729 research outputs found
Semi-autonomous Intersection Collision Avoidance through Job-shop Scheduling
In this paper, we design a supervisor to prevent vehicle collisions at
intersections. An intersection is modeled as an area containing multiple
conflict points where vehicle paths cross in the future. At every time step,
the supervisor determines whether there will be more than one vehicle in the
vicinity of a conflict point at the same time. If there is, then an impending
collision is detected, and the supervisor overrides the drivers to avoid
collision. A major challenge in the design of a supervisor as opposed to an
autonomous vehicle controller is to verify whether future collisions will occur
based on the current drivers choices. This verification problem is particularly
hard due to the large number of vehicles often involved in intersection
collision, to the multitude of conflict points, and to the vehicles dynamics.
In order to solve the verification problem, we translate the problem to a
job-shop scheduling problem that yields equivalent answers. The job-shop
scheduling problem can, in turn, be transformed into a mixed-integer linear
program when the vehicle dynamics are first-order dynamics, and can thus be
solved by using a commercial solver.Comment: Submitted to Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control (HSCC) 201
Pooling problem: Alternate formulations and solution methods
Copyright @ 2004 INFORMSThe pooling problem, which is fundamental to the petroleum industry, describes a situation in which products possessing different attribute qualities are mixed in a series of pools in such a way that the attribute qualities of the blended products of the end pools must satisfy given requirements. It is well known that the pooling problem can be modeled through bilinear and nonconvex quadratic programming. In this paper, we investigate how best to apply a new branch-and-cut quadratic programming algorithm to solve the pooling problem. To this effect, we consider two standard models: One is based primarily on flow variables, and the other relies on the proportion. of flows entering pools. A hybrid of these two models is proposed for general pooling problems. Comparison of the computational properties of flow and proportion models is made on several problem instances taken from the literature. Moreover, a simple alternating procedure and a variable neighborhood search heuristic are developed to solve large instances and compared with the well-known method of successive linear programming. Solution of difficult test problems from the literature is substantially accelerated, and larger ones are solved exactly or approximately.This project was funded by Ultramar Canada and Luc Massé. The work of C. Audet was supported by NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) fellowship PDF-207432-1998 and by CRPC (Center for Research on Parallel Computation). The work of J. Brimberg was supported by NSERC grant #OGP205041. The work of P. Hansen was supported by FCAR(Fonds pour la Formation des Chercheurs et l’Aide à la Recherche)
grant #95ER1048, and NSERC grant #GP0105574
Thermodynamic interpretation of the scaling of the dynamics of supercooled liquids
The recently discovered scaling law for the relaxation times, tau=f(T,V^g),
where T is temperature and V the specific volume, is derived by a revision of
the entropy model of the glass transition dynamics originally proposed by
Avramov [I. Avramov, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 262, 258 (2000).]. In this
modification the entropy is calculated by an alternative route, while retaining
the approximation that the heat capacity is constant with T and P. The
resulting expression for the variation of the relaxation time with T and V is
shown to accurately fit experimental data for several glass-forming liquids and
polymers over an extended range encompassing the dynamic crossover. From this
analysis, which is valid for any model in which the relaxation time is a
function of the entropy. we find that the scaling exponent g can be identified
with the Gruneisen constant.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figure
Stationary probability density of stochastic search processes in global optimization
A method for the construction of approximate analytical expressions for the
stationary marginal densities of general stochastic search processes is
proposed. By the marginal densities, regions of the search space that with high
probability contain the global optima can be readily defined. The density
estimation procedure involves a controlled number of linear operations, with a
computational cost per iteration that grows linearly with problem size
Constant-time solution to the Global Optimization Problem using Bruschweiler's ensemble search algorithm
A constant-time solution of the continuous Global Optimization Problem (GOP)
is obtained by using an ensemble algorithm. We show that under certain
assumptions, the solution can be guaranteed by mapping the GOP onto a discrete
unsorted search problem, whereupon Bruschweiler's ensemble search algorithm is
applied. For adequate sensitivities of the measurement technique, the query
complexity of the ensemble search algorithm depends linearly on the size of the
function's domain. Advantages and limitations of an eventual NMR implementation
are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 0 figure
Genome sequence of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus reveals mechanisms governing adaptation to a humic-rich ecological niche
Agaricus bisporus is the model fungus for the adaptation, persistence, and growth in the humic-rich leaf-litter environment. Aside from its ecological role, A. bisporus has been an important component of the human diet for over 200 y and worldwide cultivation of the "button mushroom" forms a multibillion dollar industry. We present two A. bisporus genomes, their gene repertoires and transcript profiles on compost andduringmushroomformation.The genomes encode a full repertoire of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes similar to that of wood-decayers. Comparative transcriptomics of mycelium grown on defined medium, casing-soil, and compost revealed genes encoding enzymes involved in xylan, cellulose, pectin, and protein degradation aremore highly expressed in compost. The striking expansion of heme-thiolate peroxidases and β-etherases is distinctive from Agaricomycotina wood-decayers and suggests a broad attack on decaying lignin and related metabolites found in humic acid-rich environment. Similarly, up-regulation of these genes together with a lignolytic manganese peroxidase, multiple copper radical oxidases, and cytochrome P450s is consistent with challenges posed by complex humic-rich substrates. The gene repertoire and expression of hydrolytic enzymes in A. bisporus is substantially different from the taxonomically related ectomycorrhizal symbiont Laccaria bicolor. A common promoter motif was also identified in genes very highly expressed in humic-rich substrates. These observations reveal genetic and enzymatic mechanisms governing adaptation to the humic-rich ecological niche formed during plant degradation, further defining the critical role such fungi contribute to soil structure and carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Genome sequence will expedite mushroom breeding for improved agronomic characteristics
Density scaling and quasiuniversality of flow-event statistics for athermal plastic flows
Athermal plastic flows were simulated for the Kob-Andersen binary
Lennard-Jones system and its repulsive version in which the sign of the
attractive terms is changed to a plus. Properties evaluated from simulations at
different densities include the distributions of energy drops, stress drops,
and strain intervals between the flow events. By reference to hidden scale
invariance we show that simulations at a single density in conjunction with an
equilibrium-liquid simulation at the same density allows one to predict the
plastic flow-event properties at other densities. We furthermore demonstrate
quasiuniversality of the flow-event statistics
Mechanical Relaxation in Glasses and at the Glass Transition
The Gilroy-Phillips model of relaxational jumps in asymmetric double-well
potentials, developed for the Arrhenius-type secondary relaxations of the glass
phase, is extended to a formal description of the breakdown of the shear
modulus at the glass transition, the flow process.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, 49 ref
Optimization of minimum set of protein–DNA interactions: a quasi exact solution with minimum over-fitting
Motivation: A major limitation in modeling protein interactions is the difficulty of assessing the over-fitting of the training set. Recently, an experimentally based approach that integrates crystallographic information of C2H2 zinc finger–DNA complexes with binding data from 11 mutants, 7 from EGR finger I, was used to define an improved interaction code (no optimization). Here, we present a novel mixed integer programming (MIP)-based method that transforms this type of data into an optimized code, demonstrating both the advantages of the mathematical formulation to minimize over- and under-fitting and the robustness of the underlying physical parameters mapped by the code
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