Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment, and there are currently no broadly effective therapies. The underlying pathogenesis is ...complex, but a growing body of evidence implicates mitochondrial dysfunction as a common pathomechanism involved in many of the hallmark features of the AD brain, such as formation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregates (amyloid plaques), neurofibrillary tangles, cholinergic system dysfunction, impaired synaptic transmission and plasticity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, that lead to neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction. Indeed, mitochondrial dysfunction concomitant with progressive accumulation of mitochondrial Aβ is an early event in AD pathogenesis. Healthy mitochondria are critical for providing sufficient energy to maintain endogenous neuroprotective and reparative mechanisms, while disturbances in mitochondrial function, motility, fission, and fusion lead to neuronal malfunction and degeneration associated with excess free radical production and reduced intracellular calcium buffering. In addition, mitochondrial dysfunction can contribute to amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) expression and misprocessing to produce pathogenic fragments (e.g., Aβ1-40). Given this background, we present an overview of the importance of mitochondria for maintenance of neuronal function and how mitochondrial dysfunction acts as a driver of cognitive impairment in AD. Additionally, we provide a brief summary of possible treatments targeting mitochondrial dysfunction as therapeutic approaches for AD.
To evaluate the efficacy of low-level light therapy (LLLT) with near-infrared light-emitting diodes (LED-LLLT) for the treatment of dry eye. 40 patients were randomly assigned with a 1:1 allocation ...ratio to receive LED-LLLT (LLLT group, n = 20) or placebo treatment (placebo group, n = 20). Patients in the LLLT group received LLLT twice a week for 3 weeks, for a total of 6 treatment sessions. The primary endpoint was the changes in the fluorescein corneal staining (FCS) score. The secondary endpoints were the changes in the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, lissamine green conjunctival staining (LGCS) scores, tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, and the meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) index. These were evaluated before treatment and 4 weeks after start of treatment. The mean difference of score change in primary endpoint revealed significant improvement in the LLLT group, compared to the placebo. Among secondary endpoints, LGCS, Schirmer's test, upper meibography scores showed significant improvements, while TBUT, lid debris, lid swelling, lid telangiectasia, meibomian gland secretion and expressibility scores had slight improvement without significant differences. No serious adverse events were observed. The use of LED-LLLT for the treatment of dry eye and MGD appears to be safe and beneficial.
Recently, in various fields, research into the path tracking of autonomous vehicles and automated guided vehicles has been conducted to improve worker safety, convenience, and work efficiency. For ...path tracking of various systems applied to autonomous driving technology, it is necessary to recognize the surrounding environment, determine technology accordingly, and develop control methods. Various sensors and artificial-intelligence-based perception methods have limitations in that they must learn a large amount of data. Therefore, a particle-filter-based path tracking algorithm using a monocular camera was used for the recognition of target RGB. The path tracking errors were calculated and a linear-quadratic-regulator-based desired steering angle were derived. The autonomous trucks were steered and driven using a pulse-width-modulation-based steering and driving motor. Based on an autonomous truck with a single steering and driving module, it was verified that the path tracking could be used in three evaluation scenarios. To compare the LQR-based path tracking control performance proposed in this paper, an elliptical path tracking scenario using a conventional sliding mode control with robust control performance was performed. The results show that the RMS of the lateral preview error of the SMC was approximately 18% larger than that of the LQR-based method.
Two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has emerged as a promising material for optoelectronic applications because of its superior electrical and optical properties. However, the difficulty in ...synthesizing large-scale MoS2 films has been recognized as a bottleneck in uniform and reproducible device fabrication and performance. Here, we proposed a radio-frequency magnetron sputter system, and post-treatments of electron beam irradiation and sulfurization to obtain large-scale continuous and high-quality multilayer MoS2 films. Large-area uniformity was confirmed by no deviation of electrical performance in fabricated MoS2 thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an average on/off ratio of 103 and a transconductance of 0.67 nS. Especially, the photoresponsivity of our MoS2 TFT reached 3.7 A W–1, which is a dramatic improvement over that of a previously reported multilayer MoS2 TFT (0.1 A W–1) because of the photogating effect induced by the formation of trap states in the band gap. Finally, we organized a 4 × 4 MoS2 phototransistor array with high photosensitivity, linearity, and uniformity for light detection, which demonstrates the great potential of 2D MoS2 for future-oriented optoelectronic devices.
Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films were patterned by a soft lithography technique using a nanopatterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold to generate one-dimensional (1D) grating and two-dimensional ...(2D) crossed line pillar patterns. The redox currents (i p) were significantly increased due to the facilitated diffusion of ClO4 − counterions associated with redox processes at the P3HT electrode as analyzing cyclic voltammetry (CV) was performed at different scan rates (ν). It was found that the diffusion coefficient (D f, cm2 s−1) for ion diffusion in the patterned electrode was much larger than that of the pristine P3HT electrode. Furthermore, the value of D f in the 2D electrode was three times higher than that in a pristine film. As a result of such facilitated charge transport, the electrochromic (EC) properties of the patterned P3HT electrode were greatly enhanced and dependent on the dimension of the pattern. Thus, the electrochromic efficiency (E e), including the coloration (E c) and bleaching efficiencies (E b), was higher as the dimension of the pattern was increased; E e was maximized in the 2D patterned P3HT film. In a patterned cell, electrochromic diffraction was reversibly observed with a switching efficiency (R DE) of 2 and 2.5 for the 1D and 2D patterned cells, respectively.
The increasing complexity of mathematical models developed as part of the recent advancements in autonomous mobility platforms has led to an escalation in uncertainty. Despite the intricate nature of ...such models, the detection, decision, and control methods for autonomous mobility path tracking remain critical. This study aims to achieve path tracking based on pixel-based control errors without parameters in the mathematical model. The proposed approach entails deriving control errors from a multi-particle filter based on a camera, estimating the error dynamics coefficients through a recursive least squares (RLS) approach, and using the sliding mode approach and weighted injection to formulate a cost function that leverages the estimated coefficients and control errors. The resultant adaptive steering control expedites the convergence of control errors towards zero by determining the magnitude of the injection variable based on the control errors and the finite-time convergence condition. The efficacy of the proposed approach is evaluated through an S-curved and elliptical path using autonomous mobility equipped with a single steering and driving module. The results demonstrate the capability of the approach to reasonably track target paths through driving and steering control facilitated by a multi-particle filter and a lidar-based obstacle detection system.
Meibomian glands exist beneath the palpebral conjunctiva; thus, it is invisible to the naked eye without infrared imaging. This study used meibography to group patients with meibomian gland ...dysfunction (MGD) and assessed the effects of hyperthermic massage and mechanical squeezing in both groups.
Patients with MGD were divided into two groups, according to the degree of meibomian gland loss: group 1, in which the sum of eyelid scores ranged from 0 to 4 (mild to moderate gland loss) and group 2, in which the sum of eyelid scores ranged from 5 to 6 (severe gland loss). Hyperthermic massage and mechanical squeezing were given to both groups once a week for 4 weeks, and only non-preservative artificial tears were allowed. Ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Schirmer's test, meibography score, tear break-up time (TBUT), ocular surface staining, expressible meibomian gland, and quality before and after treatment were compared.
Of the 49 patients who completed the 4 weeks of treatment and the evaluation at week 5, 29 were assigned to group 1 and 20 were assigned to group 2. Meibography scores, OSDI, TBUT, and expressibility of meibum had significant differences before and after treatments in both groups. However, there was no significant difference between the changes in clinical signs between group 1 and 2 after treatment. Without grouping, all patients showed significant decreases in meibography score, OSDI, cornea staining score, and increases in TBUT and expressibility of meibum after treatment.
Considering the results of the current study, hyperthermic massage and mechanical squeezing may be effective in patients with meibomian gland loss, regardless of the degree of severity.
This paper proposes a hexagon voltage manipulating control (HVMC) method for ac motor drives operating at voltage limit. The command output voltage can be determined simply by the torque command and ...the hexagon voltage boundary in the absence of motor current-regulating proportional-integral (PI) control gains, additional flux weakening (FW) controllers, and observers for closed-loop control. These attributes reduce the time and effort needed for calibration of the controller in the nonlinear voltage-limited region. The proposed HVMC accomplishes the "true" maximum available voltage utilization, allowing for higher efficiency than that of the current vector controller (CVC) alone in the FW domain. In addition, a voltage selection rule was proposed to determine the unique HVMC solution between two possible voltage vectors. The successful application of the control approach was corroborated by a graphical and analytical analysis. The proposed control approach is potentially applicable to a wide range of control designs for ac drives.
This study focuses on the identification of the natural frequencies of structures through the analysis of the speckle pattern that a laser creates and a camera records. The laser pointer spreads its ...light over a target area on the structure and creates the speckle pattern. The ambient vibrations affect the pattern and a camera records the changes. The stream of images is fed into a graphics processing unit (GPU). The developed parallel code includes different algorithms: the speckle contrast image (SCI), the speckle flow imaging (SFI), and an innovative application of k‐means clustering that uses the geometrical centroid of each cluster as virtual sensors. The tracking of the centroid in time domain through the images creates a vibration signal. The signals from different clusters are processed together to extract the natural frequencies of the structure. This study applies the proposed method to different sample structures both in laboratory and in the field to demonstrate how the obtained signals are reliable and easy to handle. The GPU technology enhances the performance of the entire method and allows the achievement of real‐time processing. All these features create an inexpensive, portable, and efficient tool to inspect any structure or its components.
This paper proposes a voltage-limited finite-settling-step direct torque and flux control (FSS-DTFC) method with a constant switching frequency for torque-controlled interior permanent-magnet ...synchronous motors (IPMSMs). The proposed control law dynamically scales the voltage vectors on the hexagonal voltage boundary to ensure the maximum torque capabilities under the given operating conditions while simultaneously regulating the stator flux linkage magnitude under flux-weakening operation. Instead of relying on classical overmodulation methods at voltage limits, this paper developed two independent voltage truncation rules to facilitate the possible voltage vector choices. The analytical solution led to the dynamic voltage modification at each time step with respect to the available inverter voltage. The voltage-limited FSS-DTFC approach has potential advantages in achieving a fast transient torque trajectory and direct manipulation of the stator flux linkage while exploiting the maximum voltage excitation.
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