Multiobjective analysis for the design and control of an electromagnetic valve actuator

The electromagnetic valve actuator can deliver much improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions in spark ignition (SI) engines owing to the potential for variable valve timing when compared with cam-operated, or conventional, variable valve strategies. The possibility exists to reduce pumping losses by throttle-free operation, along with closed-valve engine braking. However, further development is required to make the technology suitable for accept- ance into the mass production market. This paper investigates the application of multiobjective optimization techniques to the conflicting objective functions inherent in the operation of such a device. The techniques are utilized to derive the optimal force–displacement characteristic for the solenoid actuator, along with its controllability and dynamic/steady state performance

Hybridizing Non-dominated Sorting Algorithms: Divide-and-Conquer Meets Best Order Sort

Many production-grade algorithms benefit from combining an asymptotically efficient algorithm for solving big problem instances, by splitting them into smaller ones, and an asymptotically inefficient algorithm with a very small implementation constant for solving small subproblems. A well-known example is stable sorting, where mergesort is often combined with insertion sort to achieve a constant but noticeable speed-up. We apply this idea to non-dominated sorting. Namely, we combine the divide-and-conquer algorithm, which has the currently best known asymptotic runtime of $O(N (\log N)^{M - 1})$, with the Best Order Sort algorithm, which has the runtime of $O(N^2 M)$ but demonstrates the best practical performance out of quadratic algorithms. Empirical evaluation shows that the hybrid's running time is typically not worse than of both original algorithms, while for large numbers of points it outperforms them by at least 20%. For smaller numbers of objectives, the speedup can be as large as four times.Comment: A two-page abstract of this paper will appear in the proceedings companion of the 2017 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO 2017

Impacts of in vivo and in vitro exposures to tamoxifen: comparative effects on human cells and marine organisms

Tamoxifen (TAM) is a first generation-SERM administered for hormone receptor-positive (HER+) breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal patients and may undergo metabolic activation in organisms that share similar receptors and thus face comparable mechanisms of response. The present study aimed to assess whether environmental trace concentrations of TAM are bioavailable to the filter feeder M. galloprovincialis (100 ng L-1) and to the deposit feeder N. diversicolor (0.5, 10, 25 and 100 ng L-1) after 14 days of exposure. Behavioural impairment (burrowing kinetic), neurotoxicity (AChE activity), endocrine disruption by alkali-labile phosphate (ALP) content, oxidative stress (SOD, CAT, GPXs activities), biotransformation (GST activity), oxidative damage (LPO) and genotoxicity (DNA damage) were assessed. Moreover, this study also pertained to compare TAM cytotoxicity effects to mussels and targeted human (i.e. immortalized retinal pigment epithelium - RPE; and human transformed endothelial cells - HeLa) cell lines, in a range of concentrations from 0.5 ng L-1 to 50 μg L-1. In polychaetes N. diversicolor, TAM exerted remarkable oxidative stress and damage at the lowest concentration (0.5 ng L-1), whereas significant genotoxicity was reported at the highest exposure level (100 ng L-1). In mussels M. galloprovincialis, 100 ng L-1 TAM caused endocrine disruption in males, neurotoxicity, and an induction in GST activity and LPO byproducts in gills, corroborating in genotoxicity over the exposure days. Although cytotoxicity assays conducted with mussel haemocytes following in vivo exposure was not effective, in vitro exposure showed to be a feasible alternative, with comparable sensitivity to human cell line (HeLa).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Schizotypal traits and psychotic-like experiences during adolescence: An update

BACKGROUND: The psychosis phenotype is distributed along a severity continuum that ranges from psychological well-being to full-blown psychosis. Schizotypal traits and psychotic-like experiences are considered as one of the possible phenotypic indicators of the latent liability for psychosis (named schizotypy). This selective review offers a general overview and update of trait schizotypy and psychotic like experiences during adolescence. METHOD: The previous literature on schizotypal traits  and psychotic like experiences is selectively reviewed. RESULTS: We begin with a brief introduction of psychosis syndrome from an extended psychosis phenotype framework as well as a brief definition of trait schizotypy and psychotic-like experiences. We introduce the study of these traits and experiences from a developmental perspective, where the psychosis proneness-persistence-impairment model is highlighted. We provide a selective review of the tools available for assessment these constructs from the psychometric high-risk paradigm. We then discuss the factorial validity of the studies conducted in adolescents. In addition, the links between this set of subclinical traits and experiences and other variables gathered from a translational approach are discussed, with the aim to establish a nomological network. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude by considering remaining questions and future directions for the understanding of trait schizotypy and psychotic-like experiences during adolescence

Enriched elderly virtual profiles by means of a multidimensional integrated assessment platform

The pressure over Healthcare systems is increasing in most developed countries. The generalized aging of the population is one of the main causes. This situation is even worse in underdeveloped, sparsely populated regions like Extremadura in Spain or Alentejo in Portugal. The authors propose to use the Situational-Context, a technique to seamlessly adapt Internet of Things systems to the needs and preferences of their users, for virtually modeling the elderly. These models could be used to enhance the elderly experience when using those kind of systems without raising the need for technical skills or the costs of implementing such systems by the regional healthcare systems. In this paper, the integration of a multidimensional integrated assessment platform with such virtual profiles is presented. The assessment platform provides and additional source of information for the virtual profiles that is used to better adapt existing systems to the elders needs

Riemann-Cartan Space-times of G\"odel Type

A class of Riemann-Cartan G\"odel-type space-times are examined in the light of the equivalence problem techniques. The conditions for local space-time homogeneity are derived, generalizing previous works on Riemannian G\"odel-type space-times. The equivalence of Riemann-Cartan G\"odel-type space-times of this class is studied. It is shown that they admit a five-dimensional group of affine-isometries and are characterized by three essential parameters $\ell, m^2, \omega$: identical triads ($\ell, m^2, \omega$) correspond to locally equivalent manifolds. The algebraic types of the irreducible parts of the curvature and torsion tensors are also presented.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX fil

Slow down of a globally neutral relativistic e−e+e^-e^+ beam shearing the vacuum

The microphysics of relativistic collisionless sheared flows is investigated in a configuration consisting of a globally neutral, relativistic $e^-e^+$ beam streaming through a hollow plasma/dielectric channel. We show through multidimensional PIC simulations that this scenario excites the Mushroom instability (MI), a transverse shear instability on the electron-scale, when there is no overlap (no contact) between the $e^-e^+$ beam and the walls of the hollow plasma channel. The onset of the MI leads to the conversion of the beam's kinetic energy into magnetic (and electric) field energy, effectively slowing down a globally neutral body in the absence of contact. The collisionless shear physics explored in this configuration may operate in astrophysical environments, particularly in highly relativistic and supersonic settings where macroscopic shear processes are stable

Benchmark calculation of p-3H and n-3He scattering

p-3H and n-3He scattering in the energy range above the n-3He but below the d-d thresholds is studied by solving the 4-nucleon problem with a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction. Three different methods -- Alt, Grassberger and Sandhas, Hyperspherical Harmonics, and Faddeev-Yakubovsky -- have been employed and their results for both elastic and charge-exchange processes are compared. We observe a good agreement between the three different methods, thus the obtained results may serve as a benchmark. A comparison with the available experimental data is also reported and discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1109.362