Ontogeny of the Projections From the Dorsomedial Division of the Anterior Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis to Hypothalamic Nuclei

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a telencephalic structure well-connected to hypothalamic regions known to control goal-oriented behaviors such as feeding. In particular, we showed that the dorsomedial division of the anterior BNST innervate neurons of the paraventricular (PVH), dorsomedial (DMH), and arcuate (ARH) hypothalamic nuclei as well as the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). While the anatomy of these projections has been characterized in mice, their ontogeny has not been studied. In this study, we used the DiI-based tract tracing approach to study the development of BNST projections innervating several hypothalamic areas including the PVH, DMH, ARH, and LHA. These results indicate that projections from the dorsomedial division of the anterior BNST to hypothalamic nuclei are immature at birth and substantially reach the PVH, DMH, and the LHA at P10. In the ARH, only sparse fibers are observed at P10, but their density increased markedly between P12 and P14. Collectively, these findings provide new insight into the ontogeny of hypothalamic circuits, and highlight the importance of considering the developmental context as a direct modulator in their proper formation.

Modeling the process of horizontal coordination of decisions at enterprises based on a reflexive approach

The relevance of the study of the processes of coordination of decisions at enterprises by means of mathematical modeling of the corresponding processes has been substantiated in the paper. The concept of horizontal coordination of decisions at enterprises has been defined. The modeling of the process of horizontal coordination of decisions at an enterprise with the presence of a coordination center at a higher level than the one where the coordination takes place is considered. At the same time, two options for managing the process of coordinating decisions at enterprises with different goals of the coordination center are given. The first case assumes the achievement of the goal of managing a focal point, interested in obtaining reliable information from agents at the level of decision coordination with an employment of a non-manipulated direct mechanism. The second case assumes that the coordination center has a specific management goal in the process of horizontal coordination of decisions at the enterprise. Reflexive control in this case provides for the manipulation of obtaining the result of agreement, which will be as close as possible to a certain fixed value – the control goal of the coordination center. The use of the models of reflexive management of the process of horizontal coordination of decisions at the enterprise, which are given in the article, depends on the existing management goal of the coordination center. The use of appropriate models of horizontal coordination at management levels will help to increase the efficiency of collective decision-making processes at enterprises, which will improve the efficiency of their functioning. A promising direction of research has been defined – modeling the processes of coordinating decisions at different levels of management.

A Simple Control Strategy Based on Trajectory Planning for Vertical Acrobot

This paper presents a simple control method on the basis of the trajectory planning for vertical Acrobot to accomplish the control goal of moving the system from the downward initial position (DIP) and steadying the system at the upward target position (UTP). First, for the active link, we frame a trajectory that contains some adjustable parameters. Along the framed trajectory, we can make the active link stabilize at its end angle from its start angle. Furthermore, we change the trajectory parameters to make the passive link also arrive at the zone near the end angle. Next, we devise a PD-based tracking controller to track this planned trajectory. In this way, the vertical Acrobot is swung up to a small zone near the UTP. Then, from the approximate linear model at the UTP, we devise a stabilization controller to stabilize the vertical Acrobot at the UTP. Finally, we implement the simulation to show the validity of the proposed method.

A method for constructing an optimal control strategy in a linear terminal problem

This paper deals with an optimal control problem for a linear discrete system subject to unknown bounded disturbances, where the control goal is to steer the system with guarantees into a given terminal set while minimising the terminal cost function. We define an optimal control strategy which takes into account the state of the system at one future time instant and propose an efficient numerical method for its construction. The results of numerical experiments show an improvement in performance under the optimal control strategy in comparison to the optimal open-loop worst-case control while maintaining comparable computation times.

Ergotropy of bosonic quantum battery driven via repelling feedback algorithms

Feedback algorithms can be efficiently applied to control the basic characteristics of quantum batteries (QBs): the ergotropy, the charging power, the storage capacity and others. We invent here two alternative approaches, target repeller and speed gradient feedback, to maximize the ergotropy for bosonic types of single-qubit based quantum batteries. We demonstrate the achievability of the control goal and discuss some pros and cons of both proposed algorithms.

A Method of Finding Discrete Controls for Switched Dynamical Systems by Applying Continued Fractions

Control systems with a finite number of control settings are considered. It is assumed that any polysystem operates in continuous time and control switchings occur at some certain discrete time instants. A control goal is to transfer a polysystem from an initial state to a final state. Controllability of systems switched in discrete time is studied. Controls are constructed by using the theory of generalized multicomponent continued fractions and the congruences theory. Applications of the proposed control method to specific systems are discussed.

The Heat Transport System in a Heavy Water Nuclear Reactor

Nuclear power provided 10% of the world's electricity. In Ontario Nuclear provides the base electrical load on the grid. Nuclear power is very unique. It is able to release a tremendous amount of power if it is not controlled properly. There is three objectives that are required to be meet at all times when running a Nuclear power plant. These are called the three C’s. The three C’s are Control, Cool and Contain. The nuclear reaction in a power plant is required to be controlled, at all times. This is completed by maintaining the nuclear fission reaction in the reactor. The Nuclear fission reaction releases radioactivity. This radioactivity needs to be contained in the reactor and not released in the environment, at any cost. The reactor is required to be cooled at all times. This report will provide a basis on controlling the heat on a nuclear reactor. This design of the Instrumentation and Control of the Heat Transport System for a CANDU REACTOR, will be discussed in detail in this report. The Heat transport system is responsible to maintain the coolant mass balance of the nuclear power plant. The main control goal is to stabilize the water level at a reference value and to suppress the effect of various disturbances.

Implications of Birth-Dose Vaccination against Hepatitis B Virus in Southeast Asia

The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) covers 11 countries with a combined population of about 2 billion people, making it the most populous of the six WHO regions. In 1992, the WHO advocated including the hepatitis B vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) and vaccinating all infants and children three times within 1 year of birth (HepB3). Recently, the WHO advocate birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination (HepB-BD) as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. In 2016, the SEARO endorsed a regional hepatitis B control goal with a target of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence of ≤1% among children aged ≥5 years by 2020. Of the 11 SEARO countries, four achieved this target on schedule. Out of these four countries, two countries (Bangladesh and Nepal) have not adopted HepB-BD in EPI program. On the other hand, the coverage of HepB3 is not satisfactory in some SEARO countries, including India which adopted HepB-BD but could not achieve the overall target of SEARO. Thus, it is a point of debate whether emphasis should be placed on proper implementation of HepB3 or whether a new agenda of HepB-BD should be incorporated in developing countries of SEARO. The article discusses strengthening and expanding the Hepatitis B vaccination program in SEARO countries with an emphasis on HepB and HepB-BD programs.

Minimization of energy production management consumptions

The article discusses the issue of organizing management of a constantly operating object distributed in space and developing arbitrarily, while the organization of management should be optimal according to the criterion - the maximum return (income) on the invested funds (equipment) and the raw materials used. An energy system with well-known engineering concepts is used occasionally as an example. Particular attention is paid to the issue of the reliability of such an object, its significance for the state economic mechanism. The article provides a specific sequence for formulating the control goal based on parametric (measuring) information.

Conceptual and methodological approaches to the study of Self-Regulation: An inquiry within Developmental Science

The present work intends to thoroughly identify theoretical and practical applications of self-regulation (SR) in contemporary developmental research, by reviewing conceptual and operational definitions of SR, in addition to the methods and instruments used to assess it in empirical studies. 468 scientific articles with cumulative evidence from the last two decades of research were included (142 reviews and 326 original research articles). Using a mixed-methods approach based on grounded theory methodology, the main theoretical and methodological aspects involved in the definition and operationalization of SR were reviewed. Results point towards a growing consensus in the conceptual definition of SR, which emphasizes the interrelation of emotional and cognitive control, goal-oriented activity, physiological and interpersonal processes. Empirical research often considers to diverse biologic, behavioral and social features in the operationalization of the concept, making use of report scales, performance tasks and, to a lesser extent, physiological and observational measurements.