Search results for "Computer network"
showing 10 items of 1634 documents
Meeting the environmental challenge of port growth: A critical appraisal of the contingent valuation method and an application to Valencia Port, Spain
2012
In order to support effective policy-making, this research is aimed to emphasise the need of measuring the negative impact - or external costs - resulting from port growth. Considering the non-market nature of these external costs, a critical appraisal of the Contingent Valuation method is made paying special attention to the problem of hypothetical bias and the suitability of a willingness to accept (WTA) scenario for damage assessment. Finally, the results of a case study, conducted in Valencia (Spain), are presented with the intention of paving the way for future research in this specific context of port growth and negative externalities. In particular, results indicate that the average …
Port–City Relationship and the Environment: Literature Survey and Methodological Approach for Project Appraisal in Presence of Environmental External…
2015
AbstractIn times of increasing environmental awareness, the port–city relationship has gained new meaning because ports have been seen as the origin of both negative and positive externalities affecting public welfare. While the former are the result of port expansion, the latter are the result of transforming obsolete port areas into recreational facilities. Therefore, to support effective policymaking, this paper considers the following question: What is the scope of economic valuation of these externalities in the context of port-project appraisal? Considering their nonmarket nature, which makes economic valuation more difficult, a contingent valuation method is introduced as an economic…
The nonmarket benefits of redeveloping dockland areas for recreational purposes: the case of Castellón, Spain
2003
As a consequence of the decline of central harbour sites and the relocation of port activities to the outskirts of cities, today waterfront redevelopment has become a key issue in the urban revitalisation policies of port cities. Although we are aware that city-port regeneration has strong links with the real estate market, our purpose here is very different. In particular, the contingent valuation method (CVM) has been applied in order to obtain the nonmarket benefits of the environmental and urban improvements derived from redeveloping some port-related areas for recreational and leisure purposes in the city of Castelloèn, Spain. To date, no previous study has attempted to apply this meth…
A non-supervised approach to locate and to measure the nuchal translucency by means of wavelet analysis and neural networks
2017
Ultrasound imaging is a well known noninvasive way to evaluate various diseases during the prenatal age. In particular, the thickness measure of the nuchal transucency is strictly correlated with pathologies like trisomy 13, 18 and 21. For a correct investigation, the methodology needs mid-sagittal sections and the proposed approach is based on wavelet analysis and neural network classifiers to locate components useful to identify mid-sagittal planes. To evaluate the performance and the robustness of the methodology, real clinical ultrasound images were considered, obtaining an average error of at most 0.3 millimeters in 97.4% of the cases.
A New Platform for Automatic Bottom-Up Electric Load Aggregation
2017
In this paper, a new virtual framework for load aggregation in the context of the liberalized energy market is proposed. Since aggregation is managed automatically through a dedicated platform, the purchase of energy can be carried out without intermediation as it happens in peer-to-peer energy transaction models. Differently from what was done before, in this new framework, individual customers can join a load aggregation program through the proposed aggregation platform. Through the platform, their features are evaluated and they are clustered according to their reliability and to the width of range of regulation allowed. The simulations show the deployment of an effective clustering and …
Robust fault tolerant tracking controller design for a VTOL aircraft
2013
This paper deals with the fault tolerant control (FTC) design for a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft subject to external disturbances and actuator faults. The aim is to synthesize a fault tolerant controller ensuring trajectory tracking for the nonlinear uncertain system represented by a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) model. In order to design the FTC law, a proportional integral observer (PIO) is adopted which estimate both of the faults and the faulty system states. Based on the Lyapunov theory and ℓ2 optimization, the trajectory tracking performance and the stability of the closed loop system are analyzed. Sufficient conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMI). …
Robust l2-gain control for 2D nonlinear stochastic systems with time-varying delays and actuator saturation
2013
Abstract This paper is concerned with the problems of stability analysis and l2-gain control for a class of two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear stochastic systems with time-varying delays and actuator saturation. Firstly, a convex hull representation is used to describe the saturation behavior, and a sufficient condition for the existence of mean-square exponential stability of the considered system is derived. Then, a state feedback controller which guarantees the resulting closed-loop system to be mean-square exponentially stable with l2-gain performance is proposed, and an optimization procedure to maximize the estimation of domain of attraction is also given. All the obtained results are for…
Multi-user interference mitigation under limited feedback requirements for WCDMA systems with base station cooperation
2016
One of the techniques that has been recently identified for dealing with multi-user interference (MUI) in future communications systems is base station (BS) cooperation or joint processing. However, perfect MUI cancellation with this technique demands severe synchronization requirements, perfect and global channel state information (CSI), and an increased backhaul and signaling overhead. In this paper, we consider a more realistic layout with the aim of mitigating the MUI, where only local CSI is available at the BSs. Due to synchronization inaccuracies and errors in the channel estimation, the system becomes partially asynchronous. In the downlink of wideband code division multiple access …
How and when do mobile media demands impact well-being? Explicating the integrative model of mobile media use and need experiences (IM3UNE)
2021
Using mobile media can be both detrimental and beneficial for well-being. Thus, explaining how and when they elicit such effects is of crucial importance. To explicate boundary conditions and processes for digital well-being, this article introduces the Integrative Model of Mobile Media Use and Need Experiences (IM³UNE). Instead of assuming mobile media to be pathogenic, the IM³UNE offers a salutogenic perspective—it focuses on how we can stay healthy when using mobile media ubiquitously in daily life. More specifically, the model assumes that both the satisfaction and the frustration of basic psychological needs are key underlying mechanisms linking demanding mobile media use to well-being…
Unauthorized copying of software and levels of moral development: a literature analysis and its implications for research and practice
2004
. Several approaches for and against the unauthorized copying of software have been proposed. These approaches can be divided into two categories: moral reasoning and solution. These categories of approaches to unauthorized copying of software are scrutinized in the light of Kohlberg's theory of Cognitive Moral Development. The results suggest that most approaches presenting solutions to unauthorized copying of software have focused attention on the lower levels of moral development, while approaches at the highest stage are few and far between. No single approach covers all the stages of moral development. The implications of this analysis for practice and research are discussed.