An Angular Position-Based Two-Stage Friction Modeling and Compensation Method for RV Transmission System

In RV transmission system (RVTS), friction is closely related to rotational speed and angular position. However, classical friction models do not consider the influence of angular position on friction, resulting in limited accuracy in describing the RVTS frictional behavior. For this reason, this paper proposes an angular position-based two-stage friction model for RVTS, and achieves a more accurate representation of friction of RVTS. The proposed model consists of two parts, namely pre-sliding model and sliding model, which are divided by the maximum elastic deformation recovery angle of RVTS obtained from loading-unloading tests. The pre-sliding friction behavior is regarded as a spring model, whose stiffness is determined by the angular position and the acceleration when the velocity crosses zero, while the sliding friction model is established by the angular-segmented Stribeck function, and the friction parameters of the adjacent segment are linearly smoothed. A feedforward compensation based on the proposed model was performed on the RVTS, and its control performance was compared with that using the classical Stribeck model. The comparison results show that when using the proposed friction model, the low-speed-motion smoothness of the RVTS can be improved by 14.2%, and the maximum zero-crossing speed error can be reduced by 37.5%, which verifies the validity of the proposed friction model, as well as the compensation method

MIMO Evolution toward 6G: End-User-Centric Collaborative MIMO

In 6G, the trend of transitioning from massive antenna elements to even more massive ones is continued. However, installing additional antennas in the limited space of user equipment (UE) is challenging, resulting in limited capacity scaling gain for end users, despite network side support for increasing numbers of antennas. To address this issue, we propose an end-user-centric collaborative MIMO (UE-CoMIMO) framework that groups several fixed or portable devices to provide a virtual abundance of antennas. This article outlines how advanced L1 relays and conventional relays enable device collaboration to offer diversity, rank, and localization enhancements. We demonstrate through system-level simulations how the UE-CoMIMO approaches lead to significant performance gains. Lastly, we discuss necessary research efforts to make UE-CoMIMO available for 6G and future research directions.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. This work has been accepted in IEEE Communications Magazin

Comparing the outcomes of two strategies for colorectal tumor detection: Policy-promoted screening program versus health promotion service

AbstractBackgroundThe Taiwanese government has proposed a population-based colorectal tumor detection program for the average-risk population. This study's objectives were to understand the outcomes of these screening policies and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.MethodsWe compared two databases compiled in one medical center. The “policy-promoted cancer screening” (PPS) database was built on the basis of the policy of the Taiwan Bureau of National Health Insurance for cancer screening. The “health promotion service” (HPS) database was built to provide health check-ups for self-paid volunteers. Both the PPS and HPS databases employ the immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) and colonoscopy for colorectal tumor screening using different strategies. A comparison of outcomes between the PPS and HPS included: (1) quality indicators—compliance rate, cecum reaching rate, and tumor detection rate; and (2) validity indicators—sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values for detecting colorectal neoplasms.ResultsA total of 10,563 and 1481 individuals were enrolled in PPS and HPS, respectively. Among quality indicators, there was no statistically significant difference in the cecum reaching rate between PPS and HPS. The compliance rates were 56.1% for PPS and 91.8% for HPS (p < 0.001). The advanced adenoma detection rates of PPS and HPS were 1.0% and 3.6%, respectively (p < 0.01). The carcinoma detection rates were 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively (p = 0.59). For validity indicators, PPS provides only a positive predictive value for colorectal tumor detection. HPS provides additional validity indicators, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value, for colorectal tumor screening.ConclusionIn comparison with the outcomes of the HPS database, the screening efficacy of the PPS database is even for detecting colorectal carcinoma but is limited in detecting advanced adenoma. HPS may provide comprehensive validity indicators and will be helpful in adjusting current policies for improving screening performance

A Sliced Inverse Regression (SIR) Decoding the Forelimb Movement from Neuronal Spikes in the Rat Motor Cortex

Several neural decoding algorithms have successfully converted brain signals into commands to control a computer cursor and prosthetic devices. A majority of decoding methods, such as population vector algorithms (PVA), optimal linear estimators (OLE), and neural networks (NN), are effective in predicting movement kinematics, including movement direction, speed and trajectory but usually require a large number of neurons to achieve desirable performance. This study proposed a novel decoding algorithm even with signals obtained from a smaller numbers of neurons. We adopted sliced inverse regression (SIR) to predict forelimb movement from single-unit activities recorded in the rat primary motor (M1) cortex in a water-reward lever-pressing task. SIR performed weighted principal component analysis (PCA) to achieve effective dimension reduction for nonlinear regression. To demonstrate the decoding performance, SIR was compared to PVA, OLE, and NN. Furthermore, PCA and sequential feature selection (SFS) which are popular feature selection techniques were implemented for comparison of feature selection effectiveness. Among SIR, PVA, OLE, PCA, SFS, and NN decoding methods, the trajectories predicted by SIR (with a root mean square error, RMSE, of 8.47 ± 1.32 mm) was closer to the actual trajectories compared with those predicted by PVA (30.41 ± 11.73 mm), OLE (20.17 ± 6.43 mm), PCA (19.13 ± 0.75 mm), SFS (22.75 ± 2.01 mm), and NN (16.75 ± 2.02 mm). The superiority of SIR was most obvious when the sample size of neurons was small. We concluded that SIR sorted the input data to obtain the effective transform matrices for movement prediction, making it a robust decoding method for conditions with sparse neuronal information

Progesterone receptor does not improve the performance and test effectiveness of the conventional 3-marker panel, consisting of estrogen receptor, vimentin and carcinoembryonic antigen in distinguishing between primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas in a tissue microarray extension study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECA) and endometrial adenocarcinomas (EMA) are uterine malignancies that have differing biological behaviors. The choice of an appropriate therapeutic plan rests on the tumor's site of origin. In this study, we propose to evaluate whether PR adds value to the performance and test effectiveness of the conventional 3-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A tissue microarray was constructed using paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues from 38 hysterectomy specimens, including 14 ECA and 24 EMA. Tissue microarray (TMA) sections were immunostained with 4 antibodies, using the avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method for antigen visualization. The staining intensity and extent of the immunohistochemical (IHC) reactions were appraised using a semi-quantitative scoring system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The three markers (ER, Vim and CEA) and their respective panel expressions showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) frequency differences between ECA and EMA tumors. Although the additional ancillary PR-marker also revealed a significant frequency difference (p < 0.05) between ECA and EMA tumors, it did not demonstrate any supplementary benefit to the 3-marker panel.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>According to our data, when histomorphological and clinical doubt exists as to the primary site of origin, we recommend that the conventional 3-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel is easier, sufficient and appropriate to use in distinguishing between primary ECA and EMA. Although the 4-marker panel containing PR also reveals statistically significant results, the PR-marker offers no supplemental benefit to the pre-existing 3-marker (ER/Vim/CEA) panel in the diagnostic distinction between ECA and EMA.</p

Endoscopic Management of Gastric Polyp with Outlet Obstruction without Polypectomy

Although gastric polyp is usually an incidental endoscopic finding, large-sized polyps can cause symptoms ranging from epigastralgia to bleeding from ulcerated polyps and gastric outlet obstruction. Although the gold standard of treatment is removal of the polyp either through endoscopic polypectomy or surgical excision, complications associated with these procedures cannot be ignored. The risk becomes a major concern for patients at high risk for surgery when complications arise. We describe a debilitated 74-year-old woman who presented with early satiety, intermittent postprandial nausea and vomiting for three months. Upper endoscopy revealed a 2.5 cm pedunculated polyp over the gastric antrum causing intermittent obstruction. Considering her high risk for polypectomy, detachable snaring was performed without polypectomy in an outpatient setting. The patient was complication-free with complete relief of obstructive symptoms one week after the procedure. Subsequent follow-ups showed satisfactory healing without signs of mucosal disruption or recurrence. The results suggest that detachable snaring without polypectomy may be a therapeutic option for high-risk patients with benign symptomatic gastric polyps

Changes of ubiquitylated proteins in atrial fibrillation associated with heart valve disease: proteomics in human left atrial appendage tissue

BackgroundCorrelations between posttranslational modifications and atrial fibrillation (AF) have been demonstrated in recent studies. However, it is still unclear whether and how ubiquitylated proteins relate to AF in the left atrial appendage of patients with AF and valvular heart disease.MethodsThrough LC–MS/MS analyses, we performed a study on tissues from eighteen subjects (9 with sinus rhythm and 9 with AF) who underwent cardiac valvular surgery. Specifically, we explored the ubiquitination profiles of left atrial appendage samples.ResultsIn summary, after the quantification ratios for the upregulated and downregulated ubiquitination cutoff values were set at &gt;1.5 and &lt;1:1.5, respectively, a total of 271 sites in 162 proteins exhibiting upregulated ubiquitination and 467 sites in 156 proteins exhibiting downregulated ubiquitination were identified. The ubiquitylated proteins in the AF samples were enriched in proteins associated with ribosomes, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), glycolysis, and endocytosis.ConclusionsOur findings can be used to clarify differences in the ubiquitination levels of ribosome-related and HCM-related proteins, especially titin (TTN) and myosin heavy chain 6 (MYH6), in patients with AF, and therefore, regulating ubiquitination may be a feasible strategy for AF