Moduli Spaces and Formal Operads

Let overline{M}_{g,n} be the moduli space of stable algebraic curves of genus g with n marked points. With the operations which relate the different moduli spaces identifying marked points, the family (overline{M}_{g,n})_{g,n} is a modular operad of projective smooth Deligne-Mumford stacks, overline{M}. In this paper we prove that the modular operad of singular chains C_*(overline{M};Q) is formal; so it is weakly equivalent to the modular operad of its homology H_*(overline{M};Q). As a consequence, the "up to homotopy" algebras of these two operads are the same. To obtain this result we prove a formality theorem for operads analogous to Deligne-Griffiths-Morgan-Sullivan formality theorem, the existence of minimal models of modular operads, and a characterization of formality for operads which shows that formality is independent of the ground field.Comment: 36 pages (v3: some typographical corrections

Stochastic resonance with weak monochromatic driving: gains above unity induced by high-frequency signals

We study the effects of a high-frequency (HF) signal on the response of a noisy bistable system to a low-frequency subthreshold sinusoidal signal. We show that, by conveniently choosing the ratio of the amplitude of the HF signal to its frequency, stochastic resonance gains greater than unity can be measured at the low-frequency value. Thus, the addition of the HF signal can entail an improvement in the detection of weak monochromatic signals. The results are explained in terms of an effective model and illustrated by means of numerical simulations.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Economics and Biodiversity in Intensively Managed Agro-Ecosystems

This paper explores the dynamic effects of biodiversity conservation on agricultural production in the context of specialised intensive farming systems. The focus is on the analysis of the dynamic effects of changes in the levels of agrobiodiversity, on technical change and productivity in intensive agricultural systems. A theoretical model is used to derive hypotheses regarding these linkages that are empirically tested using a stochastic production frontier model with data from a panel of UK cereal farms for the period 1989-2000. The results suggest that the increased agrobiodiversity has positively helped to shift the production frontier outwards. This indicates that the evolution of an intensive agricultural system to less intensive use of inputs can be consistent with non-decreasing output levels and an enhancement of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.Agrobiodiversity, Intensive Agriculture, Productivity, Technical change, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q12, Q16, Q24,

Joint optimization of power and data transfer in multiuser MIMO systems

We present an approach to solve the nonconvex optimization problem that arises when designing the transmit covariance matrices in multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast networks implementing simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT). The MIMO SWIPT problem is formulated as a general multiobjective optimization problem, in which data rates and harvested powers are optimized simultaneously. Two different approaches are applied to reformulate the (nonconvex) multiobjective problem. In the first approach, the transmitter can control the specific amount of power to be harvested by power transfer whereas in the second approach the transmitter can only control the proportion of power to be harvested among the different harvesting users. We solve the resulting formulations using the majorization-minimization (MM) approach. The solution obtained from the MM approach is compared to the classical block-diagonalization (BD) strategy, typically used to solve the nonconvex multiuser MIMO network by forcing no interference among users. Simulation results show that the proposed approach improves over the BD approach both the system sum rate and the power harvested by users. Additionally, the computational times needed for convergence of the proposed methods are much lower than the ones required for classical gradient-based approaches.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A preliminary study on the use of the local variety of ipil-ipil Leucaena leucocephala as a protein source for prawn feed

A study was carried out to determine the effect of 10 or 20% leaves or seeds in the diet of Penaeus monodon , and the extent to which local ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala ) could replace head shrimp meal. A brief description is given of the experimental methodology, and details of composition of the diet, proximate chemical composition of the diets, mean weight gain and survival of Penaeus monodon larvae fed shrimp head meal and ipil-ipil as protein sources, are presented. Mean weight gains for all groups were poor and not statistically significant. Survival rates for those fed 10% ipil-ipil were significantly higher than those fed 20% diets. Wherever the survival rate was high, mean weight gain was low and vice versa. The presence of the toxic alkaloids mimosine in ipil-ipil could have caused the low survival rate

Energy harvesting from vehicular traffic over speed bumps: A review

Energy used by vehicles to slow down in areas of limited speed is wasted. A traffic energy-harvesting device (TEHD) is capable of harvesting vehicle energy when passing over a speed bump. This paper presents a classification of the different technologies used in the existing TEHDs. Moreover, an estimation of the energy that could be harvested with the different technologies and their cost has been elaborated. The energy recovered with these devices could be used for marking and lighting of roads in urban areas, making transportation infrastructures more sustainable and environmentally friendly