Function Of Systems Research Articles

Progress in the development and use of monoclonal antibodies to study the evolution and function of the immune systems in the extant lineages of ungulates

Details on the origin and function of the immune system are beginning to emerge from genomic studies tracing the origin of B and T cells and the major histocompatibility complex. This is being accomplished through identification of DNA sequences of ancestral genes present in the genomes of lineages of vertebrates that have evolved from a common primordial ancestor. Information on the evolution of the composition and function of the immune system is being obtained through development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for the MHC class I and II molecules and differentially expressed on leukocytes differentiation molecules (LDM). The mAbs have provided the tools needed to compare the similarities and differences in the phenotype and function of immune systems that have evolved during speciation. The majority of information currently available on evolution of the composition and function of the immune system is derived from study of the immune systems in humans and mice. As described in the present review, further information is beginning to emerge from comparative studies of the immune systems in the extant lineages of species present in the two orders of ungulates, Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla. Methods have been developed to facilitate comparative research across species on pathogens affecting animal and human health.

Archaeal actins and the origin of a multi-functional cytoskeleton.

Actin and actin-like proteins form filamentous polymers that carry out important cellular functions in all domains of life. In this review, we sketch a map of the function and regulation of actin-like proteins across bacteria, archaea, and eukarya, marking some of the terra incognita that remain in this landscape. We focus particular attention on archaea because mapping the structure and function of cytoskeletal systems across this domain promises to help us understand the evolutionary relationship between the (mostly) mono-functional actin-like filaments found in bacteria and the multi-functional actin cytoskeletons that characterize eukaryotic cells.

Scalar quasi-normal modes of accelerating Kerr-Newman-AdS black holes

We study linear scalar perturbations of slowly accelerating Kerr-Newman-anti-de Sitter black holes using the method of isomonodromic deformations. The conformally coupled Klein-Gordon equation separates into two second-order ordinary differential equations with five singularities. Nevertheless, the angular equation can be transformed into a Heun equation, for which we provide an asymptotic expansion for the angular eigenvalues in the small acceleration and rotation limit. In the radial case, we recast the boundary value problem in terms of a set of initial conditions for the isomonodromic tau function of Fuchsian systems with five regular singular points. For the sake of illustration, we compute the quasi-normal modes frequencies.

What happens when left meets right under equimolar and non-equimolar co-assembly of short peptide stereoisomers?

The co-assembly of different peptide chains usually leads to the formation of intricate architectures and sophisticated functions in biological systems. Although the co-assembly of stereoisomeric peptides represents a facile and flexible strategy for the synthesis of peptide-based nanomaterials with novel structures and potentially interesting properties, there is a lack of a general knowledge on how different isomers pack during assembly. Through the combined use of simulations and experimental observations, we report that heterochiral pairing is preferred to homochiral pairing at the molecular scale but self-sorting dictates beyond the molecular level for the mixtures of the short stereoisomeric β-sheet peptides I3K (Ile-Ile-Ile-Lys). Furthermore, we demonstrate that flat β-sheets and fibril morphology are always preferred to twisted ones during heterochiral pairing and subsequent assembly. However, the heterochiral pairing into flat morphology is not always at an equimolar ratio. Instead, a non-equimolar ratio (1:2) is observed for the mixing of homochiral LI3LK and heterochiral LI3DK, whose strand twisting degrees differ greatly. Such a study provides a paradigm for understanding the co-assembly of stereoisomeric peptides at the molecular scale and harnessing their blending for targeted nanostructures.

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron metabolic activity decreases with polysaccharide molecular weight.

Polysaccharides are complex molecules that are commonly found in our diet. While humans lack the ability to degrade many polysaccharides, their intestinal microbiota contain bacterial commensals that are versatile polysaccharide utilizers. The gut commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron dedicates roughly 20% of their genomes to the expression of polysaccharide utilization loci for the broad range utilization of polysaccharides. Although it is known that different polysaccharide utilization loci are dedicated to the degradation of specific polysaccharides with unique glycosidic linkages and monosaccharide compositions, it is often overlooked that specific polysaccharides may also exist in various molecular weights. These different physical attributes may impact their processability by starch utilization system-like systems, leading to differing growth rates and nutrient-sharing properties at the community level. Therefore, understanding how molecular weight impacts utilization by gut microbe may lead to the potential design of novel precision prebiotics.

Sesame bacterial wilt significantly alters rhizosphere soil bacterial community structure, function, and metabolites in continuous cropping systems

Bacterial wilt is the leading disease of sesame and alters the bacterial community composition, function, and metabolism of sesame rhizosphere soil. However, its pattern of change is unclear. Here, the purpose of this study was to investigate how these communities respond to three differing severities of bacterial wilt in mature continuously cropped sesame plants by metagenomic and metabolomic techniques, namely, absence (WH), moderate (WD5), and severe (WD9) wilt. The results indicated that bacterial wilt could significantly change the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere soil of continuously cropped sesame plants. The biomarker species with significant differences will also change with increasing disease severity. In particular, the gene expression levels of Ralstonia solanacearum in the WD9 and WD5 treatments increased by 25.29% and 33.61%, respectively, compared to those in the WH treatment (4.35 log10 copies g-1). The occurrence of bacterial wilt significantly altered the functions of the bacterial community in rhizosphere soil. KEEG and CAZy functional annotations revealed that the number of significantly different functions in WH was greater than that in WD5 and WD9. Bacterial wilt significantly affected the relative content of metabolites, especially acids, in the rhizosphere soil, and compared with those in the rhizosphere soil from WH, 10 acids (including S-adenosylmethionine, N-acetylleucine, and desaminotyrosine, etc.) in the rhizosphere soil from WD5 or WD9 significantly increased. In comparison, the changes in the other 10 acids (including hypotaurine, erucic acid, and 6-hydroxynicotinic acid, etc.) were reversed. The occurrence of bacterial wilt also significantly inhibited metabolic pathways such as ABC transporter and amino acid biosynthesis pathways in rhizosphere soil and had a significant impact on two key enzymes (1.1.1.11 and 2.6.1.44). In conclusion, sesame bacterial wilt significantly alters the rhizosphere soil bacterial community structure, function, and metabolites. This study enhances the understanding of sesame bacterial wilt mechanisms and lays the groundwork for future prevention and control strategies against this disease.

Cerebellar and thalamic connector hubs facilitate the involvement of visual and cognitive networks in essential tremor

IntroductionConnector hubs are specialized brain regions that connect multiple brain networks and therefore have the potential to affect the functions of multiple systems. This study aims to examine the involvement of connector hub regions in essential tremor. MethodsWe examined whole-brain functional connectivity alterations across multiple brain networks in 27 patients with essential tremor and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy controls to identify affected hub regions using a network metric called functional connectivity overlap ratio estimated from resting-state functional MRI. We also evaluated the relationships of affected hubs with cognitive and tremor scores in all patients and with motor function improvement scores in 15 patients who underwent postoperative follow-up evaluations after focused ultrasound thalamotomy. ResultsWe have identified affected connector hubs in the cerebellum and thalamus. Specifically, the dentate nucleus in the cerebellum and the dorsomedial thalamus exhibited more extensive connections with the sensorimotor network in patients. Moreover, the connections of the thalamic pulvinar with the visual network were also significantly widespread in the patient group. The connections of these connector hub regions with cognitive networks were negatively associated (FDR q < 0.05) with cognitive, tremor, and motor function improvement scores. ConclusionIn patients with essential tremor, connector hub regions within the cerebellum and thalamus exhibited widespread functional connections with sensorimotor and visual networks, leading to alternative pathways outside the classical tremor axis. Their connections with cognitive networks also affect patients’ cognitive function.

Bioinspired Superhydrophobic Cellular Origami Exhibiting Improved and Multifunctional Floatability

AbstractInterfacial floater possessing an open surface diversifies the functions of current systems in the field of solar evaporation, micro‐detector, multiphase catalysis, etc. However, most of the current floaters still face challenges such as the anti‐submersion, orientation adjusting, and multifunctional capabilities. Drawing inspiration from water striders and diving bell spiders, here a superhydrophobic cellular origami (SCO) is proposed with reliable stability, submerge resistance, switchable floatability, and multifunctional integration. The remarkable floating ability is achieved through the air storage ability of superhydrophobic air cells. SCO floats stably on the water surface and has a maximum load capacity that is 48% higher than the superhydrophobic sheet. Besides, SCO can resurface rapidly after complete submersion, even using titanium metal as substrate. To further enhance the universality of SCO, the Janus SCO with unbalanced structure can float with a specific orientation facing up and the origami structure is optimized to be switchable with hinge structure for adjustable buoyancy. To prove the concept in 3D structure, a cylindrical SCO is presented for cable locating on the water surface. This study presents an achievable strategy to extend superhydrophobic surfaces into anti‐sinking floaters, offering valuable insights into the development of multifunctional interface carriers.

Response analysis of the vibro-impact system under fractional-order joint random excitation

As a kind of good damping material, viscoelastic material is widely used in machinery, civil engineering, and other fields. In this paper, the viscoelasticity of the system is described by fractional differentiation. The dynamic response of a unilateral vibro-impact system with a viscoelastic oscillator under joint random excitation is studied, in which joint random excitation is composed of additive and multiplicative white noise. The fractional-order derivative was calculated based on Caputo’s definition, and the fractional derivative was equivalent to the corresponding linear damping force and linear restoring force. As a result, a new random system without fractional-order terms was obtained. A non-smooth transformation was introduced, which was equivalent to the original system to a new system without a velocity jump. The steady-state probability density functions of fractional-order vibro-impact systems under joint random excitation are solved by using the random average method and non-smooth transformation. In addition, the effects of parameters on the steady-state response of the system are analyzed.

Stretched exponential to power-law: crossover of relaxation in a kinetically constrained model

The autocorrelation function in many complex systems shows a crossover in the form of its decay: from a stretched exponential relaxation (SER) at short times to a power law at long times. Studies of the mechanisms leading to such multiple relaxation patterns are rare. Additionally, the inherent complexity of these systems makes it hard to understand the underlying mechanism leading to the crossover. Here we develop a simple one-dimensional spin model, which we call a domain wall (DW) to doublon model, that shows such a crossover as the nature of the excitations governing the relaxation dynamics changes with temperature and time. The relevant excitations are DWs and bound pairs of DWs, which we term ‘doublons’. The diffusive motion of the DWs governs the relaxation at short times, whereas the diffusive motion of the doublons yields the long-time decay. This change of excitations and their relaxation leads to a crossover from SER to a power law in the decay pattern of the autocorrelation function. We augment our numerical results with simple physical arguments and analytic derivations.

“That Shit Ain’t Helping Nobody”: Narratives of Exclusion and Individualism Among Criminalized Men

ABSTRACT Reentry efforts tend to focus on individual-level factors in an attempt to transform formerly incarcerated people into law-abiding, productive, and responsible citizens. Unfortunately, evaluative research provides mixed results on the efficacy of reentry programming and ample research suggests the need to better address structural barriers to (re)integration. Less is known about how formerly incarcerated people conceptualize reentry fields. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews with 49 formerly incarcerated men, this article helps to fill such gaps. As they discussed their reentry-related experiences and aspirations, we find that interviewees embraced a particular brand of individualism – what we refer to as criminalized individualism – that reflects not only institutional scripts around responsibility, but experiences of exclusion as well. The formerly incarcerated men in this study felt isolated from decent jobs, fair societal treatment, and tangible support beyond the admonition that personal responsibility would be required to succeed. In response, they expressed a broad-based cynicism of the Prisoner Reentry Industry (PRI), and espoused inward-looking strategies for social mobility. We argue that the perspectives of formerly incarcerated people are integral for understanding the function of reentry systems today and that the individual-level focus on responsibility largely ignores the structural realities of carceral citizenship.

IMDDHH: A Contribution to the Understanding of the Disease

Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) is an extremely rare group of heterogenous disorders which are characterized by predisposition to severe unusual and recurrent infections, severe allergies, features suggestive of autoimmune conditions and sometimes malignancies. We report a two-year-old female child presented to our emergency department with complaints of a history of recurrent respiratory infections, recurrent skin infections and a recent history of purulent discharge from both ears. Clinical examination revealed acute otitis media, pneumonia, multiple healed skin lesions associated with soft non-tender hepatomegaly and normal cardiac findings. Elevated hepatic transaminases and hypogammaglobulinemia suggested the possibility of an inborn error of immunity. A whole exome sequencing study performed on the patient established a diagnosis of IMDDHH (Immunodeficiency, Developmental Delay, and Hypohomosyteinemia) by revealing a missense mutation in the NFE2L2 gene of chromosome 2q31. Diagnosing such conditions with inborn errors of immunity requires a high index of suspicion combined with a comprehensive knowledge of the structure and function of both innate and adaptive immune systems. Recurrent skin and respiratory infections in a growing child belonging to a low-and-middle-income country like India is a common clinical scenario encountered frequently in pediatric clinic practice and is often ignored after attributing it to poor hygienic conditions. However, with careful history taking and examination, a sub-group of such patients may be isolated with a high probability of an underlying IEI, which can later be confirmed by genetic work-up.

A Behavioral Approach to Data-Driven Control With Noisy Input–Output Data

This paper deals with data-driven stability analysis and feedback stabilization of linear input-output systems in auto-regressive (AR) form. We assume that noisy input-output data on a finite time-interval have been obtained from some unknown AR system. Data-based tests are then developed to analyse whether the unknown system is stable, or to verify whether a stabilizing dynamic feedback controller exists. If so, stabilizing controllers are computed using the data. In order to do this, we employ the behavioral approach to systems and control, meaning a departure from existing methods in data driven control. Our results heavily rely on a characterization of asymptotic stability of systems in AR form using the notion of quadratic difference form (QDF) as a natural framework for Lyapunov functions of autonomous AR systems. We introduce the concepts of informative data for quadratic stability and quadratic stabilization in the context of input-output AR systems and establish necessary and sufficient conditions for these properties to hold. In addition, this paper will build on results on quadratic matrix inequalities (QMIs) and a matrix version of Yakubovich's S-lemma.

The number of limit cycles of a kind of piecewise quadratic systems with switching curve y = xm

We first study the expressions for the second-order Melnikov functions for planar piecewise smooth near-Hamiltonian systems with multiple zones separated by multiple switching curves through the origin. Next, up to the second-order Melnikov functions, we consider the number of limit cycles Z(m,2) of the system x˙=y,y˙=−x with two zones separated by the curve y=xm(2≤m∈N) under the piecewise perturbations of polynomials in x and y with degree 2. It is proved that Z(2,2)=9, 13≤Z(4,2)≤19, and Z(2k,2)≥14 for k≥3 and that Z(2k+1,2)=15 for k≥2. The results are new and improve some results in the literature.

Abstract WMP70: Neuroradiological Markers of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease After Fontan Surgery

Introduction: Fontan surgery performed during childhood enhances the lifespan and quality of life of patients with critical congenital heart disease. Post-Fontan circulation may impact function in multiple organ systems, but its long term effects on the brain microvasculature are not well characterized. We investigated brain MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) after exposure to Fontan circulation. Methods: We reviewed medical records and MRI images of 34 adults followed in an academic medical center after Fontan surgery, who had brain MRI for any reason from 08/01/1995-03/01/2022. We characterized Fontan physiological stage (a standardized measure of disease severity) at time of MRI, and identified SVD markers, including deep silent brain infarcts, small perivascular spaces in the basal ganglia, microhemorrhages, and white matter hyperintensities. We calculated SVD scores using a standardized scale of 0-4, where scores of ≥2 indicate moderate to severe SVD. We created ordinal logistic regression models to test the association between physiological stage and SVD score. Results: Characteristics of the patients are summarized in the Table, and distribution of SVD scores in the Figure. Adjusting for age at MRI, there was no association between physiological stage of disease and higher SVD score. Conclusion: In our sample of 34 young adult patients with long term exposure to Fontan circulation, the majority had evidence of moderate to severe SVD, which was not predicted by physiological stage of disease at time of MRI. Exposure to Fontan circulation may be associated with early onset of cerebral SVD, suggesting increased long term risk of stroke and dementia.

An Intelligent Charging Scheme for Lithium-Ion Batteries of Electric Vehicles Considering Internal Attenuation Modes

Charging control is one of the essential functions of battery management systems. Battery charging involves behavioral changes such as electricity, heat, and aging. Balancing these factors is crucial for the safe and efficient operation of batteries. This work proposes an intelligent charging scheme for lithium-ion batteries that considers charging time, temperature rise, and health losses. Firstly, charging aging experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of charging rate on battery aging. Specifically, half cell experiments are carried out to construct an electrode open circuit voltage model to explore battery aging modes. The aging mode attenuation model is proposed based on empirical formulas. Then, the charging multi-objective function is established based on the equivalent circuit, thermal, and aging empirical models. A multi-stage constant current charging optimization scheme has been developed based on the multi-objective grey wolf optimizer. Finally, the feasibility of three targets and dual targets fast charging schemes is verified through simulation and experiments.

Dynamic property of a stochastic cooperative species system with distributed delays and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process

Scanning the whole writing, we discuss a stochastic cooperative species system with distributed delays under the influences of Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process of mean regression. We successfully obtain the existence and uniqueness of positive solutions for stochastic system at first. Secondly, by studying the Lyapunov function, we present the existence of the stationary distribution of the system. We are relatively familiar with the understanding of the density function of random systems. This paper also gives the expression of the density function of the random system near the unique positive equilibrium. In addition, the asymptotic properties of the p-moment boundedness and solution of the stochastic population system are also studied. In particular, we use numerical simulation to verify the theoretical results in the last section.

Inverse Q-Learning Using Input-Output Data.

This article addresses the problem of learning the objective function of linear discrete-time systems that use static output-feedback (OPFB) control by designing inverse reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. Most of the existing inverse RL methods require the availability of states and state-feedback control from the expert or demonstrated system. In contrast, this article considers inverse RL in a more general case where the demonstrated system uses static OPFB control with only input-output measurements available. We first develop a model-based inverse RL algorithm to reconstruct an input-output objective function of a demonstrated discrete-time system using its system dynamics and the OPFB gain. This objective function infers the demonstrations and OPFB gain of the demonstrated system. Then, an input-output Q -function is built for the inverse RL problem upon the state reconstruction technique. Given demonstrated inputs and outputs, a data-driven inverse Q -learning algorithm reconstructs the objective function without the knowledge of the demonstrated system dynamics or the OPFB gain. This algorithm yields unbiased solutions even though exploration noises exist. Convergence properties and the nonunique solution nature of the proposed algorithms are studied. Numerical simulation examples verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Possibilities and limits of modelling of long-range economic consequences of air pollution – A case study

Air pollution is the biggest environmental problem in modern societies, causing considerable health damage and requiring substantial financial resources for health care. The goal of the study is to demonstrate the adverse economic consequences of air pollution on example of a small, open Central European country, Hungary, and to provide quantified financial arguments for macroeconomic decision-making for the development of a long-term energy strategy. On the basis of the Cobb-Douglas production function and Solow-Swann model of dynamic economic systems a simple and robust model was constructed to estimate and predict economic losses, caused by the pollution. On base of results it is obvious, that on base of macroeconomic theory and combination of various, publicly available, quality-controlled statistical resources quantifiable models can be constructed to characterise the economic consequences of air pollution, but it should be taken into consideration, that the reliability of economic models considerably depends on their initial parameters and practical validity of assumptions, based on which the underlying economic theories were built. The most important economic burden of air pollution is caused by the loss of working–age population, resulting in a decrease of 4.1–9.4 % a year in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next fifty years. The additional burden of health care costs amounts to 0.1 % of GDP. Reducing air pollution is not only a quality of life improvement but also an investment into the economic development. Notwithstanding of statistical biases it could be proven the importance of combination health economic and econometric methods in preparation of more efficient environmental-related socio-economic decisions.

A survey of post COVID-19 symptoms from the perspective of traditional medicine

Background: Individuals experiencing post-COVID-19 syndrome may endure lingering health deterioration, leading to challenges in daily activities and impacting mental and physical health, thus potentially burdening themselves, their families, and society. According to traditional medicine (TM), post-COVID-19 represents a recovery period following the flu in COVID. At this stage, the body remains incompletely restored, characterized by depleted vital energy and damaged body fluids, thus affecting the functions of various organ systems. To comprehensively understand post-COVID-19 symptoms from the perspective of traditional medicine and offer valuable insights for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, this study conducted a survey of post-COVID-19 symptoms using the latent tree model. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected through direct interviews with 282 post-COVID-19 patients over three months at the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital from January 2023 to May 2023. Results: Among the collected samples, 38 post-COVID-19 symptoms were recorded, with the five most common symptoms being forgetfulness (58.2%), fatigue (47.5%), hair loss (42.6%), sleep disorders (25.9%), and shortness of breath (25.5%). Analysis using a latent tree model unveiled that within the kidney viscera, forgetfulness and hair loss emerged as primary symptoms, accompanied by tinnitus, anxiety, and hearing impairment. In the spleen viscera, fatigue prevailed as the main symptom, alongside muscle soreness, abdominal fullness, diarrhea, and constipation. In the lung viscera, shortness of breath was identified as the predominant symptom, accompanied by rapid breathing, coughing, breathing difficulties, and a sore throat. In the liver viscera, insomnia was the most perceived symptom, with secondary symptoms including anxiety, headache, and dizziness. In the heart viscera, primary symptoms included attention disorders and insomnia, with secondary symptoms being chest tightness. Conclusion: The most common symptoms observed were forgetfulness, fatigue, hair loss, sleep disorders, and shortness of breath. Post-COVID-19 symptoms affect all five visceras according to traditional medicine. Key words: Post COVID-19 symptoms; Traditional Medicine; Latent tree model.