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A global view of power system's frequency behavior opens up a new window for analyzing system's dynamics. With the aid of global positioning system, measurements from different locations would have synchronous time; therefore a system-wide observation and analysis would be possible. As part of the US-wide power frequency monitoring network project this paper focus on simulation study results of power frequency dynamics of the Eastern U.S. system. The study assesses the frequency measurement accuracy needed to observe frequency dynamics from events such as remote generation drops. Electromechanical-wave propagation phenomena during system disturbances have been observed. The speeds of electromechanical-wave propagation in different areas of the U.S. systems were estimated and their characteristics were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we define a class of graph grammars that can be used to model and direct concurrent robotic self-assembly and similar self-organizing processes. We give several detailed examples of the formalism and then focus on the problem of synthesizing a grammar so that it generates a given, prespecified assembly. In particular, to generate an acyclic graph we synthesize a binary grammar (rules involve at most two parts), and for a general graph we synthesize a ternary grammar (rules involve at most three parts). In both cases, we characterize the number of concurrent steps required to achieve the assembly. We also show a general result that implies that no binary grammar can generate a unique stable assembly. We conclude the paper with a discussion of how graph grammars can be used to direct the self-assembly of robotic parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses papers published in the special section of "IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control" which focuses on symbolic methods for complex control systems in the June 2006 issue. Two papers which focuses on the study of the problem of control using strings of symbolic control languages, maneuver automata, or control quanta are presented. Another study conducted by Paulo Tabuada examines the problem of producing finite models of continuous systems, by constructing models that contain only a finite number of the possible trajectories.

The article reports on issues and topics related to the management of medical information systems in the U.S. Efforts have long been undertaken to create a comprehensive system of electronic medical records. According to its supporters, the use of electronic systems to store and retrieve valuable medical records could save lives and cut health care costs. The endeavor is primarily a private sector effort that has the support of and some funding from the federal government. Once completed, it will replace paper-based files with a digital record containing the complete medical history of a patient.

The article focuses on the database problems of Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) which requires election officials in the U.S. to replace old paper-based voting machines with new electronic equipment. HAVA does not require the state to keep registrants off the rolls if the registration information and data of the voter is different from other data. Also, the study made by the Board of Elections in New York City found that 20 percent of the records failed to match due to typographical errors created by election officials. In March 2006, the Brennan Center for Justice published a study stating that the new HAVA-required databases holds the names of all registrants, however, mismatch problems were found on new voters and those who have changed their name and relocated.

The article discusses career path in academics. Academic tenures in the United States require combination of research, teaching and service in administrative committees. In getting tenure, most young professors get to know about writing research grant proposals, publishing conference papers and journals, teaching multiple courses, advising graduate students and joining school committees and organizations. Richard J. Radke of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York points out that the process can be very stressful and intimidating, but it offers flexibility and has its rewards.

The problem of efficiently steering dynamical systems by generating input plans is considered. Plans are considered which consist of finite-length words constructed on an alphabet of input symbols, which could be, e.g., transmitted through a limited capacity channel to a remote system, where they can be decoded in suitable control actions. Efficiency is considered in terms of the computational complexity of plans, and in terms of their description length (in number of bits). We show that, by suitable choice of the control encoding, finite plans can be efficiently built for a wide class of dynamical systems, computing arbitrarily close approximations of a desired equilibrium in polynomial time. The paper also investigates how the efficiency of planning is affected by the choice of inputs, and provides some results as to optimal performance in terms of accuracy and range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the synthesis of control laws for piecewise-affine hybrid systems on simplices. The construction is based on the solution to the control-to-facet problem at the continuous level, and on dynamic programming at the discrete level. The construction is given as an explicit algorithm using only linear algebra and reach-set computations for automata; no numerical integration is required. The method is conservative, in that it may fail to find a control law where one exists, but one cannot hope for a sharp algorithm for control synthesis since reachability for piece- wise-affine hybrid systems is undecidable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combinatorial optimization over continuous and integer variables is a useful tool for solving complex optimal control problems of hybrid dynamical systems formulated in discrete- time. Current approaches are based on mixed-integer linear (or quadratic) programming (MIP), which provides the solution after solving a sequence of relaxed linear (or quadratic) programs. MIP formulations require the translation of the discrete/logic part of the hybrid problem into mixed-integer inequalities. Although this operation can be done automatically, most of the original symbolic structure of the problem (e.g., transition functions of finite state machines, logic constraints, symbolic variables, etc.) is lost during the conversion, with a consequent loss of computational performance. In this paper, we attempt to overcome such a difficulty by combining numerical techniques for solving convex programming problems with symbolic techniques for solving constraint satisfaction problems (CSP). The resulting ‘hybrid’ solver proposed here takes advantage of CSP solvers for dealing with satisfiability of logic constraints very efficiently. We propose a suitable model of the hybrid dynamics and a class of optimal control problems that embrace both symbolic and continuous variables/functions, and that are tailored to the use of the new hybrid solver. The superiority in terms of computational performance with respect to commercial MIP solvers is shown on a centralized supply chain management problem with uncertain forecast demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an approach to the control of continuous systems through the use of symbolic models describing the system behavior only at a finite number of points in the state space. These symbolic models can be seen as abstract representations of the continuous dynamics enabling the use of algorithmic controller design methods. We identify a class of linear control systems for which the loss of information incurred by working with symbolic subsystems can be compensated by feedback. We also show how to transform symbolic controllers designed for a symbolic subsystem mb controllers for the original system. The resulting controllers combine symbolic controller dynamics with continuous feedback control laws and can thus be seen as hybrid systems. Furthermore, if the symbolic controller already accounts for software/hardware requirements, the hybrid controller is guaranteed to enforce the desired specifications by construction thereby reducing the need for formal verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the controversy with regard to the implementation and enforcement of the United States Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Implications of the act for free inquiry and fair use of copyrighted materials; Challenge posed by a technical paper that circumvent copyright protection measures; Lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The article reports on the release of the Climate Change Technology Strategic Program Plan by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE paper evaluates prospects for all relevant greenhouse-gas mitigation technologies and identifies the various sources of government support for development of the technologies. The climate technology plan represents the first time that federal spending on greenhouse-mitigation technology has been detailed and compiled into a complete plan. Stephen Eule, director of the DOE program, said that the plan is intended to fulfill U.S. President George W. Bush's goal to reduce greenhouse gas intensity. Representative Sherwood Boehlert stated that the plan provides thoughtful and comprehensive review of existing programs and of possible aims for the future.

The author reflects on major developments in the history of Kodak camera and the company Eastman Kodak. Topics mentioned include the awarding of the U.S. Patent Number 388,850 for the Kodak camera on September 4, 1988, the introduction of safety film made of cellulose acetate in 1908, the sales success of the Kodak Instamatic in 1970, and the company's filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012.

Reports on the final plan of the United States Department of Commerce to remove itself from the process of assigning numbers and domain names for the Internet. Controversy of some contents of its Green Paper proposal; Web site for those who wish to join a domain-name summit.

Reports on the US National Research Council's summary of the main conclusions of its reports on science and technology policies. Issues addressed at the papers; Information on the availability of the summaries.