Totally dissipative systems

In a totally dissipative behavior, all non-trivial trajectories dissipate energy. A characterization of such behaviors is given in terms of properties of the one- and two-polynomial matrices associated with the supply rate and with their kernel- and image representation

Recursive exact H-infinity identification from impulse-response measurements

We study the H∞-partial realization problem from a behavioral point of view; we give necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability, and a characterization of all solutions. Instrumental in such analysis is the notion of time- and space-symmetrization of the data, which allows to transform the realization problem with metric- and stability constraints into an unconstrained behavioral modeling one

Contrasts in Vital Rates: Madras and Punjab in the Colonial Period

It is well known that there have been persistent differences in demographic rates between northern and southern areas in post-independence India: in the north marital fertility is higher, infant mortality higher and life expectancy shorter than in the south. As Tim Dyson has shown for infant mortality, this probably has pre-independence origins. In this paper the post-WWII contrasts in demographic performances between north and south India will be traced back to the colonial period. By choosing Madras and Punjab, by selecting districts whose registration statistics are reasonably usable in each province (Madras: Coimbatore, Salem, North Arcot, South Arcot, and Tilnelvelli; Punjab: Gurdaspur, Jallundur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepore, and Ambala, Karnal and Rohtak), and then by adopting W. Brass's relational Gompertz fertility model, logit life-table system and growth balance method, as exemplified by Dyson's seminal work on Berar, we estimate annual series of e0 and TFR for both provinces. The series clearly show that even in the colonial period both fertility and mortality were higher in the north than in the south, which will have wider implications in historical contexts.

Kotenkaisekigaku ni okeru hokanmondai to Most Powerful Unfalsified Model (MPUM)

This review article (in Japanese) presents the essentials of exact identification. Particular attention is given to the formalization of interpolation problems involving stability- and metric constraints (e.g. the Nevanlinna and the Takagi interpolation problems) in the framework of exact identification, and the representational issues for the Most powerful Unfalsified Model arising in these applications

Optical Measurement of Cesium Behavior in a Large H− Ion Source for a Neutral Beam Injector

Optical emission in a negative hydrogen ion source for the Large Helical Device Neutral Beam Injector (LHD-NBI) has been measured to investigate the behavior of Cs. Two optical sight lines exist parallel to the plasma grid, in the discharge area and in the magnetic filter area near the plasma grid. In the discharge area, the spectrum intensity from Cs+ ions is considerably increased during 20 s of the beam extraction. This indicates a considerable increase in the Cs+ density inside the plasma due to the impact of back-streaming H+ ions. A strong neutral Cs spectrum is observed in the magnetic filter area, where the electron density is lower than in the discharge area. The rate of increase of neutral Cs is much enhanced after t = 30 s, probably because the Cs adsorbed on the cooled region inside the arc chamber evaporates because its temperature increases during the long pulse discharge

Coevolutionary GA with schema extraction by machine learning techniques and its application to knapsack problems

The authors introduce a novel coevolutionary genetic algorithm with schema extraction by machine learning techniques. Our CGA consists of two GA populations: the first GA (H-GA) searches for the solutions in the given problems and the second GA (P-GA) searches for effective schemata of the H-GA. We aim to improve the search ability of our CGA by extracting more efficiently useful schemata from the H-GA population, and then incorporating those extracted schemata in a natural manner into the P-GA. Several computational simulations on multidimensional knapsack problems confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method</p

Percutaneous cerclage wiring for the surgical treatment of displaced patella fractures

The patella plays an important role in the knee joint extension, and a patella fracture requires surgical treatment when it is accompanied by displacement of bone fragments and a joint surface gap. In patella fractures, there is disruption of the soft tissue structures that support the knee extension mechanism. We use a method of percutaneous cerclage wiring to fix the patella and include the peripatellar soft tissues in five patients. All cases were closed fractures, and the AO classification was type A in 1 and type C in 4. At a mean follow-up of 11.2 months, union was achieved in four cases with failure in one inferior pole fracture avulsion. There was no extensor lag noted in any patient, with mean flexion at 141° (120–160). As this percutaneous cerclage wiring method includes soft tissue approximation in the wiring, it may be especially suitable for comminuted fractures for which classic tension band wiring techniques cannot be used. We employed this procedure to atraumatically manipulate peripatellar soft tissues together with the fracture fragments in order to obtain optimal restoration of continuity of the extensor mechanism

Epigenetic Landscape of Interacting Cells: A Model Simulation for Developmental Process

We propose a physical model for developmental process at cellular level to discuss the mechanism of epigenetic landscape. In our simplified model, a minimal model, the network of the interaction among cells generates the landscape epigenetically and the differentiation in developmental process is understood as a self-organization. The effect of the regulation by gene expression which is a key ingredient in development is renormalized into the interaction and the environment. At earlier stage of the development the energy landscape of the model is rugged with small amplitude. The state of cells in such a landscape is susceptible to fluctuations and not uniquely determined. These cells are regarded as stem cells. At later stage of the development the landscape has a funnel-like structure corresponding to the canalization in differentiation. The rewinding or stability of the differentiation is also demonstrated by substituting test cells into the time sequence of the model development.Comment: The discussion, in terms of our model, on the recently reported context-dependent behavior of STAP cells [Nature 505, 641-647 (2014)] has been added in Appendi

Simultaneous Measurements of Proton Ratio and Beam Divergence of Positive-ion-based Neutral Beam in the Large Helical Device

A spectroscopy system was installed on the diagnostic neutral beam injector in LHD. The Hα lines spectrum emitted by full, half and one-third energy component are clearly observed, and the proton ratio and the beam divergence were estimated by the line intensity and the line width, respectively. The proton ratio of 85?90 % is achieved in high arc power discharge. The beam divergence of them shows their minimum with the same perveance. It was experimentally confirmed that the spectroscopy system is useful for the monitor of the proton ratio and the divergence of the beam