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At least 559 records · Page 31

Large language models for transportation research: Methodologies, state of the art, and future opportunities

The rapid rise of large language models (LLMs) is transforming transportation research, with significant advancements emerging between 2023 and 2025, a period marked by the inception and swift growth of adopting and adapting LLMs for various transportation applications. Despite these significant advancements, however, a systematic review and synthesis of the existing literature remains lacking. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive review of the methodologies and applications of LLMs in transportation. We explore key applications, including autonomous driving, travel behavior prediction, and general transportation-related queries, alongside LLM methodologies such as zero- or few-shot learning, prompt engineering, and fine-tuning. From the review, critical research gaps are identified. From the methodological perspective, many of the research limitations can be addressed by integrating LLMs with existing tools and refining LLM architectures. From the application perspective, research opportunities for LLMs to address various transportation challenges are also explored. By synthesizing these findings, this review not only presents the state-of-the-art LLM adoption and adaptation in transportation, but also proposes future research directions as well as insights and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners, paving the way for greater LLM-driven research innovations in transportation in the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Parallel String Graph Construction and Transitive Reduction for De Novo Genome Assembly

One of the most computationally intensive tasks in computational biology is de novo genome assembly, the decoding of the sequence of an unknown genome from redundant and erroneous short sequences. A common assembly paradigm identifies overlapping sequences, simplifies their layout, and creates consensus. Despite many algorithms developed in the literature, the efficient assembly of large genomes is still an open problem. In this work, we introduce new distributed-memory parallel algorithms for overlap detection and layout simplification steps of de novo genome assembly, and implement them in the diBELLA 2D pipeline. Our distributed memory algorithms for both overlap detection and layout simplification are based on linear-algebra operations over semirings using 2D distributed sparse matrices. Our layout step consists of performing a transitive reduction from the overlap graph to a string graph. We provide a detailed communication analysis of the main stages of our new algorithms. diBELLA 2D achieves near linear scaling with over 80% parallel efficiency for the human genome, reducing the runtime for overlap detection by 1.2-1.3× for the human genome and 1.5-1.9× for C.elegans compared to the state-of-the-art. Our transitive reduction algorithm outperforms an existing distributed-memory implementation by 10.5-13.3× for the human genome and 18-29× for the C. elegans. Our work paves the way for efficient de novo assembly of large genomes using long reads in distributed memory.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Evidence Report: Risk of Renal Stone Formation

Kidney stone formation and passage has the potential to greatly impact mission success and crewmember health, especially for long-duration missions. Alterations in hydration state (relative dehydration), spaceflight-induced changes in urine biochemistry (urine super-saturation), and bone metabolism (increased calcium excretion) during exposure to microgravity may increase the risk of kidney stone formation. There are possible countermeasures and treatments available that are used terrestrially that may then be applied to spaceflight. Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) are used throughout this document to communicate spaceflight conditions that may lead to renal stone formation, the countermeasures that may be used to prevent their formation, and possible treatment modalities. The DAGs are sorted by strength of evidence, according to Table 6. Additionally, for the full Renal Stone Evidence Report Content: Directed Acyclic Graphs and Evidence Report, please see Appendix A, Expanded Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) and Evidence. Additionally, a proposed Concept of Operations for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Renal Stones for a Mars Mission was created in conjunction with and to complement this Evidence Report update. Please see Appendix B, Proposed Expanded Concept of Operations for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Renal Stones for Mars Missions, for the full report. Areas in the following Evidence Report will be cross-linked to scenarios from the Concept of Operations.

Emily Stratton↗

Positive Co‐Degree Density of Hypergraphs

The minimum positive co-degree of a nonempty r-graph H, denoted $δ^+_{r-1}$ (H), is the maximum k such that if S is an (r-1)-set contained in a hyperedge of H, then is contained in at least distinct hyperedges of H. Given an r-graph F, we introduce the positive co-degree Turán number co + ex(n, F) as the maximum positive co-degree $δ^+_{r-1}$ (H) over all n-vertex r-graphs H that do not contain F as a subhypergraph. In this paper, we concentrate on the behavior of co + ex(n, F) for 3-graphs F. In particular, we determine asymptotics and bounds for several well-known concrete 3-graphs F (e.g. $K^-_4$ and the Fano plane). Here, we also show that, for r-graphs, the limit γ + (F)≔ lim$_{n→∞}$ $\frac{co^+ex(n, F)}{n}$ exists, and “jumps” from 0 to 1/r, that is, it never takes on values in the interval . Moreover, we characterize which r-graphs F have γ + (F) = 0. Our motivation comes primarily from the study of (ordinary) co-degree Turán numbers where a number of results have been proved that inspire our results.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

pnnl/glad

The Graph-based Learning of Aerosol Dynamics (GLAD) package implements a Graph Network-based Simulator (GNS), a machine learning framework that has been used to simulate particle-based fluid dynamics models

Smith, Ian [@pnnl]↗

Extensive Attention Mechanisms in Graph Neural Networks for Materials Discovery

We present our research where attention mechanism is extensively applied to various aspects of graph neural net- works for predicting materials properties. As a result, surrogate models can not only replace costly simulations for materials screening but also formulate hypotheses and insights to guide further design exploration. We predict formation energy of the Materials Project and gas adsorption of crystalline adsorbents, and demonstrate the superior performance of our graph neural networks. Moreover, attention reveals important substructures that the machine learning models deem important for a material to achieve desired target properties. Our model is based solely on standard structural input files containing atomistic descriptions of the adsorbent material candidates. We construct novel methodological extensions to match the prediction accuracy of state-of-the-art models some of which were built with hundreds of features at much higher computational cost. We show that sophisticated neural networks can obviate the need for elaborate feature engineering. Our approach can be more broadly applied to optimize gas capture processes at industrial scale.

Cong, Guojing↗

The quantum entropy cone of hypergraphs

In this work, we generalize the graph-theoretic techniques used for the holographic entropy cone to study hypergraphs and their analogously-defined entropy cone. This allows us to develop a framework to efficiently compute entropies and prove inequalities satisfied by hypergraphs. In doing so, we discover a class of quantum entropy vectors which reach beyond those of holographic states and obey constraints intimately related to the ones obeyed by stabilizer states and linear ranks. We show that, at least up to 4 parties, the hypergraph cone is identical to the stabilizer entropy cone, thus demonstrating that the hypergraph framework is broadly applicable to the study of entanglement entropy. We conjecture that this equality continues to hold for higher party numbers and report on partial progress on this direction. To physically motivate this conjectured equivalence, we also propose a plausible method inspired by tensor networks to construct a quantum state from a given hypergraph such that their entropy vectors match.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Learning nuclear cross sections across the chart of nuclides with graph neural networks

We explore the use of deep learning techniques to learn how nuclear cross sections change as we add or remove protons and neutrons. As a proof of principle, we focus on the neutron-induced reactions in the fast energy regime. Our approach follows a two-stage learning framework. First, we apply representation learning to encode cross section data into a latent space using either variational autoencoders (VAEs) or implicit neural representations (INRs). Then, we train graph neural networks (GNNs) on the resulting embeddings to predict missing values across the nuclear chart by leveraging the topological structure of neighboring isotopes. We demonstrate accurate cross section predictions within a 9 × 9 block of missing nuclei. We also find that the optimal GNN training strategy depends on the type of latent representation used, with VAE embeddings performing best under end-to-end optimization in the original space, while INR embeddings achieve better results when the GNN is trained only in the latent space. Furthermore, using clustering algorithms, we map groups of latent vectors into regions of the nuclear chart and show that VAEs and INRs can discover some of the neutron magic numbers. These findings suggest that deep-learning models based on the representation encoding of cross sections combined with graph neural networks hold significant potential in augmenting nuclear theory models, e.g., by providing reliable estimates of covariances of cross sections, including cross-material covariances.

Machine learning↗

Meld: A project for exploring how to meet DUNE's framework needs

Existing data-processing frameworks for HEP experiments are largely based on collider-physics concepts, which may be based on rigid, event-based data hierarchies. These data organizations are not always helpful for neutrino experiments, which must sometimes work around such restrictions by manually splitting apart events into constructs that are better suited for neutrino physics. The purpose of Meld is to explore more flexible data organizations by treating a frameworks job as: (1) A graph of data-product sequences connected by (2) User-defined functions that serve as operations to (3) Framework-provided higher-order functions.

Knoepfel, KyleJ. [Fermi National Accelerator Labor↗

Information content in spectral calculations

Analytical procedures for extracting piecewise smooth solutions of hyperbolic systems from raw oscillatory data obtained by pseudospectral methods are developed. The validity of the approach is demonstrated for the case of linear problems with constant coefficients, and plausibility arguments are presented which indicate its applicability to nonlinear operators when the steady state has been achieved. Numerical results for the development of an oblique shock when a wedge is inserted at zero angle of attack into a uniform supersonic flow of an ideal gas (the time-dependent two-dimensional Euler equations discretized in space by the pseudospectral Chebyshev method) are presented in tables and graphs.

Abarbanel, S.↗

OpenSn: A massively parallel, open-source simulation environment for discrete ordinates radiation transport

OpenSn is an open-source, massively parallel deterministic radiation transport code for solving the discrete-ordinates ( S N ) form of the Boltzmann transport equation on unstructured, arbitrary polyhedral meshes. It supports high-fidelity simulations involving steady-state, eigenvalue, and adjoint problems for neutral particles (e.g., neutrons, photons, multi-particles), using the multigroup approximation in energy. OpenSn combines angular discretization via discrete ordinates with a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DGFEM) in space, enabling accurate resolution of transport physics on arbitrary polyhedral cells, included locally refined spatial grids. It includes multiple angular quadrature types, including locally refined angular quadratures. Written in modern C++ with a Python API, OpenSn runs efficiently on platforms ranging from laptops to supercomputers. The transport sweep algorithm is implemented using a task-based, directed-acyclic-graph (DAG) approach for each angle and supports asynchronous parallelism across thousands of MPI ranks. Group-set aggregation improves compute intensity, and synthetic acceleration techniques (e.g., diffusion synthetic acceleration, second-moment method) enhance solver convergence. OpenSn has been verified on reactor physics problems and demonstrated excellent weak and strong scaling performance on more than 32,768 processes, making it a versatile and robust platform for large-scale transport simulations in complex geometries.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Automatic Calibration and Health Monitoring of Infrastructure Sensors

Smart transportation infrastructure relies on networks of heterogeneous sensors - cameras, radars, and lidars - continuously monitoring traffic conditions. However, executing the initial spatial calibration of multiple sensors and the subsequent health monitoring presents significant operational challenges. Environmental factors, mechanical vibrations, and gradual drift cause spatial misalignment, degrading fusion performance and tracking accuracy. Traditional calibration approaches require manual intervention with specialized targets or survey equipment, resulting in service interruptions and high maintenance costs. This work presents an automated framework for initial calibration and continuous health monitoring without human intervention or service disruption. Our approach addresses two critical problems: (1) detecting when sensors become miscalibrated during operation, and (2) automatically re-establishing spatial alignment using only operational traffic data. The health monitoring component analyzes measurement innovations - differences between sensor observations and predicted object states - to detect systematic biases indicative of calibration drift. By computing bias magnitude, directional consistency, and rejection rates, the system identifies miscalibrations as small as 0.5 meters. Unlike traditional methods requiring known calibration targets, our diagnostic operates continuously on live traffic observations, enabling early detection before fusion quality degrades. The automatic recalibration algorithm leverages overlapping sensor fields-of-view and temporal correlation of vehicle observations. Using graph-based optimization, the system automatically discovers which sensor pairs observe common regions, estimates pairwise spatial transformations using RANSAC-based robust estimation, and jointly optimizes all sensor poses through bundle adjustment. The framework handles practical deployment challenges, including different sensor sampling rates (1-10 Hz), varying installation positions, unknown orientations, and limited overlap regions (>10%). When approximate sensor positions are available from installation surveys (+/-1m accuracy), the algorithm additionally estimates sensor orientations, refining both position and rotation to sub-meter and sub-degree accuracy. We validate the framework on multi-hour traffic datasets from six heterogeneous sensors with sampling rates ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz. Results demonstrate successful calibration even with sparse overlap (<20%) and automatic detection of miscalibrations exceeding 0.8 meters. This work enables a "deploy-and-forget" sensor infrastructure that maintains calibration autonomously, reducing maintenance costs while improving tracking accuracy. The techniques generalize beyond transportation to any multi-sensor monitoring application requiring robust spatial alignment, including smart cities, industrial monitoring, and surveillance systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Three dimensional unstructured multigrid for the Euler equations

The three dimensional Euler equations are solved on unstructured tetrahedral meshes using a multigrid strategy. The driving algorithm consists of an explicit vertex-based finite element scheme, which employs an edge-based data structure to assemble the residuals. The multigrid approach employs a sequence of independently generated coarse and fine meshes to accelerate the convergence to steady-state of the fine grid solution. Variables, residuals and corrections are passed back and forth between the various grids of the sequence using linear interpolation. The addresses and weights for interpolation are determined in a preprocessing stage using linear interpolation. The addresses and weights for interpolation are determined in a preprocessing stage using an efficient graph traversal algorithm. The preprocessing operation is shown to require a negligible fraction of the CPU time required by the overall solution procedure, while gains in overall solution efficiencies greater than an order of magnitude are demonstrated on meshes containing up to 350,000 vertices. Solutions using globally regenerated fine meshes as well as adaptively refined meshes are given.

Mavriplis, D. J.↗

Performance Enhancement Strategies for Multi-Block Overset Grid CFD Applications

The overset grid methodology has significantly reduced time-to-solution of highfidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations about complex aerospace configurations. The solution process resolves the geometrical complexity of the problem domain by using separately generated but overlapping structured discretization grids that periodically exchange information through interpolation. However, high performance computations of such large-scale realistic applications must be handled efficiently on state-of-the-art parallel supercomputers. This paper analyzes the effects of various performance enhancement strategies on the parallel efficiency of an overset grid Navier-Stokes CFD application running on an SGI Origin2000 machinc. Specifically, the role of asynchronous communication, grid splitting, and grid grouping strategies are presented and discussed. Details of a sophisticated graph partitioning technique for grid grouping are also provided. Results indicate that performance depends critically on the level of latency hiding and the quality of load balancing across the processors.

Djomehri, M. Jahed↗

Spatial Graph Attention and Curiosity-driven Policy for Antiviral Drug Discovery

We developed Distilled Graph Attention Policy Network (DGAPN), a reinforcement learning model to generate novel graph-structured chemical representations that optimize user-defined objectives by efficiently navigating a physically constrained domain. The framework is examined on the task of generating molecules that are designed to bind, noncovalently, to functional sites of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. We present a spatial Graph Attention (sGAT) mechanism that leverages self-attention over both node and edge attributes as well as encoding the spatial structure --- this capability is of considerable interest in synthetic biology and drug discovery. An attentional policy network is introduced to learn the decision rules for a dynamic, fragment-based chemical environment, and state-of-the-art policy gradient techniques are employed to train the network with stability. Exploration is driven by the stochasticity of the action space design and the innovation reward bonuses learned and proposed by random network distillation. In experiments, our framework achieved outstanding results compared to state-of-the-art algorithms, while reducing the complexity of paths to chemical synthesis.

Wu, Yulun↗

SPATIAL GRAPH ATTENTION AND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN POLICY FOR ANTIVIRAL DRUG DISCOVERY

We developed Distilled Graph Attention Policy Network (DGAPN), a reinforcement learning model to generate novel graph-structured chemical representations that optimize user-defined objectives by efficiently navigating a physically constrained domain. The framework is examined on the task of generating molecules that are designed to bind, noncovalently, to functional sites of SARS-CoV-2 proteins. We present a spatial Graph Attention (sGAT) mechanism that leverages self-attention over both node and edge attributes as well as encoding the spatial structure - this capability is of considerable interest in synthetic biology and drug discovery. An attentional policy network is introduced to learn the decision rules for a dynamic, fragment-based chemical environment, and state-of-the-art policy gradient techniques are employed to train the network with stability. Exploration is driven by the stochasticity of the action space design and the innovation reward bonuses learned and proposed by random network distillation. In experiments, our framework achieved outstanding results compared to state-of-the-art algorithms, while reducing the complexity of paths to chemical synthesis.

Wu, Y↗

Graph Neural Networks for low-energy event classification & reconstruction in IceCube

IceCube, a cubic-kilometer array of optical sensors built to detect atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos between 1 GeV and 1 PeV, is deployed 1.45 km to 2.45 km below the surface of the ice sheet at the South Pole. The classification and reconstruction of events from the in-ice detectors play a central role in the analysis of data from IceCube. Reconstructing and classifying events is a challenge due to the irregular detector geometry, inhomogeneous scattering and absorption of light in the ice and, below 100 GeV, the relatively low number of signal photons produced per event. To address this challenge, it is possible to represent IceCube events as point cloud graphs and use a Graph Neural Network (GNN) as the classification and reconstruction method. The GNN is capable of distinguishing neutrino events from cosmic-ray backgrounds, classifying different neutrino event types, and reconstructing the deposited energy, direction and interaction vertex. Based on simulation, we provide a comparison in the 1 GeV–100 GeV energy range to the current state-of-the-art maximum likelihood techniques used in current IceCube analyses, including the effects of known systematic uncertainties. For neutrino event classification, the GNN increases the signal efficiency by 18% at a fixed background rate, compared to current IceCube methods. Alternatively, the GNN offers a reduction of the background (i.e. false positive) rate by over a factor 8 (to below half a percent) at a fixed signal efficiency. For the reconstruction of energy, direction, and interaction vertex, the resolution improves by an average of 13%–20% compared to current maximum likelihood techniques in the energy range of 1 GeV–30 GeV. The GNN, when run on a GPU, is capable of processing IceCube events at a rate nearly double of the median IceCube trigger rate of 2.7 kHz, which opens the possibility of using low energy neutrinos in online searches for transient events.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

H-GCN: A Graph Convolutional Network Accelerator on Versal ACAP Architecture

Recently Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have drawn tremendous attentions due to their unique capability to extend the Machine Learning (ML) approaches to broadly defined applications with unstructured data, especially graphs. Comparing with other ML modalities, the acceleration of GNNs is as critical but even more challenging due to the irregularity and heterogeneity from graph typologies that together limit the performance. Existing efforts mainly focus on handling graphs’ irregularity, however, have not studied the heterogeneity. To this end, in this work, we propose H-GCN, a PL-AIE-based hybrid accelerator that leverages the emerging heterogeneity of Xilinx Versal ACAPs to achieve high-performance GNN inference. In particular, H-GCN partitions each graph into three subgraphs based on its inherent heterogeneity and processes them using PL and the newly emerged AIE respectively. To further improve the performance, we explore the sparsity support of AIE and develop an efficient density-aware method to map tiles of SpMM onto the systolic tensor array automatically. Compared with the current state-of-the-art GCN accelerator, HGCN achieves on average 1.5× speedups.

Zhang, Chengming↗