Model-driven engineering approach to design and implementation of robot control system

In this paper we apply a model-driven engineering approach to designing domain-specific solutions for robot control system development. We present a case study of the complete process, including identification of the domain meta-model, graphical notation definition and source code generation for subsumption architecture -- a well-known example of robot control architecture. Our goal is to show that both the definition of the robot-control architecture and its supporting tools fits well into the typical workflow of model-driven engineering development.Comment: Presented at DSLRob 2011 (arXiv:cs/1212.3308

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN THE CAP DECISION MAKING: A CASE STUDY ON THE SUGAR REFORM

This paper represents the first step of a wider research project on the relation between the EU institutional settings and the policy outcome. We specifically tackle the CAP definition process and the role of the Commission inside consultation procedure, proposing a case study on the sugar CMO reform of 2006. Using and adapting the theoretical framework proposed by Putnam (1988) we first check the suitability of sugar for such analysis than we reconstruct the various phases of the sugar CMO definition process evaluating qualitatively, the main issue in discussion, MSs position in relation also to the final outcome and the role played by the Commission in this context. The analysis is carried out as a documental study in which we collected and evaluate the documents produced by different bodies during the reform process together with interviews with commission internals in order to validate our hypothesis. The objective is to point out winners and losers of the reform process, highlighting the circumstances in which the Commission could have acted in order to compensate losers. Moreover, understand how such compensations could have helped the Commission in safeguarding the guidelines for the reform it supports.CAP Reform, Sugar reform, Institutional settings, Consultation procedure, CMO, Agricultural and Food Policy, Political Economy, Q10, Q18.,

Relationship between Thermodynamic Driving Force and One-Way Fluxes in Reversible Chemical Reactions

Chemical reaction systems operating in nonequilibrium open-system states arise in a great number of contexts, including the study of living organisms, in which chemical reactions, in general, are far from equilibrium. Here we introduce a theorem that relates forward and re-verse fluxes and free energy for any chemical process operating in a steady state. This rela-tionship, which is a generalization of equilibrium conditions to the case of a chemical process occurring in a nonequilibrium steady state, provides a novel equivalent definition for chemical reaction free energy. In addition, it is shown that previously unrelated theories introduced by Ussing and Hodgkin and Huxley for transport of ions across membranes, Hill for catalytic cycle fluxes, and Crooks for entropy production in microscopically reversible systems, are united in a common framework based on this relationship.Comment: 11 page

Models as a Tool for Theory Construction: Some Strategies of Preliminary Physics

Theoretical models are an important tool for many aspects of scientific activity. They are used, i.a., to structure data, to apply theories or even to construct new theories. But what exactly is a model? It turns out that there is no proper definition of the term "model" that covers all these aspects. Thus, I restrict myself here to evaluate the function of models in the research process while using "model" in the loose way physicists do. To this end, I distinguish four kinds of models. These are (1) models as special theories, (2) models as a substitute for a theory, (3) toy models and (4) developmental models. I argue that models of the types (3) and (4) are considerably useful in the process of theory construction. This will be demonstrated in an extended case-study from High-Energy Physics.Articl

Product development of equipment for people with disabilities : the development of an axilla crutch : a case study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Product Development at Massey University

Pages 61, 83-84 Missing from Original Copy.The application of product development in the area of designing equipment for people with disabilities was studied using, as a case study, the development of a new design of axilla crutch. From the literature available it became apparent that very little work on the product development process has been carried out within this industry. This situation exists side by side with, and may be strongly related to, a dearth of basic information on the market requirements and size for the equipment currently being used. To overcome this problem for the case study a questionnaire was used to provide basic information for the axilla crutch. This was supplemented by a literature search which provided some information as to the essential operation of the equipment. This information provided the basis for the design of the new axilla crutch which was then field trialled. From the results of the work carried out, it can be seen that the product development process in the disability sector is essentially the same as in other areas. The difference comes in the emphasis that needs to be applied to the initial market research and functional definition of the equipment, and the final assessment of the prototype

Modelling of tradeable securities with dividends

We propose a generalized framework for the modeling of tradeable securities with dividends which are not necessarily cash dividends at fixed times or continuously paid dividends. In our setup the dividend processes are only required to be semi-martingales. We give a definition of self-financing replication which incorporates dividend processes, and we show how this allows us to translate standard results for the pricing and hedging of derivatives on assets without dividends to the case of assets with dividends. We then apply this framework to analyze and compare the different assumptions that have been made in earlier dividend models. We also study the case where we have uncertain dividend dates, and we look at securities which are not equity-based such as futures and credit default swaps, since our weaker assumptions on the dividend process allow us to consider these other applications as well

Weak Solutions of Stochastic Differential Equations over the Field of p-Adic Numbers

Study of stochastic differential equations on the field of p-adic numbers was initiated by the second author and has been developed by the first author, who proved several results for the p-adic case, similar to the theory of ordinary stochastic integral with respect to Levy processes on the Euclidean spaces. In this article, we present an improved definition of a stochastic integral on the field and prove the joint (time and space) continuity of the local time for p-adic stable processes. Then we use the method of random time change to obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of a weak solution of a stochastic differential equation on the field, driven by the p-adic stable process, with a Borel measurable coefficient.Comment: To appear in Tohoku Math.