Analysis of dynamic wireless power transfer systems based on behavioral modeling of mutual inductance

This paper proposes a system-level approach suitable to analyze the performance of a dynamic Wireless Power Transfer System (WPTS) for electric vehicles, accounting for the uncertainty in the vehicle trajectory. The key-point of the approach is the use of an analytical behavioral model that relates mutual inductance between the coil pair to their relative positions along the actual vehicle trajectory. The behavioral model is derived from a limited training data set of simulations, by using a multi-objective genetic programming algorithm, and is validated against experimental data, taken from a real dynamic WPTS. This approach avoids the massive use of computationally expensive 3D finite element simulations, that would be required if this analysis were performed by means of look-up tables. This analytical model is here embedded into a system-level circuital model of the entire WPTS, thus allowing a fast and accurate analysis of the sensitivity of the performance as the actual vehicle trajectory deviates from the nominal one. The system-level analysis is eventually performed to assess the sensitivity of the power and efficiency of the WPTS to the vehicle misalignment from the nominal trajectory during the dynamic charging process

A decrease of calcitonin serum concentrations less than 50 percent 30 minutes after thyroid surgery suggests incomplete C-cell tumor tissue removal

The prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) depends on the completeness of the first surgical treatment. To date, it is not possible to predict whether the tumor has been completely removed after surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an intraoperative calcitonin monitoring as a predictor of the final outcome after surgery in patients with MTC

A New Lower Bound for Deterministic Truthful Scheduling

We study the problem of truthfully scheduling $m$ tasks to $n$ selfish unrelated machines, under the objective of makespan minimization, as was introduced in the seminal work of Nisan and Ronen [STOC'99]. Closing the current gap of $[2.618,n]$ on the approximation ratio of deterministic truthful mechanisms is a notorious open problem in the field of algorithmic mechanism design. We provide the first such improvement in more than a decade, since the lower bounds of $2.414$ (for $n=3$) and $2.618$ (for $n\to\infty$) by Christodoulou et al. [SODA'07] and Koutsoupias and Vidali [MFCS'07], respectively. More specifically, we show that the currently best lower bound of $2.618$ can be achieved even for just $n=4$ machines; for $n=5$ we already get the first improvement, namely $2.711$; and allowing the number of machines to grow arbitrarily large we can get a lower bound of $2.755$.Comment: 15 page

Fluocinolone acetonide vitreous insert for chronic diabetic macular oedema: a systematic review with meta-analysis of real-world experience

We conducted a meta-analysis of real-world studies on the 0.19 mg Fluocinolone Acetonide (FAc) intravitreal implant for chronic diabetic macular oedema (DMO), comparing these findings with the Fluocinolone Acetonide for Diabetic Macular Edema (FAME) study. The primary outcome was mean change of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 24 months. Secondary outcomes were 36-month mean BCVA, mean central macular thickness (CMT) change, rates of eyes receiving supplementary intravitreal therapy, cataract surgery, intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering drops and glaucoma surgery. Mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Nine real-world studies were included. The FAc implant yielded a significantly improved BCVA at 24 and 36 months (24-month MD = 4.52; 95% CI 2.56–6.48; 36-month MD = 8.10; 95% CI 6.34–9.86). These findings were comparable with the FAME study. The FAc implant yielded significantly reduced 24- and 36-month CMT. Pooled proportions of cataract surgery, IOP-lowering drops and glaucoma surgery were 39%, 27% and 3%, respectively, all lower than the FAME study. Pooled estimate of supplementary intravitreal therapy was 39%, higher than the 15.2% of the FAME study. This meta-analysis of real-world studies confirms favorable visual and anatomical outcomes following FAc insert for chronic DMO. In real-life studies more than one third of patients received supplementary intravitreal therapy, an issue that needs to be further explored

Epiretinal Membrane Vitrectomy With and Without Intraoperative Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of vitrectomy combined with intravitreal dexamethasone implant vs. vitrectomy without the implant in patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Studies that compared ERM vitrectomy with and without intraoperative dexamethasone implant with a follow-up 653 months were included. The primary outcome was mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change between eyes undergoing ERM vitrectomy combined with dexamethasone implant (DEX group) and eyes undergoing ERM vitrectomy alone (control group) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included mean BCVA change at 6 months and mean optical coherence tomography central macular thickness (CMT) change at both 3-months and 6-months follow-up. Mean differences (MDs) with their 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated. Meta-analyses were based either on random effect model or fixed effect model according to heterogeneity. Results: Four studies were included. At 3 months, ERM vitrectomy combined with dexamethasone implant yielded a greater visual gain compared to vitrectomy alone (MD = 9.7; 95%CI = 2.6\u201316.8; p = 0.01). However, significant heterogeneity was found. A sensitivity analysis excluding the only retrospective non-randomized study confirmed a greater visual gain in the DEX group (MD = 7.1; 95%CI = 2.7\u201311.6; p < 0.01), with no heterogeneity. At 6 months, a non-significant but borderline difference in visual gain was shown between in the two groups (MD = 5.1; 95%CI = 120.3\u201310.5; p = 0.06), with no heterogeneity. Three-month analysis of CMT revealed a greater reduction in the DEX group (MD = 1280.2; 95%CI = 12149.1\u201311.2; p = 0.02), but with significant heterogeneity. A sensitivity analysis excluding the only retrospective non-randomized study allowed to reduce heterogeneity, but no difference in 3-months CMT change was found between the two groups (MD = 1250.0; 95%CI = 12106.2\u20136.2; p = 0.08). At 6 months, no difference in CMT change was shown between the two groups (MD = 1248.5; 95%CI = 12120.5\u201323.5; p = 0.19), with significant heterogeneity. Conclusions: Intraoperative dexamethasone implant in eyes undergoing vitrectomy for ERM provided a better visual outcome at 3 months compared to ERM vitrectomy without the implant, with limited evidence of better anatomic outcome as well. Further studies are needed to ascertain whether dexamethasone implant would ensure a significant long-term visual benefit as a result of a faster reduction of macular thickening

Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant for Postoperative Macular Oedema Secondary to Vitrectomy for Epiretinal Membrane and Retinal Detachment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone implant (DEX) for the treatment of macular oedema secondary to vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane (ERM) and retinal detachment (RD) by conducting a systematic review with meta-analysis of published studies. Methods. Studies reporting clinical outcomes of DEX use for the treatment of macular oedema secondary to ERM and RD vitrectomy were searched on PubMed and Embase databases. The primary outcome was best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change between baseline and post-DEX treatment, reported as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Mean central macular thickness (CMT) change was assessed as a secondary outcome. Postimplant adverse events, including intraocular pressure rise and cataract development, were reported as well. Results. Five uncontrolled studies, 1 nonrandomized controlled study, and 1 randomized controlled study were included, with a total of 5 cohorts and 3 cohorts in the ERM group and RD group, respectively. Considering the last available follow-up, a significant improvement in postimplant BCVA was found in the overall population, irrespective of the indication for vitrectomy (MD = -0.28, 95% CI = -0.37, -0.20; p<0.001), but with significant heterogeneity. In either group, mean BCVA significantly improved following the implant (in the ERM group, MD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.40, -0.22; in the RD group, MD = -0.22, 95% CI = -0.41, -0.03), with no difference between the two groups (p=0.41). However, there was significant heterogeneity in both groups. Considering the last available follow-up, a significant CMT reduction was found in the overall population, irrespective of the indication for vitrectomy (MD = -129.75, 95% CI = -157.49, -102.01; p<0.001). In the ERM group, a significant CMT reduction was shown following DEX (MD = -133.41, 95% CI = -155.37, -111.45; p<0.001), with no heterogeneity. In the RD group, mean CMT reduction was borderline significant (MD = -128.37, 95% CI = -253.57, -3.18; p=0.040), with significant heterogeneity. No difference in CMT improvement was found between the two groups (p=0.94). Conclusion. This meta-analysis showed that DEX yielded a significant improvement in visual and anatomical outcomes, even if limited by significant heterogeneity. Dexamethasone implant represents an effective treatment for postoperative macular oedema secondary to ERM and RD vitrectomy

Primary vitrectomy for degenerative and tractional lamellar macular holes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose To assess the efficacy of vitrectomy in degenerative and tractional lamellar macular holes (LMHs) by meta-analysis of published studies. Methods PubMed, Medline and Embase databases were searched up to May 2020. Included cohorts were divided into three groups: degenerative LMH group, lamellar hole associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP) group and tractional LMH group. LHEP is likely to be associated with degenerative LMHs, but less commonly could be associated with mixed LMHs. To reduce risk of possible misclassification bias, eyes with LHEP which could not have been precisely classified by the authors, were included into the LHEP group. The primary outcome was to investigate the visual change following primary vitrectomy in the degenerative LMH and LHEP group versus the tractional LMH group. A sensitivity analysis excluding the LHEP group was also performed on the primary outcome. Mean difference (MD) in best corrected visual acuity between baseline and post-treatment was calculated, along with 95% confidence interval (CI). Rate of incidence of post-operative full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) was assessed as secondary outcome. Results Thirteen studies were included. Pooled analyses including all groups showed a significant visual improvement following vitrectomy (pre-post MD = -0.17;95%CI = -0.22,-0.12; p<0.001), with no difference in visual improvement between the degenerative LMH and LHEP group and the tractional LMH group. The sensitivity analysis excluding LHEP group confirmed no difference in visual change between the degenerative LMH group (pre-post MD = -0.18;95%CI = -0.24,-0.12;p<0.001) and the tractional LMH group (MD = -0.16;95%CI = -0.26,-0.07;p<0.001). The incidence rate of post-operative FTMH was higher in the degenerative LMH and LHEP group than in the tractional LMH group (p = 0.002). Conclusion Primary vitrectomy for LMH ensured a favorable visual outcome, with no difference in visual gain between degenerative and tractional LMHs. However, a higher incidence of post-operative FTMHs was found in eyes with the degenerative LMH subtype

Utilitarian Mechanism Design for Multiobjective Optimization

In a classic optimization problem, the complete input data is assumed to be known to the algorithm. This assumption may not be true anymore in optimization problems motivated by the Internet where part of the input data is private knowledge of independent selfish agents. The goal of algorithmic mechanism design is to provide (in polynomial time) a solution to the optimization problem and a set of incentives for the agents such that disclosing the input data is a dominant strategy for the agents. In the case of NP-hard problems, the solution computed should also be a good approximation of the optimum. In this paper we focus on mechanism design for multiobjective optimization problems. In this setting we are given a main objective function and a set of secondary objectives which are modeled via budget constraints. Multiobjective optimization is a natural setting for mechanism design as many economical choices ask for a compromise between different, partially conflicting goals. The main contribution of this paper is showing that two of the main tools for the design of approximation algorithms for multiobjective optimization problems, namely, approximate Pareto sets and Lagrangian relaxation, can lead to truthful approximation schemes. By exploiting the method of approximate Pareto sets, we devise truthful deterministic and randomized multicriteria fully polynomial-time approximation schemes (FPTASs) for multiobjective optimization problems whose exact version admits a pseudopolynomial-time algorithm, as, for instance, the multibudgeted versions of minimum spanning tree, shortest path, maximum (perfect) matching, and matroid intersection. Our construction also applies to multidimensional knapsack and multiunit combinatorial auctions. Our FPTASs compute a $(1+\varepsilon)$-approximate solution violating each budget constraint by a factor $(1+\varepsilon)$. When feasible solutions induce an independence system, i.e., when subsets of feasible solutions are feasible as well, we present a PTAS (not violating any constraint), which combines the approach above with a novel monotone way to guess the heaviest elements in the optimum solution. Finally, we present a universally truthful Las Vegas PTAS for minimum spanning tree with a single budget constraint, where one wants to compute a minimum cost spanning tree whose length is at most a given value $L$. This result is based on the Lagrangian relaxation method, in combination with our monotone guessing step and with a random perturbation step (ensuring low expected running time). This result can be derandomized in the case of integral lengths. All the mentioned results match the best known approximation ratios, which are, however, obtained by nontruthful algorithms

A Predominant Role for Parenchymal c-Jun Amino Terminal Kinase (JNK) in the Regulation of Systemic Insulin Sensitivity

It has been established that c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) is essential to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Although JNK influences inflammatory signaling pathways, it remains unclear whether its activity in macrophages contributes to adipose tissue inflammation and ultimately to the regulation of systemic metabolism. To address whether the action of this critical inflammatory kinase in bone marrow-derived elements regulates inflammatory responses in obesity and is sufficient and necessary for the deterioration of insulin sensitivity, we performed bone marrow transplantation studies with wild type and JNK1-deficient mice. These studies illustrated that JNK1-deficiency in the bone marrow-derived elements (BMDE) was insufficient to impact macrophage infiltration or insulin sensitivity despite modest changes in the inflammatory profile of adipose tissue. Only when the parenchymal elements lacked JNK1 could we demonstrate a significant increase in systemic insulin sensitivity. These data indicate that while the JNK1 activity in BMDE is involved in metabolic regulation and adipose milieu, it is epistatic to JNK1 activity in the parenchymal tissue for regulation of metabolic homeostasis