Bifurcation analysis in a neutral differential equation

The dynamics of a neural network model in neutral form is investigated. We prove that a sequence of Hopf bifurcations occurs at the origin as the delay increases. The direction of the Hopf bifurcations and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions are determined by using normal form method and center manifold theory. Global existence of periodic solutions is established using a global Hopf bifurcation result of Krawcewicz et al. and a Bendixson's criterion for higher dimensional ordinary differential equations due to Li and Muldowney.     

Two-dimensional curved fronts in a periodic shear flow

This paper is devoted to the study of traveling fronts of reaction-diffusion equations with periodic advection in the whole plane R². We are interested in curved fronts satisfying some “conical” conditions at infinity. We prove that there is a minimal speed c^∗ such that curved fronts with speed c exist if and only if c≥c^∗. Moreover, we show that such curved fronts are decreasing in the direction of propagation, that is, they are increasing in time. We also give some results about the asymptotic behaviors of the speed with respect to the advection, diffusion and reaction coefficients.     

Combining nonmonotone conic trust region and line search techniques for unconstrained optimization

In this paper, we propose a trust region method for unconstrained optimization that can be regarded as a combination of conic model, nonmonotone and line search techniques. Unlike in traditional trust region methods, the subproblem of our algorithm is the conic minimization subproblem; moreover, our algorithm performs a nonmonotone line search to find the next iteration point when a trial step is not accepted, instead of resolving the subproblem. The global and superlinear convergence results for the algorithm are established under reasonable assumptions. Numerical results show that the new method is efficient for unconstrained optimization problems.     

Identifying preferred solutions to Multi-Objective Binary Optimisation problems,with an application to the Multi-Objective Knapsack Problem

In this paper we present a new framework for identifying preferred solutions to multi-objective binary optimisation problems. We develop the necessary theory which leads to new formulations that integrate the decision space with the space of criterion weights. The advantage of this is that it allows for incorporating preferences directly within a unique binary optimisation problem which identifies efficient solutions and associated weights simultaneously. We discuss how preferences can be incorporated within the formulations and also describe how to accommodate the selection of weights when the identification of a unique solution is required. Our results can be used for designing interactive procedures for the solution of multi-objective binary optimisation problems. We describe one such procedure for the multi-objective multi-dimensional binary knapsack formulation of the portfolio selection problem.     

一类基于m-序列的正形置换的构造与计数

正形置换在密码学中有着广泛的应用,利用m-序列的"三项式特性",给出了一个构造n元正形置换的新方法,该方法既不同于已有的由n-2元构造n元正形置换,也不同于基于正交拉丁方的由n元构造n+1元正形置换的方法.     

Unusual thiolate-bridged diiron clusters bearing the cis-HN═NH ligand and their reactivities with terminal alkynes

A series of well-defined thiolate-bridged diiron clusters bearing the cis-HN═NH ligand, [Cp(?)Fe(μ-SEt)(2)(μ-η(1):η(1)-HN═NH)FeCp(?)][PF(6)] (Cp(?) = η(5)-C(5)Me(4)H or η(5)-C(5)Me(5)), are successfully prepared in high yields and fully characterized by spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Under moderate conditions, these new Fe/S clusters exhibit high activity, not only for the catalytic cleavage of the N-N bond of hydrazines but also for the activation and coupling of terminal alkynes.     

Plasmonic enhancements of photocatalytic activity of Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiodes using Au/Ag core/shell nanorods

We report the plasmonic enhancement of the photocatalytic properties of Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiode photocatalysts using Au/Ag core/shell nanorods. We show that Au/Ag core/shell nanorods can be synthesized with tunable plasmon resonance frequencies and then conjugated onto Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiodes using well-defined chemistry. Photocatalytic studies showed that the conjugation with Au/Ag core/shell nanorods can significantly enhance the photocatalytic activity by more than a factor of 3. Spectral dependence studies further revealed that the photocatalytic enhancement is strongly correlated with the plasmonic absorption spectra of the Au/Ag core/shell nanorods, unambiguously demonstrating the plasmonic enhancement effect.     

Direct analysis of oligosaccharides and alpha hydroxy acids in fruits using electrosonic spray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrosonic spray ionization (ESSI) is a derivative technique of electrospray ionization (ESI) for mass spectrometry (MS) in which droplets are charged in the course of sonic spray. In this study, we applied ESSI MS to direct analysis of oligosaccharides and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in fruits. The components were extracted from fruit fleshes by a feasible method prior to ESSI MS analysis, but the fruit juices were analyzed without further pretreatment. The results demonstrate that mainly alkali metal adducts of oligosaccharides are favorably produced in positive ion mode, while deprotonated AHAs and oligosaccharides are produced in negative ion mode. Compared with mass spectra obtained using electrospray droplet impact/secondary ion mass spectrometry (EDI/SIMS), mass spectra using ESSI make the identification of oligosaccharides more straightforward in positive ion mode than in negative ion mode.     

Design of experiments on 135 cloned poplar trees to map environmental influence in greenhouse

To find and ascertain phenotypic differences, minimal variation between biological replicates is always desired. Variation between the replicates can originate from genetic transformation but also from environmental effects in the greenhouse. Design of experiments (DoE) has been used in field trials for many years and proven its value but is underused within functional genomics including greenhouse experiments. We propose a strategy to estimate the effect of environmental factors with the ultimate goal of minimizing variation between biological replicates, based on DoE. DoE can be analyzed in many ways. We present a graphical solution together with solutions based on classical statistics as well as the newly developed OPLS methodology.In this study, we used DoE to evaluate the influence of plant specific factors (plant size, shoot type, plant quality, and amount of fertilizer) and rotation of plant positions on height and section area of 135 cloned wild type poplar trees grown in the greenhouse. Statistical analysis revealed that plant position was the main contributor to variability among biological replicates and applying a plant rotation scheme could reduce this variation.