Inverse Data-Driven Optimal Control for Nonlinear Stochastic Non-stationary Systems

We consider the problem of estimating the possibly non-convex cost of an agent by observing its interactions with a nonlinear, non-stationary and stochastic environment. For this inverse problem, we give a result that allows to estimate the cost by solving a convex optimization problem. To obtain this result we also tackle a forward problem. This leads to formulate a finite-horizon optimal control problem for which we show convexity and find the optimal solution. Our approach leverages certain probabilistic descriptions that can be obtained both from data and/or from first-principles. The effectiveness of our results, which are turned in an algorithm, is illustrated via simulations on the problem of estimating the cost of an agent that is stabilizing the unstable equilibrium of a pendulum.Comment: Submitted to The 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

The characterization of Thermotoga maritima Arginine Binding Protein variants demonstrates that minimal local strains have an important impact on protein stability

The Ramachandran plot is a versatile and valuable tool that provides fundamental information for protein structure determination, prediction, and validation. The structural/thermodynamic effects produced by forcing a residue to adopt a conformation predicted to be forbidden were here explored using Thermotoga maritima Arginine Binding Protein (TmArgBP) as model. Specifically, we mutated TmArgBP Gly52 that assumes a conformation believed to be strictly disallowed for non-Gly residues. Surprisingly, the crystallographic characterization of Gly52Ala TmArgBP indicates that the structural context forces the residue to adopt a non-canonical conformation never observed in any of the high-medium resolution PDB structures. Interestingly, the inspection of this high resolution structure demonstrates that only minor alterations occur. Nevertheless, experiments indicate that Gly52 replacements in TmArgBP produce destabilizations comparable to those observed upon protein truncation or dissection in domains. Notably, we show that force-fields commonly used in computational biology do not reproduce this non-canonical state. Using TmArgBP as model system we here demonstrate that the structural context may force residues to adopt conformations believed to be strictly forbidden and that barely detectable alterations produce major destabilizations. Present findings highlight the role of subtle strains in governing protein stability. A full understanding of these phenomena is essential for an exhaustive comprehension of the factors regulating protein structures

ControlPULP: A RISC-V On-Chip Parallel Power Controller for Many-Core HPC Processors with FPGA-Based Hardware-In-The-Loop Power and Thermal Emulation

High-Performance Computing (HPC) processors are nowadays integrated Cyber-Physical Systems demanding complex and high-bandwidth closed-loop power and thermal control strategies. To efficiently satisfy real-time multi-input multi-output (MIMO) optimal power requirements, high-end processors integrate an on-die power controller system (PCS). While traditional PCSs are based on a simple microcontroller (MCU)-class core, more scalable and flexible PCS architectures are required to support advanced MIMO control algorithms for managing the ever-increasing number of cores, power states, and process, voltage, and temperature variability. This paper presents ControlPULP, an open-source, HW/SW RISC-V parallel PCS platform consisting of a single-core MCU with fast interrupt handling coupled with a scalable multi-core programmable cluster accelerator and a specialized DMA engine for the parallel acceleration of real-time power management policies. ControlPULP relies on FreeRTOS to schedule a reactive power control firmware (PCF) application layer. We demonstrate ControlPULP in a power management use-case targeting a next-generation 72-core HPC processor. We first show that the multi-core cluster accelerates the PCF, achieving 4.9x speedup compared to single-core execution, enabling more advanced power management algorithms within the control hyper-period at a shallow area overhead, about 0.1% the area of a modern HPC CPU die. We then assess the PCS and PCF by designing an FPGA-based, closed-loop emulation framework that leverages the heterogeneous SoCs paradigm, achieving DVFS tracking with a mean deviation within 3% the plant's thermal design power (TDP) against a software-equivalent model-in-the-loop approach. Finally, we show that the proposed PCF compares favorably with an industry-grade control algorithm under computational-intensive workloads.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figure

Providing pediatric well-care and sick visits in the COVID-19 pandemic era: the recommendations of the Italian pediatric society

Pediatricians have observed a significant decrease in in-person child health visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the post lockdown period, the coronavirus trend remains positive in Italy but fears of a second wave have recently grown in Italy due to active hotbeds of contagion. The pandemic may negatively affect the care of pediatric patients and overall children welfare as it may present with severe signs and symptoms or it may complicate. The Italian Pediatric Society recommend to separate well visits from sick ones, to educate families and to promote hygienic strategies to provide an adequate pediatric assistance in case of a second pandemic wave

Prethymic cytoplasmic CD3 negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia or acute undifferentiated leukemia: a case report

Acute undiffentiated leukemia (AUL) is an acute leukemia with no more than one membrane marker of any given lineage. Blasts often express HLA-DR, CD34, and/or CD38 and may be positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). The expression of CD34, HLA-DR, and CD38 has been shown in pro-T-ALL, although in this case, blasts should also express CD7 and cyCD3. However, some cases of T-ALL without CD3 in the cytoplasm and all TCR chain genes in germ line configuration are reported, features that fit well with a very early hematopoietic cell. We report a case of acute leukemia CD34+/-HLADR+CD7+CD38+cyCD3- in which a diagnosis of AUL was considered. However the blasts were also positive for CD99 and TCR delta gene rearrangement which was found on molecular studies. Therefore a differential diagnosis between AUL and an early cyCD3 negative T-ALL was debated

Prethymic Cytoplasmic CD3 Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia: A Case Report

Acute undiffentiated leukemia (AUL) is an acute leukemia with no more than one membrane marker of any given lineage. Blasts often express HLA-DR, CD34, and/or CD38 and may be positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). The expression of CD34, HLA-DR, and CD38 has been shown in pro-T-ALL, although in this case, blasts should also express CD7 and cyCD3. However, some cases of T-ALL without CD3 in the cytoplasm and all TCR chain genes in germ line configuration are reported, features that fit well with a very early hematopoietic cell. We report a case of acute leukemia CD34+/−HLADR+CD7+CD38+cyCD3− in which a diagnosis of AUL was considered. However the blasts were also positive for CD99 and TCR delta gene rearrangement which was found on molecular studies. Therefore a differential diagnosis between AUL and an early cyCD3 negative T-ALL was debated

A Zero-Order Flood Damage Model for Regional-Scale Quick Assessments

Quantitative data on observed flood ground effects are precious information to assess current risk levels and to improve our capability to forecast future flood damage, with the final aim of defining effective prevention policies and checking their success. This paper presents the first collection and analysis of flood damage claims produced in Italy in the past 7 years since a homogeneous national procedure for damage recognition became available. The database currently contains more than 70,000 claims referring to significant events and shows good homogeneity on the intensity of the related phenomena. We then propose an empirical model, based on observed data, to allow for a quick estimation of direct damage to private assets (i.e., residential buildings), based only on the knowledge of the perimeter of the flooded area. Single model calibration was performed at the multi-regional scale, focused on southern Italy. Model validation shows encouraging performances, considering the considerable natural uncertainty that characterizes this type of estimate. The procedure is of great interest when there is a need to evaluate, however roughly, flood damage in the immediacy of the event to assess the extent of the flood effects and to plan support actions for the affected communities

The Role of CD19 and CD27 in the Diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma by Flow Cytometry

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Tips and tricks for the diagnosis and management of biliary stenosis-state of the art review

Biliary stenosis may represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge resulting in a delay in diagnosis and initiation of therapy due to the frequent difficulty in distinguishing a benign from a malignant stricture. In such cases, the diagnostic flowchart includes the sequential execution of imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, and endoscopic ultrasound, while endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is performed to collect tissue for histopathological/cytological diagnosis or to treat the stenosis by insertion of stent. The execution of percutaneous transhepatic drainage with subsequent biopsy has been shown to increase the possibility of tissue diagnosis after failure of the above techniques. Although the diagnostic yield of histopathology and imaging has increased with improvements in endoscopic ultrasound and peroral cholangioscopy, differential diagnosis between malignant and benign stenosis may not be easy in some patients, and strictures are classified as indeterminate. In these cases, a multidisciplinary workup including biochemical marker assays and advanced technologies available may speed up a diagnosis of malignancy or avoid unnecessary surgery in the event of a benign stricture. Here, we review recent advancements in the diagnosis and management of biliary strictures and describe tips and tricks to increase diagnostic yields in clinical routine