Linear convergence in time-varying generalized Nash equilibrium problems

We study generalized games with full row rank equality constraints and we provide a strikingly simple proof of strong monotonicity of the associated KKT operator. This allows us to show linear convergence to a variational equilibrium of the resulting primal-dual pseudo-gradient dynamics. Then, we propose a fully-distributed algorithm with linear convergence guarantee for aggregative games under partial-decision information. Based on these results, we establish stability properties for online GNE seeking in games with time-varying cost functions and constraints. Finally, we illustrate our findings numerically on an economic dispatch problem for peer-to-peer energy markets

Guest Editorial: Agile beyond software - In search of flexibility in a wide range of innovation projects and industries

The nine papers in this special section focus on new developments in agile software and reports on applications for its use. A key aspect for the extensive use of agile software is that it supports developers with coping with the growing uncertainty and turbulence in technological and market environments. Feedback and change are at the core of Agile for a dynamic, evolving, and organic, rather than static, predefined, and mechanistic development process advocated by waterfall management. To create timely, high-quality, cost-efficient, and innovative solutions, Agile developers organized in small, colocated, autonomous teams, build and test software in rapid iterative cycles, actively involving users to gather feedback, updating the project scope, and plan “on-the-fly,” using face-to-face communication as opposed to documentation. These papers contribute to the state-of-the-art of agile research by offering a rich, up-todate account of the dynamics occurring when expanding Agile into “not-just-software” contexts of the key challenges and perils related to the scaling and of the possible solutions to them

El papel del dialecto en la literatura italiana culta: funciones y casos paradigmáticos

[ES]el objeto de estudio deesta Tesis no esla que comúnmentedenominamos literatura en dialecto, sino, tal y como sugiere su título, eldialectoy suvalor dentro de la historia literaria de Italia.Si tomamos como acertadaslas reflexiones de McLuhan sobre el médium, las de Auerbach sobre las relaciones entre estética e ideología, y las tesis del relativismo lingüístico,podemos entenderel elemento vernáculocomoun instrumento que adquiereciertas connotaciones que iremos evidenciando y delineando a lo largo de nuestra investigación. Unas connotaciones que resultana menudoimplícitas ya en lapropiaelección lingüística, en cuanto los dialectos, en literatura mucho antes que en el plano del uso, fueron lenguas vencidasy de los vencidos.Para comprobarempíricamentela validez de nuestro planteamiento y construir nuestra propuesta basada en una categorización de las funciones del dialecto, hemosescogido la siguiente metodología.Primero,hemos partidode un resumen y análisis crítico de las principalesteoríasy aportacionesde los estudiosos que, con más o menos acierto,han tratado de enfocar la temáticade las relaciones lengua/dialecto y dialecto/literatura italiana con una aspiracióngeneralista–Ferrari, Croce,Contini, De Mauro, Stussi, Beccariay Brevinietc.–para ir haciéndonos con el estado de la cuestióny encontrar valiosas indicaciones. Después,hemostenido queestablecerun marco temporal muy amplio y en cierta medida hasta simbólico que, siguiendo principios propios de la sociolingüística,nos ayudase a definir de manera más estable el concepto de dialecto dentro del sistema literario italiano.A continuación, hemos seleccionado un corpusamplísimoy en constanteredefiniciónde autores italianosparaestudiaren ellos eluso delas hablas locales.Tal y como hemos ya explicado, no se trata de literatosnecesariamente catalogables como dialectales, sino cualquier escritor que haya empleadoconscientementeel dialectocon fines expresivos, estilísticos y/o ideológico-políticos

FPGA Implementation of an Ant Colony Optimization Based SVM Algorithm for State of Charge Estimation in Li-Ion Batteries

Monitoring the State of Charge (SoC) in battery cells is necessary to avoid damage and to extend battery life. Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms and Machine Learning techniques in general can provide real-time SoC estimation without the need to design a cell model. In this work, an SVM was trained by applying an Ant Colony Optimization method. The obtained trained model was 10-fold cross-validated and then designed in Hardware Description Language to be run on FPGA devices, enabling the design of low-cost and compact hardware. Thanks to the choice of a linear SVM kernel, the implemented architecture resulted in low resource usage (about 1.4% of Xilinx Artix7 XC7A100TFPGAG324C FPGA), allowing multiple instances of the SVM SoC estimator model to monitor multiple battery cells or modules, if needed. The ability of the model to maintain its good performance was further verified when applied to a dataset acquired from different driving cycles to the cycle used in the training phase, achieving a Root Mean Square Error of about 1.4%

A novel tactile display for softness and texture rendering in tele-operation tasks

Softness and texture high-frequency information represent fundamental haptic properties for every day life activities and environment tactual exploration. While several displays have been produced to convey either softness or high-frequency information, there is no or little evidence of systems that are able to reproduce both these properties in an integrated fashion. This aspect is especially crucial in medical tele-operated procedures, where roughness and stiffness of human tissues are both important to correctly identify given pathologies through palpation (e.g. in tele-dermatology). This work presents a fabric yielding display (FYD-pad), a fabric-based tactile display for softness and texture rendering. The system exploits the control of two motors to modify both the stretching state of the elastic fabric for softness rendering and to convey texture information on the basis of accelerometer-based data. At the same time, the measurement of the contact area can be used to control remote or virtual robots. In this paper, we discuss the architecture of FYD-pad and the techniques used for softness and texture reproduction as well as for synthesizing probe-surface interactions from real data. Tele-operation examples and preliminary experiments with humans are reported, which show the effectiveness of the device in delivering both softness and texture information

Developing software beyond customer needs and plans: An exploratory study of its forms and individual-level drivers

Excessive software development is the tendency to develop new software above and beyond the requirements of the market and/or planned specifications. It is a widespread phenomenon involving both risks and flexibility advantages. As it represents a challenging dilemma for software developers, it is important to study its human origins. Drawing on the tripartite model of individual attitudes, this study investigates the influence of developers’s cognitive (intuitive and rational thinking styles), affective (emotional attachment) and behavioural (reliance on past experiences) traits on two forms of excess, beyond needs and beyond plans. Using survey data on 307 software developers, this study shows that different manifestations of excess are associated with distinct traits of software developers. Emotional attachment drives beyond needs excess. A positive (negative) association is found between relying on past experiences and beyond needs excess (beyond plans excess). An intuitive cognitive style fosters the inclusion of extra features in the new product scope, whereas a rational style might lead to developing one-size-fits-all software that targets the needs of a broad user base. These findings contribute to research on the development of digital new products and production technologies by offering a comprehensive yet fine-grained picture of excessive software development’s nature and drivers