Prescribed Performance Tracking Control of Time-Delay Nonlinear Systems With Output Constraints

The problem of prescribed performance tracking control for unknown time-delay nonlinear systems subject to output constraints is dealt with in this paper. In contrast with related works, only the most fundamental requirements, i.e., boundedness and the local Lipschitz condition, are assumed for the allowable time delays. Moreover, we focus on the case where the reference is unknown beforehand, which renders the standard prescribed performance control designs under output constraints infeasible. To conquer these challenges, a novel robust prescribed performance control approach is put forward in this paper.Herein, a reverse tuning function is skillfully constructed and automatically generates a performance envelop for the tracking error. In addition, a unified performance analysis framework based on proof by contradiction and the barrier function is established to reveal the inherent robustness of the control system against the time delays. It turns out that the system output tracks the reference with a preassigned settling time and good accuracy,without constraint violations. A comparative simulation on a two-stage chemical reactor is carried out to illustrate the above theoretical findings.

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.

Numerical simulation for the initial state of avalanche in polydisperse particle systems

Numerical simulation is employed to investigate the initial state of avalanche in polydisperse particle systems.Nucleation and propagation processes are illustrated for pentadisperse and triadisperse particle systems,respectively.In these processes,particles involved in the avalanche grow slowly in the early stage and explosively in the later stage,which is clearly different from the continuous and steady growth trend in the monodisperse system.By examining the avalanche propagation,the number growth of particles involved in the avalanche and the slope of the number growth,the initial state can be divided into three stages:T1(nucleation stage),T2(propagation stage),T3(overall avalanche stage).We focus on the characteristics of the avalanche in the T2 stage,and find that propagation distances increase almost linearly in both axial and radial directions in polydisperse systems.We also consider the distribution characteristics of the average coordination number and average velocity for the moving particles.The results support that the polydisperse particle systems are more stable in the T2 stage.

Optimal Multi-Timescale Scheduling of Integrated Energy Systems with Hybrid Energy Storage System Based on Lyapunov Optimization

The economic operation of integrated energy system(IES)faces new challenges such as multi-timescale characteristics of heterogeneous energy sources,and cooperative operation of hybrid energy storage system(HESS).To this end,this paper investigates the multi-timescale rolling opti-mization problem for IES integrated with HESS.Firstly,the architecture of IES with HESS is established,a comparative analysis is conducted to evaluate the advantages of the HESS over a single energy storage system(SESS)in stabilizing power fluctuations.Secondly,the dayahead and real-time scheduling cost functions of IES are established,the day-ahead scheduling mainly depends on operation costs of the components in IES,the real-time optimal scheduling adopts the Lya-punov optimization method to schedule the battery and hydrogen energy storage in each time slot,so as to minimize the real-time average scheduling operation cost,and the problem of day-ahead and real-time scheduling error,which caused by the uncertainty of the energy storage is solved by online optimization.Finally,the proposed model is verified to reduce the scheduling operation cost and the dispatching error by performing an arithmetic example analysis of the IES in Shanghai,which provides a reference for the safe and stable operation of the IES.

Analysis and Design of Time-Delay Impulsive Systems Subject to Actuator Saturation

This paper investigates the exponential stability and performance analysis of nonlinear time-delay impulsive systems subject to actuator saturation. When continuous dynamics is unstable, under some conditions, it is shown that the system can be stabilized by a class of saturated delayed-impulses regardless of the length of input delays. Conversely, when the system is originally stable, it is shown that under some conditions, the system is robust with respect to sufficient small delayed-impulses. Moreover, the design problem of the controller with the goal of obtaining a maximized estimate of the domain of attraction is formulated via a convex optimization problem. Three examples are provided to demonstrate the validity of the main results.

Bipartite consensus problems of Lurie multi-agent systems over signed graphs: A contraction approach

This paper examines the bipartite consensus problems for the nonlinear multi-agent systems in Lurie dynamics form with cooperative and competitive communication between different agents. Based on the contraction theory, some new conditions for the nonlinear Lurie multi-agent systems reaching bipartite leaderless consensus and bipartite tracking consensus are presented. Compared with the traditional methods, this approach degrades the dimensions of the conditions, eliminates some restrictions of the system matrix, and extends the range of the nonlinear function. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the efficiency of our results.

Systems Theory-Driven Framework for AI Integration into the Holistic Material Basis Research of Traditional Chinese Medicine

This paper introduces a systems theory-driven framework to integration artificial intelligence(AI)into traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)research,enhancing the understanding of TCM’s holistic material basis while adhering to evidence-based principles.Utilizing the System Function Decoding Model(SFDM),the research progresses through define,quantify,infer,and validate phases to systematically explore TCM’s material basis.It employs a dual analytical approach that combines top-down,systems theory-guided perspectives with bottom-up,elements-structure-function methodologies,provides comprehensive insights into TCM’s holistic material basis.Moreover,the research examines AI’s role in quantitative assessment and predictive analysis of TCM’s material components,proposing two specific AIdriven technical applications.This interdisciplinary effort underscores AI’s potential to enhance our understanding of TCM’s holistic material basis and establishes a foundation for future research at the intersection of traditional wisdom and modern technology.

Classification of Cybersecurity Threats, Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures in Database Systems

Database systems have consistently been prime targets for cyber-attacks and threats due to the critical nature of the data they store.Despite the increasing reliance on database management systems,this field continues to face numerous cyber-attacks.Database management systems serve as the foundation of any information system or application.Any cyber-attack can result in significant damage to the database system and loss of sensitive data.Consequently,cyber risk classifications and assessments play a crucial role in risk management and establish an essential framework for identifying and responding to cyber threats.Risk assessment aids in understanding the impact of cyber threats and developing appropriate security controls to mitigate risks.The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of cyber risks in database management systems,including classifying threats,vulnerabilities,impacts,and countermeasures.This classification helps to identify suitable security controls to mitigate cyber risks for each type of threat.Additionally,this research aims to explore technical countermeasures to protect database systems from cyber threats.This study employs the content analysis method to collect,analyze,and classify data in terms of types of threats,vulnerabilities,and countermeasures.The results indicate that SQL injection attacks and Denial of Service(DoS)attacks were the most prevalent technical threats in database systems,each accounting for 9%of incidents.Vulnerable audit trails,intrusion attempts,and ransomware attacks were classified as the second level of technical threats in database systems,comprising 7%and 5%of incidents,respectively.Furthermore,the findings reveal that insider threats were the most common non-technical threats in database systems,accounting for 5%of incidents.Moreover,the results indicate that weak authentication,unpatched databases,weak audit trails,and multiple usage of an account were the most common technical vulnerabilities in database systems,each accounting for 9%of vulnerabilities.Additionally,software bugs,insecure coding practices,weak security controls,insecure networks,password misuse,weak encryption practices,and weak data masking were classified as the second level of security vulnerabilities in database systems,each accounting for 4%of vulnerabilities.The findings from this work can assist organizations in understanding the types of cyber threats and developing robust strategies against cyber-attacks.

Hyperbolic Tangent Function-Based Protocols for Global/Semi-Global Finite-Time Consensus of Multi-Agent Systems

This paper investigates the problem of global/semi-global finite-time consensus for integrator-type multi-agent sys-tems.New hyperbolic tangent function-based protocols are pro-posed to achieve global and semi-global finite-time consensus for both single-integrator and double-integrator multi-agent systems with leaderless undirected and leader-following directed commu-nication topologies.These new protocols not only provide an explicit upper-bound estimate for the settling time,but also have a user-prescribed bounded control level.In addition,compared to some existing results based on the saturation function,the pro-posed approach considerably simplifies the protocol design and the stability analysis.Illustrative examples and an application demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols.

Computing large deviation prefactors of stochastic dynamical systems based on machine learning

We present a large deviation theory that characterizes the exponential estimate for rare events in stochastic dynamical systems in the limit of weak noise.We aim to consider a next-to-leading-order approximation for more accurate calculation of the mean exit time by computing large deviation prefactors with the aid of machine learning.More specifically,we design a neural network framework to compute quasipotential,most probable paths and prefactors based on the orthogonal decomposition of a vector field.We corroborate the higher effectiveness and accuracy of our algorithm with two toy models.Numerical experiments demonstrate its powerful functionality in exploring the internal mechanism of rare events triggered by weak random fluctuations.

Risk-Informed Model-Free Safe Control of Linear Parameter-Varying Systems

This paper presents a risk-informed data-driven safe control design approach for a class of stochastic uncertain nonlinear discrete-time systems.The nonlinear system is modeled using linear parameter-varying(LPV)systems.A model-based probabilistic safe controller is first designed to guarantee probabilisticλ-contractivity(i.e.,stability and invariance)of the LPV system with respect to a given polyhedral safe set.To obviate the requirement of knowing the LPV system model and to bypass identifying its open-loop model,its closed-loop data-based representation is provided in terms of state and scheduling data as well as a decision variable.It is shown that the variance of the closedloop system,as well as the probability of safety satisfaction,depends on the decision variable and the noise covariance.A minimum-variance direct data-driven gain-scheduling safe control design approach is presented next by designing the decision variable such that all possible closed-loop system realizations satisfy safety with the highest confidence level.This minimum-variance approach is a control-oriented learning method since it minimizes the variance of the state of the closed-loop system with respect to the safe set,and thus minimizes the risk of safety violation.Unlike the certainty-equivalent approach that results in a risk-neutral control design,the minimum-variance method leads to a risk-averse control design.It is shown that the presented direct risk-averse learning approach requires weaker data richness conditions than existing indirect learning methods based on system identification and can lead to a lower risk of safety violation.Two simulation examples along with an experimental validation on an autonomous vehicle are provided to show the effectiveness of the presented approach.

A Review of Generative Adversarial Networks for Intrusion Detection Systems: Advances, Challenges, and Future Directions

The ever-growing network traffic threat landscape necessitates adopting accurate and robust intrusion detection systems(IDSs).IDSs have become a research hotspot and have seen remarkable performance improvements.Generative adversarial networks(GANs)have also garnered increasing research interest recently due to their remarkable ability to generate data.This paper investigates the application of(GANs)in(IDS)and explores their current use within this research field.We delve into the adoption of GANs within signature-based,anomaly-based,and hybrid IDSs,focusing on their objectives,methodologies,and advantages.Overall,GANs have been widely employed,mainly focused on solving the class imbalance issue by generating realistic attack samples.While GANs have shown significant potential in addressing the class imbalance issue,there are still open opportunities and challenges to be addressed.Little attention has been paid to their applicability in distributed and decentralized domains,such as IoT networks.Efficiency and scalability have been mostly overlooked,and thus,future works must aim at addressing these gaps.

Modelling of internal ballistics of gun systems:A review

A deep understanding of the internal ballistic process and the factors affecting it is of primary importance to efficiently design a gun system and ensure its safe management. One of the main goals of internal ballistics is to estimate the gas pressure into the combustion chamber and the projectile muzzle velocity in order to use the propellant to its higher efficiency while avoiding over-pressure phenomena. Dealing with the internal ballistic problem is a complex undertaking since it requires handling the interaction between different constituents during a transient time lapse with very steep rise of pressure and temperature. Several approaches have been proposed in the literature, based on different assumptions and techniques. Generally, depending on the used mathematical framework, they can be classified into two categories: computational fluid dynamics-based models and lumped-parameter ones. By focusing on gun systems, this paper offers a review of the main contributions in the field by mentioning their advantages and drawbacks. An insight into the limitations of the currently available modelling strategies is provided,as well as some considerations on the choice of one model over another. Lumped-parameter models, for example, are a good candidate for performing parametric analysis and optimisation processes of gun systems, given their minimum requirements of computer resources. Conversely, CFD-based models have a better capacity to address more sophisticated phenomena like pressure waves and turbulent flow effects. The performed review also reveals that too little attention has been given to small calibre guns since the majority of currently available models are conceived for medium and large calibre gun systems.Similarly, aspects like wear phenomena, bore deformations or projectile-barrel interactions still need to be adequately addressed and our suggestion is to dedicate more effort on it.

Composite armor philosophy(CAP):Holistic design methodology of multi-layered composite protection systems for armored vehicles

A philosophy for the design of novel,lightweight,multi-layered armor,referred to as Composite Armor Philosophy(CAP),which can adapt to the passive protection of light-,medium-,and heavy-armored vehicles,is presented in this study.CAP can serve as a guiding principle to assist designers in comprehending the distinct roles fulfilled by each component.The CAP proposal comprises four functional layers,organized in a suggested hierarchy of materials.Particularly notable is the inclusion of a ceramic-composite principle,representing an advanced and innovative solution in the field of armor design.This paper showcases real-world defense industry applications,offering case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of this advanced approach.CAP represents a significant milestone in the history of passive protection,marking an evolutionary leap in the field.This philosophical approach provides designers with a powerful toolset with which to enhance the protection capabilities of military vehicles,making them more resilient and better equipped to meet the challenges of modern warfare.

Dynamic Constraint-Driven Event-Triggered Control of Strict-Feedback Systems Without Max/Min Values on Irregular Constraints

This work proposes an event-triggered adaptive control approach for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems under irregular constraints.Unlike the constraints considered in most existing papers,here the external irregular constraints are considered and a constraints switching mechanism(CSM)is introduced to circumvent the difficulties arising from irregular output constraints.Based on the CSM,a new class of generalized barrier functions are constructed,which allows the control results to be independent of the maximum and minimum values(MMVs)of constraints and thus extends the existing results.Finally,we proposed a novel dynamic constraint-driven event-triggered strategy(DCDETS),under which the stress on signal transmission is reduced greatly and no constraints are violated by making a dynamic trade-off among system state,external constraints,and inter-execution intervals.It is proved that the system output is driven to close to the reference trajectory and the semi-global stability is guaranteed under the proposed control scheme,regardless of the external irregular output constraints.Simulation also verifies the effectiveness and benefits of the proposed method.

Rural labor migration and farmers’arrangements of rice production systems in Central China:Insight from the intergenerational division of labor

Rice production is crucial for food security in China,and its relationship with rural labor migration has been studied extensively.Labor migration in rural China has taken new forms in recent years.There has been a discernible trend wherein adult children have started migrating to cities while their elderly parents return to villages to re-engage in on-farm work.The phenomenon has notably shaped the intergenerational division of labor(IDL)within households.However,it remains to be seen how farmers adjust their rice production systems in response to the IDL.The age of 60 years for employment injury insurance is the eligibility threshold for off-farm employment and is used to obtain a source of exogenous variation in the IDL.Based on a representative household survey of 1,752 rice farmers in the Hubei Province of Central China,our fuzzy regression discontinuity analysis reveals that farmers in IDL households are more likely to adopt ratoon rice(RR)than single cropping rice(SR)or double cropping rice(DR).The effect of the IDL varies under different levels of operational scales and specialized agricultural service availability.Further analysis suggests that farmers’arrangements are associated with two potential mechanisms of downward intergenerational transfer.Monetary transfer for urban housing purchases increases RR in IDL households,and time transfer for intergenerational childcare significantly promotes SR in IDL households.This study enhances the understanding of the relationship between rural labor migration and rice production in China,providing a reference for adjusting rice production systems to ensure food security.

Physical Layer Security of 6G Vehicular Networks with UAV Systems:First Order Secrecy Metrics,Optimization,and Bounds

The mobility and connective capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)are becoming more and more important in defense,commercial,and research domains.However,their open communication makes UAVs susceptible toundesirablepassive attacks suchas eavesdroppingor jamming.Recently,the inefficiencyof traditional cryptography-based techniques has led to the addition of Physical Layer Security(PLS).This study focuses on the advanced PLS method for passive eavesdropping in UAV-aided vehicular environments,proposing a solution to complement the conventional cryptography approach.Initially,we present a performance analysis of first-order secrecy metrics in 6G-enabled UAV systems,namely hybrid outage probability(HOP)and secrecy outage probability(SOP)over 2×2 Nakagami-m channels.Later,we propose a novel technique for mitigating passive eavesdropping,which considers first-order secrecy metrics as an optimization problem and determines their lower and upper bounds.Finally,we conduct an analysis of bounded HOP and SOP using the interactive Nakagami-m channel,considering the multiple-input-multiple-output configuration of the UAV system.The findings indicate that 2×2 Nakagami-mis a suitable fadingmodel under constant velocity for trustworthy receivers and eavesdroppers.The results indicate that UAV mobility has some influence on an eavesdropper’s intrusion during line-of-sight-enabled communication and can play an important role in improving security against passive eavesdroppers.

Adaptive Event-Triggered Time-Varying Output Group Formation Containment Control of Heterogeneous Multiagent Systems

In this paper,a class of time-varying output group formation containment control problem of general linear hetero-geneous multiagent systems(MASs)is investigated under directed topology.The MAS is composed of a number of tracking leaders,formation leaders and followers,where two different types of leaders are used to provide reference trajectories for movement and to achieve certain formations,respectively.Firstly,compen-sators are designed whose states are estimations of tracking lead-ers,based on which,a controller is developed for each formation leader to accomplish the expected formation.Secondly,two event-triggered compensators are proposed for each follower to evalu-ate the state and formation information of the formation leaders in the same group,respectively.Subsequently,a control protocol is designed for each follower,utilizing the output information,to guide the output towards the convex hull generated by the forma-tion leaders within the group.Next,the triggering sequence in this paper is decomposed into two sequences,and the inter-event intervals of these two triggering conditions are provided to rule out the Zeno behavior.Finally,a numerical simulation is intro-duced to confirm the validity of the proposed results.

The First Five Years of a Phase Theory for Complex Systems and Networks

In this paper,we review the development of a phase theory for systems and networks in its first five years,represented by a trilogy:Matrix phases and their properties;The MIMO LTI system phase response,its physical interpretations,the small phase theorem,and the sectored real lemma;The synchronization of a multi-agent network using phase alignment.Towards the end,we also summarize a list of ongoing research on the phase theory and speculate what will happen in the next five years.

Prediction and Output Estimation of Pattern Moving in Non-Newtonian Mechanical Systems Based on Probability Density Evolution

A prediction framework based on the evolution of pattern motion probability density is proposed for the output prediction and estimation problem of non-Newtonian mechanical systems,assuming that the system satisfies the generalized Lipschitz condition.As a complex nonlinear system primarily governed by statistical laws rather than Newtonian mechanics,the output of non-Newtonian mechanics systems is difficult to describe through deterministic variables such as state variables,which poses difficulties in predicting and estimating the system’s output.In this article,the temporal variation of the system is described by constructing pattern category variables,which are non-deterministic variables.Since pattern category variables have statistical attributes but not operational attributes,operational attributes are assigned to them by posterior probability density,and a method for analyzing their motion laws using probability density evolution is proposed.Furthermore,a data-driven form of pattern motion probabilistic density evolution prediction method is designed by combining pseudo partial derivative(PPD),achieving prediction of the probability density satisfying the system’s output uncertainty.Based on this,the final prediction estimation of the system’s output value is realized by minimum variance unbiased estimation.Finally,a corresponding PPD estimation algorithm is designed using an extended state observer(ESO)to estimate the parameters to be estimated in the proposed prediction method.The effectiveness of the parameter estimation algorithm and prediction method is demonstrated through theoretical analysis,and the accuracy of the algorithm is verified by two numerical simulation examples.