Active Exploration by Chance-Constrained Optimization for Voltage Regulation with Reinforcement Learning

Voltage regulation in distribution networks encounters a challenge of handling uncertainties caused by the high penetration of photovoltaics (PV). This research proposes an active exploration (AE) method based on reinforcement learning (RL) to respond to the uncertainties by regulating the voltage of a distribution network with battery energy storage systems (BESS). The proposed method integrates engineering knowledge to accelerate the training process of RL. The engineering knowledge is the chance-constrained optimization. We formulate the problem in a chance-constrained optimization with a linear load flow approximation. The optimization results are used to guide the action selection of the exploration for improving training efficiency and reducing the conserveness characteristic. The comparison of methods focuses on how BESSs are used, training efficiency, and robustness under varying uncertainties and BESS sizes. We implement the proposed algorithm, a chance-constrained optimization, and a traditional Q-learning in the IEEE 13 Node Test Feeder. Our evaluation shows that the proposed AE method has a better response to the training efficiency compared to traditional Q-learning. Meanwhile, the proposed method has advantages in BESS usage in conserveness compared to the chance-constrained optimization.

Theta- and gamma-band oscillatory uncoupling in the macaque hippocampus

Nested hippocampal oscillations in the rodent gives rise to temporal coding that may underlie learning, memory, and decision making. Theta/gamma coupling in rodent CA1 occurs during exploration and sharp-wave ripples during quiescence. Whether these oscillatory regimes extend to primates is less clear. We therefore sought to identify correspondences in frequency bands, nesting, and behavioral coupling taken from macaque hippocampus. We found that, in contrast to the rodent, theta and gamma frequency bands in macaque CA1 were segregated by behavioral states. Beta/gamma (15-70Hz) had greater power during visual search while theta (7-10 Hz) dominated during quiescence. Moreover, delta/theta (3-8 Hz) amplitude was strongest when beta2/slow gamma (20-35 Hz) amplitude was weakest, though the low frequencies coupled with higher, ripple frequencies (60-150 Hz). The distribution of spike-field coherence revealed three peaks matching the 3-10 Hz, 20-30 Hz and 60-150 Hz bands; however, the low frequency effects were primarily due to sharp-wave ripples. Accordingly, no intrinsic theta spiking rhythmicity was apparent. These results support a role for beta2/slow gamma modulation in CA1 during active exploration in the primate that is decoupled from theta oscillations. These findings diverge from the rodent oscillatory canon and call for a shift in focus and frequency when considering the primate hippocampus.

Inter-individual differences of calling and exploratory behaviour in a lebinthine cricket species hint at different mate-finding strategies

Individual fitness can be boosted by behavioural strategies that maximise mate-finding probability while minimising predation risk. Animals that use acoustics to find mates may benefit from using both stationary calling and active exploration, but these also expose them to different types of predators. Studying calling and searching behaviours concurrently allows us to understand their evolutionary trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Unlike most other crickets, lebinthine males alternate between singing and exploration to find females, which offer a unique and excellent opportunity to test for inter-individual differences and behavioural syndrome between call properties and exploratory behaviours. Our data demonstrate that call properties and exploratory behaviour were repeatable. We did not, however, find that call properties correlate with exploration as some consistently exploratory individuals produce longer calls while others produce shorter calls. Our study suggests that lebinthine males use different combinations of calling and exploratory behaviours to cope with unpredictable risk–benefit scenarios.

The Phenomenon of Cosmism in the Context of the Formation of an Anthroponatural Paradigm

The article considers the problem of transition to the anthroponatural paradigm of development, which is relevant for the modern stage of the world civilization process. It is noted that the global environmental crisis, the signs of which were clearly identifi ed at the turn of the 20th – 21st centuries, was the result of unbalanced transformative activities of people, as a result of which the very possibility of life on the planet was threatened. The current situation has shown the need for fundamental changes both in the existing type of management, based on unregulated consumption of natural resources, and in public consciousness in the direction of reorienting it to a rational attitude towards the environment, which would ensure the survival and further progressive movement of civilization. In the development of a coevolutionary strategy for the interaction of society and nature, based on a new system of moral values, the natural scientific, religious, philosophical and literary and artistic heritage of cosmism has significant spiritual potential. Based on the analysis of the works of representatives of Russian cosmism, it is concluded that the idea of the active role of humanity in transforming the environment involves, in addition to improving the scientifi c and technical sphere, the development of worldview attitudes focused on understanding a man as an organic part of natural (cosmic) unity, developing according to general evolutionary laws. The current sociocultural situation, characterized by a number of global problems (environmental, raw materials, food, etc.), indicates the need to move to an anthroponatural paradigm of civilizational development, which could ensure the joint evolution of people and nature, the formation of appropriate ethical standards and principles of ecological thinking. Clearly, the future of mankind, the prospects of which were outlined by the representatives of cosmism, is impossible without reliance on a solid moral foundation, thanks to which the population of the Earth has the opportunity not only to overcome the crisis consequences of its own activities on the planet, to carry out rational and balanced environmental management, but also to enter the next round of its development – the active exploration of outer space.

From Gymnastics to Sports: The Sports Transformation of Wushu during the Republic of China Era

By using literature method and mathematical statistics method and reading the Wushu literature of the Republic of China, the transformation process of Wushu sports is sorted out. Under the background of internal and external troubles and “Western learning”, Wushu is regarded as a representative of local sports, with high expectations for a rich country and a strong country. Under the influence of “the dispute between preservation and abolishment of military exercises” and “the Rivalry between Traditional Chinese and Western Sports”, Chinese people learned from the development of western sports culture and improved Wushu, and appeared the “Wushu gymnastics”, which is an active exploration of Wushu sports experiencing the transformation process from gymnastics to sports. The establishment of Wushu research institutions and publications has accelerated the scientific and educational progress of Wushu, and laid a solid foundation for the development of Wushu sports.

Dynamic Data Visualizations to Enhance Insight and Communication Across the Lifecycle of a Scientific Project

In scientific communication, figures are typically rendered as static displays. This often prevents active exploration of the underlying data, for example to gauge the influence of particular data points or of particular analytic choices. Yet modern data visualization tools, from animated plots to interactive notebooks and reactive web applications, allow psychologists to share and present their findings in dynamic and transparent ways. In this tutorial, we present a number of recent developments to build interactivity and animations into scientific communication and publications, using examples and illustrations in the R language. In particular, we discuss when and how to build dynamic figures, with step-by-step reproducible code that can easily be extended to the reader’s own projects. We illustrate how interactivity and animations can facilitate insight and communication across a project lifecycle—from initial exchanges and discussions within a team to peer-review and final publication—and provide a number of recommendations to use dynamic visualizations effectively. We close with a reflection on how the scientific publishing model is currently evolving, and consider the challenges and opportunities this shift might bring along for data visualization.