3-Dimensional Mapping and Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Flutter in a Patient with Interrupted Inferior Vena Cava

The presence of isolated interrupted inferior vena cava (IVC) is very rare. Though the occurrence of typical atrial flutter in this setting has recently been described, the use of 3-dimensional activation mapping to aid the management of such patients has not yet been described. We report the successful ablation of this arrhythmia in a 63-year-old woman using the superior route through the internal jugular vein with the help of a mapping system.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46349/1/10840_2005_Article_4512.pd

Determining crystal structures through crowdsourcing and coursework

We show here that computer game players can build high-quality crystal structures. Introduction of a new feature into the computer game Foldit allows players to build and real-space refine structures into electron density maps. To assess the usefulness of this feature, we held a crystallographic model-building competition between trained crystallographers, undergraduate students, Foldit players and automatic model-building algorithms. After removal of disordered residues, a team of Foldit players achieved the most accurate structure. Analysing the target protein of the competition, YPL067C, uncovered a new family of histidine triad proteins apparently involved in the prevention of amyloid toxicity. From this study, we conclude that crystallographers can utilize crowdsourcing to interpret electron density information and to produce structure solutions of the highest quality

Resurrecting the antique system: Unraveling prolotherapy

Proliferation therapy, or “prolotherapy,” is a simple, natural technique that stimulates the body to repair chronically damaged ligaments and tendons. Since 1930s, this technique has been used to stabilize injured joints and to relieve joint pain. Recently, it has also been used to treat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction and considered as an effective therapeutic modality that reduces TMJ pain. Injection of prolotherapy agents into the joint space causes cells to grow and produces an increase in the growth factors with additional antibacterial effect. It is considered as a long-term solution rather than a palliative measure and should be considered before the use of long-term drugs or surgery. This article reviews the history and scientific literature regarding prolotherapy and its application in TMJ disorders

Enhancing photovoltaic parameter estimation: integration of non-linear hunting and reinforcement learning strategies with golden jackal optimizer

Abstract The advancement of Photovoltaic (PV) systems hinges on the precise optimization of their parameters. Among the numerous optimization techniques, the effectiveness of each often rests on their inherent parameters. This research introduces a new methodology, the Reinforcement Learning-based Golden Jackal Optimizer (RL-GJO). This approach uniquely combines reinforcement learning with the Golden Jackal Optimizer to enhance its efficiency and adaptability in handling various optimization problems. Furthermore, the research incorporates an advanced non-linear hunting strategy to optimize the algorithm’s performance. The proposed algorithm is first validated using 29 CEC2017 benchmark test functions and five engineering-constrained design problems. Secondly, rigorous testing on PV parameter estimation benchmark datasets, including the single-diode model, double-diode model, three-diode model, and a representative PV module, was carried out to highlight the superiority of RL-GJO. The results were compelling: the root mean square error values achieved by RL-GJO were markedly lower than those of the original algorithm and other prevalent optimization methods. The synergy between reinforcement learning and GJO in this approach facilitates faster convergence and improved solution quality. This integration not only improves the performance metrics but also ensures a more efficient optimization process, especially in complex PV scenarios. With an average Freidman’s rank test values of 1.564 for numerical and engineering design problems and 1.742 for parameter estimation problems, the proposed RL-GJO is performing better than the original GJO and other peers. The proposed RL-GJO stands out as a reliable tool for PV parameter estimation. By seamlessly combining reinforcement learning with the golden jackal optimizer, it sets a new benchmark in PV optimization, indicating a promising avenue for future research and applications

Experimental study of the decomposition of Y<SUB>1</SUB>Ba<SUB>2</SUB>Cu<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>7-x</SUB> into tetragonal and orthorhombic phases

Infrared absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements have been used to show that a single phase oxygen deficient Y1Ba2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) when annealed at low temperatures (200&#176;C) is unstable towards decomposition into a mixture 0824 1062 of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. This is in qualitative agreement with the calculated phase diagram of YBCO. The degradation in the superconducting properties (Meissner signal reduced by a factor of 2) that accompanies this annealing treatment is understood as being a direct consequence of the decomposition