Adaptive fuzzy prescribed-time connectivity-preserving consensus of stochastic nonstrict-feedback switched multiagent systems

An adaptive fuzzy prescribed-time connectivity-preserving consensus protocol is designed for a class of stochastic nonstrict-feedback multiagent systems, in which periodic disturbances, switched nonlinearities, input saturation, and limited communication ranges are taken into consideration simultaneously. The connectivity, determined by the limited communication ranges and initial positions of agents, is preserved by incorporating an error transformation. Further, a common Lyapunov function is considered to deal with the switching modes. By combining a reduced fuzzy logic system with Fourier series expansion, a novel approximator is constructed to deal with periodically disturbed nonlinearities and to surmount the difficulty brought by the nonstrict-feedback structure. More importantly, distinctly from the existing finite/fixed-time control strategies where the settling time is heavily dependent on the accurate value of the initial states and control parameters, the settling time of the proposed prescribed-time consensus is completely independent of the initialization and control parameters and can be given a priori only according to actual demands. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, the designed controller ensures that the connectivity-preserving consensus is achieved in prescribed time and all the signals remain bounded in probability. To the end, the feasibility of the proposed consensus protocol is demonstrated by simulation

Diffusion-Dominated Pinch-Off of Ultralow Surface Tension Fluids

We study the breakup of a liquid thread inside another liquid at different surface tensions. In general, the pinch-off of a liquid thread is governed by the dynamics of fluid flow. However, when the interfacial tension is ultralow (2 to 3 orders lower than normal liquids), we find that the pinch-off dynamics can be governed by bulk diffusion. By studying the velocity and the profile of the pinch-off, we explain why the diffusion-dominated pinch-off takes over the conventional breakup at ultralow surface tensions.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Published versio

Bioelectricity generation from the decolorization of reactive blue 19 by using microbial fuel cell.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) was compared to conventional biological techniques for decolorization of anthraquinone dye, reactive blue 19 (RB19) with simultaneous electricity generation. With 50 mg/L of RB19 in the anode chamber as a fuel, the MFC achieved 89% decolorization efficiency of RB19 within 48 h, compared with 51 and 55% decolorization efficiency achieved by aerobic and anaerobic techniques, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry results showed that RB19 could promote the electron transfer and redox reaction on the surface of anode. The RB19 decolorization process can be described by first-order kinetics, and the decolorization rate decreased with the increase of RB19 concentration. The high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing analysis indicated significant microbial community shift in the MFC. At phylum level, the majority of sequences belong to Proteobacteria, accounting from 23 to 84% of the total reads in each bacterium community. At genus level, the MFC contained two types of microorganisms in general such as electrochemically active and decolorization bacteria. Overall, MFC is an effective method for anthraquinone dye treatment with simultaneous energy recovery. The 16S rRNA revealed that there were two major functioning microbial communities in the MFC such as electricity-producing and RB19-degrading bacteria which synergistically worked on RB19 degradation

Overexpression of DBT suppresses the aggressiveness of renal clear cell carcinoma and correlates with immune infiltration

Conventional therapy for kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is unpromising. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is intimately linked to the invasiveness of a variety of tumor forms, including KIRC. The purpose of this research is to establish the prognostic and immune-related significance of dihydrolipoamide branched chain transacylase E2 (DBT) in individuals with KIRC. In this investigation, we discovered that DBT expression was down-regulated in a range of human malignancies, and low DBT expression in KIRC was linked to higher-level clinicopathological characteristics as well as a poor prognosis for KIRC patients. Based on the findings of univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, DBT might be employed as an independent prognostic factor in KIRC patients. Furthermore, we developed a nomogram to better investigate DBT’s predictive usefulness. To confirm DBT expression, we examined KIRC cell lines using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. We also examined the role of DBT in KIRC using colony formation, CCK-8, EdU, transwell, and wound healing assays. We discovered that plasmid-mediated overexpression of DBT in KIRC cells slowed cell proliferation and decreased migration and invasion. Multiple enrichment analyses revealed that DBT may be involved in processes and pathways related to immunotherapy and drug metabolism. We computed the immune infiltration score and discovered that the immunological score and the ESTIMATE score were both greater in the DBT low expression group. According to the CIBERSORT algorithm, DBT seems to promote anti-cancer immune responses in KIRC by activating M1 macrophages, mast cells, and dendritic cells while inhibiting regulatory T cells. Finally, in KIRC, DBT expression was found to be highly linked to immunological checkpoints, targeted medicines, and immunotherapeutic agents. Our findings suggest that DBT is a distinct predictive biomarker for KIRC patients, playing a significant role in the TME of KIRC and serving as a reference for the selection of targeted treatment and immunotherapy

Characteristics and distribution of geohazards since the middle miocene of the Xisha sea area, South China Sea

Geological hazards can cause significant harm to the construction and maintenance of reef infrastructure projects in the Xisha Sea area. This study uses high-resolution multichannel earthquake data, single-channel seismic profiles, and multi-beam survey data to identify and analyze the geological hazards in the Xisha Sea area since the Miocene. Based on the geophysical data interpretation, the destructive geological disaster factors that are active, such as active faults, shallow gas, diapers, landslides, multistage scarps (steps), scouring troughs, and canyons, as well as the restrictive geological disaster factors without activity ability, such as buried paleochannels, pockmarks, reefs, and undersea volcanoes, are identified and analyzed. This paper discusses the causes and hazards of geological hazards and, for the first time, draws a comprehensive plane layout of the geological hazards. The above analysis demonstrates that the scarps are mainly located around the atolls or platforms, and the slope of the southeast seabed topography is significantly higher than that of the northwest. There are seven medium and large landslides, mainly located around Yongxing Plateau and Yongle Plateau, caused by gravity and faulting. Shallow gas is mainly developed in the southern part of the North Reef and is indicated by diaper structures, faults, and gas chimneys. A series of shallow faults are developed in the study area, mainly steep normal faults. The scouring troughs are primarily distributed near the Yongxing Platform, Zhongjian North Platform, and Huaguang Platform. Submarine canyons are primarily located in the northern and southern parts of the Shidao Platform. Affected by multiple factors such as hydrodynamic conditions, the stability of sedimentary layers, and sediment supply, the scour degree varies, with the general depth ranging from several meters to several hundred meters. Underwater infrastructure in the study area should not be constructed in areas with active and destructive geological hazards. The results of this study can serve as a guide for further exploration in the Xisha area and disaster prevention and mitigation during construction activity in the area

Adverse Events Associated With Anti-IL-23 Agents: Clinical Evidence and Possible Mechanisms

BackgroundAnti-interleukin (IL)-23 agents are widely used for autoimmune disease treatment; however, the safety and risks of specific symptoms have not been systematically assessed.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to summarize the characteristics and mechanisms of occurrence of five immunological and non-immunological adverse events caused by different anti-IL-23 agents.MethodsThe Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for eligible randomized clinical trials published from inception through May 1, 2020. Randomized clinical trials that reported at least one type of adverse event after treatment were included, regardless of sex, age, ethnicity, and diagnosis. Two investigators independently screened and extracted the characteristics of the studies, participants, drugs, and adverse event types. The Cochrane Handbook was used to assess the methodological quality of the included randomized clinical trials. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic. Meta-regression was applied to determine the sources of heterogeneity, and subgroup analysis was used to identify the factors contributing to adverse events.ResultsForty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 25,624 patients treated with anti-IL-23 agents. Serious immunological or non-immunological adverse events were rare. Anti-IL-12/23-p40 agents appeared to cause adverse events more easily than anti-IL-23-p19 agents. The incidence of cancer did not appear to be related to anti-IL-23 agent treatment, and long-term medication could lead to mental diseases. The prevention of complications should be carefully monitored when administered for over approximately 40 weeks to avoid further adverse reactions, and the incidence of infection was the highest among general immunological adverse events.ConclusionsThe application of anti-IL-23 agents induced a series of immunological and non-immunological adverse events, but these agents tend to be well-tolerated with good safety profiles

Error reduction of the absolute phase recovered from three sets of fringe patterns with selected wavelengths

-In a recent published work we proposed a technique to recover the absolute phase maps of three sets of fringe patterns with selected wavelengths. It is demonstrated that the absolute phase maps can be unwrapped from the wrapped phase maps by the three-step phase-shifting profilometry (PSP), using only 9 fringe patterns. However, few incorrect values still remain in the recovered absolute phase. In this paper, we develop a method to correct and remove the errors in the recovered absolute phase. The experiments validate the effectiveness of our proposed method

Capacity optimization of concentrated solar power-photovoltaicwind power combined generation system

Due to the fluctuation and randomness of renewable resources, such as solar irradiation resource and wind resource, independent renewable power plants are not easy to generate stable and reliable power. However, multi-energy complementary power generation with energy storage can improve the power quality of renewable energy generation and meet the requirements of grid-connected, so it will be the mainstream of renewable energy generation in the future. Capacity optimization of multi-energy complementary system is the basis and key to improve the power quality and reduce cost of renewable power generation. This paper describes the capacity optimization model of concentrated solar power-photovoltaic-wind (CSP-PV-Wind) combined power generation system. The optimization objectives are as follows: (1) the power is as close to the load as possible; (2) the low overall investment of the combined power supply; (3) the high annual total power generation revenue. The improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the capacity configuration of CSP-PV-Wind combined power generation system, and obtain the optimal dispatch strategy. The results show that, power quality of CSP-PV-Wind combined power generation system is obviously better than that of PV-wind combined power generation system, while Surplus of Power Supply Probability (SPSP) and Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) are all below 15%. However the power generation cost is still a little higher. Therefore, the strategy of reducing the area of collector and increasing the storage tank capacity will be used to decrease the generation cost in the future