928 research outputs found
Maximum Hands-Off Control: A Paradigm of Control Effort Minimization
In this paper, we propose a new paradigm of control, called a maximum
hands-off control. A hands-off control is defined as a control that has a short
support per unit time. The maximum hands-off control is the minimum support (or
sparsest) per unit time among all controls that achieve control objectives. For
finite horizon control, we show the equivalence between the maximum hands-off
control and L1-optimal control under a uniqueness assumption called normality.
This result rationalizes the use of L1 optimality in computing a maximum
hands-off control. We also propose an L1/L2-optimal control to obtain a smooth
hands-off control. Furthermore, we give a self-triggered feedback control
algorithm for linear time-invariant systems, which achieves a given sparsity
rate and practical stability in the case of plant disturbances. An example is
included to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control.Comment: IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2015 (to appear
Continuous Hands-off Control by CLOT Norm Minimization
In this paper, we consider hands-off control via minimization of the C
LOT
(Combined
L
-One and Two) norm. The maximum hands-off control is the
L
0
-optimal (or the
sparsest) control among all feasible controls that are bounded b
y a specified value and transfer
the state from a given initial state to the origin within a fixed time dura
tion. In general, the
maximum hands-off control is a bang-off-bang control taking value
s of
±
1 and 0. For many real
applications, such discontinuity in the control is not desirable. To ob
tain a continuous but still
relatively sparse control, we propose to use the CLOT norm, a conv
ex combination of
L
1
and
L
2
norms. We show by numerical simulation that the CLOT control is con
tinuous and much
sparser (i.e. has longer time duration on which the control takes 0)
than the conventional EN
(elastic net) control, which is a convex combination of
L
1
and squared
L
2
norms
Processing carbon nanotubes with holographic optical tweezers
We report the first demonstration that carbon nanotubes can be trapped and
manipulated by optical tweezers. This observation is surprising because
individual nanotubes are substantially smaller than the wavelength of light,
and thus should not be amenable to optical trapping. Even so, nanotube bundles,
and perhaps even individual nanotubes, can be transported at high speeds,
deposited onto substrates, untangled, and selectively ablated, all with visible
light. The use of holographic optical tweezers, capable of creating hundreds of
independent traps simultaneously, suggests opportunities for highly parallel
nanotube processing with light.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur
Detecting Drowsy Learners at the Wheel of e-Learning Platforms with Multimodal Learning Analytics
Learners are expected to stay wakeful and focused while interacting with e-learning platforms. Although wakefulness of learners strongly relates to educational outcomes, detecting drowsy learning behaviors only from log data is not an easy task. In this study, we describe the results of our research to model learners’ wakefulness based on multimodal data generated from heart rate, seat pressure, and face recognition. We collected multimodal data from learners in a blended course of informatics and conducted two types of analysis on them. First, we clustered features based on learners’ wakefulness labels as generated by human raters and ran a statistical analysis. This analysis helped us generate insights from multimodal data that can be used to inform learner and teacher feedback in multimodal learning analytics. Second, we trained machine learning models with multiclass-Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF) and CatBoost Classifier (CatBoost) algorithms to recognize learners’ wakefulness states automatically. We achieved an average macro-F1 score of 0.82 in automated user-dependent models with CatBoost. We also showed that compared to unimodal data from each sensor, the multimodal sensor data can improve the accuracy of models predicting the wakefulness states of learners while they are interacting with e-learning platforms
Aerogel as a Soft Acoustic Metamaterial for Airborne Sound
Soft acoustic metamaterials utilizing mesoporous structures have been proposed recently as a means for tuning the overall effective properties of the metamaterial and providing better coupling to the surrounding air. In this paper, the use of silica aerogel is examined theoretically and experimentally as part of a compact soft acoustic metamaterial structure, which enables a wide range of exotic effective macroscopic properties to be demonstrated, including negative density, density near zero, and nonresonant broadband slow-sound propagation. Experimental data are obtained on the effective density and sound speed using an air-filled acoustic impedance tube for flexural metamaterial elements, which have been investigated previously only indirectly due to the large contrast in acoustic impedance compared to that of air. Experimental results are presented for silica aerogel arranged in parallel with either one or two acoustic ports and are in very good agreement with the theoretical model.This work is supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research. M. D. G., V. M. G.-C. and J. S.-D. also acknowledge the support by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, and the European Union Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through Project No. TEC2014-53088-C3-1-R. The authors wish to acknowledge Encarna G. Villora and Kiyoshi Shimamura for their help in aerogel fabrication and handling.Guild, M.; García Chocano, VM.; Sánchez-Dehesa Moreno-Cid, J.; Martin, TP.; Calvo, DC.; Orris, GJ. (2016). Aerogel as a Soft Acoustic Metamaterial for Airborne Sound. Physical Review Applied. 5(3):034012-1-034012-13. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.5.034012S034012-1034012-135
An Optimization Approach to Weak Approximation of Lévy-Driven Stochastic Differential Equations
We propose an optimization approach to weak approximation of Lévy-driven stochastic differential equations. We employ a mathematical programming framework to obtain numerically upper and lower bound estimates of the target expectation, where the optimization procedure ends up with a polynomial programming problem. An advantage of our approach is that all we need is a closed form of the Lévy measure, not the exact simulation knowledge of the increments or of a shot noise representation for the time discretization approximation. We also investigate methods for approximation at some different intermediate time points simultaneously
Monitoring of post-match fatigue in professional soccer: Welcome to the real world
Participation in soccer match-play leads to acute and transient subjective, biochemical, metabolic and physical disturbances in players over subsequent hours and days. Inadequate time for rest and regeneration between matches can expose players to the risk of training and competing whilst not entirely recovered. In professional soccer, contemporary competitive schedules can require teams to compete in-excess of 60 matches over the course of the season while periods of fixture congestion occur prompting much attention from researchers and practitioners to the monitoring of fatigue and readiness to play. A comprehensive body of research has investigated post-match acute and residual fatigue responses. Yet the relevance of the research for professional soccer contexts is debatable notably in relation to the study populations and designs employed. Monitoring can indeed be invasive, expensive, time-inefficient and difficult to perform routinely and simultaneously in a large squad of regularly competing players. Uncertainty also exists regarding the meaningfulness and interpretation of changes in fatigue response values and their functional relevance, and practical applicability in the field. The real-world need and cost-benefit of monitoring must be carefully weighed up. In relation to professional soccer contexts, this opinion paper intends to: 1) debate the need for PMF monitoring, 2) critique the real-world relevance of the current research literature, 3) discuss the practical burden relating to measurement tools and protocols and the collection, interpretation and application of data in the field, and, 4) propose future research perspectives
HAP2(GCS1)-Dependent Gamete Fusion Requires a Positively Charged Carboxy-Terminal Domain
HAP2(GCS1) is a deeply conserved sperm protein that is essential for gamete fusion. Here we use complementation assays to define major functional regions of the Arabidopsis thaliana ortholog using HAP2(GCS1) variants with modifications to regions amino(N) and carboxy(C) to its single transmembrane domain. These quantitative in vivo complementation studies show that the N-terminal region tolerates exchange with a closely related sequence, but not with a more distantly related plant sequence. In contrast, a distantly related C-terminus is functional in Arabidopsis, indicating that the primary sequence of the C-terminus is not critical. However, mutations that neutralized the charge of the C-terminus impair HAP2(GCS1)-dependent gamete fusion. Our results provide data identifying the essential functional features of this highly conserved sperm fusion protein. They suggest that the N-terminus functions by interacting with female gamete-expressed proteins and that the positively charged C-terminus may function through electrostatic interactions with the sperm plasma membrane
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