236 research outputs found
A Map-Reduce Parallel Approach to Automatic Synthesis of Control Software
Many Control Systems are indeed Software Based Control Systems, i.e. control
systems whose controller consists of control software running on a
microcontroller device. This motivates investigation on Formal Model Based
Design approaches for automatic synthesis of control software.
Available algorithms and tools (e.g., QKS) may require weeks or even months
of computation to synthesize control software for large-size systems. This
motivates search for parallel algorithms for control software synthesis.
In this paper, we present a Map-Reduce style parallel algorithm for control
software synthesis when the controlled system (plant) is modeled as discrete
time linear hybrid system. Furthermore we present an MPI-based implementation
PQKS of our algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first parallel
approach for control software synthesis.
We experimentally show effectiveness of PQKS on two classical control
synthesis problems: the inverted pendulum and the multi-input buck DC/DC
converter. Experiments show that PQKS efficiency is above 65%. As an example,
PQKS requires about 16 hours to complete the synthesis of control software for
the pendulum on a cluster with 60 processors, instead of the 25 days needed by
the sequential algorithm in QKS.Comment: To be submitted to TACAS 2013. arXiv admin note: substantial text
overlap with arXiv:1207.4474, arXiv:1207.409
âO sibling, where art thou?â â a review of avian sibling recognition with respect to the mammalian literature
Avian literature on sibling recognition is rare compared to that developed by mammalian researchers. We compare avian and mammalian research on sibling recognition to identify why avian work is rare, how approaches differ and what avian and mammalian researchers can learn from each other. Three factors: (1) biological differences between birds and mammals, (2) conceptual biases and (3) practical constraints, appear to influence our current understanding. Avian research focuses on colonial species because sibling recognition is considered adaptive where âmixing potentialâ of dependent young is high; research on a wider range of species, breeding systems and ecological conditions is now needed. Studies of acoustic recognition cues dominate avian literature; other types of cues (e.g. visual, olfactory) deserve further attention. The effect of gender on avian sibling recognition has yet to be investigated; mammalian work shows that gender can have important influences. Most importantly, many researchers assume that birds recognise siblings through âdirect familiarisationâ (commonly known as associative learning or familiarity); future experiments should also incorporate tests for âindirect familiarisationâ (commonly known as phenotype matching). If direct familiarisation proves crucial, avian research should investigate how periods of separation influence sibling discrimination. Mammalian researchers typically interpret sibling recognition in broad functional terms (nepotism, optimal outbreeding); some avian researchers more successfully identify specific and testable adaptive explanations, with greater relevance to natural contexts. We end by reporting exciting discoveries from recent studies of avian sibling recognition that inspire further interest in this topic
Glacial to Holocene terrigenous organic matter input to sediments from Orca Basin, Gulf of Mexico â A combined optical and biomarker approach
In this study we assessed changes in the contribution of terrigenous organic matter (OM) to the Gulf of Mexico over the course of the last deglaciation (the last 25 kyr). To this end, we combined optical kerogen analyses with bulk sedimentary, biomarker, and compound-specific carbon isotope analyses. Samples were obtained from core MD02-2550 from Orca Basin (2249 m water depth at 26°56.77N, 91°20.74W) with temporal resolution ranging from multi-decadal to millennial-scale, depending on the proxy. All proxies confirmed larger terrigenous input during glacial times compared to the Holocene. In addition, the kerogen analyses suggest that much of the glacial OM is reworked (at least 50% of spores and pollen grains and 40% of dinoflagellate cysts). The Holocene sediments, in contrast, contain mainly marine OM, which is exceptionally well preserved. During the deglaciation, terrigenous input was generally high due to large meltwater fluxes, whereby discrepancies between different proxies call for additional influences, such as the change in distance to the river mouth, local productivity changes, and hydrodynamic particle sorting. It is possible that kerogen particles and the terrigenous biomarkers studied here represent distinct pools of land-derived OM with inputs varying independently
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Evidence both L-type and non-L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels contribute to cerebral artery vasospasm following loss of NO in the rat
We recently found block of NO synthase in rat middle cerebral artery caused spasm, associated with depolarizing oscillations in membrane potential (Em) similar in form but faster in frequency (circa 1 Hz) to vasomotion. T-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels contribute to cerebral myogenic tone and vasomotion, so we investigated the significance of T-type and other ion channels for membrane potential oscillations underlying arterial spasm. Smooth muscle cell membrane potential (Em) and tension were measured simultaneously in rat middle cerebral artery. NO synthase blockade caused temporally coupled depolarizing oscillations in cerebrovascular Em with associated vasoconstriction. Both events were accentuated by block of smooth muscle BKCa. Block of T-type channels or inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase abolished the oscillations in Em and reduced vasoconstriction. Oscillations in Em were either attenuated or accentuated by reducing [Ca2+]o or block of KV, respectively. TRAM-34 attenuated oscillations in both Em and tone, apparently independent of effects against KCa3.1. Thus, rapid depolarizing oscillations in Em and tone observed after endothelial function has been disrupted reflect input from T-type calcium channels in addition to L-type channels, while other depolarizing currents appear to be unimportant. These data suggest that combined block of T and L-type channels may represent an effective approach to reverse cerebral vasospasm
The Polygenic and Monogenic Basis of Blood Traits and Diseases
Blood cells play essential roles in human health, underpinning physiological processes such as immunity, oxygen transport, and clotting, which when perturbed cause a significant global health burden. Here we integrate data from UK Biobank and a large-scale international collaborative effort, including data for 563,085 European ancestry participants, and discover 5,106 new genetic variants independently associated with 29 blood cell phenotypes covering a range of variation impacting hematopoiesis. We holistically characterize the genetic architecture of hematopoiesis, assess the relevance of the omnigenic model to blood cell phenotypes, delineate relevant hematopoietic cell states influenced by regulatory genetic variants and gene networks, identify novel splice-altering variants mediating the associations, and assess the polygenic prediction potential for blood traits and clinical disorders at the interface of complex and Mendelian genetics. These results show the power of large-scale blood cell trait GWAS to interrogate clinically meaningful variants across a wide allelic spectrum of human variation. Analysis of blood cell traits in the UK Biobank and other cohorts illuminates the full genetic architecture of hematopoietic phenotypes, with evidence supporting the omnigenic model for complex traits and linking polygenic burden with monogenic blood diseases
Feasibility studies for the measurement of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors from pÂŻ pâ ÎŒ+ÎŒ- at P ÂŻ ANDA at FAIR
This paper reports on Monte Carlo simulation results for future measurements of the moduli of time-like proton electromagnetic form factors, | GE| and | GM| , using the pÂŻ pâ ÎŒ+ÎŒ- reaction at P ÂŻ ANDA (FAIR). The electromagnetic form factors are fundamental quantities parameterizing the electric and magnetic structure of hadrons. This work estimates the statistical and total accuracy with which the form factors can be measured at P ÂŻ ANDA , using an analysis of simulated data within the PandaRoot software framework. The most crucial background channel is pÂŻ pâ Ï+Ï-, due to the very similar behavior of muons and pions in the detector. The suppression factors are evaluated for this and all other relevant background channels at different values of antiproton beam momentum. The signal/background separation is based on a multivariate analysis, using the Boosted Decision Trees method. An expected background subtraction is included in this study, based on realistic angular distributions of the background contribution. Systematic uncertainties are considered and the relative total uncertainties of the form factor measurements are presented
Measurement of the correlation between flow harmonics of different order in lead-lead collisions at âsNN = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector
Correlations between the elliptic or triangular flow coefficients vm (m=2 or 3) and other flow harmonics vn (n=2 to 5) are measured using âsNN=2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collision data collected in 2010 by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7 ÎŒbâ1. The vmâvn correlations are measured in midrapidity as a function of centrality, and, for events within the same centrality interval, as a function of event ellipticity or triangularity defined in a forward rapidity region. For events within the same centrality interval, v3 is found to be anticorrelated with v2 and this anticorrelation is consistent with similar anticorrelations between the corresponding eccentricities, Δ2 and Δ3. However, it is observed that v4 increases strongly with v2, and v5 increases strongly with both v2 and v3. The trend and strength of the vmâvn correlations for n=4 and 5 are found to disagree with ΔmâΔn correlations predicted by initial-geometry models. Instead, these correlations are found to be consistent with the combined effects of a linear contribution to vn and a nonlinear term that is a function of v22 or of v2v3, as predicted by hydrodynamic models. A simple two-component fit is used to separate these two contributions. The extracted linear and nonlinear contributions to v4 and v5 are found to be consistent with previously measured event-plane correlations
EuFeAs under high pressure: an antiferromagnetic bulk superconductor
We report the ac magnetic susceptibility and resistivity
measurements of EuFeAs under high pressure . By observing nearly
100% superconducting shielding and zero resistivity at = 28 kbar, we
establish that -induced superconductivity occurs at ~30 K in
EuFeAs. shows an anomalous nearly linear temperature dependence
from room temperature down to at the same . indicates that
an antiferromagnetic order of Eu moments with ~20 K persists
in the superconducting phase. The temperature dependence of the upper critical
field is also determined.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Vol. 78 No.
Measurement of the branching ratio Î(Îbâ° â Ï(2S)Î0)/Î(Îbâ° â J/ÏÎ0) with the ATLAS detector
An observation of the decay and
a comparison of its branching fraction with that of the decay has been made with the ATLAS detector in
proton--proton collisions at TeV at the LHC using an integrated
luminosity of fb. The and mesons are
reconstructed in their decays to a muon pair, while the decay is exploited for the baryon reconstruction. The
baryons are reconstructed with transverse momentum GeV and pseudorapidity . The measured branching ratio of
the and decays is , lower than the expectation from the
covariant quark model.Comment: 12 pages plus author list (28 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table,
published on Physics Letters B 751 (2015) 63-80. All figures are available at
https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/BPHY-2013-08
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