Differential flatness-based distributed control of underactuated robot swarms

This paper proposes a distributed control method based on the differential flatness(DF) property of robot swarms. The swarm DF mapping is established for underactuated differentially flat dynamics, according to the control objective. The DF mapping refers to the fact that the system state and input of each robot can be derived algebraically from the flat outputs of the leaders and the cooperative errors and their finite order derivatives. Based on the proposed swarm DF mapping, a distributed controller is designed. The distributed implementation of swarm DF mapping is achieved through observer design. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through a numerical simulation of quadrotor swarm synchronization.

Upregulation of β-catenin signaling represents a single common pathway leading to the various phenotypes of spinal degeneration and pain

Spine degeneration is an aging-related disease,but its molecular mechanisms remain unknown,although elevatedβ-catenin signaling has been reported to be involved in intervertebral disc degeneration.Here,we determined the role ofβ-catenin signaling in spinal degeneration and in the homeostasis of the functional spinal unit(FSU),which includes the intervertebral disc,vertebra and facet joint and is the smallest physiological motion unit of the spine.We showed that pain sensitivity in patients with spinal degeneration is highly correlated withβ-catenin protein levels.We then generated a mouse model of spinal degeneration by transgenic expression of constitutively activeβ-catenin in Col2^(+) cells.We found thatβ-catenin-TCF7 activated the transcription of CCL2,a known critical factor in osteoarthritic pain.Using a lumbar spine instability model,we showed that aβ-catenin inhibitor relieved low back pain.Our study indicates thatβ-catenin plays a critical role in maintaining spine tissue homeostasis,its abnormal upregulation leads to severe spinal degeneration,and its targeting could be an avenue to treat this condition.

Improving control effects of absence seizures using single-pulse alternately resetting stimulation (SARS) of corticothalamic circuit

Presently,we develop a simplified corticothalamic(SCT)model and propose a single-pulse alternately resetting stimulation(SARS)with sequentially applying anodic(A,“+”)or cathodic(C,“−”)phase pulses to the thalamic reticular(RE)nuclei,thalamus-cortex(TC)relay nuclei,and cortical excitatory(EX)neurons,respectively.Abatement effects of ACC-SARS of RE,TC,and EX for the 2 Hz-4 Hz spike and wave discharges(SWD)of absence seizures are then concerned.The m∶n on-off ACC-SARS protocol is shown to effectively reduce the SWD with the least current consumption.In particular,when its frequency is out of the 2 Hz-4 Hz SWD dominant rhythm,the desired seizure abatements can be obtained,which can be further improved by our proposed directional steering(DS)stimulation.The dynamical explanations for the SARS induced seizure abatements are lastly given by calculating the averaged mean firing rate(AMFR)of neurons and triggering averaged mean firing rates(TAMFRs)of 2 Hz-4 Hz SWD.

Modeling and experimental investigation of drilling into lunar soils

Dry drilling only with the assistance of an auger is a reliable and realistic approach to remove abundant soils from the side of a bit in the harsh, dry conditions on the Moon. Based on an elementary analysis, using Janssen's model to reflect the coupling effect among the different components of the stress, the present paper models the conveying dynamics along the helical groove and the sampling mechanism in the centering hole of the stem for an auger drilling into lunar soil simulant. Combining the two parts as well as a simple cutting model for the bit, a whole drilling model is established to investigate the complicated relation among the conveying ability of the auger, the coring rate, and drilling parameters such as the penetration and rotation speeds. The relation is revealed by the complicated transition between different sub-models with the help of the physical transition conditions. A series of experiments with constant penetration and rotation speeds are conducted to verify the model. Three aspects of characteristics of the drilling dynamics are manifested,(i) the loads on the bit are almost independent of penetration;(ii) three obvious drilling stages with respect to cut per revolution are grouped;(iii) a linear relationship is found between the coring rate and the revolution per penetration.

Numerical method for dynamics of multi-body systems with two-dimensional Coulomb dry friction and nonholonomic constraints

Based on the dynamical theory of multi-body systems with nonholonomic constraints and an algorithm for complementarity problems, a numerical method for the multi-body systems with two-dimensional Coulomb dry friction and nonholonomic constraints is presented. In particular, a wheeled multi-body system is considered. Here, the state transition of stick-slip between wheel and ground is transformed into a nonlinear complementarity problem （NCP）. An iterative algorithm for solving the NCP is then presented using an event-driven method. Dynamical equations of the multi-body system with holonomic and nonholonomic constraints are given using Routh equations and a con- straint stabilization method. Finally, an example is used to test the proposed numerical method. The results show some dynamical behaviors of the wheeled multi-body system and its constraint stabilization effects.

Sliding mode synchronization between uncertain Watts-Strogatz small-world spatiotemporal networks

Based on the topological characteristics of small-world networks,a nonlinear sliding mode controller is designed to minimize the effects of internal parameter uncertainties.To qualify the effects of uncertain parameters in the response networks,some effective recognition rates are designed so as to achieve a steady value in the extremely fast simulation time period.Meanwhile,the Fisher-Kolmogorov and Burgers spatiotemporal chaotic systems are selected as the network nodes for constructing a drive and a response network,respectively.The simulation results confirm that the developed sliding mode could realize the effective synchronization problem between the spatiotemporal networks,and the outer synchronization is still achieved timely even when the connection probability of the small-world networks changes.

A review of computational modeling and deep brain stimulation:applications to Parkinson’s disease

Biophysical computational models are complementary to experiments and theories,providing powerful tools for the study of neurological diseases.The focus of this review is the dynamic modeling and control strategies of Parkinson’s disease(PD).In previous studies,the development of parkinsonian network dynamics modeling has made great progress.Modeling mainly focuses on the cortex-thalamus-basal ganglia(CTBG)circuit and its sub-circuits,which helps to explore the dynamic behavior of the parkinsonian network,such as synchronization.Deep brain stimulation(DBS)is an effective strategy for the treatment of PD.At present,many studies are based on the side effects of the DBS.However,the translation from modeling results to clinical disease mitigation therapy still faces huge challenges.Here,we introduce the progress of DBS improvement.Its specific purpose is to develop novel DBS treatment methods,optimize the treatment effect of DBS for each patient,and focus on the study in closed-loop DBS.Our goal is to review the inspiration and insights gained by combining the system theory with these computational models to analyze neurodynamics and optimize DBS treatment.

Study on the static properties of spiral springs under static loading

Spiral springs have a wide range of applications in various fields.As a result of the complexity of friction,few theoretical analyses of spring belts under static loading have been carried out.Considering the piecewise smooth property of the whole contact area,a simplified static model of spiral springs under loading is established in this paper.Besides,three main stress and friction distribution areas of the spring belt are proposed,namely,internal,transitional,and external regions.Since the outermost side of the spring is not subject to any pressure,a recursive method is adopted from the outside to the inside.The model provides the parameter conditions,i.e.,the internal and external forces are independent or dependent.Therefore,the case that the whole contact region of the spring belt has one subregion,two subregions,and three subregions is obtained.The model gives a theoretical basis for the parameter optimization of spiral springs.

Seven new species in the genus Scythropiodes Matsumura(Lepidoptera:Lecithoceridae) from China

Seven new species in the genus Scythropiodes Matsumura are described from China: S. multicornutus sp. nov., S. bispinus sp. nov. and S. siculiformis sp. nov. from Yunnan, S. longicornis sp. nov. and S. foliiformis sp. nov. from Tibet, S. dentirotatus sp. nov. from Sichuan, and S. grandimacularis sp. nov. from Hainan. The female of S. dorsoprocessus Wang & Li, 2016 is described for the first time. Images of adults and genitalia of these new species are provided.

Regulating absence seizures by tri-phase delay stimulation applied to globus pallidus internal

In this paper,a reduced globus pallidus internal(GPI)-corticothalamic(GCT)model is developed,and a tri-phase delay stimulation(TPDS)with sequentially applying three pulses on the GPI representing the inputs from the striatal D_(1)neurons,subthalamic nucleus(STN),and globus pallidus external(GPE),respectively,is proposed.The GPI is evidenced to control absence seizures characterized by 2 Hz–4 Hz spike and wave discharge(SWD).Hence,based on the basal ganglia-thalamocortical(BGCT)model,we firstly explore the triple effects of D_(1)-GPI,GPE-GPI,and STN-GPI pathways on seizure patterns.Then,using the GCT model,we apply the TPDS on the GPI to potentially investigate the alternative and improved approach if these pathways to the GPI are blocked.The results show that the striatum D_(1),GPE,and STN can indeed jointly and significantly affect seizure patterns.In particular,the TPDS can effectively reproduce the seizure pattern if the D_(1)-GPI,GPE-GPI,and STN-GPI pathways are cut off.In addition,the seizure abatement can be obtained by well tuning the TPDS stimulation parameters.This implies that the TPDS can play the surrogate role similar to the modulation of basal ganglia,which hopefully can be helpful for the development of the brain-computer interface in the clinical application of epilepsy.

Enzymatic C1 reduction using hydrogen in cofactor regeneration

Carbon dioxide fixation presents a potential solution for mitigating the greenhouse gas issue.During carbon dioxide fixation,C1 compound reduction requires a high energy supply.Thermodynamic calculations suggest that the energy source for cofactor regeneration plays a vital role in the effective enzymatic C1 reduction.Hydrogenase utilizes renewable hydrogen to achieve the regeneration and supply cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NADH),providing a driving force for the reduction reaction to reduce the thermodynamic barrier of the reaction cascade,and making the forward reduction pathway thermodynamically feasible.Based on the regeneration of cofactor NADH by hydrogenase,and coupled with formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formolase,a favorable thermodynamic mode of the C1 reduction pathway for reducing formate to dihydroxyacetone(DHA)was designed and constructed.This resulted in accumulation of 373.19μmol·L^(-1) DHA after 2 h,and conversion reaching 7.47%.These results indicate that enzymatic utilization of hydrogen as the electron donor to regenerate NADH is of great significance to the sustainable and green development of bio-manufacturing because of its high economic efficiency,no by-products,and environment-friendly operation.Moreover,formolase efficiently and selectively fixed the intermediate formaldehyde(FALD)to DHA,thermodynamically pulled formate to efficiently reduce to DHA,and finally stored the low-grade renewable energy into chemical energy with high energy density.

miR-204 ameliorates osteoarthritis pain by inhibiting SP1-LRP1 signaling and blocking neuro-cartilage interaction

Osteoarthritis(OA)is a painful degenerative joint disease and is the leading cause of chronic disability among elderly individuals.To improve the quality of life for patients with OA,the primary goal for OA treatment is to relieve the pain.During OA progression,nerve ingrowth was observed in synovial tissue and articular cartilage.These abnormal neonatal nerves act as nociceptors to detect OA pain signals.The molecular mechanisms for transmitting OA pain in the joint tissues to the central nerve system(CNS)is currently unknown.MicroRNA miR-204 has been demonstrated to maintain the homeostasis of joint tissues and have chondro-protective effect on OA pathogenesis.However,the role of miR-204 in OA pain has not been determined.In this study,we investigated interactions between chondrocytes and neural cells and evaluated the effect and mechanism of miR-204 delivered by exosome in the treatment of OA pain in an experimental OA mouse model.Our findings demonstrated that miR-204 could protect OA pain by inhibition of SP1-LDL Receptor Related Protein 1(LRP1)signaling and blocking neuro-cartilage interaction in the joint.Our studies defined novel molecular targets for the treatment of OA pain.

Single-atom cobalt catalysts for chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines

Single-atomic catalysts(SACs)caught considerable attention due to their unique structural properties,complete exposed active site,and 100%atom utilization efficiency with remarkable catalytic activity.Mesoporous single-atomic cobalt catalyst with Co-N_(4) active sites was synthesized by using nitrogen-doped graphene derived from acrylonitrile.Single-atomic cobalt was observed by aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM)in Co@Nx-C-800.Notably,the density functional theory(DFT)calculation and the extended X-ray absorption fine structures(EXAFS)fitting results indicate that the coordination structure of Co-N is four-coordinated.In this work,the practical hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines enabled by Co@Nx-C-800 was established with excellent yields and selectivity,which proved its advantages and potential applications.

N-Heterocyclic carbene catalyzed C-acylation reaction for access to linear aminoenones

An N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-catalyzed carbonyl nucleophilic substitution reaction between 1-cyclopropylcarbaldehydes and N-sulfonyl imines is developed for access to linearβ-aminoenone products.Theβ-aminoenones containing cyclopropyl fragments can be afforded in moderate to excellent yields under mild conditions.The reaction features excellent trans-diastereoselectivities and the desired aminoenone products are all afforded as Z-isomers.

丁香属次生代谢产物及其与系统演化和地理环境的关联

环境塑造的植物次生代谢产物富于变化,也可能带有系统演化的信息。由于完整或具有系统学代表性的专属植物收集存在较大困难,使得次生代谢产物与系统学的关联研究尚不多见。通过文献汇总获得了存在于丁香属(Syringa)植物根、茎、叶和花中的10类377个次生代谢产物,主要涉及甲戊二羟酸途径、脱氧木酮糖磷酸酯途径以及莽草酸途径。在叠加丁香属的系统演化背景后发现:在先分化的组系中特定类型次生代谢产物的优势度较高,后继分化的组系成分优势度降低,化学多样性呈增加趋势,各类次生代谢产物的相对占比趋于均衡;苯丙素类和环/裂环烯醚萜类化合物的表达具有明显的系统保守性。在叠加了地理分布跨度后发现:部分后继分化的局域种比在先分化的广布种具有更为多样的次生代谢成分;木脂素类成分的占比优势与环境胁迫相关。该文为化学多样性与进化的关联研究及次生代谢调控的系统性研究提供了新的启示。

ANALYSIS FOR GENE NETWORKS BASED ON LOGIC RELATIONSHIPS

The reverse construction and analysis of the networks of molecular interactions are essential for understanding their functions within cells. In this paper, a logic network model is constructed to investigate the complicated regulation mechanism of shoot genes of Arabidopsis Thaliana in response to stimuli. The dynamics of the complicated logic network is analyzed, discussed, and simulated. The simulation results show that the logic network of the active genes of shoot eventually evolves into eleven attractors under the stimuli, including five 1-periodic and six 2-periodic attractors. Our work provides valuable reference and guidance for biologists to understand and explain Arabidopsis＇ response to external stimuli by experiments.

Nature of cerium on improving low-temperature hydrothermal stability of SAPO-34

To probe the function of Ce on enhancing low-temperature stability of SAPO-34,Ce/SAPO-34 with different Ce contents was prepared via one-pot method and further treated at 70℃in 80%relative humidity for 24 h.The structural results prove that the one-pot synthesis is an effective way to introduce Ce(Ce<0.325 wt%)without influencing micro-structural and chemical composition.The lowtemperature hydrothermal stability of Ce/SAPO-34 is enhanced by Ce loading.More than 92%CHA structure and total acidity are maintained over 0.188 wt%Ce/SAPO-34,while only about 20%of that left on pure H/SAPO-34.As Ce exists as Ce^(3+)at exchange sites on the surface of SAPO-34,the results of the linear relationship between protected surface acidity and structure/acidity conservation manifest that Ce^(3+))effectively hinders the structural collapse.This study provides new insight into surface acidity protection for solving the problem of low-temperature hydrothermal stability of SAPO-34.

Multi-GNSS products and services at iGMAS Wuhan Innovation Application Center:strategy and evaluation

Over the past years the International Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)Monitoring and Assessment System(iGMAS)Wuhan Innovation Application Center(IAC)dedicated to exploring the potential of multi-GNSS signals and providing a set of products and services.This contribution summarizes the strategies,achievements,and innovations of multi-GNSS orbit/clock/bias determination in iGMAS Wuhan IAC.Both the precise products and Real-Time Services(RTS)are evaluated and discussed.The precise orbit and clock products have comparable accuracy with the precise products of the International GNSS Service(IGS)and iGMAS.The multi-frequency code and phase bias products for Global Positioning System(GPS),BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS),Galileo navigation satellite system(Galileo),and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System(GLONASS)are provided to support multi-GNSS and multi-frequency Precise Point Positioning(PPP)Ambiguity Resolution(AR).Compared with dual-frequency PPP AR,the time to first fix of triple-frequency solution is improved by 30%.For RTS,the proposed orbit prediction strategy improves the three dimensional accuracy of predicted orbit by 1 cm.The multi-thread strategy and high-performance matrix library are employed to accelerate the real-time orbit and clock determination.The results with respect to the IGS precise products show the high accuracy of RTS orbits and clocks,4–9 cm and 0.1–0.2 ns,respectively.Using real-time satellite corrections,real-time PPP solutions achieve satisfactory performance with horizontal and vertical positioning errors within 2 and 4 cm,respectively,and convergence time of 16.97 min.

SCANNING AND ANALYSIS OF MISMATCH DISTRIBUTION ON HUMAN GENOME

The mismatch distribution is a good descriptive summary statistic that describes the phenomena of population genetics. This article scanned mismatch distribution on human genome with single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） data from the International HapMap Project. It is found that the abnormal mismatch distribution could imply some special segments on some chromosomes. One of the segments, on chromosome 8, was proved as an inversion. Other special segments may also imply some special structure on chromo- somes, such as duplication. The conjectures of other segments still need further research.