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At least 1,297 records · Page 72

Facial Named Entity Recognition by Attention-Based Graph Convolutional Neural Network

In the realm of facial recognition and analysis, the ability to accurately cluster large datasets of facial images stands as a cornerstone for various applications, ranging from security surveillance to user biometric identification. This project evolves a novel approach to facial data clustering by embedding facial images into a high-dimensional vector space using an advanced embedding model trained on separate data and assumes a graph-like structure on the high-dimensional vectors. We find our method works significantly better than common shallow methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Deployment of neural-network-based neutron microscopic cross sections in the Griffin reactor physics application

The capability to utilize neural networks to predict macroscopic and microscopic cross section parametric spaces has been developed for the Griffin reactor physics application. The LibTorch interface enables Griffin's MOOSE-based materials to interact with LibTorch-trained models, allowing for the evaluation of complex macroscopic or microscopic cross section spaces, which are then used to evaluate the neutronic properties of the Griffin finite element model. This study benchmarks traditional ISOXML-formatted tabulation libraries against neural network-based models for 279 nuclides on 20,160 grid points for zero-dimensional and two-dimensional reactor models. Benchmark metrics include the fundamental mode eigenvalue, fission and absorption rates, and various temperature coefficients of reactivity (isothermal, fuel, and moderator). From the perspective of storage space, the complete set of LibTorch models uses 11 MB on disk, compared to the 10 GB for the ISOXML multigroup library that covers the same grid space. For the two-dimensional performance case considered in Griffin, the Torch model uses 97% less RAM than the reference ISOXML dataset while runtime increases by a factor of 3 when using the LibTorch model compared to the ISOXML dataset with multi-linear interpolation. The LibTorch model consistently yields errors within 0.01% for most analyzed quantities except for the temperature coefficients of reactivity where the maximum discrepancies are up to 0.3 $\frac{pcm}{K}$. Due to the neural network attempting to best predict quantities with no regard for a positive or negative bias for any given quantity, predictions may experience random fluctuations, resulting in both positive and negative errors. Future work will entail both depletion and coupled transient analysis to determine the predictive capabilities of Griffin with neural network-based cross sections.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

An Architectural Concept for Intrusion Tolerance in Air Traffic Networks

The goal of an intrusion tolerant network is to continue to provide predictable and reliable communication in the presence of a limited num ber of compromised network components. The behavior of a compromised network component ranges from a node that no longer responds to a nod e that is under the control of a malicious entity that is actively tr ying to cause other nodes to fail. Most current data communication ne tworks do not include support for tolerating unconstrained misbehavio r of components in the network. However, the fault tolerance communit y has developed protocols that provide both predictable and reliable communication in the presence of the worst possible behavior of a limited number of nodes in the system. One may view a malicious entity in a communication network as a node that has failed and is behaving in an arbitrary manner. NASA/Langley Research Center has developed one such fault-tolerant computing platform called SPIDER (Scalable Proces sor-Independent Design for Electromagnetic Resilience). The protocols and interconnection mechanisms of SPIDER may be adapted to large-sca le, distributed communication networks such as would be required for future Air Traffic Management systems. The predictability and reliabi lity guarantees provided by the SPIDER protocols have been formally v erified. This analysis can be readily adapted to similar network stru ctures.

Maddalon, Jeffrey M.↗

Binary tree eigen solver in finite element analysis

This paper presents a transputer-based binary tree eigensolver for the solution of the generalized eigenproblem in linear elastic finite element analysis. The algorithm is based on the method of recursive doubling, which parallel implementation of a number of associative operations on an arbitrary set having N elements is of the order of o(log2N), compared to (N-1) steps if implemented sequentially. The hardware used in the implementation of the binary tree consists of 32 transputers. The algorithm is written in OCCAM which is a high-level language developed with the transputers to address parallel programming constructs and to provide the communications between processors. The algorithm can be replicated to match the size of the binary tree transputer network. Parallel and sequential finite element analysis programs have been developed to solve for the set of the least-order eigenpairs using the modified subspace method. The speed-up obtained for a typical analysis problem indicates close agreement with the theoretical prediction given by the method of recursive doubling.

Akl, F. A.↗

CP‐SyNet: A tool for generating customised cyber‐power synthetic network for distribution systems with distributed energy resources

Abstract The integration of distributed energy resources and advancement in information technology has enabled the transition of traditional power distribution systems to active cyber‐physical distribution systems. A growing amount of research has been done on the modelling, analysis, and optimisation of power distribution system behaviour. However, existing publicly available distribution test feeders are limited in numbers and have minimal features. Furthermore, these test feeders do not include cyber models and are not customisable. To bridge this gap, we propose and develop Cyber‐physical synthetic distribution system network (CP‐SyNet), a tool for generating customisable cyber‐physical synthetic distribution test feeders. CP‐SyNet generates three‐phase unbalanced test feeders according to users' requirements, while simultaneously considering both the cyber side and the physical side of the network for cyber‐physical analysis. The physical test network is developed using a graph‐theoretical approach that employs information from existing test feeders. The cyber side considers an equivalent communication network by transforming the physical topology into possible and feasible simulated network. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework to generate cyber‐physical test feeders.

Wang, Lusha↗

A Benefit Analysis of Infusing Wireless into Aircraft and Fleet Operations - Report to Seedling Project Efficient Reconfigurable Cockpit Design and Fleet Operations Using Software Intensive, Network Enabled, Wireless Architecture (ECON)

We report on an examination of potential benefits of infusing wireless technologies into various areas of aircraft and airspace operations. The analysis is done in support of a NASA seedling project Efficient Reconfigurable Cockpit Design and Fleet Operations Using Software Intensive, Network Enabled Wireless Architecture (ECON). The study has two objectives. First, we investigate one of the main benefit hypotheses of the ECON proposal: that the replacement of wired technologies with wireless would lead to significant weight reductions on an aircraft, among other benefits. Second, we advance a list of wireless technology applications and discuss their system benefits. With regard to the primary hypothesis, we conclude that the promise of weight reduction is premature. Specificity of the system domain and aircraft, criticality of components, reliability of wireless technologies, the weight of replacement or augmentation equipment, and the cost of infusion must all be taken into account among other considerations, to produce a reliable estimate of weight savings or increase.

Alexandrov, Natalia↗

Developing Data-Driven Synthetic Infrastructure Models for Resilience Analysis

Research on infrastructure resilience has produced promising methods to simulate and optimize complex networks to improve performance. However, restrictions on sharing infrastructure models and the steep cost of developing and maintaining infrastructure models presents a roadblock to adoption. To overcome this limitation, this research focuses on methods to create data-driven infrastructure models that will help improve infrastructure resilience and security. The analysis couples incomplete utility data, geospatial data, machine learning, and synthetic network generation methods to rapidly develop and update infrastructure models. The methods are validated using realistic utility models and site-specific data, with a focus on Puerto Rico due to its unique infrastructure challenges and available data. This research highlights promising opportunities for the use of synthetic network generation and machine learning to create infrastructure models when very little data is available. Results demonstrate that hybrid methods, which combine sparse utility data with synthetic models, can enhance model accuracy, and machine learning can predict model attributes using training data from other models. However, the complexity of infrastructure systems means that even minor changes in network connectivity can significantly impact simulation results. Resilience analysis using synthetic infrastructure models shows that while some system behaviors are preserved, the magnitude of disruptions may not be accurately represented, indicating the need for more research and validation before using synthetic models for critical infrastructure investment decisions. The framework outlined in this report represents a significant advance to infrastructure model development and could be applied to additional domains and sites. Future research will continue to streamline and validate methods to help reduce roadblocks to resilience analysis.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Classification of ion mobility spectra by functional groups using neural networks

Neural networks were trained using whole ion mobility spectra from a standardized database of 3137 spectra for 204 chemicals at various concentrations. Performance of the network was measured by the success of classification into ten chemical classes. Eleven stages for evaluation of spectra and of spectral pre-processing were employed and minimums established for response thresholds and spectral purity. After optimization of the database, network, and pre-processing routines, the fraction of successful classifications by functional group was 0.91 throughout a range of concentrations. Network classification relied on a combination of features, including drift times, number of peaks, relative intensities, and other factors apparently including peak shape. The network was opportunistic, exploiting different features within different chemical classes. Application of neural networks in a two-tier design where chemicals were first identified by class and then individually eliminated all but one false positive out of 161 test spectra. These findings establish that ion mobility spectra, even with low resolution instrumentation, contain sufficient detail to permit the development of automated identification systems.

Non-NASA Center↗

Porosity evolution under increasing tension in wire-arc additively manufactured aluminum using in-situ micro-computed tomography and convolutional neural network

Internal defects such as porosities are often formed in additively manufactured metal components. The pores nucleate, grow, and coalesce to form cracks under loads, leading to eventual catastrophic failure. Here, in this paper, the full-field porosity evolution, including pore growth and coalescence in a wire-arc additively manufactured (WAAM) aluminum alloy cylinder under tension is observed with in-situ X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). The pore size distribution, density, and tensile stress are calculated from the volumetric images analyzed by a convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm, which provides rapid analysis of 12,950 slice images from μCT volumetric images at the reference state and 13 tensile strains. The results show the quantitative evolution of the growth and coalescence of macropores under tension. A strong correlation is found between the local pore volume fraction and the true tensile stress when the tensile strain is larger than 5%.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Three approaches to reliability analysis

It is noted that current reliability analysis tools differ not only in their solution techniques, but also in their approach to model abstraction. The analyst must be satisfied with the constraints that are intrinsic to any combination of solution technique and model abstraction. To get a better idea of the nature of these constraints, three reliability analysis tools (HARP, ASSIST/SURE, and CAME) were used to model portions of the Integrated Airframe/Propulsion Control System architecture. When presented with the example problem, all three tools failed to produce correct results. In all cases, either the tool or the model had to be modified. It is suggested that most of the difficulty is rooted in the large model size and long computational times which are characteristic of Markov model solutions.

Mesh networks↗

Firmware Tampering Detection in Heavy-Duty Vehicles through J1939 CAN Analysis

Modern heavy-duty vehicles rely on complex networks of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that communicate using the J1939 protocol. While this system makes it easier to update and configure vehicle components, it also opens the door to serious cybersecurity risks if not properly secured. This work investigates the potential for firmware tampering through the J1939 communication protocol, which enables ECU configuration and reprogramming over the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. By monitoring CAN traffic during legitimate maintenance operations and reverse-engineering OEM diagnostic software, we identified common and proprietary J1939 message identifiers, authentication patterns, and vulnerabilities within Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS). These findings demonstrate that inadequate authentication mechanisms can allow malicious actors to alter ECU firmware or disable safety functions, posing severe operational and safety risks. Our analysis contributes to the development of vehicle intrusion detection systems capable of recognizing abnormal reprogramming activity and future firmware fingerprinting methods to verify software integrity across ECUs. This work highlights the importance of standardizing secure firmware authentication across manufacturers to strengthen cyber resilience in heavy-duty vehicle systems.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

A Principled Framework to Assess the Information-Theoretic Fitness of Brain Functional Sub-Circuits

In systems and network neuroscience, many common practices in brain connectomic analysis are often not properly scrutinized. One such practice is mapping a predetermined set of sub-circuits, like functional networks (FNs), onto subjects’ functional connectomes (FCs) without adequately assessing the information-theoretic appropriateness of the partition. Another practice that goes unchallenged is thresholding weighted FCs to remove spurious connections without justifying the chosen threshold. This paper leverages recent theoretical advances in Stochastic Block Models (SBMs) to formally define and quantify the information-theoretic fitness (e.g., prominence) of a predetermined set of FNs when mapped to individual FCs under different fMRI task conditions. Our framework allows for evaluating any combination of FC granularity, FN partition, and thresholding strategy, thereby optimizing these choices to preserve the important topological features of the human brain connectomes. By applying to the Human Connectome Project with Schaefer parcellations at multiple levels of granularity, the framework showed that the common thresholding value of 0.25 was indeed information-theoretically valid for group-average FCs, despite its previous lack of justification. Our results pave the way for the proper use of FNs and thresholding methods, and provide insights for future research in individualized parcellations.

Duong-Tran, Duy (ORCID:0009000944967575)↗

Integrated End-to-end Performance Prediction and Diagnosis for Extreme Scientific Workflows

This report details recent progress for the ASCR funded project “Integrated End-to-end Performance Prediction and Diagnosis for Extreme Scientific Workflows”. We refer to the project as IPPD/2, reflecting the 2017 renewal under expanded scope and partners In IPPD/2, we increased our research scope to include data motion. We are focusing on three major aspects: a) observe how data is generated, distributed, and used; b) analyze how data is (repeatedly) consumed with a focus both on repeated patterns and anomalies; and c) explore how to optimize data motion. This new work on data motion will augment and complement IPPD/2’s research that focused on the computational aspects of tasks. We leverage and extend our existing tools and demonstrate our work on the Belle II workflow suite as well as on workflows from NSLS-II. The highlights of our work are as follows: Provenance for Workflows: Provenance is used to provide information enabling quality control, re-run computational workflows, and reproduce results. IPPD/2 has been building a scalable provenance management system that enables the capture of provenance from the high-level workflow through all relevant system levels in one integrated environment. Leveraging this work, our recent efforts have included using provenance as an enabling technique. Workload characterization: Leveraging provenance and analysis, we characterize data movement within network, storage, and memory over a variety of workloads. This characterization enables an understanding by performance analysts and application developers of the range of behaviors that could be expected. Performance Prediction for Workflows: The goal of modeling distributed workflows is to understand performance bottlenecks and enable more intelligent task scheduling to optimize selected metrics of interest (e.g., task throughput or output data rate). IPPD/2 has utilized both analytical and AI/ML modeling methodologies for performance modeling. Advanced Scheduling and Fault Modeling for Workflows: Scheduling of large-scale scientific workflows on geographically distributed resources is a challenging problem. To improve workflow throughput, we combined novel scheduling algorithms with task predictions from performance modeling and fault modeling. Dynamically Alleviating Bottlenecks in Workflows: Exploiting our provenance, analysis, and modeling efforts, we have explored and developed several techniques for dynamically detecting and alleviating bottlenecks in data movement. In particular, we have spent considerable effort demonstrating our techniques on production-like workflow configurations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A TCN-Based Hybrid Forecasting Framework for Hours-Ahead Utility-Scale PV Forecasting

This paper presents a Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN) based hybrid PV forecasting framework for enhancing hours-ahead utility-scale PV forecasting. The hybrid framework consists of two forecasting models: a physics-based trend forecasting (TF) model and a data-driven fluctuation forecasting (FF) model. Three TCNs are integrated in the framework for: i) blending the inputs from different Numerical Weather Prediction sources for the TF model to achieve superior performance on forecasting hourly PV profiles, ii) capturing spatial-temporal correlations between detector sites and the target site in the FF model to achieve more accurate forecast of intra- hour PV power drops, and iii) reconciling TF and FF results to obtain coherent hours-ahead PV forecast with both hourly trends and intra-hour fluctuations well preserved. To automatically identify the most contributive neighboring sites for forming a detector network, a scenario-based correlation analysis method is developed, which significantly improves the capability of the FF model on capturing large power fluctuations caused by cloud movements. Here, the framework is developed, tested, and validated using actual PV data collected from 95 PV farms in North Carolina. Simulation results show that the performance of 6 hours ahead PV power forecasting is improved by 20% - 30% compared with state-of-the-art methods.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Coronal Heating, Spicules, and Solar-B

Falconer et al. investigated the heating of the quiet corona by measuring the increase of coronal luminosity with the amount of the magnetic flux in the underlying network at solar minimum when there were no active regions on the face of the Sun. The coronal luminosity was measured from Fe IX/X - Fe XII pairs of coronal images from SOHO/EIT, under the assumption that practically all of the coronal luminosity in these very quiet regions came from plasma in the temperature range 0.9 x 10(exp 6) K is less than or equal to T is less than or equal to 1.3 x 10(exp 6) K. The network magnetic flux content was measured from SOHO/MDI magnetograms. It was found that luminosity of the corona in these quiet regions increased roughly in proportion to the square root of the magnetic flux content of the network and roughly in proportion to the length of the perimeter of the network flux clumps. From 1) this result; 2) the observed occurrence of many fine-scale explosive events (e.g., spicules) at the edges of network flux clumps; and 3) a demonstration that it is energetically feasible for the heating of the corona in quiet regions to be driven by explosions of granule-sized sheared-core magnetic bipoles embedded in the edges of the network flux clumps, Falconer et al. infer that in quiet regions that are not influenced by active regions the corona is mainly heated by such magnetic activity in the edges of the network flux clumps. From their observational results together with their feasibility analysis, Falconer et al. predict that 1) At the edges of the network flux clumps there are many transient sheared core bipoles of the size and lifetime of granules and having transverse field strengths greater than approx. 100 G; 2) Approx. 30 of these bipoles are present per supergranule; and 3) Most spicules are produced by explosions of these bipoles. The photospheric vector magnetograms, chromospheric filtergrams, and EUV spectra from Solar-B are expected to have sufficient sensitivity, spatial resolution, and cadence to test these predictions. The Falconer et al. (2003) inferred mixed-polarity magnetic flux at the base of spicules is compatible with the observed magnetic structure of Ha macrospicules recently found by Yamuchi et al. (2003).

Moore, Ron↗

A UML Profile for State Analysis

State Analysis is a systems engineering methodology for the specification and design of control systems, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The methodology emphasizes an analysis of the system under control in terms of States and their properties and behaviors and their effects on each other, a clear separation of the control system from the controlled system, cognizance in the control system of the controlled system's State, goal-based control built on constraining the controlled system's States, and disciplined techniques for State discovery and characterization. State Analysis (SA) introduces two key diagram types: State Effects and Goal Network diagrams. The team at JPL developed a tool for performing State Analysis. The tool includes a drawing capability, backed by a database that supports the diagram types and the organization of the elements of the SA models. But the tool does not support the usual activities of software engineering and design - a disadvantage, since systems to which State Analysis can be applied tend to be very software-intensive. This motivated the work described in this paper: the development of a preliminary Unified Modeling Language (UML) profile for State Analysis. Having this profile would enable systems engineers to specify a system using the methods and graphical language of State Analysis, which is easily linked with a larger system model in SysML (Systems Modeling Language), while also giving software engineers engaged in implementing the specified control system immediate access to and use of the SA model, in the same language, UML, used for other software design. That is, a State Analysis profile would serve as a shared modeling bridge between system and software models for the behavior aspects of the system. This paper begins with an overview of State Analysis and its underpinnings, followed by an overview of the mapping of SA constructs to the UML metamodel. It then delves into the details of these mappings and the constraints associated with them. Finally, we give an example of the use of the profile for expressing an example SA model.

Murray, Alex↗

Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) Plume Design Reference Mission (DRM) Inter-Satellite Link Modeling, Analysis and Simulation

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Radical Innovation Initiative (RI2) plans to focus intently on DSM capability advancements in FY22-24. A DSM mission involves multiple spacecraft, arranged in a constellation, to achieve one or more common goals via the use of inter-satellite links (ISL) between the satellites. Recently, the GSFC Internal Research & Development (IRAD) program established Enceladus as a design reference mission (DRM) for the current DSM effort to foster the conceptual development of communication architecture, requirements, and solutions for future DSM ISL, as well as being able to push other research areas of interest. Enceladus is an icy moon of the planet Saturn. The DRM Enceladus mission concept involves a constellation of 24 small satellites, orbiting Enceladus around 100 km altitude in 3 planes, as observing nodes for science measurement. The mission science data will be sent back to Earth through a relay orbiting Saturn, using the constellation’s inter-satellite links. A QualNet/STK simulation model of the Relay and constellation ISL optical and RF links is developed for the design and optimization of the link and orbital parameters, as well as the inter-networking protocols. Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) is utilized in the application layer modeling. This paper describes the plume DRM mission concept of an Enceladus constellation to relay science data to Earth and includes the proposed communication architecture and operation concepts. We present details of the QualNet/STK engineering model for this communication scenario to simulate the end-to-end data traffic through multiple layers (physical, data link, networking, transport and application). A link analysis for the constellation’s ISL, constellation to Relay and Direct to Earth (DTE) optical link is provided and discussed. The results of end-to-end traffic simulation for the data throughout/latency evaluation and assessment of the communication architecture are presented. The investigation of the concept of optical multiple access (OMA) for the Plume DRM is discussed. The modeling and simulation methodology developed in this paper is applicable to other DSMs in near Earth and deep space such as Earth-Moon L1/L2 and Lunar regions.

Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) Inter-satelli↗

Deployed quantum link characterization via Bayesian ancilla-assisted process tomography

The development of large-scale quantum networks requires reliable quantum channels, the quality of which can be quantified by the framework of quantum process tomography. Here, in this work, we leverage ancilla-assisted process tomography (AAPT) and Bayesian inference to probe a 1.6 km deployed fiber-optic link. We send one of the two polarization-entangled photons at Alice in one building to Bob in another, exploiting the local qubit as an ancilla system to characterize the corresponding quantum channel. Monitoring over a 24 h period returns a steady process fidelity of 97.6(1)%, while controllable spectral filtering with passbands from 0.025 to 4.38 THz finds fidelities that first increase, and then level off with bandwidth, suggesting both stable operation with time and minimal polarization mode dispersion. To our knowledge, these results represent the first AAPT of a deployed quantum link, revealing a valuable tool for in situ analysis of entanglement-based quantum networks.

Rahman, Arefur [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (Un↗