387 research outputs found
Decentralized Sliding Mode Control for Output Tracking of Large-Scale Interconnected Systems
In this paper, a class of nonlinear interconnected systems with matched and unmatched uncertainties is considered. The isolated subsystem dynamics are described by linear systems and a nonlinear component. The matched uncertainties and unmatched unknown interconnection terms are assumed to be bounded by known functions. Based on sliding mode techniques, a state feedback decentralized control scheme is proposed such that the outputs of the controlled interconnected system track given desired signals uniformly ultimately. The desired reference signals are allowed to be time-varying. Using multiple transformations, the considered system is transferred to a new interconnected system with an appropriate structure to facilitate the sliding surface design and the design of a decentralized controller. A set of conditions is proposed to guarantee that the designed controller drives the tracking errors onto the sliding surface. The sliding motion exhibited by the error dynamics is uniformly ultimately bounded. The developed results are applied to a river quality control problem. Simulation results show that the proposed decentralized control strategy is effective and feasible
Characterization of DNA unwinding properties of three N-terminal fragments of RecQ5β helicase
RecQ5β is one member of the human RecQ family helicases that belong to superfamily 2 (SF2) and are critical for the maintenance of genomic stability. Here, the DNA unwinding kinetics of three N-terminal fragments of RecQ5β helicase, RecQ5β1-467, RecQ5β1-567 and RecQ5β1-662, were studied with stopped-flow method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Under single-turnover kinetic conditions, we found that both the unwinding amplitude and rate increased with the increase of the 3’-tail length of the DNA substrate for each fragment. The maximum amplitudes were 73.5, 57.6 and 35.5% for RecQ5β1-467, RecQ5β1-567 and RecQ5β1-662, respectively. Obviously, the unwinding amplitude decreased with the increase of the fragment length. For each RecQ5β fragment, when the 3’-tail length of the DNA substrates was short, essentially only one slow unwinding process occurred. When the 3’-tail length was increased, the unwinding amplitude of the fast unwinding process increased obviously; that is, the RecQ5β-catalyzed DNA unwinding depended on the 3’-tail length of the DNA substrate. It indicates that RecQ5β molecules are cooperative in DNA unwinding. This is an interesting new feature for a SF2 helicase.Key words: RecQ5β helicase, stopped-flow technique, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), DNA unwinding kinetics
Photogrammetric DEMs from Chang’E1 imagery
Author name used in this publication: Y. Q. ChenAuthor name used in this publication: X. L. DingAuthor name used in this publication: W. ChenAuthor name used in this publication: H. B. IzAuthor name used in this publication: B. A. King2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe
In situ evidence for the structure of the magnetic null in a 3D reconnection event in the Earth's magnetotail
Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important processes in
astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas. Identifying the structure around
the point at which the magnetic field lines break and subsequently reform,
known as the magnetic null point, is crucial to improving our understanding
reconnection. But owing to the inherently three-dimensional nature of this
process, magnetic nulls are only detectable through measurements obtained
simultaneously from at least four points in space. Using data collected by the
four spacecraft of the Cluster constellation as they traversed a diffusion
region in the Earth's magnetotail on 15 September, 2001, we report here the
first in situ evidence for the structure of an isolated magnetic null. The
results indicate that it has a positive-spiral structure whose spatial extent
is of the same order as the local ion inertial length scale, suggesting that
the Hall effect could play an important role in 3D reconnection dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Anisotropic Structure of the Order Parameter in FeSe0.45Te0.55 Revealed by Angle Resolved Specific Heat
The symmetry and structure of the superconducting gap in the Fe-based
superconductors are the central issue for understanding these novel materials.
So far the experimental data and theoretical models have been highly
controversial. Some experiments favor two or more constant or nearly-constant
gaps, others indicate strong anisotropy and yet others suggest gap zeros
("nodes"). Theoretical models also vary, suggesting that the absence or
presence of the nodes depends quantitatively on the model parameters. An
opinion that has gained substantial currency is that the gap structure, unlike
all other known superconductors, including cuprates, may be different in
different compounds within the same family. A unique method for addressing this
issue, one of the very few methods that are bulk and angle-resolved, calls for
measuring the electronic specific heat in a rotating magnetic field, as a
function of field orientation with respect to the crystallographic axes. In
this Communication we present the first such measurement for an Fe-based
high-Tc superconductor (FeBSC). We observed a fourfold oscillation of the
specific heat as a function of the in-plane magnetic field direction, which
allowed us to identify the locations of the gap minima (or nodes) on the Fermi
surface. Our results are consistent with the expectations of an extended s-wave
model with a significant gap anisotropy on the electron pockets and the gap
minima along the \Gamma M (or Fe-Fe bond) direction.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figure
Testing and comparing two self-care-related instruments among older Chinese adults
Objectives The study aimed to test and compare the reliability and validity, including sensitivity and specificity of the two self-care-related instruments, the Self-care Ability Scale for the Elderly (SASE), and the Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R), among older adults in the Chinese context. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to conduct this study. The sample consisted of 1152 older adults. Data were collected by a questionnaire including the Chinese version of SASE (SASE-CHI), the Chinese version of ASAS-R (ASAS-R-CHI) and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency scale (ESCA). Homogeneity and stability, content, construct and concurrent validity, and sensitivity and specificity were assessed. Results The Cronbach's alpha (α) of SASE-CHI was 0.89, the item-to-total correlations ranged from r = 0.15 to r = 0.81, and the test-retest correlation coefficient (intra-class correlation coefficient, ICC) was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99±1.00; P<0.001). The Cronbach's α of ASAS-R-CHI was 0.78, the item-to-total correlations ranged from r = 0.20 to r = 0.65, and the test-retest ICC was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92±0.96; P<0.001). The content validity index (CVI) of SASE-CHI and ASAS-R-CHI was 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. The findings of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA) confirmed a good construct validity of SASE-CHI and ASAS-R-CHI. The Pearson's rank correlation coefficients, as a measure of concurrent validity, between total score of SASE-CHI and ESCA and ASAS-R-CHI and ESCA were assessed to 0.65 (P<0.001) and 0.62 (P<0.001), respectively. Regarding ESCA as the criterion, the area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for the cut-point of SASE-CHI and ASAS-R-CHI were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91±0.94) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.80±0.86), respectively. Conclusion There is no significant difference between the two instruments. Each has its own characteristics, but SASE-CHI is more suitable for older adults. The key point is that the users can choose the most appropriate scale according to the specific situation.publishedVersionNivå
Two Energy Scales and two Quasiparticle Dynamics in the Superconducting State of Underdoped Cuprates
The superconducting state of underdoped cuprates is often described in terms
of a single energy-scale, associated with the maximum of the (d-wave) gap.
Here, we report on electronic Raman scattering results, which show that the gap
function in the underdoped regime is characterized by two energy scales,
depending on doping in opposite manners. Their ratios to the maximum critical
temperature are found to be universal in cuprates. Our experimental results
also reveal two different quasiparticle dynamics in the underdoped
superconducting state, associated with two regions of momentum space: nodal
regions near the zeros of the superconducting gap and antinodal regions. While
antinodal quasiparticles quickly loose coherence as doping is reduced, coherent
nodal quasiparticles persist down to low doping levels. A theoretical analysis
using a new sum-rule allows us to relate the low-frequency-dependence of the
Raman response to the temperature-dependence of the superfluid density, both
controlled by nodal excitations.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
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