Interacting Unities: An Agent-Based System

Recently architects have been inspired by Thompsonis Cartesian deformations and Waddingtonis flexible topological surface to work within a dynamic field characterized by forces. In this more active space of interactions, movement is the medium through which form evolves. This paper explores the interaction between pedestrians and their environment by regarding it as a process occurring between the two. It is hypothesized that the recurrent interaction between pedestrians and environment can lead to a structural coupling between those elements. Every time a change occurs in each one of them, as an expression of its own structural dynamics, it triggers changes to the other one. An agent-based system has been developed in order to explore that interaction, where the two interacting elements, agents (pedestrians) and environment, are autonomous units with a set of internal rules. The result is a landscape where each agent locally modifies its environment that in turn affects its movement, while the other agents respond to the new environment at a later time, indicating that the phenomenon of stigmergy is possible to take place among interactions with human analogy. It is found that it is the environmentis internal rules that determine the nature and extent of change

Dynamic load management and optimum sizing of stand-alone hybrid PV/Wind system.

Simulation algorithms for the sizing of stand-alone hybrid PV/Wind systems are a powerful tool in evaluating the optimum configuration that would cover the energy demand with a predefined reliability level at the lowest cost. Several parameters such as the interval of the simulation (day, day-night, hourly) and the consumption profile may significantly affect the optimum configuration. This paper examines the effect of these parameters within an optimum sizing simulation algorithm developed. The effect of these parameters was particularly evident at low battery capacities, which involve optimum configurations resulting in minimum cost. Furthermore, shift-able loads in the hourly-based weekly profile assumed in this study were identified, and a dynamic load management functionality was developed. In this approach, loads that could be shifted through time were dynamically allocated during periods of excess energy production by the hybrid PV/Wind system. The results showed an increase in system reliability from 95% to 97% when load shifting was introduced. Finally, sizing the system for only the static (non-shift-able loads) proved to withstand the addition of the extra shift-able loads while retaining the 95% reliability level when the load management functionality was introduced. Thus, a smaller installation with lower cost is achieved

Studies of pathophysiology and psychosocial functioning in adolescents with anorectal anomalies

PhDIntroduction: Anorectal anomalies (ARA) are a range of congenital conditions ranging from a slight malposition of the anus to complex anomalies of the hindgut and urogenital organ. Despite advanced surgical and treatment modalities, voluntary bowel control is poor following surgical care with high rates of faecal incontinence (FI), and also constipation after all grades of reconstructive surgery. The main aim was to determine the impact that FI and constipation has on psychosocial functioning in the context of ARA in comparison to patients with idiopathic constipation (IC) and healthy controls. We also investigated the pathophysiological mechanisms that might contribute to poor bowel function in patients with ARA. Methods: Study comprised 52 patients (19 females; range 11-43 years) with ARA, 46 (13 females; range 11-31 years) IC and 51 healthy controls (26 females; range 11-42 years). Constipation and FI were evaluated using KESS and Vaizey scores respectively (a higher score indicating greater symptom severity). Psychometric tests included: Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index, Children's Depression Inventory/Beck Depression Inventory, General Health Questionnaire-28, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory/Children, Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness, Big Five Inventory, Level of Hopefulness, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Weinberger Attitude Inventory. Physiological investigations were undertaken in 32 adults, presenting with a history of previous surgery for ARA and urge FI. Physiological assessment included: anal manometry; rectal sensation (balloon distension); pudendal nerve function (motor latencies); endo-anal ultrasound; colonic transit and proctography. Results: Significantly higher KESS scores were found in patients with IC (<0.0001) compared to ARA and healthy controls and significantly higher Vaizey scores found in - 3 4 patients with ARA (<0.0001) and IC (0.0002) compared to healthy controls. Poorer GIQOL scores were found in patients with IC compared to healthy controls (p<0.001) and ARA compared to healthy controls (p<0.01). There was a significant relationship between poor quality of life and high KESS scores in ARA and IC (p = 0.003) and high Vaizey Incontinence scores (p = 0.02). Patients with ARA did not have higher psychiatric morbidity in comparison to IC and healthy controls. Personality traits and level of hopefulness appeared the same across the three groups. IC significantly put less emphasis on their general physical health (p<0.0001) in comparison to ARA and healthy controls. ARA significantly used more ‘positive reappraisal’ and ‘putting into perspective’ as their main coping mechanism compared to healthy controls. Anorectal physiology was abnormal in all subjects with ARA, involving multiple mechanisms. Anal resting tone and squeeze increments were attenuated in 23/32 and 17/32 patients respectively. Both anal sphincters were deficient on endosonography in the majority of patients with ARA. Evidence of pudendal neuropathy in 11/13 (85%) patients studied. Rectal sensation and emptying was abnormal in 17/22 (77%) and 9/14 patients (64%) respectively. Eight out of 17 patients had delayed colonic transit (47%). Conclusions: Symptoms of FI and constipation are major determinants for poor quality of life in patients with ARA. Contrary to our expectations, they share similar bowel and psychosocial functioning to patients with IC. Adolescents with ARA and IC had minimal psychiatric morbidity, yet experience condition-specific psychosocial problems affecting their daily life. The chronic nature of the patient’s problem appeared to have stimulated psychologically protective factors such as positive coping strategies. While the structural integrity of the anal sphincters is the major factor contributing to continence, this study confirms that extra-sphincteric mechanisms, particularly rectal sensory function, may be equally important

Intelligent Optimisation Agents in Supply Networks

This paper describes a model of intelligent supply network that improves efficiency within the supply chain. We argue that intelligence creates efficiency and results in chain optimisation. In particular, intelligent agents technology is used to optimise performance of a beverage logistics network. Optimisation agents can help solve specific problems of supply network: reduce inventories and lessen bullwhip effect, improve communication, and enable chain coordination without adverse risk sharing. We model the beer supply network to demonstrate that products can acquire intelligence to direct themselves throughout the distribution network. Further, they gain a capability to be purchased and sold while in transit. Overviews of the supporting technologies that make intelligent supply network a reality are fully discussed. In particular, optimisation agents have the characteristics of autonomous action, being proactive, reactive, and able to communicate. We demonstrate that agents enhance the flexibility, information visibility, and efficiency of the supply chain management. Suggestions and recommendations for further research are provided

Vortex pinning by meandering line defects in planar superconductors

To better understand vortex pinning in thin superconducting slabs, we study the interaction of a single fluctuating vortex filament with a curved line defect in (1+1) dimensions. This problem is also relevant to the interaction of scratches with wandering step edges in vicinal surfaces. The equilibrium probability density for a fluctuating line attracted to a particular fixed defect trajectory is derived analytically by mapping the problem to a straight line defect in the presence of a space and time-varying external tilt field. The consequences of both rapid and slow changes in the frozen defect trajectory, as well as finite size effects are discussed. A sudden change in the defect direction leads to a delocalization transition, accompanied by a divergence in the trapping length, near a critical angle.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Creating and sharing information literacy learning designs

This workshop illustrates how a digital tool, the Learning Designer, facilitates a new way of designing teaching and learning. It enables teachers to: build on the work of others, adopt and adapt learning designs, analyse and test their designs, and then share their own teaching ideas and experience using the tool. The Learning Designer is one of the outputs of a three-year research project*, which investigated how to support teachers developing their design skills and knowledge in order to profit from the creative possibilities opened up by digital technologies. Evaluations from teachers using the learning design tool demonstrated that it helps teachers in all sectors of education. The Learning Designer tool is used across the world in the exchange of knowledge when delivering formal and informal “teaching.” It is underpinned by a theoretically-informed model of learning and by empirical work with teaching practitioners, and uses Semantic Web technologies for developing this knowledge further (Charlton, Magoulas, & Laurillard, 2012; Zazani, 2012). The tool builds on the idea of teaching as a ‘design science’ and a wide range of research on learning design (Laurillard, 2012). *Funded by the ESRC/EPSRC TLRP Technology-Enhanced Learning programm

Consumer confidence on heating oil prices : an empirical study of their relationship for European Union in a nonlinear framework

The present paper studies the EU consumer sentiment - heating oil stock prices relationship given the recent changes in the EU economy with the assistance of threshold cointegration. According to our findings, the existence of linearity against threshold cointegration is rejected for all the variables with the exception that of skewness, while the estimation of the threshold vector error correction model does not confirm the short-term dynamics in most cases. Having in mind that oil prices can affect economic activity in real and financial terms and is perceived as news by the consumers, the conclusion reached is in line with the existing literature, according to which consumer confidence is strongly affected by the news dissemination and by the signals of economic growth. The major practical implication of the study is the policy makers' acquisition with tools to create economic condition that improve consumer confidence and promotes economic growthpeer-reviewe

Development of a Soft Actor Critic Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Harnessing Energy Flexibility in a Large Office Building

This research is concerned with the novel application and investigation of `Soft Actor Critic' (SAC) based Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to control the cooling setpoint (and hence cooling loads) of a large commercial building to harness energy flexibility. The research is motivated by the challenge associated with the development and application of conventional model-based control approaches at scale to the wider building stock. SAC is a model-free DRL technique that is able to handle continuous action spaces and which has seen limited application to real-life or high-fidelity simulation implementations in the context of automated and intelligent control of building energy systems. Such control techniques are seen as one possible solution to supporting the operation of a smart, sustainable and future electrical grid. This research tests the suitability of the SAC DRL technique through training and deployment of the agent on an EnergyPlus based environment of the office building. The SAC DRL was found to learn an optimal control policy that was able to minimise energy costs by 9.7% compared to the default rule-based control (RBC) scheme and was able to improve or maintain thermal comfort limits over a test period of one week. The algorithm was shown to be robust to the different hyperparameters and this optimal control policy was learnt through the use of a minimal state space consisting of readily available variables. The robustness of the algorithm was tested through investigation of the speed of learning and ability to deploy to different seasons and climates. It was found that the SAC DRL requires minimal training sample points and outperforms the RBC after three months of operation and also without disruption to thermal comfort during this period. The agent is transferable to other climates and seasons although further retraining or hyperparameter tuning is recommended.Comment: submitted to Energy and A

The Ongoing Challenge of Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Based Gene Therapy for β-Thalassemia

β-thalassemia is characterized by reduced or absence of β-globin production, resulting in anemia. Current therapies include blood transfusion combined with iron chelation. BM transplantation, although curative, is restricted by the matched donor limitation. Gene therapy, on the other hand, is promising, and its success lies primarily on designing efficient globin vectors that can effectively and stably transduce HSCs. The major breakthrough in β-thalassemia gene therapy occurred a decade ago with the development of globin LVs. Since then, researchers focused on designing efficient and safe vectors, which can successfully deliver the therapeutic transgene, demonstrating no insertional mutagenesis. Furthermore, as human HSCs have intrinsic barriers to HIV-1 infection, attention is drawn towards their ex vivo manipulation, aiming to achieve higher yield of genetically modified HSCs. This paper presents the current status of gene therapy for β-thalassemia, its success and limitations, and the novel promising strategies available involving the therapeutic role of HSCs