Consensus problems of first-order dynamic multi-agent systems with multiple time delays

Consensus problems of first-order multi-agent systems with multiple time delays are investigated in this paper. We discuss three cases： 1） continuous, 2） discrete, and 3） a continuous system with a proportional plus derivative controller. In each case, the system contains simultaneous communication and input time delays. Supposing a dynamic multi-agent system with directed topology that contains a globally reachable node, the sufficient convergence condition of the system is discussed with respect to each of the three cases based on the generalized Nyquist criterion and the frequency-domain analysis approach, yielding conclusions that are either less conservative than or agree with previously published results. We know that the convergence condition of the system depends mainly on each agent’s input time delay and the adjacent weights but is independent of the communication delay between agents, whether the system is continuous or discrete. Finally, simulation examples are given to verify the theoretical analysis.

Consensus of high-order dynamic multi-agent systems with switching topology and time-varying delays

This paper studies the consensus problems for a group of agents with switching topology and time-varying communication delays, where the dynamics of agents is modeled as a high-order integrator. A linear distributed consensus protocol is proposed, which only depends on the agent＇s own information and its neighbors＇ partial information. By introducing a decomposition of the state vector and performing a state space transformation, the closed-loop dynamics of the multi-agent system is converted into two decoupled subsystems. Based on the decoupled subsystems, some sufficient conditions for the convergence to consensus are established, which provide the upper bounds on the admissible communication delays. Also, the explicit expression of the consensus state is derived. Moreover, the results on the consensus seeking of the group of high-order agents have been extended to a network of agents with dynamics modeled as a completely controllable linear time-invariant system. It is proved that the convergence to consensus of this network is equivalent to that of the group of high-order agents. Finally, some numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the main results.

Stability of General Linear Dynamic Multi-Agent Systems under Switching Topologies with Positive Real Eigenvlues

The time-varying network topology can significantly affect the stability of multi-agent systems.This paper examines the stability of leader-follower multi-agent systems with general linear dynamics and switching network topologies,which have applications in the platooning of connected vehicles.The switching interaction topology is modeled as a class of directed graphs in order to describe the information exchange between multi-agent systems,where the eigenvalues of every associated matrix are required to be positive real.The Hurwitz criterion and the Riccati inequality are used to design a distributed control law and estimate the convergence speed of the closed-loop system.A sufficient condition is provided for the stability of multi-agent systems under switching topologies.A common Lyapunov function is formulated to prove closed-loop stability for the directed network with switching topologies.The result is applied to a typical cyber-physical system—that is,a connected vehicle platoon—which illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

UAV-Assisted Dynamic Avatar Task Migration for Vehicular Metaverse Services: A Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Avatars, as promising digital representations and service assistants of users in Metaverses, can enable drivers and passengers to immerse themselves in 3D virtual services and spaces of UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses. However, avatar tasks include a multitude of human-to-avatar and avatar-to-avatar interactive applications, e.g., augmented reality navigation,which consumes intensive computing resources. It is inefficient and impractical for vehicles to process avatar tasks locally. Fortunately, migrating avatar tasks to the nearest roadside units(RSU)or unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) for execution is a promising solution to decrease computation overhead and reduce task processing latency, while the high mobility of vehicles brings challenges for vehicles to independently perform avatar migration decisions depending on current and future vehicle status. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel avatar task migration system based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) to execute immersive vehicular avatar tasks dynamically. Specifically, we first formulate the problem of avatar task migration from vehicles to RSUs/UAVs as a partially observable Markov decision process that can be solved by MADRL algorithms. We then design the multi-agent proximal policy optimization(MAPPO) approach as the MADRL algorithm for the avatar task migration problem. To overcome slow convergence resulting from the curse of dimensionality and non-stationary issues caused by shared parameters in MAPPO, we further propose a transformer-based MAPPO approach via sequential decision-making models for the efficient representation of relationships among agents. Finally, to motivate terrestrial or non-terrestrial edge servers(e.g., RSUs or UAVs) to share computation resources and ensure traceability of the sharing records, we apply smart contracts and blockchain technologies to achieve secure sharing management. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the MAPPO approach by around 2% and effectively reduces approximately 20% of the latency of avatar task execution in UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses.

MADDPG-D2: An Intelligent Dynamic Task Allocation Algorithm Based on Multi-Agent Architecture Driven by Prior Knowledge

Aiming at the problems of low solution accuracy and high decision pressure when facing large-scale dynamic task allocation(DTA)and high-dimensional decision space with single agent,this paper combines the deep reinforce-ment learning(DRL)theory and an improved Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(MADDPG-D2)algorithm with a dual experience replay pool and a dual noise based on multi-agent architecture is proposed to improve the efficiency of DTA.The algorithm is based on the traditional Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(MADDPG)algorithm,and considers the introduction of a double noise mechanism to increase the action exploration space in the early stage of the algorithm,and the introduction of a double experience pool to improve the data utilization rate;at the same time,in order to accelerate the training speed and efficiency of the agents,and to solve the cold-start problem of the training,the a priori knowledge technology is applied to the training of the algorithm.Finally,the MADDPG-D2 algorithm is compared and analyzed based on the digital battlefield of ground and air confrontation.The experimental results show that the agents trained by the MADDPG-D2 algorithm have higher win rates and average rewards,can utilize the resources more reasonably,and better solve the problem of the traditional single agent algorithms facing the difficulty of solving the problem in the high-dimensional decision space.The MADDPG-D2 algorithm based on multi-agent architecture proposed in this paper has certain superiority and rationality in DTA.

Robust adaptive leaderless consensus of unknown non-minimum phase linear multi-agent systems subject to disturbances and/or unmodeled dynamics

This article investigates the problem of robust adaptive leaderless consensus for heterogeneous uncertain nonminimumphase linear multi-agent systems over directed communication graphs. Each agent is assumed tobe of unknown nominal dynamics and also subject to external disturbances and/or unmodeled dynamics. Anovel distributed robust adaptive control strategy is proposed. It is shown that the robust adaptive leaderlessconsensus problem is solved with the proposed control strategy under some sufficient conditions. Two examplesare provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control strategy.

Dynamic Event-Triggered Consensus Control for Input Constrained Multi-Agent Systems With a Designable Minimum Inter-Event Time

This paper investigates the consensus control of multi-agent systems(MASs) with constrained input using the dynamic event-triggered mechanism(ETM).Consider the MASs with small-scale networks where a centralized dynamic ETM with global information of the MASs is first designed.Then,a distributed dynamic ETM which only uses local information is developed for the MASs with large-scale networks.It is shown that the semi-global consensus of the MASs can be achieved by the designed bounded control protocol where the Zeno phenomenon is eliminated by a designable minimum inter-event time.In addition,it is easier to find a trade-off between the convergence rate and the minimum inter-event time by an adjustable parameter.Furthermore,the results are extended to regional consensus of the MASs with the bounded control protocol.Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Multi-Agent Dynamic Area Coverage Based on Reinforcement Learning with Connected Agents

Dynamic area coverage with small unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)systems is one of the major research topics due to limited payloads and the difficulty of decentralized decision-making process.Collaborative behavior of a group of UAVs in an unknown environment is another hard problem to be solved.In this paper,we propose a method for decentralized execution of multi-UAVs for dynamic area coverage problems.The proposed decentralized decision-making dynamic area coverage(DDMDAC)method utilizes reinforcement learning(RL)where each UAV is represented by an intelligent agent that learns policies to create collaborative behaviors in partially observable environment.Intelligent agents increase their global observations by gathering information about the environment by connecting with other agents.The connectivity provides a consensus for the decision-making process,while each agent takes decisions.At each step,agents acquire all reachable agents’states,determine the optimum location for maximal area coverage and receive reward using the covered rate on the target area,respectively.The method was tested in a multi-agent actor-critic simulation platform.In the study,it has been considered that each UAV has a certain communication distance as in real applications.The results show that UAVs with limited communication distance can act jointly in the target area and can successfully cover the area without guidance from the central command unit.

Dynamic Target Enclosing Control Scheme for Multi-Agent Systems via a Signed Graph-Based Approach

Dear Editor,This letter investigates the target enclosing control problem of multi-agent systems.A signed graph-based control strategy is presented,where the agents are steered to enclose the dynamic target from both sides as they move.This is inspired by the phenomenon that signed networks exhibit bipartite clustering if the underlying graph is structurally balanced,so that the agents may naturally enclose the zero point from opposite sides(+and.)if proper controllers are applied.By adopting a distributed observer to estimate the information of dynamic target。

基于Multi-Agent的无人机集群体系自主作战系统设计

针对无人集群自主作战体系设计中的关键问题,提出基于Multi-Agent的无人集群自主作战系统设计方法。建立无人集群各节点的Agent模型及其推演规则;对于仿真系统模块化和通用化的需求,设计系统互操作式接口和无人集群自主作战的交互关系;开展无人集群系统仿真推演验证。仿真结果表明,所提设计方案不仅能够有效开展并完成自主作战网络生成-集群演化-效能评估的全过程动态演示验证,而且能够通过重复随机试验进一步评估无人集群的协同作战效能,最后总结了集群协同作战的策略和经验。

基于Multi-Agent的水电站变压器故障诊断系统

为了精准、快速完成水电站变压器的故障诊断,设计基于Multi-Agent的水电站变压器故障诊断系统。变压器状态监控agent将检测到的变压器故障信息发送给系统管理agent,系统管理agent通过通信agent将变压器故障信息发送给变压器故障诊断agent,变压器故障诊断agent利用小波变换方法提取变压器故障特征,并将其作为IFOA-SVM模型输入,完成变压器故障分类后,获取变压器故障诊断结果,该结果通过通信agent显示给用户。实验表明,该系统可有效诊断变压器故障诊断,诊断成功率受系统故障信息丢失率的影响较小,诊断耗时、耗能小,并具有较高故障诊断成功率。

Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China:2005 to 2020

Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

Superiority of a Convolutional Neural Network Model over Dynamical Models in Predicting Central Pacific ENSO

The application of deep learning is fast developing in climate prediction,in which El Ni?o–Southern Oscillation(ENSO),as the most dominant disaster-causing climate event,is a key target.Previous studies have shown that deep learning methods possess a certain level of superiority in predicting ENSO indices.The present study develops a deep learning model for predicting the spatial pattern of sea surface temperature anomalies(SSTAs)in the equatorial Pacific by training a convolutional neural network(CNN)model with historical simulations from CMIP6 models.Compared with dynamical models,the CNN model has higher skill in predicting the SSTAs in the equatorial western-central Pacific,but not in the eastern Pacific.The CNN model can successfully capture the small-scale precursors in the initial SSTAs for the development of central Pacific ENSO to distinguish the spatial mode up to a lead time of seven months.A fusion model combining the predictions of the CNN model and the dynamical models achieves higher skill than each of them for both central and eastern Pacific ENSO.

Finite-time Prescribed Performance Time-Varying Formation Control for Second-Order Multi-Agent Systems With Non-Strict Feedback Based on a Neural Network Observer

This paper studies the problem of time-varying formation control with finite-time prescribed performance for nonstrict feedback second-order multi-agent systems with unmeasured states and unknown nonlinearities.To eliminate nonlinearities,neural networks are applied to approximate the inherent dynamics of the system.In addition,due to the limitations of the actual working conditions,each follower agent can only obtain the locally measurable partial state information of the leader agent.To address this problem,a neural network state observer based on the leader state information is designed.Then,a finite-time prescribed performance adaptive output feedback control strategy is proposed by restricting the sliding mode surface to a prescribed region,which ensures that the closed-loop system has practical finite-time stability and that formation errors of the multi-agent systems converge to the prescribed performance bound in finite time.Finally,a numerical simulation is provided to demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of the developed algorithm.

Time-domain dynamic constitutive model suitable for mucky soil site seismic response

Soil nonlinear behavior displays noticeable effects on the site seismic response.This study proposes a new functional expression of the skeleton curve to replace the hyperbolic skeleton curve.By integrating shear modulus and combining the dynamic skeleton curve and the damping degradation coefficient,the constitutive equation of the logarithmic dynamic skeleton can be obtained,which considers the damping effect in a soil dynamics problem.Based on the finite difference method and the multi-transmitting boundary condition,a 1D site seismic response analysis program called Soilresp1D has been developed herein and used to analyze the time-domain seismic response in three types of sites.At the same time,this study also provides numerical simulation results based on the hyperbolic constitutive model and the equivalent linear method.The results verify the rationality of the new soil dynamic constitutive model.It can analyze the mucky soil site nonlinear seismic response,reflecting the deformation characteristics and damping effect of the silty soil.The hysteresis loop area is more extensive,and the residual strain is evident.

The impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes:Evidence from China

With increasing population and changing demographics,food consumption has experienced a significant transition in quantity and quality.However,a dearth of knowledge remains regarding its environmental impacts and how it responds to demographic dynamics,particularly in emerging economies like China.Using the two-stage Quadratic Almost Demand System(QUAIDS)model,this study empirically examines the impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes based on the provincial data from 2000 to 2020 in China.Under various scenarios,according to changes in demographics,we extend our analysis to project the long-term trend of food consumption and its environmental impacts,including greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,water footprint(WF),and land appropriation(LA).The results reveal that an increase in the proportion of senior people significantly decreases the consumption of grain and livestock meat and increases the consumption of poultry,egg,and aquatic products,particularly for urban residents.Moreover,an increase in the proportion of males in the population leads to higher consumption of poultry and aquatic products.Correspondingly,in the current scenario of an increased aging population and sex ratio,it is anticipated that GHG emissions,WF,and LA are likely to decrease by 1.37,2.52,and 3.56%,respectively.More importantly,in the scenario adhering to the standards of nutritional intake according to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents in 2022,GHG emissions,WF,and LA in urban areas would increase by 12.78,20.94,and 18.32%,respectively.Our findings suggest that changing demographics should be considered when designing policies to mitigate the diet-environment-health trilemma and achieve sustainable food consumption.

Dynamic simulation analysis of molten salt reactor-coupled air-steam combined cycle power generation system

A nonlinear dynamic simulation model based on coordinated control of speed and flow rate for the molten salt reactor and combined cycle systems is proposed here to ensure the coordination and stability between the molten salt reactor and power system.This model considers the impact of thermal properties of fluid variation on accuracy and has been validated with Simulink.This study reveals the capability of the control system to compensate for anomalous situations and maintain shaft stability in the event of perturbations occurring in high-temperature molten salt tank outlet parameters.Meanwhile,the control system’s impact on the system’s dynamic characteristics under molten salt disturbance is also analyzed.The results reveal that after the disturbance occurs,the controlled system benefits from the action of the control,and the overshoot and disturbance amplitude are positively correlated,while the system power and frequency eventually return to the initial values.This simulation model provides a basis for utilizing molten salt reactors for power generation and maintaining grid stability.

Dynamically triggered seismicity on a tectonic scale:A review

Earthquakes triggered by dynamic disturbances have been confirmed by numerous observations and experiments.In the past several decades,earthquake triggering has attracted increasing attention of scholars in relation to exploring the mechanism of earthquake triggering,earthquake prediction,and the desire to use the mechanism of earthquake triggering to reduce,prevent,or trigger earthquakes.Natural earthquakes and large‐scale explosions are the most common sources of dynamic disturbances that trigger earthquakes.In the past several decades,some models have been developed,including static,dynamic,quasi‐static,and other models.Some reviews have been published,but explosiontriggered seismicity was not included.In recent years,some new results on earthquake triggering have emerged.Therefore,this paper presents a new review to reflect the new results and include the content of explosion‐triggered earthquakes for the reference of scholars in this area.Instead of a complete review of the relevant literature,this paper primarily focuses on the main aspects of dynamic earthquake triggering on a tectonic scale and makes some suggestions on issues that need to be resolved in this area in the future.

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of rock bolts subjected to static-dynamic loads

This study explores the effects of dynamic and static loading on rock bolt performance a key factor in maintaining the structural safety of coal mine roadways susceptible to coal bursts.Employing a housemade load frame to simulate various failure scenarios,pretension-impact-pull tests on rock bolts were conducted to scrutinize their dynamic responses under varied static load conditions and their failure traits under combined loads.The experimental results denote that with increased impact energy,maximum and average impact loads on rock bolts escalate significantly under pretension,initiating plastic deformation beyond a certain threshold.Despite minor reductions in the yield load due to impactinduced damage,pretension aids in constraining post-impact deformation rate and fluctuation degree of rock bolts.Moreover,impact-induced plastic deformation causes internal microstructure dislocation,fortifying the stiffness of the rock bolt support system.The magnitude of this fortification is directly related to the plastic deformation induced by the impact.These findings provide crucial guidance for designing rock bolt support in coal mine roadway excavation,emphasizing the necessity to consider both static and dynamic loads for improved safety and efficiency.

Analysis of CH_(4) and H_(2) Adsorption on Heterogeneous Shale Surfaces Using aMolecular Dynamics Approach

Determining the adsorption of shale gas on complex surfaces remains a challenge in molecular simulation studies.Difficulties essentially stem from the need to create a realistic shale structure model in terms of mineral heterogeneityand multiplicity.Moreover,precise characterization of the competitive adsorption of hydrogen andmethane in shale generally requires the experimental determination of the related adsorptive capacity.In thisstudy,the adsorption of adsorbates,methane(CH_(4)),and hydrogen(H_(2))on heterogeneous shale surface modelsof Kaolinite,Orthoclase,Muscovite,Mica,C_(60),and Butane has been simulated in the frame of a moleculardynamic’s numerical technique.The results show that these behaviors are influenced by pressure and potentialenergy.On increasing the pressure from 500 to 2000 psi,the sorption effect for CH_(4)significantly increasesbut shows a decline at a certain stage(if compared to H_(2)).The research findings also indicate that raw shalehas a higher capacity to adsorb CH_(4)compared to hydrogen.However,in shale,this difference is negligible.