Table of Contents

The development of the sharing economy has made carsharing the main future development model of car rental. Carsharing network investment is enormous, but the resource allocation is limited. Therefore, the reasonable location of the carsharing station is important to the development of carsharing companies. On the basis of the current status of carsharing development, this research considers multiple influencing factors of carsharing to meet the maximum user demand. Meanwhile, the constraint of the limited cost of the company is considered to establish a nonlinear integer programming model for station location of carsharing. A genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem by analyzing the location model of the carsharing network. Finally, the results of a case study of Lanzhou, China show the effectiveness of the establishment and solution of the station location model. Full article

In the conversion problem, wealth has to be distributed between two assets with the objective to maximize the wealth at the end of the investment horizon. The bi-directional preemptive conversion problem with a constant price interval is the only problem, of the four main variants of the conversion problem, that has not yet been optimally solved by competitive analysis. Assuming a given number of monotonous price trends called runs, lower and upper bounds for the competitive ratio are given. In this work, the assumption of a given number of runs is rejected and lower and upper bounds for the bi-directional preemptive conversion problem with a constant price interval are given. Furthermore, an algorithm based on error balancing is given which at minimum achieves the given upper bound. It can also be shown that this algorithm is optimal for the single-period model. Full article

Photomatrix therapeutic systems (PMTS) are widely used for the tasks of preventive, stimulating and rehabilitation medicine. They consist of low-intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs) having the quasi-monochromatic irradiation properties. Depending on the LED matrix structures, PMTS are intended to be used for local and large areas of bio-objects. However, in the case of non-uniform irradiation of biological tissues, there is a risk of an inadequate physiological response to this type of exposure. The proposed approach considers a novel technique for designing this type of biomedical technical systems, which use the capabilities of stochastic algorithms for LED switching. As a result, the use of stochastic photomatrix systems based on the technology of uniform twisting generation of random variables significantly expands the possibilities of their medical application. Full article

Flying robots have gained great interest because of their numerous applications. For this reason, the control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is one of the most important challenges in mobile robotics. These kinds of robots are commonly controlled with Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers; however, traditional linear controllers have limitations when controlling highly nonlinear and uncertain systems such as UAVs. In this paper, a control scheme for the pose of a quadrotor is presented. The scheme presented has the behavior of a PD controller and it is based on a Multilayer Perceptron trained with an Extended Kalman Filter. The Neural Network is trained online in order to ensure adaptation to changes in the presence of dynamics and uncertainties. The control scheme is tested in real time experiments in order to show its effectiveness. Full article

Transfer learning is a modern concept that focuses on the application of ideas, models, and algorithms, developed in one applied area, for solving a similar problem in another area. In this paper, we identify links between methodologies in two fields: video prediction and spatiotemporal traffic forecasting. The similarities of the video stream and citywide traffic data structures are discovered and analogues between historical development and modern states of the methodologies are presented and discussed. The idea of transferring video prediction models to the urban traffic forecasting domain is validated using a large real-world traffic data set. The list of transferred techniques includes spatial filtering by predefined kernels in combination with time series models and spectral graph convolutional artificial neural networks. The obtained models’ forecasting performance is compared to the baseline traffic forecasting models: non-spatial time series models and spatially regularized vector autoregression models. We conclude that the application of video prediction models and algorithms for urban traffic forecasting is effective both in terms of observed forecasting accuracy and development, and training efforts. Finally, we discuss problems and obstacles of transferring methodologies and present potential directions for further research. Full article

Due to unpredictable and fluctuating conditions in real-world control system applications, disturbance rejection is a substantial factor in robust control performance. The inherent disturbance rejection capacity of classical closed loop control systems is limited, and an increase in disturbance rejection performance of single-loop control systems affects the set-point control performance. Multi-loop control structures, which involve model reference control loops, can enhance the inherent disturbance rejection capacity of classical control loops without degrading set-point control performance; while the classical closed Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control loop deals with stability and set-point control, the additional model reference control loop performs disturbance rejection control. This adaptive disturbance rejection, which does not influence set-point control performance, is achieved by selecting reference models as transfer functions of real control systems. This study investigates six types of multi-loop model reference (ML-MR) control structures for PID control loops and presents straightforward design schemes to enhance the disturbance rejection control performance of existing PID control loops. For this purpose, linear and non-linear ML-MR control structures are introduced, and their control performance improvements and certain inherent drawbacks of these structures are discussed. Design examples demonstrate the benefits of the ML-MR control structures for disturbance rejection performance improvement of PID control loops without severely deteriorating their set-point performance. Full article

In this paper, we present a robust algorithm to solve numerically a family of two-dimensional fractional integro differential equations. The Haar wavelet method is upgraded to include in its construction the Laplace transform step. This modification has proven to reduce the accumulative errors that will be obtained in case of using the regular Haar wavelet technique. Different examples are discussed to serve two goals, the methodology and the accuracy of our new approach. Full article

Proposed algorithms for calculating the shortest paths such as Dijikstra and Flowd-Warshall’s algorithms are limited to small networks due to computational complexity and cost. We propose an efficient and a more accurate approximation algorithm that is applicable to large scale networks. Our algorithm iteratively constructs levels of hierarchical networks by a node condensing procedure to construct hierarchical graphs until threshold. The shortest paths between nodes in the original network are approximated by considering their corresponding shortest paths in the highest hierarchy. Experiments on real life data show that our algorithm records high efficiency and accuracy compared with other algorithms. Full article

An efficient routing using a virtual backbone (VB) network is one of the most significant improvements in the wireless sensor network (WSN). One promising method for selecting this subset of network nodes is by finding the minimum connected dominating set (MCDS), where the searching space for finding a route is restricted to nodes in this MCDS. Thus, finding MCDS in a WSN provides a flexible low-cost solution for the problem of event monitoring, particularly in places with limited or dangerous access to humans as is the case for most WSN deployments. In this paper, we proposed an adaptive scatter search (ASS-MCDS) algorithm that finds the near-optimal solution to this problem. The proposed method invokes a composite fitness function that aims to maximize the solution coverness and connectivity and minimize its cardinality. Moreover, the ASS-MCDS methods modified the scatter search framework through new local search and solution update procedures that maintain the search objectives. We tested the performance of our proposed algorithm using different benchmark-test-graph sets available in the literature. Experiments results show that our proposed algorithm gave good results in terms of solution quality. Full article

From brick-and-mortar stores to omnichannel retail, the efficient selection of products to be displayed on store tables, advertising brochures, or online front pages has become a critical issue. One possible goal is to maximize the overall ‘attractiveness’ level of the displayed items, i.e., to enhance the shopping experience of our potential customers as a way to increase sales and revenue. With the goal of maximizing the total attractiveness value for the visiting customers over a multi-period time horizon, this paper studies how to configure an assortment of products to be included in limited display spaces, either physical or online. In order to define a realistic scenario, several constraints are considered for each period and display table: (i) the inclusion of both expensive and non-expensive products on the display tables; (ii) the diversification of product collections; and (iii) the achievement of a minimum profit margin. Moreover, the attractiveness level of each product is assumed to be dynamic, i.e., it is reduced if the product has been displayed in a previous period (loss of novelty) and vice versa. This generates dependencies across periods. Likewise, correlations across items are also considered to account for complementary or substitute products. In the case of brick-and-mortar stores, for instance, solving this rich multi-period product display problem enables them to provide an exciting experience to their customers. As a consequence, an increase in sales revenue should be expected. In order to deal with the underlying optimization problem, which contains a quadratic objective function in its simplest version and a non-smooth one in its complete version, two biased-randomized metaheuristic algorithms are proposed. A set of new instances has been generated to test our approach and compare its performance with that of non-linear solvers. Full article

The estimation of the Instantaneous Angular Speed (IAS) has in recent years attracted a growing interest in the diagnostics of rotating machines. Measurement of the IAS can be used as a source of information of the machine condition per se, or for performing angular resampling through Computed Order Tracking, a practice which is essential to highlight the machine spectral signature in case of non-stationary operational conditions. In these regards, the SURVISHNO 2019 international conference held at INSA Lyon on 8–10 July 2019 proposed a challenge about the estimation of the instantaneous non-stationary speed of a fan from a video taken by a smartphone, a pocket, low-cost device which can nowadays be found in everyone's pocket. This work originated by the author to produce an offline motion-tracking of the fan (actually, of the head of its locking-screw) and obtaining then a reliable estimate of the IAS. The here proposed algorithm is an update of the established Template Matching (TM) technique (i.e., in the Signal Processing community, a two-dimensional matched filter), which is here integrated into a Genetic Algorithm (GA) search. Using a template reconstructed from a simplified parametric mathematical model of the features of interest (i.e., the known geometry of the edges of the screw head), the GA can be used to adapt the template to match the search image, leading to a hybridization of template-based and feature-based approaches which allows to overcome the well-known issues of the traditional TM related to scaling and rotations of the search image with respect to the template. Furthermore, it is able to resolve the position of the center of the screw head at a resolution that goes beyond the limit of the pixel grid. By repeating the analysis frame after frame and focusing on the angular position of the screw head over time, the proposed algorithm can be used as an effective offline video-tachometer able to estimate the IAS from the video, avoiding the need for expensive high-resolution encoders or tachometers. Full article

It is well-documented that social networks play a considerable role in information spreading. The dynamic processes governing the diffusion of information have been studied in many fields, including epidemiology, sociology, economics, and computer science. A widely studied problem in the area of viral marketing is the target set selection: in order to market a new product, hoping it will be adopted by a large fraction of individuals in the network, which set of individuals should we “target” (for instance, by offering them free samples of the product)? In this paper, we introduce a diffusion model in which some of the neighbors of a node have a negative influence on that node, namely, they induce the node to reject the feature that is supposed to be spread. We study the target set selection problem within this model, first proving a strong inapproximability result holding also when the diffusion process is required to reach all the nodes in a couple of rounds. Then, we consider a set of restrictions under which the problem is approximable to some extent. Full article

As technology advances and the spreading of wireless devices grows, the establishment of interconnection networks is becoming crucial. Main activities that involve most of the people concern retrieving and sharing information from everywhere. In heterogeneous networks, devices can communicate by means of multiple interfaces. The choice of the most suitable interfaces to activate (switch-on) at each device results in the establishment of different connections. A connection is established when at its endpoints the devices activate at least one common interface. Each interface is assumed to consume a specific percentage of energy for its activation. This is referred to as the cost of an interface. Due to energy consumption issues, and the fact that most of the devices are battery powered, special effort must be devoted to suitable solutions that prolong the network lifetime. In this paper, we consider the so-called p-Coverage problem where each device can activate at most p of its available interfaces in order to establish all the desired connections of a given network of devices. As the problem has been shown to be $\mathrm{NP}$ -hard even for $p=2$ and unitary costs of the interfaces, algorithmic design activities have focused in particular topologies where the problem is optimally solvable. Following this trend, we first show that the problem is polynomially solvable for graphs (modeling the underlying network) of bounded treewidth by means of the Courcelle’s theorem. Then, we provide two optimal polynomial time algorithms to solve the problem in two subclasses of graphs with bounded treewidth that are graphs of bounded pathwidth and graphs of bounded carvingwidth. The two solutions are obtained by means of dynamic programming techniques. Full article

Scientific data, generated by computational models or from experiments, are typically results of nonlinear interactions among several latent processes. Such datasets are typically high-dimensional and exhibit strong temporal correlations. Better understanding of the underlying processes requires mapping such data to a low-dimensional manifold where the dynamics of the latent processes are evident. While nonlinear spectral dimensionality reduction methods, e.g., Isomap, and their scalable variants, are conceptually fit candidates for obtaining such a mapping, the presence of the strong temporal correlation in the data can significantly impact these methods. In this paper, we first show why such methods fail when dealing with dynamic process data. A novel method, Entropy-Isomap, is proposed to handle this shortcoming. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in the context of understanding the fabrication process of organic materials. The resulting low-dimensional representation correctly characterizes the process control variables and allows for informative visualization of the material morphology evolution. Full article