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International audience; Patient-specific cardiac modelling can help in understanding pathophysiology and predict therapy effects. This requires the personalization of the geometry, kinematics, electrophysiology and mechanics. We use the Bestel-Clément-Sorine (BCS) electromechanical model of the heart, which provides reasonable accuracy with a reduced parameter number compared to the available clinical data at the organ level. We propose a preliminary specificity study to determine the relevant global parameters able to differentiate the pathological cases from the healthy controls. To this end, a calibration algorithm on global measurements is developed. This calibration method was tested successfully on 6 volunteers and 2 heart failure cases and enabled to tune up to 7 out of the 14 necessary parameters of the BCS model, from the volume and pressure curves. This specificity study confirmed domain-knowledge that the relaxation rate is impaired in post-myocardial infarction heart failure and the myocardial stiffness is increased in dilated cardiomyopathy heart failures.

International audience; We consider the chemostat model with the substrate concentration as the single measurement. We propose a control strategy that drives the system at a steady state maximizing the gas production without the knowledge of the specific growth rate. Our approach separates the extremum seeking problem from the feedback control problem such that each of the two subproblems can be solved with relatively simple algorithms. We are then free to choose any numerical optimization algorithm. We give a demonstration for two choices: one is based on slow-fast dynamics and numerical continuation, the other is a combination of golden-section and Newton iteration. The method copes with non-monotonic growth functions.

International audience; In this paper fault diagnosis is studied for linear time varying descriptor systems, which are the discrete time counterpart of the continuous time dynamic systems described by differential-algebraic equations. This class of systems includes and is broader than the well-known state space systems. The framework of descriptor systems is particularly useful for studying dynamic systems exhibiting time varying singularities. Actuator faults and sensor faults are respectively modeled as parametric changes in the state equation and in the output equation. The main result of this paper consists in extending an adaptive observer, initially designed for state space systems, to descriptor systems. Based on this result, fault diagnosis is performed by estimating the parameters characterizing actuator and sensor faults.

International audience; This study introduces a new signal analysis method, based on a semiclassical approach. The main idea in this method is to interpret a pulse-shaped signal as a potential of a Schrödinger operator and then to use the discrete spectrum of this operator for the analysis of the signal. We present some numerical examples and the first results obtained with this method on the analysis of arterial blood pressure waveforms.

International audience; This paper describes a statistical approach to fault detection and isolation for linear time-varying (LTV) systems subject to parametric additive faults. The proposed approach combines a GLR test with a recursive filter that cancels out the dynamics of the monitored faults effects. To our knowledge, the proposed recursive filter is new for the considered faults with time-varying profiles. The resulting algorithm handles fault diagnosis with weaker assumptions than usual, in particular on the number of sensors and on the stability of the monitored system.

International audience; In this paper we propose a muscle tissue model -- valid for striated muscles in general, and for the myocardium in particular -- based on a multi-scale physiological description. This model extends and refines an earlier-proposed formulation by allowing to account for all major energy exchanges and balances, from the chemical activity coupled with oxygen supply to the production of actual mechanical work, namely, the biological function of the tissue. We thus perform a thorough analysis of the energy mechanisms prevailing at the various scales, and we proceed to propose a complete discretization strategy -- in time and space -- respecting the same balance laws. This will be crucial in future works to adequately model the many important physiological -- normal and pathological -- phenomena associated with these energy considerations.

International audience; Having in mind applications to the fault-detection/diagnosis of lossless electrical networks, here we consider some inverse scattering problems for Schrödinger operators over star-shaped graphs. We restrict ourselves to the case of minimal experimental setup consisting in measuring, at most, two reflection coefficients when an infinite homogeneous (potential-less) branch is added to the central node. First, by studying the asymptotic behavior of only one reflection coefficient in the high-frequency limit, we prove the identiability of the geometry of this star-shaped graph: the number of edges and their lengths. Next, we study the potential identification problem by inverse scattering, noting that the potentials represent the inhomogeneities due to the soft faults in the network wirings (potentials with bounded H1-norms). The main result states that, under some assumptions on the geometry of the graph, the measurement of two reflection coefficients, associated to two different sets of boundary conditions at the external vertices of the tree, determines uniquely the potentials; it can be seen as a generalization of the theorem of the two boundary spectra on an interval.

In this paper, we study a scalar conservation law that models a highly re-entrant manufacturing system as encountered in semi-conductor production. As a generalization of \cite{CKWang}, the velocity function possesses both the local and nonlocal character. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the weak solution to the Cauchy problem with initial and boundary data in $L^{\infty}$. We also obtain the stability (continuous dependence) of both the solution and the out-flux with respect to the initial and boundary data. Finally, we prove the existence of an optimal control that minimizes, in the $L^p$-sense with $p\in [1,\infty)$, the difference between the actual out-flux and a forecast demand over a fixed time period., Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures

International audience; The Two-Stage Algorithm (TSA) has been extensively used and adapted for the identification of Hammerstein systems. It is essentially based on a particular formulation of Hammerstein systems in the form of bilinearly parameterized linear regressions. This paper has been motivated by a somewhat contradictory fact: though the optimality of the TSA has been established by Bai in 1998 only in the case of some special weighting matrices, the unweighted TSA is usually used in practice. It is shown in this paper that the unweighted TSA indeed gives the optimal solution of the weighted nonlinear least squares problem formulated with a particular weighting matrix. This provides a theoretical justification of the unweighted TSA, and also leads to a generalization of the obtained result to the case of colored noise with noise whitening. Numerical examples of identification of Hammerstein systems are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.

The fertility of ram semen after cervical insemination is substantially reduced by 24 h of storage in liquid form. The effects of liquid storage on the transit of ram spermatozoa in the ewe genital tract was investigated using a new procedure allowing direct observation of the spermatozoa in the genital tract. Ejaculated ram spermatozoa were double labeled with R18 and MitoTracker Green FM, and used to inseminate ewes in estrus either cervically through the vagina or laparoscopically into the base of the uterine horns. Four hours after insemination, the spermatozoa were directly observedin situusing fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy in the base, middle and tip of the uterine horns, the utero-tubal junction (UTJ) and the oviduct. The high resolution video images obtained with this technique allowed determination of the distribution of spermatozoa and individual motility in the lumen of the ewe's genital tract. The results showed a gradient of increasing concentration of spermatozoa from the base of the uterus to the UTJ 4 h after intra-uterine insemination into the base of the horns. The UTJ was shown to be a storage region for spermatozoa before their transfer to the oviduct. Thein vitrostorage of spermatozoa in liquid form decreased their migration through the cervix and reduced the proportion of motile spermatozoa and their straight line velocity at the UTJ and their transit into the oviduct.

Cette revue présente l’état des connaissances sur la folliculogenèse et l’ovulation chez les mammifères. La folliculogenèse basale est une phase de croissance folliculaire lente, au cours de laquelle l’ovocyte acquiert la compétence méiotique. La folliculogenèse terminale est une phase de développement rapide, au cours de laquelle le follicule ovulatoire est sélectionné et termine sa maturation, tandis que l’ovocyte acquiert la compétence au développement. La revue décrit les différents changements fonctionnels qui s’opèrent dans le follicule et l’ovocyte au cours de ces deux phases, ainsi que les mécanismes qui les régulent et qui déterminent le quota ovulatoire caractéristique de chaque espèce ou race. Les facteurs-clés identifiés de la folliculogenèse sont les BMP, le KITLG et l’AMH pour le démarrage de croissance folliculaire, l’IGF et l’insuline pour la transition entre folliculogenèse basale et terminale, la FSH pour le début de la folliculogenèse terminale et la sélection des follicules ovulatoires, et la LH pour le développement folliculaire final, la maturation ovocytaire et l’ovulation. L’ovulation est déclenchée par une décharge préovulatoire de LH qui induit la maturation du complexe cumulus-ovocyte dans le follicule ovulatoire, suivie de la rupture de la paroi folliculaire et de la formation du corps jaune. La folliculogenèse ovarienne est contrôlée par des facteurs externes, tels que la photopériode et la nutrition, et c’est essentiellement le système hypothalamo-hypophysaire qui intègre les signaux endocriniens et environnementaux. Des modifications de l’apport alimentaire, relayées par des variations de signaux hormonaux et métaboliques, modulent l’activité de l’axe hypothalamo-hypophyso-ovarien à ses différents étages., This review is a state of the art on follicullogenesis and ovulation in mammals. Basal folliculogenesis is a phase of slow follicular growth, during which the oocyte acquires meiotic competence. Terminal folliculogenesis is a phase of rapid development, during which the ovulatory follicle is selected and completes its maturation while the oocyte acquires developmental competence. This review describes the different functional changes occurring within follicles and oocytes throughout these two phases, the underlying regulatory mechanisms and the mechanisms that determine natural ovulation rate in different species and breeds. Known key factors for folliculogenesis are BNTP, KITLG and AMH for the initiation of follicular growth, IGF and insulin for transition between basal and terminal folliculogenesis, FSH for the outset of terminal folliculogenesis and the selection of ovulatory follicles, and LH for final follicular development, oocyte maturation and ovulation. Ovulation is triggered by a preovulatory LH surge that induces maturation of the cumulus oocyte complex within the ovulatory follicle, rupture of the follicular wall and corpus luteum formation. Ovarian folliculogenesis is controlled by external factors such as photoperiod and nutrition, and the hypothalamo-pituitary system integrates endocrine and environmental signals. Nutritional supply, relayed by hormonal and metabolic signals, can modulate both the hypothalamo-pituitary and ovarian activity.

International audience; In vertebrates, the gonadotrope axis is made up of the hypothalamus, belonging to the central nervous system, the pituitary gland and the gonads. These organs communicate with one another within entangled endocrine loops. From a dynamical viewpoint, the gonadotrope axis exhibits remarkable features, such as the pulsatile mode of secretion of the master reproductive hormone GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) and the permanent renewal of the gonadic tissues related to the maturation of the germ cell lines. We will present a multilevel and multiscale modelling approach of the gonadotrope axis focusing on the ovulation process. On the gonadic level, we address the question of the selection of ovarian follicles within the framework of controlled conservation laws. We have to deal with a 2D EDP with integro-differential expressions in the velocity and source terms. On the hypothalamic level, we design a model of GnRH secretion within the framework of weakly coupled nonlinear oscillators. The model outputs reproduce the transition from the pulsatile to the surge pattern and the changes in pulse frequency. To explain the behaviour of the model and meet qualitative and quantitative endocrinological specifications, we explore the whole sequence of bifurcations occurring within the model.; Chez les vertébrés, l'axe gonadotrope est constitué par l'hypothalamus (structure du système nerveux central), l'hypophyse et les gonades, dont les activités sont coordonnées par des boucles de rétrocontrôle endocrines. Le fonctionnement de ce système exhibe des propriétés remarquables sur le plan dynamique, telles que le caractère pulsatile de la sécrétion de la GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) par les neurones hypothalamiques, et le remaniement permanent (au cours de la vie reproductive) des tissus gonadiques, en liaison avec la maturation des cellules germinales. Il s'agit ici de présenter une approche de modélisation et de contrôle multi-échelles et multi-niveaux de l'axe gonadotrope. Au niveau gonadique, nous décrirons un modèle multi-échelles du processus de sélection des follicules ovulatoires, au sein de la population de follicules ovariens en croissance, rentrant dans le cadre des lois de conservation contrôlées. Au niveau hypothalamique, nous présenterons un modèle de sécrétion de la GnRH, dans le cadre du couplage d'oscillateurs non linéaires. Les sorties du modèle reproduisent non seulement la transition entre régime pulsatile et décharge ovulatoire, mais aussi l'accéleration en fréquence avant la décharge, et l'existence d'une pause après la décharge. Nous étudions la séquence complète de bifurcations sous-jacentes au modèle, afin de respecter fidèlement les spécifications qualitatives et quantitatives du cahier des charges endocrine, qui portent sur les rapports en durée, amplitude et fréquence, entre les différents événements sécrétoires

International audience; The Two-Stage Algorithm (TSA) has been extensively used and adapted for the identification of Hammerstein systems. It is essentially based on a particular formulation of Hammerstein systems in the form of bilinearly parameterized linear regressions. This paper has been motivated by a somewhat contradictory fact: though the optimality of the TSA has been established by Bai in 1998 only in the case of some special weighting matrices, the unweighted TSA is usually used in practice. It is shown in this paper that the unweighted TSA indeed gives the optimal solution of the weighted nonlinear least-squares problem formulated with a particular weighting matrix. This provides a theoretical justification of the unweighted TSA, and leads to a generalization of the obtained result to the case of colored noise with noise whitening. Numerical examples of identification of Hammerstein systems are presented to validate the theoretical analysis.

This thesis work focuses on the detection of insulation faults in very long transmission lines. This is detecting soft defects related to the insulation between the conductors of a long cable which are represented by the leakage conductance parameter. Detect these faults, signs of a possible future short-circuit, is an important issue but requires a noninvasive method. For example, in the case of railway signaling cables, it is to develop a method of diagnosis of very low leakage conductances in signaling cables along railways compatible with the movement of trains. Be aware estimate from measurements in one point of the cable, strong resistance distributed over several hundred meters without disturbing the continuous frequency range to 40 kHz, reserved for service signals. Indeed, the signal cables from the train that interest us have an average length 1500 m and are used in the frequency band 0-40 kHz.We propose so a frequency method for estimating low defects to medium frequency in uniform transmission lines with losses. It is based on two main ideas : a detailed analysis of joint effects of dissipation and dispersion and a method of comparing two lines having the same characteristics and differing only leak conductance parameter. This method of comparison was widespread in the case of multiconductor lines by adopting a statistical approach.This thesis has brought new results : losses estimation formulas resulting from the detailed analysis of a share of joint effects of dissipation and dispersion and also the method of comparing two lines. Numerical simulations were made in both cases to validate the proposed frequency method. Experiments were performed to validate the statistical analysis in the case of multiconductor lines., Ces travaux de thèse portent sur la détection de défauts d'isolement dans des lignes de transmission de grandes longueurs. Il s'agit de détecter des défauts non francs liés à l'isolant entre les conducteurs d'un câble de grande longueur qui sont représentés par le paramètre de conductance de fuite. Détecter ces défauts, signes d'un possible futur court-circuit, est un enjeu important mais nécessite une méthode non invasive. Par exemple, dans le cas des câbles de signalisation SNCF, il s'agit de développer une méthode de diagnostic de très faibles conductances de fuite dans les câbles de signalisation le long des voies ferrées compatible avec la circulation des trains. Il faut savoir estimer, à partir de mesures en un seul point du câble, de fortes résistances distribuées sur plusieurs centaines de mètres sans perturber la bande de fréquences du continu à 40 kHz, réservée aux signaux de service. En effet, les câbles de signalisation de la SNCF qui nous intéressent ont une longueur moyenne de 1500 m et sont utilisés dans la bande de fréquence 0-40 kHz. Nous proposons donc une méthode fréquentielle permettant d'estimer de faibles défauts à moyenne fréquence dans des lignes de transmission uniformes avec pertes. Elle repose sur deux idées principales : une analyse fine des effets conjoints de la dissipation et de la dispersion et une méthode de comparaison de deux lignes ayant les mêmes caractéristiques et ne différant que du paramètre de conductance de fuite. Cette méthode de comparaison a été généralisée dans le cas de lignes multiconducteurs en adoptant une démarche statistique.\\Cette thèse a apporté de nouveaux résultats : des formules d'estimation de pertes découlant de l'analyse fine d'une part des effets conjoints de la dissipation et de la dispersion et d'autre part de la méthode de comparaison de deux lignes. Des simulations numériques ont été faites dans les deux cas afin de valider la méthode fréquentielle proposée. Des expériences ont été réalisées afin de valider l'analyse statistique développée dans le cas de lignes multiconducteurs.

We propose a dissipation engineering scheme that prepares and protects a maximally entangled state of a pair of superconducting qubits. This is done by off-resonantly coupling the two qubits to a low-Q cavity mode playing the role of a dissipative reservoir. We engineer this coupling by applying six continuous-wave microwave drives with appropriate frequencies. The two qubits need not be identical. We show that our approach does not require any fine-tuning of the parameters and requires only that certain ratios between them be large. With currently achievable coherence times, simulations indicate that a Bell state can be maintained over arbitrary long times with fidelities above 94%. Such performance leads to a significant violation of Bell's inequality (CHSH correlation larger than 2.6) for arbitrary long times., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

International audience; In this paper we study the dynamics of a quadratic integrate-and-fire neuron, spiking in the gamma (30-100 Hz) range, coupled to a delta/theta frequency (1-8 Hz) neural oscillator. Using analytical and semi-analytical methods we were able to derive characteristic spiking times for the system in two distinct regimes (depending on parameter values): one regime where the gamma neuron is intrinsically oscillating in the absence of theta input, and a second one in which gamma spiking is directly gated by theta input, i.e. windows of gamma activity alternate with silence periods depending on the underlying theta phase. In the former case we transform the equations such that the system becomes analogous to the Mathieu differential equation. By solving this equation we can compute numerically the time to the first gamma spike and then use singular perturbation theory to find successive spike times. On the other hand in the excitable condition we make direct use of singular perturbation theory to obtain an approximation of the time to first gamma spike, and then extend the result to calculate ensuing gamma spikes in a recursive fashion. We thereby give explicit formulas for the onset and offset of gamma spike burst during a theta cycle, and provide an estimation of the total number of spikes per theta cycle both for excitable and oscillator regimes.

We study Mixed Mode Oscillations (MMOs) in systems of two weakly coupled slow/fast oscillators. We focus on the existence and properties of a folded singularity called FSN II that allows the emergence of MMOs in the presence of a suitable global return mechanism. As FSN II corresponds to a transcritical bifurcation for a desingularized reduced system, we prove that, under certain non-degeneracy conditions, such a transcritical bifurcation exists. We then apply this result to the case of two coupled systems of FitzHugh- Nagumo type. This leads to a non trivial condition on the coupling that enables the existence of MMOs.

We consider a controlled quantum system whose finite dimensional state is governed by a discrete-time nonlinear Markov process. In open-loop, the measurements are assumed to be quantum non-demolition (QND). The eigenstates of the measured observable are thus the open-loop stationary states: they are used to construct a closed-loop supermartingale playing the role of a strict control Lyapunov function. The parameters of this supermartingale are calculated by inverting a Metzler matrix that characterizes the impact of the control input on the Kraus operators defining the Markov process. The resulting state feedback scheme, taking into account a known constant delay, provides the almost sure convergence of the controlled system to the target state. This convergence is ensured even in the case where the filter equation results from imperfect measurements corrupted by random errors with conditional probabilities given as a left stochastic matrix. Closed-loop simulations corroborated by experimental data illustrate the interest of such nonlinear feedback scheme for the photon box, a cavity quantum electrodynamics system., Comment: submitted (16 pages, 4 figures)

Tracking Quantum Evolution The actual process of measuring a quantum system has an effect on the result making the outcome unpredictable. Using a superconducting qubit placed in a microwave cavity, Hatridge et al. (p. 178 ) found that a series of partial measurements on a quantum system left the system in a pure state. Looking at the record of the actual measurements allowed the final state of a superconducting-based quantum system to be determined accurately. Such control is crucial for achieving full feedback control of a general quantum system.

International audience; We introduce a new gate that transfers an arbitrary state of a qubit into a superposition of two quasi-orthogonal coherent states of a cavity mode, with opposite phases. This qcMAP gate is based on conditional qubit and cavity operations exploiting the energy level dispersive shifts, in the regime where they are much stronger than the cavity and qubit linewidths. The generation of multi-component superpositions of quasi-orthogonal coherent states, non-local entangled states of two resonators and multi-qubit GHZ states can be efficiently achieved by this gate.

We show that a planar slow–fast piecewise-linear (PWL) system with three zones admits limit cycles that share a lot of similarity with van der Pol canards, in particular an explosive growth. Using phase-space compactification, we show that these quasi-canard cycles are strongly related to a bifurcation at infinity. Furthermore, we investigate a limiting case in which we show the existence of a continuum of canard homoclinic connections that coexist for a single-parameter value and with amplitude ranging from an order of ε to an order of 1, a phenomenon truly associated with the non-smooth character of this system and which we call super-explosion .

International audience; We propose to encode a quantum bit of information in a superposition of coherent states of an oscillator, with four different phases. Our encoding in a single cavity mode, together with a protection protocol, significantly reduces the error rate due to photon loss. This protection is ensured by an efficient quantum error correction scheme employing the nonlinearity provided by a single physical qubit coupled to the cavity. We describe in detail how to implement these operations in a circuit quantum electrodynamics system. This proposal directly addresses the task of building a hardware-efficient quantum memory and can lead to important shortcuts in quantum computing architectures.

An entangled Bell state of two superconducting quantum bits can be stabilized for an arbitrary time using an autonomous feedback scheme, that is, one that does not require a complicated external error-correcting feedback loop. Entangled states are a key resource in fundamental quantum physics, quantum cryptography and quantum computation. It has been generally assumed that the creation of such states requires the avoidance of contact with a dissipative environment, and minimization of decoherence. Some studies have shown, however, that dissipative interactions can be used to preserve coherence, and in this issue of Nature two groups demonstrate this principle for continuously driven physical systems. Lin et al. use engineered dissipation to deterministically produce and stabilize entanglement between two trapped-ion qubits, independent of their initial state. Shankar et al. use an autonomous feedback scheme to counteract decoherence and demonstrate the stabilization of an entangled Bell state of a quantum register of two superconducting qubits for an arbitrary time. This approach may be applied to a broad range of experimental systems to achieve desired quantum dynamics or steady states. Quantum error correction codes are designed to protect an arbitrary state of a multi-qubit register from decoherence-induced errors1, but their implementation is an outstanding challenge in the development of large-scale quantum computers. The first step is to stabilize a non-equilibrium state of a simple quantum system, such as a quantum bit (qubit) or a cavity mode, in the presence of decoherence. This has recently been accomplished using measurement-based feedback schemes2,3,4,5. The next step is to prepare and stabilize a state of a composite system6,7,8. Here we demonstrate the stabilization of an entangled Bell state of a quantum register of two superconducting qubits for an arbitrary time. Our result is achieved using an autonomous feedback scheme that combines continuous drives along with a specifically engineered coupling between the two-qubit register and a dissipative reservoir. Similar autonomous feedback techniques have been used for qubit reset9, single-qubit state stabilization10, and the creation11 and stabilization6 of states of multipartite quantum systems. Unlike conventional, measurement-based schemes, the autonomous approach uses engineered dissipation to counteract decoherence12,13,14,15, obviating the need for a complicated external feedback loop to correct errors. Instead, the feedback loop is built into the Hamiltonian such that the steady state of the system in the presence of drives and dissipation is a Bell state, an essential building block for quantum information processing. Such autonomous schemes, which are broadly applicable to a variety of physical systems, as demonstrated by the accompanying paper on trapped ion qubits16, will be an essential tool for the implementation of quantum error correction.

Photons are ideal carriers for quantum information as they can have a long coherence time and can be transmitted over long distances. These properties are a consequence of their weak interactions within a nearly linear medium. To create and manipulate nonclassical states of light, however, one requires a strong, nonlinear interaction at the single photon level. One approach to generate suitable interactions is to couple photons to atoms, as in the strong coupling regime of cavity QED systems. In these systems, however, one only indirectly controls the quantum state of the light by manipulating the atoms. A direct photon-photon interaction occurs in so-called Kerr media, which typically induce only weak nonlinearity at the cost of significant loss. So far, it has not been possible to reach the single-photon Kerr regime, where the interaction strength between individual photons exceeds the loss rate. Here, using a 3D circuit QED architecture, we engineer an artificial Kerr medium which enters this regime and allows the observation of new quantum effects. We realize a Gedankenexperiment proposed by Yurke and Stoler, in which the collapse and revival of a coherent state can be observed. This time evolution is a consequence of the quantization of the light field in the cavity and the nonlinear interaction between individual photons. During this evolution non-classical superpositions of coherent states, i.e. multi-component Schroedinger cat states, are formed. We visualize this evolution by measuring the Husimi Q-function and confirm the non-classical properties of these transient states by Wigner tomography. The single-photon Kerr effect could be employed in QND measurement of photons, single photon generation, autonomous quantum feedback schemes and quantum logic operations., 6 pages, 4 figures, 5 pages supplementary Material, 3 figures

International audience; A bilayer surface model of human atria is presented. A rule-based bi-layer physiological fibre arrangement is defined on an imaged in-vivo atrial geometry. This fibre architecture includes the main structures of fibres in the right and left atria, including the main transmural heterogeneities and transseptal connexions. The precision of the corresponding bilayer mathematical model is assessed by comparing the case of two sheets of orthogonal fibres to a three dimensional slab of tissue. A comparison of bilayer and monolayer simulations of sinus propagation is finally proposed. This model allows inclusion of transmural heterogeneities while maintaining small computational costs associated with surface models. It then proposes a good trade-off between model precision and computing efforts for performing complex atrial simulations for a clinical use.

International audience; The cusp singularity --a point at which two curves of fold points meet-- is a prototypical example in Takens' classification of singularities in constrained equations, which also includes folds, folded saddles, folded nodes, among others. In this article, we study cusp singularities in singularly perturbed systems for sufficiently small values of the perturbation parameter, in the regime in which these systems exhibit fast and slow dynamics. Our main result is an analysis of the cusp point using the method of geometric desingularization, also known as the blow-up method, from the field of geometric singular perturbation theory. Our analysis of the cusp singularity was inspired by the nerve impulse example of Zeeman, and we also apply our main theorem to it. Finally, a brief review of geometric singular perturbation theory for the two elementary singularities from the Takens' classification occurring for the nerve impulse example --folds and folded saddles -- is included to make this article self-contained.

Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity (STSP) strongly affects the neural dynamics of cortical networks. The Tsodyks and Markram (TM) model for STSP accurately accounts for a wide range of physiological responses at different types of cortical synapses. Here, we report for the first time a route to chaotic behavior via a Shilnikov homoclinic bifurcation that dynamically organises some of the responses in the TM model. In particular, the presence of such a homoclinic bifurcation strongly affects the shape of the trajectories in the phase space and induces highly irregular transient dynamics; indeed, in the vicinity of the Shilnikov homoclinic bifurcation, the number of population spikes and their precise timing are unpredictable and highly sensitive to the initial conditions. Such an irregular deterministic dynamics has its counterpart in stochastic/network versions of the TM model: the existence of the Shilnikov homoclinic bifurcation generates complex and irregular spiking patterns and --acting as a sort of springboard-- facilitates transitions between the down-state and unstable periodic orbits. The interplay between the (deterministic) homoclinic bifurcation and stochastic effects may give rise to some of the complex dynamics observed in neural systems., Published in PNAS (Early edition) sept. 2013

This paper proposes a generalization of the conjugate gradient (CG) method used to solve the equation $Ax=b$ for a symmetric positive definite matrix $A$ of large size $n$. The generalization consists of permitting the scalar control parameters (= stepsizes in gradient and conjugate gradient directions) to be replaced by matrices, so that multiple descent and conjugate directions are updated simultaneously. Implementation involves the use of multiple agents or threads and is referred to as cooperative CG (cCG), in which the cooperation between agents resides in the fact that the calculation of each entry of the control parameter matrix now involves information that comes from the other agents. For a sufficiently large dimension $n$, the use of an optimal number of cores gives the result that the multithread implementation has worst case complexity $O(n^{2+1/3})$ in exact arithmetic. Numerical experiments, that illustrate the interest of theoretical results, are carried out on a multicore computer., Comment: Expanded version of manuscript submitted to the IEEE-CDC 2012 (Conference on Decision and Control)

International audience; Probability Density Function (PDF) is often selected to couple chemistry with turbulence for complex reactive flows since complex reactions can be treated without modeling assumptions. This paper describes an investigation into the use of the particles approximation of this transport equation approach applied to Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion. The model used here is an IEM (Interaction by Exchange with the Mean) model to describe the micromixing. Therefore, the fluid within the combustion chamber is represented by a number of computational particles. Each particle evolves function of the rate of change due to the chemical reaction term and the mixing term. The chemical reaction term is calculated using a reduced mechanism of n-heptane oxidation with 25 species and 25 reactions developed previously. The parametric study with a variation of the number of particles from 50 up to 104 has been investigated for three initial distributions. The numerical experiments have shown that the hat distribution is not appropriate and the normal and lognormal distributions give the same trends. As expected when the number of particles increases for homogenous mixture (i.e. high turbulence intensity), the in-cylinder pressure evolution tends towards the homogeneous curve. For both homogeneous and inhomogeneous (i.e. low turbulence intensity) cases, we have found that 200 particles are sufficient to model correctly the system, with a CPU time of a few minutes when a restriction of initial distribution is adopted.

In this work we study mixed mode oscillations in a model of secretion of GnRH (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone). The model is a phantom burster consisting of two feedforward coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo systems, with three time scales. The forcing system (Regulator) evolves on the slowest scale and acts by moving the slow nullcline of the forced system (Secretor). There are three modes of dynamics: pulsatility (transient relaxation oscillation), surge (quasi steady state) and small oscillations related to the passage of the slow nullcline through a fold point of the fast nullcline. We derive a variety of reductions, taking advantage of the mentioned features of the system. We obtain two results; one on the local dynamics near the fold in the parameter regime corresponding to the presence of small oscillations and the other on the global dynamics, more specifically on the existence of an attracting limit cycle. Our local result is a rigorous characterization of small canards and sectors of rotation in the case of folded node with an additional time scale, a feature allowing for a clear geometric argument. The global result gives the existence of an attracting unique limit cycle, which, in some parameter regimes, remains attracting and unique even during passages through a canard explosion., 38 pages, 16 figures

We present a numerical strategy to compute one-parameter families of isolas of equilibrium solutions in ODEs. Isolas are solution branches closed in parameter space. Numerical continuation is required to compute one single isola since it contains at least one unstable segment. We show how to use pseudo-arclength predictor–corrector schemes in order to follow an entire isola in parameter space, as an individual object, by posing a suitable algebraic problem. We continue isolas of equilibria in a two-dimensional dynamical system, the so-called continuous stirred tank reactor model, and also in a three-dimensional model related to plasma physics. We then construct a toy model and follow a family of isolas past a fold and illustrate how to initiate the computation close to a formation center, using approximate ellipses in a model inspired by the van der Pol equation. We also show how to introduce node adaptivity in the discretization of the isola, so as to concentrate on nodes in region with higher curvature. We conclude by commenting on the extension of the proposed numerical strategy to the case of isolas of periodic orbits.

Making a system state follow a prescribed trajectory despite fluctuations and errors commonly consists in monitoring an observable (temperature, blood-glucose level...) and reacting on its controllers (heater power, insulin amount ...). In the quantum domain, there is a change of paradigm in feedback since measurements modify the state of the system, most dramatically when the trajectory goes through superpositions of measurement eigenstates. Here, we demonstrate the stabilization of an arbitrary trajectory of a superconducting qubit by measurement based feedback. The protocol benefits from the long coherence time ($T_2>10 ��$s) of the 3D transmon qubit, the high efficiency (82%) of the phase preserving Josephson amplifier, and fast electronics ensuring less than 500 ns delay. At discrete time intervals, the state of the qubit is measured and corrected in case an error is detected. For Rabi oscillations, where the discrete measurements occur when the qubit is supposed to be in the measurement pointer states, we demonstrate an average fidelity of 85% to the targeted trajectory. For Ramsey oscillations, which does not go through pointer states, the average fidelity reaches 75%. Incidentally, we demonstrate a fast reset protocol allowing to cool a 3D transmon qubit down to 0.6% in the excited state., 7 pages, 3 figures and 1 table. Supplementary information available as an ancilla file

Qubit reset is crucial at the start of and during quantum information algorithms. We present the experimental demonstration of a practical method to force qubits into their ground state, based on driving certain qubit and cavity transitions. Our protocol, called the double drive reset of population is tested on a superconducting transmon qubit in a three-dimensional cavity. Using a new method for measuring population, we show that we can prepare the ground state with a fidelity of at least 99.5 % in less than 3 microseconds; faster times and higher fidelity are predicted upon parameter optimization., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

This paper considers Hamiltonian identification for a controllable quantum system with non-degenerate transitions and a known initial state. We assume to have at our disposal a single scalar control input and the population measure of only one state at an (arbitrarily large) final time T. We prove that the quantum dipole moment matrix is locally observable in the following sense: for any two close but distinct dipole moment matrices, we construct discriminating controls giving two different measurements. Such discriminating controls are constructed to have three well defined temporal components, as inspired by Ramsey interferometry. This result suggests that what may appear at first to be very restrictive measurements are actually rich for identification, when combined with well designed discriminating controls, to uniquely identify the complete dipole moment of such systems. The assessment supports the employment of quantum control as a promising means to achieve high quality identification of a Hamiltonian., Submitted to IEEE TAC special issue on quantum control

The well-studied Hindmarsh-Rose model of neural action potential is revisited from the point of view of global bifurcation analysis. This slow-fast system of three paremeterised differential equations is arguably the simplest reduction of Hodgkin-Huxley models capable of exhibiting all qualitatively important distinct kinds of spiking and bursting behaviour. First, keeping the singular perturbation parameter fixed, a comprehensive two-parameter bifurcation diagram is computed by brute force. Of particular concern is the parameter regime where lobe-shaped regions of irregular bursting undergo a transition to stripe-shaped regions of periodic bursting. The boundary of each stripe represents a fold bifurcation that causes a smooth spike-adding transition where the number of spikes in each burst is increased by one. Next, numerical continuation studies reveal that the global structure is organised by various curves of homoclinic bifurcations. In particular the lobe to stripe transition is organised by a sequence of codimension-two orbit- and inclination-flip points that occur along {\em each} homoclinic branch. Each branch undergoes a sharp turning point and hence approximately has a double-cover of the same curve in parameter space. The sharp turn is explained in terms of the interaction between a two-dimensional unstable manifold and a one-dimensional slow manifold in the singular limit. Finally, a new local analysis is undertaken using approximate Poincar\'{e} maps to show that the turning point on each homoclinic branch in turn induces an inclination flip that gives birth to the fold curve that organises the spike-adding transition. Implications of this mechanism for explaining spike-adding behaviour in other excitable systems are discussed., Comment: 32 pages, 18 figures, submitted to SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems

We analyze a quantum reservoir engineering method, originally introduced by [Sarlette et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 010402 (2011) -- arXiv 1011.5057], for the stabilization of non-classical field states in high quality cavities. We generalize the method to the protection of mesoscopic entangled field states shared by two non-degenerate field modes. The reservoir is made up of a stream of atoms undergoing successive composite interactions with the cavity, each combining resonant with non-resonant parts. We get a detailed insight into the competition between the engineered reservoir and decoherence. We show that the operation is quite insensitive to experimental imperfections and that it could thus be implemented in the near future, either in the context of microwave Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics or in that of circuit-QED., Comment: submitted to Physical Review A

International audience; For the diagnosis of inhomogeneous insulation degradation in electrical cables, the estimation of the distributed shunt conductance is studied in this paper. Gradual growth of the shunt conductance is a consequence of degradation of the dielectric properties of the insulator. The proposed estimation method is based on voltage and current measurements at a single end of the cable. After the linearization of the bilinear term of the telegrapher's equations through a perturbation approach, the Kalman filter is applied to transform the problem of dynamic system parameter estimation to a simple linear regression problem. Results of numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. In particular, it is shown that the weak sensitivity of the available measurements to the shunt conductance can be compensated by long time data samples.

International audience; LNT and SCR are two leading candidates for Diesel exhaust nitrogen oxide (NOx) after-treatment. This paper deals with the modeling of the architecture combining the two systems in series with NO/NO2 differentiation, induced directly by the widening and hardening of the future standards. Model reduction is performed to allow for real-time automotive applications. Based on simplified chemistry and slow-fast dynamics assumptions, a complete reduced model is proposed, suitable for on-board diagnosis and model-based control. Validation has been achieved through extensive experiments.

International audience; This paper studies the identification problem for a class of Hammerstein-Wiener continuous- time systems, with a monotonic nonlinear function for the Wiener part. Based on the previously developed simplified refined instrumental variable method, and by making use of an adaptive observer for data filtering, a combined approach, referred to as the Kalman pre-filtered instrumental variable based method, is proposed. By taking the advantages of the two aforementioned methods, the new method is faster and has a naturally stabilized filter, as well as keeps a high estimation accuracy in most cases. Monte Carlo simulation analysis is used to illustrate the performances of the proposed methods.

The endocrine control of the reproductive function is often studied from the analysis of luteinizing hormone (LH) pulsatile secretion by the pituitary gland. Whereas measurements in the cavernous sinus cumulate anatomical and technical difficulties, LH levels can be easily assessed from jugular blood. However, plasma levels result from a convolution process due to clearance effects when LH enters the general circulation. Simultaneous measurements comparing LH levels in the cavernous sinus and jugular blood have revealed clear differences in the pulse shape, the amplitude and the baseline. Besides, experimental sampling occurs at a relatively low frequency (typically every 10 min) with respect to LH highest frequency release (one pulse per hour) and the resulting LH measurements are noised by both experimental and assay errors. As a result, the pattern of plasma LH may be not so clearly pulsatile. Yet, reliable information on the InterPulse Intervals (IPI) is a prerequisite to study precisely the steroid feedback exerted on the pituitary level. Hence, there is a real need for robust IPI detection algorithms. In this article, we present an algorithm for the monitoring of LH pulse frequency, basing ourselves both on the available endocrinological knowledge on LH pulse (shape and duration with respect to the frequency regime) and synthetic LH data generated by a simple model. We make use of synthetic data to make clear some basic notions underlying our algorithmic choices. We focus on explaining how the process of sampling affects drastically the original pattern of secretion, and especially the amplitude of the detectable pulses. We then describe the algorithm in details and perform it on different sets of both synthetic and experimental LH time series. We further comment on how to diagnose possible outliers from the series of IPIs which is the main output of the algorithm., Comment: Nombre de pages : 35 ; Nombre de figures : 16 ; Nombre de tableaux : 1

The molecular mechanisms and hidden dynamics governing ERK activation by the angiotensin II type 1A receptor are studied and deciphered, revealing a signal balancing mechanism that is found to be relevant to a range of other seven transmembrane receptors., An ODE-based dynamical model of ERK activation by the prototypical angiotensin II type-1A seven transmembrane receptor has been built and validated. In order to deal with a limited number of experimental read-outs, unknown parameters have been inferred by simultaneously fitting control and perturbed conditions. In addition to its well-established function in G-protein uncoupling, G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 has been shown to exert a strong negative effect on β-arrestin-dependent signaling and by doing so, to balance G-protein and β-arrestin signaling. This novel function of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 has also been evidenced in primary vascular smooth muscle cells naturally expressing the AT1AR and in HEK293 cells expressing other 7TMRs., Seven-transmembrane receptors (7TMRs) are involved in nearly all aspects of chemical communications and represent major drug targets. 7TMRs transmit their signals not only via heterotrimeric G proteins but also through β-arrestins, whose recruitment to the activated receptor is regulated by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs). In this paper, we combined experimental approaches with computational modeling to decipher the molecular mechanisms as well as the hidden dynamics governing extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation by the angiotensin II type 1A receptor (AT1AR) in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells. We built an abstracted ordinary differential equations (ODE)-based model that captured the available knowledge and experimental data. We inferred the unknown parameters by simultaneously fitting experimental data generated in both control and perturbed conditions. We demonstrate that, in addition to its well-established function in the desensitization of G-protein activation, GRK2 exerts a strong negative effect on β-arrestin-dependent signaling through its competition with GRK5 and 6 for receptor phosphorylation. Importantly, we experimentally confirmed the validity of this novel GRK2-dependent mechanism in both primary vascular smooth muscle cells naturally expressing the AT1AR, and HEK293 cells expressing other 7TMRs.

International audience; In this paper we study the well-posedness of different models of population of leaky integrate- and- re neurons with a population density approach. The synaptic interaction between neurons is modeled by a potential jump at the reception of a spike. We study populations that are self excitatory or self inhibitory. We distinguish the cases where this interaction is instantaneous from the one where there is a repartition of conduction delays. In the case of a bounded density of delays both excitatory and inhibitory population models are shown to be well-posed. But without conduction delay the solution of the model of self excitatory neurons may blow up. We analyze the di erent behaviours of the model with jumps compared to its di usion approximation.

International audience; In the realm of multiscale signal analysis, multifractal analysis provides with a natural and rich framework to measure the roughness of a time series. As such, it has drawn special attention of both mathematicians and practitioners, and led them to characterize relevant physiological factors impacting the heart rate variability. Notwithstanding these considerable progresses, multifractal analysis almost exclusively developed around the concept of Legendre singularity spectrum, for which efficient and elaborate estimators exist, but which are structurally blind to subtle features like non-concavity or, to a certain extent, non scaling of the distributions. Large deviations theory allows bypassing these limitations but it is only very recently that performing estimators were proposed to reliably compute the corresponding large deviations singularity spectrum. In this article, we illustrate the relevance of this approach, on both theoretical objects and on human heart rate signals from the Physionet public database. As conjectured, we verify that large deviations principles reveal significant information that otherwise remains hidden with classical approaches, and which can be reminiscent of some physiological characteristics. In particular we quantify the presence/absence of scale invariance of RR signals.

International audience; We propose an adaptive control law that allows one to identify unstable steady states of the open-loop system in the single-species chemostat model without the knowledge of the growth function. We then show how to use a continuation method to reconstruct the whole graph of the growth function. Two variants, in continuous and discrete time, are presented. The case of two species in competition is also examined.

Mixed-mode oscillations (MMOs) are trajectories of a dynamical system in which there is an alternation between oscillations of distinct large and small amplitudes. MMOs have been observed and studied for over thirty years in chemical, physical, and biological systems. Few attempts have been made thus far to classify different patterns of MMOs, in contrast to the classification of the related phenomena of bursting oscillations. This paper gives a survey of different types of MMOs, concentrating its analysis on MMOs whose small-amplitude oscillations are produced by a local, multiple-time-scale “mechanism.” Recent work gives substantially improved insight into the mathematical properties of these mechanisms. In this survey, we unify diverse observations about MMOs and establish a systematic framework for studying their properties. Numerical methods for computing different types of invariant manifolds and their intersections are an important aspect of the analysis described in this paper.

Fast-slow systems are studied usually by "geometrical dissection" [Borisyuk & Rinzel, 2005]. The fast dynamics exhibit attractors which may bifurcate under the influence of the slow dynamics which is seen as a parameter of the fast dynamics. A generic solution comes close to a connected component of the stable invariant sets of the fast dynamics. As the slow dynamics evolves, this attractor may lose its stability and the solution eventually reaches quickly another connected component of attractors of the fast dynamics and the process may repeat. This scenario explains quite well relaxation oscillations and more complicated oscillations like bursting. More recently, in relation both with theory of dynamical systems [Dumortier & Roussarie, 1996] and with applications to physiology [Desroches et al., 2008; Toporikova et al., 2008], a new interest has emerged in canard cycles. These orbits share the property that they remain for a while close to an unstable invariant set (either singular set or periodic orbits of the fast dynamics). Although canards were first discovered when the transition points were folds, in this article, we focus on the case where one or several transition points (or "jumps") are instead transcritical. We present several new surprising effects like the "amplification of canards" or the "exceptionally fast recovery" on both (1 + 1)-systems and (2 + 1)-systems associated with tritrophic food chain dynamics. Finally, we also mention their possible relevance to the notion of resilience which has been coined out in ecology [Holling, 1973; Ludwig et al., 1997; Martin, 2004].

In this paper, we consider the 1-D wave equation where the spatial domain is a bounded interval. Assuming the initial conditions to be known, we are here interested in identifying an unknown source term, while we take the Neumann derivative of the solution on one of the boundaries as the measurement output. Applying a back-and-forth iterative scheme and constructing well-chosen observers (that will be applied in an offline manner), we retrieve the source term from the measurement output in the minimal observation time.

We propose an adaptive control law that allows one to identify unstable steady states of the open-loop system in the single-species chemostat model without the knowledge of the growth function. We then show how one can use this control law to trace out (reconstruct) the whole graph of the growth function. The process of tracing out the graph can be performed either continuously or step-wise. We present and compare both approaches. Even in the case of two species in competition, which is not directly accessible with our approach due to lack of controllability, feedback control improves identifiability of the non-dominant growth rate., Comment: expansion of ideas from proceedings paper (17 pages, 8 figures), proceedings paper is version v1

This paper presents the design and implementation of a numerical method to simulate a multiscale model describing the selection process in ovarian follicles. The PDE model consists in a quasi-linear hyperbolic system of large size, namely Nf × Nf, ruling the time evolution of the cell density functions of Nf follicles (in practice Nf is of the order of a few to twenty). These equations are weakly coupled through the sum of the first order moments of the density functions. The time-dependent equations make use of two structuring variables, age and maturity, which play the roles of space variables. The problem is naturally set over a compact domain of R2. The formulation of the time-dependent controlled transport coefficients accounts for available biological knowledge on follicular cell kinetics. We introduce a dedicated numerical scheme that is amenable to parallelization, by taking advantage of the weak coupling. Numerical illustrations assess th e relevance of the proposed method both in term of accuracy and HPC achievements. Ce document présente la conception et l’implémentation d’une méthode numérique servant à simuler un modèle multiéchelle décrivant le processus de sélection des follicules ovariens. Le modèle EDP consiste en un système hyperbolique quasi linéaire de grande taille, typiquement Nf × Nf, gouvernant l’évolution des fonctions de densité cellulaire pour Nf follicules (en pratique Nf est de l’ordre de quelques-uns à une vingtaine). Ces équations d’évolution utilisent deux variables structurantes, l’âge et la maturité, qui jouent le rôle de variables d’espace. Le problème est naturellement posé sur un domaine compact de R2. La formulation du transport à coefficients variables au cours du temps en fonction du contrôle est issue des connaissances disponibles sur la cinétique cellulaire au sein des follicules ovariens. Nous présentons un schéma numérique dédié au problème parallélisable en tirant parti du faible couplage. Des simulations numériques permettent d’évaluer la pertinence de la méthode proposée tant en terme de précision que de calcul haute performance.

International audience; The technique of space invariant embedding, applied to a second order boundary value problem de ned in a cylindrical domain, gives rise to a system of uncoupled rst order initial value problems that includes a non-linear Riccati equation on a unbounded functional operator. We present a method to justify this equation that uses a parabolic regularization of the original problem.