development methods. GROAGSS was developed between August 1985 and April 1989. The project is approximately 250,000 lines of code of which approximately 43,000 lines are reused from previous projects. GROAGSS had a total of 1715 Change Report Forms (CRFs) submitted during the entire development and testing. These changes contained 936 errors. Of these 936 errors, 374 were found during the acceptance testing. These acceptance test errors were first categorized into methods of avoidance including: more clearly written requirements; detail review; code reading; structural unit testing; and functional system integration testing. The errors were later broken down in terms of effort to detect and correct, class of error, and probability that the prescribed detection method would be successful. These determinations were based on Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) documents and interviews with the project programmers. A summary of the results of the categorizations is presented. The number of programming errors at the beginning of acceptance testing can be significantly reduced. The results of the existing development methodology are examined for ways of improvements. A basis is provided for the definition is a new development/testing paradigm. Monitoring of the new scheme will objectively determine its effectiveness on avoiding and detecting errors.

Recommended approach to sofware development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgarry, F. E.; Page, J.; Eslinger, S.; Church, V.; Merwarth, P.

1983-01-01

A set of guideline for an organized, disciplined approach to software development, based on data collected and studied for 46 flight dynamics software development projects. Methods and practices for each phase of a software development life cycle that starts with requirements analysis and ends with acceptance testing are described; maintenance and operation is not addressed. For each defined life cycle phase, guidelines for the development process and its management, and the products produced and their reviews are presented.

2016 KIVA-hpFE Development: A Robust and Accurate Engine Modeling Software

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

Carrington, David Bradley; Waters, Jiajia

Los Alamos National Laboratory and its collaborators are facilitating engine modeling by improving accuracy and robustness of the modeling, and improving the robustness of software. We also continue to improve the physical modeling methods. We are developing and implementing new mathematical algorithms, those that represent the physics within an engine. We provide software that others may use directly or that they may alter with various models e.g., sophisticated chemical kinetics, different turbulent closure methods or other fuel injection and spray systems.

Software Architecture Evaluation in Global Software Development Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salger, Frank

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

Reusable software parts and the semi-abstract data type

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Sanford G.

1986-01-01

The development of reuable software parts has been an area of intense discussion within the software community for many years. An approach is described for developing reusable parts for the applications of missile guidance, navigation and control which meet the following criteria: (1) Reusable; (2) Tailorable; (3) Efficient; (4) Simple to use; and (5) Protected against misuse. Validating the feasibility of developing reusable parts which possess these characteristics is the basis of the Common Ada Missile Packages Program (CAMP). Under CAMP, over 200 reusable software parts were developed, including part for navigation, Kalman filter, signal processing and autopilot. Six different methods are presented for designing reusable software parts.

Virtual Observatory and Colitec Software: Modules, Features, Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohorelov, A. V.; Khlamov, S. V.; Savanevych, V. E.; Briukhovetskyi, A. B.; Vlasenko, V. P.

In this article we described complex processing system created by the CoLiTec project. This system includes features, user-friendly tools for processing control, results reviewing, integration with online catalogs and a lot of different computational modules that are based on the developed methods. Some of them are described in the article.The main directions of the CoLiTec software development are the Virtual Observatory, software for automated asteroids and comets detection and software for brightness equalization.The CoLiTec software is widely used in a number of observatories in the CIS. It has been used in about 700 000 observations, during which 1560 asteroids, including 5 NEO, 21 Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, 1 Centaur and four comets were discovered.

Software Quality Metrics: A Software Management Monitoring Method for Air Force Logistics Command in Its Software Quality Assurance Program for the Quantitative Assessment of the System Development Life Cycle under Configuration Management.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-01

pilot systems. Magnitude of the mutant error is classified as: o Program does not compute. o Program computes but does not run test data. o Program...14 Test and Integration ... ............ .. 105 15 The Mapping of SQM to the SDLC ........ ... 108 16 ADS Development .... .............. . 224 17...and funds. While the test phase concludes the normal development cycle, one should realize that with software the development continues in the

Computational Simulations and the Scientific Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleb, Bil; Wood, Bill

2005-01-01

As scientific simulation software becomes more complicated, the scientific-software implementor's need for component tests from new model developers becomes more crucial. The community's ability to follow the basic premise of the Scientific Method requires independently repeatable experiments, and model innovators are in the best position to create these test fixtures. Scientific software developers also need to quickly judge the value of the new model, i.e., its cost-to-benefit ratio in terms of gains provided by the new model and implementation risks such as cost, time, and quality. This paper asks two questions. The first is whether other scientific software developers would find published component tests useful, and the second is whether model innovators think publishing test fixtures is a feasible approach.

A Student Experiment Method for Learning the Basics of Embedded Software Technologies Including Hardware/Software Co-design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kambe, Hidetoshi; Mitsui, Hiroyasu; Endo, Satoshi; Koizumi, Hisao

The applications of embedded system technologies have spread widely in various products, such as home appliances, cellular phones, automobiles, industrial machines and so on. Due to intensified competition, embedded software has expanded its role in realizing sophisticated functions, and new development methods like a hardware/software (HW/SW) co-design for uniting HW and SW development have been researched. The shortfall of embedded SW engineers was estimated to be approximately 99,000 in the year 2006, in Japan. Embedded SW engineers should understand HW technologies and system architecture design as well as SW technologies. However, a few universities offer this kind of education systematically. We propose a student experiment method for learning the basics of embedded system development, which includes a set of experiments for developing embedded SW, developing embedded HW and experiencing HW/SW co-design. The co-design experiment helps students learn about the basics of embedded system architecture design and the flow of designing actual HW and SW modules. We developed these experiments and evaluated them.

Implementation of density functional theory method on object-oriented programming (C++) to calculate energy band structure using the projector augmented wave (PAW)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfianto, E.; Rusydi, F.; Aisyah, N. D.; Fadilla, R. N.; Dipojono, H. K.; Martoprawiro, M. A.

2017-05-01

This study implemented DFT method into the C++ programming language with object-oriented programming rules (expressive software). The use of expressive software results in getting a simple programming structure, which is similar to mathematical formula. This will facilitate the scientific community to develop the software. We validate our software by calculating the energy band structure of Silica, Carbon, and Germanium with FCC structure using the Projector Augmented Wave (PAW) method then compare the results to Quantum Espresso calculation’s results. This study shows that the accuracy of the software is 85% compared to Quantum Espresso.

Survey of Software Assurance Techniques for Highly Reliable Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Stacy

2004-01-01

This document provides a survey of software assurance techniques for highly reliable systems including a discussion of relevant safety standards for various industries in the United States and Europe, as well as examples of methods used during software development projects. It contains one section for each industry surveyed: Aerospace, Defense, Nuclear Power, Medical Devices and Transportation. Each section provides an overview of applicable standards and examples of a mission or software development project, software assurance techniques used and reliability achieved.

Space Shuttle Software Development and Certification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, James K.; Henderson, Johnnie A

2000-01-01

Man-rated software, "software which is in control of systems and environments upon which human life is critically dependent," must be highly reliable. The Space Shuttle Primary Avionics Software System is an excellent example of such a software system. Lessons learn from more than 20 years of effort have identified basic elements that must be present to achieve this high degree of reliability. The elements include rigorous application of appropriate software development processes, use of trusted tools to support those processes, quantitative process management, and defect elimination and prevention. This presentation highlights methods used within the Space Shuttle project and raises questions that must be addressed to provide similar success in a cost effective manner on future long-term projects where key application development tools are COTS rather than internally developed custom application development tools

A Novel Approach for Collaborative Pair Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goel, Sanjay; Kathuria, Vanshi

2010-01-01

The majority of an engineer's time in the software industry is spent working with other programmers. Agile methods of software development like eXtreme Programming strongly rely upon practices like daily meetings and pair programming. Hence, the need to learn the skill of working collaboratively is of primary importance for software developers.…

Software: University Courses versus Workplace Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liebenberg, Janet; Huisman, Magda; Mentz, Elsa

2015-01-01

There is a shortage of software developers with the right skills and knowledge, not only in South Africa but worldwide. Despite reports of gap between industry needs and software education, the gap has mostly been explored in developed countries and in quantitative studies. This paper reports on a mixed methods study of the perceptions of…

An Agile Constructionist Mentoring Methodology for Software Projects in the High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meerbaum-Salant, Orni; Hazzan, Orit

2010-01-01

This article describes the construction process and evaluation of the Agile Constructionist Mentoring Methodology (ACMM), a mentoring method for guiding software development projects in the high school. The need for such a methodology has arisen due to the complexity of mentoring software project development in the high school. We introduce the…

A multicenter study benchmarks software tools for label-free proteome quantification.

PubMed

Navarro, Pedro; Kuharev, Jörg; Gillet, Ludovic C; Bernhardt, Oliver M; MacLean, Brendan; Röst, Hannes L; Tate, Stephen A; Tsou, Chih-Chiang; Reiter, Lukas; Distler, Ute; Rosenberger, George; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I; Aebersold, Ruedi; Tenzer, Stefan

2016-11-01

Consistent and accurate quantification of proteins by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics depends on the performance of instruments, acquisition methods and data analysis software. In collaboration with the software developers, we evaluated OpenSWATH, SWATH 2.0, Skyline, Spectronaut and DIA-Umpire, five of the most widely used software methods for processing data from sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH)-MS, which uses data-independent acquisition (DIA) for label-free protein quantification. We analyzed high-complexity test data sets from hybrid proteome samples of defined quantitative composition acquired on two different MS instruments using different SWATH isolation-window setups. For consistent evaluation, we developed LFQbench, an R package, to calculate metrics of precision and accuracy in label-free quantitative MS and report the identification performance, robustness and specificity of each software tool. Our reference data sets enabled developers to improve their software tools. After optimization, all tools provided highly convergent identification and reliable quantification performance, underscoring their robustness for label-free quantitative proteomics.

Simple solution to the medical instrumentation software problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leif, Robert C.; Leif, Suzanne B.; Leif, Stephanie H.; Bingue, E.

1995-04-01

Medical devices now include a substantial software component, which is both difficult and expensive to produce and maintain. Medical software must be developed according to `Good Manufacturing Practices', GMP. Good Manufacturing Practices as specified by the FDA and ISO requires the definition and compliance to a software processes which ensures quality products by specifying a detailed method of software construction. The software process should be based on accepted standards. US Department of Defense software standards and technology can both facilitate the development and improve the quality of medical systems. We describe the advantages of employing Mil-Std-498, Software Development and Documentation, and the Ada programming language. Ada provides the very broad range of functionalities, from embedded real-time to management information systems required by many medical devices. It also includes advanced facilities for object oriented programming and software engineering.

Reuse at the Software Productivity Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiss, David M.

1989-01-01

The Software Productivity Consortium is sponsored by 14 aerospace companies as a developer of software engineering methods and tools. Software reuse and prototyping are currently the major emphasis areas. The Methodology and Measurement Project in the Software Technology Exploration Division has developed some concepts for reuse which they intend to develop into a synthesis process. They have identified two approaches to software reuse: opportunistic and systematic. The assumptions underlying the systematic approach, phrased as hypotheses, are the following: the redevelopment hypothesis, i.e., software developers solve the same problems repeatedly; the oracle hypothesis, i.e., developers are able to predict variations from one redevelopment to others; and the organizational hypothesis, i.e., software must be organized according to behavior and structure to take advantage of the predictions that the developers make. The conceptual basis for reuse includes: program families, information hiding, abstract interfaces, uses and information hiding hierarchies, and process structure. The primary reusable software characteristics are black-box descriptions, structural descriptions, and composition and decomposition based on program families. Automated support can be provided for systematic reuse, and the Consortium is developing a prototype reuse library and guidebook. The software synthesis process that the Consortium is aiming toward includes modeling, refinement, prototyping, reuse, assessment, and new construction.

Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT): a new open-source player in the drug discovery field.

PubMed

Wójcikowski, Maciej; Zielenkiewicz, Piotr; Siedlecki, Pawel

2015-01-01

There has been huge progress in the open cheminformatics field in both methods and software development. Unfortunately, there has been little effort to unite those methods and software into one package. We here describe the Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT), which aims to fulfill the need for comprehensive and open source drug discovery software. The Open Drug Discovery Toolkit was developed as a free and open source tool for both computer aided drug discovery (CADD) developers and researchers. ODDT reimplements many state-of-the-art methods, such as machine learning scoring functions (RF-Score and NNScore) and wraps other external software to ease the process of developing CADD pipelines. ODDT is an out-of-the-box solution designed to be easily customizable and extensible. Therefore, users are strongly encouraged to extend it and develop new methods. We here present three use cases for ODDT in common tasks in computer-aided drug discovery. Open Drug Discovery Toolkit is released on a permissive 3-clause BSD license for both academic and industrial use. ODDT's source code, additional examples and documentation are available on GitHub (https://github.com/oddt/oddt).

Software to Control and Monitor Gas Streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arkin, C.; Curley, Charles; Gore, Eric; Floyd, David; Lucas, Damion

2012-01-01

This software package interfaces with various gas stream devices such as pressure transducers, flow meters, flow controllers, valves, and analyzers such as a mass spectrometer. The software provides excellent user interfacing with various windows that provide time-domain graphs, valve state buttons, priority- colored messages, and warning icons. The user can configure the software to save as much or as little data as needed to a comma-delimited file. The software also includes an intuitive scripting language for automated processing. The configuration allows for the assignment of measured values or calibration so that raw signals can be viewed as usable pressures, flows, or concentrations in real time. The software is based on those used in two safety systems for shuttle processing and one volcanic gas analysis system. Mass analyzers typically have very unique applications and vary from job to job. As such, software available on the market is usually inadequate or targeted on a specific application (such as EPA methods). The goal was to develop powerful software that could be used with prototype systems. The key problem was to generalize the software to be easily and quickly reconfigurable. At Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the prior art consists of two primary methods. The first method was to utilize Lab- VIEW and a commercial data acquisition system. This method required rewriting code for each different application and only provided raw data. To obtain data in engineering units, manual calculations were required. The second method was to utilize one of the embedded computer systems developed for another system. This second method had the benefit of providing data in engineering units, but was limited in the number of control parameters.

A Structure for Creating Quality Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Larry C.; Bodey, Michael R.

1990-01-01

Addresses the issue of assuring quality software for use in computer-aided instruction and presents a structure by which developers can create quality courseware. Differences between courseware and computer-aided instruction software are discussed, methods for testing software are described, and human factors issues as well as instructional design…

Formal Methods for Life-Critical Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, Ricky W.; Johnson, Sally C.

1993-01-01

The use of computer software in life-critical applications, such as for civil air transports, demands the use of rigorous formal mathematical verification procedures. This paper demonstrates how to apply formal methods to the development and verification of software by leading the reader step-by-step through requirements analysis, design, implementation, and verification of an electronic phone book application. The current maturity and limitations of formal methods tools and techniques are then discussed, and a number of examples of the successful use of formal methods by industry are cited.

Cognitive task analysis-based design and authoring software for simulation training.

PubMed

Munro, Allen; Clark, Richard E

2013-10-01

The development of more effective medical simulators requires a collaborative team effort where three kinds of expertise are carefully coordinated: (1) exceptional medical expertise focused on providing complete and accurate information about the medical challenges (i.e., critical skills and knowledge) to be simulated; (2) instructional expertise focused on the design of simulation-based training and assessment methods that produce maximum learning and transfer to patient care; and (3) software development expertise that permits the efficient design and development of the software required to capture expertise, present it in an engaging way, and assess student interactions with the simulator. In this discussion, we describe a method of capturing more complete and accurate medical information for simulators and combine it with new instructional design strategies that emphasize the learning of complex knowledge. Finally, we describe three different types of software support (Development/Authoring, Run Time, and Post Run Time) required at different stages in the development of medical simulations and the instructional design elements of the software required at each stage. We describe the contributions expected of each kind of software and the different instructional control authoring support required. Reprint & Copyright © 2013 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

The method to divide a sentence of requirement into individual requirements and the development of requirement specification editor which can describe individual requirements.

PubMed

Sato, Kuniya; Ooba, Masahiro; Takagi, Tomohiko; Furukawa, Zengo; Komiya, Seiichi; Yaegashi, Rihito

2013-12-01

Agile software development gains requirements from the direct discussion with customers and the development staff each time, and the customers evaluate the appropriateness of the requirement. If the customers divide the complicated requirement into individual requirements, the engineer who is in charge of software development can understand it easily. This is called division of requirement. However, the customers do not understand how much and how to divide the requirements. This paper proposes the method to divide a complicated requirement into individual requirements. Also, it shows the development of requirement specification editor which can describe individual requirements. The engineer who is in charge of software development can understand requirements easily.

Recent trends related to the use of formal methods in software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prehn, Soren

1986-01-01

An account is given of some recent developments and trends related to the development and use of formal methods in software engineering. Ongoing activities in Europe are focussed on, since there seems to be a notable difference in attitude towards industrial usage of formal methods in Europe and in the U.S. A more detailed account is given of the currently most widespread formal method in Europe: the Vienna Development Method. Finally, the use of Ada is discussed in relation to the application of formal methods, and the potential for constructing Ada-specific tools based on that method is considered.

Practical Methods for Estimating Software Systems Fault Content and Location

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nikora, A.; Schneidewind, N.; Munson, J.

1999-01-01

Over the past several years, we have developed techniques to discriminate between fault-prone software modules and those that are not, to estimate a software system's residual fault content, to identify those portions of a software system having the highest estimated number of faults, and to estimate the effects of requirements changes on software quality.

A method for tailoring the information content of a software process model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Sharon; Arend, Mark B.

1990-01-01

The framework is defined for a general method for selecting a necessary and sufficient subset of a general software life cycle's information products, to support new software development process. Procedures for characterizing problem domains in general and mapping to a tailored set of life cycle processes and products is presented. An overview of the method is shown using the following steps: (1) During the problem concept definition phase, perform standardized interviews and dialogs between developer and user, and between user and customer; (2) Generate a quality needs profile of the software to be developed, based on information gathered in step 1; (3) Translate the quality needs profile into a profile of quality criteria that must be met by the software to satisfy the quality needs; (4) Map the quality criteria to set of accepted processes and products for achieving each criterion; (5) Select the information products which match or support the accepted processes and product of step 4; and (6) Select the design methodology which produces the information products selected in step 5.

A method for tailoring the information content of a software process model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Sharon; Arend, Mark B.

1990-01-01

The framework is defined for a general method for selecting a necessary and sufficient subset of a general software life cycle's information products, to support new software development process. Procedures for characterizing problem domains in general and mapping to a tailored set of life cycle processes and products is presented. An overview of the method is shown using the following steps: (1) During the problem concept definition phase, perform standardized interviews and dialogs between developer and user, and between user and customer; (2) Generate a quality needs profile of the software to be developed, based on information gathered in step 1; (3) Translate the quality needs profile into a profile of quality criteria that must be met by the software to satisfy the quality needs; (4) Map the quality criteria to a set of accepted processes and products for achieving each criterion; (5) select the information products which match or support the accepted processes and product of step 4; and (6) Select the design methodology which produces the information products selected in step 5.

Developing Teaching Material Software Assisted for Numerical Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, A. D.; Herman, T.; Fatimah, S.

2017-09-01

The NCTM vision shows the importance of two things in school mathematics, which is knowing the mathematics of the 21st century and the need to continue to improve mathematics education to answer the challenges of a changing world. One of the competencies associated with the great challenges of the 21st century is the use of help and tools (including IT), such as: knowing the existence of various tools for mathematical activity. One of the significant challenges in mathematical learning is how to teach students about abstract concepts. In this case, technology in the form of mathematics learning software can be used more widely to embed the abstract concept in mathematics. In mathematics learning, the use of mathematical software can make high level math activity become easier accepted by student. Technology can strengthen student learning by delivering numerical, graphic, and symbolic content without spending the time to calculate complex computing problems manually. The purpose of this research is to design and develop teaching materials software assisted for numerical method. The process of developing the teaching material starts from the defining step, the process of designing the learning material developed based on information obtained from the step of early analysis, learners, materials, tasks that support then done the design step or design, then the last step is the development step. The development of teaching materials software assisted for numerical methods is valid in content. While validator assessment for teaching material in numerical methods is good and can be used with little revision.

Comprehensive analysis of helicopters with bearingless rotors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murthy, V. R.

1988-01-01

A modified Galerkin method is developed to analyze the dynamic problems of multiple-load-path bearingless rotor blades. The development and selection of functions are quite parallel to CAMRAD procedures, greatly facilitating the implementation of the method into the CAMRAD program. A software is developed implementing the modified Galerkin method to determine free vibration characteristics of multiple-load-path rotor blades undergoing coupled flapwise bending, chordwise bending, twisting, and extensional motions. Results are in the process of being obtained by debugging the software.

A Study of Quantitative Measurements of Programmer Productivity for Fleet Material Support Office (FMSO).

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

paper examines the various measures discussed in the literature and used in selected corpora- tions which develop software. It presents several methods ...examines the various measures discassed in the literature and used in selected corporations which develop software. It presents several methods for...HOUR .... 40 D. SELECTED INDUSrRY METHODS FOR MEASURING PRODUCTIVITY 41 _ I1. 1IBM 41.. . . . . . . . ; 2. Amdahl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CrossTalk. The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 13, Number 6, June 2000

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-06-01

Techniques for Efficiently Generating and Testing Software This paper presents a proven process that uses advanced tools to design, develop and test... optimal software. by Keith R. Wegner Large Software Systems—Back to Basics Development methods that work on small problems seem to not scale well to...Ability Requirements for Teamwork: Implications for Human Resource Management, Journal of Management, Vol. 20, No. 2, 1994. 11. Ferguson, Pat, Watts S

Making the PACS workstation a browser of image processing software: a feasibility study using inter-process communication techniques.

PubMed

Wang, Chunliang; Ritter, Felix; Smedby, Orjan

2010-07-01

To enhance the functional expandability of a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) workstation and to facilitate the integration of third-part image-processing modules, we propose a browser-server style method. In the proposed solution, the PACS workstation shows the front-end user interface defined in an XML file while the image processing software is running in the background as a server. Inter-process communication (IPC) techniques allow an efficient exchange of image data, parameters, and user input between the PACS workstation and stand-alone image-processing software. Using a predefined communication protocol, the PACS workstation developer or image processing software developer does not need detailed information about the other system, but will still be able to achieve seamless integration between the two systems and the IPC procedure is totally transparent to the final user. A browser-server style solution was built between OsiriX (PACS workstation software) and MeVisLab (Image-Processing Software). Ten example image-processing modules were easily added to OsiriX by converting existing MeVisLab image processing networks. Image data transfer using shared memory added <10ms of processing time while the other IPC methods cost 1-5 s in our experiments. The browser-server style communication based on IPC techniques is an appealing method that allows PACS workstation developers and image processing software developers to cooperate while focusing on different interests.

Spacelab software development and integration concepts study report. Volume 2: Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Software considerations were developed for incorporation in the spacelab systems design, and include management concepts for top-down structured programming, composite designs for modular programs, and team management methods for production programming.

Experiences in integrating auto-translated state-chart designs for model checking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pingree, P. J.; Benowitz, E. G.

2003-01-01

In the complex environment of JPL's flight missions with increasing dependency on advanced software designs, traditional software validation methods of simulation and testing are being stretched to adequately cover the needs of software development.

A Statistical Testing Approach for Quantifying Software Reliability; Application to an Example System

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

Chu, Tsong-Lun; Varuttamaseni, Athi; Baek, Joo-Seok

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) encourages the use of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) technology in all regulatory matters, to the extent supported by the state-of-the-art in PRA methods and data. Although much has been accomplished in the area of risk-informed regulation, risk assessment for digital systems has not been fully developed. The NRC established a plan for research on digital systems to identify and develop methods, analytical tools, and regulatory guidance for (1) including models of digital systems in the PRAs of nuclear power plants (NPPs), and (2) incorporating digital systems in the NRC's risk-informed licensing and oversight activities.more » Under NRC's sponsorship, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) explored approaches for addressing the failures of digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems in the current NPP PRA framework. Specific areas investigated included PRA modeling digital hardware, development of a philosophical basis for defining software failure, and identification of desirable attributes of quantitative software reliability methods. Based on the earlier research, statistical testing is considered a promising method for quantifying software reliability. This paper describes a statistical software testing approach for quantifying software reliability and applies it to the loop-operating control system (LOCS) of an experimental loop of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).« less

Let's Scrum! Learning Digital Media Collaboratively

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Daniel G.; Brown, Joshua; Burke, Adam A.

2013-01-01

The changing landscape of digital media and software development has immense impact on society, not only through consumer use of the products, but also in the way these technologies are developed. Modern software and media-development companies are using collaborative methods to develop innovative and useful products. Technology and engineering…

Precise Documentation: The Key to Better Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parnas, David Lorge

The prime cause of the sorry “state of the art” in software development is our failure to produce good design documentation. Poor documentation is the cause of many errors and reduces efficiency in every phase of a software product's development and use. Most software developers believe that “documentation” refers to a collection of wordy, unstructured, introductory descriptions, thousands of pages that nobody wanted to write and nobody trusts. In contrast, Engineers in more traditional disciplines think of precise blueprints, circuit diagrams, and mathematical specifications of component properties. Software developers do not know how to produce precise documents for software. Software developments also think that documentation is something written after the software has been developed. In other fields of Engineering much of the documentation is written before and during the development. It represents forethought not afterthought. Among the benefits of better documentation would be: easier reuse of old designs, better communication about requirements, more useful design reviews, easier integration of separately written modules, more effective code inspection, more effective testing, and more efficient corrections and improvements. This paper explains how to produce and use precise software documentation and illustrate the methods with several examples.

Software Process Assurance for Complex Electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plastow, Richard A.

2007-01-01

Complex Electronics (CE) now perform tasks that were previously handled in software, such as communication protocols. Many methods used to develop software bare a close resemblance to CE development. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can have over a million logic gates while system-on-chip (SOC) devices can combine a microprocessor, input and output channels, and sometimes an FPGA for programmability. With this increased intricacy, the possibility of software-like bugs such as incorrect design, logic, and unexpected interactions within the logic is great. With CE devices obscuring the hardware/software boundary, we propose that mature software methodologies may be utilized with slight modifications in the development of these devices. Software Process Assurance for Complex Electronics (SPACE) is a research project that used standardized S/W Assurance/Engineering practices to provide an assurance framework for development activities. Tools such as checklists, best practices and techniques were used to detect missing requirements and bugs earlier in the development cycle creating a development process for CE that was more easily maintained, consistent and configurable based on the device used.

The design of real time infrared image generation software based on Creator and Vega

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Rui-feng; Wu, Wei-dong; Huo, Jun-xiu

2013-09-01

Considering the requirement of high reality and real-time quality dynamic infrared image of an infrared image simulation, a method to design real-time infrared image simulation application on the platform of VC++ is proposed. This is based on visual simulation software Creator and Vega. The functions of Creator are introduced simply, and the main features of Vega developing environment are analyzed. The methods of infrared modeling and background are offered, the designing flow chart of the developing process of IR image real-time generation software and the functions of TMM Tool and MAT Tool and sensor module are explained, at the same time, the real-time of software is designed.

Systems, methods and apparatus for developing and maintaining evolving systems with software product lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G. (Inventor); Rash, James L. (Inventor); Pena, Joaquin (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which an evolutionary system is managed and viewed as a software product line. In some embodiments, the core architecture is a relatively unchanging part of the system, and each version of the system is viewed as a product from the product line. Each software product is generated from the core architecture with some agent-based additions. The result may be a multi-agent system software product line.

The SCEC Broadband Platform: Open-Source Software for Strong Ground Motion Simulation and Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goulet, C.; Silva, F.; Maechling, P. J.; Callaghan, S.; Jordan, T. H.

2015-12-01

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP) is a carefully integrated collection of open-source scientific software programs that can simulate broadband (0-100Hz) ground motions for earthquakes at regional scales. The BBP scientific software modules implement kinematic rupture generation, low and high-frequency seismogram synthesis using wave propagation through 1D layered velocity structures, seismogram ground motion amplitude calculations, and goodness of fit measurements. These modules are integrated into a software system that provides user-defined, repeatable, calculation of ground motion seismograms, using multiple alternative ground motion simulation methods, and software utilities that can generate plots, charts, and maps. The BBP has been developed over the last five years in a collaborative scientific, engineering, and software development project involving geoscientists, earthquake engineers, graduate students, and SCEC scientific software developers. The BBP can run earthquake rupture and wave propagation modeling software to simulate ground motions for well-observed historical earthquakes and to quantify how well the simulated broadband seismograms match the observed seismograms. The BBP can also run simulations for hypothetical earthquakes. In this case, users input an earthquake location and magnitude description, a list of station locations, and a 1D velocity model for the region of interest, and the BBP software then calculates ground motions for the specified stations. The SCEC BBP software released in 2015 can be compiled and run on recent Linux systems with GNU compilers. It includes 5 simulation methods, 7 simulation regions covering California, Japan, and Eastern North America, the ability to compare simulation results against GMPEs, updated ground motion simulation methods, and a simplified command line user interface.

Discovering objects in a blood recipient information system.

PubMed

Qiu, D; Junghans, G; Marquardt, K; Kroll, H; Mueller-Eckhardt, C; Dudeck, J

1995-01-01

Application of object-oriented (OO) methodologies has been generally considered as a solution to the problem of improving the software development process and managing the so-called software crisis. Among them, object-oriented analysis (OOA) is the most essential and is a vital prerequisite for the successful use of other OO methodologies. Though there are already a good deal of OOA methods published, the most important aspect common to all these methods: discovering objects classes truly relevant to the given problem domain, has remained a subject to be intensively researched. In this paper, using the successful development of a blood recipient information system as an example, we present our approach which is based on the conceptual framework of responsibility-driven OOA. In the discussion, we also suggest that it may be inadequate to simply attribute the software crisis to the waterfall model of the software development life-cycle. We are convinced that the real causes for the failure of some software and information systems should be sought in the methodologies used in some crucial phases of the software development process. Furthermore, a software system can also fail if object classes essential to the problem domain are not discovered, implemented and visualized, so that the real-world situation cannot be faithfully traced by it.

Using software metrics and software reliability models to attain acceptable quality software for flight and ground support software for avionic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Stella

1992-01-01

This paper is concerned with methods of measuring and developing quality software. Reliable flight and ground support software is a highly important factor in the successful operation of the space shuttle program. Reliability is probably the most important of the characteristics inherent in the concept of 'software quality'. It is the probability of failure free operation of a computer program for a specified time and environment.

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

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

Russel, E.

1997-11-01

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

Towards a Controlled Vocabulary on Software Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pizard, Sebastián; Vallespir, Diego

2017-01-01

Software engineering is the discipline that develops all the aspects of the production of software. Although there are guidelines about what topics to include in a software engineering curricula, it is usually unclear which are the best methods to teach them. In any science discipline the construction of a classification schema is a common…

Applications of AN OO Methodology and Case to a Daq System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bee, C. P.; Eshghi, S.; Jones, R.; Kolos, S.; Magherini, C.; Maidantchik, C.; Mapelli, L.; Mornacchi, G.; Niculescu, M.; Patel, A.; Prigent, D.; Spiwoks, R.; Soloviev, I.; Caprini, M.; Duval, P. Y.; Etienne, F.; Ferrato, D.; Le van Suu, A.; Qian, Z.; Gaponenko, I.; Merzliakov, Y.; Ambrosini, G.; Ferrari, R.; Fumagalli, G.; Polesello, G.

The RD13 project has evaluated the use of the Object Oriented Information Engineering (OOIE) method during the development of several software components connected to the DAQ system. The method is supported by a sophisticated commercial CASE tool (Object Management Workbench) and programming environment (Kappa) which covers the full life-cycle of the software including model simulation, code generation and application deployment. This paper gives an overview of the method, CASE tool, DAQ components which have been developed and we relate our experiences with the method and tool, its integration into our development environment and the spiral lifecycle it supports.

Developments at the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanDalsem, William R.; Livingston, Mary E.; Melton, John E.; Torres, Francisco J.; Stremel, Paul M.

2003-01-01

A report presents background and historical information, as of August 1998, on the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed (ADTT) at Ames Research Center. The ADTT is characterized as an activity initiated to facilitate improvements in aerospace design processes; provide a proving ground for product-development methods and computational software and hardware; develop bridging methods, software, and hardware that can facilitate integrated solutions to design problems; and disseminate lessons learned to the aerospace and information technology communities.

Agile Methods for Open Source Safety-Critical Software

PubMed Central

Enquobahrie, Andinet; Ibanez, Luis; Cheng, Patrick; Yaniv, Ziv; Cleary, Kevin; Kokoori, Shylaja; Muffih, Benjamin; Heidenreich, John

2011-01-01

The introduction of software technology in a life-dependent environment requires the development team to execute a process that ensures a high level of software reliability and correctness. Despite their popularity, agile methods are generally assumed to be inappropriate as a process family in these environments due to their lack of emphasis on documentation, traceability, and other formal techniques. Agile methods, notably Scrum, favor empirical process control, or small constant adjustments in a tight feedback loop. This paper challenges the assumption that agile methods are inappropriate for safety-critical software development. Agile methods are flexible enough to encourage the right amount of ceremony; therefore if safety-critical systems require greater emphasis on activities like formal specification and requirements management, then an agile process will include these as necessary activities. Furthermore, agile methods focus more on continuous process management and code-level quality than classic software engineering process models. We present our experiences on the image-guided surgical toolkit (IGSTK) project as a backdrop. IGSTK is an open source software project employing agile practices since 2004. We started with the assumption that a lighter process is better, focused on evolving code, and only adding process elements as the need arose. IGSTK has been adopted by teaching hospitals and research labs, and used for clinical trials. Agile methods have matured since the academic community suggested they are not suitable for safety-critical systems almost a decade ago, we present our experiences as a case study for renewing the discussion. PMID:21799545

Agile Methods for Open Source Safety-Critical Software.

PubMed

Gary, Kevin; Enquobahrie, Andinet; Ibanez, Luis; Cheng, Patrick; Yaniv, Ziv; Cleary, Kevin; Kokoori, Shylaja; Muffih, Benjamin; Heidenreich, John

2011-08-01

The introduction of software technology in a life-dependent environment requires the development team to execute a process that ensures a high level of software reliability and correctness. Despite their popularity, agile methods are generally assumed to be inappropriate as a process family in these environments due to their lack of emphasis on documentation, traceability, and other formal techniques. Agile methods, notably Scrum, favor empirical process control, or small constant adjustments in a tight feedback loop. This paper challenges the assumption that agile methods are inappropriate for safety-critical software development. Agile methods are flexible enough to encourage the rightamount of ceremony; therefore if safety-critical systems require greater emphasis on activities like formal specification and requirements management, then an agile process will include these as necessary activities. Furthermore, agile methods focus more on continuous process management and code-level quality than classic software engineering process models. We present our experiences on the image-guided surgical toolkit (IGSTK) project as a backdrop. IGSTK is an open source software project employing agile practices since 2004. We started with the assumption that a lighter process is better, focused on evolving code, and only adding process elements as the need arose. IGSTK has been adopted by teaching hospitals and research labs, and used for clinical trials. Agile methods have matured since the academic community suggested they are not suitable for safety-critical systems almost a decade ago, we present our experiences as a case study for renewing the discussion.

NSWC-NADC interactive communication links for AN/UYS-1 loadtape creation and retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greathouse, D. M.

1984-09-01

This report contains an alternative method of communication (interactive vs. remote batch) with the Naval Air Development Center for the creation and retrieval of AN/UYS-1 Advanced Signal Processor (ASP) operational software loadtapes. Operational software for the Digital Acoustic Sensor Simulator (DASS) program is developed and maintained at the Naval Air Development Center (NADC). The Facility for Automated Software Production (FASP), an NADC-resident software generation facility, provides the support tools necessary for data base creation, software development and maintenance, and loadtape generation. Once a loadtape file is generated at NADC, it must be retrieved via telephone transmission and placed in a format suitable for loading into the AN/UYS-1 Advanced Signal Processor (ASP).

Direct spectrophotometric method for analysis of food supplements containing synthetic polyhydroquinones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilevsky, A. M.; Konoplev, G. A.; Stepanova, O. S.; Toropov, D. K.; Zagorsky, A. L.

2016-04-01

A novel direct spectrophotometric method for quantitative determination of Oxiphore® drug substance (synthetic polyhydroquinone complex) in food supplements is developed. Absorption spectra of Oxiphore® water solutions in the ultraviolet region are presented. Samples preparation procedures and mathematical methods of spectra post-analytical procession are discussed. Basic characteristics of the automatic CCD-based UV spectrophotometer and special software implementing the developed method are described. The results of the trials of the developed method and software are analyzed: the error of determination for Oxiphore® concentration in water solutions of the isolated substance and singlecomponent food supplements did not exceed 15% (average error was 7…10%).

A Novel Method for Mining SaaS Software Tag via Community Detection in Software Services Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Li; Li, Bing; Pan, Wei-Feng; Peng, Tao

The number of online software services based on SaaS paradigm is increasing. However, users usually find it hard to get the exact software services they need. At present, tags are widely used to annotate specific software services and also to facilitate the searching of them. Currently these tags are arbitrary and ambiguous since mostly of them are generated manually by service developers. This paper proposes a method for mining tags from the help documents of software services. By extracting terms from the help documents and calculating the similarity between the terms, we construct a software similarity network where nodes represent software services, edges denote the similarity relationship between software services, and the weights of the edges are the similarity degrees. The hierarchical clustering algorithm is used for community detection in this software similarity network. At the final stage, tags are mined for each of the communities and stored as ontology.

Development and evaluation of a digital dental modeling method based on grating projection and reverse engineering software.

PubMed

Zhou, Qin; Wang, Zhenzhen; Chen, Jun; Song, Jun; Chen, Lu; Lu, Yi

2016-01-01

For reasons of convenience and economy, attempts have been made to transform traditional dental gypsum casts into 3-dimensional (3D) digital casts. Different scanning devices have been developed to generate digital casts; however, each has its own limitations and disadvantages. The purpose of this study was to develop an advanced method for the 3D reproduction of dental casts by using a high-speed grating projection system and noncontact reverse engineering (RE) software and to evaluate the accuracy of the method. The methods consisted of 3 main steps: the scanning and acquisition of 3D dental cast data with a high-resolution grating projection system, the reconstruction and measurement of digital casts with RE software, and the evaluation of the accuracy of this method using 20 dental gypsum casts. The common anatomic landmarks were measured directly on the gypsum casts with a Vernier caliper and on the 3D digital casts with the Geomagic software measurement tool. Data were statistically assessed with the t test. The grating projection system had a rapid scanning speed, and smooth 3D dental casts were obtained. The mean differences between the gypsum and 3D measurements were approximately 0.05 mm, and no statistically significant differences were found between the 2 methods (P>.05), except for the measurements of the incisor tooth width and maxillary arch length. A method for the 3D reconstruction of dental casts was developed by using a grating projection system and RE software. The accuracy of the casts generated using the grating projection system was comparable with that of the gypsum casts. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basic to Advanced InSAR Processing: GMTSAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandwell, D. T.; Xu, X.; Baker, S.; Hogrelius, A.; Mellors, R. J.; Tong, X.; Wei, M.; Wessel, P.

2017-12-01

Monitoring crustal deformation using InSAR is becoming a standard technique for the science and application communities. Optimal use of the new data streams from Sentinel-1 and NISAR will require open software tools as well as education on the strengths and limitations of the InSAR methods. Over the past decade we have developed freely available, open-source software for processing InSAR data. The software relies on the Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) for the back-end data analysis and display and is thus called GMTSAR. With startup funding from NSF, we accelerated the development of GMTSAR to include more satellite data sources and provide better integration and distribution with GMT. In addition, with support from UNAVCO we have offered 6 GMTSAR short courses to educate mostly novice InSAR users. Currently, the software is used by hundreds of scientists and engineers around the world to study deformation at more than 4300 different sites. The most challenging aspect of the recent software development was the transition from image alignment using the cross-correlation method to a completely new alignment algorithm that uses only the precise orbital information to geometrically align images to an accuracy of better than 7 cm. This development was needed to process a new data type that is being acquired by the Sentinel-1A/B satellites. This combination of software and open data is transforming radar interferometry from a research tool into a fully operational time series analysis tool. Over the next 5 years we are planning to continue to broaden the user base through: improved software delivery methods; code hardening; better integration with data archives; support for high level products being developed for NISAR; and continued education and outreach.

Guidance and Control Software,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

commitments of function, cost, and schedule . The phrase "software engineering" was intended to contrast with the phrase "computer science" the latter aims...the software problems of cost, delivery schedule , and quality were gradually being recognized at the highest management levels. Thus, in a project... schedule dates. Although the analysis of software problems indicated that the entire software development process (figure 1) needed new methods, only

An Investigation of Agility Issues in Scrum Teams Using Agility Indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikkarainen, Minna; Wang, Xiaofeng

Agile software development methods have emerged and become increasingly popular in recent years; yet the issues encountered by software development teams that strive to achieve agility using agile methods are yet to be explored systematically. Built upon a previous study that has established a set of indicators of agility, this study investigates what issues are manifested in software development teams using agile methods. It is focussed on Scrum teams particularly. In other words, the goal of the chapter is to evaluate Scrum teams using agility indicators and therefore to further validate previously presented agility indicators within the additional cases. A multiple case study research method is employed. The findings of the study reveal that the teams using Scrum do not necessarily achieve agility in terms of team autonomy, sharing, stability and embraced uncertainty. The possible reasons include previous organizational plan-driven culture, resistance towards the Scrum roles and changing resources.

The Generalized Support Software (GSS) Domain Engineering Process: An Object-Oriented Implementation and Reuse Success at Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Condon, Steven; Hendrick, Robert; Stark, Michael E.; Steger, Warren

1997-01-01

The Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) recently embarked on a far-reaching revision of its process for developing and maintaining satellite support software. The new process relies on an object-oriented software development method supported by a domain specific library of generalized components. This Generalized Support Software (GSS) Domain Engineering Process is currently in use at the NASA GSFC Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL). The key facets of the GSS process are (1) an architecture for rapid deployment of FDD applications, (2) a reuse asset library for FDD classes, and (3) a paradigm shift from developing software to configuring software for mission support. This paper describes the GSS architecture and process, results of fielding the first applications, lessons learned, and future directions

Formal verification of mathematical software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutherland, D.

1984-01-01

Methods are investigated for formally specifying and verifying the correctness of mathematical software (software which uses floating point numbers and arithmetic). Previous work in the field was reviewed. A new model of floating point arithmetic called the asymptotic paradigm was developed and formalized. Two different conceptual approaches to program verification, the classical Verification Condition approach and the more recently developed Programming Logic approach, were adapted to use the asymptotic paradigm. These approaches were then used to verify several programs; the programs chosen were simplified versions of actual mathematical software.

Analyzing qualitative data with computer software.

PubMed Central

Weitzman, E A

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To provide health services researchers with an overview of the qualitative data analysis process and the role of software within it; to provide a principled approach to choosing among software packages to support qualitative data analysis; to alert researchers to the potential benefits and limitations of such software; and to provide an overview of the developments to be expected in the field in the near future. DATA SOURCES, STUDY DESIGN, METHODS: This article does not include reports of empirical research. CONCLUSIONS: Software for qualitative data analysis can benefit the researcher in terms of speed, consistency, rigor, and access to analytic methods not available by hand. Software, however, is not a replacement for methodological training. PMID:10591282

A methodology for collecting valid software engineering data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.; Weiss, David M.

1983-01-01

An effective data collection method for evaluating software development methodologies and for studying the software development process is described. The method uses goal-directed data collection to evaluate methodologies with respect to the claims made for them. Such claims are used as a basis for defining the goals of the data collection, establishing a list of questions of interest to be answered by data analysis, defining a set of data categorization schemes, and designing a data collection form. The data to be collected are based on the changes made to the software during development, and are obtained when the changes are made. To insure accuracy of the data, validation is performed concurrently with software development and data collection. Validation is based on interviews with those people supplying the data. Results from using the methodology show that data validation is a necessary part of change data collection. Without it, as much as 50% of the data may be erroneous. Feasibility of the data collection methodology was demonstrated by applying it to five different projects in two different environments. The application showed that the methodology was both feasible and useful.

Introduction: Cybersecurity and Software Assurance Minitrack

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

Burns, Luanne; George, Richard; Linger, Richard C

Modern society is dependent on software systems of remarkable scope and complexity. Yet methods for assuring their security and functionality have not kept pace. The result is persistent compromises and failures despite best efforts. Cybersecurity methods must work together for situational awareness, attack prevention and detection, threat attribution, minimization of consequences, and attack recovery. Because defective software cannot be secure, assurance technologies must play a central role in cybersecurity approaches. There is increasing recognition of the need for rigorous methods for cybersecurity and software assurance. The goal of this minitrack is to develop science foundations, technologies, and practices that canmore » improve the security and dependability of complex systems.« less

Development of software for geodynamic processes monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabanov, M. M.; Kapustin, S. N.; Gordeev, V. F.; Botygin, I. A.; Tartakovsky, V. A.

2017-11-01

This article justifies the usage of natural pulsed electromagnetic Earth's noises logging method for mapping anomalies of strain-stress state of Earth's crust. The methods and technologies for gathering, processing and systematization of data gathered by ground multi-channel geophysical loggers for monitoring geomagnetic situation have been experimentally tested, and software had been developed. The data was consolidated in a network storage and can be accessed without using any specialized client software. The article proposes ways to distinguish global and regional small-scale time-space variations of Earth's natural electromagnetic field. For research purposes, the software provides a way to export data for any given period of time for any loggers and displays measurement data charts for selected set of stations.

Research on infrared small-target tracking technology under complex background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei; Wang, Xin; Chen, Jilu; Pan, Tao

2012-10-01

In this paper, some basic principles and the implementing flow charts of a series of algorithms for target tracking are described. On the foundation of above works, a moving target tracking software base on the OpenCV is developed by the software developing platform MFC. Three kinds of tracking algorithms are integrated in this software. These two tracking algorithms are Kalman Filter tracking method and Camshift tracking method. In order to explain the software clearly, the framework and the function are described in this paper. At last, the implementing processes and results are analyzed, and those algorithms for tracking targets are evaluated from the two aspects of subjective and objective. This paper is very significant in the application of the infrared target tracking technology.

ARROWSMITH-P: A prototype expert system for software engineering management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.; Ramsey, Connie Loggia

1985-01-01

Although the field of software engineering is relatively new, it can benefit from the use of expert systems. Two prototype expert systems were developed to aid in software engineering management. Given the values for certain metrics, these systems will provide interpretations which explain any abnormal patterns of these values during the development of a software project. The two systems, which solve the same problem, were built using different methods, rule-based deduction and frame-based abduction. A comparison was done to see which method was better suited to the needs of this field. It was found that both systems performed moderately well, but the rule-based deduction system using simple rules provided more complete solutions than did the frame-based abduction system.

Risk-Based Object Oriented Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, Linda H.; Stapko, Ruth; Gallo, Albert

2000-01-01

Software testing is a well-defined phase of the software development life cycle. Functional ("black box") testing and structural ("white box") testing are two methods of test case design commonly used by software developers. A lesser known testing method is risk-based testing, which takes into account the probability of failure of a portion of code as determined by its complexity. For object oriented programs, a methodology is proposed for identification of risk-prone classes. Risk-based testing is a highly effective testing technique that can be used to find and fix the most important problems as quickly as possible.

Ada Software Design Methods Formulation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

cycle organization is also appropriate for another reason. The source material for the case studies is the work of the two contractors who participated in... working version of the system exist. The integration phase takes the pieces developed and combines them into a single working system. Interfaces...hardware, developed separately from the software, is united with the software, and further testing is performed until the system is a working whole

A software tool for determination of breast cancer treatment methods using data mining approach.

PubMed

Cakır, Abdülkadir; Demirel, Burçin

2011-12-01

In this work, breast cancer treatment methods are determined using data mining. For this purpose, software is developed to help to oncology doctor for the suggestion of application of the treatment methods about breast cancer patients. 462 breast cancer patient data, obtained from Ankara Oncology Hospital, are used to determine treatment methods for new patients. This dataset is processed with Weka data mining tool. Classification algorithms are applied one by one for this dataset and results are compared to find proper treatment method. Developed software program called as "Treatment Assistant" uses different algorithms (IB1, Multilayer Perception and Decision Table) to find out which one is giving better result for each attribute to predict and by using Java Net beans interface. Treatment methods are determined for the post surgical operation of breast cancer patients using this developed software tool. At modeling step of data mining process, different Weka algorithms are used for output attributes. For hormonotherapy output IB1, for tamoxifen and radiotherapy outputs Multilayer Perceptron and for the chemotherapy output decision table algorithm shows best accuracy performance compare to each other. In conclusion, this work shows that data mining approach can be a useful tool for medical applications particularly at the treatment decision step. Data mining helps to the doctor to decide in a short time.

Improving the Agency's Software Acquisition Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hankinson, Allen

2003-01-01

External development of software has oftc n led to unsatisfactory results and great frustration for the assurE 7ce community. Contracts frequently omit critical assuranc 4 processes or the right to oversee software development activitie: At a time when NASA depends more and more on software to in plement critical system functions, combination of three factors ex; cerbate this problem: I ) the ever-increasing trend to acquire rather than develop software in-house, 2) the trend toward performance based contracts, and 3) acquisition vehicles that only state softwar 2 requirements while leaving development standards and assur! ince methodologies up to the contractor. We propose to identify specific methods at d tools that NASA projects can use to mitigate the adverse el ects of the three problems. TWO broad classes of methoddt ols will be explored. The first will be those that provide NASA p ojects with insight and oversight into contractors' activities. The st cond will be those that help projects objectively assess, and thus i nprwe, their software acquisition capability. Of particular interest is the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Software Acqt isition Capability Maturity Model (SA-CMMO).

A Comparison of Two Approaches to Safety Analysis Based on Use Cases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stålhane, Tor; Sindre, Guttorm

Engineering has a long tradition in analyzing the safety of mechanical, electrical and electronic systems. Important methods like HazOp and FMEA have also been adopted by the software engineering community. The misuse case method, on the other hand, has been developed by the software community as an alternative to FMEA and preliminary HazOp for software development. To compare the two methods misuse case and FMEA we have run a small experiment involving 42 third year software engineering students. In the experiment, the students should identify and analyze failure modes from one of the use cases for a commercial electronic patient journals system. The results of the experiment show that on the average, the group that used misuse cases identified and analyzed more user related failure modes than the persons using FMEA. In addition, the persons who used the misuse cases scored better on perceived ease of use and intention to use.

Knowledge-based system verification and validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Sally C.

1990-01-01

The objective of this task is to develop and evaluate a methodology for verification and validation (V&V) of knowledge-based systems (KBS) for space station applications with high reliability requirements. The approach consists of three interrelated tasks. The first task is to evaluate the effectiveness of various validation methods for space station applications. The second task is to recommend requirements for KBS V&V for Space Station Freedom (SSF). The third task is to recommend modifications to the SSF to support the development of KBS using effectiveness software engineering and validation techniques. To accomplish the first task, three complementary techniques will be evaluated: (1) Sensitivity Analysis (Worchester Polytechnic Institute); (2) Formal Verification of Safety Properties (SRI International); and (3) Consistency and Completeness Checking (Lockheed AI Center). During FY89 and FY90, each contractor will independently demonstrate the user of his technique on the fault detection, isolation, and reconfiguration (FDIR) KBS or the manned maneuvering unit (MMU), a rule-based system implemented in LISP. During FY91, the application of each of the techniques to other knowledge representations and KBS architectures will be addressed. After evaluation of the results of the first task and examination of Space Station Freedom V&V requirements for conventional software, a comprehensive KBS V&V methodology will be developed and documented. Development of highly reliable KBS's cannot be accomplished without effective software engineering methods. Using the results of current in-house research to develop and assess software engineering methods for KBS's as well as assessment of techniques being developed elsewhere, an effective software engineering methodology for space station KBS's will be developed, and modification of the SSF to support these tools and methods will be addressed.

HITCal: a software tool for analysis of video head impulse test responses.

PubMed

Rey-Martinez, Jorge; Batuecas-Caletrio, Angel; Matiño, Eusebi; Perez Fernandez, Nicolás

2015-09-01

The developed software (HITCal) may be a useful tool in the analysis and measurement of the saccadic video head impulse test (vHIT) responses and with the experience obtained during its use the authors suggest that HITCal is an excellent method for enhanced exploration of vHIT outputs. To develop a (software) method to analyze and explore the vHIT responses, mainly saccades. HITCal was written using a computational development program; the function to access a vHIT file was programmed; extended head impulse exploration and measurement tools were created and an automated saccade analysis was developed using an experimental algorithm. For pre-release HITCal laboratory tests, a database of head impulse tests (HITs) was created with the data collected retrospectively in three reference centers. This HITs database was evaluated by humans and was also computed with HITCal. The authors have successfully built HITCal and it has been released as open source software; the developed software was fully operative and all the proposed characteristics were incorporated in the released version. The automated saccades algorithm implemented in HITCal has good concordance with the assessment by human observers (Cohen's kappa coefficient = 0.7).

Open Architecture Standard for NASA's Software-Defined Space Telecommunications Radio Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Johnson, Sandra K.; Kacpura, Thomas J.; Hall, Charles S.; Smith, Carl R.; Liebetreu, John

2008-01-01

NASA is developing an architecture standard for software-defined radios used in space- and ground-based platforms to enable commonality among radio developments to enhance capability and services while reducing mission and programmatic risk. Transceivers (or transponders) with functionality primarily defined in software (e.g., firmware) have the ability to change their functional behavior through software alone. This radio architecture standard offers value by employing common waveform software interfaces, method of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. These common interfaces within the architecture abstract application software from the underlying hardware to enable technology insertion independently at either the software or hardware layer. This paper presents the initial Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture for NASA missions to provide the desired software abstraction and flexibility while minimizing the resources necessary to support the architecture.

Software Process Assurance for Complex Electronics (SPACE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plastow, Richard A.

2007-01-01

Complex Electronics (CE) are now programmed to perform tasks that were previously handled in software, such as communication protocols. Many of the methods used to develop software bare a close resemblance to CE development. For instance, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can have over a million logic gates while system-on-chip (SOC) devices can combine a microprocessor, input and output channels, and sometimes an FPGA for programmability. With this increased intricacy, the possibility of software-like bugs such as incorrect design, logic, and unexpected interactions within the logic is great. Since CE devices are obscuring the hardware/software boundary, we propose that mature software methodologies may be utilized with slight modifications in the development of these devices. Software Process Assurance for Complex Electronics (SPACE) is a research project that looks at using standardized S/W Assurance/Engineering practices to provide an assurance framework for development activities. Tools such as checklists, best practices and techniques can be used to detect missing requirements and bugs earlier in the development cycle creating a development process for CE that will be more easily maintained, consistent and configurable based on the device used.

Software Quality Assurance Metrics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McRae, Kalindra A.

2004-01-01

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is a planned and systematic set of activities that ensures conformance of software life cycle processes and products conform to requirements, standards and procedures. In software development, software quality means meeting requirements and a degree of excellence and refinement of a project or product. Software Quality is a set of attributes of a software product by which its quality is described and evaluated. The set of attributes includes functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability. Software Metrics help us understand the technical process that is used to develop a product. The process is measured to improve it and the product is measured to increase quality throughout the life cycle of software. Software Metrics are measurements of the quality of software. Software is measured to indicate the quality of the product, to assess the productivity of the people who produce the product, to assess the benefits derived from new software engineering methods and tools, to form a baseline for estimation, and to help justify requests for new tools or additional training. Any part of the software development can be measured. If Software Metrics are implemented in software development, it can save time, money, and allow the organization to identify the caused of defects which have the greatest effect on software development. The summer of 2004, I worked with Cynthia Calhoun and Frank Robinson in the Software Assurance/Risk Management department. My task was to research and collect, compile, and analyze SQA Metrics that have been used in other projects that are not currently being used by the SA team and report them to the Software Assurance team to see if any metrics can be implemented in their software assurance life cycle process.

Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review

PubMed Central

Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M.

2014-01-01

Context Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. Objective This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. Method We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. Results We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Conclusions Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques. PMID:25125798

Formal Analysis of the Remote Agent Before and After Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Havelund, Klaus; Lowry, Mike; Park, SeungJoon; Pecheur, Charles; Penix, John; Visser, Willem; White, Jon L.

2000-01-01

This paper describes two separate efforts that used the SPIN model checker to verify deep space autonomy flight software. The first effort occurred at the beginning of a spiral development process and found five concurrency errors early in the design cycle that the developers acknowledge would not have been found through testing. This effort required a substantial manual modeling effort involving both abstraction and translation from the prototype LISP code to the PROMELA language used by SPIN. This experience and others led to research to address the gap between formal method tools and the development cycle used by software developers. The Java PathFinder tool which directly translates from Java to PROMELA was developed as part of this research, as well as automatic abstraction tools. In 1999 the flight software flew on a space mission, and a deadlock occurred in a sibling subsystem to the one which was the focus of the first verification effort. A second quick-response "cleanroom" verification effort found the concurrency error in a short amount of time. The error was isomorphic to one of the concurrency errors found during the first verification effort. The paper demonstrates that formal methods tools can find concurrency errors that indeed lead to loss of spacecraft functions, even for the complex software required for autonomy. Second, it describes progress in automatic translation and abstraction that eventually will enable formal methods tools to be inserted directly into the aerospace software development cycle.

Standardized development of computer software. Part 1: Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tausworthe, R. C.

1976-01-01

This work is a two-volume set on standards for modern software engineering methodology. This volume presents a tutorial and practical guide to the efficient development of reliable computer software, a unified and coordinated discipline for design, coding, testing, documentation, and project organization and management. The aim of the monograph is to provide formal disciplines for increasing the probability of securing software that is characterized by high degrees of initial correctness, readability, and maintainability, and to promote practices which aid in the consistent and orderly development of a total software system within schedule and budgetary constraints. These disciplines are set forth as a set of rules to be applied during software development to drastically reduce the time traditionally spent in debugging, to increase documentation quality, to foster understandability among those who must come in contact with it, and to facilitate operations and alterations of the program as requirements on the program environment change.

Vehicle management and mission planning systems with shuttle applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A preliminary definition of a concept for an automated system is presented that will support the effective management and planning of space shuttle operations. It is called the Vehicle Management and Mission Planning System (VMMPS). In addition to defining the system and its functions, some of the software requirements of the system are identified and a phased and evolutionary method is recommended for software design, development, and implementation. The concept is composed of eight software subsystems supervised by an executive system. These subsystems are mission design and analysis, flight scheduler, launch operations, vehicle operations, payload support operations, crew support, information management, and flight operations support. In addition to presenting the proposed system, a discussion of the evolutionary software development philosophy that the Mission Planning and Analysis Division (MPAD) would propose to use in developing the required supporting software is included. A preliminary software development schedule is also included.

A component-based software environment for visualizing large macromolecular assemblies.

PubMed

Sanner, Michel F

2005-03-01

The interactive visualization of large biological assemblies poses a number of challenging problems, including the development of multiresolution representations and new interaction methods for navigating and analyzing these complex systems. An additional challenge is the development of flexible software environments that will facilitate the integration and interoperation of computational models and techniques from a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In this paper, we present a component-based software development strategy centered on the high-level, object-oriented, interpretive programming language: Python. We present several software components, discuss their integration, and describe some of their features that are relevant to the visualization of large molecular assemblies. Several examples are given to illustrate the interoperation of these software components and the integration of structural data from a variety of experimental sources. These examples illustrate how combining visual programming with component-based software development facilitates the rapid prototyping of novel visualization tools.

Section 508 Electronic Information Accessibility Requirements for Software Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, Rebecca

2014-01-01

Section 508 Subpart B 1194.21 outlines requirements for operating system and software development in order to create a product that is accessible to users with various disabilities. This portion of Section 508 contains a variety of standards to enable those using assistive technology and with visual, hearing, cognitive and motor difficulties to access all information provided in software. The focus on requirements was limited to the Microsoft Windows® operating system as it is the predominant operating system used at this center. Compliance with this portion of the requirements can be obtained by integrating the requirements into the software development cycle early and by remediating issues in legacy software if possible. There are certain circumstances with software that may arise necessitating an exemption from these requirements, such as design or engineering software using dynamically changing graphics or numbers to convey information. These exceptions can be discussed with the Section 508 Coordinator and another method of accommodation used.

The development and application of composite complexity models and a relative complexity metric in a software maintenance environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hops, J. M.; Sherif, J. S.

1994-01-01

A great deal of effort is now being devoted to the study, analysis, prediction, and minimization of software maintenance expected cost, long before software is delivered to users or customers. It has been estimated that, on the average, the effort spent on software maintenance is as costly as the effort spent on all other software costs. Software design methods should be the starting point to aid in alleviating the problems of software maintenance complexity and high costs. Two aspects of maintenance deserve attention: (1) protocols for locating and rectifying defects, and for ensuring that noe new defects are introduced in the development phase of the software process; and (2) protocols for modification, enhancement, and upgrading. This article focuses primarily on the second aspect, the development of protocols to help increase the quality and reduce the costs associated with modifications, enhancements, and upgrades of existing software. This study developed parsimonious models and a relative complexity metric for complexity measurement of software that were used to rank the modules in the system relative to one another. Some success was achieved in using the models and the relative metric to identify maintenance-prone modules.

Verification of Decision-Analytic Models for Health Economic Evaluations: An Overview.

PubMed

Dasbach, Erik J; Elbasha, Elamin H

2017-07-01

Decision-analytic models for cost-effectiveness analysis are developed in a variety of software packages where the accuracy of the computer code is seldom verified. Although modeling guidelines recommend using state-of-the-art quality assurance and control methods for software engineering to verify models, the fields of pharmacoeconomics and health technology assessment (HTA) have yet to establish and adopt guidance on how to verify health and economic models. The objective of this paper is to introduce to our field the variety of methods the software engineering field uses to verify that software performs as expected. We identify how many of these methods can be incorporated in the development process of decision-analytic models in order to reduce errors and increase transparency. Given the breadth of methods used in software engineering, we recommend a more in-depth initiative to be undertaken (e.g., by an ISPOR-SMDM Task Force) to define the best practices for model verification in our field and to accelerate adoption. Establishing a general guidance for verifying models will benefit the pharmacoeconomics and HTA communities by increasing accuracy of computer programming, transparency, accessibility, sharing, understandability, and trust of models.

Bridging the Qualitative/Quantitative Software Divide

PubMed Central

Annechino, Rachelle; Antin, Tamar M. J.; Lee, Juliet P.

2011-01-01

To compare and combine qualitative and quantitative data collected from respondents in a mixed methods study, the research team developed a relational database to merge survey responses stored and analyzed in SPSS and semistructured interview responses stored and analyzed in the qualitative software package ATLAS.ti. The process of developing the database, as well as practical considerations for researchers who may wish to use similar methods, are explored. PMID:22003318

Evaluation of Visualization Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Globus, Al; Uselton, Sam

1995-01-01

Visualization software is widely used in scientific and engineering research. But computed visualizations can be very misleading, and the errors are easy to miss. We feel that the software producing the visualizations must be thoroughly evaluated and the evaluation process as well as the results must be made available. Testing and evaluation of visualization software is not a trivial problem. Several methods used in testing other software are helpful, but these methods are (apparently) often not used. When they are used, the description and results are generally not available to the end user. Additional evaluation methods specific to visualization must also be developed. We present several useful approaches to evaluation, ranging from numerical analysis of mathematical portions of algorithms to measurement of human performance while using visualization systems. Along with this brief survey, we present arguments for the importance of evaluations and discussions of appropriate use of some methods.

An overview of 3D software visualization.

PubMed

Teyseyre, Alfredo R; Campo, Marcelo R

2009-01-01

Software visualization studies techniques and methods for graphically representing different aspects of software. Its main goal is to enhance, simplify and clarify the mental representation a software engineer has of a computer system. During many years, visualization in 2D space has been actively studied, but in the last decade, researchers have begun to explore new 3D representations for visualizing software. In this article, we present an overview of current research in the area, describing several major aspects like: visual representations, interaction issues, evaluation methods and development tools. We also perform a survey of some representative tools to support different tasks, i.e., software maintenance and comprehension, requirements validation and algorithm animation for educational purposes, among others. Finally, we conclude identifying future research directions.

From Bridges and Rockets, Lessons for Software Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael

2004-01-01

Although differences exist between building software systems and building physical structures such as bridges and rockets, enough similarities exist that software engineers can learn lessons from failures in traditional engineering disciplines. This paper draws lessons from two well-known failures the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 and the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and applies these lessons to software system development. The following specific applications are made: (1) the verification and validation of a software system should not be based on a single method, or a single style of methods; (2) the tendency to embrace the latest fad should be overcome; and (3) the introduction of software control into safety-critical systems should be done cautiously.

Automated real-time software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Denise R.; Walker, Carrie K.; Turkovich, John J.

1993-01-01

A Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) system has been developed at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (CSDL) under the direction of the NASA Langley Research Center. The CSDL CASE tool provides an automated method of generating source code and hard copy documentation from functional application engineering specifications. The goal is to significantly reduce the cost of developing and maintaining real-time scientific and engineering software while increasing system reliability. This paper describes CSDL CASE and discusses demonstrations that used the tool to automatically generate real-time application code.

Software development for airborne radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundstrom, Ingvar G.

Some aspects for development of software in a modern multimode airborne nose radar are described. First, an overview of where software is used in the radar units is presented. The development phases-system design, functional design, detailed design, function verification, and system verification-are then used as the starting point for the discussion. Methods, tools, and the most important documents are described. The importance of video flight recording in the early stages and use of a digital signal generators for performance verification is emphasized. Some future trends are discussed.

The software-cycle model for re-engineering and reuse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, John W.; Basili, Victor R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on the progress of a study which will contribute to our ability to perform high-level, component-based programming by describing means to obtain useful components, methods for the configuration and integration of those components, and an underlying economic model of the costs and benefits associated with this approach to reuse. One goal of the study is to develop and demonstrate methods to recover reusable components from domain-specific software through a combination of tools, to perform the identification, extraction, and re-engineering of components, and domain experts, to direct the applications of those tools. A second goal of the study is to enable the reuse of those components by identifying techniques for configuring and recombining the re-engineered software. This component-recovery or software-cycle model addresses not only the selection and re-engineering of components, but also their recombination into new programs. Once a model of reuse activities has been developed, the quantification of the costs and benefits of various reuse options will enable the development of an adaptable economic model of reuse, which is the principal goal of the overall study. This paper reports on the conception of the software-cycle model and on several supporting techniques of software recovery, measurement, and reuse which will lead to the development of the desired economic model.

Does Whole-Word Multimedia Software Support Literacy Acquisition?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karemaker, Arjette M.; Pitchford, Nicola J.; O'Malley, Claire

2010-01-01

This study examined the extent to which multimedia features of typical literacy learning software provide added benefits for developing literacy skills compared with typical whole-class teaching methods. The effectiveness of the multimedia software Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) for Clicker in supporting early literacy acquisition was investigated…

Open Source Software and the Intellectual Commons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorman, David

2002-01-01

Discusses the Open Source Software method of software development and its relationship to control over information content. Topics include digital library resources; reference services; preservation; the legal and economic status of information; technical standards; access to digital data; control of information use; and copyright and patent laws.…

Computer Software for Intelligent Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenat, Douglas B.

1984-01-01

Discusses the development and nature of computer software for intelligent systems, indicating that the key to intelligent problem-solving lies in reducing the random search for solutions. Formal reasoning methods, expert systems, and sources of power in problem-solving are among the areas considered. Specific examples of such software are…

Center for Efficient Exascale Discretizations Software Suite

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

Kolev, Tzanio; Dobrev, Veselin; Tomov, Vladimir

The CEED Software suite is a collection of generally applicable software tools focusing on the following computational motives: PDE discretizations on unstructured meshes, high-order finite element and spectral element methods and unstructured adaptive mesh refinement. All of this software is being developed as part of CEED, a co-design Center for Efficient Exascale Discretizations, within DOE's Exascale Computing Project (ECP) program.

Software Effort Estimation Accuracy: A Comparative Study of Estimations Based on Software Sizing and Development Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lafferty, Mark T.

2010-01-01

The number of project failures and those projects completed over cost and over schedule has been a significant issue for software project managers. Among the many reasons for failure, inaccuracy in software estimation--the basis for project bidding, budgeting, planning, and probability estimates--has been identified as a root cause of a high…

Scrum-Based Learning Environment: Fostering Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linden, Tanya

2018-01-01

Academics teaching software development courses are experimenting with teaching methods aiming to improve students' learning experience and learning outcomes. Since Agile software development is gaining popularity in industry due to positive effects on managing projects, academics implement similar Agile approaches in student-centered learning…

Radiation and scattering from printed antennas on cylindrically conformal platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kempel, Leo C.; Volakis, John L.; Bindiganavale, Sunil

1994-01-01

The goal was to develop suitable methods and software for the analysis of antennas on cylindrical coated and uncoated platforms. Specifically, the finite element boundary integral and finite element ABC methods were employed successfully and associated software were developed for the analysis and design of wraparound and discrete cavity-backed arrays situated on cylindrical platforms. This work led to the successful implementation of analysis software for such antennas. Developments which played a role in this respect are the efficient implementation of the 3D Green's function for a metallic cylinder, the incorporation of the fast Fourier transform in computing the matrix-vector products executed in the solver of the finite element-boundary integral system, and the development of a new absorbing boundary condition for terminating the finite element mesh on cylindrical surfaces.

Software Reuse Methods to Improve Technological Infrastructure for e-Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, James J.; Downs, Robert R.; Mattmann, Chris A.

2011-01-01

Social computing has the potential to contribute to scientific research. Ongoing developments in information and communications technology improve capabilities for enabling scientific research, including research fostered by social computing capabilities. The recent emergence of e-Science practices has demonstrated the benefits from improvements in the technological infrastructure, or cyber-infrastructure, that has been developed to support science. Cloud computing is one example of this e-Science trend. Our own work in the area of software reuse offers methods that can be used to improve new technological development, including cloud computing capabilities, to support scientific research practices. In this paper, we focus on software reuse and its potential to contribute to the development and evaluation of information systems and related services designed to support new capabilities for conducting scientific research.

Development of a software package for solid-angle calculations using the Monte Carlo method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Chen, Xiulian; Zhang, Changsheng; Li, Gang; Xu, Jiayun; Sun, Guangai

2014-02-01

Solid-angle calculations play an important role in the absolute calibration of radioactivity measurement systems and in the determination of the activity of radioactive sources, which are often complicated. In the present paper, a software package is developed to provide a convenient tool for solid-angle calculations in nuclear physics. The proposed software calculates solid angles using the Monte Carlo method, in which a new type of variance reduction technique was integrated. The package, developed under the environment of Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) in Microsoft Visual C++, has a graphical user interface, in which, the visualization function is integrated in conjunction with OpenGL. One advantage of the proposed software package is that it can calculate the solid angle subtended by a detector with different geometric shapes (e.g., cylinder, square prism, regular triangular prism or regular hexagonal prism) to a point, circular or cylindrical source without any difficulty. The results obtained from the proposed software package were compared with those obtained from previous studies and calculated using Geant4. It shows that the proposed software package can produce accurate solid-angle values with a greater computation speed than Geant4.

Ground-Based Correction of Remote-Sensing Spectral Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alder-Golden, Steven M.; Rochford, Peter; Matthew, Michael; Berk, Alexander

2007-01-01

Software has been developed for an improved method of correcting for the atmospheric optical effects (primarily, effects of aerosols and water vapor) in spectral images of the surface of the Earth acquired by airborne and spaceborne remote-sensing instruments. In this method, the variables needed for the corrections are extracted from the readings of a radiometer located on the ground in the vicinity of the scene of interest. The software includes algorithms that analyze measurement data acquired from a shadow-band radiometer. These algorithms are based on a prior radiation transport software model, called MODTRAN, that has been developed through several versions up to what are now known as MODTRAN4 and MODTRAN5 . These components have been integrated with a user-friendly Interactive Data Language (IDL) front end and an advanced version of MODTRAN4. Software tools for handling general data formats, performing a Langley-type calibration, and generating an output file of retrieved atmospheric parameters for use in another atmospheric-correction computer program known as FLAASH have also been incorporated into the present soft-ware. Concomitantly with the soft-ware described thus far, there has been developed a version of FLAASH that utilizes the retrieved atmospheric parameters to process spectral image data.

Measuring the Impact of Agile Coaching on Students' Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez, Guillermo; Soria, Álvaro; Campo, Marcelo

2016-01-01

Nowadays, considerable attention is paid to agile methods as a means to improve management of software development processes. The widespread use of such methods in professional contexts has encouraged their integration into software engineering training and undergraduate courses. Although several research efforts have focused on teaching Scrum…

FORMED: Bringing Formal Methods to the Engineering Desktop

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

integrates formal verification into software design and development by precisely defining semantics for a restricted subset of the Unified Modeling...input-output contract satisfaction and absence of null pointer dereferences. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Formal Methods, Software Verification , Model-Based...Domain specific languages (DSLs) drive both implementation and formal verification

The Design of Software for Three-Phase Induction Motor Test System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haixiang, Xu; Fengqi, Wu; Jiai, Xue

2017-11-01

The design and development of control system software is important to three-phase induction motor test equipment, which needs to be completely familiar with the test process and the control procedure of test equipment. In this paper, the software is developed according to the national standard (GB/T1032-2005) about three-phase induction motor test method by VB language. The control system and data analysis software and the implement about motor test system are described individually, which has the advantages of high automation and high accuracy.

The Role of Computers in Research and Development at Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieseman, Carol D. (Compiler)

1994-01-01

This document is a compilation of presentations given at a workshop on the role cf computers in research and development at the Langley Research Center. The objectives of the workshop were to inform the Langley Research Center community of the current software systems and software practices in use at Langley. The workshop was organized in 10 sessions: Software Engineering; Software Engineering Standards, methods, and CASE tools; Solutions of Equations; Automatic Differentiation; Mosaic and the World Wide Web; Graphics and Image Processing; System Design Integration; CAE Tools; Languages; and Advanced Topics.

Applications of Formal Methods to Specification and Safety of Avionics Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, D. N.; Guaspari, David; Humenn, Polar

1996-01-01

This report treats several topics in applications of formal methods to avionics software development. Most of these topics concern decision tables, an orderly, easy-to-understand format for formally specifying complex choices among alternative courses of action. The topics relating to decision tables include: generalizations fo decision tables that are more concise and support the use of decision tables in a refinement-based formal software development process; a formalism for systems of decision tables with behaviors; an exposition of Parnas tables for users of decision tables; and test coverage criteria and decision tables. We outline features of a revised version of ORA's decision table tool, Tablewise, which will support many of the new ideas described in this report. We also survey formal safety analysis of specifications and software.

Formal methods and digital systems validation for airborne systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushby, John

1993-01-01

This report has been prepared to supplement a forthcoming chapter on formal methods in the FAA Digital Systems Validation Handbook. Its purpose is as follows: to outline the technical basis for formal methods in computer science; to explain the use of formal methods in the specification and verification of software and hardware requirements, designs, and implementations; to identify the benefits, weaknesses, and difficulties in applying these methods to digital systems used on board aircraft; and to suggest factors for consideration when formal methods are offered in support of certification. These latter factors assume the context for software development and assurance described in RTCA document DO-178B, 'Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification,' Dec. 1992.

Assessing ergonomic risks of software: Development of the SEAT.

PubMed

Peres, S Camille; Mehta, Ranjana K; Ritchey, Paul

2017-03-01

Software utilizing interaction designs that require extensive dragging or clicking of icons may increase users' risks for upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders. The purpose of this research is to develop a Self-report Ergonomic Assessment Tool (SEAT) for assessing the risks of software interaction designs and facilitate mitigation of those risks. A 28-item self-report measure was developed by combining and modifying items from existing industrial ergonomic tools. Data were collected from 166 participants after they completed four different tasks that varied by method of input (touch or keyboard and mouse) and type of task (selecting or typing). Principal component analysis found distinct factors associated with stress (i.e., demands) and strain (i.e., response). Repeated measures analyses of variance showed that participants could discriminate the different strain induced by the input methods and tasks. However, participants' ability to discriminate between the stressors associated with that strain was mixed. Further validation of the SEAT is necessary but these results indicate that the SEAT may be a viable method of assessing ergonomics risks presented by software design. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation into the development of computer aided design software for space based sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pender, C. W.; Clark, W. L.

1987-01-01

The described effort is phase one of the development of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to be used to perform radiometric sensor design. The software package will be referred to as SCAD and is directed toward the preliminary phase of the design of space based sensor system. The approach being followed is to develop a modern, graphic intensive, user friendly software package using existing software as building blocks. The emphasis will be directed toward the development of a shell containing menus, smart defaults, and interfaces, which can accommodate a wide variety of existing application software packages. The shell will offer expected utilities such as graphics, tailored menus, and a variety of drivers for I/O devices. Following the development of the shell, the development of SCAD is planned as chiefly selection and integration of appropriate building blocks. The phase one development activities have included: the selection of hardware which will be used with SCAD; the determination of the scope of SCAD; the preliminary evaluation of a number of software packages for applicability to SCAD; determination of a method for achieving required capabilities where voids exist; and then establishing a strategy for binding the software modules into an easy to use tool kit.

Quality measures and assurance for AI (Artificial Intelligence) software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushby, John

1988-01-01

This report is concerned with the application of software quality and evaluation measures to AI software and, more broadly, with the question of quality assurance for AI software. Considered are not only the metrics that attempt to measure some aspect of software quality, but also the methodologies and techniques (such as systematic testing) that attempt to improve some dimension of quality, without necessarily quantifying the extent of the improvement. The report is divided into three parts Part 1 reviews existing software quality measures, i.e., those that have been developed for, and applied to, conventional software. Part 2 considers the characteristics of AI software, the applicability and potential utility of measures and techniques identified in the first part, and reviews those few methods developed specifically for AI software. Part 3 presents an assessment and recommendations for the further exploration of this important area.

Development of Advanced Verification and Validation Procedures and Tools for the Certification of Learning Systems in Aerospace Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacklin, Stephen; Schumann, Johann; Gupta, Pramod; Richard, Michael; Guenther, Kurt; Soares, Fola

2005-01-01

Adaptive control technologies that incorporate learning algorithms have been proposed to enable automatic flight control and vehicle recovery, autonomous flight, and to maintain vehicle performance in the face of unknown, changing, or poorly defined operating environments. In order for adaptive control systems to be used in safety-critical aerospace applications, they must be proven to be highly safe and reliable. Rigorous methods for adaptive software verification and validation must be developed to ensure that control system software failures will not occur. Of central importance in this regard is the need to establish reliable methods that guarantee convergent learning, rapid convergence (learning) rate, and algorithm stability. This paper presents the major problems of adaptive control systems that use learning to improve performance. The paper then presents the major procedures and tools presently developed or currently being developed to enable the verification, validation, and ultimate certification of these adaptive control systems. These technologies include the application of automated program analysis methods, techniques to improve the learning process, analytical methods to verify stability, methods to automatically synthesize code, simulation and test methods, and tools to provide on-line software assurance.

QGene 4.0, an extensible Java QTL-analysis platform.

PubMed

Joehanes, Roby; Nelson, James C

2008-12-01

Of many statistical methods developed to date for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, only a limited subset are available in public software allowing their exploration, comparison and practical application by researchers. We have developed QGene 4.0, a plug-in platform that allows execution and comparison of a variety of modern QTL-mapping methods and supports third-party addition of new ones. The software accommodates line-cross mating designs consisting of any arbitrary sequence of selfing, backcrossing, intercrossing and haploid-doubling steps that includes map, population, and trait simulators; and is scriptable. Software and documentation are available at http://coding.plantpath.ksu.edu/qgene. Source code is available on request.

[Development and practice evaluation of blood acid-base imbalance analysis software].

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Huang, Haiying; Zhou, Qiang; Peng, Shan; Jia, Hongyu; Ji, Tianxing

2014-11-01

To develop a blood gas, acid-base imbalance analysis computer software to diagnose systematically, rapidly, accurately and automatically determine acid-base imbalance type, and evaluate the clinical application. Using VBA programming language, a computer aided diagnostic software for the judgment of acid-base balance was developed. The clinical data of 220 patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The arterial blood gas [pH value, HCO(3)(-), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂)] and electrolytes included data (Na⁺ and Cl⁻) were collected. Data were entered into the software for acid-base imbalances judgment. At the same time the data generation was calculated manually by H-H compensation formula for determining the type of acid-base imbalance. The consistency of judgment results from software and manual calculation was evaluated, and the judgment time of two methods was compared. The clinical diagnosis of the types of acid-base imbalance for the 220 patients: 65 cases were normal, 90 cases with simple type, mixed type in 41 cases, and triplex type in 24 cases. The accuracy of the judgment results of the normal and triplex types from computer software compared with which were calculated manually was 100%, the accuracy of the simple type judgment was 98.9% and 78.0% for the mixed type, and the total accuracy was 95.5%. The Kappa value of judgment result from software and manual judgment was 0.935, P=0.000. It was demonstrated that the consistency was very good. The time for software to determine acid-base imbalances was significantly shorter than the manual judgment (seconds:18.14 ± 3.80 vs. 43.79 ± 23.86, t=7.466, P=0.000), so the method of software was much faster than the manual method. Software judgment can replace manual judgment with the characteristics of rapid, accurate and convenient, can improve work efficiency and quality of clinical doctors and has great clinical application promotion value.

Communal Resources in Open Source Software Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spaeth, Sebastian; Haefliger, Stefan; von Krogh, Georg; Renzl, Birgit

2008-01-01

Introduction: Virtual communities play an important role in innovation. The paper focuses on the particular form of collective action in virtual communities underlying as Open Source software development projects. Method: Building on resource mobilization theory and private-collective innovation, we propose a theory of collective action in…

Mending the Gap, An Effort to Aid the Transfer of Formal Methods Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayhurst, Kelly

2009-01-01

Formal methods can be applied to many of the development and verification activities required for civil avionics software. RTCA/DO-178B, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification, gives a brief description of using formal methods as an alternate method of compliance with the objectives of that standard. Despite this, the avionics industry at large has been hesitant to adopt formal methods, with few developers have actually used formal methods for certification credit. Why is this so, given the volume of evidence of the benefits of formal methods? This presentation will explore some of the challenges to using formal methods in a certification context and describe the effort by the Formal Methods Subgroup of RTCA SC-205/EUROCAE WG-71 to develop guidance to make the use of formal methods a recognized approach.

Methodology of functionality selection for water management software and examples of its application.

PubMed

Vasilyev, K N

2013-01-01

When developing new software products and adapting existing software, project leaders have to decide which functionalities to keep, adapt or develop. They have to consider that the cost of making errors during the specification phase is extremely high. In this paper a formalised approach is proposed that considers the main criteria for selecting new software functions. The application of this approach minimises the chances of making errors in selecting the functions to apply. Based on the work on software development and support projects in the area of water resources and flood damage evaluation in economic terms at CH2M HILL (the developers of the flood modelling package ISIS), the author has defined seven criteria for selecting functions to be included in a software product. The approach is based on the evaluation of the relative significance of the functions to be included into the software product. Evaluation is achieved by considering each criterion and the weighting coefficients of each criterion in turn and applying the method of normalisation. This paper includes a description of this new approach and examples of its application in the development of new software products in the are of the water resources management.

Impacts of software and its engineering on the carbon footprint of ICT

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

Kern, Eva, E-mail: e.kern@umwelt-campus.de; Dick, Markus, E-mail: sustainablesoftwareblog@gmail.com; Naumann, Stefan, E-mail: s.naumann@umwelt-campus.de

2015-04-15

The energy consumption of information and communication technology (ICT) is still increasing. Even though several solutions regarding the hardware side of Green IT exist, the software contribution to Green IT is not well investigated. The carbon footprint is one way to rate the environmental impacts of ICT. In order to get an impression of the induced CO{sub 2} emissions of software, we will present a calculation method for the carbon footprint of a software product over its life cycle. We also offer an approach on how to integrate some aspects of carbon footprint calculation into software development processes and discussmore » impacts and tools regarding this calculation method. We thus show the relevance of energy measurements and the attention to impacts on the carbon footprint by software within Green Software Engineering.« less

An overview of the mathematical and statistical analysis component of RICIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallum, Cecil R.

1987-01-01

Mathematical and statistical analysis components of RICIS (Research Institute for Computing and Information Systems) can be used in the following problem areas: (1) quantification and measurement of software reliability; (2) assessment of changes in software reliability over time (reliability growth); (3) analysis of software-failure data; and (4) decision logic for whether to continue or stop testing software. Other areas of interest to NASA/JSC where mathematical and statistical analysis can be successfully employed include: math modeling of physical systems, simulation, statistical data reduction, evaluation methods, optimization, algorithm development, and mathematical methods in signal processing.

Software Development in the Water Sciences: a view from the divide (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, B.; Band, L. E.

2013-12-01

While training in statistical methods is an important part of many earth scientists' training, these scientists often learn the bulk of their software development skills in an ad hoc, just-in-time manner. Yet to carry out contemporary research scientists are spending more and more time developing software. Here I present perspectives - as an earth sciences graduate student with professional software engineering experience - on the challenges scientists face adopting software engineering practices, with an emphasis on areas of the science software development lifecycle that could benefit most from improved engineering. This work builds on experience gained as part of the NSF-funded Water Science Software Institute (WSSI) conceptualization award (NSF Award # 1216817). Throughout 2013, the WSSI team held a series of software scoping and development sprints with the goals of: (1) adding features to better model green infrastructure within the Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys); and (2) infusing test-driven agile software development practices into the processes employed by the RHESSys team. The goal of efforts such as the WSSI is to ensure that investments by current and future scientists in software engineering training will enable transformative science by improving both scientific reproducibility and researcher productivity. Experience with the WSSI indicates: (1) the potential for achieving this goal; and (2) while scientists are willing to adopt some software engineering practices, transformative science will require continued collaboration between domain scientists and cyberinfrastructure experts for the foreseeable future.

A Mechanized Decision Support System for Academic Scheduling.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-03-01

an operational system called software. The first step in the development phase is Design . Designers destribute software control by factoring the Data...SUBJECT TERMS (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) ELD GROUP SUB-GROUP Scheduling, Decision Support System , Software Design ...scheduling system . It will also examine software - design techniques to identify the most appropriate method- ology for this problem. " - Chapter 3 will

Software engineering and automatic continuous verification of scientific software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2011-12-01

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

Real Time Network Monitoring and Reporting System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massengale, Ricky L., Sr.

2009-01-01

With the ability of modern system developers to develop intelligent programs that allows machines to learn, modify and evolve themselves, current trends of reactionary methods to detect and eradicate malicious software code from infected machines is proving to be too costly. Addressing malicious software after an attack is the current methodology…

Closing the Certification Gaps in Adaptive Flight Control Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacklin, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

Over the last five decades, extensive research has been performed to design and develop adaptive control systems for aerospace systems and other applications where the capability to change controller behavior at different operating conditions is highly desirable. Although adaptive flight control has been partially implemented through the use of gain-scheduled control, truly adaptive control systems using learning algorithms and on-line system identification methods have not seen commercial deployment. The reason is that the certification process for adaptive flight control software for use in national air space has not yet been decided. The purpose of this paper is to examine the gaps between the state-of-the-art methodologies used to certify conventional (i.e., non-adaptive) flight control system software and what will likely to be needed to satisfy FAA airworthiness requirements. These gaps include the lack of a certification plan or process guide, the need to develop verification and validation tools and methodologies to analyze adaptive controller stability and convergence, as well as the development of metrics to evaluate adaptive controller performance at off-nominal flight conditions. This paper presents the major certification gap areas, a description of the current state of the verification methodologies, and what further research efforts will likely be needed to close the gaps remaining in current certification practices. It is envisioned that closing the gap will require certain advances in simulation methods, comprehensive methods to determine learning algorithm stability and convergence rates, the development of performance metrics for adaptive controllers, the application of formal software assurance methods, the application of on-line software monitoring tools for adaptive controller health assessment, and the development of a certification case for adaptive system safety of flight.

Implementing a modeling software for animated protein-complex interactions using a physics simulation library.

PubMed

Ueno, Yutaka; Ito, Shuntaro; Konagaya, Akihiko

2014-12-01

To better understand the behaviors and structural dynamics of proteins within a cell, novel software tools are being developed that can create molecular animations based on the findings of structural biology. This study proposes our method developed based on our prototypes to detect collisions and examine the soft-body dynamics of molecular models. The code was implemented with a software development toolkit for rigid-body dynamics simulation and a three-dimensional graphics library. The essential functions of the target software system included the basic molecular modeling environment, collision detection in the molecular models, and physical simulations of the movement of the model. Taking advantage of recent software technologies such as physics simulation modules and interpreted scripting language, the functions required for accurate and meaningful molecular animation were implemented efficiently.

Mapping CMMI Level 2 to Scrum Practices: An Experience Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, Jessica; Garbajosa, Juan; Calvo-Manzano, Jose A.

CMMI has been adopted advantageously in large companies for improvements in software quality, budget fulfilling, and customer satisfaction. However SPI strategies based on CMMI-DEV require heavy software development processes and large investments in terms of cost and time that medium/small companies do not deal with. The so-called light software development processes, such as Agile Software Development (ASD), deal with these challenges. ASD welcomes changing requirements and stresses the importance of adaptive planning, simplicity and continuous delivery of valuable software by short time-framed iterations. ASD is becoming convenient in a more and more global, and changing software market. It would be greatly useful to be able to introduce agile methods such as Scrum in compliance with CMMI process model. This paper intends to increase the understanding of the relationship between ASD and CMMI-DEV reporting empirical results that confirm theoretical comparisons between ASD practices and CMMI level2.

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan

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

Smith, Curtis L.; Choi, Yong-Joon; Zou, Ling

This INL plan comprehensively describes the software for RELAP-7 and documents the software, interface, and software design requirements for the application. The plan also describes the testing-based software verification and validation (SV&V) process—a set of specially designed software models used to test RELAP-7. The RELAP-7 (Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program) code is a nuclear reactor system safety analysis code being developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The code is based on the INL’s modern scientific software development framework – MOOSE (Multi-Physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment). The overall design goal of RELAP-7 is to take advantage of the previous thirty yearsmore » of advancements in computer architecture, software design, numerical integration methods, and physical models. The end result will be a reactor systems analysis capability that retains and improves upon RELAP5’s capability and extends the analysis capability for all reactor system simulation scenarios.« less

Scalable collaborative risk management technology for complex critical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Scott; Torgerson, Leigh; Burleigh, Scott; Feather, Martin S.; Kiper, James D.

2004-01-01

We describe here our project and plans to develop methods, software tools, and infrastructure tools to address challenges relating to geographically distributed software development. Specifically, this work is creating an infrastructure that supports applications working over distributed geographical and organizational domains and is using this infrastructure to develop a tool that supports project development using risk management and analysis techniques where the participants are not collocated.

Annotated Bibliography of Computer Software for Teaching Early Reading and Spelling. Project RIMES 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhein, Deborah; Alibrandi, Mary; Lyons, Mary; Sammons, Janice; Doyle, Luther

This bibliography, developed by Project RIMES (Reading Instructional Methods of Efficacy with Students) lists 80 software packages for teaching early reading and spelling to students at risk for reading and spelling failure. The software packages are presented alphabetically by title. Entries usually include a grade level indicator, a brief…

The mathematical statement for the solving of the problem of N-version software system design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalev, I. V.; Kovalev, D. I.; Zelenkov, P. V.; Voroshilova, A. A.

2015-10-01

The N-version programming, as a methodology of the fault-tolerant software systems design, allows successful solving of the mentioned tasks. The use of N-version programming approach turns out to be effective, since the system is constructed out of several parallel executed versions of some software module. Those versions are written to meet the same specification but by different programmers. The problem of developing an optimal structure of N-version software system presents a kind of very complex optimization problem. This causes the use of deterministic optimization methods inappropriate for solving the stated problem. In this view, exploiting heuristic strategies looks more rational. In the field of pseudo-Boolean optimization theory, the so called method of varied probabilities (MVP) has been developed to solve problems with a large dimensionality.

Automated software development workstation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Engineering software development was automated using an expert system (rule-based) approach. The use of this technology offers benefits not available from current software development and maintenance methodologies. A workstation was built with a library or program data base with methods for browsing the designs stored; a system for graphical specification of designs including a capability for hierarchical refinement and definition in a graphical design system; and an automated code generation capability in FORTRAN. The workstation was then used in a demonstration with examples from an attitude control subsystem design for the space station. Documentation and recommendations are presented.

Bioconductor: open software development for computational biology and bioinformatics

PubMed Central

Gentleman, Robert C; Carey, Vincent J; Bates, Douglas M; Bolstad, Ben; Dettling, Marcel; Dudoit, Sandrine; Ellis, Byron; Gautier, Laurent; Ge, Yongchao; Gentry, Jeff; Hornik, Kurt; Hothorn, Torsten; Huber, Wolfgang; Iacus, Stefano; Irizarry, Rafael; Leisch, Friedrich; Li, Cheng; Maechler, Martin; Rossini, Anthony J; Sawitzki, Gunther; Smith, Colin; Smyth, Gordon; Tierney, Luke; Yang, Jean YH; Zhang, Jianhua

2004-01-01

The Bioconductor project is an initiative for the collaborative creation of extensible software for computational biology and bioinformatics. The goals of the project include: fostering collaborative development and widespread use of innovative software, reducing barriers to entry into interdisciplinary scientific research, and promoting the achievement of remote reproducibility of research results. We describe details of our aims and methods, identify current challenges, compare Bioconductor to other open bioinformatics projects, and provide working examples. PMID:15461798

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

De Carlo, Francesco; Gürsoy, Doğa; Ching, Daniel J.

There is a widening gap between the fast advancement of computational methods for tomographic reconstruction and their successful implementation in production software at various synchrotron facilities. This is due in part to the lack of readily available instrument datasets and phantoms representative of real materials for validation and comparison of new numerical methods. Recent advancements in detector technology made sub-second and multi-energy tomographic data collection possible [1], but also increased the demand to develop new reconstruction methods able to handle in-situ [2] and dynamic systems [3] that can be quickly incorporated in beamline production software [4]. The X-ray Tomography Datamore » Bank, tomoBank, provides a repository of experimental and simulated datasets with the aim to foster collaboration among computational scientists, beamline scientists, and experimentalists and to accelerate the development and implementation of tomographic reconstruction methods for synchrotron facility production software by providing easy access to challenging dataset and their descriptors.« less

Knowledge-based reusable software synthesis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donaldson, Cammie

1989-01-01

The Eli system, a knowledge-based reusable software synthesis system, is being developed for NASA Langley under a Phase 2 SBIR contract. Named after Eli Whitney, the inventor of interchangeable parts, Eli assists engineers of large-scale software systems in reusing components while they are composing their software specifications or designs. Eli will identify reuse potential, search for components, select component variants, and synthesize components into the developer's specifications. The Eli project began as a Phase 1 SBIR to define a reusable software synthesis methodology that integrates reusabilityinto the top-down development process and to develop an approach for an expert system to promote and accomplish reuse. The objectives of the Eli Phase 2 work are to integrate advanced technologies to automate the development of reusable components within the context of large system developments, to integrate with user development methodologies without significant changes in method or learning of special languages, and to make reuse the easiest operation to perform. Eli will try to address a number of reuse problems including developing software with reusable components, managing reusable components, identifying reusable components, and transitioning reuse technology. Eli is both a library facility for classifying, storing, and retrieving reusable components and a design environment that emphasizes, encourages, and supports reuse.

Test-driven programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiev, Bozhidar; Georgieva, Adriana

2013-12-01

In this paper, are presented some possibilities concerning the implementation of a test-driven development as a programming method. Here is offered a different point of view for creation of advanced programming techniques (build tests before programming source with all necessary software tools and modules respectively). Therefore, this nontraditional approach for easier programmer's work through building tests at first is preferable way of software development. This approach allows comparatively simple programming (applied with different object-oriented programming languages as for example JAVA, XML, PYTHON etc.). It is predictable way to develop software tools and to provide help about creating better software that is also easier to maintain. Test-driven programming is able to replace more complicated casual paradigms, used by many programmers.

Software selection based on analysis and forecasting methods, practised in 1C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vazhdaev, A. N.; Chernysheva, T. Y.; Lisacheva, E. I.

2015-09-01

The research focuses on the problem of a “1C: Enterprise 8” platform inboard mechanisms for data analysis and forecasting. It is important to evaluate and select proper software to develop effective strategies for customer relationship management in terms of sales, as well as implementation and further maintenance of software. Research data allows creating new forecast models to schedule further software distribution.

Adapting iterative algorithms for solving large sparse linear systems for efficient use on the CDC CYBER 205

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kincaid, D. R.; Young, D. M.

1984-01-01

Adapting and designing mathematical software to achieve optimum performance on the CYBER 205 is discussed. Comments and observations are made in light of recent work done on modifying the ITPACK software package and on writing new software for vector supercomputers. The goal was to develop very efficient vector algorithms and software for solving large sparse linear systems using iterative methods.

The advanced software development workstation project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fridge, Ernest M., III; Pitman, Charles L.

1991-01-01

The Advanced Software Development Workstation (ASDW) task is researching and developing the technologies required to support Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) with the emphasis on those advanced methods, tools, and processes that will be of benefit to support all NASA programs. Immediate goals are to provide research and prototype tools that will increase productivity, in the near term, in projects such as the Software Support Environment (SSE), the Space Station Control Center (SSCC), and the Flight Analysis and Design System (FADS) which will be used to support the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom. Goals also include providing technology for development, evolution, maintenance, and operations. The technologies under research and development in the ASDW project are targeted to provide productivity enhancements during the software life cycle phase of enterprise and information system modeling, requirements generation and analysis, system design and coding, and system use and maintenance. On-line user's guides will assist users in operating the developed information system with knowledge base expert assistance.

Progressive retry for software error recovery in distributed systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yi-Min; Huang, Yennun; Fuchs, W. K.

1993-01-01

In this paper, we describe a method of execution retry for bypassing software errors based on checkpointing, rollback, message reordering and replaying. We demonstrate how rollback techniques, previously developed for transient hardware failure recovery, can also be used to recover from software faults by exploiting message reordering to bypass software errors. Our approach intentionally increases the degree of nondeterminism and the scope of rollback when a previous retry fails. Examples from our experience with telecommunications software systems illustrate the benefits of the scheme.

Automated Routines for Calculating Whole-Stream Metabolism: Theoretical Background and User's Guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bales, Jerad D.; Nardi, Mark R.

2007-01-01

In order to standardize methods and facilitate rapid calculation and archival of stream-metabolism variables, the Stream Metabolism Program was developed to calculate gross primary production, net ecosystem production, respiration, and selected other variables from continuous measurements of dissolved-oxygen concentration, water temperature, and other user-supplied information. Methods for calculating metabolism from continuous measurements of dissolved-oxygen concentration and water temperature are fairly well known, but a standard set of procedures and computation software for all aspects of the calculations were not available previously. The Stream Metabolism Program addresses this deficiency with a stand-alone executable computer program written in Visual Basic.NET?, which runs in the Microsoft Windows? environment. All equations and assumptions used in the development of the software are documented in this report. Detailed guidance on application of the software is presented, along with a summary of the data required to use the software. Data from either a single station or paired (upstream, downstream) stations can be used with the software to calculate metabolism variables.

Protein evolution analysis of S-hydroxynitrile lyase by complete sequence design utilizing the INTMSAlign software.

PubMed

Nakano, Shogo; Asano, Yasuhisa

2015-02-03

Development of software and methods for design of complete sequences of functional proteins could contribute to studies of protein engineering and protein evolution. To this end, we developed the INTMSAlign software, and used it to design functional proteins and evaluate their usefulness. The software could assign both consensus and correlation residues of target proteins. We generated three protein sequences with S-selective hydroxynitrile lyase (S-HNL) activity, which we call designed S-HNLs; these proteins folded as efficiently as the native S-HNL. Sequence and biochemical analysis of the designed S-HNLs suggested that accumulation of neutral mutations occurs during the process of S-HNLs evolution from a low-activity form to a high-activity (native) form. Taken together, our results demonstrate that our software and the associated methods could be applied not only to design of complete sequences, but also to predictions of protein evolution, especially within families such as esterases and S-HNLs.

Protein evolution analysis of S-hydroxynitrile lyase by complete sequence design utilizing the INTMSAlign software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, Shogo; Asano, Yasuhisa

2015-02-01

Development of software and methods for design of complete sequences of functional proteins could contribute to studies of protein engineering and protein evolution. To this end, we developed the INTMSAlign software, and used it to design functional proteins and evaluate their usefulness. The software could assign both consensus and correlation residues of target proteins. We generated three protein sequences with S-selective hydroxynitrile lyase (S-HNL) activity, which we call designed S-HNLs; these proteins folded as efficiently as the native S-HNL. Sequence and biochemical analysis of the designed S-HNLs suggested that accumulation of neutral mutations occurs during the process of S-HNLs evolution from a low-activity form to a high-activity (native) form. Taken together, our results demonstrate that our software and the associated methods could be applied not only to design of complete sequences, but also to predictions of protein evolution, especially within families such as esterases and S-HNLs.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Alternative: Free, Accessible CBID Software.

PubMed

Bott, Marjorie; Karanevich, Alex G; Garrard, Lili; Price, Larry R; Mudaranthakam, Dinesh Pal; Gajewski, Byron

2018-02-01

New software that performs Classical and Bayesian Instrument Development (CBID) is reported that seamlessly integrates expert (content validity) and participant data (construct validity) to produce entire reliability estimates with smaller sample requirements. The free CBID software can be accessed through a website and used by clinical investigators in new instrument development. Demonstrations are presented of the three approaches using the CBID software: (a) traditional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), (b) Bayesian CFA using flat uninformative prior, and (c) Bayesian CFA using content expert data (informative prior). Outcomes of usability testing demonstrate the need to make the user-friendly, free CBID software available to interdisciplinary researchers. CBID has the potential to be a new and expeditious method for instrument development, adding to our current measurement toolbox. This allows for the development of new instruments for measuring determinants of health in smaller diverse populations or populations of rare diseases.

Study of fault tolerant software technology for dynamic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caglayan, A. K.; Zacharias, G. L.

1985-01-01

The major aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using systems-based failure detection isolation and compensation (FDIC) techniques in building fault-tolerant software and extending them, whenever possible, to the domain of software fault tolerance. First, it is shown that systems-based FDIC methods can be extended to develop software error detection techniques by using system models for software modules. In particular, it is demonstrated that systems-based FDIC techniques can yield consistency checks that are easier to implement than acceptance tests based on software specifications. Next, it is shown that systems-based failure compensation techniques can be generalized to the domain of software fault tolerance in developing software error recovery procedures. Finally, the feasibility of using fault-tolerant software in flight software is investigated. In particular, possible system and version instabilities, and functional performance degradation that may occur in N-Version programming applications to flight software are illustrated. Finally, a comparative analysis of N-Version and recovery block techniques in the context of generic blocks in flight software is presented.

Calculating the Mean Amplitude of Glycemic Excursions from Continuous Glucose Data Using an Open-Code Programmable Algorithm Based on the Integer Nonlinear Method.

PubMed

Yu, Xuefei; Lin, Liangzhuo; Shen, Jie; Chen, Zhi; Jian, Jun; Li, Bin; Xin, Sherman Xuegang

2018-01-01

The mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) is an essential index for glycemic variability assessment, which is treated as a key reference for blood glucose controlling at clinic. However, the traditional "ruler and pencil" manual method for the calculation of MAGE is time-consuming and prone to error due to the huge data size, making the development of robust computer-aided program an urgent requirement. Although several software products are available instead of manual calculation, poor agreement among them is reported. Therefore, more studies are required in this field. In this paper, we developed a mathematical algorithm based on integer nonlinear programming. Following the proposed mathematical method, an open-code computer program named MAGECAA v1.0 was developed and validated. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the developed program was robust compared to the manual method. The agreement among the developed program and currently available popular software is satisfied, indicating that the worry about the disagreement among different software products is not necessary. The open-code programmable algorithm is an extra resource for those peers who are interested in the related study on methodology in the future.

A software technology evaluation program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Novaes-Card, David N.

1985-01-01

A set of quantitative approaches is presented for evaluating software development methods and tools. The basic idea is to generate a set of goals which are refined into quantifiable questions which specify metrics to be collected on the software development and maintenance process and product. These metrics can be used to characterize, evaluate, predict, and motivate. They can be used in an active as well as passive way by learning form analyzing the data and improving the methods and tools based upon what is learned from that analysis. Several examples were given representing each of the different approaches to evaluation. The cost of the approaches varied inversely with the level of confidence in the interpretation of the results.

Service-oriented Software Defined Optical Networks for Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuze; Li, Hui; Ji, Yuefeng

2017-10-01

With the development of big data and cloud computing technology, the traditional software-defined network is facing new challenges (e.g., ubiquitous accessibility, higher bandwidth, more flexible management and greater security). This paper proposes a new service-oriented software defined optical network architecture, including a resource layer, a service abstract layer, a control layer and an application layer. We then dwell on the corresponding service providing method. Different service ID is used to identify the service a device can offer. Finally, we experimentally evaluate that proposed service providing method can be applied to transmit different services based on the service ID in the service-oriented software defined optical network.

TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMON SOFTWARE APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (API) FOR UNCERTAINTY, SENSITIVITY, AND PARAMETER ESTIMATION METHODS AND TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

The final session of the workshop considered the subject of software technology and how it might be better constructed to support those who develop, evaluate, and apply multimedia environmental models. Two invited presentations were featured along with an extended open discussio...

An instructional guide for leaf color analysis using digital imaging software

Treesearch

Paula F. Murakami; Michelle R. Turner; Abby K. van den Berg; Paul G. Schaberg

2005-01-01

Digital color analysis has become an increasingly popular and cost-effective method utilized by resource managers and scientists for evaluating foliar nutrition and health in response to environmental stresses. We developed and tested a new method of digital image analysis that uses Scion Image or NIH image public domain software to quantify leaf color. This...

Integrated design optimization research and development in an industrial environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, V.; German, Marjorie D.; Lee, S.-J.

1989-04-01

An overview is given of a design optimization project that is in progress at the GE Research and Development Center for the past few years. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology and a software system for design automation and optimization of structural/mechanical components and systems. The effort focuses on research and development issues and also on optimization applications that can be related to real-life industrial design problems. The overall technical approach is based on integration of numerical optimization techniques, finite element methods, CAE and software engineering, and artificial intelligence/expert systems (AI/ES) concepts. The role of each of these engineering technologies in the development of a unified design methodology is illustrated. A software system DESIGN-OPT has been developed for both size and shape optimization of structural components subjected to static as well as dynamic loadings. By integrating this software with an automatic mesh generator, a geometric modeler and an attribute specification computer code, a software module SHAPE-OPT has been developed for shape optimization. Details of these software packages together with their applications to some 2- and 3-dimensional design problems are described.

Integrated design optimization research and development in an industrial environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, V.; German, Marjorie D.; Lee, S.-J.

1989-01-01

An overview is given of a design optimization project that is in progress at the GE Research and Development Center for the past few years. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology and a software system for design automation and optimization of structural/mechanical components and systems. The effort focuses on research and development issues and also on optimization applications that can be related to real-life industrial design problems. The overall technical approach is based on integration of numerical optimization techniques, finite element methods, CAE and software engineering, and artificial intelligence/expert systems (AI/ES) concepts. The role of each of these engineering technologies in the development of a unified design methodology is illustrated. A software system DESIGN-OPT has been developed for both size and shape optimization of structural components subjected to static as well as dynamic loadings. By integrating this software with an automatic mesh generator, a geometric modeler and an attribute specification computer code, a software module SHAPE-OPT has been developed for shape optimization. Details of these software packages together with their applications to some 2- and 3-dimensional design problems are described.

Ada developers' supplement to the recommended approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kester, Rush; Landis, Linda

1993-01-01

This document is a collection of guidelines for programmers and managers who are responsible for the development of flight dynamics applications in Ada. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the Recommended Approach to Software Development (SEL-81-305), which describes the software development life cycle, its products, reviews, methods, tools, and measures. The Ada Developers' Supplement provides additional detail on such topics as reuse, object-oriented analysis, and object-oriented design.

Cost-Sensitive Radial Basis Function Neural Network Classifier for Software Defect Prediction

PubMed Central

Venkatesan, R.

2016-01-01

Effective prediction of software modules, those that are prone to defects, will enable software developers to achieve efficient allocation of resources and to concentrate on quality assurance activities. The process of software development life cycle basically includes design, analysis, implementation, testing, and release phases. Generally, software testing is a critical task in the software development process wherein it is to save time and budget by detecting defects at the earliest and deliver a product without defects to the customers. This testing phase should be carefully operated in an effective manner to release a defect-free (bug-free) software product to the customers. In order to improve the software testing process, fault prediction methods identify the software parts that are more noted to be defect-prone. This paper proposes a prediction approach based on conventional radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and the novel adaptive dimensional biogeography based optimization (ADBBO) model. The developed ADBBO based RBFNN model is tested with five publicly available datasets from the NASA data program repository. The computed results prove the effectiveness of the proposed ADBBO-RBFNN classifier approach with respect to the considered metrics in comparison with that of the early predictors available in the literature for the same datasets. PMID:27738649

Cost-Sensitive Radial Basis Function Neural Network Classifier for Software Defect Prediction.

PubMed

Kumudha, P; Venkatesan, R

Effective prediction of software modules, those that are prone to defects, will enable software developers to achieve efficient allocation of resources and to concentrate on quality assurance activities. The process of software development life cycle basically includes design, analysis, implementation, testing, and release phases. Generally, software testing is a critical task in the software development process wherein it is to save time and budget by detecting defects at the earliest and deliver a product without defects to the customers. This testing phase should be carefully operated in an effective manner to release a defect-free (bug-free) software product to the customers. In order to improve the software testing process, fault prediction methods identify the software parts that are more noted to be defect-prone. This paper proposes a prediction approach based on conventional radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and the novel adaptive dimensional biogeography based optimization (ADBBO) model. The developed ADBBO based RBFNN model is tested with five publicly available datasets from the NASA data program repository. The computed results prove the effectiveness of the proposed ADBBO-RBFNN classifier approach with respect to the considered metrics in comparison with that of the early predictors available in the literature for the same datasets.

Computational Methods for Identification, Optimization and Control of PDE Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-30

focused on the development of numerical methods and software specifically for the purpose of solving control, design, and optimization prob- lems where...that provide the foundations of simulation software must play an important role in any research of this type, the demands placed on numerical methods...y sus Aplicaciones , Ciudad de Cor- doba - Argentina, October 2007. 3. Inverse Problems in Deployable Space Structures, Fourth Conference on Inverse

Digital Cephalometric Tracings by PRO-CEPH V3 Software for Comparative Analyses of Vertical Dimension in Edentulous Patients

PubMed Central

Chittaranjan, B.; Kumar, B. Arun; Taruna, M.; Kumar, M. Pavan; Reddy, M. Ramu

2015-01-01

Background Several methods, some physiological, some radiographical and some merely based on experience are taken upon by the practitioner to get him/her close to VDO in the edentulous patients. No single method can however claim to be the perfect answer. Lateral cephalograms have been a standard mode of determining the vertical dimensions in dentate and edentulous patients since the past. Due to unavoidable manual errors, there are chances of variations in the radiographic method too. Advancement in the digital technology has made recording jaw relations faster, simpler and more precise. Aim This study compared the vertical dimension of occlusion in edentulous patients recorded by using three different physiological methods with the aid of digital cephalometric tracings using indigenously developed PRO-CEPH V3 software. Materials and Methods For the present study a total of 50 dentulous and 25 edentulous patients were selected through inclusion and exclusion criteria. A lateral cephalometric radiograph was taken for all the 50 dentulous subjects at Maximum Intercuspation (VDO) whereas three lateral cephalometric radiographs were obtained for all edentulous patients at the VDO following three different techniques- the Niswonger’s method, Phonetics method and Swallowing threshold method. Cephalometric tracings were carried out using indigenously developed PRO-CEPH V3 software. Linear and angular measurement were made and analysed. Conclusion The indigenously developed software PRO-CEPH V3 is capable of making both the linear and angular measurement and therefore provide with relative credibility information regarding the possible VDO in the edentulous patients through cephalometric radiography. PMID:26155550

Are Future Teachers Methodically Trained to Distinguish Good from Bad Educational Software?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pjanic, Karmelita; Hamzabegovic, Jasna

2016-01-01

In the era of information technology and general digitization of society, invasion of every kind of software is evident. No matter how laudable is the existence and development of educational software, taking into account its role, its quality and whether it achieves the desired goal is very important. In addition to programming experts it is…

A Virtual World of Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In 1990, Sterling Software, Inc., developed the Flow Analysis Software Toolkit (FAST) for NASA Ames on contract. FAST is a workstation based modular analysis and visualization tool. It is used to visualize and animate grids and grid oriented data, typically generated by finite difference, finite element and other analytical methods. FAST is now available through COSMIC, NASA's software storehouse.

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.

PD5: a general purpose library for primer design software.

PubMed

Riley, Michael C; Aubrey, Wayne; Young, Michael; Clare, Amanda

2013-01-01

Complex PCR applications for large genome-scale projects require fast, reliable and often highly sophisticated primer design software applications. Presently, such applications use pipelining methods to utilise many third party applications and this involves file parsing, interfacing and data conversion, which is slow and prone to error. A fully integrated suite of software tools for primer design would considerably improve the development time, the processing speed, and the reliability of bespoke primer design software applications. The PD5 software library is an open-source collection of classes and utilities, providing a complete collection of software building blocks for primer design and analysis. It is written in object-oriented C(++) with an emphasis on classes suitable for efficient and rapid development of bespoke primer design programs. The modular design of the software library simplifies the development of specific applications and also integration with existing third party software where necessary. We demonstrate several applications created using this software library that have already proved to be effective, but we view the project as a dynamic environment for building primer design software and it is open for future development by the bioinformatics community. Therefore, the PD5 software library is published under the terms of the GNU General Public License, which guarantee access to source-code and allow redistribution and modification. The PD5 software library is downloadable from Google Code and the accompanying Wiki includes instructions and examples: http://code.google.com/p/primer-design.

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.

Development of automation software for neutron activation analysis process in Malaysian nuclear agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yussup, N.; Rahman, N. A. A.; Ibrahim, M. M.; Mokhtar, M.; Salim, N. A. A.; Soh@Shaari, S. C.; Azman, A.

2017-01-01

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) process has been established in Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia) since 1980s. Most of the procedures established especially from sample registration to sample analysis are performed manually. These manual procedures carried out by the NAA laboratory personnel are time consuming and inefficient. Hence, a software to support the system automation is developed to provide an effective method to replace redundant manual data entries and produce faster sample analysis and calculation process. This paper describes the design and development of automation software for NAA process which consists of three sub-programs. The sub-programs are sample registration, hardware control and data acquisition; and sample analysis. The data flow and connection between the sub-programs will be explained. The software is developed by using National Instrument LabView development package.

Development of N-version software samples for an experiment in software fault tolerance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauterbach, L.

1987-01-01

The report documents the task planning and software development phases of an effort to obtain twenty versions of code independently designed and developed from a common specification. These versions were created for use in future experiments in software fault tolerance, in continuation of the experimental series underway at the Systems Validation Methods Branch (SVMB) at NASA Langley Research Center. The 20 versions were developed under controlled conditions at four U.S. universities, by 20 teams of two researchers each. The versions process raw data from a modified Redundant Strapped Down Inertial Measurement Unit (RSDIMU). The specifications, and over 200 questions submitted by the developers concerning the specifications, are included as appendices to this report. Design documents, and design and code walkthrough reports for each version, were also obtained in this task for use in future studies.

Developing a Cyberinfrastructure for integrated assessments of environmental contaminants.

PubMed

Kaur, Taranjit; Singh, Jatinder; Goodale, Wing M; Kramar, David; Nelson, Peter

2005-03-01

The objective of this study was to design and implement prototype software for capturing field data and automating the process for reporting and analyzing the distribution of mercury. The four phase process used to design, develop, deploy and evaluate the prototype software is described. Two different development strategies were used: (1) design of a mobile data collection application intended to capture field data in a meaningful format and automate transfer into user databases, followed by (2) a re-engineering of the original software to develop an integrated database environment with improved methods for aggregating and sharing data. Results demonstrated that innovative use of commercially available hardware and software components can lead to the development of an end-to-end digital cyberinfrastructure that captures, records, stores, transmits, compiles and integrates multi-source data as it relates to mercury.

[The primary research and development of software oversampling mapping system for electrocardiogram].

PubMed

Zhou, Yu; Ren, Jie

2011-04-01

We put forward a new concept of software oversampling mapping system for electrocardiogram (ECG) to assist the research of the ECG inverse problem to improve the generality of mapping system and the quality of mapping signals. We then developed a conceptual system based on the traditional ECG detecting circuit, Labview and DAQ card produced by National Instruments, and at the same time combined the newly-developed oversampling method into the system. The results indicated that the system could map ECG signals accurately and the quality of the signals was good. The improvement of hardware and enhancement of software made the system suitable for mapping in different situations. So the primary development of the software for oversampling mapping system was successful and further research and development can make the system a powerful tool for researching ECG inverse problem.

Developing Learning Tool of Control System Engineering Using Matrix Laboratory Software Oriented on Industrial Needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isnur Haryudo, Subuh; Imam Agung, Achmad; Firmansyah, Rifqi

2018-04-01

The purpose of this research is to develop learning media of control technique using Matrix Laboratory software with industry requirement approach. Learning media serves as a tool for creating a better and effective teaching and learning situation because it can accelerate the learning process in order to enhance the quality of learning. Control Techniques using Matrix Laboratory software can enlarge the interest and attention of students, with real experience and can grow independent attitude. This research design refers to the use of research and development (R & D) methods that have been modified by multi-disciplinary team-based researchers. This research used Computer based learning method consisting of computer and Matrix Laboratory software which was integrated with props. Matrix Laboratory has the ability to visualize the theory and analysis of the Control System which is an integration of computing, visualization and programming which is easy to use. The result of this instructional media development is to use mathematical equations using Matrix Laboratory software on control system application with DC motor plant and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative). Considering that manufacturing in the field of Distributed Control systems (DCSs), Programmable Controllers (PLCs), and Microcontrollers (MCUs) use PID systems in production processes are widely used in industry.

Software and hardware complex for research and management of the separation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisov, A. P.

2018-01-01

The article is devoted to the development of a program for studying the operation of an asynchronous electric drive using vector-algorithmic switching of windings, as well as the development of a hardware-software complex for controlling parameters and controlling the speed of rotation of an asynchronous electric drive for investigating the operation of a cyclone. To study the operation of an asynchronous electric drive, a method was used in which the average value of flux linkage is found and a method for vector-algorithmic calculation of the power and electromagnetic moment of an asynchronous electric drive feeding from a single-phase network is developed, with vector-algorithmic commutation, and software for calculating parameters. The software part of the complex allows to regulate the speed of rotation of the motor by vector-algorithmic switching of transistors or, using pulse-width modulation (PWM), set any engine speed. Also sensors are connected to the hardware-software complex at the inlet and outlet of the cyclone. The developed cyclone with an inserted complex allows to receive high efficiency of product separation at various entrance speeds. At an inlet air speed of 18 m / s, the cyclone’s maximum efficiency is achieved. For this, it is necessary to provide the rotational speed of an asynchronous electric drive with a frequency of 45 Hz.

Closing the loop on improvement: Packaging experience in the Software Engineering Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waligora, Sharon R.; Landis, Linda C.; Doland, Jerry T.

1994-01-01

As part of its award-winning software process improvement program, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) has developed an effective method for packaging organizational best practices based on real project experience into useful handbooks and training courses. This paper shares the SEL's experience over the past 12 years creating and updating software process handbooks and training courses. It provides cost models and guidelines for successful experience packaging derived from SEL experience.

The SCEC Broadband Platform: Open-Source Software for Strong Ground Motion Simulation and Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, F.; Goulet, C. A.; Maechling, P. J.; Callaghan, S.; Jordan, T. H.

2016-12-01

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP) is a carefully integrated collection of open-source scientific software programs that can simulate broadband (0-100 Hz) ground motions for earthquakes at regional scales. The BBP can run earthquake rupture and wave propagation modeling software to simulate ground motions for well-observed historical earthquakes and to quantify how well the simulated broadband seismograms match the observed seismograms. The BBP can also run simulations for hypothetical earthquakes. In this case, users input an earthquake location and magnitude description, a list of station locations, and a 1D velocity model for the region of interest, and the BBP software then calculates ground motions for the specified stations. The BBP scientific software modules implement kinematic rupture generation, low- and high-frequency seismogram synthesis using wave propagation through 1D layered velocity structures, several ground motion intensity measure calculations, and various ground motion goodness-of-fit tools. These modules are integrated into a software system that provides user-defined, repeatable, calculation of ground-motion seismograms, using multiple alternative ground motion simulation methods, and software utilities to generate tables, plots, and maps. The BBP has been developed over the last five years in a collaborative project involving geoscientists, earthquake engineers, graduate students, and SCEC scientific software developers. The SCEC BBP software released in 2016 can be compiled and run on recent Linux and Mac OS X systems with GNU compilers. It includes five simulation methods, seven simulation regions covering California, Japan, and Eastern North America, and the ability to compare simulation results against empirical ground motion models (aka GMPEs). The latest version includes updated ground motion simulation methods, a suite of new validation metrics and a simplified command line user interface.

Expert system verification and validation study. Delivery 3A and 3B: Trip summaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

French, Scott

1991-01-01

Key results are documented from attending the 4th workshop on verification, validation, and testing. The most interesting part of the workshop was when representatives from the U.S., Japan, and Europe presented surveys of VV&T within their respective regions. Another interesting part focused on current efforts to define industry standards for artificial intelligence and how that might affect approaches to VV&T of expert systems. The next part of the workshop focused on VV&T methods of applying mathematical techniques to verification of rule bases and techniques for capturing information relating to the process of developing software. The final part focused on software tools. A summary is also presented of the EPRI conference on 'Methodologies, Tools, and Standards for Cost Effective Reliable Software Verification and Validation. The conference was divided into discussion sessions on the following issues: development process, automated tools, software reliability, methods, standards, and cost/benefit considerations.

Teaching and assessment of mathematical principles for software correctness using a reasoning concept inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drachova-Strang, Svetlana V.

As computing becomes ubiquitous, software correctness has a fundamental role in ensuring the safety and security of the systems we build. To design and develop software correctly according to their formal contracts, CS students, the future software practitioners, need to learn a critical set of skills that are necessary and sufficient for reasoning about software correctness. This dissertation presents a systematic approach to both introducing these reasoning skills into the curriculum, and assessing how well the students have learned them. Specifically, it introduces a comprehensive Reasoning Concept Inventory (RCI) that captures the fine details of basic reasoning skills that are ideally learned across the undergraduate curriculum to reason about software correctness, to develop high quality software, and to understand why software works as specified. The RCI forms the basis for developing learning outcomes that help educators to assess the adequacy of current techniques and pinpoint necessary improvements. This dissertation contains results from experimentation and assessment over the past few years in multiple CS courses. The results show that the finer principles of mathematical reasoning of software correctness can be taught effectively and continuously improved with the help of the RCI using suitable teaching practices, and supporting methods and tools.

Validation and Verification of LADEE Models and Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gundy-Burlet, Karen

2013-01-01

The Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission will orbit the moon in order to measure the density, composition and time variability of the lunar dust environment. The ground-side and onboard flight software for the mission is being developed using a Model-Based Software methodology. In this technique, models of the spacecraft and flight software are developed in a graphical dynamics modeling package. Flight Software requirements are prototyped and refined using the simulated models. After the model is shown to work as desired in this simulation framework, C-code software is automatically generated from the models. The generated software is then tested in real time Processor-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop test beds. Travelling Road Show test beds were used for early integration tests with payloads and other subsystems. Traditional techniques for verifying computational sciences models are used to characterize the spacecraft simulation. A lightweight set of formal methods analysis, static analysis, formal inspection and code coverage analyses are utilized to further reduce defects in the onboard flight software artifacts. These techniques are applied early and often in the development process, iteratively increasing the capabilities of the software and the fidelity of the vehicle models and test beds.

Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture Standard. Release 1.02.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.; Kacpura, Thomas J.; Handler, Louis M.; Hall, C. Steve; Mortensen, Dale J.; Johnson, Sandra K.; Briones, Janette C.; Nappier, Jennifer M.; Downey, Joseph A.; Lux, James P.

2012-01-01

This document contains the NASA architecture standard for software defined radios used in space- and ground-based platforms to enable commonality among radio developments to enhance capability and services while reducing mission and programmatic risk. Transceivers (or transponders) with functionality primarily defined in software (e.g., firmware) have the ability to change their functional behavior through software alone. This radio architecture standard offers value by employing common waveform software interfaces, method of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. These common interfaces within the architecture abstract application software from the underlying hardware to enable technology insertion independently at either the software or hardware layer.

Leveraging Existing Mission Tools in a Re-Usable, Component-Based Software Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Kevin; Grenander, Sven; Kurien, James; z,s (fshir. z[orttr); z,scer; O'Reilly, Taifun

2006-01-01

Emerging methods in component-based software development offer significant advantages but may seem incompatible with existing mission operations applications. In this paper we relate our positive experiences integrating existing mission applications into component-based tools we are delivering to three missions. In most operations environments, a number of software applications have been integrated together to form the mission operations software. In contrast, with component-based software development chunks of related functionality and data structures, referred to as components, can be individually delivered, integrated and re-used. With the advent of powerful tools for managing component-based development, complex software systems can potentially see significant benefits in ease of integration, testability and reusability from these techniques. These benefits motivate us to ask how component-based development techniques can be relevant in a mission operations environment, where there is significant investment in software tools that are not component-based and may not be written in languages for which component-based tools even exist. Trusted and complex software tools for sequencing, validation, navigation, and other vital functions cannot simply be re-written or abandoned in order to gain the advantages offered by emerging component-based software techniques. Thus some middle ground must be found. We have faced exactly this issue, and have found several solutions. Ensemble is an open platform for development, integration, and deployment of mission operations software that we are developing. Ensemble itself is an extension of an open source, component-based software development platform called Eclipse. Due to the advantages of component-based development, we have been able to vary rapidly develop mission operations tools for three surface missions by mixing and matching from a common set of mission operation components. We have also had to determine how to integrate existing mission applications for sequence development, sequence validation, and high level activity planning, and other functions into a component-based environment. For each of these, we used a somewhat different technique based upon the structure and usage of the existing application.

Software development to support decision making in the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents1

PubMed Central

Silva, Kenya de Lima; Évora, Yolanda Dora Martinez; Cintra, Camila Santana Justo

2015-01-01

Objective: to report the development of a software to support decision-making for the selection of nursing diagnoses and interventions for children and adolescents, based on the nomenclature of nursing diagnoses, outcomes and interventions of a university hospital in Paraiba. Method: a methodological applied study based on software engineering, as proposed by Pressman, developed in three cycles, namely: flow chart construction, development of the navigation interface, and construction of functional expressions and programming development. Result: the software consists of administrative and nursing process screens. The assessment is automatically selected according to age group, the nursing diagnoses are suggested by the system after information is inserted, and can be indicated by the nurse. The interventions for the chosen diagnosis are selected by structuring the care plan. Conclusion: the development of this tool used to document the nursing actions will contribute to decision-making and quality of care. PMID:26487144

Human Centered Autonomous and Assistant Systems Testbed for Exploration Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Mount, Frances; Carreon, Patricia; Torney, Susan E.

2001-01-01

The Engineering and Mission Operations Directorates at NASA Johnson Space Center are combining laboratories and expertise to establish the Human Centered Autonomous and Assistant Systems Testbed for Exploration Operations. This is a testbed for human centered design, development and evaluation of intelligent autonomous and assistant systems that will be needed for human exploration and development of space. This project will improve human-centered analysis, design and evaluation methods for developing intelligent software. This software will support human-machine cognitive and collaborative activities in future interplanetary work environments where distributed computer and human agents cooperate. We are developing and evaluating prototype intelligent systems for distributed multi-agent mixed-initiative operations. The primary target domain is control of life support systems in a planetary base. Technical approaches will be evaluated for use during extended manned tests in the target domain, the Bioregenerative Advanced Life Support Systems Test Complex (BIO-Plex). A spinoff target domain is the International Space Station (ISS) Mission Control Center (MCC). Prodl}cts of this project include human-centered intelligent software technology, innovative human interface designs, and human-centered software development processes, methods and products. The testbed uses adjustable autonomy software and life support systems simulation models from the Adjustable Autonomy Testbed, to represent operations on the remote planet. Ground operations prototypes and concepts will be evaluated in the Exploration Planning and Operations Center (ExPOC) and Jupiter Facility.

Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial in the field of planetary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigeri, A.

2012-12-01

Information technology applied to geospatial analyses has spread quickly in the last ten years. The availability of OpenData and data from collaborative mapping projects increased the interest on tools, procedures and methods to handle spatially-related information. Free Open Source Software projects devoted to geospatial data handling are gaining a good success as the use of interoperable formats and protocols allow the user to choose what pipeline of tools and libraries is needed to solve a particular task, adapting the software scene to his specific problem. In particular, the Free Open Source model of development mimics the scientific method very well, and researchers should be naturally encouraged to take part to the development process of these software projects, as this represent a very agile way to interact among several institutions. When it comes to planetary sciences, geospatial Free Open Source Software is gaining a key role in projects that commonly involve different subjects in an international scenario. Very popular software suites for processing scientific mission data (for example, ISIS) and for navigation/planning (SPICE) are being distributed along with the source code and the interaction between user and developer is often very strict, creating a continuum between these two figures. A very widely spread library for handling geospatial data (GDAL) has started to support planetary data from the Planetary Data System, and recent contributions enabled the support to other popular data formats used in planetary science, as the Vicar one. The use of Geographic Information System in planetary science is now diffused, and Free Open Source GIS, open GIS formats and network protocols allow to extend existing tools and methods developed to solve Earth based problems, also to the case of the study of solar system bodies. A day in the working life of a researcher using Free Open Source Software for geospatial will be presented, as well as benefits and solutions to possible detriments coming from the effort required by using, supporting and contributing.

A proposed defect tracking model for classifying the inserted defect reports to enhance software quality control.

PubMed

Sultan, Torky; Khedr, Ayman E; Sayed, Mostafa

2013-01-01

NONE DECLARED Defect tracking systems play an important role in the software development organizations as they can store historical information about defects. There are many research in defect tracking models and systems to enhance their capabilities to be more specifically tracking, and were adopted with new technology. Furthermore, there are different studies in classifying bugs in a step by step method to have clear perception and applicable method in detecting such bugs. This paper shows a new proposed defect tracking model for the purpose of classifying the inserted defects reports in a step by step method for more enhancement of the software quality.

Basic analysis of reflectometry data software package for the analysis of multilayered structures according to reflectometry data

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

Astaf'ev, S. B., E-mail: bard@ns.crys.ras.ru; Shchedrin, B. M.; Yanusova, L. G.

2012-01-15

The main principles of developing the Basic Analysis of Reflectometry Data (BARD) software package, which is aimed at obtaining a unified (standardized) tool for analyzing the structure of thin multilayer films and nanostructures of different nature based on reflectometry data, are considered. This software package contains both traditionally used procedures for processing reflectometry data and the authors' original developments on the basis of new methods for carrying out and analyzing reflectometry experiments. The structure of the package, its functional possibilities, examples of application, and prospects of development are reviewed.

Development of software for computing forming information using a component based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kwang Hee; Park, Jiing Seo; Kim, Jung; Kim, Young Bum; Shin, Jong Gye

2009-12-01

In shipbuilding industry, the manufacturing technology> has advanced at an unprecedented pace for the last decade. As a result, many automatic systems for cutting, welding, etc. have been developed and employed in the manufacturing process and accordingly the productivity has been increased drastically. Despite such improvement in the manufacturing technology', however, development of an automatic system for fabricating a curved hull plate remains at the beginning stage since hardware and software for the automation of the curved hull fabrication process should be developed differently depending on the dimensions of plates, forming methods and manufacturing processes of each shipyard. To deal with this problem, it is necessary> to create a "plug-in ''framework, which can adopt various kinds of hardware and software to construct a full automatic fabrication system. In this paper, a frame-work for automatic fabrication of curved hull plates is proposed, which consists of four components and related software. In particular the software module for computing fabrication information is developed by using the ooCBD development methodology; which can interface with other hardware and software with minimum effort. Examples of the proposed framework applied to medium and large shipyards are presented.

Formal Methods Specification and Verification Guidebook for Software and Computer Systems. Volume 1; Planning and Technology Insertion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The Formal Methods Specification and Verification Guidebook for Software and Computer Systems describes a set of techniques called Formal Methods (FM), and outlines their use in the specification and verification of computer systems and software. Development of increasingly complex systems has created a need for improved specification and verification techniques. NASA's Safety and Mission Quality Office has supported the investigation of techniques such as FM, which are now an accepted method for enhancing the quality of aerospace applications. The guidebook provides information for managers and practitioners who are interested in integrating FM into an existing systems development process. Information includes technical and administrative considerations that must be addressed when establishing the use of FM on a specific project. The guidebook is intended to aid decision makers in the successful application of FM to the development of high-quality systems at reasonable cost. This is the first volume of a planned two-volume set. The current volume focuses on administrative and planning considerations for the successful application of FM.

TReacLab: An object-oriented implementation of non-intrusive splitting methods to couple independent transport and geochemical software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jara, Daniel; de Dreuzy, Jean-Raynald; Cochepin, Benoit

2017-12-01

Reactive transport modeling contributes to understand geophysical and geochemical processes in subsurface environments. Operator splitting methods have been proposed as non-intrusive coupling techniques that optimize the use of existing chemistry and transport codes. In this spirit, we propose a coupler relying on external geochemical and transport codes with appropriate operator segmentation that enables possible developments of additional splitting methods. We provide an object-oriented implementation in TReacLab developed in the MATLAB environment in a free open source frame with an accessible repository. TReacLab contains classical coupling methods, template interfaces and calling functions for two classical transport and reactive software (PHREEQC and COMSOL). It is tested on four classical benchmarks with homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions at equilibrium or kinetically-controlled. We show that full decoupling to the implementation level has a cost in terms of accuracy compared to more integrated and optimized codes. Use of non-intrusive implementations like TReacLab are still justified for coupling independent transport and chemical software at a minimal development effort but should be systematically and carefully assessed.

Software Design Improvements. Part 2; Software Quality and the Design and Inspection Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalli, Vincent R.; Packard, Michael H.; Ziemianski, Tom

1997-01-01

The application of assurance engineering techniques improves the duration of failure-free performance of software. The totality of features and characteristics of a software product are what determine its ability to satisfy customer needs. Software in safety-critical systems is very important to NASA. We follow the System Safety Working Groups definition for system safety software as: 'The optimization of system safety in the design, development, use and maintenance of software and its integration with safety-critical systems in an operational environment. 'If it is not safe, say so' has become our motto. This paper goes over methods that have been used by NASA to make software design improvements by focusing on software quality and the design and inspection process.

General object-oriented software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seidewitz, Edwin V.; Stark, Mike

1986-01-01

Object-oriented design techniques are gaining increasing popularity for use with the Ada programming language. A general approach to object-oriented design which synthesizes the principles of previous object-oriented methods into the overall software life-cycle, providing transitions from specification to design and from design to code. It therefore provides the basis for a general object-oriented development methodology.

Translating expert system rules into Ada code with validation and verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, Lee; Duckworth, R. James; Green, Peter; Michalson, Bill; Gosselin, Dave; Nainani, Krishan; Pease, Adam

1991-01-01

The purpose of this ongoing research and development program is to develop software tools which enable the rapid development, upgrading, and maintenance of embedded real-time artificial intelligence systems. The goals of this phase of the research were to investigate the feasibility of developing software tools which automatically translate expert system rules into Ada code and develop methods for performing validation and verification testing of the resultant expert system. A prototype system was demonstrated which automatically translated rules from an Air Force expert system was demonstrated which detected errors in the execution of the resultant system. The method and prototype tools for converting AI representations into Ada code by converting the rules into Ada code modules and then linking them with an Activation Framework based run-time environment to form an executable load module are discussed. This method is based upon the use of Evidence Flow Graphs which are a data flow representation for intelligent systems. The development of prototype test generation and evaluation software which was used to test the resultant code is discussed. This testing was performed automatically using Monte-Carlo techniques based upon a constraint based description of the required performance for the system.

Fault tolerant testbed evaluation, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caluori, V., Jr.; Newberry, T.

1993-01-01

In recent years, avionics systems development costs have become the driving factor in the development of space systems, military aircraft, and commercial aircraft. A method of reducing avionics development costs is to utilize state-of-the-art software application generator (autocode) tools and methods. The recent maturity of application generator technology has the potential to dramatically reduce development costs by eliminating software development steps that have historically introduced errors and the need for re-work. Application generator tools have been demonstrated to be an effective method for autocoding non-redundant, relatively low-rate input/output (I/O) applications on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) program; however, they have not been demonstrated for fault tolerant, high-rate I/O, flight critical environments. This contract will evaluate the use of application generators in these harsh environments. Using Boeing's quad-redundant avionics system controller as the target system, Space Shuttle Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) software will be autocoded, tested, and evaluated in the Johnson (Space Center) Avionics Engineering Laboratory (JAEL). The response of the autocoded system will be shown to match the response of the existing Shuttle General Purpose Computers (GPC's), thereby demonstrating the viability of using autocode techniques in the development of future avionics systems.

EPA's Benchmark Dose Modeling Software

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA developed the Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) as a tool to help Agency risk assessors facilitate applying benchmark dose (BMD) method’s to EPA’s human health risk assessment (HHRA) documents. The application of BMD methods overcomes many well know limitations ...

Software design for automated assembly of truss structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herstrom, Catherine L.; Grantham, Carolyn; Allen, Cheryl L.; Doggett, William R.; Will, Ralph W.

1992-01-01

Concern over the limited intravehicular activity time has increased the interest in performing in-space assembly and construction operations with automated robotic systems. A technique being considered at LaRC is a supervised-autonomy approach, which can be monitored by an Earth-based supervisor that intervenes only when the automated system encounters a problem. A test-bed to support evaluation of the hardware and software requirements for supervised-autonomy assembly methods was developed. This report describes the design of the software system necessary to support the assembly process. The software is hierarchical and supports both automated assembly operations and supervisor error-recovery procedures, including the capability to pause and reverse any operation. The software design serves as a model for the development of software for more sophisticated automated systems and as a test-bed for evaluation of new concepts and hardware components.

Reliability Validation and Improvement Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

systems . Steps in that direction include the use of the Architec- ture Tradeoff Analysis Method ® (ATAM®) developed at the Carnegie Mellon...embedded software • cyber - physical systems (CPSs) to indicate that the embedded software interacts with, manag - es, and controls a physical system [Lee...the use of formal static analysis methods to increase our confidence in system operation beyond testing. However, analysis results

Assuring Software Cost Estimates: Is it an Oxymoron?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hihn, Jarius; Tregre, Grant

2013-01-01

The software industry repeatedly observes cost growth of well over 100% even after decades of cost estimation research and well-known best practices, so "What's the problem?" In this paper we will provide an overview of the current state oj software cost estimation best practice. We then explore whether applying some of the methods used in software assurance might improve the quality of software cost estimates. This paper especially focuses on issues associated with model calibration, estimate review, and the development and documentation of estimates as part alan integrated plan.

The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics as a Community of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, L.; Kellogg, L. H.

2016-12-01

Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG), geodynamics.org, originated in 2005 out of community recognition that the efforts of individual or small groups of researchers to develop scientifically-sound software is impossible to sustain, duplicates effort, and makes it difficult for scientists to adopt state-of-the art computational methods that promote new discovery. As a community of practice, participants in CIG share an interest in computational modeling in geodynamics and work together on open source software to build the capacity to support complex, extensible, scalable, interoperable, reliable, and reusable software in an effort to increase the return on investment in scientific software development and increase the quality of the resulting software. The group interacts regularly to learn from each other and better their practices formally through webinar series, workshops, and tutorials and informally through listservs and hackathons. Over the past decade, we have learned that successful scientific software development requires at a minimum: collaboration between domain-expert researchers, software developers and computational scientists; clearly identified and committed lead developer(s); well-defined scientific and computational goals that are regularly evaluated and updated; well-defined benchmarks and testing throughout development; attention throughout development to usability and extensibility; understanding and evaluation of the complexity of dependent libraries; and managed user expectations through education, training, and support. CIG's code donation standards provide the basis for recently formalized best practices in software development (geodynamics.org/cig/dev/best-practices/). Best practices include use of version control; widely used, open source software libraries; extensive test suites; portable configuration and build systems; extensive documentation internal and external to the code; and structured, human readable input formats.

Application of Design Patterns in Refactoring Software Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baggs. Rjpda; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2007-01-01

Refactoring software design is a method of changing software design while explicitly preserving its unique design functionalities. Presented approach is to utilize design patterns as the basis for refactoring software design. Comparison of a design solution will be made through C++ programming language examples to exploit this approach. Developing reusable component will be discussed, the paper presents that the construction of such components can diminish the added burden of both refactoring and the use of design patterns.

Apply Design Patterns to Refactor Software Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baggs, Rhoda; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2007-01-01

Refactoring software design is a method of changing software design while explicitly preserving its unique design functionalities. Presented approach is to utilize design patterns as the basis for refactoring software design. Comparison of a design solution will be made through C++ programming language examples to exploit this approach. Developing reusable component will be discussed, the paper presents that the construction of such components can diminish the added burden of both refactoring and the use of design patterns.

Automatic extraction and visualization of object-oriented software design metrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshminarayana, Anuradha; Newman, Timothy S.; Li, Wei; Talburt, John

2000-02-01

Software visualization is a graphical representation of software characteristics and behavior. Certain modes of software visualization can be useful in isolating problems and identifying unanticipated behavior. In this paper we present a new approach to aid understanding of object- oriented software through 3D visualization of software metrics that can be extracted from the design phase of software development. The focus of the paper is a metric extraction method and a new collection of glyphs for multi- dimensional metric visualization. Our approach utilize the extensibility interface of a popular CASE tool to access and automatically extract the metrics from Unified Modeling Language class diagrams. Following the extraction of the design metrics, 3D visualization of these metrics are generated for each class in the design, utilizing intuitively meaningful 3D glyphs that are representative of the ensemble of metrics. Extraction and visualization of design metrics can aid software developers in the early study and understanding of design complexity.

The NASA Software Research Infusion Initiative: Successful Technology Transfer for Software Assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Pressburger, Thomas; Markosian, Lawrence; Feather, Martin S.

2006-01-01

New processes, methods and tools are constantly appearing in the field of software engineering. Many of these augur great potential in improving software development processes, resulting in higher quality software with greater levels of assurance. However, there are a number of obstacles that impede their infusion into software development practices. These are the recurring obstacles common to many forms of research. Practitioners cannot readily identify the emerging techniques that may most benefit them, and cannot afford to risk time and effort in evaluating and experimenting with them while there is still uncertainty about whether they will have payoff in this particular context. Similarly, researchers cannot readily identify those practitioners whose problems would be amenable to their techniques and lack the feedback from practical applications necessary to help them to evolve their techniques to make them more likely to be successful. This paper describes an ongoing effort conducted by a software engineering research infusion team, and the NASA Research Infusion Initiative, established by NASA s Software Engineering Initiative, to overcome these obstacles.

MOSAIC: Software for creating mosaics from collections of images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varosi, F.; Gezari, D. Y.

1992-01-01

We have developed a powerful, versatile image processing and analysis software package called MOSAIC, designed specifically for the manipulation of digital astronomical image data obtained with (but not limited to) two-dimensional array detectors. The software package is implemented using the Interactive Data Language (IDL), and incorporates new methods for processing, calibration, analysis, and visualization of astronomical image data, stressing effective methods for the creation of mosaic images from collections of individual exposures, while at the same time preserving the photometric integrity of the original data. Since IDL is available on many computers, the MOSAIC software runs on most UNIX and VAX workstations with the X-Windows or Sun View graphics interface.

Software reliability perspectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Larry; Shen, Wenhui

1987-01-01

Software which is used in life critical functions must be known to be highly reliable before installation. This requires a strong testing program to estimate the reliability, since neither formal methods, software engineering nor fault tolerant methods can guarantee perfection. Prior to the final testing software goes through a debugging period and many models have been developed to try to estimate reliability from the debugging data. However, the existing models are poorly validated and often give poor performance. This paper emphasizes the fact that part of their failures can be attributed to the random nature of the debugging data given to these models as input, and it poses the problem of correcting this defect as an area of future research.

Publishing Platform for Scientific Software - Lessons Learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammitzsch, Martin; Fritzsch, Bernadette; Reusser, Dominik; Brembs, Björn; Deinzer, Gernot; Loewe, Peter; Fenner, Martin; van Edig, Xenia; Bertelmann, Roland; Pampel, Heinz; Klump, Jens; Wächter, Joachim

2015-04-01

Scientific software has become an indispensable commodity for the production, processing and analysis of empirical data but also for modelling and simulation of complex processes. Software has a significant influence on the quality of research results. For strengthening the recognition of the academic performance of scientific software development, for increasing its visibility and for promoting the reproducibility of research results, concepts for the publication of scientific software have to be developed, tested, evaluated, and then transferred into operations. For this, the publication and citability of scientific software have to fulfil scientific criteria by means of defined processes and the use of persistent identifiers, similar to data publications. The SciForge project is addressing these challenges. Based on interviews a blueprint for a scientific software publishing platform and a systematic implementation plan has been designed. In addition, the potential of journals, software repositories and persistent identifiers have been evaluated to improve the publication and dissemination of reusable software solutions. It is important that procedures for publishing software as well as methods and tools for software engineering are reflected in the architecture of the platform, in order to improve the quality of the software and the results of research. In addition, it is necessary to work continuously on improving specific conditions that promote the adoption and sustainable utilization of scientific software publications. Among others, this would include policies for the development and publication of scientific software in the institutions but also policies for establishing the necessary competencies and skills of scientists and IT personnel. To implement the concepts developed in SciForge a combined bottom-up / top-down approach is considered that will be implemented in parallel in different scientific domains, e.g. in earth sciences, climate research and the life sciences. Based on the developed blueprints a scientific software publishing platform will be iteratively implemented, tested, and evaluated. Thus the platform should be developed continuously on the basis of gained experiences and results. The platform services will be extended one by one corresponding to the requirements of the communities. Thus the implemented platform for the publication of scientific software can be improved and stabilized incrementally as a tool with software, science, publishing, and user oriented features.

Development of new vibration energy flow analysis software and its applications to vehicle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, D.-J.; Hong, S.-Y.; Park, Y.-H.

2005-09-01

The Energy flow analysis (EFA) offers very promising results in predicting the noise and vibration responses of system structures in medium-to-high frequency ranges. We have developed the Energy flow finite element method (EFFEM) based software, EFADSC++ R4, for the vibration analysis. The software can analyze the system structures composed of beam, plate, spring-damper, rigid body elements and many other components developed, and has many useful functions in analysis. For convenient use of the software, the main functions of the whole software are modularized into translator, model-converter, and solver. The translator module makes it possible to use finite element (FE) model for the vibration analysis. The model-converter module changes FE model into energy flow finite element (EFFE) model, and generates joint elements to cover the vibrational attenuation in the complex structures composed of various elements and can solve the joint element equations by using the wave tra! nsmission approach very quickly. The solver module supports the various direct and iterative solvers for multi-DOF structures. The predictions of vibration for real vehicles by using the developed software were performed successfully.

Formalizing structured file services for the data storage and retrieval subsystem of the data management system for Spacestation Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jamsek, Damir A.

1993-01-01

A brief example of the use of formal methods techniques in the specification of a software system is presented. The report is part of a larger effort targeted at defining a formal methods pilot project for NASA. One possible application domain that may be used to demonstrate the effective use of formal methods techniques within the NASA environment is presented. It is not intended to provide a tutorial on either formal methods techniques or the application being addressed. It should, however, provide an indication that the application being considered is suitable for a formal methods by showing how such a task may be started. The particular system being addressed is the Structured File Services (SFS), which is a part of the Data Storage and Retrieval Subsystem (DSAR), which in turn is part of the Data Management System (DMS) onboard Spacestation Freedom. This is a software system that is currently under development for NASA. An informal mathematical development is presented. Section 3 contains the same development using Penelope (23), an Ada specification and verification system. The complete text of the English version Software Requirements Specification (SRS) is reproduced in Appendix A.

S-Cube: Enabling the Next Generation of Software Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, Andreas; Pohl, Klaus

The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm is increasingly adopted by industry for building distributed software systems. However, when designing, developing and operating innovative software services and servicebased systems, several challenges exist. Those challenges include how to manage the complexity of those systems, how to establish, monitor and enforce Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), as well as how to build those systems such that they can proactively adapt to dynamically changing requirements and context conditions. Developing foundational solutions for those challenges requires joint efforts of different research communities such as Business Process Management, Grid Computing, Service Oriented Computing and Software Engineering. This paper provides an overview of S-Cube, the European Network of Excellence on Software Services and Systems. S-Cube brings together researchers from leading research institutions across Europe, who join their competences to develop foundations, theories as well as methods and tools for future service-based systems.

Learning from examples - Generation and evaluation of decision trees for software resource analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selby, Richard W.; Porter, Adam A.

1988-01-01

A general solution method for the automatic generation of decision (or classification) trees is investigated. The approach is to provide insights through in-depth empirical characterization and evaluation of decision trees for software resource data analysis. The trees identify classes of objects (software modules) that had high development effort. Sixteen software systems ranging from 3,000 to 112,000 source lines were selected for analysis from a NASA production environment. The collection and analysis of 74 attributes (or metrics), for over 4,700 objects, captured information about the development effort, faults, changes, design style, and implementation style. A total of 9,600 decision trees were automatically generated and evaluated. The trees correctly identified 79.3 percent of the software modules that had high development effort or faults, and the trees generated from the best parameter combinations correctly identified 88.4 percent of the modules on the average.

Very Large Scale Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderplaats, Garrett; Townsend, James C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The purpose of this research under the NASA Small Business Innovative Research program was to develop algorithms and associated software to solve very large nonlinear, constrained optimization tasks. Key issues included efficiency, reliability, memory, and gradient calculation requirements. This report describes the general optimization problem, ten candidate methods, and detailed evaluations of four candidates. The algorithm chosen for final development is a modern recreation of a 1960s external penalty function method that uses very limited computer memory and computational time. Although of lower efficiency, the new method can solve problems orders of magnitude larger than current methods. The resulting BIGDOT software has been demonstrated on problems with 50,000 variables and about 50,000 active constraints. For unconstrained optimization, it has solved a problem in excess of 135,000 variables. The method includes a technique for solving discrete variable problems that finds a "good" design, although a theoretical optimum cannot be guaranteed. It is very scalable in that the number of function and gradient evaluations does not change significantly with increased problem size. Test cases are provided to demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of the methods and software.

Bringing Legacy Visualization Software to Modern Computing Devices via Application Streaming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Ward

2014-05-01

Planning software compatibility across forthcoming generations of computing platforms is a problem commonly encountered in software engineering and development. While this problem can affect any class of software, data analysis and visualization programs are particularly vulnerable. This is due in part to their inherent dependency on specialized hardware and computing environments. A number of strategies and tools have been designed to aid software engineers with this task. While generally embraced by developers at 'traditional' software companies, these methodologies are often dismissed by the scientific software community as unwieldy, inefficient and unnecessary. As a result, many important and storied scientific software packages can struggle to adapt to a new computing environment; for example, one in which much work is carried out on sub-laptop devices (such as tablets and smartphones). Rewriting these packages for a new platform often requires significant investment in terms of development time and developer expertise. In many cases, porting older software to modern devices is neither practical nor possible. As a result, replacement software must be developed from scratch, wasting resources better spent on other projects. Enabled largely by the rapid rise and adoption of cloud computing platforms, 'Application Streaming' technologies allow legacy visualization and analysis software to be operated wholly from a client device (be it laptop, tablet or smartphone) while retaining full functionality and interactivity. It mitigates much of the developer effort required by other more traditional methods while simultaneously reducing the time it takes to bring the software to a new platform. This work will provide an overview of Application Streaming and how it compares against other technologies which allow scientific visualization software to be executed from a remote computer. We will discuss the functionality and limitations of existing application streaming frameworks and how a developer might prepare their software for application streaming. We will also examine the secondary benefits realized by moving legacy software to the cloud. Finally, we will examine the process by which a legacy Java application, the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), is to be adapted for tablet computing via Application Streaming.

DNA Data Visualization (DDV): Software for Generating Web-Based Interfaces Supporting Navigation and Analysis of DNA Sequence Data of Entire Genomes.

PubMed

Neugebauer, Tomasz; Bordeleau, Eric; Burrus, Vincent; Brzezinski, Ryszard

2015-01-01

Data visualization methods are necessary during the exploration and analysis activities of an increasingly data-intensive scientific process. There are few existing visualization methods for raw nucleotide sequences of a whole genome or chromosome. Software for data visualization should allow the researchers to create accessible data visualization interfaces that can be exported and shared with others on the web. Herein, novel software developed for generating DNA data visualization interfaces is described. The software converts DNA data sets into images that are further processed as multi-scale images to be accessed through a web-based interface that supports zooming, panning and sequence fragment selection. Nucleotide composition frequencies and GC skew of a selected sequence segment can be obtained through the interface. The software was used to generate DNA data visualization of human and bacterial chromosomes. Examples of visually detectable features such as short and long direct repeats, long terminal repeats, mobile genetic elements, heterochromatic segments in microbial and human chromosomes, are presented. The software and its source code are available for download and further development. The visualization interfaces generated with the software allow for the immediate identification and observation of several types of sequence patterns in genomes of various sizes and origins. The visualization interfaces generated with the software are readily accessible through a web browser. This software is a useful research and teaching tool for genetics and structural genomics.

A new background subtraction method for Western blot densitometry band quantification through image analysis software.

PubMed

Gallo-Oller, Gabriel; Ordoñez, Raquel; Dotor, Javier

2018-06-01

Since its first description, Western blot has been widely used in molecular labs. It constitutes a multistep method that allows the detection and/or quantification of proteins from simple to complex protein mixtures. Western blot quantification method constitutes a critical step in order to obtain accurate and reproducible results. Due to the technical knowledge required for densitometry analysis together with the resources availability, standard office scanners are often used for the imaging acquisition of developed Western blot films. Furthermore, the use of semi-quantitative software as ImageJ (Java-based image-processing and analysis software) is clearly increasing in different scientific fields. In this work, we describe the use of office scanner coupled with the ImageJ software together with a new image background subtraction method for accurate Western blot quantification. The proposed method represents an affordable, accurate and reproducible approximation that could be used in the presence of limited resources availability. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An online database for plant image analysis software tools.

PubMed

Lobet, Guillaume; Draye, Xavier; Périlleux, Claire

2013-10-09

Recent years have seen an increase in methods for plant phenotyping using image analyses. These methods require new software solutions for data extraction and treatment. These solutions are instrumental in supporting various research pipelines, ranging from the localisation of cellular compounds to the quantification of tree canopies. However, due to the variety of existing tools and the lack of central repository, it is challenging for researchers to identify the software that is best suited for their research. We present an online, manually curated, database referencing more than 90 plant image analysis software solutions. The website, plant-image-analysis.org, presents each software in a uniform and concise manner enabling users to identify the available solutions for their experimental needs. The website also enables user feedback, evaluations and new software submissions. The plant-image-analysis.org database provides an overview of existing plant image analysis software. The aim of such a toolbox is to help users to find solutions, and to provide developers a way to exchange and communicate about their work.

Software Reliability 2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Dolores R.

2003-01-01

In FY01 we learned that hardware reliability models need substantial changes to account for differences in software, thus making software reliability measurements more effective, accurate, and easier to apply. These reliability models are generally based on familiar distributions or parametric methods. An obvious question is 'What new statistical and probability models can be developed using non-parametric and distribution-free methods instead of the traditional parametric method?" Two approaches to software reliability engineering appear somewhat promising. The first study, begin in FY01, is based in hardware reliability, a very well established science that has many aspects that can be applied to software. This research effort has investigated mathematical aspects of hardware reliability and has identified those applicable to software. Currently the research effort is applying and testing these approaches to software reliability measurement, These parametric models require much project data that may be difficult to apply and interpret. Projects at GSFC are often complex in both technology and schedules. Assessing and estimating reliability of the final system is extremely difficult when various subsystems are tested and completed long before others. Parametric and distribution free techniques may offer a new and accurate way of modeling failure time and other project data to provide earlier and more accurate estimates of system reliability.

Software Reviews: Programs Worth a Second Look.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Classroom Computer Learning, 1989

1989-01-01

Reviews three software programs: (1) "Cartooners"--develops creative arts and animation, grades 1-6, Apple IIGS; (2) "PC Globe+"--social studies, geography, grades 4-12, IBM(384K); (3) "Wood Car Rally"--physical science, scientific method, grades 3-9, Apple II. (MVL)

Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDiMES) User's Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Donald L.

2010-01-01

This report is a User's Guide for the Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDiMES). ProDiMES is a standard benchmarking problem and a set of evaluation metrics to enable the comparison of candidate aircraft engine gas path diagnostic methods. This Matlab (The Mathworks, Inc.) based software tool enables users to independently develop and evaluate diagnostic methods. Additionally, a set of blind test case data is also distributed as part of the software. This will enable the side-by-side comparison of diagnostic approaches developed by multiple users. The Users Guide describes the various components of ProDiMES, and provides instructions for the installation and operation of the tool.

SIGKit: a New Data-based Software for Learning Introductory Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Kruse, S.; George, O.; Esmaeili, S.; Papadimitrios, K. S.; Bank, C. G.; Cadmus, A.; Kenneally, N.; Patton, K.; Brusher, J.

2016-12-01

Students of diverse academic backgrounds take introductory geophysics courses to learn the theory of a variety of measurement and analysis methods with the expectation to be able to apply their basic knowledge to real data. Ideally, such data is collected in field courses and also used in lecture-based courses because they provide a critical context for better learning and understanding of geophysical methods. Each method requires a separate software package for the data processing steps, and the complexity and variety of professional software makes the path through data processing to data interpretation a strenuous learning process for students and a challenging teaching task for instructors. SIGKit (Student Investigation of Geophysics Toolkit) being developed as a collaboration between the University of South Florida, the University of Toronto, and MathWorks intends to address these shortcomings by showing the most essential processing steps and allowing students to visualize the underlying physics of the various methods. It is based on MATLAB software and offered as an easy-to-use graphical user interface and packaged so it can run as an executable in the classroom and the field even on computers without MATLAB licenses. An evaluation of the software based on student feedback from focus-group interviews and think-aloud observations helps drive its development and refinement. The toolkit provides a logical gateway into the more sophisticated and costly software students will encounter later in their training and careers by combining essential visualization, modeling, processing, and analysis steps for seismic, GPR, magnetics, gravity, resistivity, and electromagnetic data.

A self-referential HOWTO on release engineering

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

Galassi, Mark C.

Release engineering is a fundamental part of the software development cycle: it is the point at which quality control is exercised and bug fixes are integrated. The way in which software is released also gives the end user her first experience of a software package, while in scientific computing release engineering can guarantee reproducibility. For these reasons and others, the release process is a good indicator of the maturity and organization of a development team. Software teams often do not put in place a release process at the beginning. This is unfortunate because the team does not have early andmore » continuous execution of test suites, and it does not exercise the software in the same conditions as the end users. I describe an approach to release engineering based on the software tools developed and used by the GNU project, together with several specific proposals related to packaging and distribution. I do this in a step-by-step manner, demonstrating how this very paper is written and built using proper release engineering methods. Because many aspects of release engineering are not exercised in the building of the paper, the accompanying software repository also contains examples of software libraries.« less

TomoBank: a tomographic data repository for computational x-ray science

DOE PAGES

De Carlo, Francesco; Gürsoy, Doğa; Ching, Daniel J.; ...

2018-02-08

There is a widening gap between the fast advancement of computational methods for tomographic reconstruction and their successful implementation in production software at various synchrotron facilities. This is due in part to the lack of readily available instrument datasets and phantoms representative of real materials for validation and comparison of new numerical methods. Recent advancements in detector technology made sub-second and multi-energy tomographic data collection possible [1], but also increased the demand to develop new reconstruction methods able to handle in-situ [2] and dynamic systems [3] that can be quickly incorporated in beamline production software [4]. The X-ray Tomography Datamore » Bank, tomoBank, provides a repository of experimental and simulated datasets with the aim to foster collaboration among computational scientists, beamline scientists, and experimentalists and to accelerate the development and implementation of tomographic reconstruction methods for synchrotron facility production software by providing easy access to challenging dataset and their descriptors.« less

A novel method for automated tracking and quantification of adult zebrafish behaviour during anxiety.

PubMed

Nema, Shubham; Hasan, Whidul; Bhargava, Anamika; Bhargava, Yogesh

2016-09-15

Behavioural neuroscience relies on software driven methods for behavioural assessment, but the field lacks cost-effective, robust, open source software for behavioural analysis. Here we propose a novel method which we called as ZebraTrack. It includes cost-effective imaging setup for distraction-free behavioural acquisition, automated tracking using open-source ImageJ software and workflow for extraction of behavioural endpoints. Our ImageJ algorithm is capable of providing control to users at key steps while maintaining automation in tracking without the need for the installation of external plugins. We have validated this method by testing novelty induced anxiety behaviour in adult zebrafish. Our results, in agreement with established findings, showed that during state-anxiety, zebrafish showed reduced distance travelled, increased thigmotaxis and freezing events. Furthermore, we proposed a method to represent both spatial and temporal distribution of choice-based behaviour which is currently not possible to represent using simple videograms. ZebraTrack method is simple and economical, yet robust enough to give results comparable with those obtained from costly proprietary software like Ethovision XT. We have developed and validated a novel cost-effective method for behavioural analysis of adult zebrafish using open-source ImageJ software. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Software Risk Identification for Interplanetary Probes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dougherty, Robert J.; Papadopoulos, Periklis E.

2005-01-01

The need for a systematic and effective software risk identification methodology is critical for interplanetary probes that are using increasingly complex and critical software. Several probe failures are examined that suggest more attention and resources need to be dedicated to identifying software risks. The direct causes of these failures can often be traced to systemic problems in all phases of the software engineering process. These failures have lead to the development of a practical methodology to identify risks for interplanetary probes. The proposed methodology is based upon the tailoring of the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) method of taxonomy-based risk identification. The use of this methodology will ensure a more consistent and complete identification of software risks in these probes.

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

Wahanani, Nursinta Adi, E-mail: sintaadi@batan.go.id; Natsir, Khairina, E-mail: sintaadi@batan.go.id; Hartini, Entin, E-mail: sintaadi@batan.go.id

Data processing software packages such as VSOP and MCNPX are softwares that has been scientifically proven and complete. The result of VSOP and MCNPX are huge and complex text files. In the analyze process, user need additional processing like Microsoft Excel to show informative result. This research develop an user interface software for output of VSOP and MCNPX. VSOP program output is used to support neutronic analysis and MCNPX program output is used to support burn-up analysis. Software development using iterative development methods which allow for revision and addition of features according to user needs. Processing time with this softwaremore » 500 times faster than with conventional methods using Microsoft Excel. PYTHON is used as a programming language, because Python is available for all major operating systems: Windows, Linux/Unix, OS/2, Mac, Amiga, among others. Values that support neutronic analysis are k-eff, burn-up and mass Pu{sup 239} and Pu{sup 241}. Burn-up analysis used the mass inventory values of actinide (Thorium, Plutonium, Neptunium and Uranium). Values are visualized in graphical shape to support analysis.« less

Vulnerability in Determining the Cost of Information System Project to Avoid Loses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haryono, Kholid; Ikhsani, Zulfa Amalia

2018-03-01

Context: This study discusses the priority of cost required in software development projects. Objectives: To show the costing models, the variables involved, and how practitioners assess and decide the priorities of each variable. To strengthen the information, each variable also confirmed the risk if ignored. Method: The method is done by two approaches. First, systematic literature reviews to find the models and variables used to decide the cost of software development. Second, confirm and take judgments about the level of importance and risk of each variable to the software developer. Result: Obtained about 54 variables that appear on the 10 models discussed. The variables are categorized into 15 groups based on the similarity of meaning. Each group becomes a variable. Confirmation results with practitioners on the level of importance and risk. It shown there are two variables that are considered very important and high risk if ignored. That is duration and effort. Conclusion: The relationship of variable rates between the results of literature studies and confirmation of practitioners contributes to the use of software business actors in considering project cost variables.

FPA Depot - Web Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avila, Edwin M. Martinez; Muniz, Ricardo; Szafran, Jamie; Dalton, Adam

2011-01-01

Lines of code (LOC) analysis is one of the methods used to measure programmer productivity and estimate schedules of programming projects. The Launch Control System (LCS) had previously used this method to estimate the amount of work and to plan development efforts. The disadvantage of using LOC as a measure of effort is that one can only measure 30% to 35% of the total effort of software projects involves coding [8]. In the application, instead of using the LOC we are using function point for a better estimation of hours in each software to develop. Because of these disadvantages, Jamie Szafran of the System Software Branch of Control And Data Systems (NE-C3) at Kennedy Space Canter developed a web application called Function Point Analysis (FPA) Depot. The objective of this web application is that the LCS software architecture team can use the data to more accurately estimate the effort required to implement customer requirements. This paper describes the evolution of the domain model used for function point analysis as project managers continually strive to generate more accurate estimates.

Software IV and V Research Priorities and Applied Program Accomplishments Within NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blazy, Louis J.

2000-01-01

The mission of this research is to be world-class creators and facilitators of innovative, intelligent, high performance, reliable information technologies that enable NASA missions to (1) increase software safety and quality through error avoidance, early detection and resolution of errors, by utilizing and applying empirically based software engineering best practices; (2) ensure customer software risks are identified and/or that requirements are met and/or exceeded; (3) research, develop, apply, verify, and publish software technologies for competitive advantage and the advancement of science; and (4) facilitate the transfer of science and engineering data, methods, and practices to NASA, educational institutions, state agencies, and commercial organizations. The goals are to become a national Center Of Excellence (COE) in software and system independent verification and validation, and to become an international leading force in the field of software engineering for improving the safety, quality, reliability, and cost performance of software systems. This project addresses the following problems: Ensure safety of NASA missions, ensure requirements are met, minimize programmatic and technological risks of software development and operations, improve software quality, reduce costs and time to delivery, and improve the science of software engineering

Agile Development of Various Computational Power Adaptive Web-Based Mobile-Learning Software Using Mobile Cloud Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zadahmad, Manouchehr; Yousefzadehfard, Parisa

2016-01-01

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) aims to improve all mobile applications such as m-learning systems. This study presents an innovative method to use web technology and software engineering's best practices to provide m-learning functionalities hosted in a MCC-learning system as service. Components hosted by MCC are used to empower developers to create…

Computational Solutions for Today’s Navy: New Methods are Being Employed to Meet the Navy’s Changing Software-Development Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

software- development environment. ▶ Frank W. Bentrem, Ph.D., John T. Sample, Ph.D., and Michael M. Harris he Naval Research Labor - atory (NRL) is the...sonars (Through-the-Sensor technology), supercomputer generated numer- ical models, and historical/ clima - tological databases. It uses a vari- ety of

Towards an Interoperability Ontology for Software Development Tools

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

The description of feature models was tied to the introduction of the Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA *) [KANG90] approach in the late eighties...Feature-oriented domain analysis ( FODA ) is a domain analysis method developed at the Software...ese obstacles was to construct a “pilot” ontology that is extensible. We applied the Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis approach to capture the

Communication and Organization in Software Development: An Empirical Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seaman, Carolyn B.; Basili, Victor R.

1996-01-01

The empirical study described in this paper addresses the issue of communication among members of a software development organization. The independent variables are various attributes of organizational structure. The dependent variable is the effort spent on sharing information which is required by the software development process in use. The research questions upon which the study is based ask whether or not these attributes of organizational structure have an effect on the amount of communication effort expended. In addition, there are a number of blocking variables which have been identified. These are used to account for factors other than organizational structure which may have an effect on communication effort. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. These methods include participant observation, structured interviews, and graphical data presentation. The results of this study indicate that several attributes of organizational structure do affect communication effort, but not in a simple, straightforward way. In particular, the distances between communicators in the reporting structure of the organization, as well as in the physical layout of offices, affects how quickly they can share needed information, especially during meetings. These results provide a better understanding of how organizational structure helps or hinders communication in software development.

Software for Statistical Analysis of Weibull Distributions with Application to Gear Fatigue Data: User Manual with Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krantz, Timothy L.

2002-01-01

The Weibull distribution has been widely adopted for the statistical description and inference of fatigue data. This document provides user instructions, examples, and verification for software to analyze gear fatigue test data. The software was developed presuming the data are adequately modeled using a two-parameter Weibull distribution. The calculations are based on likelihood methods, and the approach taken is valid for data that include type 1 censoring. The software was verified by reproducing results published by others.

Software quality for 1997 - what works and what doesn`t?

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

Jones, C.

1997-11-01

This presentation provides a view of software quality for 1997 - what works and what doesn`t. For many years, software quality assurance lagged behind hardware quality assurance in terms of methods, metrics, and successful results. New approaches such as Quality Function Development (WFD) the ISO 9000-9004 standards, the SEI maturity levels, and Total Quality Management (TQM) are starting to attract wide attention, and in some cases to bring software quality levels up to a parity with manufacturing quality levels.

Software for Statistical Analysis of Weibull Distributions with Application to Gear Fatigue Data: User Manual with Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kranz, Timothy L.

2002-01-01

The Weibull distribution has been widely adopted for the statistical description and inference of fatigue data. This document provides user instructions, examples, and verification for software to analyze gear fatigue test data. The software was developed presuming the data are adequately modeled using a two-parameter Weibull distribution. The calculations are based on likelihood methods, and the approach taken is valid for data that include type I censoring. The software was verified by reproducing results published by others.

The optimal community detection of software based on complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Guoyan; Zhang, Peng; Zhang, Bing; Yin, Tengteng; Ren, Jiadong

2016-02-01

The community structure is important for software in terms of understanding the design patterns, controlling the development and the maintenance process. In order to detect the optimal community structure in the software network, a method Optimal Partition Software Network (OPSN) is proposed based on the dependency relationship among the software functions. First, by analyzing the information of multiple execution traces of one software, we construct Software Execution Dependency Network (SEDN). Second, based on the relationship among the function nodes in the network, we define Fault Accumulation (FA) to measure the importance of the function node and sort the nodes with measure results. Third, we select the top K(K=1,2,…) nodes as the core of the primal communities (only exist one core node). By comparing the dependency relationships between each node and the K communities, we put the node into the existing community which has the most close relationship. Finally, we calculate the modularity with different initial K to obtain the optimal division. With experiments, the method OPSN is verified to be efficient to detect the optimal community in various softwares.

Software Formal Inspections Guidebook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The Software Formal Inspections Guidebook is designed to support the inspection process of software developed by and for NASA. This document provides information on how to implement a recommended and proven method for conducting formal inspections of NASA software. This Guidebook is a companion document to NASA Standard 2202-93, Software Formal Inspections Standard, approved April 1993, which provides the rules, procedures, and specific requirements for conducting software formal inspections. Application of the Formal Inspections Standard is optional to NASA program or project management. In cases where program or project management decide to use the formal inspections method, this Guidebook provides additional information on how to establish and implement the process. The goal of the formal inspections process as documented in the above-mentioned Standard and this Guidebook is to provide a framework and model for an inspection process that will enable the detection and elimination of defects as early as possible in the software life cycle. An ancillary aspect of the formal inspection process incorporates the collection and analysis of inspection data to effect continual improvement in the inspection process and the quality of the software subjected to the process.

Cost Effective Development of Usable Systems: Gaps between HCI and Software Architecture Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folmer, Eelke; Bosch, Jan

A software product with poor usability is likely to fail in a highly competitive market; therefore software developing organizations are paying more and more attention to ensuring the usability of their software. Practice, however, shows that product quality (which includes usability among others) is not that high as it could be. Studies of software projects (Pressman, 2001) reveal that organizations spend a relative large amount of money and effort on fixing usability problems during late stage development. Some of these problems could have been detected and fixed much earlier. This avoidable rework leads to high costs and because during development different tradeoffs have to be made, for example between cost and quality leads to systems with less than optimal usability. This problem has been around for a couple of decades especially after software engineering (SE) and human computer interaction (HCI) became disciplines on their own. While both disciplines developed themselves, several gaps appeared which are now receiving increased attention in research literature. Major gaps of understanding, both between suggested practice and how software is actually developed in industry, but also between the best practices of each of the fields have been identified (Carrol et al, 1994, Bass et al, 2001, Folmer and Bosch, 2002). In addition, there are gaps in the fields of differing terminology, concepts, education, and methods.

RINGMesh: A programming library for developing mesh-based geomodeling applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellerin, Jeanne; Botella, Arnaud; Bonneau, François; Mazuyer, Antoine; Chauvin, Benjamin; Lévy, Bruno; Caumon, Guillaume

2017-07-01

RINGMesh is a C++ open-source programming library for manipulating discretized geological models. It is designed to ease the development of applications and workflows that use discretized 3D models. It is neither a geomodeler, nor a meshing software. RINGMesh implements functionalities to read discretized surface-based or volumetric structural models and to check their validity. The models can be then exported in various file formats. RINGMesh provides data structures to represent geological structural models, either defined by their discretized boundary surfaces, and/or by discretized volumes. A programming interface allows to develop of new geomodeling methods, and to plug in external software. The goal of RINGMesh is to help researchers to focus on the implementation of their specific method rather than on tedious tasks common to many applications. The documented code is open-source and distributed under the modified BSD license. It is available at https://www.ring-team.org/index.php/software/ringmesh.

A Proposed Defect Tracking Model for Classifying the Inserted Defect Reports to Enhance Software Quality Control

PubMed Central

Khedr, Ayman E.; Sayed, Mostafa

2013-01-01

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: NONE DECLARED Defect tracking systems play an important role in the software development organizations as they can store historical information about defects. There are many research in defect tracking models and systems to enhance their capabilities to be more specifically tracking, and were adopted with new technology. Furthermore, there are different studies in classifying bugs in a step by step method to have clear perception and applicable method in detecting such bugs. This paper shows a new proposed defect tracking model for the purpose of classifying the inserted defects reports in a step by step method for more enhancement of the software quality. PMID:24039334

Analysis of methods of processing of expert information by optimization of administrative decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churakov, D. Y.; Tsarkova, E. G.; Marchenko, N. D.; Grechishnikov, E. V.

2018-03-01

In the real operation the measure definition methodology in case of expert estimation of quality and reliability of application-oriented software products is offered. In operation methods of aggregation of expert estimates on the example of a collective choice of an instrumental control projects in case of software development of a special purpose for needs of institutions are described. Results of operation of dialogue decision making support system are given an algorithm of the decision of the task of a choice on the basis of a method of the analysis of hierarchies and also. The developed algorithm can be applied by development of expert systems to the solution of a wide class of the tasks anyway connected to a multicriteria choice.

A Simulated Learning Environment for Teaching Medicine Dispensing Skills

PubMed Central

Styles, Kim; Sewell, Keith; Trinder, Peta; Marriott, Jennifer; Maher, Sheryl; Naidu, Som

2016-01-01

Objective. To develop an authentic simulation of the professional practice dispensary context for students to develop their dispensing skills in a risk-free environment. Design. A development team used an Agile software development method to create MyDispense, a web-based simulation. Modeled on virtual learning environments elements, the software employed widely available standards-based technologies to create a virtual community pharmacy environment. Assessment. First-year pharmacy students who used the software in their tutorials, were, at the end of the second semester, surveyed on their prior dispensing experience and their perceptions of MyDispense as a tool to learn dispensing skills. Conclusion. The dispensary simulation is an effective tool for helping students develop dispensing competency and knowledge in a safe environment. PMID:26941437

The use of Graphic User Interface for development of a user-friendly CRS-Stack software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sule, Rachmat; Prayudhatama, Dythia; Perkasa, Muhammad D.; Hendriyana, Andri; Fatkhan; Sardjito; Adriansyah

2017-04-01

The development of a user-friendly Common Reflection Surface (CRS) Stack software that has been built by implementing Graphical User Interface (GUI) is described in this paper. The original CRS-Stack software developed by WIT Consortium is compiled in the unix/linux environment, which is not a user-friendly software, so that a user must write the commands and parameters manually in a script file. Due to this limitation, the CRS-Stack become a non popular method, although applying this method is actually a promising way in order to obtain better seismic sections, which have better reflector continuity and S/N ratio. After obtaining successful results that have been tested by using several seismic data belong to oil companies in Indonesia, it comes to an idea to develop a user-friendly software in our own laboratory. Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a type of user interface that allows people to interact with computer programs in a better way. Rather than typing commands and module parameters, GUI allows the users to use computer programs in much simple and easy. Thus, GUI can transform the text-based interface into graphical icons and visual indicators. The use of complicated seismic unix shell script can be avoided. The Java Swing GUI library is used to develop this CRS-Stack GUI. Every shell script that represents each seismic process is invoked from Java environment. Besides developing interactive GUI to perform CRS-Stack processing, this CRS-Stack GUI is design to help geophysicists to manage a project with complex seismic processing procedures. The CRS-Stack GUI software is composed by input directory, operators, and output directory, which are defined as a seismic data processing workflow. The CRS-Stack processing workflow involves four steps; i.e. automatic CMP stack, initial CRS-Stack, optimized CRS-Stack, and CRS-Stack Supergather. Those operations are visualized in an informative flowchart with self explanatory system to guide the user inputting the parameter values for each operation. The knowledge of CRS-Stack processing procedure is still preserved in the software, which is easy and efficient to be learned. The software will still be developed in the future. Any new innovative seismic processing workflow will also be added into this GUI software.

CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 19, Number 9

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

it does. Several freely down- loadable methodologies have emerged to support the developer in modeling threats to applications and other soft...SECURIS. Model -Driven Develop - ment and Analysis of Secure Information Systems <www.sintef.no/ content/page1_1824.aspx>. 10. The SECURIS Project ...By applying these methods to the SDLC , we can actively reduce the number of known vulnerabilities in software as it is developed . For

Application of Lightweight Formal Methods to Software Security

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilliam, David P.; Powell, John D.; Bishop, Matt

2005-01-01

Formal specification and verification of security has proven a challenging task. There is no single method that has proven feasible. Instead, an integrated approach which combines several formal techniques can increase the confidence in the verification of software security properties. Such an approach which species security properties in a library that can be reused by 2 instruments and their methodologies developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are described herein The Flexible Modeling Framework (FMF) is a model based verijkation instrument that uses Promela and the SPIN model checker. The Property Based Tester (PBT) uses TASPEC and a Text Execution Monitor (TEM). They are used to reduce vulnerabilities and unwanted exposures in software during the development and maintenance life cycles.

Using formal specification in the Guidance and Control Software (GCS) experiment. Formal design and verification technology for life critical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, Doug; Jamsek, Damir

1994-01-01

The goal of this task was to investigate how formal methods could be incorporated into a software engineering process for flight-control systems under DO-178B and to demonstrate that process by developing a formal specification for NASA's Guidance and Controls Software (GCS) Experiment. GCS is software to control the descent of a spacecraft onto a planet's surface. The GCS example is simplified from a real example spacecraft, but exhibits the characteristics of realistic spacecraft control software. The formal specification is written in Larch.

Development of a software for control of the Lidar complex at the IAO SB RAS small Lidar station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marichev, V. N.; Bochkovskii, D. A.

2015-11-01

The problems are discussed in the wide circles of the scientific community in the end of the last and in the beginning of present century, related with climate change on both global and local scale. The complicated question of changing climatic and ecological systems under the effect of natural and anthropogenic factors requires the development and creation of atmospheric aerosol thermodynamic and spatial-temporal models, development of network of both ground-based and space-based services for monitoring of the atmosphere on a global scale [1, 2]. Measures on collection of great amount of data lead to the need of development of not only technical side of the solution to the problem, but also methodological, algorithmic and software. The last decade is marked by the widespread introduction of computer technology into science and increase of its consumer features, such as speed, volume of RAM and cash memory, as well as the ability of high-quality displaying the data. Therefore, the final item in the development of automation of the experiment and application of mathematical methods is the development of the software tools. Software should carry the main load in the processing and simulation of an experiment, and to be a link between theoreticians, developers of the processing methods and models of physical processes and experimentalists

Object oriented development of engineering software using CLIPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoon, C. John

1991-01-01

Engineering applications involve numeric complexity and manipulations of a large amount of data. Traditionally, numeric computation has been the concern in developing an engineering software. As engineering application software became larger and more complex, management of resources such as data, rather than the numeric complexity, has become the major software design problem. Object oriented design and implementation methodologies can improve the reliability, flexibility, and maintainability of the resulting software; however, some tasks are better solved with the traditional procedural paradigm. The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), with deffunction and defgeneric constructs, supports the procedural paradigm. The natural blending of object oriented and procedural paradigms has been cited as the reason for the popularity of the C++ language. The CLIPS Object Oriented Language's (COOL) object oriented features are more versatile than C++'s. A software design methodology based on object oriented and procedural approaches appropriate for engineering software, and to be implemented in CLIPS was outlined. A method for sensor placement for Space Station Freedom is being implemented in COOL as a sample problem.

SU-E-P-43: A Knowledge Based Approach to Guidelines for Software Safety

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

Salomons, G; Kelly, D

Purpose: In the fall of 2012, a survey was distributed to medical physicists across Canada. The survey asked the respondents to comment on various aspects of software development and use in their clinic. The survey revealed that most centers employ locally produced (in-house) software of some kind. The respondents also indicated an interest in having software guidelines, but cautioned that the realities of cancer clinics include variations, that preclude a simple solution. Traditional guidelines typically involve periodically repeating a set of prescribed tests with defined tolerance limits. However, applying a similar formula to software is problematic since it assumes thatmore » the users have a perfect knowledge of how and when to apply the software and that if the software operates correctly under one set of conditions it will operate correctly under all conditions Methods: In the approach presented here the personnel involved with the software are included as an integral part of the system. Activities performed to improve the safety of the software are done with both software and people in mind. A learning oriented approach is taken, following the premise that the best approach to safety is increasing the understanding of those associated with the use or development of the software. Results: The software guidance document is organized by areas of knowledge related to use and development of software. The categories include: knowledge of the underlying algorithm and its limitations; knowledge of the operation of the software, such as input values, parameters, error messages, and interpretation of output; and knowledge of the environment for the software including both data and users. Conclusion: We propose a new approach to developing guidelines which is based on acquiring knowledge-rather than performing tests. The ultimate goal is to provide robust software guidelines which will be practical and effective.« less

Mining dynamic noteworthy functions in software execution sequences.

PubMed

Zhang, Bing; Huang, Guoyan; Wang, Yuqian; He, Haitao; Ren, Jiadong

2017-01-01

As the quality of crucial entities can directly affect that of software, their identification and protection become an important premise for effective software development, management, maintenance and testing, which thus contribute to improving the software quality and its attack-defending ability. Most analysis and evaluation on important entities like codes-based static structure analysis are on the destruction of the actual software running. In this paper, from the perspective of software execution process, we proposed an approach to mine dynamic noteworthy functions (DNFM)in software execution sequences. First, according to software decompiling and tracking stack changes, the execution traces composed of a series of function addresses were acquired. Then these traces were modeled as execution sequences and then simplified so as to get simplified sequences (SFS), followed by the extraction of patterns through pattern extraction (PE) algorithm from SFS. After that, evaluating indicators inner-importance and inter-importance were designed to measure the noteworthiness of functions in DNFM algorithm. Finally, these functions were sorted by their noteworthiness. Comparison and contrast were conducted on the experiment results from two traditional complex network-based node mining methods, namely PageRank and DegreeRank. The results show that the DNFM method can mine noteworthy functions in software effectively and precisely.

Advanced software development workstation. Comparison of two object-oriented development methodologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Izygon, Michel E.

1992-01-01

This report is an attempt to clarify some of the concerns raised about the OMT method, specifically that OMT is weaker than the Booch method in a few key areas. This interim report specifically addresses the following issues: (1) is OMT object-oriented or only data-driven?; (2) can OMT be used as a front-end to implementation in C++?; (3) the inheritance concept in OMT is in contradiction with the 'pure and real' inheritance concept found in object-oriented (OO) design; (4) low support for software life-cycle issues, for project and risk management; (5) uselessness of functional modeling for the ROSE project; and (6) problems with event-driven and simulation systems. The conclusion of this report is that both Booch's method and Rumbaugh's method are good OO methods, each with strengths and weaknesses in different areas of the development process.

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Innovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery. Methods A systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project. Results Common characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined. Conclusions We believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents. PMID:21955914

Mathematical and information maintenance of biometric systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boriev, Z.; Sokolov, S.; Nyrkov, A.; Nekrasova, A.

2016-04-01

This article describes the different mathematical methods for processing biometric data. A brief overview of methods for personality recognition by means of a signature is conducted. Mathematical solutions of a dynamic authentication method are considered. Recommendations on use of certain mathematical methods, depending on specific tasks, are provided. Based on the conducted analysis of software and the choice made in favor of the wavelet analysis, a brief basis for its use in the course of software development for biometric personal identification is given for the purpose of its practical application.

SIMA: Python software for analysis of dynamic fluorescence imaging data.

PubMed

Kaifosh, Patrick; Zaremba, Jeffrey D; Danielson, Nathan B; Losonczy, Attila

2014-01-01

Fluorescence imaging is a powerful method for monitoring dynamic signals in the nervous system. However, analysis of dynamic fluorescence imaging data remains burdensome, in part due to the shortage of available software tools. To address this need, we have developed SIMA, an open source Python package that facilitates common analysis tasks related to fluorescence imaging. Functionality of this package includes correction of motion artifacts occurring during in vivo imaging with laser-scanning microscopy, segmentation of imaged fields into regions of interest (ROIs), and extraction of signals from the segmented ROIs. We have also developed a graphical user interface (GUI) for manual editing of the automatically segmented ROIs and automated registration of ROIs across multiple imaging datasets. This software has been designed with flexibility in mind to allow for future extension with different analysis methods and potential integration with other packages. Software, documentation, and source code for the SIMA package and ROI Buddy GUI are freely available at http://www.losonczylab.org/sima/.

Multiattribute selection of acute stroke imaging software platform for Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits (EXTEND) clinical trial.

PubMed

Churilov, Leonid; Liu, Daniel; Ma, Henry; Christensen, Soren; Nagakane, Yoshinari; Campbell, Bruce; Parsons, Mark W; Levi, Christopher R; Davis, Stephen M; Donnan, Geoffrey A

2013-04-01

The appropriateness of a software platform for rapid MRI assessment of the amount of salvageable brain tissue after stroke is critical for both the validity of the Extending the Time for Thrombolysis in Emergency Neurological Deficits (EXTEND) Clinical Trial of stroke thrombolysis beyond 4.5 hours and for stroke patient care outcomes. The objective of this research is to develop and implement a methodology for selecting the acute stroke imaging software platform most appropriate for the setting of a multi-centre clinical trial. A multi-disciplinary decision making panel formulated the set of preferentially independent evaluation attributes. Alternative Multi-Attribute Value Measurement methods were used to identify the best imaging software platform followed by sensitivity analysis to ensure the validity and robustness of the proposed solution. Four alternative imaging software platforms were identified. RApid processing of PerfusIon and Diffusion (RAPID) software was selected as the most appropriate for the needs of the EXTEND trial. A theoretically grounded generic multi-attribute selection methodology for imaging software was developed and implemented. The developed methodology assured both a high quality decision outcome and a rational and transparent decision process. This development contributes to stroke literature in the area of comprehensive evaluation of MRI clinical software. At the time of evaluation, RAPID software presented the most appropriate imaging software platform for use in the EXTEND clinical trial. The proposed multi-attribute imaging software evaluation methodology is based on sound theoretical foundations of multiple criteria decision analysis and can be successfully used for choosing the most appropriate imaging software while ensuring both robust decision process and outcomes. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2012 World Stroke Organization.

SLS Flight Software Testing: Using a Modified Agile Software Testing Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolton, Albanie T.

2016-01-01

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is an advanced launch vehicle for a new era of exploration beyond earth's orbit (BEO). The world's most powerful rocket, SLS, will launch crews of up to four astronauts in the agency's Orion spacecraft on missions to explore multiple deep-space destinations. Boeing is developing the SLS core stage, including the avionics that will control vehicle during flight. The core stage will be built at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, LA using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. At the same time, the rocket's avionics computer software is being developed here at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. At Marshall, the Flight and Ground Software division provides comprehensive engineering expertise for development of flight and ground software. Within that division, the Software Systems Engineering Branch's test and verification (T&V) team uses an agile test approach in testing and verification of software. The agile software test method opens the door for regular short sprint release cycles. The idea or basic premise behind the concept of agile software development and testing is that it is iterative and developed incrementally. Agile testing has an iterative development methodology where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between cross-functional teams. With testing and development done incrementally, this allows for increased features and enhanced value for releases. This value can be seen throughout the T&V team processes that are documented in various work instructions within the branch. The T&V team produces procedural test results at a higher rate, resolves issues found in software with designers at an earlier stage versus at a later release, and team members gain increased knowledge of the system architecture by interfacing with designers. SLS Flight Software teams want to continue uncovering better ways of developing software in an efficient and project beneficial manner. Through agile testing, there has been increased value through individuals and interactions over processes and tools, improved customer collaboration, and improved responsiveness to changes through controlled planning. The presentation will describe agile testing methodology as taken with the SLS FSW Test and Verification team at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Orthographic Software Modelling: A Novel Approach to View-Based Software Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkinson, Colin

The need to support multiple views of complex software architectures, each capturing a different aspect of the system under development, has been recognized for a long time. Even the very first object-oriented analysis/design methods such as the Booch method and OMT supported a number of different diagram types (e.g. structural, behavioral, operational) and subsequent methods such as Fusion, Kruchten's 4+1 views and the Rational Unified Process (RUP) have added many more views over time. Today's leading modeling languages such as the UML and SysML, are also oriented towards supporting different views (i.e. diagram types) each able to portray a different facets of a system's architecture. More recently, so called enterprise architecture frameworks such as the Zachman Framework, TOGAF and RM-ODP have become popular. These add a whole set of new non-functional views to the views typically emphasized in traditional software engineering environments.

[Development of a software standardizing optical density with operation settings related to several limitations].

PubMed

Tu, Xiao-Ming; Zhang, Zuo-Heng; Wan, Cheng; Zheng, Yu; Xu, Jin-Mei; Zhang, Yuan-Yuan; Luo, Jian-Ping; Wu, Hai-Wei

2012-12-01

To develop a software that can be used to standardize optical density to normalize the procedures and results of standardization in order to effectively solve several problems generated during standardization of in-direct ELISA results. The software was designed based on the I-STOD method with operation settings to solve the problems that one might encounter during the standardization. Matlab GUI was used as a tool for the development. The software was tested with the results of the detection of sera of persons from schistosomiasis japonica endemic areas. I-STOD V1.0 (WINDOWS XP/WIN 7, 0.5 GB) was successfully developed to standardize optical density. A serial of serum samples from schistosomiasis japonica endemic areas were used to examine the operational effects of I-STOD V1.0 software. The results indicated that the software successfully overcame several problems including reliability of standard curve, applicable scope of samples and determination of dilution for samples outside the scope, so that I-STOD was performed more conveniently and the results of standardization were more consistent. I-STOD V1.0 is a professional software based on I-STOD. It can be easily operated and can effectively standardize the testing results of in-direct ELISA.

Technical Reference Suite Addressing Challenges of Providing Assurance for Fault Management Architectural Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitz, Rhonda; Whitman, Gerek

2016-01-01

Research into complexities of software systems Fault Management (FM) and how architectural design decisions affect safety, preservation of assets, and maintenance of desired system functionality has coalesced into a technical reference (TR) suite that advances the provision of safety and mission assurance. The NASA Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Program, with Software Assurance Research Program support, extracted FM architectures across the IV&V portfolio to evaluate robustness, assess visibility for validation and test, and define software assurance methods applied to the architectures and designs. This investigation spanned IV&V projects with seven different primary developers, a wide range of sizes and complexities, and encompassed Deep Space Robotic, Human Spaceflight, and Earth Orbiter mission FM architectures. The initiative continues with an expansion of the TR suite to include Launch Vehicles, adding the benefit of investigating differences intrinsic to model-based FM architectures and insight into complexities of FM within an Agile software development environment, in order to improve awareness of how nontraditional processes affect FM architectural design and system health management. The identification of particular FM architectures, visibility, and associated IV&V techniques provides a TR suite that enables greater assurance that critical software systems will adequately protect against faults and respond to adverse conditions. Additionally, the role FM has with regard to strengthened security requirements, with potential to advance overall asset protection of flight software systems, is being addressed with the development of an adverse conditions database encompassing flight software vulnerabilities. Capitalizing on the established framework, this TR suite provides assurance capability for a variety of FM architectures and varied development approaches. Research results are being disseminated across NASA, other agencies, and the software community. This paper discusses the findings and TR suite informing the FM domain in best practices for FM architectural design, visibility observations, and methods employed for IV&V and mission assurance.

Managing Written Directives: A Software Solution to Streamline Workflow.

PubMed

Wagner, Robert H; Savir-Baruch, Bital; Gabriel, Medhat S; Halama, James R; Bova, Davide

2017-06-01

A written directive is required by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for any use of 131 I above 1.11 MBq (30 μCi) and for patients receiving radiopharmaceutical therapy. This requirement has also been adopted and must be enforced by the agreement states. As the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals increases therapeutic options in nuclear medicine, time spent on regulatory paperwork also increases. The pressure of managing these time-consuming regulatory requirements may heighten the potential for inaccurate or incomplete directive data and subsequent regulatory violations. To improve on the paper-trail method of directive management, we created a software tool using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant database. This software allows for secure data-sharing among physicians, technologists, and managers while saving time, reducing errors, and eliminating the possibility of loss and duplication. Methods: The software tool was developed using Visual Basic, which is part of the Visual Studio development environment for the Windows platform. Patient data are deposited in an Access database on a local HIPAA-compliant secure server or hard disk. Once a working version had been developed, it was installed at our institution and used to manage directives. Updates and modifications of the software were released regularly until no more significant problems were found with its operation. Results: The software has been used at our institution for over 2 y and has reliably kept track of all directives. All physicians and technologists use the software daily and find it superior to paper directives. They can retrieve active directives at any stage of completion, as well as completed directives. Conclusion: We have developed a software solution for the management of written directives that streamlines and structures the departmental workflow. This solution saves time, centralizes the information for all staff to share, and decreases confusion about the creation, completion, filing, and retrieval of directives. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

A combined approach of AHP and TOPSIS methods applied in the field of integrated software systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdie, A. D.; Osaci, M.; Muscalagiu, I.; Barz, C.

2017-05-01

Adopting the most appropriate technology for developing applications on an integrated software system for enterprises, may result in great savings both in cost and hours of work. This paper proposes a research study for the determination of a hierarchy between three SAP (System Applications and Products in Data Processing) technologies. The technologies Web Dynpro -WD, Floorplan Manager - FPM and CRM WebClient UI - CRM WCUI are multi-criteria evaluated in terms of the obtained performances through the implementation of the same web business application. To establish the hierarchy a multi-criteria analysis model that combines the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methods was proposed. This model was built with the help of the SuperDecision software. This software is based on the AHP method and determines the weights for the selected sets of criteria. The TOPSIS method was used to obtain the final ranking and the technologies hierarchy.

Comparison of methods for quantitative evaluation of endoscopic distortion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Quanzeng; Castro, Kurt; Desai, Viraj N.; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Pfefer, Joshua

2015-03-01

Endoscopy is a well-established paradigm in medical imaging, and emerging endoscopic technologies such as high resolution, capsule and disposable endoscopes promise significant improvements in effectiveness, as well as patient safety and acceptance of endoscopy. However, the field lacks practical standardized test methods to evaluate key optical performance characteristics (OPCs), in particular the geometric distortion caused by fisheye lens effects in clinical endoscopic systems. As a result, it has been difficult to evaluate an endoscope's image quality or assess its changes over time. The goal of this work was to identify optimal techniques for objective, quantitative characterization of distortion that are effective and not burdensome. Specifically, distortion measurements from a commercially available distortion evaluation/correction software package were compared with a custom algorithm based on a local magnification (ML) approach. Measurements were performed using a clinical gastroscope to image square grid targets. Recorded images were analyzed with the ML approach and the commercial software where the results were used to obtain corrected images. Corrected images based on the ML approach and the software were compared. The study showed that the ML method could assess distortion patterns more accurately than the commercial software. Overall, the development of standardized test methods for characterizing distortion and other OPCs will facilitate development, clinical translation, manufacturing quality and assurance of performance during clinical use of endoscopic technologies.

Software Estimation: Developing an Accurate, Reliable Method

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

Lake, CA ,93555- 6110 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S...Activity, the systems engineering team is responsible for system and software requirements. 2 . Process Dashboard is a software planning and tracking tool... CA 93555- 6110 760-939-6989 Brad Hodgins is an interim TSP Mentor Coach, SEI-Authorized TSP Coach, SEI-Certified PSP/TSP Instructor, and SEI

Metadata-driven Delphi rating on the Internet.

PubMed

Deshpande, Aniruddha M; Shiffman, Richard N; Nadkarni, Prakash M

2005-01-01

Paper-based data collection and analysis for consensus development is inefficient and error-prone. Computerized techniques that could improve efficiency, however, have been criticized as costly, inconvenient and difficult to use. We designed and implemented a metadata-driven Web-based Delphi rating and analysis tool, employing the flexible entity-attribute-value schema to create generic, reusable software. The software can be applied to various domains by altering the metadata; the programming code remains intact. This approach greatly reduces the marginal cost of re-using the software. We implemented our software to prepare for the Conference on Guidelines Standardization. Twenty-three invited experts completed the first round of the Delphi rating on the Web. For each participant, the software generated individualized reports that described the median rating and the disagreement index (calculated from the Interpercentile Range Adjusted for Symmetry) as defined by the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. We evaluated the software with a satisfaction survey using a five-level Likert scale. The panelists felt that Web data entry was convenient (median 4, interquartile range [IQR] 4.0-5.0), acceptable (median 4.5, IQR 4.0-5.0) and easily accessible (median 5, IQR 4.0-5.0). We conclude that Web-based Delphi rating for consensus development is a convenient and acceptable alternative to the traditional paper-based method.

Digital Image Correlation from Commercial to FOS Software: a Mature Technique for Full-Field Displacement Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belloni, V.; Ravanelli, R.; Nascetti, A.; Di Rita, M.; Mattei, D.; Crespi, M.

2018-05-01

In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in studying non-contact methods for full-field displacement and strain measurement. Among such techniques, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) has received particular attention, thanks to its ability to provide these information by comparing digital images of a sample surface before and after deformation. The method is now commonly adopted in the field of civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering and different companies and some research groups implemented 2D and 3D DIC software. In this work a review on DIC software status is given at first. Moreover, a free and open source 2D DIC software is presented, named py2DIC and developed in Python at the Geodesy and Geomatics Division of DICEA of the University of Rome "La Sapienza"; its potentialities were evaluated by processing the images captured during tensile tests performed in the Structural Engineering Lab of the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and comparing them to those obtained using the commercial software Vic-2D developed by Correlated Solutions Inc, USA. The agreement of these results at one hundredth of millimetre level demonstrate the possibility to use this open source software as a valuable 2D DIC tool to measure full-field displacements on the investigated sample surface.

Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M

2014-10-01

Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques.

Development of an automated asbestos counting software based on fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Alexandrov, Maxym; Ichida, Etsuko; Nishimura, Tomoki; Aoki, Kousuke; Ishida, Takenori; Hirota, Ryuichi; Ikeda, Takeshi; Kawasaki, Tetsuo; Kuroda, Akio

2015-01-01

An emerging alternative to the commonly used analytical methods for asbestos analysis is fluorescence microscopy (FM), which relies on highly specific asbestos-binding probes to distinguish asbestos from interfering non-asbestos fibers. However, all types of microscopic asbestos analysis require laborious examination of large number of fields of view and are prone to subjective errors and large variability between asbestos counts by different analysts and laboratories. A possible solution to these problems is automated counting of asbestos fibers by image analysis software, which would lower the cost and increase the reliability of asbestos testing. This study seeks to develop a fiber recognition and counting software for FM-based asbestos analysis. We discuss the main features of the developed software and the results of its testing. Software testing showed good correlation between automated and manual counts for the samples with medium and high fiber concentrations. At low fiber concentrations, the automated counts were less accurate, leading us to implement correction mode for automated counts. While the full automation of asbestos analysis would require further improvements in accuracy of fiber identification, the developed software could already assist professional asbestos analysts and record detailed fiber dimensions for the use in epidemiological research.

Improving Building Energy Simulation Programs Through Diagnostic Testing (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2012-02-01

New test procedure evaluates quality and accuracy of energy analysis tools for the residential building retrofit market. Reducing the energy use of existing homes in the United States offers significant energy-saving opportunities, which can be identified through building simulation software tools that calculate optimal packages of efficiency measures. To improve the accuracy of energy analysis for residential buildings, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Buildings Research team developed the Building Energy Simulation Test for Existing Homes (BESTEST-EX), a method for diagnosing and correcting errors in building energy audit software and calibration procedures. BESTEST-EX consists of building physics and utility billmore » calibration test cases, which software developers can use to compare their tools simulation findings to reference results generated with state-of-the-art simulation tools. Overall, the BESTEST-EX methodology: (1) Tests software predictions of retrofit energy savings in existing homes; (2) Ensures building physics calculations and utility bill calibration procedures perform to a minimum standard; and (3) Quantifies impacts of uncertainties in input audit data and occupant behavior. BESTEST-EX is helping software developers identify and correct bugs in their software, as well as develop and test utility bill calibration procedures.« less

A method to establish seismic noise baselines for automated station assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNamara, D.E.; Hutt, C.R.; Gee, L.S.; Benz, H.M.; Buland, R.P.

2009-01-01

We present a method for quantifying station noise baselines and characterizing the spectral shape of out-of-nominal noise sources. Our intent is to automate this method in order to ensure that only the highest-quality data are used in rapid earthquake products at NEIC. In addition, the station noise baselines provide a valuable tool to support the quality control of GSN and ANSS backbone data and metadata. The procedures addressed here are currently in development at the NEIC, and work is underway to understand how quickly changes from nominal can be observed and used within the NEIC processing framework. The spectral methods and software used to compute station baselines and described herein (PQLX) can be useful to both permanent and portable seismic stations operators. Applications include: general seismic station and data quality control (QC), evaluation of instrument responses, assessment of near real-time communication system performance, characterization of site cultural noise conditions, and evaluation of sensor vault design, as well as assessment of gross network capabilities (McNamara et al. 2005). Future PQLX development plans include incorporating station baselines for automated QC methods and automating station status report generation and notification based on user-defined QC parameters. The PQLX software is available through the USGS (http://earthquake. usgs.gov/research/software/pqlx.php) and IRIS (http://www.iris.edu/software/ pqlx/).

An experimental evaluation of software redundancy as a strategy for improving reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckhardt, Dave E., Jr.; Caglayan, Alper K.; Knight, John C.; Lee, Larry D.; Mcallister, David F.; Vouk, Mladen A.; Kelly, John P. J.

1990-01-01

The strategy of using multiple versions of independently developed software as a means to tolerate residual software design faults is suggested by the success of hardware redundancy for tolerating hardware failures. Although, as generally accepted, the independence of hardware failures resulting from physical wearout can lead to substantial increases in reliability for redundant hardware structures, a similar conclusion is not immediate for software. The degree to which design faults are manifested as independent failures determines the effectiveness of redundancy as a method for improving software reliability. Interest in multi-version software centers on whether it provides an adequate measure of increased reliability to warrant its use in critical applications. The effectiveness of multi-version software is studied by comparing estimates of the failure probabilities of these systems with the failure probabilities of single versions. The estimates are obtained under a model of dependent failures and compared with estimates obtained when failures are assumed to be independent. The experimental results are based on twenty versions of an aerospace application developed and certified by sixty programmers from four universities. Descriptions of the application, development and certification processes, and operational evaluation are given together with an analysis of the twenty versions.

Cooperative GN&C development in a rapid prototyping environment. [flight software design for space vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bordano, Aldo; Uhde-Lacovara, JO; Devall, Ray; Partin, Charles; Sugano, Jeff; Doane, Kent; Compton, Jim

1993-01-01

The Navigation, Control and Aeronautics Division (NCAD) at NASA-JSC is exploring ways of producing Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) flight software faster, better, and cheaper. To achieve these goals NCAD established two hardware/software facilities that take an avionics design project from initial inception through high fidelity real-time hardware-in-the-loop testing. Commercially available software products are used to develop the GN&C algorithms in block diagram form and then automatically generate source code from these diagrams. A high fidelity real-time hardware-in-the-loop laboratory provides users with the capability to analyze mass memory usage within the targeted flight computer, verify hardware interfaces, conduct system level verification, performance, acceptance testing, as well as mission verification using reconfigurable and mission unique data. To evaluate these concepts and tools, NCAD embarked on a project to build a real-time 6 DOF simulation of the Soyuz Assured Crew Return Vehicle flight software. To date, a productivity increase of 185 percent has been seen over traditional NASA methods for developing flight software.

The MINERVA Software Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

2017-01-01

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

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers.

PubMed

O'Connor, Martin J; Nyulas, Csongor; Tu, Samson; Buckeridge, David L; Okhmatovskaia, Anna; Musen, Mark A

2009-11-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task-method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach.

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers

PubMed Central

O’CONNOR, MARTIN J.; NYULAS, CSONGOR; TU, SAMSON; BUCKERIDGE, DAVID L.; OKHMATOVSKAIA, ANNA; MUSEN, MARK A.

2012-01-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task–method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach. PMID:23565031

Software for real-time localization of baleen whale calls using directional sonobuoys: A case study on Antarctic blue whales.

PubMed

Miller, Brian S; Calderan, Susannah; Gillespie, Douglas; Weatherup, Graham; Leaper, Russell; Collins, Kym; Double, Michael C

2016-03-01

Directional frequency analysis and recording (DIFAR) sonobuoys can allow real-time acoustic localization of baleen whales for underwater tracking and remote sensing, but limited availability of hardware and software has prevented wider usage. These software limitations were addressed by developing a module in the open-source software PAMGuard. A case study is presented demonstrating that this software provides greater efficiency and accessibility than previous methods for detecting, localizing, and tracking Antarctic blue whales in real time. Additionally, this software can easily be extended to track other low and mid frequency sounds including those from other cetaceans, pinnipeds, icebergs, shipping, and seismic airguns.

Development of a software safety process and a case study of its use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, John C.

1993-01-01

The goal of this research is to continue the development of a comprehensive approach to software safety and to evaluate the approach with a case study. The case study is a major part of the project, and it involves the analysis of a specific safety-critical system from the medical equipment domain. The particular application being used was selected because of the availability of a suitable candidate system. We consider the results to be generally applicable and in no way particularly limited by the domain. The research is concentrating on issues raised by the specification and verification phases of the software lifecycle since they are central to our previously-developed rigorous definitions of software safety. The theoretical research is based on our framework of definitions for software safety. In the area of specification, the main topics being investigated are the development of techniques for building system fault trees that correctly incorporate software issues and the development of rigorous techniques for the preparation of software safety specifications. The research results are documented. Another area of theoretical investigation is the development of verification methods tailored to the characteristics of safety requirements. Verification of the correct implementation of the safety specification is central to the goal of establishing safe software. The empirical component of this research is focusing on a case study in order to provide detailed characterizations of the issues as they appear in practice, and to provide a testbed for the evaluation of various existing and new theoretical results, tools, and techniques. The Magnetic Stereotaxis System is summarized.

A high-level 3D visualization API for Java and ImageJ.

PubMed

Schmid, Benjamin; Schindelin, Johannes; Cardona, Albert; Longair, Mark; Heisenberg, Martin

2010-05-21

Current imaging methods such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Confocal microscopy, Electron Microscopy (EM) or Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM) yield three-dimensional (3D) data sets in need of appropriate computational methods for their analysis. The reconstruction, segmentation and registration are best approached from the 3D representation of the data set. Here we present a platform-independent framework based on Java and Java 3D for accelerated rendering of biological images. Our framework is seamlessly integrated into ImageJ, a free image processing package with a vast collection of community-developed biological image analysis tools. Our framework enriches the ImageJ software libraries with methods that greatly reduce the complexity of developing image analysis tools in an interactive 3D visualization environment. In particular, we provide high-level access to volume rendering, volume editing, surface extraction, and image annotation. The ability to rely on a library that removes the low-level details enables concentrating software development efforts on the algorithm implementation parts. Our framework enables biomedical image software development to be built with 3D visualization capabilities with very little effort. We offer the source code and convenient binary packages along with extensive documentation at http://3dviewer.neurofly.de.

An Interoperability Framework and Capability Profiling for Manufacturing Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuda, M.; Arai, E.; Nakano, N.; Wakai, H.; Takeda, H.; Takata, M.; Sasaki, H.

ISO/TC184/SC5/WG4 is working on ISO16100: Manufacturing software capability profiling for interoperability. This paper reports on a manufacturing software interoperability framework and a capability profiling methodology which were proposed and developed through this international standardization activity. Within the context of manufacturing application, a manufacturing software unit is considered to be capable of performing a specific set of function defined by a manufacturing software system architecture. A manufacturing software interoperability framework consists of a set of elements and rules for describing the capability of software units to support the requirements of a manufacturing application. The capability profiling methodology makes use of the domain-specific attributes and methods associated with each specific software unit to describe capability profiles in terms of unit name, manufacturing functions, and other needed class properties. In this methodology, manufacturing software requirements are expressed in terns of software unit capability profiles.

Clinician user involvement in the real world: Designing an electronic tool to improve interprofessional communication and collaboration in a hospital setting.

PubMed

Tang, Terence; Lim, Morgan E; Mansfield, Elizabeth; McLachlan, Alexander; Quan, Sherman D

2018-02-01

User involvement is vital to the success of health information technology implementation. However, involving clinician users effectively and meaningfully in complex healthcare organizations remains challenging. The objective of this paper is to share our real-world experience of applying a variety of user involvement methods in the design and implementation of a clinical communication and collaboration platform aimed at facilitating care of complex hospitalized patients by an interprofessional team of clinicians. We designed and implemented an electronic clinical communication and collaboration platform in a large community teaching hospital. The design team consisted of both technical and healthcare professionals. Agile software development methodology was used to facilitate rapid iterative design and user input. We involved clinician users at all stages of the development lifecycle using a variety of user-centered, user co-design, and participatory design methods. Thirty-six software releases were delivered over 24 months. User involvement has resulted in improvement in user interface design, identification of software defects, creation of new modules that facilitated workflow, and identification of necessary changes to the scope of the project early on. A variety of user involvement methods were complementary and benefited the design and implementation of a complex health IT solution. Combining these methods with agile software development methodology can turn designs into functioning clinical system to support iterative improvement. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cleared Hot: A Forward Air Control (Airborne) Concepts Trainer

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

list of high-level objectives imitating a detailed requirements document. In those cases, software developers are forced to make best guesses about...software developers are forced to make best guesses about how to meet those objectives. Is there a better method? We embarked on a project to create a...with participants at the end of an 18-month development cycle, we did the next best thing: Cleared Hot was taken to the mission subject matter

Software for improved field surveys of nesting marine turtles.

PubMed

Anastácio, R; Gonzalez, J M; Slater, K; Pereira, M J

2017-09-07

Field data are still recorded on paper in many worldwide beach surveys of nesting marine turtles. The data must be subsequently transferred into an electronic database, and this can introduce errors in the dataset. To minimize such errors, the "Turtles" software was developed and piloted to record field data by one software user accompanying one Tortuguero in Akumal beaches, Quintana Roo, Mexico, from June 1 st to July 31 st during the night patrols. Comparisons were made between exported data from the software with the paper forms entered into a database (henceforth traditional). Preliminary assessment indicated that the software user tended to record a greater amount of metrics (i.e., an average of 18.3 fields ± 5.4 sd vs. 8.6 fields ± 2.1 sd recorded by the traditional method). The traditional method introduce three types of "errors" into a dataset: missing values in relevant fields (40.1%), different answers for the same value (9.8%), and inconsistent data (0.9%). Only 5.8% of these (missing values) were found with the software methodology. Although only tested by a single user, the software may suggest increased efficacy and warrants further examination to accurately assess the merit of replacing traditional methods of data recording for beach monitoring programmes.

Quantitative fluorescence angiography for neurosurgical interventions.

PubMed

Weichelt, Claudia; Duscha, Philipp; Steinmeier, Ralf; Meyer, Tobias; Kuß, Julia; Cimalla, Peter; Kirsch, Matthias; Sobottka, Stephan B; Koch, Edmund; Schackert, Gabriele; Morgenstern, Ute

2013-06-01

Present methods for quantitative measurement of cerebral perfusion during neurosurgical operations require additional technology for measurement, data acquisition, and processing. This study used conventional fluorescence video angiography--as an established method to visualize blood flow in brain vessels--enhanced by a quantifying perfusion software tool. For these purposes, the fluorescence dye indocyanine green is given intravenously, and after activation by a near-infrared light source the fluorescence signal is recorded. Video data are analyzed by software algorithms to allow quantification of the blood flow. Additionally, perfusion is measured intraoperatively by a reference system. Furthermore, comparing reference measurements using a flow phantom were performed to verify the quantitative blood flow results of the software and to validate the software algorithm. Analysis of intraoperative video data provides characteristic biological parameters. These parameters were implemented in the special flow phantom for experimental validation of the developed software algorithms. Furthermore, various factors that influence the determination of perfusion parameters were analyzed by means of mathematical simulation. Comparing patient measurement, phantom experiment, and computer simulation under certain conditions (variable frame rate, vessel diameter, etc.), the results of the software algorithms are within the range of parameter accuracy of the reference methods. Therefore, the software algorithm for calculating cortical perfusion parameters from video data presents a helpful intraoperative tool without complex additional measurement technology.

[Comparision of Different Methods of Area Measurement in Irregular Scar].

PubMed

Ran, D; Li, W J; Sun, Q G; Li, J Q; Xia, Q

2016-10-01

To determine a measurement standard of irregular scar area by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods in measuring same irregular scar area. Irregular scar area was scanned by digital scanning and measured by coordinate reading method, AutoCAD pixel method, Photoshop lasso pixel method, Photoshop magic bar filled pixel method and Foxit PDF reading software, and some aspects of these methods such as measurement time, repeatability, whether could be recorded and whether could be traced were compared and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the scar areas by the measurement methods above. However, there was statistical difference in the measurement time and repeatability by one or multi performers and only Foxit PDF reading software could be traced back. The methods above can be used for measuring scar area, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to develop new measurement software for forensic identification. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

Observation-Driven Configuration of Complex Software Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sage, Aled

2010-06-01

The ever-increasing complexity of software systems makes them hard to comprehend, predict and tune due to emergent properties and non-deterministic behaviour. Complexity arises from the size of software systems and the wide variety of possible operating environments: the increasing choice of platforms and communication policies leads to ever more complex performance characteristics. In addition, software systems exhibit different behaviour under different workloads. Many software systems are designed to be configurable so that policies can be chosen to meet the needs of various stakeholders. For complex software systems it can be difficult to accurately predict the effects of a change and to know which configuration is most appropriate. This thesis demonstrates that it is useful to run automated experiments that measure a selection of system configurations. Experiments can find configurations that meet the stakeholders' needs, find interesting behavioural characteristics, and help produce predictive models of the system's behaviour. The design and use of ACT (Automated Configuration Tool) for running such experiments is described, in combination a number of search strategies for deciding on the configurations to measure. Design Of Experiments (DOE) is discussed, with emphasis on Taguchi Methods. These statistical methods have been used extensively in manufacturing, but have not previously been used for configuring software systems. The novel contribution here is an industrial case study, applying the combination of ACT and Taguchi Methods to DC-Directory, a product from Data Connection Ltd (DCL). The case study investigated the applicability of Taguchi Methods for configuring complex software systems. Taguchi Methods were found to be useful for modelling and configuring DC- Directory, making them a valuable addition to the techniques available to system administrators and developers.

Control System Architectures, Technologies and Concepts for Near Term and Future Human Exploration of Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boulanger, Richard; Overland, David

2004-01-01

Technologies that facilitate the design and control of complex, hybrid, and resource-constrained systems are examined. This paper focuses on design methodologies, and system architectures, not on specific control methods that may be applied to life support subsystems. Honeywell and Boeing have estimated that 60-80Y0 of the effort in developing complex control systems is software development, and only 20-40% is control system development. It has also been shown that large software projects have failure rates of as high as 50-65%. Concepts discussed include the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and design patterns with the goal of creating a self-improving, self-documenting system design process. Successful architectures for control must not only facilitate hardware to software integration, but must also reconcile continuously changing software with much less frequently changing hardware. These architectures rely on software modules or components to facilitate change. Architecting such systems for change leverages the interfaces between these modules or components.

Software for imaging phase-shift interference microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinovski, I.; França, R. S.; Couceiro, I. B.

2018-03-01

In recent years absolute interference microscope was created at National Metrology Institute of Brazil (INMETRO). The instrument by principle of operation is imaging phase-shifting interferometer (PSI) equipped with two stabilized lasers of different colour as traceable reference wavelength sources. We report here some progress in development of the software for this instrument. The status of undergoing internal validation and verification of the software is also reported. In contrast with standard PSI method, different methodology of phase evaluation is applied. Therefore, instrument specific procedures for software validation and verification are adapted and discussed.

You Can't Get There From Here! Problems and Potential Solutions in Developing New Classes of Complex Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Michael G.; Rash, James L.; Truszkowski, Walter F.; Rouff, Christopher A.; Sterritt, Roy

2005-01-01

The explosion of capabilities and new products within the sphere of Information Technology (IT) has fostered widespread, overly optimistic opinions regarding the industry, based on common but unjustified assumptions of quality and correctness of software. These assumptions are encouraged by software producers and vendors, who at this late date have not succeeded in finding a way to overcome the lack of an automated, mathematically sound way to develop correct systems from requirements. NASA faces this dilemma as it envisages advanced mission concepts that involve large swarms of small spacecraft that will engage cooperatively to acheve science goals. Such missions entail levels of complexity that beg for new methods for system development far beyond today's methods, which are inadequate for ensuring correct behavior of large numbers of interacting intelligent mission elements. New system development techniques recently devised through NASA-led research will offer some innovative approaches to achieving correctness in complex system development, including autonomous swarm missions that exhibit emergent behavior, as well as general software products created by the computing industry.

Developing smartphone apps for behavioural studies: The AlcoRisk app case study.

PubMed

Smith, Anthony; de Salas, Kristy; Lewis, Ian; Schüz, Benjamin

2017-08-01

Smartphone apps have emerged as valuable research tools to sample human behaviours at their time of occurrence within natural environments. Human behaviour sampling methods, such as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), aim to facilitate research that is situated in ecologically valid real world environments rather than laboratory environments. Researchers have trialled a range of EMA smartphone apps to sample human behaviours such as dieting, physical activity and smoking. Software development processes for EMA smartphones apps, however, are not widely documented with little guidance provided for the integration of complex multidisciplinary behavioural and technical fields. In this paper, the AlcoRisk app for studying alcohol consumption and risk taking tendencies is presented alongside a software development process that integrates these multidisciplinary fields. The software development process consists of three stages including requirements analysis, feature and interface design followed by app implementation. Results from a preliminary feasibility study support the efficacy of the AlcoRisk app's software development process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

General Purpose Boundary Element Solution Technology (GPBEST) software employs the boundary element method of mechanical engineering analysis, as opposed to finite element. It is, according to one of its developers, 10 times faster in data preparation and more accurate than other methods. Its use results in less expensive products because the time between design and manufacturing is shortened. A commercial derivative of a NASA-developed computer code, it is marketed by Best Corporation to solve problems in stress analysis, heat transfer, fluid analysis and yielding and cracking of solids. Other applications include designing tractor and auto parts, household appliances and acoustic analysis.

A diagnostic prototype of the potable water subsystem of the Space Station Freedom ECLSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lukefahr, Brenda D.; Rochowiak, Daniel M.; Benson, Brian L.; Rogers, John S.; Mckee, James W.

1989-01-01

In analyzing the baseline Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) command and control architecture, various processes are found which would be enhanced by the use of knowledge based system methods of implementation. The most suitable process for prototyping using rule based methods are documented, while domain knowledge resources and other practical considerations are examined. Requirements for a prototype rule based software system are documented. These requirements reflect Space Station Freedom ECLSS software and hardware development efforts, and knowledge based system requirements. A quick prototype knowledge based system environment is researched and developed.

Automated software for analysis of ciliary beat frequency and metachronal wave orientation in primary ciliary dyskinesia.

PubMed

Mantovani, Giulia; Pifferi, Massimo; Vozzi, Giovanni

2010-06-01

Patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) have structural and/or functional alterations of cilia that imply deficits in mucociliary clearance and different respiratory pathologies. A useful indicator for the difficult diagnosis is the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) that is significantly lower in pathological cases than in physiological ones. The CBF computation is not rapid, therefore, the aim of this study is to propose an automated method to evaluate it directly from videos of ciliated cells. The cells are taken from inferior nasal turbinates and videos of ciliary movements are registered and eventually processed by the developed software. The software consists in the extraction of features from videos (written with C++ language) and the computation of the frequency (written with Matlab language). This system was tested both on the samples of nasal cavity and software models, and the results were really promising because in a few seconds, it can compute a reliable frequency if compared with that measured with visual methods. It is to be noticed that the reliability of the computation increases with the quality of acquisition system and especially with the sampling frequency. It is concluded that the developed software could be a useful mean for PCD diagnosis.

Sample registration software for process automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia nuclear agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Nur Aira Abd; Yussup, Nolida; Salim, Nazaratul Ashifa Bt. Abdullah; Ibrahim, Maslina Bt. Mohd; Mokhtar, Mukhlis B.; Soh@Shaari, Syirrazie Bin Che; Azman, Azraf B.; Ismail, Nadiah Binti

2015-04-01

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) had been established in Nuclear Malaysia since 1980s. Most of the procedures established were done manually including sample registration. The samples were recorded manually in a logbook and given ID number. Then all samples, standards, SRM and blank were recorded on the irradiation vial and several forms prior to irradiation. These manual procedures carried out by the NAA laboratory personnel were time consuming and not efficient. Sample registration software is developed as part of IAEA/CRP project on `Development of Process Automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia Nuclear Agency (RC17399)'. The objective of the project is to create a pc-based data entry software during sample preparation stage. This is an effective method to replace redundant manual data entries that needs to be completed by laboratory personnel. The software developed will automatically generate sample code for each sample in one batch, create printable registration forms for administration purpose, and store selected parameters that will be passed to sample analysis program. The software is developed by using National Instruments Labview 8.6.

Software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Mouček, Roman; Ježek, Petr; Vařeka, Lukáš; Řondík, Tomáš; Brůha, Petr; Papež, Václav; Mautner, Pavel; Novotný, Jiří; Prokop, Tomáš; Štěbeták, Jan

2014-01-01

As in other areas of experimental science, operation of electrophysiological laboratory, design and performance of electrophysiological experiments, collection, storage and sharing of experimental data and metadata, analysis and interpretation of these data, and publication of results are time consuming activities. If these activities are well organized and supported by a suitable infrastructure, work efficiency of researchers increases significantly. This article deals with the main concepts, design, and development of software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology. The described infrastructure has been primarily developed for the needs of neuroinformatics laboratory at the University of West Bohemia, the Czech Republic. However, from the beginning it has been also designed and developed to be open and applicable in laboratories that do similar research. After introducing the laboratory and the whole architectural concept the individual parts of the infrastructure are described. The central element of the software infrastructure is a web-based portal that enables community researchers to store, share, download and search data and metadata from electrophysiological experiments. The data model, domain ontology and usage of semantic web languages and technologies are described. Current data publication policy used in the portal is briefly introduced. The registration of the portal within Neuroscience Information Framework is described. Then the methods used for processing of electrophysiological signals are presented. The specific modifications of these methods introduced by laboratory researches are summarized; the methods are organized into a laboratory workflow. Other parts of the software infrastructure include mobile and offline solutions for data/metadata storing and a hardware stimulator communicating with an EEG amplifier and recording software. PMID:24639646

Software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology.

PubMed

Mouček, Roman; Ježek, Petr; Vařeka, Lukáš; Rondík, Tomáš; Brůha, Petr; Papež, Václav; Mautner, Pavel; Novotný, Jiří; Prokop, Tomáš; Stěbeták, Jan

2014-01-01

As in other areas of experimental science, operation of electrophysiological laboratory, design and performance of electrophysiological experiments, collection, storage and sharing of experimental data and metadata, analysis and interpretation of these data, and publication of results are time consuming activities. If these activities are well organized and supported by a suitable infrastructure, work efficiency of researchers increases significantly. This article deals with the main concepts, design, and development of software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology. The described infrastructure has been primarily developed for the needs of neuroinformatics laboratory at the University of West Bohemia, the Czech Republic. However, from the beginning it has been also designed and developed to be open and applicable in laboratories that do similar research. After introducing the laboratory and the whole architectural concept the individual parts of the infrastructure are described. The central element of the software infrastructure is a web-based portal that enables community researchers to store, share, download and search data and metadata from electrophysiological experiments. The data model, domain ontology and usage of semantic web languages and technologies are described. Current data publication policy used in the portal is briefly introduced. The registration of the portal within Neuroscience Information Framework is described. Then the methods used for processing of electrophysiological signals are presented. The specific modifications of these methods introduced by laboratory researches are summarized; the methods are organized into a laboratory workflow. Other parts of the software infrastructure include mobile and offline solutions for data/metadata storing and a hardware stimulator communicating with an EEG amplifier and recording software.

Developing tools for digital radar image data evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domik, G.; Leberl, F.; Raggam, J.

1986-01-01

The refinement of radar image analysis methods has led to a need for a systems approach to radar image processing software. Developments stimulated through satellite radar are combined with standard image processing techniques to create a user environment to manipulate and analyze airborne and satellite radar images. One aim is to create radar products for the user from the original data to enhance the ease of understanding the contents. The results are called secondary image products and derive from the original digital images. Another aim is to support interactive SAR image analysis. Software methods permit use of a digital height model to create ortho images, synthetic images, stereo-ortho images, radar maps or color combinations of different component products. Efforts are ongoing to integrate individual tools into a combined hardware/software environment for interactive radar image analysis.

Automated UHPLC separation of 10 pharmaceutical compounds using software-modeling.

PubMed

Zöldhegyi, A; Rieger, H-J; Molnár, I; Fekhretdinova, L

2018-03-20

Human mistakes are still one of the main reasons of underlying regulatory affairs that in a compliance with FDA's Data Integrity and Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD) must be eliminated. To develop smooth, fast and robust methods that are free of human failures, a state-of-the-art automation was presented. For the scope of this study, a commercial software (DryLab) and a model mixture of 10 drugs were subjected to testing. Following AQbD-principles, the best available working point was selected and conformational experimental runs, i.e. the six worst cases of the conducted robustness calculation, were performed. Simulated results were found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental ones, proving the usefulness and effectiveness of an automated, software-assisted analytical method development. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Organization of functional interaction of corporate information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safronov, V. V.; Barabanov, V. F.; Podvalniy, S. L.; Nuzhnyy, A. M.

2018-03-01

In this article the methods of specialized software systems integration are analyzed and the concept of seamless integration of production decisions is offered. In view of this concept developed structural and functional schemes of the specialized software are shown. The proposed schemes and models are improved for a machine-building enterprise.

Pilot-in-the-Loop CFD Method Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-16

CFD analysis. Coupled simulations will be run at PSU on the COCOA -4 cluster, a high performance computing cluster. The CRUNCH CFD software has...been installed on the COCOA -4 servers and initial software tests are being conducted. Initial efforts will use the Generic Frigate Shape SFS-2 to

Quality Assurance Testing of Version 1.3 of U.S. EPA Benchmark Dose Software (Presentation)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA benchmark dose software (BMDS) issued to evaluate chemical dose-response data in support of Agency risk assessments, and must therefore be dependable. Quality assurance testing methods developed for BMDS were designed to assess model dependability with respect to curve-fitt...

Fault Tolerant Considerations and Methods for Guidance and Control Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-01

multifunction devices such as microprocessors with software. In striving toward the economic goal, however, a cost is incurred in a different coin, i.e...therefore been developed which reduces the software risk to acceptable proportions. Several of the techniques thus developed incur no significant cost ...complex that their design and implementation need computerized tools in order to be cost -effective (in a broad sense, including the capability of

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

The plpdfa software is a product of an LDRD project at LLNL entitked "Adaptive Sampling for Very High Throughput Data Streams" (tracking number 11-ERD-035). This software was developed by a graduate student summer intern, Chris Challis, who worked under project PI Dan Merl furing the summer of 2011. The software the source code is implementing is a statistical analysis technique for clustering and classification of text-valued data. The method had been previously published by the PI in the open literature.

Compositional Specification of Software Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penix, John; Lau, Sonie (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

This paper describes our experience using parameterized algebraic specifications to model properties of software architectures. The goal is to model the decomposition of requirements independent of the style used to implement the architecture. We begin by providing an overview of the role of architecture specification in software development. We then describe how architecture specifications are build up from component and connector specifications and give an overview of insights gained from a case study used to validate the method.

Cognitive Foundry v. 3.0 (OSS)

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

Basilico, Justin; Dixon, Kevin; McClain, Jonathan

2009-11-18

The Cognitive Foundry is a unified collection of tools designed for research and applications that use cognitive modeling, machine learning, or pattern recognition. The software library contains design patterns, interface definitions, and default implementations of reusable software components and algorithms designed to support a wide variety of research and development needs. The library contains three main software packages: the Common package that contains basic utilities and linear algebraic methods, the Cognitive Framework package that contains tools to assist in implementing and analyzing theories of cognition, and the Machine Learning package that provides general algorithms and methods for populating Cognitive Frameworkmore » components from domain-relevant data.« less

Zebra: An advanced PWR lattice code

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

Cao, L.; Wu, H.; Zheng, Y.

2012-07-01

This paper presents an overview of an advanced PWR lattice code ZEBRA developed at NECP laboratory in Xi'an Jiaotong Univ.. The multi-group cross-section library is generated from the ENDF/B-VII library by NJOY and the 361-group SHEM structure is employed. The resonance calculation module is developed based on sub-group method. The transport solver is Auto-MOC code, which is a self-developed code based on the Method of Characteristic and the customization of AutoCAD software. The whole code is well organized in a modular software structure. Some numerical results during the validation of the code demonstrate that this code has a good precisionmore » and a high efficiency. (authors)« less

Methodology for automating software systems. Task 1 of the foundations for automating software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, Warren

1989-01-01

The early stages of a research program designed to establish an experimental research platform for software engineering are described. Major emphasis is placed on Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE). The Poor Man's CASE Tool is based on the Apple Macintosh system, employing available software including Focal Point II, Hypercard, XRefText, and Macproject. These programs are functional in themselves, but through advanced linking are available for operation from within the tool being developed. The research platform is intended to merge software engineering technology with artificial intelligence (AI). In the first prototype of the PMCT, however, the sections of AI are not included. CASE tools assist the software engineer in planning goals, routes to those goals, and ways to measure progress. The method described allows software to be synthesized instead of being written or built.

PROFIL: A Method for the Development of Multimedia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koper, Rob

1995-01-01

Describes a dedicated method for the design of multimedia courseware, called PROFIL, which integrates instructional design with software engineering techniques and incorporates media selection in the design methodology. The phases of development are outlined: preliminary investigation, definition, script, technical realization, implementation, and…

Dynamic visualization techniques for high consequence software

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

Pollock, G.M.

1998-02-01

This report documents a prototype tool developed to investigate the use of visualization and virtual reality technologies for improving software surety confidence. The tool is utilized within the execution phase of the software life cycle. It provides a capability to monitor an executing program against prespecified requirements constraints provided in a program written in the requirements specification language SAGE. The resulting Software Attribute Visual Analysis Tool (SAVAnT) also provides a technique to assess the completeness of a software specification. The prototype tool is described along with the requirements constraint language after a brief literature review is presented. Examples of howmore » the tool can be used are also presented. In conclusion, the most significant advantage of this tool is to provide a first step in evaluating specification completeness, and to provide a more productive method for program comprehension and debugging. The expected payoff is increased software surety confidence, increased program comprehension, and reduced development and debugging time.« less

Ten Commandments of Formal Methods...Ten Years Later

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowen, Jonathan P.; Hinchey, Michael G.

2006-01-01

More than a decade ago, in "Ten Commandments of Formal Methods," we offered practical guidelines for projects that sought to use formal methods. Over the years, the article, which was based on our knowledge of successful industrial projects, has been widely cited and has generated much positive feedback. However, despite this apparent enthusiasm, formal methods use has not greatly increased, and some of the same attitudes about the infeasibility of adopting them persist. Formal methodists believe that introducing greater rigor will improve the software development process and yield software with better structure, greater maintainability, and fewer errors.

JTAG-based remote configuration of FPGAs over optical fibers

DOE PAGES

Deng, B.; Xu, H.; Liu, C.; ...

2015-01-28

In this study, a remote FPGA-configuration method based on JTAG extension over optical fibers is presented. The method takes advantage of commercial components and ready-to-use software such as iMPACT and does not require any hardware or software development. The method combines the advantages of the slow remote JTAG configuration and the fast local flash memory configuration. The method has been verified successfully and used in the Demonstrator of Liquid-Argon Trigger Digitization Board (LTDB) for the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter Phase-I trigger upgrade. All components on the FPGA side are verified to meet the radiation tolerance requirements.

Infusing Software Assurance Research Techniques into Use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pressburger, Thomas; DiVito, Ben; Feather, Martin S.; Hinchey, Michael; Markosian, Lawrence; Trevino, Luis C.

2006-01-01

Research in the software engineering community continues to lead to new development techniques that encompass processes, methods and tools. However, a number of obstacles impede their infusion into software development practices. These are the recurring obstacles common to many forms of research. Practitioners cannot readily identify the emerging techniques that may benefit them, and cannot afford to risk time and effort evaluating and trying one out while there remains uncertainty about whether it will work for them. Researchers cannot readily identify the practitioners whose problems would be amenable to their techniques, and, lacking feedback from practical applications, are hard-pressed to gauge the where and in what ways to evolve their techniques to make them more likely to be successful. This paper describes an ongoing effort conducted by a software engineering research infusion team established by NASA s Software Engineering Initiative to overcome these obstacles. .

Spacelab experiment computer study. Volume 1: Executive summary (presentation)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, J. L.; Hodges, B. C.; Christy, J. O.

1976-01-01

A quantitative cost for various Spacelab flight hardware configurations is provided along with varied software development options. A cost analysis of Spacelab computer hardware and software is presented. The cost study is discussed based on utilization of a central experiment computer with optional auxillary equipment. Groundrules and assumptions used in deriving the costing methods for all options in the Spacelab experiment study are presented. The groundrules and assumptions, are analysed and the options along with their cost considerations, are discussed. It is concluded that Spacelab program cost for software development and maintenance is independent of experimental hardware and software options, that distributed standard computer concept simplifies software integration without a significant increase in cost, and that decisions on flight computer hardware configurations should not be made until payload selection for a given mission and a detailed analysis of the mission requirements are completed.

Mining dynamic noteworthy functions in software execution sequences

PubMed Central

Huang, Guoyan; Wang, Yuqian; He, Haitao; Ren, Jiadong

2017-01-01

As the quality of crucial entities can directly affect that of software, their identification and protection become an important premise for effective software development, management, maintenance and testing, which thus contribute to improving the software quality and its attack-defending ability. Most analysis and evaluation on important entities like codes-based static structure analysis are on the destruction of the actual software running. In this paper, from the perspective of software execution process, we proposed an approach to mine dynamic noteworthy functions (DNFM)in software execution sequences. First, according to software decompiling and tracking stack changes, the execution traces composed of a series of function addresses were acquired. Then these traces were modeled as execution sequences and then simplified so as to get simplified sequences (SFS), followed by the extraction of patterns through pattern extraction (PE) algorithm from SFS. After that, evaluating indicators inner-importance and inter-importance were designed to measure the noteworthiness of functions in DNFM algorithm. Finally, these functions were sorted by their noteworthiness. Comparison and contrast were conducted on the experiment results from two traditional complex network-based node mining methods, namely PageRank and DegreeRank. The results show that the DNFM method can mine noteworthy functions in software effectively and precisely. PMID:28278276

Recent development in software and automation tools for high-throughput discovery bioanalysis.

PubMed

Shou, Wilson Z; Zhang, Jun

2012-05-01

Bioanalysis with LC-MS/MS has been established as the method of choice for quantitative determination of drug candidates in biological matrices in drug discovery and development. The LC-MS/MS bioanalytical support for drug discovery, especially for early discovery, often requires high-throughput (HT) analysis of large numbers of samples (hundreds to thousands per day) generated from many structurally diverse compounds (tens to hundreds per day) with a very quick turnaround time, in order to provide important activity and liability data to move discovery projects forward. Another important consideration for discovery bioanalysis is its fit-for-purpose quality requirement depending on the particular experiments being conducted at this stage, and it is usually not as stringent as those required in bioanalysis supporting drug development. These aforementioned attributes of HT discovery bioanalysis made it an ideal candidate for using software and automation tools to eliminate manual steps, remove bottlenecks, improve efficiency and reduce turnaround time while maintaining adequate quality. In this article we will review various recent developments that facilitate automation of individual bioanalytical procedures, such as sample preparation, MS/MS method development, sample analysis and data review, as well as fully integrated software tools that manage the entire bioanalytical workflow in HT discovery bioanalysis. In addition, software tools supporting the emerging high-resolution accurate MS bioanalytical approach are also discussed.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses of Quality Management Unit University of Sumatera Utara software using SCAMPI C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunawan, D.; Amalia, A.; Rahmat, R. F.; Muchtar, M. A.; Siregar, I.

2018-02-01

Identification of software maturity level is a technique to determine the quality of the software. By identifying the software maturity level, the weaknesses of the software can be observed. As a result, the recommendations might be a reference for future software maintenance and development. This paper discusses the software Capability Level (CL) with case studies on Quality Management Unit (Unit Manajemen Mutu) University of Sumatera Utara (UMM-USU). This research utilized Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement class C (SCAMPI C) model with continuous representation. This model focuses on activities for developing quality products and services. The observation is done in three process areas, such as Project Planning (PP), Project Monitoring and Control (PMC), and Requirements Management (REQM). According to the measurement of software capability level for UMM-USU software, turns out that the capability level for the observed process area is in the range of CL1 and CL2. Planning Project (PP) is the only process area which reaches capability level 2, meanwhile, PMC and REQM are still in CL 1 or in performed level. This research reveals several weaknesses of existing UMM-USU software. Therefore, this study proposes several recommendations for UMM-USU to improve capability level for observed process areas.

A new semiquantitative method for evaluation of metastasis progression.

PubMed

Volarevic, A; Ljujic, B; Volarevic, V; Milovanovic, M; Kanjevac, T; Lukic, A; Arsenijevic, N

2012-01-01

Although recent technical advancements are directed toward developing novel assays and methods for detection of micro and macro metastasis, there are still no reports of reliable, simple to use imaging software that could be used for the detection and quantification of metastasis in tissue sections. We herein report a new semiquantitative method for evaluation of metastasis progression in a well established 4T1 orthotopic mouse model of breast cancer metastasis. The new semiquantitative method presented here was implemented by using the Autodesk AutoCAD 2012 program, a computer-aided design program used primarily for preparing technical drawings in 2 dimensions. By using the Autodesk AutoCAD 2012 software- aided graphical evaluation we managed to detect each metastatic lesion and we precisely calculated the average percentage of lung and liver tissue parenchyma with metastasis in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. The data were highly specific and relevant to descriptive histological analysis, confirming reliability and accuracy of the AutoCAD 2012 software as new method for quantification of metastatic lesions. The new semiquantitative method using AutoCAD 2012 software provides a novel approach for the estimation of metastatic progression in histological tissue sections.

PuMA: the Porous Microstructure Analysis software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Joseph C.; Panerai, Francesco; Borner, Arnaud; Mansour, Nagi N.

2018-01-01

The Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software has been developed in order to compute effective material properties and perform material response simulations on digitized microstructures of porous media. PuMA is able to import digital three-dimensional images obtained from X-ray microtomography or to generate artificial microstructures. PuMA also provides a module for interactive 3D visualizations. Version 2.1 includes modules to compute porosity, volume fractions, and surface area. Two finite difference Laplace solvers have been implemented to compute the continuum tortuosity factor, effective thermal conductivity, and effective electrical conductivity. A random method has been developed to compute tortuosity factors from the continuum to rarefied regimes. Representative elementary volume analysis can be performed on each property. The software also includes a time-dependent, particle-based model for the oxidation of fibrous materials. PuMA was developed for Linux operating systems and is available as a NASA software under a US & Foreign release.

Software and the Scientist: Coding and Citation Practices in Geodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Lorraine; Fish, Allison; Soito, Laura; Smith, MacKenzie; Kellogg, Louise H.

2017-11-01

In geodynamics as in other scientific areas, computation has become a core component of research, complementing field observation, laboratory analysis, experiment, and theory. Computational tools for data analysis, mapping, visualization, modeling, and simulation are essential for all aspects of the scientific workflow. Specialized scientific software is often developed by geodynamicists for their own use, and this effort represents a distinctive intellectual contribution. Drawing on a geodynamics community that focuses on developing and disseminating scientific software, we assess the current practices of software development and attribution, as well as attitudes about the need and best practices for software citation. We analyzed publications by participants in the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics and conducted mixed method surveys of the solid earth geophysics community. From this we learned that coding skills are typically learned informally. Participants considered good code as trusted, reusable, readable, and not overly complex and considered a good coder as one that participates in the community in an open and reasonable manor contributing to both long- and short-term community projects. Participants strongly supported citing software reflected by the high rate a software package was named in the literature and the high rate of citations in the references. However, lacking are clear instructions from developers on how to cite and education of users on what to cite. In addition, citations did not always lead to discoverability of the resource. A unique identifier to the software package itself, community education, and citation tools would contribute to better attribution practices.

A Method of Retrospective Computerized System Validation for Drug Manufacturing Software Considering Modifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Masakazu; Fukue, Yoshinori

This paper proposes a Retrospective Computerized System Validation (RCSV) method for Drug Manufacturing Software (DMSW) that relates to drug production considering software modification. Because DMSW that is used for quality management and facility control affects big impact to quality of drugs, regulatory agency required proofs of adequacy for DMSW's functions and performance based on developed documents and test results. Especially, the work that explains adequacy for previously developed DMSW based on existing documents and operational records is called RCSV. When modifying RCSV conducted DMSW, it was difficult to secure consistency between developed documents and test results for modified DMSW parts and existing documents and operational records for non-modified DMSW parts. This made conducting RCSV difficult. In this paper, we proposed (a) definition of documents architecture, (b) definition of descriptive items and levels in the documents, (c) management of design information using database, (d) exhaustive testing, and (e) integrated RCSV procedure. As a result, we could conduct adequate RCSV securing consistency.

Leveraging object-oriented development at Ames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenneson, Greg; Connell, John

1994-01-01

This paper presents lessons learned by the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) from results of supporting two projects at NASA Ames using an Object Oriented Rapid Prototyping (OORP) approach supported by a full featured visual development environment. Supplemental lessons learned from a large project in progress and a requirements definition are also incorporated. The paper demonstrates how productivity gains can be made by leveraging the developer with a rich development environment, correct and early requirements definition using rapid prototyping, and earlier and better effort estimation and software sizing through object-oriented methods and metrics. Although the individual elements of OO methods, RP approach and OO metrics had been used on other separate projects, the reported projects were the first integrated usage supported by a rich development environment. Overall the approach used was twice as productive (measured by hours per OO Unit) as a C++ development.

URDME: a modular framework for stochastic simulation of reaction-transport processes in complex geometries.

PubMed

Drawert, Brian; Engblom, Stefan; Hellander, Andreas

2012-06-22

Experiments in silico using stochastic reaction-diffusion models have emerged as an important tool in molecular systems biology. Designing computational software for such applications poses several challenges. Firstly, realistic lattice-based modeling for biological applications requires a consistent way of handling complex geometries, including curved inner- and outer boundaries. Secondly, spatiotemporal stochastic simulations are computationally expensive due to the fast time scales of individual reaction- and diffusion events when compared to the biological phenomena of actual interest. We therefore argue that simulation software needs to be both computationally efficient, employing sophisticated algorithms, yet in the same time flexible in order to meet present and future needs of increasingly complex biological modeling. We have developed URDME, a flexible software framework for general stochastic reaction-transport modeling and simulation. URDME uses Unstructured triangular and tetrahedral meshes to resolve general geometries, and relies on the Reaction-Diffusion Master Equation formalism to model the processes under study. An interface to a mature geometry and mesh handling external software (Comsol Multiphysics) provides for a stable and interactive environment for model construction. The core simulation routines are logically separated from the model building interface and written in a low-level language for computational efficiency. The connection to the geometry handling software is realized via a Matlab interface which facilitates script computing, data management, and post-processing. For practitioners, the software therefore behaves much as an interactive Matlab toolbox. At the same time, it is possible to modify and extend URDME with newly developed simulation routines. Since the overall design effectively hides the complexity of managing the geometry and meshes, this means that newly developed methods may be tested in a realistic setting already at an early stage of development. In this paper we demonstrate, in a series of examples with high relevance to the molecular systems biology community, that the proposed software framework is a useful tool for both practitioners and developers of spatial stochastic simulation algorithms. Through the combined efforts of algorithm development and improved modeling accuracy, increasingly complex biological models become feasible to study through computational methods. URDME is freely available at http://www.urdme.org.

Version 2.0 Visual Sample Plan (VSP): UXO Module Code Description and Verification

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

Gilbert, Richard O.; Wilson, John E.; O'Brien, Robert F.

2003-05-06

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing statistical methods for determining the amount of geophysical surveys conducted along transects (swaths) that are needed to achieve specified levels of confidence of finding target areas (TAs) of anomalous readings and possibly unexploded ordnance (UXO) at closed, transferring and transferred (CTT) Department of Defense (DoD) ranges and other sites. The statistical methods developed by PNNL have been coded into the UXO module of the Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software code that is being developed by PNNL with support from the DoD, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protectionmore » Agency (EPA). (The VSP software and VSP Users Guide (Hassig et al, 2002) may be downloaded from http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp.) This report describes and documents the statistical methods developed and the calculations and verification testing that have been conducted to verify that VSPs implementation of these methods is correct and accurate.« less

Usability Evaluation of Multimedia Courseware (MEL-SindD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yussof, Rahmah Lob; Badioze Zaman, Halimah

Constructive evaluations on any software are needed to ensure the effectiveness and usability of the software. This assesment on the multimedia courseware is part of the researcher's study towards the development and usability of the early reading software for students with Down Syndrome (MEL-SindD). This paper will discuss the usability assesment of this courseware, the methods used for the evaluation as well as suitable approaches that can be deployed to evaluate the courseware effectiveness to disabled children.

Guide to data collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Guidelines and recommendations are presented for the collection of software development data. Motivation and planning for, and implementation and management of, a data collection effort are discussed. Topics covered include types, sources, and availability of data; methods and costs of data collection; types of analyses supported; and warnings and suggestions based on software engineering laboratory (SEL) experiences. This document is intended as a practical guide for software managers and engineers, abstracted and generalized from 5 years of SEL data collection.

Software Tools to Support the Assessment of System Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melcher, Kevin J.

2013-01-01

This presentation provides an overview of three software tools that were developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center to support the assessment of system health: the Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDIMES), the Systematic Sensor Selection Strategy (S4), and the Extended Testability Analysis (ETA) tool. Originally developed to support specific NASA projects in aeronautics and space, these software tools are currently available to U.S. citizens through the NASA Glenn Software Catalog. The ProDiMES software tool was developed to support a uniform comparison of propulsion gas path diagnostic methods. Methods published in the open literature are typically applied to dissimilar platforms with different levels of complexity. They often address different diagnostic problems and use inconsistent metrics for evaluating performance. As a result, it is difficult to perform a one ]to ]one comparison of the various diagnostic methods. ProDIMES solves this problem by serving as a theme problem to aid in propulsion gas path diagnostic technology development and evaluation. The overall goal is to provide a tool that will serve as an industry standard, and will truly facilitate the development and evaluation of significant Engine Health Management (EHM) capabilities. ProDiMES has been developed under a collaborative project of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) based on feedback provided by individuals within the aircraft engine health management community. The S4 software tool provides a framework that supports the optimal selection of sensors for health management assessments. S4 is structured to accommodate user ]defined applications, diagnostic systems, search techniques, and system requirements/constraints. One or more sensor suites that maximize this performance while meeting other user ]defined system requirements that are presumed to exist. S4 provides a systematic approach for evaluating combinations of sensors to determine the set or sets of sensors that optimally meet the performance goals and the constraints. It identifies optimal sensor suite solutions by utilizing a merit (i.e., cost) function with one of several available optimization approaches. As part of its analysis, S4 can expose fault conditions that are difficult to diagnose due to an incomplete diagnostic philosophy and/or a lack of sensors. S4 was originally developed and applied to liquid rocket engines. It was subsequently used to study the optimized selection of sensors for a simulation ]based aircraft engine diagnostic system. The ETA Tool is a software ]based analysis tool that augments the testability analysis and reporting capabilities of a commercial ]off ]the ]shelf (COTS) package. An initial diagnostic assessment is performed by the COTS software using a user ]developed, qualitative, directed ]graph model of the system being analyzed. The ETA Tool accesses system design information captured within the model and the associated testability analysis output to create a series of six reports for various system engineering needs. These reports are highlighted in the presentation. The ETA Tool was developed by NASA to support the verification of fault management requirements early in the Launch Vehicle process. Due to their early development during the design process, the TEAMS ]based diagnostic model and the ETA Tool were able to positively influence the system design by highlighting gaps in failure detection, fault isolation, and failure recovery.

Systematic Development of Hard Real-Time Software: A Comparative Study of Three Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-01

AD-A252 784 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California JUL 141992 SYSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF HARD REAL-TIME SOFTWARE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THREE... School Monterey, California 93943 92-18424 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California REAR ADMIRAL R. W. WEST, JR. HARRISON SHULL Superintendent...Provost This report was prepared for and funded by the Naval Postgraduate School . This report was prepared by: / YUH-JENG LEE Assistant Professor of

Structuring Z Specifications with Views

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

Gregory Abowd, Michael Jackson , Jeannette Wing, Michal Young and Pamela Zave, who gave me helpful comments on drafts of this pa- per. I am also grateful to...1988. Uac94] Michael Jackson , "Software Development Method", in A Classical Mind: Essays in Honour of C.A.R Hoare, ed. A.W Roscoe, Prentice Hall...International, 1994. ,0 26 [Jon86] Cliff B. Jones, Systematic Software Development Using VDM, Prentice Hall International, 1986. [JZ93] Michael Jackson and

The image-guided surgery toolkit IGSTK: an open source C++ software toolkit.

PubMed

Enquobahrie, Andinet; Cheng, Patrick; Gary, Kevin; Ibanez, Luis; Gobbi, David; Lindseth, Frank; Yaniv, Ziv; Aylward, Stephen; Jomier, Julien; Cleary, Kevin

2007-11-01

This paper presents an overview of the image-guided surgery toolkit (IGSTK). IGSTK is an open source C++ software library that provides the basic components needed to develop image-guided surgery applications. It is intended for fast prototyping and development of image-guided surgery applications. The toolkit was developed through a collaboration between academic and industry partners. Because IGSTK was designed for safety-critical applications, the development team has adopted lightweight software processes that emphasizes safety and robustness while, at the same time, supporting geographically separated developers. A software process that is philosophically similar to agile software methods was adopted emphasizing iterative, incremental, and test-driven development principles. The guiding principle in the architecture design of IGSTK is patient safety. The IGSTK team implemented a component-based architecture and used state machine software design methodologies to improve the reliability and safety of the components. Every IGSTK component has a well-defined set of features that are governed by state machines. The state machine ensures that the component is always in a valid state and that all state transitions are valid and meaningful. Realizing that the continued success and viability of an open source toolkit depends on a strong user community, the IGSTK team is following several key strategies to build an active user community. These include maintaining a users and developers' mailing list, providing documentation (application programming interface reference document and book), presenting demonstration applications, and delivering tutorial sessions at relevant scientific conferences.

Multi-axis control based on movement control cards in NC systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Tingbiao; Wei, Yunquan

2005-12-01

Today most movement control cards need special control software of topper computers and are only suitable for fixed-axis controls. Consequently, the number of axes which can be controlled is limited. Advanced manufacture technology develops at a very high speed, and that development brings forth. New requirements for movement control in mechanisms and electronics. This paper introduces products of the 5th generation of movement control cards, PMAC 2A-PC/104, made by the Delta Tau Company in the USA. Based on an analysis of PMAC 2A-PC/104, this paper first describes two aspects relevant to the hardware structure of movement control cards and the interrelated software of the topper computers. Then, two methods are presented for solving these problems. The first method is to set limit switches on the movement control cards; all of them can be used to control each moving axis. The second method is to program applied software with existing programming language (for example, VC ++, Visual Basic, Delphi, and so forth). This program is much easier to operate and expand by its users. By using a limit switch, users can choose different axes in movement control cards. Also, users can change parts of the parameters in the control software of topper computers to realize different control axes. Combining these 2 methods proves to be convenient for realizing multi-axis control in numerical control systems.

The Development of Point Doppler Velocimeter Data Acquisition and Processing Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavone, Angelo A.

2008-01-01

In order to develop efficient and quiet aircraft and validate Computational Fluid Dynamic predications, aerodynamic researchers require flow parameter measurements to characterize flow fields about wind tunnel models and jet flows. A one-component Point Doppler Velocimeter (pDv), a non-intrusive, laser-based instrument, was constructed using a design/develop/test/validate/deploy approach. A primary component of the instrument is software required for system control/management and data collection/reduction. This software along with evaluation algorithms, advanced pDv from a laboratory curiosity to a production level instrument. Simultaneous pDv and pitot probe velocity measurements obtained at the centerline of a flow exiting a two-inch jet, matched within 0.4%. Flow turbulence spectra obtained with pDv and a hot-wire detected the primary and secondary harmonics with equal dynamic range produced by the fan driving the flow. Novel,hardware and software methods were developed, tested and incorporated into the system to eliminate and/or minimize error sources and improve system reliability.

DA+ data acquisition and analysis software at the Swiss Light Source macromolecular crystallography beamlines.

PubMed

Wojdyla, Justyna Aleksandra; Kaminski, Jakub W; Panepucci, Ezequiel; Ebner, Simon; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Gabadinho, Jose; Wang, Meitian

2018-01-01

Data acquisition software is an essential component of modern macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines, enabling efficient use of beam time at synchrotron facilities. Developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the DA+ data acquisition software is implemented at all three Swiss Light Source (SLS) MX beamlines. DA+ consists of distributed services and components written in Python and Java, which communicate via messaging and streaming technologies. The major components of DA+ are the user interface, acquisition engine, online processing and database. Immediate data quality feedback is achieved with distributed automatic data analysis routines. The software architecture enables exploration of the full potential of the latest instrumentation at the SLS MX beamlines, such as the SmarGon goniometer and the EIGER X 16M detector, and development of new data collection methods.

Software for autonomous astronomical observatories: challenges and opportunities in the age of big data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sybilski, Piotr W.; Pawłaszek, Rafał; Kozłowski, Stanisław K.; Konacki, Maciej; Ratajczak, Milena; Hełminiak, Krzysztof G.

2014-07-01

We present the software solution developed for a network of autonomous telescopes, deployed and tested in Solaris Project. The software aims to fulfil the contemporary needs of distributed autonomous observatories housing medium sized telescopes: ergonomics, availability, security and reusability. The datafication of such facilities seems inevitable and we give a preliminary study of the challenges and opportunities waiting for software developers. Project Solaris is a global network of four 0.5 m autonomous telescopes conducting a survey of eclipsing binaries in the Southern Hemisphere. The Project's goal is to detect and characterise circumbinary planets using the eclipse timing method. The observatories are located on three continents, and the headquarters coordinating and monitoring the network is in Poland. All four are operational as of December 2013.

Architected Agile Solutions for Software-Reliant Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehm, Barry; Lane, Jo Ann; Koolmanojwong, Supannika; Turner, Richard

Systems are becoming increasingly reliant on software due to needs for rapid fielding of “70% capabilities,” interoperability, net-centricity, and rapid adaptation to change. The latter need has led to increased interest in agile methods of software development, in which teams rely on shared tacit interpersonal knowledge rather than explicit documented knowledge. However, such systems often need to be scaled up to higher level of performance and assurance, requiring stronger architectural support. Several organizations have recently transformed themselves by developing successful combinations of agility and architecture that can scale to projects of up to 100 personnel. This chapter identifies a set of key principles for such architected agile solutions for software-reliant systems, provides guidance for how much architecting is enough, and illustrates the key principles with several case studies.

Comparison Campaign of VLBI Data Analysis Software - First Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plank, Lucia; Bohm, Johannes; Schuh, Harald

2010-01-01

During the development of the Vienna VLBI Software VieVS at the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics at Vienna University of Technology, a special comparison setup was developed with the goal of easily finding links between deviations of results achieved with different software packages and certain parameters of the observation. The object of comparison is the computed time delay, a value calculated for each observation including all relevant models and corrections that need to be applied in geodetic VLBI analysis. Besides investigating the effects of the various models on the total delay, results of comparisons between VieVS and Occam 6.1 are shown. Using the same methods, a Comparison Campaign of VLBI data analysis software called DeDeCC is about to be launched within the IVS soon.

Absorbing Software Testing into the Scrum Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuomikoski, Janne; Tervonen, Ilkka

In this paper we study, how to absorb software testing into the Scrum method. We conducted the research as an action research during the years 2007-2008 with three iterations. The result showed that testing can and even should be absorbed to the Scrum method. The testing team was merged into the Scrum teams. The teams can now deliver better working software in a shorter time, because testing keeps track of the progress of the development. Also the team spirit is higher, because the Scrum team members are committed to the same goal. The biggest change from test manager’s point of view was the organized Product Owner Team. Test manager don’t have testing team anymore, and in the future all the testing tasks have to be assigned through the Product Backlog.

MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING

PubMed Central

ANGENENT, SIGURD; PICHON, ERIC; TANNENBAUM, ALLEN

2013-01-01

In this paper, we describe some central mathematical problems in medical imaging. The subject has been undergoing rapid changes driven by better hardware and software. Much of the software is based on novel methods utilizing geometric partial differential equations in conjunction with standard signal/image processing techniques as well as computer graphics facilitating man/machine interactions. As part of this enterprise, researchers have been trying to base biomedical engineering principles on rigorous mathematical foundations for the development of software methods to be integrated into complete therapy delivery systems. These systems support the more effective delivery of many image-guided procedures such as radiation therapy, biopsy, and minimally invasive surgery. We will show how mathematics may impact some of the main problems in this area, including image enhancement, registration, and segmentation. PMID:23645963

Research of real-time communication software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Maotang; Guo, Jingbo; Liu, Yuzhong; Li, Jiahong

2003-11-01

Real-time communication has been playing an increasingly important role in our work, life and ocean monitor. With the rapid progress of computer and communication technique as well as the miniaturization of communication system, it is needed to develop the adaptable and reliable real-time communication software in the ocean monitor system. This paper involves the real-time communication software research based on the point-to-point satellite intercommunication system. The object-oriented design method is adopted, which can transmit and receive video data and audio data as well as engineering data by satellite channel. In the real-time communication software, some software modules are developed, which can realize the point-to-point satellite intercommunication in the ocean monitor system. There are three advantages for the real-time communication software. One is that the real-time communication software increases the reliability of the point-to-point satellite intercommunication system working. Second is that some optional parameters are intercalated, which greatly increases the flexibility of the system working. Third is that some hardware is substituted by the real-time communication software, which not only decrease the expense of the system and promotes the miniaturization of communication system, but also aggrandizes the agility of the system.

Proposal for hierarchical description of software systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thauboth, H.

1973-01-01

The programming of digital computers has developed into a new dimension full of diffculties, because the hardware of computers has become so powerful that more complex applications are entrusted to computers. The costs of software development, verification, and maintenance are outpacing those of the hardware and the trend is toward futher increase of sophistication of application of computers and consequently of sophistication of software. To obtain better visibility into software systems and to improve the structure of software systems for better tests, verification, and maintenance, a clear, but rigorous description and documentation of software is needed. The purpose of the report is to extend the present methods in order to obtain a documentation that better reflects the interplay between the various components and functions of a software system at different levels of detail without losing the precision in expression. This is done by the use of block diagrams, sequence diagrams, and cross-reference charts. In the appendices, examples from an actual large sofware system, i.e. the Marshall System for Aerospace Systems Simulation (MARSYAS), are presented. The proposed documentation structure is compatible to automation of updating significant portions of the documentation for better software change control.

Maintaining Quality and Confidence in Open-Source, Evolving Software: Lessons Learned with PFLOTRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

Software evolution in an open-source framework poses a major challenge to a geoscientific simulator, but when properly managed, the pay-off can be enormous for both the developers and the community at large. Developers must juggle implementing new scientific process models, adopting increasingly efficient numerical methods and programming paradigms, changing funding sources (or total lack of funding), while also ensuring that legacy code remains functional and reported bugs are fixed in a timely manner. With robust software engineering and a plan for long-term maintenance, a simulator can evolve over time incorporating and leveraging many advances in the computational and domain sciences. In this positive light, what practices in software engineering and code maintenance can be employed within open-source development to maximize the positive aspects of software evolution and community contributions while minimizing its negative side effects? This presentation will discusses steps taken in the development of PFLOTRAN (www.pflotran.org), an open source, massively parallel subsurface simulator for multiphase, multicomponent, and multiscale reactive flow and transport processes in porous media. As PFLOTRAN's user base and development team continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to implement strategies which ensure sustainable software development while maintaining software quality and community confidence. In this presentation, we will share our experiences and "lessons learned" within the context of our open-source development framework and community engagement efforts. Topics discussed will include how we've leveraged both standard software engineering principles, such as coding standards, version control, and automated testing, as well unique advantages of object-oriented design in process model coupling, to ensure software quality and confidence. We will also be prepared to discuss the major challenges faced by most open-source software teams, such as on-boarding new developers or one-time contributions, dealing with competitors or lookie-loos, and other downsides of complete transparency, as well as our approach to community engagement, including a user group email list, hosting short courses and workshops for new users, and maintaining a website. SAND2017-8174A

Detailed requirements document for common software of shuttle program information management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everette, J. M.; Bradfield, L. D.; Horton, C. L.

1975-01-01

Common software was investigated as a method for minimizing development and maintenance cost of the shuttle program information management system (SPIMS) applications while reducing the time-frame of their development. Those requirements satisfying these criteria are presented along with the stand-alone modules which may be used directly by applications. The SPIMS applications operating on the CYBER 74 computer, are specialized information management systems which use System 2000 as a data base manager. Common software provides the features to support user interactions on a CRT terminal using form input and command response capabilities. These features are available as subroutines to the applications.

Diagnosis diagrams for passing signals on an automatic block signaling railway section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spunei, E.; Piroi, I.; Chioncel, C. P.; Piroi, F.

2018-01-01

This work presents a diagnosis method for railway traffic security installations. More specifically, the authors present a series of diagnosis charts for passing signals on a railway block equipped with an automatic block signaling installation. These charts are based on the exploitation electric schemes, and are subsequently used to develop a diagnosis software package. The thus developed software package contributes substantially to a reduction of failure detection and remedy for these types of installation faults. The use of the software package eliminates making wrong decisions in the fault detection process, decisions that may result in longer remedy times and, sometimes, to railway traffic events.

Analysis of High-Throughput ELISA Microarray Data

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

White, Amanda M.; Daly, Don S.; Zangar, Richard C.

Our research group develops analytical methods and software for the high-throughput analysis of quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) microarrays. ELISA microarrays differ from DNA microarrays in several fundamental aspects and most algorithms for analysis of DNA microarray data are not applicable to ELISA microarrays. In this review, we provide an overview of the steps involved in ELISA microarray data analysis and how the statistically sound algorithms we have developed provide an integrated software suite to address the needs of each data-processing step. The algorithms discussed are available in a set of open-source software tools (http://www.pnl.gov/statistics/ProMAT).

Computer Simulation Modeling: A Method for Predicting the Utilities of Alternative Computer-Aided Treat Evaluation Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

1988). Current versions of the ADATS have CATE systems insLzlled, but the software is still under development by the radar manufacturer, Contraves ...Italiana, a subcontractor to Martin Marietta (USA). Contraves Italiana will deliver the final version of the software to Martin Marietta in 1991. Until then

Development of an irrigation scheduling software based on model predicted crop water stress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Modern irrigation scheduling methods are generally based on sensor-monitored soil moisture regimes rather than crop water stress which is difficult to measure in real-time, but can be computed using agricultural system models. In this study, an irrigation scheduling software based on RZWQM2 model pr...

How In-Service Teachers Develop Electronic Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zsoldos-Marchis, Iuliana

2014-01-01

Computer assisted teaching (CAL) is considered to be a modern teaching method, but it is not widely used by teachers because lack of technology and adequate educational softwares in schools; or lack of teachers' knowledge on methodology and computer use. In order to select the most efficient educational software for their class, teachers should…

New fully automated software for assessment of brachial artery flow- mediated dilation with advantages of continuous measurement.

PubMed

Ercan, Ertuğrul; Kırılmaz, Bahadır; Kahraman, İsmail; Bayram, Vildan; Doğan, Hüseyin

2012-11-01

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is used to evaluate endothelial functions. Computer-assisted analysis utilizing edge detection permits continuous measurements along the vessel wall. We have developed a new fully automated software program to allow accurate and reproducible measurement. FMD has been measured and analyzed in 18 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 17 controls both by manually and by the software developed (computer supported) methods. The agreement between methods was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis. The mean age, body mass index and cardiovascular risk factors were higher in CAD group. Automated FMD% measurement for the control subjects was 18.3±8.5 and 6.8±6.5 for the CAD group (p=0.0001). The intraobserver and interobserver correlation for automated measurement was high (r=0.974, r=0.981, r=0.937, r=0.918, respectively). Manual FMD% at 60th second was correlated with automated FMD % (r=0.471, p=0.004). The new fully automated software© can be used to precise measurement of FMD with low intra- and interobserver variability than manual assessment.

Continuation of research into software for space operations support, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Mark D.; Killough, Ronnie; Martin, Nancy L.

1990-01-01

A prototype workstation executive called the Hardware Independent Software Development Environment (HISDE) was developed. Software technologies relevant to workstation executives were researched and evaluated and HISDE was used as a test bed for prototyping efforts. New X Windows software concepts and technology were introduced into workstation executives and related applications. The four research efforts performed included: (1) Research into the usability and efficiency of Motif (an X Windows based graphic user interface) which consisted of converting the existing Athena widget based HISDE user interface to Motif demonstrating the usability of Motif and providing insight into the level of effort required to translate an application from widget to another; (2) Prototype a real time data display widget which consisted of research methods for and prototyping the selected method of displaying textual values in an efficient manner; (3) X Windows performance evaluation which consisted of a series of performance measurements which demonstrated the ability of low level X Windows to display textural information; (4) Convert the Display Manager to X Window/Motif which is the application used by NASA for data display during operational mode.

System and Software Reliability (C103)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, Dolores

2003-01-01

Within the last decade better reliability models (hardware. software, system) than those currently used have been theorized and developed but not implemented in practice. Previous research on software reliability has shown that while some existing software reliability models are practical, they are no accurate enough. New paradigms of development (e.g. OO) have appeared and associated reliability models have been proposed posed but not investigated. Hardware models have been extensively investigated but not integrated into a system framework. System reliability modeling is the weakest of the three. NASA engineers need better methods and tools to demonstrate that the products meet NASA requirements for reliability measurement. For the new models for the software component of the last decade, there is a great need to bring them into a form that they can be used on software intensive systems. The Statistical Modeling and Estimation of Reliability Functions for Systems (SMERFS'3) tool is an existing vehicle that may be used to incorporate these new modeling advances. Adapting some existing software reliability modeling changes to accommodate major changes in software development technology may also show substantial improvement in prediction accuracy. With some additional research, the next step is to identify and investigate system reliability. System reliability models could then be incorporated in a tool such as SMERFS'3. This tool with better models would greatly add value in assess in GSFC projects.

Implementation of Rosenbrock methods

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

Shampine, L. F.

1980-11-01

Rosenbrock formulas have shown promise in research codes for the solution of initial-value problems for stiff systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). To help assess their practical value, the author wrote an item of mathematical software based on such a formula. This required a variety of algorithmic and software developments. Those of general interest are reported in this paper. Among them is a way to select automatically, at every step, an explicit Runge-Kutta formula or a Rosenbrock formula according to the stiffness of the problem. Solving linear systems is important to methods for stiff ODEs, and is rather special formore » Rosenbrock methods. A cheap, effective estimate of the condition of the linear systems is derived. Some numerical results are presented to illustrate the developments.« less

The cleanroom case study in the Software Engineering Laboratory: Project description and early analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Scott; Kouchakdjian, Ara; Basili, Victor; Weidow, David

1990-01-01

This case study analyzes the application of the cleanroom software development methodology to the development of production software at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. The cleanroom methodology emphasizes human discipline in program verification to produce reliable software products that are right the first time. Preliminary analysis of the cleanroom case study shows that the method can be applied successfully in the FDD environment and may increase staff productivity and product quality. Compared to typical Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) activities, there is evidence of lower failure rates, a more complete and consistent set of inline code documentation, a different distribution of phase effort activity, and a different growth profile in terms of lines of code developed. The major goals of the study were to: (1) assess the process used in the SEL cleanroom model with respect to team structure, team activities, and effort distribution; (2) analyze the products of the SEL cleanroom model and determine the impact on measures of interest, including reliability, productivity, overall life-cycle cost, and software quality; and (3) analyze the residual products in the application of the SEL cleanroom model, such as fault distribution, error characteristics, system growth, and computer usage.

Software for MR image overlay guided needle insertions: the clinical translation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ungi, Tamas; U-Thainual, Paweena; Fritz, Jan; Iordachita, Iulian I.; Flammang, Aaron J.; Carrino, John A.; Fichtinger, Gabor

2013-03-01

PURPOSE: Needle guidance software using augmented reality image overlay was translated from the experimental phase to support preclinical and clinical studies. Major functional and structural changes were needed to meet clinical requirements. We present the process applied to fulfill these requirements, and selected features that may be applied in the translational phase of other image-guided surgical navigation systems. METHODS: We used an agile software development process for rapid adaptation to unforeseen clinical requests. The process is based on iterations of operating room test sessions, feedback discussions, and software development sprints. The open-source application framework of 3D Slicer and the NA-MIC kit provided sufficient flexibility and stable software foundations for this work. RESULTS: All requirements were addressed in a process with 19 operating room test iterations. Most features developed in this phase were related to workflow simplification and operator feedback. CONCLUSION: Efficient and affordable modifications were facilitated by an open source application framework and frequent clinical feedback sessions. Results of cadaver experiments show that software requirements were successfully solved after a limited number of operating room tests.

Computing and software

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, Gary C.; Hines, J.E.

2004-01-01

The reality is that the statistical methods used for analysis of data depend upon the availability of software. Analysis of marked animal data is no different than the rest of the statistical field. The methods used for analysis are those that are available in reliable software packages. Thus, the critical importance of having reliable, up–to–date software available to biologists is obvious. Statisticians have continued to develop more robust models, ever expanding the suite of potential analysis methodsavailable. But without software to implement these newer methods, they will languish in the abstract, and not be applied to the problems deserving them.In the Computers and Software Session, two new software packages are described, a comparison of implementation of methods for the estimation of nest survival is provided, and a more speculative paper about how the next generation of software might be structured is presented.Rotella et al. (2004) compare nest survival estimation with different software packages: SAS logistic regression, SAS non–linear mixed models, and Program MARK. Nests are assumed to be visited at various, possibly infrequent, intervals. All of the approaches described compute nest survival with the same likelihood, and require that the age of the nest is known to account for nests that eventually hatch. However, each approach offers advantages and disadvantages, explored by Rotella et al. (2004).Efford et al. (2004) present a new software package called DENSITY. The package computes population abundance and density from trapping arrays and other detection methods with a new and unique approach. DENSITY represents the first major addition to the analysis of trapping arrays in 20 years.Barker & White (2004) discuss how existing software such as Program MARK require that each new model’s likelihood must be programmed specifically for that model. They wishfully think that future software might allow the user to combine pieces of likelihood functions together to generate estimates. The idea is interesting, and maybe some bright young statistician can work out the specifics to implement the procedure.Choquet et al. (2004) describe MSURGE, a software package that implements the multistate capture–recapture models. The unique feature of MSURGE is that the design matrix is constructed with an interpreted language called GEMACO. Because MSURGE is limited to just multistate models, the special requirements of these likelihoods can be provided.The software and methods presented in these papers gives biologists and wildlife managers an expanding range of possibilities for data analysis. Although ease–of–use is generally getting better, it does not replace the need for understanding of the requirements and structure of the models being computed. The internet provides access to many free software packages as well as user–discussion groups to share knowledge and ideas. (A starting point for wildlife–related applications is (http://www.phidot.org).

Ensuring critical event sequences in high consequence computer based systems as inspired by path expressions

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

Kidd, M.E.C.

1997-02-01

The goal of our work is to provide a high level of confidence that critical software driven event sequences are maintained in the face of hardware failures, malevolent attacks and harsh or unstable operating environments. This will be accomplished by providing dynamic fault management measures directly to the software developer and to their varied development environments. The methodology employed here is inspired by previous work in path expressions. This paper discusses the perceived problems, a brief overview of path expressions, the proposed methods, and a discussion of the differences between the proposed methods and traditional path expression usage and implementation.

Scientific Computation Application Partnerships in Materials and Chemical Sciences, Charge Transfer and Charge Transport in Photoactivated Systems, Developing Electron-Correlated Methods for Excited State Structure and Dynamics in the NWChem Software Suite

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

Cramer, Christopher J.

Charge transfer and charge transport in photoactivated systems are fundamental processes that underlie solar energy capture, solar energy conversion, and photoactivated catalysis, both organometallic and enzymatic. We developed methods, algorithms, and software tools needed for reliable treatment of the underlying physics for charge transfer and charge transport, an undertaking with broad applicability to the goals of the fundamental-interaction component of the Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the exascale initiative of the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research.

A comprehensive evaluation of popular proteomics software workflows for label-free proteome quantification and imputation.

PubMed

Välikangas, Tommi; Suomi, Tomi; Elo, Laura L

2017-05-31

Label-free mass spectrometry (MS) has developed into an important tool applied in various fields of biological and life sciences. Several software exist to process the raw MS data into quantified protein abundances, including open source and commercial solutions. Each software includes a set of unique algorithms for different tasks of the MS data processing workflow. While many of these algorithms have been compared separately, a thorough and systematic evaluation of their overall performance is missing. Moreover, systematic information is lacking about the amount of missing values produced by the different proteomics software and the capabilities of different data imputation methods to account for them.In this study, we evaluated the performance of five popular quantitative label-free proteomics software workflows using four different spike-in data sets. Our extensive testing included the number of proteins quantified and the number of missing values produced by each workflow, the accuracy of detecting differential expression and logarithmic fold change and the effect of different imputation and filtering methods on the differential expression results. We found that the Progenesis software performed consistently well in the differential expression analysis and produced few missing values. The missing values produced by the other software decreased their performance, but this difference could be mitigated using proper data filtering or imputation methods. Among the imputation methods, we found that the local least squares (lls) regression imputation consistently increased the performance of the software in the differential expression analysis, and a combination of both data filtering and local least squares imputation increased performance the most in the tested data sets. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Semi-automatic tracking, smoothing and segmentation of hyoid bone motion from videofluoroscopic swallowing study.

PubMed

Kim, Won-Seok; Zeng, Pengcheng; Shi, Jian Qing; Lee, Youngjo; Paik, Nam-Jong

2017-01-01

Motion analysis of the hyoid bone via videofluoroscopic study has been used in clinical research, but the classical manual tracking method is generally labor intensive and time consuming. Although some automatic tracking methods have been developed, masked points could not be tracked and smoothing and segmentation, which are necessary for functional motion analysis prior to registration, were not provided by the previous software. We developed software to track the hyoid bone motion semi-automatically. It works even in the situation where the hyoid bone is masked by the mandible and has been validated in dysphagia patients with stroke. In addition, we added the function of semi-automatic smoothing and segmentation. A total of 30 patients' data were used to develop the software, and data collected from 17 patients were used for validation, of which the trajectories of 8 patients were partly masked. Pearson correlation coefficients between the manual and automatic tracking are high and statistically significant (0.942 to 0.991, P-value<0.0001). Relative errors between automatic tracking and manual tracking in terms of the x-axis, y-axis and 2D range of hyoid bone excursion range from 3.3% to 9.2%. We also developed an automatic method to segment each hyoid bone trajectory into four phases (elevation phase, anterior movement phase, descending phase and returning phase). The semi-automatic hyoid bone tracking from VFSS data by our software is valid compared to the conventional manual tracking method. In addition, the ability of automatic indication to switch the automatic mode to manual mode in extreme cases and calibration without attaching the radiopaque object is convenient and useful for users. Semi-automatic smoothing and segmentation provide further information for functional motion analysis which is beneficial to further statistical analysis such as functional classification and prognostication for dysphagia. Therefore, this software could provide the researchers in the field of dysphagia with a convenient, useful, and all-in-one platform for analyzing the hyoid bone motion. Further development of our method to track the other swallowing related structures or objects such as epiglottis and bolus and to carry out the 2D curve registration may be needed for a more comprehensive functional data analysis for dysphagia with big data.

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

Tukey, J.W.; Bloomfield, P.

In its most general terms, the work carried out under the contract consists of the development of new data analytic methods and the improvement of existing methods, their implementation on computer, especially minicomputers, and the development of non-statistical, systems-level software to support these activities. The work reported or completed is reviewed. (GHT)

Reliability of skeletal maturity analysis using the cervical vertebrae maturation method on dedicated software.

PubMed

Padalino, Saverio; Sfondrini, Maria Francesca; Chenuil, Laura; Scudeller, Luigia; Gandini, Paola

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of skeletal maturation analysis using the Cervical Vertebrae Maturation (CVM) method by means of dedicated software, developed in collaboration with Outside Format (Paullo-Milan), as compared with manual analysis. From a sample of patients aged 7-21 years, we gathered 100 lateral cephalograms, 20 for each of the five CVM stages. For each cephalogram, we traced cervical vertebrae C2, C3 and C4 by hand using a lead pencil and an acetate sheet and dedicated software. All the tracings were made by an experienced operator (a dentofacial orthopedics resident) and by an inexperienced operator (a student in dental surgery). Each operator recorded the time needed to make each tracing in order to demonstrate differences in the times taken. Concordance between the manual analysis and the analysis performed using the dedicated software was 94% for the resident and 93% for the student. Interobserver concordance was 99%. The hand-tracing was quicker than that performed by means of the software (28 seconds more on average). The cervical vertebrae analysis software offers excellent clinical performance, even if the method takes longer than the manual technique. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Generic Safety Requirements for Developing Safe Insulin Pump Software

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yi; Jetley, Raoul; Jones, Paul L; Ray, Arnab

2011-01-01

Background The authors previously introduced a highly abstract generic insulin infusion pump (GIIP) model that identified common features and hazards shared by most insulin pumps on the market. The aim of this article is to extend our previous work on the GIIP model by articulating safety requirements that address the identified GIIP hazards. These safety requirements can be validated by manufacturers, and may ultimately serve as a safety reference for insulin pump software. Together, these two publications can serve as a basis for discussing insulin pump safety in the diabetes community. Methods In our previous work, we established a generic insulin pump architecture that abstracts functions common to many insulin pumps currently on the market and near-future pump designs. We then carried out a preliminary hazard analysis based on this architecture that included consultations with many domain experts. Further consultation with domain experts resulted in the safety requirements used in the modeling work presented in this article. Results Generic safety requirements for the GIIP model are presented, as appropriate, in parameterized format to accommodate clinical practices or specific insulin pump criteria important to safe device performance. Conclusions We believe that there is considerable value in having the diabetes, academic, and manufacturing communities consider and discuss these generic safety requirements. We hope that the communities will extend and revise them, make them more representative and comprehensive, experiment with them, and use them as a means for assessing the safety of insulin pump software designs. One potential use of these requirements is to integrate them into model-based engineering (MBE) software development methods. We believe, based on our experiences, that implementing safety requirements using MBE methods holds promise in reducing design/implementation flaws in insulin pump development and evolutionary processes, therefore improving overall safety of insulin pump software. PMID:22226258

Choosing a software design method for real-time Ada applications: JSD process inversion as a means to tailor a design specification to the performance requirements and target machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withey, James V.

1986-01-01

The validity of real-time software is determined by its ability to execute on a computer within the time constraints of the physical system it is modeling. In many applications the time constraints are so critical that the details of process scheduling are elevated to the requirements analysis phase of the software development cycle. It is not uncommon to find specifications for a real-time cyclic executive program included to assumed in such requirements. It was found that prelininary designs structured around this implementation abscure the data flow of the real world system that is modeled and that it is consequently difficult and costly to maintain, update and reuse the resulting software. A cyclic executive is a software component that schedules and implicitly synchronizes the real-time software through periodic and repetitive subroutine calls. Therefore a design method is sought that allows the deferral of process scheduling to the later stages of design. The appropriate scheduling paradigm must be chosen given the performance constraints, the largest environment and the software's lifecycle. The concept of process inversion is explored with respect to the cyclic executive.

The GeoViz Toolkit: Using component-oriented coordination methods for geographic visualization and analysis

PubMed Central

Hardisty, Frank; Robinson, Anthony C.

2010-01-01

In this paper we present the GeoViz Toolkit, an open-source, internet-delivered program for geographic visualization and analysis that features a diverse set of software components which can be flexibly combined by users who do not have programming expertise. The design and architecture of the GeoViz Toolkit allows us to address three key research challenges in geovisualization: allowing end users to create their own geovisualization and analysis component set on-the-fly, integrating geovisualization methods with spatial analysis methods, and making geovisualization applications sharable between users. Each of these tasks necessitates a robust yet flexible approach to inter-tool coordination. The coordination strategy we developed for the GeoViz Toolkit, called Introspective Observer Coordination, leverages and combines key advances in software engineering from the last decade: automatic introspection of objects, software design patterns, and reflective invocation of methods. PMID:21731423

MNE Scan: Software for real-time processing of electrophysiological data.

PubMed

Esch, Lorenz; Sun, Limin; Klüber, Viktor; Lew, Seok; Baumgarten, Daniel; Grant, P Ellen; Okada, Yoshio; Haueisen, Jens; Hämäläinen, Matti S; Dinh, Christoph

2018-06-01

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) are noninvasive techniques to study the electrophysiological activity of the human brain. Thus, they are well suited for real-time monitoring and analysis of neuronal activity. Real-time MEG/EEG data processing allows adjustment of the stimuli to the subject's responses for optimizing the acquired information especially by providing dynamically changing displays to enable neurofeedback. We introduce MNE Scan, an acquisition and real-time analysis software based on the multipurpose software library MNE-CPP. MNE Scan allows the development and application of acquisition and novel real-time processing methods in both research and clinical studies. The MNE Scan development follows a strict software engineering process to enable approvals required for clinical software. We tested the performance of MNE Scan in several device-independent use cases, including, a clinical epilepsy study, real-time source estimation, and Brain Computer Interface (BCI) application. Compared to existing tools we propose a modular software considering clinical software requirements expected by certification authorities. At the same time the software is extendable and freely accessible. We conclude that MNE Scan is the first step in creating a device-independent open-source software to facilitate the transition from basic neuroscience research to both applied sciences and clinical applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Certain aspects on medical devices software law regulation.

PubMed

Pashkov, Vitalii; Harkusha, Andrii

some kind of easiness of entry in creating software products on various computing platforms has led to such products being made available perhaps without due consideration of potential risks to users and patients and the most valuable reason for this have been lack of regulatory clarity. Some key points on legal regulation of abovementioned sphere is a base of this study. Ukrainian legislation, European Union`s Guidelines on the qualification and classification of standalone software; Guidance for the Content of Premarket Submissions for Software Contained in Medical Devices that works in United States of America. Article is based on dialectical, comparative, analytic, synthetic and comprehensive research methods. in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, software that has a medical purpose could be a medical device. Ukrainian legislation which is established on European Union Medical Devices Directives divide all medical devices on classes. But there aren't any special recommendations or advices on classifications for software medical devices in Ukraine. It is necessary to develop and adopt guidelines on the qualification and classification of medical device software in Ukraine especially considering the harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with the EU legislation, develop special rules for the application of the national mark of conformity for medical device software and defined the « responsible organization » for the medical device software approval process.

Development of a photogrammetric method of measuring tree taper outside bark

Treesearch

David R. Larsen

2006-01-01

A photogrammetric method is presented for measuring tree diameters outside bark using calibrated control ground-based digital photographs. The method was designed to rapidly collect tree taper information from subject trees for the development of tree taper equations. Software that is commercially available, but designed for a different purpose, can be readily adapted...

Why Engineers Should Consider Formal Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holloway, C. Michael

1997-01-01

This paper presents a logical analysis of a typical argument favoring the use of formal methods for software development, and suggests an alternative argument that is simpler and stronger than the typical one.

QuantWorm: a comprehensive software package for Caenorhabditis elegans phenotypic assays.

PubMed

Jung, Sang-Kyu; Aleman-Meza, Boanerges; Riepe, Celeste; Zhong, Weiwei

2014-01-01

Phenotypic assays are crucial in genetics; however, traditional methods that rely on human observation are unsuitable for quantitative, large-scale experiments. Furthermore, there is an increasing need for comprehensive analyses of multiple phenotypes to provide multidimensional information. Here we developed an automated, high-throughput computer imaging system for quantifying multiple Caenorhabditis elegans phenotypes. Our imaging system is composed of a microscope equipped with a digital camera and a motorized stage connected to a computer running the QuantWorm software package. Currently, the software package contains one data acquisition module and four image analysis programs: WormLifespan, WormLocomotion, WormLength, and WormEgg. The data acquisition module collects images and videos. The WormLifespan software counts the number of moving worms by using two time-lapse images; the WormLocomotion software computes the velocity of moving worms; the WormLength software measures worm body size; and the WormEgg software counts the number of eggs. To evaluate the performance of our software, we compared the results of our software with manual measurements. We then demonstrated the application of the QuantWorm software in a drug assay and a genetic assay. Overall, the QuantWorm software provided accurate measurements at a high speed. Software source code, executable programs, and sample images are available at www.quantworm.org. Our software package has several advantages over current imaging systems for C. elegans. It is an all-in-one package for quantifying multiple phenotypes. The QuantWorm software is written in Java and its source code is freely available, so it does not require use of commercial software or libraries. It can be run on multiple platforms and easily customized to cope with new methods and requirements.

DYNA3D Code Practices and Developments

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

Lin, L.; Zywicz, E.; Raboin, P.

2000-04-21

DYNA3D is an explicit, finite element code developed to solve high rate dynamic simulations for problems of interest to the engineering mechanics community. The DYNA3D code has been under continuous development since 1976[1] by the Methods Development Group in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The pace of code development activities has substantially increased in the past five years, growing from one to between four and six code developers. This has necessitated the use of software tools such as CVS (Concurrent Versions System) to help manage multiple version updates. While on-line documentation with an Adobe PDF manualmore » helps to communicate software developments, periodically a summary document describing recent changes and improvements in DYNA3D software is needed. The first part of this report describes issues surrounding software versions and source control. The remainder of this report details the major capability improvements since the last publicly released version of DYNA3D in 1996. Not included here are the many hundreds of bug corrections and minor enhancements, nor the development in DYNA3D between the manual release in 1993[2] and the public code release in 1996.« less

Support Vector Machine algorithm for regression and classification

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

Yu, Chenggang; Zavaljevski, Nela

2001-08-01

The software is an implementation of the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm that was invented and developed by Vladimir Vapnik and his co-workers at AT&T Bell Laboratories. The specific implementation reported here is an Active Set method for solving a quadratic optimization problem that forms the major part of any SVM program. The implementation is tuned to specific constraints generated in the SVM learning. Thus, it is more efficient than general-purpose quadratic optimization programs. A decomposition method has been implemented in the software that enables processing large data sets. The size of the learning data is virtually unlimited by themore » capacity of the computer physical memory. The software is flexible and extensible. Two upper bounds are implemented to regulate the SVM learning for classification, which allow users to adjust the false positive and false negative rates. The software can be used either as a standalone, general-purpose SVM regression or classification program, or be embedded into a larger software system.« less

Sample registration software for process automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia nuclear agency

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

Rahman, Nur Aira Abd, E-mail: nur-aira@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my; Yussup, Nolida; Ibrahim, Maslina Bt. Mohd

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) had been established in Nuclear Malaysia since 1980s. Most of the procedures established were done manually including sample registration. The samples were recorded manually in a logbook and given ID number. Then all samples, standards, SRM and blank were recorded on the irradiation vial and several forms prior to irradiation. These manual procedures carried out by the NAA laboratory personnel were time consuming and not efficient. Sample registration software is developed as part of IAEA/CRP project on ‘Development of Process Automation in the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Facility in Malaysia Nuclear Agency (RC17399)’. The objective ofmore » the project is to create a pc-based data entry software during sample preparation stage. This is an effective method to replace redundant manual data entries that needs to be completed by laboratory personnel. The software developed will automatically generate sample code for each sample in one batch, create printable registration forms for administration purpose, and store selected parameters that will be passed to sample analysis program. The software is developed by using National Instruments Labview 8.6.« less

Review of Software Tools for Design and Analysis of Large scale MRM Proteomic Datasets

PubMed Central

Colangelo, Christopher M.; Chung, Lisa; Bruce, Can; Cheung, Kei-Hoi

2013-01-01

Selective or Multiple Reaction monitoring (SRM/MRM) is a liquid-chromatography (LC)/tandem-mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method that enables the quantitation of specific proteins in a sample by analyzing precursor ions and the fragment ions of their selected tryptic peptides. Instrumentation software has advanced to the point that thousands of transitions (pairs of primary and secondary m/z values) can be measured in a triple quadrupole instrument coupled to an LC, by a well-designed scheduling and selection of m/z windows. The design of a good MRM assay relies on the availability of peptide spectra from previous discovery-phase LC-MS/MS studies. The tedious aspect of manually developing and processing MRM assays involving thousands of transitions has spurred to development of software tools to automate this process. Software packages have been developed for project management, assay development, assay validation, data export, peak integration, quality assessment, and biostatistical analysis. No single tool provides a complete end-to-end solution, thus this article reviews the current state and discusses future directions of these software tools in order to enable researchers to combine these tools for a comprehensive targeted proteomics workflow. PMID:23702368

Virtual acoustic environments for comprehensive evaluation of model-based hearing devices.

PubMed

Grimm, Giso; Luberadzka, Joanna; Hohmann, Volker

2018-06-01

Create virtual acoustic environments (VAEs) with interactive dynamic rendering for applications in audiology. A toolbox for creation and rendering of dynamic virtual acoustic environments (TASCAR) that allows direct user interaction was developed for application in hearing aid research and audiology. The software architecture and the simulation methods used to produce VAEs are outlined. Example environments are described and analysed. With the proposed software, a tool for simulation of VAEs is available. A set of VAEs rendered with the proposed software was described.

Symposium on the Interface: Computing Science and Statistics (20th). Theme: Computationally Intensive Methods in Statistics Held in Reston, Virginia on April 20-23, 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-20

34 William A. Link, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center "Increasing reliability of multiversion fault-tolerant software design by modulation," Junryo 3... Multiversion lault-Tolerant Software Design by Modularization Junryo Miyashita Department of Computer Science California state University at san Bernardino Fault...They shall beE refered to as " multiversion fault-tolerant software design". Onel problem of developing multi-versions of a program is the high cost

The Software Engineering Prototype.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

34. sThis cnly means that the ’claim’, i.e., "accepted wisdcu" in systems design, was set up as the aiternative to the hypcthesis, in accord with tra dit ion...conflict and its resolution are m~~lyto occur when users can exercise their influence 4n the levelc2- inert prcezss. Ccnflict 4itsslY os snotr lead...the traditional method of software de- velopment often has poor results. Recently, a new approach to software development, the prototype approach

Preparation of cherry-picked combinatorial libraries by string synthesis.

PubMed

Furka, Arpád; Dibó, Gábor; Gombosuren, Naran

2005-03-01

String synthesis [1-3] is an efficient and cheap manual method for preparation of combinatorial libraries by using macroscopic solid support units. Sorting the units between two synthetic steps is an important operation of the procedure. The software developed to guide sorting can be used only when complete combinatorial libraries are prepared. Since very often only selected components of the full libraries are needed, new software was constructed that guides sorting in preparation of non-complete combinatorial libraries. Application of the software is described in details.

An object oriented implementation of the Yeadon human inertia model

PubMed Central

Dembia, Christopher; Moore, Jason K.; Hubbard, Mont

2015-01-01

We present an open source software implementation of a popular mathematical method developed by M.R. Yeadon for calculating the body and segment inertia parameters of a human body. The software is written in a high level open source language and provides three interfaces for manipulating the data and the model: a Python API, a command-line user interface, and a graphical user interface. Thus the software can fit into various data processing pipelines and requires only simple geometrical measures as input. PMID:25717365

An object oriented implementation of the Yeadon human inertia model.

PubMed

Dembia, Christopher; Moore, Jason K; Hubbard, Mont

2014-01-01

We present an open source software implementation of a popular mathematical method developed by M.R. Yeadon for calculating the body and segment inertia parameters of a human body. The software is written in a high level open source language and provides three interfaces for manipulating the data and the model: a Python API, a command-line user interface, and a graphical user interface. Thus the software can fit into various data processing pipelines and requires only simple geometrical measures as input.

Debris Examination Using Ballistic and Radar Integrated Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffith, Anthony; Schottel, Matthew; Lee, David; Scully, Robert; Hamilton, Joseph; Kent, Brian; Thomas, Christopher; Benson, Jonathan; Branch, Eric; Hardman, Paul;

Quantitative method of medication system interface evaluation.

PubMed

Pingenot, Alleene Anne; Shanteau, James; Pingenot, James D F

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop a quantitative method of evaluating the user interface for medication system software. A detailed task analysis provided a description of user goals and essential activity. A structural fault analysis was used to develop a detailed description of the system interface. Nurses experienced with use of the system under evaluation provided estimates of failure rates for each point in this simplified fault tree. Means of estimated failure rates provided quantitative data for fault analysis. Authors note that, although failures of steps in the program were frequent, participants reported numerous methods of working around these failures so that overall system failure was rare. However, frequent process failure can affect the time required for processing medications, making a system inefficient. This method of interface analysis, called Software Efficiency Evaluation and Fault Identification Method, provides quantitative information with which prototypes can be compared and problems within an interface identified.

Large-scale structural analysis: The structural analyst, the CSM Testbed and the NAS System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Mccleary, Susan L.; Macy, Steven C.; Aminpour, Mohammad A.

1989-01-01

The Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) activity is developing advanced structural analysis and computational methods that exploit high-performance computers. Methods are developed in the framework of the CSM testbed software system and applied to representative complex structural analysis problems from the aerospace industry. An overview of the CSM testbed methods development environment is presented and some numerical methods developed on a CRAY-2 are described. Selected application studies performed on the NAS CRAY-2 are also summarized.

MRIVIEW: An interactive computational tool for investigation of brain structure and function

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

Ranken, D.; George, J.

MRIVIEW is a software system which uses image processing and visualization to provide neuroscience researchers with an integrated environment for combining functional and anatomical information. Key features of the software include semi-automated segmentation of volumetric head data and an interactive coordinate reconciliation method which utilizes surface visualization. The current system is a precursor to a computational brain atlas. We describe features this atlas will incorporate, including methods under development for visualizing brain functional data obtained from several different research modalities.

Algorithms and software for solving finite element equations on serial and parallel architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Alan

1989-01-01

Over the past 15 years numerous new techniques have been developed for solving systems of equations and eigenvalue problems arising in finite element computations. A package called SPARSPAK has been developed by the author and his co-workers which exploits these new methods. The broad objective of this research project is to incorporate some of this software in the Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) testbed, and to extend the techniques for use on multiprocessor architectures.

Chemical calculations on Cray computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Peter R.; Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Schwenke, David W.

1989-01-01

The influence of recent developments in supercomputing on computational chemistry is discussed with particular reference to Cray computers and their pipelined vector/limited parallel architectures. After reviewing Cray hardware and software the performance of different elementary program structures are examined, and effective methods for improving program performance are outlined. The computational strategies appropriate for obtaining optimum performance in applications to quantum chemistry and dynamics are discussed. Finally, some discussion is given of new developments and future hardware and software improvements.

Final Technical Report on Quantifying Dependability Attributes of Software Based Safety Critical Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants

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

Smidts, Carol; Huang, Funqun; Li, Boyuan

With the current transition from analog to digital instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants, the number and variety of software-based systems have significantly increased. The sophisticated nature and increasing complexity of software raises trust in these systems as a significant challenge. The trust placed in a software system is typically termed software dependability. Software dependability analysis faces uncommon challenges since software systems’ characteristics differ from those of hardware systems. The lack of systematic science-based methods for quantifying the dependability attributes in software-based instrumentation as well as control systems in safety critical applications has proved itself to be amore » significant inhibitor to the expanded use of modern digital technology in the nuclear industry. Dependability refers to the ability of a system to deliver a service that can be trusted. Dependability is commonly considered as a general concept that encompasses different attributes, e.g., reliability, safety, security, availability and maintainability. Dependability research has progressed significantly over the last few decades. For example, various assessment models and/or design approaches have been proposed for software reliability, software availability and software maintainability. Advances have also been made to integrate multiple dependability attributes, e.g., integrating security with other dependability attributes, measuring availability and maintainability, modeling reliability and availability, quantifying reliability and security, exploring the dependencies between security and safety and developing integrated analysis models. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the dependencies between various dependability attributes as a whole and of how such dependencies are formed. To address the need for quantification and give a more objective basis to the review process -- therefore reducing regulatory uncertainty -- measures and methods are needed to assess dependability attributes early on, as well as throughout the life-cycle process of software development. In this research, extensive expert opinion elicitation is used to identify the measures and methods for assessing software dependability. Semi-structured questionnaires were designed to elicit expert knowledge. A new notation system, Causal Mechanism Graphing, was developed to extract and represent such knowledge. The Causal Mechanism Graphs were merged, thus, obtaining the consensus knowledge shared by the domain experts. In this report, we focus on how software contributes to dependability. However, software dependability is not discussed separately from the context of systems or socio-technical systems. Specifically, this report focuses on software dependability, reliability, safety, security, availability, and maintainability. Our research was conducted in the sequence of stages found below. Each stage is further examined in its corresponding chapter. Stage 1 (Chapter 2): Elicitation of causal maps describing the dependencies between dependability attributes. These causal maps were constructed using expert opinion elicitation. This chapter describes the expert opinion elicitation process, the questionnaire design, the causal map construction method and the causal maps obtained. Stage 2 (Chapter 3): Elicitation of the causal map describing the occurrence of the event of interest for each dependability attribute. The causal mechanisms for the “event of interest” were extracted for each of the software dependability attributes. The “event of interest” for a dependability attribute is generally considered to be the “attribute failure”, e.g. security failure. The extraction was based on the analysis of expert elicitation results obtained in Stage 1. Stage 3 (Chapter 4): Identification of relevant measurements. Measures for the “events of interest” and their causal mechanisms were obtained from expert opinion elicitation for each of the software dependability attributes. The measures extracted are presented in this chapter. Stage 4 (Chapter 5): Assessment of the coverage of the causal maps via measures. Coverage was assessed to determine whether the measures obtained were sufficient to quantify software dependability, and what measures are further required. Stage 5 (Chapter 6): Identification of “missing” measures and measurement approaches for concepts not covered. New measures, for concepts that had not been covered sufficiently as determined in Stage 4, were identified using supplementary expert opinion elicitation as well as literature reviews. Stage 6 (Chapter 7): Building of a detailed quantification model based on the causal maps and measurements obtained. Ability to derive such a quantification model shows that the causal models and measurements derived from the previous stages (Stage 1 to Stage 5) can form the technical basis for developing dependability quantification models. Scope restrictions have led us to prioritize this demonstration effort. The demonstration was focused on a critical system, i.e. the reactor protection system. For this system, a ranking of the software dependability attributes by nuclear stakeholders was developed. As expected for this application, the stakeholder ranking identified safety as the most critical attribute to be quantified. A safety quantification model limited to the requirements phase of development was built. Two case studies were conducted for verification. A preliminary control gate for software safety for the requirements stage was proposed and applied to the first case study. The control gate allows a cost effective selection of the duration of the requirements phase.« less

Imaging and quantitative methods for studying cytoskeletal rearrangements during root development and gravitropism.

PubMed

Jacques, Eveline; Wells, Darren M; Bennett, Malcolm J; Vissenberg, Kris

2015-01-01

High-resolution imaging of cytoskeletal structures paves the way for standardized methods to quantify cytoskeletal organization. Here we provide a detailed description of the analysis performed to determine the microtubule patterns in gravistimulated roots, using the recently developed software tool MicroFilament Analyzer.

Cultural and Technological Issues and Solutions for Geodynamics Software Citation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heien, E. M.; Hwang, L.; Fish, A. E.; Smith, M.; Dumit, J.; Kellogg, L. H.

2014-12-01

Computational software and custom-written codes play a key role in scientific research and teaching, providing tools to perform data analysis and forward modeling through numerical computation. However, development of these codes is often hampered by the fact that there is no well-defined way for the authors to receive credit or professional recognition for their work through the standard methods of scientific publication and subsequent citation of the work. This in turn may discourage researchers from publishing their codes or making them easier for other scientists to use. We investigate the issues involved in citing software in a scientific context, and introduce features that should be components of a citation infrastructure, particularly oriented towards the codes and scientific culture in the area of geodynamics research. The codes used in geodynamics are primarily specialized numerical modeling codes for continuum mechanics problems; they may be developed by individual researchers, teams of researchers, geophysicists in collaboration with computational scientists and applied mathematicians, or by coordinated community efforts such as the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics. Some but not all geodynamics codes are open-source. These characteristics are common to many areas of geophysical software development and use. We provide background on the problem of software citation and discuss some of the barriers preventing adoption of such citations, including social/cultural barriers, insufficient technological support infrastructure, and an overall lack of agreement about what a software citation should consist of. We suggest solutions in an initial effort to create a system to support citation of software and promotion of scientific software development.

[The need to develop demographic census systems for Latin America].

PubMed

Silva, A

1987-01-01

The author presents the case for developing new software packages specifically designed to process population census information for Latin America. The focus is on the problems faced by developing countries in handling vast amounts of data in an efficient way. First, the basic methods of census data processing are discussed, then brief descriptions of some of the available software are included. Finally, ways in which data processing programs could be geared toward and utilized for improving the accuracy of Latin American censuses in the 1990s are proposed.

An auxiliary classification diagnosis software development of cervical cancer medical data based on various artificial neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yong; Lei, Kai; Zhang, Lizeqing; Xing, Ximing; Gou, Wenyue

2018-06-01

This paper introduced the development of a self-serving medical data assisted diagnosis software of cervical cancer on the basis of artificial neural network (SVN, FNN, KNN). The system is developed based on the idea of self-service platform, supported by the application and innovation of neural network algorithm in medical data identification. Furthermore, it combined the advanced methods in various fields to effectively solve the complicated and inaccurate problem of cervical canceration data in the traditional manual treatment.

Recent Survey and Application of the simSUNDT Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persson, G.; Wirdelius, H.

2010-02-01

The simSUNDT software is based on a previous developed program (SUNDT). The latest version has been customized in order to generate realistic synthetic data (including a grain noise model), compatible with a number of off-line analysis software. The software consists of a Windows®-based preprocessor and postprocessor together with a mathematical kernel (UTDefect), dealing with the actual mathematical modeling. The model employs various integral transforms and integral equation and enables simulations of the entire ultrasonic testing situation. The model is completely three-dimensional though the simulated component is two-dimensional, bounded by the scanning surface and a planar back surface as an option. It is of great importance that inspection methods that are applied are proper validated and that their capability of detection of cracks and defects are quantified. In order to achieve this, statistical methods such as Probability of Detection (POD) often are applied, with the ambition to estimate the detectability as a function of defect size. Despite the fact that the proposed procedure with the utilization of test pieces is very expensive, it also tends to introduce a number of possible misalignments between the actual NDT situation that is to be performed and the proposed experimental simulation. The presentation will describe the developed model that will enable simulation of a phased array NDT inspection and the ambition to use this simulation software to generate POD information. The paper also includes the most recent developments of the model including some initial experimental validation of the phased array probe model.

[Computers in nursing: development of free software application with care and management].

PubMed

dos Santos, Sérgio Ribeiro

2010-06-01

This study aimed at developing an information system in nursing with the implementation of nursing care and management of the service. The SisEnf--Information System in Nursing--is a free software module that comprises the care of nursing: history, clinical examination and care plan; the management module consists of: service shifts, personnel management, hospital indicators and other elements. The system was implemented at the Medical Clinic of the Lauro Wanderley University Hospital, at Universidade Federal da Paraiba. In view of the need to bring user and developer closer, in addition to the constant change of functional requirements during the interactive process, the method of unified process was used. The SisEnf was developed on a WEB platform and using free software. Hence, the work developed aimed at assisting in the working process of nursing, which will now have the opportunity to incorporate information technology in their work routine.

The application of domain-driven design in NMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jinsong; Chen, Yan; Qin, Shengjun

2011-12-01

In the traditional design approach of data-model-driven, system analysis and design phases are often separated which makes the demand information can not be expressed explicitly. The method is also easy to lead developer to the process-oriented programming, making codes between the modules or between hierarchies disordered. So it is hard to meet requirement of system scalability. The paper proposes a software hiberarchy based on rich domain model according to domain-driven design named FHRDM, then the Webwork + Spring + Hibernate (WSH) framework is determined. Domain-driven design aims to construct a domain model which not only meets the demand of the field where the software exists but also meets the need of software development. In this way, problems in Navigational Maritime System (NMS) development like big system business volumes, difficulty of requirement elicitation, high development costs and long development cycle can be resolved successfully.

Development of multichannel analyzer using sound card ADC for nuclear spectroscopy system

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

Ibrahim, Maslina Mohd; Yussup, Nolida; Lombigit, Lojius

This paper describes the development of Multi-Channel Analyzer (MCA) using sound card analogue to digital converter (ADC) for nuclear spectroscopy system. The system was divided into a hardware module and a software module. Hardware module consist of detector NaI (Tl) 2” by 2”, Pulse Shaping Amplifier (PSA) and a build in ADC chip from readily available in any computers’ sound system. The software module is divided into two parts which are a pre-processing of raw digital input and the development of the MCA software. Band-pass filter and baseline stabilization and correction were implemented for the pre-processing. For the MCA development,more » the pulse height analysis method was used to process the signal before displaying it using histogram technique. The development and tested result for using the sound card as an MCA are discussed.« less

Agile Methods: Selected DoD Management and Acquisition Concerns

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

SIDRE Software Intensive Innovative Development and Reengineering/Evolution SLIM Software Lifecycle Management -Estimate SLOC source lines of code...ISBN #0321502752 Coaching Agile Teams Lyssa Adkins ISBN #0321637704 Agile Project Management : Creating Innovative Products – Second Edition Jim...Accessed July 13, 2011. [Highsmith 2009] Highsmith, J. Agile Project Management : Creating Innovative Products, 2nd ed. Addison- Wesley, 2009

The NERV Methodology: Non-Functional Requirements Elicitation, Reasoning and Validation in Agile Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domah, Darshan

2013-01-01

Agile software development has become very popular around the world in recent years, with methods such as Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP). Literature suggests that functionality is the primary focus in Agile processes while non-functional requirements (NFR) are either ignored or ill-defined. However, for software to be of good quality both…

Knowledge-Based Aircraft Automation: Managers Guide on the use of Artificial Intelligence for Aircraft Automation and Verification and Validation Approach for a Neural-Based Flight Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broderick, Ron

1997-01-01

The ultimate goal of this report was to integrate the powerful tools of artificial intelligence into the traditional process of software development. To maintain the US aerospace competitive advantage, traditional aerospace and software engineers need to more easily incorporate the technology of artificial intelligence into the advanced aerospace systems being designed today. The future goal was to transition artificial intelligence from an emerging technology to a standard technology that is considered early in the life cycle process to develop state-of-the-art aircraft automation systems. This report addressed the future goal in two ways. First, it provided a matrix that identified typical aircraft automation applications conducive to various artificial intelligence methods. The purpose of this matrix was to provide top-level guidance to managers contemplating the possible use of artificial intelligence in the development of aircraft automation. Second, the report provided a methodology to formally evaluate neural networks as part of the traditional process of software development. The matrix was developed by organizing the discipline of artificial intelligence into the following six methods: logical, object representation-based, distributed, uncertainty management, temporal and neurocomputing. Next, a study of existing aircraft automation applications that have been conducive to artificial intelligence implementation resulted in the following five categories: pilot-vehicle interface, system status and diagnosis, situation assessment, automatic flight planning, and aircraft flight control. The resulting matrix provided management guidance to understand artificial intelligence as it applied to aircraft automation. The approach taken to develop a methodology to formally evaluate neural networks as part of the software engineering life cycle was to start with the existing software quality assurance standards and to change these standards to include neural network development. The changes were to include evaluation tools that can be applied to neural networks at each phase of the software engineering life cycle. The result was a formal evaluation approach to increase the product quality of systems that use neural networks for their implementation.

Calculus domains modelled using an original bool algebra based on polygons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oanta, E.; Panait, C.; Raicu, A.; Barhalescu, M.; Axinte, T.

2016-08-01

Analytical and numerical computer based models require analytical definitions of the calculus domains. The paper presents a method to model a calculus domain based on a bool algebra which uses solid and hollow polygons. The general calculus relations of the geometrical characteristics that are widely used in mechanical engineering are tested using several shapes of the calculus domain in order to draw conclusions regarding the most effective methods to discretize the domain. The paper also tests the results of several CAD commercial software applications which are able to compute the geometrical characteristics, being drawn interesting conclusions. The tests were also targeting the accuracy of the results vs. the number of nodes on the curved boundary of the cross section. The study required the development of an original software consisting of more than 1700 computer code lines. In comparison with other calculus methods, the discretization using convex polygons is a simpler approach. Moreover, this method doesn't lead to large numbers as the spline approximation did, in that case being required special software packages in order to offer multiple, arbitrary precision. The knowledge resulted from this study may be used to develop complex computer based models in engineering.

TomoBank: a tomographic data repository for computational x-ray science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Carlo, Francesco; Gürsoy, Doğa; Ching, Daniel J.; Joost Batenburg, K.; Ludwig, Wolfgang; Mancini, Lucia; Marone, Federica; Mokso, Rajmund; Pelt, Daniël M.; Sijbers, Jan; Rivers, Mark

2018-03-01

There is a widening gap between the fast advancement of computational methods for tomographic reconstruction and their successful implementation in production software at various synchrotron facilities. This is due in part to the lack of readily available instrument datasets and phantoms representative of real materials for validation and comparison of new numerical methods. Recent advancements in detector technology have made sub-second and multi-energy tomographic data collection possible (Gibbs et al 2015 Sci. Rep. 5 11824), but have also increased the demand to develop new reconstruction methods able to handle in situ (Pelt and Batenburg 2013 IEEE Trans. Image Process. 22 5238-51) and dynamic systems (Mohan et al 2015 IEEE Trans. Comput. Imaging 1 96-111) that can be quickly incorporated in beamline production software (Gürsoy et al 2014 J. Synchrotron Radiat. 21 1188-93). The x-ray tomography data bank, tomoBank, provides a repository of experimental and simulated datasets with the aim to foster collaboration among computational scientists, beamline scientists, and experimentalists and to accelerate the development and implementation of tomographic reconstruction methods for synchrotron facility production software by providing easy access to challenging datasets and their descriptors.

Certification Processes for Safety-Critical and Mission-Critical Aerospace Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Stacy

2003-01-01

This document is a quick reference guide with an overview of the processes required to certify safety-critical and mission-critical flight software at selected NASA centers and the FAA. Researchers and software developers can use this guide to jumpstart their understanding of how to get new or enhanced software onboard an aircraft or spacecraft. The introduction contains aerospace industry definitions of safety and safety-critical software, as well as, the current rationale for certification of safety-critical software. The Standards for Safety-Critical Aerospace Software section lists and describes current standards including NASA standards and RTCA DO-178B. The Mission-Critical versus Safety-Critical software section explains the difference between two important classes of software: safety-critical software involving the potential for loss of life due to software failure and mission-critical software involving the potential for aborting a mission due to software failure. The DO-178B Safety-critical Certification Requirements section describes special processes and methods required to obtain a safety-critical certification for aerospace software flying on vehicles under auspices of the FAA. The final two sections give an overview of the certification process used at Dryden Flight Research Center and the approval process at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL).

DA+ data acquisition and analysis software at the Swiss Light Source macromolecular crystallography beamlines

PubMed Central

Wojdyla, Justyna Aleksandra; Kaminski, Jakub W.; Ebner, Simon; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Gabadinho, Jose; Wang, Meitian

2018-01-01

Data acquisition software is an essential component of modern macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines, enabling efficient use of beam time at synchrotron facilities. Developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the DA+ data acquisition software is implemented at all three Swiss Light Source (SLS) MX beamlines. DA+ consists of distributed services and components written in Python and Java, which communicate via messaging and streaming technologies. The major components of DA+ are the user interface, acquisition engine, online processing and database. Immediate data quality feedback is achieved with distributed automatic data analysis routines. The software architecture enables exploration of the full potential of the latest instrumentation at the SLS MX beamlines, such as the SmarGon goniometer and the EIGER X 16M detector, and development of new data collection methods. PMID:29271779

Commercialization of NESSUS: Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thacker, Ben H.; Millwater, Harry R.

1991-01-01

A plan was initiated in 1988 to commercialize the Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress (NESSUS) probabilistic structural analysis software. The goal of the on-going commercialization effort is to begin the transfer of Probabilistic Structural Analysis Method (PSAM) developed technology into industry and to develop additional funding resources in the general area of structural reliability. The commercialization effort is summarized. The SwRI NESSUS Software System is a general purpose probabilistic finite element computer program using state of the art methods for predicting stochastic structural response due to random loads, material properties, part geometry, and boundary conditions. NESSUS can be used to assess structural reliability, to compute probability of failure, to rank the input random variables by importance, and to provide a more cost effective design than traditional methods. The goal is to develop a general probabilistic structural analysis methodology to assist in the certification of critical components in the next generation Space Shuttle Main Engine.

Evaluation of 3-D graphics software: A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lores, M. E.; Chasen, S. H.; Garner, J. M.

1984-01-01

An efficient 3-D geometry graphics software package which is suitable for advanced design studies was developed. The advanced design system is called GRADE--Graphics for Advanced Design. Efficiency and ease of use are gained by sacrificing flexibility in surface representation. The immediate options were either to continue development of GRADE or to acquire a commercially available system which would replace or complement GRADE. Test cases which would reveal the ability of each system to satisfy the requirements were developed. A scoring method which adequately captured the relative capabilities of the three systems was presented. While more complex multi-attribute decision methods could be used, the selected method provides all the needed information without being so complex that it is difficult to understand. If the value factors are modestly perturbed, system Z is a clear winner based on its overall capabilities. System Z is superior in two vital areas: surfacing and ease of interface with application programs.

Point-Mass Aircraft Trajectory Prediction Using a Hierarchical, Highly-Adaptable Software Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karr, David A.; Vivona, Robert A.; Woods, Sharon E.; Wing, David J.

2017-01-01

A highly adaptable and extensible method for predicting four-dimensional trajectories of civil aircraft has been developed. This method, Behavior-Based Trajectory Prediction, is based on taxonomic concepts developed for the description and comparison of trajectory prediction software. A hierarchical approach to the "behavioral" layer of a point-mass model of aircraft flight, a clear separation between the "behavioral" and "mathematical" layers of the model, and an abstraction of the methods of integrating differential equations in the "mathematical" layer have been demonstrated to support aircraft models of different types (in particular, turbojet vs. turboprop aircraft) using performance models at different levels of detail and in different formats, and promise to be easily extensible to other aircraft types and sources of data. The resulting trajectories predict location, altitude, lateral and vertical speeds, and fuel consumption along the flight path of the subject aircraft accurately and quickly, accounting for local conditions of wind and outside air temperature. The Behavior-Based Trajectory Prediction concept was implemented in NASA's Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) flight-optimizing cockpit software application.

Fusing Symbolic and Numerical Diagnostic Computations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, Mark

2007-01-01

X-2000 Anomaly Detection Language denotes a developmental computing language, and the software that establishes and utilizes the language, for fusing two diagnostic computer programs, one implementing a numerical analysis method, the other implementing a symbolic analysis method into a unified event-based decision analysis software system for realtime detection of events (e.g., failures) in a spacecraft, aircraft, or other complex engineering system. The numerical analysis method is performed by beacon-based exception analysis for multi-missions (BEAMs), which has been discussed in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles. The symbolic analysis method is, more specifically, an artificial-intelligence method of the knowledge-based, inference engine type, and its implementation is exemplified by the Spacecraft Health Inference Engine (SHINE) software. The goal in developing the capability to fuse numerical and symbolic diagnostic components is to increase the depth of analysis beyond that previously attainable, thereby increasing the degree of confidence in the computed results. In practical terms, the sought improvement is to enable detection of all or most events, with no or few false alarms.

Error correction and diversity analysis of population mixtures determined by NGS

PubMed Central

Burroughs, Nigel J.; Evans, David J.; Ryabov, Eugene V.

2014-01-01

The impetus for this work was the need to analyse nucleotide diversity in a viral mix taken from honeybees. The paper has two findings. First, a method for correction of next generation sequencing error in the distribution of nucleotides at a site is developed. Second, a package of methods for assessment of nucleotide diversity is assembled. The error correction method is statistically based and works at the level of the nucleotide distribution rather than the level of individual nucleotides. The method relies on an error model and a sample of known viral genotypes that is used for model calibration. A compendium of existing and new diversity analysis tools is also presented, allowing hypotheses about diversity and mean diversity to be tested and associated confidence intervals to be calculated. The methods are illustrated using honeybee viral samples. Software in both Excel and Matlab and a guide are available at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/systemsbiology/research/software/, the Warwick University Systems Biology Centre software download site. PMID:25405074

Development of fuel oil management system software: Phase 1, Tank management module. Final report

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

Lange, H.B.; Baker, J.P.; Allen, D.

1992-01-01

The Fuel Oil Management System (FOMS) is a micro-computer based software system being developed to assist electric utilities that use residual fuel oils with oil purchase and end-use decisions. The Tank Management Module (TMM) is the first FOMS module to be produced. TMM enables the user to follow the mixing status of oils contained in a number of oil storage tanks. The software contains a computational model of residual fuel oil mixing which addresses mixing that occurs as one oil is added to another in a storage tank and also purposeful mixing of the tank by propellers, recirculation or convection.Themore » model also addresses the potential for sludge formation due to incompatibility of oils being mixed. Part 1 of the report presents a technical description of the mixing model and a description of its development. Steps followed in developing the mixing model included: (1) definition of ranges of oil properties and tank design factors used by utilities; (2) review and adaption of prior applicable work; (3) laboratory development; and (4) field verification. Also, a brief laboratory program was devoted to exploring the suitability of suggested methods for predicting viscosities, flash points and pour points of oil mixtures. Part 2 of the report presents a functional description of the TMM software and a description of its development. The software development program consisted of the following steps: (1) on-site interviews at utilities to prioritize needs and characterize user environments; (2) construction of the user interface; and (3) field testing the software.« less

Development of fuel oil management system software: Phase 1, Tank management module

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

Lange, H.B.; Baker, J.P.; Allen, D.

1992-01-01

The Fuel Oil Management System (FOMS) is a micro-computer based software system being developed to assist electric utilities that use residual fuel oils with oil purchase and end-use decisions. The Tank Management Module (TMM) is the first FOMS module to be produced. TMM enables the user to follow the mixing status of oils contained in a number of oil storage tanks. The software contains a computational model of residual fuel oil mixing which addresses mixing that occurs as one oil is added to another in a storage tank and also purposeful mixing of the tank by propellers, recirculation or convection.Themore » model also addresses the potential for sludge formation due to incompatibility of oils being mixed. Part 1 of the report presents a technical description of the mixing model and a description of its development. Steps followed in developing the mixing model included: (1) definition of ranges of oil properties and tank design factors used by utilities; (2) review and adaption of prior applicable work; (3) laboratory development; and (4) field verification. Also, a brief laboratory program was devoted to exploring the suitability of suggested methods for predicting viscosities, flash points and pour points of oil mixtures. Part 2 of the report presents a functional description of the TMM software and a description of its development. The software development program consisted of the following steps: (1) on-site interviews at utilities to prioritize needs and characterize user environments; (2) construction of the user interface; and (3) field testing the software.« less

CSM Testbed Development and Large-Scale Structural Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Gillian, R. E.; Mccleary, Susan L.; Lotts, C. G.; Poole, E. L.; Overman, A. L.; Macy, S. C.

1989-01-01

A research activity called Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center is described. This activity is developing advanced structural analysis and computational methods that exploit high-performance computers. Methods are developed in the framework of the CSM Testbed software system and applied to representative complex structural analysis problems from the aerospace industry. An overview of the CSM Testbed methods development environment is presented and some new numerical methods developed on a CRAY-2 are described. Selected application studies performed on the NAS CRAY-2 are also summarized.

Evaluation of software maintain ability with open EHR - a comparison of architectures.

PubMed

Atalag, Koray; Yang, Hong Yul; Tempero, Ewan; Warren, James R

2014-11-01

To assess whether it is easier to maintain a clinical information system developed using open EHR model driven development versus mainstream methods. A new open source application (GastrOS) has been developed following open EHR's multi-level modelling approach using .Net/C# based on the same requirements of an existing clinically used application developed using Microsoft Visual Basic and Access database. Almost all the domain knowledge was embedded into the software code and data model in the latter. The same domain knowledge has been expressed as a set of open EHR Archetypes in GastrOS. We then introduced eight real-world change requests that had accumulated during live clinical usage, and implemented these in both systems while measuring time for various development tasks and change in software size for each change request. Overall it took half the time to implement changes in GastrOS. However it was the more difficult application to modify for one change request, suggesting the nature of change is also important. It was not possible to implement changes by modelling only. Comparison of relative measures of time and software size change within each application highlights how architectural differences affected maintain ability across change requests. The use of open EHR model driven development can result in better software maintain ability. The degree to which open EHR affects software maintain ability depends on the extent and nature of domain knowledge involved in changes. Although we used relative measures for time and software size, confounding factors could not be totally excluded as a controlled study design was not feasible. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Space station software reliability analysis based on failures observed during testing at the multisystem integration facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tamayo, Tak Chai

1987-01-01

Quality of software not only is vital to the successful operation of the space station, it is also an important factor in establishing testing requirements, time needed for software verification and integration as well as launching schedules for the space station. Defense of management decisions can be greatly strengthened by combining engineering judgments with statistical analysis. Unlike hardware, software has the characteristics of no wearout and costly redundancies, thus making traditional statistical analysis not suitable in evaluating reliability of software. A statistical model was developed to provide a representation of the number as well as types of failures occur during software testing and verification. From this model, quantitative measure of software reliability based on failure history during testing are derived. Criteria to terminate testing based on reliability objectives and methods to estimate the expected number of fixings required are also presented.

The design and implementation of urban earthquake disaster loss evaluation and emergency response decision support systems based on GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Kun; Xu, Quan-li; Peng, Shuang-yun; Cao, Yan-bo

2008-10-01

Based on the necessity analysis of GIS applications in earthquake disaster prevention, this paper has deeply discussed the spatial integration scheme of urban earthquake disaster loss evaluation models and visualization technologies by using the network development methods such as COM/DCOM, ActiveX and ASP, as well as the spatial database development methods such as OO4O and ArcSDE based on ArcGIS software packages. Meanwhile, according to Software Engineering principles, a solution of Urban Earthquake Emergency Response Decision Support Systems based on GIS technologies have also been proposed, which include the systems logical structures, the technical routes,the system realization methods and function structures etc. Finally, the testing systems user interfaces have also been offered in the paper.

Structural reliability methods: Code development status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millwater, Harry R.; Thacker, Ben H.; Wu, Y.-T.; Cruse, T. A.

1991-05-01

The Probabilistic Structures Analysis Method (PSAM) program integrates state of the art probabilistic algorithms with structural analysis methods in order to quantify the behavior of Space Shuttle Main Engine structures subject to uncertain loadings, boundary conditions, material parameters, and geometric conditions. An advanced, efficient probabilistic structural analysis software program, NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress) was developed as a deliverable. NESSUS contains a number of integrated software components to perform probabilistic analysis of complex structures. A nonlinear finite element module NESSUS/FEM is used to model the structure and obtain structural sensitivities. Some of the capabilities of NESSUS/FEM are shown. A Fast Probability Integration module NESSUS/FPI estimates the probability given the structural sensitivities. A driver module, PFEM, couples the FEM and FPI. NESSUS, version 5.0, addresses component reliability, resistance, and risk.

Structural reliability methods: Code development status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millwater, Harry R.; Thacker, Ben H.; Wu, Y.-T.; Cruse, T. A.

1991-01-01

The Probabilistic Structures Analysis Method (PSAM) program integrates state of the art probabilistic algorithms with structural analysis methods in order to quantify the behavior of Space Shuttle Main Engine structures subject to uncertain loadings, boundary conditions, material parameters, and geometric conditions. An advanced, efficient probabilistic structural analysis software program, NESSUS (Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures Under Stress) was developed as a deliverable. NESSUS contains a number of integrated software components to perform probabilistic analysis of complex structures. A nonlinear finite element module NESSUS/FEM is used to model the structure and obtain structural sensitivities. Some of the capabilities of NESSUS/FEM are shown. A Fast Probability Integration module NESSUS/FPI estimates the probability given the structural sensitivities. A driver module, PFEM, couples the FEM and FPI. NESSUS, version 5.0, addresses component reliability, resistance, and risk.

Perm State University HPC-hardware and software services: capabilities for aircraft engine aeroacoustics problems solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demenev, A. G.

2018-02-01

The present work is devoted to analyze high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure capabilities for aircraft engine aeroacoustics problems solving at Perm State University. We explore here the ability to develop new computational aeroacoustics methods/solvers for computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems to handle complicated industrial problems of engine noise prediction. Leading aircraft engine engineering company, including “UEC-Aviadvigatel” JSC (our industrial partners in Perm, Russia), require that methods/solvers to optimize geometry of aircraft engine for fan noise reduction. We analysed Perm State University HPC-hardware resources and software services to use efficiently. The performed results demonstrate that Perm State University HPC-infrastructure are mature enough to face out industrial-like problems of development CAE-system with HPC-method and CFD-solvers.

Graphical Technique to Support the Teaching/Learning Process of Software Process Reference Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinosa-Curiel, Ismael Edrein; Rodríguez-Jacobo, Josefina; Fernández-Zepeda, José Alberto

In this paper, we propose a set of diagrams to visualize software process reference models (PRM). The diagrams, called dimods, are the combination of some visual and process modeling techniques such as rich pictures, mind maps, IDEF and RAD diagrams. We show the use of this technique by designing a set of dimods for the Mexican Software Industry Process Model (MoProSoft). Additionally, we perform an evaluation of the usefulness of dimods. The result of the evaluation shows that dimods may be a support tool that facilitates the understanding, memorization, and learning of software PRMs in both, software development organizations and universities. The results also show that dimods may have advantages over the traditional description methods for these types of models.

FAILSAFE Health Management for Embedded Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, Gregory A.; Wagner, David A.; Wen, Hui Ying; Barry, Matthew

2010-01-01

The FAILSAFE project is developing concepts and prototype implementations for software health management in mission- critical, real-time embedded systems. The project unites features of the industry-standard ARINC 653 Avionics Application Software Standard Interface and JPL s Mission Data System (MDS) technology (see figure). The ARINC 653 standard establishes requirements for the services provided by partitioned, real-time operating systems. The MDS technology provides a state analysis method, canonical architecture, and software framework that facilitates the design and implementation of software-intensive complex systems. The MDS technology has been used to provide the health management function for an ARINC 653 application implementation. In particular, the focus is on showing how this combination enables reasoning about, and recovering from, application software problems.

Weaving a Formal Methods Education with Problem-Based Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, J. Paul

The idea of weaving formal methods through computing (or software engineering) degrees is not a new one. However, there has been little success in developing and implementing such a curriculum. Formal methods continue to be taught as stand-alone modules and students, in general, fail to see how fundamental these methods are to the engineering of software. A major problem is one of motivation — how can the students be expected to enthusiastically embrace a challenging subject when the learning benefits, beyond passing an exam and achieving curriculum credits, are not clear? Problem-based learning has gradually moved from being an innovative pedagogique technique, commonly used to better-motivate students, to being widely adopted in the teaching of many different disciplines, including computer science and software engineering. Our experience shows that a good problem can be re-used throughout a student's academic life. In fact, the best computing problems can be used with children (young and old), undergraduates and postgraduates. In this paper we present a process for weaving formal methods through a University curriculum that is founded on the application of problem-based learning and a library of good software engineering problems, where students learn about formal methods without sitting a traditional formal methods module. The process of constructing good problems and integrating them into the curriculum is shown to be analagous to the process of engineering software. This approach is not intended to replace more traditional formal methods modules: it will better prepare students for such specialised modules and ensure that all students have an understanding and appreciation for formal methods even if they do not go on to specialise in them.

UTChem - A Program for Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry

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

Yanai, Takeshi; Nakano, Haruyuki; Nakajima, Takahito

2003-06-18

UTChem is a quantum chemistry software developed by Hirao's group at the University of Tokyo. UTChem is a research product of our work to develop new and better theoretical methods in quantum chemistry.