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

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At least 109 records · Page 6

A Distributionally Robust Resilience Enhancement Strategy for Distribution Networks Considering Decision-Dependent Contingencies

When performing the resilience enhancement for distribution networks, there are two obstacles to reliably model the uncertain contingencies: 1) decision-dependent uncertainty (DDU) due to various line hardening decisions, and 2) distributional ambiguity due to limited outage information during extreme weather events (EWEs). Here, to address these two challenges, this paper develops scenario-wise decision-dependent ambiguity sets (SWDD-ASs), where the DDU and distributional ambiguity inherent in EWE-induced contingencies are simultaneously captured for each possible EWE scenario. Then, a two-stage tri-level decision-dependent distributionally robust resilient enhancement (DD-DRRE) model is formulated, whose outputs include the optimal line hardening, distributed generation (DG) allocation, and proactive network reconfiguration strategy under the worst-case distributions in SWDD-ASs. Subsequently, the DD-DRRE model is equivalently recast to a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP)-based master problem and multiple scenario-wise subproblems, facilitating the adoption of a customized column-and-constraint generation (C&CG) algorithm. Finally, case studies demonstrate a remarkable improvement in the out-of-sample performance of our model, compared to its prevailing stochastic and robust counterparts. Moreover, the potential values of incorporating the ambiguity and distributional information are quantitatively estimated, providing a useful reference for planners with different budgets and risk-aversion levels.

decision-dependent uncertainty↗

Towards a robust out-of-the-box neural network model for genomic data

The accurate prediction of biological features from genomic data is paramount for precision medicine and sustainable agriculture. For decades, neural network models have been widely popular in fields like computer vision, astrophysics and targeted marketing given their prediction accuracy and their robust performance under big data settings. Yet neural network models have not made a successful transition into the medical and biological world due to the ubiquitous characteristics of biological data such as modest sample sizes, sparsity, and extreme heterogeneity. Here, we investigate the robustness, generalization potential and prediction accuracy of widely used convolutional neural network and natural language processing models with a variety of heterogeneous genomic datasets. Mainly, recurrent neural network models outperform convolutional neural network models in terms of prediction accuracy, overfitting and transferability across the datasets under study. While the perspective of a robust out-of-the-box neural network model is out of reach, we identify certain model characteristics that translate well across datasets and could serve as a baseline model for translational researchers.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Robust hierarchical dispatch for residential distribution network management considering home thermal flexibility and model predictive control

In the transactive energy (TE) paradigm, the devices of participative consumers, or prosumers, may be aggregated and employed to drive operational objectives at the network level. Home heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in particular are well-suited to modulate their behaviours based on both home thermal flexibility and requests from the utility grid. This paper develops a robust, hierarchical power dispatch scheme in the context of a residential distribution network. The formulation couples a unique, multiphase linear distribution optimal power flow (OPF) at the upper level with model predictive control (MPC)-based HVAC fleet controllers at the lower level. The proposed approach is tested on nearly 2000 homes with a three-phase distribution network in an intraday market setting, where two major applications are explored and analysed.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Blending Ionic and Coordinate Bonds in Hybrid Semiconductor Materials: A General Approach toward Robust and Solution-Processable Covalent/Coordinate Network Structures

Inorganic semiconductor materials are best known for their superior physical properties, as well as their structural rigidity and stability. However, the poor solubility and solution-processability of these covalently bonded network structures has long been a serious drawback that limits their use in many important applications. Here, we present a unique and general approach to synthesize robust, solution-processable, and highly luminescent hybrid materials built on periodic and infinite inorganic modules. Structure analysis confirms that all compounds are composed of one-dimensional anionic chains of copper iodide (Cu m I m+2 2- ) coordinated to cationic organic ligands via Cu-N bonds. The choice of ligands plays an important role in the coordination mode (μ 1 -MC or μ 2 -DC) and Cu-N bond strength. Greatly suppressed nonradiative decay is achieved for the μ 2 -DC structures. Record high quantum yields of 85% (λ ex = 360 nm) and 76% (λ ex = 450 nm) are obtained for an orange-emitting 1D-Cu 4 I 6 (L 6 ). Temperature dependent PL measurements suggest that both phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence contribute to the emission of these 1D-AIO compounds, and that the extent of nonradiative decay of the μ 2 -DC structures is much less than that of the μ1 -DC structures. More significantly, all compounds are remarkably soluble in polar aprotic solvents, distinctly different from previously reported CuI based hybrid materials made of charge-neutral Cu m X m (X = Cl, Br, I), which are totally insoluble in all common solvents. Finally, the greatly enhanced solubility is a result of incorporation of ionic bonds into extended covalent/coordinate network structures, making it possible to fabricate large scale thin films by solution processes

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Recipes for when physics fails: recovering robust learning of physics informed neural networks

Abstract Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have been shown to be effective in solving partial differential equations by capturing the physics induced constraints as a part of the training loss function. This paper shows that a PINN can be sensitive to errors in training data and overfit itself in dynamically propagating these errors over the domain of the solution of the PDE. It also shows how physical regularizations based on continuity criteria and conservation laws fail to address this issue and rather introduce problems of their own causing the deep network to converge to a physics-obeying local minimum instead of the global minimum. We introduce Gaussian process (GP) based smoothing that recovers the performance of a PINN and promises a robust architecture against noise/errors in measurements. Additionally, we illustrate an inexpensive method of quantifying the evolution of uncertainty based on the variance estimation of GPs on boundary data. Robust PINN performance is also shown to be achievable by choice of sparse sets of inducing points based on sparsely induced GPs. We demonstrate the performance of our proposed methods and compare the results from existing benchmark models in literature for time-dependent Schrödinger and Burgers’ equations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Noise Robustness and Experimental Demonstration of a Quantum Generative Adversarial Network for Continuous Distributions

Abstract The potential advantage of machine learning in quantum computers is a topic of intense discussion in the literature. Theoretical, numerical, and experimental explorations will most likely be required to understand its power. There have been different algorithms proposed to exploit the probabilistic nature of variational quantum circuits for generative modeling. In this paper, a hybrid architecture for quantum generative adversarial networks (QGANs) is employed and their robustness in the presence of noise is studied. A simple way of adding different types of noise to the quantum generator circuit is devised, and the noisy hybrid QGANs (HQGANs) are simulated numerically to learn continuous probability distributions, and to show that the performance of HQGANs remains unaffected. The effect of different parameters on the training time is also investigated to reduce the computational scaling of the algorithm and simplify its deployment on a quantum computer. The training on Rigetti's Aspen‐4‐2Q‐A quantum processing unit is then performed, and the results from the training are presented. The authors' results pave the way for experimental exploration of different quantum machine learning algorithms on noisy intermediate‐scale quantum devices.

Anand, Abhinav↗

Precision Synchronization for Free-Space Quantum Networking

Precision synchronization is vital for robust long-distance quantum networking over fiber and free-space channels for which high-fidelity entanglement swapping between separate sources via an optical Bell state measurement requires temporal overlap of photonic qubits arriving from either source. This challenge is particularly distinct in satellite-based entanglement distribution in which relative motion, channel effects, and propagation delay must be addressed. This work presents a precision synchronization method for free space entanglement distribution, and reports on risk reduction testing in a quantum networking testbed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Primary consideration is for a dual-uplink architecture in which photons from entanglement sources at two ground locations interact in an optical Bell-state measurement implemented on a satellite in a low-earth orbit. The control approach uses independent entanglement sources at each ground location supplemented with a synchronization signal for feedback control from a timing discriminant measured at the spacecraft. The approach is being implemented in a laboratory testbed using 1-GHz repetition rate 1550-nm band entanglement sources generating ~10-MHz source entanglement rates with few-ps photon pulse lengths. The paper describes both fundamental architectural considerations and practical implementation details.

quantum↗

Distributionally Robust Bilevel Optimization Model for Distribution Network With Demand Response Under Uncertain Renewables Using Wasserstein Metrics

Here, we consider a distribution network integrating demand response (DR) participants in the presence of uncertain renewable suppliers and outdoor temperatures. A bilevel optimization model is proposed to capture the intricate dynamics between price-incentivized DR participants and distribution system operations, including energy procurement and active/reactive power flows. The model is formulated as a distributional robust bilevel optimization using Wasserstein metrics. We show favorable data-driven properties including out-of-sample guarantee and asymptotic consistency. Furthermore, we present a tractable mixed-integer linear programming reformulation and characterize the worst-case distribution. Computational experiments are conducted on a modified 33-bus system. Our findings underscore the efficacy of the pricing strategies derived from the proposed bilevel optimization model. These strategies not only effectively manage DR participants' behavior but also bring equity considerations among households with various characteristics to light. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between distribution system operators and DR participants.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Distributionally Robust Decentralized Volt-Var Control With Network Reconfiguration

Here, this paper presents a decentralized volt-var optimization (VVO) and network reconfiguration strategy to address the challenges arising from the growing integration of distributed energy resources, particularly photovoltaic (PV) generation units, in active distribution networks. To reconcile control measures with different time resolutions and empower local control centers to handle intermittency locally, the proposed approach leverages a two-stage distributionally robust optimization; decisions on slow-responding control measures and set points that link neighboring subnetworks are made in advance while considering all plausible distributions of uncertain PV outputs. We present a decomposition algorithm with an acceleration scheme for solving the proposed model. Numerical experiments on the IEEE 123 bus distribution system are given to demonstrate its outstanding out-of-sample performance and computational efficiency, which suggests that the proposed method can effectively localize uncertainty via risk-informed proactive timely decisions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Netostat: analyzing dynamic flow patterns in high-speed networks

Understanding flow traffic patterns in networks, such as the Internet or service provider networks, is crucial to improving their design and building them robustly. However, as networks grow and become more complex, it is increasingly cumbersome and challenging to study how the many flow patterns, sizes and the continually changing source-destination pairs in the network evolve with time. Here, we present Netostat, a visualization-based network analysis tool that uses visual representation and a mathematics framework to study and capture flow patterns, using graph theoretical methods such as clustering, similarity and difference measures. Netostat generates an interactive graph of all traffic patterns in the network, to isolate key elements that can provide insights for traffic engineering. We present results for U.S. and European research networks, ESnet and GEANT, demonstrating network state changes, to identify major flow trends, potential points of failure, and bottlenecks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

OCTOKV: An Agile Network-Based Key-Value Storage System with Robust Load Orchestration

In this paper, we propose OctoKV, an innovative network-based key-value storage system. OctoKV addresses the repetitive address translation overhead associated with traditional key-value stores running on file systems on the client side. To mitigate this overhead, we implemented the key-value store on the server side using NVMe-oF and a user-level NVMe driver. In particular, we employed fine-grained resource monitoring and load balancing based on heuristics to optimize I/O performance. OctoKV is deployed on a Linux cluster with Intel SPDK. The extensive evaluation shows that OctoKV achieves lower I/O response times in comparison to traditional approaches where key-value stores run on the client side. Also, the proposed load balancing strategies efficiently enhance I/O response times by equally distributing the workload from overloaded cores to other cores.

Khan, Awais↗

Efficient Anomaly Detection Driven By Different Machine Learning Architectures And Models

The rapid growth and ubiquitous adoption of the internet and cyber-physical systems (CPS) have fundamentally transformed modern communication, work, and human-system interactions. While networks now form the backbone of critical digital ecosystems, enabling seamless data transmission across diverse, interconnected systems, this increased connectivity also expands the attack surface, making real-time detection of network intrusions and anomalies a pressing challenge. Detecting unusual activities within network infrastructure requires advanced data traffic analysis to differentiate between legitimate and malicious interactions. Traditional approaches to network anomaly detectionâ??such as rule-based and signature-based systemsâ??often depend on predefined patterns to identify known anomalies, limiting their effectiveness against emerging, stealthy, or previously unseen threats. These conventional methods suffer from high false alarm rates and fail to adapt to the ever-evolving nature of network traffic, particularly in large-scale, decentralized environments where data volume, velocity, and variety are constantly increasing. This dissertation presents artificial intelligence (AI)-driven approaches to anomaly detection that leverage graphics processing unit (GPU)-enabled high-performance computing (HPC) platforms for processing massive network traffic data and monitoring the components of cyber-physical systems (CPS) for potentially hazardous conditions. The research advances several key contributions: (1) Designing efficient machine learning techniques for CPS condition monitoring and anomaly detection; (2) enabling federated learning (FL) frameworks that enable distributed detection while preserving data privacy and system resilience; (3) exploring graph-based methodologies combining graph neural networks (GNN) and graph machine learning (ML) approaches for the Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive network security, and (4) performing distributed edge computing optimizations that integrate FL with scalable technologies for reduced communication overhead. Through extensive experiments, these methodologies demonstrate that complex anomaly detection and condition monitoring tasks can be achieved while balancing computational efficiency and detection accuracy through fine-grained network information processing. The frameworks developed in this research establish a robust foundation for network anomaly detection, providing scalable, adaptive, and privacy-preserving solutions for safeguarding CPS and IoT networks in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. The practical implications of these research findings are significant, as they can inform the development of next-generation network security systems and contribute to the protection of critical infrastructure against sophisticated cyber attacks.

Marfo, William↗

Safe Deep Reinforcement Learning for Robust Frequency and Voltage-Constrained Networked Microgrid Restoration

Here, this paper proposes a safe soft actor-critic reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm–based controller for networked microgrid restoration. It formulates the post black-start start as a finite-horizon constrained Markov decision process. The RL agent co-optimizes real and reactive power set-points for both grid-forming and grid-following inverters under explicit voltage and frequency constraints, while enforcing proper power sharing via the Mean Active Power Sharing Index (MPSI) and Mean Reactive Power Sharing Index (MQSI). Numerical results obtained on the IEEE 123-bus distribution system show that the proposed method achieves a mean voltage build-up time of 0.01 s without breaching the 5% sharing-violation budget under various load scenarios, considering MPSI and MQSI indices. These findings demonstrate that the proposed method yields fast and safe black-start schedules without resorting to heuristic penalties.

Selim, Alaa [Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (Unite↗

Combining Spike Time Dependent Plasticity (STDP) and Backpropagation (BP) for Robust and Data Efficient Spiking Neural Networks (SNN)

National security applications require artificial neural networks (ANNs) that consume less power, are fast and dynamic online learners, are fault tolerant, and can learn from unlabeled and imbalanced data. We explore whether two fundamentally different, traditional learning algorithms from artificial intelligence and the biological brain can be merged. We tackle this problem from two directions. First, we start from a theoretical point of view and show that the spike time dependent plasticity (STDP) learning curve observed in biological networks can be derived using the mathematical framework of backpropagation through time. Second, we show that transmission delays, as observed in biological networks, improve the ability of spiking networks to perform classification when trained using a backpropagation of error (BP) method. These results provide evidence that STDP could be compatible with a BP learning rule. Combining these learning algorithms will likely lead to networks more capable of meeting our national security missions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Resilience of Urban Transport Network-of-Networks under Intense Flood Hazards Exacerbated by Targeted Attacks

Natural hazards including floods can trigger catastrophic failures in interdependent urban transport network-of-networks (NoNs). Population growth has enhanced transportation demand while urbanization and climate change have intensified urban floods. However, despite the clear need to develop actionable insights for improving the resilience of critical urban lifelines, the theory and methods remain underdeveloped. Furthermore, as infrastructure systems become more intelligent, security experts point to the growing threat of targeted cyber-physical attacks during natural hazards. Here we develop a hypothesis-driven resilience framework for urban transport NoNs, which we demonstrate on the London Rail Network (LRN). We find that topological attributes designed for maximizing efficiency rather than robustness render the network more vulnerable to compound natural-targeted disruptions including cascading failures. Our results suggest that an organizing principle for post-disruption recovery may be developed with network science principles. Our findings and frameworks can generalize to urban lifelines and more generally to real-world spatial networks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The NASA F-15 Intelligent Flight Control Systems: Generation II

The Second Generation (Gen II) control system for the F-15 Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) program implements direct adaptive neural networks to demonstrate robust tolerance to faults and failures. The direct adaptive tracking controller integrates learning neural networks (NNs) with a dynamic inversion control law. The term direct adaptive is used because the error between the reference model and the aircraft response is being compensated or directly adapted to minimize error without regard to knowing the cause of the error. No parameter estimation is needed for this direct adaptive control system. In the Gen II design, the feedback errors are regulated with a proportional-plus-integral (PI) compensator. This basic compensator is augmented with an online NN that changes the system gains via an error-based adaptation law to improve aircraft performance at all times, including normal flight, system failures, mispredicted behavior, or changes in behavior resulting from damage.

Buschbacher, Mark↗

Robustness Computation of Dynamic Controllability in Probabilistic Temporal Networks with Ordinary Distributions

Most existing works in Probabilistic Simple Temporal Networks (PSTNs) base their frameworks on well-defined probability distributions. This paper addresses on PSTN Dynamic Controllability (DC) robustness measure, i.e. the execution success probability of a network under dynamic control.We consider PSTNs where the probability distributions of the contingent edges are ordinary distributed (e.g. non-parametric, non-symmetric). We introduce the concepts of dispatching protocol (DP) as well as DP-robustness, the probability of success under a predefined dynamic policy.We propose a fixed-parameter pseudo-polynomial time algorithm to compute the exact DP-robustness of any PSTN under \textit{NextFirst} protocol, and apply to various PSTN datasets, including the real case of planetary exploration in the context of the Mars 2020 rover, and propose an original structural analysis.

Saint-Guillain, Michael↗

An OSI Architecture for the Deep Space Network

The flexibility and robustness of a monitor and control system are a direct result of the underlying inter-processor communications architecture. A new architecture for monitor & control at the Deep Space Network Communications Complexes has been developed based on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standards. The suitability of OSI standards for DSN M&C has been proven in the laboratory. The laboratory success has resulted in choosing an OSI-based architecture for DSS-13 M&C. DSS-13 is the DSN experimental station and is not part of the "operational" DSN; it's role is to provide an environment to test new communications concepts can be tested and conduct unique science experiments. Therefore, DSS-13 must be robust enough to support operational activities, while also being flexible enough to enable experimentation. This paper describes the M&C architecture developed for DSS-13 and the results from system and operational testing.

OSI↗