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At least 451 records · Page 25

Computational Methods for Structural Mechanics and Dynamics, part 1

The structural analysis methods research has several goals. One goal is to develop analysis methods that are general. This goal of generality leads naturally to finite-element methods, but the research will also include other structural analysis methods. Another goal is that the methods be amenable to error analysis; that is, given a physical problem and a mathematical model of that problem, an analyst would like to know the probable error in predicting a given response quantity. The ultimate objective is to specify the error tolerances and to use automated logic to adjust the mathematical model or solution strategy to obtain that accuracy. A third goal is to develop structural analysis methods that can exploit parallel processing computers. The structural analysis methods research will focus initially on three types of problems: local/global nonlinear stress analysis, nonlinear transient dynamics, and tire modeling.

Stroud, W. Jefferson↗

Computational mechanics analysis tools for parallel-vector supercomputers

Computational algorithms for structural analysis on parallel-vector supercomputers are reviewed. These parallel algorithms, developed by the authors, are for the assembly of structural equations, 'out-of-core' strategies for linear equation solution, massively distributed-memory equation solution, unsymmetric equation solution, general eigensolution, geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis, design sensitivity analysis for structural dynamics, optimization search analysis and domain decomposition. The source code for many of these algorithms is available.

Storaasli, Olaf O.↗

Computational mechanics analysis tools for parallel-vector supercomputers

Computational algorithms for structural analysis on parallel-vector supercomputers are reviewed. These parallel algorithms, developed by the authors, are for the assembly of structural equations, 'out-of-core' strategies for linear equation solution, massively distributed-memory equation solution, unsymmetric equation solution, general eigen-solution, geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis, design sensitivity analysis for structural dynamics, optimization algorithm and domain decomposition. The source code for many of these algorithms is available from NASA Langley.

Storaasli, O. O.↗

The Impact of Microtechnology on Space System Development

Microtechnology has the potential for a beneficial impact on both launch and space flight operations because of savings in mass, power consumption, volume and low cost manufacturing and testing. Less apparent, but equally valuable, are the advantages in reliability to be gained by increased redundancy and the reduction of complexity in the fabrication process. However, a successful program for the development and insertion of these technologies will need to consider the conservatism of the aerospace community. This is more true of government space programs where success is measured by a lack of launch failures and less true of commercial ventures where success may be measured by other criteria. This paper presents a strategy for evolving microtechnology in space systems that fits both the government's risk avoidance culture, and parallels the expected development of microtechnology applications in space systems.

Sutton, David G.↗

A Parallel Cartesian Approach for External Aerodynamics of Vehicles with Complex Geometry

This workshop paper presents the current status in the development of a new approach for the solution of the Euler equations on Cartesian meshes with embedded boundaries in three dimensions on distributed and shared memory architectures. The approach uses adaptively refined Cartesian hexahedra to fill the computational domain. Where these cells intersect the geometry, they are cut by the boundary into arbitrarily shaped polyhedra which receive special treatment by the solver. The presentation documents a newly developed multilevel upwind solver based on a flexible domain-decomposition strategy. One novel aspect of the work is its use of space-filling curves (SFC) for memory efficient on-the-fly parallelization, dynamic re-partitioning and automatic coarse mesh generation. Within each subdomain the approach employs a variety reordering techniques so that relevant data are on the same page in memory permitting high-performance on cache-based processors. Details of the on-the-fly SFC based partitioning are presented as are construction rules for the automatic coarse mesh generation. After describing the approach, the paper uses model problems and 3- D configurations to both verify and validate the solver. The model problems demonstrate that second-order accuracy is maintained despite the presence of the irregular cut-cells in the mesh. In addition, it examines both parallel efficiency and convergence behavior. These investigations demonstrate a parallel speed-up in excess of 28 on 32 processors of an SGI Origin 2000 system and confirm that mesh partitioning has no effect on convergence behavior.

Aftosmis, M. J.↗

Hybrid programming-model strategies for GPU offloading of electronic structure calculation kernels

To address the challenge of performance portability and facilitate the implementation of electronic structure solvers, we developed the basic matrix library (BML) and Parallel, Rapid O(N), and Graph-based Recursive Electronic Structure Solver (PROGRESS) library. The BML implements linear algebra operations necessary for electronic structure kernels using a unified user interface for various matrix formats (dense and sparse) and architectures (CPUs and GPUs). Focusing on density functional theory and tight-binding models, PROGRESS implements several solvers for computing the single-particle density matrix and relies on BML. In this paper, we describe the general strategies used for these implementations on various computer architectures, using OpenMP target functionalities on GPUs, in conjunction with third-party libraries to handle performance critical numerical kernels. In this study, we demonstrate the portability of this approach and its performance in benchmark problems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Analysis Ready Data in Analytics Optimized Data Stores for Analysis of Big Earth Data in the Cloud

Cloud computing offers the possibility of making the analysis of Big Data approachable for a wider community due to affordable access to computing power, an ecosystem of usable tools for parallel processing, and migration of many large datasets to archives in the cloud, allowing data-proximal computing. Generally, data analysis acceleration in the cloud comes from running multiple nodes in a split-combine-apply strategy. Data systems such as the Earth Observing System Data and Information System are in a position to "pre-split" the data by storing them in a data store that is optimized for data parallel computing, i.e., an Analytics-Optimized Data Store (AODS). A variety of approaches to AODS are possible, from highly scalable databases to scalable filesystems to data formats optimized for cloud access (e.g., zarr and cloud-optimized datasets), with the optimal choice dependent on both the types of analysis and the geospatial structure of the data. A key question is how much preprocessing of the data to do, both before splitting and as the first part of the apply step. Again, the geospatial structure of the data and the analysis type influence the decision, with the added complexity of the user type. Trans-disciplinary users who are not well-versed in the nuances of quality-filtering and georeferencing of remote sensing orbit/swath/scene data tend to ask for more highly processed data, relying on the data provider to make sensible decisions on preprocessing parameters. (This accounts for the popularity of "Level 3" gridded data, despite the lower spatial resolution it provides.) In this case, data can be preprocessed before the split, resulting in higher performance in the rest of the "apply" step, which can be transformative for use cases such as interactive data exploration at scale. Discipline researchers who are experienced with remote sensing data often prefer more flexibility in customizing the preprocessing data into Analysis Ready Data, resulting in more need for on-the-fly preprocessing.

Lynnes, Christopher↗

Parallel O(log n) algorithms for open- and closed-chain rigid multibody systems based on a new mass matrix factorization technique

In this paper, parallel O(log n) algorithms for computation of rigid multibody dynamics are developed. These parallel algorithms are derived by parallelization of new O(n) algorithms for the problem. The underlying feature of these O(n) algorithms is a drastically different strategy for decomposition of interbody force which leads to a new factorization of the mass matrix (M). Specifically, it is shown that a factorization of the inverse of the mass matrix in the form of the Schur Complement is derived as M(exp -1) = C - B(exp *)A(exp -1)B, wherein matrices C, A, and B are block tridiagonal matrices. The new O(n) algorithm is then derived as a recursive implementation of this factorization of M(exp -1). For the closed-chain systems, similar factorizations and O(n) algorithms for computation of Operational Space Mass Matrix lambda and its inverse lambda(exp -1) are also derived. It is shown that these O(n) algorithms are strictly parallel, that is, they are less efficient than other algorithms for serial computation of the problem. But, to our knowledge, they are the only known algorithms that can be parallelized and that lead to both time- and processor-optimal parallel algorithms for the problem, i.e., parallel O(log n) algorithms with O(n) processors. The developed parallel algorithms, in addition to their theoretical significance, are also practical from an implementation point of view due to their simple architectural requirements.

Fijany, Amir↗

X: A Comprehensive Analytic Model for Parallel Machines

To continuously comply with Moore’s Law, modern parallel machines become increasingly complex. Effectively tuning application performance for these machines therefore becomes a daunting task. Moreover, identifying performance bottlenecks at application and architecture level, as well as evaluating various optimization strategies, are becoming extremely difficult when the entanglement of numerous correlated factors is being presented. To tackle these challenges, we present a visual analytical model named “X”. It is intuitive and sufficiently flexible to track all the typical features of a parallel machine.

Modeling and Performance Analysis↗

Scaling molecular dynamics beyond 100,000 processor cores for large-scale biophysical simulations

The growing interest in the complexity of biological interactions is continuously driving the need to increase system size in biophysical simulations, requiring not only powerful and advanced hardware but adaptable software that can accommodate a large number of atoms interacting through complex force fields. To address this, we developed and implemented strategies in the GENESIS molecular dynamics package designed for large numbers of processors. Long–range electrostatic interactions were parallelized by minimizing the number of processes involved in communication. Here, a novel algorithm was implemented for nonbonded interactions to increase single instruction multiple data (SIMD) performance, reducing memory usage for ultra large systems. Memory usage for neighbor searches in real–space nonbonded interactions was reduced by approximately 80%, leading to significant speedup. Using experimental data describing physical 3D chromatin interactions, we constructed the first atomistic model of an entire gene locus (GATA4). Taken together, these developments enabled the first billion–atom simulation of an intact biomolecular complex, achieving scaling to 65,000 processes (130,000 processor cores) with 1 ns/day performance.

3D modeling↗

A biomimetic approach to fast selection of optimal controlled variables using multiagent algorithms and a decomposition approach

Selection of primary controlled variables (CVs) with due consideration of economic loss and ease of control is an important step for achieving optimal plant operation under design and off-design conditions. However, the computational expense of the combinatorial optimization step that is undertaken for CV selection renders the existing approaches unaffordable for fast selection of optimal CVs. Two approaches are proposed in this paper for improving the computational efficiency of the optimization step. Typically, the CV selection process is typically executed by considering the entire plant together. Opposed to that, the first approach proposed here seeks to decompose the process plant into multiple partitions based on the connectivity strength. Then the CV selection algorithm can be executed on each partition independently. The decomposition algorithm is biomimetic and has been developed, in analogy to neuroscience, mimicking how the information about the connectivity information is extracted using a dynamic casual model. This approach can significantly decrease the number of combinatorial optimization problems that needs to be solved and facilitates parallelization of the solution. In the second approach, a multiagent optimization framework is proposed that utilizes metaheuristic optimization strategies such as the efficient ant colony algorithm, simulated annealing and the genetic algorithm. These two approaches can be used by themselves or in combination. This framework enables cooperative search by a group of algorithmic agents facilitated through an information sharing protocol. These two approaches are applied to a toy problem and an acid gas removal unit as part of an integrated gasification combined cycle. This study shows how the computational time and economic and control performance of the optimal CV sets vary as the number of partitions are changed.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Fluoroethylene Carbonate Induces Ordered Electrolyte Interface on Silicon and Sapphire Surfaces as Revealed by Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy and X-ray Reflectivity

Here, the cyclability of silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is affected by the reduction of the electrolyte on the anode surface to produce a coating layer termed the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). One of the key steps for a major improvement of LIBs is unraveling the SEI’s structure-related diffusion properties as charge and discharge rates of LIBs are diffusion-limited. To this end, we have combined two surface sensitive techniques, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectivity (XRR), to explore the first monolayer and to probe the first several layers of electrolyte, respectively, for solutions consisting of 1 M lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ) salt dissolved in ethylene carbonate (EC) or fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and their mixtures (EC/FEC 7:3 and 1:1 wt %) on silicon and sapphire surfaces. Our results suggest that the addition of FEC to EC solution causes the first monolayer to rearrange itself more perpendicular to the anode surface, while subsequent layers are less affected and tend to maintain their, on average, surface-parallel arrangements. This fundamental understanding of the near-surface orientation of the electrolyte molecules can aid operational strategies for designing high-performance LIBs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

CRAGE enables rapid activation of biosynthetic gene clusters in undomesticated bacteria

Advances in the prediction of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) from genomic and metagenomic data have made the large-scale identification of candidate secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways routine. However, most predicted BGCs cannot be successfully expressed in the limited range of expression hosts currently available, which prevents the identification and characterization of their respective products. Here we show that parallelized use of a phylogenetically and physiologically diverse panel of purpose-engineered chassis strains offers a versatile strategy for the rapid activation of BGCs. We domesticated an ensemble of 25 diverse ?-proteobacteria from 11 different genera by integrating a unified landing pad that enables efficient introduction of large BGCs into their genome. We deployed this chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE) strategy to express several previously posited but experimentally elusive non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) and NRPSpolyketide synthase (PKS) hybrid BGCs from Photorhabdus luminescens. Successful activation of 6 BGCs identified 21 products, including several with likely roles in host-microbe interactions. Taken together, we illustrate how the regulatory and physiological diversity naturally present across bacteria can be harnessed for the exploration of novel bioproducts and provide a sizable panel of domesticated chassis strains to enable this strategy.

applied microbiology, genetic engineering, industr↗

Enhancing high-fidelity neural network potentials through low-fidelity sampling

The efficacy of neural network potentials (NNPs) critically depends on the quality of the configurational datasets used for training. Prior research using empirical potentials has shown that well-selected liquid–solid transitional configurations of a metallic system can be translated to other metallic systems. This study demonstrates that such validated configurations can be relabeled using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, thereby enhancing the development of high-fidelity NNPs. Training strategies and sampling approaches are efficiently assessed using empirical potentials and subsequently relabeled via DFT in a highly parallelized fashion for high-fidelity NNP training. Our results reveal that relying solely on energy and force for NNP training is inadequate to prevent overfitting, highlighting the necessity of incorporating stress terms into the loss functions. To optimize training involving force and stress terms, we propose employing transfer learning to fine-tune the weights, ensuring that the potential surface is smooth for these quantities composed of energy derivatives. This approach markedly improves the accuracy of elastic constants derived from simulations in both empirical potential-based NNPs and relabeled DFT-based NNPs. Overall, this study offers significant insights into leveraging empirical potentials to expedite the development of reliable and robust NNPs at the DFT level.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Zoom-in Analysis of I/O Logs to Detect Root Causes of I/O Performance Bottlenecks

Scientific applications frequently spend a large fraction of their execution time in reading and writing data on parallel file systems. Identifying these I/O performance bottlenecks and attributing root causes are critical steps toward devising optimization strategies. Several existing studies analyze I/O logs of a set of benchmarks or applications that were run with controlled behaviors. However, there is still a lack of general approach that systematically identifies I/O performance bottlenecks for applications running "in the wild" on production systems. In this study, we have developed an analysis approach of "zooming in" from platform-wide to application-wide to job-level I/O logs for identifying I/O bottlenecks in arbitrary scientific applications. We analyze the logs collected on a Cray XC40 system in production over a two-month period. This study results in several insights for application developers to use in optimizing I/O behavior.

Wang, Teng↗

Systems Level Regulation of Rhythmic Growth Rate and Biomass Accumulation in Grasses

Several breakthroughs have been recently made in our understanding of plant growth and biomass accumulation. It was found that plant growth is rhythmically controlled throughout the day by the circadian clock through a complex interplay of light and phytohormone signaling pathways. While plants such as the C4 energy crop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and possibly the C3 grass (Brachypodium distachyon) also exhibit daily rhythms in growth rate, the molecular details of its regulation remain to be explored. A better understanding of diurnally regulated growth behavior in grasses may lead to species-specific mechanisms highly relevant to future strategies to optimize energy crop biomass yield. Here we propose to devise a systems approach to identify, in parallel, regulatory hubs associated with rhythmic growth in C3 and C4 plants. We propose to use rhythmicity in daily growth patterns to drive the discovery of regulatory network modules controlling biomass accumulation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗