Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “data parallel”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,693 records · Page 94

A mesoscale 3D model of irradiated concrete informed via a 2.5 U-Net semantic segmentation

The concrete biological shield in light-water reactors is exposed to neutron and gamma irradiation, which deteriorates the concrete’s mechanical properties in the long term. To assess the irradiation-induced damage, predictive mechanical models are developed and used in parallel with the characterization of irradiated concrete samples. Realistic 3D simulation domains can drastically improve a model’s prediction. In this work, we utilized x-ray computed tomography (XCT) data of a concrete specimen to reconstruct its 3D microstructure. The XCT data shows low contrast between the concrete’s aggregates and cement paste, resulting in poor image segmentation when using traditional unsupervised techniques. To address this issue, we developed and trained a 2.5D U-Net model on only 24 pre-labeled XCT layers to segment 651 layers of the XCT data. The overall F1-score of the model is approximately 96%. Then, we created a 3D finite element (FE) mesh based on the stack of segmented images. The FE model contains radiation-induced expansion, damage, and creep. The constitutive equations are adapted to each phase (aggregates and cement paste). Here, we simulated the effects of neutron irradiation in the concrete specimen as well as the specimen’s mechanical response to uniaxial compression. Finally, model validation was performed using experimental data on similar concrete specimens in the literature.

2.5D U-Net↗

The evolution of the STAR Trigger System

The STAR experiment at RHIC has been taking data since 2000. During that time, new detectors have been added, RHIC luminosity has increased, and STAR’s physics goals have become more focused. The Trigger System has evolved in parallel to be able to provide more precise triggering capabilities at higher rates. In this article the major improvements to the STAR Trigger are described, along with the future upgrade path.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

MPLBM-UT: Multiphase LBM library for permeable media analysis

MPLBM-UT is a specialized lattice-Boltzmann library that makes running single- and two-phase flow simulations in porous media accessible to everyone. We provide a suite of tools to pre-process computational domains for simulation, to set up custom boundary conditions, to run simulations, to post-process simulation outputs, and to visualize simulation results and data. All of these tools are easily accessible to users through the mplbm_utils Python package included in and automatically installed with MPLBM-UT. The high-performance, highly parallel library Palabos is used as the solver backend. MPLBM-UT is easily deployed in a variety of systems, from laptops to supercomputer clusters. MPLBM-UT also features multiple examples and benchmark templates that allow for fast prototyping of different porous media problems. We also provide an interface for reading in different file types and downloading domains from the Digital Rocks Portal to perform simulations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Explainable machine learning for incipient anomaly detection in compact molten salt heat exchanger with overlapping feature distributions

High-temperature molten salt-cooled reactors (MSCRs) are a promising next-generation nuclear technology option, offering efficient power conversion and inherent safety features. However, the reliability of these systems depends on the robust operation of heat exchangers (HXs), which are susceptible to failure due to temperature gradients and channel plugging caused by fluid freezing. Conventional monitoring methods, relying on inlet and outlet measurements, lack the spatial resolution needed to detect early-stage faults. We propose a novel design of a compact salt-to-salt matrix-type HX design consisting of interleaved arrays of parallel tubes, with integrated synthetic fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) to enable localized detection of incipient faults. To evaluate performance of this design, we generate high-fidelity synthetic data using heat transfer computational modeling to simulate channel plugging, and introduce sensor noise for realistic modeling of measurements. The dataset comprises of 97% normal operation and 3% anomaly cases, with each anomaly class representing 1% of the data. These early anomalies result in overlapping temperature profiles between normal and faulty channels, producing a non-separable dataset that challenges traditional classification techniques. We benchmark eight supervised machine learning (ML) models and demonstrate that XGBoost achieves the highest performance. To improve transparency, we develop an explainability framework combining Shapley values and partially ordered sets (POSETs) to quantify and structurally analyze feature importance. This approach identifies both dominant predictors and ambiguous feature relationships, enhancing trust and interpretability. Our results highlight the potential of combining DTS and explainable ML with intelligent feature selection to improve predictive maintenance and ensure operational resilience in advanced nuclear systems.

Prantikos, Konstantinos [Argonne National Laborato↗

Microstructural studies of AgNbO{sub 3} ceramic by using complex impedance spectroscopy

Lead-free piezoelectric silver niobate ceramic was synthesized by conventional solid state route. Room temperature X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the sample crystallizes in single phase orthorhombic perovskite structure. Scanning electron micrographs of AgNbO{sub 3} ceramic showed that the average grain size is in the range 2–3 µm. The electrical properties were investigated by using impedance spectroscopy. Appearance of single semicircular arc in the Nyquist plot indicated the presence of grain contribution in the sample. Single RC parallel circuit model was employed to extract bulk capacitance (C{sub b}), resistance (R{sub b}) and electrical conductivity (σ{sub b}). The activation energy calculated from impedance and modulus data indicate that same types of charge carriers (oxygen vacancy movements) are responsible for conduction and relaxation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Semantic embedding for quantum algorithms

The study of classical algorithms is supported by an immense understructure, founded in logic, type, and category theory, that allows an algorithmist to reason about the sequential manipulation of data irrespective of a computation’s realizing dynamics. As quantum computing matures, a similar need has developed for an assurance of the correctness of high-level quantum algorithmic reasoning. Parallel to this need, many quantum algorithms have been unified and improved using quantum signal processing (QSP) and quantum singular value transformation (QSVT), which characterize the ability, by alternating circuit ansätze, to transform the singular values of sub-blocks of unitary matrices by polynomial functions. However, while the algebraic manipulation of polynomials is simple (e.g., compositions and products), the QSP/QSVT circuits realizing analogous manipulations of their embedded polynomials are non-obvious. This work constructs and characterizes the runtime and expressivity of QSP/QSVT protocols where circuit manipulation maps naturally to the algebraic manipulation of functional transforms (termed semantic embedding). In this way, QSP/QSVT can be treated and combined modularly, purely in terms of the functional transforms they embed, with key guarantees on the computability and modularity of the realizing circuits. We also identify existing quantum algorithms whose use of semantic embedding is implicit, spanning from distributed search to proofs of soundness in quantum cryptography. The methods used, based in category theory, establish a theory of semantically embeddable quantum algorithms, and provide a new role for QSP/QSVT in reducing sophisticated algorithmic problems to simpler algebraic ones.

Physics↗

Full-length structure of a monomeric histidine kinase reveals basis for sensory regulation

Although histidine kinases (HKs) are critical sensors of external stimuli in prokaryotes, the mechanisms by which their sensor domains control enzymatic activity remain unclear. In this paper, we report the full-length structure of a blue light-activated HK from Erythrobacter litoralis HTCC2594 (EL346) and the results of biochemical and biophysical studies that explain how it is activated by light. Contrary to the standard view that signaling occurs within HK dimers, EL346 functions as a monomer. Its structure reveals that the light–oxygen–voltage (LOV) sensor domain both controls kinase activity and prevents dimerization by binding one side of a dimerization/histidine phosphotransfer-like (DHpL) domain. The DHpL domain also contacts the catalytic/ATP-binding (CA) domain, keeping EL346 in an inhibited conformation in the dark. Upon light stimulation, interdomain interactions weaken to facilitate activation. Our data suggest that the LOV domain controls kinase activity by affecting the stability of the DHpL/CA interface, releasing the CA domain from an inhibited conformation upon photoactivation. Finally, we suggest parallels between EL346 and dimeric HKs, with sensor-induced movements in the DHp similarly remodeling the DHp/CA interface as part of activation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Measurements of the polarization of several instabilities in the DIII-D tokamak

Recently, a method to infer the polarization of modes with frequencies much less than the ion cyclotron frequency was published [X.D. Du et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132 (2024) 215101]. The method uses measurements of electron temperature and density fluctuations δTₑ and δnₑ at the same spatial position to infer the local ratio of “acoustic polarization,” |δϕ ∥ |/(|δϕ ∥ |+|δψ|), where δϕ ∥ is the effective parallel potential and δψ is related to the parallel magnetic vector potential A ∥ . This paper summarizes key formulas, with emphasis on their range of validity, and elaborates on the workflow required to infer the acoustic polarization from experimental data. The drift-acoustic polarization of ellipticity-induced, toroidicity-induced, and reversed shear Alfvén eigenmodes is nearly zero, as expected for modes with predominately shear-Alfvénic polarization. The polarization of beta-induced Alfvén eigenmodes contains an acoustic component that increases with poloidal wave number. “Low frequency modes,” (instabilities that appear transiently when the minimum of the safety factor qₘᵢₙ passes through rational values) have large and highly variable acoustic polarization. In both experiment and simulation, fishbones have non-zero acoustic polarization that increases as the mode chirps down in frequency.

Alfven eigenmode↗

Development, construction and tests of the Mu2e electromagnetic calorimeter mechanical structures

The “muon-to-electron conversion” (Mu2e) experiment at Fermilab will search for the charged lepton flavour violating neutrino-less coherent conversion of a muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. The observation of this process would be the unambiguous evidence of the existence of physics beyond the standard model. Mu2e detectors comprise a straw-tracker, an electromagnetic calorimeter and an external veto for cosmic rays. In particular, the calorimeter provides excellent electron identification, a fast calorimetric online trigger, and complementary information to aid pattern recognition and track reconstruction. The detector has been designed as a state-of-the-art crystal calorimeter and employs 1348 pure Cesium Iodide (CsI) crystals readout by UV-extended silicon photosensors and fast front-end and digitization electronics. A design consisting of two identical annular matrices (named “disks”) positioned at the relative distance of 70 cm downstream the aluminum target along the muon beamline satisfies the Mu2e physics requirements. The hostile Mu2e operational conditions, in terms of radiation levels (total expected ionizing dose of 12 krad and a neutron fluence of 5 × 10$^{10}$ n/cm$^{2}$ @ 1 MeV$_{eq}$ (Si)/y), magnetic field intensity (1 T) and vacuum level (10$^{-4}$ Torr) have posed tight constraints on scintillating materials, sensors, electronics and on the design of the detector mechanical structures and material choice. The support structure of each 674 crystal matrix is composed of an aluminum hollow ring and parts made of open-cell vacuum-compatible carbon fiber. The photosensors and front-end electronics for the readout of each crystal are inserted in a machined copper holder and make a unique mechanical unit. The resulting 674 mechanical units are supported by a machined plate of vacuum-compatible plastic material. The plate also integrates the cooling system made of a network of copper lines flowing a low temperature radiation-hard fluid and placed in thermal contact with the copper holders to constitute a low resistance thermal bridge. The data acquisition electronics are hosted in aluminum custom crates positioned on the external lateral surface of the disks. The crates also integrate the electronics cooling system as lines running in parallel to the front-end system. In this paper we report on the calorimeter mechanical structure design, the mechanical and thermal simulations that have determined the design technological choices, and the status of component production, quality assurance tests and plans for assembly at Fermilab.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

First observations of solar halo gamma rays over a full solar cycle

We analyze 15 years of Fermi-LAT data and produce a detailed model of the Sun’s inverse-Compton scattering emission (solar halo), which is powered by interactions between ambient cosmic-ray electrons and positrons with sunlight. By developing a novel analysis method to analyze moving sources, we robustly detect the solar halo at energies between 31.6 MeV and 100 GeV, and angular extensions up to 45° from the Sun, providing new insight into spatial regions where there are no direct measurements of the Galactic cosmic-ray flux. The large statistical significance of our signal allows us to subdivide the data and provide the first 𝛾-ray probes into the time variation and azimuthal asymmetry of the solar modulation potential, finding time-dependent changes in solar modulation both parallel and perpendicular to the ecliptic plane. Our results are consistent with (but with independent uncertainties from) local cosmic-ray measurements, unlocking new probes into astrophysical processes near the solar surface.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Modular Spiking Neural Circuits for Mapping Long Short-Term Memory on a Neurosynaptic Processor

Due to the distributed and asynchronous nature of neural computation through low-energy spikes, brain-inspired hardware systems offer high energy efficiency and massive parallelism. One such platform is the IBM TrueNorth neurosynaptic system. Recently, TrueNorth compatible representation learning algorithms have emerged, achieving close to the state-of-the-art performance in various data sets. However, its application in temporal sequence processing models, such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs), is still only at the proof of concept level. There is an inherent difficulty in capturing temporal dynamics of an RNN using spiking neurons, which is only exasperated by the hardware constraints in connectivity and synaptic weight resolution. This paper presents a design flow that overcomes these difficulties and maps a special case of recurrent networks called long short-term memory (LSTM) onto a spike-based platform. The framework utilizes various approximation techniques, such as activation discretization, weight quantization, and scaling and rounding, spiking neural circuits that implement the complex gating mechanisms, and a store-and-release technique to enable neuron synchronization and faithful storage. While the presented techniques can be applied to map LSTM to any spiking neural network (SNN) simulator/emulator, here we choose the TrueNorth chip as the target platform by adhering to its hardware constraints. Three LSTM applications, parity check, extended Reber grammar, and question classification, are evaluated. The tradeoffs among accuracy, performance, and energy tradeoffs achieved on TrueNorth are demonstrated. Finally, this is compared with the performance on an SNN platform without hardware constraints, which represents the upper bound of the achievable accuracy.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Privateer

Privateer is a general-purpose data store that optimizes the tradeoff between storage space utilization and I/O performance. Privateer uses memory-mapped I/O with private mapping and an optimized writeback mechanism to maximize write parallelism and eliminate redundant writes; it also uses contentaddressable storage to optimize storage space via de-duplication.

Iwabuchi, Keita↗

Analyzing and modeling the kinetics of amyloid beta pores associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) form Ca 2+ -permeable plasma membrane pores, leading to a disruption of the otherwise well-controlled intracellular calcium (Ca 2+ ) homeostasis. The resultant up-regulation of intracellular Ca 2+ concentration has detrimental implications for memory formation and cell survival. The gating kinetics and Ca 2+ permeability of Aβ pores are not well understood. We have used computational modeling in conjunction with the ability of optical patch-clamping for massively parallel imaging of Ca 2+ flux through thousands of pores in the cell membrane of Xenopus oocytes to elucidate the kinetic properties of Aβ pores. The fluorescence time-series data from individual pores were idealized and used to develop data-driven Markov chain models for the kinetics of the Aβ pore at different stages of its evolution. Our study provides the first demonstration of developing Markov chain models for ion channel gating that are driven by optical-patch clamp data with the advantage of experiments being performed under close to physiological conditions. As a result, we demonstrate the up-regulation of gating of various Ca 2+ release channels due to Aβ pores and show that the extent and spatial range of such up-regulation increases as Aβ pores with low open probability and Ca 2+ permeability transition into those with high open probability and Ca 2+ permeability.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Investigation of Yersinia pestis laboratory adaptation through a combined genomics and proteomics approach

Here, the bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis , the cause of plague in humans and animals, normally has a sylvatic lifestyle, cycling between fleas and mammals. In contrast, laboratory-grown Y. pestis experiences a more constant environment and conditions that it would not normally encounter. The transition from the natural environment to the laboratory results in a vastly different set of selective pressures, and represents what could be considered domestication. Understanding the kinds of adaptations Y. pestis undergoes as it becomes domesticated will contribute to understanding the basic biology of this important pathogen. In this study, we performed a Parallel Serial Passage Experiment (PSPE) to explore the mechanisms by which Y. pestis adapts to laboratory conditions, hypothesizing that cells would undergo significant changes in virulence and nutrient acquisition systems. Two wild strains were serially passaged in 12 independent populations each for ~750 generations, after which each population was analyzed using whole-genome sequencing. We observed considerable parallel evolution in the endpoint populations, detecting multiple independent mutations in ail , pepA , and zwf , suggesting that specific selective pressures are shaping evolutionary responses. Complementary LC-MS-based proteomic data provide physiological context to the observed mutations, and reveal regulatory changes not necessarily associated with specific mutations, including changes in amino acid metabolism, envelope biogenesis, iron storage and acquisition, and a type VI secretion system. Proteomic data support hypotheses generated by genomic data in addition to suggesting future mechanistic studies, indicating that future whole-genome sequencing studies be designed to leverage proteomics as a critical complement.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

ECP Software Technology Capability Assessment Report

The Exascale Computing Project Software Technology (ECP ST) focus area represents the key bridge between Exascale systems and the scientists developing applications that will run on those platforms. ECP offers a unique opportunity to build a coherent set of software (often referred to as the "software stack") that will allow application developers to maximize their ability to write highly parallel applications, targeting multiple Exascale architectures with runtime environments that will provide high performance and resilience. But applications are only useful if they can provide scientific insight, and the unprecedented data produced by these applications require a complete analysis work ow that includes new technology to scalably collect, reduce, organize, curate, and analyze the data into actionable decisions. This requires approaching scientific computing in a holistic manner, encompassing the entire user workflow - from conception of a problem, setting up the problem with validated inputs, performing high-fidelity simulations, to the application of uncertainty quantification to the final analysis. The software stack plan defined here aims to address all of these needs by extending current technologies to Exascale where possible, by performing the research required to conceive of new approaches necessary to address unique problems where current approaches will not suffice, and by deploying high-quality and robust software products on the platforms developed in the Exascale systems project. The ECP ST portfolio has established a set of interdependent projects that will allow for the research, development, and delivery of a comprehensive software stack,

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Understanding the Origin of the Hadron Mass within the Standard Model

Understanding the origin of the hadron mass, which constitutes 99% of our visible universe, is one of the central goals of nuclear physics. Although the Higgs mechanism provides mass for the fundamental building blocks of matter, it can only contribute less than 2% of the proton mass. The vast majority of the proton mass is believed to come from the strong force that tightly binds quarks and gluons (collectively called partons) together as described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The mass that emerges as a consequence of the strong interactions within QCD is commonly denoted as Emergent Hadronic Mass (EHM). Understanding how the nucleon mass emerges in QCD is a prerequisite to an explanation of how the Universe came into being, therefore it is of utmost importance and one of the key questions to be addressed by the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). When it comes to light mesons, particularly pions, the mass decomposition is drastically different. Since the pion is naturally massless in the chiral limit, the majority of its observed mass needs to come from other mechanisms within QCD. Any successful explanation for the EHM needs to be able to reconcile both the heavy proton mass and the very light pion mass (~15% of proton mass) simultaneously. The EHM theories have direct measurable implications on the description of the internal structure of the hadron, i.e., how the partons distribute inside the hadron. Precise measurement of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) will provide necessary experimental verifications and constraints of potential EHM mechanisms. We propose to carry out a comprehensive study of the poorly known pion PDFs at the AMBER experiment at CERN. The measurement will provide vital input to constrain the global analysis of the pion PDFs, which are still based on limited data obtained more than 30 years ago. The proposed pion measurement is the only direct measurement achievable within this decade, which could lead to a future major meson structure program parallel to the EIC’s proton structure measurement.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

UPC++ v1.0 Programmer’s Guide (Rev. 2023.9.0)

UPC++ is a C++ library that supports Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) programming. It is designed for writing efficient, scalable parallel programs on distributed-memory parallel computers. The key communication facilities in UPC++ are one-sided Remote Memory Access (RMA) and Remote Procedure Call (RPC). The UPC++ control model is single program, multiple-data (SPMD), with each separate constituent process having access to local memory as it would in C++. The PGAS memory model additionally provides one-sided RMA communication to a global address space, which is allocated in shared segments that are distributed over the processes. UPC++ also features Remote Procedure Call (RPC) communication, making it easy to move computation to operate on data that resides on remote processes. UPC++ was designed to support exascale high-performance computing, and the library interfaces and implementation are focused on maximizing scalability. In UPC++, all communication operations are syntactically explicit, which encourages programmers to consider the costs associated with communication and data movement. Moreover, all communication operations are asynchronous by default, encouraging programmers to seek opportunities for overlapping communication latencies with other useful work. UPC++ provides expressive and composable abstractions designed for efficiently managing aggressive use of asynchrony in programs. Together, these design principles are intended to enable programmers to write applications using UPC++ that perform well even on hundreds of thousands of cores.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

UPC++ v1.0 Programmer’s Guide (Revision 2022.3.0)

UPC++ is a C++ library that supports Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) programming. It is designed for writing efficient, scalable parallel programs on distributed-memory parallel computers. The key communication facilities in UPC++ are one-sided Remote Memory Access (RMA) and Remote Procedure Call (RPC). The UPC++ control model is single program, multiple-data (SPMD), with each separate constituent process having access to local memory as it would in C++. The PGAS memory model additionally provides one-sided RMA communication to a global address space, which is allocated in shared segments that are distributed over the processes. UPC++ also features Remote Procedure Call (RPC) communication, making it easy to move computation to operate on data that resides on remote processes. UPC++ was designed to support exascale high-performance computing, and the library interfaces and implementation are focused on maximizing scalability. In UPC++, all communication operations are syntactically explicit, which encourages programmers to consider the costs associated with communication and data movement. Moreover, all communication operations are asynchronous by default, encouraging programmers to seek opportunities for overlapping communication latencies with other useful work. UPC++ provides expressive and composable abstractions designed for efficiently managing aggressive use of asynchrony in programs. Together, these design principles are intended to enable programmers to write applications using UPC++ that perform well even on hundreds of thousands of cores.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗