Preconditioned Continuation Model Predictive Control

Model predictive control (MPC) anticipates future events to take appropriate control actions. Nonlinear MPC (NMPC) describes systems with nonlinear models and/or constraints. A Continuation/GMRES Method for NMPC, suggested by T. Ohtsuka in 2004, uses the GMRES iterative algorithm to solve a forward difference approximation $Ax=b$ of the Continuation NMPC (CNMPC) equations on every time step. The coefficient matrix $A$ of the linear system is often ill-conditioned, resulting in poor GMRES convergence, slowing down the on-line computation of the control by CNMPC, and reducing control quality. We adopt CNMPC for challenging minimum-time problems, and improve performance by introducing efficient preconditioning, utilizing parallel computing, and substituting MINRES for GMRES.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. To appear in Proceedings SIAM Conference on Control and Its Applications, July 8-10, 2015, Paris, Franc

Cooperative Binding of Ferrocenylnaphthalene Diimide Carrying β-Cyclodextrin Converts Double-Stranded DNA to a Rod-Like Structure

Ferrocenylnaphthalene diimide carrying β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), 1, intercalated into double-stranded DNA with a binding affinity of K = (6.6 ± 0.8) × 104 M–1 and a binding site size of n = 4, with a high positive cooperative parameter of ω = 14. β-CD and ferrocene moieties of the compound contributed to the formation of the intermolecular inclusion complex on DNA. Binding of 1 resulted in conversion of the DNA duplex to a rod-like form, which was cleaved upon adamantylamine addition

KINETICS OF THE SUPPORT LEG JOINTS IN THE SIDE STEP CUTTING TECHNIQUE

The purposes of this study were to investigate the kinetics of the support leg joints and to identify roles of the joints in the side step technique. Twenty male university ball game players performed three running trials of the cutting direction of 30, 60, and 90° with the side step cutting technique. A force platform technique and three-dimensional motion analysis technique were used. Roles of the ankle, knee, and hip extensors did in the side step cutting technique were similar to those of the straight sprint running. The negative and positive powers exerted by the ankle plantar flexors and knee extensors absorbed and generated the mechanical energy during the support phase in the cutting motion. The hip seemed not to generate great energy but to control the body posture, especially in directions 60° and 90°

Nitrogen doping into titanium dioxide by the sol-gel method using nitric acid

N-doped TiO(2) has been prepared by use of sol-gel systems containing titanium alkoxide, with nitric acid as the nitrogen source. The time needed for gelation of the systems was drastically reduced by ultrasonic irradiation. The peaks assigned to the nitrate and nitrous ions were observed by FT-IR measurement during the sol-gel reaction. The N-doping was confirmed by the observation of N-O peaks in the XPS spectrum of the sample heated at 400 A degrees C. The nitrate ion acted as an oxidizer of the ethanol solvent and titanium species. The TiO(2) became doped with nitrogen oxide species as a result of reduction of nitrate ion incorporated into the dried gel samples. These results indicated that the added nitric acid was reduced during the sol-gel transition and heating process, and the resulting NO species were situated in the titania networks. The UV and visible photocatalytic activity of the samples was confirmed by the degradation of trichloroethylene.ArticleRESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES. 37(8):869-881 (2011)journal articl

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOINT TORQUE OF SUPPORT LEG AND GROUND REACTION FORCE IN SIDE-STEP CUTTING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the joint torque of the support leg and the ground reaction force in the side-step cutting technique. The ground reaction forces and three-dimensional kinematics of the side-step cutting motion with 90° direction change were collected from 20 male university ball-game players. The angular impulses of the knee and ankle extension torques were correlated with the impulses of the inward, backward, and forward ground reaction forces. These results indicate that the knee and ankle contributed to change the horizontal velocity of the center of mass. Although the angular impulses of the hip joint did not correlate with the impulses of the ground reaction forces, the hip exerted large extension and adduction torques immediately after the foot strike. This implies the hip contributed to maintain the body’s position and balance rather than to change the velocity of the center of mass

Organellar Glue: A Molecular Tool to Artificially Control Chloroplast–Chloroplast Interactions

細胞小器官を接着する新技術「オルガネラグルー」を開発 --オルガネラ間コミュニケーションの操作に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-09-30.Organelles can physically interact to facilitate various cellular processes such as metabolite exchange. Artificially regulating these interactions represents a promising approach for synthetic biology. Here, we artificially controlled chloroplast–chloroplast interactions in living plant cells with our organelle glue (ORGL) technique, which is based on reconstitution of a split fluorescent protein. We simultaneously targeted N-terminal and C-terminal fragments of a fluorescent protein to the chloroplast outer envelope membrane or cytosol, respectively, which induced chloroplast–chloroplast interactions. The cytosolic C-terminal fragment likely functions as a bridge between two N-terminal fragments, thereby bringing the chloroplasts in close proximity to interact. We modulated the frequency of chloroplast–chloroplast interactions by altering the ratio of N- and C-terminal fragments. We conclude that the ORGL technique can successfully control chloroplast–chloroplast interactions in plants, providing a proof of concept for the artificial regulation of organelle interactions in living cells

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Aminothiolation of Aromatic and Aliphatic Alkenes with N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide and Thiols through Three-Component Radical Coupling

Copper-catalyzed regioselective aminothiolation of terminal and internal alkenes with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide and thiols has been developed. The three-component reaction is promoted by the addition of dimethyl sulfide. In addition to aromatic alkenes, aliphatic alkenes are subjected to the reaction, affording various aminothiolation adducts as single regioisomers. The radical process is proposed by preliminary mechanistic studies, involving radical trap and radical clock experiments

Major Causes of Death among Older Adults after the Great East Japan Earthquake : A Retrospective Study

This retrospective study investigated the 3-year impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) of 2011 on deaths due to neoplasm, heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and senility among older adults in the primarily affected prefectures compared with other prefectures, previous investigations having been more limited as regards mortality causes and geographic areas. Using death certificates issued between 2006 and 2015 (n = 7,383,253), mortality rates (MRs) and risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using a linear mixed model with the log-transformed MR as the response variable. The model included interactions between the area category and each year of death from 2010 to 2013. The RRs in the interaction significantly increased to 1.13, 1.17, and 1.28 for deaths due to stroke, pneumonia, and senility, respectively, in Miyagi Prefecture in 2011, but did not significantly increase for any of the other areas affected by the GEJE. Moreover, increased RRs were not reported for any of the other years. The risk of death increased in 2011; however, this was only significant for single-year impact. In 2013, decreased RRs of pneumonia in the Miyagi and Iwate prefectures and of senility in Fukushima Prefecture were observed. Overall, we did not find evidence of strong associations between the GEJE and mortality