475 research outputs found
Aspects of structural health and condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines
Wind power has expanded significantly over the past years, although reliability of wind turbine systems, especially of offshore wind turbines, has been many times unsatisfactory in the past. Wind turbine failures are equivalent to crucial financial losses. Therefore, creating and applying strategies that improve the reliability of their components is important for a successful implementation of such systems. Structural health monitoring (SHM) addresses these problems through the monitoring of parameters indicative of the state of the structure examined. Condition monitoring (CM), on the other hand, can be seen as a specialized area of the SHM community that aims at damage detection of, particularly, rotating machinery. The paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, advanced signal processing and machine learning methods are discussed for SHM and CM on wind turbine gearbox and blade damage detection examples. In the second part, an initial exploration of supervisor control and data acquisition systems data of an offshore wind farm is presented, and data-driven approaches are proposed for detecting abnormal behaviour of wind turbines. It is shown that the advanced signal processing methods discussed are effective and that it is important to adopt these SHM strategies in the wind energy sector
Cerebral amyloidâÎČ load is associated with neurodegeneration and gliosis: Mediation by pâtau and interactions with risk factors early in the Alzheimer's continuum
Introduction: The association between cerebral amyloidâÎČ accumulation and downstream CSF biomarkers is not fully understood, particularly in asymptomatic stages. /
Methods: In 318 cognitively unimpaired participants, we assessed the association between amyloidâÎČ PET (Centiloid), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of several pathophysiological pathways. Interactions by Alzheimer's disease risk factors (age, sex and APOEâΔ4), and the mediation effect of tau and neurodegeneration were also investigated. /
Results: Centiloids were positively associated with CSF biomarkers of tau pathology (pâtau), neurodegeneration (tâtau, NfL), synaptic dysfunction (neurogranin) and neuroinflammation (YKLâ40, GFAP, sTREM2), presenting interactions with age (pâtau, tâtau, neurogranin) and sex (sTREM2, NfL). Most of these associations were mediated by pâtau, except for NfL. The interaction between sex and amyloidâÎČ on sTREM2 and NfL was also tauâindependent. /
Discussion: Early amyloidâÎČ accumulation has a tauâindependent effect on neurodegeneration and a tauâdependent effect on neuroinflammation. Besides, sex has a modifier effect on these associations independent of tau
The Curious Adventure of the Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays
These lectures discuss the mysteries involving the production and
extragalactic propagation of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and suggested
possible solutions.Comment: Lectures given at the D. Chalonge Euroschool, Erice, Italy, November
2000, 25 pages, 7 ps figs., expanded revision with color fig.
Visual assessment of [ÂčâžF]flutemetamol PET images can detect early amyloid pathology and grade its extent
PURPOSE: To investigate the sensitivity of visual read (VR) to detect early amyloid pathology and the overall utility of regional VR. METHODS: [ÂčâžF]flutemetamol PET images of 497 subjects (ALFA+ NÂ =â352; ADC NÂ =â145) were included. Scans were visually assessed according to product guidelines, recording the number of positive regions (0-5) and a final negative/positive classification. Scans were quantified using the standard and regional Centiloid (CL) method. The agreement between VR-based classification and published CL-based cut-offs for early (CLâ=â12) and established (CLâ=â30) pathology was determined. An optimal CL cut-off maximizing Youden's index was derived. Global and regional CL quantification was compared to VR. Finally, 28 post-mortem cases from the [ÂčâžF]flutemetamol phase III trial were included to assess the percentage agreement between VR and neuropathological classification of neuritic plaque density. RESULTS: VR showed excellent agreement against CLâ=â12 (ÎșÂ =â.89, 95.2%) and CLâ=â30 (ÎșÂ =â.88, 95.4%) cut-offs. ROC analysis resulted in an optimal CLâ=â17 cut-off against VR (sensitivityâ=â97.9%, specificityâ=â97.8%). Each additional positive VR region corresponded to a clear increase in global CL. Regional VR was also associated with regional CL quantification. Compared to mCERAD_{SOT}-based classification (i.e., any region mCERAD_{SOT}Â >â1.5), VR was in agreement in 89.3% of cases, with 13 true negatives, 12 true positives, and 3 false positives (FP). Regional sparse-to-moderate neuritic and substantial diffuse AÎČ plaque was observed in all FP cases. Regional VR was also associated with regional plaque density. CONCLUSION: VR is an appropriate method for assessing early amyloid pathology and that grading the extent of visual amyloid positivity could present clinical value
Clues from nearby galaxies to a better theory of cosmic evolution
The great advances in the network of cosmological tests show that the
relativistic Big Bang theory is a good description of our expanding universe.
But the properties of nearby galaxies that can be observed in greatest detail
suggest a still better theory would more rapidly gather matter into galaxies
and groups of galaxies. This happens in theoretical ideas now under discussion.Comment: published in Natur
Microstructure and mechanical performances of CGHAZ for oil tank steel during high heat input welding
The deuteron: structure and form factors
A brief review of the history of the discovery of the deuteron in provided.
The current status of both experiment and theory for the elastic electron
scattering is then presented.Comment: 80 pages, 33 figures, submited to Advances in Nuclear Physic
Electroweak Baryogenesis and Dark Matter with an approximate R-symmetry
It is well known that R-symmetric models dramatically alleviate the SUSY
flavor and CP problems. We study particular modifications of existing
R-symmetric models which share the solution to the above problems, and have
interesting consequences for electroweak baryogenesis and the Dark Matter (DM)
content of the universe. In particular, we find that it is naturally possible
to have a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition while
simultaneously relaxing the tension with EDM experiments. The R-symmetry (and
its small breaking) implies that the gauginos (and the neutralino LSP) are
pseudo-Dirac fermions, which is relevant for both baryogenesis and DM. The
singlet superpartner of the U(1)_Y pseudo-Dirac gaugino plays a prominent role
in making the electroweak phase transition strongly first-order. The
pseudo-Dirac nature of the LSP allows it to behave similarly to a Dirac
particle during freeze-out, but like a Majorana particle for annihilation today
and in scattering against nuclei, thus being consistent with current
constraints. Assuming a standard cosmology, it is possible to simultaneously
have a strongly first-order phase transition conducive to baryogenesis and have
the LSP provide the full DM relic abundance, in part of the allowed parameter
space. However, other possibilities for DM also exist, which are discussed. It
is expected that upcoming direct DM searches as well as neutrino signals from
DM annihilation in the Sun will be sensitive to this class of models.
Interesting collider and Gravity-wave signals are also briefly discussed.Comment: 50 pages, 10 figure
Closing in on Asymmetric Dark Matter I: Model independent limits for interactions with quarks
It is argued that experimental constraints on theories of asymmetric dark
matter (ADM) almost certainly require that the DM be part of a richer hidden
sector of interacting states of comparable mass or lighter. A general requisite
of models of ADM is that the vast majority of the symmetric component of the DM
number density must be removed in order to explain the observed relationship
via the DM asymmetry. Demanding the efficient
annihilation of the symmetric component leads to a tension with experimental
limits if the annihilation is directly to Standard Model (SM) degrees of
freedom. A comprehensive effective operator analysis of the model independent
constraints on ADM from direct detection experiments and LHC monojet searches
is presented. Notably, the limits obtained essentially exclude models of ADM
with mass 1GeV 100GeV annihilating to SM quarks via
heavy mediator states. This motivates the study of portal interactions between
the dark and SM sectors mediated by light states. Resonances and threshold
effects involving the new light states are shown to be important for
determining the exclusion limits.Comment: 18+6 pages, 18 figures. v2: version accepted for publicatio
Recruitment of pre-dementia participants: main enrollment barriers in a longitudinal amyloid-PET study
Background: The mismatch between the limited availability versus the high demand of participants who are in the pre-dementia phase of Alzheimerâs disease (AD) is a bottleneck for clinical studies in AD. Nevertheless, potential enrollment barriers in the pre-dementia population are relatively under-reported. In a large European longitudinal biomarker study (the AMYPAD-PNHS), we investigated main enrollment barriers in individuals with no or mild symptoms recruited from research and clinical parent cohorts (PCs) of ongoing observational studies. Methods: Logistic regression was used to predict study refusal based on sex, age, education, global cognition (MMSE), family history of dementia, and number of prior study visits. Study refusal rates and categorized enrollment barriers were compared between PCs using chi-squared tests. Results: 535/1856 (28.8%) of the participants recruited from ongoing studies declined participation in the AMYPAD-PNHS. Only for participants recruited from clinical PCs (n = 243), a higher MMSE-score (ÎČ = â 0.22, OR = 0.80, p <.05), more prior study visits (ÎČ = â 0.93, OR = 0.40, p <.001), and positive family history of dementia (ÎČ = 2.08, OR = 8.02, p <.01) resulted in lower odds on study refusal. General study burden was the main enrollment barrier (36.1%), followed by amyloid-PET related burden (PCresearch = 27.4%, PCclinical = 9.0%, X 2 = 10.56, p =.001), and loss of research interest (PCclinical = 46.3%, PCresearch = 16.5%, X 2 = 32.34, p <.001). Conclusions: The enrollment rate for the AMYPAD-PNHS was relatively high, suggesting an advantage of recruitment via ongoing studies. In this observational cohort, study burden reduction and tailored strategies may potentially improve participant enrollment into trial readiness cohorts such as for phase-3 early anti-amyloid intervention trials. The AMYPAD-PNHS (EudraCT: 2018â002277-22) was approved by the ethical review board of the VU Medical Center (VUmc) as the Sponsor site and in every affiliated site
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