Inductive power transfer (IPT) remains one of the most common ways to achieve wireless power transmission, operating on the same electromagnetic principle as electrical transformers but with an air ...core instead of an iron core. IPT has been implemented in many applications, including wireless charging of consumer products like smartphones and electric vehicles. However, one challenge with using IPT is ensuring precise alignment between the primary and secondary coils of the system so that maximum power transfer can take place. In this paper, the use of misalignment-sensing coils to detect and correct lateral misalignments in an IPT system is modeled and tested. The sensing coils exploit magnetic-field symmetry to give a nonlinear measurement of misalignment direction and magnitude. Experiments using such sensing coils give a misalignment sensing resolution better than 1 mm when applied to a commercial smartphone wireless charger. Voltage readings from the sensing coils are used for closed-loop control of an experimental two-dimensional coil positioner that can reduce lateral misalignments as large as 35 mm to less than 1.4 mm, allowing for effective power transfer. A similar sensing coil concept can be used to reduce lateral misalignments in scaled IPT systems, such as electric-vehicle wireless chargers.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by uncontrolled joint inflammation and destruction of bone and cartilage. We previously reported that C-X-C motif chemokine 10 ...(CXCL10; also called IP-10) has important roles in joint inflammation and bone destruction in arthritis. However, the specific mechanisms by which CXCL10 regulates the recruitment of inflammatory cells and the production of osteoclastogenic cytokines in RA progression are not fully understood.
Bone marrow-derived macrophages and CD4
T cells were isolated from wild-type (WT), Cxcl10
, and Cxcr3
mice. CXCL10-induced migration was performed using a Boyden chamber, and CXCL10-stimulated production of osteoclastogenic cytokines was measured by quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA. Collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) was induced by administration of collagen type II antibodies and lipopolysaccharide to the mice. Clinical scores were analyzed and hind paws were collected for high-resolution micro-CT, and histomorphometry. Serum was used to assess bone turnover and levels of osteoclastogenic cytokines.
CXCL10 increased the migration of inflammatory cells through C-X-C chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3)-mediated, but not toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated, ERK activation. Interestingly, both receptors CXCR3 and TLR4 were simultaneously required for CXCL10-stimulated production of osteoclastogenic cytokines in CD4
T cells. Furthermore, calcineurin-dependent NFATc1 activation was essential for CXCL10-induced RANKL expression. In vivo, F4/80
macrophages and CD4
T cells robustly infiltrated into synovium of WT mice with CAIA but were significantly reduced in both Cxcl10
and Cxcr3
mice. Serum concentrations of osteoclastogenic cytokines and bone destruction were also reduced in the knockout mice, leading to attenuated progression of arthritis.
These findings highlight the importance of CXCL10 signaling in the pathogenesis of RA and provide previously unidentified details of the mechanisms by which CXCL10 promotes the development of arthritis.
Suicide is not only an individual phenomenon, but it is also influenced by social and environmental factors. With the high suicide rate and the abundance of social media data in South Korea, we have ...studied the potential of this new medium for predicting completed suicide at the population level. We tested two social media variables (suicide-related and dysphoria-related weblog entries) along with classical social, economic and meteorological variables as predictors of suicide over 3 years (2008 through 2010). Both social media variables were powerfully associated with suicide frequency. The suicide variable displayed high variability and was reactive to celebrity suicide events, while the dysphoria variable showed longer secular trends, with lower variability. We interpret these as reflections of social affect and social mood, respectively. In the final multivariate model, the two social media variables, especially the dysphoria variable, displaced two classical economic predictors - consumer price index and unemployment rate. The prediction model developed with the 2-year training data set (2008 through 2009) was validated in the data for 2010 and was robust in a sensitivity analysis controlling for celebrity suicide effects. These results indicate that social media data may be of value in national suicide forecasting and prevention.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Heterostructures that combine graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, such as MoS2, MoTe2, and WS2, have attracted attention due to their high performances in optoelectronic devices compared ...to homogeneous systems. Here, a photodevice based on a hybrid van der Waals heterostructure of rhenium disulfide (ReS2) and graphene is fabricated using the stacking method. The device presents a remarkable ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 7 × 105 A W−1 and a detectivity of 1.9 × 1013 Jones, along with a fast response time of less than 30 ms. Tremendous photocurrents are generated in the heterostructure due to the direct bandgap, high quantum efficiency, and strong light absorption by the multilayer ReS2 and the high carrier mobility of graphene. The ReS2/graphene heterostructured device displays a high photocurrent under the applied gate voltages due to the photogating effect induced by the junction between graphene and ReS2. The ReS2/graphene heterostructure may find promising applications in future optoelectronic devices, providing a high sensitivity, flexibility, and transparency.
A photodetector based on a ReS2/graphene heterostructure is developed using the stacking method. The photodevice exhibits outstanding photoresponsivity (≈105 A W−1), detectivity (≈1013 Jones), and responsivity (<30 ms). The interface between ReS2 and graphene generates a high photocurrent because of the photogating effect under the applied gate voltage.
ABSTRACT
A Rickettsia sp. was isolated from the blood of a patient with an acute febrile illness using the shell vial technique; the isolate was named CN45Kr and was identified by molecular assay as ...Rickettsia monacensis, which was first recognized as a pathogen in Spain. Sequencing analysis showed that the gltA sequence of the isolate was identical to that of Rickettsia sp. IRS3. The ompA‐5mp fragment sequence showed 100% identity to those of R. monacensis and Rickettsia sp. In56 and ompA‐3pA In56 and 100% identity to that of Rickettsia sp. IRS3. The ompB sequence was found to have 99.9% similarity to that of R. monacensis IrR/Munich. This study confirms the pathogenicity of this agent and provides additional information about its geographic distribution.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE—Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a unique cerebrovascular occlusive disease characterized by progressive stenosis and negative remodeling of the distal internal carotid artery (ICA). ...We hypothesized that cav-1 (caveolin-1)—a protein that controls the regulation of endothelial vesicular trafficking and signal transduction—is associated with negative remodeling in MMD.
METHODS—We prospectively recruited 77 consecutive patients with MMD diagnosed via conventional angiography. Seventeen patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stroke and no RNF213 mutation served as controls. The outer distal ICA diameters were examined using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. We evaluated whether the degree of negative remodeling in the patients with MMD was associated with RNF213 polymorphism, cav-1 levels, or various clinical and vascular risk factors. We also investigated whether the derived factor was associated with negative remodeling at the cellular level using the tube formation and apoptosis assays.
RESULTS—The serum cav-1 level was lower in the patients with MMD than in the controls (0.47±0.29 versus 0.86±0.68 ng/mL; P=0.034). The mean ICA diameter was 2.48±0.98 mm for the 126 affected distal ICAs in patients with MMD and 3.84±0.42 mm for the asymptomatic ICAs in the controls (P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, cav-1 levels (coefficient, 1.018; P<0.001) were independently associated with the distal ICA diameter in patients with MMD. In vitro analysis showed that cav-1 downregulation suppressed angiogenesis in the endothelial cells and induced apoptosis in the smooth muscle cells.
CONCLUSIONS—Our findings suggest that cav-1 may play a major role in negative arterial remodeling in MMD.
This article proposes a high step-up quasi-resonant converter that minimizes switching loss over a wide range of input voltages. By employing a bidirectional switch and corresponding switching ...modulation, the proposed converter achieves the main switch with almost zero voltage, and therefore incurs very little switching loss at all active switches. Moreover, no instantaneous reactive current flows through the circuit under wide variations of input voltages and loads. The duty cycle of primary-side switches is fixed to 0.5; then, the input and clamp capacitor voltages become identical, and thereby the following resonant capacitor voltages remain in balance. As a consequence, the proposed converter becomes compact and achieves high boost-ratio and high efficiency over a wide range of input voltages. The operating principle of the converter is presented along with its design procedure. 400-W/380-V prototype of the proposed converter has been implemented and tested at 40-60 V to verify its effectiveness.
Mechanical stability of freeze-casted porous alumina can be achieved by the stimulation of densification with control of the grain growth during sintering. To tailor the porous microstructure ...beneficially, in this study TiO2 was added and its segregation effect on the densification and its grain growth behaviors were investigated. As a result, abnormal grain growth was observed with faceted interfaces and explained by grain boundary structure dependent grain growth theory. In terms of densification, a higher bulk density was obtained with the addition of 1.5 wt% TiO2 (41.76 %TD) compared to that without doping (36.02 %TD). The benefit was evident at 1400 °C, whereas the bulk density decreased even with an addition of TiO2 above 1500 °C. This temperature dependence could be understood by a change in the dominant densification mechanism at 1500 °C, solving the puzzle of the enhanced densification only at low temperature.
The effect of the replacement rate of silica fume (SF) on the correlation between the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of cement mortar was experimentally analyzed. Specimens ...were fabricated with different replacement rates of SF, the compressive strength and UPV were measured, and isothermal calorimetry and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests were conducted to analyze the effects of replacement on the hydration kinetics and microstructures on these properties. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis was performed to observe SF particles and microstructure. The substitution of SF changed the cement mortar’s hydration kinetics and microstructures, resulting in different strengths and UPVs depending on the replacement rate. The compressive strength and UPV for cement mortars blended with SF also showed a different exponential relationship depending on the SF replacement rate.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is associated with liver injury and fibrosis, and yet the hepatic factors that regulate ER stress-mediated inflammasome activation remain unknown. Here, we report ...that farnesoid X receptor (FXR) activation inhibits ER stress-induced NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in hepatocytes. In patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatic failure or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and in mice with liver injury, FXR levels in the liver inversely correlated with the extent of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Fxr deficiency in mice augmented the ability of ER stress to induce NLRP3 and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), whereas FXR ligand activation prevented it, ameliorating liver injury. FXR attenuates CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP)-dependent NLRP3 overexpression by inhibiting ER stress-mediated protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) activation. Our findings implicate miR-186 and its target, non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase adaptor protein 1 (NCK1), in mediating the inhibition of ER stress by FXR. This study provides the insights on how FXR regulation of ER stress ameliorates hepatocyte death and liver injury and on the molecular basis of NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
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•FXR inhibits ER stress-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in hepatocytes•FXR attenuates ER stress-induced hepatocyte death and liver injury•FXR inhibits NLRP3 and TXNIP expression through the PERK-CHOP pathway•miR-186 and its potential target, Nck1, are involved in the ER stress inhibition by FXR
Han et al. demonstrate that FXR inhibits ER stress-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in hepatocytes. FXR activation ameliorates ER stress-dependent hepatocyte death and liver injury. These findings provide insight into ER stress-mediated inflammasome activation and liver disease progression.
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