Road Pricing Design Based on Game Theory and Multi-agent Consensus

Consensus theory and noncooperative game theory respectively deal with cooperative and noncooperative interactions among multiple players/agents. They provide a natural framework for road pricing design, since each motorist may myopically optimize his or her own utility as a function of road price and collectively communicate with his or her friends and neighbors on traffic situation at the same time. This paper considers the road pricing design by using game theory and consensus theory. For the case where a system supervisor broadcasts information on the overall system to each agent, we present a variant of standard fictitious play called average strategy fictitious play(ASFP) for large-scale repeated congestion games.Only a weighted running average of all other players actions is assumed to be available to each player. The ASFP reduces the burden of both information gathering and information processing for each player. Compared to the joint strategy fictitious play(JSFP) studied in the literature, the updating process of utility functions for each player is avoided. We prove that there exists at least one pure strategy Nash equilibrium for the congestion game under investigation, and the players actions generated by the ASFP with inertia(players reluctance to change their previous actions) converge to a Nash equilibrium almost surely. For the case without broadcasting, a consensus protocol is introduced for individual agents to estimate the percentage of players choosing each resource, and the convergence property of players action profile is still ensured. The results are applied to road pricing design to achieve socially local optimal trip timing. Simulation results are provided based on the real traffic data for the Singapore case study.

Quantitative Comparison of Partitioned-Stator Machines for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

In this paper,three partitioned-stator(PS)machines,namely the PS flux-switching DC-field(PS-FSDC)machine,the PS-FS hybrid-excitation(PS-FSHE)machine,and the flux adjuster FS permanent-magnet(FA-FSPM)machine are proposed.With different flux-regulating mechanisms,all three proposed machines can offer satisfactory flux-weakening capabilities for wide-speed range operations.Unlike the traditional PS machine that installs the armature windings and the excitation sources in the outer-stator and inner-stator,respectively;the proposed machines purposely swap the installation arrangements.Upon the proposed structure,the FA-FSPM machine can fully utilize the stator core for PM material accommodations.As a result,excellent power and torque densities can be achieved.To verify the proposed concepts,these three PS machines are quantitatively compared based on the hybrid electric vehicle(HEV)specifications.

Diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections in children and elderly populations

Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection is associated with various gastric and extra-gastric diseases.Importantly,this infection is the strongest known risk factor for gastric cancer(GC).H.pylori eradication can effectively prevent H.pylori infectionassociated diseases in H.pylori-positive patients,including children and elderly subjects.However,a limited selection of antibiotics,a higher reinfection rate,and certain spontaneous clearance rates,to some extent,restrict the choice of H.pylori treatments in pediatrics.In addition,it is imperative to perform an accurate diagnosis of H.pylori infection in children by determining the presence of the H.pylori infection and the underlying cause of symptoms.In elderly patients,poor tolerance to drugs and higher sensitivity to adverse effects are major concerns during H.pylori therapy.Recent studies have demonstrated that H.pylori eradication could significantly lower the GC risk in the elderly population.The benefit and risk of H.pylori eradication in elderly patients should be comprehensively considered and balanced.If available,susceptibility-based tailored therapies may be preferable in eradicating H.pylori.In addition,to increase the eradication rate and reduce adverse effects,new therapeutic strategies(e.g.,probiotic supplementation,berberine supplementation,dual therapy)for H.pylori infection are being extensively investigated.The impact of H.pylori eradication with antibiotics on the microbiota in children has been explored,but further high-quality studies are crucial to delineate the extent of H.pylori eradication affecting the microbial community in children.In this review,we summarize the current understanding of H.pylori diagnosis and treatment in children and the elderly population and aim to provide insights into the efficient management and treatment implementation in these populations.