Finite-time active fuzzy sliding mode approach for deep surge control in nonlinear disturbed compressor system with uncertainty in charactrisitic curve

In this paper, a novel active control approach is designed for surge instability in the compressor system using the finite-time fuzzy sliding mode scheme. The primary novelty of this study lies in the development of a finite-time fuzzy sliding mode control for the surge instability in a compressor system in the presence of disturbance and uncertainty in the characteristic curve of the compressor and also throttle valve. To ensure the stability of the closed-loop system in Lyapunov\u27s concept, a finite time active control method is proposed based on fuzzy estimation method and robust adaptive and sliding mode methods. Achieving finite time stability and rapid elimination of deep surge instability occurs through a fast sliding mode design, while fuzzy and adaptive techniques are used to estimate uncertainty and nonlinear terms, as well as to obtain optimal estimation weights. The simulation results in MATLAB environment and comparison show that the suggested method provides better quality control in terms of surge suppression, robustness, and overcoming uncertainty and disturbance effects

Research on elecctro-sorption method for air conditioning system with binary solution

Absorption air-conditioning system is a green air-conditioning system. With binary solution as the working fluid, the system performance is better with lower cost. To further improve the efficiency, an electrosorption method is proposed to regenerate the absorbent solution. Its principle is similar to capacitive deionization. The system with LiBr-CaCl2 has been confirmed in the improvement of performance, while the cost-effectiveness wasn’t ideal to satisfy the need of some cases. To solve this problem, the system with MgCl2-CaCl2 is proposed to analyze the enhancement in the cost-effectiveness. The theoretical and experimental results verify the advantage in the cost-effectiveness compared to the system with LiBr-CaCl2. Although the performance of the system with MgCl2-CaCl2 is lower than the other mixed solution, the actual COP could reach 1.9, which is still better than the system with single absorbents. Meanwhile, the energy recovery characteristic could further enhance the advantage in the improvement of performance for the system with LiBr-CaCl2 and make up the weakness of the system with MgCl2-CaCl2 solution. The exploration of higher energy recovery efficiency will further improve the competitiveness of the system

Historic Preservation Digital History Design

Final Project for INST490: Integrated Capstone for Information Science (Spring 2021). University of Maryland, College Park.The goal for this project was to create the early stages of a web development project for the Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department. Our team created the initial wireframe designs, identified problems for future aspects of the project, and provided recommendations for the next stages of development. The original project requirements included developing a website design for Parks and Recreation historical sites. However, our project scope changed to focus on the historic Compton Bassett house. Compton Bassett is a former plantation in Upper Marlboro, Maryland dating to 1783. The historic site consists of 14 buildings and is suffering from age and degradation. As a result, the site is not safe for the public to visit and needs to be preserved through an online virtual exhibit. The website will serve two different stakeholders: the public and researchers. It will allow the public to explore historic sites virtually by manipulating 3D models of the sites and accessing information about the sites. Researchers will be able to access sensitive data by registering for an account. Our client and point of contact for the project was Dr. Stefan Woehlke. Our team also communicated with Partnership for Active Learning in Sustainability (PALS) Director Kimberly Fisher, PALS Graduate Assistant Sophie Kotzker, and National Center for Smart Growth website developer Aishwarya Biddatanda.Prince George’s Count

Approximation of Images via Generalized Higher Order Singular Value Decomposition over Finite-dimensional Commutative Semisimple Algebra

Low-rank approximation of images via singular value decomposition is well-received in the era of big data. However, singular value decomposition (SVD) is only for order-two data, i.e., matrices. It is necessary to flatten a higher order input into a matrix or break it into a series of order-two slices to tackle higher order data such as multispectral images and videos with the SVD. Higher order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) extends the SVD and can approximate higher order data using sums of a few rank-one components. We consider the problem of generalizing HOSVD over a finite dimensional commutative algebra. This algebra, referred to as a t-algebra, generalizes the field of complex numbers. The elements of the algebra, called t-scalars, are fix-sized arrays of complex numbers. One can generalize matrices and tensors over t-scalars and then extend many canonical matrix and tensor algorithms, including HOSVD, to obtain higher-performance versions. The generalization of HOSVD is called THOSVD. Its performance of approximating multi-way data can be further improved by an alternating algorithm. THOSVD also unifies a wide range of principal component analysis algorithms. To exploit the potential of generalized algorithms using t-scalars for approximating images, we use a pixel neighborhood strategy to convert each pixel to "deeper-order" t-scalar. Experiments on publicly available images show that the generalized algorithm over t-scalars, namely THOSVD, compares favorably with its canonical counterparts.Comment: 20 pages, several typos corrected, one appendix adde

Influence of Free Consultation Services on Patients’ Willingness to Pay in Online Medical Platforms

Online medical platforms have emerged as a popular means for patients to access high-quality medical services efficiently. These platforms offer a variety of services, including paid consultations and free consultations. Given that doctors can increase their revenue through these platforms, researchers should investigate how to improve patients’ willingness to pay for these services. Drawing upon social exchange theory, stimulus-organism-response theory, and the information systems (IS) success model, this study proposes a model and five hypotheses to examine the influence of free medical consultations on patients’ willingness to buy paid services. To test these hypotheses, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and the collected data were analyzed using the structural equation model. The results indicate that the quality of information and services provided by doctors during free consultations positively affects patients’ willingness to pay. By introducing information quality and service quality into the IS success model in the context of free medical consultations, this study contributes to the literature on online medical platforms and expands our understanding of patients’ behavior. The findings of this study can be useful for online medical platforms and doctors to design effective platform functions and individual behavioral strategies

Tetraspanin CD151 plays a key role in skin squamous cell carcinoma

Here we provide the first evidence that tetraspanin CD151 can support de novo carcinogenesis. During two-stage mouse skin chemical carcinogenesis, CD151 reduces tumor lag time and increases incidence, multiplicity, size, and progression to malignant squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), while supporting both cell survival during tumor initiation and cell proliferation during the promotion phase. In human skin SCC, CD151 expression is selectively elevated compared to other skin cancer types. CD151 support of keratinocyte survival and proliferation may depend on activation of transcription factor STAT3, a regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis. CD151 also supports PKCα-α6β4 integrin association and PKC-dependent β4 S1424 phosphorylation, while regulating α6β4 distribution. CD151-PKCα effects on integrin β4 phosphorylation and subcellular localization are consistent with epithelial disruption to a less polarized, more invasive state. CD151 ablation, while minimally affecting normal cell and normal mouse functions, markedly sensitized mouse skin and epidermoid cells to chemicals/drugs including DMBA (mutagen) and camptothecin (topoisomerase inhibitor), as well as to agents targeting EGFR, PKC, Jak2/Tyk2, and STAT3. Hence, CD151 ‘co-targeting’ may be therapeutically beneficial. These findings not only support CD151 as a potential tumor target, but also should apply to other cancers utilizing CD151-laminin-binding integrin complexes

CD151 Drives Cancer Progression Depending on Integrin α3β1 through EGFR Signaling in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background Tetraspanins CD151, a transmembrane 4 superfamily protein, has been identified participating in the initiation of a variety of cancers. However, the precise function of CD151 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Here, we addressed the pro-tumoral role of CD151 in NSCLC by targeting EGFR/ErbB2 which favors tumor proliferation, migration and invasion. Methods First, the mRNA expression levels of CD151 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines were measured by RT-PCR. Meanwhile, CD151 and its associated proteins were analyzed by western blotting. The expression levels of CD151 in NSCLC samples and its paired adjacent lung tissues were then verified by Immunohistochemistry. The protein interactions are evaluated by co-immunoprecipitation. Flow cytometry was applied to cell cycle analysis. CCK-8, EdU Incorporation, and clonogenic assays were used to analyze cell viability. Wound healing, transwell migration, and matrigel invasion assays were utilized to assess the motility of tumor cells. To investigate the role of CD151 in vivo, lung carcinoma xenograft mouse model was applied. Results High CD151 expression was identified in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and its high expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Further, knockdown of CD151 in vitro inhibited tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Besides, inoculation of nude mice with CD151-overexpressing tumor cells exhibited substantial tumor proliferation compared to that in control mice which inoculated with vector-transfected tumor cells. Noteworthy, we found that overexpression of CD151 conferred cell migration and invasion by interacting with integrins. We next sought to demonstrate that CD151 regulated downstream signaling pathways via activation of EGFR/ErbB2 in NSCLC cells. Therefore, we infer that CD151 probably affects the sensitivity of NSCLC in response to anti-cancer drugs. Conclusions Based on these results, we demonstrated a new mechanism of CD151-mediated tumor progression by targeting EGFR/ErbB2 signaling pathway, by which CD151 promotes NSCLC proliferation, migration, and invasion, which may considered as a potential target of NSCLC treatment

Modulation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease progression by antioxidant metabolites from Pediococcus pentosaceus: enhancing gut probiotics abundance and the tryptophan-melatonin pathway

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition primarily linked to oxidative stress, poses significant health burdens worldwide. Recent evidence has shed light on the association between the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and COPD, and their metabolites have emerged as potential modulators of disease progression through the intricate gut-lung axis. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of oral administration of the probiotic Pediococcus pentosaceus SMM914 (SMM914) in delaying the progression of COPD by attenuating pulmonary oxidative stress. Specially, SMM914 induces a notable shift in the gut microbiota toward a community structure characterized by an augmented abundance of probiotics producing short-chain fatty acids and antioxidant metabolisms. Concurrently, SMM914 synthesizes L-tryptophanamide, 5- hydroxy-L-tryptophan, and 3-sulfino-L-alanine, thereby enhancing the tryptophan-melatonin pathway and elevating 6-hydroxymelatonin and hypotaurine in the lung environment. This modulation amplifies the secretion of endogenous anti-inflammatory factors, diminishes macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype, and ultimately mitigates the oxidative stress in mice with COPD. The demonstrated efficacy of the probiotic intervention, specifically with SMM914, not only highlights the modulation of intestine microbiota but also emphasizes the consequential impact on the intricate interplay between the gastrointestinal system and respiratory health.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CD151-α3β1 Integrin Complexes are Prognostic Markers of Glioblastoma and Cooperate with EGFR to Drive Tumor Cell Motility and Invasion

Glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, is featured by high tumor cell motility and invasiveness, which not only fuel tumor infiltration, but also enable escape from surgical or other clinical interventions. Thus, better understanding of how these malignant traits are controlled will be key to the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapies against this deadly disease. Tetraspanin CD151 and its associated α3β1 integrin have been implicated in facilitating tumor progression across multiple cancer types. How these adhesion molecules are involved in the progression of glioblastoma, however, remains largely unclear. Here, we examined an in-house tissue microarray-based cohort of 96 patient biopsies and TCGA dataset to evaluate the clinical significance of CD151 and α3β1 integrin. Functional and signaling analyses were also conducted to understand how these molecules promote the aggressiveness of glioblastoma at molecular and cellular levels. Results from our analyses showed that CD151 and α3 integrin were significantly elevated in glioblastomas at both protein and mRNA levels, and exhibited strong inverse correlation with patient survival (p \u3c 0.006). These adhesion molecules also formed tight protein complexes and synergized with EGF/EGFR to accelerate tumor cell motility and invasion. Furthermore, disruption of such complexes enhanced the survival of tumor-bearing mice in a xenograft model, and impaired activation of FAK and small GTPases. Also, knockdown- or pharmacological agent-based attenuation of EGFR, FAK or Graf (ARHGAP26)/small GTPase-mediated pathways markedly mitigated the aggressiveness of glioblastoma cells. Collectively, our findings provide clinical, molecular and cellular evidence of CD151-α3β1 integrin complexes as promising prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for glioblastoma