A Descriptive Model of Robot Team and the Dynamic Evolution of Robot Team Cooperation

At present, the research on robot team cooperation is still in qualitative analysis phase and lacks the description model that can quantitatively describe the dynamical evolution of team cooperative relationships with constantly changeable task demand in Multi-robot field. First this paper whole and static describes organization model HWROM of robot team, then uses Markov course and Bayesian theorem for reference, dynamical describes the team cooperative relationships building. Finally from cooperative entity layer, ability layer and relative layer we research team formation and cooperative mechanism, and discuss how to optimize relative action sets during the evolution. The dynamic evolution model of robot team and cooperative relationships between robot teams proposed and described in this paper can not only generalize the robot team as a whole, but also depict the dynamic evolving process quantitatively. Users can also make the prediction of the cooperative relationship and the action of the robot team encountering new demands based on this model. Journal web page & a lot of robotic related papers www.ars-journal.co

Association of Surfactant-Associated Protein D Gene Polymorphisms with the Risk of COPD: a Meta-Analysis

The relationship between surfactant-associated protein D polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk remains controversial. This article is the first to systematically evaluate this relationship. A comprehensive worldwide search was conducted for relevant literature on surfactant-associated protein D gene mutations and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk prediction. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. After four genetic models (the allele, additive, recessive, and dominant models) were identified, odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 659 individuals in the case group and 597 in the control group. In the Asian population, none of the four genetic models revealed any significant association between rs2243639 genotype and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In Caucasians, however, the recessive model exhibited significant risk associated with rs2243639. Furthermore, there was a significant association between rs721917 genotype and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Asian population. In contrast, none of the four gene models revealed any significant risk associated with this gene in the Caucasian population. This meta-analysis suggests that rs2243639 is not related to the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Asian population but is related to this risk in the Caucasian population. Regarding rs721917, the T allele may increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Asian population

Drug-loaded mucoadhesive microneedle patch for the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic, inflammatory and potentially malignant oral disease. Local delivery of triamcinolone to lesion site is a commonly used therapy. The existing methods for local drug delivery include topical administration and submucosal injection. However, in the wet and dynamic oral microenvironment, these methods have drawbacks such as limited drug delivery efficiency and injection pain. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop an alternative local drug delivery system with high efficiency and painlessness. Inspired by the structure of band-aid, this study proposed a novel double-layered mucoadhesive microneedle patch for transmucosal drug delivery. The patch consisted of a mucoadhesive silk fibroin/tannic acid top-layer and a silk fibroin microneedle under-layer. When applying the annealing condition for the medium content of β-sheets of silk fibroin, the microneedles in under-layer displayed both superior morphology and mechanical property. The mechanical strength of per needle (0.071N) was sufficient to penetrate the oral mucosa. Sequentially, the gelation efficiency of silk fibroin and tannic acid in top-layer was maximized as the weight ratio of tannic acid to silk fibroin reached 5:1. Moreover, in vitro results demonstrated the double-layered patch possessed undetectable cytotoxicity. The sustained release of triamcinolone was observed from the double-layered patch for at least 7 days. Furthermore, compared with other commercial buccal patches, the double-layered patch exhibited an enhanced wet adhesion strength of 37.74 kPa. In addition, ex vivo mucosal tissue penetration experiment confirmed that the double-layered patch could reach the lamina propria, ensuring effective drug delivery to the lesion site of oral submucous fibrosis. These results illustrate the promising potential of the drug-loaded mucoadhesive microneedle patch for the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis

Experimental Quantum Error-Free Transmission

Error-free transmission (EFT) of quantum information is a crucial ingredient in quantum communication network. To overcome the unavoidable decoherence in noisy channel, to date, many efforts have focused on faithfully transmitting one state by consuming large numbers of synchronized ancillary states. However, huge demands of quantum resources are hard to meet with current technology, thus restrict practical applications. Here we propose and demonstrate an economical method of reliably transmitting quantum information. An arbitrary unknown quantum state is converted into time bins deterministically in terms of its own polarization using a modified Franson interferometer. Any arisen noise in channel will induce an associated error to the reference frame of the time bins, which can be utilized to reject errors and recover the initial state. By virtue of state-independent feature, our method can be applied to entanglement distribution. After passing through 0.8 km randomly twisted optical fiber, the entanglement still survives and is verified. Our approach significantly simplifies the implementation of quantum EFT and enables a general quantum state even entanglement to be protected by feedback, thus can be used as a basic building block in practical long-distance quantum communication network.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to Nature Communications, Under revie

Diaqua­bis(2-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium-4,5-dicarboxyl­ato-κ2 O,O′)magnesium

The title compound, [Mg(C6H5N2O4)2(H2O)2], was prepared by reaction of Mg(NO3)2 and 2-methyl-1H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid under hydro­thermal conditions. The MgII atom lies on an inversion centre and displays a distorted octa­hedral coordination geometry. An extended three-dimensional network of inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilizes the crystal structure

Chemical structure, properties and potential applications of surfactin, as well as advanced strategies for improving its microbial production

Surfactin, a cyclic lipopeptide produced by microbes belonging to the genus Bacillus, is one of the most effective biosurfactants available in many industrial fields. However, its low production and high cost have intensively constrained its commercial applications. In this review, we first summarize the molecular structure, biological properties, beneficial roles and potential applications of surfactin in the fields of medical care and food safety, highlighting the great medical and commercial values of making its industrial production into reality. Further, genetic regulation for surfactin biosynthesis and advanced strategies for enhancing its microbial production, including optimizing fermentation conditions, rational genetic engineering and synthetic biology combined with metabolic engineering approaches, are elucidated. Finally, prospects for improving surfactin biosynthesis are discussed, and the establishment of suitable chassis hosts for exogenous production of surfactin might serve as an important strategy in future research