Software defined intelligent satellite-terrestrial integrated networks:Insights and challenges

Satellite-Terrestrial integrated Networks(STNs)have been advocated by both academia and industry as a promising network paradigm to achieve service continuity and ubiquity.However,STNs suffer from problems including poor flexibility of network architecture,low adaptability to dynamic environments,the lack of network intelligence,and low resource utilization.To handle these challenges,a Software defined Intelligent STN(SISTN)architecture is introduced.Specifically,the hierarchical architecture of the proposal is described and a distributed deployment scheme for SISTNs controllers is proposed to realize agile and effective network management and control.Moreover,three use cases in SISTNs are discussed.Meanwhile,key techniques and their corresponding solutions are presented,followed by the identification of several open issues in SISTNs including compatibility with existing networks,the tradeoff between network flexibility and performance,and so on.

Statistical QoS Provisioning Architecture for 6G Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated Networks

The emergence of massive ultra-reliable and low latency communications (mURLLC) as a category of age/time/reliability-sensitive service over 6G wireless networks has received considerable research attention, which has presented unprecedented challenges. As one of the key enablers for 6G,satellite-terrestrial integrated networks (STIN) have been developed to offer more expansive connectivity and comprehensive 3D coverage in space-aerial-terrestrial domains for supporting 6G mission-critical mURLLC applications while fulfilling diverse and rigorous quality of service (QoS) requirements. In the context of these mURLLC-driven satellite services, data freshness assumes paramount importance, as outdated data may engender unpredictable or catastrophic outcomes.To effectively measure data freshness in satellite-terrestrial integrated communications,age of information(AoI)has recently surfaced as a new dimension of QoS metric to support time-sensitive applications. It is crucial to design new analytical models that ensure stringent and diverse QoS metrics bounded by different key parameters,including AoI,delay,and reliability,over 6G satellite-terrestrial integrated networks. However,due to the complicated and dynamic nature of satellite-terrestrial integrated network environments, the research on efficiently defining new statistical QoS provisioning schemes while taking into account varying degrees of freedom has still been in their infancy. To remedy these deficiencies, in this paper we develop statistical QoS provisioning schemes over 6G satellite-terrestrial integrated networks in the finite blocklength regime. Particularly, we firstly introduce and review key technologies for supporting mURLLC.Secondly,we formulate a number of novel fundamental statistical-QoS metrics in the finite blocklength regime.Finally,we conduct a set of simulations to validate and evaluate our developed statistical QoS provisioning schemes over satellite-terrestrial integrated networks.

Jamming-Aided Secure Communication in Ultra-Dense LEO Integrated Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

The ultra-dense low earth orbit(LEO)integrated satellite-terrestrial networks(UDLEO-ISTN)can bring lots of benefits in terms of wide coverage,high capacity,and strong robustness.Meanwhile,the broadcasting and open natures of satellite links also reveal many challenges for transmission security protection,especially for eavesdropping defence.How to efficiently take advantage of the LEO satellite’s density and ensure the secure communication by leveraging physical layer security with the cooperation of jammers deserves further investigation.To our knowledge,using satellites as jammers in UDLEO-ISTN is still a new problem since existing works mainly focused on this issue only from the aspect of terrestrial networks.To this end,we study in this paper the cooperative secrecy communication problem in UDLEOISTN by utilizing several satellites to send jamming signal to the eavesdroppers.An iterative scheme is proposed as our solution to maximize the system secrecy energy efficiency(SEE)via jointly optimizing transmit power allocation and user association.Extensive experiment results verify that our designed optimization scheme can significantly enhance the system SEE and achieve the optimal power allocation and user association strategies.

A Self-Attention Based Dynamic Resource Management for Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

The satellite-terrestrial networks possess the ability to transcend geographical constraints inherent in traditional communication networks,enabling global coverage and offering users ubiquitous computing power support,which is an important development direction of future communications.In this paper,we take into account a multi-scenario network model under the coverage of low earth orbit(LEO)satellite,which can provide computing resources to users in faraway areas to improve task processing efficiency.However,LEO satellites experience limitations in computing and communication resources and the channels are time-varying and complex,which makes the extraction of state information a daunting task.Therefore,we explore the dynamic resource management issue pertaining to joint computing,communication resource allocation and power control for multi-access edge computing(MEC).In order to tackle this formidable issue,we undertake the task of transforming the issue into a Markov decision process(MDP)problem and propose the self-attention based dynamic resource management(SABDRM)algorithm,which effectively extracts state information features to enhance the training process.Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of effectively reducing the long-term average delay and energy consumption of the tasks.

Online Learning-Based Offloading Decision and Resource Allocation in Mobile Edge Computing-Enabled Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

Mobile edge computing(MEC)-enabled satellite-terrestrial networks(STNs)can provide Internet of Things(IoT)devices with global computing services.Sometimes,the network state information is uncertain or unknown.To deal with this situation,we investigate online learning-based offloading decision and resource allocation in MEC-enabled STNs in this paper.The problem of minimizing the average sum task completion delay of all IoT devices over all time periods is formulated.We decompose this optimization problem into a task offloading decision problem and a computing resource allocation problem.A joint optimization scheme of offloading decision and resource allocation is then proposed,which consists of a task offloading decision algorithm based on the devices cooperation aided upper confidence bound(UCB)algorithm and a computing resource allocation algorithm based on the Lagrange multiplier method.Simulation results validate that the proposed scheme performs better than other baseline schemes.

Average Secrecy Capacity of the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Assisted Integrated Satellite Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Relay Networks

Integrated satellite unmanned aerial vehicle relay networks(ISUAVRNs)have become a prominent topic in recent years.This paper investigates the average secrecy capacity(ASC)for reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-enabled ISUAVRNs.Especially,an eve is considered to intercept the legitimate information from the considered secrecy system.Besides,we get detailed expressions for the ASC of the regarded secrecy system with the aid of the reconfigurable intelligent.Furthermore,to gain insightful results of the major parameters on the ASC in high signalto-noise ratio regime,the approximate investigations are further gotten,which give an efficient method to value the secrecy analysis.At last,some representative computer results are obtained to prove the theoretical findings.

Enhancing Renewable Energy Integration:A Gaussian-Bare-Bones Levy Cheetah Optimization Approach to Optimal Power Flow in Electrical Networks

In the contemporary era,the global expansion of electrical grids is propelled by various renewable energy sources(RESs).Efficient integration of stochastic RESs and optimal power flow(OPF)management are critical for network optimization.This study introduces an innovative solution,the Gaussian Bare-Bones Levy Cheetah Optimizer(GBBLCO),addressing OPF challenges in power generation systems with stochastic RESs.The primary objective is to minimize the total operating costs of RESs,considering four functions:overall operating costs,voltage deviation management,emissions reduction,voltage stability index(VSI)and power loss mitigation.Additionally,a carbon tax is included in the objective function to reduce carbon emissions.Thorough scrutiny,using modified IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus systems,validates GBBLCO’s superior performance in achieving optimal solutions.Simulation results demonstrate GBBLCO’s efficacy in six optimization scenarios:total cost with valve point effects,total cost with emission and carbon tax,total cost with prohibited operating zones,active power loss optimization,voltage deviation optimization and enhancing voltage stability index(VSI).GBBLCO outperforms conventional techniques in each scenario,showcasing rapid convergence and superior solution quality.Notably,GBBLCO navigates complexities introduced by valve point effects,adapts to environmental constraints,optimizes costs while considering prohibited operating zones,minimizes active power losses,and optimizes voltage deviation by enhancing the voltage stability index(VSI)effectively.This research significantly contributes to advancing OPF,emphasizing GBBLCO’s improved global search capabilities and ability to address challenges related to local minima.GBBLCO emerges as a versatile and robust optimization tool for diverse challenges in power systems,offering a promising solution for the evolving needs of renewable energy-integrated power grids.

Dynamic QoS Mapping and Adaptive Semi-Persistent Scheduling in 5G-TSN Integrated Networks

The ubiquitous and deterministic communication systems are becoming indispensable for future vertical applications such as industrial automation systems and smart grids.5G-TSN(Time-Sensitive Networking)integrated networks with the 5G system(5GS)as a TSN bridge are promising to provide the required communication service.To guarantee the endto-end(E2E)QoS(Quality of Service)performance of traffic is a great challenge in 5G-TSN integrated networks.A dynamic QoS mapping method is proposed in this paper.It is based on the improved K-means clustering algorithm and the rough set theory(IKCRQM).The IKC-RQM designs a dynamic and loadaware QoS mapping algorithm to improve its flexibility.An adaptive semi-persistent scheduling(ASPS)mechanism is proposed to solve the challenging deterministic scheduling in 5GS.It includes two parts:one part is the persistent resource allocation for timesensitive flows,and the other part is the dynamic resource allocation based on the max-min fair share algorithm.Simulation results show that the proposed IKC-RQM algorithm achieves flexible and appropriate QoS mapping,and the ASPS performs corresponding resource allocations to guarantee the deterministic transmissions of time-sensitive flows in 5G-TSN integrated networks.

Blockchain Based Secure Relay Scheme for Space-Terrestrial Integrated Networks

The future 6G networks will integrates space and terrestrial networks to realize a fully connected world with extensive collaboration.However,how to build trust between multiple parties is a difficult problem for secure cooperation without a reliable third-party.Blockchain is a promising technology to solve this problem by converting the trust between multi-parties to the trust to the common shared data.Several works have proposed to apply the incentive mechanism in blockchain to encourage effective cooperation,but how to evaluate the cooperation performance and avoid breach of contract is not discussed.In this paper,a secure relay scheme is proposed based on the consortium blockchain system composed by different operators.In particular,smart contract checks the integrity of the message based on RSA accumulator,and executes transactions automatically when the message is delivered successfully.Detailed procedures are introduced for both uplink and downlink relay.Implementation based on Hyperledger Fabric proves the effectiveness of the proposed scheme and shows that the complexity of the scheme is low enough for practical deployment.

NOMA Empowered Energy Efficient Data Collection and Wireless Power Transfer in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks

As the sixth generation network(6G)emerges,the Internet of remote things(IoRT)has become a critical issue.However,conventional terrestrial networks cannot meet the delay-sensitive data collection needs of IoRT networks,and the Space-Air-Ground integrated network(SAGIN)holds promise.We propose a novel setup that integrates non-orthogonal multiple access(NOMA)and wireless power transfer(WPT)to collect latency-sensitive data from IoRT networks.To extend the lifetime of devices,we aim to minimize the maximum energy consumption among all IoRT devices.Due to the coupling between variables,the resulting problem is non-convex.We first decouple the variables and split the original problem into four subproblems.Then,we propose an iterative algorithm to solve the corresponding subproblems based on successive convex approximation(SCA)techniques and slack variables.Finally,simulation results show that the NOMA strategy has a tremendous advantage over the OMA scheme in terms of network lifetime and energy efficiency,providing valuable insights.

An Integrated Image Task Planning in Satellite Networks:From Instruction Release and Observation Perspective

The unreasonable observation arrangements in the satellite operation control center(SOCC)may result in the observation data cannot be downloaded as scheduled.Meanwhile,if the operation instructions released by the satellite telemetry tracking center(STTC)for the on-board payloads are not injected on the specific satellites in time,the corresponding satellites cannot perform the observation operations as planned.Therefore,there is an urgent need to design an integrated instruction release,and observation task planning(I-IRO-TP)scheme by efficiently collaborating the SOCC and STTC.Motivated by this fact,we design an interaction mechanism between the SOCC and the STTC,where we first formulate the I-IRO-TP problem as a constraint satisfaction problem aiming at maximizing the number of completed tasks.Furthermore,we propose an interactive imaging task planning algorithm based on the analysis of resource distribution in the STTC during the previous planning periods to preferentially select the observation arcs that not only satisfy the requirements in the observation resource allocation phase but also facilitate the arrangement of measurement and control instruction release.We conduct extensive simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of the number of completed tasks.

Covert Communication in Integrated High Altitude Platform Station Terrestrial Networks

In recent years,Internet of Things(IoT)technology has emerged and gradually sprung up.As the needs of largescale IoT applications cannot be satisfied by the fifth generation(5G)network,wireless communication network needs to be developed into the sixth generation(6G)network.However,with the increasingly prominent security problems of wireless communication networks such as 6G,covert communication has been recognized as one of the most promising solutions.Covert communication can realize the transmission of hidden information between both sides of communication to a certain extent,which makes the transmission content and transmission behavior challenging to be detected by noncooperative eavesdroppers.In addition,the integrated high altitude platform station(HAPS)terrestrial network is considered a promising development direction because of its flexibility and scalability.Based on the above facts,this article investigates the covert communication in an integrated HAPS terrestrial network,where a constant power auxiliary node is utilized to send artificial noise(AN)to realize the covert communication.Specifically,the covert constraint relationship between the transmitting and auxiliary nodes is derived.Moreover,the closed-form expressions of outage probability(OP)and effective covert communication rate are obtained.Finally,numerical results are provided to verify our analysis and reveal the impacts of critical parameters on the system performance.

Secrecy Outage Probability for Two-Way Integrated Satellite Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Relay Networks with Hardware Impairments

In this paper,we investigate the secrecy outage performance for the two-way integrated satellite unmanned aerial vehicle relay networks with hardware impairments.Particularly,the closed-form expression for the secrecy outage probability is obtained.Moreover,to get more information on the secrecy outage probability in a high signalto-noise regime,the asymptotic analysis along with the secrecy diversity order and secrecy coding gain for the secrecy outage probability are also further obtained,which presents a fast method to evaluate the impact of system parameters and hardware impairments on the considered network.Finally,Monte Carlo simulation results are provided to show the efficiency of the theoretical analysis.

Design and verification of a satellite-terrestrial integrated IP network model for the Global Energy Interconnection

In order to meet the pressing demand for wide-area communication required by the Global Energy Interconnection(GEI),accelerating the construction of satellite-terrestrial Integra怕d networks that can achieve network extension and seamless global coverage has become the focus of power communication tech no logy development.In this study,we propose a satellite-terrestrial integrated network model that can support interconnection and interoperation on the IP layer between the satellite system and the怕rrestrial segment of the existing power communication system.First,the composition and function of the satellite-terrestrial collaborative network are explained.Then,the IP-based protocol stack is described,and a typical applicati on experime nt is con ducted to illustrate the particular process of this protocol stack.Fin ally,a use case of IP interconn ection that depends on GEO satellite communication is detailed.The experime ntal study has showed that the satellite-terrestrial collaborative network can efficiently support various IP applications for the GEI.

Comprehensive integration of single-cell transcriptomic data illuminates the regulatory network architecture of plant cell fate specification

Plant morphogenesis relies on precise gene expression programs at the proper time and position which is orchestrated by transcription factors(TFs)in intricate regulatory networks in a cell-type specific manner.Here we introduced a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of Arabidopsis seedlings.This atlas is the result of meticulous integration of 63 previously published scRNA-seq datasets,addressing batch effects and conserving biological variance.This integration spans a broad spectrum of tissues,including both below-and above-ground parts.Utilizing a rigorous approach for cell type annotation,we identified 47 distinct cell types or states,largely expanding our current view of plant cell compositions.We systematically constructed cell-type specific gene regulatory networks and uncovered key regulators that act in a coordinated manner to control cell-type specific gene expression.Taken together,our study not only offers extensive plant cell atlas exploration that serves as a valuable resource,but also provides molecular insights into gene-regulatory programs that varies from different cell types.

Trajectory tracking guidance of interceptor via prescribed performance integral sliding mode with neural network disturbance observer

This paper investigates interception missiles’trajectory tracking guidance problem under wind field and external disturbances in the boost phase.Indeed,the velocity control in such trajectory tracking guidance systems of missiles is challenging.As our contribution,the velocity control channel is designed to deal with the intractable velocity problem and improve tracking accuracy.The global prescribed performance function,which guarantees the tracking error within the set range and the global convergence of the tracking guidance system,is first proposed based on the traditional PPF.Then,a tracking guidance strategy is derived using the integral sliding mode control techniques to make the sliding manifold and tracking errors converge to zero and avoid singularities.Meanwhile,an improved switching control law is introduced into the designed tracking guidance algorithm to deal with the chattering problem.A back propagation neural network(BPNN)extended state observer(BPNNESO)is employed in the inner loop to identify disturbances.The obtained results indicate that the proposed tracking guidance approach achieves the trajectory tracking guidance objective without and with disturbances and outperforms the existing tracking guidance schemes with the lowest tracking errors,convergence times,and overshoots.

Photonic integrated neuro-synaptic core for convolutional spiking neural network

Neuromorphic photonic computing has emerged as a competitive computing paradigm to overcome the bottlenecks of the von-Neumann architecture.Linear weighting and nonlinear spike activation are two fundamental functions of a photonic spiking neural network(PSNN).However,they are separately implemented with different photonic materials and devices,hindering the large-scale integration of PSNN.Here,we propose,fabricate and experimentally demonstrate a photonic neuro-synaptic chip enabling the simultaneous implementation of linear weighting and nonlinear spike activation based on a distributed feedback(DFB)laser with a saturable absorber(DFB-SA).A prototypical system is experimentally constructed to demonstrate the parallel weighted function and nonlinear spike activation.Furthermore,a fourchannel DFB-SA laser array is fabricated for realizing matrix convolution of a spiking convolutional neural network,achieving a recognition accuracy of 87%for the MNIST dataset.The fabricated neuro-synaptic chip offers a fundamental building block to construct the large-scale integrated PSNN chip.

A complementary integrated Transformer network for hyperspectral image classification

In the past,convolutional neural network(CNN)has become one of the most popular deep learning frameworks,and has been widely used in Hyperspectral image classification tasks.Convolution(Conv)in CNN uses filter weights to extract features in local receiving domain,and the weight parameters are shared globally,which more focus on the highfrequency information of the image.Different from Conv,Transformer can obtain the long‐term dependence between long‐distance features through modelling,and adaptively focus on different regions.In addition,Transformer is considered as a low‐pass filter,which more focuses on the low‐frequency information of the image.Considering the complementary characteristics of Conv and Transformer,the two modes can be integrated for full feature extraction.In addition,the most important image features correspond to the discrimination region,while the secondary image features represent important but easily ignored regions,which are also conducive to the classification of HSIs.In this study,a complementary integrated Transformer network(CITNet)for hyperspectral image classification is proposed.Firstly,three‐dimensional convolution(Conv3D)and two‐dimensional convolution(Conv2D)are utilised to extract the shallow semantic information of the image.In order to enhance the secondary features,a channel Gaussian modulation attention module is proposed,which is embedded between Conv3D and Conv2D.This module can not only enhance secondary features,but suppress the most important and least important features.Then,considering the different and complementary characteristics of Conv and Transformer,a complementary integrated Transformer module is designed.Finally,through a large number of experiments,this study evaluates the classification performance of CITNet and several state‐of‐the‐art networks on five common datasets.The experimental results show that compared with these classification networks,CITNet can provide better classification performance.

Challenges of the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation in Financing the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network and the Way Forward: The Case of Standard Gauge Railway in Tanzania

Financing of the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN) through Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Projects is very expensive. As a result, most of the African countries seek financial supports from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). However, conditions provided by the IFIs through the Performance Standards (PS) of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) increase cost of the projects and thus, it becomes a burden to most of the African countries. This study aimed to explore the causes of IFC-PS through the SGR Projects that escalate costs and how to address them. The Tanzania SGR Lot 1 Project that covered 205 km from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro was selected as a case study. The methods used for data collection involved literature review, focus group discussions and interviews. The results and findings show a gap between the IFC-PS and the National Laws and Regulations that escalates costs of the projects if funds from the IFIs were to be secured. To bridge the gap, it is recommended that the African countries should engage into negotiations with the IFIs to agree to waive IFC-PS conditions that escalate costs provided they are adequately covered in the national laws and regulations;engagement of locally established national and regional financial institutions;and the responsible government institutions in the African countries should sit together for assessment and review of the IFC-PS against the national laws and regulations.

UAV-Aided Data and Energy Integrated Network: System Design and Prototype Development

Terminal devices deployed in outdoor environments are facing a thorny problem of power supply.Data and energy integrated network(DEIN)is a promising technology to solve the problem,which simultaneously transfers data and energy through radio frequency signals.State-of-the-art researches mostly focus on theoretical aspects.By contrast,we provide a complete design and implementation of a fully functioning DEIN system with the support of an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV).The UAV can be dispatched to areas of interest to remotely recharge batteryless terminals,while collecting essential information from them.Then,the UAV uploads the information to remote base stations.Our system verifies the feasibility of the DEIN in practical applications.