In this work, we show how the decomposition of a problem into a set of simpler and independent subproblems can be applied to automatic configuration. In particular, we describe a dynamic decomposition technique exploiting the compositional structure of complex objects. We show experimentally that such a decomposition can give greater improvements in the reduction of the computational effort tha...

A multi-agent system consists of multiple agents cooperating to achieve a common objective through local interactions. An important problem is how to reduce the amount of information exchanged, since agents in practice only have limited energy and communication resources. In this thesis, we propose dynamic event-triggered control strategies to solve consensus and formation problems for multi-ag...

Finding a list of k teams of experts, referred to as top-k team formation, with the required skills and high collaboration compatibility has been extensively studied. However, existing methods have not considered the specific collaboration relationships among different team members, i.e., structural constraints, which are typically needed in practice. In this study, we first propose a novel gra...

Objectives For clinical applications of cell-based therapies, a large quantity human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) produced in standardized and scalable culture processes is required. Currently, microcarrier-free suspension shows potential for large-scale expansion hPSCs; however, hPSCs tend to aggregate during culturing leading negative effect on cell yield. To overcome this problem, we devel...

Leader election and arbitrary pattern formation are fundammental tasks for a set of autonomous mobile robots. The former consists in distinguishing a unique robot, called the leader. The latter aims in arranging the robots in the plane to form any given pattern. The solvability of both these tasks turns out to be necessary in order to achieve more complex tasks. In this paper, we study the rela...

In today’s dynamic market, organizations must be adaptive to market fluctuations. In addition, studies show that material-handling cost makes up between 20 and 50 percent of the total operating cost. Therefore, this paper considers the problem of arranging and rearranging, when there are changes in product mix and demand, manufacturing facilities such that the sum of material handling and rearr...

Today, Cellular Manufacturing Systems (CMS) have been introduced as a mixture of work-shop manufacturing and line-production systems for keeping efficiency and flexibility synchronously. One of the difficult steps of designing CMS is the Cell Formation (CF) problem in which parts with similar processes are made in one cell. Solving a dynamic integer model of CF with three sub-objective function...

Background and Objectives: In the original in vitro method for evaluation of iron bioavailability using caco-2 cell model, ferritin formation by cells is considered as a functional indicator of both absorption and utilization of iron. However, as iron is measured in the tested material and then ferritin concentration is measured in caco-2 cell lysate, it is almost impossible to have a concrete ...

Objective Vitrification has been shown as one of the most effective methods of cryopreservation for mammalian embryos. However, there is no consensus which stage of embryonic development is the most appropriate for vitrification with subsequent maximal development after thawing. This study was carried out to explore and compare the effect(s) of vitrification on mouse 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, mor...