Fast Discrete Consensus Based on Gossip for Makespan Minimization in Networked Systems

In this paper we propose a novel algorithm to solve the discrete consensus problem, i.e., the problem of distributing evenly a set of tokens of arbitrary weight among the nodes of a networked system. Tokens are tasks to be executed by the nodes and the proposed distributed algorithm minimizes monotonically the makespan of the assigned tasks. The algorithm is based on gossip-like asynchronous local interactions between the nodes. The convergence time of the proposed algorithm is superior with respect to the state of the art of discrete and quantized consensus by at least a factor O(n) in both theoretical and empirical comparisons

Imagining the Future in the Neoliberal Era: Young People's Optimism and Their Faith in Hard Work

In the aftermath of the 2008 global economic crisis, the future of young people is often presented in a negative light. Despite the recent difficult circumstances, our mixed-method study found that young people in Britain were still optimistic about their personal future. In this article, we explore the tension between this optimism and the (often less positive) actual circumstances of young people. Our findings suggest that young people’s views of the future were shaped by their deep-seated faith in the transformative power of hard work. We shall argue that this faith results from young people’s psychological adjustments to neoliberal beliefs about the potential of human agency to forge the future, with implications for views of others and society more generally

The use of film documentary in social science research: audio-visual accounts of the ‘migration crisis’ from the Italian island of Lampedusa

The importance of visual evidence – and particularly films and videos – has become more prominent with the fast pace of technological development that has made filming more easily accessible. Since the early 20th century, films have been used as a data collection method in social science research, but less attention has been given to their potential for research dissemination. It is well documented that visual representations are powerful means to broadcast public discourses. The Arab Spring in 2011 and the increasing movement of people across the Mediterranean Sea are a case in point. Images and videos of people trying to reach Europe have contributed to the construction of what is often referred to as the ‘Mediterranean migration crisis’. In this article, we explore the process of making a film documentary about the people in the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key transitory site for migrants, and how they deal with the challenges of this ‘crisis’ while trying to respond to the local struggles of their isolated community. Drawing on the analysis of ‘audio-visual accounts’ – as the filmed verbal elaborations that broadcast themes emerging from social science research – we reflect on the potential and drawbacks of film documentaries for both knowledge production and research dissemination

Dynamic Resilient Containment Control in Multirobot Systems

In this article, we study the dynamic resilient containment control problem for continuous-time multirobot systems (MRSs), i.e., the problem of designing a local interaction protocol that drives a set of robots, namely the followers, toward a region delimited by the positions of another set of robots, namely the leaders, under the presence of adversarial robots in the network. In our setting, all robots are anonymous, i.e., they do not recognize the identity or class of other robots. We consider as adversarial all those robots that intentionally or accidentally try to disrupt the objective of the MRS, e.g., robots that are being hijacked by a cyber–physical attack or have experienced a fault. Under specific topological conditions defined by the notion of (r,s)-robustness, our control strategy is proven to be successful in driving the followers toward the target region, namely a hypercube, in finite time. It is also proven that the followers cannot escape the moving containment area despite the persistent influence of anonymous adversarial robots. Numerical results with a team of 44 robots are provided to corroborate the theoretical findings

Dynamic max-consensus with local self-tuning

This work describes a novel control protocol for multi-agent systems to solve the dynamic max-consensus problem. In this problem, each agent has access to an external timevarying scalar signal and has the objective to estimate and track the maximum among all these signals by exploiting only local communications. The main strength of the proposed protocol is that it is able to self-tune its internal parameters in order to achieve an arbitrary small steady-state error without significantly affecting the convergence time. We employ the proposed protocol in the context of distributed graph parameter estimations, such as size, diameter, and radius, and provide simulations in the scenario of open multi-agent systems. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors

Robust reconstruction of the discrete state for a class of nonlinear uncertain switched systems

n/

Accelerated Multi-Stage Discrete Time Dynamic Average Consensus

This paper presents a novel solution for the discrete time dynamic average consensus problem. Given a set of time-varying input signals over the nodes of an undirected graph, the proposed algorithm tracks, at each node, the input signals’ average. The algorithm is based on a sequence of consensus stages combined with a second order diffusive protocol. The former overcomes the need of k-th order differences of the inputs and conservation of the network state average, while the latter overcomes the trade-off between speed and accuracy of the consensus stages by just storing the previous estimate at each node. The result is a protocol that is fast, arbitrarily accurate, and robust against input noises and initializations. The protocol is extended to an asynchronous and randomized version that follows a gossiping scheme that is robust against potential delays and packet losses. We study the convergence properties of the algorithms and validate them via simulations

Research for PECH Committee - Small-scale fisheries and “Blue Growth” in the EU

This study presents an overview of Blue Growth emerging industries and investigates the linkages with the traditional maritime activity of fisheries with emphasis on small-scale fisheries. Positive synergies are investigated as well as possible opportunities (and threats) that Blue Growth can or should offer to small-scale fisheries and coastal communities in the context of economic growth, employment and innovation

Influence of calcium-sensing receptor gene on urinary calcium excretion in stone-forming patients

Calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a plasma membrane protein that regulates tubular reabsorption of Ca. To establish its role in idiopathic hypercalciuria, the association of urinary Ca excretion with the polymorphisms of CASR gene has been studied in healthy subjects and in hypercalciuric and normocalciuric Ca stone formers. CASR exon 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), G/T at codon 986, G/A at codon 990, and C/G at codon 1011, were evaluated by PCR amplification and direct sequencing in 97 normocalciuric stone formers, 134 hypercalciuric stone formers, and 101 normocalciuric healthy controls. Four haplotypes were defined on the basis of CASR gene SNP: haplotype 1 was characterized by the most frequent sequence; haplotypes 2, 3, or 4 by the presence of a single polymorphic variant at codon 986, 990, or 1011, respectively. The relative risk of hypercalciuria was calculated with multinomial logistic regression and was significantly increased only in individuals carrying haplotype 3 (Odds ratio, 13.0 [95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 99.4]). Accordingly, Ca excretion was higher in subjects bearing haplotype 3, whereas those bearing haplotype 2 showed a slight increase of plasma Ca concentration. Multiple regression analysis showed that haplotype 3 explained 4.1% of the total variance of Ca excretion and 12.6% of the variance explained by the variables considered in the study. In conclusion, CASR gene could be a component of the complex genetic background regulating Ca excretion. Arg990Gly polymorphism could facilitate activation of CaSR and increase Ca excretion and susceptibility to idiopathic hypercalciuria