A Gossip Algorithm based Clock Synchronization Scheme for Smart Grid Applications

The uprising interest in multi-agent based networked system, and the numerous number of applications in the distributed control of the smart grid leads us to address the problem of time synchronization in the smart grid. Utility companies look for new packet based time synchronization solutions with Global Positioning System (GPS) level accuracies beyond traditional packet methods such as Network Time Proto- col (NTP). However GPS based solutions have poor reception in indoor environments and dense urban canyons as well as GPS antenna installation might be costly. Some smart grid nodes such as Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), fault detection, Wide Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) etc., requires synchronous accuracy as low as 1 ms. On the other hand, 1 sec accuracy is acceptable in management information domain. Acknowledging this, in this study, we introduce gossip algorithm based clock synchronization method among network entities from the decision control and communication point of view. Our method synchronizes clock within dense network with a bandwidth limited environment. Our technique has been tested in different kinds of network topologies- complete, star and random geometric network and demonstrated satisfactory performance

Understanding chemical evolution in resolved galaxies -- I The local star fraction-metallicity relation

This work studies the relation between gas-phase oxygen abundance and stellar-to-gas fraction in nearby galaxies. We first derive the theoretical prediction, and argue that this relation is fundamental, in the sense that it must be verified regardless of the details of the gas accretion and star formation histories. Moreover, it should hold on "local" scales, i.e. in regions of the order of 1 kpc. These predictions are then compared with a set of spectroscopic observations, including both integrated and resolved data. Although the results depend somewhat on the adopted metallicity calibration, observed galaxies are consistent with the predicted relation, imposing tight constraints on the mass-loading factor of (enriched) galactic winds. The proposed parametrization of the star fraction-metallicity relation is able to describe the observed dependence of the oxygen abundance on gas mass at fixed stellar mass. However, the "local" mass-metallicity relation also depends on the relation between stellar and gas surface densities.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Matches accepted version (significant typo corrected

The Importance of Asymptotic Freedom for the Pseudocritical Temperature in Magnetized Quark Matter

Although asymptotic freedom is an essential feature of QCD, it is absent in effective chiral quark models like the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio and linear sigma models. In this work we advocate that asymptotic freedom plays a key role in the recently observed discrepancies between results of lattice QCD simulations and quark models regarding the behavior of the pseudocritical temperature $T_{\rm pc}$ for chiral symmetry restoration in the presence of a magnetic field $B$. We show that the lattice predictions that $T_{\rm pc}$ decreases with $B$ can be reproduced within the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model if the coupling constant $G$ of the model decreases with $B$ and the temperature. Without aiming at numerical precision, we support our claim by considering a simple ansatz for $G$ that mimics the asymptotic freedom behavior of the QCD coupling constant $1/\alpha_s \sim \ln (eB/\Lambda^2_{QCD})$ for large values of $B$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. This version matches the published on

Development of casein micellar pediatric formulations

Poster presented at the 1st European Conference on Pharmaceutics. 13-14 April 2015, Reims, France."The current need for medicines specifically designed for children, which consider ease of administration, dose flexibility, palatability, safety of excipients, stability and therapeutic equivalency of pediatric dosage forms, has driven the development of pediatric drug formulations. In the present work casein (CN) based micellar formulations are evaluated as vehicles for the oral delivery of pediatric drugs, since caseins are nontoxic, biodegradable, GRAS materials and nanoencapsulation of drugs can improve their bioavailability. Chemical crosslinking of casein by carbodiimide (EDC) has been studied as an approach to improve the stability of the CN micelles and to tailor drug release."Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (Research grant PTDC/DTPFTO/1057/2012

Rejection Properties of Stochastic-Resonance-Based Detectors of Weak Harmonic Signals

In (V. Galdi et al., Phys. Rev. E57, 6470, 1998) a thorough characterization in terms of receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) of stochastic-resonance (SR) detectors of weak harmonic signals of known frequency in additive gaussian noise was given. It was shown that strobed sign-counting based strategies can be used to achieve a nice trade-off between performance and cost, by comparison with non-coherent correlators. Here we discuss the more realistic case where besides the sought signal (whose frequency is assumed known) further unwanted spectrally nearby signals with comparable amplitude are present. Rejection properties are discussed in terms of suitably defined false-alarm and false-dismissal probabilities for various values of interfering signal(s) strength and spectral separation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Misprints corrected. PACS numbers added. RevTeX

Experimental realization of the Yang-Baxter Equation via NMR interferometry

The Yang-Baxter equation is an important tool in theoretical physics, with many applications in different domains that span from condensed matter to string theory. Recently, the interest on the equation has increased due to its connection to quantum information processing. It has been shown that the Yang-Baxter equation is closely related to quantum entanglement and quantum computation. Therefore, owing to the broad relevance of this equation, besides theoretical studies, it also became significant to pursue its experimental implementation. Here, we show an experimental realization of the Yang-Baxter equation and verify its validity through a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) interferometric setup. Our experiment was performed on a liquid state Iodotrifluoroethylene sample which contains molecules with three qubits. We use Controlled-transfer gates that allow us to build a pseudo-pure state from which we are able to apply a quantum information protocol that implements the Yang-Baxter equation.Comment: 10 pages and 6 figure

Tanaka-Tagoshi Parametrization of post-1PN Spin-Free Gravitational Wave Chirps: Equispaced and Cardinal Interpolated Lattices For First Generation Interferometric Antennas

The spin-free binary-inspiral parameter-space introduced by Tanaka and Tagoshi to construct a uniformly-spaced lattice of templates at (and possibly beyond) $2.5PN$ order is shown to work for all first generation interferometric gravitational wave antennas. This allows to extend the minimum-redundant cardinal interpolation techniques of the correlator bank developed by the Authors to the highest available order PN templates. The total number of 2PN templates to be computed for a minimal match $\Gamma=0.97$ is reduced by a factor 4, as in the 1PN case.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.