\epsilon-regularity for systems involving non-local, antisymmetric operators

We prove an epsilon-regularity theorem for critical and super-critical systems with a non-local antisymmetric operator on the right-hand side. These systems contain as special cases, Euler-Lagrange equations of conformally invariant variational functionals as Rivi\`ere treated them, and also Euler-Lagrange equations of fractional harmonic maps introduced by Da Lio-Rivi\`ere. In particular, the arguments presented here give new and uniform proofs of the regularity results by Rivi\`ere, Rivi\`ere-Struwe, Da-Lio-Rivi\`ere, and also the integrability results by Sharp-Topping and Sharp, not discriminating between the classical local, and the non-local situations

Modular model predictive control upon an existing controller

The availability of predictions of future system inputs has motivated research into preview control to improve set-point tracking and disturbance rejection beyond that achievable via conventional feedback control. The design of preview controllers, typically based upon model predictive control (MPC) for its constraint handling properties, is often performed in a monolithic nature, coupling the feedback and feed-forward problems. This can create problems, such as: (i) an additional feedback loop is introduced by MPC, which alters the closed-loop dynamics of the existing feedback compensator, potentially resulting in a deterioration of the nominal sensitivities and robustness properties of an existing closed-loop and (ii) the default preview action from MPC can be poor, degrading the original feedback control performance. In our previous work, the former problem is addressed by presenting a modular MPC design on top of a given output-feedback controller, which retains the nominal closed-loop robustness and frequency-domain properties of the latter, despite the addition of the preview design. In this paper, we address the second problem; the preview compensator design in the modular MPC formulation. Specifically, we derive the key conditions that ensure, under a given closed-loop tuning, the preview compensator within the modular MPC formulation is systematic and well-designed in a sense that the preview control actions complement the existing feedback control law rather than opposing it. In addition, we also derive some important results, showing that the modular MPC can be implemented in a cascade over any given linear controllers and the proposed conditions hold, regardless of the observer design for the modular MPC. The key benefit of the modular MPC is that the preview control with constraint handling can be implemented without replacing the existing feedback controller. This is illustrated through some numerical examples

How can we make gan perform better in single medical image super-resolution? A lesion focused multi-scale approach

Single image super-resolution (SISR) is of great importance as a low-level computer vision task. The fast development of Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) based deep learning architectures realises an efficient and effective SISR to boost the spatial resolution of natural images captured by digital cameras. However, the SISR for medical images is still a very challenging problem. This is due to (1) compared to natural images, in general, medical images have lower signal to noise ratios, (2) GAN based models pre-trained on natural images may synthesise unrealistic patterns in medical images which could affect the clinical interpretation and diagnosis, and (3) the vanilla GAN architecture may suffer from unstable training and collapse mode that can also affect the SISR results. In this paper, we propose a novel lesion focused SR (LFSR) method, which incorporates GAN to achieve perceptually realistic SISR results for brain tumour MRI images. More importantly, we test and make comparison using recently developed GAN variations, e.g., Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) and WGAN with Gradient Penalty (WGAN-GP), and propose a novel multi-scale GAN (MS-GAN), to achieve a more stabilised and efficient training and improved perceptual quality of the super-resolved results. Based on both quantitative evaluations and our designed mean opinion score, the proposed LFSR coupled with MS-GAN has performed better in terms of both perceptual quality and efficiency.Jin Zhu’s PhD research is funded by China Scholarship Council (grant No.201708060173). Guang Yang is funded by the British Heart Foundation Project Grant (Project Number: PG/16/78/32402)

Debris Impact Detection Instrument for Crewed Modules

When micrometeoroid or debris impacts occur on a space habitat, crew members need to be quickly informed of the likely extent of damage, and be directed to the impact location for possible repairs. This is especially important because the outer walls of pressurized volumes are often not easily accessible, blocked by racks or cabinets. The goal of the Habitat Particle Impact Monitoring System (HIMS) is to develop a fully automated, end-to-end particle impact detection system for crewed space exploration modules. The HIMS uses multiple passive, thin film piezo-polymer vibration sensors to detect impacts on a surface, and computer processing of the acoustical signals to characterize the impacts. Development and demonstration of the HIMS is proceeding in concert with NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) Project. The HDU Project is designed to develop and test various technologies, configurations, and operational concepts for exploration habitats. This paper describes the HIMS development, initial testing, and HDU integration efforts. Initial tests of the system on the HDU were conducted at NASA s 2010 and 2011 Desert Research and Technologies Studies (Desert-RATS or D-RATS). The HDU lab module, as seen from above, has an open circular floorplan divided into eight wedge-shaped Segments. The side wall of the module -- the surface used for this technology demonstration -- is a hard fiberglass composite covered with a layer of sprayed-on foam insulation. Four sensor locations were assigned near the corners of a rectangular pattern on the wall of one segment of the HDU lab module. The flat, self-adhesive sensors were applied to the module during its initial outfitting. To study the influence of the wall s construction (thickness and materials), three sets of four sensors were installed at different layer depths: on the interior of the module s wall, on the exterior of the same wall, and on the exterior of the foam insulation. The signal produced when a vibration passes through a sensor is first sent through a pre-amplifier. The amplified signal then is sent to the data acquisition and data processing systems. The vibration data from the sensors are then processed and reduced to a form suitable for presentation to the crew

A gest?o da Informa??o e do conhecimento em bibliotecas universit?rias: estudo de caso da Biblioteca UFJF/GV da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora ? campus avan?ado Governador Valadares

Esta pesquisa pretende trazer ? luz e cooperar com o desenvolvimento da tem?tica Gest?o da Informa??o e do Conhecimento em Bibliotecas Universit?rias P?blicas. O estudo tem como l?cus de pesquisa a Biblioteca UFJF/GV da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora ? campus avan?ado Governador Valadares (UFJF/GV). Em face disto, o problema de pesquisa indaga quais os limites e possibilidades da aplicabilidade da Gest?o da Informa??o e do Conhecimento pela Biblioteca UFJF/GV e de seu ?rg?o coordenador, o Centro de Difus?o do Conhecimento (CDC) no desenvolvimento de produtos e servi?os ofertados ? comunidade acad?mica. Tem como objetivo analisar os limites e possibilidades da aplicabilidade da GIC pela Biblioteca UFJF/GV e de seu ?rg?o coordenador, o Centro de Difus?o do Conhecimento (CDC) na conjuntura da administra??o de bibliotecas. Os aspectos investigados referem-se ? an?lise das concep??es, estrat?gias e efeitos do uso de instrumentos de GIC como subs?dio ? gest?o de produtos e servi?os bibliotecon?micos. A orienta??o metodol?gica apoia-se na obra de Gil (2017) e classifica-se como emp?rica e social. O problema de pesquisa delineia-se sob o modelo de estudo de caso do tipo ?nico, com enfoque incorporado, nos moldes de Yin (2001). O trabalho apresenta-se, quanto aos objetivos, do tipo explorat?rio-descritivo e com abordagem qualitativa. A natureza das fontes examinadas ? bibliogr?fica e documental. Quanto ? interpreta??o dos dados obtidos, as categorias anal?ticas estabelecem-se em face do Ciclo do Conhecimento Organizacional modelado por Choo (2011). Como m?todos de aprecia??o dos dados s?o aplicados as t?cnicas de an?lise de conte?do, formulado por Bardin (2016), e triangula??o de dados, de Miles e Huberman (1984). A relev?ncia da pesquisa e do problema investigado vincula-se ao aperfei?oamento das pr?ticas da Administra??o p?blica, em especial, daquelas orientadas para o ensino superior. Quanto aos aspectos contribuintes ? teoria, relacionam-se nesta pesquisa, a generaliza??o natural?stica, a gera??o de sentido e o incremento te?rico. No tocante aos resultados da investiga??o, reconhece-se que a GIC n?o se consolidou por completo na UFJF e em seu campus avan?ado. N?o obstante a isto, percebe-se que as ideias e a??es propostas pelas teorias de aprendizagem organizacional foram traduzidas em diversos momentos nas pr?ticas organizacionais da UFJF/GV, em especial, na Biblioteca UFJF/GV. Apreende-se que as cria??es de significados para os agentes organizacionais da Biblioteca UFJF/GV demandaram maior flexibilidade nos processos representativos da informa??o gerencial , assim como ? oportuna a continuidade de implementa??o de TIC?s nos demais ?rg?os da UFJF e do CDC. Como perspectivas futuras, entende-se que a incorpora??o de uma postura administrativa e indutiva, voltada aos princ?pios de propaga??o do conhecimento registrado devem ser cada vez mais conduzidos pelos bibliotec?rios e gestores do sistema CDC. Depreende-se tamb?m sobre a indispensabilidade da cria??o de um estudo de usu?rios institucionalizado que possibilite a prospec??o das necessidades dos utentes da Biblioteca UFJF/GV e dos indicadores concernentes aos produtos e servi?os ofertados pela UFJF/GV.Disserta??o (Mestrado Profissional) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Educa??o, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2018.This research aims to bring to light and cooperate with the development of the Information and Knowledge Management in Public University Libraries. The study has as a research locus the UFJF / GV Library of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora - Governador Valadares Advanced Campus (UFJF / GV). In the face of this, the research problem investigates the limits and possibilities of the applicability of Information and Knowledge Management by the UFJF / GV Library and its coordinating body, the Knowledge Diffusion Center (CDC) in the development of products and services offered to the academic community. It aims to analyze the limits and possibilities of the applicability of GIC by the UFJF / GV Library and its coordinating body, the Knowledge Diffusion Center (CDC) in the context of library administration. The aspects investigated refer to the analysis of conceptions, strategies and effects of the use of GIC instruments as a subsidy to the management of library products and services. The methodological orientation is based on the work of Gil (2017) and is classified as empirical and social. The research problem is outlined under the single-case study model with a built-in approach, following the model of Yin (2001). The work presents, as far as the objectives, the exploratory-descriptive type and with qualitative approach. The nature of the sources examined is bibliographical and documentary. As for the interpretation of the data obtained, the analytical categories are established in the face of the Organizational Knowledge Cycle modeled by Choo (2011). As methods of data appreciation are applied the techniques of content analysis, formulated by Bardin (2016), and triangulation of data, Miles and Huberman (1984). The relevance of the research and of the investigated problem is related to the improvement of public administration practices, especially those oriented toward higher education. As for the contributing aspects to the theory, naturalistic generalization, the generation of meaning and the theoretical increase are related in this research. Regarding the results of the investigation, it is recognized that GIC has not fully consolidated in the UFJF and in its advanced campus. In spite of this, we can see that the ideas and actions proposed by organizational learning theories were translated into several moments in the UFJF/GV organizational practices, especially in the UFJF/GV Library. It is understood that the creations of meanings for the organizational agents of the UFJF/GV Library demanded greater flexibility in the representative processes of managerial information, as well as the continuity of the implementation of ICTs in the other organs of the UFJF and the CDC. As future perspectives, it is understood that the incorporation of an administrative and inductive posture, oriented to the principles of propagation of registered knowledge should be increasingly conducted by the librarians and managers of the CDC system. It is also evident that the creation of an institutionalized user study that enables the prospection of users of the UFJF/GV Library and of the indicators concerning the products and services offered by UFJF/GV is indispensable

A gest?o da informa??o e do conhecimento em bibliotecas universit?rias: estudo de caso da Biblioteca UFJF/GV da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora ? campus avan?ado Governador Valadares

Esta pesquisa pretende trazer ? luz e cooperar com o desenvolvimento da tem?tica Gest?o da Informa??o e do Conhecimento em Bibliotecas Universit?rias P?blicas. O estudo tem como l?cus de pesquisa a Biblioteca UFJF/GV da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora ? campus avan?ado Governador Valadares (UFJF/GV). Em face disto, o problema de pesquisa indaga quais os limites e possibilidades da aplicabilidade da Gest?o da Informa??o e do Conhecimento pela Biblioteca UFJF/GV e de seu ?rg?o coordenador, o Centro de Difus?o do Conhecimento (CDC) no desenvolvimento de produtos e servi?os ofertados ? comunidade acad?mica. Tem como objetivo analisar os limites e possibilidades da aplicabilidade da GIC pela Biblioteca UFJF/GV e de seu ?rg?o coordenador, o Centro de Difus?o do Conhecimento (CDC) na conjuntura da administra??o de bibliotecas. Os aspectos investigados referem-se ? an?lise das concep??es, estrat?gias e efeitos do uso de instrumentos de GIC como subs?dio ? gest?o de produtos e servi?os bibliotecon?micos. A orienta??o metodol?gica apoia-se na obra de Gil (2017) e classifica-se como emp?rica e social. O problema de pesquisa delineia-se sob o modelo de estudo de caso do tipo ?nico, com enfoque incorporado, nos moldes de Yin (2001). O trabalho apresenta-se, quanto aos objetivos, do tipo explorat?rio-descritivo e com abordagem qualitativa. A natureza das fontes examinadas ? bibliogr?fica e documental. Quanto ? interpreta??o dos dados obtidos, as categorias anal?ticas estabelecem-se em face do Ciclo do Conhecimento Organizacional modelado por Choo (2011). Como m?todos de aprecia??o dos dados s?o aplicados as t?cnicas de an?lise de conte?do, formulado por Bardin (2016), e triangula??o de dados, de Miles e Huberman (1984). A relev?ncia da pesquisa e do problema investigado vincula-se ao aperfei?oamento das pr?ticas da Administra??o p?blica, em especial, daquelas orientadas para o ensino superior. Quanto aos aspectos contribuintes ? teoria, relacionam-se nesta pesquisa, a generaliza??o natural?stica, a gera??o de sentido e o incremento te?rico. No tocante aos resultados da investiga??o, reconhece-se que a GIC n?o se consolidou por completo na UFJF e em seu campus avan?ado. N?o obstante a isto, percebe-se que as ideias e a??es propostas pelas teorias de aprendizagem organizacional foram traduzidas em diversos momentos nas pr?ticas organizacionais da UFJF/GV, em especial, na Biblioteca UFJF/GV. Apreende-se que as cria??es de significados para os agentes organizacionais da Biblioteca UFJF/GV demandaram maior flexibilidade nos processos representativos da informa??o gerencial , assim como ? oportuna a continuidade de implementa??o de TIC?s nos demais ?rg?os da UFJF e do CDC. Como perspectivas futuras, entende-se que a incorpora??o de uma postura administrativa e indutiva, voltada aos princ?pios de propaga??o do conhecimento registrado devem ser cada vez mais conduzidos pelos bibliotec?rios e gestores do sistema CDC. Depreende-se tamb?m sobre a indispensabilidade da cria??o de um estudo de usu?rios institucionalizado que possibilite a prospec??o das necessidades dos utentes da Biblioteca UFJF/GV e dos indicadores concernentes aos produtos e servi?os ofertados pela UFJF/GV.Disserta??o (Mestrado Profissional) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Educa??o, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2018.This research aims to bring to light and cooperate with the development of the Information and Knowledge Management in Public University Libraries. The study has as a research locus the UFJF / GV Library of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora - Governador Valadares Advanced Campus (UFJF / GV). In the face of this, the research problem investigates the limits and possibilities of the applicability of Information and Knowledge Management by the UFJF / GV Library and its coordinating body, the Knowledge Diffusion Center (CDC) in the development of products and services offered to the academic community. It aims to analyze the limits and possibilities of the applicability of GIC by the UFJF / GV Library and its coordinating body, the Knowledge Diffusion Center (CDC) in the context of library administration. The aspects investigated refer to the analysis of conceptions, strategies and effects of the use of GIC instruments as a subsidy to the management of library products and services. The methodological orientation is based on the work of Gil (2017) and is classified as empirical and social. The research problem is outlined under the single-case study model with a built-in approach, following the model of Yin (2001). The work presents, as far as the objectives, the exploratory-descriptive type and with qualitative approach. The nature of the sources examined is bibliographical and documentary. As for the interpretation of the data obtained, the analytical categories are established in the face of the Organizational Knowledge Cycle modeled by Choo (2011). As methods of data appreciation are applied the techniques of content analysis, formulated by Bardin (2016), and triangulation of data, Miles and Huberman (1984). The relevance of the research and of the investigated problem is related to the improvement of public administration practices, especially those oriented toward higher education. As for the contributing aspects to the theory, naturalistic generalization, the generation of meaning and the theoretical increase are related in this research. Regarding the results of the investigation, it is recognized that GIC has not fully consolidated in the UFJF and in its advanced campus. In spite of this, we can see that the ideas and actions proposed by organizational learning theories were translated into several moments in the UFJF/GV organizational practices, especially in the UFJF/GV Library. It is understood that the creations of meanings for the organizational agents of the UFJF/GV Library demanded greater flexibility in the representative processes of managerial information, as well as the continuity of the implementation of ICTs in the other organs of the UFJF and the CDC. As future perspectives, it is understood that the incorporation of an administrative and inductive posture, oriented to the principles of propagation of registered knowledge should be increasingly conducted by the librarians and managers of the CDC system. It is also evident that the creation of an institutionalized user study that enables the prospection of users of the UFJF/GV Library and of the indicators concerning the products and services offered by UFJF/GV is indispensable

Biochemical Assessment of Stress in Cardiac Tissue in Response to Weightless Space Travel

The absence of unit gravity may cause physiological changes in the cardiovascular system. For instance, in the absence of Earth's gravity, venous return to the heart may increase due, in pan, to decreased pooling of the blood in the extremities. We hypothesize that this would produce an increase in the heart's work load ultimately resulting in hypertrophy

Selfishness, altruism and message spreading in mobile social networks

Many kinds of communication networks, in particular social and opportunistic networks, rely at least partly on on humans to help move data across the network. Human altruistic behavior is an important factor determining the feasibility of such a system. In this paper, we study the impact of different distributions of altruism on the throughput and delay of mobile social communication system. We evaluate the system performance using four experimental human mobility traces with uniform and community-biased traffic patterns. We found that mobile social networks are very robust to the distributions of altruism due to the nature of multiple paths. We further confirm the results by simulations on two popular social network models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complete study of the impact of altruism on mobile social networks, including the impact of topologies and traffic patterns.published_or_final_versio

Quadratic BSDEs with convex generators and unbounded terminal conditions

In a previous work, we proved an existence result for BSDEs with quadratic generators with respect to the variable z and with unbounded terminal conditions. However, no uniqueness result was stated in that work. The main goal of this paper is to fill this gap. In order to obtain a comparison theorem for this kind of BSDEs, we assume that the generator is convex with respect to the variable z. Under this assumption of convexity, we are also able to prove a stability result in the spirit of the a priori estimates stated in the article of N. El Karoui, S. Peng and M.-C. Quenez. With these tools in hands, we can derive the nonlinear Feynman--Kac formula in this context