Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

www.elsevier.com/locate/neunet

Criteria for exponential stability of Cohen–Grossberg neural networks

Xiaofeng Liaoa,b,*, Chunguang Lib, Kwok-wo Wongc
a
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People’s Republic of China
b
Lab 570, College of Electronic Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, People’s Republic of China
c
Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue,
Kowloon Toon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Received 4 December 2002; accepted 2 August 2004

Abstract
In this paper, the Cohen–Grossberg neural network models without and with time delays are considered. By constructing several novel
Lyapunov functionals, some sufficient criteria for the existence of a unique equilibrium and global exponential stability of the network are
derived. These results are fairly general and can be easily verified. Besides, the approach of the analysis allows one to consider different types
of activation functions, including piecewise linear, sigmoids with bounded activations as well as C1-smooth sigmoids. In the meantime, our
approach does not require any symmetric assumption of the connection matrix. It is believed that these results are significant and useful for
the design and applications of the Cohen–Grossberg model.
q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Global exponential stability; Cohen–Grossberg model; Neural networks; Lyapunov functionals

1. Introduction functions and the self-signal functions, respectively, while

Cohen and Grossberg proved that a large class of neural
networks can function as stable content addressable
memories or CAMs (Cohen & Grossberg, 1983; Grossberg,
1988). These Cohen–Grossberg networks were designed to
include additive neural networks, later studied by Hopfield
(1984), and shunting neural networks. In general, the
Cohen–Grossberg neural network model is described by
the set of ordinary differential equations:
" #
X
n
x_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðxi ðtÞÞ bi ðxi ðtÞÞ K wij sj ðxj ðtÞÞ C Ji ; (1)
jZ1
where Ji, iZ1, 2,., n, denote the constant inputs from
outside of the system and wij represent the connection
weights. ai(xi) and bi(xi), iZ1, 2,., n, are the amplification
* Corresponding author. Address: Department of Computer Science and
Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, People’s Republic
of China.
E-mail address: xfliao@cqu.edu.cn (X. Liao).
sj(xj), jZ1, 2,., n, are the activation functions. In Cohen
and Grossberg’s analysis, the weight matrix WZ(wij)n!n is
assumed to be symmetric and the amplification functions
ai(xi)O0. Moreover, the activation functions sj are assumed
to be continuous, differentiable, monotonically increasing
and bounded, such as the sigmoid-type function. However,
the monotonicity or smoothness of sj is not assumed in
Wang and Zou (2002), neither the symmetric connection
requirement. As a result, a much broader connection
topology for the network is allowed. Note that the functions
ai, bi and sj are subject to certain fairly restrictive conditions,
interested readers please refer to Wang and Zou (2002).
In reality, time delays inevitably exist in biological
and artificial neural networks due to the finite switching
speed of neurons and amplifiers (Marcus & Westervelt,
1989). It is also important to incorporate time delay in
some networks such as delayed cellular neural network,
which can be used to solve problems like the processing
of moving images (Liao, Wu, & Yu, 2002). Discrete
delays were introduced into system (1) by considering

0893-6080/$ - see front matter q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.neunet.2004.08.007
1402 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

the following system (Ye, Michel, & Wang, 1995): Although the use of constant fixed delays in models of
" # delayed feedback provides a good approximation in simple
K X
X n
x_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðxi Þ bi ðxi Þ K ðkÞ
tij sj ðxj ðt K tk ÞÞ ; circuits composed of a small number of cells, neural
kZ1 jZ1 networks usually have a spatial extent due to the presence
of a multitude of parallel pathways with a variety of axon
i Z 1; 2; .; n; (2) sizes and lengths. Thus, there will be distribution of
propagation delays. In these circumstances, the signal
where the matrix Tk Z ðtijðkÞ Þn!n represents the interconnec-
propagation is not instantaneous and cannot be modeled
tions associated with delay tk of which tk, kZ0, 1,., K,
with discrete delays. A more appropriate way is to
are arranged such that 0Zt0!t1!/!tK. Furthermore,
incorporate distributed delays. However, the criteria for
their global limit property needs to satisfy the require-
stability are mostly for systems with discrete delays
ments that the connection should possess certain amount
(Gopalsamy & He, 1994a,b; Joy, 2000; Liao, Chen, &
of symmetry and the discrete delays are sufficiently
Sanchez, 2002a,b; Liao et al., 2001, 2002; Liao & Yu,
small. However, for the delayed Hopfield networks,
1998a,b; Marcus & Westervelt, 1989; van der Driessche &
cellular neural networks as well as BAM networks, some
Zou, 1998; Wang & Zou, 2002; Ye et al., 1995). Only a
delay-independent criteria for the global asymptotic
few of them are for neural networks with distributed
stability are established without assuming the monotoni-
delays; see, for example, Gopalsamy and He (1994b), Liao
city and the differentiability of the activation functions
et al. (2002), and Sree Hari Rao and Phaneendra (1999).
and also the symmetry of the connections (Forti, 1994;
Tank and Hopfield have proposed a neural circuit with
Gopalsamy & He, 1994a,b; Joy, 2000; Liao, Wong, Wu,
distributed delays that solves a general pattern recognition
& Chen, 2001; Liao et al., 2001, 2002; Liao & Yu,
problem in a time-dependent signal. For various neural
1998a,b; Liao, Yu, & Chen, 2002; Sree Hari Rao &
network models with distributed delays, the reader may
Phaneendra, 1999; van der Driessche & Zou, 1998).
also refer to Liao et al. (2002) and Tank and Hopfield
Wang and Zou studied the following system
(1987). Hence, in this paper, we also consider the
" #
X
n following Cohen–Grossberg models with distributed
x_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðxi Þ bi ðxi Þ K tij sj ðxj ðt K tij ÞÞ C Ji ; delays:
jZ1
"
i Z 1; 2; .; n; (3) X
n
x_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðxi ðtÞÞ bi ðxi ðtÞÞ K wij sj ðxj ðtÞÞ
where Ji’s denote the constant inputs from outside of the jZ1
system, tijR0 are delays caused during the switching ðt #
X
n
and transmission processes. By constructing the Lyapu- K wtij Kij ðt K sÞsj ðxj ðsÞÞds C Ji ;
nov functional, some criteria for the exponential stability jZ1 KN

of a unique equilibrium are obtained.

In this paper, we consider a modified Cohen–Grossberg
model with discrete delays described by the differential-
difference equation of the form
" those for system (4). Kij($) are subject to certain conditions
X
n
x_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðxi ðtÞÞ bi ðxi ðtÞÞ K wij sj ðxj ðtÞÞ
jZ1
# preferable and desirable that the neural network not only
X
n
K wtij sj ðxj ðt K tij ÞÞ C Ji ; i Z 1; 2; .; n;
jZ1
where ai(xi(t))O0, bi(xi(t)) are called the amplification and
the self-signal functions, respectively. WZ(wij)n!n and
W t Z ðwtij Þn!n is the normal and the delayed connection
weight matrix, respectively. Moreover, sj($) denote the
neuron activation functions. We also note that, some authors
(Gopalsamy & He, 1994a,b; Marcus & Westervelt, 1989;
Sree Hari Rao & Phaneendra, 1999; van der Driessche &
Zou, 1998; Wang & Zou, 2002; Ye et al., 1995) have studied
the pure-delay model (with wijZ0, i, jZ1, 2,., n), and here
we consider the above hybrid model in which both
instantaneous and delayed signaling occur (with wijs0
and wtij s0).
i Z 1; 2; .; n; ð5Þ
where the definitions of ai, bi, wij and wtij are the same as
to be specified later.
In designing and implementing a network, it is
converges to an equilibrium point, but also converges as
ð4Þ
fast as possible. It is well known that the exponential
stability gives a fast convergence rate to the equilibrium
and conditions for exponential convergence rate are
relatively easy to state. In this paper, we study the
exponential stability and estimate the exponential conver-
gence rates for Cohen–Grossberg neural networks (1), (4),
and (5). Some criteria for the exponential stability are
presented by constructing novel Lyapunov functionals. The
new results provide one more set of criteria for determining
the exponential stability of neural networks (1), (4), and
(5). More importantly, the exponential stability criteria
presented in this paper is less conservative and less
restrictive than those given in Gopalsamy and He
(1994a) and Wang and Zou (2002).
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1403

The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In Let

Section 2, the problem formulation and some preliminary
8
analyses are given. By constructing novel Lyapunov > ai ðui ðtÞÞ Z ai ðui ðtÞ C xi Þ
>
>
functionals, we studied the Cohen–Grossberg models with- >
<
out time delay, with discrete delay and with distributed bi ðui ðtÞÞ Z bi ðui ðtÞ C xi Þ K bi ðxi Þ : (8)
delays. Some exponential stability criteria for the various >
>
>
>
:
networks are presented in Sections 3, 4, and 5, respectively. gj ðuj ðtÞÞ Z sj ðuj ðtÞ C xj Þ K sj ðxj Þ
Examples and comparisons are given in Section 6 to
demonstrate our main results. Finally, conclusions are Then, system (7) further reduces to
drawn in Section 7.
" #
X
n
u_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðui ðtÞÞ bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ : (9)
jZ1
2. Problem formulation and some preliminaries
In system (5), the delay kernels Kij($), i, jZ1, 2,., n,
In this section, we first state the assumptions taken. satisfy the following conditions.

(H1) ai($), iZ1, 2,., n, are continuous and there exist (H3) Assume that the kernels Kij, i, jZ1, 2,., n, are real-
positive constants a ; a i ; such that valued non-negative continuous functions defined on
i
a % ai ðuÞ% a i ; for all u 2Rn ; i Z 1; 2; .; n: [0, N) and there exists a positive number m such that
i
ðN
i ; iZ1, 2,., n, are locally Lipschitz
(H2) bi and bK1 Kij ðsÞds Z 1;
continuous and there exist giO0, iZ1, 2,., n, such 0
that ðN
sKij ðsÞds!N;
u½bi ðu C xÞ K bi ðxÞR gi u2 : 0

We assume that the activation functions si, iZ1, 2,., n, ðN

satisfy either (S1) or (S2). Kij ðsÞems ds!CN:
0

(S1) (i) si, iZ1, 2,., n, are bounded in R; Note that systems (4) and (5) have the same equilibrium
under condition (H3). Hence, x* is an equilibrium point of
(ii) 0! si ðxCuÞKs
u
i ðxÞ
% Li ; iZ 1; 2; .; n: systems (4) and (5) if and only if x Z ðx1 ; x2 ; .; xn ÞT is a
solution of the equations
(S2) (i) si, iZ1, 2,., n, are bounded in R;
X
n
(ii) jsi ðxC uÞK si ðxÞj% Li juj; iZ 1; 2; .; n: bi ðxi Þ K ðwij C wtij Þsj ðxj Þ C Ji Z 0; i Z 1; 2; .; n:
We note that x* is an equilibrium of Eq. (1) if and only if jZ1
x Z ðx1 ; x2 ; .; xn ÞT is a solution of the following equations
(10)
X
n
bi ðxi Þ K wij sj ðxj Þ C Ji Z 0; i Z 1; 2; .; n: (6)
jZ1 Furthermore, making use of the approach in Wang and
Zou (2002), it is easy to obtain Lemma 2.
Similar to the discussion in Wang and Zou (2002), we
Lemma 2. If (H1)–(H2) and (S1) or (S2) hold, then for every
can easily obtain the following results.
input J, there exists an equilibrium point for systems (4)
Lemma 1. If (H1)–(H2) and (S1) or (S2) hold, then for every and (5).
input J, there exists an equilibrium point for system (1).
Lemma 3. Let dX=dtZKXC FðxÞ; if kFk!kXk and F(0)Z
Let x* be an equilibrium of system (1) and u(t)Zx(t)Kx*. 0, and F is locally Lipshitz, then the origin is globally
Substituting x(t)Zu(t)Cx* into system (1) leads to asymptotically stable, if kFk!(1K3)kXk, 0!3!1.
" Proof. The Schwartz inequality implies that the origin
u_ i ðtÞ Z Kai ðui ðtÞ C xi Þ bi ðui ðtÞ C xi Þ K bi ðxi Þ equilibrium is a unique equilibrium. Moreover, it indicates
that kXk2 is a Lyapunov function whose derivative is
#
X
n bounded above by K23kXk2 should the sharper inequality
K wij ðsj ðuj ðtÞ C xj Þ K sj ðxj ÞÞ : ð7Þ be true. The last statement yields the exponential
jZ1 bound. ,
1404 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

2
3. The Cohen–Grossberg model without time delays
X
n 6
% 6 K2di gi u2i ðtÞC2di wii ui ðtÞgi ðui ðtÞÞ
In this section, we consider the exponential stability for 4
iZ1
system (1) or (9). We have the following result.
3
Theorem 1. If conditions (H1)–(H2) hold and the activation
functions si, iZ1, 2,., n, satisfy (S1), there exist positive X
n 7
constants di, iZ1, 2,., n, and the coefficients in the C2di jwij jLj jui ðtÞjjuj ðtÞj7
5
jZ1
dynamical system (1) satisfy the following inequalities, jsi
2
8 0 19
>
>
>
> X
n 6
<L B Xn C = 6 K2di gi u2i ðtÞC2di wC 2
i B Lj d j % 4 ii Li ui ðtÞ
max 2w jw j jw j C
A> ! 2;
C
g @ ii C ij C ji iZ1
1%i%n >
> Li di >
: i jZ1 ;
jsi 3
(11) X
n X
n 7
Cdi jwij jLj u2i ðtÞCdi jwij jLj u2j ðtÞ7
5
ii Z maxf0; wii g; then, for every input J, system (1)
where wC jZ1 jZ1
jsi jsi
has a unique equilibrium x* which is exponentially stable in 0
the sense that every solution x(t) of Eq. (1) satisfies
X
n B X
n
Z BK2di gi C2di wC L jwij jLj
X
n X
n @ ii i Cd i
iZ1 jZ1
ðxi ðtÞ K xi Þ2 % C1 eK2s1 t ðxi ð0Þ K xi Þ2 ; tO 0; jsi
iZ1 iZ1 1
(12) X
n C 2
CLi jwji jdj C
Aui ðtÞ
where jZ1
jsi
!
0
di di X X
C1 Z max min ; n B n
1%i%n a 1%i%n a i ZK di B
@ 2g i K2wC
ii Li K jwij jLj
 i
iZ1 jZ1
8 0 jsi
>
> 1
>
< B Xn
B
s1 Z min di B2gi K 2wC ii Li K Lj jwij j X
n
dj C 2
1%i%n > @
>
>
: jZ1 KLi jwji jC
Aui ðtÞ: ð15Þ
jZ1
di
jsi
jsi
19
>
> !
Xn
dj C= di
Let
jw j C max : ð13Þ 8 0
d ji A>
KLi
jZ1 i > 1%i%n a >
>
; i < B X n
jsi
nZ min di B@ i2g K2w C
L
ii i K jwij jLj
1%i%n >
>
: jZ1
Proof. We construct the following Lyapunov functional as a jsi
19
candidate >
>
Xn
dj C=
X
n ð ui ðtÞ KLi jwji jC
A> ;
s d
jZ1 i >
VðuðtÞÞ Z 2di ds: (14) ;
iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ jsi

then we have
Take the derivative along the solution of Eq. (8), we have
dVðuðtÞÞ Xn
%Kn u2i ðtÞ: (16)
dVðuðtÞÞ X n
u ðtÞ dt iZ1
Z 2di i u_ ðtÞ
dt iZ1
ai ðui ðtÞÞ i By the form of Lyapunov functional (14), we get
" #
Xn X
n X
n X
n
Z 2di ui ðtÞ Kbi ðui ðtÞÞC wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ dmin u2i ðtÞ% VðuðtÞÞ% dmax u2i ðtÞ; (17)
iZ1 jZ1 iZ1 iZ1
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1405

where where

di !

dmin Z min ; di di
1%i%n ai C1 Z max min ;
!
1%i%n a i
1%i%n a
i
di (
dmax Z max : X
n
1%i%n a
i s1 Z min di 2gi K Lj jwij j
1%i%n
jZ1
Combining Eqs. (16) and (17), we have !) !
dVðuðtÞÞ X
n
dj di
%Kðn=dmax ÞVðuðtÞÞ (18) KLi jwji j max : ð22Þ
dt jZ1
di 1%i%n a
i
which leads to
4. The Cohen–Grossberg model with discrete delays
VðuðtÞÞ% eKðn=dmax Þt Vðuð0ÞÞ: (19)
Hence, we can immediately conclude from (17) that In this section, we consider system (4). Its initial
conditions are of the form:
X
n X
n
u2i ðtÞ% C1 eK2s1 t u2i ð0Þ;
iZ1 iZ1
xi ðsÞ Z fi ðsÞ2Cð½Kt; 0; RÞ; s2½Kt; 0; i Z 1; 2; .; n;

where
! (23)

di di
C1 Z max min ; where tZmax1%i;j%ftij g:
1%i%n a i
1%i%n a
i By use of the transformation (8), Eq. (4) can be reduced
to
8 0 "
>
> X
n
< B Xn
u_i ðtÞ Z Kai ðui ðtÞÞ bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ
s1 Z min di B 2g
@ i K 2wC
L
ii i K Lj jwij j
1%i%n >
> jZ1
: jZ1 #
jsi X
n
K wtij gj ðuj ðt K tij ÞÞ : ð24Þ
19 jZ1
>
> !
X dj
n C= di
KLi jwji jC max
A> 1%i%n : With respect to the exponential stability of x* for the
d
jZ1 i > a
; i delayed system (4), we have the following result which is
jsi
independent of the delays.
This completes the proof. ,
Theorem 2. Consider the delayed system (4) and assume
By the result of Theorem 1, we can immediately obtain that conditions (H1)–(H2) and (S1) or (S2) are satisfied. If
Corollary 1. there exist positive constants di, iZ1, 2,., n, r12[0, 1],
r22[0, 1], and the following condition holds:
Corollary 1. If conditions (H1)–(H2) hold and the activation
functions si, iZ1, 2,., n, satisfy condition (S2), and there (
exist positive constants di, iZ1, 2,., n, and the coefficients 1 2s2 di Xn
max C di ðL2r 1 2r2 t 2s2 t
j jwij j C Lj jwij je Þ
in Eq. (1) satisfy the following inequality, 1%i%n gi di a jZ1
i
(
!)
n !)
Li X Lj dj X
n
max jw j C jwji j !2 (20) dj ðLi2ð1Kr1 Þ jwji j C Li2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtji jÞ !2 ð25Þ
1%i%n gi
jZ1
Li ij di C
jZ1

then, for every input J, system (1) has a unique equilibrium

x* which is exponentially stable in the sense that every then the equilibrium point x* for system (4) is globally
solution x(t) of Eq. (1) satisfies exponentially stable. This implies that there exist constants
C2R1 and s2O0 such that every solution x(t) of Eqs. (4)
X
n
and (23) satisfies
ðxi ðtÞ K xi Þ2
iZ1
X
n X
n

X
n ðxi ðtÞKxi Þ2 %C2 eK2s2 t sup ðfi ðsÞKxi Þ2 ; tO0;
K2s1 t
% C1 e ðxi ð0Þ K xi Þ2 ; tO 0; ð21Þ iZ1 iZ1 s2½Kt;0
iZ1 (26)
1406 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

where X
n
C jwtij jL2r2 2
j ui ðtÞe
2s2 tij

( ! jZ1
di a
C2 Z max 1 C  i ð1 K eK2s2 t Þ X
n
1%i%n a 2s2 C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðt K tij ÞeK2s2 tij
i !) jZ1
X n

2ð1Kr2 Þ t di X
n
! Lj jwij j min : jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðtÞ
jZ1
1%i%n a i C
jZ1
)
X
n
Proof. We construct the following Lyapunov functional as a K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðt K tij ÞeK2s2 tij
candidate jZ1
(
X
n
2s2 di
 ð ui ðtÞ % K2gi di C
X
n
s iZ1
a
VðuðtÞÞ Z di 2 e2s2 t ds i
iZ1
a i ðsÞ
0 X
n
ðt ) Cdi ðL2r 2r2 t 2s2 t
j jwij j C Lj jwij je
1
Þ
X
n
C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðsÞe2s2 s ds ð27Þ jZ1
)
tKtij
jZ1 X
n
C dj ðLi2ð1Kr1 Þ jwji j C Li2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtji jÞ u2i ðtÞe2s2 t ! 0:
jZ1
then the derivative of (27) along the solution of Eq. (24) is
ð28Þ
( "
X
n
2s2 t
X
n
This implies that V(u(t))%V(u(0)) for tR0, and
_
VðuðtÞÞ Z di K2 e ui ðtÞ bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ
iZ1 jZ1
# ( ð
X
n ð ui ðtÞ X
n ui ð0Þ
s
s Vðuð0ÞÞ Z di 2 ds
K wtij gj ðuj ðt K tij ÞÞ C 4s2 e2s2 t ds ai ðsÞ
jZ1 0 ai ðsÞ iZ1 0

ð0 )
X
n X
n
C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðtÞe2s2 t C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðsÞe2s2 s ds
jZ1 jZ1 Ktij
) (
X
n
X
n
1 2 Xn
K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðt K tij Þe2s2 ðtKtij Þ % di ui ð0Þ C Lj2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtij j sup fu2j ðsÞg
jZ1 iZ1
a jZ1 s2½Kt;0
( i
X
n ð0 )
2s2 2
% di e2s2 t K2gi u2i ðtÞ C u ðtÞ e2s2 s ds
iZ1
a i !
i Ktij
X
n ( !
jwij j2ðLrj 1 jui ðtÞjÞðLjð1Kr1 Þ juj ðtÞjÞ di a
1 C  i ð1 K eK2s2 t Þ
C
jZ1
% max
1%i%n a 2s2
X
n i
!)
C jwtij j2ðLrj 2 jui ðtÞjes2 tij ÞðLð1Kr
j
2Þ
juj ðt K tij ÞjeKs2 tij Þ X
n X
n
2Þ
jZ1 ! L2ð1Kr
j jwtij j sup ðfi ðsÞ K xi Þ2 :
X
n jZ1 iZ1 s2½Kt;0
C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðtÞ
jZ1
ð29Þ
)
X
n
K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðt K tij ÞeK2s2 tij By Eq. (27), we can easily obtain
jZ1
( ð ui ðtÞ
X
n
2s2 2 X
n
s
% di e 2s2 t
K2gi u2i ðtÞ C u ðtÞ VðuðtÞÞR e2s2 t 2di ds
iZ1
a i iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ
 i
X
n X
n

di 2s2 t Xn
C jwij jL2r 1 2
j ui ðtÞ C jwij jLj2ð1Kr1 Þ u2j ðtÞ R min e u2i ðtÞ: (30)
jZ1 jZ1 i
1%i%n a
iZ1
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1407

Hence, we have the following results Theorem 3. Consider the delayed system (5) and (33) and
X
n X
n assume that conditions (H1)–(H3) and (S1) or (S2)
ðxi ðtÞ Kxi Þ2 %C2 eK2s2 t sup ðfi ðsÞKxi Þ2 ; tO0; are satisfied. If there exist positive constants di, iZ1,
iZ1 iZ1 s2½Kt;0 2,., n, r12[0, 1], r22[0, 1], and the following condition
(31) holds:
where
( ! (
a Xn
di 1 2s3 di
C2 Z max 1 C  i ð1 KeK2s2 t Þ max C di L2r 2r2
j jwij j C Lj jwij j
1 t
1%i%n a 2s2 1%i%n gi di a jZ1
i i
!) ðCN
X
X
n
n
di Kij ðsÞe2s3 s ds C dj ðLi2ð1Kr1 Þ jwji j
Lj2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtij j :
!
! min ð32Þ 0
jZ1
i
1%i%n a jZ1
!)
This completes the proof of Theorem 2. ,
CLi2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtji jÞ !2
If we set s2Z0 in Theorem 2, then we can easily obtain
the following result.
Corollary 2. Consider the delayed system (4) and assume then the equilibrium point x* for system (5) with (33) is
that conditions (H1)–(H2) and (S1) or (S2) are satisfied. If globally exponentially stable. This implies that there exist
there exist positive constants di, iZ1, 2,., n, r12[0, 1], constants C3R1 and s3O0 such that every solution x(t) of
r22[0, 1], and the following condition holds: Eq. (5) with Eq. (33) satisfies
(
1 Xn
max di ðL2r 2r2 t
j jwij j C Lj jwij jÞ
1
X
n X
n
1%i%n gi di
jZ1 ðxi ðtÞ K xi Þ2 % C3 eK2s3 t sup ðfi ðsÞ K xi Þ2 ;
!) iZ1 iZ1 s2½Kt;0
Xn
2ð1Kr1 Þ 2ð1Kr2 Þ t
C dj ðLi jwji j C Li jwji jÞ !2
jZ1 tO 0; ð35Þ
*
then the equilibrium point x for system (4) is globally
asymptotically stable. where

( !
di a X n
C3 Z max 1 C i jwt jL2ð1Kr2 Þ
1%i%n a 2s3 jZ1 ij j
5. The Cohen–Grossberg model with distributed delays i
ðN
!)

In this section, we consider system (5) with initial values K2s3 s di

! 1K Kij ðsÞe ds min
of the form 0 i
1%i%n a

xi ðsÞ Z fi ðsÞ; s 2ðKN; 0; i Z 1; 2; .; n; (33)

where fi(s) denote real-valued continuous and bounded and fi(s) are real-valued continuous and bounded functions
functions defined on (KN, 0]. defined on (KN, 0].
By means of the transformation (8), Eq. (5) can easily be Proof. Introducing the following non-negative functional as
reduced to the Lyapunov functional candidate:
"
X
n
u_ i ðtÞ Z Kai ðui ðtÞÞ bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ (
X
n ð ui ðtÞ
jZ1 s
ðt # VðuðtÞÞ Z di 2 e2s3 t ds
X
n
iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ
K wtij Kij ðt K sÞgj ðuj ðsÞÞds : ð34Þ )
jZ1 KN
X
n ðN ðt
C Lj2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtij j Kij ðsÞ u2j ðzÞe2s3 z dz ds :
Note that Eqs. (4) and (5) have the same equilibrium set. jZ1 0 tKs
Thus, if all the conditions in Theorem 2 are satisfied, then
Eq. (5) also has an equilibrium x*. With regarding to the
exponential stability of x* for system (5) with distributed By computing its derivative V_ along the trajectories
delays, we have the following result. and making use of Eq. (34) and the Cauchy inequality
1408 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

(i.e. a2Cb2R2ab), we get for tO0 Hence, we have

( " VðuðtÞÞ% Vðuð0ÞÞ; for all tO 0: (37)

X
n X
n
_
VðuðtÞÞ Z di K2ui ðtÞe2s3 t bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ However,
iZ1 jZ1 ( ð
ðt # X
n ui ð0Þ
s X
n
X
n
Vðuð0ÞÞ Z di 2 ds jwt jL2ð1Kr2 Þ
K wtij Kij ðt K sÞgj ðuj ðsÞÞds iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ jZ1 ij j
jZ1 KN
ð ui ðtÞ ðN ð0
s Xn
C4s3 e 2s3 t
ds C jwtij jL2ð1Kr2Þ 2
uj ðtÞe2s3 t C Kij ðsÞ C u2j ðzÞe2s3 z dz ds
j
0 ai ðsÞ jZ1
0 Ks
) (
X
n ðCN X
n
1 2 1 X n
2Þ
K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ Kij ðsÞu2j ðt K sÞe2s3 ðtKsÞ ds % ui ð0Þ C
di L2ð1Kr
j jwtij j
0 iZ1
a 2s 3 jZ1
jZ1 i
( )
X
n ðN

2s3 t 2s3 2
% di e K2gi u2i ðtÞ C u ðtÞ ! 1 K Kij ðsÞe K2s3 s
ds 2
sup fuj ðsÞgds
iZ1
a i 0 s2ðKN;0
i
X
n ! ( !
jwij j2ðLrj 1 jui ðtÞjÞðLjð1Kr1 Þ juj ðtÞjÞ di a X n
C
% max 1C  i
L2ð1Kr2 Þ t
jwij j
jZ1 1%i%n a 2s3 jZ1 j
X
n ðN i
C jwtij j Kij ðsÞ2ðLrj 2 jui ðtÞjes3 s Þ ðN

jZ1 0 ! 1 K Kij ðsÞeK2s3 s ds

0
X
n
!ðLjð1Kr2 Þ juj ðt K sÞjeKs3 s Þds C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðtÞ X
n
jZ1 ! sup ðfi ðsÞ K xi Þ2 : ð38Þ
ðCN ) iZ1 s2ðKN;0
X
n
K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ Kij ðsÞu2j ðt K sÞeK2s3 s ds By the form of Lyapunov functional, we can easily
jZ1 0
( obtain
X
n
2s3 t 2s3 2 ð ui ðtÞ
% di e K2gi u2i ðtÞ C u ðtÞ Xn
s
iZ1
a i VðuðtÞÞR e2s3 t 2di ds
i 0 ai ðsÞ
iZ1
X
n X
n

jwij jL2r 1 2
j ui ðtÞ C jwij jL2ð1Kr 1Þ 2
uj ðtÞ di 2s3 t X n
u2i ðtÞ:
C j R min e ð39Þ
jZ1 jZ1 1%i%n a i iZ1
X
n ðN
C jwtij jL2r 2 2
j ui ðtÞ Kij ðsÞe2s3 s ds Combining Eqs. (37)–(39), we have the following result
jZ1 0

X
n ðN X
n X
n

C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ Kij ðsÞu2j ðt K sÞeK2s3 s ds ðxi ðtÞKxi Þ2 %C3 eK2s3 t sup ðfi ðsÞ Kxi Þ2 ; tO0;
0 iZ1 iZ1 s2ðKN;0
jZ1
(40)
X
n
C jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ u2j ðtÞ
where
jZ1
ðCN ) ( !
X
n
di a X n
K jwtij jLj2ð1Kr2 Þ Kij ðsÞu2j ðt K sÞeK2s3 s ds C3 Z max 1C i L2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtij j
0 1%i%n a 2s3 jZ1 j
jZ1 i
( ðN

X
n
2s3 di di
% K2gi di C ! 1K Kij ðsÞeK2s3 s ds min : ð41Þ
iZ1
a 0 i
1%i%n a
i
n
X ðN

2r1 2r2 t 2s3 s This completes the proof of Theorem 3. ,

Cdi Lj jwij j C Lj jwij j Kij ðsÞe ds
0
jZ1 If we set s3Z0 in Theorem 3, then Corollary 3 is
)
X
n immediate.
C dj ðLi2ð1Kr1 Þ jwji j C L2ð1Kr
i
2Þ
jwtji jÞ u2i ðtÞe2s3 t ! 0:
jZ1
Corollary 3. Consider the delayed system (5) and assume
that conditions (H1)–(H3) and (S1) or (S2) are satisfied. If
ð36Þ there exist positive constants di, iZ1, 2,., n, r12[0, 1],
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1409

r22[0, 1], and the following condition holds: By computing its derivative V_ along the trajectories and
( utilizing Eq. (34), we get for tO0,
1 X
n ( "
max di ðL2r 2r2 t
j jwij j C Lj jwij jÞ
1 Xn
s t
X
n
1%i%n gi di jZ1
_
VðuðtÞÞ Z di e 4
K bi ðui ðtÞÞ K wij gj ðuj ðtÞÞ
!) iZ1 jZ1
X
n
ðt #
C dj ðLi2ð1Kr1 Þ jwji j C Li2ð1Kr2 Þ jwtji jÞ !2 X
n

jZ1 K wtij Kij ðt K sÞgj ðuj ðsÞÞds sgnðui ðtÞÞ

jZ1 KN
ð ui ðtÞ
then the equilibrium point x* of system (5) is globally s4 tsgnðsÞ
Cs4 e ds
asymptotically stable. 0 ai ðsÞ
X
n ðN
By constructing a different Lyapunov functional, we C Lj jwtij jjuj ðtÞj Kij ðsÞes4 ðtCsÞ ds
have the following results. jZ1 0
ðN )
Theorem 4. Suppose that (H1)–(H3) and (S1) hold and the X
n

following set of inequalities K Lj jwtij j Kij ðsÞjuj ðt K sÞje s4 t

ds
jZ1 0
8 0 2 3C (
> X
n
s4
>
< L Bs d X n ! % di e s4 t
Kgi jui ðtÞj C ju ðtÞj
6 !7 a i
max i B 4 i
d 6wii C !wji !7 iZ1
1%i%n > dg aL @ C i 4 5 i
>
: i i i i jZ1 X
n
jsi Cwii sgnðui Þgi ðui Þ C wij gj ðuj Þsgnðui ðtÞÞ
19
ðN >
>
jZ1
Xn C= jsi
C t s4 s C
dj jwji j Kji ðsÞe dsA ! 1 ð42Þ X
n ðN
0 >
> jwtij j Kij ðsÞjgj ðuj ðt K sÞÞjds
jZ1 ; C
jZ1 0

Xn ðN
is satisfied, where [y]CZmax{y, 0}. Then, for every input J, C Lj jwtij jjuj ðtÞj Kij ðsÞes4 s ds
system (5) with (33) has a unique equilibrium x* which jZ1 0
ðN )
is exponentially stable, i.e. there exist constants C4R1 X
n
and s4O0 such that every solution x(t) of Eq. (5) with K Lj jwtij j Kij ðsÞjuj ðt K sÞje Ks4 s
ds : ð45Þ
0
Eq. (33) satisfies jZ1

X
n X
n This implies that
jxi ðtÞ K xi j% C4 eKs4 t sup jfi ðsÞ K xi j; tO 0;
iZ1 iZ1 s2ðKN;0
VðuðtÞÞ% Vðuð0ÞÞ: (46)
(43) We also note that
(ð
where Xn ui ð0Þ
sgnðsÞ
Vðuð0ÞÞ Z di ds
( iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ
di a X n
)
C4 Z max 1 C i L jwt X n ðN ð0
1%i%n a s4 jZ1 j ij C t
Lj jwij j Kij ðsÞ s4 z
juj ðzÞje dz ds
i
ðN
!)
jZ1 0 Ks
Ks4 s di
!j 1 K Kij ðsÞe ds min X
n
di a X
n
0 i
1%i%n a % 1 C i Lj jwtij j
a
iZ1  i
s 4 jZ1
and fi(s) are real-valued continuous and bounded functions ðN
!
defined on (KN, 0]. ! 1 K Kij ðsÞe Ks4 s
ds sup jfi ðsÞ K xi j:
0 s2ðKN;0
Proof. Introducing the following non-negative functional as
ð47Þ
the Lyapunov functional candidate
( Hence, we can easily obtain
X
n ð ui ðtÞ Xn ðN
sgnðsÞ Xn ð ui ðtÞ
VðuðtÞÞ Z d i e s4 t ds C t
Lj jwij j Kij ðsÞ s4 t sgnðsÞ
0 ai ðsÞ 0 VðuðtÞÞR e di ds
iZ1
)
jZ1
iZ1 0 ai ðsÞ
ðt

juj ðzÞjes4 ðzCsÞ dz ds : ð44Þ d i s4 t X n

!
tKs
R min e jui ðtÞj: ð48Þ
1%i%n a i iZ1
1410 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

Combining Eqs. (46)–(48), we have 6. Numerical examples and computer simulations

X
n X
n
jxi ðtÞ K xi j% C4 eKs4 t sup jfi ðsÞ K xi j; tO 0; In the previous sections, some new sufficient criteria for
iZ1 iZ1 s2ðKN;0 the global exponential stability of the Cohen–Grossberg
(49) model have been derived. The main results are given by
conditions (11), (20), (25), (42), and (51), which have
where
( generalized and improved the existing results given in Wang
di a X n and Zou (2002). As a by-product, we also obtain some
C4 Z max 1 C i L jwt j global asymptotic stability criteria. In the following
1%i%n a s4 jZ1 j ij
ði
!)
examples, we will find a class of interconnection weight
N
di matrices satisfying conditions (11), (20), (25), (42), and
! 1 K Kij ðsÞe Ks4 s
ds min : ð50Þ
0 1%i%n a i (51). In order to illustrate the relations between the results
obtained in this paper and those given in Wang and Zou
This completes the proof. , (2002), some examples are provided here. For simplicity, in
If we set s4Z0 in Theorem 4, then we can easily obtain what follows, a Cohen–Grossberg model with only two
Corollary 4. neurons is simulated and analyzed.

Corollary 4. Suppose (H1)–(H3) and (S1) hold and the Example 1. Consider the following model:
following set of inequalities 8 pffiffiffi
#
8 0 2 3C 19 >
> 2
> > >
> x_1 ðtÞ Z Kð4 C sin x1 ðtÞÞ x1 ðtÞ C tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ
< L Xn Xn = >
> 4
i B 6 7 t C >
> p ffiffi
ffi $
max @di 4wii C jwji j5 C dj jwji jA ! 1 >
>
1%i%n >
: di gi >
; >
> 2
jZ1
jsi
jZ1 < C tanhðx2 ðtÞÞ C J1
4 # pffiffiffi : (53)
is satisfied, where [y] Zmax{y, 0}. Then, for every input J,
C > x_2 ðtÞ Z Kð2 C cos x2 ðtÞÞ x2 ðtÞ C 2 tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ
>
>
>
> 4
system (5) with (33) has a unique equilibrium x* which is >
> pffiffiffi
>
> $
globally asymptotically stable. >
> 2
>
: K tanhðx2 ðtÞÞ C J2
4
By the above approach, we immediately obtain
Theorem 5.
In this example, L1ZL2Z1, g1Zg2Z1, a 1 Z 5; a Z 3;
Theorem 5. If conditions (H1)–(H3) and (S2) are satisfied 1
a 2 Z 3; a Z 1 and hence hZ5, kWkZ0.25. Thus, we have
and the following set of inequalities, 2
dZ5/4O1. Moreover, the conditions of Theorem 3.2 in
(
Li s5 di Xn Wang and Zou (2002) are not satisfied. However, if we set
max C di jwji j d1Zd2Z1, then the conditions of Theorem 1 in this paper
1%i%n di gi a Li
i jZ1
!) are satisfied. Therefore, system (53) has a unique equili-
Xn ðN
brium point, which is exponentially
pffiffiffi stable in the sense of
C dj jwtji j Kji ðsÞes5 s ds !1 ð51Þ Eq. (12) with s1 Z 2K 2; C1Z5.
jZ1 0
For numerical simulation, system (53) with inputs J1Z1,
is satisfied, then there exists a unique equilibrium x*, which J2ZK1 is considered. Moreover, the following two cases
is globally exponentially stable. This implies that there exist are studied: Case 1 with initial states x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T;
constants C5R1 and s5O0 such that every solution x(t) of Case 2 with initial states x(0)Z[K0.5, 0.3]T. Figs. 1 and 2
Eq. (5) with Eq. (33) satisfies depict the time responses of the state variables x1(t) and x2(t)
for these two cases, respectively. They have confirmed that
X
n X
n
jxi ðtÞ K xi j% C5 eKs5 t sup jfi ðsÞ K xi j; tO 0: by fulfilling the proposed conditions, the existence of
iZ1 iZ1 s2ðKN;0
(52)
If we set s5Z0, then the following is immediate.
Corollary 5. If conditions (H1)–(H3) and (S2) are satisfied
and the following set of inequalities,
( !)
Li Xn Xn
t
max di jwji j C dj jwji j !1
1%i%n di gi
jZ1 jZ1

holds, then there exists a unique equilibrium x*, which is

globally asymptotically stable. Fig. 1. System (53) with initial state x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T.
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1411

Fig. 2. System (53) with initial state x(0)Z[K0.5, 0.3]T. Fig. 4. System (54) with initial state x(0)Z[K0.3, 0.5]T.

a unique equilibrium point x*Z[K1.0492, 1.5962]T, and the Example 3. Consider the following system with discrete
global exponential stability of system (53) are guaranteed. delays:
Example 2. Consider the following system: 8
>
> x_1 ðtÞ Z Kð4 C sin x1 ðtÞÞ½2x1 ðtÞ K tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ
8 >
>
> x_1 ðtÞ Z Kð4 C sin x1 ðtÞÞ½2x1 ðtÞ K tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ < K0:25 tanhð2x2 ðt K tÞÞ C J1 
>
> : (55)
>
< >
K0:25 tanhð2x2 ðtÞÞ C J1  >
> x_2 ðtÞ Z Kð2 C cos x2 ðtÞÞ½2x2 ðtÞ K tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ
: (54) >
:
>
> x_2 ðtÞ Z Kð2 C cos x2 ðtÞÞ½2x2 ðtÞ K tanhðx1 ðtÞÞ K0:25 tanhð2x2 ðt K sÞÞ C J2 
>
>
:
K0:25 tanhð2x2 ðtÞÞ C J2  In this example, Li, gi, a i ; a ; iZ1, 2 are similar to those
i
In this example, L1Z1, L2Z2, g1Zg2Z2, a 1 Z 5; used in Example 2. Hence, we can easily compute a2 g2 Z

a Z 3; a 2 Z 3; a Z 1: It is easily verified that 2! L2 ða 1 jw12 jC a 2 jw22 jÞ! 4 and a2 g2 Z 6! a 1 ðjw11 jL1 C
1 2 
5 g jw12 jL2 ÞZ 15=2: Moreover, conditions of Theorems 3.5 and
½w22 C jw12 jC Z O 2 Z 1; 3.6 in Wang and Zou (2002) are not satisfied. However, if
4 L2
we set d1Zd2Z1, r1Zr2Z0.5, then conditions of Theorem
X n
g2 Z 2! L2 jwj2 j Z 2:5 and 2 in this paper become
jZ1 

1 2s2 1
a g2 Z 2! L2 ða 1 jw12 j C a 2 jw22 jÞ! 4: max C0:5 e 2s2 t
C3 ; ð2s2 C0:5 e2s2 t C2Þ !2:
2 2 3 2
Hence, conditions of Theorems 3.3 and 3.4 and Corollary
Therefore, system (55) under the above condition has a
3.1 in Wang and Zou (2002) are not satisfied. However, if
unique equilibrium point, which is globally exponentially
we set d1Zd2Z1, then the conditions of Theorem 1 and
stable. For different t, the value of s2 can be found in Table 1.
Corollary 1 in this paper are all satisfied.
For numerical simulation, system (55) with inputs J1Z
For numerical simulation, system (54) with inputs J1Z1,
1.5, J2ZK1.5 is considered. Moreover, the following two
J2ZK1 is considered. Moreover, the following two cases
cases are studied: Case 1 with initial states x(0)Z[0.5,
are studied: Case 1 with initial states x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T;
K0.3]T and delay parameters tZ1; Case 2 with initial
Case 2 with initial states x(0)Z[K0.3, 0.5]T. Figs. 3 and 4
states x(0)Z[K0.5, 0.3]T and delay parameters tZ2.
depict the time responses of the state variables x1(t) and x2(t)
Figs. 5 and 6 depict the time responses of the state
for these two cases, respectively. They have confirmed that
variables x1(t) and x2(t) for these two cases, respectively.
by fulfilling the proposed conditions, the existence of a
They have confirmed that by fulfilling the proposed
unique equilibrium point, x*Z[K0.7694, 0.2306]T, and the
conditions, the existence of a unique equilibrium point,
global exponential stability of system (54) are guaranteed.
Table 1
The value of s2 for different t

t s2 % s
0.1 0.6465
0.2 0.5612
0.5 0.3911
0.8 0.2959
1.0 0.2539
1.5 0.1867
2.0 0.1474
2.5 0.1217
3.0 0.1036
Fig. 3. System (54) with initial state x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T.
1412 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414

Fig. 7. System (56) with initial state x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T and delay kernel
Fig. 5. System (55) with initial state x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T and time delay mZ1.
tZsZ1.

Fig. 6. System (55) with initial state x(0)Z[K0.5, 0.3]T and time delay
tZsZ2.
x*Z[K1.0519, 0.4481]T, and the global exponential
stability of system (55) are guaranteed.
Example 4. Consider the following system with distributed
delays:
Fig. 8. System (56) with initial state x(0)Z[K0.8, 0.5]T and delay kernel
mZ2.
Here, Li, gi, a i ; ai ; iZ1, 2 are similar to those used in

Example 3. Hence, we can easily verify that the conditions
specified in Theorem 3 of this paper are satisfied if the
following condition holds:
 ðN

1 2s2
max C0:5 Kij ðsÞe2s3 s dsC3 ;
8 # 2 3 0
> ðN

>
> x_ ðtÞ ZKð4Csin x ðtÞÞ 2x1 ðtÞ 1
>
>
1 1
2s2 C0:5 Kij ðsÞe2s3 s ds C2 !2:
>
> ð
2
>
>
0 0
>
> Kðt ðsÞds
>
>
Ktanh KsÞx 1
>
> KN
For numerical simulation, we choose the delay kernel as
>
> ð
$
>
>
0
K(r)Zm eKmr. As a result, Table 2 can easily be obtained.
< K0:25 tanh 2 Kðt KsÞx2 ðsÞds CJ1
KN% : (56) System (56) with inputs J1Z2, J2ZK2 is considered.
>
> x_2 ðtÞ ZKð2Ccos x2 ðtÞÞ 2x2 ðtÞ Moreover, the following two cases are studied: Case 1 with
>
>
>
> ð 0
initial states x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T and delay kernel par-
>
>
>
> Kðt ðsÞds ameters mZ1; Case 2 with initial states x(0)Z[K0.8, 0.5]T
>
> Ktanh KsÞx 1
>
> KN
and delay parameters mZ2. Figs. 7 and 8 depict the time
>
> ð
$
>
> 0
>
: K0:25 tanh 2 Kðt KsÞx ðsÞds CJ
2 2
KN

Table 2
The value of s3 for different m

m s3
0.5 0.375
0.8 0.3609
1.0 0.3170
1.5 0.25
2.0 0.2094
2.5 0.1813
Fig. 9. System (57) with initial state x(0)Z[0.5, K0.3]T and delay kernel
3.0 0.1603
mZ1.
 X. Liao et al. / Neural Networks 17 (2004) 1401–1414 1413

without delay, with discrete delays and with distributed

delays have been derived. The results have been shown to be
the generalization and improvement of existing results
reported recently in the literature for the cases with and
without constant delays. We have also shown by analyses
that the neuronal input–output activation function only
needs to satisfy conditions (S1) and (S2) given in this paper,
but does not need to be continuous, differentiable, mono-
tonically increasing, and bounded, as usually required by
other analyzing methods. All new stability conditions are
Fig. 10. System (57) with initial state x(0)Z[K0.8, 0.2]T and delay kernel stated in simple algebraic forms so that their verification and
mZ2. applications are straightforward and convenient. The results
obtained in this paper have also been justified by numerical
responses of the state variables x1(t) and x2(t) for these two examples using computer simulations.
cases, respectively. They have confirmed that by fulfilling
the proposed conditions, the existence of a unique
equilibrium point, x*Z[K1.3243, 0.6755]T, and the global Acknowledgements
exponential stability of system (56) are guaranteed.
Example 5. Consider the following system with distributed The authors would like to thank the anonymous
delays: reviewers for their constructive comments. The work
8 # described in this paper was supported by grants from the
>
> x_1 ðtÞ Z Kð2 C sin x1 ðtÞÞ x1 ðtÞ National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.
>
>
>
> ð 0
60271019), and the Doctorate Foundation Grants from the
>
> 1
>
> tanh Kðt sÞx ðsÞds Ministry of Education of China (No. 20020611007) and the
>
>
K
4
K 1
>
>
KN

$ Applying Basic Research Grants Committee of Science and
>
> ð 0
>
> 1 Technology of Chongqing.
>
< K tanh 2 Kðt K sÞx2 ðsÞds C J1
8 KN
# : (57)
>
>
>
> x_2 ðtÞ Z Kð2 C cos x2 ðtÞÞ x2 ðtÞ
>
> ð 0
References
>
> 1
>
>
>
> K tanh Kðt K sÞx 1 ðsÞds
>
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> ð
$
>
> 1 0 formation and parallel memory storage by competitive neural networks.
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