Online bayesian inference in some time-frequency representations of non-stationary processes

The use of Bayesian inference in the inference of time-frequency representations has, thus far, been limited to offline analysis of signals, using a smoothing spline based model of the time-frequency plane. In this paper we introduce a new framework that allows the routine use of Bayesian inference for online estimation of the time-varying spectral density of a locally stationary Gaussian process. The core of our approach is the use of a likelihood inspired by a local Whittle approximation. This choice, along with the use of a recursive algorithm for non-parametric estimation of the local spectral density, permits the use of a particle filter for estimating the time-varying spectral density online. We provide demonstrations of the algorithm through tracking chirps and the analysis of musical data.

The dependence of radiative forcing and feedback on evolving patterns of surface temperature change in climate models

Experiments with CO2 instantaneously quadrupled and then held constant are used to show that the relationship between the global-mean net heat input to the climate system and the global-mean surface-air-temperature change is nonlinear in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCMs). The nonlinearity is shown to arise from a change in strength of climate feedbacks driven by an evolving pattern of surface warming. In 23 out of the 27 AOGCMs examined the climate feedback parameter becomes significantly (95% confidence) less negative – i.e. the effective climate sensitivity increases – as time passes. Cloud feedback parameters show the largest changes. In the AOGCM-mean approximately 60% of the change in feedback parameter comes from the topics (30N-30S). An important region involved is the tropical Pacific where the surface warming intensifies in the east after a few decades. The dependence of climate feedbacks on an evolving pattern of surface warming is confirmed using the HadGEM2 and HadCM3 atmosphere GCMs (AGCMs). With monthly evolving sea-surface-temperatures and sea-ice prescribed from its AOGCM counterpart each AGCM reproduces the time-varying feedbacks, but when a fixed pattern of warming is prescribed the radiative response is linear with global temperature change or nearly so. We also demonstrate that the regression and fixed-SST methods for evaluating effective radiative forcing are in principle different, because rapid SST adjustment when CO2 is changed can produce a pattern of surface temperature change with zero global mean but non-zero change in net radiation at the top of the atmosphere (~ -0.5 Wm-2 in HadCM3).

Regularization of descriptor systems

Implicit dynamic-algebraic equations, known in control theory as descriptor systems, arise naturally in many applications. Such systems may not be regular (often referred to as singular). In that case the equations may not have unique solutions for consistent initial conditions and arbitrary inputs and the system may not be controllable or observable. Many control systems can be regularized by proportional and/or derivative feedback.We present an overview of mathematical theory and numerical techniques for regularizing descriptor systems using feedback controls. The aim is to provide stable numerical techniques for analyzing and constructing regular control and state estimation systems and for ensuring that these systems are robust. State and output feedback designs for regularizing linear time-invariant systems are described, including methods for disturbance decoupling and mixed output problems. Extensions of these techniques to time-varying linear and nonlinear systems are discussed in the final section.

Controlador preditivo generalizado multi-modelo aplicado ao controle de pressão arterial

Postsurgical complication of hypertension may occur in cardiac patients. To decrease the chances of complication it is necessary to reduce elevated blood pressure as soon as possible. Continuous infusion of vasodilator drugs, such as sodium nitroprusside (Nipride), would quickly lower the blood pressure in most patients. However, each patient has a different sensitivity to infusion of Nipride. The parameters and the time delays of the system are initially unknown. Moreover, the parameters of the transfer function associated with a particular patient are time varying. the objective of the study is to develop a procedure for blood pressure control i the presence of uncertainty of parameters and considerable time delays. So, a methodology was developed multi-model, and for each such model a Preditive Controller can be a priori designed. An adaptive mechanism is then needed for deciding which controller should be dominant for a given plant

Desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Visão Global para uma Frota de Mini-Robôs Móveis

Navigation based on visual feedback for robots, working in a closed environment, can be obtained settling a camera in each robot (local vision system). However, this solution requests a camera and capacity of local processing for each robot. When possible, a global vision system is a cheapest solution for this problem. In this case, one or a little amount of cameras, covering all the workspace, can be shared by the entire team of robots, saving the cost of a great amount of cameras and the associated processing hardware needed in a local vision system. This work presents the implementation and experimental results of a global vision system for mobile mini-robots, using robot soccer as test platform. The proposed vision system consists of a camera, a frame grabber and a computer (PC) for image processing. The PC is responsible for the team motion control, based on the visual feedback, sending commands to the robots through a radio link. In order for the system to be able to unequivocally recognize each robot, each one has a label on its top, consisting of two colored circles. Image processing algorithms were developed for the eficient computation, in real time, of all objects position (robot and ball) and orientation (robot). A great problem found was to label the color, in real time, of each colored point of the image, in time-varying illumination conditions. To overcome this problem, an automatic camera calibration, based on clustering K-means algorithm, was implemented. This method guarantees that similar pixels will be clustered around a unique color class. The obtained experimental results shown that the position and orientation of each robot can be obtained with a precision of few millimeters. The updating of the position and orientation was attained in real time, analyzing 30 frames per second

Improving the GNSS positioning stochastic model in the presence of ionospheric scintillation

Ionospheric scintillations are caused by time-varying electron density irregularities in the ionosphere, occurring more often at equatorial and high latitudes. This paper focuses exclusively on experiments undertaken in Europe, at geographic latitudes between similar to 50 degrees N and similar to 80 degrees N, where a network of GPS receivers capable of monitoring Total Electron Content and ionospheric scintillation parameters was deployed. The widely used ionospheric scintillation indices S4 and sigma(phi) represent a practical measure of the intensity of amplitude and phase scintillation affecting GNSS receivers. However, they do not provide sufficient information regarding the actual tracking errors that degrade GNSS receiver performance. Suitable receiver tracking models, sensitive to ionospheric scintillation, allow the computation of the variance of the output error of the receiver PLL (Phase Locked Loop) and DLL (Delay Locked Loop), which expresses the quality of the range measurements used by the receiver to calculate user position. The ability of such models of incorporating phase and amplitude scintillation effects into the variance of these tracking errors underpins our proposed method of applying relative weights to measurements from different satellites. That gives the least squares stochastic model used for position computation a more realistic representation, vis-a-vis the otherwise 'equal weights' model. For pseudorange processing, relative weights were computed, so that a 'scintillation-mitigated' solution could be performed and compared to the (non-mitigated) 'equal weights' solution. An improvement between 17 and 38% in height accuracy was achieved when an epoch by epoch differential solution was computed over baselines ranging from 1 to 750 km. The method was then compared with alternative approaches that can be used to improve the least squares stochastic model such as weighting according to satellite elevation angle and by the inverse of the square of the standard deviation of the code/carrier divergence (sigma CCDiv). The influence of multipath effects on the proposed mitigation approach is also discussed. With the use of high rate scintillation data in addition to the scintillation indices a carrier phase based mitigated solution was also implemented and compared with the conventional solution. During a period of occurrence of high phase scintillation it was observed that problems related to ambiguity resolution can be reduced by the use of the proposed mitigated solution.

Indoor Air quality related to occupancy at an air-conditioned public building

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

CRITICAL EXPONENTS and SCALING PROPERTIES FOR THE CHAOTIC DYNAMICS of A PARTICLE IN A TIME-DEPENDENT POTENTIAL BARRIER

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fermi acceleration and scaling properties of a time dependent oval billiard

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Double optical monitoring of time-dependent film formation

A brief overview of optical monitoring for vacuum and wet bench film deposition processes is presented. Interferometric and polarimetric measurements are combined with regard to simultaneous real-time monitoring of refractive index and physical thickness. Monitor stability and accuracy are verified with transparent oil standards. This double optical technique is applied to dip coating with a multi-component Zirconyl Chloride aqueous solution, whose time varying refractive index and physical thickness curves indicate significant sensitivity to changes of film flow properties during the process.

Towards forecasting and mitigating ionospheric scintillation effects on GNSS

The effect of the ionosphere on the signals of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positionig System (GPS) and the proposed European Galileo, is dependent on the ionospheric electron density, given by its Total Electron Content (TEC). Ionospheric time-varying density irregularities may cause scintillations, which are fluctuations in phase and amplitude of the signals. Scintillations occur more often at equatorial and high latitudes. They can degrade navigation and positioning accuracy and may cause loss of signal tracking, disrupting safety-critical applications, such as marine navigation and civil aviation. This paper addresses the results of initial research carried out on two fronts that are relevant to GNSS users if they are to counter ionospheric scintillations, i.e. forecasting and mitigating their effects. On the forecasting front, the dynamics of scintillation occurrence were analysed during the severe ionospheric storm that took place on the evening of 30 October 2003, using data from a network of GPS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC Monitor (GISTM) receivers set up in Northern Europe. Previous results [1] indicated that GPS scintillations in that region can originate from ionospheric plasma structures from the American sector. In this paper we describe experiments that enabled confirmation of those findings. On the mitigation front we used the variance of the output error of the GPS receiver DLL (Delay Locked Loop) to modify the least squares stochastic model applied by an ordinary receiver to compute position. This error was modelled according to [2], as a function of the S4 amplitude scintillation index measured by the GISTM receivers. An improvement of up to 21% in relative positioning accuracy was achieved with this technnique.

Variable structure control of switched systems based on Lyapunov-Metzler-SPR systems

This paper presents two Variable Structure Controllers (VSC) for continuous-time switched plants. It is assumed that the state vector is available for feedback. The proposed control system provides a switching rule and also the variable structure control input. The design is based on Lyapunov-Metzler (LM) inequalities and also on Strictly Positive Real (SPR) systems stability results. The definition of Lyapunov-Metzler-SPR (LMS) systems and its direct application in the design of VSC for switched systems are introduced in this paper. Two examples illustrate the design of the proposed VSC, considering a plant given by a switched system with a switched-state control law and two linear time-invariant systems, that are not controllable and also can not be stabilized with state feedback. ©2008 IEEE.

On switched control design of linear time-invariant systems with polytopic uncertainties

This paper proposes a new switched control design method for some classes of linear time-invariant systems with polytopic uncertainties. This method uses a quadratic Lyapunov function to design the feedback controller gains based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The controller gain is chosen by a switching law that returns the smallest value of the time derivative of the Lyapunov function. The proposed methodology offers less conservative alternative than the well-known controller for uncertain systems with only one state feedback gain. The control design of a magnetic levitator illustrates the procedure. © 2013 Wallysonn A. de Souza et al.

Controle robusto com realimentação derivativa de sistemas não lineares via LMI

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alocação de pólos com realimentação da derivada dos estados usando LMIs

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)