arXiv subjects

Xiaojun Li

Publications and source records attributed to Xiaojun Li.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Seismic Site Response Prediction from Sparse Observations Using Finite-Element-Pretrained Latent Dynamics

Numerical site-response predictions often deviate from observations, yet correcting these discrepancies is difficult because records are limited in both sensor coverage and number of events. This study proposes the Transfer-Enabled Forced Latent Autoencoder for Response Equations (FLARE-T) to improve these predictions by learning and calibrating low-dimensional latent dynamics that connect the base acceleration input to acceleration outputs at multiple depths. FLARE-T learns a low-dimensional response manifold and input-driven dynamics from dense finite-element simulations. It then trains a sparse encoder to map simulated sensor responses into the learned coordinates and uses limited records to calibrate the dynamics within them. A short response window initializes each prediction, while the complete base motion drives the response. The framework was evaluated using a layered-soil centrifuge test and the Lotung field vertical array. Test-set results show that FLARE-T improved multi-depth acceleration histories and 5%-damped pseudoacceleration response spectra relative to the original finite-element models, reducing errors at every evaluated sensor for motions of different intensities and, at Lotung, for both horizontal components. Two Lotung source models with different constitutive parameters achieved comparable test-set accuracy, indicating reduced dependence on precise prior calibration. FLARE-T therefore provides a data-efficient means of combining dense numerical response information with limited field records to improve future site-response predictions.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

Discovering Latent Response Laws in Forced Physical Systems

Governing equations provide compact descriptions of physical systems, yet the variables in which they are simple are often hidden in high-dimensional measurements. This challenge is sharper for forced systems, whose responses depend on both intrinsic dynamics and time-dependent inputs. Here we introduce FLARE, a forced latent autoencoder for response equations that learns compact response coordinates, identifies sparse input-dependent latent dynamics and decodes equation rollouts to full responses. By estimating latent dimension from data and separating state estimation from external forcing, FLARE enables forecasts to be initialized from past responses and driven by prescribed future inputs. Across known dynamical systems, application-scale forced responses and visual observations, FLARE recovers compact forced dynamics and predicts long-horizon high-dimensional responses under inputs not used for training. By turning learned coordinates into a dynamical interface, FLARE extends equation discovery to systems whose effective states are hidden within complex observations, providing a route for interpretable modelling and prediction of high-dimensional responses in forced dynamical systems.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

Scenario-conditioned flow matching for probabilistic generation of three-component ground-motion waveforms

Performance-based seismic risk assessment requires three-component acceleration histories compatible with specified source, path, and site conditions. Conventional ground-motion prediction equations provide scalar intensity measures, while many generative waveform models learn amplitude and waveform shape within a single high-dimensional target. We present WaveFlowGMM, a two-stage probabilistic ground-motion model that uses peak ground acceleration (PGA) as an amplitude interface between scenario conditioning and waveform generation. The amplitude stage uses physics-informed symbolic learning to estimate component-wise PGA medians and a full cross-component covariance. The waveform stage uses few-step AlphaFlow in an invertible wavelet-packet coefficient space to generate normalised three-component histories that are rescaled by sampled PGA. Tests on an event-level NGA-West2 holdout set show that the generated motions recover the main magnitude, distance, and site scaling, keep peak and spectral residuals close to zero, preserve three-component amplitude dependence, and yield velocity and displacement histories without systematic drift after integration of the generated three-component acceleration histories. The framework provides an interpretable and computationally efficient candidate component for waveform-level seismic hazard and risk analysis.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

A Formal Theory of Survey Experiment Generalizability: Attention and Salience

Survey experiments are widely used to identify causal effects in political science and the social sciences. Yet researchers are typically interested in more than the internal validity of an experimentally induced contrast. They also want to know whether the estimated effect corresponds to the effect in the real world. We develop a formal theory of survey experiment generalizability grounded in behavioral microfoundations. The theory highlights two mechanisms. First, the survey environment shapes attention: it determines which considerations enter the respondent's active consideration set. Second, it shapes salience: conditional on consideration, it influences the relative weight assigned to those considerations. This framework yields two main results. Consideration-set compression generates amplification: survey-experimental effects can be larger in magnitude than their real-world counterparts, even for the same individuals, treatment content, and outcome. Context-dependent salience generates sign instability: the direction of the survey effect need not coincide with the direction of the corresponding real-world effect. The theory clarifies what survey experiments identify, when those effects are likely to generalize, and how survey designs can be modified to improve decision-environment transportability.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2026

Wavelet Packet-Based Diffusion Model for Ground Motion Generation with Multi-Conditional Energy and Spectral Matching

Temporal energy distribution strongly affects nonlinear structural response and cumulative damage. We propose a multi-conditional diffusion framework for ground motion synthesis that simultaneously matches temporal energy evolution and target response spectra. Wavelet packet decomposition provides the signal representation and enables direct waveform reconstruction via orthogonal filter banks. A Transformer-based conditional encoder with cross-attention integrates heterogeneous conditions, including spectral ordinates, Arias intensity, temporal parameters, and Husid curves. The framework adopts the Elucidating Diffusion Model (EDM) with second-order Heun sampling to improve inference efficiency without sacrificing quality. Tests on the NGA-West2 database show that explicit temporal-energy constraints markedly improve control of energy onset and significant duration while preserving spectrum matching and maintaining stable diversity sampling. The framework yields spectrum-compatible motions with realistic energy evolution and supports uncertainty quantification via conditional diversity sampling.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Multiaccess Coded Caching with Heterogeneous Retrieval Costs

The multiaccess coded caching (MACC) system, as formulated by Hachem {\it et al.}, consists of a central server with a library of $N$ files, connected to $K$ cache-less users via an error-free shared link, and $K$ cache nodes, each equipped with cache memory of size $M$ files. Each user can access $L$ neighboring cache nodes under a cyclic wrap-around topology. Most existing studies operate under the strong assumption that users can retrieve content from their connected cache nodes at no communication cost. In practice, each user retrieves content from its $L$ different connected cache nodes at varying costs. Additionally, the server also incurs certain costs to transmit the content to the users. In this paper, we focus on a cost-aware MACC system and aim to minimize the total system cost, which includes cache-access costs and broadcast costs. Firstly, we propose a novel coded caching framework based on superposition coding, where the MACC schemes of Cheng \textit{et al.} are layered. Then, a cost-aware optimization problem is derived that optimizes cache placement and minimizes system cost. By identifying a sparsity property of the optimal solution, we propose a structure-aware algorithm with reduced complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme consistently outperforms the scheme of Cheng {\it et al.} in scenarios with heterogeneous retrieval costs.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2025

Physics-informed Neural Networks with Fourier Features for Seismic Wavefield Simulation in Time-Domain Nonsmooth Complex Media

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) have great potential for flexibility and effectiveness in forward modeling and inversion of seismic waves. However, coordinate-based neural networks (NNs) commonly suffer from the "spectral bias" pathology, which greatly limits their ability to model high-frequency wave propagation in sharp and complex media. We propose a unified framework of Fourier feature physics-informed neural networks (FF-PINNs) for solving the time-domain wave equations. The proposed framework combines the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) strategy with an independently pre-trained wave velocity surrogate model to mitigate the singularity at the point source. The performance of the activation functions and gradient descent strategies are discussed through ablation experiments. In addition, we evaluate the accuracy comparison of Fourier feature mappings sampled from different families of distributions (Gaussian, Laplace, and uniform). The second-order paraxial approximation-based boundary conditions are incorporated into the loss function as a soft regularizer to eliminate spurious boundary reflections. Through the non-smooth Marmousi and Overthrust model cases, we emphasized the necessity of the absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) constraints. The results of a series of numerical experiments demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method for modeling high-frequency wave propagation in sharp and complex media.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2025

Discovery and inversion of the viscoelastic wave equation in inhomogeneous media

In scientific machine learning, the task of identifying partial differential equations accurately from sparse and noisy data poses a significant challenge. Current sparse regression methods may identify inaccurate equations on sparse and noisy datasets and are not suitable for varying coefficients. To address this issue, we propose a hybrid framework that combines two alternating direction optimization phases: discovery and embedding. The discovery phase employs current well-developed sparse regression techniques to preliminarily identify governing equations from observations. The embedding phase implements a recurrent convolutional neural network (RCNN), enabling efficient processes for time-space iterations involved in discretized forms of wave equation. The RCNN model further optimizes the imperfect sparse regression results to obtain more accurate functional terms and coefficients. Through alternating update of discovery-embedding phases, essential physical equations can be robustly identified from noisy and low-resolution measurements. To assess the performance of proposed framework, numerical experiments are conducted on various scenarios involving wave equation in elastic/viscoelastic and homogeneous/inhomogeneous media. The results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits excellent robustness and accuracy, even when faced with high levels of noise and limited data availability in both spatial and temporal domains.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2024

Ensuring Safety and Trust: Analyzing the Risks of Large Language Models in Medicine

The remarkable capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) make them increasingly compelling for adoption in real-world healthcare applications. However, the risks associated with using LLMs in medical applications have not been systematically characterized. We propose using five key principles for safe and trustworthy medical AI: Truthfulness, Resilience, Fairness, Robustness, and Privacy, along with ten specific aspects. Under this comprehensive framework, we introduce a novel MedGuard benchmark with 1,000 expert-verified questions. Our evaluation of 11 commonly used LLMs shows that the current language models, regardless of their safety alignment mechanisms, generally perform poorly on most of our benchmarks, particularly when compared to the high performance of human physicians. Despite recent reports indicate that advanced LLMs like ChatGPT can match or even exceed human performance in various medical tasks, this study underscores a significant safety gap, highlighting the crucial need for human oversight and the implementation of AI safety guardrails.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2024

Provide Proactive Reproducible Analysis Transparency with Every Publication

The high incidence of irreproducible research has led to urgent appeals for transparency and equitable practices in open science. For the scientific disciplines that rely on computationally intensive analyses of large data sets, a granular understanding of the analysis methodology is an essential component of reproducibility. This paper discusses the guiding principles of a computational reproducibility framework that enables a scientist to proactively generate a complete reproducible trace as analysis unfolds, and share data, methods and executable tools as part of a scientific publication, allowing other researchers to verify results and easily re-execute the steps of the scientific investigation.

cs.CE↗

arXiv2023

Global Estimates of L-band Vegetation Optical Depth and Soil Permittivity over Snow-covered Boreal Forests and Permafrost using SMAP Satellite Data

This article expands the tau-omega model to properly simulate L-band microwave emission of the soil-snow-vegetation continuum through a closed-form solution of Maxwell's equations, considering the intervening dry snow layer as a loss-less medium. The feasibility and uncertainty of retrieving vegetation optical depth (VOD) and ground permittivity, given the noisy L-band brightness temperatures with 1 K (1-sigma), are demonstrated through controlled numerical experiments. For moderately dense vegetation canopy and a range of 100--400 $kg.m^{-3}$ snow density, the standard deviation of the retrieval errors is 0.1 and 3.5 for VOD and ground permittivity respectively. Using L-band observations from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, a new data set of global estimates of VOD and ground permittivity are presented over the Arctic boreal forests and permafrost areas during winter months. In the absence of dense ground-based observations of ground permittivity and VOD, the retrievals are causally validated using dependent variables including above-ground biomass, tree height, and net ecosystem exchange. Time-series analyses promise that the new data set can expand our understanding of the land-atmosphere interactions and exchange of carbon fluxes over the Arctic landscape.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2023

Physics Symbolic Learner for Discovering Ground-Motion Models Via NGA-West2 Database

Ground-motion model (GMM) is the basis of many earthquake engineering studies. In this study, a novel physics-informed symbolic learner (PISL) method based on the Nest Generation Attenuation-West2 database is proposed to automatically discover mathematical equation operators as symbols. The sequential threshold ridge regression algorithm is utilized to distill a concise and interpretable explicit characterization of complex systems of ground motions. In addition to the basic variables retrieved from previous GMMs, the current PISL incorporates two a priori physical conditions, namely, distance and amplitude saturation. GMMs developed using the PISL, an empirical regression method (ERM), and an artificial neural network (ANN) are compared in terms of residuals and extrapolation based on obtained data of peak ground acceleration and velocity. The results show that the inter- and intra-event standard deviations of the three methods are similar. The functional form of the PISL is more concise than that of the ERM and ANN. The extrapolation capability of the PISL is more accurate than that of the ANN. The PISL-GMM used in this study provide a new paradigm of regression that considers both physical and data-driven machine learning and can be used to identify the implied physical relationships and prediction equations of ground motion variables in different regions.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2022

Carbon loss from forest degradation exceeds that from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Spatial-temporal dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) and forest area affect the carbon cycle, climate, and biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon. Here we investigate inter-annual changes of AGB and forest area by analyzing satellite-based annual AGB and forest area datasets. We found the gross forest area loss was larger in 2019 than in 2015, possibly due to recent loosening of forest protection policies. However, net AGB loss was three times smaller in 2019 than in 2015. During 2010-2019, the Brazilian Amazon had a cumulative gross loss of 4.45 Pg C against a gross gain of 3.78 Pg C, resulting in net AGB loss of 0.67 Pg C. Forest degradation (73%) contributed three times more to the gross AGB loss than deforestation (27%), given that the areal extent of degradation exceeds deforestation. This indicates that forest degradation has become the largest process driving carbon loss and should become a higher policy priority.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2022

Battery Cloud with Advanced Algorithms

A Battery Cloud or cloud battery management system leverages the cloud computational power and data storage to improve battery safety, performance, and economy. This work will present the Battery Cloud that collects measured battery data from electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Advanced algorithms are applied to improve battery performance. Using remote vehicle data, we train and validate an artificial neural network to estimate pack SOC during vehicle charging. The strategy is then tested on vehicles. Furthermore, high accuracy and onboard battery state of health estimation methods for electric vehicles are developed based on the differential voltage (DVA) and incremental capacity analysis (ICA). Using cycling data from battery cells at various temperatures, we extract the charging cycles and calculate the DVA and ICA curves, from which multiple features are extracted, analyzed, and eventually used to estimate the state of health. For battery safety, a data-driven thermal anomaly detection method is developed. The method can detect unforeseen anomalies such as thermal runaways at the very early stage. With the further development of the internet of things, more and more battery data will be available. Potential applications of battery cloud also include areas such as battery manufacture, recycling, and electric vehicle battery swap.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2022

Analysis and optimization of a novel energy storage flywheel for improved energy capacity

Kinetic/Flywheel energy storage systems (FESS) have re-emerged as a vital technology in many areas such as smart grid, renewable energy, electric vehicle, and high-power applications. FESSs are designed and optimized to have higher energy per mass (specific energy) and volume (energy density). Prior research, such as the use of high-strength materials and the reduction of stress concentration, primarily focused on designing and optimizing the rotor itself. However, a modern FESS includes other indispensable components such as magnetic bearings and a motor/generator that requires a shaft. The shaft significantly impacts the flywheel design. This paper investigates several typical flywheel designs and their stress analysis. A simplified analysis method is given for designing rotor-shaft assembly. It is found that the shaftless flywheel design approach can double the energy density level when compared to typical designs. The shaftless flywheel is further optimized using finite element analysis with the magnetic bearing and motor/generators' design considerations.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2022

Voltage-Based State of Charge Correction at Charge-End

A voltage-based method is proposed to correct battery pack state of charge (SOC) estimation at the charge-end. Two main characteristics make the charge-end time span a good opportunity to correct SOC estimation: first, it is easy to detect when the battery is at the last stage of charging because the charging profile is known to the BMS designer and also during the charge-end time span the amount of current is low, and the terminal voltage of the battery cells are high; second, as the battery reaches the charge-end stage, we know that the true SOC is approaching to 100%. This paper presents a method to utilize these important features to correct the SOC estimation error. Using a voltage threshold method, the algorithm detects when the battery is close to the charge-end to activate the charge-end SOC correction strategy. Once activated, the strategy corrects the SOC using the maximum cell voltage to guarantee that SOC is 100% when charging is complete. The amount of correction is a function of maximum cell voltage and the charge current C-rate.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2021

A review of flywheel energy storage systems: state of the art and opportunities

Thanks to the unique advantages such as long life cycles, high power density, minimal environmental impact, and high power quality such as fast response and voltage stability, the flywheel/kinetic energy storage system (FESS) is gaining attention recently. There is noticeable progress made in FESS, especially in utility, large-scale deployment for the electrical grid, and renewable energy applications. This paper gives a review of the recent developments in FESS technologies. Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of FESSs, we survey different design approaches, choices of subsystems, and the effects on performance, cost, and applications. This review focuses on the state of the art of FESS technologies, especially for those who have been commissioned or prototyped. We also highlighted the opportunities and potential directions for the future development of FESS technologies.

eess.SY↗

arXiv2021

Time-Domain Doppler Biomotion Detections Immune to Unavoidable DC Offsets

In the past decades, continuous Doppler radar sensor-based bio-signal detections have attracted many research interests. A typical example is the Doppler heartbeat detection. While significant progresses have been achieved, reliable, time-domain accurate demodulation of bio-signals in the presence of unavoidable DC offsets remains a technical challenge. Aiming to overcome this difficulty, we propose in this paper a novel demodulation algorithm that does not need to trace and eliminate dynamic DC offsets based on approximating segmented arcs in a quadrature constellation of sampling data to directional chords. Assisted by the principal component analysis, such chords and their directions can be deterministically determined. Simulations and experimental validations showed fully recovery of micron-level pendulum movements and strongly noised human heartbeats, verifying the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach.

eess.SY↗