Approximation of Rectangular Beta-Laguerre Ensembles and Large Deviations

We investigate the random eigenvalues coming from the beta-Laguerre ensemble with parameter p, which is a generalization of the real, complex and quaternion Wishart matrices of parameter (n,p). In the case that the sample size n is much smaller than the dimension of the population distribution p, a common situation in modern data, we approximate the beta-Laguerre ensemble by a beta-Hermite ensemble which is a generalization of the real, complex and quaternion Wigner matrices. As corollaries, when n is much smaller than p, we show that the largest and smallest eigenvalues of the complex Wishart matrix are asymptotically independent; we obtain the limiting distribution of the condition numbers as a sum of two i.i.d. random variables with a Tracy-Widom distribution, which is much different from the exact square case that n=p by Edelman (1988); we propose a test procedure for a spherical hypothesis test. By the same approximation tool, we obtain the asymptotic distribution of the smallest eigenvalue of the beta-Laguerre ensemble. In the second part of the paper, under the assumption that n is much smaller than p in a certain scale, we prove the large deviation principles for three basic statistics: the largest eigenvalue, the smallest eigenvalue and the empirical distribution of eigenvalues, where the last large deviation is derived by using a non-standard method

Role of IL-33 and ST2 signaling and inflammatory responses in non-small cell lung cancer

Purpose: To investigate the role of the interleukin (IL)-33 and ST2 pathway in  non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to further explore the critical relationships among inflammation, immunity, and cancer.Methods: From January 2014 to December 2015, paraffin-embedded sections of surgical specimens were obtained from 40 patients definitively diagnosed with NSCLC by pathological examination in Changzhou Wujin People's Hospital and Taicang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Sections were further  immunostained with antibodies directed against IL-33 and ST2 cardiac biomarker.Inflammatory reactions were determined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Paracancerous control sample tissues were also collected. In addition, 60 primary NSCLC patients without any complications were enrolled, and 60 healthy volunteers were enrolled at the same institutions. Serum samples of patients were collected, and protein expressions of IL-33, ST2, IL-4, and interferon (IFN)-γ were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or western blot assay.Results: The results indicate that IL-33, ST2 and IL-4 expressions in cancer tissues and blood were significantly increased when compared with control groups.Conclusion: IL-33/ST2 in NSCLC microenvironment enhances T helper cell 2 (Th2) response, which may be beneficial for tumor growth.Keywords: Interleukin, IL-33, ST2, IL-4, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC

Minimum Snap Trajectory Generation and Control for an Under-actuated Flapping Wing Aerial Vehicle

Minimum Snap Trajectory Generation and Control for an Under-actuated Flapping Wing Aerial VehicleThis paper presents both the trajectory generation and tracking control strategies for an underactuated flapping wing aerial vehicle (FWAV). First, the FWAV dynamics is analyzed in a practical perspective. Then, based on these analyses, we demonstrate the differential flatness of the FWAV system, and develop a general-purpose trajectory generation strategy. Subsequently, the trajectory tracking controller is developed with the help of robust control and switch control techniques. After that, the overall system asymptotic stability is guaranteed by Lyapunov stability analysis. To make the controller applicable in real flight, we also provide several instructions. Finally, a series of experiment results manifest the successful implementation of the proposed trajectory generation strategy and tracking control strategy. This work firstly achieves the closed-loop integration of trajectory generation and control for real 3-dimensional flight of an underactuated FWAV to a practical level

Giant, Voltage-Actuated Deformation of a Dielectric Elastomer under Dead Load

Far greater voltage-actuated deformation is achievable for a dielectric elastomer under equal-biaxial dead load than under rigid constraint usually employed. Areal strains of 488% are demonstrated. The dead load suppresses electric breakdown, enabling the elastomer to survive the snap-through electromechanical instability. The breakdown voltage is found to increase with the voltage ramp rate. A nonlinear model for viscoelastic dielectric elastomers is developed and shown to be consistent with the experimental observations.Engineering and Applied Science

Active Shape Control and Phase Coexistence of Dielectric Elastomer Membrane With Patterned Electrodes

Various applications of dielectric elastomers (DEs) have been realized in recent years due to their lightweight, low cost, large actuation and fast response. In this paper, experiments and simulations are performed on the active shape control of DE structures with various two-dimensional patterned electrodes by applying voltage. A DE membrane with a pattern of electrodes is mounted on an air chamber. It is first inflated by air pressure and then further deformed by applying voltage, which actively controls the membrane shape. Under higher voltage, an acrylic membrane with larger actuation can induce shape instability and demonstrate multiphase coexistence behavior. In the framework of electromechanical theory, finite element simulations are carried out and the results are in good agreement with those obtained by experiments

Formation and properties of chalcogenide glasses based on GeS2-​Sb2S3-​AgI system

International audienceNovel glasses in GeS2-​Sb2S3-​AgI system have been prepd. by melt-​quenching method. A large glass-​forming region was found in this novel system, in which almost 60 mol​% AgI has been incorporated. The basic physiochem. properties of glass samples were investigated. With the addn. of AgI, red shift of short-​wavelength absorption edge and distinct drop of the glass transition temp. (Tg) were obsd. In addn., a high Ag+ ion cond. of 6.37×10-​4 S​/cm at room temp. was obtained in 55(0.6GeS2-​0.4Sb2S3)​-​45AgI sample, indicating that these glasses have potential application as amorphous solid electrolytes

Tunable topological phase transition in soft Rayleigh beam system with imperfect interfaces

Acoustic metamaterials, particularly the topological insulators, exhibit exceptional wave characteristics that have sparked considerable research interest. The study of imperfect interfaces affect is of significant importance for the modeling of wave propagation behavior in topological insulators. This paper models a soft Rayleigh beam system with imperfect interfaces, and investigates its topological phase transition process tuned by mechanical loadings. The model reveals that the topological phase transition process can be observed by modifying the distance between imperfect interfaces in the system. When a uniaxial stretch is applied, the topological phase transition points for longitudinal waves decrease within a limited frequency range, while they increase within a larger frequency scope for transverse waves. Enhancing the rigidity of the imperfect interfaces also enables shifting of the topological phase transition point within a broader frequency range for longitudinal waves and a confined range for transverse waves. The transition of topologically protected interface modes in the transmission performance of a twenty-cell system is verified, which include altering frequencies, switching from interface mode to edge mode. Overall, this study provides a new approach and guideline for controlling topological phase transition in composite and soft phononic crystal systems.Comment: 39 pages,8 figure

Prognostic implications of ezrin and phosphorylated ezrin expression in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: The cytoskeletal organizer ezrin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family and plays important roles in not only cell motility, cell adhesion, and apoptosis, but also in various cell signaling pathways. Phosphorylation at Thr-567 and Tyr-353 are key regulatory events in the transition of the dormant to active form of ezrin. This study investigated the prognostic implications of ezrin and phosphorylated ezrin (p-ezrin) expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). METHODS: Ezrin and p-ezrin protein expressions were examined by immunohistochemistry in 150 NSCLC and adjacent non-tumor tissues and 14 normal lung tissues. qRT-PCR was used to determine ezrin mRNA expression levels in fresh tissues. The correlations between overexpression of ezrin and p-ezrin and the clinicopathological features of NSCLC were analyzed. The survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method for 108 NSCLC cases. RESULTS: Ezrin and ezrin(Thr-567) proteins showed cytosolic and membranous staining patterns; however, ezrin(Tyr-353) protein only showed cytosolic staining. Ezrin and p-ezrin were significantly upregulated in NSCLC compared with the normal counterparts. Increased ezrin, ezrin(Thr-567), and ezrin(Tyr-353) levels were correlated with the late stage and poor differentiation of NSCLC. However, only ezrin(Thr-567) was correlated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. In regard to survival, only ezrin(Thr-567) was related with the overall survival time of patients with NSCLC, and both ezrin and ezrin(Thr-567) were associated with shortened survival time for patients with early stage NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: Ezrin and p-ezrin, especially ezrin(Thr-567), may prove to be useful as a novel prognostic biomarker of NSCLC

In vitro effect of lysophosphatidic acid on proliferation, invasion and migration of human ovarian cancer cells

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on the proliferation, invasion and migration ability of 3AO, SKOV3 and CAOV3 human ovarian cancer cell lines.Methods: SKOV3, 3AO and CAOV3 cell lines were respectively treated with LPA. Changes in the proliferation rate of these cell lines were observed after LPA treatment. The cell lines that were not treated with LPA served as control group. Boyden chamber was used to assess cell invasion and migration capability. The expression levels of relevant cytokines related to cell migration in the supernatant of CAOV3 cell line were determined using ELISA following LPA stimulation.Results: The cell proliferation rate of human ovarian cancer cell lines was significantly accelerated after in vitro LPA treatment in a concentration-dependent fashion. Boyden chamber assay data indicate that invasion indices in 3AO and CAOV3 cell lines were significantly higher than those in untreated control cell lines (p < 0.05). However, no statistical significance was noted between 3AO and CAOV3 cell lines (p < 0.05). The expression levels of relevant cytokines in the CAOV3 cell line were significantly upregulated after LPA treatment (p < 0.05).Conclusion: LPA intervention in vitro accelerates cell proliferation rate and also significantly upregulates the expression levels of multiple cytokines related to cell migration in human ovarian cancer cell lines, suggesting that LPA plays a significant role in the invasion and migration of SKOV3, 3AO and CAOV3 cell lines.Keywords: Ovarian carcinoma, Tumor infiltration, Lysophosphatidic acid, Cell migration, Cytokine