45 research outputs found
Discrete Variational Optimal Control
This paper develops numerical methods for optimal control of mechanical
systems in the Lagrangian setting. It extends the theory of discrete mechanics
to enable the solutions of optimal control problems through the discretization
of variational principles. The key point is to solve the optimal control
problem as a variational integrator of a specially constructed
higher-dimensional system. The developed framework applies to systems on
tangent bundles, Lie groups, underactuated and nonholonomic systems with
symmetries, and can approximate either smooth or discontinuous control inputs.
The resulting methods inherit the preservation properties of variational
integrators and result in numerically robust and easily implementable
algorithms. Several theoretical and a practical examples, e.g. the control of
an underwater vehicle, will illustrate the application of the proposed
approach.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figure
The role of lubricant feeding conditions on the performance improvement and friction reduction of journal bearings
Most conventional hydrodynamic journal bearing performance tools can not suitably assess the effect of lubricant feeding conditions on bearing performance, even though these conditions are known to affect important performance parameters such as eccentricity and powerloss.
A thermohydrodynamic analysis suitable to deal with realistic feeding conditions has been proposed.
Special attention was given to the treatment of phenomena taking place within grooves and their
vicinity,as well as to the ruptured film region.
The effec to flubricant feeding pressure and temperature, groove length ratio,width ratio and number
(single/twin) on bearing performance has been analyzed for a broad range of conditions.It was found
that a careful tuning of the feeding conditions may indeed improve bearing performance.FCT - POCTI/EME/39202/200
A First Search for coincident Gravitational Waves and High Energy Neutrinos using LIGO, Virgo and ANTARES data from 2007
We present the results of the first search for gravitational wave bursts
associated with high energy neutrinos. Together, these messengers could reveal
new, hidden sources that are not observed by conventional photon astronomy,
particularly at high energy. Our search uses neutrinos detected by the
underwater neutrino telescope ANTARES in its 5 line configuration during the
period January - September 2007, which coincided with the fifth and first
science runs of LIGO and Virgo, respectively. The LIGO-Virgo data were analysed
for candidate gravitational-wave signals coincident in time and direction with
the neutrino events. No significant coincident events were observed. We place
limits on the density of joint high energy neutrino - gravitational wave
emission events in the local universe, and compare them with densities of
merger and core-collapse events.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, science summary page at
http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S5LV_ANTARES/index.php. Public access
area to figures, tables at
https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=p120000
Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
The UNâs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of âleaving no one behindâ. Understanding todayâs gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016), we measured 37 of the 50 health-related SDG indicators over the period 1990â2016 for 188 countries, and then on the basis of these past trends, we projected indicators to 2030
Female chromosome X mosaicism is age-related and preferentially affects the inactivated X chromosome
To investigate large structural clonal mosaicism of chromosome X, we analysed the SNP
microarray intensity data of 38,303 women from cancer genome-wide association studies
(20,878 cases and 17,425 controls) and detected 124 mosaic X events42Mb in 97 (0.25%)
women. Here we show rates for X-chromosome mosaicism are four times higher than mean
autosomal rates; X mosaic events more often include the entire chromosome and participants
with X events more likely harbour autosomal mosaic events. X mosaicism frequency
increases with age (0.11% in 50-year olds; 0.45% in 75-year olds), as reported for Y and
autosomes. Methylation array analyses of 33 women with X mosaicism indicate events
preferentially involve the inactive X chromosome. Our results provide further evidence that
the sex chromosomes undergo mosaic events more frequently than autosomes, which could
have implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms of mosaic events and their
possible contribution to risk for chronic diseases