Primal-dual proximal point algorithm for linearly constrained convex programming problems

A primal-dual version of the proximal point algorithm is developed for linearly constrained convex programming problems. The algorithm is an iterative method to find a saddle point of the Lagrangian of the problem. At each iteration of the algorithm, we compute an approximate saddle point of the Lagrangian function augmented by quadratic proximal terms of both primal and dual variables. Specifically, we first minimize the function with respect to the primal variables and then approximately maximize the resulting function of the dual variables. The merit of this approach exists in the fact that the latter function is differentiable and the maximization of this function is subject to no constraints. We discuss convergence properties of the algorithm and report some numerical results for network flow problems with separable quadratic costs.     

Analysis of Spectral Reflectance Using Normalization Method from Endoscopic Spectroscopy System

Objective assessment of gastrointestinal mucosal color is extremely important in the endoscopic diagnosis of digestive tract disease. In this paper, we propose a method to clarify the spectral characteristics of gastric and colon cancer. A large number of spectral reflectance data of mucous membrane are measured by the endoscopic spectroscopy system (ESS) in the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan and the Department of Internal Medicine, Self-Defense Force Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. We assume that early cancer appears primarily in the spectral data of short wavelength, because it is usually present in a superficial cell where short wavelength light is scattered more strongly than long wavelength light. To identify the features in the short wavelength components, the spectral reflectance was divided by the reflectance of a long wavelength. We investigated the possibility of distinguishing early cancer from normal spectral data through statistical analysis, employing the projection axis as the mean difference between them. Early cancer and normal spectral data were projected on the projection axis, and the Student’s T-test was applied to evaluate the mean of the distribution between these data.     

10-Gbit/s optical receiver using ICs with low-capacitance HBT technology

A 10-Gbit/s optical receiver is developed using low-capacitance HBT IC technology. The HBT allows a cutoff frequency of 45 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency of 70 GHz. The receiver contains an automatic gain-control amplifier IC with a gain of 16 dB, a bandwidth of 10.7 GHz, and a decision-circuit IC with an ambiguity of 66 mVp-p at a data rate of 10 Gbit/s. The sensitivity of this receiver is -26.5 dBm at a bit error rate of 10^-9. Transmission over a 140-km fiber was achieved successfully.     

A multiple character sum and a multipleL-function

In this paper we introduce a certain sum by using Dirichlet characters. We investigate the Riesz mean of the sum using the analytic properties of the MultipleL-function systematically. Eine überarbeitete Fassung ging am 6. 8. 2001 ein     

Different acute effects of oral and intratracheal administration of disodium arsenate and gallium arsenide on heme synthesis in rats

The acute influences of arsenic compounds on the metabolism of porphyrins and heme in various organs of rats after oral or intratracheal administration of disodium arsenate (Na₂HAsO₄) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) were examined and compared. For the oral administration experiments, 21 or 84 mg of Na₂HAsO₄, or 2 or 4 g of GaAs, per cm³ saline per kg body weight of each animal was administered to Jcl: Wistar male rats and the organs were removed after exsanguination from the vein of the right axilla under anesthesia with ether, 16 h after administration. In the case of intratracheal administration, rats given 8.2 or 16.4 mg of Na₂HAsO₄, or 0.2 or 0.4 g GaAs per cm³ saline per kg body weight were examined under the same experimental conditions as for the administration route. Increase in the body weight of rats was suppressed after intratracheal administration of the two arsenic compounds. In these rats the hematocrit value increased significantly. These changes were not shown by the orally administered rats. Elevation in δ-aminolevulinate synthase (ALA-S, EC 2.3.1.37) activity in erythroblasts by Na₂HAsO₄ was much higher after intratracheal administration than after oral administration. Suppression in the activities of δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALA-D, EC 4.2.1.24) and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D, EC 4.3.1.8) in peripheral erythrocytes by Na₂HAsO₄ and GaAs were stronger by intratracheal administration than by the oral route. Influences of GaAs on the activity of PBG-D in rat liver were shown to be more effective by oral administration than by the intratracheal route. Oral administration of Na₂HAsO₄ and GaAs had a stronger suppression effect on the activities of ALA-D and PBG-D in rat kidney. It seems from these results that the different extents of the influence of arsenic compounds might depend on the routes of intake.     

Crystal structure of the clathrate of 5,12-dihydro-5,12-o-benzenonaphthacene-1,4-dione with benzene (2:1).

In the crystal of the title compound, the quinone fragment of the host (1) participates in weak D-A interactions with a neighboring naphthalene moiety of 1 and with the guest molecule via fairly short intermolecular face-to-face contacts. An intermolecular electrostatic interaction between a quinone-oxygen atom and a neighboring quinone ring is suggested by short O...C contacts. There exist several C-H...O hydrogen bonds, one of which seems to contribute to the formation of a centrosymmetric dimer of 1.     

Tangent circle bundles admit positive open book decompositions along arbitrary links

In the present paper we generalize the divide lying in the unit disk, introduced by A'Campo, to compact, oriented, smooth surfaces, and prove a fibration theorem for generalized divides. As a consequence, we will show that, for any link L in the tangent circle bundle Y to the compact surface, there exists an additional knot K such that the link L∪K is the binding of a “positive” open book decomposition of Y.     

Preparation of a cyclodextrin dimer linked with a bis(picolinyl)cystine moiety and its intra- and intermolecular inclusion behavior

A novel cyclodextrin (CD) dimer linked with a bis(picolinyl)cystine (Cys) moiety was prepared by the coupling of Boc-protected Cys with amino-modified CDs, followed by deprotection of the Boc groups and bispicolinylation. The dimer showed less affinity to an organic guest molecule compared to that of a native CD monomer. It was attributed to an intramolecular inclusion of the pyridine moiety into CD cavity. The dimer caused significant increase of its organic guest affinity by an addition of a copper ion. The included pyridine group may come out of a CD cavity to bind the copper ion and the two CDs included cooperatively and intermolecularly a guest molecule with high affinity.