Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Probabilistic Approach to Lithium-Ion Battery Remaining Useful Life Estimation

Estimating lithium-ion battery remaining useful life (RUL) is a key issue in an intelligent battery management system. This paper presents an integrated prognostic approach that unifies two types of health indices (HIs), battery capacity and time interval of equal discharging voltage difference series, to perform direct and indirect RUL estimation for lithium-ion battery. To satisfy different practical requirements, a data-driven monotonic echo state networks (MONESNs) algorithm is adopted to track the nonlinear patterns of battery degradation. The main contributions of this paper are: 1) to enhance the predictive capability of each HI and identify its failure threshold by implementing an HI correlation model and cycle life threshold transformation and 2) to increase the computational stability of the proposed approach through the ensemble of MONESN submodels that can also describe the prognostic uncertainty. Essentially, this approach constitutes a probabilistic integration and data-driven prognostic framework with uncertainty management capability. Two sets of industrial lithium-ion battery data are used to show the capability of the proposed approach. It is expected that this approach can be broadly applied to other application areas, where data-driven prognostic approaches are needed.
Positioning of Cysteine Residues within the N-terminal Portion of the BST-2/Tetherin Ectodomain Is Important for Functional Dimerization of BST-2*

Background: BST-2 forms covalently linked dimers and inhibits virus release. Results: Cysteine residues are not required for BST-2 homodimerization but are critical for antiviral activity. Conclusion: Cysteine residues in the BST-2 ectodomain stabilize a structure capable of tethering virions to host cells. Significance: Understanding the molecular basis of BST-2 virus-tethering activity will help us understand how cells try to minimize spreading infections. BST-2/tetherin is a cellular host factor capable of restricting the release of a variety of enveloped viruses, including HIV-1. Structurally, BST-2 consists of an N-terminal cytoplasmic domain, a transmembrane domain, an ectodomain, and a C-terminal membrane anchor. The BST-2 ectodomain encodes three cysteine residues in its N-terminal half, each of which can contribute to the formation of cysteine-linked dimers. We previously reported that any one of the three cysteine residues is sufficient to produce functional BST-2 dimers. Here we investigated the importance of cysteine positioning on the ectodomain for functional dimerization of BST-2. Starting with a cysteine-free monomeric form of BST-2, individual cysteine residues were reintroduced at various locations throughout the ectodomain. The resulting BST-2 variants were tested for expression, dimerization, surface presentation, and inhibition of HIV-1 virus release. We found significant flexibility in the positioning of cysteine residues, although the propensity to form cysteine-linked dimers generally decreased with increasing distance from the N terminus. Interestingly, all BST-2 variants, including the one lacking all three ectodomain cysteines, retained the ability to form non-covalent dimers, and all of the BST-2 variants were efficiently expressed at the cell surface. Importantly, not all BST-2 variants capable of forming cysteine-linked dimers were functional, suggesting that cysteine-linked dimerization of BST-2 is necessary but not sufficient for inhibiting virus release. Our results expose new structural constraints governing the functional dimerization of BST-2, a property essential to its role as a restriction factor tethering viruses to the host cell.
LXXXI Inner Ear Anomalies: Clinical and Histopathological Considerations

During recent years we have had the opportunity to study many cases with hearing impairments believed to be congenital in type. A considerable number of these cases had radiographically visible anomalies of the inner ear. The radiographic, audiometric and vestibular findings on these cases were studied in detail and correlated with classical histopathologic types of congenital inner ear anomalies.
Recovery efficiences on nucleic acid extraction kits as measured by quantitative LightCycler PCR.

AIMS To compare the efficiency of five nucleic acid extraction kits for processing clinical material for the diagnosis of infection. METHODS Five nucleic acid extraction kits for processing clinical material for the diagnosis of infection were compared for their relative efficiencies in purifying and recovering either viral DNA or RNA from serum samples. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA were performed on the Light-Cycler instrument to determine the relative concentrations of the viral nucleic acids recovered by the various protocols. RESULTS Large differences between kits in recovery efficiencies were observed for HBV DNA, with those protocols using enzyme digestion in addition to chaotropic solutions performing better than those using chemical disruption alone. CONCLUSIONS There were large differences between the kits and it appeared that those extraction kits containing a proteolytic enzyme and carrier nucleic acid (and that are supplied RNase free) have the widest potential application in the routine microbiology laboratory.
Revectorization-Based Shadow Mapping

Real-time rendering of high-quality, anti-aliased shadows is a challenging problem in shadow mapping. Filtering the shadow map reduces aliasing, but artifacts are still visible for low-resolution shadow maps or small kernel sizes. Moreover, the existing techniques suffer from light leaking artifacts. Shadow silhouette recovery reduces perspective aliasing at the cost of large memory footprint and high computational overhead for the shadow mapping. In this paper, we reduce aliasing with the revectorizationbased shadow mapping. To effectively reduce the perspective aliasing, we revectorize shadow boundaries based on their discontinuity directions. Then, we take advantage of the discontinuity space to filter the shadow silhouettes, further suppressing the remaining artifacts. To control the filter kernel size, we incorporate percentage-closer filtering into the algorithm. This enables us to reduce jagged shadow boundaries, to simulate penumbra and to provide high-quality screen-space anti-aliasing. Compared to previous techniques, we show that shadow revectorization produces less artifacts, consumes less memory and offers real-time performance. The results show that our solution can be used in games and other applications in which real-time, high-quality shadows are desirable.
Analysis of Models for External Stimulation of Axons

Extracellular electrodes produce electrical fields at the outside of nerve fibers. Discretization of the axon's length coordinate allows simulation of the excitation by a system of differential equations in time, and difference equations in space. For myelinated fibers this segmentation is naturally given by the nodes of Ranvier, whereas unmyelinated axons can be segmented arbitrarily. In both cases the equations are similar and can be treated in parallel. The activity of the axon depends on the second space derivative of the extracellular medium. The activating function is discussed for monopolar electrodes but the principle can be extended to arbitrary configurations of electrodes.
A wearable method for autonomous fall detection based on Kalman filter and k-NN algorithm

The activity model based on tri-axial acceleration and gyroscope is proposed in this paper, and the difference between activities of daily living of (ADLs) and falls is analyzed at first. Meanwhile, Kalman filter is proposed to reduce noise. kNN algorithm and slide window are introduced to develop a wearable system for fall detection and alert, which is composed of a wearable motion sensor and a smart phone. It is shown by experiment that the system identifies simulated falls from ADLs with a high accuracy of 97.17%, while sensitivity and specificity are 97.00% and 97.50%, respectively. Moreover, the smart phone can issue an alarm to caregivers so as to provide timely and accurate help for the elderly, as soon as a fall is detected.
Enhanced carrier collection efficiency and reduced quantum state absorption by electron doping in self-assembled quantum dot solar cells

Reduced quantum dot (QD) absorption due to state filling effects and enhanced electron transport in doped QDs are demonstrated to play a key role in solar energy conversion. Reduced QD state absorption with increased n-doping is observed in the self-assembled In0.5Ga0. 5As/GaAs QDs from high resolution below-bandgap external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurement, which is a direct consequence of the Pauli exclusion principle. We also show that besides partial filling of the quantum states, electron-doping produces negatively charged QDs that exert a repulsive Coulomb force on the mobile electrons, thus altering the electron trajectory and reducing the probability of electron capture, leading to an improved collection efficiency of photo-generated carriers, as indicated by an absolute above-bandgap EQE measurement. The resulting redistribution of the mobile electron in the planar direction is further validated by the observed photoluminescence intensity dependence on doping.
Accuracy of xenon CT measurement of cerebral blood flow.

In recent years, quantitative determination of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by xenon-enhanced CT has become an increasingly important research and clinical tool. Concurrently, the possibility that inhalation of stable xenon in the concentrations required for this procedure might itself alter CBF also has received increasing attention. Several studies [1-6] have examined this problem by using various concentrations of xenon in both humans and research animals. These generally have shown an increase in CBF during xenon inhalation, although in some cases the opposite effect has been observed . The magnitude of the changes ranged from -25% to +100% in animals and from -20% to +56% in humans. Measurements of CBF in these studies were obtained by using microsphere or in vivo radionuclide techniques. As these methods cannot be repeated at intervals of less than a few minutes, the time course of the changes has been difficult to determine. In the January 1990 issue of the AJNR, Giller et al. [7] described a study in which continuous transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) was used to measure changes in blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) during inhalation of stable xenon. Xenon concentrations and inhalation times were similar to those used in most commercially available xenon CT systems. They found an average increase in MCA blood velocity of 38% in 85% of their patients and an unspecified decrease in velocity in the other 15%. The changes in blood velocity began 1-2 min after inhalation started and continued to rise for several minutes thereafter. They appeared to be attenuated by hyperventilation during the inhalation of xenon , although this was not examined specifically. Along with blood velocity , measurement of vessel diameter is also necessary to calculate actual blood flow through the
Indexable Probabilistic Matrix Factorization for Maximum Inner Product Search

The Maximum Inner Product Search (MIPS) problem, prevalent in matrix factorization-based recommender systems, scales linearly with the number of objects to score. Recent work has shown that clever post-processing steps can turn the MIPS problem into a nearest neighbour one, allowing sublinear retrieval time either through Locality Sensitive Hashing or various tree structures that partition the Euclidian space. This work shows that instead of employing post-processing steps, substantially faster retrieval times can be achieved for the same accuracy when inference is not decoupled from the indexing process. By framing matrix factorization to be natively indexable, so that any solution is immediately sublinearly searchable, we use the machinery of Machine Learning to best learn such a solution. We introduce Indexable Probabilistic Matrix Factorization (IPMF) to shift the traditional post-processing complexity into the training phase of the model. Its inference procedure is based on Geodesic Monte Carlo, and adds minimal additional computational cost to standard Monte Carlo methods for matrix factorization. By coupling inference and indexing in this way, we achieve more than a 50% improvement in retrieval time against two state of the art methods, for a given level of accuracy in the recommendations of two large-scale recommender systems.
Long‐term treatment with empagliflozin, a novel, potent and selective SGLT‐2 inhibitor, improves glycaemic control and features of metabolic syndrome in diabetic rats

Empagliflozin is a potent, selective sodium glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor that is in development for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This series of studies was conducted to assess the in vivo pharmacological effects of single or multiple doses of empagliflozin in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Single doses of empagliflozin resulted in dose‐dependent increases in urinary glucose excretion and reductions in blood glucose levels. After multiple doses (5 weeks), fasting blood glucose levels were reduced by 26 and 39% with 1 and 3 mg/kg empagliflozin, respectively, relative to vehicle. After 5 weeks, HbA1c levels were reduced (from a baseline of 7.9%) by 0.3 and 1.1% with 1 and 3 mg/kg empagliflozin, respectively, versus an increase of 1.1% with vehicle. Hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamp indicated improved insulin sensitivity with empagliflozin after multiple doses versus vehicle. These findings support the development of empagliflozin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
A DSTATCOM with ADALINE algorithm for current compensation in distributed generation systems

An ADALINE-based DSTATCOM is presented to compensate a distributed generation system. Based on the well-known LMS algorithm, the targeted compensating current of the DSTATCOM can be produced with help of unit positive-sequence voltage vector. Thus, the compensated system current becomes balanced and active, even in a reactive, unbalanced, distorted, and distributed-generator including network. Theoretical analysis and control implementation are detailed. Experimental results from a three-level neutral point-clamped (NPC) inverter validate effectiveness.
Homocysteine, Cysteine, and Related Metabolites in Maternal and Fetal Plasma in Preeclampsia

Homocysteine is associated with endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease, and elevated concentrations of homocysteine have been found in preeclampsia. The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal and fetal concentrations of total homocysteine and related metabolites (including cysteine, choline, and betaine), and possible associations with infant birth weight. Women with preeclampsia (n = 47) and controls (n = 51), who underwent cesarean section, were included. Maternal plasma, umbilical vein, and artery plasma were analyzed. Median concentrations of homocysteine, cysteine, choline, and betaine were significantly higher in women with preeclampsia than controls, both in maternal and fetal plasma. There were no differences in folate and vitamin B12 concentrations between the groups, neither for maternal nor fetal samples. Maternal homocysteine concentration was a negative predictor for birth weight only in the preeclampsia group. Elevated homocysteine and cysteine concentration in maternal circulation in preeclampsia is reflected in the fetal circulation. The clinical significance of elevated homocysteine and cysteine concentrations in maternal and fetal compartments in preeclampsia remain to be explored, both regarding fetal growth and development of disease later in life.
TCR Signaling Antagonizes Rapid IP-10-Mediated Transendothelial Migration of Effector Memory CD4+ T Cells1

Human microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) constitutively express MHC class II in peripheral tissues, the function of which remains unknown. In vitro assays have established that the recognition of EC MHC class II can affect cytokine expression, proliferation, and delayed transendothelial migration of allogeneic memory, but not naive, CD4+ T cells. Previously, we have shown that effector memory CD4+ T cells will rapidly transmigrate in response to the inflammatory chemokine IFN-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) in a process contingent upon the application of venular levels of shear stress. Using two models that provide polyclonal TCR signaling by ECs in this flow system, we show that TCR engagement antagonizes the rapid chemokine-dependent transmigration of memory CD4+ T cells. Inhibitor studies suggest that TCR signaling downstream of Src family tyrosine kinase(s) but upstream of calcineurin activation causes memory CD4+ T cell arrest on the EC surface, preventing the transendothelial migration response to IP-10.
The experiences and indications of successful national salt reduction strategy in U.K. and Finland

High-sodium diets,coupled with high rates of cardiovascular diseases worldwide in modern societies,have prompted national and international policy and initiatives to reverse this trend.Some salt reduction strategies and activities have been developed at national level,based on three main pillars: product reformulation,consumer education and the environment building and the successful experiences have been analyzed and summarized.Finally,some suggestions were given to help develop and implement salt reduction strategies on supervision,goal setting/priority setting and health education mode in China.
Dynamic Priority Scheduling for Proportional Delay Differentiated Services

Recent results on the proportional di erentiation model show that waiting time priority scheduling can be applied to implement proportional delay di erentiatied services reasonably well under limited conditions. While earlier research focused on heavy load conditions only, more recent results provide insights into waiting time priority scheduling under moderate load conditions also, but the applicability of the algorithm has been limited to a two-service-class solution for numerical reasons. In this paper, in contrast, a dynamic adjustment of a waiting time priority scheduler is suggested to meet the di erentiation requirements for any nite number of traÆc classes. Our newly introduced approach is based on genetic algorithms. The dynamically optimized scheduling parameters can be determined with high accuracy. We apply an interpolation function to yield a continuum of parameters rather than discrete values and propose a simple look-up table for a dynamic adjustment of the scheduling parameters. We also focus on feasibility and implementation issues related to the suggested algorithm. Suitability of other time-dependent priority functions for proportional delay di erentiation is also investigated. 2 Essa , Bolch and de Meer
Inhibition of Tat transactivation by the RNA polymerase II CTD-phosphatase FCP1

ObjectivesTo asses the role of the RNAPII carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) phosphatase FCP1 on HIV-1 Tat-mediated transactivation. DesignConstruction of expression vectors encoding FCP1 phosphatase and analysis of their functions on Tat activity. MethodsBasal and Tat-mediated transactivation of HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transcription was compared, by transient transfections, in the presence of FCP1 phosphatase. Protein interactions were analysed by in vitro binding assays. ResultsFCP1 specifically and effectively represses Tat transactivation but not HIV-1 LTR-basal transcription. Protein interaction assays demonstrated that FCP1 specifically and directly binds Tat in vitro. ConclusionThe specific and efficient inhibitory function of FCP1 highlights the important role of this CTD-phosphatase in Tat-mediated transactivation, and it suggests that FCP1 might represent a specific target for modulation of Tat activity in infected cells.
Multistatic Sonar Localization

This paper develops bistatic contact-localization statistics as a function of source-target-receiver geometry, source and receiver location errors, sound-speed errors, time and bearing errors, and array-heading errors. We verify the analysis through Monte Carlo simulation and illustrate localization accuracy for some representative choices of source-target-receiver geometry and measurement error assumptions. We examine the improved localization accuracy of multistatic contacts that result from the fusion of multiple sonar contacts
Using Canola Oil Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel in Diesel Engines: A Review

Due to the rapid development of the global economy, fossil oil is widely used, leading to its depletion and gradual deterioration of the global environment, including global warming, the greenhouse effect, fog, and haze. Therefore, many researchers have been interested in studying alternative fuels in an attempt to develop an eco-friendly fuel to replace traditional fuel and solve the above environmental problems. Biodiesel is a renewable and eco-friendly fuel that is the most promising alternative fuel for diesel engines, and a significant amount of research and development has focused on biodiesel. Canola oil biodiesel (COB) is one type of biodiesel, and it has an advantage in oil production per unit area compared with other biodiesels. This paper summarizes and reviews studies related to the use of COB in different diesel engines under a variety of operating conditions. We focus on evaluating the combustion and emission characteristics of COB based on a large number of papers (including our previous studies). In addition, this paper serves as a valuable reference for in-depth studies of COB use in diesel engines, as it covers the topic from the production of COB to its use in diesel engines.
Electrical conduction along endothelial cell tubes from mouse feed arteries: confounding actions of glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Electrical conduction along endothelium of resistance vessels has not been determined independently of the influence of smooth muscle, surrounding tissue or blood. Two interrelated hypotheses were tested: (i) Intercellular conduction of electrical signals is manifest in endothelial cell (EC) tubes; and (ii) Inhibitors of gap junction channels (GJCs) have confounding actions on EC electrical and Ca2+ signalling.
Isotope baseline shifts in pelagic food webs of the Gulf of Mexico

Diazotrophic inputs by Trichodesmium have been shown to support production in tropical and subtropical marine environments, but the importance of Trichodesmium in the Gulf of Mexico has not been widely investigated. Here, we use stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotopes to determine whether diazotrophy impacts the isotope baselines of pelagic food webs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Phytoplankton (measured as particulate organic matter), Tricho - desmium, and zooplankton were collected from neritic and oceanic environments (salinity <32 and ≥ 32, respectively). Our results show that zooplankton in both regions exhibited δ 13 C values that were constrained between �20 and �18‰, which reflects the use of carbon from both Tri- chodesmium and other phytoplankton. Despite the utilization of similar carbon sources, zooplank- ton δ 15 N values were significantly higher in neritic (mean ± SD = 5.4 ± 1.1‰) compared to oceanic samples (2.8 ± 1.4‰). We attribute the difference in nitrogen isotope values to the use of isotopi- cally light nitrogen derived from diazotrophy in oceanic environments compared to enriched nitrogen from terrestrial sources transported by rivers in neritic areas. A comparison with pub- lished food web data from the Gulf of Mexico shows that disparate δ 15 N values which parallel our data suggest differential nitrogen cycling throughout the basin. The results of the present study indicate that diazotrophy impacts the estimation of consumer trophic positions by altering the δ 15 N values of organisms at the base of the food web. N2 fixation and freshwater inputs should be considered in future efforts to describe pelagic food webs in the Gulf of Mexico.