Duality of 2-D singular systems of Roesser models

In this paper, the properties and concepts of dual systems of the two-dimensional singular Roesser models （2-D SRM） are studied. Two different concepts of the dual systems are proposed for the 2-D SRM. One is derived from the duality defined for two-dimensional singular general models （2-D SGM）-called the S-dual systems; the other one is defined based on 2-D SRM in a traditional sense-called the T-dual systems. It is shown that if a 2-D SRM is jump-mode free or jump-mode reachable, then it can be equivalently transformed into a canonical form of a 2-D SRM, for which the T-duality and the S-duality are equivalent. This will be of some perspective applications in the robust control of 2-D SRM.

Microglial Depletion does not Afect the Laterality of Mechanical Allodynia in Mice

Mechanical allodynia(MA),including punctate and dynamic forms,is a common and debilitating symptom suffered by millions of chronic pain patients.Some peripheral injuries result in the development of bilateral MA,while most injuries usually led to unilateral MA.To date,the control of such laterality remains poorly understood.Here,to study the role of microglia in the control of MA laterality,we used genetic strategies to deplete microglia and tested both dynamic and punctate forms of MA in mice.Surprisingly,the depletion of central microglia did not prevent the induction of bilateral dynamic and punctate MA.Moreover,in dorsal root ganglion-dorsal root-sagittal spinal cord slice preparations we recorded the low-threshold Aβ-fiber stimulation-evoked inputs and outputs of superficial dorsal horn neurons.Consistent with behavioral results,microglial depletion did not prevent the opening of bilateral gates for Aβpathways in the superficial dorsal horn.This study challenges the role of microglia in the control of MA laterality in mice.Future studies are needed to further understand whether the role of microglia in the control of MA laterality is etiology-or species-specific.

Correction:Microglial Depletion does not Affect the Laterality of Mechanical Allodynia in Mice

The original version of this article unfortunately contained one error.The authors found that in the middle panel of Fig.2A,the example traces recorded from a contralateral dorsal horn neuron of the capsaicin-treated mouse were wrong,and the corrected Fig.2 was as follows.

Cell-free expression of NO synthase and P450 enzyme for the biosynthesis of an unnatural amino acid L-4-nitrotryptophan

Cell-free system has emerged as a powerful platform with a wide range of in vitro applications and recently has contributed to express metabolic pathways for biosynthesis.Here we report in vitro construction of a native biosynthetic pathway for L-4-nitrotryptophan(L-4-nitro-Trp)synthesis using an Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis(CFPS)system.Naturally,a nitric oxide(NO)synthase(TxtD)and a cytochrome P450 enzyme(TxtE)are responsible for synthesizing L-4-nitro-Trp,which serves as one substrate for the biosynthesis of a nonribosomal peptide herbicide thaxtomin A.Recombinant coexpression of TxtD and TxtE in a heterologous host like E.coli for L-4-nitro-Trp production has not been achieved so far due to the poor or insoluble expression of TxtD.Using CFPS,TxtD and TxtE were successfully expressed in vitro,enabling the formation of L-4-nitro-Trp.After optimization,the cell-free system was able to synthesize approximately 360μM L-4-nitro-Trp within 16 h.Overall,this work expands the application scope of CFPS for study and synthesis of nitro-containing compounds,which are important building blocks widely used in pharmaceuticals,agrochemicals,and industrial chemicals.

A mixed behaviour equilibrium model with mode choice and its application to the endogenous demand of automated vehicles

This study develops a mixed behavioural equilibrium model with explicit consideration of mode choice(MBE-MC)in a transportation system where fully automated vehicles(AV)coexist with conventional human-driven vehicles(HV).For the mode choice,travellers select among three options,following a logit modal split:driving their private HV,or taking an AV mobility service provided by either a firm or the government.For the route choice,the HV drivers follow the random utility maximisation principle while central agents route the AV passengers following the Cournot Nash(firm agent)or Social Optimal(government agent)principles.We consider two types of travel costs(i.e.travel time and monetary travel cost)to characterise the new features(e.g.expanded link capacity and reduced value of time)of the mixed AVeHV transportation system.We model the MBE-MC problem in a combined modeeroute choice framework and formulate it as a route-based variational inequality(VI)problem.We show the equivalence between the VI formulation and the MBE-MC problem,and the existence of a solution to the MBE-MC problem.Then,we modify a partial linearisation algorithm for solving the proposed model.Numerical results validate the equilibrium conditions and show the efficacy of the new model in capturing the features of the mixed AVeHV transportation system.The impact patterns of different parameters on(1)the network performance in terms of AV share and system cost and(2)on the solution efficiency are analysed.

“They Have It Better There”:Chinese Immigrant Teachers’Beliefs,Ideologies and Imaginaries in Cross-National Comparisons

This paper was written in response to a growing need to address the perceptions and experiences of immigrant teachers.Based on a critical intercultural theoretical perspective,which moves beyond typical“culture shock”and“adaptation”models of understanding and explaining immigrants’experiences,this paper makes use of the concepts of teacher beliefs,ideologies and imaginaries(Holliday,2010)in considering how Finland-based Chinese immigrant teachers perceive the position of being teachers of Chinese in Finland and Australia.An analysis of data from group discussions during a teacher training workshop indicates that these teachers constructed a“utopia”(Australia)and“dystopia”(Finland)of Chinese language teaching,and reveals that multiple factors have influenced these immigrant teachers’perceptions and experiences.Findings provide information for teacher educators and stakeholders to better understand and support immigrant teachers from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds.