Global Mittag-Leffler Stabilization of Fractional-Order Memristive Neural Networks

According to conventional memristive neural network theories, neurodynamic properties are powerful tools for solving many problems in the areas of brain-like associative learning, dynamic information storage or retrieval, etc. However, as have often been noted in most fractional-order systems, system analysis approaches for integral-order systems could not be directly extended and applied to deal with fractional-order systems, and consequently, it raises difficult issues in analyzing and controlling the fractional-order memristive neural networks. By using the set-valued maps and fractional-order differential inclusions, then aided by a newly proposed fractional derivative inequality, this paper investigates the global Mittag-Leffler stabilization for a class of fractional-order memristive neural networks. Two types of control rules (i.e., state feedback stabilizing control and output feedback stabilizing control) are designed for the stabilization of fractional-order memristive neural networks, while a list of stabilization criteria is established. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness and characteristics of the obtained theoretical results.

First-principles investigation of the orientation influenced He dissolution and diffusion behaviors W surfaces

He-induced vacancy formation aggravates He accumulation on the W(111), W(112), and W(100) surfaces and hinders He escaping from the W(111) surface.

Lead-free organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite heterojunction composites for photocatalytic applications

Heterojunction structured MASnI₃/TiO₂ photocatalysts (MA represents CH₃NH₃⁺) are prepared via a facile wet-chemical method and characterized by various techniques.

Measurement of Singly Cabibbo Suppressed Decays Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K^{-}

Using 567  pb^{-1} of data collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV, near the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} threshold, we study the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K^{-}. By normalizing with respect to the Cabibbo-favored decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+}, we obtain ratios of branching fractions: [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(6.70±0.48±0.25)%, [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ)/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(1.81±0.33±0.13)%, and [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(9.36±2.22±0.71)×10^{-3}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The absolute branching fractions are also presented. Among these measurements, the decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} is observed for the first time, and the precision of the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ is significantly improved.

Landslide Displacement Prediction With Uncertainty Based on Neural Networks With Random Hidden Weights

In this paper, we propose a new approach to establish a landslide displacement forecasting model based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) with random hidden weights. To quantify the uncertainty associated with the predictions, a framework for probabilistic forecasting of landslide displacement is developed. The aim of this paper is to construct prediction intervals (PIs) instead of deterministic forecasting. A lower-upper bound estimation (LUBE) method is adopted to construct ANN-based PIs, while a new single hidden layer feedforward ANN with random hidden weights for LUBE is proposed. Unlike the original implementation of LUBE, the input weights and hidden biases of the ANN are randomly chosen, and only the output weights need to be adjusted. Combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and gravitational search algorithm (GSA), a hybrid evolutionary algorithm, PSOGSA, is utilized to optimize the output weights. Furthermore, a new ANN objective function, which combines a modified combinational coverage width-based criterion with one-norm regularization, is proposed. Two benchmark data sets and two real-world landslide data sets are presented to illustrate the capability and merit of our method. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method can construct high-quality PIs.

Synthesis and biological activity of arylsulfonamide derivatives containing 2-arylamino-4(3H)-quinazolinone

Twenty arylsulfonamide derivatives containing 2-arylamino-4(3H)-quinazolinone were synthesized and evaluated for their bioactivities. 4-Fluoro-N-(2-(4-oxo-2-(4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)amino)quinazolin-3(4H)-yl)ethyl benzenesulfonamide, showed excellent activity both against Ralstonia solanacearum and Gibberella zeae with the inhibition rates of 100% (200 mg/L) and 95% (100 mg/L), and 69% (50 mg/L), respectively, exceeding that of the assigned commercial bactericide (thiodiazole-copper) and fungicide (hymexazol). The preliminary structure activity relationships (SAR) showed that both benzene rings of arylamino and arylsulfonamido moieties containing electron-withdrawing substitutes may be preferable for improving the bioactivity of target compounds.

Comparison of coronary heart disease risk among four diagnostic definitions of metabolic syndrome

PURPOSE

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is now well known as one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Currently, there are several methods used to define MetS. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent current MetS definition reflects CHD risk using the probability of CHD in 10 years based on Framingham risk score algorithms.

METHODS

A total of 7575 adults, aged 16-93 years (2532 men and 5043 women), were recruited. We conducted a cross-sectional health survey in China using MetS criteria from four different definitions: modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Chinese and Japanese.

RESULTS

Differences in the prevalence of MetS by each definition were small in males (22.9-25.9 %), whereas in females, MetS was three times more prevalent using the IDF definition (29.1 %) versus the Japanese definition (9.7 %). Framingham risk scores in participants with MetS were significantly higher than in those without MetS by all definition criteria (p < 0.001). The CHD risk scores for participants with MetS by each definition showed similar values in males (range 11.5-12.1 %) with no significant differences among definitions. Conversely, in females with MetS the risk score for CHD was low (range 3.5-4.3 %) by each MetS definition.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that further studies are required to establish appropriate criteria of MetS in females.

Electrical Transport Properties of Au Nanoparticles and Thin Films on Ge Probed Using a Conducting Atomic Force Microscope

In this work, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were distributed on an n-Ge substrate using the colloidal NP deposition method to form Au NP/Ge Schottky diodes (SDs), and the current transport properties of these nano-SDs were studied. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics were measured on each nanometer-sized Au particle using a conducting atomic force microscope (C-AFM). These Au NP/Ge diodes showed a rectifying behavior. According to the thermionic emission (TE) model, the effective Schottky barrier height (SBH) and ideality factors n were obtained. The SBH for the Au NP/Ge diodes ranges from 0.22 to 0.30 eV and the ideality factor ranges from 3.8 to 8.6. The current density and the barrier height increase while the ideality factor decreases with increasing Au NP diameters. This indicates that the tunneling effect is enhanced because of the narrowed depletion width and decreased size of the Au NP/Ge SDs. To compare the electrical behavior with Au NP/Ge diodes, the Au thin film/Ge diodes were also prepared and their SBHs were much larger because of the image-charge lowering effect and the tunneling effect in Au NP/Ge diodes.

Complete stability of delayed recurrent neural networks with Gaussian activation functions

This paper addresses the complete stability of delayed recurrent neural networks with Gaussian activation functions. By means of the geometrical properties of Gaussian function and algebraic properties of nonsingular M-matrix, some sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure that for an n-neuron neural network, there are exactly 3^k equilibrium points with 0≤k≤n, among which 2^k and 3^k-2^k equilibrium points are locally exponentially stable and unstable, respectively. Moreover, it concludes that all the states converge to one of the equilibrium points; i.e., the neural networks are completely stable. The derived conditions herein can be easily tested. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the theoretical results.

Stability analysis for uncertain switched neural networks with time-varying delay

In this paper, stability for a class of uncertain switched neural networks with time-varying delay is investigated. By exploring the mode-dependent properties of each subsystem, all the subsystems are categorized into stable and unstable ones. Based on Lyapunov-like function method and average dwell time technique, some delay-dependent sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the exponential stability of considered uncertain switched neural networks. Compared with general results, our proposed approach distinguishes the stable and unstable subsystems rather than viewing all subsystems as being stable, thus getting less conservative criteria. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to show the validity and the advantages of the obtained results.

Observation of an Anomalous Line Shape of the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} Mass Spectrum near the pp[over ¯] Mass Threshold in J/ψ→γη^{'}π^{+}π^{-}

Using 1.09×10^{9} J/ψ events collected by the BESIII experiment in 2012, we study the J/ψ→γη^{'}π^{+}π^{-} process and observe a significant abrupt change in the slope of the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass distribution at the proton-antiproton (pp[over ¯]) mass threshold. We use two models to characterize the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} line shape around 1.85  GeV/c^{2}: one that explicitly incorporates the opening of a decay threshold in the mass spectrum (Flatté formula), and another that is the coherent sum of two resonant amplitudes. Both fits show almost equally good agreement with data, and suggest the existence of either a broad state around 1.85  GeV/c^{2} with strong couplings to the pp[over ¯] final states or a narrow state just below the pp[over ¯] mass threshold. Although we cannot distinguish between the fits, either one supports the existence of a pp[over ¯] moleculelike state or bound state with greater than 7σ significance.

Observation of h_{c} Radiative Decay h_{c}→γη^{'} and Evidence for h_{c}→γη

A search for radiative decays of the P-wave spin singlet charmonium resonance h_{c} is performed based on 4.48×10^{8} ψ^{'} events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Events of the reaction channels h_{c}→γη^{'} and γη are observed with a statistical significance of 8.4σ and 4.0σ, respectively, for the first time. The branching fractions of h_{c}→γη^{'} and h_{c}→γη are measured to be B(h_{c}→γη^{'})=(1.52±0.27±0.29)×10^{-3} and B(h_{c}→γη)=(4.7±1.5±1.4)×10^{-4}, respectively, where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic uncertainties.

Paediatric liver re-transplantation after primary partial liver graft transplantation: a report of four cases

OBJECTIVE

To discuss rules of anatomic shifting of the porta hepatis structures of the original graft and dissection techniques for the portal vein (pull-out technique) in pediatric liver re-transplantation.

METHOD

We summarized four cases of paediatric liver re-transplantation. The main donor type is partial liver graft especially using the left lateral lobe.

RESULT

In paediatric liver re-transplantation, gross morphological changes were observed in the liver, and the spatial position of the porta hepatis structures was shifted clockwise (with the anastomosis of the hepatic vein as the origin). Preoperative three-dimensional imaging showed that segment 3 of the liver graft increased in a compensatory manner. The pull-out technique could expose the surgical field without dissection and separation, and reduce the technical difficulty of identifying and dissociating the anatomical structures.

CONCLUSION

Changes in the spatial location and structure of the liver portal anatomy increase the difficulties and risks of surgery. We can reduce the difficulty of surgical anatomy, and the risk of bleeding and injury and increase the safety of paediatric liver re-transplantation by evaluation and the application of special techniques.

The Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Analogue Liraglutide Inhibits Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in the Liver of Rats with Diet-Induced Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, has been demonstrated to reduce hepatic steatosis. However, the mechanism of the lipid-lowering effect of liraglutide in the liver remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effect of liraglutide on diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the underlying mechanism in rats. NAFLD was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding a high fat and high cholesterol (HFHC) diet. Liraglutide (0.6 mg/kg body weight/d) was injected intraperitoneally to the rats subjected to HFHC diet four weeks before sacrificing the animals. Body and liver weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin, serum aminotransferase (ALT) and lipid accumulation in the liver were determined. Markers of oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), free fatty acid (FFAs), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by colorimetric detection or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum and hepatic adiponectin were measured by ELISA. The expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK-1) and phosphorylated JNK-1 were examined by Western blotting. Liraglutide improved insulin resistance, decreased hepatic steatosis and reversed liver dysfunction. The hepatic levels of MDA, FFAs, and TNF-α were significantly decreased versus controls. Meanwhile, administration of liraglutide significantly increased SOD and adiponectin levels in the liver and inhibited the expression of JNK-1 and phosphorylated JNK-1 versus control rats. Liraglutide exerted anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in the liver and consequently reversed hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. Such effects might be mediated by the elevation of adiponectin levels and the inactivation of JNK-1.

The regulation of Sema4D exodomain shedding by protein kinase A in platelets

We have previously shown that Sema4D expressed on the platelet plasma membrane can be cleaved by the metalloprotease ADAM17, producing a 120-kDa exodomain fragment that retains biological activity and remnant fragments of 24-28 kDa that remain associated with the platelet membrane. This process is modulated by calmodulin. Here we investigated the potential role of protein kinase A (PKA) in these events. Using a pharmacological approach, we now show that inhibition of PKA by H89 is sufficient to induce Sema4D exodomain shedding, while activation of PKA inhibits agonist-initiated shedding. Studies on the regulatory mechanism show that the shedding induced by PKA inhibition is mediated by ADAM17, but, unlike agonist-induced shedding, does not involve the dissociation of calmodulin from the Sema4D cytoplasmic domain. In attempt to identify the cleavage sites for shedding, we found that ADAM17 mediates variable cleavages in the juxtamembrane region. Therefore, our data reveal a potential regulatory mechanism for the shedding of Sema4D in platelets.