New delay-dependent stability criteria for uncertain neutral systems with mixed time-varying delays and nonlinear perturbations

The problem of stability analysis for a class of neutral systems with mixed time-varying neutral, discrete and distributed delays and nonlinear parameter perturbations is addressed. By introducing a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and combining the descriptor model transformation, the Leibniz-Newton formula, some free-weighting matrices, and a suitable change of variables, new sufficient conditions are established for the stability of the considered system, which are neutral-delay-dependent, discrete-delay-range dependent, and distributeddelay-dependent. The conditions are presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and can be efficiently solved using convex programming techniques. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method

Theoretical study of the second-order vibrational Stark effect

The behaviour of the harmonic infrared frequency of diatomic molecules subjected to moderate static uniform electric fields is analysed. The potential energy expression has been developed as a function of a static uniform electric field, which brings about a formulation describing the frequency versus field strength curve. With the help of the first and second derivatives of the expressions obtained, which correspond to the first- and second-order Stark effects, it was possible to find the maxima of the frequency versus field strength curves for a series of molecules using a Newton-Raphson search. A method is proposed which requires only the calculation of a few energy derivatives at a particular value of the field strength. At the same time, the expression for the dependence of the interatomic distance on the electric field strength is derived and the minimum of this curve is found for the same species. Derived expressions and numerical results are discussed and compared with other studi

Effects of long-term averaging of quantitative blood pressure traits on the detection of genetic associations.

Blood pressure (BP) is a heritable, quantitative trait with intraindividual variability and susceptibility to measurement error. Genetic studies of BP generally use single-visit measurements and thus cannot remove variability occurring over months or years. We leveraged the idea that averaging BP measured across time would improve phenotypic accuracy and thereby increase statistical power to detect genetic associations. We studied systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) averaged over multiple years in 46,629 individuals of European ancestry. We identified 39 trait-variant associations across 19 independent loci (p < 5 × 10(-8)); five associations (in four loci) uniquely identified by our LTA analyses included those of SBP and MAP at 2p23 (rs1275988, near KCNK3), DBP at 2q11.2 (rs7599598, in FER1L5), and PP at 6p21 (rs10948071, near CRIP3) and 7p13 (rs2949837, near IGFBP3). Replication analyses conducted in cohorts with single-visit BP data showed positive replication of associations and a nominal association (p < 0.05). We estimated a 20% gain in statistical power with long-term average (LTA) as compared to single-visit BP association studies. Using LTA analysis, we identified genetic loci influencing BP. LTA might be one way of increasing the power of genetic associations for continuous traits in extant samples for other phenotypes that are measured serially over time.

A two-stage approach for tonic identification in indian art music

In this paper we propose a new approach for tonic identification in Indian art music and present a proposal for acomplete iterative system for the same. Our method splits the task of tonic pitch identification into two stages. In the first stage, which is applicable to both vocal and instrumental music, we perform a multi-pitch analysis of the audio signal to identify the tonic pitch-class. Multi-pitch analysisallows us to take advantage of the drone sound, which constantlyreinforces the tonic. In the second stage we estimate the octave in which the tonic of the singer lies and is thusneeded only for the vocal performances. We analyse the predominant melody sung by the lead performer in order to establish the tonic octave. Both stages are individually evaluated on a sizable music collection and are shown toobtain a good accuracy. We also discuss the types of errors made by the method.Further, we present a proposal for a system that aims to incrementally utilize all the available data, both audio and metadata in order to identify the tonic pitch. It produces a tonic estimate and a confidence value, and is iterative in nature. At each iteration, more data is fed into the systemuntil the confidence value for the identified tonic is above a defined threshold. Rather than obtain high overall accuracy for our complete database, ultimately our goal is to develop a system which obtains very high accuracy on a subset of the database with maximum confidence.

A systolic array for linear MIMO detection based on an all-swap lattice reduction algorithm

A systolic array to implement lattice-reduction-aided lineardetection is proposed for a MIMO receiver. The lattice reductionalgorithm and the ensuing linear detections are operated in the same array, which can be hardware-efficient. All-swap lattice reduction algorithm (ASLR) is considered for the systolic design.ASLR is a variant of the LLL algorithm, which processes all lattice basis vectors within one iteration. Lattice-reduction-aided linear detection based on ASLR and LLL algorithms have very similarbit-error-rate performance, while ASLR is more time efficient inthe systolic array, especially for systems with a large number ofantennas.

Total knee arthroplasty - a clinical and numerical study of the micromovements of the tibial implant

Introduction The importance of the micromovements in the mechanism of aseptic loosening is clinically difficult to evaluate. To complete the analysis of a series of total knee arthroplasties (TKA), we used a tridimensional numerical model to study the micromovements of the tibial implant.Material and Methods Fifty one patients (with 57 cemented Porous Coated Anatomic TKAs) were reviewed (mean follow-up 4.5 year). Radiolucency at the tibial bone-cement interface was sought on the AP radiographs and divided in 7 areas. The distribution of the radiolucency was then correlated with the axis of the lower limb as measured on the orthoradiograms.The tridimensional numerical model is based on the finite element method. It allowed the measurement of the cemented prosthetic tibial implant's displacements and the microvements generated at bone-ciment interface. A total load (2000 Newton) was applied at first vertically and asymetrically on the tibial plateau, thereby simulating an axial deviation of the lower limbs. The vector's posterior inclination then permitted the addition of a tangential component to the axial load. This type of effort is generated by complex biomechanical phenomena such as knee flexion.Results 81 per cent of the 57 knees had a radiolucent line of at least 1 mm, at one or more of the tibial cement-epiphysis jonctional areas. The distribution of these lucent lines showed that they came out more frequently at the periphery of the implant. The lucent lines appeared most often under the unloaded margin of the tibial plateau, when axial deviation of lower limbs was present.Numerical simulations showed that asymetrical loading on the tibial plateau induced a subsidence of the loaded margin (0-100 microns) and lifting off at the opposite border (0-70 microns). The postero-anterior tangential component induced an anterior displacement of the tibial implant (160-220 microns), and horizontal micromovements with non homogenous distribution at the bone-ciment interface (28-54 microns).Discussion Comparison of clinical and numerical results showed a relation between the development of radiolucent lines and the unloading of the tibial implant's margin. The deleterious effect of lower limbs' axial deviation is thereby proven. The irregular distribution of lucent lines under the tibial plateau was similar of the micromovements' repartition at the bone-cement interface when tangential forces were present. A causative relation between the two phenomenaes could not however be established.Numerical simulation is a truly useful method of study; it permits to calculate micromovements which are relative, non homogenous and of very low amplitude. However, comparative clinical studies remain as essential to ensure the credibility of results.

L'equilibri en la força

Aquesta unitat didàctica desenvolupada durant el Màster de Professorat de Secundària està pensada per ser impartida a l’assignatura Física i Química de 4t d’ESO, més concretament a la part de física, com introducció a la Dinàmica. Es parteix de les idees prèvies de l’alumnat sobre situacions quotidianes on hi actuen forces. Es contrasten aquestes amb una posada en comú i amb l’explicació del professor, que va introduint progressivament conceptes nous com l’equilibri o els vectors, a mesura que es fan necessaris. En les sessions posteriors s’insisteix en el caràcter vectorial de les forces i es centra l’atenció en dos casos particulars: la força de fregament i la força elàstica. Sobre aquestes dues es treballa resolent un cas i fent una experiència pràctica, fomentant la competència comunicativa. La finalitat de la metodologia és acabar construint les Lleis de Newton, les quals hauran d’exposar en una presentació al final de la unitat.

Culture marked: racist epithets in translations of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Aquest projecte analitza com s’ha plasmat el terme cultural nigger a dues traduccions al castellà de la novel•la Adventures of Huckleberry Finn de Mark Twain, amb l’objectiu d’estudiar de quina manera poden adaptar-se els elements culturals en una traducció. En primer lloc, s’ofereix la contextualització del terme original al text i a la cultura d’origen, seguida de la descripció del terme traduït en el context de la cultura d’arribada. A continuació, mitjançant l’anàlisi comparativa del mecanisme retòric de la repetició i d’elements com ara determinants, adjectius i complements, emprats tant a l’obra original com a les dues traduccions estudiades, aquest projecte pretén demostrar que la conservació dels esmentats recursos estilístics a la traducció pot facilitar la comprensió de les connotacions del marcador cultural nigger i de la seva funció temàtica al text d’arribada.

As Derivadas: Potencialidades e Ensino no 3ºciclo

O conceito de derivada tem grande importância pelas suas inúmeras aplicações na Matemática, na Física e nas outras ciências. O estudo do conceito de derivada começou com Pierre de Fermat no século XVII, foi reformulado por Isaac Newton e Gottfried Leibniz no século XVIII, e formalizado em termos ainda hoje em vigor, por Augustin Cauchy e Karl Weierstrass no século XIX. Contudo ainda hoje o conceito de derivada constitui objecto de investigação e de estudo, desde o Ensino Secundário, por parte daqueles que estudam ou ensinam a disciplina de Matemática. Considerando a importância do Cálculo Diferencial na formaçãomatemática e para a continuação dos estudos que encaramos o desafio de trabalhar esse tema considerado um instrumento cada vez mais indispensável pela aplicabilidade aos mais diversos campos da ciência. Acreditamos que com este trabalho estamos a dar um modesto contributo para o ensino/aprendizagem da Matemática e em particular para o ensino e a aprendizagem das derivadas. Intitulado "As derivadas: potencialidades e ensino no terceiro ciclo", o trabalho será desenvolvido tendo em vista os seguintes objectivos gerais: - Apresentar uma abordagem teórica de suporte ao ensino das derivadas; - Clarificar (especificar) as potencialidades das derivadas e das técnicas de derivação na resolução de problemas matemáticos, físicos e outros; - Caracterizar a abordagem proposta nos programas oficiais para o ensino das derivadas no terceiro ciclo do Ensino Secundário em Cabo Verde; - Apresentar sugestões metodológicas para o ensino das derivadas no terceiro ciclo do Ensino Secundário.

Otimização Não Linear de Mínimos Quadrados

O problema de otimização de mínimos quadrados e apresentado como uma classe importante de problemas de minimização sem restrições. A importância dessa classe de problemas deriva das bem conhecidas aplicações a estimação de parâmetros no contexto das analises de regressão e de resolução de sistemas de equações não lineares. Apresenta-se uma revisão dos métodos de otimização de mínimos quadrados lineares e de algumas técnicas conhecidas de linearização. Faz-se um estudo dos principais métodos de gradiente usados para problemas não lineares gerais: Métodos de Newton e suas modificações incluindo os métodos Quasi-Newton mais usados (DFP e BFGS). Introduzem-se depois métodos específicos de gradiente para problemas de mínimos quadrados: Gauss-Newton e Levenberg-Larquardt. Apresenta-se uma variedade de exemplos selecionados na literatura para testar os diferentes métodos usando rotinas MATLAB. Faz-se uma an alise comparativa dos algoritmos baseados nesses ensaios computacionais que exibem as vantagens e desvantagens dos diferentes métodos.

Generalized canonical correlation analysis of matrices with different row and column orders

A Method is offered that makes it possible to apply generalized canonicalcorrelations analysis (CANCOR) to two or more matrices of different row and column order. The new method optimizes the generalized canonical correlationanalysis objective by considering only the observed values. This is achieved byemploying selection matrices. We present and discuss fit measures to assessthe quality of the solutions. In a simulation study we assess the performance of our new method and compare it to an existing procedure called GENCOM,proposed by Green and Carroll. We find that our new method outperforms the GENCOM algorithm both with respect to model fit and recovery of the truestructure. Moreover, as our new method does not require any type of iteration itis easier to implement and requires less computation. We illustrate the methodby means of an example concerning the relative positions of the political parties inthe Netherlands based on provincial data.

Teorema de Noether do Cálculo das Variações e Controlo Óptimo Estocásticos

Neste trabalho começamos por apresentar os problemas clássicos do cálculo das variações e controlo óptimo determinísticos, dando ênfase ás condições necessárias de optimalidade de Euler-Lagrange e Princípioípio do Máximo de Pontryagin (Capítulo 1). No Capítulo 2 demonstramos o Teorema de Noether do cálculo das variações e uma sua extensão ao controlo óptimo. Como exemplos de aplicação mencionamos as leis de conservação de momento e energia da mecânica, válidas ao longo das extremais de Euler-Lagrange ou das extremais de Pontryagin. Numa segunda parte do trabalho introduzimos o cálculo das variações estocástico (Capítulo 3) e demonstramos um teorema de Noether estocástico obtido recententemente por Jacky Cresson (Capítulo 4). O Capítulo 5 ´e dedicado á programação dinâmica: caso discreto e contínuo, caso determinístico e estocástico.

Genome-wide association study of blood pressure extremes identifies variant near UMOD associated with hypertension.

Hypertension is a heritable and major contributor to the global burden of disease. The sum of rare and common genetic variants robustly identified so far explain only 1%-2% of the population variation in BP and hypertension. This suggests the existence of more undiscovered common variants. We conducted a genome-wide association study in 1,621 hypertensive cases and 1,699 controls and follow-up validation analyses in 19,845 cases and 16,541 controls using an extreme case-control design. We identified a locus on chromosome 16 in the 5' region of Uromodulin (UMOD; rs13333226, combined P value of 3.6×10(-11)). The minor G allele is associated with a lower risk of hypertension (OR [95%CI]: 0.87 [0.84-0.91]), reduced urinary uromodulin excretion, better renal function; and each copy of the G allele is associated with a 7.7% reduction in risk of CVD events after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and smoking status (H.R. = 0.923, 95% CI 0.860-0.991; p = 0.027). In a subset of 13,446 individuals with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements, we show that rs13333226 is independently associated with hypertension (unadjusted for eGFR: 0.89 [0.83-0.96], p = 0.004; after eGFR adjustment: 0.89 [0.83-0.96], p = 0.003). In clinical functional studies, we also consistently show the minor G allele is associated with lower urinary uromodulin excretion. The exclusive expression of uromodulin in the thick portion of the ascending limb of Henle suggests a putative role of this variant in hypertension through an effect on sodium homeostasis. The newly discovered UMOD locus for hypertension has the potential to give new insights into the role of uromodulin in BP regulation and to identify novel drugable targets for reducing cardiovascular risk.

Exploring the connection between the stellar wind and the non-thermal emission in LS 5039

Context.LS 5039 has been observed with several X-ray instruments so far showing quite steady emission in the long term and no signatures of accretion disk. The source also presents X-ray variability at orbital timescales in flux and photon index. The system harbors an O-type main sequence star with moderate mass-loss. At present, the link between the X-rays and the stellar wind is unclear. Aims.We study the X-ray fluxes, spectra, and absorption properties of LS 5039 at apastron and periastron passages during an epoch of enhanced stellar mass-loss, and the long term evolution of the latter in connection with the X-ray fluxes. Methods.New XMM-Newton observations were performed around periastron and apastron passages in September 2005, when the stellar wind activity was apparently higher. April 2005 Chandra observations on LS 5039 were revisited. Moreover, a compilation of H EW data obtained since 1992, from which the stellar mass-loss evolution can be approximately inferred, was carried out. Results.XMM-Newton observations show higher and harder emission around apastron than around periastron. No signatures of thermal emission or a reflection iron line indicating the presence of an accretion disk are found in the spectrum, and the hydrogen column density () is compatible with being the same in both observations and consistent with the interstellar value. 2005 Chandra observations show a hard X-ray spectrum, and possibly high fluxes, although pileup effects preclude conclusive results from being obtained. The H EW shows yearly variations of 10%, and does not seem to be correlated with X-ray fluxes obtained at similar phases, unlike what is expected in the wind accretion scenario. Conclusions.2005 XMM-Newton and Chandra observations are consistent with 2003 RXTE/PCA results, namely moderate flux and spectral variability at different orbital phases. The constancy of the seems to imply that either the X-ray emitter is located at 1012 cm from the compact object, or the density in the system is 3 to 27 times smaller than that predicted by a spherical symmetric wind model. We suggest that the multiwavelength non-thermal emission of LS 5039 is related to the observed extended radio jets and is unlikely to be produced inside the binary system.