Toward a framework for implementation of climate change treaty through self-enforcing mechanisms

Global warming caused by accumulation of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is a public bad, addressing which requires collective action by all the countries of the world. Under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), most countries have negotiated the Kyoto Protocol for GHG emissions control to stabilize climate change. Several issues about the Protocol remain unresolved -- first, most of the significant countries are required to take a decision on whether or not to sign such a protocol, which has large-scale implications for their energy and industrial sectors and economic well-being; second, climate change mitigation is a public good entailing that all the countries would stand to gain due to mitigation action taken by a sub-group of one or more countries; and third, there exists no supra-national authority to enforce such a protocol for the individual sovereign nations. Thus, commitment to cooperate on an international agreement on climate change control remains tenuous. Formally, such a cooperative model is likely to be unstable. The paper discusses the pros and cons of the already proposed international cooperative mechanisms toward climate change mitigation and highlights the problem of information revelation, particularly related to the abatement issues. In this context, it attempts to outline a structure of a self-enforcing burden sharing mechanism for climate change mitigation in an incomplete information framework. The mechanism is an adoption of the well-known Vickrey-Clarke-Groves mechanism, widely used in mechanism design theory.Climate change negotiations; cooperative games; stable coalitions; self-enforcing mechanism

Exploring the potential and challenges of using mobile based technology in strengthening health information systems: Experiences from a pilot study

This paper empirically examines the challenges of introducing a mobile based reporting system (called SCDRT) within the public health system in India to strengthen the health information systems, and also discusses the approaches to address these challenges. Taking an “infrastructure” perspective, various socio-technical challenges relating to technology, operator and usage are discussed. Scaling, in geographical and functional terms, is discussed with a focus on aspects of “attractors” and “motivation.

Next Generation Television

We are blessed with UHD 4K curved TV, choremecast, 3D TV and various breakthrough services. A story with no illustration leads us to imagination, eventually we end up penetrating to a larger depth. Still , Television = idiot box. We portray here big and small ideas on how our next generation TV. can cope up with injustice, corruption, blues, provide advertisement pleasure, cartoon creation, gesture feedback, data storage and awareness, disaster help, festival togetherness, past pattern , ingredients love, magnificent features of entertainment and rejuvenation coupled with dictionary effect

Embedded Network Test-Bed for Validating Real-Time Control Algorithms to Ensure Optimal Time Domain Performance

The paper presents a Stateflow based network test-bed to validate real-time optimal control algorithms. Genetic Algorithm (GA) based time domain performance index minimization is attempted for tuning of PI controller to handle a balanced lag and delay type First Order Plus Time Delay (FOPTD) process over network. The tuning performance is validated on a real-time communication network with artificially simulated stochastic delay, packet loss and out-of order packets characterizing the network.Comment: 6 pages, 12 figure

Comparative Studies on Decentralized Multiloop PID Controller Design Using Evolutionary Algorithms

Decentralized PID controllers have been designed in this paper for simultaneous tracking of individual process variables in multivariable systems under step reference input. The controller design framework takes into account the minimization of a weighted sum of Integral of Time multiplied Squared Error (ITSE) and Integral of Squared Controller Output (ISCO) so as to balance the overall tracking errors for the process variables and required variation in the corresponding manipulated variables. Decentralized PID gains are tuned using three popular Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) viz. Genetic Algorithm (GA), Evolutionary Strategy (ES) and Cultural Algorithm (CA). Credible simulation comparisons have been reported for four benchmark 2x2 multivariable processes.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figure

Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robot Using Modular Architecture for Unstructured Environment

This article proposes a solution for autonomous navigation of mobile robot based on distributed control architecture. In this architecture, each stage of the algorithm is divided into separate software modules capable of interfacing to each other to obtain an effective global solution. The work starts with selection of suitable sensors depending on their requirement for the purpose and for the present work a stereo vision module and a laser range finder are used. These sensors are integrated with the robot controller via Ethernet/USB and the sensory feedbacks are used to control and navigate the robot. Using the architecture, an algorithm has been developed and implemented to intelligently avoid dynamic obstacles and optimally re-planning the path to reach the target location. The algorithm has been successfully tested with a Summit_XL mobile robot. The thesis describing the present research work is divided into eight chapters. The subject of the topic its contextual relevance and the related matters including the objectives of the work are presented in Chapter 1. The reviews on several diverse streams of literature on different issues of the topic such as autonomous navigation using various combinations of sensors networks, SLAM, obstacle detection and avoidance etc. are presented in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, selected methodologies are explained. Chapter 4 presents the detail description of the sensors, automobile platform and software tools used to implement the developed methodology. In Chapter 5, detail view of the experimental setup is provided. Procedures and parametric evaluations are given in chapter 6. Successful indoor tests results are described in chapter 7. Finally, Chapter 8 presents the conclusion and future scope of the research work

The human cardiac ryanodine receptor gating behaviour: a study of mechanisms

Rhythmic contraction of cardiac myocytes is maintained by precisely controlled Ca2+ efflux from intracellular stores mediated by the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2). Mutations in RyR2 result in perturbed Ca2+ release that can trigger arrhythmias. RyR2- dependent ventricular tachyarrhythmia is an important cause of sudden cardiac death, the mechanistic basis of which remains unclear. RyR2 dysfunction has also been implicated in other cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure and cardiomyopathy, thereby becoming an important target for putative drugs. The massive size of RyR2 (~2.2 MDa) along with its intracellular location poses considerable challenges to studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying channel dysfunction. Single channel studies of reconstituted RyR2 in artificial lipid bilayers have provided important insights into channel behaviour in response to various physiological ligands, toxins, drugs and biochemical modifications. However, the precise mechanisms by which RyR2 is activated by its primary physiological trigger, cytosolic Ca2+, and the structural determinants of channel gating are yet unknown. In this study, I aim to understand the actual physical reality of RyR2 gating behaviour using novel experimental approaches and analytical procedures. I have examined in detail, single channel kinetics of wild type purified recombinant human RyR2 (hRyR2) when activated by cytosolic Ca2+ in a precisely regulated minimal environment where the modulatory influence of factors external to the channel were minimised. This mathematical modelling of hRyR2 single channel behaviour will serve as a future experimental platform upon which the effects of disease causing mutations can be studied, as well as the influence of physiological modulators and potentially therapeutic compounds capable of stabilising mutant channel function. Single channel studies of hRyR2 when modified by its archetypal ligand ryanodine in the absence of Ca2+ have uncovered an unusual voltage sensitive gating behaviour in this ligand-gated channel, providing further insights into the mechanisms underlying channel modification