Average consensus in networks of dynamic agents with switching topologies and multiple time-varying delays

In this paper, we discuss average consensus problem in undirected networks of dynamic agents with fixed and switching topologies as well as multiple time-varying communication delays. By employing a linear matrix inequality method, we prove that all the nodes in the network achieve average consensus asymptotically for appropriate communication delays if the network topology is connected. Particularly, several feasible linear matrix inequalities are established to determine the maximal allowable upper bound of time-varying communication delays. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and the sharpness of the theoretical results.     

Education-driven research in CAD

We argue for a new research category, named education-driven research (EDR), which fills the gap between traditional field-specific research that is not concerned with educational objectives and research in education that focuses on fundamental teaching and learning principles and possibly on their customization to broad areas (such as mathematics or physics), but not to specific disciplines (such as CAD). The objective of EDR is to simplify the formulation of the underlying theoretical foundations and of specific tools and solutions in a specialized domain, so as to make them easy to understand and internalize. As such, EDR is a difficult and genuine research activity, which requires a deep understanding of the specific field and can rarely be carried out by generalists with primary expertise in broad education principles. We illustrate the concept of EDR with three examples in CAD: (1) the Split and Tweak subdivisions of a polygon and its use for generating curves, surfaces, and animations; (2) the construction of a topological partition of a plane induced by an arbitrary arrangement of edges; and (3) a romantic definition of the minimal and Hausdorff distances. These examples demonstrate the value of using analogies, of introducing evocative terminology, and of synthesizing the simplest fundamental building blocks. The intuitive understanding provided by EDR enables the students (and even the instructor) to better appreciate the limitations of a particular solution and to explore alternatives. In particular, in these examples, EDR has allowed the author to: (1) reduce the cost of evaluating a cubic B-spline curve; (2) develop a new subdivision curve that is better approximated by its control polygon than either a cubic B-spline or an interpolating 4-point subdivision curve; (3) discover how a circuit inclusion tree may be used for identifying the faces in an arrangement; and (4) rectify a common misconception about the computation of the Hausdorff error between triangle meshes. We invite the scientific community to encourage the development of EDR by publishing its results as genuine research contributions in peer-reviewed professional journals.     

Configurational and nonconfigurational interactions between odorants in binary mixtures.

Studies on odor mixture perception suggest that although odor components can often be identified in mixtures, mixtures can also give rise to novel perceptual qualities that are not present in the components. Using an olfactory habituation task, the authors evaluated how the perceptual similarity between components in a mixture affects the perceptual quality of the mixture itself. Rats perceived binary mixtures composed of similar components as different from their 2 components, whereas binary mixtures composed of dissimilar components were perceived as very similar to their components. Results show that for both types of mixtures, pretraining to Component A reduces subsequent learning about Component B in rats trained in the presence of A. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

油气集输系统新增产能建设拓扑优化方法研究

在油气集输新增产能建设中,为充分利用已建管网系统的处理能力,达到降低投资,提高经济效益的目的,进行了油气集输新增产能建设布局优化方法的研究。针对新建集输管网为树状结构的情况,建立了油气集输系统新增产能建设拓扑优化的数学模型,讨论了计算复杂性问题。根据模型的特点,将问题分解为拓扑级优化和几何级优化两个子问题,并通过它们之间的迭代进行求解。实例计算表明,所建立的数学模型正确,求解方法可行,能用于工程实际设计。     

The Continuous Interpolating Self-organizing Map

The self-organizing map (SOM) [5] provides a general data approximation method which is suitable for several application domains. The topology preservation is an important feature in data-analysis and may also be advantageous for the evaluation of the data in a function approximation or regression task. For this reason the interpolated self-organizing map (I-SOM) adds an output layer to the SOM architecture which computes a real valued output vector. This paper presents an extension of I-SOM towards a continuous interpolation. It is compared to RBF and to the parametrized self-organizing map.     

多约束的桥梁结构拓扑优化

基于ESO (Evolutionary Structural Optimization)的拓扑优化方法,本文提出了一种适应于桥梁结构的拓扑优化方法。引进了两种性能指标公式来确定最佳拓扑设计。另外,为了更有效地尝试改进最终设计的细节,而又不进行更精细有限元网格的完整分析,这里提出了一种精细网络设计方案。再者,结合细啃技术,完成了考虑应力、位移、频率约束的斜拉桥优化设计。通过几种桥梁的设计优化,表明该方法的可应用性、简洁性和有效性。     

水文相似度及其应用

本文分别从流域下垫面、河网发育情况、产汇流影响因素的角度，探索性的提出了几个水文相似性评定指标，并采用层次分析法计算每种水文相似性指标在计算水文相似程度中的权重。以江西雨量站网密度实验区中的朗口和银山流域为研究对象，实例计算了两个流域的水文相似程度，结果证明水文相似度有助于定量化研究水文相似性问题。     

一次国际设计竞赛的尝试--多维住宅设计

在后工业时代，建筑设计已经冲破了西方思维所惯用的二元对立方式的约束，呈现出日新月异的景象，建筑表皮的创作尤为突出。这个住宅设计是从四维分解到四维连续的一种大胆尝试，并引入拓扑学的基本方法处理动态空间。     

数据挖掘在给水管网安全中的应用

简要介绍了数据挖掘及其在给水管网安全中的应用。提出了一种基于数据挖掘的时间序列相似性查询方法。通过对事故症候相似性查询，建立安全预警系统，为调度员提供事故预警信息。     

The influence of directional associations on directed forgetting and interference.

Two experiments examined how cross-list directional associations influenced list-method directed forgetting and the degree of interference observed on each list. Each List 1 item had a (a) bidirectionally related item on List 2 (chip ←→ potato), (b) forward association with an item on List 2 (chip → wood), (c) backward association from an item on List 2 (chip ← chisel), or (d) no relationship with List 2 items. The results revealed that associative relationships that eliminated retroactive interference in the baseline condition also eliminated the directed forgetting costs. In contrast, associative relationships did not affect List 2 recall in the forget group, which remained unchanged across experimental conditions. However, certain conditions reduced proactive interference in the remember group, thereby eliminating the benefits of directed forgetting. The directed forgetting costs and benefits were observed independently of each other. The authors propose that these effects emerged from a combination of item and context strengthening induced by different associative directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)