Dynamic Service Rate Control for a Single Server Queue with Markov Modulated Arrivals

We consider the problem of service rate control of a single server queueing system with a finite-state Markov-modulated Poisson arrival process. We show that the optimal service rate is non-decreasing in the number of customers in the system; higher congestion rates warrant higher service rates. On the contrary, however, we show that the optimal service rate is not necessarily monotone in the current arrival rate. If the modulating process satisfies a stochastic monotonicity property the monotonicity is recovered. We examine several heuristics and show where heuristics are reasonable substitutes for the optimal control. None of the heuristics perform well in all the regimes. Secondly, we discuss when the Markov-modulated Poisson process with service rate control can act as a heuristic itself to approximate the control of a system with a periodic non-homogeneous Poisson arrival process. Not only is the current model of interest in the control of Internet or mobile networks with bursty traffic, but it is also useful in providing a tractable alternative for the control of service centers with non-stationary arrival rates.Comment: 32 Pages, 7 Figure

A Simple Boltzmann Transport Equation for Ballistic to Diffusive Transient Heat Transport

Developing simplified, but accurate, theoretical approaches to treat heat transport on all length and time scales is needed to further enable scientific insight and technology innovation. Using a simplified form of the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE), originally developed for electron transport, we demonstrate how ballistic phonon effects and finite-velocity propagation are easily and naturally captured. We show how this approach compares well to the phonon BTE, and readily handles a full phonon dispersion and energy-dependent mean-free-path. This study of transient heat transport shows i) how fundamental temperature jumps at the contacts depend simply on the ballistic thermal resistance, ii) that phonon transport at early times approach the ballistic limit in samples of any length, and iii) perceived reductions in heat conduction, when ballistic effects are present, originate from reductions in temperature gradient. Importantly, this framework can be recast exactly as the Cattaneo and hyperbolic heat equations, and we discuss how the key to capturing ballistic heat effects is to use the correct physical boundary conditions.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Management of Pain, Agitation, and Delirium in Mechanically Ventilated Oncology Patients

Attention has heightened over the last several years to the importance of managing pain, agitation, and delirium in mechanically ventilated patients due to the multiple long‐term adverse effects patients experience after an intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Furthermore, clinical practice is being molded not just by the guidelines and randomized controlled trials, but also by the information gathered from real patient experiences to improve care at the bedside. The literature continues to remain sparse for providing guidance specifically in the oncology population. Therefore, several resources have been combined to better assist clinicians on making sound decisions for keeping patients comfortable on the ventilator while recognizing the differences in treatment that may need to be employed due to these patients’ medical condition

A new comparison between solid-state thermionics and thermoelectrics

It is shown that equations for electrical current in solid-state thermionic and thermoelectric devices converge for devices with a width equal to the mean free path of electrons, yielding a common expression for intensive electronic efficiency in the two types of devices. This result is used to demonstrate that the materials parameters for thermionic and thermoelectric devices are equal, rather than differing by a multiplicative factor as previously thought

Growth and form of the mound in Gale Crater, Mars: Slope wind enhanced erosion and transport

Ancient sediments provide archives of climate and habitability on Mars. Gale Crater, the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), hosts a 5-km-high sedimentary mound (Mount Sharp/Aeolis Mons). Hypotheses for mound formation include evaporitic, lacustrine, fluviodeltaic, and aeolian processes, but the origin and original extent of Gale’s mound is unknown. Here we show new measurements of sedimentary strata within the mound that indicate ∼3° outward dips oriented radially away from the mound center, inconsistent with the first three hypotheses. Moreover, although mounds are widely considered to be erosional remnants of a once crater-filling unit, we find that the Gale mound’s current form is close to its maximal extent. Instead we propose that the mound’s structure, stratigraphy, and current shape can be explained by growth in place near the center of the crater mediated by wind-topography feedbacks. Our model shows how sediment can initially accrete near the crater center far from crater-wall katabatic winds, until the increasing relief of the resulting mound generates mound-flank slope winds strong enough to erode the mound. The slope wind enhanced erosion and transport (SWEET) hypothesis indicates mound formation dominantly by aeolian deposition with limited organic carbon preservation potential, and a relatively limited role for lacustrine and fluvial activity. Morphodynamic feedbacks between wind and topography are widely applicable to a range of sedimentary and ice mounds across the Martian surface, and possibly other planets

Using Protege for automatic ontology instantiation

This paper gives an overview on the use of Protégé in the Artequakt system, which integrated Protégé with a set of natural language tools to automatically extract knowledge about artists from web documents and instantiate a given ontology. Protégé was also linked to structured templates that generate documents from the knowledge fragments it maintains