Estimation Accuracy and Computational Cost Analysis of Artificial Neural Networks for State of Charge Estimation in Lithium Batteries

This paper presents a tradeoff analysis in terms of accuracy and computational cost between different architectures of artificial neural networks for the State of Charge (SOC) estimation of lithium batteries in hybrid and electric vehicles. The considered layouts are partly selected from the literature on SOC estimation, and partly are novel proposals that have been demonstrated to be effective in executing estimation tasks in other engineering fields. One of the architectures, the Nonlinear Autoregressive Neural Network with Exogenous Input (NARX), is presented with an unconventional layout that exploits a preliminary routine, which allows setting of the feedback initial value to avoid estimation divergence. The presented solutions are compared in terms of estimation accuracy, duration of the training process, robustness to the noise in the current measurement, and to the inaccuracy on the initial estimation. Moreover, the algorithms are implemented on an electronic control unit in serial communication with a computer, which emulates a real vehicle, so as to compare their computational costs. The proposed unconventional NARX architecture outperforms the other solutions. The battery pack that is used to design and test the networks is a 20 kW pack for a mild hybrid electric vehicle, whilst the adopted training, validation and test datasets are obtained from the driving cycles of a real car and from standard profiles

A Full-fledge Simulation Framework for the Assessment of Connected Cars

Abstract Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have emerged as an integral part of smart cities, providing increased ease of mobility as well as efficiency and safety in vehicular traffic. Given its wide array of applications, ITS has also become a multidisciplinary field of work where vehicular communications, traffic control, ADAS (Advance Driver Assistance System) sensors, and vehicle dynamics have all to be accounted for. The study of such diverse aspects makes the evaluation of new ITS approaches, algorithms, and protocols not a small feat. For this reason, the availability of an effective, scalable, and comprehensive tool for the investigation and virtual validation of new ITS solutions is paramount. In this work, we present a simulation framework, called CoMoVe (Communication, Mobility, Vehicle dynamics), that effectively addresses the above need, as it enables the virtual validation of innovative solutions for vehicles that are both connected and equipped with ADAS sensors. Our framework encapsulates the important attributes of vehicle communication, road traffic, and dynamics into a single environment, by combining the strengths of different simulators. CoMoVe finds its use to evaluate the impact of vehicle connectivity, while imposing causality on vehicle dynamics and mobility. Such an assessment can greatly facilitate the development of control systems, algorithms, and protocols for real-world ITS

Comparison of different sets of immunological tests to identify treatable immunodeficiencies in adult bronchiectasis patients

Immunological tests; BronchiectasisPruebas inmunologicas; BronquiectasiasProves immunològiques; BronquiectasiesBackground The reported prevalence of immunodeficiencies in bronchiectasis patients is variable depending on the frequency and extent of immunological tests performed. European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend a minimum bundle of tests. Broadening the spectrum of immunological tests could increase the number of patients diagnosed with an immunodeficiency and those who could receive specific therapy. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the performance of different sets of immunological tests in diagnosing any, primary, secondary or treatable immunodeficiencies in adults with bronchiectasis. Methods An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bronchiectasis Program of the Policlinico University Hospital in Milan, Italy, from September 2016 to June 2019. Adult outpatients with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis underwent the same immunological screening during the first visit when clinically stable consisting of: complete blood count; immunoglobulin (Ig) subclass tests for IgA, IgG, IgM and IgG; total IgE; lymphocyte subsets; and HIV antibodies. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of patients with any immunodeficiencies using five different sets of immunological tests. Results A total of 401 bronchiectasis patients underwent the immunological screening. A significantly different prevalence of bronchiectasis patients diagnosed with any, primary or secondary immunodeficiencies was found across different bundles. 44.6% of bronchiectasis patients had a diagnosis of immunodeficiency when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets were added to the minimum bundle suggested by the guidelines. Conclusion A four-fold increase in the diagnosis of immunodeficiencies can be found in adults with bronchiectasis when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets are added to the bundle of tests recommended by guidelines

EMEA and Gene Therapy Medicinal Products Development in the European Union

The evaluation of quality, safety, and efficacy of medicinal products by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) via the centralized procedure is the only available regulatory procedure for obtaining marketing authorization for gene therapy (GT) medicinal products in the European Union. The responsibility for the authorization of clinical trials remains with the national competent authorities (NCA) acting in a harmonized framework from the scientific viewpoint. With the entry into force of a new directive on good clinical practice implementation in clinical trials as of 1 May 2004, procedural aspects will also be harmonized at EU level. Scientifically sound development of medicinal products is the key for the successful registration of dossiers and for contributing to the promotion and protection of public health. The objective of this paper is to introduce the EMEA regulatory processes and scientific activities relevant to GT medicinal products

Instanton Calculus and Nonperturbative Relations in N=2 Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

Using instanton calculus we check, in the weak coupling region, the nonperturbative relation =i\pi\left(\cf-{a\over 2} {\partial\cf\over\partial a}\right) obtained for a N=2 globally supersymmetric gauge theory. Our computations are performed for instantons of winding number k, up to k=2 and turn out to agree with previous nonperturbative results.Comment: 18 pages, latex file, no figure

Comparison of different sets of immunological tests to identify treatable immunodeficiencies in adult bronchiectasis patients

BACKGROUND: The reported prevalence of immunodeficiencies in bronchiectasis patients is variable depending on the frequency and extent of immunological tests performed. European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend a minimum bundle of tests. Broadening the spectrum of immunological tests could increase the number of patients diagnosed with an immunodeficiency and those who could receive specific therapy. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the performance of different sets of immunological tests in diagnosing any, primary, secondary or treatable immunodeficiencies in adults with bronchiectasis. METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bronchiectasis Program of the Policlinico University Hospital in Milan, Italy, from September 2016 to June 2019. Adult outpatients with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis underwent the same immunological screening during the first visit when clinically stable consisting of: complete blood count; immunoglobulin (Ig) subclass tests for IgA, IgG, IgM and IgG; total IgE; lymphocyte subsets; and HIV antibodies. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of patients with any immunodeficiencies using five different sets of immunological tests. RESULTS: A total of 401 bronchiectasis patients underwent the immunological screening. A significantly different prevalence of bronchiectasis patients diagnosed with any, primary or secondary immunodeficiencies was found across different bundles. 44.6% of bronchiectasis patients had a diagnosis of immunodeficiency when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets were added to the minimum bundle suggested by the guidelines. CONCLUSION: A four-fold increase in the diagnosis of immunodeficiencies can be found in adults with bronchiectasis when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets are added to the bundle of tests recommended by guidelines

Generation of mesenchymal stromal cells from cord blood: evaluation of in vitro quality parameters prior to clinical use

Dexamethasone scheduling in MNC culture. The supplement was added in standard medium until the detection of MSC colonies (n = 16 CB units) or alternatively added for the first week of MNC culture only (n = 34). (DOCX 120 kb

Explicit Construction of Yang-Mills Instantons on ALE Spaces

We describe the explicit construction of Yang-Mills instantons on ALE spaces, following the work of Kronheimer and Nakajima. For multicenter ALE metrics, we determine the abelian instanton connections which are needed for the construction in the non-abelian case. We compute the partition function of Maxwell theories on ALE manifolds and comment on the issue of electromagnetic duality. We discuss the topological characterization of the instanton bundles as well as the identification of their moduli spaces. We generalize the 't Hooft ansatz to SU(2) instantons on ALE spaces and on other hyper-Kahler manifolds. Specializing to the Eguchi-Hanson gravitational background, we explicitly solve the ADHM equations for SU(2) gauge bundles with second Chern class 1/2, 1 and 3/2.Comment: 59 pages, epsf.tex, 2 figures included, uuencoded fil