Search

The stabilisation of linear delay difference inclusions is often complicated by computational issues and the presence of constraints. In this study, to solve this problem, a receding horizon control scheme is proposed based on the Razumikhin approach and time-varying control Lyapunov functions. By allowing the control Lyapunov function to be time varying, the computational advantages of the Razumikhin approach can be exploited and at the same time the conservatism associated with this approach is avoided. Thus, a control scheme is obtained which takes constraints into account and requires solving on-line a low-dimensional semi-definite programming problem. The effectiveness of the proposed results is illustrated via an example that also shows the computational limitations of existing control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immature stages of insects are vulnerable to various antagonists, including pathogens. While the abiotic factors affecting pathogen prevalence in insect populations are reasonably well documented, much less is known about relevant ecological interactions. We studied the probability of the larvae of three lepidopteran species to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species and food plants in central Argentina. Local free-growing food plants were used to feed the lepidopteran larvae. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low (about 5%), which is a value well consistent with observations on similar systems in other regions. Eight fungal species recorded, primarily belonging to Fusarium and Aspergillus, add evidence to the reconsideration of the nutritional modes in these genera in distinguishing the role of some species (complexes) to cause insect infections. Food plant species were found to have a substantial effect on the prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi. This was especially clear for the most abundant fungal species, a representative of the Fusarium fujikuroi complex. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have a specific fitness cost. Compared to the data collected from Northern Europe, the Argentinian assemblages from the families Aspergillaceae and Nectriaceae overlapped at the genus level but did not share species. It remains to be confirmed if this level of divergence in the composition of assemblages of entomopathogenic fungi among distant regions represents a global pattern.

Natural enemies shape the fate of species at both ecological and evolutionary time scales. While the effects of predators, parasitoids, and viruses on insects are well documented, much less is known about the ecological and evolutionary role of entomopathogenic fungi. In particular, it is unclear to which extent may the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of these pathogens create selective pressures on ecological traits of herbivorous insects. In the present study, we reared three lepidopteran species in semi-natural conditions in a European hemiboreal forest habitat. We studied the probability of the insects to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species, food plant, study site, (manipulated) condition of the larvae, and the phenological phase. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low to moderate with the value consistently below 10% across the subsets of the data while as many as 23 fungal species, primarily belonging to the families Cordycipitaceae, Aspergillaceae, and Nectriaceae, were recorded. There were no major differences among the insect species in prevalence of the infections or in the structure of associated fungal assemblages. The family Cordycipitaceae, comprising mainly obligatory entomopathogens, dominated among the pathogens of pupae but not among the pathogens of larvae. Overall, there was evidence for a relatively weak impact of the studied ecological factors on the probability to be infected by a fungal pathogen; there were no effects of food plant, study site, or phenology which would be consistent over the study species and developmental stages of the insects. Nevertheless, when the prevalence of particular fungal taxa was studied, Akanthomyces muscarius was found infecting insects fed with leaves of only one of the food plant, Betula spp. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have specific fitness costs. This demonstrates that fungus-mediated effects on insect life history traits are possible and deserve attention., (© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The knowledge about the diversity and ecological role of entomopathogenic fungi is primarily based on agroecosystems whereas information derived from natural insect populations is much more limited. To contribute to filling this gap, we recorded the prevalence of fungal infections in laboratory rearing experiments with five species of Lepidoptera, and in a field rearing experiment including one of these moths. The diversity of detected fungi was found to be high; we isolated 25 species of fungi from insects that had died in the course of these experiments. Six species belonged to the family Cordycipitaceae known to include unambiguous insect pathogens. The trophic niche of the representatives of other taxa is less clear and requires further studies. Regarding the most abundant species, Cordyceps farinosa, in which this question could be addressed, there was no indication of specialization on particular insect hosts, whereas several of the less common species may have been recorded from lepidopteran hosts for the first time. Across the subsets of the data, the prevalence of fungal infections generally remained below 5%. Our results are thus consistent with the idea that entomopathogenic fungi are always present in insect populations but rarely reach epizootic levels. The detected species richness shows that much is to be gained from mapping the diversity of fungal species associated with folivorous insects in natural populations.

Objective: To identify and prioritize research questions about treatment and care of depression which are relevant to patients, carers and clinicians. The importance of involvement of those stakeholder groups in health services research is increasingly recognized internationally., Methods: Research topics were collected in an online survey using unipark software. Patients, carers and clinicians wrote down research topics, i. e. uncertainties they experienced when dealing with depression. The stated research topics were summarized by the authors to generate research questions. Patients, carers and clinicians rated the importance of the identified research questions using a 7 point likert-scale in a further online-survey., Results: Respondents rated research questions with regard to accessibility and organization of care as especially relevant. A research question regarding the effectiveness of self-help and coping-strategies was rated as most important. Further relevant research questions refer to decide on and find effective therapy., Conclusion: According to patients, carers and clinicians more research about self-help and access to treatment should be conducted., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

The term trialogue means the best possible equally contributing cooperation between affected patients and therapists as well as the self-evident inclusion of relatives. This is true for therapy, antistigma efforts by the planning of care, in associations such as the German Society for Bipolar Disorders and by assimilation of guidelines. Trialogue has a history and in its current version many levels and a hopeful vision of characteristics of understanding and treatment. This idea is presented here and relationships with characteristics of understanding and therapy of bipolar disorders will be made. Finally the recommendations of guidelines on trialogue will be presented and essential headings will be discussed under the aspect of trialogue: where and how are basic ideas and core demands of associations of affected persons and relatives considered? How is the process of trialogue to be assessed for the assimilation of guidelines? What are the chances and risks for the implementation? How can trialogue support the implementation?

Electronic spectra of the recently discovered BiOH and BiOD radicals have been studied by means of laser-induced fluorescence measurements in the 400-1000 nm range. Laser excitation spectra observed in the range 430-450 nm are attributed to transitions from the &Xtilde;1A' ground state to the theoretically predicted Ã1A' state. Fluorescence spectra from the Ã1A',nu'3 = 0, 1 levels consist of short nu"3 progressions to the lower states &Xtilde;1A', &Xtilde;3A', and ã1A'. Laser excitation spectra in the range 580-620 nm contain bands with both DeltaKa = 0 and DeltaKa = +/-1 subbands. They are attributed to hybrid bands of the Ã1A' <-- &Xtilde;3A' transition. Analyses of the spectra have yielded vibronic energy levels of the &Xtilde;1A', &Xtilde;3A', ã1A', and Ã1A' states of both isotopes and effective rotational constants A - 1/2(B + C) and DK for some levels. The radiative lifetime of the Ã1A',000 state was found to be 0.92 +/- 0.03 µs. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

First gas phase spectra of the nitrogen monoiodide radical NI are reported. The b1Sigma+(b0(+)) left and right arrow X3Sigma-(X10(+), X21) transition of NI has been studied by laser-induced fluorescence measurements. Ground state NI radicals were generated in a fast-flow system by reaction of microwave-discharged nitrogen with iodine vapor. Vibrational levels v = 0, 1, and 2 of the b1Sigma+ state were excited with a pulsed dye laser. Rotational and vibrational constants of the X3Sigma- and b1Sigma+ states were deduced from analysis of high-resolution excitation spectra. Time-resolved measurements of the fluorescence decay and measurements of relative line and band intensities allowed determination of the radiative lifetime of the b state, of band transition probabilities, and of the ratio of transition moments µ0/µ1 for the b0(+) --> X10(+) and b0(+) --> X21 subtransitions. Comparison of calculated and experimental line intensities and FC factors shows that treatment of the X3Sigma- state in terms of a Hund's case (a) formalism is preferable to use of a case (c) formalism. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

The b1Sigma+(b0(+)) left and right arrow X3Sigma-(X10(+),X21) transitions of SbH and SbD have been studied by laser-induced fluorescence measurements. Ground state SbH(SbD) radicals were generated in a fast-flow system by reaction of microwave-discharged hydrogen (deuterium) with antimony vapor. Vibrational levels v = 0 and 1 of the b1Sigma+ state were excited with a pulsed dye laser. In addition to five electric dipole branches SR, QP, QR, QQ, and OP, weak magnetic dipole branches PQ were observed in the 0-0 bands of the b1Sigma+ <-- X3Sigma- transitions. Rotational and vibrational constants of the X3Sigma- and b1Sigma+ states were deduced from high-resolution excitation spectra. Time-resolved measurements of the fluorescence decay and measurements of relative line and band intensities allowed determination of the radiative lifetime of the b1Sigma+ state of SbH (tau = 173 +/- 3 µs) and of the electric and magnetic dipole transition moments µ0 = +/-0.036 D, µ1 = -/+0.058 D, |M| = 1.62 Bohr magnetons. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Objectives: In this article we describe the long-term follow-up of patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder and examine whether the extent of CIS, the presence of associated papillary tumors, or the response to treatment influence the course of the disease., Methods: Fifty-two patients with CIS of the bladder, treated in a randomized prospective study, are described. In 23 patients with concomitant papillary tumors all macroscopically visible lesions were completely resected transurethrally (TUR). CIS was histologically confirmed in all patients by biopsy, 29 of whom had primary CIS. The patients were treated with intravesical mitomycin, bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-RIVM or BCG-Tice and followed regularly by urine cytology, cystoscopy, and biopsy., Results: Complete response was achieved in 65% of the patients. Of these responders, 24% later had a recurrence of CIS or a superficial tumor and 18% had progressive disease (PD). In the nonresponding patients, progression occurred in 67%. In the whole group, PD was seen in 35% of the patients, and radical cystectomy was performed in 21%. The disease-related death rate was 13%. The risk for recurrence or PD was not higher in patients with more extensive CIS, defined as three or more positive biopsy results or when CIS was associated with papillary tumors compared to patients with one or two biopsy specimens positive for CIS or CIS alone. Nonresponding patients showed a significantly higher progression rate and cystectomy rate than responding patients (P = 0.0012 and 0.008, respectively)., Conclusions: CIS of the bladder is a malignancy with a poor prognosis, especially in patients not responding after intravesical treatment. Early detection and adjuvant intravesical treatment after TUR of concomitant papillary tumors are required. In patients not responding after intravesical treatment, radical surgery is necessary before progression occurs. The number of biopsies positive for CIS, not the presence of concomitant superficial tumors, was an indicator for progression or recurrence.