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.
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.
Background
Perhaps partly because intussusception in adults is rare, optimal treatment remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the appropriate surgical procedure for adult ...intussusception.
Methods
A systematic search was undertaken using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from 1/1980 to 12/2016. Adults (> 15 years) with intussusception treated by surgical or conservative measures were included.
Results
One thousand two hundred twenty-nine patients were identified from 40 retrospective case series. Pooled rates of malignant and benign tumors and idiopathic etiologies were 32.9% (95% CI 28.6–37.4), 37.4% (95% CI 32.7–42.3), and 15.1% (95% CI 11.7–19.3), respectively. Pooled rates of enteric, ileocolic, and colonic location types were 49.5% (95% CI 41.8–57.2), 29.1% (95% CI 23.0–36.1), and 19.9% (95% CI 16.3–24.1), respectively. Pooled rates of malignant tumors in enteric, ileocolic, and colonic intussusception were 22.5% (95% CI 18.3–27.3), 36.9% (95% CI 27.3–47.6), and 46.5% (31.1–62.6), respectively. Metastatic carcinoma was the main cause of malignant tumor in enteric intussusception. Conversely, primary adenocarcinoma was the main cause of malignant tumor in ileocolic and colonic intussusception. Considering the high rate of malignancy of colonic intussusception the majority of the studies surveyed recommend en bloc resection without reduction to avoid potential intraluminal seeding or venous tumor dissemination. Pooled rates of postoperative complications and mortality were 22.1% (95% CI 17.5–27.5) and 5.2% (95% CI 3.7–7.4), respectively.
Conclusion
Whereas enteric intussusception can be managed by reduction followed by resection, colonic intussusception should be resected en bloc. Due to the intermediate forms between enteric and colonic intussusception, a selective approach is recommended. Surgery remains the mainstay in adult intussusception.
The current development of microfluidics-based microphysiological systems (MPSs) will rapidly lead to a paradigm shift from traditional static 2-dimensional cell cultivation towards organized tissue ...culture within a dynamic cellular milieu. Especially organs-on-a-chip (OoCs) can very precisely re-create the mechanical and unique anatomical structures of the oral environment. This review provides an introduction to such technology, from commonly used chip materials and fabrication methods to the application of OoC in in vitro culture. OoCs are advantageous because of their small-scaled culture environment, the highly controlled dynamic experimental conditions, and the likeness to the in vivo structure. We specifically focus on current chip designs in dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) research. Also, future perspectives are discussed, like model standardization and the development of integrated platforms with advanced read-out functionality. By doing so, it will be possible for OoCs to serve as an alternative for animal testing and to develop highly predictive human models for clinical experiments and even personalized medicine.
Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are superior than rodents to be animal models for the study of human diseases, due to their similarities in terms of genetics, physiology, developmental biology, social ...behaviour and cognition. Transgenic animals have become a key tool in functional genomics to generate models for human diseases and validate new drugs. However, until now, progress in the field of transgenic NHPs has been slow because of technological limitations. Many human diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, are caused by mutations in endogenous genes. Fortunately, recent developments in precision gene editing have led to the generation of NHP models for human diseases. Since 2014, there have been several reports of the generation of monkey models using transcription activator‐like endonucleases (TALENs) or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9); some of these NHP models showed symptoms that were much closer to those of human diseases than have been seen previously in mouse models. No off‐targeting was observed in the NHP models, and multiple gene knockout and biallelic mutants were feasible with low efficiency. These findings suggest that there are many possibilities to establish NHP models for human diseases that can mimic human diseases more faithfully than rodent models.
Content List – Read more articles from the symposium: Human models and technology for regenerative medicine.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have critical roles in regulating cancer cell survival, proliferation and sensitivity to chemotherapy. The potential application of using miRNAs to predict chemotherapeutic ...response to cancer treatment is highly promising. However, the underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy response control by miRNAs remain to be fully identified and their prognostic value has not been fully evaluated. Here we show a strong correlation between miR-205 expression and chemosensitivtiy to TAC (docetaxol, doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide), a widely-used neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regimen, for breast cancer patients. High level of miR-205 predicted better response to TAC regimen NAC in breast cancer patients. We found miR-205 downregulated in both MCF-7/A02 and CALDOX cells, two drug-resistant derivatives of MCF-7 and Cal51 cells, and its ectopic expression led to an increase in apoptosis resensitization of both drug-resistant cell lines to doxorubicin and taxol. We further show that miR-205 directly binds VEGFA and FGF2 mRNA 3'-UTRs and confirm that miR-205 levels are negatively correlated with VEGFA and FGF2 mRNA expression in breast cancer patients. Adding VEGFA and FGF2 exogenously to chemosensitive breast cancer cells and chemoresistant cells with miR-205 overexpression led to drug resistance. Consistently, low VEGFA and FGF2 expression correlated with better response to NAC in breast cancer patients. In addition, inhibition of tumor growth and resensitization to doxorubicin were also observed in mouse tumor xenografts from cells overexpressing miR-205. Taken together, our data suggest that miR-205 enhances chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells to TAC chemotherapy by suppressing both VEGFA and FGF2, leading to evasion of apoptosis. MiR-205 may serve as a predictive biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer treatment.
It has recently been reported that ceramics can be sintered in a few seconds with the aid of an electric field (“flash sintering”). This investigation tests the possibility that the accelerated ...sintering is a consequence of the rapid heating rate involved rather than a direct effect of the electric field on mass transport. The sintering of 3YSZ powder compacts at a temperature of ∼1300°C was compared (i) in flash sintering, (ii) with rapid heating rates produced without the application of an electric field, and (iii) with conventional heating rates. The results show that rapid heating can accelerate sintering by over 2 orders of magnitude compared with heating to the same temperature at conventional rates, even without the application of an electric field. It is concluded that the rapid densification in flash sintering of 3YSZ is at least partly a consequence of the rapid heating involved. Possible explanations are discussed.
Aim
Intussusception in adults is rare and requires surgery in most cases. While abdominal laparoscopic surgery (LS) is becoming more popular, there are few reports on the outcomes of adult ...intussusception treated with LS. This study compared the feasibility of LS vs open surgery (OS) for adult intussusception.
Method
We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of adult patients with intussusception from three tertiary hospitals between 2000 and 2016. The patients were divided into LS and OS groups, and their surgical outcomes were compared.
Results
Surgery was indicated in 71 patients with intussusception (41 LS and 30 OS). The median age of the patients was 49.0 and 51.5 years in the LS and OS groups, respectively (P = 0.930). Overall, nine (12.7%) patients had a negative laparotomy or laparoscopy with spontaneous reduction of the intussusception. Conversion to OS from LS was necessary in one patient (2.4%). The operative time and intra‐operative and postoperative complication rates were not significantly different. However, there were more serious complications such as bowel perforation and major vessel injury in the LS group. The patients in the LS group had a shorter time to first food intake and hospital stay vs patients in the OS group (4.0 vs 6.0 days, P < 0.001, and 7.0 vs 10.5 days, P < 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion
LS may be feasible for adult intussusception; there may be more severe intra‐operative complications than in OS.
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