In this paper, we study consensus robustness and performance problems for continuous-time multi-agent systems. We consider first-order unstable agents interconnected by an undirected graph, coordinated by a delayed output feedback protocol. Our objectives are twofold. First, we seek to determine the largest range of delay permissible so that the agents may achieve robustly consensus despite variation of the delay length, herein referred to as the delay consensus margin. Second, we attempt to determine consensus error performance quantified under an H 2 norm criterion, which measures the disruptive effect of random nodal noises on consensus. For both problems, we obtain analytical solutions. The explicit expressions provide conceptual insights and exhibit how the agents' unstable pole, nonminimum phase zero, as well as the network topology may limit fundamentally the consensus robustness and performance.

Facility operations and maintenance are defined as the functions, duties, and labor required daily to operate and preserve a facility asset to ensure its original function is available for its primary use and its operations are maintained throughout the facility's life. Organizations, facility management professionals, and their stakeholders expend billions of dollars annually to perform this function in the United States. Much of the cost is on inadequate facility operations that may be avoided. This rapid evidence assessment used the theoretical lens of the adaptive structuration theory and reviewed the current body of scholarly literature to identify how artificial intelligence is used with predictive maintenance to reduce a facility operations program's operations and maintenance costs. Through an organized systematic review process, this research shall utilize peer-reviewed scholarly articles published within the last five years to perform a rapid evidence assessment of predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence in facility operations. Through this rapid evidence assessment, the research finds three common themes that respond to the research question. The most significant theme is artificial intelligence, once implemented in the process, provides unbiased investment and repair recommendations from the analyzed data. An unanticipated discovery of interest is that the current body of literature identifies insufficient data as the number one barrier to the full implementation of artificial intelligence within a facility operations program.

Air quality is an important part of environmental health, having serious consequences for human health and well-being. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a frequently used metric for assessing air quality in various areas and at different times. However, AQI data, like many other types of environmental data, can contain outliers - data points that deviate significantly from other observations, indicating exceptionally good or poor air quality, a critical step in identifying and understanding extreme pollution episodes that can have serious environmental and public health consequences. These outliers can be caused by a variety of variables, including measurement mistakes, odd meteorological circumstances, and pollution occurrences. While outliers can occasionally give useful information about these unusual conditions, they can also skew studies and models if they are not adequately accounted for. This paper describes a hybrid method for detecting outliers in data, AQI data are used in this study. The model uses a stacked machine learning model that incorporates K-means clustering, Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting Classifier (GBC). K-means is used for initial categorization, followed by RF model training, and ultimately, the RF output is used as input for the GBC to generate the final classification. The performance of this stacked machine learning model is examined and compared to single models using the Accuracy measure. The findings show that the suggested technique is efficient, with an accuracy of 0.99, showing its potential for effective outlier detection in data.

Exposure of parenteral nutrition (PN) to light induces hydroperoxides (HPO) formation whose toxicity, especially in pediatrics, is documented. In this context, we evaluated the efficacy of photoprotection medical devices used in our institution to protect PN from degradation after two different exposures to light. A mixed oil lipid emulsion (Smoflipid®) in standard or opaque syringes and a ternary PN mixture bags (Numetah®) with or without opaque overwrap were exposed for at least 420min to a xenon lamp. Samples of Smoflipid® in standard or opaque syringes were also exposed for 24h to conditions reproducing those of a neonatal intensive care unit. The use of opaque syringes for Smoflipid® administration or opaque overwraps for Numetah® administration reduced HPO formation by an average of 14% and 40%, respectively, compared to standard conditions after at least 420min to a xenon lamp. When Smoflipid® samples were administered with standard or opaque syringes and exposed to a phototherapy lamp, the fold-change in the HPO concentration increased, respectively, by 6.3 or 5.4 at 24h compared with syringes unexposed to phototherapy lamp. Although the observed differences were non-significant, it nonetheless appears prudent to use photoprotection of PN during administration, particularly in patients with immature or compromised antioxidant capacity.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of global mortality. Pakistan faces a high prevalence of CVD risk factors, including high-cholesterol diets, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and smoking. Timely management of cardiac emergencies is critical to saving lives. The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) introduced an innovative cardiac care model called the Chest Pain Unit (CPU) in May 2017. These units are strategically placed in Karachi and other cities in Sindh to tackle traffic congestion amid the emergency and serve densely populated areas. Since its inception, CPUs have treated approximately 990,640 individuals and saved over 22,443 lives. CPUs specialize in pre-hospital diagnosis and management of acute heart issues, are equipped with electrocardiogram (EKG), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) kits, and defibrillators, and are staffed by specialized teams. A “Healthy Heart Clinic” program screens patients for cardiac risk factors. The future plan includes expanding the CPU network nationwide, potentially serving as a model for other countries grappling with CVDs. This approach could also apply to other acute diseases requiring timely treatment for improved outcomes.

Low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) prior to stem cell transplant (SCT) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The implications of abnormally high GFRs, or glomerular hyperfiltration, prior to SCT are unknown. Twenty two of 74 consecutive pediatric SCT patients over 2 years old at a single center were hyperfiltrating prior to SCT, median nuclear medicine GFR 154 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (IQR 146, 170). There was no association between any demographic and hyperfiltration, nor between hyperfiltration and acute kidney injury ( P = 0.8), renal replacement therapy ( P = 0.63), event-free survival ( P = 1), or chronic kidney disease ( P = 0.73).

A document by Abdus Salam. Click on the document to view its contents.

Localization in GNSS-denied environments for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has recently gained significant interest from the research community. Most of the research is focused primarily on visual localization. This paper, examines an algorithm which employs Angle of Departure (AoD) and UAVs payload sensor data for UAV localization. First the algorithm uses multiple AoDs from a single base station and a travel calculated by applying dead-reckoning on the UAVs Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), to compute UAV location in two-dimensional (2D) coordinates. The 2D location estimate is then fed into a modified Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), which employs the estimate, IMU and barometer data to compute the three-dimensional (3D) coordinates for UAV. For the simulation, we applied Simulation-in-the-Loop (SITL) accompanied by Arducopter and MAVLink to simulate different trajectories and collect the required data for the algorithm. We validated our algorithm by comparing the EKF estimates with IMU dead-reckoned positions. Three simulations were performed, consisting of linear, zigzag and curved trajectories. We achieved a 90th percentile error of 2.5m and 4m for the x-coordinate and y-coordinate, respectively, on the zigzag and curved trajectories. Interestingly, the linear trajectory showed a larger localization error in its y-coordinate.

Aromatic six-membered imides suffer the introduction of bulky substituents at the imide-positions due to formation of isoimides and low reactivity, preventing from the investigation of the intrinsic molecular properties. Here, we found a highly efficient alcohol-promoted re-arrangement from isonaphthalimide to naphthalimide in acid or basic nonaqueous conditions, which can be regarded as model com-pounds for aromatic six-membered imides. We proposed two-step nucleophilic substitutions in the isomerization mechanistic pathways that were verified by the separation of a key intermediate. Furthermore, in-situ 1H NMR exhibited the first-order kinetics for the isoimide loss process. Finally, the alcohol-promoted isoimide-imide rearrangement was extended to a palladium-catalyzed one-pot domino car-bonylation reaction toward sterically crowded aromatic six-membered imides.

Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is an intensely pruritic, inflammatory skin disease with a poorly understood pathogenesis. Methods: We performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling of 28,695 lesional and non-lesional PN cells. Results: Lesional PN has increased dysregulated fibroblasts (FBs) and myofibroblasts. FBs in lesional PN were shifted towards a cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-like phenotype, with POSTN+WNT5A+ CAFs increased in PN, and similarly so in squamous cell carcinoma. A multi-center cohort study revealed an increased risk of SCC and CAF-associated malignancies (breast and colorectal) in PN patients. Systemic fibroproliferative diseases (renal sclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) were upregulated in PN patients. Ligand receptor analyses demonstrated a fibroblast neuronal axis with FB-derived WNT5A and periostin interactions with neuronal receptors MCAM and ITGAV. Compared to atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, mesenchymal dysregulation is unique to PN with an intermediate Th2/Th17 phenotype. Conclusion: These findings identify a pathogenic and targetable POSTN+WNT5A+ fibroblast subpopulation that may predispose CAF-associated malignancies in PN patients.

A document by Tao He. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by M Sterlin Leo Hudson. Click on the document to view its contents.

In the present study, an experimental test was conducted to investigate the energetic performance of a novel designed solar air heater (SAH), with and without phase change material (PCM). Two identical in dimensions SAHs were constructed and tested to compare their performance between them, the first is a jacket tube solar air heater (SAH 1), and the second SAH is similar to the first, filled with PCM (SAH 2). Experimental results showed that increasing air flow rate increases the thermal efficiency,. Thermal energy during day hours can be stored in the PCM and used after sunset. SAH 2 gave additional operating time after sunset for 4 hours at 0.01 kg/s, 2.5 hours at 0.035 kg/s, and one hour at 0.06 kg/s. Maximum improvement in the daily thermal efficiency was 15% at SAH 2, more than SAH 1 at 0.01 kg/s air flow rate. Employing PCM, as so as increasing air flow rate can reduce the daily thermal losses..

Acids and bases generally occur in pairs as concepts, and numerous catalytic reactions can be considered as interactions between them. Many reactions are a combination of acid- and base-catalyzed processes, so it is particularly important to understand the mechanisms from acid-base synergy or acid-base interactions. Compared to the wide research on acid catalysts, there is a relative lack of research on solid bases. In addition to the application of basic materials to non-petroleum processes, recent studies have also applied them to the catalytic cracking reaction of heavy oils, providing new ideas for the heavy oils refining. Thus, this paper summarizes the progress of the main types of all-inorganic solid base catalysts, including the types of catalysts used in non-petroleum processes and petroleum processes, preparation, the properties of basic sites and their catalytic role in the reactions, and provides an outlook on the future research of all-inorganic solid base materials.

As an excellent substitute for Bisphenol-A, Bisphenol-Z is obtained by the condensation of phenol and cyclohexanone under acid catalysis. In this paper, sulfonated mesoporous polydivinylbenzene was prepared by different sulfonation methods and then as a solid acid to catalyze the condensation of phenol and cyclohexanone. The physicochemical properties of the solid acid were characterized by FT-IR, BET, SEM and acid base titration, then the structure-activity relationship of the solid acid was studied. The acid base titration results showed that the acid density of mesoporous polydivinylbenzene solid acid prepared by double sulfonation (D-SPDVB) was the highest, reaching 4.62 mmol H+/g. The catalytic results showed that D-SPDVB had better catalytic performance than sulfuric acid, Amberlyst-15 and other traditional Brønsted acids due to its high acid density and suitable pore structure. More importantly, D-SPDVB had good stability, and its catalytic performance did not decrease significantly after reused 5 times.

Introduction: In recent years, an interesting synergy has emerged between neuroscience and network science, offering a fresh perspective on the understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders. While psychotic symptoms can manifest across a wide range of pathologies, their diagnosis relies only on clinical presentation. In this context, the integration of network neuroscience holds promise in providing valuable tools to enhance accuracy when identifying and characterizing psychotic disorders. Methodology: To comprehensively investigate network models that provide insights into the development of psychotic symptoms from a transdiagnostic perspective, we carried out a systematic review using the PRISMA methodology. The review was conducted using different search strategies on the Pubmed database. Results:24 articles were selected and summarized in the following sections: “Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance” with its two models, the “Triple Network Model” and the “Circular Belief Propagation Model”; the “Neurocomputational Model of Cortical Information Processing”; and “Social Cognition Network Model”. Conclusions: Four pathophysiological mechanisms are proposed for the development of psychosis: the “Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance”, the “Alteration of Self-other Distinction”, the “Failures in the Orthogonalization of Memories”, and the “Attributional Biases”. Based on this synthesis, the study aims to investigate the emergence of psychotic symptoms by examining the potential mechanisms involved.

Smart lipids with fluorescence emission, thermal response, and polyethylene glycolation (PEGylation) functions can be highly valuable for formulation, image-traceable delivery, and targeted release of payloads. Herein, a series of jellyfish-shaped amphiphiles with a tetraphenylethene (TPE) core and four symmetrical amphiphilic side chains were conveniently synthesized and systematically investigated as smart lipids. Compared with regular amphiphilic TPEs and phospholipids, the unprecedented jellyfish-shaped molecular geometry was found to enable a series of valuable capabilities, including sensitive and responsive aggregation-induced emission of fluorescence (AIE FL) with high quantum yields, efficient encapsulation of drugs into stable nanoparticles, PEGylation of nanoparticles with thermally responsive drug release, and real-time FL monitoring of drug uptake. Furthermore, the jellyfish-shaped geometry facilitated the concentration-dependent aggregation of unimolecular micelles into “side-by-side” assembled nanoparticles with a unique mode of AIE. In addition, the size and the arrangement of the amphiphilic side chains were found to dominate the aggregate stability, cell uptake, and thus the cytotoxicity of the amphiphiles. The study has unprecedentedly developed versatile smart TPE lipids with precise structures, unique physicochemical and biological properties, and great potential in biomedicine, which peculiar structure-property relationship may shed new light on the design and application of AIE fluorophores and functional lipids in biomedicine and materials science.

RATIONALE: The multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrograph (MRTOF-MS) is a complex nonlinear system with dozens of variables that are impossible to determine in theory. Numerical analysis is the only method to determine a solution. Therefore, a numerical simulation is applied with a modified Nelder–Mead simplex (MNMS) algorithm for optimizing voltage configurations. METHODS: Ion trajectories for injection and confinement are simulated using the software SIMION 8.1. The goal of optimization is to find a more suitable configuration for the electric field. This task becomes more challenging as the number of variables, the complexity of the objective function, and the accuracy of the variable intervals increase. A simplex search algorithm was used to perform the optimization process. We modified the searching algorithm by incorporating a variable transformation to ensure that the variables have smooth boundaries. Additionally, we introduced a dedicated benchmark to facilitate global searches. RESULTS: By iteratively using the MNMS algorithm, a total of eight electrodes have been optimized, resulting in a smaller beam size and more efficient ion transport. CONCLUSIONS: The MNMS algorithm is effectively for optimizing nonlinear MRTOF-MS system. It improves the adaptability and globality of the original algorithm, making it applicable for the numerical analysis of complex mass spectrometry systems and problems in engineering.

RATIONALE: The thiosuccinimide linker is widely used in the synthesis of bioconjugates. However, it is susceptible to hydrolysis and is transformed into its hydrolyzed and/or the isobaric thiazine forms, the latter of which is a fairly common product in a conjugate that contains a cysteinyl peptide. MALDI-MS and MS/MS are useful for differentiating these isobaric species. METHODS: Four cross-linked peptides with thiosuccinimide linkers were synthesized. Analogs with the linker that were transformed into thiazine and/or the hydrolyzed thiosuccinimide linkers were then generated by incubating the samples at neutral or basic pH. All of the cross-linked peptides were purified by rp-HPLC and differentiated by MALDI-MS, -MS/MS and UVPD. RESULTS: A cysteinyl peptide-containing conjugate, the thiosuccinimide form, was largely transformed into the hydrolyzed or thiazine forms after incubation at neutral or basic pH. MALDI-MS allowed the three forms to be differentiated: the thiosuccinimide and its hydrolysis product gave two constituent peptides after reductive cleavage between the Cys and succinimide moieties; no fragment ions were produced from the thiazine form. In addition, MALDI-MS/MS of the thiosuccinimide form yielded two pairs of complementary fragment ions via 1,4-elimination: Cys-SH and maleimide, and dehydro-alanine and thiosuccinimide, which are different from those produced via reductive cleavage in MALDI-MS. The thiazine form gave fragment ions resulting from the cleavage of the newly formed amide bond in the linker that arose from thiazine formation. CONCLUSIONS: The thiosuccinimide (but not thiazine) form of the cross-linked peptide yielded individual constituent peptides in MALDI-MS; MALDI-MS/MS showing specific 1,4-elimination for the thiosuccinimide form and cleavage at the newly formed peptide bond via transcyclisation for the thiazine form.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of natural language processing. These models can analyze vast amounts of data, extract meaningful insights, and provide a basis for informed conservation decisions. This paper identifies the main applications of LLMs for ecology and biodiversity conservation: generation of ecological data, prediction using coding by LLMs, providing insights into public opinion and sentiment, and the potential application of Ecology-specialized LLMs.We discuss the potential challenges and limitations associated with the use of LLMs, such as biases in LLM-generated code and data, and the need for careful evaluation and interpretation of LLM-generated results.

Background: Transposition of the great arteries (TGA) is a conotruncal abnormality. It is associated with ventriculoarterial discordance with the parallel orientation of the great arteries, in which the aorta arises from the right ventricle to supply the systemic circulation, while the main pulmonary artery arises from the left ventricle to supply the pulmonary circulation. Aim: To analyze the prenatal and postnatal outcomes of fetuses with d-TGA and to determine whether prenatal echocardiography may predict postnatal urgent BAS. Methods: A retrospective study of fetuses with d-TGA, for which fetal echocardiography was performed at our tertiary hospital from January 2018 to May 2023. We assessed the appearance of the septum primum and the foramen ovale (FO) flap in the four-chamber view as to whether the FO had a restrictive appearance during measurement of the diameter of the FO at its maximal angle to the attachment point. Color Doppler was used to detect ventricular septal defects (VSD) and measure its diameter both in the four-chamber view and when visualizing the outlets of the great arteries in the sagittal section of the heart. Results: During the study period, 64 fetuses were diagnosed with d-TGA, which was also confirmed postnatally. Of these, 16 fetuses were excluded due to additional cardiac anomalies or the inability to reach the mother. In total, 48 cases were included in this series. In our study, the FO diameter was significantly decreased in the urgent BAS group, compared with the fetuses without urgent BAS (5.1 mm vs 6.3 mm, p0.05). A cut off of 6 mm for the FO diameter (sensitivity, 73.3%; specificity, 72.2%; area under the curve [AUC], 0.764) and 3.2 mm for the VSD diameter (sensitivity, 75%; specificity, 75%; AUC, 0.728) suggested urgent BAS. The FO diameter and the presence of VSD were independent variables associated with urgent BAS in fetuses with d-TGA (p0.05). Conclusion: Prenatal echocardiography in fetuses with d-TGA provides valuable information to estimate the need for postnatal urgent BAS that would prevent immediate life-threatening complications.

Introduction: Since coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT), detection of asymptomatic CAD before the impairment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function is of great clinical importance. Aim: To investigate the relationship between electrical and mechanical dispersion and CAD in angina free RRT patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Material and methods: A total of 78 patients (mean age 59±13 years, 54% male), with LVEF≥50% were included in this prospective study. Electrical dispersion was defined as the difference between the longest and shortest corrected QT interval. The duration of mechanical contraction was determined by myocardial strain analysis. Mechanical dispersion was defined as the standard deviation of mechanical contraction durations of all LV segments (MD_SD) or the difference between the longest and shortest duration of mechanical contraction (MD_delta). A coronary calcium score using cardiac computed tomography was assessed in a subgroup of 20 patients without known CAD. Results: Documented CAD was present in 14% of study patients. There was no significant correlation between electrical and mechanical dispersion (p>0.05). In contrast to electrical dispersion, mechanical dispersion was independently associated with CAD (odds ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.09, p=0.010). In patients without documented CAD, MD_delta was strongly correlated with total coronary calcium score (r=0.57; p=0.01), while QTc dispersion was not. Conclusion: Electrical and mechanical dispersion are not correlated in dialysis patients. Unlike electrical dispersion, mechanical dispersion is associated with both documented CAD and silent coronary atherosclerosis in patients with end stage renal failure on RRT.

A 45 years old man with a history of non-ST elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome was found to have a double coronary cameral fistula originating from the first diagonal artery and the proximal segment of the right coronary artery, with both arteries entering the left atrium. There was no evidence of coronary stenosis and no regional wall motion abnormality from baseline echocardiography. Exercise Stress Echocardiography was performed using an upright ergocycle and the result is indicated an ischemic response in the right coronary artery territory.

Dispersal affects evolutionary processes by changing population sizes and their genetic composition, influencing the viability and persistence of populations. Investigating which mechanisms underlie variation in dispersal phenotypes and whether populations harbor adaptive potential for dispersal is crucial to understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of this important trait. Here, we investigate the genetic architecture of dispersal in an insular metapopulation of house sparrows. We use an extensive long-term individual-based ecological dataset and high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for over 2500 individuals. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS), finding a relationship between dispersal probability and a SNP located near genes known to regulate circadian rhythmic, glycogenesis and exercise performance, among other functions. However, this SNP only explained 3.8% of variance, suggesting that dispersal is a polygenic trait. We then used an animal model to estimate heritable genetic variation (Va), which composes 10% of the total overall variation in dispersal probability. Finally, we investigated differences in Va across populations occupying ecologically relevant habitat types (farm vs. non-farm) using a genetic-groups animal model. We found higher mean breeding value, Va, and heritability for the farm habitat, suggesting different adaptive potentials across habitats. Moreover, dispersal phenotypes may depend on genotype-by-environment interactions. Our results suggest a complex genetic architecture of dispersal, and demonstrate that adaptive potential may be environment-dependent in key eco-evolutionary traits. The eco-evolutionary implications of such environment-dependence and consequent spatial variation are likely to be ever more important with the increased fragmentation and loss of suitable habitats for many natural populations.