Distribution of winners in truel games

In this work we present a detailed analysis using the Markov chain theory of some versions of the truel game in which three players try to eliminate each other in a series of one-to-one competitions, using the rules of the game. Besides reproducing some known expressions for the winning probability of each player, including the equilibrium points, we give expressions for the actual distribution of winners in a truel competition.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. Conference proceedin

Discrete--time ratchets, the Fokker--Planck equation and Parrondo's paradox

Parrondo's games manifest the apparent paradox where losing strategies can be combined to win and have generated significant multidisciplinary interest in the literature. Here we review two recent approaches, based on the Fokker-Planck equation, that rigorously establish the connection between Parrondo's games and a physical model known as the flashing Brownian ratchet. This gives rise to a new set of Parrondo's games, of which the original games are a special case. For the first time, we perform a complete analysis of the new games via a discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC) analysis, producing winning rate equations and an exploration of the parameter space where the paradoxical behaviour occurs.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Synchronization of Spatiotemporal Chaos: The regime of coupled Spatiotemporal Intermittency

Synchronization of spatiotemporally chaotic extended systems is considered in the context of coupled one-dimensional Complex Ginzburg-Landau equations (CGLE). A regime of coupled spatiotemporal intermittency (STI) is identified and described in terms of the space-time synchronized chaotic motion of localized structures. A quantitative measure of synchronization as a function of coupling parameter is given through distribution functions and information measures. The coupled STI regime is shown to dissapear into regular dynamics for situations of strong coupling, hence a description in terms of a single CGLE is not appropiate.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX 2e. Includes 3 figures made up of 8, 4 (LARGE),and 2 postscript files. Includes balanced.st

Neighborhood models of minority opinion spreading

We study the effect of finite size population in Galam's model [Eur. Phys. J. B 25 (2002) 403] of minority opinion spreading and introduce neighborhood models that account for local spatial effects. For systems of different sizes N, the time to reach consensus is shown to scale as ln N in the original version, while the evolution is much slower in the new neighborhood models. The threshold value of the initial concentration of minority supporters for the defeat of the initial majority, which is independent of N in Galam's model, goes to zero with growing system size in the neighborhood models. This is a consequence of the existence of a critical size for the growth of a local domain of minority supporters

The flashing ratchet and unidirectional transport of matter

We study the flashing ratchet model of a Brownian motor, which consists in cyclical switching between the Fokker-Planck equation with an asymmetric ratchet-like potential and the pure diffusion equation. We show that the motor really performs unidirectional transport of mass, for proper parameters of the model, by analyzing the attractor of the problem and the stationary vector of a related Markov chain.Comment: 11 page

Buyer Engagement and Labour Conditions in Global Supply Chains:The Bangladesh Accord and Beyond

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (‘the Accord’) has received both praise and criticism concerning its implications for corporate responsibility and power. This article contributes to the debate by situating the Accord within a broader set of activities that buyers are engaged in to promote better labour conditions in their supply chains. The authors identify three approaches of buyer engagement: auditing, capacity building and advocacy. Drawing on interviews conducted with European brands and retailers, the article shows how buyers perceive the merits and challenges of these approaches, and whether and how they discharge responsibility and power through these activities. The study shows that the Accord is seen primarily as part of the auditing approach with a key feature being its use of collective leverage as a means of enforcement. While greater buyer power has not necessarily been accompanied by greater responsibility, the article highlights heterogeneity among buyers in how they take up different approaches, painting a more nuanced picture of buyer responsibility and power

Diseño e implementación de un controlador de motor BRUSHLESS

[spa] A lo largo de este artículo se explicará el proceso llevado a cabo para diseñar e implementar un controlador de motor De tipo brushless. El diseño parte inicialmente de lo propuesto por el fabricante del microcontrolador, para luego ser modificado en función de los requerimientos, su posterior montaje de la placa, aplicación de técnicas de ensamblaje, identificación de problemas de diseño y solución de los mismos

Estudio de la influencia de la actividad solar en el varamiento de cetáceos

El objetivo de este trabajo es saber si puede encontrarse una correlación entre tormentas geomagnéticas, producidas por la interacción de la actividad solar con la magnetosfera terrestre, y el varamiento de cetáceos. También quiere analizarse si, recíprocamente, grandes varamientos de estos animales implican valores extremos o variaciones, tanto del Dst como del campo magnético local donde se producen los encallamientos de estos mamíferos.Máster Universitario en Ciencia y Tecnología desde el Espacio (M039