Espensenhorton6384

ential of DNA damage. Adhesion of bacteria to ZrO

-implants is reduced, compared to Ti-implants. Therefore, ZrO

-implants might contribute to reduced biological complications (e.g. periimplantitis).

Ti usually develops an oxide layer (TiO2). Particles released from Ti-implants should be TiO2-particles or Ti-particles coated with a TiO2-layer. Toxicity of released Ti-particles depends on their oxidation state and on their size (NP or MP). Particularly, NPs were more cyto- and genotoxic compared to the corresponding MPs. TiO2- and ZrO2-NPs showed a significant increase in the intranuclear cell uptake ratio at higher exposure concentration, compared to lower concentrations and consequently might lead to a higher potential of DNA damage. Adhesion of bacteria to ZrO2-implants is reduced, compared to Ti-implants. Therefore, ZrO2-implants might contribute to reduced biological complications (e.g. periimplantitis).The etiology of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD) is multifactorial, and both genetics and environmental exposures are risk factors. While mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2) that are associated with increased kinase activity are the most common cause of autosomal dominant PD, the role of LRRK2 in iPD, independent of mutations, remains uncertain. In this review, we discuss how the architecture of LRRK2 influences kinase activation and how enhanced LRRK2 substrate phosphorylation might contribute to pathogenesis. We describe how oxidative stress and endolysosomal dysfunction, both of which occur in iPD, can activate non-mutated LRRK2 to a similar degree as pathogenic mutations. Similarly, environmental toxicants that are linked epidemiologically to iPD risk can also activate LRRK2. In aggregate, current evidence suggests an important role for LRRK2 in iPD.This article addresses the fixed-time fault-tolerant consensus tracking (FTCT) problem for uncertain multiple Euler-Lagrange systems (MELS) with the digraph and actuator faults. Firstly, a fixed-time distributed observer (DO) is built to estimate the states of leader. Then, the approximation ability of radical basic function neural networks (RBFNN) is exploited to deal with the system uncertainties. By using backstepping technique, the novel fault-tolerant local control protocol (FTLCP) and updating laws are designed to ensure that error variables converge to the small adjacent area of zero within fixed-time. Eventually, the effectiveness and practicality of the presented method are demonstrated through a typical MELS simulation.This paper introduces a distributed containment control strategy for multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) under the unknown external disturbances. The communication network of the USVs is a fixed, directed topology and only a part of the follower USVs can read the states of leader USVs. To guarantee the transient and steady-state performance of the system, the tracking errors are converted into new error functions. By utilizing the disturbance observer, the external disturbances are effectively estimated. According to the new group of errors, a distributed containment controller is proposed with the estimated external disturbances. Furthermore, using graph theory and Lyapunov approach, it is proved that all variables of the multiple USV systems are bounded and the tracking errors can be confined within the specified performance ranges. Finally, simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the designed distributed containment controller.The existing compound-fault diagnosis methods of rolling bearings have their own defects, which makes their accuracy of fault diagnosis impossible to be guaranteed. Therefore, this paper attempts to combine symplectic similarity transformation with Ramanujan subspace theory, and then a periodic impulse extraction method called symplectic Ramanujan mode decomposition (SRMD) method is proposed. SRMD separates the components with different fault features through symplectic similarity transformation and hierarchical clustering method to obtain symplectic clustering components (SCCs). At the same time, SRMD uses the Ramanujan subspace theory to extract the major periodic impulse components of each component to be extracted, and then obtains symplectic Ramanujan components (SRCs). The results show that SRMD is a resultful method in compound-fault diagnosis of bearings with excellent periodic impulse extraction ability.This paper studies an input to state stabilizing control of networked control systems (NCSs) under a specified packet dropout rate. By considering packet dropouts in the NCSs, the transmission intervals are categorized by small delay intervals (packet-dropout-free case) and large delay intervals (packet-dropout case). Based on such classifications, we establish the concept of average packet dropout rate (ADR) to characterize the quality of service (QoS) for networks. Then, a switched systems approach is used to derive the ISS (input to state stability) conditions by exploiting Lyapunov theory and input delay approach for a specified ADR. In what follows, the controller design method for the NCSs under a specified ADR is reached by solving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). According to the proposed results, a control and communication co-design method is developed such that one can design the controller gain according to QoS. Finally, simulations on self-steering control of autonomous vehicles are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed co-design method.Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) is fabricated to sustain the voltage level of a synchronous generator spontaneously. Several control strategies have been introduced into the AVR system with the aim of gaining a better dynamic response. One of the most universally utilized controllers is the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. Despite the PID controller having a relatively high dynamic response, there are still further possibilities to improve in order to obtain more appropriate responses. This paper designed a sigmoid-based PID (SPID) controller for the AVR system in order to allow for an accelerated settling to rated voltage, as well as increasing the control accuracy. In addition, the parameters of the proposed SPID controller are obtained using an enhanced self-tuning heuristic optimization method called Nonlinear Sine Cosine Algorithm (NSCA), for achieving a better dynamic response, particularly with regards to the steady-state errors and overshoot of the system. A time-response specifications index is used to validate the proposed SPID controller. The obtained simulation results revealed that the proposed method was not only highly effective but also greatly improved the AVR system transient response in comparison to those with the modern heuristic optimization based PID controllers.In this paper, we are concerned with the multimode function multistability for Cohen-Grossberg neural networks (CGNNs) with mixed time delays. It is introduced the multimode function multistability as well as its specific mathematical expression, which is a generalization of multiple exponential stability, multiple polynomial stability, multiple logarithmic stability, and asymptotic stability. Also, according to the neural network (NN) model and the maximum and minimum values of activation functions, n pairs of upper and lower boundary functions are obtained. Via the locations of the zeros of the n pairs of upper and lower boundary functions, the state space is divided into ∏i=1n(2Hi+1) parts correspondingly. By virtue of the reduction to absurdity, continuity of function, Brouwer's fixed point theorem and Lyapunov stability theorem, the criteria for multimode function multistability are acquired. compound 3i cost Multiple types of multistability, including multiple exponential stability, multiple polynomial stability, multiple logarithmic stability, and multiple asymptotic stability, can be achieved by selecting different types of function P(t). Two numerical examples are offered to substantiate the generality of the obtained criteria over the existing results.

No data are available on blood caspase-8 concentrations (the initiator caspase in the extrinsic apoptosis pathway) in septic patients. The present study thus describes the blood caspase-8 concentrations in survivors and non-survivors, and examines the possible association between blood caspase-8 concentrations and mortality in septic patients.

A prospective observational study was carried out.

Three Spanish Intensive Care Units.

Septic patients.

Serum caspase-8 concentrations were determined at the diagnosis of sepsis.

Mortality after 30 days.

Patients not surviving at day 30 (n=81) compared to surviving patients (n=140) showed higher serum caspase-8 levels (p<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis found an association between serum caspase-8 levels>43.5ng/ml and mortality (OR=3.306; 95%CI=1.619-6.753; p=0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for mortality predicted by serum caspase-8 levels was 67% (95% CI=60-73%; p<0.001).

The novel findings of our study were that blood caspase-8 concentrations are higher in non-survivors than in survivors, and that there is an association between blood caspase-8 concentrations and mortality in septic patients.

The novel findings of our study were that blood caspase-8 concentrations are higher in non-survivors than in survivors, and that there is an association between blood caspase-8 concentrations and mortality in septic patients.

Frailty is a relatively new concept for intensivists, and is defined as a status of increased vulnerability to stressors associated with reduced reserve and function of different physiological systems. Supporting the hypothesis that frailty may be an important predictor of poor prognosis among older patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), this study seeks to evaluate the association between frailty at ICU admission and short and long-term mortality.

An unmatched case-control study was carried out.

Intensive Care Unit.

Patients≥80 years of age admitted to the ICU for medical reasons.

None.

The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, while secondary outcomes were ICU mortality and mortality at one year.

Most of the patients were classified as frail at ICU admission (55.3%). The prevalence of frailty was higher among those who died than in those who were alive within 30 days from ICU admission (62.3% vs 48.3%, p=0.01). One-year mortality was higher in frail (84.4%) than in non-frail patients (65.2%, p<0.001). In the logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders such as chronic diseases, clinical complexity, cause of ICU admission and use of advanced procedures, frailty was seen to be significantly associated to one-year mortality, but not with ICU mortality or 30-day mortality.

The admission of geriatric patients to the ICU is increasing. Frailty assessment may play an important role in the clinical evaluation of such individuals for triage, but should not be considered a priori as an exclusion criterion for admission.

The admission of geriatric patients to the ICU is increasing. Frailty assessment may play an important role in the clinical evaluation of such individuals for triage, but should not be considered a priori as an exclusion criterion for admission.