Signal Processing
Design of an M-ary Chaos Shift Keying System Using Combined Chaotic Systems
Tingting Huang, Jundong Chen, Huanqiang Zeng et al. (+2 more)
In traditional chaos shift keying (CSK) communication systems, implementing chaotic synchronization techniques is costly but practically unattainable in a noisy environment. This paper proposes a combined chaotic sequences-based $M$-ary CSK (CCS-$M$-CSK) system that eliminates the need for chaotic synchronization. At the transmitter, the chaotic sequence is constructed by combining two chaotic segments of different lengths, where each is generated from distinct chaotic systems and only one kind of chaotic segment modulates the information signal. At the receiver, a deep learning unit with binary classification is meticulously designed to recover information symbols. The symbol error rate (SER) performance of the proposed system is evaluated over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and multipath Rayleigh fading channels. Specifically, the impact of varying misalignment lengths on the SER performance of the system is analyzed when the received sequence is misaligned. Furthermore, the proposed system demonstrates significant performance advantages over existing CSK-based systems in multipath Rayleigh fading channels. These features establish CCS-$M$-CSK as a promising candidate for various applications, including Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X).
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All authors Tingting Huang, Jundong Chen, Huanqiang Zeng, Guofa Cai, Haoyu Zhou
Audio and Speech Processing · Cross-listed from cs.SD
GuitarFlow: Realistic Electric Guitar Synthesis From Tablatures via Flow Matching and Style Transfer
Jackson Loth, Pedro Sarmento, Mark Sandler et al. (+1 more)
Music generation in the audio domain using artificial intelligence (AI) has witnessed steady progress in recent years. However for some instruments, particularly the guitar, controllable instrument synthesis remains limited in expressivity. We introduce GuitarFlow, a model designed specifically for electric guitar synthesis. The generative process is guided using tablatures, an ubiquitous and intuitive guitar-specific symbolic format. The tablature format easily represents guitar-specific playing techniques (e.g. bends, muted strings and legatos), which are more difficult to represent in other common music notation formats such as MIDI. Our model relies on an intermediary step of first rendering the tablature to audio using a simple sample-based virtual instrument, then performing style transfer using Flow Matching in order to transform the virtual instrument audio into more realistic sounding examples. This results in a model that is quick to train and to perform inference, requiring less than 6 hours of training data. We present the results of objective evaluation metrics, together with a listening test, in which we show significant improvement in the realism of the generated guitar audio from tablatures.
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All authors Jackson Loth, Pedro Sarmento, Mark Sandler, Mathieu Barthet
Systems and Control
Lyapunov-Based Physics-Informed Deep Neural Networks with Skew Symmetry Considerations
Rebecca G. Hart, Wanjiku A. Makumi, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar et al. (+1 more)
Deep neural networks (DNNs) are powerful black-box function approximators which have been shown to yield improved performance compared to traditional neural network (NN) architectures. However, black-box
algorithms do not incorporate known physics of the system and can yield results which are physically implausible. Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have grown in popularity due to their ability to leverage known physical principles in the learning process which has been empirically shown to improve performance compared to traditional black-box methods. This paper introduces the first physics-informed DNN controller for an Euler-Lagrange dynamic system where the adaptation laws are designed using a Lyapunov-based stability analysis to account for the skew-
symmetry property of the inertia
matrix and centripetal-Coriolis
matrix. A Lyapunov-based stability analysis is provided to guarantee asymptotic convergence of the tracking error and the skew-symmetric prediction error. Simulations indicate that the developed update law demonstrates improvement in individual and overall function approximation capabilities when compared to a physics-informed adaptation law which does not incorporate knowledge of system
symmetries.
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All authors Rebecca G. Hart, Wanjiku A. Makumi, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar, Warren E. Dixon
Systems and Control
House Thermal Model Estimation: Robustness Across Seasons and Setpoints
Kunal Shankar, Ninad Gaikwad and Anamika Dubey
Achieving the flexibility from house heating, cooling, and ventilation systems (HVAC) has the potential to enable large-scale demand response by aggregating HVAC load adjustments across many homes. This demand response strategy helps distribution grid to flexibly ramp-up or ramp-down local load demand so that it can optimally match the bulk power system generation profile. However, achieving this capability requires house thermal models that are both computationally efficient and robust to operating conditions. In this work, parameters of the Resistance-Capacitance (RC) network thermal model for houses are estimated using three optimization
algorithms: Nonlinear Least Squares (NLS), Batch Estimation (BE), and Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE). The resulting models are evaluated through a Forward-Simulation across four different seasons and three setpoints. The results illustrate a principled way of selecting reduced order models and estimation methods with respect to the robustness offered to seasonal and setpoint variations in training-testing
datasets
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Image and Video Processing
Efficient Meningioma Tumor Segmentation Using Ensemble Learning
Mohammad Mahdi Danesh Pajouh and Sara Saeedi
Meningiomas represent the most prevalent form of primary
brain tumors, comprising nearly one-third of all diagnosed cases. Accurate delineation of these tumors from MRI scans is crucial for guiding treatment strategies, yet remains a challenging and time-consuming task in clinical practice. Recent developments in deep learning have accelerated progress in automated tumor
segmentation; however, many advanced techniques are hindered by heavy computational demands and long training schedules, making them less accessible for researchers and clinicians working with limited hardware. In this work, we propose a novel ensemble-based
segmentation approach that combines three distinct architectures: (1) a baseline SegResNet model, (2) an
attention-augmented SegResNet with concatenative skip connections, and (3) a dual-decoder U-Net enhanced with
attention-gated skip connections (DDUNet). The ensemble aims to leverage architectural diversity to improve robustness and accuracy while significantly reducing training demands. Each baseline model was trained for only 20 epochs and Evaluated on the BraTS-MEN 2025
dataset. The proposed ensemble model achieved competitive performance, with average Lesion-Wise Dice scores of 77.30%, 76.37% and 73.9% on test
dataset for Enhancing Tumor (ET), Tumor Core (TC) and Whole Tumor (WT) respectively. These results highlight the effectiveness of ensemble learning for
brain tumor
segmentation, even under limited hardware constraints. Our proposed method provides a practical and accessible tool for aiding the diagnosis of meningioma, with potential impact in both clinical and research settings.
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Systems and Control
A Connectively Stable and Robust DAPI Control Scheme for Islanded Networks of Microgrids
Ahmed Saad Al-Karsani, Maryam Khanbaghi and Aleksandar Zečević
The transition towards clean energy and the introduction of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are giving rise to the emergence of Microgrids (MGs) and Networks of MGs (NMGs). MGs and NMGs can operate autonomously in islanded mode. However, they face challenges in terms of secondary level frequency and voltage regulation, due to the variable nature of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and loads. Distributed-Averaging Proportional-Integral (DAPI) control has been proposed in the literature for distributed frequency and voltage control of droop-controlled DERs, but it is not robust to operational or structural perturbations. To address this, we propose a robust DAPI frequency and voltage control scheme that ensures robustness using the concept of connective stability, along with the invariant ellipsoid technique for disturbance rejection. Simulation of an NMG model in MATLAB\textsuperscript{\textregistered}/Simulink\textsuperscript{\textregistered} consisting of 3 MGs and 5 DERs validates the effectiveness of the proposed method, and demonstrates that it can successfully mitigate the effects of major disturbances such as cyberattacks.
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Audio and Speech Processing
ReFESS-QI: Reference-Free Evaluation For Speech Separation With Joint Quality And Intelligibility Scoring
Ari Frummer, Helin Wang, Tianyu Cao et al. (+6 more)
Source separation is a crucial pre-processing step for various
speech processing tasks, such as automatic
speech recognition (ASR). Traditionally, the evaluation metrics for
speech separation rely on the matched reference audios and corresponding transcriptions to assess audio quality and intelligibility. However, they cannot be used to evaluate real-world mixtures for which no reference exists. This paper introduces a text-free reference-free evaluation framework based on self-supervised learning (SSL) representations. The proposed framework utilize the mixture and separated tracks to predict jointly audio quality, through the Scale Invariant Signal to Noise Ratio (SI-SNR) metric, and
speech intelligibility through the Word Error Rate (WER) metric. We conducted experiments on the WHAMR!
dataset, which shows a WER estimation with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 17% and a Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) of 0.77; and SI-SNR estimation with an MAE of 1.38 and PCC of 0.95. We further demonstrate the robustness of our
estimator by using various SSL representations.
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All authors Ari Frummer, Helin Wang, Tianyu Cao, Adi Arbel, Yuval Sieradzki, Oren Gal, Jesús Villalba, Thomas Thebaud, Najim Dehak
Systems and Control
Safety Monitor for Off-Road Planning with Uncertainty Bounded Bekker Costs
Akshay Naik, Ramavarapu S. Sreenivas, William R. Norris et al. (+3 more)
Reliable off-road autonomy requires operational constraints so that behavior stays predictable and safe when soil strength is uncertain. This paper presents a runtime assurance safety monitor that collaborates with any planner and uses a Bekker-based cost model with bounded uncertainty. The monitor builds an upper confidence traversal cost from a lightweight pressure sinkage model identified in field tests and checks each planned motion against two limits: maximum sinkage and rollover margin. If the risk of crossing either limit is too high, the monitor switches to a certified fallback that reduces vehicle speed, increases standoff from soft ground, or stops on firmer soil. This separation lets the planner focus on efficiency while the monitor keeps the vehicle within clear safety limits on board. Wheel geometry, wheel load estimate, and a soil raster serve as inputs, which tie safety directly to vehicle design and let the monitor set clear limits on speed,
curvature, and stopping at run time. The method carries uncertainty analytically into the upper confidence cost and applies simple intervention rules. Tuning of the sinkage limit, rollover margin, and risk window trades efficiency for caution while keeping the monitor light enough for embedded processors. Results from a simulation environment spanning loam to sand include intervention rates, violation probability, and path efficiency relative to the nominal plan, and a benchtop static loading check provides initial empirical validation.
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All authors Akshay Naik, Ramavarapu S. Sreenivas, William R. Norris, Albert E. Patterson, Ahmet Soylemezoglu, Dustin Nottage
Signal Processing
Is Repeater-Assisted Massive MIMO Compatible with Dynamic TDD?
Martin Andersson, Anubhab Chowdhury and Erik G. Larsson
We present a framework for joint amplification and phase shift optimization of the repeater gain in dynamic time-division duplex (TDD) repeater-assisted massive
MIMO networks. Repeaters, being active scatterers with amplification and phase shift, enhance the received signal strengths for users. However, they inevitably also amplify undesired noise and interference signals, which become particularly prominent in dynamic TDD systems due to the concurrent downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions, introducing cross-link interference among access points and users operating in opposite transmit directions. This causes a non-trivial trade-off between amplification of desired and undesired signals. To underpin the conditions under which such a trade-off can improve performance, we first derive DL and UL spectral efficiencies (SEs), and then develop a repeater gain optimization
algorithm for SE maximization. Numerically, we show that our proposed
algorithm successfully calibrates the repeater gain to amplify the desired signal while limiting the interference.
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Signal Processing · Cross-listed from cs.LG
AL-CoLe: Augmented Lagrangian for Constrained Learning
Ignacio Boero, Ignacio Hounie and Alejandro Ribeiro
Despite the non-convexity of most modern machine learning parameterizations, Lagrangian duality has become a popular tool for addressing constrained learning problems. We revisit Augmented Lagrangian methods, which aim to mitigate the duality gap in non-convex settings while requiring only minimal modifications, and have remained comparably unexplored in constrained learning settings. We establish strong duality results under mild conditions, prove convergence of dual ascent
algorithms to feasible and optimal primal solutions, and provide PAC-style generalization guarantees. Finally, we demonstrate its effectiveness on
fairness constrained classification tasks.
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Signal Processing · Cross-listed from cs.HC
NeuroPilot: A Realtime Brain-Computer Interface system to enhance concentration of students in online learning
Asif Islam, Farhan Ishtiaque, Md. Muhyminul Haque et al. (+3 more)
The prevalence of online learning poses a vital challenge in real-time monitoring of students' concentration. Traditional methods such as questionnaire assessments require manual intervention, and webcam-based monitoring fails to provide accurate insights about learners' mental focus as it is deceived by mere screen fixation without cognitive engagement. Existing BCI-based approaches lack real-time validation and evaluation procedures. To address these limitations, a
Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system is developed using a non-invasive Electroencephalogram (
EEG) headband, FocusCalm, to record brainwave activity under attentive and non-attentive states. 20 minutes of data were collected from each of 20 participants watching a pre-recorded educational
video. The data validation employed a novel intra-
video questionnaire assessment. Subsequently, collected signals were segmented (sliding window), filtered (Butterworth bandpass), and cleaned (removal of high-amplitude and EOG artifacts such as eye blinks). Time, frequency, wavelet, and statistical features were extracted, followed by recursive feature elimination (RFE) with support vector machines (SVMs) to classify
attention and non-
attention states. The leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) cross-validation accuracy was found to be 88.77%. The system provides feedback alerts upon detection of a non-
attention state and maintains focus profile logs. A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of real-time feedback. Five participants underwent a 10-minute session comprising a 5-minute baseline phase devoid of feedback, succeeded by a 5-minute feedback phase, during which alerts were activated if participants exhibited inattention for approximately 8 consecutive seconds. A paired t-test (t = 5.73, p = 0.007) indicated a statistically significant improvement in concentration during the feedback phase.
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All authors Asif Islam, Farhan Ishtiaque, Md. Muhyminul Haque, Farhana Sarker, Ravi Vaidyanathan, Khondaker A. Mamun
Signal Processing · Cross-listed from stat.ML
A Spectral Framework for Graph Neural Operators: Convergence Guarantees and Tradeoffs
Roxanne Holden and Luana Ruiz
Graphons, as limits of graph sequences, provide an operator-theoretic framework for analyzing the asymptotic behavior of graph neural operators. Spectral convergence of sampled graphs to graphons induces convergence of the corresponding neural operators, enabling transferability analyses of graph neural networks (GNNs). This paper develops a unified spectral framework that brings together convergence results under different assumptions on the underlying graphon, including no regularity, global Lipschitz continuity, and piecewise-Lipschitz continuity. The framework places these results in a common operator setting, enabling direct comparison of their assumptions, convergence rates, and tradeoffs. We further illustrate the empirical tightness of these rates on synthetic and real-world graphs.
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Systems and Control · Cross-listed from cs.RO
Aircraft Collision Avoidance Systems: Technological Challenges and Solutions on the Path to Regulatory Acceptance
Sydney M. Katz, Robert J. Moss, Dylan M. Asmar et al. (+3 more)
Aircraft collision avoidance systems is critical to modern aviation. These systems are designed to predict potential collisions between aircraft and recommend appropriate avoidance actions. Creating effective collision avoidance systems requires solutions to a variety of technical challenges related to surveillance, decision making, and validation. These challenges have sparked significant research and development efforts over the past several decades that have resulted in a variety of proposed solutions. This article provides an overview of these challenges and solutions with an emphasis on those that have been put through a rigorous validation process and accepted by regulatory bodies. The challenges posed by the collision avoidance problem are often present in other domains, and aircraft collision avoidance systems can serve as case studies that provide valuable insights for a wide range of safety-critical systems.
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All authors Sydney M. Katz, Robert J. Moss, Dylan M. Asmar, Wesley A. Olson, James K. Kuchar, Mykel J. Kochenderfer
Signal Processing · Cross-listed from physics.optics
Opto-Electronic Clock Regeneration – A Tutorial
Palle Jeppesen and Bjarne Tromborg
A tutorial on opto-electronic clock regeneration at very high bit rates beyond reach with purely electronic solutions is given. Emphasis is placed on sum frequency generation in a nonlinear material such as LiNbO3. We first provide a basic introduction to CR (clock recovery) and a PLL (phase-locked loop); two examples are considered, an input signal frequency step and a slow input signal frequency. Next we discuss opto-electronic clock recovery based on an OPLL (opto-electronic PLL). The OPLL contains a phase comparator consisting of a planar LiNbO3 waveguide, a lowpass filter, a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) and a local oscillator
laser. The error signal from the comparator determined by the difference in electrical phase between the signal and the VCO controls the VCO. The VCO has two outputs; one that modulates the local oscillator
laser and another that triggers a decision
circuit that samples the output from the OPLL. The VCO is continuously adjusted by the OPLL so that it will ensure sampling of the signal in the optimal moments.
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Image and Video Processing
Eye-Tracking as a Tool to Quantify the Effects of CAD Display on Radiologists' Interpretation of Chest Radiographs
Daisuke Matsumoto, Tomohiro Kikuchi, Yusuke Takagi et al. (+6 more)
Rationale and Objectives: Computer-aided detection systems for chest radiographs are widely used, and concurrent reader displays, such as bounding-box (BB) highlights, may influence the reading process. This pilot study used eye tracking to conduct a preliminary experiment to quantify which aspects of visual search were affected. Materials and Methods: We sampled 180 chest radiographs from the VinDR-CXR
dataset: 120 with solitary pulmonary nodules or masses and 60 without. The BBs were configured to yield an overall display sensitivity and specificity of 80%. Three radiologists (with 11, 5, and 1 years of experience, respectively) interpreted each case twice - once with BBs visible and once without - after a washout of >= 2 weeks. Eye movements were recorded using an EyeTech VT3 Mini. Metrics included interpretation time, time to first fixation on the lesion, lesion dwell time, total gaze-path length, and lung-field coverage ratio. Outcomes were modeled using a linear mixed model, with reading condition as a fixed effect and case and reader as random intercepts. The primary analysis was restricted to true positives (n=96). Results: Concurrent BB display prolonged interpretation time by 4.9 s (p<0.001) and increased lesion dwell time by 1.3 s (p<0.001). Total gaze-path length increased by 2,076 pixels (p<0.001), and lung-field coverage ratio increased by 10.5% (p<0.001). Time to first fixation on the lesion was reduced by 1.3 s (p<0.001). Conclusion: Eye tracking captured measurable alterations in search behavior associated with concurrent BB displays during chest radiograph interpretation. These findings support the feasibility of this approach and highlight the need for larger studies to confirm effects and explore implications across modalities and clinical contexts.
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All authors Daisuke Matsumoto, Tomohiro Kikuchi, Yusuke Takagi, Soichiro Kojima, Ryoma Kobayashi, Daiju Ueda, Kohei Yamamoto, Sho Kawabe, Harushi Mori
Systems and Control
Strategic Data Center Load Shifting: Implications for Market Efficiency and Transmission Value
Aron Brenner, Line Roald and Saurabh Amin
Data center electricity use may reach 12% of U.S. demand by 2030, alongside growing ability to shift workloads geographically in response to prices or carbon signals. We examine the system-level implications of such strategic flexibility using a bilevel two-zone model that couples economic dispatch with consumer cost minimization. Two
market failures emerge. First, discontinuous price changes at generator capacity limits can induce flexible consumers to shift load in socially inefficient directions; for example, toward a higher-cost region to trigger a price drop elsewhere. Second, by positioning near capacity boundaries, consumers can counteract the marginal benefit of transmission expansion: although shadow prices suggest additional capacity is valuable, strategic consumers reoptimize to offset resulting flow changes, leaving dispatch and costs unchanged. We derive conditions under which these effects arise and show that conventional price signals can misrepresent system value in the presence of large spatially flexible loads.
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Signal Processing · Cross-listed from cs.CV
Radar-Camera Fused Multi-Object Tracking: Online Calibration and Common Feature
Lei Cheng and Siyang Cao
This paper presents a Multi-Object Tracking (MOT) framework that fuses radar and camera data to enhance tracking efficiency while minimizing manual interventions. Contrary to many studies that underutilize radar and assign it a supplementary role–despite its capability to provide accurate range/depth information of targets in a world 3D coordinate system–our approach positions radar in a crucial role. Meanwhile, this paper utilizes common features to enable online calibration to autonomously associate detections from radar and camera. The main contributions of this work include: (1) the development of a radar-camera fusion MOT framework that exploits online radar-camera calibration to simplify the integration of detection results from these two sensors, (2) the utilization of common features between radar and camera data to accurately derive real-world positions of detected objects, and (3) the adoption of feature matching and category-consistency checking to surpass the limitations of mere position matching in enhancing sensor association accuracy. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to investigate the integration of radar-camera common features and their use in online calibration for achieving MOT. The efficacy of our framework is demonstrated by its ability to streamline the radar-camera mapping process and improve tracking precision, as evidenced by real-world experiments conducted in both controlled environments and actual traffic scenarios. Code is available at https://github.com/radar-lab/Radar_Camera_MOT
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Systems and Control
Learning Optimal Power Flow with Pointwise Constraints
Damian Owerko, Anna Scaglione and Alejandro Ribeiro
Training learning parameterizations to solve optimal power flow (OPF) with pointwise constraints is proposed. In this novel training approach, a learning parameterization is substituted directly into an OPF problem with constraints required to hold over all problem instances. This is different from existing supervised learning methods in which constraints are required to hold across the average of problem instances. Training with pointwise constraints is undertaken in the dual domain with the use of augmented Lagrangian and dual gradient ascent
algorithm. Numerical experiments demonstrate that training with pointwise constraints produces solutions with smaller constraint violations. Experiments further demonstrated that pointwise constraints are most effective at reducing constraint violations in corner cases - defined as those realizations in which constraints are most difficult to satisfy. Gains are most pronounced in power systems with large numbers of buses.
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Signal Processing · Cross-listed from cs.IT
MIMO-Zak-OTFS with Superimposed Spread Pilots
Abhishek Bairwa and Ananthanarayanan Chockalingam
In this paper, we consider the problem of spread pilot design and effective channel estimation in multiple-input multiple-output Zak-OTFS (
MIMO-Zak-OTFS) with superimposed spread pilots, where data and spread pilot signals are superimposed in the same frame. To achieve good estimation performance in a
MIMO setting, the spread pilots at different transmit
antennas need to be effectively separated at the receiver. Towards this, we propose a spread pilot design that separates the pilot sequences in the cross-ambiguity domain and enables the estimation of the effective channel taps by a simple read-off operation. To further alleviate the effect of pilot-data interference on performance, we carry out turbo iterations between channel estimation and detection. Simulation results for $2\times 2$ and $3\times 3$
MIMO-Zak-OTFS with Gaussian-sinc pulse shaping filter for vehicular-A channel model show that the proposed pilot design and estimation scheme with three turbo iterations can achieve very good estimation/detection performance.
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