Optimal Distributed Power Generation Under Network-Load Constraints

In electrical power networks nowadays more and more customers are becoming power-producers, mainly because of the development of novel components for decentralized power generation (solar panels, small wind turbines and heat pumps). This gives rise to the question how many units of each type (solar panel, small wind turbine or central heating power units) can be inserted into any transmission line in the network, such that under given distributions on the typical production and consumption over time, the maximum loads on the lines and components will not be exceeded. In this paper, we present a linear programming model for maximizing the amount of decentralized power generation while respecting the load limitations of the network. We describe a prototype showing that for an example network the maximization problem can be solved efficiently. We also modeled the case were the power consumption and decentralized power generation are considered as stochastic variables, which is inherently more complex

UnitingCare West Pathways

This evaluation report explores and reports on the effectiveness of the Pathways program, delivered by UnitingCare West (UCW) in Perth, Western Australia. UCW is a strong advocate for people who are most in need, including homeless people with complex needs and those at risk of homelessness..

The asymptotic structure of nearly unstable non-negative integer-valued AR(1) models

This paper considers non-negative integer-valued autoregressive processes where the autoregression parameter is close to unity. We consider the asymptotics of this `near unit root' situation. The local asymptotic structure of the likelihood ratios of the model is obtained, showing that the limit experiment is Poissonian. To illustrate the statistical consequences we discuss efficient estimation of the autoregression parameter and efficient testing for a unit root.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/08-BEJ153 the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

"Wenn ich alle Pillen genommen habe, bin ich satt" : Multimorbidität und Multimedikation: Herausforderungen in einer alternden Gesellschaft

Mit den Krankheiten häuft sich im Alter auch die Zahl der einzunehmenden Medikamente. Das bringt viele Probleme mit sich. Das Institut für Allgemeinmedizin der Goethe-Universität untersucht in enger Kooperation mit der Universität Maastricht die Folgen der Multimedikation und entwickelt gemeinsam mit Hausärzten Strategien, um unerwünschte Wirkungen zu vermeiden

Simulation of emotions of agents in virtual environments using neural networks

A distributed architecture for a system simulating the emotional state of an agent acting in a virtual environment is presented. The system is an implementation of an event appraisal model of emotional behaviour and uses neural networks to learn how the emotional state should be influenced by the occurrence of environmental and internal\ud stimuli. A part of the modular system is domain-independent. The system can easily be adapted for handling different events that influence the emotional state. A first\ud prototype and a testbed for this architecture are presented

On quadratic expansions of log likelihoods and a general asymptotic linearity result

Irrespective of the statistical model under study, the derivation of limits, in the Le Cam sense, of sequences of local experiments (see [7]-[10]) often follows along very similar lines, essentially involving differentiability in quadratic mean of square roots of (conditional) densities. This chapter establishes two abstract and very general results providing sufficient and nearly necessary conditions for (i) the existence of a quadratic expansion, and (ii) the asymptotic linearity of local log-likelihood ratios (asymptotic linearity is needed, for instance, when unspecified model parameters are to be replaced, in some statistic of interest, with some preliminary estimator). Such results have been established, for locally asymptotically normal (LAN) models involving independent and identically distributed observations, by, e.g., [1], [11] and [12]. Similar results are provided here for models exhibiting serial dependencies which, so far, have been treated on a case-by-case basis (see [4] and [5] for typical examples) and, in general, under stronger regularity assumptions. Unlike their i.i.d. counterparts, our results extend beyond the context of LAN experiments, so that non-stationary unit-root time series and cointegration models, for instance, also can be handled (see [6])

Exploring Patterns of Activities of Daily Living in the Home Environment

Background: Senior citizens tend to live longer and longer independently. Judging whether a senior person is still capable of living on his own is often based on the occurrence of incidents, with all consequences thereof. In the specific case of early dementia, the symptoms are not immediately apparent and the occurrence and severity of incidents progress gradually over time. In this case, the children or grandchildren are burdened by the question whether or not the elderly adult can still live safely and independently in his or her own home. This decision is only based on input obtained through incidental visits. We believe that the capability of independent living can only be objectively judged, by a health professional, if long term objective information on the elderly person's daily activities of living (ADL) is available

Semiparametrically Point-Optimal Hybrid Rank Tests for Unit Roots

We propose a new class of unit root tests that exploits invariance properties in the Locally Asymptotically Brownian Functional limit experiment associated to the unit root model. The invariance structures naturally suggest tests that are based on the ranks of the increments of the observations, their average, and an assumed reference density for the innovations. The tests are semiparametric in the sense that they are valid, i.e., have the correct (asymptotic) size, irrespective of the true innovation density. For a correctly specified reference density, our test is point-optimal and nearly efficient. For arbitrary reference densities, we establish a Chernoff-Savage type result, i.e., our test performs as well as commonly used tests under Gaussian innovations but has improved power under other, e.g., fat-tailed or skewed, innovation distributions. To avoid nonparametric estimation, we propose a simplified version of our test that exhibits the same asymptotic properties, except for the Chernoff-Savage result that we are only able to demonstrate by means of simulations

Relational coordination in value-based health care

Background An important element of value-based health care (VBHC) is interprofessional collaboration in integrated practice units (IPUs) for the delivery of the complete cycle of care. High levels of interprofessional collaboration between clinical and nonclinical staff in IPUs are assumed rather than proven. Factors that may stimulate interprofessional collaboration in the context of VBHC are underresearched. Purpose The aim of this study was to examine relational coordination (RC) in VBHC and its antecedents. Approach A questionnaire was used to examine the association of both team practices and organizational conditions with interprofessional collaboration in IPUs. Gittell's Relational Coordination Survey was drawn upon to measure interprofessional collaboration by capturing the relational dynamics in coordinated working. The questionnaire also included measures of team practices (team meetings and boundary spanning behavior) and organizational conditions (task interdependence and time constraints). Results The number of different professional groups participating in team meetings is positively associated with RC in IPUs. Boundary spanning behavior, task interdependence, and time constraints are not associated with RC. Conclusions In IPUs, the diversity within interprofessional team meetings is important for establishing high-quality communication and relationships. Practice Implications Hospital managers should prioritize facilitating and encouraging shared meetings to enhance RC levels among professional groups in IPUs.</p