Performance Analysis and Enhancement of Deep Convolutional Neural Network - Application to Gearbox Condition Monitoring

Convolutional neural network has been widely investigated for machinery condition monitoring, but its performance is highly affected by the learning of input signal representation and model structure. To address these issues, this paper presents a comprehensive deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) based condition monitoring framework to improve model performance. First, various signal representation techniques are investigated for better feature learning of the DCNN model by transforming the time series signal into different domains, such as the frequency domain, the time–frequency domain, and the reconstructed phase space. Next, the DCNN model is customized by taking into account the dimension of model, the depth of layers, and the convolutional kernel functions. The model parameters are then optimized by a mini-batch stochastic gradient descendent algorithm. Experimental studies on a gearbox test rig are utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of presented DCNN models, and the results show that the one-dimensional DCNN model with a frequency domain input outperforms the others in terms of fault classification accuracy and computational efficiency. Finally, the guidelines for choosing appropriate signal representation techniques and DCNN model structures are comprehensively discussed for machinery condition monitoring

Genetic characteristics of common variable immunodeficiency patients with autoimmunity

Background: The pathogenesis of common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) is complex, especially when combined with autoimmunity. Genetic factors may be potential explanations for this complex situation, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) provide the basis for this potential.Methods: Genetic information of patients with CVID with autoimmunity, together with their first-degree relatives, was collected through WGS. The association between genetic factors and clinical phenotypes was studied using genetic analysis strategies such as sporadic and pedigree.Results: We collected 42 blood samples for WGS (16 CVID patients and 26 first-degree relatives of healthy controls). Through pedigree, sporadic screening strategies and low-frequency deleterious screening of rare diseases, we obtained 9,148 mutation sites, including 8,171 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 977 Insertion-deletions (InDels). Finally, we obtained a total of 28 candidate genes (32 loci), of which the most common mutant was LRBA. The most common autoimmunity in the 16 patients was systematic lupus erythematosis. Through KEGG pathway enrichment, we identified the top ten signaling pathways, including “primary immunodeficiency”, “JAK-STAT signaling pathway”, and “T-cell receptor signaling pathway”. We used PyMOL to predict and analyse the three-dimensional protein structures of the NFKB1, RAG1, TIRAP, NCF2, and MYB genes. In addition, we constructed a PPI network by combining candidate mutants with genes associated with CVID in the OMIM database via the STRING database.Conclusion: The genetic background of CVID includes not only monogenic origins but also oligogenic effects. Our study showed that immunodeficiency and autoimmunity may overlap in genetic backgrounds.Clinical Trial Registration: identifier ChiCTR210004403

Long-range prediction of the tropical cyclone frequency landfalling in China using thermocline temperature anomalies at different longitudes

The landfalls of the tropical cyclone (TC) along the coast of China have caused huge economic damages. There are approximately nine TC landfalls in China every year. It will be beneficial if the landfall frequency can be predicted in advance. Inspired by the study of Sparks and Toumi (Commun Earth Environ, 30-1-2020), six datasets, including four ocean reanalyses and two object analyses from 1993 to 2019, are employed to study the consistency in the relationship between the thermocline temperature anomalies at different longitudes and the frequency of TC landfalls along the coastal areas of China (South China, East China, and the whole of China). The thermocline temperature anomalies at different longitudes are tested in order to confirm our hypothesis that the eastward and westward transports of ocean heat from the warm pool are the causes of the significant correlations. The results show some significant correlations at various longitudes, and the temperature anomalies can predict the TC landfall frequency for several months or longer. Further study also shows the close relationship between the ocean heat transport and the sea surface temperature anomalies at the genesis locations of TC landfalls. The locations of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during high-frequency TC landfall years also show favorable spatial patterns to the TC landfall in South China and East China, respectively. In years with a high TC frequency in South China, the westward displacement of the WPSH ridge steers TC toward South China, while during high-frequency TC landfall years in East China, WPSH is located further north, and the westward extension of the ridge is in close proximity to the East China Sea

The domination number of round digraphs

The concept of the domination number plays an important role in both theory and applications of digraphs. Let D=(V,A)D=(V,A) be a digraph. A vertex subset T⊆V(D)T\subseteq V(D) is called a dominating set of D, if there is a vertex t∈Tt\in T such that tv∈A(D)tv\in A(D) for every vertex v∈V(D)\Tv\in V(D)\backslash T. The dominating number of D is the cardinality of a smallest dominating set of D, denoted by γ(D)\gamma (D). In this paper, the domination number of round digraphs is characterized completely

Observed interannual relationship between ITCZ position and tropical cyclone frequency

There are no well accepted mechanisms that can explain the annual frequency of tropical cyclones (TCs) both globally and in individual ocean basins. Recent studies using idealized models showed that the climatological frequency of TC genesis (TCG) is proportional to the Coriolis parameter associated with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) position. In this study, we investigate the effect of the ITCZ position on TCG on the interannual time scale using observations over 1979-2020. Our results show that the TCG frequency is significantly correlated with the ITCZ position in the North Atlantic (NA) and Western North Pacific (WNP), with more TCG events in years when the ITCZ is further poleward. The ITCZ-TCG relationship in NA is dominated by TCG events in the tropics (0-20°N), while the relationship in WNP is due to TCs formed in the east sector (140-180°E). We further confirmed that the ENSO has little effect on the ITCZ-TCG relationship despite it can affects the ITCZ position and TCG frequency separately. In NA and WNP, a poleward shift of ITCZ is significantly associated with large-scale environment changes favoring TCG in the Main Development Region (MDR), However, the basin-wide TCG frequency has a weak relationship with the ITCZ in other ocean basins. We showed that a poleward ITCZ in Eastern North Pacific and South Pacific favors TCG on the poleward flank of MDR, whilst it suppresses TCG on the equatorward flank, leading to insignificant change in basin-wide TCG frequency. In the South Indian Ocean, the ITCZ position has weak effect on TCG frequency due to mixed influences of environmental conditions

Modulation of Ferroelectric and Optical Properties of La/Co-Doped KNbO3 Ceramics

The phase transition, microscopic morphology and optical and ferroelectric properties are studied in a series of La- and Co-doped KNbO3-based ceramics. The results show that the doping induces the transformation from the orthorhombic to the cubic phase of KNbO3, significantly reduces the optical bandgap and simultaneously evidently improves the leakage, with a slight weakening of ferroelectric polarization. Further analysis reveals that (i) the Co doping is responsible for the obvious reduction of the bandgap, whereas it is reversed for the La doping; (ii) the slight deterioration of ferroelectricity is due to the doping-induced remarkable extrinsic defect levels and intrinsic oxygen vacancies; and (iii) the La doping can optimize the defect levels and inhibit the leakage. This investigation should both provide novel insight for exploring the bandgap engineering and ferroelectric properties of KNbO3, and suggest its potential applications, e.g., photovoltaic and multifunctional materials

Discovery of recombinases enables genome mining of cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters in Burkholderiales species.

Bacterial genomes encode numerous cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that represent a largely untapped source of drugs or pesticides. Mining of the cryptic products is limited by the unavailability of streamlined genetic tools in native producers. Precise genome engineering using bacteriophage recombinases is particularly useful for genome mining. However, recombinases are usually host-specific. The genome-guided discovery of novel recombinases and their transient expression could boost cryptic BGC mining. Herein, we reported a genetic system employing Red recombinases from Burkholderiales strain DSM 7029 for efficient genome engineering in several Burkholderiales species that currently lack effective genetic tools. Using specialized recombinases-assisted in situ insertion of functional promoters, we successfully mined five cryptic nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase BGCs, two of which were silent. Two classes of lipopeptides, glidopeptins and rhizomides, were identified through extensive spectroscopic characterization. This recombinase expression strategy offers utility within other bacteria species, allowing bioprospecting for potentially scalable discovery of novel metabolites with attractive bioactivities

High-Performance PdNi Nanoalloy Catalyst in Situ Structured on Ni Foam for Catalytic Deoxygenation of Coalbed Methane: Experimental and DFT Studies

A Ni-foam-structured PdNi nanoalloy catalyst engineered from nano- to macro-scales has been successfully fabricated for the catalytic deoxygenation of coalbed methane (CBM). The catalyst was obtainable by embedment of Pd nanoparticles onto Ni-foam substrate via a galvanic exchange reaction method and subsequent in situ activation in the reaction, which was active at low temperature, selective (no CO formation), and oscillation free in this CH₄-rich catalytic combustion process. Special Pd@NiO (Pd nanoparticles partially wrapped by tiny NiO fragments) ensembles were formed in the galvanic deposition stage and could merely be transformed into PdNi nanoalloys in the real reaction stream at elevated temperatures (e.g., 450 °C or higher). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to reveal the role of Ni decoration at Pd in PdNi nanoalloy catalyst for the CBM deoxygenation. By nature, the Pd–Ni alloying modified the electronic structure of surface Pd and led to a decrease in the O adsorption energy, which can be taken as the activity descriptor for the CBM deoxygenation. A reaction kinetic study indicated that the Ni decoration at Pd by Pd–Ni alloying lowered the apparent activation energy in comparison to the pristine Pd catalyst, while leading to an increase of the reaction order of O₂ from −0.6 at Pd catalyst to −0.3. The foam-structured PdNi nanoalloy catalyst thus offered enhanced low-temperature activity and the elimination of oscillating phenomena as the result of a transient balance obtained between the cycles of O₂ adsorption/activation and CH₄ oxidation

A Controlled Clinical Study of Accelerated High-Dose Theta Burst Stimulation in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is frequently treated using a combination of counseling, drugs, and, more recently various transcranial stimulation protocols, but all require several weeks to months for clinically significant improvement, so there is a need for treatments with faster onset. This study investigated whether an accelerated high-dose theta burst stimulation (ahTBS) protocol significantly improves the efficacy of OCD compared to traditional 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the routine clinical setting. Method. Forty-five patients with OCD were randomized into two groups and treated with ahTBS or 1-Hz rTMS for 5 days. Patients were assessed at baseline at the end of treatment using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Results. After 5 days of treatment, there was a significant decrease in Y-BOCS scores in both groups (p<0.001), and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (group x time interaction, F = 1.90, p=0.18). There was also no statistically significant difference in other secondary outcome indicators, including depression, anxiety symptoms, and response rate. However, the ahTBS group had a greater trend in response rate. Neuropsychological testing showed no negative cognitive side effects of either treatment. Conclusion. Accelerated high-dose TBS is as safe and has comparable short-term efficacy to traditional 1-Hz rTMS for the clinical treatment of OCD. Further research is needed to explore optimal ahTBS parameters, validate the utility of this treatment modality, and identify factors predictive of rapid clinical response to guide clinical decision-making. This trial is registered with NCT05221632