Reliable H ∞ filtering for stochastic spatial–temporal systems with sensor saturations and failures

This study is concerned with the reliable H∞ filtering problem for a class of stochastic spatial–temporal systems with sensor saturations and failures. Different from the continuous spatial–temporal systems, the dynamic behaviour of the system under consideration evolves in a discrete rectangular region. The aim of this study is to estimate the system states through the measurements received from a set of sensors located at some specified points. In order to cater for more realistic signal transmission process, the phenomena of sensor saturations and sensor failures are taken into account. By using the vector reorganisation approach, the spatial–temporal system is first transformed into an equivalent ordinary differential dynamic system. Then, a filter is constructed and a sufficient condition is obtained under which the filtering error dynamics is asymptotically stable in probability and the H∞ performance requirement is met. On the basis of the analysis results, the desired reliable H∞ filter is designed. Finally, an illustrative example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed filtering scheme.Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia under Grant 16-135-35-HiCi, the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 61329301, 61134009 and 61473076, the Shanghai Rising-Star Program of China under Grant 13QA1400100, the Shu Guang project of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Education Development Foundation under Grant 13SG34, the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the DHU Distinguished Young Professor Program, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of German

On design of robust fault detection filter in finite-frequency domain with regional pole assignment

This brief is concerned with the fault detection (FD) filter design problem for an uncertain linear discrete-time system in the finite-frequency domain with regional pole assignment. An optimized FD filter is designed such that: 1) the FD dynamics is quadratically D-stable; 2) the effect from the exogenous disturbance on the residual is attenuated with respect to a minimized H∞-norm; and 3) the sensitivity of the residual to the fault is enhanced by means of a maximized H--norm. With the aid of the generalized Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov lemma, the mixed H--/H∞ performance and the D-stability requirement are guaranteed by solving a convex optimization problem. An iterative algorithm for designing the desired FD filter is proposed by evaluating the threshold on the generated residual function. A simulation result is exploited to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design technique.This work was supported in part by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia under Grant 16-135- 35-HiCi, the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 61134009 and 61203139, the Royal Society of the U.K., and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany

Glycotope structures and intramolecular affinity factors of plant lectins for Tn/T antigens

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First-principles insights into tin-based two-dimensional hybrid halide perovskites for photovoltaics

The two-dimensional (2D) hybrid halide perovskites have recently attracted attention due to their excellent photovoltaic performance. In comparison to their three-dimensional (3D) analogues, they show superior long-term durability and moisture tolerance. Meanwhile, their layered topology offers greater flexibility for electronic structure tuning. To date, most devices containing 2D perovskites have been based on Pb, which presents environment concerns and a possible roadblock to commercialisation due to its toxicity. The development of lead-free alternatives is therefore immensely important to facilitate the uptake of perovskite-based photovoltaics. Herein, we investigate the geometrical, electronic and optical properties of the semiconducting 2D tin perovskites (CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) n-1 Sn n I 3n+1 (n = 1, 2 and 3), using relativistic hybrid density functional theory calculations. We demonstrate that the band gaps of the series decrease with increasing perovskite-like layer thickness, from 1.85 eV (n = 1) to 1.38 eV (n = 3). We find strong and broad optical absorption across the series, in addition to small effective masses of electrons and holes in the laminar plane. The n = 3 composition displays a high spectroscopic limited maximum efficiency of 24.6%. Our results indicate this series of homologous 2D tin halide perovskites are a promising class of stable and efficient light-absorbing materials for photovoltaics

Pulmonary vasoconstrictor action of KCNQ potassium channel blockers

KCNQ channels have been widely studied in the nervous system, heart and inner ear, where they have important physiological functions. Recent reports indicate that KCNQ channels may also be expressed in portal vein where they are suggested to influence spontaneous contractile activity. The biophysical properties of K+ currents mediated by KCNQ channels resemble a current underlying the resting K+ conductance and resting potential of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. We therefore investigated a possible role of KCNQ channels in regulating the function of pulmonary arteries by determining the ability of the selective KCNQ channel blockers, linopirdine and XE991, to promote pulmonary vasoconstriction. Linopirdine and XE991 both contracted rat and mouse pulmonary arteries but had little effect on mesenteric arteries. In each case the maximum contraction was almost as large as the response to 50 mM K+. Linopirdine had an EC50 of around 1 μM and XE991 was almost 10-fold more potent. Neither removal of the endothelium nor exposure to phentolamine or α,β-methylene ATP, to block α1-adrenoceptors or P2X receptors, respectively, affected the contraction. Contraction was abolished in Ca2+-free solution and in the presence of 1 μM nifedipine or 10 μM levcromakalim

Observation of the Nernst signal generated by fluctuating Cooper pairs

Long-range order is destroyed in a superconductor warmed above its critical temperature (Tc). However, amplitude fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter survive and lead to a number of well established phenomena such as paraconductivity : an excess of charge conductivity due to the presence of short-lived Cooper pairs in the normal state. According to an untested theory, these pairs generate a transverse thermoelectric (Nernst) signal. In amorphous superconducting films, the lifetime of Cooper pairs exceeds the elastic lifetime of quasi-particles in a wide temperature range above Tc; consequently, the Cooper pairs Nernst signal dominate the response of the normal electrons well above Tc. In two dimensions, the magnitude of the expected signal depends only on universal constants and the superconducting coherence length, so the theory can be unambiguously tested. Here, we report on the observation of a Nernst signal in such a superconductor traced deep into the normal state. Since the amplitude of this signal is in excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction, the result provides the first unambiguous case for a Nernst effect produced by short-lived Cooper pairs

Incremental Mutual Information: A New Method for Characterizing the Strength and Dynamics of Connections in Neuronal Circuits

Understanding the computations performed by neuronal circuits requires characterizing the strength and dynamics of the connections between individual neurons. This characterization is typically achieved by measuring the correlation in the activity of two neurons. We have developed a new measure for studying connectivity in neuronal circuits based on information theory, the incremental mutual information (IMI). By conditioning out the temporal dependencies in the responses of individual neurons before measuring the dependency between them, IMI improves on standard correlation-based measures in several important ways: 1) it has the potential to disambiguate statistical dependencies that reflect the connection between neurons from those caused by other sources (e. g. shared inputs or intrinsic cellular or network mechanisms) provided that the dependencies have appropriate timescales, 2) for the study of early sensory systems, it does not require responses to repeated trials of identical stimulation, and 3) it does not assume that the connection between neurons is linear. We describe the theory and implementation of IMI in detail and demonstrate its utility on experimental recordings from the primate visual system

A Rule-Based Approach to Analyzing Database Schema Objects with Datalog

Database schema elements such as tables, views, triggers and functions are typically defined with many interrelationships. In order to support database users in understanding a given schema, a rule-based approach for analyzing the respective dependencies is proposed using Datalog expressions. We show that many interesting properties of schema elements can be systematically determined this way. The expressiveness of the proposed analysis is exemplarily shown with the problem of computing induced functional dependencies for derived relations. The propagation of functional dependencies plays an important role in data integration and query optimization but represents an undecidable problem in general. And yet, our rule-based analysis covers all relational operators as well as linear recursive expressions in a systematic way showing the depth of analysis possible by our proposal. The analysis of functional dependencies is well-integrated in a uniform approach to analyzing dependencies between schema elements in general.Comment: Pre-proceedings paper presented at the 27th International Symposium on Logic-Based Program Synthesis and Transformation (LOPSTR 2017), Namur, Belgium, 10-12 October 2017 (arXiv:1708.07854

Spectropolarimetry of Supernovae

Overwhelming evidence has accumulated in recent years that supernova explosions are intrinsically 3-dimensional phenomena with significant departures from spherical symmetry. We review the evidence derived from spectropolarimetry that has established several key results: virtually all supernovae are significantly aspherical near maximum light; core-collapse supernovae behave differently than thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae; the asphericity of core-collapse supernovae is stronger in the inner layers showing that the explosion process itself is strongly aspherical; core-collapse supernovae tend to establish a preferred direction of asymmetry; the asphericity is stronger in the outer layers of thermonuclear supernovae providing constraints on the burning process. We emphasize the utility of the Q/U plane as a diagnostic tool and revisit SN 1987A and SN 1993J in a contemporary context. An axially-symmetric geometry can explain many basic features of core-collapse supernovae, but significant departures from axial symmetry are needed to explain most events. We introduce a spectropolarimetry type to classify the range of behavior observed in polarized supernovae. Understanding asymmetries in supernovae is important for phenomena as diverse as the origins of gamma-ray bursts and the cosmological applications of Type Ia supernovae in studies of the dark energy content of the universe.Comment: Draft of Annual Review article prior to final copy editing; 85 pages, 13 figures, 1 tabl