The leader-following consensus problem is investigated for second-order time-varying nonlinear multiagent systems with unmodeled dynamics and unknown parameters over directed communication topology. ...Under the assumption that the unknown nonlinearities satisfy Lipschitz conditions with time-varying gains, a local adaptive law is introduced for the design of consensus protocol that enable all followers' state variables to consensus with that of leader asymptotically. The proposed protocols are independent of system parameters and only require the relative state information of its neighbors, and hence they are fully distributed. Simulation examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
The attitude control problem is addressed for a quadrotor system subject to the modeling uncertainties and unknown disturbances. A novel attitude control scheme is proposed based on nonsingular fast ...terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) technique. First, the tracking differentiator (TD) is designed to obtain the smooth tracking signal and its derivative. Then, the extended state observer (ESO) is constructed to provide the estimate of the modeling uncertainties and unknown disturbances. With the designed TD and ESO, a novel NFTSM controller is developed such that tracking error converges to zero in finite time. The transient-state and the steady-state performances are both achieved with the new controller. Finally, the simulation and real experiment results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control method.
•HA-CC-GS hydrogel film was successfully fabricated for the drug sustained release application.•HA-CC-GS hydrogel film was degraded slowly in lysozyme biodegradation solutions.•HA-CC-GS hydrogel film ...was shown significant antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus.
This work aimed to prepare a hydrogel film with antibacterial activity and excellent stability in enzymes as potential wound dressing. Using hyaluronic acid, carboxylated chitosan and gentamicin, antibacterial film HA-CC-GS was prepared through intermolecular covalent bonding. Surface morphology of film was evaluated by scanning electron microscope images. The film exhibited good water absorption capacity and appropriate water vapor permeation rate (WVPR), outstanding mechanical properties and remarkable resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis. The biocompatibility of the film was tested by CCK-8 assay, and the results showed that the viability of NIH3T3 cell was not affected by coculture with hydrogel film. In vitro antibacterial test indicated that the synthesized hydrogel film had obvious antibacterial properties. In addition, in vivo studies showed that antibacterial hydrogel film could protect wound from infection and promote wound healing. These results indicated that the prepared antimicrobial hydrogel films by cross-linking had great potential application in skin/tissue repair, suggesting as a hopeful wound dressing.
Purpose
Cancer-related fatigue seriously affects the quality of life of cancer patients, yet few systematic reviews have evaluated the risk factors for cancer-related fatigue in patients with ...colorectal cancer. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to assess the risk factors of cancer-related fatigue in patients with colorectal cancer.
Methods
Literature databases, including PubMed, Ovid, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP, were searched from their establishment to September 2021 to identify suitable studies. The quality of included studies was assessed using different tools and evaluated independently by two investigators. Review Manager version 5.4 (Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK) was used for statistical analysis, and sensitivity analysis was conducted.
Results
In total, 2642 articles were screened, and data from 25 studies involving 8733 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. After controlling for confounding variables, the following risk factors were associated with cancer-related fatigue: younger age, female sex, low physical activity level, a clinical stage of III or IV, surgery, chemotherapy, insomnia, pain, anxiety, and depression.
Conclusion
Younger age, female sex, low physical activity level, a clinical stage of III or IV, chemotherapy, pain, insomnia, anxiety, and depression were identified as risk factors for cancer-related fatigue. Future research should focus on how multidisciplinary teams adopt targeted measures according to these risk factors to better reduce the incidence of cancer-related fatigue.
Begomoviruses of the Geminiviridae are usually transmitted by whiteflies and rarely by mechanical inoculation. We used tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV), a bipartite begomovirus, to address ...this issue. Most ToLCNDV isolates are not mechanically transmissible to their natural hosts. The ToLCNDV‐OM isolate, originally identified from a diseased oriental melon plant, is mechanically transmissible, while the ToLCNDV‐CB isolate, from a diseased cucumber plant, is not. Genetic swapping and pathological tests were performed to identify the molecular determinants involved in mechanical transmission. Various viral infectious clones were constructed and successfully introduced into Nicotiana benthamiana, oriental melon, and cucumber plants by Agrobacterium‐mediated inoculation. Mechanical transmissibility was assessed via direct rub inoculation with sap prepared from infected N. benthamiana. The presence or absence of viral DNA in plants was validated by PCR, Southern blotting, and in situ hybridization. The results reveal that mechanical transmissibility is associated with the movement protein (MP) of viral DNA‐B in ToLCNDV‐OM. However, the nuclear shuttle protein of DNA‐B plays no role in mechanical transmission. Analyses of infectious clones carrying a single amino acid substitution reveal that the glutamate at amino acid position 19 of MP in ToLCNDV‐OM is critical for mechanical transmissibility. The substitution of glutamate with glycine at this position in the MP of ToLCNDV‐OM abolishes mechanical transmissibility. In contrast, the substitution of glycine with glutamate at the 19th amino acid position in the MP of ToLCNDV‐CB enables mechanical transmission. This is the first time that a specific geminiviral movement protein has been identified as a determinant of mechanical transmissibility.
Begomoviruses are usually transmitted by whiteflies and rarely by mechanical inoculation. The movement protein of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus is identified as a determinant of mechanical transmissibility.
•BC300 significantly improved nitrogen removal performance in the SAD process.•BC300 enhanced electron production and increased electron transfer capacity.•BC300 increased the relative abundance of ...Thiobacillus and Sulfurimonas.•Clp and QS systems exhibited greater activity with BC300 addition.•O%, H%, molar O/C, and AI were recognized as bioavailable parameters in biochar.
Sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SAD) exhibits significant benefits in treating low carbon/nitrogen wastewater. This study presents an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and highly efficient method for enhancing nitrogen removal performance. The addition of biochar prepared at 300 °C (BC300) notably increased nitrogen removal efficiency by 31.60 %. BC300 concurrently enhanced electron production, the activities of the electron transfer system, and electron acceptors. With BC300, the ratio of NADH/NAD+ rose 2.00±0.11 times compared to without biochar, and the expression of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase genes was markedly up-regulated. In the electron transfer system, BC300 improved the electroactivity of extracellular polymeric substances and the activities of NADH dehydrogenase and complex III in intracellular electron transfer. Subsequently, electrons were directed into denitrification enzymes, where the nar, nir, nor, and nos related genes were highly expressed with BC300 addition. Significantly, BC300 activated the Clp and quorum sensing systems, positively influencing numerous gene expressions and microbial communication. Furthermore, the O%, H%, molar O/C, and aromaticity index in biochar were identified as crucial bioavailable parameters for enhancing nitrogen removal in the SAD process. This study not only confirms the application potential of biochar in SAD, but also advances our comprehension of its underlying mechanisms.
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As atypical propeller-shaped AIEgens, pyrimido2,1-b1,3benzothiazoles (PBTs) exhibit good to excellent solid-state fluorescence quantum yields and full-color tunability. However, the working mechanism ...of PBT AIEgens still remains elusive. In this article, three internally acylated PBTs (PBT-B7−B9) were synthesized. In agreement with our previous report, locking the exocyclic ester resulted in the emergence of solution-phase fluorescence, i.e. AIE/AIEE switch. Theoretical calculation results indicated that the 4H-pyrimidine ring experiences the most significant electronic structure alterations upon excitation. Comparative analysis of potential energy curves (PECs) and optimized excited-state geometries of both locked and unlocked PBTs revealed that as a cumulative result of bond length/angle changes in 4H-pyrimidine, the distortion of the ring is the direct cause for decoupling of π-conjugated MOs and major driving force for access to the resulting dark state. On the other hand, the restriction of rotation of exocyclic ester or carbonyl in locked PBTs maintains the conformation of 4H-pyrimidine, thereby avoiding the generation of dark state and making them emissive in solution. This AIE mechanism well explained the drastically decreased fluorescence quantum yields of unlocked PBTs in PMMA films, and indicated that locking the exocyclic ester or carbonyl could be an effective strategy to improve their PL performance in polymer matrix.
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•Three internally acylated PBTs were synthesized and identified as AIEEgens.•Distortion of 4H-pyrimidine is revealed as the underlying cause of AIE effect.•Locking the exocyclic carbonyl can improve PBT's PL performance in films.
Excited-state torsional motions around single or double bond are crucial to the photophysical properties of double bond-bridged diaryl systems. However, the correlations between specific electronic ...and geometric setup and different types of photo-induced torsional motions remain elusive. In this article, five D-π-A type benzothiazole-based Schiff bases (BAMI-1−5) were synthesized and identified as AIE(E)gens with solid-state fluorescence quantum yields up to 76.5%. Detailed electronic structure/hole-electron analysis and potential energy curve scanning illustrate that electron-donating aniline fragments with different types of N-substituents such as dimethyl (BAMI-1) and diphenyl (BAMI-2) exert distinctive effects on their excitation and decay processes. In addition, crystallographic and computational results imply that the major factors for the redshifted AIE of BAMI Schiff bases may also be different and depend on their specific structures and excitation characters.
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•Five benzothiazole-based Schiff bases were obtained as AIE(E)gens.•N-Substituents of aniline exert distinctive effects on their excitation and decay.•Major factors for the redshifted AIE of these Schiff bases are different.
α-Glucosidase (α-Glu) is implicated in the progression and pathogenesis of type II diabetes (T2D). In this study, we developed a rapid colorimetric technique using platinum nanoparticles stabilized ...by chitosan (Ch-PtNPs) to detect α-Glu activity and its inhibitor. The Ch-PtNPs facilitate the conversion of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into oxidized TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of dissolved O
. The catalytic hydrolysis of 2-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G) by α-Glu produces ascorbic acid (AA), which reduces oxTMB to TMB, leading to the fading of the blue color. However, the presence of α-Glu inhibitors (AGIs) hinders the generation of AA, allowing Ch-PtNPs to re-oxidize colorless TMB back to blue oxTMB. This unique phenomenon enables the colorimetric detection of α-Glu activity and AGIs. The linear range for α-Glu was found to be 0.1-1.0 U mL
and the detection limit was 0.026 U mL
. Additionally, the half-maximal inhibition value (IC
) for acarbose, an α-Glu inhibitor, was calculated to be 0.4769 mM. Excitingly, this sensing platform successfully detected α-Glu activity in human serum samples and effectively screened AGIs. These promising findings highlight the potential application of the proposed strategy in clinical diabetes diagnosis and drug discovery.
A bacterial strain designated KDG-16
T
is isolated from a freshwater waterfall in Taiwan and characterized to determine its taxonomic affiliation. Cells of strain KDG-16
T
are Gram-stain-negative, ...strictly aerobic, motile by gliding, rod-shaped and form light yellow colonies. Optimal growth occurs at 20–25 °C, pH 6–7, and with 0% NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and an up-to-date bacterial core gene set reveal that strain KDG-16
T
is affiliated with species in the genus
Flavobacterium
. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences shows that strain KDG-16
T
shares the highest similarity with
Flavobacterium terrigena
DSM 17934
T
(97.7%). The average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain KDG-16
T
and the closely related
Flavobacterium
species are below the cut-off values of 95–96, 90 and 70%, respectively, used for species demarcation. Strain KDG-16
T
contains iso-C
15:0
, iso-C
15:1
G and iso-C
17:0
3-OH as the predominant fatty acids. The polar lipid profile consists of phosphatidylethanolamine, one uncharacterized aminophospholipid, one uncharacterized phospholipid, two uncharacterized aminolipids and two uncharacterized lipids. The major polyamine is homospermidine. The major isoprenoid quinone is MK-6. Genomic DNA G + C content of strain KDG-16
T
is 31.6%. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic data obtained, strain KDG-16
T
is considered to represent a novel species in the genus
Flavobacterium
, for which the name
Flavobacterium difficile
sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KDG-16
T
(= BCRC 81194
T
= LMG 31332
T
).
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