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At least 919 records · Page 51

Technologies for increasing bandwidth in partitioned hierarchical networks

Technologies for increasing the bandwidth of partitioned hierarchical networks is disclosed. If each partition of network groups of a computer network are isolated, then the connections between the network groups of different partitions may go unused. However, careful selection of the network connections between partitions of different network groups may allow for a pseudo-direct connection between two network groups of the same partition using a single non-blocking switch in a network group of a different partition. Such a configuration can increase the effective bandwidth available within a partition without affecting the bandwidth available in another partition.

Flajslik, Mario↗

Continuous Test and Transition Infrastructure for Quantum Networking for Science Complex

We propose a network architecture with a separate quantum dataplane and a conventional control plane: (a) Quantum Data Plane: The Quantum Data plane consists of links of dark fibers connecting quantum switches and repeaters, which in turn, connect to quantum computers, memory and sensors. Since the current reach is limited to local areas, it will begin as a collection of site networks at laboratories, (b) Conventional Control Plane: The Control plane provides management access to quantum devices for configuration and provisioning via control nodes with firewall and encryption capabilities. Continuous Test and Transition Infrastructure: We propose an infrastructure with a control plane connecting multiple sites via encrypted tunnels over conventional networks consisting of the following: (a) Site Quantum Networks: Individual site networks supported by their fiber plants connect laboratories that house and connect to their quantum devices for testing and interoperability.(b) Site Control Planes: Sites are connected over individual control planes with control hosts with Software Defined Networking capabilities, which can be peered with other networks via ESnet.(c) Progressive Expansion: Initially, sites will develop individual data planes with their specific quantum devices and fiber connections, and mechanisms to interface with conventional networks. They progressively expand and interconnect, under a wide-area ecosystem of peered control planes for device testing, interoperability development and roll off into production environments.

Rao, Nageswara S.↗

One step removed shadow network

A system and method includes an operational network that communicates with an external network by opening a first transmission protocol socket. A data diode coupled to the operational network and a gateway enables the one-way transfer of all information received from the external network and transmitted by the operational network to the gateway such that no information travels from the gateway to the operational network or the external network. The gateway opens a second transmission protocol socket by mapping a sequence number to an acknowledgement number and increasing that mapped acknowledgement number by a value of one. A transmitter then transmits the acknowledgment to a remote network or a gateway.

Park, Brent K.↗

Learning Distributed Geometric Koopman Operator for Sparse Networked Dynamical Systems

Koopman operator theory provides an alternative to study nonlinear networked dynamical systems by mapping the state space to an abstract higher dimensional space where the system evolution is linear. Recent works show the application of graph neural networks (GNNs) to learn state to object-centric embeddings and achieve centralized block-wise computation of Koopman operator (KO) under additional assumptions on the underlying agents properties and constraints on the KO structure. However, the computational complexity of learning the Koopman increases exponentially for networked systems where the number of possible system states grows in a combinatorial fashion with the number of nodes. The learning challenge is further amplified for sparse networks by two factors: 1) sample sparsity for learning the Koopman operator in the non-linear space, and 2) the divergence in the dynamics of individual nodes or from one subgraph to another. Our work aims to address these challenge by formulating the representation learning of networked dynamical systems into a multi-agent paradigm and learning the Koopman operator in a distributive manner. The computational as well as performance advantages of distributed Koopman is predominant for sparse networks whereas for fully connected networks, it is shown to coincide with the centralized one. The empirical study on rope system, network of oscillators and a synthetic power system show comparable and superior performance along with computational benefits with the state-of-the-art methods.

Mukherjee, Sayak↗

Spiral antenna assembly with integrated feed network structure and method of manufacture

A spiral antenna assembly with an integrated feed network and method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The spiral antenna assembly may comprise a supporting structure integrally formed with a feed network structure, thereby presenting a monolithic structure. A spiral antenna element may be disposed on a bottom surface or a top surface of the supporting structure. The feed network structure may comprise the feed network and project from a center of the top surface of the supporting structure. The feed network may comprise a microstrip balun architecture. The spiral antenna assembly may be formed by additively manufacturing the supporting structure and the feed network structure. A laser direct structuring process may write and activate the spiral antenna element on the supporting structure and the feed network on the feed network structure.

Byers, Kyle J.↗

A Review of Software for Designing and Operating Quantum Networks

Quantum networks development is crucial to realizing a production-grade network that can support distributed sensing, secure communication, and utility-scale quantum computation. However, the transition from laboratory demonstration to deployable networks requires software implementations of architectures and protocols tailored to the unique constraints of quantum systems. This paper reviews the current state of software implementations for quantum networks, organized around a three-plane abstraction of infrastructure, logical, and control/service planes. We cover software for both designing quantum network protocols (e.g., SeQUeNCe, QuISP, and NetSquid) and operating testbeds, with a focus on essential control/service plane functions such as entanglement, topology, and resource management, in a proposed taxonomy. Our review highlights a persistent gap between theoretical architecture and protocol proposals and their realization in simulators or testbeds, particularly in dynamic topology and network management. We conclude by outlining open challenges and proposing a roadmap for developing scalable software architectures to enable hybrid, large-scale quantum networks.

Network Design↗

Context-aided analysis of community evolution in networks

Here, we are interested in detecting and analyzing global changes in dynamic networks (networks that evolve with time). More precisely, we consider changes in the activity distribution within the network, in terms of density (ie, edge existence) and intensity (ie, edge weight). Detecting change in local properties, as well as individual measurements or metrics, has been well studied and often reduces to traditional statistical process control. In contrast, detecting change in larger scale structure of the network is more challenging and not as well understood. We address this problem by proposing a framework for detecting change in network structure based on separate pieces: a probabilistic model for partitioning nodes by their behavior, a label-unswitching heuristic, and an approach to change detection for sequences of complex objects. We examine the performance of one instantiation of such a framework using mostly previously available pieces. The dataset we use for these investigations is the publicly available New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission dataset covering all taxi trips in New York City since 2009. Using it, we investigate the evolution of an ensemble of networks under different spatiotemporal resolutions. We identify the community structure by fitting a weighted stochastic block model. In conclusion, we offer insights on different node ranking and clustering methods, their ability to capture the rhythm of life in the Big Apple, and their potential usefulness in highlighting changes in the underlying network structure.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Belowground cross-trophic networks impact CH4 and CO2 emissions in degraded alpine peatlands

Belowground organisms forming complex cross-trophic ecological networks are essential for maintaining peatland carbon stability and energy flow. However, how peatland degradation affects the biodiversity and cross-trophic ecological networks of soil communities remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the degradation effects on soil prokaryotes (i.e., bacteria, archaea), fungi and nematodes in alpine peatlands on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, characterized by varying water table depths (indicating degradation levels). We found that peatland degradation, accompanied by significant shifts in soil moisture and pH (P < 0.05), reduced the taxonomic richness and phylogenetic diversity of prokaryotes, fungi, and nematodes, particularly in deeper soil layers (20–50 cm). Crucially, peatland degradation weakened potential cross-trophic interactions within bipartite networks of prokaryotes-nematodes and fungi-nematodes, resulting in less than 6.5 %–28.8 % of unchanged modules. Degradation-induced changes in soil moisture and pH were identified as primary drivers of biodiversity loss and network restructuring. Furthermore, such changes of belowground cross-trophic networks (particularly prokaryote-nematode) were significantly correlated with greenhouse gas emissions, such as decreased CO2 emissions, maintained CH4 emissions (leading to a higher CH4/CO2 ratio in deep layers), and reduced temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil respiration. These findings underscore the critical need to protect soil biodiversity and cross-trophic networks in peatlands, particularly under the threat of climate change, to preserve peatland carbon stocks and maintain ecosystem stability. Our findings highlight that belowground cross-trophic networks are pivotal to decipher soil carbon dynamics of degraded peatlands and project the fate of peatland carbon stocks under future climate change scenarios.

Cross-trophic networks↗

Topology-Informed Design Rules for Deconstructable Thermoset Copolymer Networks

Existing models of thermoset deconstruction facilitated by incorporating cleavable comonomers rely on a mean-field reverse gel point paradigm, which predicts network dissolution once cleavable bonds reach a critical stoichiometric threshold, but does not account for where those bonds reside within the network architecture. Using reactive coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations coupled with graph-theoretic analysis, we extend this stoichiometric picture to show that deconstructability is governed by the curing-imprinted network topology rather than stoichiometry alone. This topological organization is hierarchical: at the local scale, the elastic effectiveness of cross-link junctions determines which cross-links constitute the load-bearing scaffold; at the mesoscale, the cross-linking rate kinetically templates that scaffold into topologically modular communities─densely cross-linked clusters connected by sparse bridging strands that sustain network connectivity. Using betweenness centrality to identify nodes that disproportionately lie on intercommunity shortest paths, we demonstrate that effective deconstruction of the network into macromolecular fragments requires cleavable comonomers to intercept these high-centrality bridging strands. We further find that under uniform, disassortative comonomer incorporation, this topological requirement provides a mechanistic basis for extending the reverse gel point to incorporate network topology. We also show that modularity imposes a fundamental limit on fragment uniformity that persists even when the centrality requirement is met. Finally, we demonstrate that chain stiffness provides a nearly independent lever to suppress mechanically redundant cross-links and raise the glass transition temperature without significantly altering the deconstruction outcome. Together, these findings reframe the thermoset design space around network topology and provide actionable guidelines for engineering thermoset copolymers with predictable deconstructability and targeted thermomechanical performance.

coarse-grained molecular dynamics↗

Assessing heat resilience coordination in networks of plans

Networks of plans coordinating on hazard mitigation can limit losses. We offer a novel network analysis methodology to investigate how networks of plans explicitly coordinate, and the purpose and nature of coordination. We illustrate the method using networks of plans shaping heat resilience in seven Arizona cities. The network analysis can help planners to identify influential plans that need to be high quality, peripheral plans, and potential governance silos. Furthermore, investigation into plan roles offers an ontological lens into how plans network, consult, and share information. The nature of coordination varies by purpose. General plans are cited for goals, while hazard mitigation plans are referenced for heat fact base. Transportation plans cite goals and fact base in other transportation plans, but rarely cite other plan types. Furthermore, these findings will help planners to consider the roles and merits of different plans while integrating hazards across the next generation of networks of plans.

coordination↗

Microscopic Imprints of Learned Solutions in Tunable Networks

In physical networks trained using supervised learning, physical parameters are adjusted to produce desired responses to inputs. An example is an electrical contrastive local learning network of nodes connected by edges that adjust their conductances during training. When an edge conductance changes, it upsets the current balance of every node. In response, physics adjusts the node voltages to minimize the dissipated power. Learning in these systems is therefore a coupled double-optimization process, in which the network descends both a cost landscape in the high-dimensional space of edge conductances and a physical landscape—the power dissipation—in the high-dimensional space of node voltages. Because of this coupling, the physical landscape of a trained network contains information about the learned task. Here, we derive a structure-function relation for trained tunable networks and demonstrate that all the physical information relevant to the trained input-output relation can be captured by a tuning susceptibility, an experimentally measurable quantity. We supplement our theoretical results with simulations to show that the tuning susceptibility is correlated with functional importance and that we can extract physical insight into how the system performs the task from the conductances of highly susceptible edges. Our analysis is general and can be applied directly to mechanical networks, such as networks trained for protein-inspired function such as allostery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Link Scheduling in Satellite Networks via Machine Learning Over Riemannian Manifolds

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites play a crucial role in enhancing global connectivity, serving a complementary solution to existing terrestrial systems. In wireless networks, scheduling is a vital process that allocates time-frequency resources to users for interference management. However, LEO satellite networks face significant challenges in scheduling their links towards ground users due to the satellites’ mobility and overlapping coverage. This paper addresses the dynamic link scheduling problem in LEO satellite networks by considering spatio-temporal correlations introduced by the satellites’ movements. The first step in the proposed solution involves modeling the network over Riemannian manifolds, thanks to their representation as symmetric positive definite matrices. We introduce two machine learning (ML)-based link scheduling techniques that model the dynamic evolution of satellite positions and link conditions over time and space. To accurately predict satellite link states, we present a recurrent neural network (RNN) over Riemannian manifolds, which captures spatio-temporal characteristics over time. Furthermore, we introduce a separate model, the convolutional neural network (CNN) over Riemannian manifolds, which captures geometric relationships between satellites and users by extracting spatial features from the network topology across all links. Simulation results demonstrate that both RNN and CNN over Riemannian manifolds deliver comparable performance to the fractional programming-based link scheduling (FPLinQ) benchmark. Remarkably, unlike other ML-based models that require extensive training data, both models only need 30 training samples to achieve over 99% of the sum rate while maintaining similar computational complexity relative to the benchmark.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Quantum Networks for Resilient Power Grids: Theory and Simulated Evaluation

Quantum networks are considered the future of secure communication in the coming quantum era. Yet there lack significant efforts on developing practical quantum networks for power grids. Here, in this paper, we establish a quantum network-based power grid (QNetGrid) framework and develops a real-time, reliable, flexible, programmable, and cost-effective QNetGrid software testbed containing repeater-based quantum communication, quantum routing, real software-defined networking (SDN) switches, and real-time networked microgrids (NMs) operations. It makes the following contributions: 1) a repeater and routing based quantum network simulator (QNSim) is developed, 2) repeaters with and without quantum memories are respectively simulated in QNSim, 3) different routing scenarios in QNetGrid are investigated, 4) a real-time QNetGrid software testbed is built in RTDS incorporating QNSim and real SDN switches, and 5) various test cases are designed, and experimental results produced with the QNetGrid testbed provide valuable insights for building quantum networks in power grids.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Modeling Large-Scale Slim Fly Networks Using Parallel Discrete-Event Simulation

As supercomputers approach exascale performance, the increased number of processors translates to an increased demand on the underlying network interconnect. We present that the slim fly network topology, a new low-diameter, low-latency, and low-cost interconnection network, is gaining interest as one possible solution for next-generation supercomputing interconnect systems. In this article, we present a high-fidelity slim fly packet-level model leveraging the Rensselaer Optimistic Simulation System (ROSS) and Co-Design of Exascale Storage (CODES) frameworks. We validate the model with published work before scaling the network size up to an unprecedented 1 million compute nodes and confirming that the slim fly observes peak network throughput at extreme scale. In addition to synthetic workloads, we evaluate large-scale slim fly models with real communication workloads from applications in the Design Forward program with over 110,000 MPI processes. We show strong scaling of the slim fly model on an Intel cluster achieving a peak network packet transfer rate of 2.3 million packets per second and processing over 7 billion discrete events using 128 MPI tasks. Enabled by the strong performance capabilities of the model, we perform a detailed application trace and routing protocol performance study. Lastly, through analysis of metrics such as packet latency, hop count, and congestion, we find that the slim fly network is able to leverage simple minimal routing and achieve the same performance as more complex adaptive routing for tested DOE benchmark applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Community Fabric: Visualizing communities and structure in dynamic networks

We present Community Fabric, a novel visualization technique for simultaneously visualizing communities and structure within dynamic networks. In dynamic networks, the structure of the network is continuously evolving throughout time and these underlying topological shifts tend to lead to communal changes. Community Fabric helps the viewer more easily interpret and understand the interplay of structural change and community evolution in dynamic graphs. To achieve this, we take a new approach, hybridizing two popular network and community visualizations. Community Fabric combines the likes of the Biofabric static network visualization method with traditional community alluvial flow diagrams to visualize communities in a dynamic network while also displaying the underlying network structure. Our approach improves upon existing state-of-the-art techniques in several key areas. We describe the methodologies of Community Fabric, implement the visualization using modern web-based tools, and apply our approach to three example data sets.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

OptRAM: In-silico strain design via integrative regulatory-metabolic network modeling

The ultimate goal of metabolic engineering is to produce desired compounds on an industrial scale in a cost effective manner. To address challenges in metabolic engineering, computational strain optimization algorithms based on genome-scale metabolic models have increasingly been used to aid in overproducing products of interest. However, most of these strain optimization algorithms utilize a metabolic network alone, with few approaches providing strategies that also include transcriptional regulation. Moreover previous integrated approaches generally require a pre-existing regulatory network. In this study, we developed a novel strain design algorithm, named OptRAM (Optimization of Regulatory And Metabolic Networks), which can identify combinatorial optimization strategies including overexpression, knockdown or knockout of both metabolic genes and transcription factors. OptRAM is based on our previous IDREAM integrated network framework, which makes it able to deduce a regulatory network from data. OptRAM uses simulated annealing with a novel objective function, which can ensure a favorable coupling between desired chemical and cell growth. The other advance we propose is a systematic evaluation metric of multiple solutions, by considering the essential genes, flux variation, and engineering manipulation cost. We applied OptRAM to generate strain designs for succinate, 2,3-butanediol, and ethanol overproduction in yeast, which predicted high minimum predicted target production rate compared with other methods and previous literature values. Moreover, most of the genes and TFs proposed to be altered by OptRAM in these scenarios have been validated by modification of the exact genes or the target genes regulated by the TFs, for overproduction of these desired compounds by in vivo experiments cataloged in the LASER database. Particularly, we successfully validated the predicted strain optimization strategy for ethanol production by fermentation experiment. As a result, OptRAM can provide a useful approach that leverages an integrated transcriptional regulatory network and metabolic network to guide metabolic engineering applications.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Upsampling Monte Carlo Reactor Simulation Tallies in Depleted Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Assemblies Using a Convolutional Neural Network

The computational demand of neutron Monte Carlo transport simulations can increase rapidly with the spatial and energy resolution of tallied physical quantities. Convolutional neural networks have been used to increase the resolution of Monte Carlo simulations of light water reactor assemblies while preserving accuracy with negligible additional computational cost. Here, we show that a convolutional neural network can also be used to upsample tally results from Monte Carlo simulations of sodium-cooled fast reactor assemblies, thereby extending the applicability beyond thermal systems. The convolutional neural network model is trained using neutron flux tallies from 300 procedurally generated nuclear reactor assemblies simulated using OpenMC. Validation and test datasets included 16 simulations of procedurally generated assemblies, and a realistic simulation of a European sodium-cooled fast reactor assembly was included in the test dataset. We show the residuals between the high-resolution flux tallies predicted by the neural network and high-resolution Monte Carlo tallies on relative and absolute bases. The network can upsample tallies from simulations of fast reactor assemblies with diverse and heterogeneous materials and geometries by a factor of two in each spatial and energy dimension. The network’s predictions are within the statistical uncertainty of the Monte Carlo tallies in almost all cases. This includes test assemblies for which burnup values and geometric parameters were well outside the ranges of those in assemblies used to train the network.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Identifying the Community Structure of the Food-Trade International Multi-Network

Achieving international food security requires improved understanding of how international trade networks connect countries around the world through the import-export flows of food commodities. The properties of international food trade networks are still poorly documented, especially from a multi-network perspective. In particular, nothing is known about the multi-network's community structure. Here we find that the individual crop-specific layers of the multi-network have densely connected trading groups, a consistent characteristic over the period 2001-2011. Further, the multi-network is characterized by low variability over this period but with substantial heterogeneity across layers in each year. In particular, the layers are mostly assortative: more-intensively connected countries tend to import from and export to countries that are themselves more connected. We also fit econometric models to identify social, economic and geographic factors explaining the probability that any two countries are co-present in the same community. Our estimates indicate that the probability of country pairs belonging to the same food trade community depends more on geopolitical and economic factors-such as geographical proximity and trade-agreement co-membership-than on country economic size and/or income. These community-structure findings of the multi-network are especially valuable for efforts to understand past and emerging dynamics in the global food system, especially those that examine potential 'shocks' to global food trade.

complex networks↗