18,190 research outputs found
Controllability and controller-observer design for a class of linear time-varying systems
“The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10852-012-9212-6"In this paper a class of linear time-varying control systems is considered. The time variation consists of a scalar time-varying coefficient multiplying the state matrix of an otherwise time-invariant system. Under very weak assumptions of this coefficient, we show that the controllability can be assessed by an algebraic rank condition, Kalman canonical decomposition is possible, and we give a method for designing a linear state-feedback controller and Luenberger observer
Absorbate-Induced Piezochromism in a Porous Molecular Crystal
Atmospherically stable porous frameworks
and materials are interesting
for heterogeneous solid–gas applications. One motivation is
the direct and selective uptake of pollutant/hazardous gases, where
the material produces a measurable response in the presence of the
analyte. In this report, we present a combined experimental and theoretical
rationalization for the piezochromic response of a robust and porous
molecular crystal built from an extensively fluorinated trispyrazole.
The electronic response of the material is directly determined by
analyte uptake, which provokes a subtle lattice contraction and an
observable bathochromic shift in the optical absorption onset. Selectivity
for fluorinated absorbates is demonstrated, and toluene is also found
to crystallize within the pore. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application
of electronic structure calculations to predict a physicochemical
response, providing the foundations for the design of electronically
tunable porous solids with the chemical properties required for development
of novel gas-uptake media
Beryllium implantation induced deep level defects in p-type 6h-silicon carbide
Beryllium implantation into p-type 6H-SiC and subsequent thermal annealing were performed. Deep level transient spectroscopy was used to investigate the deep level defects induced by this beryllium-implantation process. Four deep levels were detected in the temperature range 100-500 K. The level BEP1 at Ev+0.41 eV was found to be consistent with the ionization level of the Be acceptor observed in Hall measurements.published_or_final_versio
DNA barcoding reveals the coral “laboratory-rat”, Stylophora pistillata encompasses multiple identities
Stylophora pistillata is a widely used coral “lab-rat” species with highly variable morphology and a broad biogeographic range (Red Sea to western central Pacific). Here we show, by analysing Cytochorme Oxidase I sequences, from 241 samples across this range, that this taxon in fact comprises four deeply divergent clades corresponding to the Pacific-Western Australia, Chagos-Madagascar-South Africa, Gulf of Aden-Zanzibar-Madagascar, and Red Sea-Persian/Arabian Gulf-Kenya. On the basis of the fossil record of Stylophora, these four clades diverged from one another 51.5-29.6 Mya, i.e., long before the closure of the Tethyan connection between the tropical Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic in the early Miocene (16–24 Mya) and should be recognised as four distinct species. These findings have implications for comparative ecological and/or physiological studies carried out using Stylophora pistillata as a model species, and highlight the fact that phenotypic plasticity, thought to be common in scleractinian corals, can mask significant genetic variation
Exploring wind direction and SO2 concentration by circular-linear density estimation
The study of environmental problems usually requires the description of
variables with different nature and the assessment of relations between them.
In this work, an algorithm for flexible estimation of the joint density for a
circular-linear variable is proposed. The method is applied for exploring the
relation between wind direction and SO2 concentration in a monitoring station
close to a power plant located in Galicia (NW-Spain), in order to compare the
effectiveness of precautionary measures for pollutants reduction in two
different years.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 2 table
Integer and half-integer flux-quantum transitions in a niobium/iron-pnictide loop
The recent discovery of iron-based superconductors challenges the existing
paradigm of high-temperature superconductivity. Owing to their unusual
multi-orbital band structure, magnetism, and electron correlation, theories
propose a unique sign reversed s-wave pairing state, with the order parameter
changing sign between the electron and hole Fermi pockets. However, because of
the complex Fermi surface topology and material related issues, the predicted
sign reversal remains unconfirmed. Here we report a novel phase-sensitive
technique for probing unconventional pairing symmetry in the polycrystalline
iron-pnictides. Through the observation of both integer and half-integer
flux-quantum transitions in composite niobium/iron-pnictide loops, we provide
the first phase-sensitive evidence of the sign change of the order parameter in
NdFeAsO0.88F0.12, lending strong support for microscopic models predicting
unconventional s-wave pairing symmetry. These findings have important
implications on the mechanism of pnictide superconductivity, and lay the
groundwork for future studies of new physics arising from the exotic order in
the FeAs-based superconductors.Comment: 23 pages, including 4 figures and supplementary informatio
Approximating Euclidean by Imprecise Markov Decision Processes
Euclidean Markov decision processes are a powerful tool for modeling control
problems under uncertainty over continuous domains. Finite state imprecise,
Markov decision processes can be used to approximate the behavior of these
infinite models. In this paper we address two questions: first, we investigate
what kind of approximation guarantees are obtained when the Euclidean process
is approximated by finite state approximations induced by increasingly fine
partitions of the continuous state space. We show that for cost functions over
finite time horizons the approximations become arbitrarily precise. Second, we
use imprecise Markov decision process approximations as a tool to analyse and
validate cost functions and strategies obtained by reinforcement learning. We
find that, on the one hand, our new theoretical results validate basic design
choices of a previously proposed reinforcement learning approach. On the other
hand, the imprecise Markov decision process approximations reveal some
inaccuracies in the learned cost functions
Melting of a 2D Quantum Electron Solid in High Magnetic Field
The melting temperature () of a solid is generally determined by the
pressure applied to it, or indirectly by its density () through the equation
of state. This remains true even for helium solids\cite{wilk:67}, where quantum
effects often lead to unusual properties\cite{ekim:04}. In this letter we
present experimental evidence to show that for a two dimensional (2D) solid
formed by electrons in a semiconductor sample under a strong perpendicular
magnetic field\cite{shay:97} (), the is not controlled by , but
effectively by the \textit{quantum correlation} between the electrons through
the Landau level filling factor =. Such melting behavior, different
from that of all other known solids (including a classical 2D electron solid at
zero magnetic field\cite{grim:79}), attests to the quantum nature of the
magnetic field induced electron solid. Moreover, we found the to increase
with the strength of the sample-dependent disorder that pins the electron
solid.Comment: Some typos corrected and 2 references added. Final version with minor
editoriol revisions published in Nature Physic
A novel algorithm for dynamic student profile adaptation based on learning styles
The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.E-learning recommendation systems are used to enhance student performance and knowledge by providing tailor- made services based on the students’ preferences and learning styles, which are typically stored in student profiles. For such systems to remain effective, the profiles need to be able to adapt and reflect the students’ changing behaviour. In this paper, we introduce new algorithms that are designed to track student learning behaviour patterns, capture their learning styles, and maintain dynamic student profiles within a recommendation system (RS). This paper also proposes a new method to extract features that characterise student behaviour to identify students’ learning styles with respect to the Felder-Silverman learning style model (FSLSM). In order to test the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, we present a series of experiments that use a dataset of real students to demonstrate how our proposed algorithm can effectively model a dynamic student profile and adapt to different student learning behaviour. The results revealed that the students could effectively increase their learning efficiency and quality for the courses when the learning styles are identified, and proper recommendations are made by using our method
The percentage of CD133+ cells in human colorectal cancer cell lines is influenced by Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Mollicutes </it>contamination is recognized to be a critical issue for the cultivation of continuous cell lines. In this work we characterized the effect of <it>Mycoplasma hyorhinis </it>contamination on CD133 expression in human colon cancer cell lines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>MycoAlert<sup>® </sup>and mycoplasma agar culture were used to detect mycoplasma contamination on GEO, SW480 and HT-29 cell lines. Restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used to determine mycoplasma species. All cellular models were decontaminated by the use of a specific antibiotic panel (Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, BM Cyclin 1 and 2, Mycoplasma Removal Agent and MycoZap<sup>®</sup>). The percentage of CD133 positive cells was analyzed by flow cytometry on GEO, SW480 and HT-29 cell lines, before and after <it>Mycoplasma hyorhinis </it>eradication.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>Mycoplasma hyorhinis </it>infected colon cancer cell lines showed an increased percentage of CD133+ cells as compared to the same cell lines rendered mycoplasma-free by effective exposure to antibiotic treatment. The percentage of CD133 positive cells increased again when mycoplasma negative cells were re-infected by <it>Mycoplasma hyorhinis</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Mycoplasma hyorhinis </it>infection has an important role on the quality of cultured human colon cancer cell lines giving a false positive increase of cancer stem cells fraction characterized by CD133 expression. Possible explanations are (i) the direct involvement of Mycoplasma on CD133 expression or (ii) the selective pressure on a subpopulation of cells characterized by constitutive CD133 expression.</p> <p>In keeping with United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research (UKCCCR) guidelines, the present data indicate the mandatory prerequisite, for investigators involved in human colon cancer research area, of employing mycoplasma-free cell lines in order to avoid the production of non-reproducible or even false data.</p
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