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Integration of object-oriented knowledge representation with the CLIPS rule based system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Logie, David S.; Kamil, Hasan
The paper describes a portion of the work aimed at developing an integrated, knowledge based environment for the development of engineering-oriented applications. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was implemented in C++ which is used to build and modify an object-oriented knowledge base. The ORL was designed in such a way so as to be easily integrated with other representation schemes that could effectively reason with the object base. Specifically, the integration of the ORL with the rule based system C Language Production Systems (CLIPS), developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center, will be discussed. The object-oriented knowledge representation provides a natural means of representing problem data as a collection of related objects. Objects are comprised of descriptive properties and interrelationships. The object-oriented model promotes efficient handling of the problem data by allowing knowledge to be encapsulated in objects. Data is inherited through an object network via the relationship links. Together, the two schemes complement each other in that the object-oriented approach efficiently handles problem data while the rule based knowledge is used to simulate the reasoning process. Alone, the object based knowledge is little more than an object-oriented data storage scheme; however, the CLIPS inference engine adds the mechanism to directly and automatically reason with that knowledge. In this hybrid scheme, the expert system dynamically queries for data and can modify the object base with complete access to all the functionality of the ORL from rules.
Object-oriented design: Deriving conceptual solutions to large-scale information processing problems
Whiting, M.A.
The Vertical Integration of Science, Technology, and Applications (VISTA) Project is a long-term effort conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) directed toward accelerating the process of making research results (data, models, advanced concepts) usable and available to R D applications. The initial goal of the program is to develop a software-based information system to guide the assessment and remediation process for hazardous waste sites at the US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. The information system will link users (DOE, laboratories, and remediation contractors) to computer models and technical data available at PNL, to speed up the remediation process, while decreasing costs and accelerating the deployment of new technologies. This report describes a methodology used to design components of the VISTA information system based on an object-oriented computing model. 17 refs., 7 figs.
Efficient electronic integrals and their generalized derivatives for object oriented implementations of electronic structure calculations.
Flocke, N; Lotrich, V
For the new parallel implementation of electronic structure methods in ACES III (Lotrich et al., in preparation) the present state-of-the-art algorithms for the evaluation of electronic integrals and their generalized derivatives were implemented in new object oriented codes with attention paid to efficient execution on modern processors with a deep hierarchy of data storage including multiple caches and memory banks. Particular attention has been paid to define proper integral blocks as basic building objects. These objects are stand-alone units and are no longer tied to any specific software. They can hence be used by any quantum chemistry code without modification. The integral blocks can be called at any time and in any sequence during the execution of an electronic structure program. Evaluation efficiency of these integral objects has been carefully tested and it compares well with other fast integral programs in the community. Correctness of the objects has been demonstrated by several application runs on real systems using the ACES III program. PMID:18496792
A uniform object-oriented solution to the eigenvalue problem for real symmetric and Hermitian matrices
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Castro, María Eugenia; Díaz, Javier; Muñoz-Caro, Camelia; Niño, Alfonso
and conquer, can be used to factorize the matrices in order to apply a parallel computing approach. However, it is still interesting to have a core procedure able to tackle the computation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors once the matrix has been factorized to pieces of enough small size. Several available software packages, such as LAPACK, tackled this problem under the traditional imperative programming paradigm. In order to ease the modelling of complex quantum mechanical models it could be interesting to apply an object-oriented approach to the treatment of the eigenproblem. This approach offers the advantage of a single, uniform treatment for the real symmetric and Hermitian cases. Solution method: To reach the above goals, we have developed a system of classes: SHMatrix. SHMatrix is composed by an abstract base class and two descendant classes, one for real symmetric matrices and the other for the Hermitian case. The object-oriented characteristics of inheritance and polymorphism allows handling both cases using a single reference of the base class. The basic computing strategy applied in SHMatrix allows computing subsets of eigenvalues and (optionally) eigenvectors. The tests performed show that SHMatrix is competitive, and more efficient for large matrices, than the equivalent routines of the LAPACK package. Running time: The examples included in the distribution take only a couple of seconds to run.
An object-oriented 3D integral data model for digital city and digital mine
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wu, Lixin; Wang, Yanbing; Che, Defu; Xu, Lei; Chen, Xuexi; Jiang, Yun; Shi, Wenzhong
With the rapid development of urban, city space extended from surface to subsurface. As the important data source for the representation of city spatial information, 3D city spatial data have the characteristics of multi-object, heterogeneity and multi-structure. It could be classified referring to the geo-surface into three kinds: above-surface data, surface data and subsurface data. The current research on 3D city spatial information system is divided naturally into two different branch, 3D City GIS (3D CGIS) and 3D Geological Modeling (3DGM). The former emphasizes on the 3D visualization of buildings and the terrain of city, while the latter emphasizes on the visualization of geological bodies and structures. Although, it is extremely important for city planning and construction to integrate all the city spatial information including above-surface, surface and subsurface objects to conduct integral analysis and spatial manipulation. However, either 3D CGIS or 3DGM is currently difficult to realize the information integration, integral analysis and spatial manipulation. Considering 3D spatial modeling theory and methodologies, an object-oriented 3D integral spatial data model (OO3D-ISDM) is presented and software realized. The model integrates geographical objects, surface buildings and geological objects together seamlessly with TIN being its coupling interface. This paper introduced the conceptual model of OO3D-ISDM, which is comprised of 4 spatial elements, i.e. point, line, face and body, and 4 geometric primitives, i.e. vertex, segment, triangle and generalized tri-prism (GTP). The spatial model represents the geometry of surface buildings and geographical objects with triangles, and geological objects with GTP. Any of the represented objects, no mater surface buildings, terrain or subsurface objects, could be described with the basic geometry element, i.e. triangle. So the 3D spatial objects, surface buildings, terrain and geological objects can be
Integrating end-to-end threads of control into object-oriented analysis and design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mccandlish, Janet E.; Macdonald, James R.; Graves, Sara J.
Current object-oriented analysis and design methodologies fall short in their use of mechanisms for identifying threads of control for the system being developed. The scenarios which typically describe a system are more global than looking at the individual objects and representing their behavior. Unlike conventional methodologies that use data flow and process-dependency diagrams, object-oriented methodologies do not provide a model for representing these global threads end-to-end. Tracing through threads of control is key to ensuring that a system is complete and timing constraints are addressed. The existence of multiple threads of control in a system necessitates a partitioning of the system into processes. This paper describes the application and representation of end-to-end threads of control to the object-oriented analysis and design process using object-oriented constructs. The issue of representation is viewed as a grouping problem, that is, how to group classes/objects at a higher level of abstraction so that the system may be viewed as a whole with both classes/objects and their associated dynamic behavior. Existing object-oriented development methodology techniques are extended by adding design-level constructs termed logical composite classes and process composite classes. Logical composite classes are design-level classes which group classes/objects both logically and by thread of control information. Process composite classes further refine the logical composite class groupings by using process partitioning criteria to produce optimum concurrent execution results. The goal of these design-level constructs is to ultimately provide the basis for a mechanism that can support the creation of process composite classes in an automated way. Using an automated mechanism makes it easier to partition a system into concurrently executing elements that can be run in parallel on multiple processors.
Enhancement of Integrated Power System Analysis Package Capability by Integration of Object-Oriented Physical System Modeling Language
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hongesombut, Komsan; Takazawa, Tsuyoshi; Tada, Yasuyuki; Mitani, Yasunori
There are many commercial power system analysis packages available on the market. Although most of these tools are typically computationally efficient, they do not provide the flexibility and ability to simulate generic models of generators or networks. This is cumbersome for research and development purposes. The development of power system models of appropriate fidelity is a key aspect of power system simulation processes. The models must allow all relevant multi-disciplinary modeling criteria, e.g. model structure and data handling, to be computed efficiently, easily, and with sufficient accuracy. This paper presents how the adoption of recent technology on object-oriented physical systems modeling can be implemented with an integrated power system analysis package MidFielder. Used in combination with MidFielder, this can provide the completeness of power system analysis package for industrial, educational and research purposes. In order to realize the proposed interface system, this paper also discusses about methods to manage a large set of power system data by using database technology and means of graphical user interface (GUI).
An object-oriented and quadrilateral-mesh based solution adaptive algorithm for compressible multi-fluid flows
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zheng, H. W.; Shu, C.; Chew, Y. T.
In this paper, an object-oriented and quadrilateral-mesh based solution adaptive algorithm for the simulation of compressible multi-fluid flows is presented. The HLLC scheme (Harten, Lax and van Leer approximate Riemann solver with the Contact wave restored) is extended to adaptively solve the compressible multi-fluid flows under complex geometry on unstructured mesh. It is also extended to the second-order of accuracy by using MUSCL extrapolation. The node, edge and cell are arranged in such an object-oriented manner that each of them inherits from a basic object. A home-made double link list is designed to manage these objects so that the inserting of new objects and removing of the existing objects (nodes, edges and cells) are independent of the number of objects and only of the complexity of O( 1). In addition, the cells with different levels are further stored in different lists. This avoids the recursive calculation of solution of mother (non-leaf) cells. Thus, high efficiency is obtained due to these features. Besides, as compared to other cell-edge adaptive methods, the separation of nodes would reduce the memory requirement of redundant nodes, especially in the cases where the level number is large or the space dimension is three. Five two-dimensional examples are used to examine its performance. These examples include vortex evolution problem, interface only problem under structured mesh and unstructured mesh, bubble explosion under the water, bubble-shock interaction, and shock-interface interaction inside the cylindrical vessel. Numerical results indicate that there is no oscillation of pressure and velocity across the interface and it is feasible to apply it to solve compressible multi-fluid flows with large density ratio (1000) and strong shock wave (the pressure ratio is 10,000) interaction with the interface.
Groundwater economics: An object-oriented foundation for integrated studies of irrigated agricultural systems
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
An integrated foundation is presented to study the impacts of external forcings on irrigated agricultural systems. Individually, models are presented that simulate groundwater hydrogeology and econometric farm level crop choices and irrigated water use. The natural association between groundwater we...
Active Participation of Integrated Development Environments in the Teaching of Object-Oriented Programming
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Depradine, Colin; Gay, Glenda
With the strong link between programming and the underlying technology, the incorporation of computer technology into the teaching of a programming language course should be a natural progression. However, the abstract nature of programming can make such integration a difficult prospect to achieve. As a result, the main development tool, the…
BioInt: an integrative biological object-oriented application framework and interpreter.
Desai, Sanket; Burra, Prasad
BioInt, a biological programming application framework and interpreter, is an attempt to equip the researchers with seamless integration, efficient extraction and effortless analysis of the data from various biological databases and algorithms. Based on the type of biological data, algorithms and related functionalities, a biology-specific framework was developed which has nine modules. The modules are a compilation of numerous reusable BioADTs. This software ecosystem containing more than 450 biological objects underneath the interpreter makes it flexible, integrative and comprehensive. Similar to Python, BioInt eliminates the compilation and linking steps cutting the time significantly. The researcher can write the scripts using available BioADTs (following C++ syntax) and execute them interactively or use as a command line application. It has features that enable automation, extension of the framework with new/external BioADTs/libraries and deployment of complex work flows. PMID:26561020
Groundwater economics: An object-oriented foundation for integrated studies of irrigated agricultural systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Steward, David R.; Peterson, Jeffrey M.; Yang, Xiaoying; Bulatewicz, Tom; Herrera-Rodriguez, Mauricio; Mao, Dazhi; Hendricks, Nathan
An integrated foundation is presented to study the impacts of external forcings on irrigated agricultural systems. Individually, models are presented that simulate groundwater hydrogeology and econometric farm level crop choices and irrigated water use. The natural association between groundwater wells and agricultural parcels is employed to couple these models using geographic information science technology and open modeling interface protocols. This approach is used to study the collective action problem of the common pool. Three different policies (existing, regulation, and incentive based) are studied in the semiarid grasslands overlying the Ogallala Aquifer in the central United States. Results show that while regulation using the prior appropriation doctrine and incentives using a water buy-back program may each achieve the same level of water savings across the study region, each policy has a different impact on spatial patterns of groundwater declines and farm level economic activity. This represents the first time that groundwater and econometric models of irrigated agriculture have been integrated at the well-parcel level and provides methods for scientific investigation of this coupled natural-human system. Results are useful for science to inform decision making and public policy debate.
Object Oriented Learning Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morris, Ed
We apply the object oriented software engineering (OOSE) design methodology for software objects (SOs) to learning objects (LOs). OOSE extends and refines design principles for authoring dynamic reusable LOs. Our learning object class (LOC) is a template from which individualised LOs can be dynamically created for, or by, students. The properties…
Object Oriented Modeling and Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Shaykhian, Gholam Ali
The Object Oriented Modeling and Design seminar is intended for software professionals and students, it covers the concepts and a language-independent graphical notation that can be used to analyze problem requirements, and design a solution to the problem. The seminar discusses the three kinds of object-oriented models class, state, and interaction. The class model represents the static structure of a system, the state model describes the aspects of a system that change over time as well as control behavior and the interaction model describes how objects collaborate to achieve overall results. Existing knowledge of object oriented programming may benefit the learning of modeling and good design. Specific expectations are: Create a class model, Read, recognize, and describe a class model, Describe association and link, Show abstract classes used with multiple inheritance, Explain metadata, reification and constraints, Group classes into a package, Read, recognize, and describe a state model, Explain states and transitions, Read, recognize, and describe interaction model, Explain Use cases and use case relationships, Show concurrency in activity diagram, Object interactions in sequence diagram.
Object-oriented productivity metrics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Connell, John L.; Eller, Nancy
Software productivity metrics are useful for sizing and costing proposed software and for measuring development productivity. Estimating and measuring source lines of code (SLOC) has proven to be a bad idea because it encourages writing more lines of code and using lower level languages. Function Point Analysis is an improved software metric system, but it is not compatible with newer rapid prototyping and object-oriented approaches to software development. A process is presented here for counting object-oriented effort points, based on a preliminary object-oriented analysis. It is proposed that this approach is compatible with object-oriented analysis, design, programming, and rapid prototyping. Statistics gathered on actual projects are presented to validate the approach.
Object-Oriented Performance Improvement.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Douglas, Ian; Schaffer, Scott P.
Describes a framework to support an object-oriented approach to performance analysis and instructional design that includes collaboration, automation, visual modeling, and reusable Web-based repositories of analysis knowledge. Relates the need for a new framework to the increasing concern with the cost effectiveness of student and employee…
Pedagogical Issues in Object Orientation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nerur, Sridhar; Ramanujan, Sam; Kesh, Someswar
Discusses the need for people with object-oriented (OO) skills, explains benefits of OO in software development, and addresses some of the difficulties in teaching OO. Topics include the evolution of programming languages; differences between OO and traditional approaches; differences from data modeling; and Unified Modeling Language (UML) and…
Object-oriented knowledge representation for expert systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Scott, Stephen L.
Object oriented techniques have generated considerable interest in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) community in recent years. This paper discusses an approach for representing expert system knowledge using classes, objects, and message passing. The implementation is in version 4.3 of NASA's C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), an expert system tool that does not provide direct support for object oriented design. The method uses programmer imposed conventions and keywords to structure facts, and rules to provide object oriented capabilities.
Research directions in object-oriented programming
Shriver, B.; Wegner, P.
The contributions in this book provide the most complete survey available in programming languages, databases, and programming semantics. The contents include: The Beta Programming Language: Common Objects: An Object-Oriented Programming Language with Encapsulation and Inheritance: Actors: A Conceptual Foundation for Object-Oriented Programmming: Vulcan; A model for Object-Based Inheritance; Definition Groups; Block-Structure and Object-Oriented Languages; A Mechanism for Specifying the Structure of Large Layered Programs; Classification in Object-Oriented Systems; Extensions and Foundations of Object-Oriented Programming; Object-Oriented Specification; Object-Oriented Databases; Development and Implementation of an Object-Oriented Database Management System; Maintaining Consistency in Databases with Changing Types; Object-Oriented Environments; An Object-Oriented Framework for Graphical Programming; A Substrate for Object-Oriented Interface Design.
Leveraging object-oriented development at Ames
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wenneson, Greg; Connell, John
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.
Object-oriented concurrent programming
Yonezawa, A.; Tokoro, M.
This book deals with a major theme of the Japanese Fifth Generation Project, which emphasizes logic programming, parallelism, and distributed systems. It presents a collection of tutorials and research papers on a new programming and design methodology in which the system to be constructed is modeled as a collection of abstract entities called ''objects'' and concurrent messages passing among objects. The book includes proposals for programming languages that support this methodology, as well as the applications of object-oriented concurrent programming to such areas as artificial intelligence, software engineering, music synthesis, office information systems, and system programming.
Object-oriented persistent homology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Bao; Wei, Guo-Wei
Persistent homology provides a new approach for the topological simplification of big data via measuring the life time of intrinsic topological features in a filtration process and has found its success in scientific and engineering applications. However, such a success is essentially limited to qualitative data classification and analysis. Indeed, persistent homology has rarely been employed for quantitative modeling and prediction. Additionally, the present persistent homology is a passive tool, rather than a proactive technique, for classification and analysis. In this work, we outline a general protocol to construct object-oriented persistent homology methods. By means of differential geometry theory of surfaces, we construct an objective functional, namely, a surface free energy defined on the data of interest. The minimization of the objective functional leads to a Laplace-Beltrami operator which generates a multiscale representation of the initial data and offers an objective oriented filtration process. The resulting differential geometry based object-oriented persistent homology is able to preserve desirable geometric features in the evolutionary filtration and enhances the corresponding topological persistence. The cubical complex based homology algorithm is employed in the present work to be compatible with the Cartesian representation of the Laplace-Beltrami flow. The proposed Laplace-Beltrami flow based persistent homology method is extensively validated. The consistence between Laplace-Beltrami flow based filtration and Euclidean distance based filtration is confirmed on the Vietoris-Rips complex for a large amount of numerical tests. The convergence and reliability of the present Laplace-Beltrami flow based cubical complex filtration approach are analyzed over various spatial and temporal mesh sizes. The Laplace-Beltrami flow based persistent homology approach is utilized to study the intrinsic topology of proteins and fullerene molecules. Based on a
Linking the physical and the socio-economic compartments of an integrated water and land use management model on a river basin scale using an object-oriented water supply model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barthel, Roland; Nickel, Darla; Meleg, Alejandro; Trifkovic, Aleksandar; Braun, Juergen
Within the framework of the research project 'GLOWA-Danube', a model of the water supply sector has been developed. GLOWA-Danube investigates long-term changes in the water cycle of the Upper Danube river basin in light of global change. For this purpose, the decision support system DANUBIA, comprising 15 fully coupled models, has been developed. Within DANUBIA the water supply model ('WaterSupply') forms the link between various physical models determining water quality and availability and several socio-economic models determining water consumption and demand. Having a central focus on public drinking water supply, its purpose is to correctly simulate the present day system of water extraction and distribution and the related costs, but also to allow meaningful response to possible future changes of boundary conditions, first and foremost changes in water demand or water availability and quality. Response mechanisms are also envisioned for changes in political and economic boundary conditions, and advances in technology. The model will be used locate critical regions which could experience water stress in the future, but does not aim to find the appropriate solutions or to predict the optimal organisation of water supply in the Danube Basin under such changing conditions. In the object-oriented model structure, both water supply companies (WSC) and communities are represented by main classes. Both classes have a limited view and knowledge of their environment. A community knows where and how much water is consumed and from which WSC it is served. A WSC possesses information regarding extraction sites and water rights, raw water quality and potential collaborating WSC. The WSC can perform actions that are different from 'business as usual'. These deviations from their usual behaviour can be interpreted by decision makers but should not be regarded as a replacement for the decision-making process itself. The model is conceptualised using object-oriented
Object-oriented Tools for Distributed Computing
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Adler, Richard M.
Distributed computing systems are proliferating, owing to the availability of powerful, affordable microcomputers and inexpensive communication networks. A critical problem in developing such systems is getting application programs to interact with one another across a computer network. Remote interprogram connectivity is particularly challenging across heterogeneous environments, where applications run on different kinds of computers and operating systems. NetWorks! (trademark) is an innovative software product that provides an object-oriented messaging solution to these problems. This paper describes the design and functionality of NetWorks! and illustrates how it is being used to build complex distributed applications for NASA and in the commercial sector.
An object-oriented environment for computer vision and pattern recognition
Hernandez, J.E.
Vision is a flexible and extensible object-oriented programming environment for prototyping solutions to problems requiring computer vision and pattern recognition techniques. Vision integrates signal/image processing, statistical pattern recognition, neural networks, low and mid level computer vision, and graphics into a cohesive framework useful for a wide variety of applications at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Object-oriented numerical computing C++
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Vanrosendale, John
An object oriented language is one allowing users to create a set of related types and then intermix and manipulate values of these related types. This paper discusses object oriented numerical computing using C++.
General object-oriented software development
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Seidewitz, Edwin V.; Stark, Mike
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.
Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment
The Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) software library developed at Idaho National Laboratory is a tool. MOOSE, like other tools, doesnt actually complete a task. Instead, MOOSE seeks to reduce the effort required to create engineering simulation applications. MOOSE itself is a software library: a blank canvas upon which you write equations and then MOOSE can help you solve them. MOOSE is comparable to a spreadsheet application. A spreadsheet, by itself, doesnt do anything.more » Only once equations are entered into it will a spreadsheet application compute anything. Such is the same for MOOSE. An engineer or scientist can utilize the equation solvers within MOOSE to solve equations related to their area of study. For instance, a geomechanical scientist can input equations related to water flow in underground reservoirs and MOOSE can solve those equations to give the scientist an idea of how water could move over time. An engineer might input equations related to the forces in steel beams in order to understand the load bearing capacity of a bridge. Because MOOSE is a blank canvas it can be useful in many scientific and engineering pursuits.« less
Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment
The Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) software library developed at Idaho National Laboratory is a tool. MOOSE, like other tools, doesnt actually complete a task. Instead, MOOSE seeks to reduce the effort required to create engineering simulation applications. MOOSE itself is a software library: a blank canvas upon which you write equations and then MOOSE can help you solve them. MOOSE is comparable to a spreadsheet application. A spreadsheet, by itself, doesnt do anything. Only once equations are entered into it will a spreadsheet application compute anything. Such is the same for MOOSE. An engineer or scientist can utilize the equation solvers within MOOSE to solve equations related to their area of study. For instance, a geomechanical scientist can input equations related to water flow in underground reservoirs and MOOSE can solve those equations to give the scientist an idea of how water could move over time. An engineer might input equations related to the forces in steel beams in order to understand the load bearing capacity of a bridge. Because MOOSE is a blank canvas it can be useful in many scientific and engineering pursuits.
Assessing anthropogenic influence on the hydrology of small peri-urban catchments: Development of the object-oriented PUMMA model by integrating urban and rural hydrological models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jankowfsky, S.; Branger, F.; Braud, I.; Rodriguez, F.; Debionne, S.; Viallet, P.
Distributed hydrological models are useful tools for process understanding and water management, especially in peri-urban catchments where the landscape heterogeneity is large, caused by a patchwork of natural and urbanized areas. This paper presents the Peri-Urban Model for landscape MAnagement (PUMMA) built within the LIQUID® modeling framework, specifically designed to study the hydrology of peri-urban catchments. It combines rural and urban hydrological models, and is used for process understanding. The originality of PUMMA is to follow a fully object-oriented approach, for both model mesh building and process representation. Urban areas, represented by cadastral units and rural areas divided in Hydrological Response Units are thus modeled with different interacting process modules. This provides a detailed representation of the runoff generation on natural and impervious areas. Furthermore, the exchange between process modules facilitates the simulation of subsurface and overland flow, as well as groundwater drainage by sewer pipes. Several drainage networks can coexist and interact (e.g. via storm water overflow devices) and water can be stored in retention basins, which allows the modeling of complex suburban drainage systems with multiple outlets. The model is then applied to the Chaudanne catchment (2.7 km2), located in the suburbs of Lyon, France. The uncalibrated model results show the importance of surface runoff from impervious areas for summer events and flow contributions from rural zones for winter events. Furthermore, the model reveals that the retention capacity of the Chaudanne catchment is larger than for classical urban catchments due to the peri-urban character of the catchment.
Object-oriented Geographic Information System Framework
JeoViewer is an intelligent object-oriented geographic information system (GIS) framework written in Java that provides transparent linkage to any objects data, behaviors, and optimized spatial geometry representation. Tools are provided for typical GIS functionality, data ingestion, data export, and integration with other frameworks. The primary difference between Jeo Viewer and traditional GIS systems is that traditional GIS systems offer static views of geo-spatial data while JeoViewer can be dynamically coupled to models and live datamore » streams which dynamically change the state of the object which can be immediately represented in JeoViewer. Additionally, JeoViewers object-oriented paradigm provides a more natural representation of spatial data. A rich layer hierarchy allows arbitrary grouping of objects based on any relationship as well as the traditional GIS vertical ordering of objects. JeoViewer can run as a standalone product, extended with additional analysis functionality, or embedded in another framework.« less
Object-oriented Geographic Information System Framework
Lurie, Gordon
JeoViewer is an intelligent object-oriented geographic information system (GIS) framework written in Java that provides transparent linkage to any objects data, behaviors, and optimized spatial geometry representation. Tools are provided for typical GIS functionality, data ingestion, data export, and integration with other frameworks. The primary difference between Jeo Viewer and traditional GIS systems is that traditional GIS systems offer static views of geo-spatial data while JeoViewer can be dynamically coupled to models and live data streams which dynamically change the state of the object which can be immediately represented in JeoViewer. Additionally, JeoViewers object-oriented paradigm provides a more natural representation of spatial data. A rich layer hierarchy allows arbitrary grouping of objects based on any relationship as well as the traditional GIS vertical ordering of objects. JeoViewer can run as a standalone product, extended with additional analysis functionality, or embedded in another framework.
Building a genome database using an object-oriented approach.
Barbasiewicz, Anna; Liu, Lin; Lang, B Franz; Burger, Gertraud
GOBASE is a relational database that integrates data associated with mitochondria and chloroplasts. The most important data in GOBASE, i. e., molecular sequences and taxonomic information, are obtained from the public sequence data repository at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and are validated by our experts. Maintaining a curated genomic database comes with a towering labor cost, due to the shear volume of available genomic sequences and the plethora of annotation errors and omissions in records retrieved from public repositories. Here we describe our approach to increase automation of the database population process, thereby reducing manual intervention. As a first step, we used Unified Modeling Language (UML) to construct a list of potential errors. Each case was evaluated independently, and an expert solution was devised, and represented as a diagram. Subsequently, the UML diagrams were used as templates for writing object-oriented automation programs in the Java programming language. PMID:12542407
Teaching Object-Oriented Modelling Using UML
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Boberić-Krstićev, Danijela; Tešendić, Danijela
The paper elaborates on experiences and lessons learned from the course on object-oriented analyses and design at the Faculty of Sciences, Novi Sad. In the paper we identify a set of issues concerning teaching modeling and UML. It is described experience of teaching UML to students with and without previous knowledge of object-oriented programming.
An outline of object-oriented philosophy.
Harman, Graham
This article summarises the principles of object-oriented philosophy and explains its similarities with, and differences from, the outlook of the natural sciences. Like science, the object-oriented position avoids the notion (quite common in philosophy) that the human-world relation is the ground of all others, such that scientific statements about the world would only be statements about the world as it is for humans. But unlike science, object-oriented metaphysics treats artificial, social, and fictional entities in the same way as natural ones, and also holds that the world can only be known allusively rather than directly. PMID:23901635
Object-oriented models of cognitive processing.
Mather, G
Information-processing models of vision and cognition are inspired by procedural programming languages. Models that emphasize object-based representations are closely related to object-oriented programming languages. The concepts underlying object-oriented languages provide a theoretical framework for cognitive processing that differs markedly from that offered by procedural languages. This framework is well-suited to a system designed to deal flexibly with discrete objects and unpredictable events in the world. PMID:11323249
Parallel object-oriented adaptive mesh refinement
Balsara, D.; Quinlan, D.J.
In this paper we study adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) for elliptic and hyperbolic systems. We use the Asynchronous Fast Adaptive Composite Grid Method (AFACX), a parallel algorithm based upon the of Fast Adaptive Composite Grid Method (FAC) as a test case of an adaptive elliptic solver. For our hyperbolic system example we use TVD and ENO schemes for solving the Euler and MHD equations. We use the structured grid load balancer MLB as a tool for obtaining a load balanced distribution in a parallel environment. Parallel adaptive mesh refinement poses difficulties in expressing both the basic single grid solver, whether elliptic or hyperbolic, in a fashion that parallelizes seamlessly. It also requires that these basic solvers work together within the adaptive mesh refinement algorithm which uses the single grid solvers as one part of its adaptive solution process. We show that use of AMR++, an object-oriented library within the OVERTURE Framework, simplifies the development of AMR applications. Parallel support is provided and abstracted through the use of the P++ parallel array class.
Object oriented development of engineering software using CLIPS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yoon, C. John
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.
Model-Based Software Testing for Object-Oriented Software
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Biju, Soly Mathew
Model-based testing is one of the best solutions for testing object-oriented software. It has a better test coverage than other testing styles. Model-based testing takes into consideration behavioural aspects of a class, which are usually unchecked in other testing methods. An increase in the complexity of software has forced the software industry…
ROOM: A recursive object oriented method for information systems development
Thelliez, T.; Donahue, S.
Although complementary for the development of complex systems, top-down structured design and object oriented approach are still opposed and not integrated. As the complexity of the systems are still growing, and the so-called software crisis still not solved, it is urgent to provide a framework mixing the two paradigms. This paper presents an elegant attempt in this direction through our Recursive Object-Oriented Method (ROOM) in which a top-down approach divides the complexity of the system and an object oriented method studies a given level of abstraction. Illustrating this recursive schema with a simple example, we demonstrate that we achieve the goal of creating loosely coupled and reusable components.
Object-oriented Technology for Compressor Simulation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Drummond, C. K.; Follen, G. J.; Cannon, M. R.
An object-oriented basis for interdisciplinary compressor simulation can, in principle, overcome several barriers associated with the traditional structured (procedural) development approach. This paper presents the results of a research effort with the objective to explore the repercussions on design, analysis, and implementation of a compressor model in an object oriented (OO) language, and to examine the ability of the OO system design to accommodate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for compressor performance prediction. Three fundamental results are that: (1) the selection of the object oriented language is not the central issue; enhanced (interdisciplinary) analysis capability derives from a broader focus on object-oriented technology; (2) object-oriented designs will produce more effective and reusable computer programs when the technology is applied to issues involving complex system inter-relationships (more so than when addressing the complex physics of an isolated discipline); and (3) the concept of disposable prototypes is effective for exploratory research programs, but this requires organizations to have a commensurate long-term perspective. This work also suggests that interdisciplinary simulation can be effectively accomplished (over several levels of fidelity) with a mixed language treatment (i.e., FORTRAN-C++), reinforcing the notion the OO technology implementation into simulations is a 'journey' in which the syntax can, by design, continuously evolve.
Object-oriented layers in ELIST.
Widing, M. A.; Simunich, K. L.; Blachowicz, D.; Braun, M.; VanGroningen, C.; Decision and Information Sciences
Planning for the transportation of large amounts of equipment, troops, and supplies presents a complex problem for military analysts. Software tools are critical in defining and analyzing these plans. Argonne National Laboratory developed the Enhanced Logistics Intra-theater Support Tool (ELIST) to assist military planners in determining the logistical feasibility of an intra-theater course of action. This article focuses on the object-oriented design strategies we used in developing the latest version of this successful system. Details of the specific military, logistical algorithms that were implemented can be found in other sources. In developing large, complex software systems, object-oriented programming techniques can provide many benefits. In addition to using an object-oriented language developers should also employ other techniques such as layers to fully obtain these benefits. This article discusses several of these design details that were used in developing a military logistics system called ELIST.
Object-oriented fault tree models applied to system diagnosis
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Iverson, David L.; Patterson-Hine, F. A.
When a diagnosis system is used in a dynamic environment, such as the distributed computer system planned for use on Space Station Freedom, it must execute quickly and its knowledge base must be easily updated. Representing system knowledge as object-oriented augmented fault trees provides both features. The diagnosis system described here is based on the failure cause identification process of the diagnostic system described by Narayanan and Viswanadham. Their system has been enhanced in this implementation by replacing the knowledge base of if-then rules with an object-oriented fault tree representation. This allows the system to perform its task much faster and facilitates dynamic updating of the knowledge base in a changing diagnosis environment. Accessing the information contained in the objects is more efficient than performing a lookup operation on an indexed rule base. Additionally, the object-oriented fault trees can be easily updated to represent current system status. This paper describes the fault tree representation, the diagnosis algorithm extensions, and an example application of this system. Comparisons are made between the object-oriented fault tree knowledge structure solution and one implementation of a rule-based solution. Plans for future work on this system are also discussed.
Object-Oriented Geographical Database Model
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Johnson, M. L.; Bryant, N.; Sapounas, D.
Terbase is an Object-Oriented database system under development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Terbase is designed for flexibility, reusability, maintenace ease, multi-user collaboration and independence, and efficiency. This paper details the design and development of Terbase as a geographic data server...
Object-oriented accelerator design with HPF
Ji Qiang; Ryne, R.D.; Habib, S.
In this paper, object-oriented design is applied to codes for beam dynamics simulations in accelerators using High Performance Fortran (HPF). This results in good maintainability, reusability, and extensibility of software, combined with the ease of parallel programming provided by HPF.
GUI and Object Oriented Programming in COBOL.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lorents, Alden C.
Various schools are struggling with the introduction of Object Oriented (OO) programming concepts and GUI (graphical user interfaces) within the traditional COBOL sequence. OO programming has been introduced in some of the curricula with languages such as C++, Smalltalk, and Java. Introducing OO programming into a typical COBOL sequence presents…
Object-oriented design of preconditioned iterative methods
Bruaset, A.M.
In this talk the author discusses how object-oriented programming techniques can be used to develop a flexible software package for preconditioned iterative methods. The ideas described have been used to implement the linear algebra part of Diffpack, which is a collection of C++ class libraries that provides high-level tools for the solution of partial differential equations. In particular, this software package is aimed at rapid development of PDE-based numerical simulators, primarily using finite element methods.
Preliminary Development of an Object-Oriented Optimization Tool
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pak, Chan-gi
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center has developed a FORTRAN-based object-oriented optimization (O3) tool that leverages existing tools and practices and allows easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. The object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines, as opposed to relying on one code to perform analysis for all disciplines. Optimization can thus take place within each discipline module, or in a loop between the central executive module and the discipline modules, or both. Six sample optimization problems are presented. The first four sample problems are based on simple mathematical equations; the fifth and sixth problems consider a three-bar truss, which is a classical example in structural synthesis. Instructions for preparing input data for the O3 tool are presented.
Considering Object Oriented Technology in Aviation Applications
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hayhurst, Kelly J.; Holloway, C. Michael
Few developers of commercial aviation software products are using object-oriented technology (OOT), despite its popularity in some other industries. Safety concerns about using OOT in critical applications, uncertainty about how to comply with regulatory requirements, and basic conservatism within the aviation community have been factors behind this caution. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have sponsored research to investigate and workshops to discuss safety and certification concerns about OOT and to develop recommendations for safe use. Two Object Oriented Technology in Aviation (OOTiA) workshops have been held and numerous issues and comments about the effect of OOT features and languages have been collected. This paper gives a high level overview of the OOTiA project, and discusses selected specific results from the March 2003 workshop. In particular, results in the form of questions to consider before making the decision to use OOT are presented.
Reuse Metrics for Object Oriented Software
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bieman, James M.
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.
An object oriented extension to CLIPS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sobkowicz, Clifford
A presentation of software sub-system developed to augment C Language Production Systems (CLIPS) with facilities for object oriented Knowledge representation. Functions are provided to define classes, instantiate objects, access attributes, and assert object related facts. This extension is implemented via the CLIPS user function interface and does not require modification of any CLIPS code. It does rely on internal CLIPS functions for memory management and symbol representation.
Aspects on Teaching/Learning with Object Oriented Programming for Entry Level Courses of Engineering.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Oliveira, Clara Amelia; Conte, Marcos Fernando; Riso, Bernardo Goncalves
This work presents a proposal for Teaching/Learning, on Object Oriented Programming for Entry Level Courses of Engineering and Computer Science, on University. The philosophy of Object Oriented Programming comes as a new pattern of solution for problems, where flexibility and reusability appears over the simple data structure and sequential…
System safety and reliability using object-oriented programming techniques
Patterson-Hine, F.A.; Koen, B.V.
Direct evaluation fault tree codes have been written in recursive, list-processing computer languages such as PL/1 (PATREC-I) and LISP (PATREC-L). The pattern-matching strategy implemented in these codes has been used extensively in France to evaluate system reliability. Recent reviews of the risk management process suggest that a data base containing plant-specific information be integrated with a package of codes used for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to alleviate some of the difficulties that make a PRA so costly and time-intensive. A new programming paradigm, object-oriented programming, is uniquely suited for the development of such a software system. A knowledge base and fault tree evaluation algorithm, based on previous experience with PATREC-L, have been implemented using object-oriented techniques, resulting in a reliability assessment environment that is easy to develop, modify, and extend.
An object-oriented database for protein structure analysis.
Gray, P M; Paton, N W; Kemp, G J; Fothergill, J E
An object-oriented database system has been developed which is being used to store protein structure data. The database can be queried using the logic programming language Prolog or the query language Daplex. Queries retrieve information by navigating through a network of objects which represent the primary, secondary and tertiary structures of proteins. Routines written in both Prolog and Daplex can integrate complex calculations with the retrieval of data from the database, and can also be stored in the database for sharing among users. Thus object-oriented databases are better suited to prototyping applications and answering complex queries about protein structure than relational databases. This system has been used to find loops of varying length and anchor positions when modelling homologous protein structures. PMID:2188261
An object oriented generic controller using CLIPS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Nivens, Cody R.
In today's applications, the need for the division of code and data has focused on the growth of object oriented programming. This philosophy gives software engineers greater control over the environment of an application. Yet the use of object oriented design does not exclude the need for greater understanding by the application of what the controller is doing. Such understanding is only possible by using expert systems. Providing a controller that is capable of controlling an object by using rule-based expertise would expedite the use of both object oriented design and expert knowledge of the dynamic of an environment in modern controllers. This project presents a model of a controller that uses the CLIPS expert system and objects in C++ to create a generic controller. The polymorphic abilities of C++ allow for the design of a generic component stored in individual data files. Accompanying the component is a set of rules written in CLIPS which provide the following: the control of individual components, the input of sensory data from components and the ability to find the status of a given component. Along with the data describing the application, a set of inference rules written in CLIPS allows the application to make use of sensory facts and status and control abilities. As a demonstration of this ability, the control of the environment of a house is provided. This demonstration includes the data files describing the rooms and their contents as far as devices, windows and doors. The rules used for the home consist of the flow of people in the house and the control of devices by the home owner.
Risk-Based Object Oriented Testing
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rosenberg, Linda H.; Stapko, Ruth; Gallo, Albert
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.
Object-oriented parallel polygon rendering
Heiland, R.W.
Since many scientific datasets can be visualized using some polygonal representation, a polygon renderer has broad use for scientific visualization. With today`s high performance computing applications producing very large datasets, a parallel polygon renderer is a necessary tool for keeping the compute-visualize cycle at a minimum. This paper presents a DOIV on renderer that combines the shared-memory and message-passing models of parallel programming. It uses the Global Arrays library, a shared-memory programming toolkit for distributed memory machines. The experience of using an object oriented approach for software design and development is also discussed.
AMR++: Object-oriented design for adaptive mesh refinement
Quinlan, D.
The development of object-oriented libraries for scientific computing is complicated by the wide range of applications that are targeted and the complexity and wide range of numerical methods that are used. A problem is to design a library that can be customized to handle a wide range of target applications and increasingly complex numerical methods while maintaining a sufficiently useful library for simple problems. These problems have been classically at odds with one another and have compromised the design of many object-oriented library solutions. In this paper the authors detail the mechanisms used within AMR**, and object-oriented library for Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR), to provide the level of extensibility that is required to make AMR++ easily customizable for the more obscure applications while remaining small and simple for less complex applications. The goal has been to have a complex applications. The goal has been to have a complexity that matches the complexity of the target application. These mechanisms are general and extend to other libraries as well.
Object Orientated Methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics.
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tabor, Gavin; Weller, Henry; Jasak, Hrvoje; Fureby, Christer
We outline the aims of the FOAM code, a Finite Volume Computational Fluid Dynamics code written in C++, and discuss the use of Object Orientated Programming (OOP) methods to achieve these aims. The intention when writing this code was to make it as easy as possible to alter the modelling : this was achieved by making the top level syntax of the code as close as possible to conventional mathematical notation for tensors and partial differential equations. Object orientation enables us to define classes for both types of objects, and the operator overloading possible in C++ allows normal symbols to be used for the basic operations. The introduction of features such as automatic dimension checking of equations helps to enforce correct coding of models. We also discuss the use of OOP techniques such as data encapsulation and code reuse. As examples of the flexibility of this approach, we discuss the implementation of turbulence modelling using RAS and LES. The code is used to simulate turbulent flow for a number of test cases, including fully developed channel flow and flow around obstacles. We also demonstrate the use of the code for solving structures calculations and magnetohydrodynamics.
Object oriented programming interfaces for accelerator control
Hoff, L.T.
Several years ago, the AGS controls group was given the task of developing software for the RHIC accelerator. Like the AGS, the RHIC control system needs to control and monitor equipment distributed around a relatively large geographic area. A local area network connects this equipment to a collection of UNIX workstations in a central control room. Similar software had been developed for the AGS about a decade earlier, but isn`t well suited for RHIC use for a number of reasons. Rather than adapt the AGS software for RHIC use, the controls group opted to start with a clean slate. To develop software that would address the shortcomings of the AGS software, while preserving the useful features that evolved through years of use. A current trend in control system design is to provide an object oriented programming interface for application developers. This talk will discuss important aspects and features of object oriented application programming interfaces (APIs) for accelerator control systems, and explore why such interfaces are becoming the norm.
Object oriented studies into artificial space debris
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Adamson, J. M.; Marshall, G.
A prototype simulation is being developed under contract to the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE), Farnborough, England, to assist in the discrimination of artificial space objects/debris. The methodology undertaken has been to link Object Oriented programming, intelligent knowledge based system (IKBS) techniques and advanced computer technology with numeric analysis to provide a graphical, symbolic simulation. The objective is to provide an additional layer of understanding on top of conventional classification methods. Use is being made of object and rule based knowledge representation, multiple reasoning, truth maintenance and uncertainty. Software tools being used include Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE) and SymTactics for knowledge representation. Hooks are being developed within the SymTactics framework to incorporate mathematical models describing orbital motion and fragmentation. Penetration and structural analysis can also be incorporated. SymTactics is an Object Oriented discrete event simulation tool built as a domain specific extension to the KEE environment. The tool provides facilities for building, debugging and monitoring dynamic (military) simulations.
An object-oriented approach to nested data parallelism
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sheffler, Thomas J.; Chatterjee, Siddhartha
This paper describes an implementation technique for integrating nested data parallelism into an object-oriented language. Data-parallel programming employs sets of data called 'collections' and expresses parallelism as operations performed over the elements of a collection. When the elements of a collection are also collections, then there is the possibility for 'nested data parallelism.' Few current programming languages support nested data parallelism however. In an object-oriented framework, a collection is a single object. Its type defines the parallel operations that may be applied to it. Our goal is to design and build an object-oriented data-parallel programming environment supporting nested data parallelism. Our initial approach is built upon three fundamental additions to C++. We add new parallel base types by implementing them as classes, and add a new parallel collection type called a 'vector' that is implemented as a template. Only one new language feature is introduced: the 'foreach' construct, which is the basis for exploiting elementwise parallelism over collections. The strength of the method lies in the compilation strategy, which translates nested data-parallel C++ into ordinary C++. Extracting the potential parallelism in nested 'foreach' constructs is called 'flattening' nested parallelism. We show how to flatten 'foreach' constructs using a simple program transformation. Our prototype system produces vector code which has been successfully run on workstations, a CM-2, and a CM-5.
A Taxonomy of Object-Oriented Measures Modeling the Object-Oriented Space
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.; Weistroffer, H. Roland; Coppins, Richard J.
In order to control the quality of software and the software development process, it is important to understand the measurement of software. A first step toward a better comprehension of software measurement is the categorization of software measures by some meaningful taxonomy. The most worthwhile taxonomy would capture the fundamental nature of the object-oriented (O-O) space. The principal characteristics of object-oriented software offer a starting point for such a categorization of measures. This paper introduces a taxonomy of measures based upon fourteen characteristics of object-oriented software gathered from the literature. This taxonomy allows us to easily see gaps or redundancies in the existing O-O measures. The taxonomy also clearly differentiates among taxa so that there is no ambiguity as to the taxon to which a measure belongs. The taxonomy has been populated with measures taken from the literature.
A Taxonomy of Object-Oriented Measures Modeling the Object Oriented Space
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.; Weistroffer, H. Roland; Coppins, Richard J.
In order to control the quality of software and the software development process, it is important to understand the measurement of software. A first step toward a better comprehension of software measurement is the categorization of software measures by some meaningful taxonomy. The most worthwhile taxonomy would capture the fundamental nature of the object-oriented (O-O) space. The principal characteristics of object-oriented software offer a starting point for such a categorization of measures. This paper introduces a taxonomy of measures based upon fourteen characteristics of object-oriented software gathered from the literature. This taxonomy allows us to easily see gaps or redundancies in the existing O-O measures. The taxonomy also clearly differentiates among taxa so that there is no ambiguity as to the taxon to which a measure belongs. The taxonomy has been populated with measures taken from the literature.
Object-oriented model-driven control
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Drysdale, A.; Mcroberts, M.; Sager, J.; Wheeler, R.
A monitoring and control subsystem architecture has been developed that capitalizes on the use of modeldriven monitoring and predictive control, knowledge-based data representation, and artificial reasoning in an operator support mode. We have developed an object-oriented model of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). The model based on the NASA Kennedy Space Center CELSS breadboard data, tracks carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, carbodioxide, and water. It estimates and tracks resorce-related parameters such as mass, energy, and manpower measurements such as growing area required for balance. We are developing an interface with the breadboard systems that is compatible with artificial reasoning. Initial work is being done on use of expert systems and user interface development. This paper presents an approach to defining universally applicable CELSS monitor and control issues, and implementing appropriate monitor and control capability for a particular instance: the KSC CELSS Breadboard Facility.
Distributed Object Oriented Geographic Information System
This interactive, object-oriented, distributed Geographic Information System (GIS) uses the World Wibe Web (WWW) as application medium and distribution mechanism. The software provides distributed access to multiple geo-spatial databases and presents them as if they came from a single coherent database. DOOGIS distributed access comes not only in the form of multiple geo-spatial servers but can break down a single logical server into the constituent physical servers actually storing the data. The program provides formore » dynamic protocol resolution and content handling allowing unknown objects from a particular server to download their handling code. Security and access privileges are negotiated dynamically with each server contacted and each access attempt.« less
Object-oriented Matlab adaptive optics toolbox
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Conan, R.; Correia, C.
Object-Oriented Matlab Adaptive Optics (OOMAO) is a Matlab toolbox dedicated to Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. OOMAO is based on a small set of classes representing the source, atmosphere, telescope, wavefront sensor, Deformable Mirror (DM) and an imager of an AO system. This simple set of classes allows simulating Natural Guide Star (NGS) and Laser Guide Star (LGS) Single Conjugate AO (SCAO) and tomography AO systems on telescopes up to the size of the Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT). The discrete phase screens that make the atmosphere model can be of infinite size, useful for modeling system performance on large time scales. OOMAO comes with its own parametric influence function model to emulate different types of DMs. The cone effect, altitude thickness and intensity profile of LGSs are also reproduced. Both modal and zonal modeling approach are implemented. OOMAO has also an extensive library of theoretical expressions to evaluate the statistical properties of turbulence wavefronts. The main design characteristics of the OOMAO toolbox are object-oriented modularity, vectorized code and transparent parallel computing. OOMAO has been used to simulate and to design the Multi-Object AO prototype Raven at the Subaru telescope and the Laser Tomography AO system of the Giant Magellan Telescope. In this paper, a Laser Tomography AO system on an ELT is simulated with OOMAO. In the first part, we set-up the class parameters and we link the instantiated objects to create the source optical path. Then we build the tomographic reconstructor and write the script for the pseudo-open-loop controller.
Deploying Object Oriented Data Technology to the Planetary Data System
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kelly, S.; Crichton, D.; Hughes, J. S.
How do you provide more than 350 scientists and researchers access to data from every instrument in Odyssey when the data is curated across half a dozen institutions and in different formats and is too big to mail on a CD-ROM anymore? The Planetary Data System (PDS) faced this exact question. The solution was to use a metadata-based middleware framework developed by the Object Oriented Data Technology task at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Using OODT, PDS provided - for the first time ever - data from all mission instruments through a single system immediately upon data delivery.
POOLkits: Applying Object Oriented Principles from Software Engineering to Physics Object Oriented Learning -- Preliminary Concepts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kassebaum, Thomas; Aubrecht, Gordon
Object-oriented development depends upon the creation of generic pieces that can be built into more complex parts. In physics, we begin teaching basic principles and then develop more complex systems, a fertile environment to develop learning objects. Each learning object consists of observable quantities, such as the physical properties of a block of wood, and operators that act on the object, such as force. Additionally, each object can also include an assessment operator that evaluates the impact of the learning object on student comprehension. The physics object-oriented learning kits (POOLkits) will be developed to enhance student understanding of physics concepts, as well as, build a framework for developing a software object based on the physics concept. A POOLkit can be extended, similar to the concept of extending classes in object-oriented programming, as physics knowledge expands. The expectation for these POOLkits would be to provide physics students with a solid foundation in the first principles to be able to derive more complex formulae and have the understanding of the process with a secondary benefit of enhancing the object-oriented programming capabilities of physics students.
Object-oriented requirements analysis: A quick tour
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Berard, Edward V.
Of all the approaches to software development, an object-oriented approach appears to be both the most beneficial and the most popular. The description of the object-oriented approach is presented in the form of the view graphs.
Object-Oriented MDAO Tool with Aeroservoelastic Model Tuning Capability
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pak, Chan-gi; Li, Wesley; Lung, Shun-fat
An object-oriented multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) tool has been developed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center to automate the design and analysis process and leverage existing commercial as well as in-house codes to enable true multidisciplinary optimization in the preliminary design stage of subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. Once the structural analysis discipline is finalized and integrated completely into the MDAO process, other disciplines such as aerodynamics and flight controls will be integrated as well. Simple and efficient model tuning capabilities based on optimization problem are successfully integrated with the MDAO tool. More synchronized all phases of experimental testing (ground and flight), analytical model updating, high-fidelity simulations for model validation, and integrated design may result in reduction of uncertainties in the aeroservoelastic model and increase the flight safety.
Semantic Metrics for Object Oriented Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Etzkorn, Lethe
The purpose of this proposal is to research a new suite of object-oriented (OO) software metrics, called semantic metrics, that have the potential to help software engineers identify fragile, low quality code sections much earlier in the development cycle than is possible with traditional OO metrics. With earlier and better Fault detection, software maintenance will be less time consuming and expensive, and software reusability will be improved. Because it is less costly to correct faults found earlier than to correct faults found later in the software lifecycle, the overall cost of software development will be reduced. Semantic metrics can be derived from the knowledge base of a program understanding system. A program understanding system is designed to understand a software module. Once understanding is complete, the knowledge-base contains digested information about the software module. Various semantic metrics can be collected on the knowledge base. This new kind of metric measures domain complexity, or the relationship of the software to its application domain, rather than implementation complexity, which is what traditional software metrics measure. A semantic metric will thus map much more closely to qualities humans are interested in, such as cohesion and maintainability, than is possible using traditional metrics, that are calculated using only syntactic aspects of software.
Object-Oriented Programming in High Schools the Turing Way.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Holt, Richard C.
This paper proposes an approach to introducing object-oriented concepts to high school computer science students using the Object-Oriented Turing (OOT) language. Students can learn about basic object-oriented (OO) principles such as classes and inheritance by using and expanding a collection of classes that draw pictures like circles and happy…
Representing object oriented specifications and designs with extended data flow notations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Buser, Jon Franklin; Ward, Paul T.
The issue of using extended data flow notations to document object oriented designs and specifications is discussed. Extended data flow notations, for the purposes here, refer to notations that are based on the rules of Yourdon/DeMarco data flow analysis. The extensions include additional notation for representing real-time systems as well as some proposed extensions specific to object oriented development. Some advantages of data flow notations are stated. How data flow diagrams are used to represent software objects are investigated. Some problem areas with regard to using data flow notations for object oriented development are noted. Some initial solutions to these problems are proposed.
Medical Imaging In An Object Oriented Environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Geist, Daniel; Vannier, Michael W.
A workstation has been developed to evaluate computed tomographic (CT) image data in 2 and 3 dimensions. The workstation consists of an independent image display station (Independent Viewing and Analysis Station or WAS, International Imaging Systems, Inc., Milpitas, Calif.) and a VAX host computer. The WAS has 1024 X 1024 X 24 bits of image memory plus 4 bits of graphics overlay. An independent VLSI graphics processor and 1024 X 1024 X 4 bit graphics memory, independent of the image memory, are included in the self-contained WAS unit. A local microprocessor host (Motorola 68000 microprocessor) controls the IVAS from directives obtained through a direct memory access channel to the VAX host. This facilitated the creation of an object oriented software enviroment for the IVAS under control of a VAX host program written in the C language. The workstation created has an interactive user interface consisting of a mouse and pull-down menus. The workstation enables loading multiple images, typically 256 x 256 or 512 x 512, into the 1024 X 1024 frame buffer. Once loaded, the images can be manipulated by applying gray scale transforms, editing them and performing 3-D reconstructions from serial sections. Algorithms for three dimensional (3-D) reconstructions were implemented in the VAX/VMS host computer environment and are available on the workstation through special menu functions for handling these reconstructions. The functions interactively combine depth and gradient shading of surfaces to suit specific applications in craniofacial surgical planning or orthopedics. This workstation is user friendly and is very easy to handle. A workstation of this type may become a popular tool for physicians and surgeons in evalution of medical images.
An Object-Oriented Network-Centric Software Architecture for Physical Computing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Palmer, Richard
Recent developments in object-oriented computer languages and infrastructure such as the Internet, Web browsers, and the like provide an opportunity to define a more productive computational environment for scientific programming that is based more closely on the underlying mathematics describing physics than traditional programming languages such as FORTRAN or C++. In this talk I describe an object-oriented software architecture for representing physical problems that includes classes for such common mathematical objects as geometry, boundary conditions, partial differential and integral equations, discretization and numerical solution methods, etc. In practice, a scientific program written using this architecture looks remarkably like the mathematics used to understand the problem, is typically an order of magnitude smaller than traditional FORTRAN or C++ codes, and hence easier to understand, debug, describe, etc. All objects in this architecture are ``network-enabled,'' which means that components of a software solution to a physical problem can be transparently loaded from anywhere on the Internet or other global network. The architecture is expressed as an ``API,'' or application programmers interface specification, with reference embeddings in Java, Python, and C++. A C++ class library for an early version of this API has been implemented for machines ranging from PC's to the IBM SP2, meaning that phidentical codes run on all architectures.
Tecolote: An Object-Oriented Framework for Hydrodynamics Physics
Holian, K.S.; Ankeny, L.A.; Clancy, S.P.; Hall, J.H.; Marshall, J.C.; McNamara, G.R.; Painter, J.W.; Zander, M.E.
Tecolote is an object-oriented framework for both developing and accessing a variety of hydrodynamics models. It is written in C++, and is in turn built on another framework - Parallel Object-Oriented Methods and Applications (POOMA). The Tecolote framework is meant to provide modules (or building blocks) to put together hydrodynamics applications that can encompass a wide variety of physics models, numerical solution options, and underlying data storage schemes, although with only those modules activated at runtime that are necessary. Tecolote has been designed to separate physics from computer science, as much as humanly possible. The POOMA framework provides fields in C++ to Tecolote that are analogous to Fortran-9O-like arrays in the way that they are used, but that, in addition, have underlying load balancing, message passing, and a special scheme for compact data storage. The POOMA fields can also have unique meshes associated with them that can allow more options than just the normal regularly-spaced Cartesian mesh. They also permit one-, two, and three-dimensions to be immediately accessible to the code developer and code user.
Reengineering legacy software to object-oriented systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pitman, C.; Braley, D.; Fridge, E.; Plumb, A.; Izygon, M.; Mears, B.
NASA has a legacy of complex software systems that are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. Reengineering is one approach to modemizing these systems. Object-oriented technology, other modem software engineering principles, and automated tools can be used to reengineer the systems and will help to keep maintenance costs of the modemized systems down. The Software Technology Branch at the NASA/Johnson Space Center has been developing and testing reengineering methods and tools for several years. The Software Technology Branch is currently providing training and consulting support to several large reengineering projects at JSC, including the Reusable Objects Software Environment (ROSE) project, which is reengineering the flight analysis and design system (over 2 million lines of FORTRAN code) into object-oriented C++. Many important lessons have been learned during the past years; one of these is that the design must never be allowed to diverge from the code during maintenance and enhancement. Future work on open, integrated environments to support reengineering is being actively planned.
Object oriented hardware-software test bench for OMTF diagnosis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Drabik, Pawel; Pozniak, Krzysztof T.; Bunkowski, Karol; Zawistowski, Krystian; Byszuk, Adrian; Bluj, Michał; Doroba, Krzysztof; Górski, Maciej; Kalinowski, Artur; Kierzkowski, Krzysztof; Konecki, Marcin; Królikowski, Jan; Oklinski, Wojciech; Olszewski, Michał; Skala, Aleksander; Zabołotny, Wojciech M.
In this paper the object oriented hardware-software model and its sample implementation of diagnostics for the Overlap Muon Track Finder trigger for the CMS experiment in CERN is described. It presents realization of test-bench for control and diagnosis class of multichannel, distributed measurement systems based on FPGA chips. The test-bench fulfills requirements for system's rapid changes, configurability and efficiency. This ability is very significant and desirable by expanded electronic systems. The solution described is a software model based on a method of address space management called the Component Internal Interface (CII). Establishment of stable link between hardware and software, as a purpose of designed and realized programming environment, is presented. The test-bench implementation and example of OMTF algorithm test is presented.
Faunus: An object oriented framework for molecular simulation
Lund, Mikael; Trulsson, Martin; Persson, Björn
Background We present a C++ class library for Monte Carlo simulation of molecular systems, including proteins in solution. The design is generic and highly modular, enabling multiple developers to easily implement additional features. The statistical mechanical methods are documented by extensive use of code comments that – subsequently – are collected to automatically build a web-based manual. Results We show how an object oriented design can be used to create an intuitively appealing coding framework for molecular simulation. This is exemplified in a minimalistic C++ program that can calculate protein protonation states. We further discuss performance issues related to high level coding abstraction. Conclusion C++ and the Standard Template Library (STL) provide a high-performance platform for generic molecular modeling. Automatic generation of code documentation from inline comments has proven particularly useful in that no separate manual needs to be maintained. PMID:18241331
The Assignment of Scale to Object-Oriented Software Measures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.; Weistroffer, H. Roland; Coppins, Richard J.
In order to improve productivity (and quality), measurement of specific aspects of software has become imperative. As object oriented programming languages have become more widely used, metrics designed specifically for object-oriented software are required. Recently a large number of new metrics for object- oriented software has appeared in the literature. Unfortunately, many of these proposed metrics have not been validated to measure what they purport to measure. In this paper fifty (50) of these metrics are analyzed.
High Performance Object-Oriented Scientific Programming in Fortran 90
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norton, Charles D.; Decyk, Viktor K.; Szymanski, Boleslaw K.
We illustrate how Fortran 90 supports object-oriented concepts by example of plasma particle computations on the IBM SP. Our experience shows that Fortran 90 and object-oriented methodology give high performance while providing a bridge from Fortran 77 legacy codes to modern programming principles. All of our object-oriented Fortran 90 codes execute more quickly thatn the equeivalent C++ versions, yet the abstraction modelling capabilities used for scentific programming are comparably powereful.
Modern industrial simulation tools: Kernel-level integration of high performance parallel processing, object-oriented numerics, and adaptive finite element analysis. Final report, July 16, 1993--September 30, 1997
Deb, M.K.; Kennon, S.R.
A cooperative R&D effort between industry and the US government, this project, under the HPPP (High Performance Parallel Processing) initiative of the Dept. of Energy, started the investigations into parallel object-oriented (OO) numerics. The basic goal was to research and utilize the emerging technologies to create a physics-independent computational kernel for applications using adaptive finite element method. The industrial team included Computational Mechanics Co., Inc. (COMCO) of Austin, TX (as the primary contractor), Scientific Computing Associates, Inc. (SCA) of New Haven, CT, Texaco and CONVEX. Sandia National Laboratory (Albq., NM) was the technology partner from the government side. COMCO had the responsibility of the main kernel design and development, SCA had the lead in parallel solver technology and guidance on OO technologies was Sandia`s main expertise in this venture. CONVEX and Texaco supported the partnership by hardware resource and application knowledge, respectively. As such, a minimum of fifty-percent cost-sharing was provided by the industry partnership during this project. This report describes the R&D activities and provides some details about the prototype kernel and example applications.
An intelligent object-oriented database system for materials information
Smith, F.J.; Krishnamurthy, M.V.; Tripathy, S.R.; Sage, P.
Materials information systems are used normally to provide data that is input to a separate design or test system that then computes the characteristics of some item or entity being designed or examined. This paper concerns the study of an integrated system that includes both the data and design systems together; therefore, it includes not only data on the property of materials but also knowledge on the geometry of the item being designed. In addition, it includes formulas representing the laws of physical science used to carry out the calculation needed to compute the necessary characteristics of the item. This kind of system can determine the optimum materials for the design of an item, rather than simply retrieve material properties. It may replace the simple search and retrieve systems available today, and it is argued that the complexity of such a system could only be achieved using an object-oriented methodology.
GOOSE, a generalized object-oriented simulation environment
Ford, C.E.; March-Leuba, C. ); Guimaraes, L.; Ugolini, D. . Dept. of Nuclear Engineering)
GOOSE, prototype software for a fully interactive, object-oriented simulation environment, is being developed as part of the Advanced Controls Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dynamic models may easily be constructed and tested; fully interactive capabilities allow the user to alter model parameters and complexity without recompilation. This environment provides access to powerful tools, such as numerical integration packages, graphical displays, and online help. Portability has been an important design goal; the system was written in Objective-C in order to run on a wide variety of computers and operating systems, including UNIX workstations and personal computers. A detailed library of nuclear reactor components, currently under development, will also be described. 5 refs., 4 figs.
Object-oriented system building for the SSC
Ludgate, G.A.
The concepts and terminology of object-oriented system development are presented assuming the reader is familiar with the Structured Analysis and Structured Design (SA/SD) methodology. An improvement to SA/SD, known as Object Oriented Analysis/Object Oriented Design (OOA/OOD) is described and the steps in such an undertaking explained. Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is briefly introduced before SA/SD and OOA/OOD are compared. A recommendation to the SSC Central Design Group concludes the paper.
The Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment
MOOSE is a software framework for the development of complex multidimensional engineering analysis applications using the finite element method. It provides a clean, extensible interface for scientists to develop analysis applications by accepting weak forms (i.e., virtual work expressions) of the mathematical models that govern the behavior of the physical system being modeled. MOOSE provides spatial and temporal discretization support for these expressions and allows them to be coupled in general ways and with general boundary and initial conditions and constraints. MOOSE also provides a solution environment that allows the parallel solution of the described problem on computer systems ranging from one processor to massively parallel systems.
SCOS 2: An object oriented software development approach
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Symonds, Martin; Lynenskjold, Steen; Mueller, Christian
The Spacecraft Control and Operations System 2 (SCOS 2), is intended to provide the generic mission control system infrastructure for future ESA missions. It represents a bold step forward in order to take advantage of state-of-the-art technology and current practices in the area of software engineering. Key features include: (1) use of object oriented analysis and design techniques; (2) use of UNIX, C++ and a distributed architecture as the enabling implementation technology; (3) goal of re-use for development, maintenance and mission specific software implementation; and (4) introduction of the concept of a spacecraft control model. This paper touches upon some of the traditional beliefs surrounding Object Oriented development and describes their relevance to SCOS 2. It gives rationale for why particular approaches were adopted and others not, and describes the impact of these decisions. The development approach followed is discussed, highlighting the evolutionary nature of the overall process and the iterative nature of the various tasks carried out. The emphasis of this paper is on the process of the development with the following being covered: (1) the three phases of the SCOS 2 project - prototyping & analysis, design & implementation and configuration / delivery of mission specific systems; (2) the close cooperation and continual interaction with the users during the development; (3) the management approach - the split between client staff, industry and some of the required project management activities; (4) the lifecycle adopted being an enhancement of the ESA PSS-05 standard with SCOS 2 specific activities and approaches defined; and (5) an examination of some of the difficulties encountered and the solutions adopted. Finally, the lessons learned from the SCOS 2 experience are highlighted, identifying those issues to be used as feedback into future developments of this nature. This paper does not intend to describe the finished product and its operation
The Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment
MOOSE is a software framework for the development of complex multidimensional engineering analysis applications using the finite element method. It provides a clean, extensible interface for scientists to develop analysis applications by accepting weak forms (i.e., virtual work expressions) of the mathematical models that govern the behavior of the physical system being modeled. MOOSE provides spatial and temporal discretization support for these expressions and allows them to be coupled in general ways and with generalmore » boundary and initial conditions and constraints. MOOSE also provides a solution environment that allows the parallel solution of the described problem on computer systems ranging from one processor to massively parallel systems.« less
Object-Oriented Programming in the Primary Classroom.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Borne, Isabelle; Girardot, Colette
Describes the use of Smalltalk-80, a French programing language, to teach young children to program effectively using object-oriented concepts. Learning processes involving problem solving and programing are examined, the object-oriented environment is discussed, teacher training is described, and future work is suggested. (21 references) (LRW)
Teaching Adaptability of Object-Oriented Programming Language Curriculum
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zhu, Xiao-dong
The evolution of object-oriented programming languages includes update of their own versions, update of development environments, and reform of new languages upon old languages. In this paper, the evolution analysis of object-oriented programming languages is presented in term of the characters and development. The notion of adaptive teaching upon…
An object-oriented approach to energy-economic modeling
Wise, M.A.; Fox, J.A.; Sands, R.D.
In this paper, the authors discuss the experiences in creating an object-oriented economic model of the U.S. energy and agriculture markets. After a discussion of some central concepts, they provide an overview of the model, focusing on the methodology of designing an object-oriented class hierarchy specification based on standard microeconomic production functions. The evolution of the model from the class definition stage to programming it in C++, a standard object-oriented programming language, will be detailed. The authors then discuss the main differences between writing the object-oriented program versus a procedure-oriented program of the same model. Finally, they conclude with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of the object-oriented approach based on the experience in building energy-economic models with procedure-oriented approaches and languages.
Standardization of transportation classes for object-oriented deployment simulations.
Burke, J. F., Jr.; Howard, D. L.; Jackson, J.; Macal, C. M.; Nevins, M. R.; Van Groningen, C. N.
Many recent efforts to integrate transportation and deployment simulations, although beneficial, have lacked a feature vital for seamless integration: a common data class representation. It is an objective of the Department of Defense (DoD) to standardize all classes used in object-oriented deployment simulations by developing a standard class attribute representation and behavior for all deployment simulations that rely on an underlying class representation. The Extensive Hierarchy and Object Representation for Transportation Simulations (EXHORT) is a collection of three hierarchies that together will constitute a standard and consistent class attribute representation and behavior that could be used directly by a large set of deployment simulations. The first hierarchy is the Transportation Class Hierarchy (TCH), which describes a significant portion of the defense transportation system; the other two deal with infrastructure and resource classes. EXHORT will allow deployment simulations to use the same set of underlying class data, ensure transparent exchanges, reduce the effort needed to integrate simulations, and permit a detailed analysis of the defense transportation system. This paper describes EXHORT's first hierarchy, the TCH, and provides a rationale for why it is a helpful tool for modeling major portions of the defense transportation system.
Object-oriented programming with mixins in Ada
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Seidewitz, ED
Recently, I wrote a paper discussing the lack of 'true' object-oriented programming language features in Ada 83, why one might desire them in Ada, and how they might be added in Ada 9X. The approach I took in this paper was to build the new object-oriented features of Ada 9X as much as possible on the basic constructs and philosophy of Ada 83. The object-oriented features proposed for Ada 9X, while different in detail, are based on the same kind of approach. Further consideration of this approach led me on a long reflection on the nature of object-oriented programming and its application to Ada. The results of this reflection, presented in this paper, show how a fairly natural object-oriented style can indeed be developed even in Ada 83. The exercise of developing this style is useful for at least three reasons: (1) it provides a useful style for programming object-oriented applications in Ada 83 until new features become available with Ada 9X; (2) it demystifies many of the mechanisms that seem to be 'magic' in most object-oriented programming languages by making them explicit; and (3) it points out areas that are and are not in need of change in Ada 83 to make object-oriented programming more natural in Ada 9X. In the next four sections I will address in turn the issues of object-oriented classes, mixins, self-reference and supertyping. The presentation is through a sequence of examples. This results in some overlap with that paper, but all the examples in the present paper are written entirely in Ada 83. I will return to considerations for Ada 9X in the last section of the paper.
Gas turbine system simulation: An object-oriented approach
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Drummond, Colin K.; Follen, Gregory J.; Putt, Charles W.
A prototype gas turbine engine simulation has been developed that offers a generalized framework for the simulation of engines subject to steady-state and transient operating conditions. The prototype is in preliminary form, but it successfully demonstrates the viability of an object-oriented approach for generalized simulation applications. Although object oriented programming languages are-relative to FORTRAN-somewhat austere, it is proposed that gas turbine simulations of an interdisciplinary nature will benefit significantly in terms of code reliability, maintainability, and manageability. This report elucidates specific gas turbine simulation obstacles that an object-oriented framework can overcome and describes the opportunity for interdisciplinary simulation that the approach offers.
A Configurable, Object-Oriented, Transportation System Software Framework
The Transportation Surety Center, 6300, has been conducting continuing research into and development of information systems for the Configurable Transportation Security and Information Management System (CTSS) project, an Object-Oriented Framework approach that uses Component-Based Software Development to facilitate rapid deployment of new systems while improving software cost containment, development reliability, compatibility, and extensibility. The direction has been to develop a Fleet Management System (FMS) framework using object-oriented technology. The goal for the current development is to provide a software and hardware environment that will demonstrate and support object-oriented development commonly in the FMS Central Command Center and Vehicle domains.
Adding intelligent services to an object oriented system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Robideaux, Bret R.; Metzler, Theodore A.
As today's software becomes increasingly complex, the need grows for intelligence of one sort or another to becomes part of the application, often an intelligence that does not readily fit the paradigm of one's software development. There are many methods of developing software, but at this time, the most promising is the object oriented (OO) method. This method involves an analysis to abstract the problem into separate 'objects' that are unique in the data that describe them and the behavior that they exhibit, and eventually to convert this analysis into computer code using a programming language that was designed (or retrofitted) for OO implementation. This paper discusses the creation of three different applications that are analyzed, designed, and programmed using the Shlaer/Mellor method of OO development and C++ as the programming language. All three, however, require the use of an expert system to provide an intelligence that C++ (or any other 'traditional' language) is not directly suited to supply. The flexibility of CLIPS permitted us to make modifications to it that allow seamless integration with any of our applications that require an expert system. We illustrate this integration with the following applications: (1) an after action review (AAR) station that assists a reviewer in watching a simulated tank battle and developing an AAR to critique the performance of the participants in the battle; (2) an embedded training system and over-the-shoulder coach for howitzer crewmen; and (3) a system to identify various chemical compounds from their infrared absorption spectra.
A dynamic object-oriented architecture approach to ecosystem modeling and simulation.
Dolph, J. E.; Majerus, K. A.; Sydelko, P. J.; Taxon, T. N.
Modeling and simulation in support of adaptive ecosystem management can be better accomplished through a dynamic, integrated, and flexible approach that incorporates scientific and technological components into a comprehensive ecosystem-modeling framework. The Integrated Dynamic Landscape Analysis and Modeling System (IDLAMS) integrates ecological models and decision support techniques, through a geographic information system (GIS)-based framework. The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) sponsored the development of IDLAMS. Initially built upon a GIS framework, IDLAMS is migrating to an object-oriented (OO) architectural framework. An object-oriented architecture is more flexible and modular. It allows disparate applications and dynamic models to be integrated in a manner that minimizes (or eliminates) the need to rework or recreate the system as new models are added to the suite. In addition, an object-oriented design makes it easier to provide run-time feedback among models, thereby making it a more dynamic tool for exploring and providing insight into the interactions among ecosystem processes. Finally, an object-oriented design encourages the reuse of existing technology because OO-IDLAMS is able to integrate disparate models, databases, or applications executed in their native languages. Reuse is also accomplished through a structured approach to building a consistent and reusable object library. This reusability can substantially reduce the time and effort needed to develop future integrated ecosystem simulations.
Path-based rules in object-oriented programming
Crawford, J.M.; Dvorak, D.; Litman, D.; Mishra, A.; Patel-Schneider, P.F.
Object-oriented programming has recently emerged as one of the most important programming paradigms. While object-oriented programming clearly owes an intellectual debt to AI, it appears to be displacing some AI techniques, such as rule-based programming, from the marketplace. This need not be so as path-based rules-forward-chaining production rules that are restricted to follow pointers between objects-fit into the object-oriented paradigm in a clean and elegant way. The combination of path-based rules and object-oriented programming should be useful in AI applications, and in the more general problem of transferring AI techniques to the larger computer science community.
An object-oriented implementation of the Xpress transfor protocol
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Strayer, W. Timothy; Gray, Simon; Cline, Raymond E., Jr.
Object-oriented design principles map well onto protocol implementations because protocols essentially manipulate two structures - packets and the states of the endpoints. In this paper the authors describe an implementation of the Xpress Transfer Protocol as a user space daemon written in C++. The object-oriented model forces the programmer to properly place functionality and information ownership. The model facilitates porting to various platforms and greatly eases the task of building data delivery services.
An object-oriented implementation of the Xpress Transfer Protocol
Strayer, W.T.; Gray, S.; Cline, R.E. Jr.
Object-oriented design principles map well onto protocol implementations because protocols essentially manipulate two structures - packets and the states of the endpoints. In this paper the authors describe an implementation of the Xpress Transfer Protocol as a user space daemon written in C++. The object-oriented model forces the programmer to properly place functionality and information ownership. The model facilitates porting to various platforms and greatly eases the task of building data delivery services.
Classifying forms of encapsulation in object-oriented languages
Miller, G.G.; Znayenko, Z.O.
One of the key elements of object-oriented languages is encapsulation enforcement Encapsulation is a technique that minimizes program element dependence (coupling) by defining strict external interfaces. This paper divides the data encapsulation used by object-oriented languages into five forms. A graph grammar model is used to show how these forms can be enforced by constraining the manipulation of the object graph by the operations (methods) of an object.
Etomica: an object-oriented framework for molecular simulation.
Schultz, Andrew J; Kofke, David A
We describe the design of an object-oriented library of software components that are suitable for constructing simulations of systems of interacting particles. The emphasis of the discussion is on the general design of the components and how they interact, and less on details of the programming interface or its implementation. Example code is provided as an aid to understanding object-oriented programming structures and to demonstrate how the framework is applied. PMID:25565378
Framework for Development of Object-Oriented Software
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Perez-Poveda, Gus; Ciavarella, Tony; Nieten, Dan
The Real-Time Control (RTC) Application Framework is a high-level software framework written in C++ that supports the rapid design and implementation of object-oriented application programs. This framework provides built-in functionality that solves common software development problems within distributed client-server, multi-threaded, and embedded programming environments. When using the RTC Framework to develop software for a specific domain, designers and implementers can focus entirely on the details of the domain-specific software rather than on creating custom solutions, utilities, and frameworks for the complexities of the programming environment. The RTC Framework was originally developed as part of a Space Shuttle Launch Processing System (LPS) replacement project called Checkout and Launch Control System (CLCS). As a result of the framework s development, CLCS software development time was reduced by 66 percent. The framework is generic enough for developing applications outside of the launch-processing system domain. Other applicable high-level domains include command and control systems and simulation/ training systems.
ODIN-object-oriented development interface for NMR.
Jochimsen, Thies H; von Mengershausen, Michael
A cross-platform development environment for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments is presented. It allows rapid prototyping of new pulse sequences and provides a common programming interface for different system types. With this object-oriented interface implemented in C++, the programmer is capable of writing applications to control an experiment that can be executed on different measurement devices, even from different manufacturers, without the need to modify the source code. Due to the clear design of the software, new pulse sequences can be created, tested, and executed within a short time. To post-process the acquired data, an interface to well-known numerical libraries is part of the framework. This allows a transparent integration of the data processing instructions into the measurement module. The software focuses mainly on NMR imaging, but can also be used with limitations for spectroscopic experiments. To demonstrate the capabilities of the framework, results of the same experiment, carried out on two NMR imaging systems from different manufacturers are shown and compared with the results of a simulation. PMID:15324759
An object-oriented class library for medical software development.
O'Kane, K C; McColligan, E E
The objective of this research is the development of a Medical Object Library (MOL) consisting of reusable, inheritable, portable, extendable C++ classes that facilitate rapid development of medical software at reduced cost and increased functionality. The result of this research is a library of class objects that range in function from string and hierarchical file handling entities to high level, procedural agents that perform increasingly complex, integrated tasks. A system built upon these classes is compatible with any other system similarly constructed with respect to data definitions, semantics, data organization and storage. As new objects are built, they can be added to the class library for subsequent use. The MOL is a toolkit of software objects intended to support a common file access methodology, a unified medical record structure, consistent message processing, standard graphical display facilities and uniform data collection procedures. This work emphasizes the relationship that potentially exists between the structure of a hierarchical medical record and procedural language components by means of a hierarchical class library and tree structured file access facility. In doing so, it attempts to establish interest in and demonstrate the practicality of the hierarchical medical record model in the modern context of object oriented programming. PMID:9019098
Considerations of persistence and security in CHOICES, an object-oriented operating system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Campbell, Roy H.; Madany, Peter W.
The current design of the CHOICES persistent object implementation is summarized, and research in progress is outlined. CHOICES is implemented as an object-oriented system, and persistent objects appear to simplify and unify many functions of the system. It is demonstrated that persistent data can be accessed through an object-oriented file system model as efficiently as by an existing optimized commercial file system. The object-oriented file system can be specialized to provide an object store for persistent objects. The problems that arise in building an efficient persistent object scheme in a 32-bit virtual address space that only uses paging are described. Despite its limitations, the solution presented allows quite large numbers of objects to be active simultaneously, and permits sharing and efficient method calls.
Direct evaluation of fault trees using object-oriented programming techniques
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.
Object-oriented programming techniques are used in an algorithm for the direct evaluation of fault trees. The algorithm combines a simple bottom-up procedure for trees without repeated events with a top-down recursive procedure for trees with repeated events. The object-oriented approach results in a dynamic modularization of the tree at each step in the reduction process. The algorithm reduces the number of recursive calls required to solve trees with repeated events and calculates intermediate results as well as the solution of the top event. The intermediate results can be reused if part of the tree is modified. An example is presented in which the results of the algorithm implemented with conventional techniques are compared to those of the object-oriented approach.
Object-oriented software design for the Mt. Wilson 100-inch Hooker telescope adaptive optics system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schneider, Thomas G.
The object oriented software design paradigm has been instrumented in the development of the Adoptics software used in the Hooker telescope's ADOPT adaptive optics system. The software runs on a Pentium-class PC host and eight DSP processors connected to the host's motherboard bus. C++ classes were created to implement most of the host software's functionality, with the object oriented features of inheritance, encapsulation and abstraction being the most useful. Careful class design at the inception of the project allowed for the rapid addition of features without comprising the integrity of the software. Base class implementations include the DSP system, real-time graphical displays and opto-mechanical actuator control.
Object-Oriented Parallel Particle-in-Cell Code for Beam Dynamics Simulation in Linear Accelerators
Qiang, J.; Ryne, R.D.; Habib, S.; Decky, V.
In this paper, we present an object-oriented three-dimensional parallel particle-in-cell code for beam dynamics simulation in linear accelerators. A two-dimensional parallel domain decomposition approach is employed within a message passing programming paradigm along with a dynamic load balancing. Implementing object-oriented software design provides the code with better maintainability, reusability, and extensibility compared with conventional structure based code. This also helps to encapsulate the details of communications syntax. Performance tests on SGI/Cray T3E-900 and SGI Origin 2000 machines show good scalability of the object-oriented code. Some important features of this code also include employing symplectic integration with linear maps of external focusing elements and using z as the independent variable, typical in accelerators. A successful application was done to simulate beam transport through three superconducting sections in the APT linac design.
An Overview of OOPS+, an Object-Oriented Database Programming Language
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Laenens, Els; Vermeir, Dirk
This paper provides a brief introduction to the OOPS+ knowledge-representation language. While basically object-oriented, OOPS+ integrates database concepts as well as classical knowledge-representation techniques such as rule-based inference and demons. In addition, the language supports types as first-class objects, inheritance, imperative function definition, and query facilities based on logic programming.
Enhancing Problem-Solving Capabilities Using Object-Oriented Programming Language
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Unuakhalu, Mike F.
This study integrated object-oriented programming instruction with transfer training activities in everyday tasks, which might provide a mechanism that can be used for efficient problem solving. Specifically, a Visual BASIC embedded with everyday tasks group was compared to another group exposed to Visual BASIC instruction only. Subjects were 40…
Towards a general object-oriented software development methodology
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Seidewitz, ED; Stark, Mike
An object is an abstract software model of a problem domain entity. Objects are packages of both data and operations of that data (Goldberg 83, Booch 83). The Ada (tm) package construct is representative of this general notion of an object. Object-oriented design is the technique of using objects as the basic unit of modularity in systems design. The Software Engineering Laboratory at the Goddard Space Flight Center is currently involved in a pilot program to develop a flight dynamics simulator in Ada (approximately 40,000 statements) using object-oriented methods. Several authors have applied object-oriented concepts to Ada (e.g., Booch 83, Cherry 85). It was found that these methodologies are limited. As a result a more general approach was synthesized with allows a designer to apply powerful object-oriented principles to a wide range of applications and at all stages of design. An overview is provided of this approach. Further, how object-oriented design fits into the overall software life-cycle is considered.
Yes! An object-oriented compiler compiler (YOOCC)
Avotins, J.; Mingins, C.; Schmidt, H.
Grammar-based processor generation is one of the most widely studied areas in language processor construction. However, there have been very few approaches to date that reconcile object-oriented principles, processor generation, and an object-oriented language. Pertinent here also. is that currently to develop a processor using the Eiffel Parse libraries requires far too much time to be expended on tasks that can be automated. For these reasons, we have developed YOOCC (Yes! an Object-Oriented Compiler Compiler), which produces a processor framework from a grammar using an enhanced version of the Eiffel Parse libraries, incorporating the ideas hypothesized by Meyer, and Grape and Walden, as well as many others. Various essential changes have been made to the Eiffel Parse libraries. Examples are presented to illustrate the development of a processor using YOOCC, and it is concluded that the Eiffel Parse libraries are now not only an intelligent, but also a productive option for processor construction.
An Improved Suite of Object Oriented Software Measures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.; Weistroffer, H. Roland; Coppins, Richard J.
In the pursuit of ever increasing productivity, the need to be able to measure specific aspects of software is generally agreed upon. As object oriented programming languages are becoming more and more widely used, metrics specifically designed for object oriented software are required. In recent years there has been an explosion of new, object oriented software metrics proposed in the literature. Unfortunately, many or most of these proposed metrics have not been validated to measure what they claim to measure. In fact, an analysis of many of these metrics shows that they do not satisfy basic properties of measurement theory, and thus their application has to be suspect. In this paper ten improved metrics are proposed and are validated using measurement theory.
Object-Oriented Programming via Fortran 90/95
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Akin, Ed
Writing technical applications in a modern object-oriented approach, using Fortran 90 or 95, can be problematic. This book teaches how to employ the principles of object-oriented programming to produce clear, highly efficient executable codes (rather than focusing on the traditional procedural abilities of Fortran). This text is an excellent harbinger to all the features of the finalized, fully object-oriented Fortran 200X. In addition to covering the OOP methodologies, the basic foundation of the language and solid programming skills are reviewed, making the book valuable also as a good migration tool for experienced Fortran programmers that want to smoothly pick up the OOP paradigm. The author highlights common themes by using comparisons with Matlab® and C++ and uses numerous cross-referenced examples to convey all concepts quickly and clearly. Complete code for the examples is included on the accompanying CD.
Adopting object-oriented technology: A case study
Trythall, S.
Interest in object orientation has surged in the last couple of years. A considerable number of groups have evaluated the technology; some have produced prototypes, and an increasing number have developed applications. A few groups have built significant applications frameworks, most notably the SPIRIT application framework developed by Shell Services in Houston. There are now nascent attempts to define a standard for object-oriented infrastructures with the Petrotechnical Open Software Corp. (POSC) community. The Petroleum Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI) was one of the early adopters of this technology within the E and P industry. PSTI has been constructing a basin modeling toolbox using object-oriented technologies for the last 6 years. This paper introduces the techniques, describes their use of the technology within the Hedera project, and outlines their experience of the suitability of the techniques for use within the E and P industry.
C++, objected-oriented programming, and astronomical data models
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Farris, A.
Contemporary astronomy is characterized by increasingly complex instruments and observational techniques, higher data collection rates, and large data archives, placing severe stress on software analysis systems. The object-oriented paradigm represents a significant new approach to software design and implementation that holds great promise for dealing with this increased complexity. The basic concepts of this approach will be characterized in contrast to more traditional procedure-oriented approaches. The fundamental features of objected-oriented programming will be discussed from a C++ programming language perspective, using examples familiar to astronomers. This discussion will focus on objects, classes and their relevance to the data type system; the principle of information hiding; and the use of inheritance to implement generalization/specialization relationships. Drawing on the object-oriented approach, features of a new database model to support astronomical data analysis will be presented.
Humanoid Robotics: Real-Time Object Oriented Programming
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Newton, Jason E.
Programming of robots in today's world is often done in a procedural oriented fashion, where object oriented programming is not incorporated. In order to keep a robust architecture allowing for easy expansion of capabilities and a truly modular design, object oriented programming is required. However, concepts in object oriented programming are not typically applied to a real time environment. The Fujitsu HOAP-2 is the test bed for the development of a humanoid robot framework abstracting control of the robot into simple logical commands in a real time robotic system while allowing full access to all sensory data. In addition to interfacing between the motor and sensory systems, this paper discusses the software which operates multiple independently developed control systems simultaneously and the safety measures which keep the humanoid from damaging itself and its environment while running these systems. The use of this software decreases development time and costs and allows changes to be made while keeping results safe and predictable.
METASIM: object-oriented modelling of cell regulation.
Stoffers, H J; Sonnhammer, E L; Blommestijn, G J; Raat, N J; Westerhoff, H V
Enzymatic processes and substances are modelled as distinct objects, belonging to a limited number of classes. A set of class definitions in C++ is presented that constitutes an object-oriented programming platform. The latter supports 'biological' data types and functions and facilitates simulation of metabolic and regulatory pathways in living cells. To compute the time-evolution, Euler or Runge-Kutta methods are used, though the latter method compromises a strict object-oriented philosophy. As an example, histone gene expression during embryogenesis of Xenopus laevis is modelled. This object-oriented programming system forms a modelling 'language' which is readily understood by both biochemists and programmers. It allows biological problems to be programmed more easily and correctly and brings the program closer to the biological reality, hence making it more meaningful to bioscientists. Moreover, it can readily be extended to new models by class derivation. PMID:1422877
Guest Editor's introduction: Selected papers from the 4th USENIX Conference on Object-Oriented Technologies and Systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sventek, Joe
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA Introduction The USENIX Conference on Object-Oriented Technologies and Systems (COOTS) is held annually in the late spring. The conference evolved from a set of C++ workshops that were held under the auspices of USENIX, the first of which met in 1989. Given the growing diverse interest in object-oriented technologies, the C++ focus of the workshop eventually became too narrow, with the result that the scope was widened in 1995 to include object-oriented technologies and systems. COOTS is intended to showcase advanced R&D efforts in object-oriented technologies and software systems. The conference emphasizes experimental research and experience gained by using object-oriented techniques and languages to build complex software systems that meet real-world needs. COOTS solicits papers in the following general areas: application of, and experiences with, object-oriented technologies in particular domains (e.g. financial, medical, telecommunication); the architecture and implementation of distributed object systems (e.g. CORBA, DCOM, RMI); object-oriented programming and specification languages; object-oriented design and analysis. The 4th meeting of COOTS was held 27 - 30 April 1998 at the El Dorado Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Several tutorials were given. The technical program proper consisted of a single track of six sessions, with three paper presentations per session. A keynote address and a provocative panel session rounded out the technical program. The program committee reviewed 56 papers, selecting the best 18 for presentation in the technical sessions. While we solicit papers across the spectrum of applications of object-oriented technologies, this year there was a predominance of distributed, object-oriented papers. The accepted papers reflected this asymmetry, with 15 papers on distributed objects and 3 papers on object-oriented languages. The papers in this special issue are
Object-oriented millisecond timers for the PC.
Hamm, J P
Object-oriented programming provides a useful structure for designing reusable code. Accurate millisecond timing is essential for many areas of research. With this in mind, this paper provides a Turbo Pascal unit containing an object-oriented millisecond timer. This approach allows for multiple timers to be running independently. The timers may also be set at different levels of temporal precision, such as 10(-3) (milliseconds) or 10(-5) sec. The object also is able to store the time of a flagged event for later examination without interrupting the ongoing timing operation. PMID:11816457
Object-Oriented Design for Sparse Direct Solvers
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Dobrian, Florin; Kumfert, Gary; Pothen, Alex
We discuss the object-oriented design of a software package for solving sparse, symmetric systems of equations (positive definite and indefinite) by direct methods. At the highest layers, we decouple data structure classes from algorithmic classes for flexibility. We describe the important structural and algorithmic classes in our design, and discuss the trade-offs we made for high performance. The kernels at the lower layers were optimized by hand. Our results show no performance loss from our object-oriented design, while providing flexibility, case of use, and extensibility over solvers using procedural design.
OPT++: An object-oriented class library for nonlinear optimization
Meza, J.C.
Object-oriented programming is becoming a popular way of developing new software. The promise of this new programming paradigm is that software developed through these concepts will be more reliable and easier to re-use, thereby decreasing the time and cost of the software development cycle. This report describes the development of a C++ class library for nonlinear optimization. Using object-oriented techniques, this new library was designed so that the interface is easy to use while being general enough so that new optimization algorithms can be added easily to the existing framework.
Object-oriented structures supporting remote sensing databases
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wichmann, Keith; Cromp, Robert F.
Object-oriented databases show promise for modeling the complex interrelationships pervasive in scientific domains. To examine the utility of this approach, we have developed an Intelligent Information Fusion System based on this technology, and applied it to the problem of managing an active repository of remotely-sensed satellite scenes. The design and implementation of the system is compared and contrasted with conventional relational database techniques, followed by a presentation of the underlying object-oriented data structures used to enable fast indexing into the data holdings.
Mentat: An object-oriented macro data flow system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Grimshaw, Andrew S.; Liu, Jane W. S.
Mentat, an object-oriented macro data flow system designed to facilitate parallelism in distributed systems, is presented. The macro data flow model is a model of computation similar to the data flow model with two principal differences: the computational complexity of the actors is much greater than in traditional data flow systems, and there are persistent actors that maintain state information between executions. Mentat is a system that combines the object-oriented programming paradigm and the macro data flow model of computation. Mentat programs use a dynamic structure called a future list to represent the future of computations.
Large project experiences with object-oriented methods and reuse
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wessale, William; Reifer, Donald J.; Weller, David
The SSVTF (Space Station Verification and Training Facility) project is completing the Preliminary Design Review of a large software development using object-oriented methods and systematic reuse. An incremental developmental lifecycle was tailored to provide early feedback and guidance on methods and products, with repeated attention to reuse. Object oriented methods were formally taught and supported by realistic examples. Reuse was readily accepted and planned by the developers. Schedule and budget issues were handled by agreements and work sharing arranged by the developers.
An object-oriented, technology-adaptive information model
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Anyiwo, Joshua C.
The primary objective was to develop a computer information system for effectively presenting NASA's technologies to American industries, for appropriate commercialization. To this end a comprehensive information management model, applicable to a wide variety of situations, and immune to computer software/hardware technological gyrations, was developed. The model consists of four main elements: a DATA_STORE, a data PRODUCER/UPDATER_CLIENT and a data PRESENTATION_CLIENT, anchored to a central object-oriented SERVER engine. This server engine facilitates exchanges among the other model elements and safeguards the integrity of the DATA_STORE element. It is designed to support new technologies, as they become available, such as Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), on-demand audio-video data streaming with compression (such as is required for video conferencing), Worldwide Web (WWW) and other information services and browsing, fax-back data requests, presentation of information on CD-ROM, and regular in-house database management, regardless of the data model in place. The four components of this information model interact through a system of intelligent message agents which are customized to specific information exchange needs. This model is at the leading edge of modern information management models. It is independent of technological changes and can be implemented in a variety of ways to meet the specific needs of any communications situation. This summer a partial implementation of the model has been achieved. The structure of the DATA_STORE has been fully specified and successfully tested using Microsoft's FoxPro 2.6 database management system. Data PRODUCER/UPDATER and PRESENTATION architectures have been developed and also successfully implemented in FoxPro; and work has started on a full implementation of the SERVER engine. The model has also been successfully applied to a CD-ROM presentation of NASA's technologies in support of Langley Research Center's TAG
XSPEC12: Object-Oriented X-Ray Analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dorman, B.; Arnaud, K. A.; Gordon, Craig A.
XSPEC was designed to be a mission-independent general purpose X-ray data analysis program. In order for XSPEC to keep fulfilling this role well into the 21st Century we have re-implemented its code base in ANSI C++ using object oriented programming techniques. The abstract programming formulation used for XSPEC12 gives considerable advantages for the future. It will be possible to implement new data formats, table model formats, fitting and statistical techniques by loading ``add-in'' modules without the necessity of recompiling existing code. As the first examples, we have written modules that (a) read INTEGRAL/SPI data and responses and (b) implement the CERN/MINUIT optimization library. The new code can also solve problems with source confusion (multiple sources can be modeled and fit from a single spectrum). As for efficiency, the new code achieves similar performance in double precision arithmetic than XSPEC11 gives in single precision. For the cases of analysis with simple analytical models and large spectral arrays, and time series analyses (multiple spectra with the same response matrices) XSPEC12 should give a considerable speed advantage over previous versions. XSPEC12 will have a very similar, but enhanced, syntax over previous releases. It will continue to support user models in Fortran77, but will also support user models in C and C++. The I/O streams designed for XSPEC12 can support either a command line user interface or, in future, a GUI. Additionally, the plotting interface has been written to be independent of the plotting library: future releases will be able to implement newer user graphics packages. XSPEC12 should be available as an alpha release in the late Spring of 2003. We encourage readers to join the testing program that we will be announcing once the release date has been set.
Prototyping an Interactive Electronic Book System Using an Object-Oriented Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pasquier-Boltuck, Jacques; Grossman, Ed; Collaud, Gérald
An Integrated Electronic Book (IEB) represents a complex network of integrated information and "know how" on a given subject. In the design phase of WEBS (Woven Electronic Book System), we soon realized that, because we were describing the IEB in terms of "objects" and "methods," and because we wanted WEBS to be easily expandable and to offer a consistent user interface, we should use an object-oriented development system.
An NAFP Project: Use of Object Oriented Methodologies and Design Patterns to Refactor Software Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Shaykhian, Gholam Ali; Baggs, Rhoda
In the early problem-solution era of software programming, functional decompositions were mainly used to design and implement software solutions. In functional decompositions, functions and data are introduced as two separate entities during the design phase, and are followed as such in the implementation phase. Functional decompositions make use of refactoring through optimizing the algorithms, grouping similar functionalities into common reusable functions, and using abstract representations of data where possible; all these are done during the implementation phase. This paper advocates the usage of object-oriented methodologies and design patterns as the centerpieces of refactoring software solutions. Refactoring software is a method of changing software design while explicitly preserving its external functionalities. The combined usage of object-oriented methodologies and design patterns to refactor should also benefit the overall software life cycle cost with improved software.
A Uniform Indexing Scheme for Object-Oriented Databases.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gudes, Ehud
Performance is a critical factor hindering the use of object-oriented databases (OODB). This article proposes a new and uniform indexing scheme for enhancing OODBs with advantages for small range, clustered sets queries. Reviews several other indexing schemes; presents the U-index scheme; discusses its performance; and presents experimental…
Object-Oriented Algorithm For Evaluation Of Fault Trees
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.
Algorithm for direct evaluation of fault trees incorporates techniques of object-oriented programming. Reduces number of calls needed to solve trees with repeated events. Provides significantly improved software environment for such computations as quantitative analyses of safety and reliability of complicated systems of equipment (e.g., spacecraft or factories).
Strategies for Teaching Object-Oriented Concepts with Java
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sicilia, Miguel-Angel
A considerable amount of experiences in teaching object-oriented concepts using the Java language have been reported to date, some of which describe language pitfalls and concrete learning difficulties. In this paper, a number of additional issues that have been experienced as difficult for students to master, along with approaches intended to…
Object-oriented fault tree evaluation program for quantitative analyses
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.
Object-oriented programming can be combined with fault free techniques to give a significantly improved environment for evaluating the safety and reliability of large complex systems for space missions. Deep knowledge about system components and interactions, available from reliability studies and other sources, can be described using objects that make up a knowledge base. This knowledge base can be interrogated throughout the design process, during system testing, and during operation, and can be easily modified to reflect design changes in order to maintain a consistent information source. An object-oriented environment for reliability assessment has been developed on a Texas Instrument (TI) Explorer LISP workstation. The program, which directly evaluates system fault trees, utilizes the object-oriented extension to LISP called Flavors that is available on the Explorer. The object representation of a fault tree facilitates the storage and retrieval of information associated with each event in the tree, including tree structural information and intermediate results obtained during the tree reduction process. Reliability data associated with each basic event are stored in the fault tree objects. The object-oriented environment on the Explorer also includes a graphical tree editor which was modified to display and edit the fault trees.
Instructional Design Paradigms: Is Object-Oriented Design Next?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ross, John Minor
Proposes that object-oriented (OO) analysis, design, and programming methods, currently having a major impact on computing, will play an increasing role in shaping the paradigms of performance technology--particularly in instructional design (ID). Ties this crossover of OO from computing to ID to design trends and ongoing research in ID. (AEF)
Experiences Building an Object-Oriented System in C++
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Madany, Peter W.; Campbell, Roy H.; Kougiouris, Panagiotis
This paper describes tools that we built to support the construction of an object-oriented operating system in C++. The tools provide the automatic deletion of unwanted objects, first-class classes, dynamically loadable classes, and class-oriented debugging. As a consequence of our experience building Choices, we advocate these features as useful, simplifying and unifying many aspects of system programming.
Object-Oriented Scientific Programming with Fortran 90
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norton, C.
Fortran 90 is a modern language that introduces many important new features beneficial for scientific programming. We discuss our experiences in plasma particle simulation and unstructured adaptive mesh refinement on supercomputers, illustrating the features of Fortran 90 that support the object-oriented methodology.
How Reuse Influences Productivity in Object-Oriented Systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Basili, Victor R.; Briand, Lionel C.; Melo, Walcelio L.
Although reuse is assumed to be especially valuable in building high quality software as well as in Object Oriented (OO) development, limited empirical evidence connects reuse with productivity and quality gains. The author's eight system study begins to define such benefits in an OO framework, most notably in terms of reduce defect density and rework as well as in increased productivity.
Quick Prototyping of Educational Software: An Object-Oriented Approach.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wong, Simon C-H
Introduces and demonstrates a quick-prototyping model for educational software development that can be used by teachers developing their own courseware using an object-oriented programming system. Development of a courseware package called "The Match-Maker" is explained as an example that uses HyperCard for quick prototyping. (Contains 21…
Advanced characterization of hysteretic materials by object-oriented software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ionita, V.; Gavrila, H.
A new object-oriented software, which is dedicated for the characterization of magnetic materials, including the hysteresis effect, is presented. The product allows the development and utilization of an information base, containing experimental and numerical data related to the magnetic material behaviour. The materials may be modelled with different hysteresis models (Preisach, Jiles-Atherton, etc.).
Data management in an object-oriented distributed aircraft conceptual design environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lu, Zhijie
distributed object-oriented framework. By overcoming the shortcomings of the traditional approach of modeling aircraft conceptual design data, this data model makes it possible to capture specific detailed information of aircraft conceptual design without sacrificing generality, which is one of the most desired features of a data model for aircraft conceptual design. Based upon this data model, a prototype of the data management system, which is one of the fundamental building blocks of the NextADE, is implemented utilizing the state of the art information technologies. Using a general-purpose integration software package to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework and the data management system, the NextADE is initially implemented by integrating the prototype of the data management system with other building blocks of the design environment, such as disciplinary analyses programs and mission analyses programs. As experiments, two case studies are conducted in the integrated design environments. One is based upon a simplified conceptual design of a notional conventional aircraft; the other is a simplified conceptual design of an unconventional aircraft. As a result of the experiments, the proposed framework and the data management approach are shown to be feasible solutions to the research problems.
Flexibility on storage-release based distributed hydrologic modeling with object-oriented approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kang, Kwangmin; Merwade, Venkatesh; Chun, Jong Ahn; Timlin, Dennis
With the availability of advanced hydrologic data in public domain such as remote sensed and climate change scenario data, there is a need for a modeling framework that is capable of using these data to simulate and extend hydrologic processes with multidisciplinary approaches for sustainable water resources management. To address this need, a storage-release based distributed hydrologic model (STORE DHM) is developed based on an object-oriented approach. The model is tested for demonstrating model flexibility and extensibility to know how to well integrate object-oriented approach to further hydrologic research issues, e.g., reconstructing missing precipitation in this study, without changing its main frame. Moreover, the STORE DHM is applied to simulate hydrological processes with multiple classes in the Nanticoke watershed. This study also describes a conceptual and structural framework of object-oriented inheritance and aggregation characteristics under the STORE DHM. In addition, NearestMP (missing value estimation based on nearest neighborhood regression) and KernelMP (missing value estimation based on Kernel Function) are proposed for evaluating STORE DHM flexibility. And then, STORE DHM runoff hydrographs compared with NearestMP and KernelMP runoff hydrographs. Overall results from these comparisons show promising hydrograph outputs generated by the proposed two classes. Consequently, this study suggests that STORE DHM with an object-oriented approach will be a comprehensive water resources modeling tools by adding additional classes for toward developing through its flexibility and extensibility.
Extension of an Object-Oriented Optimization Tool: User's Reference Manual
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson S.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center has developed a cost-effective and flexible object-oriented optimization (O (sup 3)) tool that leverages existing tools and practices and allows easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. This object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines, as opposed to relying on one code to perform analysis for all disciplines. Optimization can thus take place within each discipline module, or in a loop between the O (sup 3) tool and the discipline modules, or both. Six different sample mathematical problems are presented to demonstrate the performance of the O (sup 3) tool. Instructions for preparing input data for the O (sup 3) tool are detailed in this user's manual.
Modeling the Object-Oriented Space Through Validated Measures
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.
In order to truly understand software and the software development process, software measurement must be better understood. A beginning step toward a better understanding of software measurement is the categorization of the measurements by some meaningful taxonomy. The most meaningful taxonomy would capture the basic nature of the subject oriented (O-O) space. The interesting characteristics of object oriented software offer a starting point for such a categorization of measures. A taxonomy has been developed based on fourteen characteristics of object-oriented software gathered from the literature This taxonomy allows us to easily see gaps and redundancies in the O-O measures. The taxonomy also clearly differentiates among taxa so that there is no ambiguity as to the taxon to which a measure belongs. The taxonomy has been populated with thirty-two measures that have been validated in the narrow sense of Fenton, using measurement theory with Zuse's augmentation.
An object-oriented approach to simulator postprocessing
Leach, B.F.; Scherer, P.W.; Starley, G.P.
An interactive, graphical software package provides the ability to view production well data generated by reservoir simulation. The program (KEYPLOT-X) includes several novel concepts, such as use of object-oriented technology for graphical software and a direct-access database structure. The entire application is constructed from a library of elemental objects. Inheritance of properties between objects produces extremely modular code, which greatly enhances maintenance and extendibility. The database has a direct-access hierarchical structure that is object-oriented, simplifying the data access protocol to provide rapid interactivity between the database, applications, and user interface. The overall approach has provided a high degree of functionality and flexibility to engineering applications and a manageable software structure for maintenance and development.
Generic, Type-Safe and Object Oriented Computer Algebra Software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kredel, Heinz; Jolly, Raphael
Advances in computer science, in particular object oriented programming, and software engineering have had little practical impact on computer algebra systems in the last 30 years. The software design of existing systems is still dominated by ad-hoc memory management, weakly typed algorithm libraries and proprietary domain specific interactive expression interpreters. We discuss a modular approach to computer algebra software: usage of state-of-the-art memory management and run-time systems (e.g. JVM) usage of strongly typed, generic, object oriented programming languages (e.g. Java) and usage of general purpose, dynamic interactive expression interpreters (e.g. Python) To illustrate the workability of this approach, we have implemented and studied computer algebra systems in Java and Scala. In this paper we report on the current state of this work by presenting new examples.
An object-oriented multidimensional model for data warehouse
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gosain, Anjana; Mann, Suman
Organizations, to have a competitive edge upon each other, resort to business intelligence which refers to information available for enterprise to make strategic decisions. Data warehouse being the repository of data provides the backend for achieving business intelligence. The design of data warehouse, thereby, forms the key, to extract and obtain the relevant information facilitating to make strategic decisions. The initial focus for the design had been upon the conceptual models but now object oriented multidimensional modelling has emerged as the foundation for the designing of data warehouse. Several proposals have been put forth for object oriented multidimensional modelling, each incorporating some or other features, but not all. This paper consolidates all the features previously introduced and the new introduced, thus, proposing a new model having features to be incorporated while designing the data warehouse.
Object-oriented simulation for the Superconducting Super Collider
Zhou, Jiasheng; Chung, Moon-Jung
This paper describes the design and implementation of an object-oriented simulation environment called OZ for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). The design applies object-oriented technology to data visualization, behavior modelling, dynamic simulation and version control. A meta class structure is proposed to model different types of objects in large systems by their functionality. OZ provides a direct-manipulation user interface which allows the user to visualize the data as an object in the database and interactively model the component of the system. Modelling can be exercised at different levels of the class hierarchy and then can be dynamically bound into a system for simulation. Inheritance is used to derive new configurations of the system or subsystem from the existing one, and specify an object`s behavior. Delegation is used to construct a system by instantiating existing objects and ``stealing`` their methods by delegators.
Object-oriented biomedical system modelling--the language.
Hakman, M; Groth, T
The paper describes a new object-oriented biomedical continuous system modelling language (OOBSML). It is fully object-oriented and supports model inheritance, encapsulation, and model component instantiation and behaviour polymorphism. Besides the traditional differential and algebraic equation expressions the language includes also formal expressions for documenting models and defining model quantity types and quantity units. It supports explicit definition of model input-, output- and state quantities, model components and component connections. The OOBSML model compiler produces self-contained, independent, executable model components that can be instantiated and used within other OOBSML models and/or stored within model and model component libraries. In this way complex models can be structured as multilevel, multi-component model hierarchies. Technically the model components produced by the OOBSML compiler are executable computer code objects based on distributed object and object request broker technology. This paper includes both the language tutorial and the formal language syntax and semantic description. PMID:10579511
An Object-Oriented Approach to Writing Computational Electromagnetics Codes
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zimmerman, Martin; Mallasch, Paul G.
Presently, most computer software development in the Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) community employs the structured programming paradigm, particularly using the Fortran language. Other segments of the software community began switching to an Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm in recent years to help ease design and development of highly complex codes. This paper examines design of a time-domain numerical analysis CEM code using the OOP paradigm, comparing OOP code and structured programming code in terms of software maintenance, portability, flexibility, and speed.
Guide to object-oriented analysis and design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Harrison, Harry C.
The purpose of this guide is to provide Marshall Space Flight Center personnel with guidelines for the use of object-oriented analysis and design and to describe how it can be accomplished within the framework of existing development directives, including the Software Development Plan. It is not intended as a detailed tutorial. The reader is referred to the Coad and Yourdon texts in the References.
Objects as closures: Abstract semantics of object oriented languages
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Reddy, Uday S.
We discuss denotational semantics of object-oriented languages, using the concept of closure widely used in (semi) functional programming to encapsulate side effects. It is shown that this denotational framework is adequate to explain classes, instantiation, and inheritance in the style of Simula as well as SMALLTALK-80. This framework is then compared with that of Kamin, in his recent denotational definition of SMALLTALK-80, and the implications of the differences between the two approaches are discussed.
Development of an object oriented lattice QCD code "Bridge++"
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ueda, S.; Aoki, S.; Aoyama, T.; Kanaya, K.; Matsufuru, H.; Motoki, S.; Namekawa, Y.; Nemura, H.; Taniguchi, Y.; Ukita, N.
We are developing a new lattice QCD code set "Bridge++" aiming at extensible, readable, and portable workbench for QCD simulations, while keeping a high performance at the same time. Bridge++ covers conventional lattice actions and numerical algorithms. The code set is constructed in C++ with an object oriented programming. In this paper we describe fundamental ingredients of the code and the current status of development.
Objects as closures - Abstract semantics of object oriented languages
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Reddy, Uday S.
The denotational semantics of object-oriented languages is discussed using the concept of closure widely used in (semi) functional programming to encapsulate side effects. It is shown that this denotational framework is adequate to explain classes, instantiation, and inheritance in the style of Simula as well as SMALLTALK-80. This framework is then compared with that of Kamin (1988), in his recent denotational definition of SMALLTALK-80, and the implications of the differences between the two approaches are discussed.
Multi-point objective-oriented sequential sampling strategy for constrained robust design
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhu, Ping; Zhang, Siliang; Chen, Wei
Metamodelling techniques are widely used to approximate system responses of expensive simulation models. In association with the use of metamodels, objective-oriented sequential sampling methods have been demonstrated to be effective in balancing the need for searching an optimal solution versus reducing the metamodelling uncertainty. However, existing infilling criteria are developed for deterministic problems and restricted to one sampling point in one iteration. To exploit the use of multiple samples and identify the true robust solution in fewer iterations, a multi-point objective-oriented sequential sampling strategy is proposed for constrained robust design problems. In this article, earlier development of objective-oriented sequential sampling strategy for unconstrained robust design is first extended to constrained problems. Next, a double-loop multi-point sequential sampling strategy is developed. The proposed methods are validated using two mathematical examples followed by a highly nonlinear automotive crashworthiness design example. The results show that the proposed method can mitigate the effect of both metamodelling uncertainty and design uncertainty, and identify the robust design solution more efficiently than the single-point sequential sampling approach.
Knowledge-based simulation using object-oriented programming
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sidoran, Karen M.
Simulations have become a powerful mechanism for understanding and modeling complex phenomena. Their results have had substantial impact on a broad range of decisions in the military, government, and industry. Because of this, new techniques are continually being explored and developed to make them even more useful, understandable, extendable, and efficient. One such area of research is the application of the knowledge-based methods of artificial intelligence (AI) to the computer simulation field. The goal of knowledge-based simulation is to facilitate building simulations of greatly increased power and comprehensibility by making use of deeper knowledge about the behavior of the simulated world. One technique for representing and manipulating knowledge that has been enhanced by the AI community is object-oriented programming. Using this technique, the entities of a discrete-event simulation can be viewed as objects in an object-oriented formulation. Knowledge can be factual (i.e., attributes of an entity) or behavioral (i.e., how the entity is to behave in certain circumstances). Rome Laboratory's Advanced Simulation Environment (RASE) was developed as a research vehicle to provide an enhanced simulation development environment for building more intelligent, interactive, flexible, and realistic simulations. This capability will support current and future battle management research and provide a test of the object-oriented paradigm for use in large scale military applications.
EMEN2: An Object Oriented Database and Electronic Lab Notebook
Rees, Ian; Langley, Ed; Chiu, Wah; Ludtke, Steven J.
Transmission electron microscopy and associated methods such as single particle analysis, 2-D crystallography, helical reconstruction and tomography, are highly data-intensive experimental sciences, which also have substantial variability in experimental technique. Object-oriented databases present an attractive alternative to traditional relational databases for situations where the experiments themselves are continually evolving. We present EMEN2, an easy to use object-oriented database with a highly flexible infrastructure originally targeted for transmission electron microscopy and tomography, which has been extended to be adaptable for use in virtually any experimental science. It is a pure object-oriented database designed for easy adoption in diverse laboratory environments, and does not require professional database administration. It includes a full featured, dynamic web interface in addition to APIs for programmatic access. EMEN2 installations currently support roughly 800 scientists worldwide with over 1/2 million experimental records and over 20 TB of experimental data. The software is freely available with complete source. PMID:23360752
Interface between object-oriented systems. Technical report
Crowl, L.A.
The Chrysalis operating system for the Butterfly Parallel Processor presents an object-oriented programming environment based on shared memory. However, because of Chrysalis's low-level orientation and its use of type-unsafe features of the C programming language, programs using the environment are difficult to program and highly error-prone. Using C as the primary programming language for the Butterfly does not fully realize the benefit of Chrysalis's object orientation. An object-oriented programming language is natural candidate for improving the Chrysalis environment. The C ++ programming language provides a number of advantages in developing such an interface. This paper reports the successes and problems encountered in the development of Chrysalis ++, a C ++ interface to Chrysalis ++ uncovered many strengths and weakness in C ++. Some apply to C ++ in general, others apply only to its adaptation to a parallel programming environment. It is important to note that C++ is a sequential language; it is use in a parallel programming environment is therefore outside the bounds of its design.
Object-Oriented Multi-Disciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pak, Chan-gi
An Object-Oriented Optimization (O3) tool was developed that leverages existing tools and practices, and allows the easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. At the heart of the O3 tool is the Central Executive Module (CEM), which can integrate disparate software packages in a cross platform network environment so as to quickly perform optimization and design tasks in a cohesive, streamlined manner. This object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines instead of relying on one code to perform the analysis for all disciplines. The CEM was written in FORTRAN and the script commands for each performance index were submitted through the use of the FORTRAN Call System command. In this CEM, the user chooses an optimization methodology, defines objective and constraint functions from performance indices, and provides starting and side constraints for continuous as well as discrete design variables. The structural analysis modules such as computations of the structural weight, stress, deflection, buckling, and flutter and divergence speeds have been developed and incorporated into the O3 tool to build an object-oriented Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization (MDAO) tool.
Challenges and Opportunities in Using Automatic Differentiation with Object-Oriented Toolkits for Scientific Computing
Hovland, P; Lee, S; McInnes, L; Norris, B; Smith, B
The increased use of object-oriented toolkits in large-scale scientific simulation presents new opportunities and challenges for the use of automatic (or algorithmic) differentiation (AD) techniques, especially in the context of optimization. Because object-oriented toolkits use well-defined interfaces and data structures, there is potential for simplifying the AD process. Furthermore, derivative computation can be improved by exploiting high-level information about numerical and computational abstractions. However, challenges to the successful use of AD with these toolkits also exist. Among the greatest challenges is balancing the desire to limit the scope of the AD process with the desire to minimize the work required of a user. They discuss their experiences in integrating AD with the PETSc, PVODE, and TAO toolkits and the plans for future research and development in this area.
An application of object-oriented knowledge representation to engineering expert systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Logie, D. S.; Kamil, H.; Umaretiya, J. R.
The paper describes an object-oriented knowledge representation and its application to engineering expert systems. The object-oriented approach promotes efficient handling of the problem data by allowing knowledge to be encapsulated in objects and organized by defining relationships between the objects. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was implemented as a tool for building and manipulating the object base. Rule-based knowledge representation is then used to simulate engineering design reasoning. Using a common object base, very large expert systems can be developed, comprised of small, individually processed, rule sets. The integration of these two schemes makes it easier to develop practical engineering expert systems. The general approach to applying this technology to the domain of the finite element analysis, design, and optimization of aerospace structures is discussed.
Object oriented Simulation of Maintenance and Operations for Space Systems (OSMOSSYS)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Doran, Linda; Nguyen, Vien; Nguyen, Judy; Blumentritt, Will
This paper describes the NASA/JSC Research Technology Opportunity Program (RTOP) activity to assess the supportability of space systems throughout their life cycles. Supportability analyses for space systems present unique attributes and problems. The OSMOSSYS (Object oriented Simulation of Maintenance and Operations for Space Systems) was developed using object-oriented design concepts to provide NASA an analysis tool which addresses the question `Will a proposed space facility be able to successfully perform the missions for which it is designed?' This model integrates the complete configuration of the system including the reliability and maintainability characteristics of each component, the logistics support, and the mission operations of the facility to assess the success rate of the planned mission(s). Two parallel design processes are being utilized; developing core modules utilizing C++, and incorporating as much code and ideas as possible from existing NASA models. The space station was used as a test case to demonstrate the applicability of the model.
Enhancing Interactivity and Productivity through Object-Oriented Authoring: An Instructional Designer's Perspective.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chapman, Bryan L.
Discusses the effect of object-oriented programming on the evolution of authoring systems. Topics include the definition of an object; examples of object-oriented authoring interfaces; what object-orientation means to an instructional developer; how object orientation increases productivity and enhances interactivity; and the future of courseware…
Reviews of computing technology: Object-oriented technology
Skeen, D.C.
A useful metaphor in introducing object-oriented concepts is the idea of a computer hardware manufacturer assembling products from an existing stock of electronic parts. In this analogy, think of the parts as pieces of computer software and of the finished products as computer applications. Like its counterpart, the object is capable of performing its specific function in a wide variety of different applications. The advantages to assembling hardware using a set of prebuilt parts are obvious. The design process is greatly simplified in this scenario, since the designer needs only to carry the design down to the chip level, rather than to the transistor level. As a result, the designer is free to develop a more reliable and feature rich product. Also, since the component parts are reused in several different products, the parts can be made more robust and subjected to more rigorous testing than would be economically feasible for a part used in only one piece of equipment. Additionally, maintenance on the resulting systems is simplified because of the part-level consistency from one type of equipment to another. The remainder of this document introduces the techniques used to develop objects, the benefits of the technology, outstanding issues that remain with the technology, industry direction for the technology, and the impact that object-oriented technology is likely to have on the organization. While going through this material, the reader will find it useful to remember the parts analogy and to keep in mind that the overall purpose of object-oriented technology is to create software parts and to construct applications using those parts.
Mapper: A distributed object-oriented database application
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Younger, Herbert; O'Reilly, John; Frogner, Bjorn
This paper discusses the results of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project. The initial application involved decomposition of a large database across multiple processors to improve the speed of processing compound queries. The commercial outcome was a tourist information system with a point-to-point driving direction program called MAPPER. A distributed, object-oriented approach was used for the general design, while a spatial decomposition was used to divide the database into computationally manageable pieces. The resulting system is highly flexible with respect to both modifications and reuse.
An Object-oriented Taxonomy of Medical Data Presentations
Starren, Justin; Johnson, Stephen B.
A variety of methods have been proposed for presenting medical data visually on computers. Discussion of and comparison among these methods have been hindered by a lack of consistent terminology. A taxonomy of medical data presentations based on object-oriented user interface principles is presented. Presentations are divided into five major classes—list, table, graph, icon, and generated text. These are subdivided into eight subclasses with simple inheritance and four subclasses with multiple inheritance. The various subclasses are reviewed and examples are provided. Issues critical to the development and evaluation of presentations are also discussed. PMID:10641959
XJava: Exploiting Parallelism with Object-Oriented Stream Programming
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Otto, Frank; Pankratius, Victor; Tichy, Walter F.
This paper presents the XJava compiler for parallel programs. It exploits parallelism based on an object-oriented stream programming paradigm. XJava extends Java with new parallel constructs that do not expose programmers to low-level details of parallel programming on shared memory machines. Tasks define composable parallel activities, and new operators allow an easier expression of parallel patterns, such as pipelines, divide and conquer, or master/worker. We also present an automatic run-time mechanism that extends our previous work to automatically map tasks and parallel statements to threads.
Overture: object-oriented tools for overset grid applications
Brown, D L; Henshaw, W D; Quinlan, D J
The Overture framework is an object-oriented environment for solving partial differential equations in two and three space dimensions. It is a collection of C++ libraries that enables the use of finite difference and finite volume methods at a level that hides the details of the associated data structures. Overture can be used to solve problems in complicated, moving geometries using the method of overlapping grids. It has support for grid generation, difference operators, boundary conditions, data-base access and graphics. Short sample code segments are presented to show the power of this approach.
Overture: Object-Oriented Tools for Application with Complex Geometry
Brown, D.; Henshaw, B.; Quinlan, D.
The Overture framework is an object-oriented environment for solving partial differential equations in two and three space dimensions. It is a collection of C++ libraries that enables the use of finite difference and finite volume methods at a level that hides the details of the associated data structures. Overture can be used to solve problems in complicated, moving geometries using the method of overlapping grids. It has support for grid generation, difference operators, boundary conditions, data-base access and graphics. Short sample code segments are presented to show the power of this approach.
Object-oriented algorithmic laboratory for ordering sparse matrices
Kumfert, G K
We focus on two known NP-hard problems that have applications in sparse matrix computations: the envelope/wavefront reduction problem and the fill reduction problem. Envelope/wavefront reducing orderings have a wide range of applications including profile and frontal solvers, incomplete factorization preconditioning, graph reordering for cache performance, gene sequencing, and spatial databases. Fill reducing orderings are generally limited to--but an inextricable part of--sparse matrix factorization. Our major contribution to this field is the design of new and improved heuristics for these NP-hard problems and their efficient implementation in a robust, cross-platform, object-oriented software package. In this body of research, we (1) examine current ordering algorithms, analyze their asymptotic complexity, and characterize their behavior in model problems, (2) introduce new and improved algorithms that address deficiencies found in previous heuristics, (3) implement an object-oriented library of these algorithms in a robust, modular fashion without significant loss of efficiency, and (4) extend our algorithms and software to address both generalized and constrained problems. We stress that the major contribution is the algorithms and the implementation; the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The initial motivation for implementing our algorithms in object-oriented software was to manage the inherent complexity. During our research came the realization that the object-oriented implementation enabled new possibilities augmented algorithms that would not have been as natural to generalize from a procedural implementation. Some extensions are constructed from a family of related algorithmic components, thereby creating a poly-algorithm that can adapt its strategy to the properties of the specific problem instance dynamically. Other algorithms are tailored for special constraints by aggregating algorithmic components and having them collaboratively
The Front End Computer (FEC) environment imposes special demands on software, beyond real time performance and robustness. FEC software must manage a diverse inventory of devices with individualistic timing requirements and hardware interfaces. It must implement network services which export device access to the control system at large, interpreting a uniform network communications protocol into the specific control requirements of the individual devices. Object oriented languages provide programming techniques which neatly address these challenges, and also offer benefits in terms of maintainability and flexibility. Applications are discussed which exhibit the use of inheritance, multiple inheritance and inheritance trees, and polymorphism to address the needs of FEC software.
Simulating complex intracellular processes using object-oriented computational modelling.
Johnson, Colin G; Goldman, Jacki P; Gullick, William J
The aim of this paper is to give an overview of computer modelling and simulation in cellular biology, in particular as applied to complex biochemical processes within the cell. This is illustrated by the use of the techniques of object-oriented modelling, where the computer is used to construct abstractions of objects in the domain being modelled, and these objects then interact within the computer to simulate the system and allow emergent properties to be observed. The paper also discusses the role of computer simulation in understanding complexity in biological systems, and the kinds of information which can be obtained about biology via simulation. PMID:15302205
Object-oriented programming applied to the evaluation of reliability fault trees
Patterson-Hine, F.A.
Object-oriented programming techniques are used to implement an algorithm for the direct evaluation of fault trees. A simple bottom-up procedure evaluates independent branches. The identification of dependencies within a branch results in the application of a top-down recursive procedure. A unique approach to modularization enables dynamic modularization of the tree at each step in the reduction process. The algorithm reduces the number of recursive calls required to solve trees with repeated events and calculates intermediate results as well as the solution of the top event. The intermediate results can be reused if part of the tree is modified. The algorithm is implemented on a Texas Instruments Explorer LISP workstation which offers an environment that incorporates an object-oriented system called Flavors with Common LISP. Several example fault trees from the literature are evaluated with the object-oriented algorithm, and the results are compared with conventional reduction techniques. The program includes a graphical tree editor to display the fault tree objects. The graphical display of the tree enables a visual check of the input tree structure.
Object-orientation for fusion of corrosion data
Roberge, P.R.; Trethewey, K.R.
The complexity of many materials engineering problems can be drastically reduced by regrouping concepts and facts into a natural human representation provided by object-oriented models. One of the main advantages of using the principles of object orientation (OO) to structure a knowledge based system (KBS) is the compatibility of OO with natural cognitive operations such as classifying, instantiating, and measuring. But knowledge representation goes much beyond conventional data representation and must rely on facts that often possess a halo of fuzziness. In this project, the OO structure was used to organize the complex world of materials degradation and lifetime prediction. A system developed with this principle was found to be able to incorporate the fundamental knowledge derived from failure analysis or from other fields of materials engineering. Such a framework could also constitute the crucible to achieve the data fusion necessary to blend various sources of expertise. This paper describes the key elements of the framework and illustrates its flexibility by providing a guiding structure during the analysis of the results of a computerized search of modern engineering literature.
Using object-oriented analysis techniques to support system testing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zucconi, Lin
Testing of real-time control systems can be greatly facilitated by use of object-oriented and structured analysis modeling techniques. This report describes a project where behavior, process and information models built for a real-time control system were used to augment and aid traditional system testing. The modeling techniques used were an adaptation of the Ward/Mellor method for real-time systems analysis and design (Ward85) for object-oriented development. The models were used to simulate system behavior by means of hand execution of the behavior or state model and the associated process (data and control flow) and information (data) models. The information model, which uses an extended entity-relationship modeling technique, is used to identify application domain objects and their attributes (instance variables). The behavioral model uses state-transition diagrams to describe the state-dependent behavior of the object. The process model uses a transformation schema to describe the operations performed on or by the object. Together, these models provide a means of analyzing and specifying a system in terms of the static and dynamic properties of the objects which it manipulates. The various models were used to simultaneously capture knowledge about both the objects in the application domain and the system implementation. Models were constructed, verified against the software as-built and validated through informal reviews with the developer. These models were then hand-executed.
An object-oriented data reduction system in Fortran
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bailey, J.
A data reduction system for the AAO two-degree field project is being developed using an object-oriented approach. Rather than use an object-oriented language (such as C++) the system is written in Fortran and makes extensive use of existing subroutine libraries provided by the UK Starlink project. Objects are created using the extensible N-dimensional Data Format (NDF) which itself is based on the Hierarchical Data System (HDS). The software consists of a class library, with each class corresponding to a Fortran subroutine with a standard calling sequence. The methods of the classes provide operations on NDF objects at a similar level of functionality to the applications of conventional data reduction systems. However, because they are provided as callable subroutines, they can be used as building blocks for more specialist applications. The class library is not dependent on a particular software environment thought it can be used effectively in ADAM applications. It can also be used from standalone Fortran programs. It is intended to develop a graphical user interface for use with the class library to form the 2dF data reduction system.
Basic concept of a holonically object-oriented system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sugiyama, Shigeki
Here introduces a concept of Holonically Object Oriented System. Nowadays there are many much more complicated things than before in this world, waited to be controlled intelligently for getting a goods' production rate better at a factory or getting things clearer in a complex system or getting a help in a sense of analyzing a system, etc. For having these things accomplished, we have tried to understand the target system to be controlled clearly, accurately, and precisely. After having got these information, it is ready to control for many purposes. But usually this method gives us further complexed problems, more time consuming because of the size of a system, gives us comparatively lower robustness. These can be caused by a lack of a flexibility against a sudden change of a system's behavior, giving too much redundant attention to a system, and lack of intelligence. So in order to overcome these problems, here introduces the concept of Holonically Object Oriented System which consists of a holarchy which behaves as a whole as well as a subordinate. And this behavior helps to interpret a huge organization into a system which is flexible, raising a production rate, and high adaptability to changes.
Cellular automata with object-oriented features for parallel molecular network modeling.
Zhu, Hao; Wu, Yinghui; Huang, Sui; Sun, Yan; Dhar, Pawan
Cellular automata are an important modeling paradigm for studying the dynamics of large, parallel systems composed of multiple, interacting components. However, to model biological systems, cellular automata need to be extended beyond the large-scale parallelism and intensive communication in order to capture two fundamental properties characteristic of complex biological systems: hierarchy and heterogeneity. This paper proposes extensions to a cellular automata language, Cellang, to meet this purpose. The extended language, with object-oriented features, can be used to describe the structure and activity of parallel molecular networks within cells. Capabilities of this new programming language include object structure to define molecular programs within a cell, floating-point data type and mathematical functions to perform quantitative computation, message passing capability to describe molecular interactions, as well as new operators, statements, and built-in functions. We discuss relevant programming issues of these features, including the object-oriented description of molecular interactions with molecule encapsulation, message passing, and the description of heterogeneity and anisotropy at the cell and molecule levels. By enabling the integration of modeling at the molecular level with system behavior at cell, tissue, organ, or even organism levels, the program will help improve our understanding of how complex and dynamic biological activities are generated and controlled by parallel functioning of molecular networks. Index Terms-Cellular automata, modeling, molecular network, object-oriented. PMID:16117022
Implementation of schema management in STEP-based object-oriented engineering database management system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xiao, Ke; Zhao, Zhige; Sun, Jiaguang
Engineering database management system (EDBMS) is the kernel of CAD/CAM system integration, and object-oriented EDBMS (OOEDBMS) is the best implementation. While STEP is becoming the standard of product data exchange and representation, supporting STEP in engineering database becomes more and more important. In this paper we introduce the architecture of STEP based OOEDBMS in our CAD/CAM integrated system GHCAD. We focus on schema management and three-grade database management in OOEDBMS. Topics such as DDL compiler, transformation from EXPRESS to DDL, DDL tools are discussed. Finally further research directions of schema management in OOEDBMS are present.
Methodology for object-oriented real-time systems analysis and design: Software engineering
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schoeffler, James D.
Successful application of software engineering methodologies requires an integrated analysis and design life-cycle in which the various phases flow smoothly 'seamlessly' from analysis through design to implementation. Furthermore, different analysis methodologies often lead to different structuring of the system so that the transition from analysis to design may be awkward depending on the design methodology to be used. This is especially important when object-oriented programming is to be used for implementation when the original specification and perhaps high-level design is non-object oriented. Two approaches to real-time systems analysis which can lead to an object-oriented design are contrasted: (1) modeling the system using structured analysis with real-time extensions which emphasizes data and control flows followed by the abstraction of objects where the operations or methods of the objects correspond to processes in the data flow diagrams and then design in terms of these objects; and (2) modeling the system from the beginning as a set of naturally occurring concurrent entities (objects) each having its own time-behavior defined by a set of states and state-transition rules and seamlessly transforming the analysis models into high-level design models. A new concept of a 'real-time systems-analysis object' is introduced and becomes the basic building block of a series of seamlessly-connected models which progress from the object-oriented real-time systems analysis and design system analysis logical models through the physical architectural models and the high-level design stages. The methodology is appropriate to the overall specification including hardware and software modules. In software modules, the systems analysis objects are transformed into software objects.
An Object-oriented Computer Code for Aircraft Engine Weight Estimation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tong, Michael T.; Naylor, Bret A.
Reliable engine-weight estimation at the conceptual design stage is critical to the development of new aircraft engines. It helps to identify the best engine concept amongst several candidates. At NASA Glenn (GRC), the Weight Analysis of Turbine Engines (WATE) computer code, originally developed by Boeing Aircraft, has been used to estimate the engine weight of various conceptual engine designs. The code, written in FORTRAN, was originally developed for NASA in 1979. Since then, substantial improvements have been made to the code to improve the weight calculations for most of the engine components. Most recently, to improve the maintainability and extensibility of WATE, the FORTRAN code has been converted into an object-oriented version. The conversion was done within the NASA s NPSS (Numerical Propulsion System Simulation) framework. This enables WATE to interact seamlessly with the thermodynamic cycle model which provides component flow data such as airflows, temperatures, and pressures, etc. that are required for sizing the components and weight calculations. The tighter integration between the NPSS and WATE would greatly enhance system-level analysis and optimization capabilities. It also would facilitate the enhancement of the WATE code for next-generation aircraft and space propulsion systems. In this paper, the architecture of the object-oriented WATE code (or WATE++) is described. Both the FORTRAN and object-oriented versions of the code are employed to compute the dimensions and weight of a 300- passenger aircraft engine (GE90 class). Both versions of the code produce essentially identical results as should be the case. Keywords: NASA, aircraft engine, weight, object-oriented
Semantic framework for mapping object-oriented model to semantic web languages.
Ježek, Petr; Mouček, Roman
The article deals with and discusses two main approaches in building semantic structures for electrophysiological metadata. It is the use of conventional data structures, repositories, and programming languages on one hand and the use of formal representations of ontologies, known from knowledge representation, such as description logics or semantic web languages on the other hand. Although knowledge engineering offers languages supporting richer semantic means of expression and technological advanced approaches, conventional data structures and repositories are still popular among developers, administrators and users because of their simplicity, overall intelligibility, and lower demands on technical equipment. The choice of conventional data resources and repositories, however, raises the question of how and where to add semantics that cannot be naturally expressed using them. As one of the possible solutions, this semantics can be added into the structures of the programming language that accesses and processes the underlying data. To support this idea we introduced a software prototype that enables its users to add semantically richer expressions into a Java object-oriented code. This approach does not burden users with additional demands on programming environment since reflective Java annotations were used as an entry for these expressions. Moreover, additional semantics need not to be written by the programmer directly to the code, but it can be collected from non-programmers using a graphic user interface. The mapping that allows the transformation of the semantically enriched Java code into the Semantic Web language OWL was proposed and implemented in a library named the Semantic Framework. This approach was validated by the integration of the Semantic Framework in the EEG/ERP Portal and by the subsequent registration of the EEG/ERP Portal in the Neuroscience Information Framework. PMID:25762923
Semantic framework for mapping object-oriented model to semantic web languages
Ježek, Petr; Mouček, Roman
The article deals with and discusses two main approaches in building semantic structures for electrophysiological metadata. It is the use of conventional data structures, repositories, and programming languages on one hand and the use of formal representations of ontologies, known from knowledge representation, such as description logics or semantic web languages on the other hand. Although knowledge engineering offers languages supporting richer semantic means of expression and technological advanced approaches, conventional data structures and repositories are still popular among developers, administrators and users because of their simplicity, overall intelligibility, and lower demands on technical equipment. The choice of conventional data resources and repositories, however, raises the question of how and where to add semantics that cannot be naturally expressed using them. As one of the possible solutions, this semantics can be added into the structures of the programming language that accesses and processes the underlying data. To support this idea we introduced a software prototype that enables its users to add semantically richer expressions into a Java object-oriented code. This approach does not burden users with additional demands on programming environment since reflective Java annotations were used as an entry for these expressions. Moreover, additional semantics need not to be written by the programmer directly to the code, but it can be collected from non-programmers using a graphic user interface. The mapping that allows the transformation of the semantically enriched Java code into the Semantic Web language OWL was proposed and implemented in a library named the Semantic Framework. This approach was validated by the integration of the Semantic Framework in the EEG/ERP Portal and by the subsequent registration of the EEG/ERP Portal in the Neuroscience Information Framework. PMID:25762923
Object-oriented data model for skeletal development
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Taira, Ricky K.; Cardenas, Alfonso F.; Chu, Wesley W.; Breant, Claudine M.; Dionisio, John D.; Hsu, Chih-Cheng; Ieong, I. T.
This paper describes our research toward the development of an intelligent database management system that supports queries based on image content, queries based on evolutionary processes, and queries that use imprecise medical terms. We use an extended object-oriented data model that includes novel temporal and evolutionary modeling constructs. Our initial clinical application concentrates on characterizing the development of the human hand. Our data model demonstrates the need for medical scientific databases to include the concepts of object life spans, object creation (e.g., bone ossification centers), the fusion of objects (e.g., metaphysis and epiphysis), the fission of an object, the gross transformation of object properties, and object inheritance involving entities that exist in various time- space domains.
An automated quality assessor for Ada object-oriented designs
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bailin, Sidney C.
A tool for evaluating object-oriented designs (OODs) for Ada software is described. The tool assumes a design expressed as a hierarchy of object diagrams. A design of this type identifies the objects of a system, an interface to each object, and the usage relationships between objects. When such a design is implemented in Ada, objects become packages, interfaces become package specifications, and usage relationships become Ada `with' clauses and package references. An automated quality assessor has been developed that is based on flagging undesirable design constructs. For convenience, distinctions are made among three levels of severity: questionable, undesirable, and hazardous. A questionable construct is one that may well be appropriate. An undesirable construct is one that should be changed because it is potentially harmful to the reliability, maintainability, or reusability of the software. A hazardous construct is one that is undesirable and that introduces a high level of risk.
An Object Oriented Framework for Customizable Physics Education Software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aslan, Hürol
The learning improvements resulting from employing computers in physics education may be insufficient to convince many instructors to follow the trend leading to learner-centered education models. The instructors who are not willing to invest time and resources to create their own educational software will be able to contribute to the digital learning environment of future if they can easily produce interactive simulations accompanied by their own explanations. Software developers should design according to the needs of the instructors in order to help more students to benefit from the educational potential of computers. This paper describes how the capabilities of object-oriented languages can be utilized to produce customizable educational applets that can reach across language barriers and can be modified without writing additional code. The methods outlined here forms the framework of an ongoing programming project intended to help instructors create interactive educational materials with still graphics and animations.
An object-oriented toolbox for studying optimization problems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Deng, H. Lydia; Gouveia, Wences; Scales, John
The CWP Object-Oriented Optimization Library (COOOL) is a collection of C++ classes for studying and solving optimization problems. It was developed using the freely available GNU compiler gcc. The library contains the basic building blocks for the efficient design of numerical linear algebra and optimization software; it also comes with a variety of unconstrained optimization algorithms and test objective functions drawn from our own research. The only requirement for using one of the optimization methods is that a simple model of communication be followed. This allows us to use exactly the same code to optimize functions tailored for a variety of hardware, no matter what programming language is used. Further, since we have provided class libraries containing building blocks for general purpose optimization and numerical linear algebra software, the development of new algorithms should be greatly aided. COOOL is now freely available via anonymous ftp at
An Object-oriented minimization package for HEP
Mark S Fischler and David Sachs
A portion of the HEP community has perceived the need for a minimization package written in C++ and taking advantage of the Object-Oriented nature of that language. To be acceptable for HEP, such a package must at least encompass all the capabilities of Minuit. Aside from the slight plus of not relying on outside Fortran compilation, the advantages that a C++ package based on O-O design would confer over the multitude of available C++ Minuit-wrappers include: Easier extensibility to different algorithms and forms of constraints; and usage modes which would not be available in the global-common-based Minuit design. An example of the latter is a job pursuing two ongoing minimization problems simultaneously. We discuss the design and implementation of such a package, which extends Minuit only in minor ways but which greatly diminishes the programming effort (if not the algorithm thought) needed to make more significant extensions.
An object-oriented extension for debugging the virtual machine
Pizzi, R.G. Jr.
A computer is nothing more then a virtual machine programmed by source code to perform a task. The program`s source code expresses abstract constructs which are compiled into some lower level target language. When a virtual machine breaks, it can be very difficult to debug because typical debuggers provide only low-level target implementation information to the software engineer. We believe that the debugging task can be simplified by introducing aspects of the abstract design and data into the source code. We introduce OODIE, an object-oriented extension to programming languages that allows programmers to specify a virtual environment by describing the meaning of the design and data of a virtual machine. This specification is translated into symbolic information such that an augmented debugger can present engineers with a programmable debugging environment specifically tailored for the virtual machine that is to be debugged.
An Object Oriented, Finite Element Framework for Linear Wave Equations
Koning, J M
This dissertation documents an object oriented framework which can be used to solve any linear wave equation. The linear wave equations are expressed in the differential forms language. This differential forms expression allows a strict discrete interpretation of the system. The framework is implemented using the Galerkin Finite Element Method to define the discrete differential forms and operators. Finite element basis functions including standard scalar Nodal and vector Nedelec basis functions are used to implement the discrete differential forms resulting in a mixed finite element system. Discretizations of scalar and vector wave equations in the time and frequency domains will be demonstrated in both differential forms and vector calculi. This framework conserves energy, maintains physical continuity, is valid on unstructured grids, conditionally stable and second order accurate. Examples including linear electrodynamics, acoustics, elasticity and magnetohydrodynamics are demonstrated.
Overture: An Object-Oriented Framework for Overlapping Grid Applications
Henshaw, W.D.
The Overture framework is an object-oriented environment for solving partial differential equations on over-lapping grids. We describe some of the tools in Overture that can be used to generate grids and solve partial differential equations (PDEs). Overture contains a collection of C++ classes that can be used to write PDE solvers either at a high level or at a lower level for efficiency. There are also a number of tools provided with Overture that can be used with no programming effort. These tools include capabilities to: repair computer-aided-design (CAD) geometries and build global surface triangulations; generate surface and volume grids with hyperbolic grid generation; generate composite overlapping grids; generate hybrid (unstructured) grids; and solve particular PDEs such as the incompressible and compressible Navier-Stokes equations.
Cosmo++: An object-oriented C++ library for cosmology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aslanyan, Grigor
This paper introduces a new publicly available numerical library for cosmology, Cosmo++. The library has been designed using object-oriented programming techniques, and fully implemented in C++. Cosmo++ introduces a unified interface for using most of the frequently used numerical methods in cosmology. Most of the features are implemented in Cosmo++ itself, while a part of the functionality is implemented by linking to other publicly available libraries. The most important features of the library are Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies power spectrum and transfer function calculations, likelihood calculations, parameter space sampling tools, sky map simulations, and mask apodization. Cosmo++ also includes a few mathematical tools that are frequently used in numerical research in cosmology and beyond. A few simple examples are included in Cosmo++ to help the user understand the key features. The library has been fully tested, and we describe some of the important tests in this paper. Cosmo++ is publicly available at http://cosmo.grigoraslanyan.com.
StrateGene: object-oriented programming in molecular biology.
Carhart, R E; Cash, H D; Moore, J F
This paper describes some of the ways that object-oriented programming methodologies have been used to represent and manipulate biological information in a working application. When running on a Xerox 1100 series computer, StrateGene functions as a genetic engineering workstation for the management of information about cloning experiments. It represents biological molecules, enzymes, fragments, and methods as classes, subclasses, and members in a hierarchy of objects. These objects may have various attributes, which themselves can be defined and classified. The attributes and their values can be passed from the classes of objects down to the subclasses and members. The user can modify the objects and their attributes while using them. New knowledge and changes to the system can be incorporated relatively easily. The operations on the biological objects are associated with the objects themselves. This makes it easier to invoke them correctly and allows generic operations to be customized for the particular object. PMID:3164229
Design of object-oriented distributed simulation classes
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schoeffler, James D. (Principal Investigator)
Distributed simulation of aircraft engines as part of a computer aided design package is being developed by NASA Lewis Research Center for the aircraft industry. The project is called NPSS, an acronym for 'Numerical Propulsion Simulation System'. NPSS is a flexible object-oriented simulation of aircraft engines requiring high computing speed. It is desirable to run the simulation on a distributed computer system with multiple processors executing portions of the simulation in parallel. The purpose of this research was to investigate object-oriented structures such that individual objects could be distributed. The set of classes used in the simulation must be designed to facilitate parallel computation. Since the portions of the simulation carried out in parallel are not independent of one another, there is the need for communication among the parallel executing processors which in turn implies need for their synchronization. Communication and synchronization can lead to decreased throughput as parallel processors wait for data or synchronization signals from other processors. As a result of this research, the following have been accomplished. The design and implementation of a set of simulation classes which result in a distributed simulation control program have been completed. The design is based upon MIT 'Actor' model of a concurrent object and uses 'connectors' to structure dynamic connections between simulation components. Connectors may be dynamically created according to the distribution of objects among machines at execution time without any programming changes. Measurements of the basic performance have been carried out with the result that communication overhead of the distributed design is swamped by the computation time of modules unless modules have very short execution times per iteration or time step. An analytical performance model based upon queuing network theory has been designed and implemented. Its application to realistic configurations has
Design of Object-Oriented Distributed Simulation Classes
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schoeffler, James D.
Distributed simulation of aircraft engines as part of a computer aided design package being developed by NASA Lewis Research Center for the aircraft industry. The project is called NPSS, an acronym for "Numerical Propulsion Simulation System". NPSS is a flexible object-oriented simulation of aircraft engines requiring high computing speed. It is desirable to run the simulation on a distributed computer system with multiple processors executing portions of the simulation in parallel. The purpose of this research was to investigate object-oriented structures such that individual objects could be distributed. The set of classes used in the simulation must be designed to facilitate parallel computation. Since the portions of the simulation carried out in parallel are not independent of one another, there is the need for communication among the parallel executing processors which in turn implies need for their synchronization. Communication and synchronization can lead to decreased throughput as parallel processors wait for data or synchronization signals from other processors. As a result of this research, the following have been accomplished. The design and implementation of a set of simulation classes which result in a distributed simulation control program have been completed. The design is based upon MIT "Actor" model of a concurrent object and uses "connectors" to structure dynamic connections between simulation components. Connectors may be dynamically created according to the distribution of objects among machines at execution time without any programming changes. Measurements of the basic performance have been carried out with the result that communication overhead of the distributed design is swamped by the computation time of modules unless modules have very short execution times per iteration or time step. An analytical performance model based upon queuing network theory has been designed and implemented. Its application to realistic configurations has not
Object-oriented vision for a behavior-based robot
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bischoff, Rainer; Graefe, Volker; Wershofen, Klaus P.
As one realization out of the class of behavior-based robot architectures a specific concept of situation-oriented behavior-based navigation has been proposed. Its main characteristic is that the selection of the behaviors to be executed in each moment is based on a continuous recognition and evaluation of the dynamically changing situation in which the robot is finding itself. An important prerequisite for such as approach is a timely and comprehensive perception of the robot's dynamically changing environment. Object-oriented vision as proposed and successfully applied, e.g., in freeway traffic scenes is a particularly well suited sensing modality for robot control. Our work concentrated on modeling the physical objects which are relevant for indoor navigation, i.e. walls, intersections of corridors, and landmarks. In the interest of efficiency these models include only those necessary features for allowing the robot to reliably recognize different situations in real time. According to the concept of object- oriented vision recognizing such objects is largely reduced to a knowledge-based verification of objects or features that may be expected to be visible in the current situation. The following results have been achieved: 1) By using its vision system and a knowledge base in the form of an attributed topological map the robot could orient itself and navigate autonomously in a known environment. 2) In an unknown environment the robot was able to build, by means of supervised learning, an attributed topological map as a basis for subsequent autonomous navigation. 3) The experiments could be performed both under unmodified artificial light and under natural light shining through the glass walls of the building.
A survey of commercial object-oriented database management systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Atkins, John
The object-oriented data model is the culmination of over thirty years of database research. Initially, database research focused on the need to provide information in a consistent and efficient manner to the business community. Early data models such as the hierarchical model and the network model met the goal of consistent and efficient access to data and were substantial improvements over simple file mechanisms for storing and accessing data. However, these models required highly skilled programmers to provide access to the data. Consequently, in the early 70's E.F. Codd, an IBM research computer scientists, proposed a new data model based on the simple mathematical notion of the relation. This model is known as the Relational Model. In the relational model, data is represented in flat tables (or relations) which have no physical or internal links between them. The simplicity of this model fostered the development of powerful but relatively simple query languages that now made data directly accessible to the general database user. Except for large, multi-user database systems, a database professional was in general no longer necessary. Database professionals found that traditional data in the form of character data, dates, and numeric data were easily represented and managed via the relational model. Commercial relational database management systems proliferated and performance of relational databases improved dramatically. However, there was a growing community of potential database users whose needs were not met by the relational model. These users needed to store data with data types not available in the relational model and who required a far richer modelling environment than that provided by the relational model. Indeed, the complexity of the objects to be represented in the model mandated a new approach to database technology. The Object-Oriented Model was the result.
Object-oriented data handling system for an automated chemistry laboratory
Medvick, P.A.; Mniszewski, S.M.; Beugelsdijk, T.J.
The environmental-remediation efforts at DOE complexes require characterizing problems at each site before cleanup action. Characterization will require the chemical analysis of millions of samples at a significant cost. Automation of the required chemical analyses methods provides a cost-effective solution. An object-oriented approach was deemed necessary to allow for modularization, maintainability, reusability, and flexibility of the software and hardware. Each chemical analysis method is implemented as a Standard Analysis Method or SAM. A SAM is, in essence, a black box'' into which a sample enters at one end and chemical or physical information exits'' at the other. 7 refs., 6 figs.
Development of a Dynamically Configurable, Object-Oriented Framework for Distributed, Multi-modal Computational Aerospace Systems Simulation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Afjeh, Abdollah A.; Reed, John A.
The following reports are presented on this project:A first year progress report on: Development of a Dynamically Configurable,Object-Oriented Framework for Distributed, Multi-modal Computational Aerospace Systems Simulation; A second year progress report on: Development of a Dynamically Configurable, Object-Oriented Framework for Distributed, Multi-modal Computational Aerospace Systems Simulation; An Extensible, Interchangeable and Sharable Database Model for Improving Multidisciplinary Aircraft Design; Interactive, Secure Web-enabled Aircraft Engine Simulation Using XML Databinding Integration; and Improving the Aircraft Design Process Using Web-based Modeling and Simulation.
Design and implementation of distributed multimedia surveillance system based on object-oriented middleware
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cao, Xuesong; Jiang, Ling; Hu, Ruimin
Currently, the applications of surveillance system have been increasingly widespread. But there are few surveillance platforms that can meet the requirement of large-scale, cross-regional, and flexible surveillance business. In the paper, we present a distributed surveillance system platform to improve safety and security of the society. The system is constructed by an object-oriented middleware called as Internet Communications Engine (ICE). This middleware helps our platform to integrate a lot of surveillance resource of the society and accommodate diverse range of surveillance industry requirements. In the follow sections, we will describe in detail the design concepts of system and introduce traits of ICE.
Object-oriented design patterns for multiphysics modeling in Fortran 2003.
Adalsteinsson, Helgi; Rouson, Damian; Xia, Jim
The objectives of this presentation are to: catalog object-oriented software design patterns for multiphysics modeling; demonstrate them in Fortran 2003 and C++; and compare the capabilities of the two languages. The conclusions are: the presented patterns integrate multiple abstractions, allowing much of the numerics and physics to be determined at compile-time or runtime; negligible lines of Fortran emulate the required C++ features; and C++ requires considerable effort (or considerable reliance on libraries to relive that effort) to emulate the required Fortran 2003 features.
Parallelization of an Object-Oriented Unstructured Aeroacoustics Solver
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Baggag, Abdelkader; Atkins, Harold; Oezturan, Can; Keyes, David
A computational aeroacoustics code based on the discontinuous Galerkin method is ported to several parallel platforms using MPI. The discontinuous Galerkin method is a compact high-order method that retains its accuracy and robustness on non-smooth unstructured meshes. In its semi-discrete form, the discontinuous Galerkin method can be combined with explicit time marching methods making it well suited to time accurate computations. The compact nature of the discontinuous Galerkin method also makes it well suited for distributed memory parallel platforms. The original serial code was written using an object-oriented approach and was previously optimized for cache-based machines. The port to parallel platforms was achieved simply by treating partition boundaries as a type of boundary condition. Code modifications were minimal because boundary conditions were abstractions in the original program. Scalability results are presented for the SCI Origin, IBM SP2, and clusters of SGI and Sun workstations. Slightly superlinear speedup is achieved on a fixed-size problem on the Origin, due to cache effects.
An Object Oriented Extensible Architecture for Affordable Aerospace Propulsion Systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Follen, Gregory J.; Lytle, John K. (Technical Monitor)
Driven by a need to explore and develop propulsion systems that exceeded current computing capabilities, NASA Glenn embarked on a novel strategy leading to the development of an architecture that enables propulsion simulations never thought possible before. Full engine 3 Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamic propulsion system simulations were deemed impossible due to the impracticality of the hardware and software computing systems required. However, with a software paradigm shift and an embracing of parallel and distributed processing, an architecture was designed to meet the needs of future propulsion system modeling. The author suggests that the architecture designed at the NASA Glenn Research Center for propulsion system modeling has potential for impacting the direction of development of affordable weapons systems currently under consideration by the Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT). This paper discusses the salient features of the NPSS Architecture including its interface layer, object layer, implementation for accessing legacy codes, numerical zooming infrastructure and its computing layer. The computing layer focuses on the use and deployment of these propulsion simulations on parallel and distributed computing platforms which has been the focus of NASA Ames. Additional features of the object oriented architecture that support MultiDisciplinary (MD) Coupling, computer aided design (CAD) access and MD coupling objects will be discussed. Included will be a discussion of the successes, challenges and benefits of implementing this architecture.
Object oriented post-classification of change images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Niemeyer, Irmgard; Canty, Morton J.
Commercial satellite images have long been used for environmental monitoring. The improvements in spatial and spectral resolution bring with them new applications in different fields. We have already investigated the use of medium-resolution LANDSAT TM5 images for the routine nuclear verification, based on recently published visualization and change detection algorithms: canonical correlation analysis to enhance the change information in the difference images and Bayesian techniques for the automatic determination of significant thresholds. Now, the high spatial ground resolution of IKONOS and other future satellites provides a good basis for recognizing and monitoring of small-scale structural changes and for planning of routine and/or challenge inspections of nuclear sites. Aside from the advantages of the improved spatial resolution some problems due to sensor and solar conditions exist: Shadow formation and off-nadir images make it more difficult to interpret the complex changes. In order to solve these problems, we supplement the pixel-based change detection analysis with a supervised, object-oriented post-classification of change images carried out with the image analysis system eCognition. Defining of different object classes of the change pixels helps to distinguish between the different man-made, vegetation and other changes. By means of semantic relations between the object classes of changes and other classes it is possible to exclude shadow affected regions and to concentrate on specific areas of interest.
A Validation of Object-Oriented Design Metrics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Basili, Victor R.; Briand, Lionel; Melo, Walcelio L.
This paper presents the results of a study conducted at the University of Maryland in which we experimentally investigated the suite of Object-Oriented (00) design metrics introduced by [Chidamber and Kemerer, 1994]. In order to do this, we assessed these metrics as predictors of fault-prone classes. This study is complementary to [Lieand Henry, 1993] where the same suite of metrics had been used to assess frequencies of maintenance changes to classes. To perform our validation accurately, we collected data on the development of eight medium-sized information management systems based on identical requirements. All eight projects were developed using a sequential life cycle model, a well-known 00 analysis/design method and the C++ programming language. Based on experimental results, the advantages and drawbacks of these 00 metrics are discussed and suggestions for improvement are provided. Several of Chidamber and Kemerer's 00 metrics appear to be adequate to predict class fault-proneness during the early phases of the life-cycle. We also showed that they are, on our data set, better predictors than "traditional" code metrics, which can only be collected at a later phase of the software development processes.
Object-oriented approach for gas turbine engine simulation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Curlett, Brian P.; Felder, James L.
An object-oriented gas turbine engine simulation program was developed. This program is a prototype for a more complete, commercial grade engine performance program now being proposed as part of the Numerical Propulsion System Simulator (NPSS). This report discusses architectural issues of this complex software system and the lessons learned from developing the prototype code. The prototype code is a fully functional, general purpose engine simulation program, however, only the component models necessary to model a transient compressor test rig have been written. The production system will be capable of steady state and transient modeling of almost any turbine engine configuration. Chief among the architectural considerations for this code was the framework in which the various software modules will interact. These modules include the equation solver, simulation code, data model, event handler, and user interface. Also documented in this report is the component based design of the simulation module and the inter-component communication paradigm. Object class hierarchies for some of the code modules are given.
Quantity, Revisited: An Object-Oriented Reusable Class
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Funston, Monica Gayle; Gerstle, Walter; Panthaki, Malcolm
"Quantity", a prototype implementation of an object-oriented class, was developed for two reasons: to help engineers and scientists manipulate the many types of quantities encountered during routine analysis, and to create a reusable software component to for large domain-specific applications. From being used as a stand-alone application to being incorporated into an existing computational mechanics toolkit, "Quantity" appears to be a useful and powerful object. "Quantity" has been designed to maintain the full engineering meaning of values with respect to units and coordinate systems. A value is a scalar, vector, tensor, or matrix, each of which is composed of Value Components, each of which may be an integer, floating point number, fuzzy number, etc., and its associated physical unit. Operations such as coordinate transformation and arithmetic operations are handled by member functions of "Quantity". The prototype has successfully tested such characteristics as maintaining a numeric value, an associated unit, and an annotation. In this paper we further explore the design of "Quantity", with particular attention to coordinate systems.
Object-Oriented Fast Multipole Simulation: Magnetic Colloids
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Visscher, Pieter; Günal, Yüksel
In simulating a system of N particles, if the interaction is long-ranged all pair interactions must be calculated, requiring CPU time of order N^2. Recently-developed ``fast multipole'' methods (FMM) can reduce this time to order N, at the cost of considerable programming complexity. We have developed an object-oriented approach which uses similar ideas but is conceptually much simpler. The system is represented by a hierarchical tree whose root is the entire system and whose lowest nodes are the particles. The entire calculation of the particle interactions consists of a single call to a recursive function CalculateInteractions(A,B) with A=B=root, which uses a simple opening-angle criterion to choose between multipole expansion and calling itself (subdividing A and B.) The resulting algorithm is essentially equivalent to the FMM, but the choice of when to subdivide (which is laboriously hard-wired in FMM) is made automatically. We will discuss the implementation of periodic BCs and the application of the method to continuum systems (cylindrical magnetic particles).
Object oriented design of the Liverpool Telescope Robotic Control System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fraser, Stephen N.; Steele, Iain A.
In the traditional, manned observatory, an astronomer must continually be weighing together many factors during the course of an observing run in order to make an appropriate decision on the course of action at that time. Weather conditions may force suspension of the observing program to protect the telescope, later to be resumed when conditions improve. Power outages may force controlled shutdown of computers and other hardware. Changes in sky condition may require on-the-fly changes to the scheduled program. For the Liverpool Telescope (LT), the Robotic Control System (RCS) is designed to act as a replacement for the duty astronomer. The system is required to be robust, reliable and adaptable e.g. to future instrument configurations and varying operational objectives. Consequently, object-oriented techniques which promote modularity and code re-use have been employed throughout the design of this system to facilitate maintainance and future upgrading. This paper describes the task management architecture (TMA) - a configurable, pattern based object model defining the cognitive functionality of the RCS, the environment monitoring architecture (EMA) - a configurable, rule-based decision making paradigm and the use of our proprietary Java message system (JMS) communications architecture to control the telescope and associated instrumentation.
Field Model: An Object-Oriented Data Model for Fields
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Moran, Patrick J.
We present an extensible, object-oriented data model designed for field data entitled Field Model (FM). FM objects can represent a wide variety of fields, including fields of arbitrary dimension and node type. FM can also handle time-series data. FM achieves generality through carefully selected topological primitives and through an implementation that leverages the potential of templated C++. FM supports fields where the nodes values are paired with any cell type. Thus FM can represent data where the field nodes are paired with the vertices ("vertex-centered" data), fields where the nodes are paired with the D-dimensional cells in R(sup D) (often called "cell-centered" data), as well as fields where nodes are paired with edges or other cell types. FM is designed to effectively handle very large data sets; in particular FM employs a demand-driven evaluation strategy that works especially well with large field data. Finally, the interfaces developed for FM have the potential to effectively abstract field data based on adaptive meshes. We present initial results with a triangular adaptive grid in R(sup 2) and discuss how the same design abstractions would work equally well with other adaptive-grid variations, including meshes in R(sup 3).
A diagnosis system using object-oriented fault tree models
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Iverson, David L.; Patterson-Hine, F. A.
Spaceborne computing systems must provide reliable, continuous operation for extended periods. Due to weight, power, and volume constraints, these systems must manage resources very effectively. A fault diagnosis algorithm is described which enables fast and flexible diagnoses in the dynamic distributed computing environments planned for future space missions. The algorithm uses a knowledge base that is easily changed and updated to reflect current system status. Augmented fault trees represented in an object-oriented form provide deep system knowledge that is easy to access and revise as a system changes. Given such a fault tree, a set of failure events that have occurred, and a set of failure events that have not occurred, this diagnosis system uses forward and backward chaining to propagate causal and temporal information about other failure events in the system being diagnosed. Once the system has established temporal and causal constraints, it reasons backward from heuristically selected failure events to find a set of basic failure events which are a likely cause of the occurrence of the top failure event in the fault tree. The diagnosis system has been implemented in common LISP using Flavors.
Object Oriented Design and the Standard Model of particle physics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lipovaca, Samir
Inspired by the computer as both tool and metaphor, a new path emerges toward understanding life, physics, and existence. The path leads throughout all of nature, from the interior of cells to inside black holes. This view of science is based on the idea that information is the ultimate ``substance'' from which all things are made. Exploring this view, we will focus on Object - Oriented (OO) design as one of the most important designs in software development. The OO design views the world as composed of objects with well defined properties. The dynamics is pictured as interactions among objects. Interactions are mediated by messages that objects exchange with each other. This description closely resembles the view of the elementary particles world created by the Standard Model of particle physics. The object model (OM) provides a theoretical foundation upon which the OO design is built. The OM is based on the principles of abstraction, encapsulation, modularity and hierarchy. We will show that the Standard Model of particle physics follows the OM principles.
An Object-Oriented Computer Code for Aircraft Engine Weight Estimation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tong, Michael T.; Naylor, Bret A.
Reliable engine-weight estimation at the conceptual design stage is critical to the development of new aircraft engines. It helps to identify the best engine concept amongst several candidates. At NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), the Weight Analysis of Turbine Engines (WATE) computer code, originally developed by Boeing Aircraft, has been used to estimate the engine weight of various conceptual engine designs. The code, written in FORTRAN, was originally developed for NASA in 1979. Since then, substantial improvements have been made to the code to improve the weight calculations for most of the engine components. Most recently, to improve the maintainability and extensibility of WATE, the FORTRAN code has been converted into an object-oriented version. The conversion was done within the NASA's NPSS (Numerical Propulsion System Simulation) framework. This enables WATE to interact seamlessly with the thermodynamic cycle model which provides component flow data such as airflows, temperatures, and pressures, etc., that are required for sizing the components and weight calculations. The tighter integration between the NPSS and WATE would greatly enhance system-level analysis and optimization capabilities. It also would facilitate the enhancement of the WATE code for next-generation aircraft and space propulsion systems. In this paper, the architecture of the object-oriented WATE code (or WATE++) is described. Both the FORTRAN and object-oriented versions of the code are employed to compute the dimensions and weight of a 300-passenger aircraft engine (GE90 class). Both versions of the code produce essentially identical results as should be the case.
Handling Emergency Management in [an] Object Oriented Modeling Environment
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Tokgoz, Berna Eren; Cakir, Volkan; Gheorghe, Adrian V.
It has been understood that protection of a nation from extreme disasters is a challenging task. Impacts of extreme disasters on a nation's critical infrastructures, economy and society could be devastating. A protection plan itself would not be sufficient when a disaster strikes. Hence, there is a need for a holistic approach to establish more resilient infrastructures to withstand extreme disasters. A resilient infrastructure can be defined as a system or facility that is able to withstand damage, but if affected, can be readily and cost-effectively restored. The key issue to establish resilient infrastructures is to incorporate existing protection plans with comprehensive preparedness actions to respond, recover and restore as quickly as possible, and to minimize extreme disaster impacts. Although national organizations will respond to a disaster, extreme disasters need to be handled mostly by local emergency management departments. Since emergency management departments have to deal with complex systems, they have to have a manageable plan and efficient organizational structures to coordinate all these systems. A strong organizational structure is the key in responding fast before and during disasters, and recovering quickly after disasters. In this study, the entire emergency management is viewed as an enterprise and modelled through enterprise management approach. Managing an enterprise or a large complex system is a very challenging task. It is critical for an enterprise to respond to challenges in a timely manner with quick decision making. This study addresses the problem of handling emergency management at regional level in an object oriented modelling environment developed by use of TopEase software. Emergency Operation Plan of the City of Hampton, Virginia, has been incorporated into TopEase for analysis. The methodology used in this study has been supported by a case study on critical infrastructure resiliency in Hampton Roads.
An object-oriented implementation of a parallel Monte Carlo code for radiation transport
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Santos, Pedro Duarte; Lani, Andrea
This paper describes the main features of a state-of-the-art Monte Carlo solver for radiation transport which has been implemented within COOLFluiD, a world-class open source object-oriented platform for scientific simulations. The Monte Carlo code makes use of efficient ray tracing algorithms (for 2D, axisymmetric and 3D arbitrary unstructured meshes) which are described in detail. The solver accuracy is first verified in testcases for which analytical solutions are available, then validated for a space re-entry flight experiment (i.e. FIRE II) for which comparisons against both experiments and reference numerical solutions are provided. Through the flexible design of the physical models, ray tracing and parallelization strategy (fully reusing the mesh decomposition inherited by the fluid simulator), the implementation was made efficient and reusable.
GOOSE Version 1. 4: A powerful object-oriented simulation environment for developing reactor models
Nypaver, D.J.; March-Leuba, C. ); Abdalla, M.A.; Guimaraes, L. . Dept. of Nuclear Engineering); Ford, C.E. )
A prototype software package for a fully interactive Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (GOOSE) is being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dynamic models are easily constructed and tested; fully interactive capabilities allow the user to alter model parameters and complexity without recompilation. This environment provides assess to powerful tools such as numerical integration packages, graphical displays, and online help. In GOOSE, portability has been achieved by creating the environment in Objective-C{sup 1}, which is supported by a variety of platforms including UNIX and DOS. GOOSE Version 1.4 introduces new enhancements like the capability of creating initial,'' dynamic,'' and digital'' methods. The object-oriented approach to simulation used in GOOSE combines the concept of modularity with the additional features of allowing precompilation, optimization, testing, and validation of individual modules. Once a library of classes has been defined and compiled, models can be built and modified without recompilation. GOOSE Version 1.4 is primarily command-line driven.
A First Course in Computational Physics and Object-Oriented Programming with C++
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yevick, David
Part I. Basic C++ Programming: 1. Introduction; 2. Installing and running the Dev-C++ programming environment; 3. Introduction to computer and software architecture; 4. Fundamental concepts; 5. Writing a first program; 6. An introduction to object-oriented analysis; 7. C++ object-oriented programming syntax; 8. Control logic and iteration; 9. Basic function properties; 10. Arrays and matrices; 11. Input and output streams; Part II. Numerical Analysis: 12. Numerical error analysis - derivatives; 13. Integration; 14. Root finding procedures; 15. Differential equations; 16. Linear algebra; Part III. Pointers, References and Dynamic Memory Allocation: 17. References; 18. Pointers and dynamic memory allocation; 19. Advanced memory management; 20. The static keyword, multiple and virtual inheritance, templates and the STL library; 21. Program optimization in C++; Part IV. Advanced Numerical Examples: 22. Monte-Carlo methods; 23. Parabolic partial differential equation solvers; Part V. Appendices: Appendix A. Overview of MATLAB; Appendix B. The Borland C++ compiler; Appendix C. The Linux/Windows g++ compiler and profiler; Appendix D. Calling FORTRAN programs from C++; Appendix E. C++ coding standard; References.
3-D object-oriented image analysis of geophysical data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fadel, I.; Kerle, N.; van der Meijde, M.
Geophysical data are the main source of information about the subsurface. Geophysical techniques are, however, highly non-unique in determining specific physical parameters and boundaries of subsurface objects. To obtain actual physical information, an inversion process is often applied, in which measurements at or above the Earth surface are inverted into a 2- or 3-D subsurface spatial distribution of the physical property. Interpreting these models into structural objects, related to physical processes, requires a priori knowledge and expert analysis which is susceptible to subjective choices and is therefore often non-repeatable. In this research, we implemented a recently introduced object-based approach to interpret the 3-D inversion results of a single geophysical technique using the available a priori information and the physical and geometrical characteristics of the interpreted objects. The introduced methodology is semi-automatic and repeatable, and allows the extraction of subsurface structures using 3-D object-oriented image analysis (3-D OOA) in an objective knowledge-based classification scheme. The approach allows for a semi-objective setting of thresholds that can be tested and, if necessary, changed in a very fast and efficient way. These changes require only changing the thresholds used in a so-called ruleset, which is composed of algorithms that extract objects from a 3-D data cube. The approach is tested on a synthetic model, which is based on a priori knowledge on objects present in the study area (Tanzania). Object characteristics and thresholds were well defined in a 3-D histogram of velocity versus depth, and objects were fully retrieved. The real model results showed how 3-D OOA can deal with realistic 3-D subsurface conditions in which the boundaries become fuzzy, the object extensions become unclear and the model characteristics vary with depth due to the different physical conditions. As expected, the 3-D histogram of the real data was
Analyzing and designing object-oriented missile simulations with concurrency
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Randorf, Jeffrey Allen
A software object model for the six degree-of-freedom missile modeling domain is presented. As a precursor, a domain analysis of the missile modeling domain was started, based on the Feature-Oriented Domain Analysis (FODA) technique described by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). It was subsequently determined the FODA methodology is functionally equivalent to the Object Modeling Technique. The analysis used legacy software documentation and code from the ENDOSIM, KDEC, and TFrames 6-DOF modeling tools, including other technical literature. The SEI Object Connection Architecture (OCA) was the template for designing the object model. Three variants of the OCA were considered---a reference structure, a recursive structure, and a reference structure with augmentation for flight vehicle modeling. The reference OCA design option was chosen for maintaining simplicity while not compromising the expressive power of the OMT model. The missile architecture was then analyzed for potential areas of concurrent computing. It was shown how protected objects could be used for data passing between OCA object managers, allowing concurrent access without changing the OCA reference design intent or structure. The implementation language was the 1995 release of Ada. OCA software components were shown how to be expressed as Ada child packages. While acceleration of several low level and other high operations level are possible on proper hardware, there was a 33% degradation of 4th order Runge-Kutta integrator performance of two simultaneous ordinary differential equations using Ada tasking on a single processor machine. The Defense Department's High Level Architecture was introduced and explained in context with the OCA. It was shown the HLA and OCA were not mutually exclusive architectures, but complimentary. HLA was shown as an interoperability solution, with the OCA as an architectural vehicle for software reuse. Further directions for implementing a 6-DOF missile modeling
An Object-Oriented Interface to the CCSDS Ground Telecommand Services
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ray, Timothy Joseph; Condron, Jeffrey Todd
The Telecommand Data Routing and Channel Services defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) are flexible enough to support a myriad of commanding models. Because the standard is so broad, the traditional approach has been to implement only the portion of the standard needed by the particular spacecraft being tested/operated. Tasked with providing Telecommand Services for an entire class of spacecraft, where each spacecraft may choose any valid CCSDS commanding model, NASA Code 584 designed a common architecture capable of handling the full CCSDS protocol. The solution uses another CCSDS standard - the Standard Formatted Data Unit (SFDU) as the interface to the Telecommand Services. SFDUs provide a consistent way of labelling data objects, as well as allowing data objects to encapsulate other data objects. The resulting interface is: - Flexible: The full Data Routing and Channel Services are available via a single interface. The client (i.e. the command source) may enter commands at any layer within the protocol stack, specify any of the data aggregation or segmentation methods, and dynamically set any configuration parameter defined in the standard. - Object-oriented: Each object specifies both the data and the actions to be performed with the data. An object may contain other objects. - Expandable: New capabilities are added by defining new objects. Objects pass thru the protocol layers until they reach the applicable layer. The resulting design is: - Modular: The logic for each protocol layer is contained in a separate Application Program Interface (API). The objects used for the external interface are also used for communication between layers. - Distributable: The design can be split along any layer boundary for distribution across multiple machines. The objects ensure data consistency across platforms. This paper describes the SFDU-based interface and the resulting protocol implementation. The implementation is currently used by NASA
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Goza, S. P.
The Object Orientation Manipulator (OOM) is an application program for creating, rendering, and recording three-dimensional computer-generated still and animated images. This is done using geometrically defined 3D models, cameras, and light sources, referred to collectively as animation elements. OOM does not provide the tools necessary to construct 3D models; instead, it imports binary format model files generated by the Solid Surface Modeler (SSM). Model files stored in other formats must be converted to the SSM binary format before they can be used in OOM. SSM is available as MSC-21914 or as part of the SSM/OOM bundle, COS-10047. Among OOM's features are collision detection (with visual and audio feedback), the capability to define and manipulate hierarchical relationships between animation elements, stereographic display, and ray-traced rendering. OOM uses Euler angle transformations for calculating the results of translation and rotation operations. OOM provides an interactive environment for the manipulation and animation of models, cameras, and light sources. Models are the basic entity upon which OOM operates and are therefore considered the primary animation elements. Cameras and light sources are considered secondary animation elements. A camera, in OOM, is simply a location within the three-space environment from which the contents of the environment are observed. OOM supports the creation and full animation of cameras. Light sources can be defined, positioned and linked to models, but they cannot be animated independently. OOM can simultaneously accommodate as many animation elements as the host computer's memory permits. Once the required animation elements are present, the user may position them, orient them, and define any initial relationships between them. Once the initial relationships are defined, the user can display individual still views for rendering and output, or define motion for the animation elements by using the Interp Animation Editor
Toward Fortran 77 performance from object-oriented C++ scientific frameworks
Bassetti, F.; Davis, K.; Quinlan, D.
The use of object-oriented C{sup 2} frameworks has significantly simplified the development of numerous complex parallel scientific applications at Los Alamos National Laboratory and elsewhere. In spite of considerable use of, and commitment to, these frameworks, concerns about performance are nonetheless a significant issue; performance very close to that of FORTRAN 77 with message passing must be realized before the acceptance and use of such frameworks will be truly widespread. This paper identifies the primary source of inefficiency in using C or C{sup 2} for numerical codes with stencil- or stencil-like operations, and demonstrates two solutions--one portable, one not--to give genuine FORTRAN 77 performance.
GPU-accelerated object-oriented Monte Carlo modeling of photon migration in turbid media
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Doronin, Alex; Meglinski, Igor
Due to the recent intense developments in lasers and optical technologies a number of novel revolutionary imaging and photonic-based diagnostic modalities have arisen. Utilizing various features of light these techniques provide new practical solutions in a range of biomedical, environmental and industrial applications. Conceptual engineering design of new optical diagnostic systems requires a clear understanding of the light-tissue interaction and the peculiarities of optical radiation propagation therein. Description of photon migration within the random media is based on the radiative transfer that forms a basis of Monte Carlo modelling of light propagation in complex turbid media like biological tissues. In current presentation with a further development of the Monte Carlo technique we introduce a novel Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm accelerated by Graphics Processing Unit that provide an opportunity to escalate the performance of standard Monte Carlo simulation over 100 times.
GPU-accelerated object-oriented Monte Carlo modeling of photon migration in turbid media
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Doronin, Alex; Meglinski, Igor
Due to the recent intense developments in lasers and optical technologies a number of novel revolutionary imaging and photonic-based diagnostic modalities have arisen. Utilizing various features of light these techniques provide new practical solutions in a range of biomedical, environmental and industrial applications. Conceptual engineering design of new optical diagnostic systems requires a clear understanding of the light-tissue interaction and the peculiarities of optical radiation propagation therein. Description of photon migration within the random media is based on the radiative transfer that forms a basis of Monte Carlo modelling of light propagation in complex turbid media like biological tissues. In current presentation with a further development of the Monte Carlo technique we introduce a novel Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm accelerated by Graphics Processing Unit that provide an opportunity to escalate the performance of standard Monte Carlo simulation over 100 times.
On the Design of a Parallel Object-Oriented Data Mining Toolkit
Kamath, C.; Cantu-Paz, E.
As data mining techniques are applied to ever larger data sets, it is becoming clear that parallel processors will play an important role in reducing the turn around time for data analysis. In this paper, we describe the design of a parallel object-oriented toolkit for mining scientific data sets. After a brief discussion of our design goals, we describe our overall system design that uses data mining to find useful information in raw data in an iterative and interactive manner. Using decision trees as an example, we illustrate how the need to support flexibility and extensibility can make the parallel implementation of our algorithms very challenging. As this is work in progress, we also describe the solution approaches we are considering to address these challenges.
Development of a Dynamically Configurable,Object-Oriented Framework for Distributed, Multi-modal Computational Aerospace Systems Simulation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Afjeh, Abdollah A.; Reed, John A.
This research is aimed at developing a neiv and advanced simulation framework that will significantly improve the overall efficiency of aerospace systems design and development. This objective will be accomplished through an innovative integration of object-oriented and Web-based technologies ivith both new and proven simulation methodologies. The basic approach involves Ihree major areas of research: Aerospace system and component representation using a hierarchical object-oriented component model which enables the use of multimodels and enforces component interoperability. Collaborative software environment that streamlines the process of developing, sharing and integrating aerospace design and analysis models. . Development of a distributed infrastructure which enables Web-based exchange of models to simplify the collaborative design process, and to support computationally intensive aerospace design and analysis processes. Research for the first year dealt with the design of the basic architecture and supporting infrastructure, an initial implementation of that design, and a demonstration of its application to an example aircraft engine system simulation.
An object-oriented approach to risk and reliability analysis : methodology and aviation safety applications.
Dandini, Vincent John; Duran, Felicia Angelica; Wyss, Gregory Dane
This article describes how features of event tree analysis and Monte Carlo-based discrete event simulation can be combined with concepts from object-oriented analysis to develop a new risk assessment methodology, with some of the best features of each. The resultant object-based event scenario tree (OBEST) methodology enables an analyst to rapidly construct realistic models for scenarios for which an a priori discovery of event ordering is either cumbersome or impossible. Each scenario produced by OBEST is automatically associated with a likelihood estimate because probabilistic branching is integral to the object model definition. The OBEST methodology is then applied to an aviation safety problem that considers mechanisms by which an aircraft might become involved in a runway incursion incident. The resulting OBEST model demonstrates how a close link between human reliability analysis and probabilistic risk assessment methods can provide important insights into aviation safety phenomenology.
Using object-oriented analysis to design a multi-mission ground data system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Shames, Peter
This paper describes an analytical approach and descriptive methodology that is adapted from Object-Oriented Analysis (OOA) techniques. The technique is described and then used to communicate key issues of system logical architecture. The essence of the approach is to limit the analysis to only service objects, with the idea of providing a direct mapping from the design to a client-server implementation. Key perspectives on the system, such as user interaction, data flow and management, service interfaces, hardware configuration, and system and data integrity are covered. A significant advantage of this service-oriented approach is that it permits mapping all of these different perspectives on the system onto a single common substrate. This services substrate is readily represented diagramatically, thus making details of the overall design much more accessible.
An object-oriented spatial data model for virtual geographical environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Yongjun; Che, Weitao; Cao, Rui; Shen, Jingwei
This paper presents a spatial data model used for modeling geospatial data in virtual geographical environment. Most traditional spatial data modeling approach in geographical information system abstracts physical world with spatial entity and relationship between each other, put emphases on representing spatial feature and their topologies, whilst virtual reality system focus on capacity of keeping vivid rendering, i.e. high fidelity. Taking into account both topological characteristic of spatial data model in GIS and spaghetti characteristic of in VR, We introduce here an integrated spatial data model which could represent both topological and non-topological spatial data and underpin both various spatial analysis functions and real-time rending visualization effectively. This object-oriented method model topological feature separately from geometrical data and links them by a couple link, by which user can access different aspect of spatial data in specific application context. A virtual geographical scene management framework based on above spatial data model is introduced at the last.
Object-oriented image coding scheme based on DWT and Markov random field
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zheng, Lei; Wu, Hsien-Hsun S.; Liu, Jyh-Charn S.; Chan, Andrew K.
In this paper, we introduce an object-oriented image coding algorithm to differentiate regions of interest (ROI) in visual communications. Our scheme is motivated by the fact that in visual communications, image contents (objects) are not equally important. For a given network bandwidth budget, one should give the highest transmission priority to the most interesting object, and serve the remaining ones at lower priorities. We propose a DWT based Multiresolution Markov Random Field technique to segment image objects according to their textures. We show that this technique can effectively distinguish visual objects and assign them different priorities. This scheme can be integrated with our ROI compression coder, the Generalized Self-Similarity Tress codex, for networking applications.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Goza, S. P.
The Object Orientation Manipulator (OOM) is an application program for creating, rendering, and recording three-dimensional computer-generated still and animated images. This is done using geometrically defined 3D models, cameras, and light sources, referred to collectively as animation elements. OOM does not provide the tools necessary to construct 3D models; instead, it imports binary format model files generated by the Solid Surface Modeler (SSM). Model files stored in other formats must be converted to the SSM binary format before they can be used in OOM. SSM is available as MSC-21914 or as part of the SSM/OOM bundle, COS-10047. Among OOM's features are collision detection (with visual and audio feedback), the capability to define and manipulate hierarchical relationships between animation elements, stereographic display, and ray-traced rendering. OOM uses Euler angle transformations for calculating the results of translation and rotation operations. OOM provides an interactive environment for the manipulation and animation of models, cameras, and light sources. Models are the basic entity upon which OOM operates and are therefore considered the primary animation elements. Cameras and light sources are considered secondary animation elements. A camera, in OOM, is simply a location within the three-space environment from which the contents of the environment are observed. OOM supports the creation and full animation of cameras. Light sources can be defined, positioned and linked to models, but they cannot be animated independently. OOM can simultaneously accommodate as many animation elements as the host computer's memory permits. Once the required animation elements are present, the user may position them, orient them, and define any initial relationships between them. Once the initial relationships are defined, the user can display individual still views for rendering and output, or define motion for the animation elements by using the Interp Animation Editor
Real-time physiological monitoring with distributed networks of sensors and object-oriented programming techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wiesmann, William P.; Pranger, L. Alex; Bogucki, Mary S.
Remote monitoring of physiologic data from individual high- risk workers distributed over time and space is a considerable challenge. This is often due to an inadequate capability to accurately integrate large amounts of data into usable information in real time. In this report, we have used the vertical and horizontal organization of the 'fireground' as a framework to design a distributed network of sensors. In this system, sensor output is linked through a hierarchical object oriented programing process to accurately interpret physiological data, incorporate these data into a synchronous model and relay processed data, trends and predictions to members of the fire incident command structure. There are several unique aspects to this approach. The first includes a process to account for variability in vital parameter values for each individual's normal physiologic response by including an adaptive network in each data process. This information is used by the model in an iterative process to baseline a 'normal' physiologic response to a given stress for each individual and to detect deviations that indicate dysfunction or a significant insult. The second unique capability of the system orders the information for each user including the subject, local company officers, medical personnel and the incident commanders. Information can be retrieved and used for training exercises and after action analysis. Finally this system can easily be adapted to existing communication and processing links along with incorporating the best parts of current models through the use of object oriented programming techniques. These modern software techniques are well suited to handling multiple data processes independently over time in a distributed network.
Towards an Object-Oriented Model for the Design and Development of Learning Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chrysostomou, Chrysostomos; Papadopoulos, George
This work introduces the concept of an Object-Oriented Learning Object (OOLO) that is developed in a manner similar to the one that software objects are developed through Object-Oriented Software Engineering (OO SWE) techniques. In order to make the application of the OOLO feasible and efficient, an OOLO model needs to be developed based on…
Advanced software development workstation: Object-oriented methodologies and applications for flight planning and mission operations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Izygon, Michel
The work accomplished during the past nine months in order to help three different organizations involved in Flight Planning and in Mission Operations systems, to transition to Object-Oriented Technology, by adopting one of the currently most widely used Object-Oriented analysis and Design Methodology is summarized.
Postural and Object-Oriented Experiences Advance Early Reaching, Object Exploration, and Means-End Behavior
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lobo, Michele A.; Galloway, James C.
The effects of 3 weeks of social (control), postural, or object-oriented experiences on 9- to 21-week-old infants' (N = 42) reaching, exploration, and means-end behaviors were assessed. Coders recorded object contacts, mouthing, fingering, attention, and affect from video. Postural and object-oriented experiences advanced reaching, haptic…
Aspects of Applying AN Object Oriented Design to a Small Satellite Flight Software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mohr, Ulrich; Baetz, Bastian; Klinkner, Sabine; Eickhoff, Jens
As part of the small satellite program at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart, an object oriented flight software was developed. This paper details aspects encountered during the development and experiences gained. It shows that object orientation might be a valuable tool in the development of future complex and autonomous flight software.
Electronic Publication of Health Information in an Object-Oriented Environment.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Prettyman, Maureen; Antonucci, Robert; Lynch, Paul; Mericle, Lee
The National Library of Medicine is supporting a research project on full-text search and retrieval. The project includes a fully deployed system, HSTAT, to provide access to government-supported health information. The retrieval system is an object-oriented client-server model and the data is stored in an object-oriented database management…
Teleradiology--an integrated solution.
Batty, Vincent
Successful and clinically relevant teleradiology requires robust technology coupled with expert specialist opinion. It also places significant demands on ships' medical personnel to produce images of diagnostic quality. There is the corresponding need for crew training and continuous quality management to ensure that the benefits of an innovative service are maintained and maximised. In the context of services provided by the Telemedical partnership, this paper will discuss: * Maritime Radiography and Information Technology (IT) * Crew Training--shore and computer based * Radiation Protection--recent legislation * Quality Standards--medical audit and clinical governance. It will demonstrate how a high quality clinical service can be developed and sustained by applying an integrated approach to these essential components. (This subject was presented to the 6th International Symposium on Maritime Health in Manila, Philippines, in November 2001). PMID:12608595
Tecolote: An object-oriented framework for physics development
Marshall, J.; Ankeny, L.; Clancy, S.
The authors describe a C++ physics development environment, called the Tecolote Framework, which allows model developers to work more efficiently and accurately. This Framework contains a variety of meshes, operators, and parallel fields, as well as an input/output (I/O) subsystem and graphics capabilities. Model developers can inherit Tecolote`s generic model interface and use the Framework`s high-level field and operator components to write parallel physics equations. New Tecolote models are easily registered with the Framework, and they can be built and called directly from the input file, which greatly expedites model installation. In the process of developing an extensible and robust framework, they have found appealing solutions to some of the serious problems they encounter when parallelizing and extending the older codes. They also discuss memory and performance issues for a large hydrodynamics application built in this Framework.
Project Integration Architecture as a Foundation for Autonomous Solution Systems: The Postulation of a Meaningful "SolveYourself" Method
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jones, William Henry
The Project Integration Architecture (PIA) uses object-oriented technology to implement self-revelation and semantic infusion through class derivation. That is, the kind of an object can be discovered through program inquiry and the well-known, well-defined meaning of that object can be utilized as a result of that discovery. This technology has already been demonstrated by the PIA effort in its parameter object classes. It is proposed that, by building on this technology, an autonomous, automatic, goal-seeking, solution system may be devised.
Kirkwood-Buff integrals for ideal solutions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ploetz, Elizabeth A.; Bentenitis, Nikolaos; Smith, Paul E.
The Kirkwood-Buff (KB) theory of solutions is a rigorous theory of solution mixtures which relates the molecular distributions between the solution components to the thermodynamic properties of the mixture. Ideal solutions represent a useful reference for understanding the properties of real solutions. Here, we derive expressions for the KB integrals, the central components of KB theory, in ideal solutions of any number of components corresponding to the three main concentration scales. The results are illustrated by use of molecular dynamics simulations for two binary solutions mixtures, benzene with toluene, and methanethiol with dimethylsulfide, which closely approach ideal behavior, and a binary mixture of benzene and methanol which is nonideal. Simulations of a quaternary mixture containing benzene, toluene, methanethiol, and dimethylsulfide suggest this system displays ideal behavior and that ideal behavior is not limited to mixtures containing a small number of components.
Dependency-tracking object-oriented multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) formulation on a large-scale system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ahlqvist, Maria Alexandra
Advances in computer technology and analysis software are making optimization of engineering systems more attractive and affordable than ever before. Optimization is becoming a necessary tool in order for companies to stay competitive. While the concept of optimization has been known almost as long as mankind, specific procedures on how to optimize engineering systems are younger. Currently, efforts are being made to reduce the computational time and simplify the organizational complexity involved with solving multidisciplinary systems. The work presented in this dissertation deals with how an object-oriented, dependency-tracking, demand-driven language can be used in reducing the computational time in performing multidisciplinary design optimizations. The work also discusses how the object-oriented language was used in integrating optimization functionality with a missile design system. The object-oriented dependency-tracking demand-driven language is applied to a large-scale multidisciplinary missile system involving disciplines such as a geometry engine, weight analysis, propulsion, aerodynamics, trajectory analysis, and cost analysis. Also discussed is the need for using approximations in optimizing a large-scale system. Designed experiments and response surface techniques were employed in creating approximation models for the problem at hand. Using these approximations to evaluate the responses was found to be useful at points in the design space where one or more responses could not otherwise be evaluated. Different optimization schemes were studied including response surface analysis of different resolutions in conjunction with higher fidelity optimization and higher fidelity optimization without approximation models. The contributions of this work are the application of MDO capabilities to a large-scale missile design system modeled in an object-oriented dependency-tracking environment, the use of response surface approximations to fit areas in the design
Object-Oriented/Data-Oriented Design of a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Algorithm
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Liechty, Derek S.
Over the past decade, there has been much progress towards improved phenomenological modeling and algorithmic updates for the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, which provides a probabilistic physical simulation of gas Rows. These improvements have largely been based on the work of the originator of the DSMC method, Graeme Bird. Of primary importance are improved chemistry, internal energy, and physics modeling and a reduction in time to solution. These allow for an expanded range of possible solutions In altitude and velocity space. NASA's current production code, the DSMC Analysis Code (DAC), is well-established and based on Bird's 1994 algorithms written in Fortran 77 and has proven difficult to upgrade. A new DSMC code is being developed in the C++ programming language using object-oriented and data-oriented design paradigms to facilitate the inclusion of the recent improvements and future development activities. The development efforts on the new code, the Multiphysics Algorithm with Particles (MAP), are described, and performance comparisons are made with DAC.
Intelligent Object-Oriented GIS Engine W/dynamic Coupling to Modeled Objects
Lurie, Gordon; Korp, Peter
The GEOVIEWER is an intelligent object-oriented Geographic Information System (GIS) engine that provides not only a spatially-optimized object representation, but also direct linkage to the underlying object, its data and behaviors. Tools are incorporated to perform tasks involving typical GIS functionality, data ingestion, linkage to external models, and integration with other application frameworks. The GOEVIEWER module was designed to provide GIS functionality to create, query, view, and manipulate software objects within a selected area under investigation in a simulation system. Many of these objects are not stored in a format conductive to efficient GIS usage. Their dynamic nature, complexity, and the sheer number of possible entity classes preclude effective integration with traditional GIS technologies due to the loosely coupled nature of their data representations. The primary difference between GEOVIEWER and standard GIS packages is that standard GIS packages offer static views of geospatial data while GEOVIEWER can be dynamically coupled to models and/or applications producing data and, therefore, display changes in geometry, attributes or behavior as they occur in the simulation.
Intelligent Object-Oriented GIS Engine W/dynamic Coupling to Modeled Objects
The GEOVIEWER is an intelligent object-oriented Geographic Information System (GIS) engine that provides not only a spatially-optimized object representation, but also direct linkage to the underlying object, its data and behaviors. Tools are incorporated to perform tasks involving typical GIS functionality, data ingestion, linkage to external models, and integration with other application frameworks. The GOEVIEWER module was designed to provide GIS functionality to create, query, view, and manipulate software objects within a selected area undermore » investigation in a simulation system. Many of these objects are not stored in a format conductive to efficient GIS usage. Their dynamic nature, complexity, and the sheer number of possible entity classes preclude effective integration with traditional GIS technologies due to the loosely coupled nature of their data representations. The primary difference between GEOVIEWER and standard GIS packages is that standard GIS packages offer static views of geospatial data while GEOVIEWER can be dynamically coupled to models and/or applications producing data and, therefore, display changes in geometry, attributes or behavior as they occur in the simulation.« less
Monte Carlo and detector simulation in OOP (Object-Oriented Programming)
Atwood, W.B.; Blankenbecler, R.; Kunz, P. ); Burnett, T.; Storr, K.M. . ECP Div.)
Object-Oriented Programming techniques are explored with an eye toward applications in High Energy Physics codes. Two prototype examples are given: McOOP (a particle Monte Carlo generator) and GISMO (a detector simulation/analysis package).
Object-oriented technologies in a multi-mission data system
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Murphy, Susan C.; Miller, Kevin J.; Louie, John J.
The Operations Engineering Laboratory (OEL) at JPL is developing new technologies that can provide more efficient and productive ways of doing business in flight operations. Over the past three years, we have worked closely with the Multi-Mission Control Team to develop automation tools, providing technology transfer into operations and resulting in substantial cost savings and error reduction. The OEL development philosophy is characterized by object-oriented design, extensive reusability of code, and an iterative development model with active participation of the end users. Through our work, the benefits of object-oriented design became apparent for use in mission control data systems. Object-oriented technologies and how they can be used in a mission control center to improve efficiency and productivity are explained. The current research and development efforts in the JPL Operations Engineering Laboratory are also discussed to architect and prototype a new paradigm for mission control operations based on object-oriented concepts.
ARACHNID: A prototype object-oriented database tool for distributed systems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Younger, Herbert; Oreilly, John; Frogner, Bjorn
This paper discusses the results of a Phase 2 SBIR project sponsored by NASA and performed by MIMD Systems, Inc. A major objective of this project was to develop specific concepts for improved performance in accessing large databases. An object-oriented and distributed approach was used for the general design, while a geographical decomposition was used as a specific solution. The resulting software framework is called ARACHNID. The Faint Source Catalog developed by NASA was the initial database testbed. This is a database of many giga-bytes, where an order of magnitude improvement in query speed is being sought. This database contains faint infrared point sources obtained from telescope measurements of the sky. A geographical decomposition of this database is an attractive approach to dividing it into pieces. Each piece can then be searched on individual processors with only a weak data linkage between the processors being required. As a further demonstration of the concepts implemented in ARACHNID, a tourist information system is discussed. This version of ARACHNID is the commercial result of the project. It is a distributed, networked, database application where speed, maintenance, and reliability are important considerations. This paper focuses on the design concepts and technologies that form the basis for ARACHNID.
Object-Oriented Plant Species Classification for Estimating Energy Balance of Evapotranspiration
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mariotto, I.; Gutschick, V. P.
Remote-sensing (RS) measurements of evapotranspiration (ET) require accurate estimates of surface roughness, hence, of plant cover and height. RS imagery at spatial resolutions coarser than that of individual plants (trees, shrubs, grass patches) yields low accuracy in such roughness estimates in heterogeneous terrain, even with inverse modeling of multiangle and multispectral imagery (which imagery is also commonly costly and of low temporal and spatial coverage). A solution is imagery with high spatial resolution, such as from low-altitude photography obtained with, e.g., unmanned aerial systems. While these measurements must be performed in campaigns that are inherently limited in total area covered, they offer excellent ground-truthing. In such a campaign, we have performed ground identifications of all major species, including height and crown area, on a 300 m by 300 m area of desert grassland (Jornada Experimental Range near Las Cruces, NM, USA). We obtained aerial imagery which was then processed to species identifications, via object-oriented classification using an automated feature extraction software (Feature Analyst in ArcGIS). Plant species were classified with an overall accuracy of 80.4%. Linear regressions of plant height on plant diameter for each major species yielded mean canopy height over an arbitrary image pixel. Over and above the utility of improving the accuracy of ET estimates, the study offers ecological information on community structure and, moreover, on its possible relation to spatial distributions of ET and total water availability.
Delta: An object-oriented finite element code architecture for massively parallel computers
Weatherby, J.R.; Schutt, J.A.; Peery, J.S.; Hogan, R.E.
Delta is an object-oriented code architecture based on the finite element method which enables simulation of a wide range of engineering mechanics problems in a parallel processing environment. Written in C{sup ++}, Delta is a natural framework for algorithm development and for research involving coupling of mechanics from different Engineering Science disciplines. To enhance flexibility and encourage code reuse, the architecture provides a clean separation of the major aspects of finite element programming. Spatial discretization, temporal discretization, and the solution of linear and nonlinear systems of equations are each implemented separately, independent from the governing field equations. Other attractive features of the Delta architecture include support for constitutive models with internal variables, reusable ``matrix-free`` equation solvers, and support for region-to-region variations in the governing equations and the active degrees of freedom. A demonstration code built from the Delta architecture has been used in two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations involving dynamic and quasi-static solid mechanics, transient and steady heat transport, and flow in porous media.
Advanced integrated solution for MEMS design
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liateni, Karim; Moulinier, David; Affour, Bachar; Boutamine, H.; Karam, Jean Michel; Veychard, D.; Courtois, Bernard; Cao, Ariel D.
This paper presents a fully integrated solution for the development of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems which covers component libraries, design tools and designs methodologies which are used in conjunction with conventional design automation tools. This solutio enables system houses in wireless and optical communications and consumers electronics markets to reduce their internal development costs and significantly accelerate their product development cycles.
Detecting Slums from Quick Bird Data in Pune Using AN Object Oriented Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shekhar, S.
We have been witnessing a gradual and steady transformation from a pre dominantly rural society to an urban society in India and by 2030, it will have more people living in urban than rural areas. Slums formed an integral part of Indian urbanisation as most of the Indian cities lack in basic needs of an acceptable life. Many efforts are being taken to improve their conditions. To carry out slum renewal programs and monitor its implementation, slum settlements should be recorded to obtain an adequate spatial data base. This can be only achieved through the analysis of remote sensing data with very high spatial resolution. Regarding the occurrences of settlement areas in the remote sensing data pixel-based approach on a high resolution image is unable to represent the heterogeneity of complex urban environments. Hence there is a need for sophisticated method and data for slum analysis. An attempt has been made to detect and discriminate the slums of Pune city by describing typical characteristics of these settlements, by using eCognition software from quick bird data on the basis of object oriented approach. Based on multi resolution segmentation, initial objects were created and further depend on texture, geometry and contextual characteristics of the image objects, they were classified into slums and non-slums. The developed rule base allowed the description of knowledge about phenomena clearly and easily using fuzzy membership functions and the described knowledge stored in the classification rule base led to the best classification with more than 80% accuracy.
Road Network Extraction from High Resolution Multispectral Satellite Imagery Based on Object Oriented Techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kumar, M.; Singh, R. K.; Raju, P. L. N.; Krishnamurthy, Y. V. N.
High Resolution satellite Imagery is an important source for road network extraction for urban road database creation, refinement and updating. However due to complexity of the scene in an urban environment, automated extraction of such features using various line and edge detection algorithms is limited. In this paper we present an integrated approach to extract road network from high resolution space imagery. The proposed approach begins with segmentation of the scene with Multi-resolution Object Oriented segmentation. This step focuses on exploiting both spatial and spectral information for the target feature extraction. The road regions are automatically identified using a soft fuzzy classifier based on a set of predefined membership functions. A number of shape descriptors are computed to reduce the misclassifications between road and other spectrally similar objects. The detected road segments are further refined using morphological operations to form final road network, which is then evaluated for its completeness, correctness and quality. The experiments were carried out of fused IKONOS 2 , Quick bird ,Worldview 2 Products with fused resolution's ranging from 0.5m to 1 m. Results indicate that the proposed methodology is effective in extracting accurate road networks from high resolution imagery.
Development of an object-oriented dynamics simulator for a LFR DEMO
Ponciroli, R.; Bortot, S.; Lorenzi, S.; Cammi, A.
A control-oriented dynamics simulator for a Generation IV Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) demonstrator (DEMO) has been developed aimed at providing a flexible, simple and fast-running tool allowing to perform design-basis transient and stability analyses, and to lay the foundations for the study of the system control strategy. For such purposes, a model representing a compromise between accuracy and straightforwardness has been necessarily sought, and in this view an object-oriented approach based on the Modelica language has been adopted. The reactor primary and secondary systems have been implemented by assembling both component models already available in a specific thermal-hydraulic library, and ad hoc developed nuclear component models suitably modified according to the specific DEMO configuration. The resulting overall plant simulator, incorporating also the balance of plant, consists in the following essential parts: core, integrated steam generator/primary pump block, cold and hot legs, primary coolant cold pool, turbine, heat sink, secondary coolant pump. Afterwards, the reactor response to typical transient initiators has been investigated: feedwater mass flow rate and temperature enhancement, turbine admission valve coefficient variation, increase of primary coolant mass flow rate, and transient of overpower have been simulated; results have been compared with the outcomes of analogous analyses performed by employing a lumped-parameter DEMO plant model. (authors)
FACET: an object-oriented software framework for modeling complex social behavior patterns
Dolph, J. E.; Christiansen, J. H.; Sydelko, P. J.
The Framework for Addressing Cooperative Extended Transactions (FACET) is a flexible, object-oriented architecture for implementing models of dynamic behavior of multiple individuals, or agents, in a simulation. These agents can be human (individuals or organizations) or animal and may exhibit any type of organized social behavior that can be logically articulated. FACET was developed by Argonne National Laboratory's (ANL) Decision and Information Sciences Division (DIS) out of the need to integrate societal processes into natural system simulations. The FACET architecture includes generic software components that provide the agents with various mechanisms for interaction, such as step sequencing and logic, resource management, conflict resolution, and preemptive event handling. FACET components provide a rich environment within which patterns of behavior can be captured in a highly expressive manner. Interactions among agents in FACET are represented by Course of Action (COA) object-based models. Each COA contains a directed graph of individual actions, which represents any known pattern of social behavior. The agents' behavior in a FACET COA, in turn, influences the natural landscape objects in a simulation (i.e., vegetation, soil, and habitat) by updating their states. The modular design of the FACET architecture provides the flexibility to create multiple and varied simulation scenarios by changing social behavior patterns, without disrupting the natural process models. This paper describes the FACET architecture and presents several examples of FACET models that have been developed to assess the effects of anthropogenic influences on the dynamics of the natural environment.
Object oriented software for simulation and reconstruction of big alignment systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Arce, P.
Modern high-energy physics experiments require tracking detectors to provide high precision under difficult working conditions (high magnetic field, gravity loads and temperature gradients). This is the reason why several of them are deciding to implement optical alignment systems to monitor the displacement of tracking elements in operation. To simulate and reconstruct optical alignment systems a general purpose software, named COCOA, has been developed, using the object oriented paradigm and software engineering techniques. Thanks to the big flexibility in its design, COCOA is able to reconstruct any optical system made of a combination of the following objects: laser, x-hair laser, incoherent source—pinhole, lens, mirror, plate splitter, cube splitter, optical square, rhomboid prism, 2D sensor, 1D sensor, distance-meter, tilt-meter, user-defined. COCOA was designed to satisfy the requirements of the CMS alignment system, which has several thousands of components. Sparse matrix techniques had been investigated for solving non-linear least squares fits with such a big number of parameters. The soundness of COCOA has already been stressed in the reconstruction of the data of a full simulation of a quarter plane of the CMS muon alignment system, which implied solving a system of 900 equations with 850 unknown parameters. Full simulation of the whole CMS alignment system, with over 30,000 parameters, is quite advanced. The integration of COCOA in the CMS software framework is also under progress.
Fidelity of the Integrated Force Method Solution
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hopkins, Dale; Halford, Gary; Coroneos, Rula; Patnaik, Surya
The theory of strain compatibility of the solid mechanics discipline was incomplete since St. Venant's 'strain formulation' in 1876. We have addressed the compatibility condition both in the continuum and the discrete system. This has lead to the formulation of the Integrated Force Method. A dual Integrated Force Method with displacement as the primal variable has also been formulated. A modest finite element code (IFM/Analyzers) based on the IFM theory has been developed. For a set of standard test problems the IFM results were compared with the stiffness method solutions and the MSC/Nastran code. For the problems IFM outperformed the existing methods. Superior IFM performance is attributed to simultaneous compliance of equilibrium equation and compatibility condition. MSC/Nastran organization expressed reluctance to accept the high fidelity IFM solutions. This report discusses the solutions to the examples. No inaccuracy was detected in the IFM solutions. A stiffness method code with a small programming effort can be improved to reap the many IFM benefits when implemented with the IFMD elements. Dr. Halford conducted a peer-review on the Integrated Force Method. Reviewers' response is included.
Integrating Variable Renewable Energy: Challenges and Solutions
Bird, L.; Milligan, M.; Lew, D.
In the U.S., a number of utilities are adopting higher penetrations of renewables, driven in part by state policies. While power systems have been designed to handle the variable nature of loads, the additional supply-side variability and uncertainty can pose new challenges for utilities and system operators. However, a variety of operational and technical solutions exist to help integrate higher penetrations of wind and solar generation. This paper explores renewable energy integration challenges and mitigation strategies that have been implemented in the U.S. and internationally, including forecasting, demand response, flexible generation, larger balancing areas or balancing area cooperation, and operational practices such as fast scheduling and dispatch.
Object-oriented industrial solid waste identification using HJ satellite imagery: a case study of phosphogypsum
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fu, Zhuo; Shen, Wenming; Xiao, Rulin; Xiong, Wencheng; Shi, Yuanli; Chen, Baisong
The increasing volume of industrial solid wastes presents a critical problem for the global environment. In the detection and monitoring of these industrial solid wastes, the traditional field methods are generally expensive and time consuming. With the advantages of quick observations taken at a large area, remote sensing provides an effective means for detecting and monitoring the industrial solid wastes in a large scale. In this paper, we employ an object-oriented method for detecting the industrial solid waste from HJ satellite imagery. We select phosphogypsum which is a typical industrial solid waste as our target. Our study area is located in Fuquan in Guizhou province of China. The object oriented method we adopted consists of the following steps: 1) Multiresolution segmentation method is adopted to segment the remote sensing images for obtaining the object-based images. 2) Build the feature knowledge set of the object types. 3) Detect the industrial solid wastes based on the object-oriented decision tree rule set. We analyze the heterogeneity in features of different objects. According to the feature heterogeneity, an object-oriented decision tree rule set is then built for aiding the identification of industrial solid waste. Then, based on this decision tree rule set, the industrial solid waste can be identified automatically from remote sensing images. Finally, the identified results are validated using ground survey data. Experiments and results indicate that the object-oriented method provides an effective method for detecting industrial solid wastes.
Generic POCC architecture: Revised recommended refinements and object-oriented interfaces
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
This document is a sequel to the report entitled Generic POCC Architectures, dated April 5, 1989, prepared by CTA under Contract NAS5-31500, Task 28-11600. That document presented a generic architecture based upon current technology, and a series of three refinements based on object-oriented analysis principles and expectations for POCC evolution. The current document revisits the object-oriented analysis of POCC's. We have reassessed the functional groupings that best adhere to object-oriented principles and have revised the recommended architecture accordingly. We present an updated view of the recommended generic POCC architecture using the same graphical models as the previous document: entity-relationship diagrams, dataflow diagrams, and composition graphs. In addition, we present another view in the form of entity-interface diagrams (EID's). EID's may be viewed as a precursor to object diagrams which are the basic construct of the general object-oriented design (GOOD) methodology. The entity-interface diagrams, together with their textual annotations, constitute our specification of object-oriented interfaces in the generic architecture.
The Study of Object-Oriented Motor Imagery Based on EEG Suppression
Li, Lili; Wang, Jing; Xu, Guanghua; Li, Min; Xie, Jun
Motor imagery is a conventional method for brain computer interface and motor learning. To avoid the great individual difference of the motor imagery ability, object-oriented motor imagery was applied, and the effects were studied. Kinesthetic motor imagery and visual observation were administered to 15 healthy volunteers. The EEG during cue-based simple imagery (SI), object-oriented motor imagery (OI), non-object-oriented motor imagery (NI) and visual observation (VO) was recorded. Study results showed that OI and NI presented significant contralateral suppression in mu rhythm (p < 0.05). Besides, OI exhibited significant contralateral suppression in beta rhythm (p < 0.05). While no significant mu or beta contralateral suppression could be found during VO or SI (p > 0.05). Compared with NI, OI showed significant difference (p < 0.05) in mu rhythm and weak significant difference (p = 0.0612) in beta rhythm over the contralateral hemisphere. The ability of motor imagery can be reflected by the suppression degree of mu and beta frequencies which are the motor related rhythms. Thus, greater enhancement of activation in mirror neuron system is involved in response to object-oriented motor imagery. The object-oriented motor imagery is favorable for improvement of motor imagery ability. PMID:26641241
Object-oriented design tools for supramolecular devices and biomedical nanotechnology.
Lee, Stephen C; Bhalerao, Khaustaub; Ferrari, Mauro
Nanotechnology provides multifunctional agents for in vivo use that increasingly blur the distinction between pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Realization of such therapeutic nanodevices requires multidisciplinary effort that is difficult for individual device developers to sustain, and identification of appropriate collaborations outside ones own field can itself be challenging. Further, as in vivo nanodevices become increasingly complex, their design will increasingly demand systems level thinking. System engineering tools such as object-oriented analysis, object-oriented design (OOA/D) and unified modeling language (UML) are applicable to nanodevices built from biological components, help logically manage the knowledge needed to design them, and help identify useful collaborative relationships for device designers. We demonstrate the utility of these systems engineering tools by reverse engineering an existing molecular device (the bacmid molecular cloning system) using them, and illustrate how object-oriented approaches identify fungible components (objects) in nanodevices in a way that facilitates design of families of related devices, rather than single inventions. We also explore the utility of object-oriented approaches for design of another class of therapeutic nanodevices, vaccines. While they are useful for design of current nanodevices, the power of systems design tools for biomedical nanotechnology will become increasingly apparent as the complexity and sophistication of in vivo nanosystems increases. The nested, hierarchical nature of object-oriented approaches allows treatment of devices as objects in higher-order structures, and so will facilitate concatenation of multiple devices into higher-order, higher-function nanosystems. PMID:15194610
The Nature of an Object-Oriented Program: How Do Practitioners Understand the Nature of What They Are Creating?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thompson, Errol; Kinshuk
Object-oriented programming is seen as a difficult skill to master. There is considerable debate about the most appropriate way to introduce novice programmers to object-oriented concepts. Is it possible to uncover what the critical aspects or features are that enhance the learning of object-oriented programming? Practitioners have differing…
Object-oriented design patterns in Fortran 90/95: mazev1, mazev2 and mazev3
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Decyk, Viktor K.; Gardner, Henry J.
This paper discusses the concept, application, and usefulness of software design patterns for scientific programming in Fortran 90/95. An example from the discipline of object-oriented design patterns, that of a game based on navigation through a maze, is used to describe how some important patterns can be implemented in Fortran 90/95 and how the progressive introduction of design patterns can usefully restructure Fortran software as it evolves. This example is complemented by a discussion of how design patterns have been used in a real-life simulation of Particle-in-Cell plasma physics. The following patterns are mentioned in this paper: Factory, Strategy, Template, Abstract Factory and Facade. Program summaryProgram title: mazev1, mazev2, mazev3 Catalogue identifier: AEAI_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEAI_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1958 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 17 100 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 95 Computer: PC/Mac Operating system: Unix/Linux/Mac (FreeBSD)/Windows (Cygwin) RAM: These are interactive programs with small (KB) memory requirements Classification: 6.5, 20 Nature of problem: A sequence of programs which demonstrate the use of object oriented design patterns for the restructuring of Fortran 90/95 software. The programs implement a simple maze game similar to that described in [1]. Solution method: Restructuring uses versions of the Template, Strategy and Factory design patterns. Running time: Interactive. References:E. Gamma, R. Helm, R. Johnson, J. Vlissides, Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object Oriented Software, Addison-Wesley, 1995, ISBN 0201633612.
Object oriented design and programming for experiment online applications---Experiences with a prototype application
Oleynik, G.
The increase in the variety of computer platforms incorporated into online data acquisition systems at Fermilab compels consideration of how to best design and implement applications to be maintainable, reusable and portable. To this end we have evaluated the applicability to Object Oriented Design techniques, and Object Oriented Programming languages for online applications. We report on this evaluation. We are designing a specific application which provides a framework for experimenters to access and display their raw data on UNIX workstations that form part of their distributed online data acquisition system. We have chosen to implement this using the C++ OOP language. We report on our experiences in object oriented design and lessons learned which we will apply to future software development. 14 refs.
Comparison of Pixel-Based and Object-Oriented Land Cover Change Detection Methods
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xie, Zhenlei; Shi, Ruoming; Zhu, Ling; Peng, Shu; Chen, Xu
Change detection method is an efficient way in the aim of land cover product updating on the basis of the existing products, and at the same time saving lots of cost and time. Considering the object-oriented change detection method for 30m resolution Landsat image, analysis of effect of different segmentation scales on the method of the object-oriented is firstly carried out. On the other hand, for analysing the effectiveness and availability of pixel-based change method, the two indices which complement each other are the differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI), the Change Vector (CV) were used. To demonstrate the performance of pixel-based and object-oriented, accuracy assessment of these two change detection results will be conducted by four indicators which include overall accuracy, omission error, commission error and Kappa coefficient.
Object-Oriented Analysis Code for Hall A Vertical Drift Chambers
Robbins, J.; Hansen, J.O.
The high-resolution spectrometers in Jefferson Lab's Hall A use vertical drift chambers to determine charged particle tracks. The current analysis code for the vertical drift chambers is difficult to maintain and modify, which has prompted the development of an object-oriented version, which will be easier to maintain and more able to adapt to changes in the detector configuration. However, the object-oriented approach involves using a slightly different algorithm than ESPACE, which could lead to different results. In this project, a preliminary version of an object-oriented analysis program for the vertical drift chambers is created and its results are compared to the existing software to determine the impacts of the differences in the reconstruction algorithms. In addition, the algorithms themselves are compared, and minor differences in track reconstruction techniques are reported.
Contextual Effects of Scene on the Visual Perception of Object Orientation in Depth
Niimi, Ryosuke; Watanabe, Katsumi
We investigated the effect of background scene on the human visual perception of depth orientation (i.e., azimuth angle) of three-dimensional common objects. Participants evaluated the depth orientation of objects. The objects were surrounded by scenes with an apparent axis of the global reference frame, such as a sidewalk scene. When a scene axis was slightly misaligned with the gaze line, object orientation perception was biased, as if the gaze line had been assimilated into the scene axis (Experiment 1). When the scene axis was slightly misaligned with the object, evaluated object orientation was biased, as if it had been assimilated into the scene axis (Experiment 2). This assimilation may be due to confusion between the orientation of the scene and object axes (Experiment 3). Thus, the global reference frame may influence object orientation perception when its orientation is similar to that of the gaze-line or object. PMID:24391947
Object-Oriented Implementation of the NAS Parallel Benchmarks using Charm++
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Krishnan, Sanjeev; Bhandarkar, Milind; Kale, Laxmikant V.
This report describes experiences with implementing the NAS Computational Fluid Dynamics benchmarks using a parallel object-oriented language, Charm++. Our main objective in implementing the NAS CFD kernel benchmarks was to develop a code that could be used to easily experiment with different domain decomposition strategies and dynamic load balancing. We also wished to leverage the object-orientation provided by the Charm++ parallel object-oriented language, to develop reusable abstractions that would simplify the process of developing parallel applications. We first describe the Charm++ parallel programming model and the parallel object array abstraction, then go into detail about each of the Scalar Pentadiagonal (SP) and Lower/Upper Triangular (LU) benchmarks, along with performance results. Finally we conclude with an evaluation of the methodology used.
A New Object-Oriented MODFLOW Framework for Coupling Multiple Hydrologic Models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Langevin, C.; Hughes, J. D.; Panday, S. M.; Banta, E. R.; Niswonger, R. G.
MODFLOW is a popular open-source groundwater flow model distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey. For 30 years, the MODFLOW program has been widely used by academic researchers, private consultants, and government scientists to accurately, reliably, and efficiently simulate groundwater flow. With time, growing interest in surface and groundwater interactions, local refinement with nested and unstructured grids, karst groundwater flow, solute transport, and saltwater intrusion, has led to the development of numerous MODFLOW versions. Although these MODFLOW versions are often based on the core version (presently MODFLOW-2005), there are often incompatibilities that restrict their use with one another. In many cases, development of these alternative versions has been challenging due to the underlying MODFLOW structure, which was designed for simulation with a single groundwater flow model using a rectilinear grid. A new object-oriented framework is being developed for MODFLOW to provide a platform for supporting multiple models and multiple types of models within the same simulation. In the new design, any number of numerical models can be tightly coupled at the matrix level by adding them to the same numerical solution, or they can be iteratively coupled until there is convergence between them. Transfer of information between models is isolated to exchange objects, which allow models to be developed and used independently. For existing MODFLOW users, this means that the program can function in the same way it always has for a single groundwater flow model. Within this new framework, a regional-scale groundwater model may be coupled with multiple local-scale groundwater models. Or, a surface water flow model can be coupled to multiple groundwater flow models. The framework naturally allows for the simulation of solute transport. Presently, unstructured control-volume finite-difference models have been implemented in the framework for three-dimensional groundwater
Design of an Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code: Initial Results
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jones, Scott M.
Performance prediction of turbomachines is a significant part of aircraft propulsion design. In the conceptual design stage, there is an important need to quantify compressor and turbine aerodynamic performance and develop initial geometry parameters at the 2-D level prior to more extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses. The Object-oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code (OTAC) is being developed to perform 2-D meridional flowthrough analysis of turbomachines using an implicit formulation of the governing equations to solve for the conditions at the exit of each blade row. OTAC is designed to perform meanline or streamline calculations; for streamline analyses simple radial equilibrium is used as a governing equation to solve for spanwise property variations. While the goal for OTAC is to allow simulation of physical effects and architectural features unavailable in other existing codes, it must first prove capable of performing calculations for conventional turbomachines. OTAC is being developed using the interpreted language features available in the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) code described by Claus et al (1991). Using the NPSS framework came with several distinct advantages, including access to the pre-existing NPSS thermodynamic property packages and the NPSS Newton-Raphson solver. The remaining objects necessary for OTAC were written in the NPSS framework interpreted language. These new objects form the core of OTAC and are the BladeRow, BladeSegment, TransitionSection, Expander, Reducer, and OTACstart Elements. The BladeRow and BladeSegment consumed the initial bulk of the development effort and required determining the equations applicable to flow through turbomachinery blade rows given specific assumptions about the nature of that flow. Once these objects were completed, OTAC was tested and found to agree with existing solutions from other codes; these tests included various meanline and streamline comparisons of axial
Design of an Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code: Initial Results
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jones, Scott
Performance prediction of turbomachines is a significant part of aircraft propulsion design. In the conceptual design stage, there is an important need to quantify compressor and turbine aerodynamic performance and develop initial geometry parameters at the 2-D level prior to more extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses. The Object-oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code (OTAC) is being developed to perform 2-D meridional flowthrough analysis of turbomachines using an implicit formulation of the governing equations to solve for the conditions at the exit of each blade row. OTAC is designed to perform meanline or streamline calculations; for streamline analyses simple radial equilibrium is used as a governing equation to solve for spanwise property variations. While the goal for OTAC is to allow simulation of physical effects and architectural features unavailable in other existing codes, it must first prove capable of performing calculations for conventional turbomachines.OTAC is being developed using the interpreted language features available in the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) code described by Claus et al (1991). Using the NPSS framework came with several distinct advantages, including access to the pre-existing NPSS thermodynamic property packages and the NPSS Newton-Raphson solver. The remaining objects necessary for OTAC were written in the NPSS framework interpreted language. These new objects form the core of OTAC and are the BladeRow, BladeSegment, TransitionSection, Expander, Reducer, and OTACstart Elements. The BladeRow and BladeSegment consumed the initial bulk of the development effort and required determining the equations applicable to flow through turbomachinery blade rows given specific assumptions about the nature of that flow. Once these objects were completed, OTAC was tested and found to agree with existing solutions from other codes; these tests included various meanline and streamline comparisons of axial
Object-Oriented Software Metrics for Predicting Reusability and Estimating Size
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sanderson, D. Peter; Tran, Tuyet-Lan; Sherif, Josef S.; Lee, Susan S.
As object-oriented software development methods come into more widespread use, basic questions of software quality assurance must be reconsidered. We will highlight efforts now underway at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to both assess the quality of software systems developed using object oriented technology and develop guidelines for future development of such systems. The current focus is on design and code reusability., and system size estimation. A number of metrics are proposed and two software systems measured and analyzed. The preliminary results reported here should be useful to software development and quality assurance personnel working in C++ implementation environment.
Object-oriented urban 3D spatial data model organization method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Jing-wen; Li, Wen-qing; Lv, Nan; Su, Tao
This paper combined the 3d data model with object-oriented organization method, put forward the model of 3d data based on object-oriented method, implemented the city 3d model to quickly build logical semantic expression and model, solved the city 3d spatial information representation problem of the same location with multiple property and the same property with multiple locations, designed the space object structure of point, line, polygon, body for city of 3d spatial database, and provided a new thought and method for the city 3d GIS model and organization management.
An object oriented design for high performance linear algebra on distributed memory architectures
Dongarra, J.J. |; Walker, D.W.; Pozo, R.
We describe the design of ScaLAPACK++, an object oriented C++ library for implementing linear algebra computations on distributed memory multicomputers. This package, when complete, will support distributed dense, banded, sparse matrix operations for symmetric, positive-definite, and non-symmetric cases. In ScaLAPACK++ we have employed object oriented design methods to enchance scalability, portability, flexibility, and ease-of-use. We illustrate some of these points by describing the implementation of a right-looking LU factorization for dense systems in ScaLAPACK++.
The Applicability of Proposed Object-Oriented Metrics to Developer Feedback in Time to Impact Development
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.
This paper looks closely at each of the software metrics generated by the McCabe object-Oriented Tool(TM) and its ability to convey timely information to developers. The metrics are examined for meaningfulness in terms of the scale assignable to the metric by the rules of measurement theory and the software dimension being measured. Recommendations are made as to the proper use of each metric and its ability to influence development at an early stage. The metrics of the McCabe Object-Oriented Tool(TM) set were selected because of the tool's use in a couple of NASA IV&V projects.
The design of the AIE: An object-oriented application development system
Fuja, R.S.; Widing, M.A.
Three years ago, in response to our challenging development context, the Advanced Modeling and Analysis Section designed and implemented an object-oriented environment -- the Application Interface Engine (AIE). Our prototyping requirements forced existing application development systems beyond their capabilities. Programmers at AMAS and its contractors have developed over twenty applications using AIE. Our initial experience has been very positive. AIE extends an object-oriented programming language with syntax and classes to support applications specification. This extended system improves all stages of the application engineering life cycle, from rapid prototyping to long term maintenance.
An Object-Oriented Collection of Minimum Degree Algorithms: Design, Implementation, and Experiences
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kumfert, Gary; Pothen, Alex
The multiple minimum degree (MMD) algorithm and its variants have enjoyed 20+ years of research and progress in generating fill-reducing orderings for sparse, symmetric positive definite matrices. Although conceptually simple, efficient implementations of these algorithms are deceptively complex and highly specialized. In this case study, we present an object-oriented library that implements several recent minimum degree-like algorithms. We discuss how object-oriented design forces us to decompose these algorithms in a different manner than earlier codes and demonstrate how this impacts the flexibility and efficiency of our C++ implementation. We compare the performance of our code against other implementations in C or Fortran.
Advanced Computing Technologies for Rocket Engine Propulsion Systems: Object-Oriented Design with C++
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bekele, Gete
This document explores the use of advanced computer technologies with an emphasis on object-oriented design to be applied in the development of software for a rocket engine to improve vehicle safety and reliability. The primary focus is on phase one of this project, the smart start sequence module. The objectives are: 1) To use current sound software engineering practices, object-orientation; 2) To improve on software development time, maintenance, execution and management; 3) To provide an alternate design choice for control, implementation, and performance.
Solution methods for very highly integrated circuits.
Nong, Ryan; Thornquist, Heidi K.; Chen, Yao; Mei, Ting; Santarelli, Keith R.; Tuminaro, Raymond Stephen
While advances in manufacturing enable the fabrication of integrated circuits containing tens-to-hundreds of millions of devices, the time-sensitive modeling and simulation necessary to design these circuits poses a significant computational challenge. This is especially true for mixed-signal integrated circuits where detailed performance analyses are necessary for the individual analog/digital circuit components as well as the full system. When the integrated circuit has millions of devices, performing a full system simulation is practically infeasible using currently available Electrical Design Automation (EDA) tools. The principal reason for this is the time required for the nonlinear solver to compute the solutions of large linearized systems during the simulation of these circuits. The research presented in this report aims to address the computational difficulties introduced by these large linearized systems by using Model Order Reduction (MOR) to (i) generate specialized preconditioners that accelerate the computation of the linear system solution and (ii) reduce the overall dynamical system size. MOR techniques attempt to produce macromodels that capture the desired input-output behavior of larger dynamical systems and enable substantial speedups in simulation time. Several MOR techniques that have been developed under the LDRD on 'Solution Methods for Very Highly Integrated Circuits' will be presented in this report. Among those presented are techniques for linear time-invariant dynamical systems that either extend current approaches or improve the time-domain performance of the reduced model using novel error bounds and a new approach for linear time-varying dynamical systems that guarantees dimension reduction, which has not been proven before. Progress on preconditioning power grid systems using multi-grid techniques will be presented as well as a framework for delivering MOR techniques to the user community using Trilinos and the Xyce circuit simulator
The extraction of land use around Grand Canal in Nanwang based on Quick Bird image using object-oriented method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhu, Chunhua; Nie, Yueping
The Grand Canal of China is the longest ancient canal in the world. It is an astonishingly huge project in the history of Chinese civilization. However, some sections have already disappeared as the development of society and change of environment. It can be detected by using very high resolution image. Object-oriented method based on image segmentation is being actively studied in the high resolution image process and interpretation to extract a variety of thematic information. It includes two consecutive processes: first the image is subdivided into separated regions according to the spectral and spatial heterogeneity in the image segmentation process and then the objects are assigned to a specific class according to the class's detailed description in the image classification process. The result shows that the object-oriented approach can realize the full potential of the very high resolution image, have higher accuracy compared with traditional classification and allow quantitative analysis of land use, simplification of Remote Sensing and GIS integration.
Diagram, a Learning Environment for Initiation to Object-Oriented Modeling with UML Class Diagrams
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Py, Dominique; Auxepaules, Ludovic; Alonso, Mathilde
This paper presents Diagram, a learning environment for object-oriented modelling (OOM) with UML class diagrams. Diagram an open environment, in which the teacher can add new exercises without constraints on the vocabulary or the size of the diagram. The interface includes methodological help, encourages self-correcting and self-monitoring, and…
Coping with Abstraction in Object Orientation with a Special Focus on Interface Classes
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lavy, Ilana; Rashkovits, Rami; Kouris, Roy
One of the subjects that undergraduate students learning Object Oriented (OO) design find hard to apply is the construction of class hierarchies in general, and the use of interface classes in particular. The design process requires decomposition and reconstruction of problems in order to model software classes. The common attributes and behaviors…
Inter-Organizational Learning across Levels: An Object-Oriented Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Toiviainen, Hanna
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the research methodology of analyzing learning in inter-organizational networks based on an object-oriented approach. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws from the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), specifically from the concepts of the object of activity, developmental…
Visual Search for Object Orientation Can Be Modulated by Canonical Orientation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ballaz, Cecile; Boutsen, Luc; Peyrin, Carole; Humphreys, Glyn W.; Marendaz, Christian
The authors studied the influence of canonical orientation on visual search for object orientation. Displays consisted of pictures of animals whose axis of elongation was either vertical or tilted in their canonical orientation. Target orientation could be either congruent or incongruent with the object's canonical orientation. In Experiment 1,…
Object-oriented Information System in the HELIOS Medical Software Engineering Environment.
Jean, F C; Thelliez, T; Mascart, J J; Degoulet, P
This paper presents the architecture of the Information System of HELIOS, a medical Software Engineering Environment. It is an object oriented framework for the development of medical applications which puts particular emphasis on tools and techniques favouring reuse of previous work and enhancing collaboration between developers. PMID:1482942
Design and Implementation of ROCK & ROLL: A Deductive Object-Oriented Database System.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Barja, Maria L.; And Others
Presents the design and implementation of a deductive object-oriented database which is built upon a formally defined data model that uses two languages: an imperative programming language called ROCK (Rule Object Computation Kernel), and a logic language called ROLL (Rule Object Logic Language). (LRW)
An Object-Oriented Architecture for a Web-Based CAI System.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nakabayashi, Kiyoshi; Hoshide, Takahide; Seshimo, Hitoshi; Fukuhara, Yoshimi
This paper describes the design and implementation of an object-oriented World Wide Web-based CAI (Computer-Assisted Instruction) system. The goal of the design is to provide a flexible CAI/ITS (Intelligent Tutoring System) framework with full extendibility and reusability, as well as to exploit Web-based software technologies such as JAVA, ASP (a…
Object-oriented implementation of heuristic search methods for graph coloring, maximum clique and satisfiability
Ferland, J.; Fleurent, C.
Using object-oriented design and the C++ programming language, generic operators are developed for tabu search and genetic algorithms. These operators are used for the graph coloring, maximum clique and satisfiability problems. The availability of all methods for each problem permits to consider hybrid schemes.
Design Strategies and Knowledge in Object-Oriented Programming: Effects of Experience.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Detienne, Francoise
Presents research findings from an empirical study of design strategies and knowledge used in object-oriented (OO) software design by programmers both experienced and not experienced with OO programming. Results indicated that levels of experience with OO programming affect the design process. (Author/JKP)
Mirror-Image Confusions: Implications for Representation and Processing of Object Orientation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gregory, Emma; McCloskey, Michael
Perceiving the orientation of objects is important for interacting with the world, yet little is known about the mental representation or processing of object orientation information. The tendency of humans and other species to confuse mirror images provides a potential clue. However, the appropriate characterization of this phenomenon is not…
Microworlds for Learning Object-Oriented Programming: Considerations from Research to Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Djelil, Fahima; Albouy-Kissi, Adelaide; Albouy-Kissi, Benjamin; Sanchez, Eric; Lavest, Jean-Marc
Object-Oriented paradigm is a common paradigm for introductory programming courses. However, many teachers find that transitioning to teaching this paradigm is a difficult task. To overcome this complexity, many experienced teachers use microworlds to give beginner students an intuitive and rapid understanding of fundamental abstract concepts of…
A Learning Research Informed Design and Evaluation of a Web-Enhanced Object Oriented Programming Seminar
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Georgantaki, Stavroula C.; Retalis, Symeon D.
"Object-Oriented Programming" subject is included in the ACM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs in Computer Science as well as in Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science. In a few research studies learning problems and difficulties have been recorded, and therefore, specific pedagogical guidelines and educational…
Exploring the Synergies between the Object Oriented Paradigm and Mathematics: A Java Led Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Conrad, Marc; French, Tim
While the object oriented paradigm and its instantiation within programming languages such as Java has become a ubiquitous part of both the commercial and educational landscapes, its usage as a visualization technique within mathematics undergraduate programmes of study has perhaps been somewhat underestimated. By regarding the object oriented…
Holistic Approach to Learning and Teaching Introductory Object-Oriented Programming
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thota, Neena; Whitfield, Richard
This article describes a holistic approach to designing an introductory, object-oriented programming course. The design is grounded in constructivism and pedagogy of phenomenography. We use constructive alignment as the framework to align assessments, learning, and teaching with planned learning outcomes. We plan learning and teaching activities,…
An Achievement Degree Analysis Approach to Identifying Learning Problems in Object-Oriented Programming
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allinjawi, Arwa A.; Al-Nuaim, Hana A.; Krause, Paul
Students often face difficulties while learning object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts. Many papers have presented various assessment methods for diagnosing learning problems to improve the teaching of programming in computer science (CS) higher education. The research presented in this article illustrates that although max-min composition is…
An Exploration and Analysis of the Relationships among Object Oriented Programming, Hypermedia, and Hypertalk.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Milet, Lynn K.; Harvey, Francis A.
Hypermedia and object oriented programming systems (OOPs) represent examples of "open" computer environments that allow the user access to parts of the code or operating system. Both systems share fundamental intellectual concepts (objects, messages, methods, classes, and inheritance), so that an understanding of hypermedia can help in the…
BlueJ Visual Debugger for Learning the Execution of Object-Oriented Programs?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bennedsen, Jens; Schulte, Carsten
This article reports on an experiment undertaken in order to evaluate the effect of a program visualization tool for helping students to better understand the dynamics of object-oriented programs. The concrete tool used was BlueJ's debugger and object inspector. The study was done as a control-group experiment in an introductory programming…
Evaluation of the usage of an object-oriented lesson model to be implemented in medical virtual learning environments.
Staccini, Pascal; Joubert, Michel; Fieschi, Marius
One of the main aims of learning platforms is to guide students towards interaction with learning activities. Pedagogically, these activities should be connected and well-integrated in a coherent environment. Faced with the increasing demand of medical school faculty and for online delivery of course materials, we designed an integrated and generic lesson model. This was implemented in an original virtual-learning environment. The platform was programmed within an object-oriented content management system embedding a workflow engine. This paper provides a description of the lesson model and the comparative evaluation of its usage by students of two medical curricula. Web usage mining techniques were applied to identify navigation patterns. The monitoring of student behavior in terms of usage is discussed to help student follow-up and optimize tutoring arrangements. PMID:17238440
Object-oriented information extraction of forest resources from high resolution remote sensing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mo, Dengkui; Lin, Hui; Sun, Hua; Li, Jiping; Xiong, Yujiu; Liu, Tailong
Remote sensing is a powerful tool for precision forestry, providing the forestry industry with spatial information on environment impacts, growth and yield, site variables and damage assessment. Nonetheless the extraction of information from remotely sensed imagery is presently labor intensive requiring highly qualified remote sensing experts, making this information source expensive and slow. With the improvement of spatial resolution, very high resolution remote sensing image are now a competitive alternative to aerial photography and field visits in forest resource survey. In recent years, numerous classification methods were described in the literature and they can be classified into two large classes: traditional pixel-based classification and object-oriented image analysis method. Traditional pixel-based classification techniques either supervised methods or unsupervised method all based on spectral analysis of individual pixels and significant progress has been achieved in recent years. However, these approaches have their limitations since the problem of mixed pixels is indeed reduced, but the internal variability and the noise within land cover classes are increased the improved spatial resolution. In order to improve the classification accuracy, object-oriented image analysis concept has been proposed. This paper explores the use of object oriented image analysis approaches in mapping forest resource and introduces a fast and robust segmentation algorithm--mean shift. The study is based on SPOT-5 image covering the national forest park of Tian'eshan, Zixing City, Hunan, China. Image processing included geometric and atmospheric correction and image segmentation and classification using spectral and spatial information to separate 5 classes. 86.5342% overall accuracy was achieved with this approach. In additional, object oriented image analysis method is compared with traditional pixel based method. The results show the importance, capabilities and
An integrated solution for remote data access
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sapunenko, Vladimir; D'Urso, Domenico; dell'Agnello, Luca; Vagnoni, Vincenzo; Duranti, Matteo
Data management constitutes one of the major challenges that a geographically- distributed e-Infrastructure has to face, especially when remote data access is involved. We discuss an integrated solution which enables transparent and efficient access to on-line and near-line data through high latency networks. The solution is based on the joint use of the General Parallel File System (GPFS) and of the Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). Both products, developed by IBM, are well known and extensively used in the HEP computing community. Owing to a new feature introduced in GPFS 3.5, so-called Active File Management (AFM), the definition of a single, geographically-distributed namespace, characterised by automated data flow management between different locations, becomes possible. As a practical example, we present the implementation of AFM-based remote data access between two data centres located in Bologna and Rome, demonstrating the validity of the solution for the use case of the AMS experiment, an astro-particle experiment supported by the INFN CNAF data centre with the large disk space requirements (more than 1.5 PB).
Analysis of matters associated with the transferring of object-oriented applications to platform .Net using C# programming language
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sarsimbayeva, S. M.; Kospanova, K. K.
The article provides the discussion of matters associated with the problems of transferring of object-oriented Windows applications from C++ programming language to .Net platform using C# programming language. C++ has always been considered to be the best language for the software development, but the implicit mistakes that come along with the tool may lead to infinite memory leaks and other errors. The platform .Net and the C#, made by Microsoft, are the solutions to the issues mentioned above. The world economy and production are highly demanding applications developed by C++, but the new language with its stability and transferability to .Net will bring many advantages. An example can be presented using the applications that imitate the work of queuing systems. Authors solved the problem of transferring of an application, imitating seaport works, from C++ to the platform .Net using C# in the scope of Visual Studio.
GOOSE, a generalized object-oriented simulation environment for developing and testing reactor models and control strategies
Ford, C.E.; March-Leuba, C. ); Guimaraes, L.; Ugolini, D. . Dept. of Nuclear Engineering)
GOOSE, prototype software for a fully interactive, object-oriented simulation environment, is being developed as part of the Advanced Controls Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dynamic models may easily be constructed and tested; fully interactive capabilities allow the user to alter model parameters and complexity without recompilation. This environment provides access to powerful tools, such as numerical integration packages, graphical displays, and online help. Portability has bee an important design goal; the system was written in Objective-C in order to run on a wide variety of computers and operating systems, including UNIX workstations and personnel computers. A detailed library of nuclear reactor components, currently under development, will also be described. 5 refs., 4 figs.
VAS: A Vision Advisor System combining agents and object-oriented databases
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Eilbert, James L.; Lim, William; Mendelsohn, Jay; Braun, Ron; Yearwood, Michael
A model-based approach to identifying and finding the orientation of non-overlapping parts on a tray has been developed. The part models contain both exact and fuzzy descriptions of part features, and are stored in an object-oriented database. Full identification of the parts involves several interacting tasks each of which is handled by a distinct agent. Using fuzzy information stored in the model allowed part features that were essentially at the noise level to be extracted and used for identification. This was done by focusing attention on the portion of the part where the feature must be found if the current hypothesis of the part ID is correct. In going from one set of parts to another the only thing that needs to be changed is the database of part models. This work is part of an effort in developing a Vision Advisor System (VAS) that combines agents and objected-oriented databases.
The Concert system - Compiler and runtime technology for efficient concurrent object-oriented programming
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Chien, Andrew A.; Karamcheti, Vijay; Plevyak, John; Sahrawat, Deepak
Concurrent object-oriented languages, particularly fine-grained approaches, reduce the difficulty of large scale concurrent programming by providing modularity through encapsulation while exposing large degrees of concurrency. Despite these programmability advantages, such languages have historically suffered from poor efficiency. This paper describes the Concert project whose goal is to develop portable, efficient implementations of fine-grained concurrent object-oriented languages. Our approach incorporates aggressive program analysis and program transformation with careful information management at every stage from the compiler to the runtime system. The paper discusses the basic elements of the Concert approach along with a description of the potential payoffs. Initial performance results and specific plans for system development are also detailed.
Advanced software development workstation. Comparison of two object-oriented development methodologies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Izygon, Michel E.
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.
GOOSE 1. 4 -- Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment user's manual
Nypaver, D.J. ); Abdalla, M.A. ); Guimaraes, L. , Sao Jose dos Campos, SP . Inst. de Estudos Avancados)
The Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (GOOSE) is a new and innovative simulation tool that is being developed by the Simulation Group of the Advanced Controls Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. GOOSE is a fully interactive prototype software package that provides users with the capability of creating sophisticated mathematical models of physical systems. GOOSE uses an object-oriented approach to modeling and combines the concept of modularity (building a complex model easily from a collection of previously written components) with the additional features of allowing precompilation, optimization, and testing and validation of individual modules. Once a library of components has been defined and compiled, models can be built and modified without recompilation. This user's manual provides detailed descriptions of the structure and component features of GOOSE, along with a comprehensive example using a simplified model of a pressurized water reactor.
GOOSE 1.4 -- Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment user`s manual
Nypaver, D.J.; Abdalla, M.A.; Guimaraes, L.
The Generalized Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (GOOSE) is a new and innovative simulation tool that is being developed by the Simulation Group of the Advanced Controls Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. GOOSE is a fully interactive prototype software package that provides users with the capability of creating sophisticated mathematical models of physical systems. GOOSE uses an object-oriented approach to modeling and combines the concept of modularity (building a complex model easily from a collection of previously written components) with the additional features of allowing precompilation, optimization, and testing and validation of individual modules. Once a library of components has been defined and compiled, models can be built and modified without recompilation. This user`s manual provides detailed descriptions of the structure and component features of GOOSE, along with a comprehensive example using a simplified model of a pressurized water reactor.
Object-oriented Approach to High-level Network Monitoring and Management
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mukkamala, Ravi
An absolute prerequisite for the management of large investigating methods to build high-level monitoring computer networks is the ability to measure their systems that are built on top of existing monitoring performance. Unless we monitor a system, we cannot tools. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the hope to manage and control its performance. In this underlying systems at NASA Langley Research Center, paper, we describe a network monitoring system that we use an object-oriented approach for the design, we are currently designing and implementing. Keeping, first, we use UML (Unified Modeling Language) to in mind the complexity of the task and the required model users' requirements. Second, we identify the flexibility for future changes, we use an object-oriented existing capabilities of the underlying monitoring design methodology. The system is built using the system. Third, we try to map the former with the latter. APIs offered by the HP OpenView system.
The Identification and Classification of Sandy Lands by Application of the Object Oriented Method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Changlong; Gao, Zhihai; Wang, Bengyu; Bai, Lina; Wu, Junjun; Sun, Bin; Ding, Xiangyuan
In this paper, BJ-1 small satellite images as the data source, the optimal segmentation scales of various categories were determined by the Jefries-Matusita (J-M) method and the identification and classification of the Otindag sandy land was carried out based on the object-oriented method combined with Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers. The research shows that the overall accuracy of sandy land classification, in this paper, is 81.52%, and Kappa coefficient is 0.7845, which indicate that the identification and classification of sandy lands by application of the object-oriented method is great. Finally, based on the research results of the classification methods and processes in sandy land, the sandy land of the Beijing-Tianjin dust and sandstorm source region (BTDSSR) was identified and classified. By doing this, it was determined basically that the distribution of the sandy lands in BTDSSR.
Measuring real-time performance in distributed-object-oriented systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Widell, Niklas; Kihl, Maria; Nyberg, Christian
The principles of distributed object oriented programming offer great possibilities for flexible architectures in multiple fields. In telecommunications, an architecture called Telecommunication Information Networking Architecture has been developed using these very principles. It allows telecommunication services to be implemented using software objects that in turn can be executed in a location transparent way in a network. The location transparency offers great flexibility for service creation, but as the software must be executed somewhere in the network on nodes of finite capacity, performance problems can arise due to inefficient placement of objects causing either overloaded nodes or excessive and unnecessary inter-node communication. To ensure good performance, various measures of load control and load balancing must be taken. We discuss how to measure the performance of a distributed object oriented system and examine two load balancing algorithms that can be used in such systems.
Object-oriented Bayesian networks for paternity cases with allelic dependencies
Hepler, Amanda B.; Weir, Bruce S.
This study extends the current use of Bayesian networks by incorporating the effects of allelic dependencies in paternity calculations. The use of object-oriented networks greatly simplify the process of building and interpreting forensic identification models, allowing researchers to solve new, more complex problems. We explore two paternity examples: the most common scenario where DNA evidence is available from the alleged father, the mother and the child; a more complex casewhere DNA is not available from the alleged father, but is available from the alleged father's brother. Object-oriented networks are built, using HUGIN, for each example which incorporate the effects of allelic dependence caused by evolutionary relatedness. PMID:19079769
Voila: A visual object-oriented iterative linear algebra problem solving environment
Edwards, H.C.; Hayes, L.J.
Application of iterative methods to solve a large linear system of equations currently involves writing a program which calls iterative method subprograms from a large software package. These subprograms have complex interfaces which are difficult to use and even more difficult to program. A problem solving environment specifically tailored to the development and application of iterative methods is needed. This need will be fulfilled by Voila, a problem solving environment which provides a visual programming interface to object-oriented iterative linear algebra kernels. Voila will provide several quantum improvements over current iterative method problem solving environments. First, programming and applying iterative methods is considerably simplified through Voila`s visual programming interface. Second, iterative method algorithm implementations are independent of any particular sparse matrix data structure through Voila`s object-oriented kernels. Third, the compile-link-debug process is eliminated as Voila operates as an interpreter.
Effect of Object Orientation Angle on T2* Image and Reconstructed Magnetic Susceptibility: Numerical Simulations
Chen, Zikuan; Calhoun, Vince
The magnetic field resulting from material magnetization in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has an object orientation effect, which produces an orientation dependence for acquired T2* images. On one hand, the orientation effect can be exploited for object anisotropy investigation (via multi-angle imaging); on the other hand, it is desirable to remove the orientation dependence using magnetic susceptibility reconstruction. In this report, we design a stick-star digital phantom to simulate multiple orientations of a stick-like object and use it to conduct various numerical simulations. Our simulations show that the object orientation effect is not propagated to the reconstructed magnetic susceptibility distribution. This suggests that accurate susceptibility reconstruction methods should be largely orientation independent. PMID:25114542
Object-Oriented Query Language For Events Detection From Images Sequences
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ganea, Ion Eugen
In this paper is presented a method to represent the events extracted from images sequences and the query language used for events detection. Using an object oriented model the spatial and temporal relationships between salient objects and also between events are stored and queried. This works aims to unify the storing and querying phases for video events processing. The object oriented language syntax used for events processing allow the instantiation of the indexes classes in order to improve the accuracy of the query results. The experiments were performed on images sequences provided from sport domain and it shows the reliability and the robustness of the proposed language. To extend the language will be added a specific syntax for constructing the templates for abnormal events and for detection of the incidents as the final goal of the research.
WWW-based access to object-oriented clinical databases: the KHOSPAD project.
Pinciroli, F; Portoni, L; Combi, C; Violante, F F
KHOSPAD is a project aiming at improving the quality of the process of patient care concerning general practitioner-patient-hospital relationships, using current information and networking technologies. The studied application field is a cardiology division, with hemodynamic laboratory and the population of PTCA patients. Data related to PTCA patients are managed by ARCADIA, an object-oriented database management system developed for the considered clinical setting. We defined a remotely accessible view of ARCADIA medical record, suitable for general practitioners (GPs) caring patients after PTCA, during the follow-up period. Using a PC, a modem and Internet, an authorized GP can consult remotely the medical records of his PTCA patients. Main features of the application are related to the management and display of complex data, specifically characterized by multimedia and temporal features, based on an object-oriented temporal data model. PMID:9861510
Challenges and solutions ensuring EUVL photomask integrity
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Brux, O.; Dreß, P.; Schmalfuß, H.; Jonckheere, R.; Koolen-Hermkens, W.
Industry roadmaps indicate that the introduction of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) is on track for high volume manufacturing. Although, there has been significant progress in each of the individual subsets of the EUVL infrastructure, the absolute management of the process outside of the scanner and up to the point-of-exposure has been highlighted as critical requirement for the adoption of EUVL. Significant changes in the EUV system environment and mask architecture are driving a zero process tolerance level. Any unforeseen contamination introduced to the scanner environment from the EUV mask could cause considerable downtime and yield loss. Absolute mask integrity at the point-of-exposure must be guaranteed. EUV mask cleaning processes-of-record have been developed and introduced to the industry [1]. The issue is not longer "how to clean the mask" but, "how to keep it clean". With the introduction of EUVL, mask cleanliness extends out beyond the traditional mask cleaning tool. Complete control of contamination and/or particles during transportation, handling and storage will require a holistic approach to mask management. A new environment specifically for EUV mask integrity must be developed and fully tested for the sub 16nm half-pitch node introduction. The SUSS MaskTrack Pro (MTP) InSync was introduced as the solution for EUV mask integrity. SUSS demonstrated the fully automated handling of EUV masks into and out of a Dual Pod System [2]. Intrinsic cleanliness of each individual handling and storage step of the inner pod (EIP) and EUV mask inside the MTP InSync Tool was investigated and reported. A target specification of a PRP <= 0.08 as criterion for the cross contamination between EIP and the EUV reticle during handling within MTP InSync has been achieved and therefore proofing the applicability for the Dual Pod automation. Moreover an appropriate automated handling, other aspects like backside particle contamination and EIP cleanliness plays a
Meanline Analysis of Turbines with Choked Flow in the Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hendricks, Eric S.
The Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code (OTAC) is a new meanline/streamline turbomachinery modeling tool being developed at NASA GRC. During the development process, a limitation of the code was discovered in relation to the analysis of choked flow in axial turbines. This paper describes the relevant physics for choked flow as well as the changes made to OTAC to enable analysis in this flow regime.
Impacts of object-oriented technologies: Seven years of SEL studies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stark, Michael
The premise that object-oriented technology (OOT) is the most significant technology ever examined by the Software Engineering Laboratory is examined. The evolution of the use of OOT in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) 'experience factory' is described in terms of the SEL's original expectations, focusing on how successive generations of projects have used OOT. General conclusions are drawn on how the usage of the technology has evolved in this environment.
Impacts of object-oriented technologies: Seven years of SEL studies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stark, Mike
This paper examines the premise that object-oriented technology (OOT) is the most significant technology ever examined by the Software Engineering Laboratory. The evolution of the use of OOT in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) 'Experience Factory' is described in terms of the SEL's original expectations, focusing on how successive generations of projects have used OOT. General conclusions are drawn on how the usage of the technology has evolved in this environment.
Use of object-oriented techniques in a beam-line control system
Myers, D.R.; Rueden, W. von; Butler, H.; Yang, J.
The authors describe the use of object-oriented programming in the control and data-acquisition system for the upgraded CERN neutrino beam-line. C++ in conjunction with Posix threads running under Lynx-OS have been used in several front-end PCs. These communicate using Remote Procedure Calls over ethernet with a workstation running the commercial supervisory package, FactoryLink.
Implementation of Two-Dimensional Polycrystalline Grains in Object Oriented Micromagnetic Framework
Lau, J. W.; McMichael, R. D.; Donahue, M. J.
In response to the growing need for a more accurate micromagnetic model to understand switching phenomenon in nanoscale magnets, we developed the capability to simulate two-dimensional polycrystalline grains using the Object Oriented Micromagnetic Framework (OOMMF). This addition allows users full flexibility in determining the magnetocrystalline anisotropy and axe in each grain as well as the inter- and intragranular exchange coupling strength. PMID:27504213
Modular, object-oriented redesign of a large-scale Monte Carlo neutron transport program
Moskowitz, B.S.
This paper describes the modular, object-oriented redesign of a large-scale Monte Carlo neutron transport program. This effort represents a complete 'white sheet of paper' rewrite of the code. In this paper, the motivation driving this project, the design objectives for the new version of the program, and the design choices and their consequences will be discussed. The design itself will also be described, including the important subsystems as well as the key classes within those subsystems.
High Quality Prime Farmland extraction pattern based on object-oriented image analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Yong-xue; Li, Man-chun; Chen, Zhen-jie; Li, Fei-xue; Zhang, Yu; Zhao, Bo; Tan, Lu
High Quality Prime Farmland (HQPF) is high, stable yields based on land consolidation of prime farmland, and has its important impact upon China's food security. To make clear the status-in-quo of the HQPF is important to its construction and management. However, it is difficult to get the spatial distribution information of the constructed HQPF enough rapidly in mountainous area using ground investigation, as well as hard to satisfy the requirements of large-scale promotion. A HQPF extraction framework based on object-oriented image analysis is discussed and applied to aerial imageries of Tonglu County. The approach can be divided into 3 steps: image segmentation, feature analysis & feature selection and extraction rules generation. In the image segmentation procedure, canny operator is used in edge detection, an edge growth algorithm is used to link discontinuous edge, and region labelling is carried out to generate image object. In the feature analysis & selection procedure, object-oriented feature analysis and feature selection methods are also discussed to construct a feature subset with fine divisibility for HQPF extraction. In the extraction rules generation procedure, the C4.5 algorithm is used to establish and trim the decision tree, then HQPF decision rules are generated from the decision tree. Compared with supervised classification (MLC classifier, ERDAS 8.7) and another object-oriented image analysis method (FNEA, e-Cognition4.0), the accuracy assessment shows that the extraction results by the object-oriented extraction patters have a high level of category consistency, size consistency and shape consistency.
ORCHESTRA: an object-oriented framework for implementing chemical equilibrium models.
Meeussen, Johannes C L
This work presents a new object-oriented structure for chemical equilibrium calculations that is used in the modeling framework ORCHESTRA (Objects Representing CHEmical Speciation and TRAnsport). In contrast to standard chemical equilibrium algorithms, such as MINEQL, MINTEQ2A, PHREEQC, and ECOSAT, model equations are not hard-coded in the source code, but instead all equations are defined in text format and read by the ORCHESTRA calculation kernel at run time. This makes model definitions easily accessible and extendible by users. Furthermore, it results in a very compact and efficient calculation kernel that is easy to use as a submodel within mass transport or kinetic models. Finally, the object-oriented structure of the chemical model definitions makes it possible to implement a new object-oriented framework for implementing chemical models. This framework consists of three basic object types, entities, reactions, and phases, that form the building blocks from which other chemical models are composed. The hierarchical approach ensures consistent and compact model definitions and is illustrated here by discussing the implementation of a number of commonly used chemical models such as aqueous complexation, activity correction, precipitation, surface complexation ion exchange, and several more sophisticated adsorption models including electrostatic interactions, NICA, and CD-MUSIC. The ORCHESTRA framework is electronically available from www.macaulay.ac.uk/ORCHESTRA. PMID:12680672
Object Oriented Programming Systems (OOPS) and frame representations: An investigation of programming paradigms
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Auty, David
The project was initiated to research Object Oriented Programming Systems (OOPS) and frame representation systems, their significance and applicability, and their implementation in or relationship to Ada. Object orientated is currently a very popular conceptual adjective. Object oriented programming, in particular, is promoted as a particularly productive approach to programming; an approach which maximizes opportunities for code reuse and lends itself to the definition of convenient and well-developed units. Such units are thus expected to be usable in a variety of situations, beyond the typical highly specific unit development of other approaches. Frame represenation systems share a common heritage and similar conceptual foundations. Together they represent a quickly emerging alternative approach to programming. The approach is to first define the terms, starting with relevant concepts and using these to put bounds on what is meant by OOPS and Frames. From this the possibilities were pursued to merge OOPS with Ada which will further elucidate the significant characteristics which make up this programming approach. Finally, some of the merits and demerits of OOPS were briefly considered as a way of addressing the applicability of OOPS to various programming tasks.
Simple proteomics data analysis in the object-oriented PowerShell.
Mohammed, Yassene; Palmblad, Magnus
Scripting languages such as Perl and Python are appreciated for solving simple, everyday tasks in bioinformatics. A more recent, object-oriented command shell and scripting language, Windows PowerShell, has many attractive features: an object-oriented interactive command line, fluent navigation and manipulation of XML files, ability to consume Web services from the command line, consistent syntax and grammar, rich regular expressions, and advanced output formatting. The key difference between classical command shells and scripting languages, such as bash, and object-oriented ones, such as PowerShell, is that in the latter the result of a command is a structured object with inherited properties and methods rather than a simple stream of characters. Conveniently, PowerShell is included in all new releases of Microsoft Windows and therefore already installed on most computers in classrooms and teaching labs. In this chapter we demonstrate how PowerShell in particular allows easy interaction with mass spectrometry data in XML formats, connection to Web services for tools such as BLAST, and presentation of results as formatted text or graphics. These features make PowerShell much more than "yet another scripting language." PMID:23666736
Application of the object-oriented paradigm for scientific experiment monitoring & control
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Racaud, Thierry; Assis-Arantes, Patrick
This paper presents a new approach to the monitoring and control of scientific experiments. This new approach is based on an object-oriented environment composed of three elements: (a) A graphical environment that allows the creation of an object-oriented model of the experiment based on objects, attributes and methods. (b) A language for writing procedures to access the model by sending messages in order to operate the experiment. (c) A man-machine interface based on an interactive graphical layer above the object-oriented representation for controlling and monitoring the experiment. This new approach has been prototyped in a project called "Man-Machine Interface Software for Ground User Terminal", or User Terminal in short. The project is carried out by SPACEBEL Informatique on behalf of the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC). Although this project has been undertaken for the operation of scientific experiments in space, User Terminal can naturally be used for the monitoring and control of ground based experiments. This article presents the User Terminal system as well as one of the first practical exercises performed in the context of the teleoperation of a liquid science experiment to be shipped into space.
The Use of Object-Oriented Analysis Methods in Surety Analysis
Craft, Richard L.; Funkhouser, Donald R.; Wyss, Gregory D.
Object-oriented analysis methods have been used in the computer science arena for a number of years to model the behavior of computer-based systems. This report documents how such methods can be applied to surety analysis. By embodying the causality and behavior of a system in a common object-oriented analysis model, surety analysts can make the assumptions that underlie their models explicit and thus better communicate with system designers. Furthermore, given minor extensions to traditional object-oriented analysis methods, it is possible to automatically derive a wide variety of traditional risk and reliability analysis methods from a single common object model. Automatic model extraction helps ensure consistency among analyses and enables the surety analyst to examine a system from a wider variety of viewpoints in a shorter period of time. Thus it provides a deeper understanding of a system's behaviors and surety requirements. This report documents the underlying philosophy behind the common object model representation, the methods by which such common object models can be constructed, and the rules required to interrogate the common object model for derivation of traditional risk and reliability analysis models. The methodology is demonstrated in an extensive example problem.
Numerical integration of asymptotic solutions of ordinary differential equations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thurston, Gaylen A.
Classical asymptotic analysis of ordinary differential equations derives approximate solutions that are numerically stable. However, the analysis also leads to tedious expansions in powers of the relevant parameter for a particular problem. The expansions are replaced with integrals that can be evaluated by numerical integration. The resulting numerical solutions retain the linear independence that is the main advantage of asymptotic solutions. Examples, including the Falkner-Skan equation from laminar boundary layer theory, illustrate the method of asymptotic analysis with numerical integration.
ProperCAD: A portable object-oriented parallel environment for VLSI CAD
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ramkumar, Balkrishna; Banerjee, Prithviraj
Most parallel algorithms for VLSI CAD proposed to date have one important drawback: they work efficiently only on machines that they were designed for. As a result, algorithms designed to date are dependent on the architecture for which they are developed and do not port easily to other parallel architectures. A new project under way to address this problem is described. A Portable object-oriented parallel environment for CAD algorithms (ProperCAD) is being developed. The objectives of this research are (1) to develop new parallel algorithms that run in a portable object-oriented environment (CAD algorithms using a general purpose platform for portable parallel programming called CARM is being developed and a C++ environment that is truly object-oriented and specialized for CAD applications is also being developed); and (2) to design the parallel algorithms around a good sequential algorithm with a well-defined parallel-sequential interface (permitting the parallel algorithm to benefit from future developments in sequential algorithms). One CAD application that has been implemented as part of the ProperCAD project, flat VLSI circuit extraction, is described. The algorithm, its implementation, and its performance on a range of parallel machines are discussed in detail. It currently runs on an Encore Multimax, a Sequent Symmetry, Intel iPSC/2 and i860 hypercubes, a NCUBE 2 hypercube, and a network of Sun Sparc workstations. Performance data for other applications that were developed are provided: namely test pattern generation for sequential circuits, parallel logic synthesis, and standard cell placement.
Object-oriented crop mapping and monitoring using multi-temporal polarimetric RADARSAT-2 data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jiao, Xianfeng; Kovacs, John M.; Shang, Jiali; McNairn, Heather; Walters, Dan; Ma, Baoluo; Geng, Xiaoyuan
The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy of an object-oriented classification of polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data to map and monitor crops using 19 RADARSAT-2 fine beam polarimetric (FQ) images of an agricultural area in North-eastern Ontario, Canada. Polarimetric images and field data were acquired during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. The classification and field data collection focused on the main crop types grown in the region, which include: wheat, oat, soybean, canola and forage. The polarimetric parameters were extracted with PolSAR analysis using both the Cloude-Pottier and Freeman-Durden decompositions. The object-oriented classification, with a single date of PolSAR data, was able to classify all five crop types with an accuracy of 95% and Kappa of 0.93; a 6% improvement in comparison with linear-polarization only classification. However, the time of acquisition is crucial. The larger biomass crops of canola and soybean were most accurately mapped, whereas the identification of oat and wheat were more variable. The multi-temporal data using the Cloude-Pottier decomposition parameters provided the best classification accuracy compared to the linear polarizations and the Freeman-Durden decomposition parameters. In general, the object-oriented classifications were able to accurately map crop types by reducing the noise inherent in the SAR data. Furthermore, using the crop classification maps we were able to monitor crop growth stage based on a trend analysis of the radar response. Based on field data from canola crops, there was a strong relationship between the phenological growth stage based on the BBCH scale, and the HV backscatter and entropy.
Bridging FORTRAN to object oriented paradigm for HEP data modeling task
Huang, J.
Object oriented (OO) technology appears to offer tangible benefits to the high energy physics (HEP) community. Yet many physicists view this newest software development used with much reservation and reluctance. Facing the reality of having to support the existing physics applications, which are written in FORTRAN, the software engineers in the Computer Engineering Group of the Physics Research Division at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory have accepted the challenge of mixing an old language with the new technology. This paper describes the experience and the techniques devised to fit FORTRAN into the OO paradigm (OOP).
An object-oriented graphical approach for teaching electric machinery analysis
Williams, S.M.; Kline, D.B. )
This paper presents a teaching method used at the Naval Postgraduate School for electric machinery analysis. An objected-oriented, graphical tool for real-time simulation of electric machines is described. An undergraduate exercise is detailed to show how the use of the new analysis techniques significantly enhances the learning process. Rapid modeling of electric machines and subsequent simulation results encourage the student to explore machine behavior under a variety of transient and steady state operating conditions, thus significantly broadening the students knowledge of electric machinery.
Object oriented classification of high resolution data for inventory of horticultural crops
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hebbar, R.; Ravishankar, H. M.; Trivedi, S.; Subramoniam, S. R.; Uday, R.; Dadhwal, V. K.
High resolution satellite images are associated with large variance and thus, per pixel classifiers often result in poor accuracy especially in delineation of horticultural crops. In this context, object oriented techniques are powerful and promising methods for classification. In the present study, a semi-automatic object oriented feature extraction model has been used for delineation of horticultural fruit and plantation crops using Erdas Objective Imagine. Multi-resolution data from Resourcesat LISS-IV and Cartosat-1 have been used as source data in the feature extraction model. Spectral and textural information along with NDVI were used as inputs for generation of Spectral Feature Probability (SFP) layers using sample training pixels. The SFP layers were then converted into raster objects using threshold and clump function resulting in pixel probability layer. A set of raster and vector operators was employed in the subsequent steps for generating thematic layer in the vector format. This semi-automatic feature extraction model was employed for classification of major fruit and plantations crops viz., mango, banana, citrus, coffee and coconut grown under different agro-climatic conditions. In general, the classification accuracy of about 75-80 per cent was achieved for these crops using object based classification alone and the same was further improved using minimal visual editing of misclassified areas. A comparison of on-screen visual interpretation with object oriented approach showed good agreement. It was observed that old and mature plantations were classified more accurately while young and recently planted ones (3 years or less) showed poor classification accuracy due to mixed spectral signature, wider spacing and poor stands of plantations. The results indicated the potential use of object oriented approach for classification of high resolution data for delineation of horticultural fruit and plantation crops. The present methodology is applicable at
ROSE: The Design of a General Tool for the Independent Optimization of Object-Oriented Frameworks
Davis, K.; Philip, B.; Quinlan, D.
ROSE represents a programmable preprocessor for the highly aggressive optimization of C++ object-oriented frameworks. A fundamental feature of ROSE is that it preserves the semantics, the implicit meaning, of the object-oriented framework's abstractions throughout the optimization process, permitting the framework's abstractions to be recognized and optimizations to capitalize upon the added value of the framework's true meaning. In contrast, a C++ compiler only sees the semantics of the C++ language and thus is severely limited in what optimizations it can introduce. The use of the semantics of the framework's abstractions avoids program analysis that would be incapable of recapturing the framework's full semantics from those of the C++ language implementation of the application or framework. Just as no level of program analysis within the C++ compiler would not be expected to recognize the use of adaptive mesh refinement and introduce optimizations based upon such information. Since ROSE is programmable, additional specialized program analysis is possible which then compliments the semantics of the framework's abstractions. Enabling an optimization mechanism to use the high level semantics of the framework's abstractions together with a programmable level of program analysis (e.g. dependence analysis), at the level of the framework's abstractions, allows for the design of high performance object-oriented frameworks with uniquely tailored sophisticated optimizations far beyond the limits of contemporary serial F0RTRAN 77, C or C++ language compiler technology. In short, faster, more highly aggressive optimizations are possible. The resulting optimizations are literally driven by the framework's definition of its abstractions. Since the abstractions within a framework are of third party design the optimizations are similarly of third party design, specifically independent of the compiler and the applications that use the framework. The interface to ROSE is
Reliability database development for use with an object-oriented fault tree evaluation program
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Heger, A. Sharif; Harringtton, Robert J.; Koen, Billy V.; Patterson-Hine, F. Ann
A description is given of the development of a fault-tree analysis method using object-oriented programming. In addition, the authors discuss the programs that have been developed or are under development to connect a fault-tree analysis routine to a reliability database. To assess the performance of the routines, a relational database simulating one of the nuclear power industry databases has been constructed. For a realistic assessment of the results of this project, the use of one of existing nuclear power reliability databases is planned.
Object-oriented change detection based on weighted polarimetric scattering differences on POLSAR images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shi, X.; Lu, L.; Yang, S.; Huang, G.; Zhao, Z.
For wide application of change detection with SAR imagery, current processing technologies and methods are mostly based on pixels. It is difficult for pixel-based technologies to utilize spatial characteristics of images and topological relations of objects. Object-oriented technology takes objects as processing unit, which takes advantage of the shape and texture information of image. It can greatly improve the efficiency and reliability of change detection. Recently, with the development of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR), more backscattering features on different polarization state can be available for usage of object-oriented change detection study. In this paper, the object-oriented strategy will be employed. Considering the fact that the different target or target's state behaves different backscattering characteristics dependent on polarization state, an object-oriented change detection method that based on weighted polarimetric scattering difference of PolSAR images is proposed. The method operates on the objects generated by generalized statistical region merging (GSRM) segmentation processing. The merit of GSRM method is that image segmentation is executed on polarimetric coherence matrix, which takes full advantages of polarimetric backscattering features. And then, the measurement of polarimetric scattering difference is constructed by combining the correlation of covariance matrix and the difference of scattering power. Through analysing the effects of the covariance matrix correlation and the scattering echo power difference on the polarimetric scattering difference, the weighted method is used to balance the influences caused by the two parts, so that more reasonable weights can be chosen to decrease the false alarm rate. The effectiveness of the algorithm that proposed in this letter is tested by detection of the growth of crops with two different temporal radarsat-2 fully PolSAR data. First, objects are produced by GSRM algorithm
Object oriented fault diagnosis system for space shuttle main engine redlines
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rogers, John S.; Mohapatra, Saroj Kumar
A great deal of attention has recently been given to Artificial Intelligence research in the area of computer aided diagnostics. Due to the dynamic and complex nature of space shuttle red-line parameters, a research effort is under way to develop a real time diagnostic tool that will employ historical and engineering rulebases as well as a sensor validity checking. The capability of AI software development tools (KEE and G2) will be explored by applying object oriented programming techniques in accomplishing the diagnostic evaluation.
Method for Statically Checking an Object-oriented Computer Program Module
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bierhoff, Kevin M. (Inventor); Aldrich, Jonathan (Inventor)
A method for statically checking an object-oriented computer program module includes the step of identifying objects within a computer program module, at least one of the objects having a plurality of references thereto, possibly from multiple clients. A discipline of permissions is imposed on the objects identified within the computer program module. The permissions enable tracking, from among a discrete set of changeable states, a subset of states each object might be in. A determination is made regarding whether the imposed permissions are violated by a potential reference to any of the identified objects. The results of the determination are output to a user.
Design of a Model Execution Framework: Repetitive Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (ROSE)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gray, Justin S.; Briggs, Jeffery L.
The ROSE framework was designed to facilitate complex system analyses. It completely divorces the model execution process from the model itself. By doing so ROSE frees the modeler to develop a library of standard modeling processes such as Design of Experiments, optimizers, parameter studies, and sensitivity studies which can then be applied to any of their available models. The ROSE framework accomplishes this by means of a well defined API and object structure. Both the API and object structure are presented here with enough detail to implement ROSE in any object-oriented language or modeling tool.
More performance results and implementation of an object oriented track reconstruction model in different OO frameworks
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gaines, Irwin; Qian, Sijin
This is an update of the report about an Object Oriented (OO) track reconstruction model, which was presented in the previous AIHENP'99 at Crete, Greece. The OO model for the Kalman filtering method has been designed for high energy physics experiments at high luminosity hadron colliders. It has been coded in the C++ programming language and successfully implemented into a few different OO computing environments of the CMS and ATLAS experiments at the future Large Hadron Collider at CERN. We shall report: (1) more performance result: (2) implementing the OO model into the new SW OO framework "Athena" of ATLAS experiment and some upgrades of the OO model itself.
Object-Oriented Change Detection Based on Multi-Scale Approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jia, Yonghong; Zhou, Mingting; Jinshan, Ye
The change detection of remote sensing images means analysing the change information quantitatively and recognizing the change types of the surface coverage data in different time phases. With the appearance of high resolution remote sensing image, object-oriented change detection method arises at this historic moment. In this paper, we research multi-scale approach for high resolution images, which includes multi-scale segmentation, multi-scale feature selection and multi-scale classification. Experimental results show that this method has a stronger advantage than the traditional single-scale method of high resolution remote sensing image change detection.
Meanline Analysis of Turbines with Choked Flow in the Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hendricks, Eric S.
The prediction of turbomachinery performance characteristics is an important part of the conceptual aircraft engine design process. During this phase, the designer must examine the effects of a large number of turbomachinery design parameters to determine their impact on overall engine performance and weight. The lack of detailed design information available in this phase necessitates the use of simpler meanline and streamline methods to determine the turbomachinery geometry characteristics and provide performance estimates prior to more detailed CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analyses. While a number of analysis codes have been developed for this purpose, most are written in outdated software languages and may be difficult or impossible to apply to new, unconventional designs. The Object-Oriented Turbomachinery Analysis Code (OTAC) is currently being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center to provide a flexible meanline and streamline analysis capability in a modern object-oriented language. During the development and validation of OTAC, a limitation was identified in the code's ability to analyze and converge turbines as the flow approached choking. This paper describes a series of changes which can be made to typical OTAC turbine meanline models to enable the assessment of choked flow up to limit load conditions. Results produced with this revised model setup are provided in the form of turbine performance maps and are compared to published maps.
The utilization of neural nets in populating an object-oriented database
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Campbell, William J.; Hill, Scott E.; Cromp, Robert F.
Existing NASA supported scientific data bases are usually developed, managed and populated in a tedious, error prone and self-limiting way in terms of what can be described in a relational Data Base Management System (DBMS). The next generation Earth remote sensing platforms (i.e., Earth Observation System, (EOS), will be capable of generating data at a rate of over 300 Mbs per second from a suite of instruments designed for different applications. What is needed is an innovative approach that creates object-oriented databases that segment, characterize, catalog and are manageable in a domain-specific context and whose contents are available interactively and in near-real-time to the user community. Described here is work in progress that utilizes an artificial neural net approach to characterize satellite imagery of undefined objects into high-level data objects. The characterized data is then dynamically allocated to an object-oriented data base where it can be reviewed and assessed by a user. The definition, development, and evolution of the overall data system model are steps in the creation of an application-driven knowledge-based scientific information system.
Visualization: a tool for enhancing students' concept images of basic object-oriented concepts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cetin, Ibrahim
The purpose of this study was twofold: to investigate students' concept images about class, object, and their relationship and to help them enhance their learning of these notions with a visualization tool. Fifty-six second-year university students participated in the study. To investigate his/her concept images, the researcher developed a survey including open-ended questions, which was administered to the participants. Follow-up interviews with 12 randomly selected students were conducted to explore their answers to the survey in depth. The results of the first part of the research were utilized to construct visualization scenarios. The students used these scenarios to develop animations using Flash software. The study found that most of the students experienced difficulties in learning object-oriented notions. Overdependence on code-writing practice and examples and incorrectly learned analogies were determined to be the sources of their difficulties. Moreover, visualization was found to be a promising approach in facilitating students' concept images of basic object-oriented notions. The results of this study have implications for researchers and practitioners when designing programming instruction.
The Implementation of Satellite Attitude Control System Software Using Object Oriented Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Reid, W. Mark; Hansell, William; Phillips, Tom; Anderson, Mark O.; Drury, Derek
NASA established the Small Explorer (SNMX) program in 1988 to provide frequent opportunities for highly focused and relatively inexpensive space science missions. The SMEX program has produced five satellites, three of which have been successfully launched. The remaining two spacecraft are scheduled for launch within the coming year. NASA has recently developed a prototype for the next generation Small Explorer spacecraft (SMEX-Lite). This paper describes the object-oriented design (OOD) of the SMEX-Lite Attitude Control System (ACS) software. The SMEX-Lite ACS is three-axis controlled and is capable of performing sub-arc-minute pointing. This paper first describes high level requirements governing the SMEX-Lite ACS software architecture. Next, the context in which the software resides is explained. The paper describes the principles of encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism with respect to the implementation of an ACS software system. This paper will also discuss the design of several ACS software components. Specifically, object-oriented designs are presented for sensor data processing, attitude determination, attitude control, and failure detection. Finally, this paper will address the establishment of the ACS Foundation Class (AFC) Library. The AFC is a large software repository, requiring a minimal amount of code modifications to produce ACS software for future projects.
An Object-Oriented Finite Element Framework for Multiphysics Phase Field Simulations
Michael R Tonks; Derek R Gaston; Paul C Millett; David Andrs; Paul Talbot
The phase field approach is a powerful and popular method for modeling microstructure evolution. In this work, advanced numerical tools are used to create a phase field framework that facilitates rapid model development. This framework, called MARMOT, is based on Idaho National Laboratory's finite element Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment. In MARMOT, the system of phase field partial differential equations (PDEs) are solved simultaneously with PDEs describing additional physics, such as solid mechanics and heat conduction, using the Jacobian-Free Newton Krylov Method. An object-oriented architecture is created by taking advantage of commonalities in phase fields models to facilitate development of new models with very little written code. In addition, MARMOT provides access to mesh and time step adaptivity, reducing the cost for performing simulations with large disparities in both spatial and temporal scales. In this work, phase separation simulations are used to show the numerical performance of MARMOT. Deformation-induced grain growth and void growth simulations are included to demonstrate the muliphysics capability.
Top-level modeling of an als system utilizing object-oriented techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rodriguez, L. F.; Kang, S.; Ting, K. C.
The possible configuration of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System capable of supporting human life for long-term space missions continues to evolve as researchers investigate potential technologies and configurations. To facilitate the decision process the development of acceptable, flexible, and dynamic mathematical computer modeling tools capable of system level analysis is desirable. Object-oriented techniques have been adopted to develop a dynamic top-level model of an ALS system.This approach has several advantages; among these, object-oriented abstractions of systems are inherently modular in architecture. Thus, models can initially be somewhat simplistic, while allowing for adjustments and improvements. In addition, by coding the model in Java, the model can be implemented via the World Wide Web, greatly encouraging the utilization of the model. Systems analysis is further enabled with the utilization of a readily available backend database containing information supporting the model. The subsystem models of the ALS system model include Crew, Biomass Production, Waste Processing and Resource Recovery, Food Processing and Nutrition, and the Interconnecting Space. Each subsystem model and an overall model have been developed. Presented here is the procedure utilized to develop the modeling tool, the vision of the modeling tool, and the current focus for each of the subsystem models.
A Toolkit for Active Object-Oriented Databases with Application to Interoperability
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
King, Roger
In our original proposal we stated that our research would 'develop a novel technology that provides a foundation for collaborative information processing.' The essential ingredient of this technology is the notion of 'deltas,' which are first-class values representing collections of proposed updates to a database. The Heraclitus framework provides a variety of algebraic operators for building up, combining, inspecting, and comparing deltas. Deltas can be directly applied to the database to yield a new state, or used 'hypothetically' in queries against the state that would arise if the delta were applied. The central point here is that the step of elevating deltas to 'first-class' citizens in database programming languages will yield tremendous leverage on the problem of supporting updates in collaborative information processing. In short, our original intention was to develop the theoretical and practical foundation for a technology based on deltas in an object-oriented database context, develop a toolkit for active object-oriented databases, and apply this toward collaborative information processing.
A Toolkit for Active Object-Oriented Databases with Application to Interoperability
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
King, Roger
In our original proposal we stated that our research would 'develop a novel technology that provides a foundation for collaborative information processing.' The essential ingredient of this technology is the notion of 'deltas,' which are first-class values representing collections of proposed updates to a database. The Heraclitus framework provides a variety of algebraic operators for building up, combining, inspecting, and comparing deltas. Deltas can be directly applied to the database to yield a new state, or used 'hypothetically' in queries against the state that would arise if the delta were applied. The central point here is that the step of elevating deltas to 'first-class' citizens in database programming languages will yield tremendous leverage on the problem of supporting updates in collaborative information processing. In short, our original intention was to develop the theoretical and practical foundation for a technology based on deltas in an object- oriented database context, develop a toolkit for active object-oriented databases, and apply this toward collaborative information processing.
AMR++: A design for parallel object-oriented adaptive mesh refinement
Quinlan, D.
Adaptive mesh refinement computations are complicated by their dynamic nature. In the serial environment they require substantial infrastructures to support the regridding processes, intergrid operations, and local bookkeeping of positions of grids relative to one another. In the parallel environment the dynamic behavior is more problematic because it requires dynamic distribution support and load balancing. Parallel AMR is further complicated by the substantial task parallelism, in addition to the obvious data parallelism, this task parallelism requires additional infrastructure to support efficiently. The degree of parallelism is typically dependent upon the algorithms in use and the equations being solved. Different algorithms have significant compromises between computation and communication. Substantial research work is often required to define efficient methods and suitable infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to introduce AMR++ as an object-oriented library which forms a part of the OVERTURE framework, a much larger object-oriented numerical framework developed and supported at Los Alamos National Laboratory and distributed on the Web for the last several years.
Applying Loop Optimizations to Object-oriented Abstractions Through General Classification of Array Semantics
Yi, Q; Quinlan, D
Optimizing compilers have a long history of applying loop transformations to C and Fortran scientific applications. However, such optimizations are rare in compilers for object-oriented languages such as C++ or Java, where loops operating on user-defined types are left unoptimized due to their unknown semantics. Our goal is to reduce the performance penalty of using high-level object-oriented abstractions. We propose an approach that allows the explicit communication between programmers and compilers. We have extended the traditional Fortran loop optimizations with an open interface. Through this interface, we have developed techniques to automatically recognize and optimize user-defined array abstractions. In addition, we have developed an adapted constant-propagation algorithm to automatically propagate properties of abstractions. We have implemented these techniques in a C++ source-to-source translator and have applied them to optimize several kernels written using an array-class library. Our experimental results show that using our approach, applications using high-level abstractions can achieve comparable, and in cases superior, performance to that achieved by efficient low-level hand-written codes.
On the design and implementation of a parallel, object-oriented, image processing toolkit
Kamath, C; Baldwin, C; Fodor, I; Tang, N A
Advanced in technology have enabled us to collect data from observations, experiments, and simulations at an ever increasing pace. As these data sets approach the terabyte and petabyte range, scientists are increasingly using semi-automated techniques from data mining and pattern recognition to find useful information in the data. In order for data mining to be successful, the raw data must first be processed into a form suitable for the detection of patterns. When the data is in the form of images, this can involve a substantial amount of processing on very large data sets. To help make this task more efficient, they are designing and implementing an object-oriented image processing toolkit that specifically targets massively-parallel, distributed-memory architectures. They first show that it is possible to use object-oriented technology to effectively address the diverse needs of image applications. Next, they describe how we abstract out the similarities in image processing algorithms to enable re-use in the software. They will also discuss the difficulties encountered in parallelizing image algorithms on massively parallel machines as well as the bottlenecks to high performance. They will demonstrate the work using images from an astronomical data set, and illustrate how techniques such as filters and denoising through the thresholding of wavelet coefficients can be applied when a large image is distributed across several processors.
The Visual Representation of 3D Object Orientation in Parietal Cortex
Cowan, Noah J.; Angelaki, Dora E.
An accurate representation of three-dimensional (3D) object orientation is essential for interacting with the environment. Where and how the brain visually encodes 3D object orientation remains unknown, but prior studies suggest the caudal intraparietal area (CIP) may be involved. Here, we develop rigorous analytical methods for quantifying 3D orientation tuning curves, and use these tools to the study the neural coding of surface orientation. Specifically, we show that single neurons in area CIP of the rhesus macaque jointly encode the slant and tilt of a planar surface, and that across the population, the distribution of preferred slant-tilts is not statistically different from uniform. This suggests that all slant-tilt combinations are equally represented in area CIP. Furthermore, some CIP neurons are found to also represent the third rotational degree of freedom that determines the orientation of the image pattern on the planar surface. Together, the present results suggest that CIP is a critical neural locus for the encoding of all three rotational degrees of freedom specifying an object's 3D spatial orientation. PMID:24305830
An object-oriented approach to automated landform mapping: A case study of drumlins
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Saha, Kakoli; Wells, Neil A.; Munro-Stasiuk, Mandy
This paper details an automated object-oriented approach to mapping landforms from digital elevation models (DEMs), using the example of drumlins in the Chautauqua drumlin field in NW Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Object-oriented classification is highly desirable as it can identify specific shapes in datasets based on both the pixel values in a raster dataset and the contextual information between pixels and extracted objects. The methodology is built specifically for application to the USGS 30 m resolution DEM data, which are freely available to the public and of sufficient resolution to map medium scale landforms. Using the raw DEM data, as well as derived aspect and slope, Definiens Developer (v.7) was used to perform multiresolution segmentation, followed by rule-based classification in order to extract individual polygons that represent drumlins. Drumlins obtained by automated extraction were visually and statistically compared to those identified via manual digitization. Detailed morphometric descriptive statistics such as means, ranges, and standard deviations were inspected and compared for length, width, elongation ratio, area, and perimeter. Although the manual and automated results were not always statistically identical, a more detailed comparison of just the drumlins identified by both procedures showed that the automated methods easily matched the manual digitization. Differences in the two methods related to mapping compound drumlins, and smaller and larger drumlins. The automated method generally identified more features in these categories than the manual method and thus outperformed the manual method.
Time and space efficient method-lookup for object-oriented programs
Muthukrishnan, S.; Mueller, M.
Object-oriented languages (OOLs) are becoming increasingly popular in software development. The modular units in such languages are abstract data types called classes, comprising data and functions (or selectors in the OOL parlance); each selector has possibly multiple implementations (or methods in OOL parlance) each in a different class. These languages support reusability of code/functions by allowing a class to inherit methods from its superclass in a hierarchical arrangement of the various classes. Therefore, when a selector s is invoked in a class c, the relevant method for s inherited by c has to be determined. That is the fundamental problem of method-lookup in object-oriented programs. Since nearly every statement of such programs calls for a method-lookup, efficient support of OOLs crucially relies on the method-lookup mechanism. The challenge in implementing the method-lookup, as it turns out, is to use only a reasonable amount of table-space while keeping the query time down. Substantial research has gone into achieving improved space vs time trade-off in practice.
Frequent Statement and Dereference Elimination for Imperative and Object-Oriented Distributed Programs
El-Zawawy, Mohamed A.
This paper introduces new approaches for the analysis of frequent statement and dereference elimination for imperative and object-oriented distributed programs running on parallel machines equipped with hierarchical memories. The paper uses languages whose address spaces are globally partitioned. Distributed programs allow defining data layout and threads writing to and reading from other thread memories. Three type systems (for imperative distributed programs) are the tools of the proposed techniques. The first type system defines for every program point a set of calculated (ready) statements and memory accesses. The second type system uses an enriched version of types of the first type system and determines which of the ready statements and memory accesses are used later in the program. The third type system uses the information gather so far to eliminate unnecessary statement computations and memory accesses (the analysis of frequent statement and dereference elimination). Extensions to these type systems are also presented to cover object-oriented distributed programs. Two advantages of our work over related work are the following. The hierarchical style of concurrent parallel computers is similar to the memory model used in this paper. In our approach, each analysis result is assigned a type derivation (serves as a correctness proof). PMID:24892098
Design and implementation of a parallel object-oriented image processing toolkit
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kamath, Chandrika; Baldwin, Chuck H.; Fodor, Imola K.; Tang, Nu A.
Advances in technology have enabled us to collect data from observations, experiments, and simulations at an ever increasing pace. As these data sets approach the terabyte and petabyte range, scientists are increasingly using semi-automated techniques from data mining and pattern recognition to find useful information in the data. In order for data mining to be successful, the raw data must first be processed into a form suitable for the detection of patterns. When the data is in the form of images, this can involve a substantial amount of processing on very large data sets. To help make this task more efficient, we are designing and implementing an object-oriented image processing toolkit that specifically targets massively-parallel, distributed-memory architectures. We first show that it is possible to use object-oriented technology to effectively address the diverse needs of image applications. Next, we describe how we abstract out the similarities in image processing algorithms to enable re-use in our software. We will also discuss the difficulties encountered in parallelizing image algorithms on the massively parallel machines as well as the bottlenecks to high performance. We will demonstrate our work using images from an astronomical data set, and illustrate how techniques such as filters and denoising through the thresholding of wavelet coefficients can be applied when a large image is distributed across several processors.
An object-oriented approach for agrivultural land classification using rapideye imagery
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sang, H.; Zhai, L.; Zhang, J.; An, F.
With the improvement of remote sensing technology, the spatial, structural and texture information of land covers are present clearly in high resolution imagery, which enhances the ability of crop mapping. Since the satellite RapidEye was launched in 2009, high resolution multispectral imagery together with wide red edge band has been utilized in vegetation monitoring. Broad red edge band related vegetation indices improved land use classification and vegetation studies. RapidEye high resolution imagery acquired on May 29 and August 9th of 2012 was used in this study to evaluate the potential of red edge band in agricultural land cover/use mapping using an objected-oriented classification approach. A new object-oriented decision tree classifier was introduced in this study to map agricultural lands in the study area. Besides the five bands of RapidEye image, the vegetation indexes derived from spectral bands and the structural and texture features are utilized as inputs for agricultural land cover/use mapping in the study. The optimization of input features for classification by reducing redundant information improves the mapping precision over 9% for AdaTree. WL, and 5% for SVM, the accuracy is over 90% for both approaches. Time phase characteristic is much important in different agricultural lands, and it improves the classification accuracy 7% for AdaTree.WL and 6% for SVM.
Addressing the real-time synchronization requirements of multimedia in an object-oriented framework
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Papathomas, Michael; Blair, Gordon S.; Coulson, Geoff; Robin, Philippe
It is now recognized that object-oriented techniques are well suited to the design and implementation of multimedia applications. Objects may be used to encapsulate the great variety of hardware devices used in such applications and to abstract over the details of low level interfaces. Furthermore, complex media processing algorithms, such as compression/decompression, may be encapsulated within objects making them easier to reuse across applications. Real-time synchronization is also an essential aspect of multimedia which arises from the inherently temporal properties of media such as audio and video. In this paper, we propose a set of programming abstractions and an approach to address real-time synchronization requirements in an object-oriented framework. In our approach, active objects encapsulate media processing activities. Real-time synchronization is maintained by reactive objects that control the execution of media processing objects. A key advantage of our approach is that it allows the separation of synchronization from the behavior of objects. Both objects and synchronization specifications may be reused in different contexts. In addition, the approach enables the specification of real-time synchronization in a high-level notation that has proven well suited to this task.
Top-level modeling of an ALS system utilizing object-oriented techniques.
Rodriguez, L F; Kang, S; Ting, K C
The possible configuration of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System capable of supporting human life for long-term space missions continues to evolve as researchers investigate potential technologies and configurations. To facilitate the decision process the development of acceptable, flexible, and dynamic mathematical computer modeling tools capable of system level analysis is desirable. Object-oriented techniques have been adopted to develop a dynamic top-level model of an ALS system. This approach has several advantages; among these, object-oriented abstractions of systems are inherently modular in architecture. Thus, models can initially be somewhat simplistic, while allowing for adjustments and improvements. In addition, by coding the model in Java, the model can be implemented via the World Wide Web, greatly encouraging the utilization of the model. Systems analysis is further enabled with the utilization of a readily available backend database containing information supporting the model. The subsystem models of the ALS system model include Crew, Biomass Production, Waste Processing and Resource Recovery, Food Processing and Nutrition, and the Interconnecting Space. Each subsystem model and an overall model have been developed. Presented here is the procedure utilized to develop the modeling tool, the vision of the modeling tool, and the current focus for each of the subsystem models. PMID:14503522
Loop transformations for performance and message latency hiding in parallel object-oriented frameworks
Bassetti, F.; Davis, K.; Quinlan, D.
Application codes reliably achieve performance far less than the advertised capabilities of existing architectures, and this problem is worsening with increasingly-parallel machines. For large-scale numerical applications, stencil operations often impose the greater part of the computational cost, and the primary sources of inefficiency are the costs of message passing and poor cache utilization. This paper proposes and demonstrates optimizations for stencil and stencil-like computations for both serial and parallel environments that ameliorate these sources of inefficiency. Additionally, the authors argue that when stencil-like computations are encoded at a high level using object-oriented parallel array class libraries these optimizations, which are beyond the capability of compilers, may be automated.
Object-Oriented Bayesian Networks (OOBN) for Aviation Accident Modeling and Technology Portfolio Impact Assessment
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Shih, Ann T.; Ancel, Ersin; Jones, Sharon M.
The concern for reducing aviation safety risk is rising as the National Airspace System in the United States transforms to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The NASA Aviation Safety Program is committed to developing an effective aviation safety technology portfolio to meet the challenges of this transformation and to mitigate relevant safety risks. The paper focuses on the reasoning of selecting Object-Oriented Bayesian Networks (OOBN) as the technique and commercial software for the accident modeling and portfolio assessment. To illustrate the benefits of OOBN in a large and complex aviation accident model, the in-flight Loss-of-Control Accident Framework (LOCAF) constructed as an influence diagram is presented. An OOBN approach not only simplifies construction and maintenance of complex causal networks for the modelers, but also offers a well-organized hierarchical network that is easier for decision makers to exploit the model examining the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies through technology insertions.
An Object-Oriented Graphical User Interface for a Reusable Rocket Engine Intelligent Control System
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Litt, Jonathan S.; Musgrave, Jeffrey L.; Guo, Ten-Huei; Paxson, Daniel E.; Wong, Edmond; Saus, Joseph R.; Merrill, Walter C.
An intelligent control system for reusable rocket engines under development at NASA Lewis Research Center requires a graphical user interface to allow observation of the closed-loop system in operation. The simulation testbed consists of a real-time engine simulation computer, a controls computer, and several auxiliary computers for diagnostics and coordination. The system is set up so that the simulation computer could be replaced by the real engine and the change would be transparent to the control system. Because of the hard real-time requirement of the control computer, putting a graphical user interface on it was not an option. Thus, a separate computer used strictly for the graphical user interface was warranted. An object-oriented LISP-based graphical user interface has been developed on a Texas Instruments Explorer 2+ to indicate the condition of the engine to the observer through plots, animation, interactive graphics, and text.
Object-oriented recognition of high-resolution remote sensing image
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Yongyan; Li, Haitao; Chen, Hong; Xu, Yuannan
With the development of remote sensing imaging technology and the improvement of multi-source image's resolution in satellite visible light, multi-spectral and hyper spectral , the high resolution remote sensing image has been widely used in various fields, for example military field, surveying and mapping, geophysical prospecting, environment and so forth. In remote sensing image, the segmentation of ground targets, feature extraction and the technology of automatic recognition are the hotspot and difficulty in the research of modern information technology. This paper also presents an object-oriented remote sensing image scene classification method. The method is consist of vehicles typical objects classification generation, nonparametric density estimation theory, mean shift segmentation theory, multi-scale corner detection algorithm, local shape matching algorithm based on template. Remote sensing vehicles image classification software system is designed and implemented to meet the requirements .
GENASIS Basics: Object-oriented utilitarian functionality for large-scale physics simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cardall, Christian Y.; Budiardja, Reuben D.
Aside from numerical algorithms and problem setup, large-scale physics simulations on distributed-memory supercomputers require more basic utilitarian functionality, such as physical units and constants; display to the screen or standard output device; message passing; I/O to disk; and runtime parameter management and usage statistics. Here we describe and make available Fortran 2003 classes furnishing extensible object-oriented implementations of this sort of rudimentary functionality, along with individual 'unit test' programs and larger example problems demonstrating their use. These classes compose the Basics division of our developing astrophysics simulation code GENASIS (General Astrophysical Simulation System), but their fundamental nature makes them useful for physics simulations in many fields.
GenASiS Basics: Object-oriented utilitarian functionality for large-scale physics simulations
Cardall, Christian Y.; Budiardja, Reuben D.
Aside from numerical algorithms and problem setup, large-scale physics simulations on distributed-memory supercomputers require more basic utilitarian functionality, such as physical units and constants; display to the screen or standard output device; message passing; I/O to disk; and runtime parameter management and usage statistics. Here we describe and make available Fortran 2003 classes furnishing extensible object-oriented implementations of this sort of rudimentary functionality, along with individual `unit test' programs and larger example problems demonstrating their use. Lastly, these classes compose the Basics division of our developing astrophysics simulation code GenASiS (General Astrophysical Simulation System), but their fundamental nature makes them useful for physics simulations in many fields.
The Validation by Measurement Theory of Proposed Object-Oriented Software Metrics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.
Moving software development into the engineering arena requires controllability, and to control a process, it must be measurable. Measuring the process does no good if the product is not also measured, i.e., being the best at producing an inferior product does not define a quality process. Also, not every number extracted from software development is a valid measurement. A valid measurement only results when we are able to verify that the number is representative of the attribute that we wish to measure. Many proposed software metrics are used by practitioners without these metrics ever having been validated, leading to costly but often useless calculations. Several researchers have bemoaned the lack of scientific precision in much of the published software measurement work and have called for validation of software metrics by measurement theory. This dissertation applies measurement theory to validate fifty proposed object-oriented software metrics.
GenASiS Basics: Object-oriented utilitarian functionality for large-scale physics simulations
Cardall, Christian Y.; Budiardja, Reuben D.
Aside from numerical algorithms and problem setup, large-scale physics simulations on distributed-memory supercomputers require more basic utilitarian functionality, such as physical units and constants; display to the screen or standard output device; message passing; I/O to disk; and runtime parameter management and usage statistics. Here we describe and make available Fortran 2003 classes furnishing extensible object-oriented implementations of this sort of rudimentary functionality, along with individual `unit test' programs and larger example problems demonstrating their use. Lastly, these classes compose the Basics division of our developing astrophysics simulation code GenASiS (General Astrophysical Simulation System), but their fundamental nature makes themmore » useful for physics simulations in many fields.« less
Recasting risk analysis methods in terms of object-oriented modeling techniques
Wyss, G.D.; Craft, R.L.; Vandewart, R.L.; Funkhouser, D.R.
For more than two decades, risk analysts have relied on powerful logic-based models to perform their analyses. However, the applicability of these models has been limited because they can be complex and expensive to develop. Analysts must frequently start from scratch when analyzing a new (but similar) system because the understanding of how the system works exists only in the mind of the analyst and is only incompletely instantiated in the actual logic model. This paper introduces the notion of using explicit object-oriented system models, such as those embodied in computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools, to document the analyst`s understanding of the system and appropriately capture how the system works. It also shows that from these models, standard assessment products, such as fault trees and event trees, can be automatically derived.
On the suitability of Yule process to stochastically model some properties of object-oriented systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Concas, Giulio; Marchesi, Michele; Pinna, Sandro; Serra, Nicola
We present a study of three large object-oriented software systems-VisualWorks Smalltalk, Java JDK and Eclipse-searching for scaling laws in some of their properties. We study four system properties related to code production, namely the inheritance hierarchies, the naming of variables and methods, and the calls to methods. We systematically found power-law distributions in these properties, most of which have never been reported before. We were also able to statistically model the programming activities leading to the studied properties as Yule processes, with very good correspondence between empirical data and the prediction of Yule model. The fact that a design and optimization process like software development can be modeled on the large with the laws of statistical physics poses intriguing issues to software engineers, and could be exploited for finding new metrics and quality measures.
DISCO: An object-oriented system for music composition and sound design
Kaper, H. G.; Tipei, S.; Wright, J. M.
This paper describes an object-oriented approach to music composition and sound design. The approach unifies the processes of music making and instrument building by using similar logic, objects, and procedures. The composition modules use an abstract representation of musical data, which can be easily mapped onto different synthesis languages or a traditionally notated score. An abstract base class is used to derive classes on different time scales. Objects can be related to act across time scales, as well as across an entire piece, and relationships between similar objects can replicate traditional music operations or introduce new ones. The DISCO (Digital Instrument for Sonification and Composition) system is an open-ended work in progress.
Using features of Arden Syntax with object-oriented medical data models for guideline modeling.
Peleg, M.; Ogunyemi, O.; Tu, S.; Boxwala, A. A.; Zeng, Q.; Greenes, R. A.; Shortliffe, E. H.
Computer-interpretable guidelines (CIGs) can deliver patient-specific decision support at the point of care. CIGs base their recommendations on eligibility and decision criteria that relate medical concepts to patient data. CIG models use expression languages for specifying these criteria, and define models for medical data to which the expressions can refer. In developing version 3 of the GuideLine Interchange Format (GLIF3), we used existing standards as the medical data model and expression language. We investigated the object-oriented HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM) as a default data model. We developed an expression language, called GEL, based on Arden Syntax's logic grammar. Together with other GLIF constructs, GEL reconciles incompatibilities between the data models of Arden Syntax and the HL7 RIM. These incompatibilities include Arden's lack of support for complex data types and time intervals, and the mismatch between Arden's single primary time and multiple time attributes of the HL7 RIM. PMID:11825243
NASA TSRV essential flight control system requirements via object oriented analysis
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Duffy, Keith S.; Hoza, Bradley J.
The objective was to analyze the baseline flight control system of the Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV) and to develop a system specification that offers high visibility of the essential system requirements in order to facilitate the future development of alternate, more advanced software architectures. The flight control system is defined to be the baseline software for the TSRV research flight deck, including all navigation, guidance, and control functions, and primary pilot displays. The Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) methodology developed is used to develop a system requirement definition. The scope of the requirements definition contained herein is limited to a portion of the Flight Management/Flight Control computer functionality. The development of a partial system requirements definition is documented, and includes a discussion of the tasks required to increase the scope of the requirements definition and recommendations for follow-on research.
Performance of Object-Oriented Real-Time Control and Acquisition Software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Collins, Andrew
The dead-time of the Object-oriented Real-time Control and Aqcuisition data acquisition software, orca, was quantitatively determined for a VME-based system utilizing a single, peak-sensing CAEN 785N analog-to-digital converter and two scaler modules. A single board computer in the VME crate controls rapid read-out of the modules and the data is then transferred via TCP/IP to the orca control program, running on MacOSX, where the data can be filtered based on desired criteria, saved in an open format, and displayed on-line in histograms. A graphical interface allows the system to be configured via ``drag and drop'' method. The performance tests were performed on orca and two other data acquisition systems used at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, coda and SpecTcl, to compare the systems' data collection capabilities and determine whether the new system is a worthy competitor of the existing systems.
Analyzing the power of classes in an object-oriented software system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Muchou
Power of a class reflects the relative importance of the class in an object-oriented software system, and has many implications for resource allocating. And how to measure it is still a problem we face. They paper presents to measure it based the connection structure of a network constructed from the software. To support this, we first use a network model to describe the connection structure. Then some centrality metrics used in social network analysis are introduced to quantify the power of classes. The commons and differences among these centrality metrics are revealed. We think these metrics can be used together to have a more systematic view of the importance of each class.
Utilizing object-oriented design to build advanced optimization strategies with generic implementation
Eldred, M.S.; Hart, W.E.; Bohnhoff, W.J.; Romero, V.J.; Hutchinson, S.A.; Salinger, A.G.
the benefits of applying optimization to computational models are well known, but their range of widespread application to date has been limited. This effort attempts to extend the disciplinary areas to which optimization algorithms may be readily applied through the development and application of advanced optimization strategies capable of handling the computational difficulties associated with complex simulation codes. Towards this goal, a flexible software framework is under continued development for the application of optimization techniques to broad classes of engineering applications, including those with high computational expense and nonsmooth, nonconvex design space features. Object-oriented software design with C++ has been employed as a tool in providing a flexible, extensible, and robust multidisciplinary toolkit with computationally intensive simulations. In this paper, demonstrations of advanced optimization strategies using the software are presented in the hybridization and parallel processing research areas. Performance of the advanced strategies is compared with a benchmark nonlinear programming optimization.
Object-Oriented NeuroSys: Parallel Programs for Simulating Large Networks of Biologically Accurate Neurons
Pacheco, P; Miller, P; Kim, J; Leese, T; Zabiyaka, Y
Object-oriented NeuroSys (ooNeuroSys) is a collection of programs for simulating very large networks of biologically accurate neurons on distributed memory parallel computers. It includes two principle programs: ooNeuroSys, a parallel program for solving the large systems of ordinary differential equations arising from the interconnected neurons, and Neurondiz, a parallel program for visualizing the results of ooNeuroSys. Both programs are designed to be run on clusters and use the MPI library to obtain parallelism. ooNeuroSys also includes an easy-to-use Python interface. This interface allows neuroscientists to quickly develop and test complex neuron models. Both ooNeuroSys and Neurondiz have a design that allows for both high performance and relative ease of maintenance.
An object-oriented approach for harmonization of multimedia markup languages
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chen, Yih-Feng; Kuo, May-Chen; Sun, Xiaoming; Kuo, C.-C. Jay
An object-oriented methodology is proposed to harmonize several different markup languages in this research. First, we adopt the Unified Modelling Language (UML) as the data model to formalize the concept and the process of the harmonization process between the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) applications. Then, we design the Harmonization eXtensible Markup Language (HXML) based on the data model and formalize the transformation between the Document Type Definitions (DTDs) of the original XML applications and HXML. The transformation between instances is also discussed. We use the harmonization of SMIL and X3D as an example to demonstrate the proposed methodology. This methodology can be generalized to various application domains.
HackaMol: An Object-Oriented Modern Perl Library for Molecular Hacking on Multiple Scales.
Riccardi, Demian; Parks, Jerry M; Johs, Alexander; Smith, Jeremy C
HackaMol is an open source, object-oriented toolkit written in Modern Perl that organizes atoms within molecules and provides chemically intuitive attributes and methods. The library consists of two components: HackaMol, the core that contains classes for storing and manipulating molecular information, and HackaMol::X, the extensions that use the core. The core is well-tested, well-documented, and easy to install across computational platforms. The goal of the extensions is to provide a more flexible space for researchers to develop and share new methods. In this application note, we provide a description of the core classes and two extensions: HackaMol::X::Calculator, an abstract calculator that uses code references to generalize interfaces with external programs, and HackaMol::X::Vina, a structured class that provides an interface with the AutoDock Vina docking program. PMID:25793330
A portable, parallel, object-oriented Monte Carlo neutron transport code in C++
Lee, S.R.; Cummings, J.C.; Nolen, S.D. |
We have developed a multi-group Monte Carlo neutron transport code using C++ and the Parallel Object-Oriented Methods and Applications (POOMA) class library. This transport code, called MC++, currently computes k and {alpha}-eigenvalues and is portable to and runs parallel on a wide variety of platforms, including MPPs, clustered SMPs, and individual workstations. It contains appropriate classes and abstractions for particle transport and, through the use of POOMA, for portable parallelism. Current capabilities of MC++ are discussed, along with physics and performance results on a variety of hardware, including all Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) hardware. Current parallel performance indicates the ability to compute {alpha}-eigenvalues in seconds to minutes rather than hours to days. Future plans and the implementation of a general transport physics framework are also discussed.
The validation by measurement theory of proposed object-oriented software metrics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.
Moving software development into the engineering arena requires controllability, and to control a process, it must be measurable. Measuring the process does no good if the product is not also measured, i.e., being the best at producing an inferior product does not define a quality process. Also, not every number extracted from software development is a valid measurement. A valid measurement only results when we are able to verify that the number is representative of the attribute that we wish to measure. Many proposed software metrics are used by practitioners without these metrics ever having been validated, leading to costly but often useless calculations. Several researchers have bemoaned the lack of scientific precision in much of the published software measurement work and have called for validation of software metrics by measurement theory. This dissertation applies measurement theory to validate fifty proposed object-oriented software metrics (Li and Henry, 1993; Chidamber and Kemerrer, 1994; Lorenz and Kidd, 1994).
Lightweight Object Oriented Structure analysis: Tools for building Tools to Analyze Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Romo, Tod D.; Leioatts, Nicholas; Grossfield, Alan
LOOS (Lightweight Object-Oriented Structure-analysis) is a C++ library designed to facilitate making novel tools for analyzing molecular dynamics simulations by abstracting out the repetitive tasks, allowing developers to focus on the scientifically relevant part of the problem. LOOS supports input using the native file formats of most common biomolecular simulation packages, including CHARMM, NAMD, Amber, Tinker, and Gromacs. A dynamic atom selection language based on the C expression syntax is included and is easily accessible to the tool-writer. In addition, LOOS is bundled with over 120 pre-built tools, including suites of tools for analyzing simulation convergence, 3D histograms, and elastic network models. Through modern C++ design, LOOS is both simple to develop with (requiring knowledge of only 4 core classes and a few utility functions) and is easily extensible. A python interface to the core classes is also provided, further facilitating tool development. PMID:25327784
The Validation by Measurement Theory of Proposed Object-Oriented Software Metrics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Neal, Ralph D.
Moving software development into the engineering arena requires controllability, and to control a process, it must be measurable. Measuring the process does no good if the product is not also measured, i.e., being the best at producing an inferior product does not define a quality process. Also, not every number extracted from software development is a valid measurement. A valid measurement only results when we are able to verify that the number is representative of the attribute that we wish to measure. Many proposed software metrics are used by practitioners without these metrics ever having been validated, leading to costly but often useless calculations. Several researchers have bemoaned the lack of scientific precision in much of the published software measurement work and have called for validation of software metrics by measurement theory. This dissertation applies measurement theory to validate fifty proposed object-oriented software metrics.
Reducing the complexity of the software design process with object-oriented design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Schuler, M. P.
Designing software is a complex process. How object-oriented design (OOD), coupled with formalized documentation and tailored object diagraming techniques, can reduce the complexity of the software design process is described and illustrated. The described OOD methodology uses a hierarchical decomposition approach in which parent objects are decomposed into layers of lower level child objects. A method of tracking the assignment of requirements to design components is also included. Increases in the reusability, portability, and maintainability of the resulting products are also discussed. This method was built on a combination of existing technology, teaching experience, consulting experience, and feedback from design method users. The discussed concepts are applicable to hierarchal OOD processes in general. Emphasis is placed on improving the design process by documenting the details of the procedures involved and incorporating improvements into those procedures as they are developed.
Object-oriented sequence analysis: SCL--a C++ class library.
Vahrson, W; Hermann, K; Kleffe, J; Wittig, B
SCL (Sequence Class Library) is a class library written in the C++ programming language. Designed using object-oriented programming principles, SCL consists of classes of objects performing tasks typically needed for analyzing DNA or protein sequences. Among them are very flexible sequence classes, classes accessing databases in various formats, classes managing collections of sequences, as well as classes performing higher-level tasks like calculating a pairwise sequence alignment. SCL also includes classes that provide general programming support, like a dynamically growing array, sets, matrices, strings, classes performing file input/output, and utilities for error handling. By providing these components, SCL fosters an explorative programming style: experimenting with algorithms and alternative implementations is encouraged rather than punished. A description of SCL's overall structure as well as an overview of its classes is given. Important aspects of the work with SCL are discussed in the context of a sample program. PMID:8744774
GENII-LIN: a new object-oriented interface for the GENII code.
Sumini, M; Teodori, F; Cantoro, N
GENII-LIN is a new object-oriented interface for GENII, a well-known analysis tool for the health impact evaluation of accidental or chronic release of radionuclides to the environment. GENII-LIN has been developed under the Linux OS, chosen because it is a stable, reliable and open source. The suite codes that constitute the original GENII simulation kernel have been re-implemented and built, using the G77, the Fortran 77 module of the GCC collection. The code modules and the flow of data among them are at present fully controlled by a management interface written in C++, which is the core of the package. GENII-LIN comes with a new graphical user interface (GUI), built using the QT libraries by Trolltech. Through the wizard-like GUI, the user has full control over the code and can easily handle both the input and the output files. PMID:16604707
Discrete-state, object-oriented simulation of coupled thermoelectric transport
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Radkowski, Peter Paul Francis, III
The Discrete State Simulation (DSS) has been developed to model heat and charge transport on a micron-scale with nanometer-resolution. Written in object-oriented code, the DSS is a coupled cellular automata simulator that builds upon the objects and rules of quantum mechanics. The DSS represents global non-equilibrium processes as patterns that emerge through an ensemble of scattering events that are localized at vibronic nodes. By tracking the energy-momentum-position coordinates of the individual particles that define the vibronic state at a node, the DSS undercuts equilibrium concepts such as temperature. Consequently, the DSS can represent physical systems that are described by more than one temperature or that contain physical features that defy definitions of temperature. Using modified bootstrap sampling algorithms, the DSS depicted (1) shifts in distribution functions induced by external fields and temperature gradients, (2) field-dependent transitions from linear mobility to non-linear mobility, (3) saturation velocities, (4) non-exponential decay functions generated by multiple phonon scattering modes, and (5) charge separations and electric potentials generated by temperature gradients. Ensemble averages were sensitive to the structure of dispersion relations, to the energy of the system, and to quantum coupling strengths. Although the Discrete State Simulation requires more development before it becomes an engineering design tool, the reported research effort offers substantial justification for the development of object-oriented, discrete-state cellular automata. These computational machines would match the capabilities of conventional simulation techniques, and they would be able to address highly non-equilibrium situations by exercising dynamic rule construction---computational algorithms that evolve in response to the conditions that are being simulated.
Geophysical astrophysical spectral-element adaptive refinement (GASpAR): Object-oriented h-adaptive fluid dynamics simulation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rosenberg, Duane; Fournier, Aimé; Fischer, Paul; Pouquet, Annick
An object-oriented geophysical and astrophysical spectral-element adaptive refinement (GASpAR) code is introduced. Like most spectral-element codes, GASpAR combines finite-element efficiency with spectral-method accuracy. It is also designed to be flexible enough for a range of geophysics and astrophysics applications where turbulence or other complex multiscale problems arise. The formalism accommodates both conforming and non-conforming elements. Several aspects of this code derive from existing methods, but here are synthesized into a new formulation of dynamic adaptive refinement (DARe) of non-conforming h-type. As a demonstration of the code, several new 2D test cases are introduced that have time-dependent analytic solutions and exhibit localized flow features, including the 2D Burgers equation with straight, curved-radial and oblique-colliding fronts. These are proposed as standard test problems for comparable DARe codes. Quantitative errors are reported for 2D spatial and temporal convergence of DARe.
Process Management and Exception Handling in Multiprocessor Operating Systems Using Object-Oriented Design Techniques. Revised Sep. 1988
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Russo, Vincent; Johnston, Gary; Campbell, Roy
The programming of the interrupt handling mechanisms, process switching primitives, scheduling mechanism, and synchronization primitives of an operating system for a multiprocessor require both efficient code in order to support the needs of high- performance or real-time applications and careful organization to facilitate maintenance. Although many advantages have been claimed for object-oriented class hierarchical languages and their corresponding design methodologies, the application of these techniques to the design of the primitives within an operating system has not been widely demonstrated. To investigate the role of class hierarchical design in systems programming, the authors have constructed the Choices multiprocessor operating system architecture the C++ programming language. During the implementation, it was found that many operating system design concerns can be represented advantageously using a class hierarchical approach, including: the separation of mechanism and policy; the organization of an operating system into layers, each of which represents an abstract machine; and the notions of process and exception management. In this paper, we discuss an implementation of the low-level primitives of this system and outline the strategy by which we developed our solution.
SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics
Richard, Joshua; Galloway, Jack; Fensin, Michael; Trellue, Holly
A novel object-oriented modular mapping methodology for externally coupled neutronics–thermal hydraulics multiphysics simulations was developed. The Simulator using MCNP with Integrated Thermal-Hydraulics for Exploratory Reactor Studies (SMITHERS) code performs on-the-fly mapping of material-wise power distribution tallies implemented by MCNP-based neutron transport/depletion solvers for use in estimating coolant temperature and density distributions with a separate thermal-hydraulic solver. The key development of SMITHERS is that it reconstructs the hierarchical geometry structure of the material-wise power generation tallies from the depletion solver automatically, with only a modicum of additional information required from the user. In addition, it performs the basis mapping from the combinatorial geometry of the depletion solver to the required geometry of the thermal-hydraulic solver in a generalizable manner, such that it can transparently accommodate varying levels of thermal-hydraulic solver geometric fidelity, from the nodal geometry of multi-channel analysis solvers to the pin-cell level of discretization for sub-channel analysis solvers.
Trans-saccadic interactions in human parietal and occipital cortex during the retention and comparison of object orientation.
Dunkley, Benjamin T; Baltaretu, Bianca; Crawford, J Douglas
The cortical sites for the trans-saccadic storage and integration of visual object features are unknown. Here, we used a variant of fMRI-Adaptation where subjects fixated to the left or right of a briefly presented visual grating, maintained fixation or saccaded to the opposite side, then judged whether a re-presented grating had the same or different orientation. fMRI analysis revealed trans-saccadic interactions (different > same orientation) in a visual field-insensitive cluster within right supramarginal gyrus. This cluster was located at the anterolateral pole of the parietal eye field (identified in a localizer task). We also observed gaze centered, field-specific interactions (same > different orientation) in an extrastriate cluster overlapping with putative 'V4'. Based on these data and our literature review, we conclude that these supramarginal and extrastriate areas are involved in the retention, spatial updating, and evaluation of object orientation information across saccades. PMID:27424061
SMITHERS: An object-oriented modular mapping methodology for MCNP-based neutronic–thermal hydraulic multiphysics
Richard, Joshua; Galloway, Jack; Fensin, Michael; Trellue, Holly
A novel object-oriented modular mapping methodology for externally coupled neutronics–thermal hydraulics multiphysics simulations was developed. The Simulator using MCNP with Integrated Thermal-Hydraulics for Exploratory Reactor Studies (SMITHERS) code performs on-the-fly mapping of material-wise power distribution tallies implemented by MCNP-based neutron transport/depletion solvers for use in estimating coolant temperature and density distributions with a separate thermal-hydraulic solver. The key development of SMITHERS is that it reconstructs the hierarchical geometry structure of the material-wise power generation tallies from the depletion solver automatically, with only a modicum of additional information required from the user. In addition, it performs the basis mapping from themore » combinatorial geometry of the depletion solver to the required geometry of the thermal-hydraulic solver in a generalizable manner, such that it can transparently accommodate varying levels of thermal-hydraulic solver geometric fidelity, from the nodal geometry of multi-channel analysis solvers to the pin-cell level of discretization for sub-channel analysis solvers.« less
A scalable portable object-oriented framework for parallel multisensor data-fusion applications in HPC systems
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gupta, Pankaj; Prasad, Guru
Multi-sensor Data Fusion is synergistic integration of multiple data sets. Data fusion includes processes for aligning, associating and combining data and information in estimating and predicting the state of objects, their relationships, and characterizing situations and their significance. The combination of complex data sets and the need for real-time data storage and retrieval compounds the data fusion problem. The systematic development and use of data fusion techniques are particularly critical in applications requiring massive, diverse, ambiguous, and time-critical data. Such conditions are characteristic of new emerging requirements; e.g., network-centric and information-centric warfare, low intensity conflicts such as special operations, counter narcotics, antiterrorism, information operations and CALOW (Conventional Arms, Limited Objectives Warfare), economic and political intelligence. In this paper, Aximetric presents a novel, scalable, object-oriented, metamodel framework for parallel, cluster-based data-fusion engine on High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems. The data-clustering algorithms provide a fast, scalable technique to sift through massive, complex data sets coming through multiple streams in real-time. The load-balancing algorithm provides the capability to evenly distribute the workload among processors on-the-fly and achieve real-time scalability. The proposed data-fusion engine exploits unique data-structures for fast storage, retrieval and interactive visualization of the multiple data streams.
OpenSMOKE++: An object-oriented framework for the numerical modeling of reactive systems with detailed kinetic mechanisms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cuoci, A.; Frassoldati, A.; Faravelli, T.; Ranzi, E.
OpenSMOKE++ is a general framework for numerical simulations of reacting systems with detailed kinetic mechanisms, including thousands of chemical species and reactions. The framework is entirely written in object-oriented C++ and can be easily extended and customized by the user for specific systems, without having to modify the core functionality of the program. The OpenSMOKE++ framework can handle simulations of ideal chemical reactors (plug-flow, batch, and jet stirred reactors), shock-tubes, rapid compression machines, and can be easily incorporated into multi-dimensional CFD codes for the modeling of reacting flows. OpenSMOKE++ provides useful numerical tools such as the sensitivity and rate of production analyses, needed to recognize the main chemical paths and to interpret the numerical results from a kinetic point of view. Since simulations involving large kinetic mechanisms are very time consuming, OpenSMOKE++ adopts advanced numerical techniques able to reduce the computational cost, without sacrificing the accuracy and the robustness of the calculations. In the present paper we give a detailed description of the framework features, the numerical models available, and the implementation of the code. The possibility of coupling the OpenSMOKE++ functionality with existing numerical codes is discussed. The computational performances of the framework are presented, and the capabilities of OpenSMOKE++ in terms of integration of stiff ODE systems are discussed and analyzed with special emphasis. Some examples demonstrating the ability of the OpenSMOKE++ framework to successfully manage large kinetic mechanisms are eventually presented.
A Closed Form Solution for an Unorthodox Trigonometric Integral
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wu, Yan
A closed form solution for the trigonometric integral [integral]sec[superscript 2k+1]xdx, k=0,1,2,..., is presented in this article. The result will fill the gap in another trigonometric integral [integral]sec[superscript 2m+1] x tan[superscript 2n]xdx, which is neglected by most of the calculus textbooks due to its foreseeable unorthodox solution…
An object-oriented, coprocessor-accelerated model for ice sheet simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Seddik, H.; Greve, R.
Recently, numerous models capable of modeling the thermo-dynamics of ice sheets have been developed within the ice sheet modeling community. Their capabilities have been characterized by a wide range of features with different numerical methods (finite difference or finite element), different implementations of the ice flow mechanics (shallow-ice, higher-order, full Stokes) and different treatments for the basal and coastal areas (basal hydrology, basal sliding, ice shelves). Shallow-ice models (SICOPOLIS, IcIES, PISM, etc) have been widely used for modeling whole ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctica) due to the relatively low computational cost of the shallow-ice approximation but higher order (ISSM, AIF) and full Stokes (Elmer/Ice) models have been recently used to model the Greenland ice sheet. The advance in processor speed and the decrease in cost for accessing large amount of memory and storage have undoubtedly been the driving force in the commoditization of models with higher capabilities, and the popularity of Elmer/Ice (http://elmerice.elmerfem.com) with an active user base is a notable representation of this trend. Elmer/Ice is a full Stokes model built on top of the multi-physics package Elmer (http://www.csc.fi/english/pages/elmer) which provides the full machinery for the complex finite element procedure and is fully parallel (mesh partitioning with OpenMPI communication). Elmer is mainly written in Fortran 90 and targets essentially traditional processors as the code base was not initially written to run on modern coprocessors (yet adding support for the recently introduced x86 based coprocessors is possible). Furthermore, a truly modular and object-oriented implementation is required for quick adaptation to fast evolving capabilities in hardware (Fortran 2003 provides an object-oriented programming model while not being clean and requiring a tricky refactoring of Elmer code). In this work, the object-oriented, coprocessor-accelerated finite element
The Implementation of Satellite Control System Software Using Object Oriented Design
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Anderson, Mark O.; Reid, Mark; Drury, Derek; Hansell, William; Phillips, Tom
NASA established the Small Explorer (SMEX) program in 1988 to provide frequent opportunities for highly focused and relatively inexpensive space science missions that can be launched into low earth orbit by small expendable vehicles. The development schedule for each SMEX spacecraft was three years from start to launch. The SMEX program has produced five satellites; Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST), Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) and Wide-Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE). SAMPEX and FAST are on-orbit, TRACE is scheduled to be launched in April of 1998, WIRE is scheduled to be launched in September of 1998, and SWAS is scheduled to be launched in January of 1999. In each of these missions, the Attitude Control System (ACS) software was written using a modular procedural design. Current program goals require complete spacecraft development within 18 months. This requirement has increased pressure to write reusable flight software. Object-Oriented Design (OOD) offers the constructs for developing an application that only needs modification for mission unique requirements. This paper describes the OOD that was used to develop the SMEX-Lite ACS software. The SMEX-Lite ACS is three-axis controlled, momentum stabilized, and is capable of performing sub-arc-minute pointing. The paper first describes the high level requirements which governed the architecture of the SMEX-Lite ACS software. Next, the context in which the software resides is explained. The paper describes the benefits of encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism with respect to the implementation of an ACS software system. This paper will discuss the design of several software components that comprise the ACS software. Specifically, Object-Oriented designs are presented for sensor data processing, attitude control, attitude determination and failure detection. The paper addresses
Application of an Object-Oriented Connectivity Algorithm to Remotely Sensed Precipitation Data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sellars, S.; Nguyen, P.; Chu, W.; Gao, X.; Sorooshian, S.
A new object-oriented precipitation database was developed. This dataset treats each precipitation event as four-dimensional objects and describes the spatial-temporal characteristics of the precipitation objects. The purpose of this dataset is to perform precipitation observational product comparison, observation/model verification, climate studies and engineering applications. Engineering applications would include extreme event(s) emulation and simulation for infrastructure planning and impact assessment. The data used for populating the object-oriented data set was the hourly, .25 Degree resolutions Precipitation Estimation using Remote Sensing Information and the Artificial Neural Network (PERSIANN) product, which covers 60N to 60S from March 1st, 2000 to September 30th, 2009. This product was bias corrected to match monthly precipitation values from the Global Precipitation Climate Project (GPCP). PERSIANN uses neural network techniques to estimate precipitation rates from geostationary infrared imagery, while calibrating it according to microwave imagery. The neural network is calibrated using both infrared and passive microwave data from the different available satellites. Instead of developing a traditional data set, which organizes precipitation at each data point within a defined grid, this poster will demonstrate the application of a connectivity algorithm developed by Dr. Wei Chu (CHRS Researcher), which organizes high resolution (.25 degree) near global precipitation data into four-dimensional objects (latitude, longitude, time, and intensity) and stores the information in a database. This algorithm is designed to ensure that all pixels of precipitation estimates are connected in both space and time (connected pixels), allowing for the feature to be analyzed as a four-dimensional object. Two main criteria are set before the connectivity algorithm is applied to the PERSIANN dataset; 1st) all precipitation pixels must have at least 1mm/hr, and 2nd) the
Technology solutions for wind integration in ERCOT
None, None
Texas has for more than a decade led all other states in the U.S. with the most wind generation capacity on the U.S. electric grid. The State recognized the value that wind energy could provide, and committed early on to build out the transmission system necessary to move power from the windy regions in West Texas to the major population centers across the state. It also signaled support for renewables on the grid by adopting an aggressive renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The joining of these conditions with favorable Federal tax credits has driven the rapid growth in Texas wind capacity since its small beginning in 2000. In addition to the major transmission grid upgrades, there have been a number of technology and policy improvements that have kept the grid reliable while adding more and more intermittent wind generation. Technology advancements such as better wind forecasting and deployment of a nodal market system have improved the grid efficiency of wind. Successful large scale wind integration into the electric grid, however, continues to pose challenges. The continuing rapid growth in wind energy calls for a number of technology additions that will be needed to reliably accommodate an expected 65% increase in future wind resources. The Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) recognized this technology challenge in 2009 when it submitted an application for funding of a regional demonstration project under the Recovery Act program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy1. Under that program the administration announced the largest energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, making available some $3.4 billion in grants to fund development of a broad range of technologies for a more efficient and reliable electric system, including the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. At that time, Texas was (and still is) the nation's leader in the integration of wind into the grid, and was investing heavily
None, None
Texas has for more than a decade led all other states in the U.S. with the most wind generation capacity on the U.S. electric grid. The State recognized the value that wind energy could provide, and committed early on to build out the transmission system necessary to move power from the windy regions in West Texas to the major population centers across the state. It also signaled support for renewables on the grid by adopting an aggressive renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The joining of these conditions with favorable Federal tax credits has driven the rapid growth in Texas wind capacity since its small beginning in 2000. In addition to the major transmission grid upgrades, there have been a number of technology and policy improvements that have kept the grid reliable while adding more and more intermittent wind generation. Technology advancements such as better wind forecasting and deployment of a nodal market system have improved the grid efficiency of wind. Successful large scale wind integration into the electric grid, however, continues to pose challenges. The continuing rapid growth in wind energy calls for a number of technology additions that will be needed to reliably accommodate an expected 65% increase in future wind resources. The Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) recognized this technology challenge in 2009 when it submitted an application for funding of a regional demonstration project under the Recovery Act program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy1. Under that program the administration announced the largest energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, making available some $3.4 billion in grants to fund development of a broad range of technologies for a more efficient and reliable electric system, including the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. At that time, Texas was (and still is) the nation's leader in the integration of wind into the grid, and was investing heavily
A Validation of Object-Oriented Design Metrics as Quality Indicators
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Basili, Victor R.; Briand, Lionel C.; Melo, Walcelio
This paper presents the results of a study in which we empirically investigated the suits of object-oriented (00) design metrics introduced in another work. More specifically, our goal is to assess these metrics as predictors of fault-prone classes and, therefore, determine whether they can be used as early quality indicators. This study is complementary to the work described where the same suite of metrics had been used to assess frequencies of maintenance changes to classes. To perform our validation accurately, we collected data on the development of eight medium-sized information management systems based on identical requirements. All eight projects were developed using a sequential life cycle model, a well-known 00 analysis/design method and the C++ programming language. Based on empirical and quantitative analysis, the advantages and drawbacks of these 00 metrics are discussed. Several of Chidamber and Kamerer's 00 metrics appear to be useful to predict class fault-proneness during the early phases of the life-cycle. Also, on our data set, they are better predictors than 'traditional' code metrics, which can only be collected at a later phase of the software development processes.
Effects of material properties and object orientation on precision grip kinematics.
Paulun, Vivian C; Gegenfurtner, Karl R; Goodale, Melvyn A; Fleming, Roland W
Successfully picking up and handling objects requires taking into account their physical properties (e.g., material) and position relative to the body. Such features are often inferred by sight, but it remains unclear to what extent observers vary their actions depending on the perceived properties. To investigate this, we asked participants to grasp, lift and carry cylinders to a goal location with a precision grip. The cylinders were made of four different materials (Styrofoam, wood, brass and an additional brass cylinder covered with Vaseline) and were presented at six different orientations with respect to the participant (0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 150°). Analysis of their grasping kinematics revealed differences in timing and spatial modulation at all stages of the movement that depended on both material and orientation. Object orientation affected the spatial configuration of index finger and thumb during the grasp, but also the timing of handling and transport duration. Material affected the choice of local grasp points and the duration of the movement from the first visual input until release of the object. We find that conditions that make grasping more difficult (orientation with the base pointing toward the participant, high weight and low surface friction) lead to longer durations of individual movement segments and a more careful placement of the fingers on the object. PMID:27016090
The Impact of Ada and Object-Oriented Design in NASA Goddard's Flight Dynamics Division
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Waligora, Sharon; Bailey, John; Stark, Mike
This paper presents the highlights and key findings of 10 years of use and study of Ada and object-oriented design in NASA Goddard's Flight Dynamics Division (FDD). In 1985, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) began investigating how the Ada language might apply to FDD software development projects. Although they began cautiously using Ada on only a few pilot projects, they expected that, if the Ada pilots showed promising results, the FDD would fully transition its entire development organization from FORTRAN to Ada within 10 years. However, 10 years later, the FDD still produced 80 percent of its software in FORTRAN and had begun using C and C++, despite positive results on Ada projects. This paper presents the final results of a SEL study to quantify the impact of Ada in the FDD, to determine why Ada has not flourished, and to recommend future directions regarding Ada. Project trends in both languages are examined as are external factors and cultural issues that affected the infusion of this technology. The detailed results of this study were published in a formal study report in March of 1995. This paper supersedes the preliminary results of this study that were presented at the Eighteenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop in 1993.
MCViNE - An object oriented Monte Carlo neutron ray tracing simulation package
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Jiao Y. Y.; Smith, Hillary L.; Granroth, Garrett E.; Abernathy, Douglas L.; Lumsden, Mark D.; Winn, Barry; Aczel, Adam A.; Aivazis, Michael; Fultz, Brent
MCViNE (Monte-Carlo VIrtual Neutron Experiment) is an open-source Monte Carlo (MC) neutron ray-tracing software for performing computer modeling and simulations that mirror real neutron scattering experiments. We exploited the close similarity between how instrument components are designed and operated and how such components can be modeled in software. For example we used object oriented programming concepts for representing neutron scatterers and detector systems, and recursive algorithms for implementing multiple scattering. Combining these features together in MCViNE allows one to handle sophisticated neutron scattering problems in modern instruments, including, for example, neutron detection by complex detector systems, and single and multiple scattering events in a variety of samples and sample environments. In addition, MCViNE can use simulation components from linear-chain-based MC ray tracing packages which facilitates porting instrument models from those codes. Furthermore it allows for components written solely in Python, which expedites prototyping of new components. These developments have enabled detailed simulations of neutron scattering experiments, with non-trivial samples, for time-of-flight inelastic instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source. Examples of such simulations for powder and single-crystal samples with various scattering kernels, including kernels for phonon and magnon scattering, are presented. With simulations that closely reproduce experimental results, scattering mechanisms can be turned on and off to determine how they contribute to the measured scattering intensities, improving our understanding of the underlying physics.
An object-oriented based daytime over land fog detection approach using EOS/MODIS data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wen, Xiongfei; Liu, Liangming; Li, Wei; Dong, Pei
A new algorithm is presented for land fog detection from daytime image of Earth Observation System Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (EOS/MODIS) data. Due to its outstanding spatial and spectral resolutions, this image is an ideal data source for fog detection. The algorithm utilizes an object-oriented technique to separate fog from other cloud types. In this paper, MOD35 product is first introduced to exclude cloud-free areas, and high clouds are removed with MODIS 26 band, and then a parameter named Normalized Difference Fog Index (NDFI) is proposed based on Streamer radiative model and MODIS data for fog detection. Through segmenting NDFI image into regions of pixels, and computing attributes (e.g. mean value of brightness temperature) for each region to create objects, each object could be identified based on the attributes selected to determine whether belongs to fog or cloud. Algorithm's performance is evaluated against ground-based measurements over China in winter. The algorithm is proved to be effective in detecting fog accurately based on two different test cases.
Object oriented design (OOD) in real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morris, Joe; Richard, Henri; Lowman, Alan; Youngren, Rob
Using Object Oriented Design (OOD) concepts in AMRDEC's Hardware-in-the Loop (HWIL) real-time simulations allows the user to interchange parts of the simulation to meet test requirements. A large-scale three-spectral band simulator connected via a high speed reflective memory ring for time-critical data transfers to PC controllers connected by non real-time Ethernet protocols is used to separate software objects from logical entities close to their respective controlled hardware. Each standalone object does its own dynamic initialization, real-time processing, and end of run processing; therefore it can be easily maintained and updated. A Resource Allocation Program (RAP) is also utilized along with a device table to allocate, organize, and document the communication protocol between the software and hardware components. A GUI display program lists all allocations and deallocations of HWIL memory and hardware resources. This interactive program is also used to clean up defunct allocations of dead processes. Three examples are presented using the OOD and RAP concepts. The first is the control of an ACUTRONICS built three-axis flight table using the same control for calibration and real-time functions. The second is the transportability of a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) simulation from an Onyx residence to a Linux-PC. The third is the replacement of the 6-DOF simulation with a replay program to drive the facility with archived run data for demonstration or analysis purposes.
Object-Oriented Change Detection for Remote Sensing Images Based on Multi-Scale Fusion
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Feng, Wenqing; Sui, Haigang; Tu, Jihui
In the process of object-oriented change detection, the determination of the optimal segmentation scale is directly related to the subsequent change information extraction and analysis. Aiming at this problem, this paper presents a novel object-level change detection method based on multi-scale segmentation and fusion. First of all, the fine to coarse segmentation is used to obtain initial objects of different sizes; then, according to the features of the objects, Change Vector Analysis is used to obtain the change detection results of various scales. Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of change detection, this paper introduces fuzzy fusion and two kinds of decision level fusion methods to get the results of multi-scale fusion. Based on these methods, experiments are done with SPOT5 multi-spectral remote sensing imagery. Compared with pixel-level change detection methods, the overall accuracy of our method has been improved by nearly 10%, and the experimental results prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the fusion strategies.
Object-Oriented Control System Design Using On-Line Training of Artificial Neural Networks
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rubaai, Ahmed
This report deals with the object-oriented model development of a neuro-controller design for permanent magnet (PM) dc motor drives. The system under study is described as a collection of interacting objects. Each object module describes the object behaviors, called methods. The characteristics of the object are included in its variables. The knowledge of the object exists within its variables, and the performance is determined by its methods. This structure maps well to the real world objects that comprise the system being modeled. A dynamic learning architecture that possesses the capabilities of simultaneous on-line identification and control is incorporated to enforce constraints on connections and control the dynamics of the motor. The control action is implemented "on-line", in "real time" in such a way that the predicted trajectory follows a specified reference model. A design example of controlling a PM dc motor drive on-line shows the effectiveness of the design tool. This will therefore be very useful in aerospace applications. It is expected to provide an innovative and noval software model for the rocket engine numerical simulator executive.
A class Hierarchical, object-oriented approach to virtual memory management
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Russo, Vincent F.; Campbell, Roy H.; Johnston, Gary M.
The Choices family of operating systems exploits class hierarchies and object-oriented programming to facilitate the construction of customized operating systems for shared memory and networked multiprocessors. The software is being used in the Tapestry laboratory to study the performance of algorithms, mechanisms, and policies for parallel systems. Described here are the architectural design and class hierarchy of the Choices virtual memory management system. The software and hardware mechanisms and policies of a virtual memory system implement a memory hierarchy that exploits the trade-off between response times and storage capacities. In Choices, the notion of a memory hierarchy is captured by abstract classes. Concrete subclasses of those abstractions implement a virtual address space, segmentation, paging, physical memory management, secondary storage, and remote (that is, networked) storage. Captured in the notion of a memory hierarchy are classes that represent memory objects. These classes provide a storage mechanism that contains encapsulated data and have methods to read or write the memory object. Each of these classes provides specializations to represent the memory hierarchy.
Building a Tool for Cost-Based Design of Object-Oriented Database Schemas
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Biskup, Joachim; Menzel, Ralf
In the traditional waterfall approach for building a software application, the phases of requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance follow one another. Aiming at the efficiency of a database application, we see that the outcome of the implementation phase decisively determines how much time the execution of queries and updates requires and how much space is needed to store the application data. But, these costs of the application result from decisions made not only in the implementation phase but also before that during the design phase. In this paper, we describe a tool to support the cost-based design of database applications. Based on earlier research where we designed a cost-model for an abstract object-oriented database machine, the tool shall provide its user with cost estimates during the design phase. We discuss which modifications and additions to our cost-model we use to build the tool. Specifically, we portray how we adapt the tool to a concrete DBMS. After picturing a design process that employs our tool, we conclude by assessing the achievements of the present work and how we benefited from our earlier underlying research.
Thermoelastic properties of solid phases: C++ object oriented library "SolidEOS"
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Churakov, Sergey V.
A new object-oriented C++ library (SolidEOS) for calculating the thermoelastic properties of solids is presented. The implementation is based on the Mie-Grüneisen-Debye equation of state (EOS) augmented by lowest order correction for anharmonicity. Several commonly used static EOS like Birch-Murnaghan and Vinet models are available. Although some widely used approximation for the Debye-Grüneisen parameter and static EOS are implemented, the final behaviour of the EOS can be easily modified by overloading predefined virtual functions. The article provides a basic physical background of the modern theory of high-pressure EOS. The detailed documentation of the class hierarchy is summarized in the appendix, which accompanies the source. Several examples of practical use are given in the appendix as well. The library is appropriate for applications in geophysics, petrology, material science or any other field where thermodynamic and elastic properties of solids are relevant. The source code is available from the Computers & Geoscience software archive.
MCViNE- An object oriented Monte Carlo neutron ray tracing simulation package
Lin, J. Y. Y.; Smith, Hillary L.; Granroth, Garrett E.; Abernathy, Douglas L.; Lumsden, Mark D.; Winn, Barry L.; Aczel, Adam A.; Aivazis, Michael; Fultz, Brent
MCViNE (Monte-Carlo VIrtual Neutron Experiment) is an open-source Monte Carlo (MC) neutron ray-tracing software for performing computer modeling and simulations that mirror real neutron scattering experiments. We exploited the close similarity between how instrument components are designed and operated and how such components can be modeled in software. For example we used object oriented programming concepts for representing neutron scatterers and detector systems, and recursive algorithms for implementing multiple scattering. Combining these features together in MCViNE allows one to handle sophisticated neutron scattering problems in modern instruments, including, for example, neutron detection by complex detector systems, and single and multiple scattering events in a variety of samples and sample environments. In addition, MCViNE can use simulation components from linear-chain-based MC ray tracing packages which facilitates porting instrument models from those codes. Furthermore it allows for components written solely in Python, which expedites prototyping of new components. These developments have enabled detailed simulations of neutron scattering experiments, with non-trivial samples, for time-of-flight inelastic instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source. Examples of such simulations for powder and single-crystal samples with various scattering kernels, including kernels for phonon and magnon scattering, are presented. As a result, with simulations that closely reproduce experimental results, scattering mechanisms can be turned on and off to determine how they contribute to the measured scattering intensities, improving our understanding of the underlying physics.
An object-oriented simulator for 3D digital breast tomosynthesis imaging system.
Seyyedi, Saeed; Cengiz, Kubra; Kamasak, Mustafa; Yildirim, Isa
Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is an innovative imaging modality that provides 3D reconstructed images of breast to detect the breast cancer. Projections obtained with an X-ray source moving in a limited angle interval are used to reconstruct 3D image of breast. Several reconstruction algorithms are available for DBT imaging. Filtered back projection algorithm has traditionally been used to reconstruct images from projections. Iterative reconstruction algorithms such as algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) were later developed. Recently, compressed sensing based methods have been proposed in tomosynthesis imaging problem. We have developed an object-oriented simulator for 3D digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) imaging system using C++ programming language. The simulator is capable of implementing different iterative and compressed sensing based reconstruction methods on 3D digital tomosynthesis data sets and phantom models. A user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) helps users to select and run the desired methods on the designed phantom models or real data sets. The simulator has been tested on a phantom study that simulates breast tomosynthesis imaging problem. Results obtained with various methods including algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and total variation regularized reconstruction techniques (ART+TV) are presented. Reconstruction results of the methods are compared both visually and quantitatively by evaluating performances of the methods using mean structural similarity (MSSIM) values. PMID:24371468
Holistic approach to learning and teaching introductory object-oriented programming
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thota, Neena; Whitfield, Richard
This article describes a holistic approach to designing an introductory, object-oriented programming course. The design is grounded in constructivism and pedagogy of phenomenography. We use constructive alignment as the framework to align assessments, learning, and teaching with planned learning outcomes. We plan learning and teaching activities, and media with an understanding of variation theory and the ways in which students learn to program. We outline the implementation of the course, and discuss the findings from the first cycle of an action research study with a small sample of undergraduate students. An investigation of the preferred (deep/surface) learning approaches of the students led us to believe that these approaches can be influenced through course design. Personal constructs of the students, elicited through the repertory grid technique, revealed that rich inventories of learning resources are highly valued. We comment on the transformational processes of the experience of the participants, and identify areas for further refinement and investigation in the next action research cycle.
Online object oriented Monte Carlo computational tool for the needs of biomedical optics
Doronin, Alexander; Meglinski, Igor
Conceptual engineering design and optimization of laser-based imaging techniques and optical diagnostic systems used in the field of biomedical optics requires a clear understanding of the light-tissue interaction and peculiarities of localization of the detected optical radiation within the medium. The description of photon migration within the turbid tissue-like media is based on the concept of radiative transfer that forms a basis of Monte Carlo (MC) modeling. An opportunity of direct simulation of influence of structural variations of biological tissues on the probing light makes MC a primary tool for biomedical optics and optical engineering. Due to the diversity of optical modalities utilizing different properties of light and mechanisms of light-tissue interactions a new MC code is typically required to be developed for the particular diagnostic application. In current paper introducing an object oriented concept of MC modeling and utilizing modern web applications we present the generalized online computational tool suitable for the major applications in biophotonics. The computation is supported by NVIDEA CUDA Graphics Processing Unit providing acceleration of modeling up to 340 times. PMID:21991540
MCViNE- An object oriented Monte Carlo neutron ray tracing simulation package
Lin, J. Y. Y.; Smith, Hillary L.; Granroth, Garrett E.; Abernathy, Douglas L.; Lumsden, Mark D.; Winn, Barry L.; Aczel, Adam A.; Aivazis, Michael; Fultz, Brent
MCViNE (Monte-Carlo VIrtual Neutron Experiment) is an open-source Monte Carlo (MC) neutron ray-tracing software for performing computer modeling and simulations that mirror real neutron scattering experiments. We exploited the close similarity between how instrument components are designed and operated and how such components can be modeled in software. For example we used object oriented programming concepts for representing neutron scatterers and detector systems, and recursive algorithms for implementing multiple scattering. Combining these features together in MCViNE allows one to handle sophisticated neutron scattering problems in modern instruments, including, for example, neutron detection by complex detector systems, and single and multiplemore » scattering events in a variety of samples and sample environments. In addition, MCViNE can use simulation components from linear-chain-based MC ray tracing packages which facilitates porting instrument models from those codes. Furthermore it allows for components written solely in Python, which expedites prototyping of new components. These developments have enabled detailed simulations of neutron scattering experiments, with non-trivial samples, for time-of-flight inelastic instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source. Examples of such simulations for powder and single-crystal samples with various scattering kernels, including kernels for phonon and magnon scattering, are presented. As a result, with simulations that closely reproduce experimental results, scattering mechanisms can be turned on and off to determine how they contribute to the measured scattering intensities, improving our understanding of the underlying physics.« less
Object-oriented approach to the automatic segmentation of bones from pediatric hand radiographs
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shim, Hyeonjoon; Liu, Brent J.; Taira, Ricky K.; Hall, Theodore R.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a robust and accurate method that automatically segments phalangeal and epiphyseal bones from digital pediatric hand radiographs exhibiting various stages of growth. The development of this system draws principles from object-oriented design, model- guided analysis, and feedback control. A system architecture called 'the object segmentation machine' was implemented incorporating these design philosophies. The system is aided by a knowledge base where all model contours and other information such as age, race, and sex, are stored. These models include object structure models, shape models, 1-D wrist profiles, and gray level histogram models. Shape analysis is performed first by using an arc-length orientation transform to break down a given contour into elementary segments and curves. Then an interpretation tree is used as an inference engine to map known model contour segments to data contour segments obtained from the transform. Spatial and anatomical relationships among contour segments work as constraints from shape model. These constraints aid in generating a list of candidate matches. The candidate match with the highest confidence is chosen to be the current intermediate result. Verification of intermediate results are perform by a feedback control loop.
A object-oriented glacier mapping method based on multi-temporal Landsat images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Jun Li; Bao, An Ming; Huang, Qi Ting
Automatic remotely sensed glacier mapping in high mountainous areas is restricted due to confusion of glacier and snow. Most of current methods map glacier boundaries with a single remote sensing image, but it is hard to find one snow-free one cloud-free image. The paper presents an object-oriented image segmentation to delineate the full glacier extents with multi-temporal Landsat images and digital elevation models (DEM). Landsat images with different acquisition dates are limited within one or two year, so as to map the glacier extents with minimum snow coverage. Topographic features derived from DEMs and different solar angles are also used to separate mountain shadows from glaciers, so the glaciers shaded by mountain shadows can also be identified. The method is tested with 6 Landsat images (2009-2010) and SRTM DEM data in Bogeda Mountain of Tienshan Mountain, Xinjiang ,China. It showed that the minimum glacier extents derived with the proposed method can accurately match the SPOT-5 glacier map, and the geometric accuracy is less than 30 meters. Results are satisfying for annual glacier mapping for glacier change detection studies.
Object-oriented mapping of urban trees using Random Forest classifiers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Puissant, Anne; Rougier, Simon; Stumpf, André
Since vegetation in urban areas delivers crucial ecological services as a support to human well-being and to the urban population in general, its monitoring is a major issue for urban planners. Mapping and monitoring the changes in urban green spaces are important tasks because of their functions such as the management of air, climate and water quality, the reduction of noise, the protection of species and the development of recreational activities. In this context, the objective of this work is to propose a methodology to inventory and map the urban tree spaces from a mono-temporal very high resolution (VHR) optical image using a Random Forest classifier in combination with object-oriented approaches. The methodology is developed and its performance is evaluated on a dataset of the city of Strasbourg (France) for different categories of built-up areas. The results indicate a good accuracy and a high robustness for the classification of the green elements in terms of user and producer accuracies.
Organizing and Typing Persistent Objects Within an Object-Oriented Framework
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Madany, Peter W.; Campbell, Roy H.
Conventional operating systems provide little or no direct support for the services required for an efficient persistent object system implementation. We have built a persistent object scheme using a customization and extension of an object-oriented operating system called Choices. Choices includes a framework for the storage of persistent data that is suited to the construction of both conventional file system and persistent object system. In this paper we describe three areas in which persistent object support differs from file system support: storage organization, storage management, and typing. Persistent object systems must support various sizes of objects efficiently. Customizable containers, which are themselves persistent objects and can be nested, support a wide range of object sizes in Choices. Collections of persistent objects that are accessed as an aggregate and collections of light-weight persistent objects can be clustered in containers that are nested within containers for larger objects. Automated garbage collection schemes are added to storage management and have a major impact on persistent object applications. The Choices persistent object store provides extensible sets of persistent object types. The store contains not only the data for persistent objects but also the names of the classes to which they belong and the code for the operation of the classes. Besides presenting persistent object storage organization, storage management, and typing, this paper discusses how persistent objects are named and used within the Choices persistent data/file system framework.
Advanced information science and object-oriented technology for information management applications
Hummel, J.R.; Swietlik, C.E.
The role of the military has been undergoing rapid change since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The kinds of missions the US military has been asked to participate in have often fallen into the category of {open_quotes}Military Operations Other Than War{close_quotes} and those involving military responses have been more of a surgical nature directed against different kinds of threats, like rogue states or in response to terrorist actions. As a result, the requirements on the military planner and analyst have also had to change dramatically. For example, preparing response options now requires rapid turnaround and a highly flexible simulation capability. This in turn requires that the planner or analyst have access to sophisticated information science and simulation technologies. In this paper, we shall discuss how advanced information science and object-oriented technologies can be used in advanced information management applications. We shall also discuss how these technologies and tools can be applied to DoD applications by presenting examples with a system developed at Argonne, the Dynamic Information Architecture System (DIAS). DIAS has been developed to exploit advanced information science and simulation technologies to provide tools for future planners and analysts.
New VACUUM: towards an object oriented version of the code with additional physics capability
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chance, M. S.; Pletzer, A.; Okabayashi, M.; Chu, M. S.; Turnbull, A. D.; Glasser, A. H.
The VACUUM Code^a which was initially created to provide the outer boundary conditions and diagnostics to the PEST and NOVA Fourier codes has been substantially modified to be interfaced to a variety of other stability codes, including DCON, the finite element GATO code as well as the nonlinear NIMROD and M3D codes. It now also includes the ability to model the feedback stabilization of external MHD modes in tokamaks so that the effects of a thin resistive shell and the feedback circuitry together with the associated sensor loops and feedback coils are incorporated. To improve the interface to an increasing number of codes, structural changes addressing portability and memory management are under development: A Fortran 90 version of the code using dynamic memory allocation is in progress, and furthermore, VACUUM will be transformed from a standalone code using I/O files to one using a set of library calls where input and output data are communicated through "set" and "get" calls. The benefit of such an application programming interface (API) layout is to allow VACUUM to be embedded in large packages (e.g. TRANSP) , scripting environments (e.g. Python, Matlab, IDL) or wrapped into C++ code to provide object oriented features. ^aM.S. Chance, Phys. Plasmas 4, 2161 (1997).
Object-oriented approach to fast display of electrophysiological data under MS-windows.
Marion-Poll, F
Microcomputers provide neuroscientists an alternative to a host of laboratory equipment to record and analyze electrophysiological data. Object-oriented programming tools bring an essential link between custom needs for data acquisition and analysis with general software packages. In this paper, we outline the layout of basic objects that display and manipulate electrophysiological data files. Visual inspection of the recordings is a basic requirement of any data analysis software. We present an approach that allows flexible and fast display of large data sets. This approach involves constructing an intermediate representation of the data in order to lower the number of actual points displayed while preserving the aspect of the data. The second group of objects is related to the management of lists of data files. Typical experiments designed to test the biological activity of pharmacological products include scores of files. Data manipulation and analysis are facilitated by creating multi-document objects that include the names of all experiment files. Implementation steps of both objects are described for an MS-Windows hosted application. PMID:8788064
A Simple Object-Oriented and Open Source Model for Scientific and Policy Analyses of the Global Carbon Cycle-Hector
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hartin, C.; Bond-Lamberty, B. P.; Patel, P.; Link, R. P.
Simple climate models play an integral role in policy and scientific communities. They are used in climate mitigation scenarios within integrated assessment models, complex climate model emulation, and uncertainty analyses. Here we describe, Hector an open source, object-oriented, simple global climate carbon-cycle model. This model runs essentially instantaneously while still representing the most critical global scale earth system processes, e.g., carbon fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere, and respiration and primary production on land. Hector has three main carbon pools: an atmosphere, land, and ocean. The terrestrial carbon cycle is represented by a simple design with respiration and primary production, accommodating arbitrary geographic divisions into, e.g., ecological biomes or political units. The ocean carbon cycle actively solves the inorganic carbon system in the surface ocean, directly calculating air-sea fluxes of carbon and ocean pH. Hector reproduces the large-scale global trends found in historical data of atmospheric [CO2] and surface temperature and simulates all four Representative Concentration Pathways. Hector's results compare well with current observations of critical climate variables, MAGICC (a well-known simple climate model), as well as, model output from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project version 5. Hector has the ability to be a key analytical tool used across many scientific and policy communities due to its modern software architecture, open source, and object-oriented structure. In particular, Hector can be used to emulate larger complex models to help fill gaps in scenario coverage for future scenario processes.
Multi-resolution, object-oriented fuzzy analysis of remote sensing data for GIS-ready information
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Benz, Ursula C.; Hofmann, Peter; Willhauck, Gregor; Lingenfelder, Iris; Heynen, Markus
Remote sensing from airborne and spaceborne platforms provides valuable data for mapping, environmental monitoring, disaster management and civil and military intelligence. However, to explore the full value of these data, the appropriate information has to be extracted and presented in standard format to import it into geo-information systems and thus allow efficient decision processes. The object-oriented approach can contribute to powerful automatic and semi-automatic analysis for most remote sensing applications. Synergetic use to pixel-based or statistical signal processing methods explores the rich information contents. Here, we explain principal strategies of object-oriented analysis, discuss how the combination with fuzzy methods allows implementing expert knowledge and describe a representative example for the proposed workflow from remote sensing imagery to GIS. The strategies are demonstrated using the first object-oriented image analysis software on the market, eCognition, which provides an appropriate link between remote sensing imagery and GIS.
Object {open_quotes}request{close_quotes} based clustering for method processing in object-oriented database system
Goel, S.; Bhargava, B.
Static grouping (clustering) of component objects in a complex object at the server has been an active area of research in client/server based object oriented database systems. We present a client-driven object grouping approach. A client executing a method makes dynamic decisions and groups objects for a request to the server. The client requires run-time and statically analyzed information for the method to make its decisions. Complex object skeletons are used for navigating the complex object. We have conducted experimental studies to evaluate our approach. We have used a prototype object-oriented database system called O-Raid for our experiments.
Integration-free interval doubling for Riccati equation solutions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bierman, G. J.; Sidhu, G. S.
Various algorithms are given for the case of constant coefficients. The algorithms are based on two ideas: first, relate the Re solution with general initial conditions to anchored RE solutions; and second, when the coefficients are constant the anchored solutions have a basic shift-invariance property. These ideas are used to construct an integration free superlinearly convergent iterative solution to the algebraic RE. The algorithm, arranged in square-root form, is thought to be numerically stable and competitive with other methods of solving the algebraic RE.
A Software Designed For STP Data Plot and Analysis Based on Object-oriented Methodology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lina, L.; Murata, K.
In the present study, we design a system that is named "STARS (Solar-Terrestrial data Analysis and Reference System)". The STARS provides a research environment that researchers can refer to and analyse a variety of data with single software. This software design is based on the OMT (Object Modeling Technique). The OMT is one of the object-oriented techniques, which has an advantage in maintenance improvement, reuse and long time development of a system. At the Center for Information Technology, Ehime University, after our designing of the STARS, we have already started implementing the STARS. The latest version of the STARS, the STARS5, was released in 2006. Any user can download the system from our WWW site (http:// www.infonet.cite.ehime-u.ac.jp/STARS). The present paper is mainly devoted to the design of a data analysis software system. Through our designing, we paid attention so that the design is flexible and applicable when other developers design software for the similar purpose. If our model is so particular only for our own purpose, it would be useless for other developers. Through our design of the domain object model, we carefully removed the parts, which depend on the system resources, e.g. hardware and software. We put the dependent parts into the application object model. In the present design, therefore, the domain object model and the utility object model are independent of computer resource. This helps anther developer to construct his/her own system based the present design. They simply modify their own application object models according to their system resource. This division of the design between dependent and independent part into three object models is one of the advantages in the OMT. If the design of software is completely done along with the OMT, implementation is rather simple and automatic: developers simply map their designs on our programs. If one creates "ganother STARS" with other programming language such as Java, the programmer
An object-oriented model for the prediction of turbulence effects on plankton
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mariani, Patrizio; Botte, Vincenzo; Ribera d'Alcalà, Maurizio
In this work, we propose an object-oriented individual based model for the analysis of the effects of turbulence on the interactions and the behaviour of planktonic organisms at microscopic scales. We model homogeneous isotropic turbulence by adopting a kinematic simulation of the flow, where the velocity field is prescribed as a combination of a large number of unsteady random Fourier modes. As for the biotic component we use special contact classes to build a "memory" of an individual particle, allowing the storage of frequency, duration and identity of each interaction experienced by the individuals throughout the whole time span of the simulation. This, in turn, allows classifying the different interactions. We tested our model on the classical problem of the encounter rate between a consumer and a food particle. The model reproduces well the results of analytical bulk models or of previous numerical simulations, which demonstrated the enhancement of contact numbers due to the turbulent flow especially for slow moving or ambushing consumers. The results also highlight that a critical parameter in the encounter is the duration of the contacts. This suggests that the evident decrease in clearance rate of grazers in experimental setups in the high turbulence range may be significantly affected by the decrease of the encounter duration and its impact on detection, capturing and handling the prey. As a matter of fact, the encounter duration sets a typical scale dependent on the swimming speed, the typical scale of turbulence, and the encounter radius, beyond which the enhancement of useful encounter rates becomes negligible.
Object orientated automated image analysis: quantitative and qualitative estimation of inflammation in mouse lung
Apfeldorfer, Coralie; Ulrich, Kristina; Jones, Gareth; Goodwin, David; Collins, Susie; Schenck, Emanuel; Richard, Virgile
Historically, histopathology evaluation is performed by a pathologist generating a qualitative assessment on thin tissue sections on glass slides. In the past decade, there has been a growing interest for tools able to reduce human subjectivity and improve workload. Whole slide scanning technology combined with object orientated image analysis can offer the capacity of generating fast and reliable results. In the present study, we combined the use of these emerging technologies to characterise a mouse model for chronic asthma. We monitored the inflammatory changes over five weeks by measuring the number of neutrophils and eosinophils present in the tissue, as well as, the bronchiolar associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) area on whole lungs sections. We showed that inflammation assessment could be automated efficiently and reliably. In comparison to human evaluation performed on the same set of sections, computer generated data was more descriptive and fully quantitative. Moreover optimisation of our detection parameters allowed us to be to more sensitive and to generate data in a larger dynamic range to traditional experimental evaluation, such as bronchiolar lavage (BAL) inflammatory cell counts obtained by flow cytometry. We also took advantage of the fact that we could increase the number of samples to be analysed within a day. Such optimisation allowed us to determine the best study design and experimental conditions in order to increase statistical significance between groups. In conclusion, we showed that combination of whole slide digital scanning and image analysis could be fully automated and deliver more descriptive and biologically relevant data over traditional methods evaluating histopathological pulmonary changes observed in this mouse model of chronic asthma. PMID:18673504
Object-oriented regression for building predictive models with high dimensional omics data from translational studies.
Zhao, Lue Ping; Bolouri, Hamid
Maturing omics technologies enable researchers to generate high dimension omics data (HDOD) routinely in translational clinical studies. In the field of oncology, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) provided funding support to researchers to generate different types of omics data on a common set of biospecimens with accompanying clinical data and has made the data available for the research community to mine. One important application, and the focus of this manuscript, is to build predictive models for prognostic outcomes based on HDOD. To complement prevailing regression-based approaches, we propose to use an object-oriented regression (OOR) methodology to identify exemplars specified by HDOD patterns and to assess their associations with prognostic outcome. Through computing patient's similarities to these exemplars, the OOR-based predictive model produces a risk estimate using a patient's HDOD. The primary advantages of OOR are twofold: reducing the penalty of high dimensionality and retaining the interpretability to clinical practitioners. To illustrate its utility, we apply OOR to gene expression data from non-small cell lung cancer patients in TCGA and build a predictive model for prognostic survivorship among stage I patients, i.e., we stratify these patients by their prognostic survival risks beyond histological classifications. Identification of these high-risk patients helps oncologists to develop effective treatment protocols and post-treatment disease management plans. Using the TCGA data, the total sample is divided into training and validation data sets. After building up a predictive model in the training set, we compute risk scores from the predictive model, and validate associations of risk scores with prognostic outcome in the validation data (P-value=0.015). PMID:26972839
Object-oriented programming approach to CCD data acquisition and image processing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naidu, B. Nagaraja; Srinivasan, R.; Shankar, S. Murali
In the recent past both the CCD camera controller hardware and software have witnessed a dynamic change to keep pace with the astronomer's imaging requirements. Conventional data acquisition software is based on menu driven programs developed using structured high level languages in non-window environment. An application under windows offers several advantages to the users, over the non-window approach, like multitasking, accessing large memory and inter-application communication. Windows also provides many programming facilities to the developers such as device-independent graphics, support to wide range of input/output devices, menus, icons, bitmaps. However, programming for windows environment under structured programming demands an in-depth knowledge of events, formats, handles and inner workings. Object-oriented approach simplifies the task of programming for windows by using object windows which manage the message- processing behavior and insulate the developer from the details of inner workings of windows. As a result, a window application can be developed in much less time and effort compared to conventional approaches. We have designed and developed an easy-to-use CCD data acquisition and processing software under Microsoft Windows 3.1 operating environment using object-Pascal for windows. The acquisition software exploits the advantages of the objects to provide custom specific tool boxes to implement different functions of CCD data accusation and image processing. In this paper the hierarchy of the software structure and various application functions are presented. The flexibility of the software to handle different CCDs and also mosaic arrangement is illustrated.
Aquarius' Object-Oriented, Plug and Play Component-Based Flight Software
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Murray, Alexander; Shahabuddin, Mohammad
The Aquarius mission involves a combined radiometer and radar instrument in low-Earth orbit, providing monthly global maps of Sea Surface Salinity. Operating successfully in orbit since June, 2011, the spacecraft bus was furnished by the Argentine space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). The instrument, built jointly by NASA's Caltech/JPL and Goddard Space Flight Center, has been successfully producing expectation-exceeding data since it was powered on in August of 2011. In addition to the radiometer and scatterometer, the instrument contains an command & data-handling subsystem with a computer and flight software (FSW) that is responsible for managing the instrument, its operation, and its data. Aquarius' FSW is conceived and architected as a Component-based system, in which the running software consists of a set of Components, each playing a distinctive role in the subsystem, instantiated and connected together at runtime. Component architectures feature a well-defined set of interfaces between the Components, visible and analyzable at the architectural level (see [1]). As we will describe, this kind of an architecture offers significant advantages over more traditional FSW architectures, which often feature a monolithic runtime structure. Component-based software is enabled by Object-Oriented (OO) techniques and languages, the use of which again is not typical in space mission FSW. We will argue in this paper that the use of OO design methods and tools (especially the Unified Modeling Language), as well as the judicious usage of C++, are very well suited to FSW applications, and we will present Aquarius FSW, describing our methods, processes, and design, as a successful case in point.
Object-oriented identification of forested landslides with derivatives of single pulse LiDAR data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Van Den Eeckhaut, Miet; Kerle, Norman; Poesen, Jean; Hervás, Javier
In contrast to the many studies that use expert-based analysis of LiDAR derivatives for landslide mapping in forested terrain, only few studies have attempted to develop (semi-)automatic methods for extracting landslides from LiDAR derivatives. While all these studies are pixel-based, it has not yet been tested whether object-oriented analysis (OOA) could be an alternative. This study investigates the potential of OOA using only single-pulse LiDAR derivatives, such as slope gradient, roughness and curvature to map landslides. More specifically, the focus is on both LiDAR data segmentation and classification of slow-moving landslides in densely vegetated areas, where spectral data do not allow accurate landslide identification. A multistage procedure has been developed and tested in the Flemish Ardennes (Belgium). The procedure consists of (1) image binarization and multiresolution segmentation, (2) classification of landslide parts (main scarps and landslide body segments) and non-landslide features (i.e. earth banks and cropland fields) with supervised support vector machines at the appropriate scale, (3) delineation of landslide flanks, (4) growing of a landslide body starting from its main scarp, and (5) final cleaning of the inventory map. The results obtained show that OOA using LiDAR derivatives allows recognition and characterization of profound morphologic properties of forested deep-seated landslides on soil-covered hillslopes, because more than 90% of the main scarps and 70% of the landslide bodies of an expert-based inventory were accurately identified with OOA. For mountainous areas with bedrock, on the other hand, creation of a transferable model is expected to be more difficult.
Reducing Non-Uniqueness in Satellite Gravity Inversion using 3D Object Oriented Image Analysis Techniques
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fadel, I.; van der Meijde, M.; Kerle, N.
Non-uniqueness of satellite gravity interpretation has been usually reduced by using a priori information from various sources, e.g. seismic tomography models. The reduction in non-uniqueness has been based on velocity-density conversion formulas or user interpretation for 3D subsurface structures (objects) in seismic tomography models. However, these processes introduce additional uncertainty through the conversion relations due to the dependency on the other physical parameters such as temperature and pressure, or through the bias in the interpretation due to user choices and experience. In this research, a new methodology is introduced to extract the 3D subsurface structures from 3D geophysical data using a state-of-art 3D Object Oriented Image Analysis (OOA) technique. 3D OOA is tested using a set of synthetic models that simulate the real situation in the study area of this research. Then, 3D OOA is used to extract 3D subsurface objects from a real 3D seismic tomography model. The extracted 3D objects are used to reconstruct a forward model and its response is compared with the measured satellite gravity. Finally, the result of the forward modelling, based on the extracted 3D objects, is used to constrain the inversion process of satellite gravity data. Through this work, a new object-based approach is introduced to interpret and extract the 3D subsurface objects from 3D geophysical data. This can be used to constrain modelling and inversion of potential field data using the extracted 3D subsurface structures from other methods. In summary, a new approach is introduced to constrain inversion of satellite gravity measurements and enhance interpretation capabilities.
An architecture for object-oriented intelligent control of power systems in space
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Holmquist, Sven G.; Jayaram, Prakash; Jansen, Ben H.
A control system for autonomous distribution and control of electrical power during space missions is being developed. This system should free the astronauts from localizing faults and reconfiguring loads if problems with the power distribution and generation components occur. The control system uses an object-oriented simulation model of the power system and first principle knowledge to detect, identify, and isolate faults. Each power system component is represented as a separate object with knowledge of its normal behavior. The reasoning process takes place at three different levels of abstraction: the Physical Component Model (PCM) level, the Electrical Equivalent Model (EEM) level, and the Functional System Model (FSM) level, with the PCM the lowest level of abstraction and the FSM the highest. At the EEM level the power system components are reasoned about as their electrical equivalents, e.g, a resistive load is thought of as a resistor. However, at the PCM level detailed knowledge about the component's specific characteristics is taken into account. The FSM level models the system at the subsystem level, a level appropriate for reconfiguration and scheduling. The control system operates in two modes, a reactive and a proactive mode, simultaneously. In the reactive mode the control system receives measurement data from the power system and compares these values with values determined through simulation to detect the existence of a fault. The nature of the fault is then identified through a model-based reasoning process using mainly the EEM. Compound component models are constructed at the EEM level and used in the fault identification process. In the proactive mode the reasoning takes place at the PCM level. Individual components determine their future health status using a physical model and measured historical data. In case changes in the health status seem imminent the component warns the control system about its impending failure. The fault isolation
Introduction to CHRS CONNECT - a global extreme precipitation event database using object-oriented approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nguyen, P.; Thorstensen, A. R.; Liu, H.; Sellars, S. L.; Ashouri, H.; Huynh, P.; Palacios, T.; Li, P.; Tran, H.; Braithwaite, D.; Hsu, K. L.; Gao, X.; Sorooshian, S.
Extreme precipitation events cause natural disasters that impact many parts of the world. Understanding how these events vary in space and time is a key goal in climatology research. The recently developed CHRS CONNECT (Center for Hydrometeorology & Remote Sensing CONNected precipitation objECT) system is a global extreme precipitation event database derived from CHRS's satellite precipitation data products, including PERSIANN (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks) and PERSIANN-CDR (Climate Data Record). Precipitation data from PERSIANN is hourly, 0.25ox0.25o grid, 60oS - 60oN, from 2000 to 2015, and data from PERSIANN-CDR is daily, 0.25ox0.25o grid, 60oS - 60oN, from 1983 to 2015. We used an advanced method in computer science which represents a data point on a three dimensional grid (longitude, latitude and time) called volumetric pixel or voxel. An object segmentation algorithm was developed to derive precipitation events as objects. In each object, voxels are connected to each other through the 26 connectivity faces (a voxel is connected to a neighboring voxel if they share a common face). The object-oriented algorithm was designed to provide a unique means in which extreme precipitation events and their attributes can be stored in a searchable database. This database is accessible through a user-friendly interface (connect.eng.uci.edu), allowing the user to retrieve events that fit specific criteria of interest such as spatiotemporal domain, maximum intensity, minimum duration and climatology indices. The interface includes several modes for visualization such as total precipitation, event tracking, and event evolution animation. The CHRS CONNECT tool is designed to be used for climatology research related to extreme precipitation events as well as for water resources management applications.
Pricing index-based catastrophe bonds: Part 2: Object-oriented design issues and sensitivity analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Unger, André J. A.
This work is the second installment in a two-part series, and focuses on object-oriented programming methods to implement an augmented-state variable approach to aggregate the PCS index and introduce the Bermudan-style call feature into the proposed CAT bond model. The PCS index is aggregated quarterly using a discrete Asian running-sum formulation. The resulting aggregate PCS index augmented-state variable is used to specify the payoff (principle) on the CAT bond based on reinsurance layers. The purpose of the Bermudan-style call option is to allow the reinsurer to minimize their interest rate risk exposure on making fixed coupon payments under prevailing interest rates. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the impact of uncertainty in the frequency and magnitude of hurricanes on the price of the CAT bond. Results indicate that while the CAT bond is highly sensitive to the natural variability in the frequency of landfalling hurricanes between El Ninõ and non-El Ninõ years, it remains relatively insensitive to uncertainty in the magnitude of damages. In addition, results indicate that the maximum price of the CAT bond is insensitive to whether it is engineered to cover low frequency high magnitude events in a 'high' reinsurance layer relative to high frequency low magnitude events in a 'low' reinsurance layer. Also, while it is possible for the reinsurer to minimize their interest rate risk exposure on the fixed coupon payments, the impact of this risk on the price of the CAT bond appears small relative to the natural variability in the CAT bond price, and consequently catastrophic risk, due to uncertainty in the frequency and magnitude of landfalling hurricanes.
An Object-Oriented Python Implementation of an Intermediate-Level Atmospheric Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, J. W.
The Neelin-Zeng Quasi-equilibrium Tropical Circulation Model (QTCM1) is a Fortran-based intermediate-level atmospheric model that includes simplified treatments of several physical processes, including a GCM-like convective scheme and a land-surface scheme with representations of different surface types, evaporation, and soil moisture. This model has been used in studies of the Madden-Julian oscillation, ENSO, and vegetation-atmosphere interaction effects on climate. Through the assumption of convective quasi-equilibrium in the troposphere, the QTCM1 is able to include full nonlinearity, resolve baroclinic disturbances, and generate a reasonable climatology, all at low computational cost. One year of simulation on a PC at 5.625 × 3.75 degree longitude-latitude resolution takes under three minutes of wall-clock time. The Python package qtcm implements the QTCM1 in a mixed-language environment that retains the speed of compiled Fortran while providing the benefits of Python's object-oriented framework and robust suite of utilities and datatypes. We describe key programming constructs used to create this modeling environment: the decomposition of model runs into Python objects, providing methods so visualization tools are attached to model runs, and the use of Python's mutable datatypes (lists and dictionaries) to implement the "run list" entity, which enables total runtime control of subroutine execution order and content. The result is an interactive modeling environment where the traditional sequence of "hypothesis → modeling → visualization and analysis" is opened up and made nonlinear and flexible. In this environment, science tasks such as parameter-space exploration and testing alternative parameterizations can be easily automated, without the need for multiple versions of the model code interacting with a bevy of makefiles and shell scripts. The environment also simplifies interfacing of the atmospheric model to other models (e.g., hydrologic models
Aquarius' Object-Oriented, plug and play component-based flight software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Murray, A.; Shahabuddin, M.
The Aquarius mission involves a combined radiometer and radar instrument in low-Earth orbit, providing monthly global maps of Sea Surface Salinity. Operating successfully in orbit since June, 2011, the spacecraft bus was furnished by the Argentine space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). The instrument, built jointly by NASA's Caltech/JPL and Goddard Space Flight Center, has been successfully producing expectation-exceeding data since it was powered on in August of 2011. In addition to the radiometer and scatterometer, the instrument contains an command & data-handling subsystem with a computer and flight software (FSW) that is responsible for managing the instrument, its operation, and its data. Aquarius' FSW is conceived and architected as a Component based system, in which the running software consists of a set of Components, each playing a distinctive role in the subsystem, instantiated and connected together at runtime. Component architectures feature a well-defined set of interfaces between the Components, visible and analyzable at the architectural level. As we will describe, this kind of an architecture offers significant advantages over more traditional FSW architectures, which often feature a monolithic runtime structure. Component-based software is enabled by Object-Oriented (OO) techniques and languages, the use of which again is not typical in space mission FSW. We will argue in this paper that the use of OO design methods and tools (especially the Unified Modeling Language), as well as the judicious usage of C++, are very well suited to FSW applications, and we will present Aquarius FSW, describing our methods, processes, and design, as a successful case in point.
Object-oriented approach to oil spill detection using ENVISAT ASAR images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Konik, M.; Bradtke, K.
The growing importance of oil spill detection as part of a rapid response system to oil pollution requires the ongoing development of algorithms. The aim of this study was to create a methodology for improving manual classification at the scale of entire water bodies, focusing on its repeatability. This paper took an object-oriented approach to radar image analysis and put particular emphasis on adaptation to the specificity of seas like the Baltic. Pre-processing using optimised filters enhanced the capability of a multilevel hierarchical segmentation, in order to detect spills of different sizes, forms and homogeneity, which occur as a result of shipping activities. Confirmed spills detected in ENVISAT/ASAR images were used to create a decision-tree procedure that classifies every distinct dark object visible in SAR images into one out of four categories, which reflect growing probability of the oil spill presence: look-alikes, dubious spots, blurred spots and potential oil spills. Our objective was to properly mark known spills on ASAR scenes and to reduce the number of false-positives by eliminating (classifying as background or look-alike) as many objects as possible from the vast initial number of objects appearing on full-scale images. A number of aspects were taken into account in the classification process. The method's performance was tested on a group of 26 oil spills recorded by HELCOM: 96.15% of them were successfully identified. The final target group was narrowed down to about 4% of dark objects extracted from ASAR images. Although a specialist is still needed to supervise the whole process of oil spill detection, this method gives an initial view, substantial for further evaluation of the scenes and risk estimation. It may significantly accelerate the pace of manual image analysis and enhance the objectivity of assessments, which are key aspects in operational monitoring systems.
I-Tree Temperature: An Object Oriented Model on Urban Microclimate Simulation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yang, Y.; Endreny, T. A.; Nowak, D.
Air temperature and humidity are two of the most critical meteorological variables in relation to biological and hydrological processes, human thermal comfort, ecosystems, and energy consumption on heating and cooling. Yang et al. (2013) developed a physically-based analytical spatial air temperature and humidity (PASATH) model to simulate microclimate of urban area. This model can provide spatial time series maps of air temperature, humidity, latent heat flux, and sensible heat flux in spatial resolution of one hundred meters and temporal resolution of one hour. PASATH performed satisfactorily given its intended simplicity and low requirement on the inputs. The USDA Forest Service and the Davey Institute developed i-Tree Temperature model based on the PASATH model to complement the strength of the i-Tree suite of tools for urban forest analyses of structure and ecosystem services. The i-Tree temperature model was written in C++ with Objected Oriented Design (OOD). Improved functions were added to improve the simulation of heat flux resistances; new classes were incorporated to better control the inputs and outputs; new model structure was designed to advance the simulation efficiency; inputs formating were optimized to make it more user friendly. The model will be publicly available as a new i-Tree function in 2015 by the USDA Forest Service and the Davey Institute. It can be used to study urban heat island effects and investigate land cover and hydrology based mitigation methods; the simulated spatial maps of air temperature and humidity can provide inputs for other environmental models, including atmospheric models, ecosystem models, and hydrology models, for scientific studies of environmental and human health.
On the solution of integral equations with strongly singular kernels
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kaya, A. C.; Erdogan, F.
Some useful formulas are developed to evaluate integrals having a singularity of the form (t-x) sup-m ,m greater than or equal 1. Interpreting the integrals with strong singularities in Hadamard sense, the results are used to obtain approximate solutions of singular integral equations. A mixed boundary value problem from the theory of elasticity is considered as an example. Particularly for integral equations where the kernel contains, in addition to the dominant term (t-x) sup -m , terms which become unbounded at the end points, the present technique appears to be extremely effective to obtain rapidly converging numerical results.
On the solution of integral equations with strongly singular kernels
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kaya, A. C.; Erdogan, F.
Some useful formulas are developed to evaluate integrals having a singularity of the form (t-x) sup-m, m greater than or equal 1. Interpreting the integrals with strong singularities in Hadamard sense, the results are used to obtain approximate solutions of singular integral equations. A mixed boundary value problem from the theory of elasticity is considered as an example. Particularly for integral equations where the kernel contains, in addition to the dominant term (t-x) sup-m, terms which become unbounded at the end points, the present technique appears to be extremely effective to obtain rapidly converging numerical results.
Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers' Experiences of Learning to Program in an Object-Oriented Language
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Govender, I.; Grayson, D. J.
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the various ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers experience learning to program in an object-oriented language. Both groups of teachers were enrolled in university courses. In most cases, the pre-service teachers were learning to program for the first time, while the in-service…
A Cognitive Model of How Interactive Multimedia Authoring Facilitates Conceptual Understanding of Object-Oriented Programming in Novices
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yuen, Timothy; Liu, Min
This paper presents a cognitive model of how interactive multimedia authoring (IMA) affect novices' cognition in object-oriented programming. This model was generated through an empirical study of first year computer science students at the university level being engaged in interactive multimedia authoring of a role-playing game. Clinical…
A Study of the Development of Students' Visualizations of Program State during an Elementary Object-Oriented Programming Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sajaniemi, Jorma; Kuittinen, Marja; Tikansalo, Taina
Students' understanding of object-oriented (OO) program execution was studied by asking students to draw a picture of a program state at a specific moment. Students were given minimal instructions on what to include in their drawings in order to see what they considered to be central concepts and relationships in program execution. Three drawing…
Theoretical Value Belief, Cognitive Ability, and Personality as Predictors of Student Performance in Object-Oriented Programming Environments
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hall, Dianne J.; Cegielski, Casey G.; Wade, James N.
The research described in this article reports the results of a study designed to evaluate the relationship among object-oriented (OO) computer programming task performance and a student's (1) theoretical value belief, (2) cognitive ability, and (3) personality. The results of this study do not support the assertion that cognitive ability is a…
Land use analyses in the African Sahel: an object-oriented classification approach using TerraSAR-X data
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Biro, Khalid; Sulieman, Hussein; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Buchroithner, Manfred
Recently, object-oriented classification techniques based on image segmentation approaches are being actively studied in the high-resolution image processing tools to extract a variety of thematic information. Land use patterns in the semi-arid Sahel zone of Africa in Sudan is characterized by complex vegetation covers with scattered distribution of small and large agricultural fields. Therefore, image segmentation approach might not suitable due to the presence of these land cover variations. In this study, land use types in the African Sahel dry-lands were analysed using the object-oriented classification approach. TerraSAR-X data (X-band in HH and HV polarisation) with 3.0 m of spatial resolution was used for the land cover classification. Using a feature space optimization tool based on nearest neighbour classifier, the attributes of the TerraSAR-X image were optimized to obtain the best separability among the classes for the land use mapping. The results highlighted the importance of both TerraSAR-X and object-oriented classification approaches as a useful source of information and technique for land use analyses over drylands of African Sahel in Sudan. Keywords: Object-oriented classification; TerraSAR-X; land use; drylands; African Sahel
Exact Solutions and Conservation Laws for a New Integrable Equation
Gandarias, M. L.; Bruzon, M. S.
In this work we study a generalization of an integrable equation proposed by Qiao and Liu from the point of view of the theory of symmetry reductions in partial differential equations. Among the solutions we obtain a travelling wave with decaying velocity and a smooth soliton solution. We determine the subclass of these equations which are quasi-self-adjoint and we get a nontrivial conservation law.
StarView: The object oriented design of the ST DADS user interface
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Williams, J. D.; Pollizzi, J. A.
StarView is the user interface being developed for the Hubble Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution Service (ST DADS). ST DADS is the data archive for HST observations and a relational database catalog describing the archived data. Users will use StarView to query the catalog and select appropriate datasets for study. StarView sends requests for archived datasets to ST DADS which processes the requests and returns the database to the user. StarView is designed to be a powerful and extensible user interface. Unique features include an internal relational database to navigate query results, a form definition language that will work with both CRT and X interfaces, a data definition language that will allow StarView to work with any relational database, and the ability to generate adhoc queries without requiring the user to understand the structure of the ST DADS catalog. Ultimately, StarView will allow the user to refine queries in the local database for improved performance and merge in data from external sources for correlation with other query results. The user will be able to create a query from single or multiple forms, merging the selected attributes into a single query. Arbitrary selection of attributes for querying is supported. The user will be able to select how query results are viewed. A standard form or table-row format may be used. Navigation capabilities are provided to aid the user in viewing query results. Object oriented analysis and design techniques were used in the design of StarView to support the mechanisms and concepts required to implement these features. One such mechanism is the Model-View-Controller (MVC) paradigm. The MVC allows the user to have multiple views of the underlying database, while providing a consistent mechanism for interaction regardless of the view. This approach supports both CRT and X interfaces while providing a common mode of user interaction. Another powerful abstraction is the concept of a Query Model. This
Integrated Learning Systems: The Problems with the Solution.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bentley, Edward
Discusses problems with integrated learning systems (ILSs) in the schools, noting they are still an unproven solution to problems in education plagued by many serious limitations. The article recommends dealing with the fundamental problems of the educational system before investing time and money in ILS. (SM)
Solution of a system of dual integral equations.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Buell, J.; Kagiwada, H.; Kalaba, R.; Ruspini, E.; Zagustin, E.
The solution of a presented system of differential equations with initial values is shown to satisfy a system of dual integral equations of a type appearing in the study of axisymmetric problems of potential theory. Of practical interest are possible applications in biomechanics, particularly, for the case of trauma due to impact.
Application of object-oriented verification techniques to ensemble precipitation forecasts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gallus, W.
Both the Method for Diagnostic Evaluation (MODE) and Contiguous Rain Area (CRA) object-oriented verification techniques have been used to analyze precipitation forecasts from two sets of ensembles to determine if spread-skill behavior observed using traditional measures can be seen in the object parameters, and to examine several methods of obtaining forecast guidance from the object parameters. One set of ensembles consisted of two 8 member Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model ensembles, one having mixed physics and dynamics with common initial and lateral boundary conditions (Phys) and another using common physics and dynamic core but with perturbed initial and lateral boundary conditions (IC/LBC). Traditional measures had found that spread grows much faster in IC/LBC than in Phys such that although skill and spread initially are as large or larger in Phys than in IC/LBC, after roughly 24 hours, better skill and spread are found in IC/LBC. These measures also reflected the strong diurnal signal of precipitation dominating the central United States during the warm season. The other set of ensembles included 5 members of a 4 km grid spacing WRF ensemble (ENS4) and 5 members of a 20 km WRF ensemble (ENS20). Traditional measures applied to these ensembles suggested that the diurnal signal was better in ENS4 and spread increased more rapidly than in ENS20. Standard deviations (SDs) of four object parameters computed for the first set of ensembles showed the trend of enhanced spread growth in IC/LBC compared to Phys that had been observed in traditional measures, with areal coverage of precipitation exhibiting the greatest growth in spread with time. The two techniques did not produce identical results, although they did show the same general trends. CRA better showed differences between Phys and IC/LBC for SDs of rain rate, while MODE showed more of a difference for SDs of rain volume. A diurnal cycle had some influence on the SDs of all parameters, especially
Object-oriented classification using quasi-synchronous multispectral images (optical and radar) over agricultural surface
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marais Sicre, Claire; Baup, Frederic; Fieuzal, Remy
In the context of climate change (with consequences on temperature and precipitation patterns), persons involved in agricultural management have the imperative to combine: sufficient productivity (as a response of the increment of the necessary foods) and durability of the resources (in order to restrain waste of water, fertilizer or environmental damages). To this end, a detailed knowledge of land use will improve the management of food and water, while preserving the ecosystems. Among the wide range of available monitoring tools, numerous studies demonstrated the interest of satellite images for agricultural mapping. Recently, the launch of several radar and optical sensors offer new perspectives for the multi-wavelength crop monitoring (Terrasar-X, Radarsat-2, Sentinel-1, Landsat-8…) allowing surface survey whatever the cloud conditions. Previous studies have demonstrated the interest of using multi-temporal approaches for crop classification, requiring several images for suitable classification results. Unfortunately, these approaches are limited (due to the satellite orbit cycle) and require waiting several days, week or month before offering an accurate land use map. The objective of this study is to compare the accuracy of object-oriented classification (random forest algorithm combined with vector layer coming from segmentation) to map winter crop (barley, rapeseed, grasslands and wheat) and soil states (bare soils with different surface roughness) using quasi-synchronous images. Satellite data are composed of multi-frequency and multi-polarization (HH, VV, HV and VH) images acquired near the 14th of April, 2010, over a studied area (90km²) located close to Toulouse in France. This is a region of alluvial plains and hills, which are mostly mixed farming and governed by a temperate climate. Remote sensing images are provided by Formosat-2 (04/18), Radarsat-2 (C-band, 04/15), Terrasar-X (X-band, 04/14) and ALOS (L-band, 04/14). Ground data are collected
Integrated computational and conceptual solutions for complex environmental information management
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rückemann, Claus-Peter
This paper presents the recent results of the integration of computational and conceptual solutions for the complex case of environmental information management. The solution for the major goal of creating and developing long-term multi-disciplinary knowledge resources and conceptual and computational support was achieved by implementing and integrating key components. The key components are long-term knowledge resources providing required structures for universal knowledge creation, documentation, and preservation, universal multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual conceptual knowledge and classification, especially, references to Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), sustainable workflows for environmental information management, and computational support for dynamical use, processing, and advanced scientific computing with Integrated Information and Computing System (IICS) components and High End Computing (HEC) resources.
Phase-integral solution of the radial Dirac equation
Linnaeus, Staffan
A phase-integral (WKB) solution of the radial Dirac equation is constructed, retaining perfect symmetry between the two components of the wave function and introducing no singularities except at the classical transition points. The potential is allowed to be the time component of a four-vector, a Lorentz scalar, a pseudoscalar, or any combination of these. The key point in the construction is the transformation from two coupled first-order equations constituting the radial Dirac equation to a single second-order Schroedinger-type equation. This transformation can be carried out in infinitely many ways, giving rise to different second-order equations but with the same spectrum. A unique transformation is found that produces a particularly simple second-order equation and correspondingly simple and well-behaved phase-integral solutions. The resulting phase-integral formulas are applied to unbound and bound states of the Coulomb potential. For bound states, the exact energy levels are reproduced.
Integration-free interval doubling for Riccati equation solutions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Sidhu, G. S.; Bierman, G. J.
Starting with certain identities obtained by Reid (1972) and Redheffer (1962) for general matrix Riccati equations (RE's), we give various algorithms for the case of constant coefficients. The algorithms are based on two ideas - first, relate the RE solution with general initial conditions to anchored RE solutions; and second, when the coefficients are constant, the anchored solutions have a basic shift-invariance property. These ideas are used to construct an integration-free, superlinearly convergent iterative solution to the algebraic RE. Preliminary numerical experiments show that our algorithms, arranged in square-root form, provide a method that is numerically stable and appears to be competitive with other methods of solving the algebraic RE.
Modelling of long-term and short-term mechanisms of arterial pressure control in the cardiovascular system: an object-oriented approach.
Fernandez de Canete, J; Luque, J; Barbancho, J; Munoz, V
A mathematical model that provides an overall description of both the short- and long-term mechanisms of arterial pressure regulation is presented. Short-term control is exerted through the baroreceptor reflex while renal elimination plays a role in long-term control. Both mechanisms operate in an integrated way over the compartmental model of the cardiovascular system. The whole system was modelled in MODELICA, which uses a hierarchical object-oriented modelling strategy, under the DYMOLA simulation environment. The performance of the controlled system was analysed by simulation in light of the existing hypothesis and validation tests previously performed with physiological data, demonstrating the effectiveness of both regulation mechanisms under physiological and pathological conditions. PMID:24561348
NASA JPL Distributed Systems Technology (DST) Object-Oriented Component Approach for Software Inter-Operability and Reuse
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hall, Laverne; Hung, Chaw-Kwei; Lin, Imin
The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of NASA JPL Distributed Systems Technology (DST) Section's object-oriented component approach to open inter-operable systems software development and software reuse. It will address what is meant by the terminology object component software, give an overview of the component-based development approach and how it relates to infrastructure support of software architectures and promotes reuse, enumerate on the benefits of this approach, and give examples of application prototypes demonstrating its usage and advantages. Utilization of the object-oriented component technology approach for system development and software reuse will apply to several areas within JPL, and possibly across other NASA Centers.
Optimizing transformations of stencil operations for parallel object-oriented scientific frameworks on cache-based architectures
Bassetti, F.; Davis, K.; Quinlan, D.
High-performance scientific computing relies increasingly on high-level large-scale object-oriented software frameworks to manage both algorithmic complexity and the complexities of parallelism: distributed data management, process management, inter-process communication, and load balancing. This encapsulation of data management, together with the prescribed semantics of a typical fundamental component of such object-oriented frameworks--a parallel or serial array-class library--provides an opportunity for increasingly sophisticated compile-time optimization techniques. This paper describes two optimizing transformations suitable for certain classes of numerical algorithms, one for reducing the cost of inter-processor communication, and one for improving cache utilization; demonstrates and analyzes the resulting performance gains; and indicates how these transformations are being automated.
Temporal locality optimizations for stencil operations for parallel object-oriented scientific frameworks on cache-based architectures
Bassetti, F.; Davis, K.; Quinlan, D.
High-performance scientific computing relies increasingly on high-level large-scale object-oriented software frameworks to manage both algorithmic complexity and the complexities of parallelism: distributed data management, process management, inter-process communication, and load balancing. This encapsulation of data management, together with the prescribed semantics of a typical fundamental component of such object-oriented frameworks--a parallel or serial array-class library--provides an opportunity for increasingly sophisticated compile-time optimization techniques. This paper describes a technique for introducing cache blocking suitable for certain classes of numerical algorithms, demonstrates and analyzes the resulting performance gains, and indicates how this optimization transformation is being automated.
ROSETTA: the compile-time recognition of object-oriented library abstractions and their use within user applications
Quinlan, D; Philip, B
Libraries arise naturally from the increasing complexity of developing scientific applications, the optimization of libraries is just one type of high-performance optimization. Many complex applications areas can today be addressed by domain-specific object-oriented frameworks. Such object-oriented frameworks provide an effective compliment to an object-oriented language and effectively permit the design of what amount to essentially domain-specific languages. The optimization of such a domain-specific library/language combination however is particularly complicated due to the inability of the compiler to optimize the use of the libraries abstractions. The recognition of the use of object-oriented abstractions within user applications is a particularly difficult but important step in the optimization of how objects are used within expressions and statements. Such recognition entails more than just complex pattern matching. The approach presented within this paper uses specially built grammars to parse the C++ representation. The C++ representation is itself obtained using a modified version of the SAGE II C/C++ source code restructuring tool which is inturn based upon the Edison Design Group (EDG) C++ front-end. ROSETTA is a tool which automatically builds grammars and parsers from class definitions, associated parsers parse abstract syntax trees (ASTs) of lower level grammars into ASTs of higher level grammars. The lowest level grammar is that associated with the full C++ language itself, higher level grammars specialize the grammars specific to user defined objects. The grammars form a hierarchy and permit a high-degree of specialization in the recognition of complex use of user defined abstractions.
Initial experiences with building a health care infrastructure based on Java and object-oriented database technology.
Dionisio, J. D.; Sinha, U.; Dai, B.; Johnson, D. B.; Taira, R. K.
A multi-tiered telemedicine system based on Java and object-oriented database technology has yielded a number of practical insights and experiences on their effectiveness and suitability as implementation bases for a health care infrastructure. The advantages and drawbacks to their use, as seen within the context of the telemedicine system's development, are discussed. Overall, these technologies deliver on their early promise, with a few remaining issues that are due primarily to their relative newness. PMID:10566412
Object-oriented fusion of RADARSAT-2 polarimetric synthetic aperture radar and HJ-1A multispectral data for land-cover classification
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xiao, Yan; Jiang, Qigang; Wang, Bin; Li, Yuanhua; Liu, Shu; Cui, Can
The contribution of the integration of optical and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data to accurate land-cover classification was investigated. For this purpose, an object-oriented classification methodology that consisted of polarimetric decomposition, hybrid feature selection, and a support vector machine (SVM) was proposed. A RADARSAT-2 Fine Quad-Pol image and an HJ-1A CCD2 multispectral image were used as data sources. First, polarimetric decomposition was implemented for the RADARSAT-2 image. Sixty-one polarimetric parameters were extracted using different polarimetric decomposition methods and then merged with the main diagonal elements (T11, T22, T33) of the coherency matrix to form a multichannel image with 64 layers. Second, the HJ-1A and the multichannel images were divided into numerous image objects by implementing multiresolution segmentation. Third, 1104 features were extracted from the HJ-1A and the multichannel images for each image object. Fourth, the hybrid feature selection method that combined the ReliefF filter approach and the genetic algorithm (GA) wrapper approach (ReliefF-GA) was used. Finally, land-cover classification was performed by an SVM classifier on the basis of the selected features. Five other classification methodologies were conducted for comparison to verify the contribution of optical and PolSAR data integration and to test the superiority of the proposed object-oriented classification methodology. Comparison results show that HJ-1A data, RADARSAT-2 data, polarimetric decomposition, ReliefF-GA, and SVM have a significant contribution by improving land-cover classification accuracy.
Application of object-oriented approach in SPOT5 image classification: a case study of interpretation of mudstone in Taiwan
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Meng, Yu; Zhao, Zhongming; Peng, Shu
SPOT5 imagery is widely used in urban planning, investigation of land utilization, environmental management etc. for its relatively high-resolution. Object-oriented classification techniques based on image segmentation are being actively studied in the high-resolution image process and interpretation to extract a variety of thematic information. Different from the pixel-based image analysis, the processing of the object-oriented method is based on image segment, not single pixel. The object-oriented classification includes two consecutive processes. An image is subdivided into separated regions according to the spectral and spatial heterogeneity in the image segmentation process. Then the objects are assigned to a specific class according to the class's detailed description in the image classification process. As a case study, the study area is a part of the Taiwan, whose mudstone bare-land is a significant problem due to the poor condition of the soil-physical and microclimate. The SPOT-5 image in March of 2006 is segmented and then these segments are classified to hierarchically linked objects by the eCognition software. By using manual interpreted aerial photo of the same area and traditional classification results as reference for accuracy assessment, this study has higher accuracy compared with the traditional classification.
Ubiquitous virtual private network: a solution for WSN seamless integration.
Villa, David; Moya, Francisco; Villanueva, Félix Jesús; Aceña, Óscar; López, Juan Carlos
Sensor networks are becoming an essential part of ubiquitous systems and applications. However, there are no well-defined protocols or mechanisms to access the sensor network from the enterprise information system. We consider this issue as a heterogeneous network interconnection problem, and as a result, the same concepts may be applied. Specifically, we propose the use of object-oriented middlewares to provide a virtual private network in which all involved elements (sensor nodes or computer applications) will be able to communicate as if all of them were in a single and uniform network. PMID:24399154
Ubiquitous Virtual Private Network: A Solution for WSN Seamless Integration
Villa, David; Moya, Francisco; Villanueva, Félix Jesús; Aceña, Óscar; López, Juan Carlos
Sensor networks are becoming an essential part of ubiquitous systems and applications. However, there are no well-defined protocols or mechanisms to access the sensor network from the enterprise information system. We consider this issue as a heterogeneous network interconnection problem, and as a result, the same concepts may be applied. Specifically, we propose the use of object-oriented middlewares to provide a virtual private network in which all involved elements (sensor nodes or computer applications) will be able to communicate as if all of them were in a single and uniform network. PMID:24399154
Automated Source-Code-Based Testing of Object-Oriented Software
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gerlich, Ralf; Gerlich, Rainer; Dietrich, Carsten
With the advent of languages such as C++ and Java in mission- and safety-critical space on-board software, new challenges for testing and specifically automated testing arise. In this paper we discuss some of these challenges, consequences and solutions based on an experiment in automated source-code-based testing for C++.
Innovative Language-Based & Object-Oriented Structured AMR Using Fortran 90 and OpenMP
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norton, C.; Balsara, D.
Parallel adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is an important numerical technique that leads to the efficient solution of many physical and engineering problems. In this paper, we describe how AMR programing can be performed in an object-oreinted way using the modern aspects of Fortran 90 combined with the parallelization features of OpenMP.
Integrated Computational Solution for Predicting Skin Sensitization Potential of Molecules
Desai, Aarti; Singh, Vivek K.; Jere, Abhay
Introduction Skin sensitization forms a major toxicological endpoint for dermatology and cosmetic products. Recent ban on animal testing for cosmetics demands for alternative methods. We developed an integrated computational solution (SkinSense) that offers a robust solution and addresses the limitations of existing computational tools i.e. high false positive rate and/or limited coverage. Results The key components of our solution include: QSAR models selected from a combinatorial set, similarity information and literature-derived sub-structure patterns of known skin protein reactive groups. Its prediction performance on a challenge set of molecules showed accuracy = 75.32%, CCR = 74.36%, sensitivity = 70.00% and specificity = 78.72%, which is better than several existing tools including VEGA (accuracy = 45.00% and CCR = 54.17% with 'High' reliability scoring), DEREK (accuracy = 72.73% and CCR = 71.44%) and TOPKAT (accuracy = 60.00% and CCR = 61.67%). Although, TIMES-SS showed higher predictive power (accuracy = 90.00% and CCR = 92.86%), the coverage was very low (only 10 out of 77 molecules were predicted reliably). Conclusions Owing to improved prediction performance and coverage, our solution can serve as a useful expert system towards Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment for skin sensitization. It would be invaluable to cosmetic/ dermatology industry for pre-screening their molecules, and reducing time, cost and animal testing. PMID:27271321
Object-Oriented Agricultural System Modeling: Component-Driven Nutrient Dynamics and Crop Yield Simulations
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Challenges in agro-ecosystem conservation management have created demand for state-of-the-art, integrated, and flexible modeling tools. For example, agricultural system modeling tools are needed which are robust and fast enough to be applied on large watershed scales, but which are also able to sim...
Picture archiving and communications systems for integrated healthcare information solutions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Goldburgh, Mitchell M.; Glicksman, Robert A.; Wilson, Dennis L.
The rapid and dramatic shifts within the US healthcare industry have created unprecedented needs to implement changes in the delivery systems. These changes must not only address the access to healthcare, but the costs of delivery, and outcomes reporting. The resulting vision to address these needs has been called the Integrated Healthcare Solution whose core is the Electronic Patient Record. The integration of information by itself is not the issue, nor will it address the challenges in front of the healthcare providers. The process and business of healthcare delivery must adopt, apply and expand its use of technology which can assist in re-engineering the tools for healthcare. Imaging is becoming a larger part of the practice of healthcare both as a recorder of health status and as a defensive record for gatekeepers of healthcare. It is thus imperative that imaging specialists adopt technology which competitively integrates them into the process, reduces the risk, and positively effects the outcome.
Segmentation and object-oriented classification of wetlands in a karst Florida landscape using multi-season Landsat-7 ETM+ Imagery
Segmentation and object-oriented processing of single-season and multi-season Landsat-7 ETM+ data was utilized for the classification of wetlands in a 1560 km2 study area of north central Florida. This segmentation and object-oriented classification outperformed the traditional ...
Algorithms and Object-Oriented Software for Distributed Physics-Based Modeling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kenton, Marc A.
The project seeks to develop methods to more efficiently simulate aerospace vehicles. The goals are to reduce model development time, increase accuracy (e.g.,by allowing the integration of multidisciplinary models), facilitate collaboration by geographically- distributed groups of engineers, support uncertainty analysis and optimization, reduce hardware costs, and increase execution speeds. These problems are the subject of considerable contemporary research (e.g., Biedron et al. 1999; Heath and Dick, 2000).
Quick qard technology: hardware object-oriented use and RC management system
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ledzius, Robert C.; Maturo, Larry
QUICKFLEX's patent pending and revolutionary Quick Qard Technology (QQT) Reconfigurable Computing (RC) architecture approaches RC from an Operating System (OS) systems viewpoint, rather than from the perspective of any one particular application. As such, many problems important to integrating reconfigurable logic into the OS are solved. These problems would otherwise prevent RC from easily being used in a general-purpose mainstream market. The differences between QQT and other RC board methods of use is not so much in the RC hardware and boards, but in the way the RC hardware is utilized as part of a system.
Object-Oriented Database for Managing Building Modeling Components and Metadata: Preprint
Long, N.; Fleming, K.; Brackney, L.
Building simulation enables users to explore and evaluate multiple building designs. When tools for optimization, parametrics, and uncertainty analysis are combined with analysis engines, the sheer number of discrete simulation datasets makes it difficult to keep track of the inputs. The integrity of the input data is critical to designers, engineers, and researchers for code compliance, validation, and building commissioning long after the simulations are finished. This paper discusses an application that stores inputs needed for building energy modeling in a searchable, indexable, flexible, and scalable database to help address the problem of managing simulation input data.
A new two-component integrable system with peakon solutions
Xia, Baoqiang; Qiao, Zhijun
A new two-component system with cubic nonlinearity and linear dispersion: mt=bux+12[m(uv−uxvx)]x−12m(uvx−uxv),nt=bvx+12[n(uv−uxvx)]x+12n(uvx−uxv),m=u−uxx,n=v−vxx,where b is an arbitrary real constant, is proposed in this paper. This system is shown integrable with its Lax pair, bi-Hamiltonian structure and infinitely many conservation laws. Geometrically, this system describes a non-trivial one-parameter family of pseudo-spherical surfaces. In the case b=0, the peaked soliton (peakon) and multi-peakon solutions to this two-component system are derived. In particular, the two-peakon dynamical system is explicitly solved and their interactions are investigated in details. Moreover, a new integrable cubic nonlinear equation with linear dispersion mt=bux+12[m(|u|2−|ux|2)]x−12m(uux∗−uxu∗),m=u−uxx,is obtained by imposing the complex conjugate reduction v=u* to the two-component system. The complex-valued N-peakon solution and kink wave solution to this complex equation are also derived. PMID:25792956
Integrated Force Method Solution to Indeterminate Structural Mechanics Problems
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Patnaik, Surya N.; Hopkins, Dale A.; Halford, Gary R.
Strength of materials problems have been classified into determinate and indeterminate problems. Determinate analysis primarily based on the equilibrium concept is well understood. Solutions of indeterminate problems required additional compatibility conditions, and its comprehension was not exclusive. A solution to indeterminate problem is generated by manipulating the equilibrium concept, either by rewriting in the displacement variables or through the cutting and closing gap technique of the redundant force method. Compatibility improvisation has made analysis cumbersome. The authors have researched and understood the compatibility theory. Solutions can be generated with equal emphasis on the equilibrium and compatibility concepts. This technique is called the Integrated Force Method (IFM). Forces are the primary unknowns of IFM. Displacements are back-calculated from forces. IFM equations are manipulated to obtain the Dual Integrated Force Method (IFMD). Displacement is the primary variable of IFMD and force is back-calculated. The subject is introduced through response variables: force, deformation, displacement; and underlying concepts: equilibrium equation, force deformation relation, deformation displacement relation, and compatibility condition. Mechanical load, temperature variation, and support settling are equally emphasized. The basic theory is discussed. A set of examples illustrate the new concepts. IFM and IFMD based finite element methods are introduced for simple problems.
Object-Oriented Version of Glenn-HT Code Released: Glenn-HT2000
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Heidmann, James D.; Ameri, Ali A.; Rigby, David I.; Garg, Vijay K.; Fabian, John C.; Lucci, Barbara L.; Steinthorsson, Erlendur
NASA Glenn Research Center s General Multi-Block Navier-Stokes Convective Heat Transfer Code (Glenn-HT) has been used extensively to predict heat transfer and fluid flow for a variety of steady gas turbine engine problems. Efforts have focused on turbine heat transfer, where computations have modeled tip clearance, internal coolant, and film cooling flows. Excellent agreement has been achieved for a variety of experimental test cases, and results have been published in over 40 technical publications. The code is available to U.S. industry and has been used by several domestic gas turbine engine companies. The following figure shows a typical flow solution from the Glenn-HT code for a film-cooled turbine blade.
An object-oriented watershed management tool (QnD-VFS) to engage stakeholders in targeted implementation of filter strips in an arid surface irrigation area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Campo, M. A.; Perez-Ovilla, O.; Munoz-Carpena, R.; Kiker, G.; Ullman, J. L.
Agricultural nonpoint source pollution cause the majority of the 1,224 different waterbodies failing to meet designated water use criteria in Washington. Although various best management practices (BMPs) are effective in mitigating agricultural pollutants, BMP placement is often haphazard and fails to address specific high-risk locations. Limited financial resources necessitate optimization of conservation efforts to meet water quality goals. Thus, there is a critical need to develop decision-making tools that target BMP implementation in order to maximize water quality protection. In addition to field parameters, it is essential to incorporate economic and social determinants in the decision-making process to encourage producer involvement. Decision-making tools that identify strategic pollution sources and integrate socio-economic factors will lead to more cost-effective water quality improvement, as well as encourage producer participation by incorporating real-world limitations. Therefore, this study examines vegetative filter strip use under different scenarios as a BMP to mitigate sediment and nutrients in the highly irrigated Yakima River Basin of central Washington. We developed QnD-VFS to integrate and visualize alternative, spatially-explicit, water management strategies and its economic impact. The QnDTM system was created as a decision education tool that incorporates management, economic, and socio- political issues in a user-friendly scenario framework. QnDTM, which incorporates elements of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and risk assessment, is written in object-oriented Java and can be deployed as a stand-alone program or a web-accessed tool. The model performs Euler numerical integration of various rate transformation and mass-balance transfer equations. The novelty of this object-oriented approach is that these differential equations are detailed in modular XML format for instantiation within the Java code. This design allows many levels
A Prototype Lisp-Based Soft Real-Time Object-Oriented Graphical User Interface for Control System Development
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Litt, Jonathan; Wong, Edmond; Simon, Donald L.
A prototype Lisp-based soft real-time object-oriented Graphical User Interface for control system development is presented. The Graphical User Interface executes alongside a test system in laboratory conditions to permit observation of the closed loop operation through animation, graphics, and text. Since it must perform interactive graphics while updating the screen in real time, techniques are discussed which allow quick, efficient data processing and animation. Examples from an implementation are included to demonstrate some typical functionalities which allow the user to follow the control system's operation.
Image Engine: an object-oriented multimedia database for storing, retrieving and sharing medical images and text.
Lowe, H J
This paper describes Image Engine, an object-oriented, microcomputer-based, multimedia database designed to facilitate the storage and retrieval of digitized biomedical still images, video, and text using inexpensive desktop computers. The current prototype runs on Apple Macintosh computers and allows network database access via peer to peer file sharing protocols. Image Engine supports both free text and controlled vocabulary indexing of multimedia objects. The latter is implemented using the TView thesaurus model developed by the author. The current prototype of Image Engine uses the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary (with UMLS Meta-1 extensions) as its indexing thesaurus. PMID:8130596
An Interactive Learning Environment for Teaching the Imperative and Object-Oriented Programming Techniques in Various Learning Contexts
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xinogalos, Stelios
The acquisition of problem-solving and programming skills in the era of knowledge society seems to be particularly important. Due to the intrinsic difficulty of acquiring such skills various educational tools have been developed. Unfortunately, most of these tools are not utilized. In this paper we present the programming microworlds Karel and objectKarel that support the procedural-imperative and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) techniques and can be used for supporting the teaching and learning of programming in various learning contexts and audiences. The paper focuses on presenting the pedagogical features that are common to both environments and mainly on presenting the potential uses of these environments.
A portable, GUI-based, object-oriented client-server architecture for computer-based patient record (CPR) systems.
Schleyer, T K
Software applications for computer-based patient records require substantial development investments. Portable, open software architectures are one way to delay or avoid software application obsolescence. The Clinical Management System at Temple University School of Dentistry uses a portable, GUI-based, object-oriented client-server architecture. Two main criteria determined this approach: preservation of investment in software development and a smooth migration path to a Computer-based Patient Record. The application is separated into three layers: graphical user interface, database interface, and application functionality Implementation with generic cross-platform development tools ensures maximum portability. PMID:7662879
Using semantic data modeling techniques to organize an object-oriented database for extending the mass storage model
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Campbell, William J.; Short, Nicholas M., Jr.; Roelofs, Larry H.; Dorfman, Erik
A methodology for optimizing organization of data obtained by NASA earth and space missions is discussed. The methodology uses a concept based on semantic data modeling techniques implemented in a hierarchical storage model. The modeling is used to organize objects in mass storage devices, relational database systems, and object-oriented databases. The semantic data modeling at the metadata record level is examined, including the simulation of a knowledge base and semantic metadata storage issues. The semantic data model hierarchy and its application for efficient data storage is addressed, as is the mapping of the application structure to the mass storage.
Integration of Wearable Solutions in AAL Environments with Mobility Support.
Costa, Susana E P; Rodrigues, Joel J P C; Silva, Bruno M C; Isento, João N; Corchado, Juan M
The overall demographic profile of current societies point to a significant growth of the elderly people. Associated with the increase of the average hope of life and consequent increase in chronic diseases, there is the need for protection and daily care. Increasing investments in technology, such as Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) solutions, promote the quality of live extending the time people can live in their desired environment. This paper proposes the design, deployment, and real testbed of an e-health wearable monitoring system based on the integration of several AAL tools and platforms for elderly's bio-signals monitoring. This solution includes electrocardiography (ECG), respiration rate, beats per minute, body temperature, and falls detention and notification. The paper also describes, in detail, the real pilot and analyzes some early results concerning the users quality of experience, and the found results are very promising. PMID:26490142
CSM solutions of rotating blade dynamics using integrating matrices
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lakin, William D.
The dynamic behavior of flexible rotating beams continues to receive considerable research attention as it constitutes a fundamental problem in applied mechanics. Further, beams comprise parts of many rotating structures of engineering significance. A topic of particular interest at the present time involves the development of techniques for obtaining the behavior in both space and time of a rotor acted upon by a simple airload loading. Most current work on problems of this type use solution techniques based on normal modes. It is certainly true that normal modes cannot be disregarded, as knowledge of natural blade frequencies is always important. However, the present work has considered a computational structural mechanics (CSM) approach to rotor blade dynamics problems in which the physical properties of the rotor blade provide input for a direct numerical solution of the relevant boundary-and-initial-value problem. Analysis of the dynamics of a given rotor system may require solution of the governing equations over a long time interval corresponding to many revolutions of the loaded flexible blade. For this reason, most of the common techniques in computational mechanics, which treat the space-time behavior concurrently, cannot be applied to the rotor dynamics problem without a large expenditure of computational resources. By contrast, the integrating matrix technique of computational mechanics has the ability to consistently incorporate boundary conditions and 'remove' dependence on a space variable. For problems involving both space and time, this feature of the integrating matrix approach thus can generate a 'splitting' which forms the basis of an efficient CSM method for numerical solution of rotor dynamics problems.
The ladder problem: Painlevé integrability and explicit solution
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andriopoulos, K.; Leach, P. G. L.; Nucci, M. C.
We consider the n-dimensional ladder system, that is the homogeneous quadratic system of first-order differential equations of the form \\dot {x}_i = x_i\\sum_{j = 1} ^n a_{ij}x_j, i = 1,n , where (aij) = (i + 1 - j), i, j = 1, n, introduced by Imai and Hirata (2002 Preprint nlin.SI/0212007 v1 3). The ladder system is found to be integrable for all n in terms of the Painlevé analysis and its solution is explicitly given.
An integral equation solution for multistage turbomachinery design calculations
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Mcfarland, Eric R.
A method was developed to calculate flows in multistage turbomachinery. The method is an extension of quasi-three-dimensional blade-to-blade solution methods. Governing equations for steady compressible inviscid flow are linearized by introducing approximations. The linearized flow equations are solved using integral equation techniques. The flows through both stationary and rotating blade rows are determined in a single calculation. Multiple bodies can be modelled for each blade row, so that arbitrary blade counts can be analyzed. The method's benefits are its speed and versatility.
An object-oriented approach for parallel self adaptive mesh refinement on block structured grids
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lemke, Max; Witsch, Kristian; Quinlan, Daniel
Self-adaptive mesh refinement dynamically matches the computational demands of a solver for partial differential equations to the activity in the application's domain. In this paper we present two C++ class libraries, P++ and AMR++, which significantly simplify the development of sophisticated adaptive mesh refinement codes on (massively) parallel distributed memory architectures. The development is based on our previous research in this area. The C++ class libraries provide abstractions to separate the issues of developing parallel adaptive mesh refinement applications into those of parallelism, abstracted by P++, and adaptive mesh refinement, abstracted by AMR++. P++ is a parallel array class library to permit efficient development of architecture independent codes for structured grid applications, and AMR++ provides support for self-adaptive mesh refinement on block-structured grids of rectangular non-overlapping blocks. Using these libraries, the application programmers' work is greatly simplified to primarily specifying the serial single grid application and obtaining the parallel and self-adaptive mesh refinement code with minimal effort. Initial results for simple singular perturbation problems solved by self-adaptive multilevel techniques (FAC, AFAC), being implemented on the basis of prototypes of the P++/AMR++ environment, are presented. Singular perturbation problems frequently arise in large applications, e.g. in the area of computational fluid dynamics. They usually have solutions with layers which require adaptive mesh refinement and fast basic solvers in order to be resolved efficiently.
A fast object-oriented Matlab implementation of the Reproducing Kernel Particle Method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barbieri, Ettore; Meo, Michele
Novel numerical methods, known as Meshless Methods or Meshfree Methods and, in a wider perspective, Partition of Unity Methods, promise to overcome most of disadvantages of the traditional finite element techniques. The absence of a mesh makes meshfree methods very attractive for those problems involving large deformations, moving boundaries and crack propagation. However, meshfree methods still have significant limitations that prevent their acceptance among researchers and engineers, namely the computational costs. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of computational techniques to speed-up the computation of the shape functions in the Reproducing Kernel Particle Method and Moving Least Squares, with particular focus on their bottlenecks, like the neighbour search, the inversion of the moment matrix and the assembly of the stiffness matrix. The paper presents numerous computational solutions aimed at a considerable reduction of the computational times: the use of kd-trees for the neighbour search, sparse indexing of the nodes-points connectivity and, most importantly, the explicit and vectorized inversion of the moment matrix without using loops and numerical routines.
An object oriented code for simulating supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Catterall, Simon; Joseph, Anosh
We present SUSY_LATTICE - a C++ program that can be used to simulate certain classes of supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theories, including the well known N=4 SYM in four dimensions, on a flat Euclidean space-time lattice. Discretization of SYM theories is an old problem in lattice field theory. It has resisted solution until recently when new ideas drawn from orbifold constructions and topological field theories have been brought to bear on the question. The result has been the creation of a new class of lattice gauge theories in which the lattice action is invariant under one or more supersymmetries. The resultant theories are local, free of doublers and also possess exact gauge-invariance. In principle they form the basis for a truly non-perturbative definition of the continuum SYM theories. In the continuum limit they reproduce versions of the SYM theories formulated in terms of twisted fields, which on a flat space-time is just a change of the field variables. In this paper, we briefly review these ideas and then go on to provide the details of the C++ code. We sketch the design of the code, with particular emphasis being placed on SYM theories with N=(2,2) in two dimensions and N=4 in three and four dimensions, making one-to-one comparisons between the essential components of the SYM theories and their corresponding counterparts appearing in the simulation code. The code may be used to compute several quantities associated with the SYM theories such as the Polyakov loop, mean energy, and the width of the scalar eigenvalue distributions. Program summaryProgram title: SUSY_LATTICE Catalogue identifier: AELS_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AELS_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC license, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 9315 No. of bytes in distributed program
SandiaXTP, An object-oriented implementation of XTP 3.7. Release 1.1
Strayer, T.
The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a transport layer protocol designed to provide a wide range of communication services built on the concept that orthogonal protocol mechanisms can be combined to produce appropriate paradigms within the same basic framework. Rather than using a separate protocol for each type of communication, XTP`s protocol options and control of the packet exchange patterns allow the application to create appropriate paradigms such as unreliable datagrams, unreliable arbitrarily long datagrams, reliable datagrams, transactions, unreliable streams, reliable connections, and many others. Error control, flow control, and rate control are each configured to the needs of the communication. SandiaXTP is an object oriented implementation of XTP 3.7. The core of base classes used in SandiaXTP come from the Meta-Transport Library software. The SandiaXTP implementation of XTP 3.7 is a user space daemon. User`s application code makes request of the daemon, and the daemon satisfies them. This User`s Guide describes the installation and use of the SandiaXTP object-oriented implementation of XTP 3.7. The software package includes the full source code for the implementation, as well as man pages and appropriate documents. The fully built SandiaXTP is a user-space daemon that implements XTP 3.7.
Design and test of an object-oriented GIS to map plant species in the Southern Rockies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Morain, Stanley A.; Neville, Paul R. H.; Budge, Thomas K.; Morrison, Susan C.; Helfrich, Donald A.; Fruit, Sarah
Elevational and latitudinal shifts occur in the flora of the Rocky Mountains due to long term climate change. In order to specify which species are successfully migrating with these changes, and which are not, an object-oriented, image-based geographic information system (GIS) is being created to animate evolving ecological regimes of temperature and precipitation. Research at the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) is developing a landscape model that includes the spatial, spectral and temporal domains. It is designed to visualize migratory changes in the Rocky Mountain flora, and to specify future community compositions. The object-oriented database will eventually tag each of the nearly 6000 species with a unique hue, intensity, and saturation value, so their movements can be individually traced. An associated GIS includes environmental parameters that control the distribution of each species in the landscape, and satellite imagery is used to help visualize the terrain. Polygons for the GIS are delineated as landform facets that are static in ecological time. The model manages these facets as a triangular irregular net (TIN), and their analysis assesses the gradual progression of species as they migrate through the TIN. Using an appropriate climate change model, the goal will be to stop the modeling process to assess both the rate and direction of species' change and to specify the changing community composition of each landscape facet.
Application of an object-oriented programming paradigm in three-dimensional computer modeling of mechanically active gastrointestinal tissues.
Rashev, P Z; Mintchev, M P; Bowes, K L
The aim of this study was to develop a novel three-dimensional (3-D) object-oriented modeling approach incorporating knowledge of the anatomy, electrophysiology, and mechanics of externally stimulated excitable gastrointestinal (GI) tissues and emphasizing the "stimulus-response" principle of extracting the modeling parameters. The modeling method used clusters of class hierarchies representing GI tissues from three perspectives: 1) anatomical; 2) electrophysiological; and 3) mechanical. We elaborated on the first four phases of the object-oriented system development life-cycle: 1) analysis; 2) design; 3) implementation; and 4) testing. Generalized cylinders were used for the implementation of 3-D tissue objects modeling the cecum, the descending colon, and the colonic circular smooth muscle tissue. The model was tested using external neural electrical tissue excitation of the descending colon with virtual implanted electrodes and the stimulating current density distributions over the modeled surfaces were calculated. Finally, the tissue deformations invoked by electrical stimulation were estimated and represented by a mesh-surface visualization technique. PMID:11026595
PyCOOL — A Cosmological Object-Oriented Lattice code written in Python
Sainio, J.
There are a number of different phenomena in the early universe that have to be studied numerically with lattice simulations. This paper presents a graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated Python program called PyCOOL that solves the evolution of scalar fields in a lattice with very precise symplectic integrators. The program has been written with the intention to hit a sweet spot of speed, accuracy and user friendliness. This has been achieved by using the Python language with the PyCUDA interface to make a program that is easy to adapt to different scalar field models. In this paper we derive the symplectic dynamics that govern the evolution of the system and then present the implementation of the program in Python and PyCUDA. The functionality of the program is tested in a chaotic inflation preheating model, a single field oscillon case and in a supersymmetric curvaton model which leads to Q-ball production. We have also compared the performance of a consumer graphics card to a professional Tesla compute card in these simulations. We find that the program is not only accurate but also very fast. To further increase the usefulness of the program we have equipped it with numerous post-processing functions that provide useful information about the cosmological model. These include various spectra and statistics of the fields. The program can be additionally used to calculate the generated curvature perturbation. The program is publicly available under GNU General Public License at https://github.com/jtksai/PyCOOL. Some additional information can be found from http://www.physics.utu.fi/tiedostot/theory/particlecosmology/pycool/.