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At least 415 records · Page 23

Dayflow-PR: High-Resolution Streamflow Reanalysis for Puerto Rico, Version 1.0

This dataset presents a high-resolution historical streamflow reanalysis for NHDPlusV2 stream reaches across Puerto Rico (PR) spanning 1950 - 2019. The reanalysis is generated using the calibrated VIC-RAPID hydrologic modeling framework at the Hydrologic Unit Code Sub-basin (HUC08) scale, forced with sub-daily and daily meteorological forcings from Daymet. Runoff is simulated on 1- and 6-km grids, and the resulting total runoff is routed through the NHDPlusV2 river network using the RAPID routing model to produce Naturalized Streamflow Reanalysis. Where complete observational records are available over 1980 - 2019, streamflows are assimilated (substituted) and subsequently routed downstream through the river network to produce Assimilated Streamflow Reanalysis. The dataset includes streamflow outputs from eight distinct hydrologic modeling configurations along with key performanc evaluation metrics at daily and monthly scales, supporting a wide range of water resource applications. This dataset is derived to support the Non-Powered Dam Assessment, as well as 9505 Secure Water Assessment projects for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). For further details, refer to Ghimire et al. (2023), Kao et al. (2024), and Ghimire et al. (2025).

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Bridging Cloud and Edge Computing at NREL Using CONNECT: Cloud Optimized Networking for Next-Gen Edge Computing Technologies [Slides]

CONNECT is an innovative on-premise hardware and software solution that integrates edge and cloud computing infrastructure at NREL. Built on the AWS Greengrass middleware and leveraging the MQTT protocol, CONNECT enables real-time data streaming from IoT devices and gateways to both cloud and local services, empowering researchers to rapidly capture, analyze, and act upon edge-generated data while leveraging cloud capabilities. The platform addresses research infrastructure challenges by providing a pre-approved platform which is already configured with the correct networking and cybersecurity baselines thus eliminating procurement delays and enabling on-demand availability. CONNECT's hybrid architecture efficiently manages burstable workloads, allowing research teams to dynamically scale computational capacity, handle peak data loads, and reduce operational bottlenecks. Advanced capabilities include built-in GPU support for executing machine learning models which enables low-latency inference at the edge from models trained in the cloud. This architecture supports real-time analytics and filtering, providing a mechanism to allow only transmitting and processing high-value data. Cloud-based configuration management permits engineers to manage on-premise systems remotely, optimizing operational efficiency. By bridging edge and cloud computing, CONNECT provides NREL researchers with a flexible, scalable platform that accelerates scientific discovery while maintaining robust security and performance standards.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Energy Systems Integration Facility Stewardship Summary: Fiscal Year 2025

A summary of NLR's stewardship of the nationally unique Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) highlighting performance metrics, capability upgrades, and examples of R&D impact. 2025 brought a national focus on energy and ESIF is meeting the moment. All eyes are on data centers and domestic manufacturing and bringing the benefits of artificial intelligence to power system planning and operations. In step with national priorities, ESIF is building out capabilities that advance secure, reliable, and affordable power. ESIF hosted 190 multidisciplinary research projects, 855 high-performance computer users, and collaborated with 81 partners from industry, academia, research, and federal agencies. These research projects resulted in an AI method for detecting high-impedance faults with 90% accuracy, a grid controls demonstration in Connecticut, power quality validation of CorePower's flagship inductor, and a cybersecurity assessment of potential rogue capabilities in digitally connected energy devices. Facility infrastructure improvements enhanced the thermal research network, the SCADA system, the cyber range, power hardware-in-the-loop testing, and more. With support from the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), the ESIF laboratories continue to deliver leading solutions for secure, reliable, and affordable power.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Threats and countermeasures for network security

In the late 1980's, the traditional threat of anonymous break-ins to networked computers was joined by viruses and worms, multiplicative surrogates that carry out the bidding of their authors. Technologies for authentication and secrecy, supplemented by good management practices, are the principal countermeasures. Four articles on these subjects are presented.

Denning, Peter J.↗

Outcomes of PAX sapiens-Supported Global Wildlife Data Sharing Conferences for Enhanced One Health Security (GWDSC)

Across two consecutive Global Wildlife Data Sharing Conferences supported by PAX sapiens—Year 1 (May 2024) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Year 2 (2025) in Ciudad Real, Spain—the initiative converted wildlife data sharing from aspiration into operational reality, producing measurable impacts in platform development, data mobilization, standards harmonization, and international partnership formation. The conferences addressed a critical gap in global health security: while 75% of emerging infectious diseases affect both humans and animals and over 60% originate in wildlife, wildlife health surveillance has historically lagged behind human and agricultural sectors due to fragmented databases, inconsistent terminology, uneven capacity, and limited cross-border coordination. By convening practitioners, government agencies, international organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs, the GWDSC catalyzed trust-based relationships and practical workflows that enable earlier detection, better risk assessment, and more effective prevention of threats at the wildlife–domestic animal–human–environment interface.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Automated Theorem Proving in High-Quality Software Design

The amount and complexity of software developed during the last few years has increased tremendously. In particular, programs are being used more and more in embedded systems (from car-brakes to plant-control). Many of these applications are safety-relevant, i.e. a malfunction of hardware or software can cause severe damage or loss. Tremendous risks are typically present in the area of aviation, (nuclear) power plants or (chemical) plant control. Here, even small problems can lead to thousands of casualties and huge financial losses. Large financial risks also exist when computer systems are used in the area of telecommunication (telephone, electronic commerce) or space exploration. Computer applications in this area are not only subject to safety considerations, but also security issues are important. All these systems must be designed and developed to guarantee high quality with respect to safety and security. Even in an industrial setting which is (or at least should be) aware of the high requirements in Software Engineering, many incidents occur. For example, the Warshaw Airbus crash, was caused by an incomplete requirements specification. Uncontrolled reuse of an Ariane 4 software module was the reason for the Ariane 5 disaster. Some recent incidents in the telecommunication area, like illegal "cloning" of smart-cards of D2GSM handies, or the extraction of (secret) passwords from German T-online users show that also in this area serious flaws can happen. Due to the inherent complexity of computer systems, most authors claim that only a rigorous application of formal methods in all stages of the software life cycle can ensure high quality of the software and lead to real safe and secure systems. In this paper, we will have a look, in how far automated theorem proving can contribute to a more widespread application of formal methods and their tools, and what automated theorem provers (ATPs) must provide in order to be useful.

Schumann, Johann↗

Cyber-Informed Engineering Research and Development Guide

This document provides guidance on incorporating Cyber Informed Engineering (CIE) principles into the research and development (R&D) of operational technology systems and tools, facilitating the creation and adoption of innovative technologies that are secure and resilient by design. As technological innovation and research are becoming pivotal for economic and national security, cybersecurity has emerged as a paramount concern across industries and sectors. The challenge of integrating robust cybersecurity measures is imperative to safeguard critical infrastructure, protect sensitive data, and preserve national security interests.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

National research and education network

Some goals of this network are as follows: Extend U.S. technological leadership in high performance computing and computer communications; Provide wide dissemination and application of the technologies both to the speed and the pace of innovation and to serve the national economy, national security, education, and the global environment; and Spur gains in the U.S. productivity and industrial competitiveness by making high performance computing and networking technologies an integral part of the design and production process. Strategies for achieving these goals are as follows: Support solutions to important scientific and technical challenges through a vigorous R and D effort; Reduce the uncertainties to industry for R and D and use of this technology through increased cooperation between government, industry, and universities and by the continued use of government and government funded facilities as a prototype user for early commercial HPCC products; and Support underlying research, network, and computational infrastructures on which U.S. high performance computing technology is based.

Villasenor, Tony↗

Grid Cyber-Security Strategy in an Attacker-Defender Model

The progression of cyber-attacks on the cyber-physical system is analyzed by the Probabilistic, Learning Attacker, and Dynamic Defender (PLADD) model. Although our research does apply to all cyber-physical systems, we focus on power grid infrastructure. The PLADD model evaluates the effectiveness of moving target defense (MTD) techniques. We consider the power grid attack scenarios in the AND configurations and OR configurations. In addition, we consider, for the first time ever, power grid attack scenarios involving both AND configurations and OR configurations simultaneously. Cyber-security managers can use the strategy introduced in this manuscript to optimize their defense strategies. Specifically, our research provides insight into when to reset access controls (such as passwords, internet protocol addresses, and session keys), to minimize the probability of a successful attack. Our mathematical proof for the OR configuration of multiple PLADD games shows that it is best if all access controls are reset simultaneously. For the AND configuration, our mathematical proof shows that it is best (in terms of minimizing the attacker's average probability of success) that the resets are equally spaced apart. We introduce a novel concept called hierarchical parallel PLADD system to cover additional attack scenarios that require combinations of AND and OR configurations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

VA EDH Advanced Software Pipeline Framework Report: Enhancing Automation and Scalability

The VA Environmental Determinants of Health (EDH) Advanced Software Pipeline Framework is designed to enhance the efficiency, scalability, and security of geospatial data processing workflows. This framework integrates modern data orchestration and containerization technologies, including Prefect for workflow automation, Docker for containerization, and PostgreSQL/PostGIS for geospatial data storage and analysis. It ensures standardized, reproducible, and automated data processing, supporting VA objectives related to substance use risk assessment and recovery research. The pipeline addresses key scalability and performance challenges through horizontal and vertical scaling, high-performance computing (HPC) integration, parallel processing, task caching, and dynamic resource allocation. These optimizations improve throughput and reduce latency, allowing the system to efficiently manage large and complex datasets. Additionally, security and compliance measures—such as data encryption (SSL), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and adherence to GDPR and HIPAA standards—safeguard sensitive information throughout data transmission and storage. A key implementation of this framework includes the automation of shelter list geolocation workflows, ensuring that up-to-date data is readily available for VA decision-making. Lessons learned from this project include the transition from in-memory processing to incremental storage writes, improving resource management and reliability. Future enhancements aim to expand automation, integrate AI-driven anomaly detection, and incorporate high-performance computing resources. This framework provides a scalable, secure, and adaptable solution for managing geospatial datasets, reinforcing the VA’s ability to support clinical and strategic initiatives through data-driven decision-making.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Blockchain-Enabled Sustainable Safety Management Framework for Connected Vehicles

The notion of an intelligent transportation system (ITS) aims to boost the performance of transportation networks, which has gained more and more traction in both academic and commercial circles. ITS is a constantly evolving vision that combines cutting-edge transportation approaches with new information, communication, computers, and other technology. ITS should discover consequence routes to enhance the sustainability, safety, and trustworthiness of the entire transportation system utilizing emerging technologies. In this paper, a sustainable safety management framework for connected vehicles is proposed by integrating blockchain. It introduces smart transportation equipment called an AI-enabled vehicle smart device (AVSD) for vehicular communications. AVSD can reduce energy consumption by decreasing the computational costs in vehicular communications. Smart contracts are used to identify vehicles automatically and establish secure communication among vehicles and emergency service stations (ESSs) like hospitals, police stations, and fire stations. The experiment results show that the proposed framework provides a communication environment for sustainable safety and security using the introduced smart transportation device. In conclusion, the proposed blockchain-enabled sustainable safety management framework has the potential to improve safety and sustainability in the transportation industry by creating a secure, decentralized, and transparent platform for managing safety data and promoting safe and sustainable driving behaviors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Rapid neutron and gamma-ray source localization using machine learning

Rapid localization of radiation sources is critical for applications including nuclear emergency response, safeguards, and security. However, conventional imaging systems such as neutron scatter cameras and Compton cameras depend on rare coincidence events, which often result in long acquisition times. In this work, we address the challenge of rapid source localization by developing a machine learning approach to predict the direction of a single radiation source using only count rates from an array of neutron and gamma-ray detectors. The proposed model is a fully connected neural network (FCNN) trained using Monte Carlo simulation data from a 252 Cf source. The model hyperparameters are optimized with a small set of routine 252 Cf measurements. We benchmarked the performance of the trained and optimized machine learning model using additional 252 Cf , 137 Cs , and PuBe measurements under laboratory conditions with varying source-detector configurations. For these measurements, the machine learning model achieved a mean localization error smaller than 30° with 3 x 10 3 system counts, corresponding to 8 s measurement time for the imaging system used in this work. In this low-statistics regime, the method outperformed traditional scatter-based imaging by more than 75% in localization accuracy for the evaluated measurement configurations. These results demonstrate that a machine learning-based approach can significantly reduce the time required for accurate single-source localization, providing a robust and computationally efficient alternative to traditional imaging systems in time-critical nuclear security and emergency response scenarios.

Gamma-ray imaging↗

Hypergames and Cyber-Physical Security for Control Systems

The identification of the Stuxnet worm in 2010 provided a highly publicized example of a cyber attack that physically damaged an industrial control system. This raised public awareness about the possibility of similar attacks against other industrial targets—including critical infrastructure. Here, we use hypergames to analyze how strategic perturbations of sensor readings and calibrated parameters can be used to manipulate a system that employs optimal control. Hypergames form an extension of game theory that enables us to model strategic interactions where the players may have significantly different perceptions of the game(s) they are playing. Past work with hypergames has focused on relatively simple interactions consisting of a small set of discrete choices for each player. Here, we apply single-stage hypergames to larger systems with continuous variables. We find that manipulating constraints can be a more effective attacker strategy than manipulating objective function parameters. Moreover, the attacker need not change the underlying system to carry out a successful attack—it may be sufficient to deceive the defender controlling the system. It is possible to scale our approach up to even larger systems, but this will depend on the characteristics of the system in question, and we identify several characteristics that will make those systems amenable to hypergame analysis.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Cyber-Resilient Distributed Autonomous Energy Grid

The DARPA Assured Micropatching (AMP) program focuses on creating the capability for rapid patching of legacy binaries in mission critical systems leveraging the field of formal methods. NREL's Cyber Resilient TLDRD effort, focuses on leveraging the field of formal methods to develop tools and methods for formally verifiable implementations of security architectures such as Zero Trust Architecture. The presentation at the DARPA AMP PI meeting is primarily inspired by common interests and ongoing work on leveraging Formal Methods for OT cybersecurity.

cybersecurity↗

Cyber Security Analysis for Nuclear Reactor Control Systems (Final Technical Report)

This project investigated the cyber-security impacts of moving from an all analog, point-to-point, instrumentation and control (I&C) system to a digital I&C system based on Modbus and a shared communication medium. A formalism called a hybrid attack graph was expanded to support the nuclear research reactor system. The hybrid attack graph allows one to check a system for vulnerabilities, in this case cyber-security vulnerabilities, and to document the attack vectors (scenarios) causing those vulnerabilities. In parallel, a simulation of the system was developed to model both the physical reactor parameters and operations, as well as the network interconnects and communications. This simulation platform was modeled on the nuclear research reactor located at Washington State University. The simulation platform provided a sandbox to evaluate and quantify the impact of identified and proposed vulnerabilities in the system and to determine the effectiveness of countermeasures at stopping these attacks. The simulation and hybrid attack graph tools were integrated to provide a streamlined process of generating attack scenarios, playing those scenarios out in the simulation, and then analyzing the results to correlate system state to states in the hybrid attack graph. This process was used to (1) quantify the impact of attack scenarios and (2) to determine if the system moved through the hybrid attack graph as anticipated. The hybrid attack graph tool was extended and customized to produce a tool to automatically identify critical assets (CAs) and critical digital assets (CDAs) as defined by NRC Regulatory Guide 5.71. This tool was verified using the nuclear research reactor at Washington State University. Finally, a series of educational modules covering the findings of the different aspects of this research have been created.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Controlling Infrastructure Costs: Right-Sizing the Mission Control Facility

Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center is a space vehicle, space program agnostic facility. The current operational design is essentially identical to the original facility architecture that was developed and deployed in the mid-90's. In an effort to streamline the support costs of the mission critical facility, the Mission Operations Division (MOD) of Johnson Space Center (JSC) has sponsored an exploratory project to evaluate and inject current state-of-the-practice Information Technology (IT) tools, processes and technology into legacy operations. The general push in the IT industry has been trending towards a data-centric computer infrastructure for the past several years. Organizations facing challenges with facility operations costs are turning to creative solutions combining hardware consolidation, virtualization and remote access to meet and exceed performance, security, and availability requirements. The Operations Technology Facility (OTF) organization at the Johnson Space Center has been chartered to build and evaluate a parallel Mission Control infrastructure, replacing the existing, thick-client distributed computing model and network architecture with a data center model utilizing virtualization to provide the MCC Infrastructure as a Service. The OTF will design a replacement architecture for the Mission Control Facility, leveraging hardware consolidation through the use of blade servers, increasing utilization rates for compute platforms through virtualization while expanding connectivity options through the deployment of secure remote access. The architecture demonstrates the maturity of the technologies generally available in industry today and the ability to successfully abstract the tightly coupled relationship between thick-client software and legacy hardware into a hardware agnostic "Infrastructure as a Service" capability that can scale to meet future requirements of new space programs and spacecraft. This paper discusses the benefits and difficulties that a migration to cloud-based computing philosophies has uncovered when compared to the legacy Mission Control Center architecture. The team consists of system and software engineers with extensive experience with the MCC infrastructure and software currently used to support the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle program (SSP).

Martin, Keith↗

DIRAC current, upcoming and planned capabilities and technologies

DIRAC is the interware for building and operating large scale distributed computing systems. It is adopted by multiple collaborations from various scientific domains for implementing their computing models. DIRAC provides a framework and a rich set of ready-to-use services for Workload, Data and Production Management tasks of small, medium and large scientific communities having different computing requirements. The base functionality can be easily extended by custom components supporting community specific workflows. DIRAC is at the same time an aging project, and a new DiracX project is taking shape for replacing DIRAC in the long term. This contribution will highlight DIRAC’s current, upcoming and planned capabilities and technologies, and how the transition to DiracX will take place. Examples include, but are not limited to, adoption of security tokens and interactions with Identity Provider services, integration of Clouds and High Performance Computers, interface with Rucio, improved monitoring and deployment procedures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Using Science Driven Technologies for the Defense and Security Applications

For the past three decades, Earth science remote sensing technologies have been providing enormous amounts of useful data and information in broadening our understanding of our home planet as a system. This research, as it has expanded our learning process, has also generated additional questions. This has further resulted in establishing new science requirements, which have culminated in defining and pushing the state-of-the-art technology needs. NASA s Earth science program has deployed 18 highly complex satellites, with a total of 80 sensors, so far and is in a process of defining and launching multiple observing systems in the next decade. Due to the heightened security alert of the nation, researchers and technologists are paying serious attention to the use of these science driven technologies for dual use. In other words, how such sophisticated observing and measuring systems can be used in detecting multiple types of security concerns with a substantial lead time so that the appropriate law enforcement agencies can take adequate steps to defuse any potential risky scenarios. This paper examines numerous NASA technologies such as laser/lidar systems, microwave and millimeter wave technologies, optical observing systems, high performance computational techniques for rapid analyses, and imaging products that can have a tremendous pay off for security applications.

Habib, Shahid↗