A new method for singular value loop shaping in design of multiple-channel controllers

In this note, simple symmetric interval bounds on the singular values of a matrix based on its Gershgorin disks are proposed. This allows the Gershgorin theorem to be used not only to provide information about the location of the eigenvalues of a matrix but also its singular values. This is utilized for the proposition of a new design technique for singular value loop shaping based on the diagonal dominance methodology for design of linear multivariable plants. In return, this allows multiple-channel simply structured controllers to be designed with a view to robustness and to meet constraints and specifications on the behavior of its singular values. A design example is given demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach.     

Services and applications: requirements and realizations in theUMTS era

The ACTS program is moving the results of the R&D of the parent RACE program nearer to realization through technology and user trials. Particularly in the mobile domain of ACTS, several projects have been investigating the user dimension in the context of the third-generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service. Results so far suggest many opportunities to broaden participation, exploit the inherent benefits of the mobile environment, and take advantage of the enormous improvements in wireless communications to realize the potential of global multimedia mobility. This article considers the needs of users for mobile multimedia applications and the consequences of those needs on the equipment, supporting services and teleservices, and communications bearers     

The mouse embryo culture system: improving the sensitivity for use as a quality control assay for human in vitro fertilization

Endurance training leads to an increase in the content of individual mitochondrial hemeproteins in skeletal muscle. To deduce the control mechanisms involved, cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity was compared with 1) the content of COX subunits III and IV and 2) 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS) activity and mRNA content. In the plantaris muscle of female rats run daily for up to 28 days, ALAS activity was elevated 100% (P < 0.01) after 3 days and remained 150 and 125% higher (P < 0.001) after 7 and 28 days of running, respectively, than control. COX activity was also increased, but not until day 7 (40%; P < 0.05), and reached a maximal value 80% higher than control (P < 0.001) in the 28-day group. Compared with control, the content of COX subunit III and IV and ALAS mRNAs was not significantly changed by the training. The increased activities of COX and ALAS appear to be regulated by translational or posttranslational steps in the protein expression pathway. The induction of ALAS before COX suggests that the increased activity of COX may require increased synthesis of heme.     

Age effects on block design: Qualitative performance features and extended-time effects.

Qualitative performance features and extended-time effects on the Block Design subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) were examined in 145 healthy Ss (aged 50–95 yrs). Raw scores were calculated at standard and extended time limits; error types and starting points were recorded for a subgroup of Ss. In Ss age 60 yrs and older, there was a consistent decline with age in overall scores at both time limits. Extra time allotments resulted in modest but significant increases in scores. Older and younger Ss benefited equally from the extra time, indicating that the age-related decline on this task cannot be accounted for by general age-related psychomotor slowing. Single- and multiblock rotation errors were relatively common, whereas stimulus boundedness and broken configurations were rare. Despite some potential limitations in generalizability, the results suggest that the incorporation of qualitative scoring procedures in the assessment of visuoconstructional skills may enhance understanding of normal and abnormal brain–behavior relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hydrolysis of the sarcoplasmic, myofibrillar and connective tissue proteins of lean beef by alcalase and its relationship to whole meat hydrolysis

The enzymic hydrolysis and solubilisation of the three meat protein fractions have been investigated in order to elucidate some aspects of the hydrolysis of whole beef protein. Much of the water-soluble sarcoplasmic protein fraction was insolubilised on heating for 25 min at 60°C. While most of this insoluble protein was easily resolubilised enzymically, some of it remained insoluble after 5 hours' hydrolysis. Solubilisation of connective tissue by Alcalase after a 3 h reaction increased markedly from 23% at 55°C to 99% at 60°C. This explains the high optimum temperature for solubilisation of whole beef by Alcalase. A significant portion of myofibrillar tissue remained insoluble after 3 hours' reaction. indicating that the majority of the insoluble solids remaining after whole meat hydrolysis at 60°C derived from myofibrillar tissue. There was good agreement between an experimental reaction progress curve for whole beef hydrolysis and one estimated from progress curves for hydrolysis of the three meat protein fractions.