Time-domain response of nabla discrete fractional order systems

This paper investigates the time--domain response of nabla discrete fractional order systems by exploring several useful properties of the nabla discrete Laplace transform and the discrete Mittag--Leffler function. In particular, we establish two fundamental properties of a nabla discrete fractional order system with nonzero initial instant: i) the existence and uniqueness of the system time--domain response; and ii) the dynamic behavior of the zero input response. Finally, one numerical example is provided to show the validity of the theoretical results.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

A stochastic mirror-descent algorithm for solving AXB=CAXB=C over an multi-agent system

summary:In this paper, we consider a distributed stochastic computation of $AXB=C$ with local set constraints over an multi-agent system, where each agent over the network only knows a few rows or columns of matrixes. Through formulating an equivalent distributed optimization problem for seeking least-squares solutions of $AXB=C$, we propose a distributed stochastic mirror-descent algorithm for solving the equivalent distributed problem. Then, we provide the sublinear convergence of the proposed algorithm. Moreover, a numerical example is also given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm

A cell-free system toward deciphering the post-translational modification barcodes of Oct4 in different cellular contexts

AbstractThe octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) is essential for maintaining the self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of Oct4 critically control its structure, function and intracellular localization. However, determination of Oct4 PTM profiles has largely been restricted by the quantity and purity of the Oct4 protein samples required for mass spectrometric analyses. In this study, by incubating the Escherichia coli-derived His-tagged Oct4 proteins with the whole cell lysates of a variety of human cells followed by retrieving the reacted Oct4 proteins with the Ni–NTA beads, we developed a labor- and cost-effective in vitro PTM method that allowed for mass spectrometric determination of the phosphorylation profiles of Oct4 proteins exposed to various cell-free systems. A number of Oct4 phosphorylation sites that were commonly present in all the cell-free systems or specifically present in a particular cellular context were identified, indicating that Oct4 is controlled by both common and distinct PTM regulatory pathways. Our work provided a proof-of-concept that such a cell-free system-based in vitro PTM approach can be applied to systematically map out the physiologically-relevant PTM sites in Oct4 proteins, which opened up an avenue to fully decipher the Oct4 PTM barcodes in various cellular contexts

Magnon-magnon interaction in monolayer MnBi2_2Te4_4

MnBi$_2$Te$_4$, the first confirmed intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator, have attracted more and more attention in recent years. Here we investigate the energy correction and lifetime of magnons in MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ caused by magnon-magnon interaction. Firstly, a first-principles calculation was performed to get the parameters of the magnetic Hamiltonian of MnBi$_2$Te$_4$. Then the perturbation method of many-body Green's function is applied and the 1st-order self-energy [$\Sigma^{(1)}({\bf k})$] and 2nd-order self-energy [$\Sigma^{(2)}({\bf k},\varepsilon_{\bf k})$] of magnon are obtained. Numerical computation shows that the correction from both $\Sigma^{(1)}({\bf k})$ and $\Sigma^{(2)}({\bf k},\varepsilon_{\bf k})$ are strongly dependent on momentum and temperature, the energy renormalization near Brillouin zone (BZ) boundary is obviously stronger than that near BZ centre. We also find that some dip structures occur in renormalized magnon spectrum near $\rm K$ and $\rm M$ points, and these dip structures should be attributed to $\Sigma^{(2)}({\bf k},\varepsilon_{\bf k})$.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Magnetic interactions and possible structural distortion in kagome FeGe from first-principles study and symmetry analysis

Based on density functional theory and symmetry analysis, we present a comprehensive investigation of electronic structure, magnetic properties and possible structural distortion of magnetic kagome metal FeGe. We estimate the magnetic parameters including Heisenberg and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions, and find that the ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor $J_{1}$ dominates over the others, while the magnetic interactions between nearest kagome layers favors antiferromagnetic. The N\'{e}el temperature $T_{N}$ and Curie-Weiss temperature $\theta _{CW}$ are successfully reproduced, and the calculated magnetic anisotropy energy is also in consistent with the experiment. However, these reasonable Heisenberg interactions and magnetic anisotropy cannot explain the double cone magnetic transition, and the DM interactions, which even exist in the centrosymmetric materials, can result in this small magnetic cone angle. Unfortunately, due to the crystal symmetry of the high-temperature structure, the net contribution of DM interactions to double cone magnetic structure is absent. Based on the experimental $2\times 2\times 2$ supercell, we thus explore the subgroups of the parent phase. Group theoretical analysis reveals that there are 68 different distortions, and only four of them (space group $P622$ or $P6_{3}22$) without inversion and mirror symmetry thus can explain the low-temperature magnetic structure. Furthermore, we suggest that these four proposed CDW phases can be identified by using Raman spectroscopy. Since DM interactions are very sensitive to small atomic displacements and symmetry restrictions, we believe that symmetry analysis is an effective method to reveal the interplay of delicate structural distortions and complex magnetic configurations

Impact of HBeAg on the maturation and function of dendritic cells

AbstractObjectivesHBV infection typically leads to chronic hepatitis in newborns and some adults with weakened immune systems. The mechanisms by which virus escapes immunity remain undefined. Regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs) contributing to immune escape have been described. We wondered whether or not HBeAg as an immunomodulatory protein could induce DCreg which might subsequently result into HBV persistence.MethodsThe immunophenotyping, T-cell activation and cytokine production were analyzed in HBeAg-treated DCs from normal or cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunocompromised mice.ResultsHBeAg tended to promote bone marrow derived DCs (BMDCs) from Cy-treated mice into CD11bhighPIR-B+ regulatory DCs exhibiting the lowest T-cell stimulatory capacity and interleukin (IL)-12p70 production compared with controls. Neutralization of IL-10 significantly inhibited the regulatory effect of these DCs on T-cell stimulation of mature DCs. After lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation, marked phosphorylation of Akt was detected in HBeAg treated DCs from immunocompromised mice. Blocking the PI3K-Akt pathway by LY294002 led to an enhancement of IL-12 production. PI3K signalling pathway appears to be involved in the decreased IL-12 secretion by HBeAg treated DCs.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that HBeAg may program the generation of a new DC subset with regulatory capacity under the condition of immunosuppression, which may presumably contribute to the persistent HBV infection