Robust absolute stability criteria for uncertain Lur'e systems of neutral type

This paper is concerned with robust absolute stability of uncertain Lur'e systems of neutral type. Some delay-dependent stability criteria are obtained and formulated in the form of linear matrix inequalities. The criteria cover some existing results as their special cases. Neither model transformation nor bounding technique for cross terms is involved through derivation of the stability criteria. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of the criteria

A new H∞ stabilization criterion for networked control systems

This note is concerned with robust H∞ control of linear networked control systems with time-varying network-induced delay and data packet dropout. A new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, which makes use of the information of both the lower and upper bounds of the time-varying network-induced delay, is proposed to drive a new delay-dependent H∞ stabilization criterion. The criterion is formulated in the form of a nonconvex matrix inequality, of which a feasible solution can be obtained by solving a minimization problem in terms of linear matrix inequalities. In order to obtain much less conservative results, a tighter bounding for some term is estimated. Moreover, no slack variable is introduced. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed design method

Longitudinal immune profiling reveals key myeloid signatures associated with COVID-19

COVID-19 pathogenesis is associated with an exaggerated immune response. However, the specific cellular mediators and inflammatory components driving diverse clinical disease outcomes remain poorly understood. We undertook longitudinal immune profiling on both whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of hospitalized patients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Here, we report key immune signatures present shortly after hospital admission that were associated with the severity of COVID-19. Immune signatures were related to shifts in neutrophil to T cell ratio, elevated serum IL-6, MCP-1, and IP-10 and modulation of CD14+ monocyte phenotype and function. Modified features of CD14+ monocytes included poor induction of the prostaglandin-producing enzyme, COX-2, and enhanced expression of the cell cycle marker Ki-67. Longitudinal analysis revealed reversion of some immune features back to the healthy median level in patients with a good eventual outcome. These findings identify previously unappreciated alterations in the innate immune compartment of patients with COVID-19 and lend support to the idea that therapeutic strategies targeting release of myeloid cells from bone marrow should be considered in this disease. Moreover, they demonstrate that features of an exaggerated immune response are present early after hospital admission, suggesting that immunomodulating therapies would be most beneficial at early time points