IMA System Research Articles

Loosely Coupled Hybrid Scheduling of Processing and Communication for TSN-Based IMA Systems

Loosely Coupled Hybrid Scheduling of Processing and Communication for TSN-Based IMA Systems

Reply to “A comment on ‘An evolutionary system of mineralogy: Proposal for a classification of planetary materials based on natural kind clustering’”

AbstractI welcome the “Comment” from Hatert et al. (2021) related to the proposal for an “Evolutionary system of mineralogy” (Hazen 2019) and thank them for their historically informed, conceptually nuanced, and consistently constructive contribution. They offer corrections related to two facets of my paper that seemed unfairly to criticize aspects of the International Mineralogical Association's Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA-CNMNC) protocols for classifying minerals.First, they note an unfortunate inferred ambivalence with respect to the relationship between the IMA system and the new evolutionary system. If I was once ambivalent, that view has changed. Having spent the past two years in an ongoing effort to develop this new historical approach, I am struck every day by the power of the IMA-CNMNC system of species classification and nomenclature, which is fundamental and indispensable to the science of mineralogy. As Hatert et al. suggest, any new approach to organizing natural solids, including one focused on planetary evolution, must rest on the foundation provided by the IMA-CNMNC and its many volunteers who selflessly bring order to the mineral kingdom. In the best scenario, the evolutionary system may one day emerge as one of several useful approaches that complement and amplify but in no way replace this core IMA-CNMNC foundation, as clearly stated in the abstract of Hazen (2019).Second, Hatert et al. (2021) offer corrections regarding the IMA-CNMNC approach to classification, in particular a mischaracterization of the formal process to incorporate amorphous phases, poorly crystalline materials, and loosely defined “mineraloids.” I am grateful for the clarifications, as well as the implication that IMA protocols may facilitate the embrace of additional such phases in the future.Finally, I welcome the chance to explore further the emerging concept of “natural kinds” as applied to the mineral kingdom. Here, our thoughts differ. I suggest that minerals, considered in their information-rich, idiosyncratic, paragenetic contexts (in contrast to IMA-CNMNC species), have the potential to represent quintessential examples of “natural kinds.” Furthermore, when viewed in their evolutionary context, minerals offer an intriguing opportunity to expand the concept of “historical natural kinds” beyond its present limited and, at times, controversial use in biology, into the realm of the co-evolving geosphere and biosphere.

Safety analysis for integrated modular avionics based on blueprints

The Integrated Modular Avionics System (IMA) has been a core technology for the new generation of aircrafts in recent years. It consists of a set of reusable and interoperable common functional modules. However, the highly coupled relationship of resources makes it difficult to identify and control dangers. As an effective and efficient way, the blueprints are used to describe and manage the IMA system. Owing to the system management functions provided by the blueprints, we can accurately determine the system resources configuration status, which is very crucial for safety analysis. In this paper, we explore the possibilities to conduct safety analysis based on blueprints. A safety analysis method based on blueprints is proposed, which applies mathematical logic to describe the logical relationship between targets and resources provided by the blueprints and uses semi-tensor product of matrix theory to simplify the logical expressions. Based on the mathematical model, we can conduct the fail safety analysis and identify resources failures that may undermine the IMA system safety.

An IMA Static Load Balancing Strategy Optimization Method Based on Graph Theory

Aiming at the problem of reconfiguration strategy of integrated avionics system, a method of static load balancing strategy optimization based on graph theory is proposed after satisfying system performance and reliability requirements. This method establishes the IMA static load balancing strategy analysis model based on graph theory and puts forward the load balance evaluation indexes of IMA system:The maximum load value of the system partition obtained by allocating the maximum load value of the processor according to the time slice length;the longest communication link for the transmission of information between tasks;and the maximum traffic volume on the communication line. With the three evaluation indexes synthesizing, the unitary evaluation index of the IMA system load balancing strategy is put forward. On the basis of this method, the future research direction of load balancing of IMA system is prospected.

AADL-Based Toolset for IMA System Design and Integration

AADL-Based Toolset for IMA System Design and Integration

IMA Resource Allocation process

IMA Resource Allocation process needs to be thought out prior to beginning of an IMA development. The aircraft functions that are being hosted on the IMA architecture will need to have early system engineering/modeling done. Based on this early work, allocations/budgets need to be determined and the IMA system architecture modeled to determine the right amount of IMA shared resources that will need to be available.

THE NAMING OF MINERAL SPECIES APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION ON NEW MINERALS AND MINERAL NAMES OF THE INTERNATIONAL MINERALOGICAL ASSOCIATION: A BRIEF HISTORY

I present an overview of the origins and the history of the CNMMN, the naming of mineral species and the IMA system of numbering those new species. Where published, the equivalence between an IMA number and a name or composition is provided. I discuss the manner in which these IMA numbers came to be published, as they were originally confidential, and many still are. I highlight the role of various individuals in creating the system for naming mineral species as it exists today.