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Order execution is an extremely important problem in the financial domain, and recently, more and more researchers have tried to employ reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to solve this challenging problem. There are a lot of difficulties for conventional RL methods to tackle the order execution problem, such as the large action space including price and quantity, and the long-horizon property. As naturally order execution is composed of a low-frequency volume scheduling stage and a high-frequency order placement stage, most existing RL-based order execution methods treat these stages as two distinct tasks and offer a partial solution by addressing either one individually. However, the current literature fails to model the non-negligible mutual influence between these two tasks, leading to impractical order execution solutions. To address these limitations, we propose a novel automatic order execution approach based on the hierarchical RL framework (OEHRL), which jointly learns the policies for volume scheduling and order placement. OEHRL first extracts the state embeddings at both the macro and micro levels with a sequential variational auto-encoder model. Based on the effective embeddings, OEHRL generates a hindsight expert dataset, which is used to train a hierarchical order execution policy. In the hierarchical structure, the high-level policy is in charge of the target volume and the low-level learns to determine the prices for a series of the allocated sub-orders from the high level. These two levels collaborate seamlessly and contribute to the optimal order execution policy. Extensive experiment results on 200 stocks across the US and China A-share markets validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe topographic horizon can be used to estimate shading for applications requiring an accurate solar resource estimate, including the effects of the local terrain. With high-resolution topography data, horizon estimation significantly contributes to the computation time needed for irradiance simulations. Approximate horizon algorithms have been proposed previously, sampling topography in a finite number of directions. This paper extends this idea by presenting a sampling approach based on the quasirandom sequences. The sampling strategy is optimized with 300,000 km2 of topography data from Europe and the USA. We demonstrate that our algorithm is several orders of magnitude faster than the precise horizon calculation and significantly improves the previous approximate algorithms. In particular, at the ground level with a topography resolution of 1 m/pixel, the proposed method achieved the same accuracy as the old approximate method four times faster. The horizon is one of the key methods in geographical information science and a part of many modeling tools in the built environment. Improvements in computation time benefit all applications that require irradiance modeling, e.g., the yield of vehicle- and building-integrated photovoltaic or temperature modeling of buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal logic (TL) tasks consist of complex and temporally extended subgoals and they are common for many real-world applications, such as service and navigation robots. However, it is often inefficient or even infeasible to train reinforcement learning (RL) agents to solve multiple TL tasks, since rewards are sparse and non-Markovian in these tasks. A promising solution to this problem is to learn task-conditioned policies which can zero-shot generalize to new TL tasks without further training. However, influenced by some practical issues, such as issues of lossy symbolic observation and long time-horizon of completing TL task, previous works suffer from sample inefficiency in training and sub-optimality (or even infeasibility) in task execution. In order to tackle these issues, this paper proposes an option-based framework to generalize TL tasks, consisting of option training and task execution parts. We have innovations in both parts. In option training, we propose to learn options dependent on the future subgoals via a novel approach. Additionally, we propose to train a multi-step value function which can propagate the rewards of satisfying future subgoals more efficiently in long-horizon tasks. In task execution, in order to ensure the optimality and safety, we propose a model-free MPC planner for option selection, circumventing the learning of a transition model which is required by previous MPC planners. In experiments on three different domains, we evaluate the generalization capability of the agent trained by the proposed method, showing its significant advantage over previous methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A classic way to design a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) scheme with guaranteed stability is to incorporate a terminal cost and a terminal constraint into the problem formulation. While a long prediction horizon is often desirable to obtain a large domain of attraction and good closed‐loop performance, the related computational burden can hinder its real‐time deployment. In this article, we propose an NMPC scheme with prediction horizon N=1$$ N=1 $$ and no terminal constraint to drastically decrease the numerical complexity without significantly impacting closed‐loop stability and performance. This is attained by constructing a suitable terminal cost from data that estimates the cost‐to‐go of a given NMPC scheme with long prediction horizon. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed control scheme in two benchmark control problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical description of the economic behavior of a representative household in an imperfect market of consumer loans and deposits is studied. The model is formalized as a finite-horizon optimal control problem. A classification of the behavior of social layers depending on market condition parameters is obtained. An infinite-horizon optimal control synthesis is constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a fundamental piece of the boundary of the maximal globally hyperbolic development (MGHD) of Cauchy data for the multi-dimensional compressible Euler equations, which is necessary for the local shock development problem. For an open set of compressive and generic H 7 initial data, we construct unique H 7 solutions to the Euler equations in the maximal spacetime region below a given time-slice, beyond the time of the first singularity; at any point in this spacetime, the solution can be smoothly and uniquely computed by tracing both the fast and slow acoustic characteristic surfaces backward-in-time, until reaching the Cauchy data prescribed along the initial time-slice. The future temporal boundary of this spacetime region is a singular hypersurface, containing the union of three sets: first, a co-dimension-2 surface of "first singularities" called the pre-shock; second, a downstream hypersurface called the singular set emanating from the pre-shock, on which the Euler solution experiences a continuum of gradient catastrophes; third, an upstream hypersurface consisting of a Cauchy horizon emanating from the pre-shock, which the Euler solution cannot reach. We develop a new geometric framework for the description of the acoustic characteristic surfaces which is based on the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) framework, and combine this with a new type of differentiated Riemann variables which are linear combinations of gradients of velocity, sound speed, and the curvature of the fast acoustic characteristic surfaces. With these new variables, we establish uniform H 7 Sobolev bounds for solutions to the Euler equations without derivative loss and with optimal regularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Science Information is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Standards are critically important for smartening the grid because they affect the interoper-ability, compatibility, efficiency, and realisation of new technologies and services. In this paper we assess the contribution of EU funded Horizon 2020 projects to adapting or initiating new Smart Grid standards. We provide a comprehensive overview of the Smart Grid standardisation ecosystem and identify opportunities for researchers and innovators to participate in stan-dardisation activities. We identify 225 Horizon 2020 Smart Grid projects and explore which have contributed to the creation or revision of Smart Grid standards. We identify the type of standardisation activities undertaken and explore the factors that influence engagement. We have found that 21 % of EU Horizon 2020 Smart Grid projects engage in some level of standardisation activities. Of these projects the majority (60 %) are involved in understanding standards, 31 % actively engage in influencing standards, while 8 % successfully participate in elaborating new standards. Our study demonstrates that despite the complexity of the Smart Grid Standardisation ecosystem, EU funded researchers and innovators play an important role in the standardisation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the state estimation problem for a class of two‐dimensional shift‐varying systems with time‐correlated multiplicative measurement noises and additive noises. The time‐correlated multiplicative noises can be described as a linear system model corrupted by white noise. The main objective of this paper is to propose a recursive iterative coupled new‐type estimators and design the estimated gain reasonably to guarantee the minimum error covariance at each step. First, two new‐type coupling estimators are designed by introducing a new term. The unbiasedness of the two estimators are guaranteed by resorting to the mathematical inductive approach. Subsequently, an effective estimation is proposed given initial conditions. Moreover, the boundedness performance is investigated of the error covariance, and an upper bound is given based on the spectral norm. Finally, two numerical example are presented as an example to show the effectiveness of the estimation algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A real-time system may be subjected to various anomalies that can affect the quality of the observations. The main motivation of the article arises from the need in addressing challenges posed by the presence of anomalies in discrete linear time-invariant (LTI) systems with a focus on the estimation processes, in the context of position and temperature measurements. The proposed approach leverages the properties of discrete LTI systems and takes advantage of the predictive capabilities of the moving horizon strategy (MHS). It operates recursively updating estimates of new measurement while fairly considering its past estimates that occur within the window of the moving horizon. The estimation framework will be designed to handle disturbances and provide robust estimates, to ensure the effectiveness of the system. In order to validate the proposed approach simulation studies were conducted on different and only scenarios in different order LTI system. Comparative studies with different estimation techniques demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach in terms of performance and efficiency. The proposed approach can be applied to systems with changing system dynamics. Future research may be conducted to utilize this strategy in other domains to mitigate anomalies while enhancing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Mining Magazine is the property of China Mining Magazine Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the structure of the universe during its high-energy era. In this context, we examine Barrow’s proposal of entropy, which forecasts a fractal configuration for the geometric properties of the black hole’s horizon. By applying the principles of thermodynamics, we get the equation of motion using the Barrow entropic consideration. A quasi-de Sitter phase, in which fractal and non-fractal states may coexist, is determined. This is an uncertainty state (coexistence of fractal and non-fractal states), and so a deformation for de Sitter spacetime, which contains a high-energy scale in the framework of the COBE normalization. With the kinetic energy term of the inflation field, we remove this ambiguity owing to the field oscillations. However, the oscillatory behavior of the inflation field continues and causes the universe to enter a new phase state. At this point, in which the inflation field oscillations are over, we obtain a solution that provides the universe transition to the radiation and dust phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the standard point of view is that the ultimate endpoint of black hole evolution is determined by Hawking evaporation, there is a growing evidence that classical and semi-classical instabilities affect both black holes with inner horizons as well as their ultra-compact counterparts. In this paper we start from this evidence pointing towards extremal black holes as stable endpoints of the gravitational collapse, and develop a general class of spherical and axisymmetric solutions with multiple extremal horizons. Excluding more exotic possibilities, entailing regular cores supporting wormhole throats, we argue that these configurations could be the asymptotic graveyard, the end-point, of dynamical black hole evolution — albeit the timescale of such evolution are still unclear and possibly long and compatible with current astrophysical observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purchasing firms naturally select the supplier with the lowest total cost. Often overlooked is the impact of the duration of long-term contracts (common in the automotive industry). We provide a method to quantify how risk escalates with contract duration. Our method applies to virtually all cost elements. For clarity, we demonstrate it on logistics costs that can change over a long horizon, resulting in a change in the relative attractiveness of candidate suppliers. We simulate a case study to estimate the likelihood that each supplier will provide the lowest cost over the contract duration. Finally, we quantify the risk reduction afforded by dividing a long contract into a sequence of shorter contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a design methodology for predictive control applied to the single-phase PWM inverter with an LC filter. In the design, we considered that the PWM inverter has parametric uncertainties in the filter inductance and output load resistance. The control system purpose is to track a sinusoidal signal at the inverter output. The designed control system with an embedded integrator uses the principle of receding horizon control, which underpinned predictive control. The methodology was described by linear matrix inequalities, which can be solved efficiently using convex programming techniques, and the optimal solution is obtained. MATLAB-Simulink and real-time FPGA-in-the-loop simulations illustrate the viability of the proposed control system. The LMI-based MPC reveals an effective performance for tracking of a sinusoidal reference signal and disturbance rejection of input voltage and load perturbations for the inverter subject to uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of the horizon size on failure due to strain and damage localization in the case where peridynamics is a nonlocal theory by its own, which corresponds to most bond-based peridynamics models. Two constitutive relationships are discussed: the microelastic brittle model and a progressive damage model. The usual practice with the microelastic brittle model is to fit the microelastic constant for a given horizon size so that elasticity is recovered. At the same time, the fracture energy provides the critical bond stretch. This methodology yields an indirect determination of the tensile strength of the material, that goes to infinity as the horizon size trends to zero. With the damage model, the stretch at the inception of damage can be obtained from the tensile strength. Then, a simple one-dimensional case of wave propagation and interactions in a bar is considered. For fixed values of the horizon, convergence with a refinement of the discretization is checked. The energy dissipated upon fracture is found to be a linear function of the horizon. It is also a function of the softening response. The horizon cannot be chosen arbitrarily, unless the softening parameter is adjusted to fit the fracture energy, like in the crack band model. Surprisingly, such a methodology is very seldom mentioned in the current literature dealing with fracture modeled by peridynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accepted by: Aris Syntetos Increasingly, in recent years, the fund management industry has evolved towards so-called goal-based investing paradigms, under which investors are assumed to base their portfolio strategies on pre-specified targets to be attained in the future. A similar decision model is common in the wealth management and the life insurance industries where targets may be associated with long-term investment horizons and retirement planning problems. Based on this evidence, we propose in this article a novel risk measure explicitly focusing on the financial cost that may be associated with a delay in reaching those targets. We show that the definition of this risk measure is both rather natural and effective to capture investors' risk preferences. A dynamic portfolio selection model is developed to assess the effectiveness of the risk measure from financial and risk control perspectives. The introduced risk measure has good properties and it is related to the Value-at-Risk with a given confidence level. Under sufficiently general statistical assumptions, we derive a closed form solution to a mean-risk formulation of the portfolio problem in which the cost of delay is taken as risk measure. Finally, a set of numerical tests validate the proposed portfolio selection model and show a set of comparative results with respect to a classical dynamic mean-variance model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional service firms are common in some areas, in particular auditing and law. They are organized as partnerships, private corporations, or public corporations. This paper discusses the first category of these three. When a partner leaves the partnership, her/his shares are redeemed. Two alternatives for redemption are at book value, the traditional alternative, or at fair market value. By means of a novel discounted dividends model that includes risk taking, it is shown that there may be an economic incentive for risk taking when the redemption value is equal to book value. There may also be an incentive for risk taking when the redemption value is equal to fair market value. However, the level of risk taking in the latter alternative is not higher than the level of risk taking in the former alternative. Switching from book value to fair market value as redemption value is hence suggested as one way to reduce client propensity for litigation. This paper's incentive for risk taking in a professional partnership has apparently not been noted in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's manufacturing industry environmental regulations portray a strategic change towards sustainable development. The study examines how green business strategies and competencies enhance green innovation for manufacturing firm performance. The study approach included surveying senior managers from Chinese manufacturing firms. The hypotheses were tested running partial least squares structural equation modeling using 459 firms. The results reveal the complex relationships between these factors, showing how value co‐creation and absorptive ability generate innovation and business performance through green strategies and capabilities. Furthermore, green value co‐creation enhances a firm's green innovation and helps to achieve firm performance. This study contributes to the corpus of knowledge on sustainable manufacturing techniques and helps firms succeed in an environmentally conscious society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An empty granary in Iowa proves to be an experimental laboratory for immersive performative experiences and the manifestation of ghostly apparitions and ideas. The derelict building is porous and permeable, exhibiting a certain uncanniness through the shifting register of haunting vicissitudes which can be projected on, cross‐pollinated with, visually explored, touched, heard and marvelled at. Artist and designer Oliver G Goché and architect Peter P Goché take us through some of these ethereal vistas and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the search for habitable exoplanets, focusing on challenges and discoveries around M-dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1, an ultra-cool dwarf star. Topics include the difficulties of detecting atmospheres due to stellar activity, the potential habitability of planets like LHS 1140b, a rocky exoplanet with nitrogen-dominated atmospheres, and the exploration of larger, hydrogen-rich planets such as K2-18b, a sub-Neptune as potential "hycean" worlds hydrogen and ocean planets.

This paper demonstrates that robust control based on only a priori information about the object's uncertainty can be significantly improved through the additional use of experimental data. Generalized H∞-optimal controllers are designed for an unknown linear time-varying system on a finite horizon. These controllers optimize the damping level of exogenous and/or initial disturbances as well as the maximum deviation of the terminal state of the system. The design method does not require the persistent excitation condition or the rank condition, which ensure the identifiability of the system. As a result, the amount of experimental data can be significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a global health concern. Standard treatment involves the use of linezolid, a repurposed oxazolidinone. It is associated with severe adverse effects, including myelosuppression and mitochondrial toxicity. As such, it is imperative to identify novel alternatives that are better tolerated but equally or more effective. Therefore, this review aims to identify and explore the novel alternative oxazolidinones to potentially replace linezolid in the management of TB. The keywords tuberculosis and oxazolidinones were searched in PubMed to identify eligible compounds. The individual drug compounds were then searched with the term tuberculosis to identify the relevant in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. The search identified sutezolid, tedizolid, delpazolid, eperezolid, radezolid, contezolid, posizolid and TBI-223, in addition to linezolid. An additional search resulted in 32 preclinical and 21 clinical studies. All novel oxazolidinones except posizolid and eperezolid resulted in positive preclinical outcomes. Sutezolid and delpazolid completed early phase 2 clinical studies with better safety and equal or superior efficacy. Linezolid is expected to continue as the mainstay therapy, with renewed interest in drug monitoring. Sutezolid, tedizolid, delpazolid and TBI-223 displayed promising preliminary results. Further clinical studies would be required to assess the safety profiles and optimize the dosing regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, digital libraries (DL) have increasingly supported computational studies of digitized books (Jett et al. The hathitrust research center extracted features dataset (2.0), 2020; Underwood, Distant horizons: digital evidence and literary change, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2019; Organisciak et al. J Assoc Inf Sci Technol 73:317–332, 2022; Michel et al. Science 331:176–182, 2011). Nonetheless, there remains a dearth of DL data provisions or infrastructures for research on book reception, and user-generated book reviews have opened up unprecedented research opportunities in this area. However, insufficient attention has been paid to real-world complexities and limitations of using these datasets in scholarly research, which may cause analytical oversights (Crawford and Finn, Geo J 80:491–502, 2015), methodological pitfalls (Olteanu et al. Front Big Data 2:13, 2019), and ethical concerns (Hu et al. Research with user-generated book review data: legal and ethical pitfalls and contextualized mitigations, Springer, Berlin, 2023; Diesner and Chin, Gratis, libre, or something else? regulations and misassumptions related to working with publicly available text data, 2016). In this paper, we present three case studies that contextually and empirically investigate book reviews for their temporal, cultural, and socio-participatory complexities: (1) a longitudinal analysis of a ranked book list across ten years and over one month; (2) a text classification of 20,000 sponsored and 20,000 non-sponsored books reviews; and (3) a comparative analysis of 537 book ratings from Anglophone and non-Anglophone readerships. Our work reflects on both (1) data curation challenges that researchers may encounter (e.g., platform providers' lack of bibliographic control) when studying book reviews and (2) mitigations that researchers might adopt to address these challenges (e.g., how to align data from various platforms). Taken together, our findings illustrate some of the sociotechnical complexities of working with user-generated book reviews by revealing the transiency, power dynamics, and cultural dependency in these datasets. This paper explores some of the limitations and challenges of using user-generated book reviews for scholarship and calls for critical and contextualized usage of user-generated book reviews in future scholarly research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information explosion and digital modes of learning often combine to inform the quest for the best ways of transforming information in digital form for pedagogical purposes. This quest has become more urgent and pervasive with the 'turn' to online learning in the context of COVID-19. This can result in linear, asynchronous, transmission-based modes of teaching and learning which commodify, package and deliver knowledge for individual 'customers'. The primary concerns in such models are often technical and economic – technology as a cost-effective 'solution' to educational challenges. In this paper I argue for the importance of dialogic learning space in teaching and learning by means of Information and Communication Technologies, whether in the form of fully online learning, blended learning or face-to-face encounters using ICT affordances. Although the 20th Century theorists Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975) and Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002) produced their seminal works before the advent of ICTs, they were both concerned with the quality and authenticity of human engagement with texts and with other persons and contexts. Besides a shared interest in dialogue as an ontological feature of human life and being, they both used spatiotemporal concepts for understanding and interpreting texts. The article draws on Gadamer's notions of dialogue and horizon, and Bakhtin's notions of dialogue and chronotope, to conceptualize dialogic possibilities for online education. Its purpose is to provide a framework, grounded in Bakhtin's and Gadamer's ideas, for a dialogic approach to online teaching and learning in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, control problems with infinite horizons and discount factors have become increasingly central not only for economics but also for applications in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The strong links between reinforcement learning and control theory have led to major efforts toward the development of algorithms to learn how to solve constrained control problems. In particular, discount plays a role in addressing the challenges that come with models that have unbounded disturbances. Although algorithms have been extensively explored, few results take into account time-dependent state constraints, which are imposed in most real-world control applications. For this purpose, here we investigate feasibility and sufficient conditions for Lipschitz regularity of the value function for a class of discounted infinite horizon optimal control problems subject to time-dependent constraints. We focus on problems with data that allow nonautonomous dynamics, and Lagrangian and state constraints that can be unbounded with possibly nonsmooth boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss, in a Heideggerian context, the possibility of de-subjectivizing the notion of the transcendental time-horizon and reinterpreting it as a formally indicated 'whereto' of releasement. The structures of the time-horizon depict the way beings unfold in the fullness of time in their alterity, and they orient the subject's activity of 'projection.' What results is a field-oriented (as opposed to self-oriented) transcendental philosophy which would survive Heidegger's critique of his own transcendental project, and which would avoid mystification. I take three steps. First, I point out that the problematization of 'transcendental Heidegger' is based on the subjectivist interpretation of the time-horizon. I problematize a recent account in the subjectivist vein, arguing that it is neither indispensable, nor very plausible, nor the most illuminative of Heidegger's work. Second, with the help of Dahlstrom, Golob, Engelland, Sheehan, and Vasterling, I gradually dissociate the notion of the horizon from subjectivism, the visual metaphor, and the assumption of an absolute ground. I suggest instead that the horizonality of the horizon be understood temporally, i.e., as an interplay of presencing and absencing where what matter most are the structures, themselves affected by time, which the transcendental field displays when beings unfold themselves within it. Third, I identify three of those structures when performing a de-subjectivizing reading of Heidegger's interpretation of the threefold synthesis in Kant's A-Deduction. These structures capture the way every being manifests itself, without themselves being necessarily grounded in the subject's activity. This gives an example of how transcendental philosophy can clarify what the time-horizon is like while bracketing the question of its provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research article, we proposed an inventory model for the replenishment policy. The focus of our research article is on the companies that frequently deal with backorders. An advanced inventory model considering back order has been proposed the results highlight the dynamic nature of the system, with optimal values achieved in different cycles. In this model, replenishment policy is given and to lower the economic ordering cost, we used new parameters such as price-sensitive demand, complete back ordering, and backorder is taken as a quadratic function as well as linear backorder with shortages in a finite planning horizon. The result is discussed for both backorders (linear and quadratic), to minimize the total cost obtained using the Hessian matrix to be positive definite. Software 'MATHEMATICA VERSION 12' has been used for the solution of the proposed model by using numerical iterative method. For different parameters, different tables are provided. The outcomes of the sensitivity analysis with the help of tables and graphs are depicted. Finally, we have discussed the conclusion and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How is it that we can visually experience complete three-dimensional objects despite being limited, in any given perceptual moment, to perceiving the sides facing us from a specific spatial perspective? To make sense of this, such visual experiences must refer to occluded or presently unseen back-sides which are not sense-perceptually given, and which cannot be sense-perceptually given while the subject is occupying the spatial perspective on the object that they currently are—I call this the horizonality of visual experience. Existing accounts of these horizonal references are unsatisfactory. In providing a satisfactory account, this paper argues that the content and structure of the visual experience of complete three-dimensional objects is as follows: the object is presented as being perceptible from yet-to-be-determined alternative points of view. As part of the content of visual experience, this motivates non-propositional attitudes of anticipation. Explicating this proposal is the central positive aim of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of smart cities is gaining momentum with efforts to go greener and be more sustainable along with the growing demand for data-driven policies. The European Union (EU) is highly committed to fostering sustainable urban development through targeted funding programs that encourage innovation, collaboration, and practical solutions for climate-neutral and smart cities. We have used data mining on the data of the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) and Eurostat during 2014 – 2022, to analyze such projects. Firstly, we can report that in absolute measures, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden and Lithuania have obtained the largest amounts of money fromthe EU Horizon program to support the development of smart cities. Secondly, we have found that when accounting for the size of funding per capita, Estonia leads in terms of funds invested in smart cities followed by Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, and Cyprus. Focusing our attention on the cost of outcomes, i.e., the efficiency of spending funds on smart cities, we can see that the leading countries in the EU are Romania, Switzerland, Norway, and Luxembourg. The authors have compared the success of European projects in their different phases, while considering the overall results as most relevant for our evaluation.

In 1974, Stephen Hawking predicted that quantum effects in the proximity of a black hole lead to the emission of particles and black hole evaporation. At the very heart of this process lies a logarithmic phase singularity which leads to the Bose-Einstein statistics of Hawking radiation. An identical singularity appears in the elementary quantum system of the inverted harmonic oscillator. In this Letter we report the observation of the onset of this logarithmic phase singularity emerging at a horizon in phase space and giving rise to a Fermi-Dirac distribution. For this purpose, we utilize surface gravity water waves and freely propagate an appropriately tailored energy wave function of the inverted harmonic oscillator to reveal the phase space horizon and the intrinsic singularities. Due to the presence of an amplitude singularity in this system, the analogous quantities display a Fermi-Dirac rather than a Bose-Einstein distribution. Since 1974, it was theoretically postulated that black holes, despite their name, emit radiation with a spectrum like that of a black body. Utilizing surface gravity water waves to emulate black hole physics, the authors reveal the emergence of a logarithmic phase singularity analogous to that predicted by Hawking in black holes, whose energy distribution associated with the singularity results in a Fermi-Dirac distribution instead of the familiar Bose-Einstein statistics of the Hawking radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, fractal space–time, the Hubble horizon and the energy–momentum tensor are examined in relation to the FLRW metric. It offers a Fractal Friedman equation along with its answer. Also included is the scale factor, which includes fractal structures for closed, flat and open universes. They offer fresh insights into the behavior and evolution of the universe through detailed plots that vividly illustrate their potential cosmological implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Real-time high-precision single-epoch relative position determination based on GNSS. • Optimized measurements considering the influence of GEO satellites in BDS. • Developed a real-time measurement module for high-dynamic satellite formations. • Error is within centimeter-level, computed in less than 0.1 s for a single epoch. With the establishment of the Chinese space station, a series of space science missions will be conducted in its vicinity. One of the extended tasks for the in-orbit service of space station is the formation flying of small satellites centered around the space station. Satellite formations can perform simultaneous three-dimensional observations of the space station, generating three-dimensional images and monitoring and assessing the status of critical components of the space station. The real-time and accurate relative position measurement is one of the key issues in formation flying. It is a fundamental prerequisite for maintaining and reconfiguring formation configurations, collision avoidance and safety assurance. GNSS-based relative positioning is a low-cost and high-precision measurement method, which is not constrained by light, weather, or relative attitude of satellites. This study introduces a novel approach to determine the relative position of satellites based on single-epoch Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) carrier phase difference measurements. Unlike traditional methods, the proposed technique eliminates the need for precise ephemeris and clock bias files and does not require historical observation data. The algorithm avoids the complexity associated with full cycle ambiguity jumps, facilitating real-time, high-precision calculations of relative position baseline vectors. Special attention is given to the influence of Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and measures are taken to mitigate their impact on measurement accuracy by adjusting their observation weights. Our newly developed GNSS-based real-time measurement module, designed for high-quality GNSS signal reception and data communication, was tested on terrestrial and simulated low-orbit platforms. Remarkably, over baselines ranging from 10 m to 9.3 km, while traditional pseudorange differential measurements showed errors up to 1.5571 m, our proposed method consistently held errors under 5 cm and ensured computational speeds within 0.1 s per epoch. High-dynamic zero-baseline tests further validated its potential, with errors less than 1 cm. The innovations encapsulated in this work, resonating with the evolving trends of miniaturized and scalable satellites, present a cost-efficient and real-time solution for inter-satellite relative position measurement. This promises a new horizon in satellite formation technology, with future endeavors focusing on on-orbit experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hawking's black hole area theorem was proven using the null energy condition (NEC), a pointwise condition violated by quantum fields. The violation of the NEC is usually cited as the reason that black hole evaporation is allowed in the context of semiclassical gravity. Here we provide two generalizations of the classical black hole area theorem: first, a proof of the original theorem with an averaged condition, the weakest possible energy condition to prove the theorem using focusing of null geodesics. Second, a proof of an area-type result that allows for the shrinking of the black hole horizon but provides a bound on it. This bound can be translated to a bound on the black hole evaporation rate using a condition inspired from quantum energy inequalities. Finally, we show how our bound can be applied to two cases that violate classical energy conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the form and implications of the local first law of black hole thermodynamics in relation to an observer located at a finite distance from the black hole horizon. Our study is based on the quasilocal form of the first law for black hole thermodynamics, given by δ E = κ ¯ 8 π δ A , where δ E and δ A represent the changes in the black hole mass and area, respectively, and κ ¯ denotes the quasilocal surface gravity. We show that even at a finite distance, the quasilocal law still holds. It shows how the first law scales with the observer's location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider dynamic games defined over an infinite horizon, characterized by linear, discrete-time dynamics and quadratic cost functionals. Considering such linear-quadratic dynamic games, we focus on their solutions in terms of Nash equilibrium strategies. Both feedback (F-NE) and open-loop (OL-NE) Nash equilibrium solutions are considered. The contributions of the paper are threefold. First, our detailed study reveals some interesting structural insights in relation to F-NE solutions. Second, as a stepping stone toward our consideration of OL-NE strategies, we consider a specific infinite-horizon discrete-time (single-player) optimal control problem, wherein the dynamics are influenced by a known exogenous input and draw connections between its solution obtained via dynamic programming and Pontryagin's minimum principle. Finally, we exploit the latter result to provide a characterization of OL-NE strategies of the class of infinite-horizon dynamic games. The results and key observations made throughout the paper are illustrated via a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although comparative analyses and meta-analyses appear different in their purpose, both often address similar hypotheses and have comparable, if not identical, mathematical foundations. Merging the strength of phylogenetic comparative analyses with the power of meta-analyses to decompose variation has the potential to improve the transparency, reproducibility, and reliability of comparative research. The integration of comparative and meta-analytic approaches can handle data with different structures and levels of organisation, uncovering variation within and between community assemblages, broadening taxonomic coverage, and shaping our understanding of complex (nonlinear) patterns. The marriage of comparative analysis and meta-analysis offers a promising avenue through which comparative biologists can assess generality and the evolutionary processes giving rise to macroecological patterns. Comparative analyses and meta-analyses are key tools to elucidate broad biological principles, yet the two approaches often appear different in purpose. We propose an integrated approach that can generate deeper insights into ecoevolutionary processes. Marrying comparative and meta-analytic approaches will allow for (i) a more accurate investigation of drivers of biological variation, (ii) a greater ability to account for sources of non-independence in experimental data, (iii) more effective control of publication bias, and (iv) improved transparency and reproducibility. Stronger integration of meta-analytic and comparative studies can also broaden the scope from species-centric investigations to community-level responses and function-valued traits (e.g., reaction norms). We illuminate commonalities, differences, and the transformative potential of combining these methodologies for advancing ecology and evolutionary biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion is divided about the nature of state dependence in the black hole interior. Some argue that it is a necessary feature, while others argue it is a bug. In this paper, we consider the extended half-sided modular translation U (s0) (with s0 > 0) of Leutheusser and Liu that takes us inside the horizon. We note that we can use this operator to construct a modular Hamiltonian H and a conjugation J on the infalling time-evolved wedges. The original thermofield double translates to a new cyclic and separating vector in the shifted algebra. We use these objects and the Connes' cocycle to repeat Witten's crossed product construction in this new setting, and to obtain a Type II∞ algebra that is independent of the various choices, in particular that of the cyclic separating vector. Our emergent times are implicitly boundary-dressed. But if one admits an "extra" observer in the interior, we argue that the (state-independent) algebra can be Type I or Type II1 instead of Type II∞, depending on whether the observer's light cone contains an entire Cauchy slice or not. Along with these general considerations, we present some specific calculations in the setting of the Poincare BTZ black hole. We identify a specific pointwise (as opposed to non-local) modular translation in BTZ-Kruskal coordinates that is analytically tractable, exploiting a connection with AdS-Rindler. This modular translation can reach the singularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ensuring nominal asymptotic stability of the nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) controller is not trivial. Stabilizing ingredients such as terminal penalty term and Terminal Region (TR) are crucial in establishing the asymptotic stability. Approaches available in the literature provide limited degrees of freedom for the characterization of the TR for the discrete time quasi infinite horizon NMPC formulation. Current work presents alternate approaches namely arbitrary controller based approach and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) based approach, which provide larger degrees of freedom for enlarging the TR. Both the approaches are scalable to system of any dimension. Approach from the literature provides a scalar whereas proposed approaches provide two additive matrices as tuning parameters for shaping of the TR. Proposed approaches involve solving modified Lyapunov equations to compute terminal penalty term, followed by explicit characterization of the TR. Efficacy of the proposed approaches is demonstrated using benchmark two state system. TR obtained using the arbitrary controller based approach and LQR based approach are approximately 10.4723 and 9.5055 times larger by area measure when compared to the largest TR obtained using the approach from the literature. As a result, there is significant reduction in the prediction horizon length while retaining the feasibility of the controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the stability of the inner horizon of the quantum-corrected black hole which is proposed in loop quantum gravity as the exterior of the quantum Oppenheimer–Snyder and Swiss Cheese models. It is shown that the flux and energy density of a test scalar field measured by free-falling observers are both divergent near the Cauchy horizon. By considering the generalized Dray–'t Hooft–Redmond relation which is independent of the field equation, we find that the mass inflation always happens and the scalar curvature and Kretschmann scalar are also divergent on the inner horizon. These suggest that the inner horizon is unstable and will probably turn into a null singularity.The results support the strong cosmic censorship hypothesis.However, this also implies that the quantum corrected model may not be the definitive endpoint as a regular black hole.Besides, it further proposes that it may be challenging to observe the astronomical phenomenon which depends on the existence of the inner horizon of the black hole [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, controlling a Twin Rotor MIMO System (TRMS) is a considerable challenge for engineers due to its high non-linear attributes. The controller's design goals are to achieve the appropriate pitch and yaw angles when there is cross-coupling between its main and tail rotors while minimizing both the angular position error and controller effort. Performance measures can be utilized to evaluate the performance of the controller including integral square error, total variation, and integral absolute control action. In this paper, a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) is proposed to control TRMS rotors, which refer to the vertical and horizontal planes. Fick's Law Algorithm (FLA) has been utilized to offline obtain the best selection for NMPC parameters. That includes best weighting matrices, shorter time steps, and shorter prediction horizons, by minimizing a novel penalty function called robust integral square error. FLA is used due to its flexibility, the ability to avoid suboptimal regions, and simplicity of implementation. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is examined using simulation-based tests conducted with MATLAB, which makes use of the CasADi Toolbox. In comparison to Cross Coupled PID (CC-PID) controller, the simulation results prove that FLA-based-NMPC has better performance and can track trajectories (step, square, and sine) even when there is ±30% in TRMS parameters perturbation. This work has come up with new contributions such as the new tuning strategy, extra state variable consideration, and a new FLA engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforcement learning often struggles to accomplish a sparse-reward long-horizon task in a complex environment. Goal-conditioned reinforcement learning (GCRL) has been employed to tackle this difficult problem via a curriculum of easy-to-reach sub-goals. In GCRL, exploring novel sub-goals is essential for the agent to ultimately find the pathway to the desired goal. How to explore novel sub-goals efficiently is one of the most challenging issues in GCRL. Several goal exploration methods have been proposed to address this issue but still struggle to find the desired goals efficiently. In this paper, we propose a novel learning objective by optimizing the entropy of both achieved and new goals to be explored for more efficient goal exploration in sub-goal selection based GCRL. To optimize this objective, we first explore and exploit the frequently occurring goal-transition patterns mined in the environments similar to the current task to compose skills via skill learning. Then, the pre-trained skills are applied in goal exploration with theoretical justification. Evaluation on a variety of spare-reward long-horizon benchmark tasks suggests that incorporating our method into several state-of-the-art GCRL baselines significantly boosts their exploration efficiency while improving or maintaining their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offline reinforcement learning (RL) aims to create policies for sequential decision-making using exclusively offline datasets. This presents a significant challenge, especially when attempting to accomplish multiple distinct goals or outcomes within a given scenario while receiving sparse rewards. Prior methods using advantage weighting for offline goal-conditioned learning improve policies monotonically. However, they still face challenges from distribution shift and multi-modality that arise due to conflicting ways to reach a goal. This issue is especially challenging in long-horizon tasks, where the presence of multiple, often conflicting, solutions makes it hard to identify a single optimal policy for transitioning from a state to a desired goal. To address these challenges, we introduce a complementary advantage-based weighting scheme that incorporates an additional source of inductive bias. Given a value-based partitioning of the state space, the contribution of actions expected to lead to target regions that are easier to reach, compared to the final goal, is further increased. Our proposed approach, Dual-Advantage Weighted Offline Goal-conditioned RL, outperforms several competing offline algorithms in widely used benchmarks. Furthermore, we provide a theoretical guarantee that the learned policy will not be inferior to the underlying behavior policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop an adaptable home energy management system capable of integrating the bidirectional smart charging of electric vehicles. The final goal is to achieve a user-defined objectives such as cost minimization or maximizing renewable self-consumption. Industrialwise, the present work yields valuable outcomes in identifying operational frameworks and boundary conditions. Optimal scheduling benefits both users and the electric network, thus enhancing grid utilization and increasing renewable energy integration. By coordinating power interactions with dynamic time-of-use tariffs, the energy management system minimizes user costs and aids the grid by cutting peak hour energy consumption. Charging and discharging operations in electric vehicles comply with energy level constraints outlined by bidirectional charging protocols. The proposed approach ensures the scheduling of cycles that minimize detrimental effects on battery health when evaluating an economically ageing mechanism. Compared to uncontrolled charging, optimal scheduling resulted in a significant reduction in the total operational cost of the dwelling. Trade-off conditions between renewable integration and potential savings are identified and numerically evaluated by means of multiobjective optimization. In contrast to scheduling-based models, the proposed architecture possesses the ability to iteratively adapt decision variables in response to system changes, thus responding effectively to external stochastic uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The starlight refraction indirect horizon-sensing positioning method is a new type of autonomous celestial navigation method with broad application prospects. In view of this method currently being limited to the spacecraft outside the atmosphere, this article derives and establishes a starlight refraction indirect horizon-sensing positioning model between the starlight refraction angle and the flight vehicle's position inside the atmosphere. Based on this model, a new starlight refraction indirect horizon-sensing positioning method for the flight vehicle inside the atmosphere is proposed. According to the atmospheric refraction law and the spherical atmospheric model, the refracted optical path of starlight entering the atmosphere and reaching the flight vehicle is traced, so as to establish a starlight refraction positioning model that reflects the relationship between the refraction angle and the 3-D position of the flight vehicle inside the atmosphere. Subsequently, by employing star sensors on the flight vehicle to measure the starlight refraction angle, and combining the starlight refraction positioning model that maps the starlight refraction angle and the flight vehicle's position, a starlight refraction indirect horizon-sensing autonomous celestial positioning method, tailored for the flight within the atmosphere, is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through ground semi physical experiments, and an analysis is conducted to explore the factors that affect the positioning accuracy of the starlight refraction indirect horizon-sensing positioning method within the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]