Analysis of protein profiling studies of β‐thalassemia/Hb E disease

A number of studies have used global protein profiling technologies on a range of patient samples to detect proteins that are differentially expressed in β‐thalassemia/Hb E as an aid for understanding the physiopathology of this disease. Seven studies have identified a total of 111 unique, differentially expressed proteins. Seven proteins (prothrombin, alpha‐1‐antichymotrypsin, fibrinogen beta chain, hemoglobin beta, selenium‐binding protein, microtubule‐actin cross‐linking factor and adenomatous polyposis coli protein 2) have been identified in two independent studies, whereas two proteins (carbonic anhydrase 1 and peroxiredoxin‐2) have been identified in three independent studies. Both of these latter two proteins were consistently upregulated in the studies that identified them. Ontological analysis of all differentially regulated proteins identified “response to inorganic substances” as the most significant functional annotation cluster, which is consistent with iron overload being a major pathological consequence of this disease. Despite the range of samples investigated and the relatively small number of studies undertaken, a coherent picture of the mediators of the pathological consequences of β‐thalassemia/Hb E disease is starting to emerge.     

ℋ︁∞ and l2–l∞ filtering for two‐dimensional linear parameter‐varying systems

In this paper, the ??_∞ and l₂–l_∞ filtering problem is investigated for two‐dimensional (2‐D) discrete‐time linear parameter‐varying (LPV) systems. Based on the well‐known Fornasini–Marchesini local state‐space (FMLSS) model, the mathematical model of 2‐D systems under consideration is established by incorporating the parameter‐varying phenomenon. The purpose of the problem addressed is to design full‐order ??_∞ and l₂–l_∞ filters such that the filtering error dynamics is asymptotic stable and the prescribed noise attenuation levels in ??_∞ and l₂–l_∞ senses can be achieved, respectively. Sufficient conditions are derived for existence of such filters in terms of parameterized linear matrix inequalities (PLMIs), and the corresponding filter synthesis problem is then transformed into a convex optimization problem that can be efficiently solved by using standard software packages. A simulation example is exploited to demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed design method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ℋ︁2/ℋ︁∞ output information‐based disturbance attenuation for differential linear repetitive processes

Repetitive processes propagate information in two independent directions where the duration of one is finite. They pose control problems that cannot be solved by application of results for other classes of 2D systems. This paper develops controller design algorithms for differential linear processes, where information in one direction is governed by a matrix differential equation and in the other by a matrix discrete equation, in an ??₂/??_∞ setting. The objectives are stabilization and disturbance attenuation, and the controller used is actuated by the process output and hence the use of a state observer is avoided. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discharge diagnosis of high Xe concentration and high‐γ protective layer in PDPs

Abstract— The high‐Xe‐concentration and high‐γ (ion‐induced secondary‐electron emission coefficient) protective layer have been diagnosed from both experimentation and simulation. The experimental results show that there is a great increase in luminance and luminous efficacy, while the breakdown voltage decreases in the high‐Xe and high‐γ discharge. In the high‐Xe discharge, the great increase in VUV radiation mainly results from an increase in excimer VUV emission. The application of high‐Xe concentration can greatly increase the luminous efficacy, while the high‐γ protective layer can promote it further. Considering that the total discharge efficiency can be divided into the electron heating efficiency, the Xe excitation efficiency, and the VUV radiation efficiency, both the electron heating efficiency and Xe excitation efficiency increased for a high‐Xe discharge; while for a high‐γ discharge, the increase in electron heating efficiency contributes to the improvement in discharge efficiency.     

2‐DOF discrete‐time nonlinear ℋ︁∞‐filters

In this paper, a new theory of two‐degrees‐of‐freedom (2‐DOF)‐??_∞ and certainty‐equivalent filters is presented. Exact and approximate solutions to the nonlinear ??_∞ filtering problem using this class of filters are derived in terms of discrete‐time Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs equations. The expressions for the filter gains are determined as functions of the filter state and the system's output in contrast to earlier results. Hence, it is shown that coupled with the additional degree‐of‐freedom, these filters are a substantial improvement over the earlier 1‐DOF case. The theory presented is also generalized to n‐DOF filters, which bore strong connections to linear infinite‐impulse response filters and hence are generalizations of this class of filters to the nonlinear setting. Simulation results are also given to show the usefulness of the new approach. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thymosin β4 is differentially expressed in the cerebrospinal fluid of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease patients: a MALDI‐TOF MS protein profiling study

MALDI‐TOF protein profiling analysis permits the detection of peptides and small proteins in complex protein mixtures with great accuracy. We applied this analysis to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 15 patients affected by Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (CJD). We compared the levels of the normalized ion signals of 11 sporadic and 4 genetic CJD forms with those from ten healthy control subjects and eight non‐CJD relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis patients. In so doing, we detected 61 differentially expressed ion signals in CJD samples compared to controls. Among the 61 signals, 3 signals had significantly increased levels with high statistical significance (p <0.0001) and were located at 3238.3 m/z, 4963.7 m/z, and 8565.3 m/z. We characterized the 5.0 and 8.6 kDa proteins as thymosin β4 N‐acetylated and free ubiquitin, respectively, while the 3.2‐kDa peptide remained uncharacterized. Although elevated ubiquitin levels have previously been described in CJD, we have demonstrated for the first time the involvement of thymosin β4 in a neurodegenerative disease. To support the validity of thymosin β4 levels obtained by MALDI‐TOF analysis, an independent enzyme immunoassay analysis was performed. Moreover, a validation cohort consisting of CSF from three CJD patients, five healthy subjects, and six non‐CJD relapsing‐remitting multiple sclerosis patients was analyzed in a similar way, yielding superimposable results. We propose that thymosin β4 is a potential new candidate marker for the ante mortem diagnosis of CJD disease.     

Highly efficient blue organic light‐emitting diode with high color purity using 4,4′‐N,N′‐dicarbazole‐biphyenyl (CBP) doped with 1,4‐bis[2‐(3‐N‐ethylcarbazoryl) vinyl]benzene (BCzVB)

Abstract— An efficient pure blue multilayer organic light‐emitting diode employing 1,4‐bis[2‐(3‐N‐ethylcarbazoryl)vinyl]benzene (BCzVB) doped into 4,4′‐N,N′‐dicarbazole‐biphyenyl (CBP) is reported. The device structure is ITO (indium tin oxide)/TPD (N,N′‐diphenyl‐N,N′‐bis (3‐methylphenyl)‐1,1′biphenyl‐4,4′diamine)/CBP:BCzVB/Alq₃ (tris‐(8‐hydroxy‐quinolinato) aluminum)/Liq (8‐hydroxy‐quinolinato lithium)/Al; here TPD was used as the hole‐transporting layer, CBP as the blue‐emitting host, BCzVB as the blue dopant, Alq₃ as the electron‐transporting layer, Liq as the electron‐injection layer, and Al as the cathode, respectively. A maximum luminance of 8500 cd/m² and a device efficiency of 3.5 cd/A were achieved. The CIE co‐ordinates were x = 0.15, y = 0.16. The electroluminescent spectra reveal a dominant peak at 448 nm and additional peaks at 476 nm with a full width at half maximum of 60 nm. The Föster energy transfer and, especially, carrier trapping models were considered to be the main mechanism for exciton formation on BCzVB molecules under electrical excitation.     

Simultaneous ℋ︁2/ℋ︁∞ control of uncertain jump systems with functional time‐delays

This paper presents new results pertaining to the control design of a class of linear uncertain systems with Markovian jump parameters. An integral part of the system dynamics is a delayed state in which the time‐delays are mode dependent. The jumping parameters are modelled as a continuous‐time, discrete‐state Markov process and the uncertainties are norm‐bounded. We construct an appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and design a simultaneous ℋ︁₂/ℋ︁_∞ controller which minimizes a quadratic ℋ︁₂ performance measure while satisfying a prescribed ℋ︁_∞‐norm bound on the closed‐loop system. It is established that sufficient conditions for the existence of the simultaneous ℋ︁₂/ℋ︁_∞ controller and the associated performance upper bound are cast in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results are provided and extension to the case where the jumping rates are subject to uncertainties is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The new route for realization of 1‐μm‐pixel‐pitch high‐resolution displays

A new pixel structure for the realization of a 1‐μm‐pixel‐pitch display was developed. This structure, named vertically stacked thin‐film transistor (VST), was based on the conventional back‐channel etched thin‐film transistor (TFT), but all the layers except the horizontal gate line were vertically stacked on the embedded data line, enabling the implementation of high‐resolution display panels. The VST device with a channel length of 1 μm showed a high field effect mobility of more than 50 cm²/Vs and low subthreshold slope of 78 mV per decade. It also shows a high uniform electrical characteristic over the entire 6‐in. wafer. The development of a new pixel architecture is expected to enable the implementation of 1‐μm‐pixel‐pitch high‐resolution displays such as spatial light modulators for digital holograms.     

A disposable electrochemical immunofiltration test strip for rapid detection of α-fetoprotein

A disposable electrochemical immunofiltration test strip for the rapid detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP) was developed. The test strip was constructed by assembly of screen-printed carbon electrodes, absorption-water pad, nitrocellulose membrane modified by anti-AFP antibody and glass fiber membrane conjugated with ferrocene monocarboxylic acid (FC) labeling AFP. The analytical system utilizes flow-through immunofiltration and competitive immunoassay techniques in combination with an amperometric sensor. The parameters affecting the immunoassay such as selection of filter membrane, membrane pore-size, and antibody binding capacity were investigated and optimized. The immunofiltration system allows us to specifically and directly detect AFP in serum with a low detection limit of 6 ng/mL. The working range is from 6 to 500 ng/mL with an overall analysis time of 5 min for one sample. This electrochemical immunoassay system enabled us to construct a novel point-of-care testing device for the monitoring of biomarker including AFP.     

The Navier–Stokes-αβ equations as a platform for a spectral multigrid method to solve the Navier–Stokes equations

This paper describes a spectral multigrid method for spatially periodic homogeneous and isotropic turbulent flows. The method uses the Navier–Stokes-αβ equations to accelerate convergence toward solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations. The Navier–Stokes-αβ equations are solved on coarse grids at various levels and the Navier–Stokes equations are solved on the “nest grid”. The method uses Crank–Nicolson time-stepping for the viscous terms, explicit time-stepping for the remaining terms, and Richardson iteration to solve linear systems encountered at each time step and on each grid level. To explore the computational efficiency of the method, comparisons are made with results obtained from an analogous spectral multigrid method for the Navier–Stokes equations. These comparisons are based on computing work units and residuals for multigrid cycles. Most importantly, we examine how choosing different values of the length scales α and β entering the Navier–Stokes-αβ equations influence the efficiency and accuracy of these multigrid schemes.     

Gain‐scheduled ℋ︁2 controller synthesis for linear parameter varying systems via parameter‐dependent Lyapunov functions

This paper deals with the problem of gain‐scheduled ??₂ control for linear parameter‐varying systems. The system state–space model matrices are affinely parameterized and the admissible values of the parameters and their rate of variation are supposed to belong to a given convex bounded polyhedral domain. Based on a parameter‐dependent Lyapunov function, a linear matrix inequality methodology is proposed for designing a gain‐scheduled state feedback ??₂ controller, where the feedback gain is a matrix fraction of polynomial matrices with quadratic dependence on the scheduling parameters. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel approach for changing the coupling nature between TE01δ‐mode dielectric resonators

In this article, a novel coupling method which could easily change the coupling nature between two TE_01δ‐mode dielectric resonators (DRs) is presented. This method is based on electric field orientation of DR operating in TE_01δ‐mode, through altering the direction of the coupling structure in one DR, the coupled electric field orientation in the other DR would be changed along with the coupling nature between two resonators. To prove this method, two filters using cascaded quadruplet coupling structure have been designed, fabricated and measured. The coupling strength is enhanced due to the employ of two grounded mental cylinder on both sides of the copper sheet. In addition, a tuning screw is introduced between two DRs to adjust the coupling strength after mounting expediently. Measured results confirmed the predicted performance, showing that the coupling nature and coupling strength are controllable between two DRs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:226–231, 2016.     

A generalized χ 2 divergence for multisource information fusion and its application in fault diagnosis

Dempster–Shafer theory is invaluable for handing uncertain problems in multisource information fusion field. But how to fuse highly conflicting information remains a pending issue. To deal with the issue, we propose a novel reinforced belief ${\chi }^2$ divergence measure (named as $\mathrm{??}{\chi }^2$ divergence) to calculate the conflict degree between evidence. The proposed $\mathrm{??}{\chi }^2$ divergence comprehensively considers the effects of the single-element subset and the multielement subset. In addition, the $\mathrm{??}{\chi }^2$ divergence has been proved to be a bounded, nondegenerate, and symmetrical divergence measure. Then, we design a new $\mathrm{??}{\chi }^2$ divergence-based multisource information fusion method. This method combines information volume weights and supports degree weights to modify the evidence before fusion. Finally, an application for fault diagnosis is provided to show that the proposed method is superior to other existing methods.     

Controlled synthesis and gas-sensing properties of hollow sea urchin-like α-Fe2O3 nanostructures and α-Fe2O3 nanocubes

Hollow sea urchin-like α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal approach using FeCl₃ and Na₂SO₄ as raw materials, and subsequent annealing in air at 600 °C for 2 h. The hollow sea urchin-like α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures with the diameters of 2–4.5 μm consist of well-aligned α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods with an average length of about 1 μm growing radially from the centers of the nanostructures, have a hollow interior with a diameter of about 2 μm. α-Fe₂O₃ nanocubes with a diameter of 700–900 nm were directly obtained by a hydrothermal reaction of FeCl₃ at 140 °C for 12 h. The response S_r (S_r = R_a/R_g) of the hollow sea urchin-like α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures reached 2.4, 7.5, 5.9, 14.0 and 7.5 to 56 ppm ammonia, 32 ppm formaldehyde, 18 ppm triethylamine, 34 ppm acetone, and 42 ppm ethanol, respectively, which was excess twice that of the α-Fe₂O₃ nanocubes and the nanoparticle aggregations. Our results demonstrated that the hollow sea urchin-like α-Fe₂O₃ nanostructures were very promising for gas sensors for the detection of flammable and/or toxic gases with good-sensing characteristics.     

H∞ Static Output Feedback Control of 2‐D Discrete Systems in FM Second Model

The problem of H_∞ static output feedback (SOF) control of two‐dimensional (2‐D) discrete systems described by the Fornasini‐Marchesini (FM) second model is investigated in this paper. First, by applying the 2‐D Bounded Real Lemma, the 2‐D H_∞ SOF control problem is formulated in terms of a bilinear matrix inequality (BMI). Then, by combining the slack variable technique with two kinds of existing LMI methods, respectively, less conservative sufficient LMI conditions are proposed for the BMI formulation. The relation of these two kinds of LMI conditions are revealed by analyzing the choices of coordinate transformation matrices involved in the first kind of LMI conditions. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and merits of the proposed methods.