Tootfinder

#Turkey’s main opposition party retained its control over key cities and made huge gains elsewhere in Sunday’s #local #elections, in a major upset to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had set his sights on retaking control of those ur…

Turkey local elections: Opposition makes huge gains in major upset to Erdogan
Turkey's main opposition party has retained its control over key cities and made huge gains in local elections. Preliminary results reported by state media Sunday showed the opposition mayors of Istanbul and Ankara retaining their seats. Their party was leading in 36 provinces. The vote was seen as a barometer of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity as he sought to win back control of the key urban areas he lost to the opposition five years ago, amid a deep economic downturn an…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.07198 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_qu…

Coherent Electric-Field Control of Orbital state in a Neutral Nitrogen-Vacancy Center
The coherent control of the orbital state is crucial for color centers in diamonds for realizing extremely low-power manipulation. Here, we propose the neutrally charged nitrogen-vacancy center, NV$^0$, as an ideal system for orbital control through electric fields. We estimate electric susceptibility in the ground state of NV$^0$ to be comparable to that in the excited state of NV$^-$. Also, we demonstrate coherent control of the orbital states of NV$^0$. The required power for orbital control…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17466 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Distributed Estimation and Control for LTI systems under Finite-Time Agreement
This paper considers a strongly connected network of agents, each capable of partially observing and controlling a discrete-time linear time-invariant (LTI) system that is jointly observable and controllable. Additionally, agents collaborate to achieve a shared estimated state, computed as the average of their local state estimates. Recent studies suggest that increasing the number of average consensus steps between state estimation updates allows agents to choose from a wider range of state fe…

Can GPT Improve the State of Prior Authorization via Guideline Based Automated Question Answering?
Shubham Vatsal, Ayush Singh, Shabnam Tafreshi
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.18419 <…

Can GPT Improve the State of Prior Authorization via Guideline Based Automated Question Answering?
Health insurance companies have a defined process called prior authorization (PA) which is a health plan cost-control process that requires doctors and other healthcare professionals to get clearance in advance from a health plan before performing a particular procedure on a patient in order to be eligible for payment coverage. For health insurance companies, approving PA requests for patients in the medical domain is a time-consuming and challenging task. One of those key challenges is validat…

Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State, by Byron Tau, to be published February 27, 2024 sounds like a blast to read, here's an excerpt: https://www.wired.com/story/how-pentagon-l

The minimal control time for the exact controllability by internal controls of 1D linear hyperbolic balance laws
Long Hu, Guillaume Olive
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20113

The minimal control time for the exact controllability by internal controls of 1D linear hyperbolic balance laws
In this article we study the internal controllability of 1D linear hyperbolic balance laws when the number of controls is equal to the number of state variables. The controls are supported in space in an arbitrary open subset. Our main result is a complete characterization of the minimal control time for the exact controllability property.

Very clear language: "Legislation banning the “intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances” swept through the Republican-dominated senate, and will now be considered by the Republican-dominated house, before then being weighed by Tennessee’s Republican governor."
Does this mean Tennessee will shut down all airports in the state, and prosecute anyone flying planes? (Exhaust from turbines and ICE contains various ch…

Very clear language: "Legislation banning the “intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances” swept through the Republican-dominated senate, and will now be considered by the Republican-dominated house, before then being weighed by Tennessee’s Republican governor."
Does this mean Tennessee will shut down all airports in the state, and prosecute anyone flying planes? (Exhaust from turbines and ICE contains various ch…

Learning protocols for the fast and efficient control of active matter
Corneel Casert, Stephen Whitelam
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.18823 https://

Learning protocols for the fast and efficient control of active matter
We show that it is possible to learn protocols that effect fast and efficient state-to-state transformations in simulation models of active particles. By encoding the protocol in the form of a neural network we use evolutionary methods to identify protocols that take active particles from one steady state to another, as quickly as possible or with as little energy expended as possible. Our results show that protocols identified by a flexible neural-network ansatz, which allows the optimization …

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.03893 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

Multimodal Fusion of EMG and Vision for Human Grasp Intent Inference in Prosthetic Hand Control
Objective: For transradial amputees, robotic prosthetic hands promise to regain the capability to perform daily living activities. Current control methods based on physiological signals such as electromyography (EMG) are prone to yielding poor inference outcomes due to motion artifacts, muscle fatigue, and many more. Vision sensors are a major source of information about the environment state and can play a vital role in inferring feasible and intended gestures. However, visual evidence is also…

Unveiling Internet Censorship: Analysing the Impact of Nation States' Content Control Efforts on Internet Architecture and Routing Patterns
Joshua Levett, Vassilios Vassilakis, Poonam Yadav
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.19375

Unveiling Internet Censorship: Analysing the Impact of Nation States' Content Control Efforts on Internet Architecture and Routing Patterns
Heightened interest from nation states to perform content censorship make it evermore critical to identify the impact of censorship efforts on the Internet. We undertake a study of Internet architecture, capturing the state of Internet topology with greater completeness than existing state-of-the-art. We describe our methodology for this, including the tooling we create to collect and process data from a wide range of sources. We analyse this data to find key patterns in nation states with high…

Search for ZZ and ZH production in the $\mathrm{b\bar{b}b\bar{b}}$ final state using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV
CMS Collaboration
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20241

Search for ZZ and ZH production in the $\mathrm{b\bar{b}b\bar{b}}$ final state using proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV
A search for ZZ and ZH production in the $\mathrm{b\bar{b}b\bar{b}}$ final state is presented, where H is the standard model (SM) Higgs boson. The search uses an event sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 133 fb$^{-1}$ collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The analysis introduces several novel techniques for deriving and validating a multi-dimensional background model based on control samples in data. A m…

Controlled Spalling of Single Crystal 4H-SiC Bulk Substrates
Connor P Horn, Christina Wicker, Antoni Wellisz, Cyrus Zeledon, Pavani Vamsi Krishna Nittala, F Joseph Heremans, David D Awschalom, Supratik Guha
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.19716 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.19716
arXiv:2404.19716v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: We detail several scientific and engineering innovations which enable the controlled spalling of 10 - 50 micron thick films of single crystal 4H silicon carbide (4H-SiC) from bulk substrates. 4H-SiC's properties, including high thermal conductivity and a wide bandgap, make it an ideal candidate for high-temperature, high-voltage power electronic devices. Moreover, 4H-SiC has been shown to be an excellent host of solid-state atomic defect qubits for quantum computing and quantum networking. Because 4H-SiC single crystal substrates are expensive (due to long growth times and limited yield), techniques for removal and transfer of layers in the tens-of-microns thickness range are highly desirable for substrate reuse and heterogenous integration of separated layers. In this work we utilize novel approaches for stressor layer thickness control and spalling crack initiation to demonstrate controlled spalling of 4H-SiC, the highest fracture toughness material spalled to date. Additionally, we demonstrate substrate re-use, bonding of the spalled films to carrier substrates, and explore the spin coherence of the spalled films. In preliminary studies we are able to achieve coherent spin control of neutral divacancy ($VV^{0}$) qubit ensembles and measure a spin T2* of 0.581 $\mu$s in such spalled films.

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.00951 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

An internal sensory model allows for balance control based on non-actionable proprioceptive feedback
All motor tasks with a mechanical system (a human body, a rider on a bicycle) that is approximately linear in the part of the state space where it stays most of the time (e.g., upright balance control) have the following property: actionable sensory feedback allows for optimal control actions that are a simple linear combination of the sensory feedback. When only non-actionable sensory feedback is available, optimal control for these approximately linear mechanical systems is based on an intern…

Inverse Optimal Control for Linear Quadratic Tracking with Unknown Target States
Yao Li, Chengpu Yu, Hao Fang, Jie Chen
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17247 ht…

Inverse Optimal Control for Linear Quadratic Tracking with Unknown Target States
This paper addresses the inverse optimal control for the linear quadratic tracking problem with a fixed but unknown target state, which aims to estimate the possible triplets comprising the target state, the state weight matrix, and the input weight matrix from observed optimal control input and the corresponding state trajectories. Sufficient conditions have been provided for the unique determination of both the linear quadratic cost function as well as the target state. A computationally effi…

Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State, by Byron Tau, to be published February 27, 2024 sounds like a blast to read, here's an excerpt: https://www.wired.com/story/how-pentagon-l

Towards Extreme Image Compression with Latent Feature Guidance and Diffusion Prior
Zhiyuan Li, Yanhui Zhou, Hao Wei, Chenyang Ge, Jingwen Jiang
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.18820 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.18820
arXiv:2404.18820v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Compressing images at extremely low bitrates (below 0.1 bits per pixel (bpp)) is a significant challenge due to substantial information loss. Existing extreme image compression methods generally suffer from heavy compression artifacts or low-fidelity reconstructions. To address this problem, we propose a novel extreme image compression framework that combines compressive VAEs and pre-trained text-to-image diffusion models in an end-to-end manner. Specifically, we introduce a latent feature-guided compression module based on compressive VAEs. This module compresses images and initially decodes the compressed information into content variables. To enhance the alignment between content variables and the diffusion space, we introduce external guidance to modulate intermediate feature maps. Subsequently, we develop a conditional diffusion decoding module that leverages pre-trained diffusion models to further decode these content variables. To preserve the generative capability of pre-trained diffusion models, we keep their parameters fixed and use a control module to inject content information. We also design a space alignment loss to provide sufficient constraints for the latent feature-guided compression module. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in terms of both visual performance and image fidelity at extremely low bitrates.

Hillary Clinton is warning about the legality of birth control in the wake of a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that found frozen embryos created through fertility treatments are children under state law.
“They came for abortion first. Now it’s [in vitro fertilization], and next it’ll be birth control,” the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of State said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The extreme right won’t stop trying to exert go…

Hillary Clinton warns birth control is ‘next’ after Alabama IVF ruling
Hillary Clinton is warning about the legality of birth control in the wake of a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court that found frozen embryos created through fertility treatments are children under state law. “They came for abortion first. Now it’s [in vitro fertilization] and next it’ll be birth control,” the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee…

Journalists at Italian state broadcaster RAI plan a 24-hour strike May 6 against "suffocating control" of their work by Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government (Elvira Pollina/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-…

One dimensional models for supercritical and subcritical transitions in rotating convection
Sutapa Mandal, Snehashish Sarkar, Pinaki Pal
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19953

One dimensional models for supercritical and subcritical transitions in rotating convection
Numerous study on natural and man made systems including rotating convection report the phenomena of supercritical and subcritical transitions from one state to another with the variation of relevant control parameters. However, the complexity of the rotating convection system even under the idealized Rayleigh-Bénard geometry, hindered the simplest possible description of these transitions to convection. Here we present an one dimensional description of the stationary subcritical and supercrit…

Full quantum state control of chiral molecules
JuHyeon Lee, Elahe Abdiha, Boris G. Sartakov, Gerard Meijer, Sandra Eibenberger-Arias
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17308

Full quantum state control of chiral molecules
Controlling the internal quantum states of chiral molecules for a selected enantiomer has a wide range of fundamental applications. Using tailored microwave fields, a chosen rotational state can be enriched for a selected enantiomer, even starting from a racemic mixture. This enables rapid switching between samples of different enantiomers in a given state, holding great promise, for instance, for measuring parity violation in chiral molecules. Achieving full enantiomer-specific state transfer …

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.10454 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Maximum principle for a Markovian regime switching system with partial information under model uncertainty
In this paper, we study a stochastic optimal control problem for a Markovian regime switching system, where the coefficients of the state equation and the cost functional are uncertain. First, we obtain the variational inequality by showing the continuity of solutions to variational equations with respect to the uncertainty parameter $θ$. Second, using the linearization and weak convergence techniques, we prove the necessary stochastic maximum principle of the stochastic optimal control. Final…

Breaking the Rules – Important Molecular Pathway for Control of Aging Discovered
https://scitechdaily.com/breaking-the-rules-important-molecular-pathway-for-control-of-aging-discovered/

Breaking the Rules – Important Molecular Pathway for Control of Aging Discovered
Research on the roundworm species C. elegans has demonstrated that disruptions in the transfer of RNA between cells across various tissues can lead to a shortened lifespan. Cells in various tissues interact by sharing RNA molecules. A study conducted by scientists from the State University of Campi

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.15828 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

Robust Quantum Gate Complexity: Foundations
Optimal control of closed quantum systems is a well studied geometrically elegant set of computational theory and techniques that have proven pivotal in the implementation and understanding of quantum computers. The design of a circuit itself corresponds to an optimal control problem of choosing the appropriate set of gates (which appear as control operands) in order to steer a qubit from an initial, easily prepared state, to one that is informative to the user in some sense, for e.g., an oracl…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17569 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_csRO_…

Backpropagation-Based Analytical Derivatives of EKF Covariance for Active Sensing
To enhance accuracy of robot state estimation, perception-aware (or active sensing) methods seek trajectories that minimize uncertainty. To this aim, one possibility is to seek trajectories that minimize the final covariance of an extended Kalman filter (EKF), w.r.t. its control inputs over a given horizon. However, this can be computationally demanding. In this article, we derive novel backpropagation analytical formulas for the derivatives of the final covariance of an EKF w.r.t. its inputs. …

The Electrochemical Transistor: a device based on the Electrochemical control of a polymer Polaronic state. The PCPDT-BT as a case study
Andrea Stefani, Agnese Giacomino, Sara Morandi, Andrea Marchetti, Claudio Fontanesi
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.18492

The Electrochemical Transistor: a device based on the Electrochemical control of a polymer Polaronic state. The PCPDT-BT as a case study
This work presents an original concept directed to implement an unconventional methodology where a device is produced by integrating a solid-state circuitry concept and an electrochemistry cell. In our experimental system an organic semiconductor, (PCPDT-BT), serves both as the gate and working electrode. Gating is obtained via electrochemical polarization exploiting a conventional three electrodes electrochemical cell placed on top of a traditional source/drain/gate solid-state device configur…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.12612 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_eco…

Stochastic Control Barrier Functions for Economics
Control barrier functions (CBFs) and safety-critical control have seen a rapid increase in popularity in recent years, predominantly applied to systems in aerospace, robotics and neural network controllers. Control barrier functions can provide a computationally efficient method to monitor arbitrary primary controllers and enforce state constraints to ensure overall system safety. One area that has yet to take advantage of the benefits offered by CBFs is the field of finance and economics. This…

Distributed Estimation and Control for LTI systems under Finite-Time Agreement
Camilla Fioravanti, Evagoras Makridis, Gabriele Oliva, Maria Vrakopoulou, Themistoklis Charalambous
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17466

Distributed Estimation and Control for LTI systems under Finite-Time Agreement
This paper considers a strongly connected network of agents, each capable of partially observing and controlling a discrete-time linear time-invariant (LTI) system that is jointly observable and controllable. Additionally, agents collaborate to achieve a shared estimated state, computed as the average of their local state estimates. Recent studies suggest that increasing the number of average consensus steps between state estimation updates allows agents to choose from a wider range of state fe…

Meridional Circulation Streamlined
Deepayan Banik, Kristen Menou
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16988 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.16988

Meridional Circulation Streamlined
Time-dependent meridional circulation and differential rotation in radiative zones are central open issues in stellar evolution theory. We streamline this challenging problem using the 'downward control principle' of atmospheric science, under a geostrophic f-plane approximation. New insights emerge from this simplified approach, using pressure as the vertical coordinate. We recover the known stellar physics result that the steady-state meridional circulation decays on the length scale (N/f sqr…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00424 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Policy Iteration Reinforcement Learning Method for Continuous-time Mean-Field Linear-Quadratic Optimal Problem
This paper employs a policy iteration reinforcement learning (RL) method to study continuous-time linear quadratic mean-field control problems in the infinite horizon. The drift and diffusion terms in the dynamics involve the state as well as the control. We investigate the stability and convergence of the RL algorithm using a Lyapunov Recursion. Instead of solving a pair of coupled Riccati equations, the RL technique focuses on strengthening an auxiliary function and the cost functional as the…

Journalists at Italian state broadcaster RAI plan a 24-hour strike May 6 against "suffocating control" of their work by Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government (Elvira Pollina/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.13734 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@a…

Gate-control of superconducting current: mechanisms, parameters and technological potential
In conventional metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics, the logic state of a device is set by a gate voltage (VG). The superconducting equivalent of such effect had remained unknown until it was recently shown that a VG can tune the superconducting current (supercurrent) flowing through a nanoconstriction in a superconductor. This gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS) effect can lead to superconducting logics like CMOS logics, but with lower energy dissipation. The physical mechanism underly…

Digital Twin of Industrial Networked Control System based on Value of Information
Van-Phuc Bui, Daniel Abode, Pedro M. de Sant Ana, Karthik Muthineni, Shashi Raj Pandey, Petar Popovski
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14960

Digital Twin of Industrial Networked Control System based on Value of Information
The paper examines a scenario wherein sensors are deployed within an Industrial Networked Control System, aiming to construct a digital twin (DT) model for a remotely operated Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV). The DT model, situated on a cloud platform, estimates and predicts the system's state, subsequently formulating the optimal scheduling strategy for execution in the physical world. However, acquiring data crucial for efficient state estimation and control computation poses a significant ch…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.02767 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

Parabolic PDE-constrained optimal control under uncertainty with entropic risk measure using quasi-Monte Carlo integration
We study the application of a tailored quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) method to a class of optimal control problems subject to parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) constraints under uncertainty: the state in our setting is the solution of a parabolic PDE with a random thermal diffusion coefficient, steered by a control function. To account for the presence of uncertainty in the optimal control problem, the objective function is composed with a risk measure. We focus on two risk measures, both…

Not to state the obvious, but it’s super awesome that the #Fediverse actually works.
That I can host my little server for myself and wife, and that we can all interoperate with each other in this network where none of us control the whole. That’s worth something, it’s worth a lot!

Continuous Control Reinforcement Learning: Distributed Distributional DrQ Algorithms
Zehao Zhou
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.10645 https://

Continuous Control Reinforcement Learning: Distributed Distributional DrQ Algorithms
Distributed Distributional DrQ is a model-free and off-policy RL algorithm for continuous control tasks based on the state and observation of the agent, which is an actor-critic method with the data-augmentation and the distributional perspective of critic value function. Aim to learn to control the agent and master some tasks in a high-dimensional continuous space. DrQ-v2 uses DDPG as the backbone and achieves out-performance in various continuous control tasks. Here Distributed Distributional…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.15596 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_csDC_…

Distributed Online Rollout for Multivehicle Routing in Unmapped Environments
In this work we consider a generalization of the well-known multivehicle routing problem: given a network, a set of agents occupying a subset of its nodes, and a set of tasks, we seek a minimum cost sequence of movements subject to the constraint that each task is visited by some agent at least once. The classical version of this problem assumes a central computational server that observes the entire state of the system perfectly and directs individual agents according to a centralized control …

“Really the only other dinosaurs howling into the wind about the latest fax machine going extinct due to the internet are [commercial real estate] bagholders, who are of course upset they (god forbid) have to reinvest or change strategies, and continue to clutch pearls hoping the world would revert to a previous state. They of course don’t believe Earth can change (something it’s literally defined by). We’re a free capitalist society and so everyone has to go through the ringer of disruption…

Remote work won, don't let anyone gaslight you to believe otherwise
Bad managers and CRE bagholders lost, competent employees and internet-savvy teams won ...arbitrary authoritarian control over your work-life is so 1900s

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14806 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Variational Dynamic Programming for Stochastic Optimal Control
We consider the problem of stochastic optimal control where the state-feedback control policies take the form of a probability distribution, and where a penalty on the entropy is added. By viewing the cost function as a Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence between two Markov chains, we bring the tools from variational inference to bear on our optimal control problem. This allows for deriving a dynamic programming principle, where the value function is defined as a KL divergence again. We then resor…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.01463 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@ar…

Unraveling the mechanisms of triplet state formation in a heavy-atom free photosensitizer
Triplet excited state generation plays a pivotal role in photosensitizers, however the reliance on transition metals and heavy atoms can limit the utility of these systems. In this study, we demonstrate that an interplay of competing quantum effects control the high triplet quantum yield in a prototypical boron dipyrromethene-anthracene (BD-An) donor-acceptor dyad photosensitizer, which is only captured by an accurate treatment of both inner and outer sphere reorganization energies. Our ab init…

Reinforcement Learning Based Robust Volt/Var Control in Active Distribution Networks With Imprecisely Known Delay
Hong Cheng, Huan Luo, Zhi Liu, Wei Sun, Weitao Li, Qiyue Li
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17268

Reinforcement Learning Based Robust Volt/Var Control in Active Distribution Networks With Imprecisely Known Delay
Active distribution networks (ADNs) incorporating massive photovoltaic (PV) devices encounter challenges of rapid voltage fluctuations and potential violations. Due to the fluctuation and intermittency of PV generation, the state gap, arising from time-inconsistent states and exacerbated by imprecisely known system delays, significantly impacts the accuracy of voltage control. This paper addresses this challenge by introducing a framework for delay adaptive Volt/Var control (VVC) in the presenc…

Californians can scrub personal info sold to advertisers with first-in-US law
In a victory for privacy advocates and consumers, the California governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would enable residents to request that their personal information be deleted from the coffers of all the data brokers in the state.
The bill, SB 362, otherwise known as the Delete Act, was introduced in April 2023 by the state senator Josh Becker in an attempt to give Californians more control over…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.12857 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_csRO_…

Risk-aware Control for Robots with Non-Gaussian Belief Spaces
This paper addresses the problem of safety-critical control of autonomous robots, considering the ubiquitous uncertainties arising from unmodeled dynamics and noisy sensors. To take into account these uncertainties, probabilistic state estimators are often deployed to obtain a belief over possible states. Namely, Particle Filters (PFs) can handle arbitrary non-Gaussian distributions in the robot's state. In this work, we define the belief state and belief dynamics for continuous-discrete PFs an…

Here's their press release from this morning:
Alt text here instead of in images due to length:
NEWS RELEASE Embargoed until April 24, 7:00am PST
Divest From Death USA
Media Contact: Media Liaisons, USC Divest From Death Coalition USCSolidarityOccupation@protonmail.com
USC Divest From Death Coalition to Begin Gaza Solidarity Occupation in University of
Southern California Campus
LOS ANGELES. (April 24, 2023) — USC Divest From Death Coalition today announced theit occupation of USC's Alumni Park, where the increasingly controversial 2024 Commencement is currently set to take place. The students taking part in the Gaza Solidarity Occupation are planning to occupy USC until their demands are met. The coalition joins other students groups across the country in the National Students for Justice in Palestine's "Popular University for Gaza," a coordinated mass movement of students, faculty and staff that disrupts universities, creating climates that push universities to answer community and international calls for full divestment from the Zionist entity, and all of the industries that sustain it.
1. End War Profiteering and Investment in Genocide. USC must fully disclose and divest its finances and endowment from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine, including the US Military and weapons manufacturing. USC must comumit to accountability through full transparency of their financial investments.
2. Complete Academic Boycott of Israel. USC must end its study abroad programs at Hebrew University's Rothenberg International School and Reichman University and sever all academic ties and research cooperation with Israeli universities.
3. Protect free speech on campus and provide full amnesty to all students, staff, and faculty disciplined, penalized, or fired for their pro-Palestine ackivism. USC must abide by their self- proclaimed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion values and implement material policies protecting the safety of its marginalized students.
4. Stop the Displacement, from South Central to Palestine. No land grabs, whether in South Central, Tongva territory, or Palestine. Cease expansion, provide reparations, and support housing for low-income South Central residents. No development by USC without genuine community control.
5. No Policing on Campus. End the targeted repression and harassment of Black, Brown, and Palestinian students and their allies on and off campus, including through university disciplinary processes. Defund the Department of Public Safety and disclose and sever all ties with the LAPD.
6. End the Silence on the Genocide in Palestine. Release a public statement calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, denouncing the ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people, and call on government officials o do so too.
"I'm participating in the Gaza Solidarity Occupation at USC to highlight and amplify the anti- zionist Jewish voice at USC and be in solidarity with the Palestinian fight for liberation," says a student organizer from USC's chapter of Jewish Voices for Palestine (JVP). "JVP USC feels our voice is especially important right now as many people at USC and across the country are equating zionism and Judaism, but we are here to say they are not the same! We stand by our belief of free speech, resistance to oppressive systems and solidarity with our valedictorian Asna and all other college campuses where pro-Palestine voices have been silenced."
The USC Divest From Death Coalition establishes the occupation mo st fundamentally in solidarity with the people of Palestine as they resist genocide and continue in their struggle for liberation. The occupation is also in resistance to attempts by USC and other universities to suppress the student movement for Palestine on its campuses, in resistance to the silencing of students that criticize the state of Israel, in resistance to the university administrators and boards of trustees who profit off the genocide of Palestinians; The students taking part are firm in their commitment to speaking out against the university's complicity in the genocide of the Palestinian people.
"USC's funding of the ongoing genocide perpetuated by the zionist entity is reflective of maintaining imperialist interests abroad, as well as solidifying the shared ideology of amerikan and zionist institutions in preserving racialized oppression," says a student organizer of the Gaza Solidarity Occupation. "To not stand in opposition to the expressly racist violence here and abroad is to ignore the calls for solidarity demanded by the majority of the world. USC acts in accordance with these oppressions, and to call against this is to recognize both the inhumanity of these systems and our own humanity in opposing them."
We have chosen to use the word "occupation” instead of "encampment" to draw attention to USC as an occupying force on unceded Gabrieleno/Tongva land, an occupying force in South Central through its expansion into, gentrification of, and destruction of the existing community, and as a complicit power in Israeli occupation of Palestine.
About USC Divest From Death
In joining the national "Cut Ties with Genocide: Divest from Death" campaign, USC Divest From Death pushes our institutions to divest from companies complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, in all its iterations, alongside thousands of campuses. The coalition's push for the advancement of the key demand points on campus is the first steps towards the liberation of all people by ending the complicity of the University of Southern California in the violence enacted on our communities. Through the intentional act of coalition building, the students of USC realize that we are part of an interconnected fight for freedom taking place on campus, in our communities and homelands. We envision campuses free from militarism, occupation, and war through the implementation of divestment at USC
About Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
The student movement for the liberation of Palestine first began in the 1950s through the formation of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS). From the U.S. to Palestine, GUPS chapters galvanized thousands of students towards a liberated Palestine. The 90s” wave of corrupt politicians and faulty deals changed the liberation movement as we knew it and many institutions, including the student movement, collapsed. In the absence of a Palestinian student movement, organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine emerged across occupied Turtle Island (U.S. and Canada) as a way to educate, advocate, and mobilize in support for Palestinian liberation. Nearly two decades after the formation of the first Students for Justice in Palestine, the movement for Palestine has taken colleges and universities across North America by storm. With over 200 campus Palestine solidarity organizations across the continent, students have been leaders in uplifting demands for freedom, Justice, and equality for the Palestinian people.

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.12612 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_eco…

Stochastic Control Barrier Functions for Economics
Control barrier functions (CBFs) and safety-critical control have seen a rapid increase in popularity in recent years, predominantly applied to systems in aerospace, robotics and neural network controllers. Control barrier functions can provide a computationally efficient method to monitor arbitrary primary controllers and enforce state constraints to ensure overall system safety. One area that has yet to take advantage of the benefits offered by CBFs is the field of finance and economics. This…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.18823 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@…

Learning protocols for the fast and efficient control of active matter
We show that it is possible to learn protocols that effect fast and efficient state-to-state transformations in simulation models of active particles. By encoding the protocol in the form of a neural network we use evolutionary methods to identify protocols that take active particles from one steady state to another, as quickly as possible or with as little energy expended as possible. Our results show that protocols identified by a flexible neural-network ansatz, which allows the optimization …

Data-Adaptive Tradeoffs among Multiple Risks in Distribution-Free Prediction
Drew T. Nguyen, Reese Pathak, Anastasios N. Angelopoulos, Stephen Bates, Michael I. Jordan
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19605

Data-Adaptive Tradeoffs among Multiple Risks in Distribution-Free Prediction
Decision-making pipelines are generally characterized by tradeoffs among various risk functions. It is often desirable to manage such tradeoffs in a data-adaptive manner. As we demonstrate, if this is done naively, state-of-the art uncertainty quantification methods can lead to significant violations of putative risk guarantees. To address this issue, we develop methods that permit valid control of risk when threshold and tradeoff parameters are chosen adaptively. Our methodology supports mon…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08052 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

A Computational Method for $H_2$-optimal Estimator and State Feedback Controller Synthesis for PDEs
In this paper, we present solvable, convex formulations of $H_2$-optimal state estimation and state-feedback control problems for a general class of linear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) with one spatial dimension. These convex formulations are derived by using an analysis and control framework called the `Partial Integral Equation' (PIE) framework, which utilizes the PIE representation of infinite-dimensional systems. Since PIEs are parameterized by Partial Integral (PI) operators that …

Closed-loop training of static output feedback neural network controllers for large systems: A distillation case study
E. M. Turan, J. J\"aschke
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.19309

Closed-loop training of static output feedback neural network controllers for large systems: A distillation case study
The online implementation of model predictive control for constrained multivariate systems has two main disadvantages: it requires an estimate of the entire model state and an optimisation problem must be solved online. These issues have typically been treated separately. This work proposes an integrated approach for the offline training of an output feedback neural network controller in closed loop. Online this neural network controller computers the plant inputs cheaply using noisy measuremen…

To fully grasp the current situation in San Francisco, where venture capitalists are trying to take control of City Hall, you must listen to #Balaji #Srinivasan.
Before you do, steel yourself for what’s to come:
A normal person could easily mistake his rambling train wrecks of thought for a crackpot’s ravi…

The Tech Baron Seeking to “Ethnically Cleanse” San Francisco
If Balaji Srinivasan is any guide, then the Silicon Valley plutocrats are definitely not okay.

Deadzone-Adapted Disturbance Suppression Control for Strict-Feedback Systems
Iasson Karafyllis, Miroslav Krstic, Alexandros Aslanidis
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17222

Deadzone-Adapted Disturbance Suppression Control for Strict-Feedback Systems
In this paper we extend our recently proposed Deadzone-Adapted Disturbance Suppression (DADS) Control approach from systems with matched uncertainties to general systems in parametric strict feedback form. The DADS approach prevents gain and state drift regardless of the size of the disturbance and unknown parameter and achieves an attenuation of the plant output to an assignable small level, despite the presence of persistent disturbances and unknown parameters of arbitrary and unknown bounds.…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.03189 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

Safe Control for Soft-Rigid Robots with Self-Contact using Control Barrier Functions
Incorporating both flexible and rigid components in robot designs offers a unique solution to the limitations of traditional rigid robotics by enabling both compliance and strength. This paper explores the challenges and solutions for controlling soft-rigid hybrid robots, particularly addressing the issue of self-contact. Conventional control methods prioritize precise state tracking, inadvertently increasing the system's overall stiffness, which is not always desirable in interactions with the…

Impact of Computation in Integral Reinforcement Learning for Continuous-Time Control
Wenhan Cao, Wei Pan
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17375 https://

Impact of Computation in Integral Reinforcement Learning for Continuous-Time Control
Integral reinforcement learning (IntRL) demands the precise computation of the utility function's integral at its policy evaluation (PEV) stage. This is achieved through quadrature rules, which are weighted sums of utility functions evaluated from state samples obtained in discrete time. Our research reveals a critical yet underexplored phenomenon: the choice of the computational method -- in this case, the quadrature rule -- can significantly impact control performance. This impact is traced b…

‘Hungry for control’: Kansas House advances ban on gender-affirming care for #trans minors | News From The States
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/…

‘Hungry for control’: Kansas House advances ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors
TOPEKA —  State employees would no longer be able to so much as call transgender children by their chosen pronouns under a bill blocking transgender minors in the state from receiving gender-affirming care. The legislation is barreling toward the governor’s desk. 

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.17675 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Chattering Phenomena in Time-Optimal Control for High-Order Chain-of-Integrators Systems with Full State Constraints
Time-optimal control for high-order chain-of-integrators systems with full state constraints and arbitrary given terminal states remains an open and challenging problem in optimal control theory domain. However, optimal control's behaviors in high-order problems lack of precision characterization, even where the existence of chattering phenomena remain unknown and overlooked. This paper establishes a theoretical framework of chattering phenomena in the problem, focusing on the uniqueness of sta…

Multi-qubit gates and 'Schr\"odinger cat' states in an optical clock
Alec Cao, William J. Eckner, Theodor Lukin Yelin, Aaron W. Young, Sven Jandura, Lingfeng Yan, Kyungtae Kim, Guido Pupillo, Jun Ye, Nelson Darkwah Oppong, Adam M. Kaufman
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16289

Multi-qubit gates and 'Schrödinger cat' states in an optical clock
Many-particle entanglement is a key resource for achieving the fundamental precision limits of a quantum sensor. Optical atomic clocks, the current state-of-the-art in frequency precision, are a rapidly emerging area of focus for entanglement-enhanced metrology. Augmenting tweezer-based clocks featuring microscopic control and detection with the high-fidelity entangling gates developed for atom-array information processing offers a promising route towards leveraging highly entangled quantum sta…

What should the Democrats run on?
Alerting every voter to what is in store for them if the radical right succeeds in its endgame to enchain American democracy.
Lurking behind the full-frontal assault by Donald Trump and his enablers lies a more far-reaching threat.
If the Republicans gain control of both Houses of Congress, expect a state-authorized #Constitutional

Warn Voters About the Radicalism Beyond Trump
The Republicans are plotting to literally rewrite the Constitution to eliminate core rights and protections.

Backpropagation-Based Analytical Derivatives of EKF Covariance for Active Sensing
Jonas Benhamou, Silv\`ere Bonnabel, Camille Chapdelaine
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17569

Backpropagation-Based Analytical Derivatives of EKF Covariance for Active Sensing
To enhance accuracy of robot state estimation, perception-aware (or active sensing) methods seek trajectories that minimize uncertainty. To this aim, one possibility is to seek trajectories that minimize the final covariance of an extended Kalman filter (EKF), w.r.t. its control inputs over a given horizon. However, this can be computationally demanding. In this article, we derive novel backpropagation analytical formulas for the derivatives of the final covariance of an EKF w.r.t. its inputs. …

Data-Adaptive Tradeoffs among Multiple Risks in Distribution-Free Prediction
Drew T. Nguyen, Reese Pathak, Anastasios N. Angelopoulos, Stephen Bates, Michael I. Jordan
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19605

Data-Adaptive Tradeoffs among Multiple Risks in Distribution-Free Prediction
Decision-making pipelines are generally characterized by tradeoffs among various risk functions. It is often desirable to manage such tradeoffs in a data-adaptive manner. As we demonstrate, if this is done naively, state-of-the art uncertainty quantification methods can lead to significant violations of putative risk guarantees. To address this issue, we develop methods that permit valid control of risk when threshold and tradeoff parameters are chosen adaptively. Our methodology supports mon…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.07039 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Time-Optimal Control for High-Order Chain-of-Integrators Systems with Full State Constraints and Arbitrary Terminal States (Part I, Extended Version)
Time-optimal control for high-order chain-of-integrators systems with full state constraints and arbitrary given terminal states remains a challenging problem in the optimal control theory domain, yet to be resolved. To enhance further comprehension of the problem, this paper establishes a novel notation system and theoretical framework, providing the switching manifold for high-order problems in the form of switching laws. Through deriving properties of switching laws on signs and dimension, t…

Multi-qubit gates and 'Schr\"odinger cat' states in an optical clock
Alec Cao, William J. Eckner, Theodor Lukin Yelin, Aaron W. Young, Sven Jandura, Lingfeng Yan, Kyungtae Kim, Guido Pupillo, Jun Ye, Nelson Darkwah Oppong, Adam M. Kaufman
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16289

Multi-qubit gates and 'Schrödinger cat' states in an optical clock
Many-particle entanglement is a key resource for achieving the fundamental precision limits of a quantum sensor. Optical atomic clocks, the current state-of-the-art in frequency precision, are a rapidly emerging area of focus for entanglement-enhanced metrology. Augmenting tweezer-based clocks featuring microscopic control and detection with the high-fidelity entangling gates developed for atom-array information processing offers a promising route towards leveraging highly entangled quantum sta…

Wisconsin lawmakers adopt new legislative maps that could undo gerrymandering
The years-long battle may be finally drawing to a close
Wisconsin lawmakers voted on Tuesday to adopt legislative maps drawn by the Democratic governor, Tony Evers – inching the state closer to undoing the extreme gerrymander that has ensured Republican control of the state for more than a decade.
The pair of votes in the Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate are a sign that the ye…

Coherent control from quantum committment probabilities
Michelle C. Anderson, Amro Dodin, Thomas P. Fay, David T. Limmer
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19533 h…

Coherent control from quantum committment probabilities
We introduce a general definition of a quantum committor in order to clarify reaction mechanisms and facilitate control in processes where coherent effects are important. With a quantum committor, we generalize the notion of a transition state to quantum superpositions and quantify the effect of interference on the progress of the reaction. The formalism is applicable to any linear quantum master equation supporting metastability for which absorbing boundary conditions designating the reactant …

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.13346 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

A Control-Recoverable Added-Noise-based Privacy Scheme for LQ Control in Networked Control Systems
As networked control systems continue to evolve, ensuring the privacy of sensitive data becomes an increasingly pressing concern, especially in situations where the controller is physically separated from the plant. In this paper, we propose a secure control scheme for computing linear quadratic control in a networked control system utilizing two networked controllers, a privacy encoder and a control restorer. Specifically, the encoder generates two state signals blurred with random noise and s…

Universal quantum operations and ancilla-based readout for tweezer clocks
Ran Finkelstein, Richard Bing-Shiun Tsai, Xiangkai Sun, Pascal Scholl, Su Direkci, Tuvia Gefen, Joonhee Choi, Adam L. Shaw, Manuel Endres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16220

Universal quantum operations and ancilla-based readout for tweezer clocks
Enhancing the precision of measurements by harnessing entanglement is a long-sought goal in the field of quantum metrology. Yet attaining the best sensitivity allowed by quantum theory in the presence of noise is an outstanding challenge, requiring optimal probe-state generation and readout strategies. Neutral atom optical clocks, leading systems for measuring time, have shown recent progress in terms of entanglement generation, but currently lack the control capabilities to realize such scheme…

State Space Models as Foundation Models: A Control Theoretic Overview
Carmen Amo Alonso, Jerome Sieber, Melanie N. Zeilinger
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16899

State Space Models as Foundation Models: A Control Theoretic Overview
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in integrating linear state-space models (SSM) in deep neural network architectures of foundation models. This is exemplified by the recent success of Mamba, showing better performance than the state-of-the-art Transformer architectures in language tasks. Foundation models, like e.g. GPT-4, aim to encode sequential data into a latent space in order to learn a compressed representation of the data. The same goal has been pursued by control theor…

Universal quantum operations and ancilla-based readout for tweezer clocks
Ran Finkelstein, Richard Bing-Shiun Tsai, Xiangkai Sun, Pascal Scholl, Su Direkci, Tuvia Gefen, Joonhee Choi, Adam L. Shaw, Manuel Endres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.16220

Universal quantum operations and ancilla-based readout for tweezer clocks
Enhancing the precision of measurements by harnessing entanglement is a long-sought goal in the field of quantum metrology. Yet attaining the best sensitivity allowed by quantum theory in the presence of noise is an outstanding challenge, requiring optimal probe-state generation and readout strategies. Neutral atom optical clocks, leading systems for measuring time, have shown recent progress in terms of entanglement generation, but currently lack the control capabilities to realize such scheme…

Maine has become the latest state to join the 🔸National Popular Vote 🔸compact,
which could transform the way presidents are elected in the United States.
Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have now pledged to award their combined 209 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the nationwide popular vote.
The compact will only go into effect once supporters of the compact control at least 270 votes.
Support for the National Popular Vote compact has gro…

Maine Joins National Popular Vote Compact
In voting news, Maine has become the latest state to join the National Popular Vote compact, which could transform the way presidents are elected in the United States. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have now pledged to award their combined 209 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the nationwide popular vote. The compact will only go into effect once supporters of the compact control at least 270 votes. Support for the National Popular Vote compact has grown in recent yea…

Bootstrapping Guarantees: Stability and Performance Analysis for Dynamic Encrypted Control
Sebastian Schlor, Frank Allg\"ower
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.18571

Bootstrapping Guarantees: Stability and Performance Analysis for Dynamic Encrypted Control
Encrypted dynamic controllers that operate for an unlimited time have been a challenging subject of research. The fundamental difficulty is the accumulation of errors and scaling factors in the internal state during operation. Bootstrapping, a technique commonly employed in fully homomorphic cryptosystems, can be used to avoid overflows in the controller state but can potentially introduce significant numerical errors. In this paper, we analyze dynamic encrypted control with explicit considerat…

Averaged observations and turnpike phenomenon for parameter-dependent systems
Mart\'in Hern\'andez, Martin Lazar, Sebasti\'an Zamorano
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.17455

Averaged observations and turnpike phenomenon for parameter-dependent systems
Our main contribution in this article is the achievement of the turnpike property in its integral and exponential forms for parameter-dependent systems with averaged observations in the cost functional. Namely, under suitable assumptions with respect to the matrices that defined the dynamics and the cost functional, we prove that the optimal control and state for the evolutionary problem converge in average to the optimal pair of an associated stationary problem. Moreover, we characterize the c…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.07091 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_csRO_…

Sim-to-Real gap in RL: Use Case with TIAGo and Isaac Sim/Gym
This paper explores policy-learning approaches in the context of sim-to-real transfer for robotic manipulation using a TIAGo mobile manipulator, focusing on two state-of-art simulators, Isaac Gym and Isaac Sim, both developed by Nvidia. Control architectures are discussed, with a particular emphasis on achieving collision-less movement in both simulation and the real environment. Presented results demonstrate successful sim-to-real transfer, showcasing similar movements executed by an RL-traine…

Special elections flip control of lower house in Democrats’ favor
Special elections for two vacant seats in the Michigan house of representatives flipped control back to Democrats,
who organizers say could use their restored trifecta in the state
to pass legislation protecting voting rights and election administration.
A push to codify voter protections
stalled after two Democratic lawmakers resigned
and the party lost their majority in the House of Repre…

A Control-Recoverable Added-Noise-based Privacy Scheme for LQ Control in Networked Control Systems
Xuening Tang, Xianghui Cao, Wei Xing Zheng
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.13346

A Control-Recoverable Added-Noise-based Privacy Scheme for LQ Control in Networked Control Systems
As networked control systems continue to evolve, ensuring the privacy of sensitive data becomes an increasingly pressing concern, especially in situations where the controller is physically separated from the plant. In this paper, we propose a secure control scheme for computing linear quadratic control in a networked control system utilizing two networked controllers, a privacy encoder and a control restorer. Specifically, the encoder generates two state signals blurred with random noise and s…

Variational Dynamic Programming for Stochastic Optimal Control
Marc Lambert (SIERRA), Silv\`ere Bonnabel (CAOR), Francis Bach (SIERRA)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14806

Variational Dynamic Programming for Stochastic Optimal Control
We consider the problem of stochastic optimal control where the state-feedback control policies take the form of a probability distribution, and where a penalty on the entropy is added. By viewing the cost function as a Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence between two Markov chains, we bring the tools from variational inference to bear on our optimal control problem. This allows for deriving a dynamic programming principle, where the value function is defined as a KL divergence again. We then resor…

Closed-Loop Identification and Tracking Control of a Ballbot
Tobias Fischer, Dimitrios S. Karachalios, Ievgen Zhavzharov, Hossam S. Abbas
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14845

Closed-Loop Identification and Tracking Control of a Ballbot
Identifying and controlling an unstable, underactuated robot to enable reference tracking is a challenging control problem. In this paper, a ballbot (robot balancing on a ball) is used as an experimental setup to demonstrate and test proposed strategies to tackle this control problem. A double-loop control system, including a state-feedback gain in the outer-loop and a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller in the inner-loop, is presented to balance the system in its unstable equilib…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.07039 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Time-Optimal Control for High-Order Chain-of-Integrators Systems with Full State Constraints and Arbitrary Terminal States (Part I, Extended Version)
Time-optimal control for high-order chain-of-integrators systems with full state constraints and arbitrary given terminal states remains a challenging problem in the optimal control theory domain, yet to be resolved. To enhance further comprehension of the problem, this paper establishes a novel notation system and theoretical framework, providing the switching manifold for high-order problems in the form of switching laws. Through deriving properties of switching laws on signs and dimension, t…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16797 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Privacy Preservation by Intermittent Transmission in Cooperative LQG Control Systems
In this paper, we study a cooperative linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control system with a single user and a server. In this system, the user runs a process and employs the server to meet the needs of computation. However, the user regards its state trajectories as privacy. Therefore, we propose a privacy scheme, in which the user sends data to the server intermittently. By this scheme, the server's received information of the user is reduced, and consequently the user's privacy is preserved. …

Expected Time-Optimal Control: a Particle MPC-based Approach via Sequential Convex Programming
Kazuya Echigo, Abhishek Cauligi, Beh\c{c}et A\c{c}{\i}kme\c{s}e
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.16269

Expected Time-Optimal Control: a Particle MPC-based Approach via Sequential Convex Programming
In this paper, we consider the problem of minimum-time optimal control for a dynamical system with initial state uncertainties and propose a sequential convex programming (SCP) solution framework. We seek to minimize the expected terminal (mission) time, which is an essential capability for planetary exploration missions where ground rovers have to carry out scientific tasks efficiently within the mission timelines in uncertain environments. Our main contribution is to convert the underlying st…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.14765 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_qu…

Optimal control in large open quantum systems: the case of transmon readout and reset
We present a framework that combines the adjoint state method together with reverse-time back-propagation to solve prohibitively large open-system quantum control problems. Our approach enables the optimization of arbitrary cost functions with fully general controls applied on large open quantum systems described by a Lindblad master equation. It is scalable, computationally efficient, and has a low memory footprint. We apply this framework to optimize two inherently dissipative operations in s…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02444 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_csRO_…

Autonomous Hook-Based Grasping and Transportation with Quadcopters
Payload grasping and transportation with quadcopters is an active research area that has rapidly developed over the last decade. To grasp a payload without human interaction, most state-of-the-art approaches apply robotic arms that are attached to the quadcopter body. However, due to the large weight and power consumption of these aerial manipulators, their agility and flight time are limited. This paper proposes a motion control and planning method for transportation with a lightweight, passiv…

Policy Gradient-based Model Free Optimal LQG Control with a Probabilistic Risk Constraint
Arunava Naha, Subhrakanti Dey
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16767 ht…

Policy Gradient-based Model Free Optimal LQG Control with a Probabilistic Risk Constraint
In this paper, we investigate a model-free optimal control design that minimizes an infinite horizon average expected quadratic cost of states and control actions subject to a probabilistic risk or chance constraint using input-output data. In particular, we consider linear time-invariant systems and design an optimal controller within the class of linear state feedback control. Three different policy gradient (PG) based algorithms, natural policy gradient (NPG), Gauss-Newton policy gradient (G…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.08302 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Stochastic control problems with state-reflections arising from relaxed benchmark tracking
This paper studies stochastic control problems motivated by optimal consumption with wealth benchmark tracking. The benchmark process is modeled by a combination of a geometric Brownian motion and a running maximum process, indicating its increasing trend in the long run. We consider a relaxed tracking formulation such that the wealth compensated by the injected capital always dominates the benchmark process. The stochastic control problem is to maximize the expected utility of consumption dedu…

Republicans who control the Wisconsin state Senate 💥fired eight more of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees 💥Tuesday, including two Universities of Wisconsin #regents who voted against a deal that limited campus #diversity and four judicial #watchdogs

Wisconsin Republicans fire 8 more Evers appointees, including regents and judicial watchdogs
Republicans who control the state Senate have fired eight more of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' appointees, including two Universities of Wisconsin regents who voted against a deal that limited campus diversity efforts. The Senate voted Tuesday to reject confirming regents Dana Wachs and John Miller. Both voted twice in December to reject a deal UW officials brokered with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos that called for limiting diversity work in exchange for funding for building projects and staff rai…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.06112 has been replaced.
link: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=a

Vision-State Fusion: Improving Deep Neural Networks for Autonomous Robotics
Vision-based deep learning perception fulfills a paramount role in robotics, facilitating solutions to many challenging scenarios, such as acrobatic maneuvers of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and robot-assisted high-precision surgery. Control-oriented end-to-end perception approaches, which directly output control variables for the robot, commonly take advantage of the robot's state estimation as an auxiliary input. When intermediate outputs are estimated and fed to a lower-level c…

Dionysos.jl: a Modular Platform for Smart Symbolic Control
Julien Calbert, Adrien Banse, Beno\^it Legat, Rapha\"el M. Jungers
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14114

Dionysos.jl: a Modular Platform for Smart Symbolic Control
We introduce Dionysos.jl, a modular package for solving optimal control problems for complex dynamical systems using state-of-the-art and experimental techniques from symbolic control, optimization, and learning. More often than not with Cyber-Physical systems, the only sensible way of developing a controller is by discretizing the different variables, thus transforming the control task into a purely combinatorial problem on a finite-state mathematical object, called an abstraction of this syst…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00372 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_mat…

Auxiliary-Variable Adaptive Control Barrier Functions for Safety Critical Systems
This paper studies safety guarantees for systems with time-varying control bounds. It has been shown that optimizing quadratic costs subject to state and control constraints can be reduced to a sequence of Quadratic Programs (QPs) using Control Barrier Functions (CBFs). One of the main challenges in this method is that the CBF-based QP could easily become infeasible under tight control bounds, especially when the control bounds are time-varying. The recently proposed adaptive CBFs have addresse…

Data-Driven Predictive Control with Adaptive Disturbance Attenuation for Constrained Systems
Nan Li, Ilya Kolmanovsky, Hong Chen
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.14935

Data-Driven Predictive Control with Adaptive Disturbance Attenuation for Constrained Systems
In this paper, we propose a novel data-driven predictive control approach for systems subject to time-domain constraints. The approach combines the strengths of H-infinity control for rejecting disturbances and MPC for handling constraints. In particular, the approach can dynamically adapt H-infinity disturbance attenuation performance depending on measured system state and forecasted disturbance level to satisfy constraints. We establish theoretical properties of the approach including robust …

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.07039 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Time-Optimal Control for High-Order Chain-of-Integrators Systems with Full State Constraints and Arbitrary Terminal States (Part I, Extended Version)
Time-optimal control for high-order chain-of-integrators systems with full state constraints and arbitrary given terminal states remains a challenging problem in the optimal control theory domain, yet to be resolved. To enhance further comprehension of the problem, this paper establishes a novel notation system and theoretical framework, providing the switching manifold for high-order problems in the form of switching laws. Through deriving properties of switching laws on signs and dimension, t…

Design And Flight Testing Of LQRi Attitude Control For Quadcopter UAV
Astik Srivastava, S. Indu, Richa Sharma
https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.12261 https://

Design And Flight Testing Of LQRi Attitude Control For Quadcopter UAV
This paper presents the design, implementation, and flight test results of linear quadratic integral regulator (LQRi) based attitude control for a quadcopter UAV. We present the derivation of the mathematical model for the kinematics and dynamics of the UAV, along with the linearized state space representation of the system about hover conditions. LQR and LQRi controllers are then designed to stabilize the UAV in hover conditions and to track desired attitude commands. The controllers are then …

How activists blur the lines between birth control and abortion
The national debate over #IVF, unfolding after an #Alabama court decision prompted multiple clinics in the state to halt operations, prompts a question:
What might be next?
Could other fertility treatments and even birth control be under thr…

How activists blur the lines between birth control and abortion
Contraception, like IVF, poses problems for those claiming personhood begins at conception.

Data-Driven Sliding Mode Control for Partially Unknown Nonlinear Systems
Jianglin Lan, Xianxian Zhao, Congcong Sun
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16136 https:/…

Data-Driven Sliding Mode Control for Partially Unknown Nonlinear Systems
This paper introduces a new design method for data-driven control of nonlinear systems with partially unknown dynamics and unknown bounded disturbance. Since it is not possible to achieve exact nonlinearity cancellation in the presence of unknown disturbance, this paper adapts the idea of sliding mode control (SMC) to ensure system stability and robustness without assuming that the nonlinearity goes to zero faster than the state as in the existing methods. The SMC consists of a data-dependent r…

This https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.02485 has been replaced.
initial toot: https://mastoxiv.page/@arXiv_ees…

Computationally Efficient Chance Constrained Covariance Control with Output Feedback
This paper studies the problem of developing computationally efficient solutions for steering the distribution of the state of a stochastic, linear dynamical system between two boundary Gaussian distributions in the presence of chance-constraints on the state and control input. It is assumed that the state is only partially available through a measurement model corrupted with noise. The filtered state is reconstructed with a Kalman filter, the chance constraints are reformulated as difference o…

Wisconsin Democrats are inching closer to overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps that the GOP has used over the past 13 years to grow their majorities and advance their agenda.
At issue in battleground Wisconsin are the boundaries for state Assembly and Senate districts in a purple state where Republicans have held a firm grip on control of the Legislature even as Democrats have notched significant statewide wins.
Republicans drew the lines in 2011 and Democratic court cha…

Wisconsin Democrats inch closer to overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps
Wisconsin Democrats are inching closer to overturning Republican-drawn legislative maps that the GOP have used to grow their majorities and advance their agenda over the past 13 years. Wisconsin is a purple state where Republicans have held a firm grip on control of the Legislature even as Democrats have notched significant statewide wins in recent years. But the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court is nearing the release of new maps that will reduce Republican power. Republicans are vowi…

Rapid nonlinear convex guidance via overparameterized monomial coordinates and fundamental solution expansions
Ethan R. Burnett, Francesco Topputo
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19324

Rapid nonlinear convex guidance via overparameterized monomial coordinates and fundamental solution expansions
This paper introduces a framework by which the nonlinear trajectory optimization problem is posed as a path-planning problem in a space liberated of dynamics. In this space, general state constraints for continuous and impulsive control problems are encoded as linear constraints on the native overparameterized variables. This framework is enabled by nonlinear expansion in the vicinity of a reference in terms of fundamental solutions and a minimal nonlinear basis of mixed monomials in problem in…

Privacy Preservation by Intermittent Transmission in Cooperative LQG Control Systems
Wenhao Lin, Yuqing Ni, Wen Yang, Chao Yang
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16797

Privacy Preservation by Intermittent Transmission in Cooperative LQG Control Systems
In this paper, we study a cooperative linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control system with a single user and a server. In this system, the user runs a process and employs the server to meet the needs of computation. However, the user regards its state trajectories as privacy. Therefore, we propose a privacy scheme, in which the user sends data to the server intermittently. By this scheme, the server's received information of the user is reduced, and consequently the user's privacy is preserved. …

Observer-Based Environment Robust Control Barrier Functions for Safety-critical Control with Dynamic Obstacles
Ying Shuai Quan, Jian Zhou, Erik Frisk, Chung Choo Chung
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.13288

Observer-Based Environment Robust Control Barrier Functions for Safety-critical Control with Dynamic Obstacles
This paper proposes a safety-critical controller for dynamic and uncertain environments, leveraging a robust environment control barrier function (ECBF) to enhance the robustness against the measurement and prediction uncertainties associated with moving obstacles. The approach reduces conservatism, compared with a worst-case uncertainty approach, by incorporating a state observer for obstacles into the ECBF design. The controller, which guarantees safety, is achieved through solving a quadrati…

State-Augmented Linear Games with Antagonistic Error for High-Dimensional, Nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi Reachability
Will Sharpless, Yat Tin Chow, Sylvia Herbert
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16982

State-Augmented Linear Games with Antagonistic Error for High-Dimensional, Nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi Reachability
Hamilton-Jacobi Reachability (HJR) is a popular method for analyzing the liveness and safety of a dynamical system with bounded control and disturbance. The corresponding HJ value function offers a robust controller and characterizes the reachable sets, but is traditionally solved with Dynamic Programming (DP) and limited to systems of dimension less than six. Recently, the space-parallelizeable, generalized Hopf formula has been shown to also solve the HJ value with a nearly three-log increase…

Minimal Constraint Violation Probability in Model Predictive Control for Linear Systems
Michael Fink, Tim Br\"udigam, Dirk Wollherr, Marion Leibold
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.10538

Minimal Constraint Violation Probability in Model Predictive Control for Linear Systems
Handling uncertainty in model predictive control comes with various challenges, especially when considering state constraints under uncertainty. Most methods focus on either the conservative approach of robustly accounting for uncertainty or allowing a small probability of constraint violation. In this work, we propose a linear model predictive control approach that minimizes the probability that linear state constraints are violated in the presence of additive uncertainty. This is achieved by …

Adaptive Dual Covariance Steering with Active Parameter Estimation
Jacob W. Knaup, Panagiotis Tsiotras
https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.15590 https://

Adaptive Dual Covariance Steering with Active Parameter Estimation
This work examines the optimal covariance steering problem for systems subject to unknown parameters that enter multiplicatively with the state and control, in addition to additive disturbances. In contrast to existing works, the unknown parameters are modeled as random variables and are estimated online. This work proposes the utilization of recursive least squares estimation for efficient parameter identification. A dual control problem is formulated in which the effect of the planned control…