Coupled-expanding maps and one-sided symbolic dynamical systems

This paper studies relationships between coupled-expanding maps and one-sided symbolic dynamical systems. The concept of coupled-expanding map is extended to a more general one: coupled-expansion for a transitive matrix. It is found that the subshift for a transitive matrix is strictly coupled-expanding for the matrix in certain disjoint compact subsets; the topological conjugacy of a continuous map in its compact invariant set of a metric space to a subshift for a transitive matrix has a close relationship with that the map is strictly coupled-expanding for the matrix in some disjoint compact subsets. A certain relationship between strictly coupled-expanding maps for a transitive matrix in disjoint bounded and closed subsets of a complete metric space and their topological conjugacy to the subshift for the matrix is also obtained. Dynamical behaviors of subshifts for irreducible matrices are then studied and several equivalent statements to chaos are obtained; especially, chaos in the sense of Li–Yorke is equivalent to chaos in the sense of Devaney for the subshift, and is also equivalent to that the domain of the subshift is infinite. Based on these results, several new criteria of chaos for maps are finally established via strict coupled-expansions for irreducible transitive matrices in compact subsets of metric spaces and in bounded and closed subsets of complete metric spaces, respectively, where their conditions are weaker than those existing in the literature.     

Influence of inerter on natural frequencies of vibration systems

This paper investigates the influence of inerter on the natural frequencies of vibration systems. First of all, the natural frequencies of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system and a two-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) system are derived algebraically and the fact that the inerter can reduce the natural frequencies of these systems is demonstrated. Then, to further investigate the influence of inerter in a general vibration system, a multi-degree-of-freedom system (MDOF) is considered. Sensitivity analysis is performed on the natural frequencies and mode shapes to demonstrate that the natural frequencies of the MDOF system can always be reduced by increasing the inertance of any inerter. The condition for a general MDOF system of which the natural frequencies can be reduced by an inerter is also derived. Finally, the influence of the inerter position on the natural frequencies is investigated and the efficiency of inerter in reducing the largest natural frequencies is verified by simulating a six-degree-of-freedom system, where a reduction of more than 47 percent is obtained by employing only five inerters.     

A network model of knowledge accumulation through diffusion and upgrade

In this paper, we introduce a model to describe knowledge accumulation through knowledge diffusion and knowledge upgrade in a multi-agent network. Here, knowledge diffusion refers to the distribution of existing knowledge in the network, while knowledge upgrade means the discovery of new knowledge. It is found that the population of the network and the number of each agent’s neighbors affect the speed of knowledge accumulation. Four different policies for updating the neighboring agents are thus proposed, and their influence on the speed of knowledge accumulation and the topology evolution of the network are also studied.     

Biological experimental demonstration of bifurcations from bursting to spiking predicted by theoretical models

A series of bifurcations from period-1 bursting to period-1 spiking in a complex (or simple) process were observed with increasing extra-cellular potassium concentration during biological experiments on different neural pacemakers. This complex process is composed of three parts: period-adding sequences of burstings, chaotic bursting to chaotic spiking, and an inverse period-doubling bifurcation of spiking patterns. Six cases of bifurcations with complex processes distinguished by period-adding sequences with stochastic or chaotic burstings that can reach different bursting patterns, and three cases of bifurcations with simple processes, without the transition from chaotic bursting to chaotic spiking, were identified. It reveals the structures closely matching those simulated in a two-dimensional parameter space of the Hindmarsh–Rose model, by increasing one parameter \(I\) and fixing another parameter \(r\) at different values. The experimental bifurcations also resembled those simulated in a physiologically based model, the Chay model. The experimental observations not only reveal the nonlinear dynamics of the firing patterns of neural pacemakers but also provide experimental evidence of the existence of bifurcations from bursting to spiking simulated in the theoretical models.     

On a four-dimensional chaotic system

This paper reports a new four-dimensional continuous autonomous chaotic system, in which each equation in the system contains a 3-term cross product. Basic properties of the system are analyzed by means of Lyapunov exponents and bifurcation diagrams.     

On the generalized Lorenz canonical form

This short note is to briefly introduce the new notion of generalized Lorenz canonical form (GLCF), which contains the classical Lorenz system and the newly discovered Chen system as two extreme cases, along with infinitely many chaotic systems in between. It also points out that some recently reported chaotic systems are special cases of the GLCF.     

The simplest parametrized normal forms of Hopf and generalized Hopf bifurcations

This paper considers the computation of the simplest parameterized normal forms (SPNF) of Hopf and generalized Hopf bifurcations. Although the notion of the simplest normal form has been studied for more than two decades, most of the efforts have been spent on the systems that do not involve perturbation parameters due to the restriction of the computational complexity. Very recently, two singularities – single zero and Hopf bifurcation – have been investigated, and the SPNFs for these two cases have been obtained. This paper extends a recently developed method for Hopf bifurcation to compute the SPNF of generalized Hopf bifurcations. The attention is focused on a codimension-2 generalized Hopf bifurcation. It is shown that the SPNF cannot be obtained by using only a near-identity transformation. Additional transformations such as time and parameter rescaling are further introduced. Moreover, an efficient recursive formula is presented for computing the SPNF. Examples are given to demonstrate the applicability of the new method.     

Ši’lnikov Chaos in the Generalized Lorenz Canonical Form of Dynamical Systems

This paper studies the generalized Lorenz canonical form of dynamical systems introduced by elikovský and Chen [International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos 12(8), 2002, 1789]. It proves the existence of a heteroclinic orbit of the canonical form and the convergence of the corresponding series expansion. The ilnikov criterion along with some technical conditions guarantee that the canonical form has Smale horseshoes and horseshoe chaos. As a consequence, it also proves that both the classical Lorenz system and the Chen system have ilnikov chaos. When the system is changed into another ordinary differential equation through a nonsingular one-parameter linear transformation, the exact range of existence of ilnikov chaos with respect to the parameter can be specified. Numerical simulation verifies the theoretical results and analysis.     

Robust digital controllers for uncertain chaotic systems: A digital redesign approach

In this paper, a new and systematic method for designing robust digital controllers for uncertain nonlinear systems with structured uncertainties is presented. In the proposed method, a controller is designed in terms of the optimal linear model representation of the nominal system around each operating point of the trajectory, while the uncertainties are decomposed such that the uncertain nonlinear system can be rewritten as a set of local linear models with disturbed inputs. Applying conventional robust control techniques, continuous-time robust controllers are first designed to eliminate the effects of the uncertainties on the underlying system. Then, a robust digital controller is obtained as the result of a digital redesign of the designed continuous-time robust controller using the state-matching technique. The effectiveness of the proposed controller design method is illustrated through some numerical examples on complex nonlinear systems––chaotic systems.