Distributed Dynamic Event-Triggered Control to Leader-Following Consensus of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems with Directed Graphs.

This paper investigates achieving leader-following consensus in a class of multi-agent systems with nonlinear dynamics. Initially, it introduces a dynamic event-triggered strategy designed to effectively alleviate the strain on the system's communication resources. Subsequently, a distributed control strategy is proposed and implemented in the nonlinear leader-follower system using the dynamic event-triggered mechanism, aiming to ensure synchronization across all nodes at an exponential convergence speed. Thirdly, the research shows that under the dynamic event-triggered strategy the minimum event interval of any two consecutive triggers guarantees the elimination of Zeno behavior. Lastly, the validity of the calculation results is verified by a simulation example.

Comparative study of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation and traditional surgery in the treatment of plasma cell mastitis: a multicenter study.

Background: Plasma cell mastitis (PCM) is a benign breast disease that is refractory and difficult to cure. We integrated microwave ablation into the treatment of PCM to compare the clinical value of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation and traditional surgery in the treatment of PCM. Methods: A total of 68 patients with PCM who were admitted to 3 centers (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hebei Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical university) from January 2017 to June 2019 were selected. All patients were diagnosed with PCM after pathological and clinical manifestations. Among these, 38 cases were treated with ultrasound-guided microwave ablation, and 30 cases were treated with traditional surgery. The operation time, hospitalization time, incision healing, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative pain degree, evaluation of breast shape effect, time taken for postoperative lesion disappearance, effective rate, and recurrence were recorded in the follow-up, and the clinical efficacy was compared and observed. Results: The effective rate of the ablation group was 86.8% (33/38), that of the operation group was 46.7% (14/30), and the difference was statistically significant (95% CI: 2.311-24.618; P<0.05). The average time of the lesion completely disappearing was 75.55±43.59 days in the ablation group and 103.87±45.98 days in the operation group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The hospital stays, operation time, and intraoperative blood loss of patients in the ablation group were less than those of the operation group, and the difference was statistically significant (95% CI: -10.69 to -6.27, 95% CI: -77.06 to -51.26, and 95% CI: -21.54 to -13.64; P<0.05). The postoperative pain scoring, operative incision healing at 14 days after the operation, and breast appearance evaluation after treatment in the ablation group were better than those of the operation group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with traditional surgery, ultrasound-guided microwave ablation is a more effective treatment option for PCM.

Endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 confers TKI-resistance by mediating EGFR and MET pathways in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) rendering it constitutively active is one of the major causes for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and EGFR-targeted therapies utilizing tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are often used clinically as the first-line treatment. But approximately half of NSCLC patients develop resistance to these therapies, where the MET proto-oncogene is amplified by EGFR through the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α. Here we report that endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1), with 48% sequence identity to HIF-1α, specifically binds to TKI-resistant T790M EGFR, but not to wild-type EGFR, in NSCLC cell lines. Expression of EPAS1 enhances amplification of MET when simultaneously expressed with T790M EGFR but not with wild-type EGFR, and this enhancement is independent of ligand binding domain of EGFR. MET amplification requires EPAS1, since EPAS1 knock-down reduced MET levels. When NSCLC cells expressing T790M EGFR were treated with TKIs, reduced EPAS1 levels significantly enhanced the drug effect, whereas over-expression of EPAS1 increased the drug resistant effect. This EPAS1-dependent TKI-resistance was abolished by knocking-down MET, suggesting that EPAS1 does not cause TKI-resistance itself but functions to bridge EGFR and MET interactions. Our findings suggest that EPAS1 is a key factor in the EGFR-MET crosstalk in conferring TKI-resistance in NSCLC cases, and could be used as a potential therapeutic target in TKI-resistant NSCLC patients.

[Phytoplankton community structure and its succession in isolated lakes of Poyang-Junshan Lake].

As one of the human activities that transform nature, construction of dams and dykes may impose significant effects on lake ecosystems. Due to lacking of comparative data for ecological monitoring, how the changes of phytoplankton community structure respond to altered hydrological connectivity between lakes and other water bodies is still unknown. This work chose Junshan Lake, the typical isolated lake from Poyang Lake floodplain, to investigate the succession in phytoplankton communities responding to altered connectivity. Phytoplankton samples were collected during the wet and dry seasons in Junshan Lake, to analyze the phytoplankton community structure. The results showed that, fifty three genera from six phyta were identified in Junshan Lake, with Chlorophyta (47.2%), Bacillariophyta (22.2%), Cyanophyta (14.8%) and Euglenophyta (9.3%) being the main phyta. The dominant species were Ceratium hirundinella (20.5%), Anabeana spp. (18.5%) and Microcystis spp. (12.9%) during the wet seasons. Cryptomonas ovate (38.4%), Aulacoseira granulata (15.2%) and Microcystis spp. (10.5%) dominated during the whole dry seasons. The total phytoplankton abundance was mainly composed of Cyanophyta (85.4% -87.0%). The total phytoplankton biomass was dominantly made up of Cyanophyta (45.0%), Dinophyta (21.1%), Bacillariophyta (15.6%) and Chlorophyta (11.5%) during the wet seasons. Cryptophyta (38.2%), Bacillariophyta (31.3%) and Cyanophyta (21.1%) were the main contributors of the total phytoplankton biomass during the dry seasons. The phytoplankton community structure changed from Dinophyta-Bacillariophyta type during the wet seasons of 2007-2008 to Cyanophyta- Dinophyta type during the wet seasons of 2012-2013, and changed from Dinophyta- Bacillariophyta type during the dry seasons of 2007-2008 to Cryptophyta- Bacillariophyta- Cyanophyta type during the dry seasons of 2012-2013. The abundance and biomass increased from 2.66 x 10(6) cell L(-1) during 2007-2008 to 6.77 x 10(7) cell x L(-1) during 2012- 2013, and from 0.72 mg x L(-1) during 2007-2008 to 12.30 mg x L(-1) during 2012-2013, respectively. The succession pattern of phytoplankton community in the Junshan Lake showed a decrease in the proportion of oligotrophic species as Chrysophyta and Dinophyta, and an increase in eutrophic species as Cyanophyta and Cryptophyta. Thus, being isolated from Poyang Lake might alter hydrologic factors so that the water exchange time became longer and the water flow became slower which could promote the growth and aggregation of phytoplankton eutrophication indicator species in Junshan Lake.

[Use of an electromagnetic device for insertion of bedside nasojejunal feeding tube in critically ill patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of an electromagnetic device for correct bedside placement of nasojejunal feeding tube for patients in intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: The clinical data of 109 patients in ICU who accepted bedside nasojejunal feeding tube placement from January 2010 to September 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were divided into three groups according to the difference in type of nasojejunal feeding tube and the placement technique: control group 1 (n=48, Flocare feeding tube and bedside blind insertion group), control group 2 (n=28, Corflo(®) feeding tube and bedside blind insertion group), observation group (n=33, Corflo(®) feeding tube and electromagnetic tube placement device group). The success rate, the times of placement, duration of nasojejunal feeding, and safety were compared among three groups. RESULTS: The success rate of control group 2 and observation group were higher than control group 1 (71.43%, 90.91% vs. 33.33%), rate of partial success and failure rate were lower than those of control group 1 (partial success rate: 17.86%, 3.03% vs. 35.42%; failure rate: 10.71%, 6.06% vs. 31.25%, all P<0.05), and no differences were found between control group 2 and observation group. The average times for successful placement in observation group was lower than that of control group 1 and control group 2 (1.6±0.5 vs. 6.6±3.2, 5.8±2.3, both P<0.05), and the average time for successful placement was shorter in observation group than that of control group 1 and control group 2 (12.48±3.78 minutes vs. 25.27±3.61 minutes, 23.58±4.87 minutes, both P<0.05), but there was no difference between control group 1 and control group 2. No complications occurred in all three groups. CONCLUSION: Placement of a nasojejunal tube with the aid of an electromagnetic device is an excellent method for enteral nutrition, as it is safer, more efficient, with high successful rate, less time spending, and easier to master for beginners.