LDR: A Package for Likelihood-Based Sufficient Dimension Reduction

We introduce a new mlab software package that implements several recently proposed likelihood-based methods for sufficient dimension reduction. Current capabilities include estimation of reduced subspaces with a fixed dimension d, as well as estimation of d by use of likelihood-ratio testing, permutation testing and information criteria. The methods are suitable for preprocessing data for both regression and classification. Implementations of related estimators are also available. Although the software is more oriented to command-line operation, a graphical user interface is also provided for prototype computations.

Profit-Maximizing Planning and Control of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Primary Frequency Control

We consider a two-level profit-maximizing strategy, including planning and control, for battery energy storage system (BESS) owners that participate in the primary frequency control (PFC) market. Specifically, the optimal BESS control minimizes the operating cost by keeping the state of charge (SoC) in an optimal range. Through rigorous analysis, we prove that the optimal BESS control is a "state-invariant" strategy in the sense that the optimal SoC range does not vary with the state of the system. As such, the optimal control strategy can be computed offline once and for all with very low complexity. Regarding the BESS planning, we prove that the the minimum operating cost is a decreasing convex function of the BESS energy capacity. This leads to the optimal BESS sizing that strikes a balance between the capital investment and operating cost. Our work here provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding the planning and control strategies that maximize the economic benefits of BESSs in ancillary service markets

Profit Maximizing Planning and Control of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Primary Frequency Control

We consider a two-level profit-maximizing strategy, including planning and control, for battery energy storage system (BESS) owners that participate in the primary frequency control (PFC) market. Specifically, the optimal BESS control minimizes the operating cost by keeping the state of charge (SoC) in an optimal range. Through rigorous analysis, we prove that the optimal BESS control is a “state-invariant” strategy in the sense that the optimal SoC range does not vary with the state of the system. As such, the optimal control strategy can be computed offline once and for all with very low complexity. Regarding the BESS planning, we prove that the the minimum operating cost is a decreasing convex function of the BESS energy capacity. This leads to the optimal BESS sizing that strikes a balance between the capital investment and operating cost. Our work here provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding the planning and control strategies that maximize the economic benefits of BESSs in ancillary service markets

Participatory Culture at the Echo Park Film Center

The Echo Park Film Center, a Los Angeles nonprofit media education organization, teaches underprivileged youth how to comprehend and make media in order to empower them to speak and be heard. Due to the organization’s nonmainstream media courses and its connection to its community, the Center is able to create a participatory and socially inclusive environment that teaches young people a particular form of media-making and comprehension. In this article, I explore the participatory culture created at the Echo Park Film Center through an observational study of its “Origins” course and a contextual analysis of the organization’s methods and philosophy

A novel extended potential field controller for use on aerial robots

© 2016 IEEE. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, have many potential uses in real world applications. Drones require advanced planning and navigation algorithms to enable them to safely move through and interact with the world around them. This paper presents an extended potential field controller (ePFC) which enables an aerial robot, or drone, to safely track a dynamic target location while simultaneously avoiding any obstacles in its path. The ePFC outperforms a traditional potential field controller (PFC) with smoother tracking paths and shorter settling times. The proposed ePFC's stability is evaluated by Lyapunov approach, and its performance is simulated in a Matlab environment. Finally, the controller is implemented on an experimental platform in a laboratory environment which demonstrates the effectiveness of the controller

Software Process Modeling with Eclipse Process Framework

The software development industry is constantly evolving. The rise of the agile methodologies in the late 1990s, and new development tools and technologies require growing attention for everybody working within this industry. The organizations have, however, had a mixture of various processes and different process languages since a standard software development process language has not been available. A promising process meta-model called Software & Systems Process Engineering Meta- Model (SPEM) 2.0 has been released recently. This is applied by tools such as Eclipse Process Framework Composer, which is designed for implementing and maintaining processes and method content. Its aim is to support a broad variety of project types and development styles. This thesis presents the concepts of software processes, models, traditional and agile approaches, method engineering, and software process improvement. Some of the most well-known methodologies (RUP, OpenUP, OpenMethod, XP and Scrum) are also introduced with a comparison provided between them. The main focus is on the Eclipse Process Framework and SPEM 2.0, their capabilities, usage and modeling. As a proof of concept, I present a case study of modeling OpenMethod with EPF Composer and SPEM 2.0. The results show that the new meta-model and tool have made it possible to easily manage method content, publish versions with customized content, and connect project tools (such as MS Project) with the process content. The software process modeling also acts as a process improvement activity.Ohjelmistoprosessin mallinnus Eclipse Process Frameworkilla ja SPEM 2.0 metamallilla Ohjelmistot ja ohjelmistoteollisuus kehittyvät jatkuvasti. Ketterien menetelmien tulo 1990-luvun loppupuolella, uudet kehitystyökalut ja teknologiat vaativat yhä enemmän huomiota alalla työskenteleviltä ihmisiltä. Organisaatioilla on kuitenkin ollut sekalainen kirjo prosesseja ja erilaisia prosessikuvauskieliä, koska standardia kuvauskieltä ei ole ollut saatavilla. Prosessimetamalli SPEM 2.0 julkaistiin hiljattain. Tätä mallia hyödyntää mm. Eclipse Process Framework Composer (EPFC) –työkalu, joka on suunniteltu prosessien ja menetelmäsisällön kehittämiseen ja ylläpitoon. Työkalun tavoitteena on tukea useita erilaisia projektityyppejä ja kehitystyylejä. Tässä työssä esitellään seuraavat aiheet ja käsitteet: ohjelmistoprosessit, mallit, perinteiset ja ketterät lähestymistavat, metoditekniikkaa sekä prosessien kehittäminen. Lisäksi tutustutaan muutamiin tunnetuimmista metodologioista (RUP, OpenUP, OpenMethod, XP ja Scrum) ja vertaillaan näitä. Työssä tutkitaan tarkemmin Eclipse Process Framework Composer –työkalua, SPEM 2.0 metamallia, näiden ominaisuuksia, käyttöä sekä mallintamista. Esitän tutkimustulokset ja tutkimuksenkulun OpenMethodin mallintamisesta EPFC –työkalulla sekä SPEM 2.0 -metamallilla. Tulokset osoittavat, että uusi metamalli ja työkalu helpottavat prosessin ja menetelmäsisällön hallintaa, mahdollistavat räätälöityjen julkaisujen teon sisällöstä, sekä yhdistävät prosessin projektityökaluihin kuten MS Projectiin. Mallinnus voidaan lisäksi ymmärtää osana prosessin kehittämistä.Siirretty Doriast