Benchmark frameworks and τBench

Software engineering frameworks tame the complexity of large collections of classes by identifying structural invariants, regularizing interfaces, and increasing sharing across the collection. We wish to appropriate these benefits for families of closely related benchmarks, say for evaluating query engine implementation strategies. We introduce the notion of a benchmark framework, an ecosystem of benchmarks that are related in semantically rich ways and enabled by organizing principles. A benchmark framework is realized by iteratively changing one individual benchmark into another, say by modifying the data format, adding schema constraints, or instantiating a different workload. Paramount to our notion of benchmark frameworks are the ease of describing the differences between individual benchmarks and the utility of methods to validate the correctness of each benchmark component by exploiting the overarching ecosystem. As a detailed case study, we introduce τBench, a benchmark framework consisting of ten individual benchmarks, spanning XML, XQuery, XML Schema, and PSM, along with temporal extensions to each. The second case study examines the Mining Unstructured Data benchmark framework, and the third examines the potential benefits of rendering the TPC family as a benchmark framework. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust ℋ︁∞ sliding mode control for nonlinear stochastic systems with multiple data packet losses

In this paper, an ??_∞ sliding mode control (SMC) problem is studied for a class of discrete‐time nonlinear stochastic systems with multiple data packet losses. The phenomenon of data packet losses, which is assumed to occur in a random way, is taken into consideration in the process of data transmission through both the state‐feedback loop and the measurement output. The probability for the data packet loss for each individual state variable is governed by a corresponding individual random variable satisfying a certain probabilistic distribution over the interval [0 1]. The discrete‐time system considered is also subject to norm‐bounded parameter uncertainties and external nonlinear disturbances, which enter the system state equation in both matched and unmatched ways. A novel stochastic discrete‐time switching function is proposed to facilitate the sliding mode controller design. Sufficient conditions are derived by means of the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. It is shown that the system dynamics in the specified sliding surface is exponentially stable in the mean square with a prescribed ??_∞ noise attenuation level if an LMI with an equality constraint is feasible. A discrete‐time SMC controller is designed capable of guaranteeing the discrete‐time sliding mode reaching condition of the specified sliding surface with probability 1. Finally, a simulation example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

实时数据及时态知识的表示

在实时专家系统中引入时间概念后，涉及时间的知识的表示成为值得注意的问题，本文在分析一些典型事例的基础上，着重探讨以下３个问题，如时间数据的有效表示；知识中时间特征的表示；推理中知识的时间一致性检验等.     

Event-triggered control for stochastic systems with multiple delays

This paper investigates the stabilization problem for continuous-time stochastic systems with multiple delays under continuous event-triggered mechanisms, of which both static case and dynamic case are considered individually. In order to avoid zeno phenomenon in every sample path, a suspension time after each successful execution is forced for our event-triggered mechanisms, resulting in intermittent detection of system states. Under such control strategy, we deduce mean square exponential stability of stochastic systems with multiple delays by means of Hanalay-type inequality and obtain a delay-dependent-based and less-conservative stabilization criterion without involving the upper bound of time delays. Besides, a co-design procedure is proposed for linear controller and event-triggered mechanisms. In the end, an illustrative example is presented to show effectiveness of the proposed co-design procedure and contrasts the system performance under static and dynamic event-triggered mechanisms.     

Delay‐dependent robust stabilization for uncertain singular systems with multiple time‐varying state delays

In this note, the problem of delay‐dependent robust stabilization for singular systems with multiple time‐varying state delays has been investigated, and the problem is solved via state feedback controller in terms of a linear matrix inequality technique. Numerical examples are given to show the validity of the proposed method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Robust multiple model adaptive control: Modified using ν‐gap metric

A new robust adaptive control method is proposed, which removes the deficiencies of the classic robust multiple model adaptive control (RMMAC) using benefits of the ν‐gap metric. First, the classic RMMAC design procedure cannot be used for systematic design for unstable plants because it uses the Baram Proximity Measure, which cannot be calculated for open‐loop unstable plants. Next, the %FNARC method which is used as a systematic approach for subdividing the uncertainty set makes the RMMAC structure being always companion with the µ‐synthesis design method. Then in case of two or more uncertain parameters, the model set definition in the classic RMMAC is based on cumbersome ad hoc methods. Several methods based on ν‐gap metric for working out the mentioned problems are presented in this paper. To demonstrate the benefits of the proposed RMMAC method, two benchmark problems subject to unmodeled dynamics, stochastic disturbance input and sensor noise are considered as case studies. The first case‐study is a non‐minimum‐phase (NMP) system, which has an uncertain NMP zero; the second case‐study is a mass‐spring‐dashpot system that has three uncertain real parameters. In the first case‐study, five robust controller design methods (H₂, H_∞, QFT, H_∞ loop‐shaping and µ‐synthesis) are implemented and it is shown via extensive simulations that RMMAC/ν/QFT method improves disturbance‐rejection, when compared with the classic RMMAC. In the second case‐study, two robust controller design methods (QFT and mixed µ‐synthesis) are applied and it is shown that the RMMAC/ν/QFT method improves disturbance‐rejection, when compared with RMMAC/ν/mixed?µ. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mean square stability of linear stochastic neutral‐type time‐delay systems with multiple delays

This paper studies mean square exponential stability of linear stochastic neutral‐type time‐delay systems with multiple point delays by using an augmented Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional (LKF) approach. To build a suitable augmented LKF, a method is proposed to find an augmented state vector whose elements are linearly independent. With the help of the linearly independent augmented state vector, the constructed LKF, and properties of the stochastic integral, sufficient delay‐dependent stability conditions expressed by linear matrix inequalities are established to guarantee the mean square exponential stability of the system. Differently from previous results where the difference operator associated with the system needs to satisfy a condition in terms of matrix norms, in the current paper, the difference operator only needs to satisfy a less restrictive condition in terms of matrix spectral radius. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by two numerical examples.     

Food safety inspection using “from presence to classification” object-detection model

With multiresolution decomposition and forest representation of wavelet transforms, we implemented a “from presence to classification” object-detection model. Three aspects of this model are studied. First, the presence of an object is quickly detected with fewer data manipulations at the coarsest resolution; secondly, object classification with high accuracy is fulfilled at the full resolution; and thirdly, the propagation in the coarse-to-fine process is studied in terms of coefficient propagation within a coefficient tree. We applied this model to internal deboned poultry inspection. As soon as the presence of a hazardous object was detected at a coarse resolution, a signal was actuated to reject the chicken fillet containing foreign inclusions before packing. Only with small foreign inclusions did we need to resort to finer resolution analysis.     

Existence of χ‐efficient solution of multiobjective fractional programming problem with bounded parameters

In this paper, a methodology is developed to solve a multiobjective fractional programming problem in which the coefficients of the objective functions and constraints are intervals. This model is transformed into an interval‐free equivalent optimization problem. A new partial ordering is introduced and the relation between the original problem and the transformed problem is established using this partial ordering. The proposed methodology is illustrated through a numerical example.     

Recursive state estimation for discrete‐time nonlinear systems with event‐triggered data transmission,norm‐bounded uncertainties and multiple missing measurements

In this paper, we consider the recursive state estimation problem for a class of discrete‐time nonlinear systems with event‐triggered data transmission, norm‐bounded uncertainties, and multiple missing measurements. The phenomenon of event‐triggered communication mechanism occurs only when the specified event‐triggering condition is violated, which leads to a reduction in the number of excessive signal transmissions in a network. A sequence of independent Bernoulli random variables is employed to model the multiple measurements missing in the transmission. The norm‐bounded uncertainties that could be considered as external disturbances which lie in a bounded set. The purpose of the addressed filtering problem is to obtain an optimal robust recursive filter in the minimum‐variance sense such that with the simultaneous presence of event‐triggered data transmission, norm‐bounded uncertainties, and multiple missing measurements; the filtering error is minimized at each sampling time. By solving two Riccati‐like difference equations, the filter gain is calculated recursively. Based on the stochastic analysis theory, it is proved that the estimation error is bounded under certain conditions. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Learning linkages: Integrating data streams of multiple modalities and timescales

Increasingly, student work is being conducted on computers and online, producing vast amounts of learning‐related data. The educational analytics fields have produced many insights about learning based solely on tutoring systems' automatically logged data, or “log data.” But log data leave out important contextual information about the learning experience. For example, a student working at a computer might be working independently with few outside influences. Alternatively, he or she might be in a lively classroom, with other students around, talking and offering suggestions. Tools that capture these other experiences have potential to augment and complement log data. However, the collection of rich, multimodal data streams and the increased complexity and heterogeneity in the resulting data pose many challenges to researchers. Here, we present two empirical studies that take advantage of multimodal data sources to enrich our understanding of student learning. We leverage and extend quantitative models of student learning to incorporate insights derived jointly from data collected in multiple modalities (log data, video, and high‐fidelity audio) and contexts (individual vs. collaborative classroom learning). We discuss the unique benefits of multimodal data and present methods that take advantage of such benefits while easing the burden on researchers' time and effort.     

Integrating multiple information sources: using redundancy in the design of warnings

The ability to present high priority warning information in both the auditory and visual modalities simultaneously has required consideration to be given to their integration. This paper describes an experiment that examined whether performance gains could be achieved by the presentation of up to four sources of concurrent, congruent information, within the applied setting of aircraft Missile Approach Warnings (MAW). It was found that four sources of information produced significantly faster responses than three sources (p<0-01). Three sources of information produced significantly faster responses than two sources (p<001) of information. Two sources of information, in turn, produced significantly faster responses ( p <001) than single sources. The implications of these results for the design of time-critical warning systems are discussed.     

When is a sequence of sufficient σ-algebras a filter system?

A very general formulation was given by van Schuppen in 1979 for stochastic dynamic systems (SDS) in terms of σ-algebra families but not in the same generality for the corresponding filter system. As usual filters were defined indirectly as SDS solving the filtering problem, i.e. the recursive computation of the conditional state distribution. Adopting a Bayesian point of view we are able to establish a connection between statistical notions and discrete time filtering on a measure theoretic level. We show that sufficiency alone is not enough to make a sequence of statistics a filter and that the additional condition required is transitivity. We conclude that a transitive sequence of sufficient statistics is a SDS, namely a filter system.     

Finite‐time boundedness and L2‐gain analysis for switched positive linear systems with multiple time delays

In this paper, we study the finite‐time boundedness, stabilization, and L₂‐gain for switched positive linear systems (SPLS) with multiple time delays. Using multiple linear copositive Lyapunov functions, sufficient conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities are obtained for the problems of finite‐time boundedness and stabilization and the design of state feedback controllers for SPLS. Under asynchronous switching, L₂‐gain analysis is developed for SPLS under the constraint of average dwell time. Numerical examples are given to illustrate our theoretical results. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonfragile observer‐based H ∞ sliding mode control for Itô stochastic systems with Markovian switching

The paper is devoted to investigating sliding mode control for a class of nonlinear uncertain stochastic systems with input nonlinearity and Markovian switching. A nonfragile observer subjected to the transition rates of the modes is designed. By some specified matrices, the connections among the designed sliding surfaces corresponding to every mode are established. The state estimation‐based sliding mode control law is derived to guarantee the reachability of the sliding surface in finite time interval. The sufficient conditions on asymptotically stochastic stability of the error system and sliding mode dynamics with a given disturbance attenuation level are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite‐time boundedness of switched systems with time‐varying delays via sampled‐data control

In the framework of sampled‐data control, finite‐time boundedness (FTB) of switched systems with time‐varying delays is investigated. Sufficient conditions for FTB of switched systems with time‐varying delays via sampled‐data control are proposed. Moreover, considering the relationship between the sampling period and the mode‐dependent average dwell time, switching signals are designed. In addition, finite‐time weighted L₂‐gain (FTW‐L₂‐gain) of switched systems with time‐varying delays is proposed to measure their disturbance tolerance capacity within a finite‐time interval. Multiple Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functionals are applied to complete subsequent proofs in detail. Simulation results are exemplified to verify the proposed method.     

Robust flow control in data‐communication networks with multiple time‐delays

Robust controller design for a flow control problem where uncertain multiple time‐varying time‐delays exist is considered. Although primarily data‐communication networks are considered, the presented approach can also be applied to other flow control problems and can even be extended to other control problems where uncertain multiple time‐varying time‐delays exist. Besides robustness, tracking and fairness requirements are also considered. To solve this problem, an ??^∞ optimization problem is set up and solved. Unlike previous approaches, where only a suboptimal solution could be found, the present approach allows to design an optimal controller. Simulation studies are carried out in order to illustrate the time‐domain performance of the designed controllers. The obtained results are also compared to the results of a suboptimal controller obtained by an earlier approach. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.