Stability of bumps in piecewise smooth neural fields with nonlinear adaptation

We study the linear stability of stationary bumps in piecewise smooth neural fields with local negative feedback in the form of synaptic depression or spike frequency adaptation. The continuum dynamics is described in terms of a nonlocal integrodifferential equation, in which the integral kernel represents the spatial distribution of synaptic weights between populations of neurons whose mean firing rate is taken to be a Heaviside function of local activity. Discontinuities in the adaptation variable associated with a bump solution means that bump stability cannot be analyzed by constructing the Evans function for a network with a sigmoidal gain function and then taking the high-gain limit. In the case of synaptic depression, we show that linear stability can be formulated in terms of solutions to a system of pseudo-linear equations. We thus establish that sufficiently strong synaptic depression can destabilize a bump that is stable in the absence of depression. These instabilities are dominated by shift perturbations that evolve into traveling pulses. In the case of spike frequency adaptation, we show that for a wide class of perturbations the activity and adaptation variables decouple in the linear regime, thus allowing us to explicitly determine stability in terms of the spectrum of a smooth linear operator. We find that bumps are always unstable with respect to this class of perturbations, and destabilization of a bump can result in either a traveling pulse or a spatially localized breather.     

A stochastic approximation algorithm with multiplicative step size modification

An algorithm of searching a zero of an unknown function ϕ: ℝ → ℝ is considered: x _t = x _t−1 − γ _t−1 y _t , t = 1, 2, ..., where y _t = ϕ(x _t−1) + ξ _t is the value of ϕ measured at x _t−1 and ξ _t is the measurement error. The step sizes γ _t > 0 are modified in the course of the algorithm according to the rule: γ _t = min{uγ _t−1, } if y _t−1 y _t > 0, and γ _t = dγ _t−1, otherwise, where 0 < d < 1 < u, > 0. That is, at each iteration γ _t is multiplied either by u or by d, provided that the resulting value does not exceed the predetermined value . The function ϕ may have one or several zeros; the random values ξ _t are independent and identically distributed, with zero mean and finite variance. Under some additional assumptions on ϕ, ξ _t , and , the conditions on u and d guaranteeing a.s. convergence of the sequence {x _t }, as well as a.s. divergence, are determined. In particular, if P(ξ ₁ > 0) = P (ξ ₁ < 0) = 1/2 and P(ξ ₁ = x) = 0 for any x ∈ ℝ, one has convergence for ud < 1 and divergence for ud > 1. Due to the multiplicative updating rule for γ _t , the sequence {x _t } converges rapidly: like a geometric progression (if convergence takes place), but the limit value may not coincide with, but instead, approximate one of the zeros of ϕ. By adjusting the parameters u and d, one can reach arbitrarily high precision of the approximation; higher accuracy is obtained at the expense of lower convergence rate.      

Ethanol production from dilute-acid softwood hydrolysate by co-culture

Dilute-acid softwood hydrolysate, with glucose and xylose as the dominant sugars was fermented to ethanol by co-cultures. The strains used include Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2.535 (1#), Pachysolen tannophilis ATCC 2.1662 (2#), and recombinant Escherichia coli (3#) constructed in our laboratory carrying both pdc and adhB genes derived from Zymomonas mobilis. Before fermentation, the co-cultures were adapted for five batches. Observation under light microscope showed aggregation of adapted strains, which could possibly improve their ability to degrade inhibitors. In addition, we tried to detoxify the dilute-acid softwood hydrolysate with a combined method before fermentation. Our study showed that fermentation of detoxified hydrolysate by adapted co-culture (1# + 2@) generated an exceptionally high ethanol yield on total sugar of 0.49 g/g, corresponding to 96.1% of the maximal theoretical value after 48h; fermentation of detoxified hydrolysate by adapted co-culture (1# + 3#) is faster (24h) and could reach a high ethanol yield (0.45 g/g total sugar). These experiments suggest that both adaptation and detoxification significantly improve hydrolysate fermentation and ethanol production.     

Goal-oriented mesh adaptation for flux-limited approximations to steady hyperbolic problems

The development of adaptive numerical schemes for steady transport equations is addressed. A goal-oriented error estimator is presented and used as a refinement criterion for conforming mesh adaptation. The error in the value of a linear target functional is measured in terms of weighted residuals that depend on the solutions to the primal and dual problems. The Galerkin orthogonality error is taken into account and found to be important whenever flux or slope limiters are activated to enforce monotonicity constraints. The localization of global errors is performed using a natural decomposition of the involved weights into nodal contributions. A nodal generation function is employed in a hierarchical mesh adaptation procedure which makes each refinement step readily reversible. The developed simulation tools are applied to a linear convection problem in two space dimensions.     

Whole-cell spectroscopy is a convenient tool to assist molecular identification of cultivatable marine bacteria and to investigate their adaptive metabolism

Recent developments in whole-cell spectroscopic methods allow rapid characterization of microorganisms of interest to human health, but have yet to be widely applied to marine microbiological studies. In this study of bacteria associated with the kelp Laminaria digitata, we have isolated 18 epiphytic bacterial strains from several thalli, sequenced their 16S rDNA, built corresponding phylogenetic trees, and characterized them using spectroscopic methods. Molecular taxonomy revealed Gram⁺Actinobacteria and Gram⁻Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Twelve marine reference strains (Gram⁺Firmicutes, and Gram⁻Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes) were treated accordingly. Whole-cell MALDI-TOF MS spectral profiles of 29 of the 30 strains were built into a database against which 16 replicate spectra of each strain were compared and categorized into groups. The proton HR-MAS NMR stack plots allowed visual delineation into taxonomic groups according to their most common peaks, in agreement with identifiable compounds from corresponding D₂O solution spectra. With both methods, these groups corresponded to taxa identified by 16S rDNA sequences, MALDI-TOF MS being more discriminative than HR-MAS NMR. Culture age did not influence the spectral signatures in both approaches. Most cells grown under minimal conditions (VNSS medium) afforded HR-MAS NMR profiles markedly different to those grown in enriched conditions (ZoBell medium), indicating different adaptive metabolic responses between the two media. Spectral signatures obtained under strictly controlled conditions can be used as rapid and reliable tools for taxonomic purposes and as markers of physiological status.     

On the impact of anisotropic mesh adaptation on computational wind engineering

This paper addresses the critical issue of the accuracy of CFD predictions for wind engineering. Flows around the Silsoe Cube, a high‐rise building (the Jin Mao Tower), and a low‐rise large‐span building (the Pudong International Airport) are computed with the Navier–Stokes solver FENSAP and compared with measurements. Computations are carried out for two wind directions, by solving the steady‐state ensemble‐averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the Spalart–Allmaras one‐equation turbulence model. Pressure coefficients compare well with wind tunnel experiments and the accuracy of the flow solutions is further improved via an automatic mesh adaptation that dynamically places grid points where the flow physics require them, while keeping the number of unknowns and solution time substantially at the same level. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cone Adaptation Strategies for a Finite and Exact Cutting Plane Algorithm for Concave Minimization

In this paper we are concerned with pure cutting plane algorithms for concave minimization. One of the most common types of cutting planes for performing the cutting operation in such algorithm is the concavity cut. However, it is still unknown whether the finite convergence of a cutting plane algorithm can be enforced by the concavity cut itself or not. Furthermore, computational experiments have shown that concavity cuts tend to become shallower with increasing iteration. To overcome these problems we recently proposed a procedure, called cone adaptation, which deepens concavity cuts in such a way that the resulting cuts have at least a certain depth with 0, where is independent of the respective iteration, which enforces the finite convergence of the cutting plane algorithm. However, a crucial element of our proof that these cuts have a depth of at least was that we had to confine ourselves to -global optimal solutions, where is a prescribed strictly positive constant. In this paper we examine possible ways to ensure the finite convergence of a pure cutting plane algorithm for the case where = 0.     

Improved Nonlinear Extended State Observer-Based Sliding-Mode Rotary Control for the Rotation System of a Hydraulic Roofbolter

This paper develops a sliding-mode control with an improved nonlinear extended state observer (SMC-INESO) for the rotation system of a hydraulic roofbolter with dead-zones, uncertain gain, and disturbances, with the purpose of improving tracking performance. Firstly, the rotation system is modeled to compensate for dead-zone nonlinearity. Then, we present an improved nonlinear extended state observer to estimate disturbances of the rotation system in real time. Moreover, a proportional-integral-differential sliding-mode surface is introduced and an improved sliding-mode reaching law is designed. Based on this, a sliding-mode control law is developed. In order to eliminate the influence of estimation error and uncertain gain, we design two adaptation laws based on the sliding-mode surface and the estimated states. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed SMC-INESO is verified through comparative simulation studies.     

驾驶员暗适应测试仪的研究

驾驶员暗适应测试仪由单片计算机系统、暗箱、强光产生部分及视标显示等部分组成。被测者在强光刺激之后,进入黑暗状态。同时测试仪开始计时,至被测者看清视标时停止计时。所计得的时间为其暗适应时间。测试仪测试的结果可显示在显示器上也可由打印机打印。实测结果表明驾驶员的暗适应时间有较显著的差异     

LED光源光谱对隧道出口段明适应的影响

随着我国经济的不断发展,高速公路隧道建设的发展也非常迅猛。前期在隧道的实际工程设计中,为完全保证隧道车辆通行安全,隧道内部全线灯具的输出功率和安装布置全部取决于一年四季中最大的洞外亮度值和车辆速度值。这样的设计尽管充分考虑了安全性,但盲目的增加隧道照明亮度,不能够缓解视觉适应的问题。随着LED在隧道照明中的应用, LED光源光谱的影响逐渐引起人们的关注。调查研究发现高速公路隧道在出口段交通事故发生率比较高,主要原因是隧道出口段内外亮度差较大,驾驶员在驶离时明适应时间较长。LED光源的光谱呈现双峰结构,在长波长范围内,光谱含量差异明显。明适应的能力主要与两个因素有关,一是瞳孔面积的变化;二是感光色素的光化学反应。不同色温的LED具有不同的光谱特性,进而通过影响感光色素的合成,来影响明适应的时间长短。现在市场上可用的隧道照明LED光源的色温可选范围比较广,所以实验选取了市场上可用的不同色温的大功率的LED光源作为研究对象,其色温分别是3 000, 3 500, 4 000, 4 500, 5 000, 5 700和6 500 K等7种。邀请了30名视觉功能正常,矫正视力1.0以上,且无色盲、色弱等其他眼疾的观察者参加了本次实验。地点选择在长9 m,高2.8 m,宽5 m的模拟隧道内。实验参数选取3组亮度值,分别为4, 8和12 cd·m^-2;2个灯具安装高度分别是2.0和2.4 m;3个安装角度分别是15°, 20°和25°。共评估了126种照明条件。实验结果表明:隧道出口段亮度越大,明适应时间越小;当亮度相同时,随着色温的增大,明适应时间减小;灯具安装角度和安装高度对光谱的影响很小,改变安装高度和安装角度并不能有效的减小明适应时间。从明适应的角度出发,通过分析不同色温LED灯的光谱,为隧道照明设计与应用中出口段LED光源的选择提供数据和理论支撑。