Robust peer-to-peer learning via secure multi-party computation

To solve the data island problem,federated learning(FL)provides a solution paradigm where each client sends the model parameters but not the data to a server for model aggregation.Peer-to-peer(P2P)federated learning further improves the robustness of the system,in which there is no server and each client communicates directly with the other.For secure aggregation,secure multi-party computing(SMPC)protocols have been utilized in peer-to-peer manner.However,the ideal SMPC protocols could fail when some clients drop out.In this paper,we propose a robust peer-to-peer learning(RP2PL)algorithm via SMPC to resist clients dropping out.We improve the segmentbased SMPC protocol by adding a check and designing the generation method of random segments.In RP2PL,each client aggregates their models by the improved robust secure multi-part computation protocol when finishes the local training.Experimental results demonstrate that the RP2PL paradigm can mitigate clients dropping out with no significant degradation in performance.

Computational Experiments for Complex Social Systems:Experiment Design and Generative Explanation

Powered by advanced information technology,more and more complex systems are exhibiting characteristics of the cyber-physical-social systems(CPSS).In this context,computational experiments method has emerged as a novel approach for the design,analysis,management,control,and integration of CPSS,which can realize the causal analysis of complex systems by means of“algorithmization”of“counterfactuals”.However,because CPSS involve human and social factors(e.g.,autonomy,initiative,and sociality),it is difficult for traditional design of experiment(DOE)methods to achieve the generative explanation of system emergence.To address this challenge,this paper proposes an integrated approach to the design of computational experiments,incorporating three key modules:1)Descriptive module:Determining the influencing factors and response variables of the system by means of the modeling of an artificial society;2)Interpretative module:Selecting factorial experimental design solution to identify the relationship between influencing factors and macro phenomena;3)Predictive module:Building a meta-model that is equivalent to artificial society to explore its operating laws.Finally,a case study of crowd-sourcing platforms is presented to illustrate the application process and effectiveness of the proposed approach,which can reveal the social impact of algorithmic behavior on“rider race”.

EG-STC: An Efficient Secure Two-Party Computation Scheme Based on Embedded GPU for Artificial Intelligence Systems

This paper presents a comprehensive exploration into the integration of Internet of Things(IoT),big data analysis,cloud computing,and Artificial Intelligence(AI),which has led to an unprecedented era of connectivity.We delve into the emerging trend of machine learning on embedded devices,enabling tasks in resource-limited environ-ments.However,the widespread adoption of machine learning raises significant privacy concerns,necessitating the development of privacy-preserving techniques.One such technique,secure multi-party computation(MPC),allows collaborative computations without exposing private inputs.Despite its potential,complex protocols and communication interactions hinder performance,especially on resource-constrained devices.Efforts to enhance efficiency have been made,but scalability remains a challenge.Given the success of GPUs in deep learning,lever-aging embedded GPUs,such as those offered by NVIDIA,emerges as a promising solution.Therefore,we propose an Embedded GPU-based Secure Two-party Computation(EG-STC)framework for Artificial Intelligence(AI)systems.To the best of our knowledge,this work represents the first endeavor to fully implement machine learning model training based on secure two-party computing on the Embedded GPU platform.Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of EG-STC.On an embedded GPU with a power draw of 5 W,our implementation achieved a secure two-party matrix multiplication throughput of 5881.5 kilo-operations per millisecond(kops/ms),with an energy efficiency ratio of 1176.3 kops/ms/W.Furthermore,leveraging our EG-STC framework,we achieved an overall time acceleration ratio of 5–6 times compared to solutions running on server-grade CPUs.Our solution also exhibited a reduced runtime,requiring only 60%to 70%of the runtime of previously best-known methods on the same platform.In summary,our research contributes to the advancement of secure and efficient machine learning implementations on resource-constrained embedded devices,paving the way for broader adoption of AI technologies in various applications.

From the perspective of experimental practice: High-throughput computational screening in photocatalysis

Photocatalysis,a critical strategy for harvesting sunlight to address energy demand and environmental concerns,is underpinned by the discovery of high-performance photocatalysts,thereby how to design photocatalysts is now generating widespread interest in boosting the conversion effi-ciency of solar energy.In the past decade,computational technologies and theoretical simulations have led to a major leap in the development of high-throughput computational screening strategies for novel high-efficiency photocatalysts.In this viewpoint,we started with introducing the challenges of photocatalysis from the view of experimental practice,especially the inefficiency of the traditional“trial and error”method.Sub-sequently,a cross-sectional comparison between experimental and high-throughput computational screening for photocatalysis is presented and discussed in detail.On the basis of the current experimental progress in photocatalysis,we also exemplified the various challenges associated with high-throughput computational screening strategies.Finally,we offered a preferred high-throughput computational screening procedure for pho-tocatalysts from an experimental practice perspective(model construction and screening,standardized experiments,assessment and revision),with the aim of a better correlation of high-throughput simulations and experimental practices,motivating to search for better descriptors.

A fast forward computational method for nuclear measurement using volumetric detection constraints

Owing to the complex lithology of unconventional reservoirs,field interpreters usually need to provide a basis for interpretation using logging simulation models.Among the various detection tools that use nuclear sources,the detector response can reflect various types of information of the medium.The Monte Carlo method is one of the primary methods used to obtain nuclear detection responses in complex environments.However,this requires a computational process with extensive random sampling,consumes considerable resources,and does not provide real-time response results.Therefore,a novel fast forward computational method(FFCM)for nuclear measurement that uses volumetric detection constraints to rapidly calculate the detector response in various complex environments is proposed.First,the data library required for the FFCM is built by collecting the detection volume,detector counts,and flux sensitivity functions through a Monte Carlo simulation.Then,based on perturbation theory and the Rytov approximation,a model for the detector response is derived using the flux sensitivity function method and a one-group diffusion model.The environmental perturbation is constrained to optimize the model according to the tool structure and the impact of the formation and borehole within the effective detection volume.Finally,the method is applied to a neutron porosity tool for verification.In various complex simulation environments,the maximum relative error between the calculated porosity results of Monte Carlo and FFCM was 6.80%,with a rootmean-square error of 0.62 p.u.In field well applications,the formation porosity model obtained using FFCM was in good agreement with the model obtained by interpreters,which demonstrates the validity and accuracy of the proposed method.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of rapid pyrolysis of solid waste magnesium nitrate hydrate under different injection methods

This study developed a numerical model to efficiently treat solid waste magnesium nitrate hydrate through multi-step chemical reactions.The model simulates two-phase flow,heat,and mass transfer processes in a pyrolysis furnace to improve the decomposition rate of magnesium nitrate.The performance of multi-nozzle and single-nozzle injection methods was evaluated,and the effects of primary and secondary nozzle flow ratios,velocity ratios,and secondary nozzle inclination angles on the decomposition rate were investigated.Results indicate that multi-nozzle injection has a higher conversion efficiency and decomposition rate than single-nozzle injection,with a 10.3%higher conversion rate under the design parameters.The decomposition rate is primarily dependent on the average residence time of particles,which can be increased by decreasing flow rate and velocity ratios and increasing the inclination angle of secondary nozzles.The optimal parameters are injection flow ratio of 40%,injection velocity ratio of 0.6,and secondary nozzle inclination of 30°,corresponding to a maximum decomposition rate of 99.33%.

Flow Field Characteristics of Multi-Trophic Artificial Reef Based on Computation Fluid Dynamics

On the basis of computational fluid dynamics,the flow field characteristics of multi-trophic artificial reefs,including the flow field distribution features of a single reef under three different velocities and the effect of spacing between reefs on flow scale and the flow state,were analyzed.Results indicate upwelling,slow flow,and eddy around a single reef.Maximum velocity,height,and volume of upwelling in front of a single reef were positively correlated with inflow velocity.The length and volume of slow flow increased with the increase in inflow velocity.Eddies were present both inside and backward,and vorticity was positively correlated with inflow velocity.Space between reefs had a minor influence on the maximum velocity and height of upwelling.With the increase in space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L(L is the reef lehgth),the length of slow flow in the front and back of the combined reefs increased slightly.When the space was 2.0 L,the length of the slow flow decreased.In four different spaces,eddies were present inside and at the back of each reef.The maximum vorticity was negatively correlated with space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L,but under 2.0 L space,the maximum vorticity was close to the vorticity of a single reef under the same inflow velocity.

GCAGA: A Gini Coefficient-Based Optimization Strategy for Computation Offloading in Multi-User-Multi-Edge MEC System

To support the explosive growth of Information and Communications Technology(ICT),Mobile Edge Comput-ing(MEC)provides users with low latency and high bandwidth service by offloading computational tasks to the network’s edge.However,resource-constrained mobile devices still suffer from a capacity mismatch when faced with latency-sensitive and compute-intensive emerging applications.To address the difficulty of running computationally intensive applications on resource-constrained clients,a model of the computation offloading problem in a network consisting of multiple mobile users and edge cloud servers is studied in this paper.Then a user benefit function EoU(Experience of Users)is proposed jointly considering energy consumption and time delay.The EoU maximization problem is decomposed into two steps,i.e.,resource allocation and offloading decision.The offloading decision is usually given by heuristic algorithms which are often faced with the challenge of slow convergence and poor stability.Thus,a combined offloading algorithm,i.e.,a Gini coefficient-based adaptive genetic algorithm(GCAGA),is proposed to alleviate the dilemma.The proposed algorithm optimizes the offloading decision by maximizing EoU and accelerates the convergence with the Gini coefficient.The simulation compares the proposed algorithm with the genetic algorithm(GA)and adaptive genetic algorithm(AGA).Experiment results show that the Gini coefficient and the adaptive heuristic operators can accelerate the convergence speed,and the proposed algorithm performs better in terms of convergence while obtaining higher EoU.The simulation code of the proposed algorithm is available:https://github.com/Grox888/Mobile_Edge_Computing/tree/GCAGA.

Numerical Analysis of Bacterial Meningitis Stochastic Delayed Epidemic Model through Computational Methods

Based on theWorld Health Organization(WHO),Meningitis is a severe infection of the meninges,the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.It is a devastating disease and remains a significant public health challenge.This study investigates a bacterial meningitis model through deterministic and stochastic versions.Four-compartment population dynamics explain the concept,particularly the susceptible population,carrier,infected,and recovered.The model predicts the nonnegative equilibrium points and reproduction number,i.e.,the Meningitis-Free Equilibrium(MFE),and Meningitis-Existing Equilibrium(MEE).For the stochastic version of the existing deterministicmodel,the twomethodologies studied are transition probabilities and non-parametric perturbations.Also,positivity,boundedness,extinction,and disease persistence are studiedrigorouslywiththe helpofwell-known theorems.Standard and nonstandard techniques such as EulerMaruyama,stochastic Euler,stochastic Runge Kutta,and stochastic nonstandard finite difference in the sense of delay have been presented for computational analysis of the stochastic model.Unfortunately,standard methods fail to restore the biological properties of the model,so the stochastic nonstandard finite difference approximation is offered as an efficient,low-cost,and independent of time step size.In addition,the convergence,local,and global stability around the equilibria of the nonstandard computational method is studied by assuming the perturbation effect is zero.The simulations and comparison of the methods are presented to support the theoretical results and for the best visualization of results.

Effect of solvent on the initiation mechanism of living anionic polymerization of styrene:A computational study

For living anionic polymerization(LAP),solvent has a great influence on both reaction mechanism and kinetics.In this work,by using the classical butyl lithium-styrene polymerization as a model system,the effect of solvent on the mechanism and kinetics of LAP was revealed through a strategy combining density functional theory(DFT)calculations and kinetic modeling.In terms of mechanism,it is found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the more electrons transfer from initiator to solvent through detailed energy decomposition analysis of electrostatic interactions between initiator and solvent molecules.Furthermore,we also found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the higher the monomer initiation energy barrier and the smaller the initiation rate coefficient.Counterintuitively,initiation is more favorable at lower temperatures based on the calculated results ofΔG_(TS).Finally,the kinetic characteristics in different solvents were further examined by kinetic modeling.It is found that in benzene and n-pentane,the polymerization rate exhibits first-order kinetics.While,slow initiation and fast propagation were observed in tetrahydrofuran(THF)due to the slow free ion formation rate,leading to a deviation from first-order kinetics.

Two-Stage IoT Computational Task Offloading Decision-Making in MEC with Request Holding and Dynamic Eviction

The rapid development of Internet of Things(IoT)technology has led to a significant increase in the computational task load of Terminal Devices(TDs).TDs reduce response latency and energy consumption with the support of task-offloading in Multi-access Edge Computing(MEC).However,existing task-offloading optimization methods typically assume that MEC’s computing resources are unlimited,and there is a lack of research on the optimization of task-offloading when MEC resources are exhausted.In addition,existing solutions only decide whether to accept the offloaded task request based on the single decision result of the current time slot,but lack support for multiple retry in subsequent time slots.It is resulting in TD missing potential offloading opportunities in the future.To fill this gap,we propose a Two-Stage Offloading Decision-making Framework(TSODF)with request holding and dynamic eviction.Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM)-based task-offloading request prediction and MEC resource release estimation are integrated to infer the probability of a request being accepted in the subsequent time slot.The framework learns optimized decision-making experiences continuously to increase the success rate of task offloading based on deep learning technology.Simulation results show that TSODF reduces total TD’s energy consumption and delay for task execution and improves task offloading rate and system resource utilization compared to the benchmark method.

Computation Tree Logic Model Checking of Multi-Agent Systems Based on Fuzzy Epistemic Interpreted Systems

Model checking is an automated formal verification method to verify whether epistemic multi-agent systems adhere to property specifications.Although there is an extensive literature on qualitative properties such as safety and liveness,there is still a lack of quantitative and uncertain property verifications for these systems.In uncertain environments,agents must make judicious decisions based on subjective epistemic.To verify epistemic and measurable properties in multi-agent systems,this paper extends fuzzy computation tree logic by introducing epistemic modalities and proposing a new Fuzzy Computation Tree Logic of Knowledge(FCTLK).We represent fuzzy multi-agent systems as distributed knowledge bases with fuzzy epistemic interpreted systems.In addition,we provide a transformation algorithm from fuzzy epistemic interpreted systems to fuzzy Kripke structures,as well as transformation rules from FCTLK formulas to Fuzzy Computation Tree Logic(FCTL)formulas.Accordingly,we transform the FCTLK model checking problem into the FCTL model checking.This enables the verification of FCTLK formulas by using the fuzzy model checking algorithm of FCTL without additional computational overheads.Finally,we present correctness proofs and complexity analyses of the proposed algorithms.Additionally,we further illustrate the practical application of our approach through an example of a train control system.

End-to-end computational design for an EUV solar corona multispectral imager with stray light suppression

An extreme ultraviolet solar corona multispectral imager can allow direct observation of high temperature coronal plasma,which is related to solar flares,coronal mass ejections and other significant coronal activities.This manuscript proposes a novel end-to-end computational design method for an extreme ultraviolet(EUV)solar corona multispectral imager operating at wavelengths near 100 nm,including a stray light suppression design and computational image recovery.To suppress the strong stray light from the solar disk,an outer opto-mechanical structure is designed to protect the imaging component of the system.Considering the low reflectivity(less than 70%)and strong-scattering(roughness)of existing extreme ultraviolet optical elements,the imaging component comprises only a primary mirror and a curved grating.A Lyot aperture is used to further suppress any residual stray light.Finally,a deep learning computational imaging method is used to correct the individual multi-wavelength images from the original recorded multi-slit data.In results and data,this can achieve a far-field angular resolution below 7",and spectral resolution below 0.05 nm.The field of view is±3 R_(☉)along the multi-slit moving direction,where R☉represents the radius of the solar disk.The ratio of the corona's stray light intensity to the solar center's irradiation intensity is less than 10-6 at the circle of 1.3 R_(☉).

Outage Analysis of Optimal UAV Cooperation with IRS via Energy Harvesting Enhancement Assisted Computational Offloading

The utilization of mobile edge computing(MEC)for unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)communication presents a viable solution for achieving high reliability and low latency communication.This study explores the potential of employing intelligent reflective surfaces(IRS)andUAVs as relay nodes to efficiently offload user computing tasks to theMEC server system model.Specifically,the user node accesses the primary user spectrum,while adhering to the constraint of satisfying the primary user peak interference power.Furthermore,the UAV acquires energy without interrupting the primary user’s regular communication by employing two energy harvesting schemes,namely time switching(TS)and power splitting(PS).The selection of the optimal UAV is based on the maximization of the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio.Subsequently,the analytical expression for the outage probability of the system in Rayleigh channels is derived and analyzed.The study investigates the impact of various system parameters,including the number of UAVs,peak interference power,TS,and PS factors,on the system’s outage performance through simulation.The proposed system is also compared to two conventional benchmark schemes:the optimal UAV link transmission and the IRS link transmission.The simulation results validate the theoretical derivation and demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme over the benchmark schemes.

Mechanism of Universal Quantum Computation in the Brain

In this paper, the authors extend [1] and provide more details of how the brain may act like a quantum computer. In particular, positing the difference between voltages on two axons as the environment for ions undergoing spatial superposition, we argue that evolution in the presence of metric perturbations will differ from that in the absence of these waves. This differential state evolution will then encode the information being processed by the tract due to the interaction of the quantum state of the ions at the nodes with the “controlling’ potential. Upon decoherence, which is equal to a measurement, the final spatial state of the ions is decided and it also gets reset by the next impulse initiation time. Under synchronization, several tracts undergo such processes in synchrony and therefore the picture of a quantum computing circuit is complete. Under this model, based on the number of axons in the corpus callosum alone, we estimate that upwards of 50 million quantum states might be prepared and evolved every second in this white matter tract, far greater processing than any present quantum computer can accomplish.

Reform and Practice of the Course“Introduction to Computer Science”in Universities Based on the Cultivation of Computational Thinking and Systematic Abilities

Introduction to Computer Science,as one of the fundamental courses in computer-related majors,plays an important role in the cultivation of computer professionals.However,traditional teaching models and content can no longer fully meet the needs of modern information technology development.In response to these issues,this article introduces the concept of computational creative thinking,optimizes course content,adopts exploratory teaching methods,and innovates course assessment methods,aiming to comprehensively enhance students’computational thinking and innovative abilities.By continuously improving and promoting this teaching model,it will undoubtedly promote computer education in universities to a new level.

Research on the Assessment System of Computational Mechanics Courses Based on the TOPSIS Entropy Weight Model

This paper takes the assessment and evaluation of computational mechanics course as the background,and constructs a diversified course evaluation system that is student-centered and integrates both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods.The system not only pays attention to students’practical operation and theoretical knowledge mastery but also puts special emphasis on the cultivation of students’innovative abilities.In order to realize a comprehensive and objective evaluation,the assessment and evaluation method of the entropy weight model combining TOPSIS(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution)multi-attribute decision analysis and entropy weight theory is adopted,and its validity and practicability are verified through example analysis.This method can not only comprehensively and objectively evaluate students’learning outcomes,but also provide a scientific decision-making basis for curriculum teaching reform.The implementation of this diversified course evaluation system can better reflect the comprehensive ability of students and promote the continuous improvement of teaching quality.

Concretely ecient secure multi-party computation protocols:survey and mor

Secure multi-party computation(MPC)allows a set of parties to jointly compute a function on their private inputs,and reveals nothing but the output of the function.In the last decade,MPC has rapidly moved from a purely theoretical study to an object of practical interest,with a growing interest in practical applications such as privacy-preserving machine learning(PPML).In this paper,we comprehensively survey existing work on concretely ecient MPC protocols with both semi-honest and malicious security,in both dishonest-majority and honest-majority settings.We focus on considering the notion of security with abort,meaning that corrupted parties could prevent honest parties from receiving output after they receive output.We present high-level ideas of the basic and key approaches for designing di erent styles of MPC protocols and the crucial building blocks of MPC.For MPC applications,we compare the known PPML protocols built on MPC,and describe the eciency of private inference and training for the state-of-the-art PPML protocols.Further-more,we summarize several challenges and open problems to break though the eciency of MPC protocols as well as some interesting future work that is worth being addressed.This survey aims to provide the recent development and key approaches of MPC to researchers,who are interested in knowing,improving,and applying concretely ecient MPC protocols.

A verifiable privacy-preserving data collection scheme supporting multi-party computation in fog-based smart grid

Incorporation of fog computing with low latency,preprocession(e.g.,data aggregation)and location awareness,can facilitate fine-grained collection of smart metering data in smart grid and promotes the sustainability and efficiency of the grid.Recently,much attention has been paid to the research on smart grid,especially in protecting privacy and data aggregation.However,most previous works do not focus on privacy-preserving data aggregation and function computation query on enormous data simultaneously in smart grid based on fog computation.In this paper,we construct a novel verifiable privacy-preserving data collection scheme supporting multi-party computation(MPC),named VPDC-MPC,to achieve both functions simultaneously in smart grid based on fog computing.VPDC-MPC realizes verifiable secret sharing of users’data and data aggregation without revealing individual reports via practical cryptosystem and verifiable secret sharing scheme.Besides,we propose an efficient algorithm for batch verification of share consistency and detection of error reports if the external adversaries modify the SMs’report.Furthermore,VPDC-MPC allows both the control center and users with limited resources to obtain arbitrary arithmetic analysis(not only data aggregation)via secure multi-party computation between cloud servers in smart grid.Besides,VPDC-MPC tolerates fault of cloud servers and resists collusion.We also present security analysis and performance evaluation of our scheme,which indicates that even with tradeoff on computation and communication overhead,VPDC-MPC is practical with above features.

Nearly universal and efficient quantum secure multi-party computation protocol

Universality is an important property in software and hardware design.This paper concentrates on the universality of quantum secure multi-party computation(SMC)protocol.First of all,an in-depth study of universality has been conducted,and then a nearly universal protocol is proposed by using the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger(GHZ)-like state and stabilizer formalism.The protocol can resolve the quantum SMC problem which can be deduced as modulo subtraction,and the steps are simple and effective.Secondly,three quantum SMC protocols based on the proposed universal protocol:Quantum private comparison(QPC)protocol,quantum millionaire(QM)protocol,and quantum multi-party summation(QMS)protocol are presented.These protocols are given as examples to explain universality.Thirdly,analyses of the example protocols are shown.Concretely,the correctness,fairness,and efficiency are confirmed.And the proposed universal protocol meets security from the perspective of preventing inside attacks and outside attacks.Finally,the experimental results of the example protocols on the International Business Machines(IBM)quantum platform are consistent with the theoretical results.Our research indicates that our protocol is universal to a certain degree and easy to perform.