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At least 1,585 records · Page 88

Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) Integration into Model- Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

Engineering design in the field of industrial engineering, such as designing automated factories or warehouses, is critical for the effective operation of facilities. Any design flaws introduced early can result in significant capital expenses to correct. However, early-stage engineering design is inherently complex. The systems are not yet built, requiring designers to integrate various aspects, including digital engineering and cybersecurity, to support virtual representations throughout the design process. In this study, we propose an approach to integrate Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) principles into model-based systems engineering (MBSE). This approach facilitates the development of a digital thread for engineering systems, ensuring secure digital artifacts in the design of industrial engineering systems.

42 - ENGINEERING↗

Sampling-based Uncertainty Quantification in Deconvolution of X-ray Radiographs

In imaging applications that focus on quantitative analysis{such as X-ray radiography in the security sciences--it is necessary to be able to reliably estimate the uncertainties in the processing algorithms applied to the image data, and deconvolving the system blur out of the image is usually an essential step. In this work we solve the deconvolution problem within a Bayesian framework for edge-enhancing reconstruction with uncertainty quantification. The likelihood is a normal approximation to the Poisson likelihood, and the prior is generated from a classical total variation regularized Poisson deconvolution. Samples from the corresponding posterior distribution are computed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach, giving a pointwise measure of uncertainty in the final, deconvolved signal. We demonstrate the results on real data used to calibrate a high-energy X-ray source and show that this approach gives reconstructions as good as classical regularization methods, while mitigating many of their drawbacks.

Deconvolution, Inverse Problems, Markov Chain Mont↗

Building a FAIR data ecosystem for incorporating single-cell transcriptomics data into agricultural genome to phenome research

Introduction The agriculture genomics community has numerous data submission standards available, but the standards for describing and storing single-cell (SC, e.g., scRNA- seq) data are comparatively underdeveloped. Methods To bridge this gap, we leveraged recent advancements in human genomics infrastructure, such as the integration of the Human Cell Atlas Data Portal with Terra, a secure, scalable, open-source platform for biomedical researchers to access data, run analysis tools, and collaborate. In parallel, the Single Cell Expression Atlas at EMBL-EBI offers a comprehensive data ingestion portal for high-throughput sequencing datasets, including plants, protists, and animals (including humans). Developing data tools connecting these resources would offer significant advantages to the agricultural genomics community. The FAANG data portal at EMBL-EBI emphasizes delivering rich metadata and highly accurate and reliable annotation of farmed animals but is not computationally linked to either of these resources. Results Herein, we describe a pilot-scale project that determines whether the current FAANG metadata standards for livestock can be used to ingest scRNA-seq datasets into Terra in a manner consistent with HCA Data Portal standards. Importantly, rich scRNA-seq metadata can now be brokered through the FAANG data portal using a semi-automated process, thereby avoiding the need for substantial expert curation. We have further extended the functionality of this tool so that validated and ingested SC files within the HCA Data Portal are transferred to Terra for further analysis. In addition, we verified data ingestion into Terra, hosted on Azure, and demonstrated the use of a workflow to analyze the first ingested porcine scRNA-seq dataset. Additionally, we have also developed prototype tools to visualize the output of scRNA-seq analyses on genome browsers to compare gene expression patterns across tissues and cell populations. This JBrowse tool now features distinct tracks, showcasing PBMC scRNA-seq alongside two bulk RNA-seq experiments. Discussion We intend to further build upon these existing tools to construct a scientist-friendly data resource and analytical ecosystem based on Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) SC principles to facilitate SC-level genomic analysis through data ingestion, storage, retrieval, re-use, visualization, and comparative annotation across agricultural species.

Genetics & Heredity↗

Co-Operative Resource Allocation: Building an Open Cloud Market Using Shared Infrastructure

In this paper we present DRIVE, a distributed service-based system designed to facilitate an open economic market for federating Cloud providers. Additionally, to address the challenges associated with market ownership and operation we propose the use of a cooperative (co-op) infrastructure in which the services that make up DRIVE are hosted across participants' resources. To prevent malicious behavior we use cryptographic, secure and privacy preserving allocation protocols as a means of establishing trust in the allocation infrastructure. Finally, we investigate through simulation the effect of different strategies, pricing functions, and penalty models on allocation performance and revenue, and show that the overhead of running DRIVE's services on commodity infrastructure is modest.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Scribe Network API v.1.0.0

SAND2023-07864O Scribe Network API is an add-on tool for Scribe3D software. Scribe Network API documents tabletop exercises in trainings and plays back simulated videos of the scenarios and responses. Users can apply the software to compiled projects, or to a simple visual studio project solution package. The software runs a web application that relays information between computers using Scribe3D through a web application, or web app. The web app involves a representational state transfer (REST) application programming interface that handles sending and receiving Scribe save files and an SQL server that stores the save files. This follow-on package allows users to facilitate a networked tabletop exercise. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Noel, Todd↗

Recovery Act - LADWP Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Program Final Technical Report

LADWP collaborated with its project partners to carry out this demonstration in the designated areas to include two university campuses – the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) – surrounding neighborhoods, City of Los Angeles facilities, and LADWP power system test labs. The last project partner, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was responsible for the cyber security aspects of the project. The program’s use cases provided insightful information to understand triggers for customers, distributors, and generators to adapt their behavior which aid in reducing system demands and costs, increasing energy efficiency, and increasing grid reliability.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Cyber Security Gap Analysis for Critical Energy Systems (CSGACES)

This study describes a cyber security research & development (R&D) gap analysis and research plan to address cyber security for industrial control system (ICS) supporting critical energy systems (CES). The Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) team addressed a long-term perspective for the R&D planning and gap analysis. Investment will posture CES for sustained and resilient energy operations well into the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SUMMIT v2.1 Summary Report

Standard Unified Modeling Mapping and Integration Toolkit (SUMMIT) is a software capability developed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) under the direction and funding of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). SUMMIT is a scalable platform technology for linking together “best-in-class” models, data, and simulation tools to enable analysts, emergency planners and incident managers to more effectively, economically, and rapidly prepare, analyze, train, and respond to real or potential incidents. The SUMMIT software architecture was created under the Integrated Modeling, Mapping, and Simulation (IMMS) Project and was motivated by the issuance of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD-8) which called for continuous improvement of our Nation’s preparedness to respond to catastrophic events. Furthermore, a state-of-the-art training and exercise facility called the National Exercise Simulation Center (NESC) was established within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Bioenergy Research: Opportunities and Challenges

The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) with automated experimentation, genomics, biosystems design, and bioprocessing technologies is poised to revolutionize scientific investigation and, particularly, bioenergy research. To identify the opportunities and challenges in this emerging research area, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Biological and Environmental Research program (BER) and Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) held a joint virtual workshop on AI/ML for Bioenergy Research (AMBER) on August 23–25, 2022. These interests have since been amplified in a September 2022 Executive Order, “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure U.S. Bioeconomy,” to promote a whole-of government approach to biotechnology development (White House 2022). Approximately 50 scientists with various backgrounds and expertise from academia, industry, and DOE national laboratories met to discuss the opportunities and challenges of AI/ML for bioenergy research. Workshop participants were tasked with assessing the potential for AI/ML and laboratory automation to advance biological understanding and engineering in general. They particularly examined how integrating AI/ML tools with laboratory automation could accelerate biosystems design and optimize biomanufacturing. Discussions included the data and computational infrastructure needed to augment biosystems design applications and the expertise and workforce development efforts urgently required to shift integrated systems toward bioenergy research more broadly. Participants discussed many existing and future applications of AI/ML for biosystems design ranging from enzymes to plants and microbes, microbiomes, and bioprocess development. They also identified three key categories of scientific and technical opportunities and challenges: high-quality data, AI/ML algorithms, and laboratory automation. Several main takeaways emerged from the workshop: 1. Numerous AI/ML and automated experimentation applications exist for a variety of DOE mission needs in energy and the environment; 2. Exemplary research grand challenges for which AI/ML could provide solutions include: building microbes and microbial communities to specifications, developing closed-loop autonomous design and control for biosystems design, and advancing scale-up and automation; 3. Lack of sufficient high-quality, annotated data hinders the development of AI/ML applications; 4. New and improved AI/ML tools are needed, particularly those meeting the specific needs of the BER and BETO research communities; 5. Trade-offs in performance, cost, and reliability exist between deploying commercially available versus building custom-developed instrumentation and software for automated or autonomous experimentation; translation of manual to automated or autonomous methods is often a nontrivial endeavor; 6. Training a new generation of young scientists who can develop and apply AI/ML tools is needed to solve long-standing scientific challenges in bioenergy research. The integration of AI/ML tools and automated experimentation represents a new data-driven research paradigm complementary to the traditional hypothesis-driven research paradigm. This paradigm accelerates design and optimization of biological systems and processes for a variety of DOE mission needs in energy and the environment. The AMBER workshop broadly explored the potential of this new paradigm for bioenergy research, of particular interest to BER and BETO, and identified key challenges and opportunities that DOE can address in the coming years by leveraging its unique capabilities and resources.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

LLM Generation of Online Courses from a Curated Set of Documents in the Nuclear Safeguards Domain

A multidisciplinary team at Argonne National Laboratory explores the application of advanced technologies to enhance knowledge transfer and retention within the nuclear safeguards domain. Specifically, it examines the feasibility of leveraging secure large language models (LLMs) to streamline the creation of e-learning modules for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of International Nuclear Safeguards (NA-241). The initiative addresses the critical need for preserving institutional memory and accelerating skill development amidst the imminent retirement of senior professionals in the field in addition to supporting good knowledge management practices. The project integrates instructional design theory with cutting-edge AI technologies to transform curated document sets from the Safeguards Knowledge Repository (SKR) into modular online courses. By automating the generation of learning objectives and instructional content, the effort aims to reduce manual effort while maintaining high-quality educational outcomes. A limited measure of human supervision, however, ensures accuracy, relevance, and alignment with NNSA’s strategic priorities. Key findings highlight the potential of AI-assisted course generation to support safeguards professionals by creating structured, interactive learning experiences. The report underscores the importance of SME validation to address limitations in AI-generated content, such as terminology errors and gaps in coverage. Recommendations include adopting a structured workflow combining LLM acceleration with expert oversight to ensure accuracy, usability, and alignment with learner needs. This work demonstrates Argonne’s commitment to advancing national security and scientific excellence through innovative knowledge management solutions.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Cybersecurity at the Grid Edge: Protecting LA's Energy Systems in a Connected World

Join SoCalGas and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) for an insightful webinar on securing operational technology and energy systems. Los Angeles has the second-largest metro by population in the nation, making it vital to protect the energy infrastructure that powers day-to-day life. However, cybersecurity for energy systems is an immense challenge due to an increasing number of interconnected devices and stakeholders. While there was traditionally a limited need to secure energy infrastructure, the grid is only becoming smarter and more software-defined. Amid aging infrastructure and evolving cyber threats, the need to ensure the security of energy is at an all-time high. Together, SoCalGas and NLR are assessing the current state-of-the-art of the energy ecosystem to understand gaps in current best practices and technologies relevant to powering the city of Los Angeles.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Provable Security and Resilience in Critical Infrastructure – Next Steps

With the conclusion of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project on Provable Security and Resilience (PSaR) in Critical Infrastructure, we present forward-looking technical concepts and strategies that build on the project’s outcomes and INL’s long-standing expertise in infrastructure protection. The challenge is to protect critical infrastructure and functions much more efficiently at scale than capable adversaries can attack at scale. After summarizing progress and ongoing work we’ll discuss what are the challenges that remain and what are new/emerging technologies, strategies, and processes to meet those challenges. Finally, we’ll layout concepts that integrate with other protection work in the coming year and beyond. For example, building secure function-specific platforms based on the seL4 microkernel, and considering the successes of Cyber-Informed Engineering as a model for engage, collaboration, and adoption. We look forward to your feedback and collaboration as we refine and expand this vision.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Mechanistic within-host mathematical model of inhalational anthrax

We present a mathematical model of the dynamics of Bacillus anthracis bacteria within the lymph nodes and blood of a host, following inhalation of an initial dose of spores. We also incorporate the dynamics of protective antigen, which is the binding component of the anthrax toxin produced by the bacteria. The model offers a mechanistic description of the early infection dynamics of inhalational anthrax, while its stochastic nature allows us to study the probabilities of different outcomes (for example, how likely it is that the infection will be cleared for a given inhaled dose of spores) in order to explain dose-response data for inhalational anthrax. The model is calibrated via a Bayesian approach, using in vivo data from New Zealand white rabbit and guinea pig infection studies, enabling within-host parameters to be estimated. We also leverage incubation-period data from the Sverdlovsk 1979 anthrax outbreak to show that the model can accurately describe human time-to-symptoms data under reasonable parameter regimes. Finally, we derive a simple approximate formula for the probability of symptom onset before time t, assuming that the number of inhaled spores has a Poisson distribution.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Earth Sciences Applications for Energy and Global Security: A Few Vignettes [Slides]

Understanding the physics of flow and transport in the subsurface environment is crucial to several National Security applications. In the Energy Security realm, some examples include characterizing radioactive waste disposal, exploring natural gas extraction and sequestering CO2. An example in the Global Security arena is to be able to distinguish between anthropogenic and naturally occurring seismic disturbances, the former being of particular concern as underground nuclear testing activity has seen an increase in recent years. A common theme across these applications is the ability to accurately model fluid flow in porous and/or fractured subsurface media. For decades, researchers have grappled with how to include the effects of uncertainties in these models, including but not limited to heterogeneity, unknown initial and boundary conditions and issues with scalability. More recently advances in computing and machine learning methodologies have allowed a broader exploration of the uncertainty space as we strive for real time decision making. I will present an overview of the field and discuss a few examples of how my own research in these topics has evolved over nearly two decades.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Spotlight: Quantum Information Science and Technology

U.S. stakeholders from academia, industry, and government recognize the need for the United States to cement itself as a technology leader in the coming quantum economy. Our national investments in quantum technology must keep pace with those of other countries to secure a significant share of future markets and the associated economic opportunities. This spotlight document showcases DOE's efforts in the arena of Quantum Information Science & Technology, highlighting significant public-private engagements, DOE programs, and funding opportunities designed to keep America at the fore of this rapidly developing suite of technologies.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Universal Utility Data Exchange (UUDEX) Initial Interview Results

The purpose of the Universal Utility Data Exchange (UUDEX) project is to develop a flexible utility communications protocol that can dynamically accommodate new data elements and new users partners while remaining secure. The first step toward the development of this tool is to understand data exchange requirements from stakeholders in the industry. Towards this end, we performed a survey of five different energy industry stakeholders. This document captures a summary of our initial findings.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Green Button Extensibility Assessment

In September 2011, the federal government announced a “call to action” to create a mechanism to enable utility consumers to download their energy usage history from their utilities’ secure websites in a standardized electronic format. That effort was christened the Green Button initiative, drawing on the success of the Blue Button initiative delivered by the US Department of Defense in 2009 as a secure, online access mechanism to download patient health information through the TriCare online portal.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

LLGoMAX : Enhancing Industry-Standard Tools for AC Optimal Unit Commitment

In 2018, the Advanced Research Project Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) launched the Grid Optimization Competition (GOC) [1], a series of competitive challenges intended to accelerate innovation in decision support software used to schedule power grid operations, making them as efficient as possible, while respecting operational constraints of power equipment and operational security. This report covers the participation of the LLGoMAX team—a collaboration of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and ECCO International, Inc.—in Challenge 3 of the competition.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗