864 research outputs found
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning-Driven Mitigation of Adverse Effects of Cyber-Attacks on Electric Vehicle Charging Station
An electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) infrastructure is the backbone of
transportation electrification. However, the EVCS has myriads of exploitable
vulnerabilities in software, hardware, supply chain, and incumbent legacy
technologies such as network, communication, and control. These standalone or
networked EVCS open up large attack surfaces for the local or state-funded
adversaries. The state-of-the-art approaches are not agile and intelligent
enough to defend against and mitigate advanced persistent threats (APT). We
propose the data-driven model-free distributed intelligence based on multiagent
Deep Reinforcement Learning (MADRL)-- Twin Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy
Gradient (TD3) -- that efficiently learns the control policy to mitigate the
cyberattacks on the controllers of EVCS. Also, we have proposed two additional
mitigation methods: the manual/Bruteforce mitigation and the controller
clone-based mitigation. The attack model considers the APT designed to
malfunction the duty cycles of the EVCS controllers with Type-I low-frequency
attack and Type-II constant attack. The proposed model restores the EVCS
operation under threat incidence in any/all controllers by correcting the
control signals generated by the legacy controllers. Also, the TD3 algorithm
provides higher granularity by learning nonlinear control policies as compared
to the other two mitigation methods. Index Terms: Cyberattack, Deep
Reinforcement Learning(DRL), Electric Vehicle Charging Station, Mitigation.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
Towards portable muography with small-area, gas-tight glass Resistive Plate Chambers
Imaging techniques that use atmospheric muons, collectively named under the
neologism "muography", have seen a tremendous growth in recent times, mainly
due to their diverse range of applications. The most well-known ones include
but are not limited to: volcanology, archaeology, civil engineering, nuclear
reactor monitoring, nuclear waste characterization, underground mapping, etc.
These methods are based on the attenuation or deviation of muons to image large
and/or dense objects where conventional techniques cannot work or their use
becomes challenging.
In this context, we have constructed a muography telescope based on "mini
glass-RPC planes" following a design similar to the glass-RPC detectors
developed by the CALICE Collaboration and used by the TOMUVOL experiment in the
context of volcano radiography, but with smaller active area (16 16
cm). The compact size makes it an attractive choice with respect to other
detectors previously employed for imaging on similar scales. An important
innovation in this design is that the detectors are sealed. This makes the
detector more portable and solves the usual safety and logistic issues for gas
detectors operated underground and/or inside small rooms. This paper provides
an overview on our guiding principles, the detector development and our
operational experiences. Drawing on the lessons learnt from the first
prototype, we also discuss our future direction for an improved second
prototype, focusing primarily on a recently adopted serigraphy technique for
the resistive coating of the glass plates.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, XV Workshop on Resistive Plate Chambers and
Related Detectors (RPC2020
Line tension and structure of smectic liquid crystal multilayers at the air-water interface
At the air/water interface, 4,-8-alkyl[1,1,-biphenyl]-4-carbonitrile (8CB)
domains with different thicknesses coexist in the same Langmuir film, as
multiple bilayers on a monolayer. The edge dislocation at the domain boundary
leads to line tension, which determines the domain shape and dynamics. By
observing the domain relaxation process starting from small distortions, we
find that the line tension is linearly dependent on the thickness difference
between the coexisting phases in the film. Comparisons with theoretical
treatments in the literature suggest that the edge dislocation at the boundary
locates near the center of the film, which means that the 8CB multilayers are
almost symmetric with respect to the air/water interface.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure
The vaginal-PVPA: A vaginal mucosa-mimicking in vitro permeation tool for evaluation of mucoadhesive formulations
Drug administration to the vaginal site has gained increasing attention in past decades, highlighting the need for reliable in vitro methods to assess the performance of novel formulations. To optimize formulations destined for the vaginal site, it is important to evaluate the drug retention within the vagina as well as its permeation across the mucosa, particularly in the presence of vaginal fluids. Herewith, the vaginal-PVPA (Phospholipid Vesicle-based Permeation Assay) in vitro permeability model was validated as a tool to evaluate the permeation of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen from liposomal formulations (i.e., plain and chitosan-coated liposomes). Drug permeation was assessed in the presence and absence of mucus and simulated vaginal fluid (SVF) at pH conditions mimicking both the healthy vaginal premenopausal conditions and vaginal infection/pre-puberty/post-menopause state. The permeation of ibuprofen proved to depend on the type of formulation (i.e., chitosan-coated liposomes exhibited lower drug permeation), the mucoadhesive formulation properties and pH condition. This study highlights both the importance of mucus and SVF in the vaginal model to better understand and predict the in vivo performance of formulations destined for vaginal administration, and the suitability of the vaginal-PVPA model for such investigations
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Developing a scalable training model in global mental health: pilot study of a video-assisted training Program for Generalist Clinicians in Rural Nepal.
BackgroundIn low- and middle-income countries, mental health training often includes sending few generalist clinicians to specialist-led programs for several weeks. Our objective is to develop and test a video-assisted training model addressing the shortcomings of traditional programs that affect scalability: failing to train all clinicians, disrupting clinical services, and depending on specialists.MethodsWe implemented the program -video lectures and on-site skills training- for all clinicians at a rural Nepali hospital. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to evaluate pre- and post-test change in knowledge (diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, and appropriate treatment). We used a series of 'Yes' or 'No' questions to assess attitudes about mental illness, and utilized exact McNemar's test to analyze the proportions of participants who held a specific belief before and after the training. We assessed acceptability and feasibility through key informant interviews and structured feedback.ResultsFor each topic except depression, there was a statistically significant increase (Î) in median scores on knowledge questionnaires: Acute Stress Reaction (Î = 20, p = 0.03), Depression (Î = 11, p = 0.12), Grief (Î = 40, p < 0.01), Psychosis (Î = 22, p = 0.01), and post-traumatic stress disorder (Î = 20, p = 0.01). The training received high ratings; key informants shared examples and views about the training's positive impact and complementary nature of the program's components.ConclusionVideo lectures and on-site skills training can address the limitations of a conventional training model while being acceptable, feasible, and impactful toward improving knowledge and attitudes of the participants
Controlling magnetic exchange and anisotropy by non-magnetic ligand substitution in layered MPX3 (M = Ni, Mn; X = S, Se)
Recent discoveries in two-dimensional (2D) magnetism have intensified the
investigation of van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials and further improved
our ability to tune their magnetic properties. Tunable magnetism has been
widely studied in antiferromagnetic metal thiophosphates MPX3. Substitution of
metal ions M has been adopted as an important technique to engineer the
magnetism in MPX3. In this work, we have studied the previously unexplored
chalcogen X substitutions in MPX3 (M = Mn/Ni; X = S/Se). We synthesized the
single crystals of MnPS3-xSex (0 < x < 3) and NiPS3-xSex (0 < x < 1.3) and
investigated the systematic evolution of the magnetism with varying x. Our
study reveals the effective tuning of magnetic interactions and anisotropies in
both MnPS3 and NiPS3 upon Se substitution. Such efficient engineering of the
magnetism provides a suitable platform to understand the low-dimensional
magnetism and develop future magnetic devices
Metformin and Myocardial Injury in Patients With Diabetes and ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis
BACKGROUND: Although animal studies have documented metformin's cardioprotective effects, the impact in humans remains elusive. The study objective was to explore the association between metformin and myocardial infarct size in patients with diabetes presenting with STâsegment elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data extraction used the National Cardiovascular Data CathPCI Registry in all patients with diabetes aged >18 years presenting with STâsegment elevation myocardial infarction at 2 academic medical centers from January 2010 to December 2013. The exposure of interest was ongoing metformin use before the event. Propensity score matching was used for the metformin and nonmetformin groups on key prognostic variables. All matched pairs had acceptable D scores of <10%, confirming an efficient matching procedure. The primary outcome was myocardial infarct size, reflected by peak serum creatine kinaseâmyocardial band, troponin T, and hospital discharge left ventricular ejection fraction. Of all 1726 STâsegment elevation myocardial infarction cases reviewed, 493 patients had diabetes (28.5%), with 208 metformin users (42.1%) and 285 nonusers. Matched pairs analysis yielded 137 cases per group. The difference between metformin and nonmetformin groups was â18.1Â ng/mL (95% CI â55.0 to 18.8; P=0.56) for total peak serum creatine kinaseâmyocardial band and â1.1Â ng/mL (95% CI â2.8 to 0.5; P=0.41) for troponin T. Median discharge left ventricular ejection fraction in both groups was 45, and the difference between metformin and nonmetformin users was 0.7% (95% CI â2.2 to 3.6; P=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant association of cardioprotection was found between metformin and myocardial infarct size in patients with diabetes and acute STâsegment elevation myocardial infarction
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