Proportional and derivative control for steady-state vibration mitigation in a piecewise linear beam system

A control using Proportional and/or Derivative feedback (PD-control) is applied on a piecewise linear beam system with a flushing one-sided spring element for steady-state vibration amplitude mitigation. Two control objectives are formulated: (1) minimize the transversal vibration amplitude of the midpoint of the beam at the frequency where the first harmonic resonance occurs, (2) achieve this in a larger (low) excitation frequency range, where the lowest nonlinear normal mode dominates the response. Experimentally realizable combinations of PD-control are evaluated for both control objectives. Eventually objective (1) is realized by applying proportional control only, whereas derivative control is selected to realize objective (2). The vibration reduction that is achieved in simulations and validated by experiments is very significant for both objectives. Current results obtained with active PD-control are compared with earlier results obtained using a passive dynamic vibration absorber

In-phase and anti-phase synchronization of oscillators with Huygens' coupling

In this experimental study, the synchronized motion observed in pairs of nonlinear oscillators coupled through a suspended rigid bar, is analyzed. In particular, the dynamics of two mass-spring-damper oscillators and the dynamics of two van der Pol oscillators are considered. It is shown that in both cases, the oscillators may exhibit in-phase and anti-phase synchronization. The experiments are executed in an experimental setup, consisting of two mass-spring-damperoscillators coupled through a suspended rigid bar. A relation between the obtained results and Huygens’ experiment of pendulum clocks is emphasized

AMINO ACID SEQUENCES OF MOUSE COMPLEMENT C3 DERIVED FROM NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCES OF CLONED cDNA a

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73374/1/j.1749-6632.1983.tb18118.x.pd

Synchronization of weakly nonlinear oscillators with Huygens' coupling

In this paper, the occurrence of synchronization in pairs of weakly nonlinear selfsustained oscillators that interact via Huygens’ coupling, i.e. a suspended rigid bar, is treated. In the analysis, a generalized version of the classical Huygens’ experiment of synchronization of two coupled pendulum clocks is considered, in which the clocks are replaced by arbitrary self-sustained oscillators. Sufficient conditions for the existence and stability of synchronous solutions in the coupled system are derived by using the Poincar´e method. The obtained results are supported by computer simulations and experiments conducted on a dedicated experimental platform. It is demonstrated that the mass of the coupling bar is an important parameter with respect to the limit synchronous behaviour in the oscillators

The First Very Long Baseline Interferometric SETI Experiment

The first Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) conducted with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is presented. By consideration of the basic principles of interferometry, we show that VLBI is efficient at discriminating between SETI signals and human generated radio frequency interference (RFI). The target for this study was the star Gliese 581, thought to have two planets within its habitable zone. On 2007 June 19, Gliese 581 was observed for 8 hours at 1230-1544 with the Australian Long Baseline Array. The dataset was searched for signals appearing on all interferometer baselines above five times the noise limit. A total of 222 potential SETI signals were detected and by using automated data analysis techniques, were ruled out as originating from the Gliese 581 system. From our results we place an upper limit of 7 MW/Hz on the power output of any isotropic emitter located in the Gliese 581 system, within this frequency range. This study shows that VLBI is ideal for targeted SETI, including follow-up observations. The techniques presented are equally applicable to next-generation interferometers, such as the long baselines of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted on 25/05/2012 for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Monitoring ethnic minorities in the Netherlands

Item does not contain fulltextThe article first summarises the history of ethnic minority policy in the Netherlands and the development of the ‘ethnic minority’ and ‘allochthonous’ categories, which are peculiar in comparative perspective in emphasising socio-economic disadvantage as a constitutive dimension of minority status and in setting the minority question within the broader Dutch political principle of ‘pillarisation’. The article then examines the use of statistics in public policy, in a context where the national census has been discontinued since 1971, focusing more specifically on the case of education, where major statistical efforts have been devoted to identifying patterns of disadvantage and integration. Finally, the article briefly examines current debates on the situation of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands in the context of growing questioning of established Dutch models of minority policy.13 p

Проблемы ипотечного кредитования в России на современном этапе

По мере развития в России банковского сектора большую популярность приобрели ипотечные кредиты. Данный вопрос является актуальным в наши дни, так как многие взрослые люди хоть раз задумывались о возможностях использования данного банковского продукта. У ипотеки, как и у других форм кредитования, есть свои плюсы и минусы, хотя люди, задумываясь о приобретении собственного жилья, все же останавливаются на выборе ипотечного кредитования

Heat shock-induced phosphorylation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) by MAPK/ERK kinase regulates TDP-43 function

TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) is a highly conserved and essential DNA- and RNA-binding protein that controls gene expression through RNA processing, in particular, regulation of splicing. Intracellular aggregation of TDP-43 is a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and ubiquitin-positive frontotemporal lobar degeneration. This TDP-43 pathology is also present in other types of neurodegeneration including Alzheimer's disease. We report here that TDP-43 is a substrate of MEK, a central kinase in the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. TDP-43 dual phosphorylation by MEK, at threonine 153 and tyrosine 155 (p-T153/Y155), was dramatically increased by the heat shock response (HSR) in human cells. HSR promotes cell survival under proteotoxic conditions by maintaining protein homeostasis and preventing protein misfolding. MEK is activated by HSR and contributes to the regulation of proteome stability. Phosphorylated TDP-43 was not associated with TDP-43 aggregation, and p-T153/Y155 remained soluble under conditions that promote protein misfolding. We found that active MEK significantly alters TDP-43-regulated splicing and that phosphomimetic substitutions at these two residues reduce binding to GU-rich RNA. Cellular imaging using a phospho-specific p-T153/Y155 antibody showed that phosphorylated TDP-43 was specifically recruited to the nucleoli, suggesting that p-T153/Y155 regulates a previously unappreciated function of TDP-43 in the processing of nucleolar-associated RNA. These findings highlight a new mechanism that regulates TDP-43 function and homeostasis through phosphorylation and, therefore, may contribute to the development of strategies to prevent TDP-43 aggregation and to uncover previously unexplored roles of TDP-43 in cell metabolism

Passivity-Preserving, Balancing-Based Model Reduction for Interconnected Systems

This paper proposes a balancing-based model reduction approach for an interconnection of passive dynamic subsystems. This approach preserves the passivity and stability of both the subsystems and the interconnected system. Hereto, one Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) per subsystem and a single Lyapunov equation for the entire interconnected system needs to be solved, the latter of which warrants the relevance of the reduction of the subsystems for the accurate reduction of the interconnected system, while preserving the modularity of the reduction approach. In a numerical example from structural dynamics, the presented approach displays superior accuracy with respect to an approach in which the individual subsystems are reduced independently.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Proceedings of IFAC World Congress 202