Networked PID control design : a pseudo-probabilistic robust approach

Networked Control Systems (NCS) are feedback/feed-forward control systems where control components (sensors, actuators and controllers) are distributed across a common communication network. In NCS, there exist network-induced random delays in each channel. This paper proposes a method to compensate the effects of these delays for the design and tuning of PID controllers. The control design is formulated as a constrained optimization problem and the controller stability and robustness criteria are incorporated as design constraints. The design is based on a polytopic description of the system using a Poisson pdf distribution of the delay. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method

Razas autóctonas de las islas canarias: pasado, presente y futuro

We describe the means developed by official and private institutions for the conservation of Canary Breeds. We evaluate the response to concrete actions comparing the evolution of their census with presented at the Warwick Conference (1989).Se describen la evolución de las Razas autóctonas canarias y las medidas que se han de tomar de cara al futuro, tanto por organismos oficiales como por entidades particulares, para evitar el peligro de desaparición de dichas razas

Origin and influences of canarian sheep

When the Spaniards begun the conquest of the Canary Islands at the XVth Century, they found a hair sheep exploited in semi-domestic conditions, as it was written by the cronists in the seven islands. A few later, after the discovery of America, a hair sheep appeared in the Caribe. The researchers locate its origin directly in the present hair sheep of the Sub-Saharian Africa. In this paper we present some hypothesis firstly justifying the presence of hair sheep in the Canary Island, located in a latitude of wool sheep in those times. Secondly, we try to justify the sure relationship in origin between the present Iberoamerican and Caribbean hair sheep and the prehispanic canarian sheep. Finally, we also discuss the relationship of these paleocanarian ovine over the present sheep breeds of the archipelago.Cuando los españoles inician la conquista de las Islas Canarias en el siglo XV, encuentran un ovino de pelo explotado de manera semi-doméstica, como reflejan los cronistas en las siete islas. Tras el descubrimiento de América, aparecen unos ovinos de pelo en el Caribe, cuyo origen directo se atribuye a los ovinos de este tipo que actualmente pueblan el Africa Sub-Sahariana. En este trabajo se emiten hipótesis para justificar, en primer lugar, la presencia de ovinos de pelo en las Islas Canarias, ubicados en aquella época en una latitud propia del ovino de lana; en segundo, lugar se intenta justificar una más que segura relación en origen entre los actuales ovinos caribeños e iberoamericanos con el ovino canario prehispánico. Por último, se discute la relación de estos ovinos paleocanarios tuvieron con las actuales razas ovinas del archipiélago

AXA: a computer program for the management of the Canary Goat Group milking control programs

A computer program, developed in Clipper, for the management of the genealogical and productive information from the Canary Goat Group, is described. The two first sections of this program are planned for the males and females genealogical data arrangement. Third section is devised for the productive data storage. Fourth section is constructed for the emission of reports and finally, fifth section is a miscellaneous of utilities, where the connection with other programs must be highlighted. Also an exit control is enclosed. The basic purposes of this program aim the emission of official production reports for the Administration and farmers, and the information processing for its analysis in programs of genetic selection.Se describe un programa de ordenador, desarrollado en Clipper, para la gestión de la información genealógica y productiva de la Agrupación Caprina Canaria. Sus dos primeras secciones se ocupan de la organización de la información genealógica de machos y de hembras; la tercera de la información productiva; la cuarta de la elaboración de informes y la quinta es una miscelánea de utilidades y un control de salida, con conexión con otros programas. Las misiones básicas del programa se centran en la emisión de informes productivos oficiales, destinados a la administración y a los ganaderos, y la preparación de la información para su análisis en programas de selección genética

Nonequilibrium phase transitions in models of adsorption and desorption

The nonequilibrium phase transition in a system of diffusing, coagulating particles in the presence of a steady input and evaporation of particles is studied. The system undergoes a transition from a phase in which the average number of particles is finite to one in which it grows linearly in time. The exponents characterizing the mass distribution near the critical point are calculated in all dimensions.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures (To appear in Phys. Rev. E

The white andalusian goat breed: characterization and conservation

The Blanca Serrana Andaluza goat breed is one of the most ancient in the Iberian Peninsula and for its origin the only one showing the influence of African branches; its meat aptitude, its size and its adaptation to hard conditions has always located this breed in the most marginal areas of Andalusia, usually zones without use for agriculture and other farming activities. Presently three main causes of endangering are over the breed; the first is the diminution of the census; the second is the competence by feeding areas with hunting species, specially deers, and finally the most important cause is the cross-breeding with the Blanca Celtibérica goat breed, shorter animal with low adaptability. In opposite of this situation, we are using the advantages presented by the scarce census of the breed, one of them is that the existing farms belong to young farmers very sensitized for the conservation and the improvement of traditional extensive management systems, what is favouring the creation of a breeders association. We have also started the characterization of the breed by mean of molecular markers, as a fundamental tool for the populational definitions, specially in situation like this one with clear crossbreeding with other breeds.La cabra Blanca Serrana Andaluza es una de las más antiguas de la península Ibérica y por origen, la única con marcada influencia de troncos africanos, su aptitud cárnica, envergadura y adaptación a las condiciones adversas ha situado siempre su área de explotación en las zonas más marginales de Andalucía, zonas de montaña, no aptas para cultivos u otras ganaderías como bovinas, ovinas y caprinas lecheras. En la actualidad tres grandes amenazas se ciernen sobre esta raza, por un lado, la imparable disminución de sus censos, por otro, la competencia con las especies cinegéticas, fundamentalmente ciervos, por las zonas de pastoreo, y por último, la amenaza más peligrosa pues es menos visible y más destructiva, el cruce con animales de la raza Blanca Celtibérica, de menor envergadura y e inferior aptitud para zonas de monte cerrado. Ante esta situación, se aprovechan las ventajas que presentan los escasos efectivos de la raza, una de ellas, es que los rebaños que no han sido sacrificados, han ido pasando a manos de ganaderos y ganaderas jóvenes y, en gran parte de las ocasiones, con sensibilidad a los temas conservacionistas y a la mejora de los sistemas de explotación tradicionales, extensivos, lo que ha favorecido la creación de una asociación. También para defensa de los intereses de la raza, se ha comenzando por su caracterización, que en estos momentos se está desarrollando, mediante el uso de marcadores moleculares, pues es una herramienta fundamental en la definición de poblaciones, sobre todo en situaciones de cruce de individuos con otras razas

A jump-growth model for predator-prey dynamics: derivation and application to marine ecosystems

This paper investigates the dynamics of biomass in a marine ecosystem. A stochastic process is defined in which organisms undergo jumps in body size as they catch and eat smaller organisms. Using a systematic expansion of the master equation, we derive a deterministic equation for the macroscopic dynamics, which we call the deterministic jump-growth equation, and a linear Fokker-Planck equation for the stochastic fluctuations. The McKendrick--von Foerster equation, used in previous studies, is shown to be a first-order approximation, appropriate in equilibrium systems where predators are much larger than their prey. The model has a power-law steady state consistent with the approximate constancy of mass density in logarithmic intervals of body mass often observed in marine ecosystems. The behaviours of the stochastic process, the deterministic jump-growth equation and the McKendrick--von Foerster equation are compared using numerical methods. The numerical analysis shows two classes of attractors: steady states and travelling waves.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures. Final version as published. Only minor change

Generalized Parton Distributions from Hadronic Observables: Non-Zero Skewness

We propose a physically motivated parametrization for the unpolarized generalized parton distributions, H and E, valid at both zero and non-zero values of the skewness variable, \zeta. Our approach follows a previous detailed study of the \zeta=0 case where H and E were determined using constraints from simultaneous fits of the experimental data on both the nucleon elastic form factors and the deep inelastic structure functions in the non singlet sector. Additional constraints at \zeta \neq 0 are provided by lattice calculations of the higher moments of generalized parton distributions. We illustrate a method for extracting generalized parton distributions from lattice moments based on a reconstruction using sets of orthogonal polynomials. The inclusion in our fit of data on Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering is also discussed. Our method provides a step towards a model independent extraction of generalized distributions from the data. It also provides an alternative to double distributions based phenomenological models in that we are able to satisfy the polynomiality condition by construction, using a combination of experimental data and lattice, without resorting to any specific mathematical construct.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures; added references, changed text in several place

Hydrophobic and ionic-interactions in bulk and confined water with implications for collapse and folding of proteins

Water and water-mediated interactions determine thermodynamic and kinetics of protein folding, protein aggregation and self-assembly in confined spaces. To obtain insights into the role of water in the context of folding problems, we describe computer simulations of a few related model systems. The dynamics of collapse of eicosane shows that upon expulsion of water the linear hydrocarbon chain adopts an ordered helical hairpin structure with 1.5 turns. The structure of dimer of eicosane molecules has two well ordered helical hairpins that are stacked perpendicular to each other. As a prelude to studying folding in confined spaces we used simulations to understand changes in hydrophobic and ionic interactions in nano droplets. Solvation of hydrophobic and charged species change drastically in nano water droplets. Hydrophobic species are localized at the boundary. The tendency of ions to be at the boundary where water density is low increases as the charge density decreases. Interaction between hydrophobic, polar, and charged residue are also profoundly altered in confined spaces. Using the results of computer simulations and accounting for loss of chain entropy upon confinement we argue and then demonstrate, using simulations in explicit water, that ordered states of generic amphiphilic peptide sequences should be stabilized in cylindrical nanopores

Rare Variants in 48 Genes Account for 42% of Cases of Epilepsy With or Without Neurodevelopmental Delay in 246 Pediatric Patients

In order to characterize the genetic architecture of epilepsy in a pediatric population from the Iberian Peninsula (including the Canary Islands), we conducted targeted exome sequencing of 246 patients with infantile-onset seizures with or without neurodevelopmental delay. We detected 107 variants in 48 different genes, which were implicated in neuronal excitability, neurodevelopment, synaptic transmission, and metabolic pathways. In 104 cases (42%) we detected variant(s) that we classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Of the 48 mutated genes, 32 were dominant, 8 recessive and 8 X-linked. Of the patients for whom family studies could be performed and in whom pathogenic variants were identified in dominant or X-linked genes, 82% carried de novo mutations. The involvement of small copy number variations (CNVs) is 9%. The use of progressively updated custom panels with high mean vertical coverage enabled establishment of a definitive diagnosis in a large proportion of cases (42%) and detection of CNVs (even duplications) with high fidelity. In 10.5% of patients we detected associations that are pending confirmation via functional and/or familial studies. Our findings had important consequences for the clinical management of the probands, since a large proportion of the cohort had been clinically misdiagnosed, and their families were subsequently able to avail of genetic counseling. In some cases, a more appropriate treatment was selected for the patient in question, or an inappropriate treatment discontinued. Our findings suggest the existence of modifier genes that may explain the incomplete penetrance of some epilepsy-related genes. We discuss possible reasons for non-diagnosis and future research directions. Further studies will be required to uncover the roles of structural variants, epimutations, and oligogenic inheritance in epilepsy, thereby providing a more complete molecular picture of this disease. In summary, given the broad phenotypic spectrum of most epilepsy-related genes, efficient genomic tools like the targeted exome sequencing panel described here are essential for early diagnosis and treatment, and should be implemented as first-tier diagnostic tools for children with epilepsy without a clear etiologic basis