Optimal Management and Differential Games in the Presence of Threshold Effects - The Shallow Lake Model

Abstract: In this article we analyze how the presence of thresholds influences multi agent decision making situations. We introduce a class of discounted autonomous optimal control problems with threshold effects and discuss tools to analyze these problems. Later, using these results we investigate two types of threshold effects; namely, simple and hysteresis switching, in the canonical model of the shallow lake. We solve the optimal management and open loop Nash equilibrium solutions for the shallow lake model with threshold effects. We establish a bifurcation analysis of the optimal vector field. Further, we observe that modeling with threshold effects simplifies this analysis. To be precise, the bifurcation scenarios rely on simple rules (inequalities) which can be verified easily. However, the qualitative behavior of the switching vector field is similar to the smooth case.Optimal control;Differential games;Threshold effects;Discontinuous dynamics;Shallow lake

Power outage detection methods for theoperation of a shunt active power flter as energy backup system

This paper presents the study of power outage detection methods that can be applied to a Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) with energy backup capability. SAPFs can successfully compensate Power Quality problems related with distorted or unbalanced currents and low power factor. Future Smart Grids will combine devices, control strategies and functionalities to increase the grid reliability and the power management capability. One of the main tools necessary to enable these features is the information of what is occurring in all the smart grid parts. In this context the fast detection of power outages is critical, so this paper also contributes for the discussion of the best ways to extract information in the context of future smart grids. The combination of information and flexible devices in a smart grid will enable the implementation of collective awareness systems, which can deal with different electrical grid problems and situations in an organic manner.This work is financed by FEDER Funds, through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors – COMPETE, and by National Funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal, under the projects FCOMP 01-0124-FEDER-022674 and PTDC/EEA-EEL/104569/2008. Bruno Exposto is supported by the doctoral scholarship SFRH/BD/87999/2012 granted by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal. 0info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

E-Go Bicycle Intelligent Speed Adaptation System for Catching the Green Light

The expanding growth of electric bikes in recent years underscores their increasing importance as a sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation. With zero emissions and the ability to ease urban congestion, e-bikes are becoming a pivotal solution in promoting greener and more efficient commuting habits. However, signalized intersections and frequent stops at traffic lights (TL) are considered uncomfortable for cyclists. This article introduces a personalized and privacy-preserving Intelligent Speed Adaption (ISA) system that helps cyclists adapt to the required speed to catch the green light. In our system design, traffic lights are augmented with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beaconing devices which allow connected e-bikes to get the remaining green light phase duration, estimate the distance to the intersection, and assist the cyclist to catch the green light when necessary. We address the speed adaption problem as a convex optimization problem to ensure smooth and safe acceleration. In addition, a fuzzy logic controller is used to control motor power to reach the recommended speed while considering the human pedal power. We generate different scenarios with various initial velocities, time to red (TTR), slope of the road, and human pedal power to evaluate the system’s performance. The results demonstrate that ISA improves the probability of crossing the traffic light by about 77% compared to the absence of speed adaptation

Realistic Neutrino Opacities for Supernova Simulations With Correlations and Weak Magnetism

Advances in neutrino transport allow realistic neutrino interactions to be incorporated into supernova simulations. We add tensor couplings to relativistic RPA calculations of neutrino opacities. Our results reproduce free-space neutrino-nucleon cross sections at low density, including weak magnetism and recoil corrections. In addition, our opacities are thermodynamically consistent with relativistic mean field equations of state. We find antineutrino mean free paths that are considerably larger then those for neutrinos. This difference depends little on density. In a supernova, this difference could lead to an average energy of $\bar\nu_\mu$ that is larger than that for $\nu_\mu$ by an amount that is comparable to the energy difference between $\nu_\mu$ and $\bar\nu_e$Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PRC, minor changes to figs. (9,10

Fabrication of Diamond Nanowires for Quantum Information Processing Applications

We present a design and a top-down fabrication method for realizing diamond nanowires in both bulk single crystal and polycrystalline diamond. Numerical modeling was used to study coupling between a Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) color center and optical modes of a nanowire, and to find an optimal range of nanowire diameters that allows for large collection efficiency of emitted photons. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactive ion etching (RIE) with oxygen is used to fabricate the nanowires. Drop-casted nanoparticles (including $\mathrm{Au}$, $\mathrm{SiO_{2}}$ and $\mathrm{Al_2O_3}$) as well as electron beam lithography defined spin-on glass and evaporated $\mathrm{Au}$ have been used as an etch mask. We found $\mathrm{Al_2O_3}$ nanoparticles to be the most etch resistant. At the same time FOx e-beam resist (spin-on glass) proved to be a suitable etch mask for fabrication of ordered arrays of diamond nanowires. We were able to obtain nanowires with near vertical sidewalls in both polycrystalline and single crystal diamond. The heights and diameters of the polycrystalline nanowires presented in this paper are \unit[\approx1]{\mu m} and \unit[120-340]{nm}, respectively, having a \unit[200]{nm/min} etch rate. In the case of single crystal diamond (types Ib and IIa) nanowires the height and diameter for different diamonds and masks shown in this paper were \unit[1-2.4]{\mu m} and \unit[120-490]{nm} with etch rates between \unit[190-240]{nm/min}.Comment: 11 pages, 26 figures, submitted to Diamond and related Materials; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TWV-4Y7MM1M-1&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F25%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6dc58b30f4773a710c667306fc541cc

Spectroscopic Coronal Observations during the Total Solar Eclipse of 11 July 2010

The flash spectrum of the solar chromosphere and corona was measured with a slitless spectrograph before, after, and during the totality of the solar eclipse, of 11 July 2010, at Easter Island, Chile. This eclipse took place at the beginning of the Solar Cycle 24, after an extended minimum of solar activity. The spectra taken during the eclipse show a different intensity ratio of the red and green coronal lines compared with those taken during the total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008, which took place towards the end of the Solar Cycle 23. The characteristic coronal forbidden emission line of forbidden Fe XIV (5303 {\AA}) was observed on the east and west solar limbs in four areas relatively symmetrically located with respect to the solar rotation axis. Subtraction of the continuum flash-spectrum background led to the identification of several extremely weak emission lines, including forbidden Ca XV (5694 {\AA}), which is normally detected only in regions of very high excitation, e.g., during flares or above large sunspots. The height of the chromosphere was measured spectrophotometrically, using spectral lines from light elements and compared with the equivalent height of the lower chromosphere measured using spectral lines from heavy elements.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 1 table; Solar Physics, 2012, Februar

On the temperature dependence of the symmetry energy

We perform large-scale shell model Monte Carlo (SMMC) calculations for many nuclei in the mass range A=56-65 in the complete pfg_{9/2}d_{5/2} model space using an effective quadrupole-quadrupole+pairing residual interaction. Our calculations are performed at finite temperatures between T=0.33-2 MeV. Our main focus is the temperature dependence of the symmetry energy which we determine from the energy differences between various isobaric pairs with the same pairing structure and at different temperatures. Our SMMC studies are consistent with an increase of the symmetry energy with temperature. We also investigate possible consequences for core-collapse supernovae events

Progress on a gas-accepting ion source for continuous-flow accelerator mass spectrometry

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 259 (2007): 83-87, doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2007.01.189.A gas-accepting microwave-plasma ion source is being developed for continuous-flow Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Characteristics of the ion source will be presented. Schemes for connecting a gas or liquid chromatograph to the ion source will also be discussed

First mineralogical maps of 4 Vesta

Before Dawn arrived at 4 Vesta only very low spatial resolution (~50 km) albedo and color maps were available from HST data. Also ground-based color and spectroscopic data were utilized as a first attempt to map Vesta’s mineralogical diversity [1-4]. The VIR spectrometer [5] onboard Dawn has ac-quired hyperspectral data while the FC camera [6] ob-tained multi-color data of the Vestan surface at very high spatial resolutions, allowing us to map complex geologic, morphologic units and features. We here re-port about the results obtained from a preliminary global mineralogical map of Vesta, based on data from the Survey orbit. This map is part of an iterative map-ping effort; the map is refined with each improvement in resolution