Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lp String Stability of Cascaded Systems: Application to Vehicle Platooning

Nowadays, throughput has become a limiting factor in road transport. An effective means to increase the road throughput is to employ a small intervehicle time gap using automatic vehicle-following control systems. String stability, i.e., the disturbance attenuation along the vehicle string, is considered an essential requirement for the design of those systems. However, the formal notion of string stability is not unambiguous in literature, since both stability and performance interpretations exist. Therefore, a novel definition for string stability of nonlinear cascaded systems is proposed, using input-output properties. This definition is shown to result in well-known string stability conditions for linear cascaded systems. The theoretical results are experimentally validated using a platoon of six passenger vehicles equipped with cooperative adaptive cruise control.
Multivariable Self-Tuning Feedback Linearization Controller for Power Oscillation Damping

The objective of this brief is to design a measurement-based self-tuning controller, which does not rely on accurate models and deals with nonlinearities in system response. A special form of neural network (NN) model called feedback linearizable NN (FLNN) compatible with feedback linearization technique is proposed for representation of nonlinear power systems behavior. Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) is applied in batch mode to improve the model estimation. A time-varying feedback linearization controller (FBLC) is employed in conjunction with the FLNN-LM estimator to generate the control signal. Validation of the performance of proposed algorithm is done through the modeling and simulating both normal and heavy loading of transmission lines, when the nonlinearities are pronounced. Case studies on a large-scale 16-machine five-area power system are reported for different power flow scenarios, to prove the superiority of proposed scheme against a conventional model-based controller. A coefficient vector Λ for FBLC is derived and used online at each time instant, to enhance the damping performance of controller.
The Effect of Intracoronary Nicorandil on Coronary Myocardial Bridging

Medical treatments of coronary myocardial bridging (CMB) generally include β-blockers and calcium channel blockers. Nitrates are avoided because symptoms may worsen. Nicorandil is a hybrid of a nitrate and a potassium channel opener. However, the effect of nicorandil on CMB is unknown. We analyzed nicorandil reactivity at the site with CMB in 51 patients. Maximal and minimal diameters of CMB were measured by quantitative angiography at baseline and at 60 seconds after intracoronary administration of 200 mg nicorandil. The maximal diameter during diastole increased from 2.15 + 0.42 mm to 2.34 + 0.44 mm after administration of nicorandil (P < .001), and the minimal diameter during systole increased from 1.24 + 0.63 mm to 1.67 + 0.64 mm (P < .001). Thus, nicorandil reduced the percentage vessel narrowing from 44.0 + 26.1% to 30.3 + 21.2% (P < .001). In 22 patients, we also evaluated the effect of nitroglycerin. The maximal diameter during diastole increased from 2.25 + 0.47 mm to 2.51 + 0.44 mm after administration of nitroglycerin (P < .019), and the minimal diameter during systole decreased from 1.28 + 0.64 mm to 1.14 + 0.60 mm (P = .276). Thus, nitroglycerin augmented the percentage vessel narrowing from 44.9% + 25.0% to 56.0% + 23.5% (P = .023). These results indicate that intracoronary administration of nicorandil could dilate coronary arteries during diastole as well as systole in patients with CMB during coronary angiography.
Pannexin-I/P2X 7 Purinergic Receptor Channels Mediate the Release of Cardioprotectants Induced by Ischemic Pre- and Postconditioning

Ischemic pre- and postconditioning protect ex vivo rat hearts from ischemia/reperfusion injury by promoting the release of cardioprotective agents by an unknown mechanism. Because P2X 7 purinergic receptors are known to combine with pannexin-1 to form channels that allow adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release from cells, we hypothesized that these channels have a role in the release of multiple cardioprotectants during ischemic preconditioning (IPC). Addition of either a pannexin-1 hemichannel blocker (5 μmol/L carbenoxolone [CBX] or 0.4 μmol/L mefloquine [MF]) or a selective antagonist of the rat P2X7 purinergic receptor (2 μmol/L brilliant blue G [BBG]) blocked IPC. These antagonists also blocked ischemic postconditioning. Preconditioning by exogenous addition of either sphingosine-1-phosphate or adenosine was not blocked by either CBX or BBG, indicating that they only affected the release of endogenous mediators, not any subsequent steps. To determine if only ATP release was mediated by pannexin-1/P2X7 channels, we added an extra cycle of IPC to release sufficient quantities of additional cardioprotectants to eliminate the dependence on adenosine derivatives. This did not override the inhibition of IPC by CBX or MF, suggesting that the channel mediates the release of multiple cardioprotectants. Inhibitors of other P2X receptors, P2Y receptors, or connexins did not affect IPC. We conclude that a pannexin-1/P2X7 channel is responsible for the release of cardioprotectants induced by ischemic pre- and postconditioning.
Chinese Keyword Extraction Based on Word Platform

At present researches on Chinese keyword extraction mainly focus on automatic segmentation which is a pretreatment problem. This paper presents a kind of Chinese encoding method based on word platform, and establishes a new Chinese document format in computer. This method makes word the smallest information unit. Chinese keyword extraction does not rely on segmentation by this new method. Thereby the efficiency and quality could be improved. Statistical analysis is adopted to conduct the experiment of keyword extraction based on word platform, and experimental results are satisfying.
Distinct phases of Polycomb silencing to hold epigenetic memory of cold in Arabidopsis

A multifactorial strategy establishes and maintains repressive chromatin marks in plants in response to environmental signals. Managing gene silencing through replication Vernalization is the process in plants by which wintertime chill stimulates springtime flowering. Yang et al. and Jiang et al. show how chill is recorded in Arabidopsis epigenetically by methylation of histones. Specialized components of the Polycomb group of proteins remodel DNA to establish the methylation marks and are linked to DNA replication. Long-term stable epigenetic status follows rapid establishment of metastable epigenetic marks. This epigenetic strategy may be key to the developmental requirement of both secure and nimble fate decisions, allowing plant cells to change fates. Science, this issue p. 1142 and p. 1146 Gene silencing by Polycomb complexes is central to eukaryotic development. Cold-induced epigenetic repression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in the plant Arabidopsis provides an opportunity to study initiation and maintenance of Polycomb silencing. Here, we show that a subset of Polycomb repressive complex 2 factors nucleate silencing in a small region within FLC, locally increasing H3K27me3 levels. This nucleation confers a silenced state that is metastably inherited, with memory held in the local chromatin. Metastable memory is then converted to stable epigenetic silencing through separate Polycomb factors, which spread across the locus after cold to enlarge the domain that contains H3K27me3. Polycomb silencing at FLC thus has mechanistically distinct phases, which involve specialization of distinct Polycomb components to deliver first metastable then long-term epigenetic silencing.
Takagi-Sugeno Observers: Experimental Application for Vehicle Lateral Dynamics Estimation

This brief presents a contribution to nonlinear observer design for both the estimation of vehicle lateral dynamics and road curvature. The latter is recovered by a simple algebraic technique and high-order sliding mode differentiator, which allows to estimate exactly the time derivatives of measured signals. For the lateral dynamics of the vehicle, a new approach is developed by the use of a Takagi-Sugeno (TS) model representing exactly, with no loss of information, the nonlinear vehicle behavior in a compact set of the state space. The TS model involves unmeasured premise variables. The proposed new observer starts with the estimation of these premise variables. Second, the design of an observer with weighting functions depending on these estimated premise variables is considered. Theoretically, the proposed observer ensures exponential convergence of the state estimation error toward zero. This convergence is studied by the Lyapunov theory and the obtained stability conditions are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, experimental results are given for vehicle lateral dynamics and road curvature estimation with real data.
Dual-Space Control of Extremely Fast Parallel Manipulators: Payload Changes and the 100G Experiment

In this paper, three control schemes are proposed and experimentally compared on the R4 redundantly actuated parallel manipulator for applications with very high accelerations. First, a proportional-integral-differential (PID) in operational space is proposed to adequately take into consideration the actuation redundancy. Because of its lack of performance, a dual-space feedforward control scheme based on the dynamic model of R4 is proposed. The improvements obtained with this controller allowed the implementation of an experiment, which consisted in the tracking of a trajectory with a maximum acceleration of more than 100G. However, such a controller may have loss of performance in case of any operational change (such as different payloads). Therefore, a dual-space adaptive control scheme is proposed. The stability analysis of the R4 parallel robot when controlled by the proposed dual-space adaptive controller is provided. The objective of this paper is to show that the proposed dual-space adaptive controller not only maintains its good performance independently of the operational conditions but also has a better performance than both the PID and the dual-space feedforward controllers, even when the latter is best configured for the given case (which confirms its applicability in an industrial environment).
Clinical Efforts to Reduce Myocardial Infarct Size—The Next Step

Prompt myocardial reperfusion reduces infarct size in patients experiencing coronary occlusion. However, its clinical value is limited because reperfusion also causes ischemic myocardial reperfusion injury (IMRI). Considerable research to reduce IMRI has been conducted. Three interventions appear to be promising: 1) myocardial conditioning, which consists of repetitive occlusions of coronary or other arteries prior to or at the time of myocardial reperfusion; 2) the administration of cyclosporine A; and 3) the administration of adenosine. A plan for the testing of these interventions in patients with acute myocardial infarction is described.
All Preconditioning-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptors Can Be Demonstrated in the Rabbit Cardiomyocyte

G protein-coupled receptors for adenosine (A1, A3, A2A, and A2B), bradykinin (B1) and opioids (δ) are all involved in the mechanism of ischemic preconditioning. Although the heart is comprised of many tissue types, it has been assumed that preconditioning’s protective signaling occurs in the cardiomyocyte. We critically tested that hypothesis by testing for the presence of each of these receptors in isolated adult rabbit ventricular myocytes that had been transfected with cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels. Because subsarcolemmal cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) opens the CNG channels, we could monitor cAMP levels within a single cardiomyocyte by measuring channel current with a patch pipette. The presence of a receptor would be confirmed if we could alter cAMP in the cell with a selective agonist to the receptor being studied. Superfusion with the β-adrenergic Gs-coupled receptor agonist isoproterenol (50 nmol/L) transiently increased cAMP levels and, therefore, channel current. Pretreatment with selective agonists to A1 or A3 adenosine receptors (ARs) that are Gi-coupled markedly attenuated the response to isoproterenol, indicating inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by increased Gi activity. Agonists to bradykinin or δ-opioid receptors also attenuated isoproterenol’s response. A2AAR and A2BAR are Gs-coupled. The A2AAR–selective agonist CGS21680 increased current through CNG channels but only in the presence of phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, indicating low surface receptor activity and high intracellular PDE activity. As we previously reported, BAY 60-6583, an A2BAR-selective agonist which mimics preconditioning’s protection in rabbit heart, neither increased nor decreased membrane current in transfected cardiomyocytes, suggesting the absence or a markedly limited number of A2BAR in the sarcolemma. However, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of purified cardiomyocytes yielded an A2BAR band, implying that rabbit cardiomyocytes do indeed express A2BAR. These data reveal that all receptors reported to be involved in ischemic preconditioning do exist on or within the cardiomyocyte.
Underwater inertial navigation with long base line transceivers: A Near-Real-Time approach

Due to the short range over which electromagnetic fields decay in sea water, inertial navigation systems for underwater vehicles are often aided by acoustic time-of-flight positioning scheme. One widely implemented long-baseline (LBL) approach uses a ping-response protocol resulting in asynchronous measurements that depend on the state of the vehicle at two time instants. Due to these issues, the standard assumptions necessary for Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) solutions are not satisfied. This paper proposes a Near-Real-Time (NRT) Bayesian smoothing framework for the LBL aided INS application. Within this NRT framework, the navigation process is divided into the ping-response cycles of LBL transceiving. Before the end of a LBL cycle, a traditional realtime EKF is implemented using the IMU and standard aiding measurements. At the end of each LBL cycle, an optimal Bayesian trajectory estimator executes. This Maximum-A-Posteriori (MAP) estimation includes all the measurement information collected during the current LBL cycle. Furthermore, right after this smoothing process, the current EKF estimate is corrected by the corresponding MAP estimate. This article presents the theoretical solution, discusses the implementation, and presents simulation results to illustrate the accuracy and reliability of this Near-Real-Time approach.
A New Fuzzy Arithmetic for Discrete Fuzzy Numbers

In this paper, using the representations of discrete fuzzy numbers, we give a new kind of operations of addition and multiplication for discrete fuzzy numbers. Then, we show that the new addition and multiplication keep the closeness of the operation, so they get over the defect that the usual addition and multiplication does not keep the closeness of operation. And we also point out that when the usual addition of two discrete fuzzy numbers is still a discrete fuzzy number, the usual addition and the new addition are identical, and so are the usual multiplication and the new multiplication.
The Combination of Elevated Triglycerides and Abnormal Fasting Glucose Increases Risk of Cerebral Infarction in Patients With Mild to Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

Background: While triglycerides (TGs) and diabetes increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), their combined effects have not been quantified. We explored the combined effect of elevated TGs and glucose on CVD in a post hoc analysis of the large-scale Management of Elevated Cholesterol in the Primary Prevention Group of Adult Japanese (MEGA) Study. Material and Methods: In the MEGA Study, 8214 patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia were randomly allocated to the diet alone group or diet plus pravastatin group and followed for 5 years. Of those, 7832 patients included in the intention-to-treat analysis were stratified into 4 groups: abnormal fasting glucose (AFG) plus high TGs, high TGs alone, AFG alone, and normal fasting glucose plus normal TGs (reference). Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare the incidence of and mortality from CVD in the 4 groups. Results: Incidence of CVD and coronary heart disease was significantly higher in the groups with AFG alone (hazard ratio [HR], 2.02 and 3.38; P < .01, respectively) and AFG plus high TGs (HR, 2.87 and 3.87; P < .01, respectively) than the reference group. A similar relation was found in models adjusting for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Although the incidence of cerebral infarction was significantly higher only in the group with AFG plus high TGs (HR, 2.16; P = .01), it was marginally significantly higher than the reference group after adjustment for HDL-C (HR, 1.86; P = .06). Diet plus pravastatin treatment reduced the risk of cerebral infarction by 66% in the group with AFG plus high TGs (P = .03). Conclusions: Our findings contribute to the formulation of the hypothesis that patients with hypercholesterolemia having AFG plus high TGs have an increased risk of cerebral infarction. These are compatible with the result from the main study that patients with hypercholesterolemia randomized to diet plus pravastatin had a reduced risk of cerebral infarction.
Heart Remodeling and Ischemia–Reperfusion Arrhythmias Linked to Myocardial Vitamin D Receptors Deficiency in Obstructive Nephropathy Are Reversed by Paricalcitol

Cardiovascular disease is often associated with chronic kidney disease and vice versa; myocardial vitamin D receptors (VDRs) are among the probable links between the 2 disorders. The vitamin D receptor activator paricalcitol protects against some renal and cardiovascular complications. However, the structural and electrophysiological effects of myocardial vitamin D receptor modification and its impact on the response to ischemia–reperfusion are currently unknown. This work attempted to determine whether obstructive nephropathy induced myocardial changes (in rats) linked to vitamin D receptor deficiency and to ventricular arrhythmias in Langendorff-perfused hearts. Unilateral ureteral-obstructed and Sham-operated rats were treated with either paricalcitol (30 ng/kg/d intraperitoneal) or vehicle for 15 days. In 5 hearts from each group, we found that obstructed rats showed a reduction in VDRs and an increase in angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression (messenger RNA and protein), suffered fibrosis (determined by Masson trichrome stain) and myofibril reduction with an increase in mitochondrial size, and had dilated crests (determined by electron microscopy). These changes were reversed by paricalcitol. In 8 additional hearts per group, we found that obstructed rats showed a higher incidence of ventricular fibrillation during reperfusion (after 10 minutes of regional ischemia) than did those treated with paricalcitol. The action potential duration was prolonged throughout the experiment in paricalcitol-treated rats. We conclude that the reduction in myocardial vitamin D receptor expression in obstructed rats might be related to myocardial remodeling associated with an increase in arrhythmogenesis and that paricalcitol protects against these changes by restoring myocardial vitamin D receptor levels and prolonging action potentials.
Defective cholesterol clearance limits remyelination in the aged central nervous system

Keeping cholesterol at bay A decline in tissue repair is a universal hallmark of aging. The failure to regenerate myelin sheaths in multiple sclerosis lesions contributes to chronic progressive disease and disability. Understanding the cause and preventing this failure is a key goal in regenerative medicine. Cantuti-Castelvetri et al. report that the self-limiting inflammatory response, which is necessary for remyelination to occur, is maladaptive in the central nervous system (CNS) of old mice (see the Perspective by Chen and Popko). Cholesterol-rich myelin debris overwhelmed the efflux capacity of phagocytes, resulting in a transition of free cholesterol into crystals, thereby inducing lysosomal rupture and inflammasome stimulation. Thus, drugs being developed to promote cholesterol clearance in human atherosclerosis lesions may also be good candidates for regenerative medicine in the CNS. Science, this issue p. 684; see also p. 635 Overloading phagocytes with cholesterol drives inflammation and limits tissue regeneration in brains from older mice. Age-associated decline in regeneration capacity limits the restoration of nervous system functionality after injury. In a model for demyelination, we found that old mice fail to resolve the inflammatory response initiated after myelin damage. Aged phagocytes accumulated excessive amounts of myelin debris, which triggered cholesterol crystal formation and phagolysosomal membrane rupture and stimulated inflammasomes. Myelin debris clearance required cholesterol transporters, including apolipoprotein E. Stimulation of reverse cholesterol transport was sufficient to restore the capacity of old mice to remyelinate lesioned tissue. Thus, cholesterol-rich myelin debris can overwhelm the efflux capacity of phagocytes, resulting in a phase transition of cholesterol into crystals and thereby inducing a maladaptive immune response that impedes tissue regeneration.
Mothering During War and Postwar in Bosnia

The study aim was to describe displaced Bosnian mothers' experiences caring for their children during and immediately after the war (1992-1995). Mothers described their progression into war, through war, and into vastly changed lives. Using ethnographic methods, narrative data were collected near Sarajevo, Bosnia, from 14 displaced women who participated in one to three interviews each between 1996 and 1999. Data from the semistructured interviews were analyzed to determine patterns in participants' descriptions of mothering during war. Four common themes of mothering were identified in the data: “on the move,” “I have to feed them,” “living somewhere in between,” and “still living the war inside. ” As care providers and policy makers develop initiatives to improve the health of women and children during complex humanitarian emergencies, there is much to learn from the narratives of Bosnian women about their extraordinary struggle to protect the lives of their children amid violence and loss.
The Research on the Algorithm of Nonlinear Support Vector Classification Machine Based on Fuzzy Theory

Data mining is a new filed in data processing research. Support vector machine (SVM) is a useful method adopted in data mining. However, when the training set of the SVM contains information of uncertainty, the SVM can do nothing about it. In order to solve the problem presented above, this article discusses an algorithm of nonlinear support vector classification machine based on fuzzy theory. With the restriction of the confidence lambda(0<lambdales1), we can using the classification method in fuzzy theory to solve the problem of constraining programming of uncertain chance. By establishing a chain like this: constraining programming of uncertain chance rarr clearly equivalent programming rarr programming of antithesis, the universal algorithm of nonlinearly dividable support vector classification machine based on fuzzy theory can be deduced.