Estimation of flexible fuzzy GARCH models for conditional density estimation

In this work we introduce a new flexible fuzzy GARCH model for conditional density estimation. The model combines two different types of uncertainty, namely fuzziness or linguistic vagueness, and probabilistic uncertainty. The probabilistic uncertainty is modeled through a GARCH model while the fuzziness or linguistic vagueness is present in the antecedent and combination of the rule base system. The fuzzy GARCH model under study allows for a linguistic interpretation of the gradual changes in the output density, providing a simple understanding of the process. Such a system can capture different properties of data, such as fat tails, skewness and multimodality in one single model. This type of models can be useful in many fields such as macroeconomic analysis, quantitative finance and risk management. The relation to existing similar models is discussed, while the properties, interpretation and estimation of the proposed model are provided. The model performance is illustrated in simulated time series data exhibiting complex behavior and a real data application of volatility forecasting for the S&P 500 daily returns series

Fabrication and characterization of composites of a perovskite and polymers with high dielectric permittivity

Composites of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) at loadings up to 50 vol.% with polar poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and non-polar linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) were prepared to investigate their dielectric responses in the wireless frequency range. The SrTiO3 particles were uniformly dispersed in the polymers at low loadings, but were more bead-like and agglomerated at higher SrTiO3 loadings. The SrTiO3 has a strong nucleating effect on both polymers, increasing the crystallization temperature and reducing the crystallinity of both polymers. Dielectric properties of composites were measured between 2.45−5 GHz. Dielectric permittivity (ε') of composites at 2.45 GHz increased with increasing SrTiO3 content. ε' increased by a factor of 5 for PBT, from 3.7 for unfilled PBT to 16.5 and by a factor of ∼8.5 for unfilled LLDPE, from 2.3 to 19.7 for maximum SrTiO3 loading. The composites had similar dissipation factor values as the unfilled polymers. The Lichtenecker model was in good agreement with the experimental data

Rejection of mismatched disturbances for systems with input delay via a predictive extended state observer

[EN] The problem of output stabilization and disturbance rejection for input-delayed systems is tackled in this work. First, a suitable transformation is introduced to translate mismatched disturbances into an equivalent input disturbance. Then, an extended state observer is combined with a predictive observer structure to obtain a future estimation of both the state and the disturbance. A disturbance model is assumed to be known but attenuation of unmodeled components is also considered. The stabilization is proved via Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals, leading to sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities for the closed-loop analysis and parameter tuning. The proposed strategy is illustrated through a numerical example.PROMETEOII/2013/004; Conselleria d'Educacio; Generalitat Valenciana, Grant/Award Number: TIN2014-56158-C4-4-P-AR; Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Grant/Award Number: FPI-UPV 2014; Universitat Politecnica de ValenciaSanz Diaz, R.; García Gil, PJ.; Fridman, E.; Albertos Pérez, P. (2018). Rejection of mismatched disturbances for systems with input delay via a predictive extended state observer. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control. 28(6):2457-2467. https://doi.org/10.1002/rnc.4027S24572467286Stability and Stabilization of Systems with Time Delay. (2011). IEEE Control Systems, 31(1), 38-65. doi:10.1109/mcs.2010.939135Fridman, E. (2014). Introduction to Time-Delay Systems. Systems & Control: Foundations & Applications. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09393-2Watanabe, K., & Ito, M. (1981). A process-model control for linear systems with delay. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 26(6), 1261-1269. doi:10.1109/tac.1981.1102802Astrom, K. J., Hang, C. C., & Lim, B. C. (1994). A new Smith predictor for controlling a process with an integrator and long dead-time. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 39(2), 343-345. doi:10.1109/9.272329Matausek, M. R., & Micic, A. D. (1996). A modified Smith predictor for controlling a process with an integrator and long dead-time. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 41(8), 1199-1203. doi:10.1109/9.533684García, P., & Albertos, P. (2008). A new dead-time compensator to control stable and integrating processes with long dead-time. Automatica, 44(4), 1062-1071. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2007.08.022Normey-Rico, J. E., & Camacho, E. F. (2009). Unified approach for robust dead-time compensator design. Journal of Process Control, 19(1), 38-47. doi:10.1016/j.jprocont.2008.02.003Manitius, A., & Olbrot, A. (1979). Finite spectrum assignment problem for systems with delays. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 24(4), 541-552. doi:10.1109/tac.1979.1102124Artstein, Z. (1982). Linear systems with delayed controls: A reduction. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 27(4), 869-879. doi:10.1109/tac.1982.1103023Krstic, M. (2008). Lyapunov tools for predictor feedbacks for delay systems: Inverse optimality and robustness to delay mismatch. Automatica, 44(11), 2930-2935. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2008.04.010Léchappé, V., Moulay, E., Plestan, F., Glumineau, A., & Chriette, A. (2015). New predictive scheme for the control of LTI systems with input delay and unknown disturbances. Automatica, 52, 179-184. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2014.11.003Sanz, R., Garcia, P., & Albertos, P. (2016). Enhanced disturbance rejection for a predictor-based control of LTI systems with input delay. Automatica, 72, 205-208. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2016.05.019Basturk, H. I., & Krstic, M. (2015). Adaptive sinusoidal disturbance cancellation for unknown LTI systems despite input delay. Automatica, 58, 131-138. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2015.05.013Basturk, H. I. (2017). Cancellation of unmatched biased sinusoidal disturbances for unknown LTI systems in the presence of state delay. Automatica, 76, 169-176. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2016.10.006Sanz, R., Garcia, P., Albertos, P., & Zhong, Q.-C. (2016). Robust controller design for input-delayed systems using predictive feedback and an uncertainty estimator. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 27(10), 1826-1840. doi:10.1002/rnc.3639Mondie, S., & Michiels, W. (2003). Finite spectrum assignment of unstable time-delay systems with a safe implementation. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 48(12), 2207-2212. doi:10.1109/tac.2003.820147Zhong, Q.-C. (2004). On Distributed Delay in Linear Control Laws—Part I: Discrete-Delay Implementations. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 49(11), 2074-2080. doi:10.1109/tac.2004.837531Zhou, B., Lin, Z., & Duan, G.-R. (2012). Truncated predictor feedback for linear systems with long time-varying input delays. Automatica, 48(10), 2387-2399. doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2012.06.032Zhou, B., Li, Z.-Y., & Lin, Z. (2013). On higher-order truncated predictor feedback for linear systems with input delay. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 24(17), 2609-2627. doi:10.1002/rnc.3012Besançon G Georges D Benayache Z Asymptotic state prediction for continuous-time systems with delayed input and application to control IEEE 2007 Kos, GreeceNajafi, M., Hosseinnia, S., Sheikholeslam, F., & Karimadini, M. (2013). Closed-loop control of dead time systems via sequential sub-predictors. International Journal of Control, 86(4), 599-609. doi:10.1080/00207179.2012.751627Léchappé V Moulay E Plestan F Dynamic observation-prediction for LTI systems with a time-varying delay in the input IEEE 2016 Las Vegas, NVCacace, F., Conte, F., Germani, A., & Pepe, P. (2016). Stabilization of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with input delay using closed-loop predictors. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 26(16), 3524-3540. doi:10.1002/rnc.3517Mazenc, F., & Malisoff, M. (2017). Stabilization of Nonlinear Time-Varying Systems Through a New Prediction Based Approach. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 62(6), 2908-2915. doi:10.1109/tac.2016.2600500Guo, L., & Chen, W.-H. (2005). Disturbance attenuation and rejection for systems with nonlinearity via DOBC approach. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 15(3), 109-125. doi:10.1002/rnc.978Fridman, E. (2003). Output regulation of nonlinear systems with delay. Systems & Control Letters, 50(2), 81-93. doi:10.1016/s0167-6911(03)00131-2Isidori, A., & Byrnes, C. I. (1990). Output regulation of nonlinear systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 35(2), 131-140. doi:10.1109/9.45168Ding, Z. (2003). 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Transit timing variation analysis of the low-mass brown dwarf KELT-1 b

We investigate whether there is a variation in the orbital period of the short-period brown dwarf-mass KELT-1 b, which is one of the best candidates to observe orbital decay. We obtain 19 high-precision transit light curves of the target using six different telescopes. We add all precise and complete transit light curves from open databases and the literature, as well as the available Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations from sectors 17 and 57, to form a transit timing variation (TTV) diagram spanning more than 10 yr of observations. The analysis of the TTV diagram, however, is inconclusive in terms of a secular or periodic variation, hinting that the system might have synchronized. We update the transit ephemeris and determine an informative lower limit for the reduced tidal quality parameter of its host star of Q ′⋆>(8.5±3.9)×106 assuming that the stellar rotation is not yet synchronized. Using our new photometric observations, published light curves, the TESS data, archival radial velocities, and broadband magnitudes, we also update the measured parameters of the system. Our results are in good agreement with those found in previous analyses

A Soft+Rigid Hybrid Exoskeleton Concept in Scissors-Pendulum Mode: A Suit for Human State Sensing and an Exoskeleton for Assistance

In this paper, we present a novel concept that can enable the human aware control of exoskeletons through the integration of a soft suit and a robotic exoskeleton. Unlike the state-of-the-art exoskeleton controllers which mostly rely on lumped human-robot models, the proposed concept makes use of the independent state measurements concerning the human user and the robot. The ability to observe the human state independently is the key factor in this approach. In order to realize such a system from the hardware point of view, we propose a system integration frame that combines a soft suit for human state measurement and a rigid exoskeleton for human assistance. We identify the technological requirements that are necessary for the realization of such a system with a particular emphasis on soft suit integration. We also propose a template model, named scissor pendulum, that may encapsulate the dominant dynamics of the human-robot combined model to synthesize a controller for human state regulation. A series of simulation experiments were conducted to check the controller performance. As a result, satisfactory human state regulation was attained, adequately confirming that the proposed system could potentially improve exoskeleton-aided applications

MicroRNAs targeting oncogenes are down-regulated in pancreatic malignant transformation from benign tumors

BACKGROUND MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profiles have been described in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but these have not been compared with pre-malignant pancreatic tumors. We wished to compare the miRNA expression signatures in pancreatic benign cystic tumors (BCT) of low and high malignant potential with PDAC, in order to identify miRNAs deregulated during PDAC development. The mechanistic consequences of miRNA dysregulation were further evaluated. METHODS Tissue samples were obtained at a tertiary pancreatic unit from individuals with BCT and PDAC. MiRNA profiling was performed using a custom microarray and results were validated using RT-qPCR prior to evaluation of miRNA targets. RESULTS Widespread miRNA down-regulation was observed in PDAC compared to low malignant potential BCT. We show that amongst those miRNAs down-regulated, miR-16, miR-126 and let-7d regulate known PDAC oncogenes (targeting BCL2, CRK and KRAS respectively). Notably, miR-126 also directly targets the KRAS transcript at a "seedless" binding site within its 3'UTR. In clinical specimens, miR-126 was strongly down-regulated in PDAC tissues, with an associated elevation in KRAS and CRK proteins. Furthermore, miR-21, a known oncogenic miRNA in pancreatic and other cancers, was not elevated in PDAC compared to serous microcystic adenoma (SMCA), but in both groups it was up-regulated compared to normal pancreas, implicating early up-regulation during malignant change. CONCLUSIONS Expression profiling revealed 21 miRNAs down-regulated in PDAC compared to SMCA, the most benign lesion that rarely progresses to invasive carcinoma. It appears that miR-21 up-regulation is an early event in the transformation from normal pancreatic tissue. MiRNA expression has the potential to distinguish PDAC from normal pancreas and BCT. Mechanistically the down-regulation of miR-16, miR-126 and let-7d promotes PDAC transformation by post-transcriptional up-regulation of crucial PDAC oncogenes. We show that miR-126 is able to directly target KRAS; re-expression has the potential as a therapeutic strategy against PDAC and other KRAS-driven cancers

Times of Minima of Some Eclipsing Binaries

We present new times of minima in the light curves of some eclipsing binarie

Comprehensive Genomic Profiling of Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinomas

significantly enriched for genomic alterations (GAs) causing inactivation of DNA repair genes (45%); these GAs have been associated with sensitivity to platinum-based therapies and PARP inhibitors. Collectively, these results identify potentially actionable GAs in the majority of PACCs, and provide a rationale for using personalized therapies in this disease. Statement of Significance PACC is genomically distinct from other pancreatic cancers. Fusions in RAF genes and mutually exclusive inactivation of DNA repair genes represent novel potential therapeutic targets that are altered in over two-thirds of these tumors