The electrokinetic flow and accompanied electric conduction of a salt‐free solution in the axial direction of a charged circular capillary are analyzed. No assumptions are made about the surface ...charge density (or surface potential) and electrokinetic radius of the capillary, which are interrelated. The Poisson–Boltzmann equation and modified Navier–Stokes equation are solved for the electrostatic potential distribution and fluid velocity profile, respectively. Closed‐form formulas for the electroosmotic mobility and electric conductivity in the capillary are derived in terms of the surface charge density. The relative surface potential, electroosmotic mobility, and electric conductivity are monotonic increasing functions of the surface charge density and electrokinetic radius. However, the rises of the relative surface potential and electroosmotic mobility with an increase in the surface charge density are suppressed substantially when it is high due to the effect of counterion condensation. The analytical prediction that the electroosmotic mobility grows with increases in the surface charge density and electrokinetic radius agrees with the experimental results for salt‐free solutions in circular microchannels in the literature.
The objective of this paper is to review the theories and approaches of multisensor fusion and integration (MFI) with its application in mechatronics. MFI helps the system perceiving changes of the ...environment and monitoring the system itself. Since each individual sensor has its own inherent defects and limitations, MFI merges the redundant information acquired by multiple sensors synergistically to provide a more accurate perception and make an optimal decision in further. The wide application spectrum of MFI in mechatronics includes the industrial automation, the development of intelligent robots, military applications, biomedical applications, etc. In this paper, the architecture and algorithms of MFI are reviewed, and some implementation examples in industrial automation and robotic applications are presented. Furthermore, sensor fusion methods at different levels, namely, estimation methods, classification methods and inference methods, the most frequently used algorithms in previous researches with their advantages and limitations are summarized. Applications of MFI in robotics and mechatronics are discussed. Future perspectives of MFI deployment are included in the concluding remarks.
Researchers have used analytic methods (calculus) to solve inventory models with fixed and linear backorder costs. They have found conditions to partition the feasible domain into two parts. For one ...part, the system of the first partial derivatives has a solution. For the other part, the inventory model degenerates to the inventory model without shortages. A scholar tried to use the algebraic method to solve this kind of model. The scholar mentioned the partition of the feasible domain. However, other researchers cannot understand why the partition appears, even though the scholar provided two motivations for his derivations. After two other researchers provided their derivations by algebraic methods, the scholar showed a generalized solution to combine inventory models with and without shortages together. In this paper, we will point out that this generalized solution approach not only did not provide explanations for his previous partition but also contained twelve questionable results. Recently, an expert indicated questionable findings from two other researchers. Hence, we can claim that solving inventory models with fixed and linear backorder costs is still an open problem for future researchers.
•17 SWAs were investigated for retrieving LST from Sentinel-3 SLSTR data.•9 of 17 SWAs with superior performance were identified via comprehensive evaluations.•All 9 SWAs have better accuracy than ...the official SLSTR LST product in validation.•The 9 identified SWAs provide practical alternatives for retrieving SLSTR LST.
Land surface temperature (LST) is an important indicator of global ecological environment and climate change. The Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) onboard the recently launched Sentinel-3 satellites provides high-quality observations for estimating global LST. The algorithm of the official SLSTR LST product is a split-window algorithm (SWA) that implicitly assumes and utilizes knowledge of land surface emissivity (LSE). The main objective of this study is to investigate alternative SLSTR LST retrieval algorithms with an explicit use of LSE. Seventeen widely accepted SWAs, which explicitly utilize LSE, were selected as candidate algorithms. First, the SWAs were trained using a comprehensive global simulation dataset. Then, using simulation data as well as in-situ LST, the SWAs were evaluated according to their sensitivity and accuracy: eleven algorithms showed good training accuracy and nine of them exhibited low sensitivity to uncertainties in LSE and column water vapor content. Evaluation based on two global simulation datasets and a regional simulation dataset showed that these nine SWAs had similar accuracy with negligible systematic errors and RMSEs lower than 1.0 K. Validation based on in-situ LST obtained for six sites further confirmed the similar accuracies of the SWAs, with the lowest RMSE ranges of 1.57–1.62 K and 0.49−0.61 K for Gobabeb and Lake Constance, respectively. While the best two SWAs usually yielded good accuracy, the official SLSTR LST generally had lower accuracy. The SWAs identified and described in this study may serve as alternative algorithms for retrieving LST products from SLSTR data.
In this paper, automated omnidirectional touch probe (ODTP) including adaptive tuning of the complex contour curve with optimal interpolation and motion planning based on a hybrid multiaxis robot ...(HMAR) with dual drive gantry-type machine (DDGM) are presented. It is called an "omnidirectional" because the 6-degrees of freedom ODTP in tool center point mode can always maintain normal direction towards the object contour curve. The new optimal solutions of the interpolation and motion planning are provided to tackle the small segments issues for a complex curvature object. We present an algorithm to maintain maximum acceleration, so that it generates smooth and efficient three-dimensional reverse object in a higher order complex contour trajectory composed of piecewise small segments. As a result, the constant moving speed is very important to certain applications, such as gluing, welding, and laser cutting, to preserve quality processing. The utilization of object symmetry, extension, and synthesis properties to simplify the process of performing reverse engineering is described. These methods reduce the time required for the touch probe to detect the points. The experimental implementation to demonstrate the success of this paper with video clip are presented.
The inspiral of compact stellar objects into massive black holes are one of the main astrophysical sources for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and Taiji. These extreme-mass-ratio ...inspirals (EMRIs) have great potential for cosmology and fundamental physics. A binary extreme-mass-ratio inspiral (b-EMRI) describes the case where binary black holes (BBHs) are captured by a supermassive black hole. The b-EMRIs serve as multi-band gravitational wave sources and provide insights into the dynamics of nuclei and tests of general relativity. However, if the b-EMRIs can be distinguished from the normal EMRIs or not is still not clear. In this work, with a few of assumptions, and using the Teukolsky equation, we calculate the approximate gravitational waves of b-EMRIs and assess their detectability by space-based detectors. We also decouple the secondary object information from the Teukolsky equation, enabling us to calculate the energy fluxes and generate the waveforms more conveniently. Variations in the quadrupole of the binary result in small but non-negligible changes in energy fluxes and waveforms, making it possible to distinguish b-EMRI signals with data analysis. This opens up the potential of using b-EMRIs to test gravity theories and for further astrophysical studies.
IL-17A is a pleiotropic cytokine and intimately associated with asthma, but its role in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is conflicting in the literature.
Children hospitalized in the ...respiratory department with RSV infection during RSV pandemic season of 2018-2020 were included. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected for pathogen and cytokines determination. In the murine model, RSV intranasal administrations were performed in wild-type and IL-17A-/- mice. Leukocytes and cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lung histopathology, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) were measured. RORγt mRNA and IL-23R mRNA were semi-quantified by qPCR.
IL-17A increased significantly in RSV-infected children and was positively associated with pneumonia severity. In the murine model, IL-17A significantly increased in BALF of mice with RSV infection. Airway inflammation, lung tissue damage and AHR were significantly alleviated in wild-type mice following IL-17A neutralization and in the IL-17A-/- mice. IL-17A decreased by removing CD4
T cells but increased by depleting CD8
T cells. IL-6, IL-21, RORγt mRNA and IL-23R mRNA dramatically increased in parallel with the rise of IL-17A.
IL-17A contributes to the airway dysfunctions induced by RSV in children and murine. CD3
CD4
T cells are its major cellular sources and the IL-6/IL-21-IL-23R-RORγt signaling pathway might participate in its regulation.
In recent years, the development of adjunctive therapeutic hyperthermia for cancer therapy has received considerable attention. However, the mechanisms underlying hyperthermia resistance are still ...poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of cold‑inducible RNA binding protein (Cirbp) in regulating hyperthermia resistance and underlying mechanisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumor sphere formation assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot were employed to examine the effects of hyperthermia (HT), HT + oridonin(Ori) or HT + radiotherapy (RT) on the proliferation and stemness of NPC cells. RNA sequencing was applied to gain differentially expressed genes upon hyperthermia. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were used to evaluate the effects of RNAi-mediated Cirbp silencing or Cirbp overexpression on the sensitivity or resistance of NPC cells and cancer stem-like cells to hyperthermia by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumorsphere formation assay and apoptosis assay, and in subcutaneous xenograft animal model. miRNA transient transfection and luciferase reporter assay were used to demonstrate that Cirbp is a direct target of miR-377-3p. The phosphorylation levels of key members in ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways were detected by Western blot.
Our results firstly revealed that hyperthermia significantly attenuated the stemness of NPC cells, while combination treatment of hyperthermia and oridonin dramatically increased the killing effect on NPC cells and cancer stem cell (CSC)‑like population. Moreover, hyperthermia substantially improved the sensitivity of radiation‑resistant NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to radiotherapy. Hyperthermia noticeably suppressed Cirbp expression in NPC cells and xenograft tumor tissues. Furthermore, Cirbp inhibition remarkably boosted anti‑tumor‑killing activity of hyperthermia against NPC cells and CSC‑like cells, whereas ectopic expression of Cirbp compromised tumor‑killing effect of hyperthermia on these cells, indicating that Cirbp overexpression induces hyperthermia resistance. ThermomiR-377-3p improved the sensitivity of NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to hyperthermia in vitro by directly suppressing Cirbp expression. More importantly, our results displayed the significantly boosted sensitization of tumor xenografts to hyperthermia by Cirbp silencing in vivo, but ectopic expression of Cirbp almost completely counteracted hyperthermia-mediated tumor cell-killing effect against tumor xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, Cirbp silencing-induced inhibition of DNA damage repair by inactivating ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways, decrease in stemness and increase in cell death contributed to hyperthermic sensitization; conversely, Cirbp overexpression-induced promotion of DNA damage repair, increase in stemness and decrease in cell apoptosis contributed to hyperthermia resistance.
Taken together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for Cirbp in positively regulating hyperthermia resistance and suggest that thermomiR-377-3p and its target gene Cirbp represent promising targets for therapeutic hyperthermia.
Objective
Autonomic neuropathy is a major component of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) due to mutated transthyretin, with sudomotor failure as a common manifestation. This study aimed to ...investigate the pathology and clinical significance of sudomotor denervation.
Methods
Skin biopsies were performed on the distal leg of FAP patients with a follow‐up duration of 3.8 ± 1.6 years. Sudomotor innervation was stained with 2 markers: protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), a general neuronal marker, and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a sudomotor nerve functional marker, followed by quantitation according to sweat gland innervation index (SGII) for PGP 9.5 (SGIIPGP 9.5) and VIP (SGIIVIP).
Results
There were 28 patients (25 men) with Ala97Ser transthyretin and late onset (59.9 ± 6.0 years) disabling neuropathy. Autonomic symptoms were present in 22 patients (78.6%) at the time of skin biopsy. The SGIIPGP 9.5 and SGIIVIP of FAP patients were significantly lower than those of age‐ and gender‐matched controls. The reduction of SGIIVIP was more severe than that of SGIIPGP 9.5 (p = 0.002). Patients with orthostatic hypotension or absent sympathetic skin response at palms were associated with lower SGIIPGP 9.5 (p = 0.019 and 0.002, respectively). SGIIPGP 9.5 was negatively correlated with the disability grade at the time of skin biopsy (p = 0.004), and was positively correlated with the interval from the time of skin biopsy to the time of wheelchair usage (p = 0.029).
Interpretation
This study documented the pathological evidence of sudomotor denervation in FAP. SGIIPGP 9.5 was functionally correlated with autonomic symptoms, autonomic tests, ambulation status, and progression of disability. Ann Neurol 2015;78:272℃283
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common causes of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). However, only limited information is available regarding its seasonality and its ...relationship with birth month. A retrospective hospital‐based study was carried out from June 2009 to May 2019 in Chongqing, southwest of China. LRTI cases under 5 years were enrolled in this study and PCR was used to detect 8 respiratory viruses. RSV seasonality was determined using “average annual percentage” (AAP) and “percent positivity” method. A total of 6991 cases were enrolled in this study, with an RSV positivity of 34.5%. From June 2009 to May 2019, we analyzed RSV epidemic season during 10 RSV epidemic years in Chongqing using two methods. The result of AAP method was similar to that of percent positivity method with a 30% threshold, which showed an epidemic season of roughly October to March in the subsequent year, with a small peak in June. On average, the RSV epidemic season in RSV‐A dominant years typically started earlier (week 42 for RSV‐A vs. week 46 for RSV‐B), ended earlier (week 12 for RSV‐A vs. week 14 for RSV‐B), lasted longer (24 weeks for RSV‐A vs. 22 weeks for RSV‐B), and reached its peak earlier (week 2 for RSV‐A vs. week 3 for RSV‐B) than in RSV‐B dominant years. The proportion of severe LRTI was higher in cases of single infection with RSV‐A compared to those of single infection with RSV‐B (26.3% vs. 22.3%, p = 0.024). Among infants under 1 year, those born in May and August through December were more likely to be infected with RSV. Infants born 1–2 months before the epidemic season were relatively more susceptible to RSV infection. In Chongqing, the RSV epidemic was seasonal and usually lasted from October to March of next year with a small peak in summer. Infants born 1–2 months before the epidemic season were relatively more susceptible to RSV infection and this population should be targeted while developing RSV immunization strategies.
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