Attenuation of Persistent L∞-Bounded Disturbances for Nonlinear Systems

A version of nonlinear generalization of the L1-control problem, which deals with the attenuation of persistent bounded disturbances in L∞-sense, is investigated in this paper. The methods used in this paper are motivated by [23]. The main idea in the L1-performance analysis and synthesis is to construct a certain invariant subset of the state-space such that achieving disturbance rejection is equivalent to restricting the state-dynamics to this set. The concepts from viability theory, nonsmooth analysis, and set-valued analysis play important roles. In addition, the relation between the L1-control of a continuous-time system and the l1-control of its Euler approximated discrete-time systems is established

Innovation and Employability in Knowledge Management Curriculum Design

During 2007/8, Southampton Solent University worked on a Leadership Foundation project focused on the utility of the multi-functional team approach as a vehicle to deliver innovation in strategic and operational terms in higher education (HE). The Task-Orientated Multi-Functional Team Approach (TOMFTA) project took two significant undertakings for Southampton Solent as key areas for investigation, one academic and one administrative in focus. The academic project was the development of an innovative and novel degree programme in knowledge management (KM). The new KM Honours degree programme is timely both in recognition of the increasing importance to organisations of knowledge as a commodity, and in its adoption of a distinctive structure and pedagogy. The methodology for the KM curriculum design brings together student-centred and market-driven approaches: positioning the programme for the interests of students and requirements of employers, rather than just the capabilities of staff; while looking at ways that courses can be delivered with more flexibility, e.g. accelerated and block-mode; with level-differentiated activities, common cross-year content and material that is multi-purpose for use in short courses. In order to permit context at multiple levels in common, a graduate skills strand is taught separately as part of the University’s business-facing education agenda. The KM portfolio offers a programme of practically-based courses integrating key themes in knowledge management, business, information distribution and development of the media. They develop problem-solving, communications, teamwork and other employability skills as well as the domain skills needed by emerging information management technologies. The new courses are built on activities which focus on different aspects of KM, drawing on existing content as a knowledge base. This paper presents the ongoing development of the KM programme through the key aspects in its conception and design

Nomenclatural changes for selected Mordellidae (Coleoptera) in North America

New nomenclatural changes are presented for selected North American mordellid beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae). The following five genera are newly recorded fi.·om the United States: Mordellaria Ermisch 1950, Falsomordellistena Ermisch 1941, Mordellina Schilsky 1908, Mordellochroa Emery 1876, and Pseudotolida Ermisch 1950. The following species are transferred from Tomoxia and represent new combinations: Mordellaria borealis (LeConte 1862), Mordellaria fascifera (LeConte 1878), Mordellaria latipalpis (Ray 1946), Mordellaria serval (Say 1835), and Mordellaria undulata (Melsheimer 1845). The following species are transferred fi.·om Mordellistena and represent new combinations: Falsomordellistena hebraica (LeConte 1862) and Falsomordellistena pubescens (Fabricius 1798); Mordellina blatchleyi (Liljeblad 1945), Mordellina pilosella (Ray 1947), Mordellina pustulata (Melsheimer 1845), Mordellina ustulata (LeConte 1862), and Mordellina wichhami (Liljeblad 1945); Mordellochroa scapularis (Say 1824); Pseudotolida arida (LeConte 1862), Pseudotolida hnausi (Liljeblad 1945), and Pseudotolida lutea (Melsheimer 1845). Mordellina ustulata (LeConte 1862) represents a return to species rank after being treated as a subspecies of Mordellistena andreae LeConte 1862. There are a total of 17 genera of Mordellidae in America north of Mexico

Missing at random, likelihood ignorability and model completeness

This paper provides further insight into the key concept of missing at random (MAR) in incomplete data analysis. Following the usual selection modelling approach we envisage two models with separable parameters: a model for the response of interest and a model for the missing data mechanism (MDM). If the response model is given by a complete density family, then frequentist inference from the likelihood function ignoring the MDM is valid if and only if the MDM is MAR. This necessary and sufficient condition also holds more generally for models for coarse data, such as censoring. Examples are given to show the necessity of the completeness of the underlying model for this equivalence to hold

ℋ∞ control of nonlinear systems via output feedback: controller parameterization

The standard state space solutions to the ℋ∞ control problem for linear time invariant systems are generalized to nonlinear time-invariant systems. A class of local nonlinear (output feedback) ℋ∞ controllers are parameterized as nonlinear fractional transformations on contractive, stable nonlinear parameters. As in the linear case, the ℋ∞ control problem is solved by its reduction to state feedback and output estimation problems, together with a separation argument. Sufficient conditions for ℋ∞-control problem to be locally solved are also derived with this machinery

Study of the Aerosol Indirect Effect by Large-Eddy Simulation of Marine Stratocumulus

A total of 98 three-dimensional large-eddy simulations (LESs) of marine stratocumulus clouds covering both nighttime and daytime conditions were performed to explore the response of cloud optical depth (τ) to various aerosol number concentrations (Na = 50–2500 cm−3) and the covarying meteorological conditions (large-scale divergence rate and SST). The idealized First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE) and the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) Lagrangian 1 sounding profiles were used to represent the lightly and heavily drizzling cases, respectively. The first and second aerosol indirect effects are identified. Through statistical analysis, τ is found be to both positively correlated with Na and cloud liquid water path (LWP) with a higher correlation associated with LWP, which is predominantly regulated by large-scale subsidence and SST. Clouds with high LWP occur under low SST or weak large-scale subsidence. Introduction of a small amount of giant sea salt aerosol into the simulation lowers the number of cloud droplets activated, results in larger cloud droplets, and initiates precipitation for nondrizzling polluted clouds or precedes the precipitation process for drizzling clouds. However, giant sea salt aerosol is found to have a negligible effect on τ for lightly precipitating cases, while resulting in a relative reduction of τ of 3%–77% (increasing with Na, for Na = 1000–2500 cm−3) for heavily precipitating cases, suggesting that the impact of giant sea salt is only important for moist and potentially convective clouds. Finally, a regression analysis of the simulations shows that the second indirect effect is more evident in clear than polluted cases. The second indirect effect is found to enhance (reduce) the overall aerosol indirect effect for heavily (lightly) drizzling clouds; that is, τ is larger (smaller) for the same relative change in Na than considering the Twomey (first indirect) effect alone. The aerosol indirect effect (on τ) is lessened in the daytime afternoon conditions and is dominated by the Twomey effect; however, the effect in the early morning is close but slightly smaller than that in the nocturnal run. Diurnal variations of the aerosol indirect effect should be considered to accurately assess its magnitude

H∞ control of nonlinear systems: a convex characterization

The nonlinear H∞-control problem is considered with an emphasis on developing machinery with promising computational properties. The solutions to H∞-control problems for a class of nonlinear systems are characterized in terms of nonlinear matrix inequalities which result in convex problems. The computational implications for the characterization are discussed