High-resolution tissue imaging is often compromised by sample-induced optical aberrations that degrade resolution and contrast. While wavefront sensor-based adaptive optics (AO) can measure these aberrations, such hardware solutions are typically complex, expensive to implement, and slow when serially mapping spatially varying aberrations across large fields of view. Here, we introduce AOViFT (Adaptive Optical Vision Fourier Transformer) -- a machine learning-based aberration sensing framework built around a 3D multistage Vision Transformer that operates on Fourier domain embeddings. AOViFT infers aberrations and restores diffraction-limited performance in puncta-labeled specimens with substantially reduced computational cost, training time, and memory footprint compared to conventional architectures or real-space networks. We validated AOViFT on live gene-edited zebrafish embryos, demonstrating its ability to correct spatially varying aberrations using either a deformable mirror or post-acquisition deconvolution. By eliminating the need for the guide star and wavefront sensing hardware and simplifying the experimental workflow, AOViFT lowers technical barriers for high-resolution volumetric microscopy across diverse biological samples.

Conventional algorithms in autonomous exploration face challenges due to their inability to accurately and efficiently identify the spatial distribution of convex regions in the real-time map. These methods often prioritize navigation toward the nearest or information-rich frontiers -- the boundaries between known and unknown areas -- resulting in incomplete convex region exploration and requiring excessive backtracking to revisit these missed areas. To address these limitations, this paper introduces an innovative dual-level topological analysis approach. First, we introduce a Low-level Topological Graph (LTG), generated through uniform sampling of the original map data, which captures essential geometric and connectivity details. Next, the LTG is transformed into a High-level Topological Graph (HTG), representing the spatial layout and exploration completeness of convex regions, prioritizing the exploration of convex regions that are not fully explored and minimizing unnecessary backtracking. Finally, an novel Local Artificial Potential Field (LAPF) method is employed for motion control, replacing conventional path planning and boosting overall efficiency. Experimental results highlight the effectiveness of our approach. Simulation tests reveal that our framework significantly reduces exploration time and travel distance, outperforming existing methods in both speed and efficiency. Ablation studies confirm the critical role of each framework component. Real-world tests demonstrate the robustness of our method in environments with poor mapping quality, surpassing other approaches in adaptability to mapping inaccuracies and inaccessible areas.

Uncertainty Quantification for Data-Driven Machine Learning Models in Nuclear Engineering Applications: Where We Are and What Do We Need? Abstract Machine learning (ML) has been leveraged to tackle a diverse range of tasks in almost all branches of nuclear engineering. Many of the successes in ML applications can be attributed to the recent performance breakthroughs in deep learning, the growing availability of computational power, data, and easy-to-use ML libraries. However, these empirical successes have often outpaced our formal understanding of the ML algorithms. An important but under-rated area is uncertainty quantification (UQ) of ML. ML-based models are subject to approximation uncertainty when they are used to make predictions, due to sources including but not limited to, data noise, data coverage, extrapolation, imperfect model architecture and the stochastic training process. The goal of this paper is to clearly explain and illustrate the importance of UQ of ML. Various sources of uncertainties in physical modeling and data-driven modeling will be discussed, demonstrated, and compared. We will also present and demonstrate a few techniques to quantify the ML prediction uncertainties. Finally, we will discuss the need for building a verification, validation and UQ framework to establish ML credibility. Corresponding author Email address: xwu27@ncsu.edu Introduction In the past decade, there has been an unprecedented interest in machine learning (ML) among nuclear engineers. ML has been leveraged to tackle a diverse range of tasks in almost all branches of nuclear engineering research. ML is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that studies computer algorithms which improve automatically through experience (data). ML algorithms typically build a mathematical model based on training data and then make predictions without being explicitly programmed to do so. Its performance increases with experience; in other words, the machine learns. Deep learning (DL) is a subset of ML that uses deep neural networks (DNNs) to automatically learn representations from data without introducing hand-coded rules or human domain knowledge.

The application of Vision-Language Models (VLMs) in remote sensing (RS) has demonstrated significant potential in traditional tasks such as scene classification, object detection, and image captioning. However, current models, which excel in Referring Expression Comprehension (REC), struggle with tasks involving complex instructions (e.g., exists multiple conditions) or pixel-level operations like segmentation and change detection. In this white paper, we provide a comprehensive hierarchical summary of vision-language tasks in RS, categorized by the varying levels of cognitive capability required. We introduce the Remote Sensing Vision-Language Task Set (RSVLTS), which includes Open-Vocabulary Tasks (OVT), Referring Expression Tasks (RET), and Described Object Tasks (DOT) with increased difficulty, and Visual Question Answering (VQA) aloneside. Moreover, we propose a novel unified data representation using a set-of-points approach for RSVLTS, along with a condition parser and a self-augmentation strategy based on cyclic referring. These features are integrated into the GeoRSMLLM model, and this enhanced model is designed to handle a broad range of tasks of RSVLTS, paving the way for a more generalized solution for vision-language tasks in geoscience and remote sensing.

Embedded systems power many modern applications and must often meet strict reliability, real-time, thermal, and power requirements. Task replication can improve reliability by duplicating a task's execution to handle transient and permanent faults, but blindly applying replication often leads to excessive overhead and higher temperatures. Existing design-time methods typically choose the number of replicas based on worst-case conditions, which can waste resources under normal operation. In this paper, we present RL-TIME, a reinforcement learning-based approach that dynamically decides the number of replicas according to actual system conditions. By considering both the reliability target and a core-level Thermal Safe Power (TSP) constraint at run-time, RL-TIME adapts the replication strategy to avoid unnecessary overhead and overheating. Experimental results show that, compared to state-of-the-art methods, RL-TIME reduces power consumption by 63%, increases schedulability by 53%, and respects TSP 72% more often.

While exact reliability computation for binarystate networks is NP-hard/#P-hard, existing approximation methods face critical tradeoffs between accuracy, scalability, and data efficiency. This study evaluates 20 machine learning methods across three reliability regimes--full range (0.0-1.0), high reliability (0.9-1.0), and ultra-high reliability (0.99-1.0)--to address these gaps. We demonstrate that large-scale networks with arc reliability 0.9 exhibit near-unity system reliability, enabling computational simplifications. Further, we establish a datasetscale-driven paradigm for algorithm selection: Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) excel with limited data (size < m), while Polynomial Regression (PR) achieves superior accuracy in data-rich environments (size m). Our findings reveal ANN's Test-MSE of 7.24E 05 at 30,000 samples and PR's optimal performance (5.61E 05) at 40,000 samples, outperforming traditional Monte Carlo simulations. These insights provide actionable guidelines for balancing accuracy, interpretability, and computational efficiency in reliability engineering, with implications for infrastructure resilience and system optimization. Keywords: Binary-State Networks; Network Reliability Approximated Function; Reliability Thresholds; Dataset Scalability; Artificial Neural Networks (ANN); Polynomial Regression; Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS); Binary-Addition-Tree Algorithm (BAT); BAT-MCS 1. INTRODUCTION Modern infrastructure systems--from power grids and communication networks to IoT ecosystems--demand rigorous reliability analysis to ensure operational resilience. These systems are often modeled as binary-state networks, where components (arcs/nodes) operate in either functional (1) or failed (0) states [1, 2, 3]. Within this paradigm, network reliability--the probability of maintaining 2 connectivity between specified nodes under given conditions--serves as a critical performance metric [4, 5-7].

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, data-driven methods effectively overcome limitations in traditional portfolio optimization. Conventional models primarily employ long-only mechanisms, excluding highly correlated assets to diversify risk. However, incorporating short-selling enables low-risk arbitrage through hedging correlated assets. This paper constructs a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) portfolio management framework with short-selling mechanisms conforming to actual trading rules, exploring strategies for excess returns in China's A-share market. Key innovations include: (1) Development of a comprehensive short-selling mechanism in continuous trading that accounts for dynamic evolution of transactions across time periods; (2) Design of a long-short optimization framework integrating deep neural networks for processing multi-dimensional financial time series with mean Sharpe ratio reward functions. Empirical results show the DRL model with short-selling demonstrates significant optimization capabilities, achieving consistent positive returns during backtesting periods. Compared to traditional approaches, this model delivers superior risk-adjusted returns while reducing maximum drawdown. From an allocation perspective, the DRL model establishes a robust investment style, enhancing defensive capabilities through strategic avoidance of underperforming assets and balanced capital allocation. This research contributes to portfolio theory while providing novel methodologies for quantitative investment practice.

Our approach integrates state estimation and dynamics modeling under a consistent architecture and training paradigm. Our diffusion-based perception model generates cloth states from partial observations, and the diffusion-based dynamics model generates physically plausible future states conditioned on action sequences, enabling robust model-based control. Our work demonstrates the potential of diffusion models in state estimation and dynamics modeling for manipulation tasks involving partial observability and complex dynamics. Abstract--Manipulating deformable objects like cloth is challenging states given the current state and robot actions. Leveraging a due to their complex dynamics, near-infinite degrees of transformer-based diffusion model, our method achieves highfidelity freedom, and frequent self-occlusions, which complicate state state reconstruction while reducing long-horizon dynamics estimation and dynamics modeling. Prior work has struggled with prediction errors by an order of magnitude compared to robust cloth state estimation, while dynamics models, primarily GNN-based approaches. Integrated with model-predictive control based on Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), are limited by their (MPC), our framework successfully executes cloth folding on a locality. Inspired by recent advances in generative models, we real robotic system, demonstrating the potential of generative hypothesize that these expressive models can effectively capture models for manipulation tasks with partial observability and intricate cloth configurations and deformation patterns from complex dynamics.

This paper introduces an innovative state estimator, MUSE (MUlti-sensor State Estimator), designed to enhance state estimation's accuracy and real-time performance in quadruped robot navigation. The proposed state estimator builds upon our previous work presented in [1]. It integrates data from a range of onboard sensors, including IMUs, encoders, cameras, and LiDARs, to deliver a comprehensive and reliable estimation of the robot's pose and motion, even in slippery scenarios. We tested MUSE on a Unitree Aliengo robot, successfully closing the locomotion control loop in difficult scenarios, including slippery and uneven terrain. Benchmarking against Pronto [2] and VILENS [3] showed 67.6% and 26.7% reductions in translational errors, respectively. Additionally, MUSE outperformed DLIO [4], a LiDAR-inertial odometry system in rotational errors and frequency, while the proprioceptive version of MUSE (P-MUSE) outperformed TSIF [5], with a 45.9% reduction in absolute trajectory error (ATE).

A nonparametric adaptive crane control system is proposed where the crane payload tracks a desired trajectory with feedback from the payload position. The payload motion is controlled with the position of the crane tip using partial feedback linearization. This is made possible by introducing a novel model structure given in Cartesian coordinates. This Cartesian model structure makes it possible to implement a nonparametric adaptive controller which cancels disturbances by approximating the effects of unknown disturbance forces and structurally unknown dynamics in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). It is shown that the nonparametric adaptive controller leads to uniformly ultimately bounded errors in the presence of unknown forces and unmodeled dynamics. Moreover, it is shown that the Cartesian formulation has certain advantages in payload tracking control also in the non-adaptive case. The performance of the nonparametric adaptive controller is validated in simulation and experiments with good results.