Torque Split Strategy for Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles with an Integrated Starter Generator

This paper presents a torque split strategy for parallel hybrid electric vehicles with an integrated starter generator (ISG-PHEV) by using fuzzy logic control. By combining the efficiency map and the optimum torque curve of the internal combustion engine (ICE) with the state of charge (SOC) of the batteries, the torque split strategy is designed, which manages the ICE within its peak efficiency region. Taking the quantified ICE torque, the quantified SOC of the batteries, and the quantified ICE speed as inputs, and regarding the output torque demanded on the ICE as an output, a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) with relevant fuzzy rules has been developed to determine the optimal torque distribution among the ICE, the ISG, and the electric motor/generator (EMG) effectively. The simulation results reveal that, compared with the conventional torque control strategy which uses rule-based controller (RBC) in different driving cycles, the proposed FLC improves the fuel economy of the ISG-PHEV, increases the efficiency of the ICE, and maintains batteries SOC within its operation range more availably

Design and Validation of Real-Time Optimal Control with ECMS to Minimize Energy Consumption for Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles

A real-time optimal control of parallel hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is presented in this paper, whose purpose is to achieve the total equivalent fuel consumption minimization and to maintain the battery state of charge (SOC) within its operation range at all times simultaneously. Vehicle and assembly models of PHEVs are established, which provide the foundation for the following calculations. The ECMS is described in detail, in which an instantaneous cost function including the fuel energy and the electrical energy is proposed, whose emphasis is the computation of the equivalent factor. The real-time optimal control strategy is designed through regarding the minimum of the total equivalent fuel consumption as the control objective and the torque split factor as the control variable. The validation of the control strategy proposed is demonstrated both in the MATLAB/Simulink/Advisor environment and under actual transportation conditions by comparing the fuel economy, the charge sustainability, and parts performance with other three control strategies under different driving cycles including standard, actual, and real-time road conditions. Through numerical simulations and real vehicle tests, the accuracy of the approach used for the evaluation of the equivalent factor is confirmed, and the potential of the proposed control strategy in terms of fuel economy and keeping the deviations of SOC at a low level is illustrated

Strength characteristics of the sliding zone soil of bedding deep cutting slopes and early warning analysis of the reserved thickness of the base

Objective Bedding deep cutting slopes containing weak interlayers are commonly found in slope engineering, whose stability is influenced by two key factors: The strength of the sliding zone soil and the reserved thickness of the base (the distance from the base of an excavated slope to the weak interlayer). Methods In this research, taking the K42 cutting slope of the Yang-Xuan Expressway as an example, the evolution process of slope deformation was analyzed, especially the characteristics of basal heave deformation. The properties of the deep sliding zone soil in the slope were revealed by ring shear tests, which are suitable for studying the shear strength of soil that has experienced large shear displacements. Moreover, the residual strength parameters of the saturated sliding zone soil were applied to analyze the reserved thickness of the base. Results The results show that sliding zone soils exhibit obvious strain softening characteristics, which become more evident as the normal stress decreases. As the soil shear strength transitions from peak strength to residual strength, both the cohesion force and internal friction angle decrease, with the cohesion force decreasing to a greater extent than the internal friction angle. The residual cohesion force of sliding zone soil varies slightly with the shear rate, while the relationship between the residual internal friction angle and shear rate varies as a logarithmic function. When the shear rate is less than 2 mm/min, the residual shear strength parameter of sliding zone soil is more sensitive to the shear rate and vice versa. Conclusion Furthermore, according to the regression equations of the critical states of slope stability, the reserved thickness of the base under different slope rates was divided into four zones: A (extremely unstable zone), B (unstable zone), C (basically stable zone) and D (stable zone), and based on this, the criterion and early warning model of the reserved thickness of the base for slope excavation were established

Generation of a human iPSC line CIPi004-A from a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 and epilepsy harboring a heterozygous mutation in NF1 gene

The NF1 gene is related to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which is an autosomal dominant disorder associated with multisystem involvement and epilepsy susceptibility. A human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line was derived from a pediatric patient with NF1 and epilepsy, harboring a heterozygous NF1 gene mutation. The iPSC line exhibits high levels of pluripotency markers, maintains the NF1 gene mutation, and demonstrates the capacity to undergo differentiation potential in vitro into three germ layers. The iPSC line will serve as a valuable resource for investigating the underlying mechanisms and conducting drug screening related to NF1 and NF1-associated epilepsy

Genome-Wide <i>cis</i>-Regulatory Element Based Discovery of Auxin-Responsive Genes in Higher Plant

Auxin has a profound impact on plant physiology and participates in almost all aspects of plant development processes. Auxin exerts profound pleiotropic effects on plant growth and differentiation by regulating the auxin response genes’ expressions. The classical auxin reaction is usually mediated by auxin response factors (ARFs), which bind to the auxin response element (AuxRE) in the promoter region of the target gene. Experiments have generated only a limited number of plant genes with well-characterized functions. It is still unknown how many genes respond to exogenous auxin treatment. An economical and effective method was proposed for the genome-wide discovery of genes responsive to auxin in a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana). Our method relies on cis-regulatory-element-based targeted gene finding across different promoters in a genome. We first exploit and analyze auxin-specific cis-regulatory elements for the transcription of the target genes, and then identify putative auxin responsive genes whose promoters contain the elements in the collection of over 25,800 promoters in the A. thaliana genome. Evaluating our result by comparing with a published database and the literature, we found that this method has an accuracy rate of 65.2% (309/474) for predicting candidate genes responsive to auxin. Chromosome distribution and annotation of the putative auxin-responsive genes predicted here were also mined. The results can markedly decrease the number of identified but merely potential auxin target genes and also provide useful clues for improving the annotation of gene that lack functional information

Preparation and Characterization of Prickly Ash Peel Oleoresin Microcapsules and Flavor Retention Analysis

Prickly ash peel oleoresin (PPO) is a highly concentrated oil of Prickly ash essential oil and has a stronger aroma. However, its low water solubility, high volatility, difficulty in transport and storage, and decomposition by light, heat, and oxygen limit its wider application. To solve this problem, this study used freeze-drying or spray-drying, with soybean protein isolate (SPI) or gum Arabic (GA), combined with aqueous maltodextrin (MD) as the encapsulating agents to prepare four types of PPO microcapsules (POMs). Spray-dried microcapsules with GA as the encapsulating agent achieved a high encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 92.31 ± 0.31%, improved the thermal stability of the PPO, and had spherical morphology. (Headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) HS-SPME/GC-MS detected 41 volatile compounds in PPO; of these, linalool, β-myrcene, sabinene, and D-limonene were identified as key flavor components. Principal component analysis (PCA) effectively distinguished the significant differences in flavor between PPO, spray-dried SPI/MD microcapsules (SS), and spray-dried GA/MD microcapsules (SG). During 15 days of air-exposure, the loss of flavor from SG (54.62 ± 0.54%) was significantly lower than PPO (79.45 ± 1.45%) and SS (57.55 ± 0.36%). During the air-exposure period, SG consistently had the highest antioxidant capacity, making it desirable for PPO packaging, and expanding its potential applications within the food industry

Optimization of cancer immunotherapy on the basis of programmed death ligand-1 distribution and function.

Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint blockade as a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy has shown unprecedented positive outcomes in the clinic. However, the overall effectiveness of PD-L1 antibody is less than expected. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that PD-L1 is widely distributed and expressed not only on the cell membrane but also on the inside of the cells as well as on the extracellular vesicles secreted by tumour cells. Both endogenous and exogenous PD-L1 play significant roles in influencing the therapeutic effect of anti-tumour immunity. Herein, we mainly focused on the distribution and function of PD-L1 and further summarized the potential targeted therapeutic strategies. More importantly, in addition to taking the overall expression abundance of PD-L1 as a predictive indicator for selecting corresponding PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we also proposed that personalized combination therapies based on the different distribution of PD-L1 are worth attention to achieve more efficient and effective therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Cancer Microenvironment and Pharmacological Interventions. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v181.2/issuetoc

Holothurian Glycosaminoglycan Inhibits Metastasis and Thrombosis via Targeting of Nuclear Factor-κB/Tissue Factor/Factor Xa Pathway in Melanoma B16F10 Cells

<div><p>Holothurian glycosaminoglycan (hGAG) is a high-molecular-weight form of fucosylated chondroitin sulfate and has an antithrombotic effect. Our previous studies demonstrated that hGAG efficiently inhibited tumor cell metastasis. The interplays between thrombosis and tumor progression may have a major impact on hematogenous metastasis. In this study, we demonstrated that the mouse melanoma B16F10 cells treated with hGAG displayed a significant reduction of metastasis and coagulation capacity <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>. Mechanistic studies revealed that hGAG treatment in B16F10 cells remarkably inhibited the formation of fibrin through attenuating the generation of activated Factor Xa (FXa), without affecting the expression of urokinase (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) that involved in fibrinolysis. Moreover, hGAG treatment downregulated the transcription and protein expression of tissue factor (TF). Promoter deletions, site mutations and functional studies identified that the nuclear transcription factor NF-κB binding region is responsible for hGAG-induced inhibition of TF expression. While the hGAG treatment of B16F10 cells was unable to inhibit NF-κB expression and phosphorylation, hGAG significantly prevented nuclear translocation of NF-κB from the cytosol, a potential mechanism underlying the transcriptional suppression of TF. Moreover, hGAG markedly suppressed the activation of p38MAPK and ERK1/2 signaling pathways, the central regulators for the expression of metastasis-related matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Consequently, hGAG exerts a dual function in the inhibition of metastasis and coagulation activity in mouse melanoma B16F10 cells. Our studies suggest hGAG to be a promising therapeutic agent for metastatic cancer treatment.</p> </div

Effects of hGAG on aggressiveness of B16F10 tumor cells.

<p>(A) Chemical structure of hGAG. (B) Representative metastatic nodules on lung tissues. B16F10 tumor cells were treated with hGAG at the indicated concentration for 24 hours/37°C and injected into C57BL/6J mice through the tail vein. After 23 days, mice were sacrificed and metastatic nodules on lung surface were photographed. Metastatic nodules were counted under a dissecting microscope. Values are expressed as the mean ± SD. hGAG treatment reduces <i>in vivo</i> metastatic capacity of B16F10 tumor cells in mice. (C) Representative HE staining of lung tissue sections. Paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed lung tissues from each group were prepared and the sections were H&E stained. Arrows indicated tumor cells on each section. (D) Wound healing. B16F10 monolayer cells at 90–95% confluence were serum starved for 24 h and then carefully wounded using sterilized pipette tips (t = 0 h). After removing detached cells, cells were incubated with medium, tumor necrosis factor (TNFα, final conc. 50 nM), or TNFα in combination with hGAG at the indicated concentration for 24 h at 37°C and photographed immediately (t = 24 h). (E) TF levels in the plasma from mice assessed by ELISA. hGAG-treated B16F10 tumor cells injected into mice produced reduced level of TF. Data was expressed as mean ± S.E. (3–5 independent experiments). *<i>p</i><0.05, **<i>p</i><0.01.</p