Applying Digital MIMO Dynamic Sliding Surface Control to Idle Speed Control of Spark Ignition Engine

The good idle speed control of spark ignition engine makes the customers comfortable and drives smooth. To derive its controller, a control-oriented object based model of spark ignition engine is discussed in this paper. To achieve accuracy tracking and reduce the control effort, a digital MIMO dynamic sliding surface control rule is proposed in this paper. The sliding mode controller will drive the system to tracking the desired response. The existence condition of the discrete sliding mode is expanded to two conditions. The first one is used to keep the sliding motion toward to the sliding surface. The next one is to keep the sliding motion convergent. The dynamic sliding surface will decrease the approaching time. At the same time, the output magnitude of the switching part will be reduced efficiently. Finally, the simulation results will demonstrate the performance of the proposed control rule. The different working conditions will show the robustness of the proposed controller for parameter variation and the external load

Theory of thermalization in an isolated Bose-Einstein condensate

Thermalization in an isolated oscillating Bose-Einstein condensate in a disordered trap is investigated. We show Shannon entropy in $x$ or $p$ representation is the eligible one to describe the thermalization. Besides, we show that multiple scattering with the disorder generates more and more incoherent thermal particles and condensed and thermal particles act as mutual heat bath that results in the thermalization of the whole system. We also demonstrate that Loschmidt's paradox can be resolved in the present system

Expression of c-Kit, Flk-1, and Flk-2 Receptors in Benign and Malignant Tumors of Follicular Epithelial Origin

BackgroundVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of physiologic as well as pathologic angiogenesis. The response of VEGF to endothelial cell mitogenesis and survival, as well as angiogenesis and microvascular permeability, is mainly mediated through its receptor-2, VEGFR2 (kinase domain receptor or fetal liver kinase-1, KDR or Flk-1). This study aimed to detect the expression of VEGFR2 in various forms of thyroid tumors. In addition, the expression of Flk-2 (receptor for Flt-3) and c-Kit (receptor for steel locus factor), which shows strong similarity to Flk-1, was also examined in thyroid tumors.MethodsRT-PCR analyses of c-Kit and immunohistochemical staining of c-Kit, Flk-1, and Flk-2 were performed in archived samples of 18 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 9 follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), 12 follicular adenoma (FA), and 7 nodular goiter (NG) samples. The data were correlated to clinicopathologic features.ResultsBy RT-PCR analyses, c-Kit expression was detected in 22% (4/18) of PTC, 22% (2/9) of FTC, 25% (3/12) of FA, and 57% (4/7) of NG samples. However, positive immunostaining signals of c-Kit were only observed in 17% (3/18) of PTC samples, and not in the others. Similarly, Flk-1 expression was only detected by immunohistochemistry in 67% (12/18) of PTC and 43% (3/7) of NG samples, and not in the others. Interestingly, the expression of Flk-2 was found in 89% (16/18) of PTC, 89% (8/9) of FTC, 75% (9/12) of FA, and 29% (2/7) of NG samples. An inverse relationship of thyroid cancer size with Flk-2 expression was found.ConclusionFlk-2 expression was detected in various forms of thyroid tumors and increased Flk-2 expression was correlated with thyroid tumors with increased transforming activity, suggesting that Flk-2 is involved in pathogenic development of thyroid malignancy. Similarly, Flk-1 expression was also found in some thyroid tumors, while the expression of c-Kit-mediated pathways may not play a major role in thyroid tumorigenesis

The Potential Utility of Curcumin in the Treatment of HER-2-Overexpressed Breast Cancer: An In Vitro and In Vivo Comparison Study with Herceptin

HER-2 is an important oncoprotein overexpressed in about 15–25% of breast cancers. We hypothesized that the ability of curcumin to downregulate HER-2 oncoprotein and inhibit the signal transduction pathway of PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and NF-κB activation may be important in the treatment of HER-2-overexpressed breast cancer. To examine the effect of curcumin on breast cancer cells, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MCF-10A, BT-474, and SK-BR-3-hr (a herceptin resistant strain from SK-BR-3) cells were used for in vitro analysis. The in vivo effect of curcumin on HER-2-overexpressed breast cancer was investigated with the HER-2-overexpressed BT-474 xenograft model. Cell growth, cell cycle change, the antimobility effect, signal transduction, and xenograft volume analysis between groups treated with herceptin and/or curcumin were tested. Curcumin decreased the cell growth of various breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MCF-10A, BT-474, and SK-BR-3-hr). In Western blot analysis, the phosphorylation of Akt, MAPK, and expression of NF-κB were reduced in BT-474 cells, but not in SK-BR-3-hr cells, after treatment with herceptin. When treated with curcumin, the HER-2 oncoprotein, phosphorylation of Akt, MAPK and expression of NF-κB were decreased in both BT-474 and SK-BR-3-hr cells. In the BT-474 xenograft model, though not as much as herceptin, curcumin did effectively decrease the tumor size. The combination of curcumin with herceptin was not better than herceptin alone; however, the combination of taxol and curcumin had an antitumor effect comparable with taxol and herceptin. The results suggested that curcumin has potential as a treatment for HER-2-overexpressed breast cancer

Infectious Alopecia in a Dog Breeder After Renal Transplantation

Tinea capitis rarely occurs in renal transplant recipients. We report this living-related renal transplant patient receiving cyclosporine-based therapy who initially presented with severe exfoliation of the scalp with yellowish-white scales and marked hair loss. The lesions extended to the frontal area and both cheeks, resulting in several skin ulcers with perifocal erythematous inflammatory changes, and palpable cervical lymph nodes. A biopsy of a skin lesion revealed fungal infection and culture yielded Microsporum canis. The patient mentioned an outbreak of ringworm in her breeding dogs during this period. After adequate treatment of the patient and her infected animals with griseofulvin and disinfection of the environment, her skin lesions resolved dramatically, with regrowth of hair

Estimation of diameter growth parameters for Cryptomeria Plantations in� Taiwan Using the Local Yield Table Construction System

We applied the Local Yield Table Construction System (LYCS), a computer program that estimates stand growth as a function of various density control strategies, to Cryptomeria plantations in Taiwan. Parameters of the growth model were estimated from permanent plot data on Cryptomeria stands stored in a database at the Experimental Forest of National Taiwan University. The diameter at breast height (DBH) and the number of trees measured in permanent plots were used as parameters to estimate the curve of the DBH growth rate, the effects of stand density on diameter growth, growth in terms of DBH, and diameter distribution. The estimated stand growth could be adapted to the observed values in the permanent plots. Based on these results, yield tables for various stand density control strategies can now be constructed for Cryptomeria stands in Taiwan