Tire-road friction coefficient is an important parameter for vehicle stability and active safety systems. However, precise measurement of tire-road friction coefficient is hard to achieve without ...expensive equipment. Considering easy availability and good economy, this paper proposes a method which first combines auxiliary particle filter and the iterated extended kalman filter (APF-IEKF), and then processes the results of the first step using iteration algorithm. APF-IEKF is used to estimate the slip angle of the front tires with strong nonlinearity and non-Gaussian noise, in which APF filters non-Gaussian noise and reach a preliminary estimation of sideslip angle, then IEKF is used to optimize the result, making the estimation of the sideslip angle more accurate. The iteration algorithm is used to estimate the tire-road friction coefficient based on self-aligning torque, which is more sensitive to tire slip angle and provides faster estimation. In this way, this method can estimate tire road friction coefficient more accurately and in real time. Both numerical simulation in Carsim/Simulink and actual off-vehicle tests in winter are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
•A method that combines APF-IEKF and iteration algorithm is proposed for tire-road friction coefficient.•Tire slip angle estimated by APF-IEKF is much more accurate than common UKF because it is fit for non-Gaussian noise.•Tire-road friction coefficient estimate by proposed method is also much more accurate.
Background
Diet and exercise during pregnancy have been used to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with some success.
Objective
To examine the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention on GDM ...prevention and to identify key effectiveness moderators to improve the prevention strategy.
Search strategy
Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and cross‐references were searched.
Selection criteria
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating lifestyle interventions during pregnancy for GDM prevention.
Data collection and analysis
Two independent reviewers extracted data. A random‐effects model was used to analyse the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Meta‐regressions and subgroup analyses were used to investigate important moderators of effectiveness.
Main results
Forty‐seven RCTs involving 15 745 participants showed that diet and exercise during pregnancy were preventive of GDM (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69–0.87). Four key aspects were identified to improve the preventive effect: targeting the high‐risk population; an early initiation of the intervention; the correct intensity and frequency of exercise; and gestational weight gain management. Although 24 RCTs targeted women who were overweight or obese, body mass index (BMI) failed to predict the effectiveness of an intervention. Instead, interventions are most effective in high‐incidence populations rather than simply in women who are overweight or obese. Furthermore, exercise of moderate intensity for 50–60 minutes twice a week could lead to an approximately 24% reduction in GDM.
Conclusion
The best strategy to prevent GDM is to target the high‐risk population predicted by risk evaluation models and to control the gestational weight gain of women through intensified diet and exercise modifications early in their pregnancy.
Tweetable
Four key effectiveness moderators of lifestyle interventions for GDM prevention.
Tweetable
Four key effectiveness moderators of lifestyle interventions for GDM prevention.
Coal fly ash, an industrial by-product, is derived from coal combustion in thermal power plants. It is one of the most complex anthropogenic materials, and its improper disposal has become an ...environmental concern and resulted in a waste of recoverable resources. There is a pressing and ongoing need to develop new recycling methods for coal fly ash. The present review first describes the generation, physicochemical properties and hazards of coal fly ash at the global level, and then focuses on its current and potential applications, including use in the soil amelioration, construction industry, ceramic industry, catalysis, depth separation, zeolite synthesis, etc. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of these applications, the mode of fly ash utilization worldwide and directions for future research are considered.
The role of autotransplantation in end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is unclear. We aimed to present our 15-case experience and propose selection criteria for autotransplantation. All ...patients were considered to have unresectable hepatic AE by conventional resection due to critical invasion to retrohepatic vena cava, hepatocaval region along with three hepatic veins, and the tertiary portal and arterial branches. All patients successfully underwent ex vivo extended right hepatectomy and autotransplantation without intraoperative mortality. The median autograft weight was 706 g (380–1000 g); operative time was 15.5 hours (11.5–20.5 hours); and anhepatic time was 283.8 minutes (180–435 min). Postoperative hospital stay was 32.3 days (12–60 days). Postoperative complication Clavien–Dindo grade IIIa or higher occurred in three patients including one death that occurred 12 days after the surgery due to acute liver failure. One patient was lost to follow-up after the sixth month. Thirteen patients were followed for a median of 21.6 months with no relapse. This is the largest reported series of patients with end-stage hepatic AE treated with liver autotransplantation. The technique requires neither organ donor nor postoperative immunosuppressant. The early postoperative mortality was low with acceptable morbidity. Preoperative precise assessment and strict patient selection are of utmost importance.
Tuning the metal insulator transition (MIT) behavior of VO2 film through the interfacial strain is effective for practical applications. However, the mechanism for strain-modulated MIT is still under ...debate. Here we directly record the strain dynamics of ultrathin VO2 film on TiO2 substrate and reveal the intrinsic modulation process by means of synchrotron radiation and first-principles calculations. It is observed that the MIT process of the obtained VO2 films can be modulated continuously via the interfacial strain. The relationship between the phase transition temperature and the strain evolution is established from the initial film growth. From the interfacial strain dynamics and theoretical calculations, we claim that the electronic orbital occupancy is strongly affected by the interfacial strain, which changes also the electron–electron correlation and controls the phase transition temperature. These findings open the possibility of an active tuning of phase transition for the thin VO2 film through the interfacial lattice engineering.
The SWI SNF (mating type
SWIt
ch Sucrose NonFermentable) chromatin remodeling complexes interact with histones and transcription factors to modulate chromatin structure and control gene expression. ...These evolutionarily conserved multisubunit protein complexes are involved in regulating many biological functions, such as differentiation and cell proliferation. Genomic studies have revealed frequent mutations of genes encoding multiple subunits of the SWI SNF complexes in a wide spectrum of cancer types, including gynecologic cancers. These SWI SNF mutations occur at different stages of tumor development and are restricted to unique histologic types of gynecologic cancers. Thus, SWI SNF mutations have to function in the appropriate tissue and cell context to promote gynecologic cancer initiation and progression. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of SWI SNF mutations in the development of gynecologic cancers to provide insights into both molecular pathogenesis and possible treatment implications for these diseases.
A
bstract
We analyzed the evolution data of the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in terms of short-baseline active-sterile neutrino oscillations taking into account the theoretical uncertainties ...of the reactor antineutrino fluxes. We found that oscillations are disfavored at 2.6
σ
with respect to a suppression of the
235
U reactor antineutrino flux and at 2.5
σ
with respect to variations of the
235
U and
239
Pu fluxes. On the other hand, the analysis of the rates of the short-baseline reactor neutrino experiments favor active-sterile neutrino oscillations and disfavor the suppression of the
235
U flux at 3.1
σ
and variations of the
235
U and
239
Pu fluxes at 2.8
σ
. We also found that both the Daya Bay evolution data and the global rate data are well-fitted with composite hypotheses including variations of the
235
U or
239
Pu fluxes in addition to active-sterile neutrino oscillations. A combined analysis of the Daya Bay evolution data and the global rate data shows a slight preference for oscillations with respect to variations of the
235
U and
239
Pu fluxes. However, the best fits of the combined data are given by the composite models, with a preference for the model with an enhancement of the
239
Pu flux and relatively large oscillations.
We have developed a general two-step synthesis of large-scale arrays of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured Co3O4 directly on various substrates. Throughout a controllable hydrothermal process using ...urea as mineralizer and hereafter with a postcalcination process under air atmosphere, Co3O4 1D nanostructure arrays have been grown firmly on insulating substrates, such as glass slides and ceramics, which is quite convenient for the construction of gas sensor devices without any extra electrode preparation process. Furthermore, this direct-growth approach can be readily extended to conductive substrates (ITO, Ti, Fe−Co−Ni alloy), and meanwhile due to the robust mechanical adhesion and one-dimensional carrier transportation architecture firmly contacted to the metal, the metal substrate-supported Co3O4 arrays could act as a promising electrode material and be straightforwardly integrated into electronic and electrochemical nanodevices.
Background
Sleep disturbances in adolescents have received significant attention because of their high prevalence and the negative health outcomes. Relative to objective measures, subjective sleep ...instruments have been the most practical tools used to identify sleep problems and assess responses to interventions in research and clinical settings. This systematic review aims to examine the psychometric properties of subjective measures that are used to assess sleep quality and disturbances among adolescents, identify the strength and limitation of each measurement and inform recommendations for practice.
Methods
PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo were searched from 2000 through May 2016. The reference lists of important articles were included if they met the inclusion criteria. The available measures were evaluated and classified as positive, intermediate or poor according to the quality criteria for health status questionnaires.
Results
Thirteen self‐reported or parent‐reported sleep measures met the inclusion criteria. Of the measurements reviewed, six were generic instruments assessing overall sleep quality and disturbances; five were dimension‐specific instruments measuring daytime sleepiness, sleep insufficiency and sleep hygiene; and two were condition‐specific instruments for insomnia. None of the subjective sleep measures for adolescents has a psychometric profile with all essential measurement properties. Specifically, the generic sleep measurements capture multiple dimensions but face issues of participant burden and compatibility. Among the domain‐specific tools, the Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire and the Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire have achieved good psychometric merits but need further evaluation for responsiveness. Likewise, essential measurement properties of condition‐specific tools for insomnia have yet to be established.
Conclusions
Because of the limited evidence, no definite recommendations can be made at this point. However, each available measurement has its own uniqueness and strength despite the limitations. Future research on measurement development and evaluation for adolescent sleep is needed to ensure the relevance and suitability to different stages of adolescence and social contexts.
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