Distributed fusion receding horizon filtering for uncertain linear stochastic systems with time-delay sensors

A new distributed fusion receding horizon filtering problem is investigated for uncertain linear stochastic systems with time-delay sensors. First, we construct a local receding horizon Kalman filter having time delays (LRHKFTDs) in both the system and measurement models. The key technique is the derivation of recursive error cross-covariance equations between LRHKFTDs in order to compute the optimal matrix fusion weights. It is the first time to present distributed fusion receding horizon filter for linear discrete-time systems with delayed sensors. It has a parallel structure that enables processing of multisensory time-delay measurements, so the calculation burden can be reduced and it is more reliable than the centralized version if some sensors turn faulty. Simulations for a multiple time-delays system show the effectiveness of the proposed filter in comparison with centralized receding horizon filter and non-receding versions.     

History-dependent modified sliding mode interception strategies with maximal capture zone

In order to construct the guidance strategy in a realistic nonlinear noise-corrupted interception endgame against a maneuverable target, a linearized zero-sum differential game is considered. Assuming perfect information in this game, sufficient conditions are established, which guarantee that a continuous interception strategy with memory (history-dependent) has the maximal capture zone. Two examples of such a strategy are analyzed: a modified super-twisting second-order sliding mode control and a modified integral sliding mode control. Simulation results of the original nonlinear interception endgame demonstrate that these strategies considerably reduce the chattering created by the classical game optimal bang-bang strategy without deteriorating the homing performance.     

Entity ranking in Wikipedia: utilising categories,links and topic difficulty prediction

Entity ranking has recently emerged as a research field that aims at retrieving entities as answers to a query. Unlike entity extraction where the goal is to tag names of entities in documents, entity ranking is primarily focused on returning a ranked list of relevant entity names for the query. Many approaches to entity ranking have been proposed, and most of them were evaluated on the INEX Wikipedia test collection. In this paper, we describe a system we developed for ranking Wikipedia entities in answer to a query. The entity ranking approach implemented in our system utilises the known categories, the link structure of Wikipedia, as well as the link co-occurrences with the entity examples (when provided) to retrieve relevant entities as answers to the query. We also extend our entity ranking approach by utilising the knowledge of predicted classes of topic difficulty. To predict the topic difficulty, we generate a classifier that uses features extracted from an INEX topic definition to classify the topic into an experimentally pre-determined class. This knowledge is then utilised to dynamically set the optimal values for the retrieval parameters of our entity ranking system. Our experiments demonstrate that the use of categories and the link structure of Wikipedia can significantly improve entity ranking effectiveness, and that topic difficulty prediction is a promising approach that could also be exploited to further improve the entity ranking performance.     

Evaluation of Energy Saving Operational Modes for Industrial Fracture Connected Processes on the Basis of Incubation Time Fracture Criterion

A problem for a central crack in a plate subjected to plane strain conditions is investi-gated. Mode Ⅰ crack loading is created by a dynamic pressure pulse applied at a large distance from the crack. It was found that for a certain combination of amplitude and duration of the pulse applied, the energy transmitted to the sample has a strongly marked minimum, meaning that with the pulse amplitude or duration moving away from the optimal values, minimum energy required for initiation of crack growth increases rapidly. The results obtained indicate a possibility to optimise energy consumption of different industrial processes connected with fracture. Much could be gained in, for example, drilling or rock pounding where energy input accounts for the largest part of the process cost. Presumably further investigation of the effect observed can make it possible to predict optimal energy saving parameters, i.e. frequency and amplitude of impacts, for industrial devices, e.g. bores, grinding machines, and hence significantly reduce the process cost. The pre-diction can be given based on the parameters of the media fractured (material parameters, preva-lent crack length and orientation, etc.).     

Um Compasso Para Aprender: A Randomized Trial of a Social-Emotional Learning Program in Homicide-Affected Communities in Brazil

Despite global demand, the large-scale effects of social-emotional learning (SEL) programming in developing countries remain underexplored. Using a randomized control trial, this study examined the effectiveness of a school-wide SEL intervention—Programa Compasso (PC)—among 3,018 sociodemographically diverse, Portuguese-speaking children (M_age = 9.85 years) attending 90 public primary schools across Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2017. Average impacts of PC on children’s executive function, emotion knowledge, and behavior problems after one school year were null. Moderation analyses did, however, reveal evidence for positive impacts of PC on children’s labeling of emotional expressions and inhibitory control within low-homicide communities (d = 0.15 SDs), and null effects on these same outcomes in high-violence areas. Implementation and cultural considerations are discussed.     

Depictions of Human Bodies in the Illustrations of Early Childhood Textbooks

In many Ibero-American countries children in the early childhood education (ECE) system have the opportunity to interact with textbooks on a regular basis. The powerful social function of textbooks in socializing children in primary and secondary school, and in legitimizing what counts as cultural norms and officially sanctioned values and knowledge, is clearly documented. However, the examination of ECE textbooks especially in the context of developing countries for messages about the social construction of the body is virtually nonexistent. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine, through a content analysis of the illustrations, the representation of the body across the different categories of gender, age, activity level, space and disability in eight Colombian ECE textbooks from the three major commercial publishing houses between 2009 and 2012. Our results show that these textbook authors and publishers have made an effort to promote equality between the genders. However, only four disabled people were portrayed in the illustrations and there was a lower proportion of older adults doing a limited range of gross motor activities. Likewise the results note that, although progress has been made in terms of the balance of gender representation in textbooks, these still reinforce and legitimize the status of the “able-body”, and contribute to consolidating a view of able-bodiedness as the dominant norm. Taking into account that beliefs and prejudices constitute barriers to education and social participation, these results suggest that the representation of children with disabilities in ECE textbooks at the earliest stages of education should be mandatory.     

Making journals accessible to the visually impaired: the future is near

The American Physical Society (APS) has been a leader in using markup languages for publishing. ViewPlus has led development of innovative technologies for graphical information accessibility by people with print disabilities. APS, ViewPlus, and other collaborators in the Enhanced Reading Project are working together to develop the necessary technology and infrastructure for APS to publish its journals in the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information SYstem) eXtended Markup Language (XML) format, in which all text, math, and figures would be accessible to people who are blind or have other print disabilities. The first APS DAISY XML publications are targeted for late 2010.     

Frontal Electroencephalogram Asymmetry, Salivary Cortisol, and Internalizing Behavior Problems in Young Adults Who Were Born at Extremely Low Birth Weight

The authors examined internalizing behavior problems at middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood and brain-based measures of stress vulnerability in 154 right-handed, nonimpaired young adults ( M age = 23 years): 71 (30 males, 41 females) born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; < 1,000 g) and 83 (35 males, 48 females) controls born at normal birth weight (NBW). Internalizing behavior problems increased from adolescence to young adulthood among ELBW individuals. ELBW adults exhibited greater relative right frontal electroencephalogram activity at rest and more concurrent internalizing behavior problems than NBW controls. Being born at ELBW may have subtle influences on brain–behavior relations even in survivors without major impairments and evidence of these influences may not emerge until young adulthood.