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A method is proposed for reducing the hardware expenditure in the circuits of the Moore finite-state machines (FSMs) implemented in the EMB and LUT basis. The method is based on splitting a set of states into classes, with each of them corresponding to one block of logic elements. Moreover, each state has two codes. This approach leads to the three-level circuit of the Moore FSM. An example of the Moore FSM synthesis using the proposed method and the application conditions for this method are considered. Studies based on the standard benchmark FSMs have shown that the proposed method reduces the hardware expenditure compared to the other known solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EMB induces lysosomal injury, ferroptosis and tight junction disorder. • EMB or MPs leads to ferroptosis through lysosome /ROS pathway. • EMB or MPs induces midgut barrier destruction, inflammation and immune damage. • The combined exposure of EMB and MPs has more obvious toxicity than single exposure. Pesticides and plastics bring convenience to agriculture and life, but also bring residual pollution in the environment. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) is the most popular pesticide at present. The harm of microplastics (MPs) to water and aquatic organisms is gradually increasing, and the possibility that it appears synchronously with various pesticides increases. However, the damage of EMB and MPs to the carp midgut and its mechanism have not been clarified. Therefore, based on the EMB or/and MPs exposure models, this study explored the mechanism of midgut injury through transcriptomics, immunofluorescence, western blot methods, and so on. Studies in vivo and in vitro showed that EMB or MPs exposure caused cilia shortening, lysosome damage, and ROS overproduction, which led to Fe2+ content increase, GSH/GSSG system disorder, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptosis. This process further led to the down-regulation of Cx43, Occludin, Claudin, and ZO-1, which further caused barrier damage, immune-related genes (immunoglobulin, IFN-γ) decrease and inflammation-related genes (TNF-α, IL-1β) increase. Combined exposure was more significant than that of single exposure, and the addition of EN6 and NAC proved that lysosome/ROS/ferroptosis regulated these midgut damages. In conclusion, EMB or/and MPs exposure induce tight junction disorder, immune disorder and inflammation in carp midgut through the lysosome/ROS/ferroptosis pathway. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of increasing availability of high-resolution chest computed tomography, the diagnosis and management of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) has become a common challenging clinical problem. Meanwhile, surgical techniques have improved, and minimally invasive approaches such as robot- and video-assisted surgery are becoming standard, rendering the palpation of such lesions more difficult, not to mention pure ground-glass opacities, which cannot be felt even in open surgery. In this article, we explore the role of bronchoscopy in helping surgeons achieve successful minimally invasive resections in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detoxification of insecticides in insects is dependent on the expression and activity of multiple detoxification enzymes. As an important modulator of detoxification enzymes, the CncC-Keap1 pathway was involved in the detoxification of various pesticides. However, whether the CncC-Keap1 pathway is involved in the detoxification of emamectin benzoate (EMB) is unclear. In this study, we cloned the Ld CncC and Ld Keap1 from spongy moths (Lymantria dispar). Our results showed that EMB exposure induced oxidative stress, and activated the CncC-Keap1 pathway at mRNA and protein levels. Removing ROS by N -acetylcysteine remarkably decreased H 2 O 2 levels and restored the expression of Ld CncC and Ld Keap1. The silencing Ld CncC, not Ld Keap1, by dsRNA significantly decreased the cytochrome P450 activities, and increased the sensitivity of larvae to EMB. Besides, the expression of CYP6B7v1, CYP321A7 and CYP4S4v1 were significantly decreased after silencing Ld CncC. Notably, the knockdown of CYP6B7v1, CYP321A7 or CYP4S4v1 significantly increased the mortality induced by EMB exposure. Therefore, we proposed that activation of CncC-Keap1 pathway induced by ROS increased the detoxification of EMB in spongy moths by regulating the expression of CYP6B7v1, CYP321A7 and CYP4S4v1. Our study strengthened the understanding of the detoxification of EMB from the perspective of CncC-Keap1-P450s pathway. [Display omitted] • Cloning, structural and functional analysis of Ld CncC and Ld Keap1 in spongy moths • CncC-Keap1 pathway was activated in response to EMB-induced ROS burst. • dsCncC , not dsKeap1 , reduced the tolerance to EMB in spongy moth larvae. • CYP6B7v1, CYP9A23v1 and CYP4S4v1 play important roles in detoxification of emamectin benzoate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes a method for reducing the number of LUT elements in the circuit of a compositional microprogram control unit (CMCU) with code sharing. The method is based on the two-fold encoding of operator linear chains (OLC). Each chain has a code as an element of the OLC set and as a class element of this set. This approach allows obtaining a two-level microinstruction addressing unit. The control memory of the CMCU is implemented in the embedded memory blocks. The article considers an example of synthesis and provides an analysis of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the damping and demagnetization effect of an electromagnetic buffer (EMB) under impact load. The motional eddy currents are calculated first, and the Ampere circuital theorem is employed to calculate the induced magnetic field. The demagnetization effect is formulated by the magnetic Reynolds number with a correction coefficient km. Following this, the time-step finite element (FE) model of the buffering system is constructed based on the nonlinear B–H curve. The accuracy and feasibility of the FE model is preliminarily verified by small-scale impact test. The characteristics of damping displacement, velocity, damping force and damping coefficient are obtained. Then, the demagnetization effect is analysed by eddy current, magnetic field distribution, through the intensive impact load test at room temperature and time-step FE model. The value of km is obtained through the intensive impact test and the simplified expression of critical velocity. The results show that the demagnetization effect is obvious with the increase of velocity. By introducing the correction coefficient of magnetic Reynolds number, the eddy current demagnetization process is more realistic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-energy density electromagnetic buffer (EMB) is studied and analysed for the violent acceleration and high velocity of intensive impact loads. First, the design requirements of the EMB are proposed to select reasonable structure and magnetic circuit parameters. The equivalent current model is used to introduce the primary eddy current affected by demagnetization effect and the induced secondary eddy current. The magnetization process is studied by dividing the conductor tube into the approach end and the departure end. Considering the nonlinear damping and eddy current interaction between primary and secondary, a primary-secondary eddy current loss coupled nonlinear time-step finite element model (FEM) is established to obtain the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of eddy current. Finally, a test experiment with weak impact, medium impact and intensive impact was carried out. The measured displacement, velocity, damping force, and time nodes responses during buffering are consistent with the established time-step FEM results. The proposed high-energy density EMB can effectively complete the impact buffering process. It is reasonable to obtain the eddy current loss and its magnetization law from the established FEM which is suitable for shock buffering with different impulse strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is proposed for reducing the number of LUTs in the circuit of a microprogrammed Mealy FSM implemented in a basis of FPGA. The method is based on elimination of some elements from the sets of microoperations for their implementation by EMB. This approach reduces logic levels and interconnections for a circuit implemented with LUTs. An algorithm is proposed for searching for a partition of the set of microoperations. An example of synthesis is given as well as results of the investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensive impact load will generate a huge acceleration in the primary part of the Electromagnetic buffers (EMBs), resulting in an instantaneous increase in the eddy current loss of the permanent magnet (PM). In this paper, the PM eddy current loss is taken into account in the electromagnetic buffering under intensive impact load. The reason why the eddy current damping force differs between two different buffer stages is analyzed. The experimental results signify that the model considering the PM eddy current loss is more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of the electronic non-circular gear brake (ENGB) involves challenges, including the non-linear variation of loads and the effect of friction, which is dependent upon load. The controller must be designed based on modelling information in order to enhance control performance. This study performed model identification of the ENGB system using a DOB-based model identification method. By employing the nearest neighbor search method, the even-odd disturbance was separated without the influence of hysteresis even in situations with low control precision. The accuracy of the resulting ENGB system model was validated through experiments. The self-energizing effect due to friction between the brake disc and pad within the mechanical system was also validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an analytical study of the electromechanical buckling of a micro spherical thin film bonded to a compliant elastic substrate. The spherical film is subjected to electrostatic attraction forces that are induced by applying a voltage difference between an outer spherical elastic film electrode and inner rigid, fixed and grounded spherical electrode. When the applied voltage is small, the film contracts while maintaining its complete spherical shape. However, when the applied voltage reaches a critical value, the film buckles into high-ordered periodic patterns (i.e. elastic surface wrinklings). Motivated by experimental results of other studies, this work examines the critical buckling state of one-dimensional, square checkerboard and hexagonal patterns. As will be shown, the above considered patterns are associated with the same critical state, and therefore, all patterns have equal buckling voltage and critical wavelength. Furthermore, with increasing radius of the film/substrate system the electromechanical buckling response converges to the electromechanical pull-in instability of the well-known two parallel plate electrodes, as will be revealed by the asymptotic analytical solution. Finally, the elastic ripples of the electromechanically buckled film can be generated or removed by a simple On/Off switching of the applied voltage. The ability to generate and remove elastic ripples tremendously increases the potential of such microsystem to be utilized in different applications in the field of Micro and Nano electromechanical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the automotive industry is shifting towards electrification, brake-by-wire technologies are becoming more prevalent. However, there has been little research comparing and optimizing brake-by-wire actuators in terms of their energy expenditure and response time. This paper investigates the comparison of three different smart brake-by-wire actuators, Electro-Hydraulic Brakes (EHB), Electro-Mechanical Brakes (EMB), and Electronic Wedge Brakes (EWB), first by defining an objective metric and then using both linear and nonlinear optimization techniques. Modeling of the actuators is performed using the bond graph method. Then, the controllers are designed using a robust control strategy, Youla parameterization. After designing the controllers, two types of optimization are performed on the actuators. Optimizations are performed in two ways: 1. by linearizing the plants and optimizing using their transfer functions and 2. by nonlinear optimization of the plants in the closed-loop following a specific clamp force target. The objective metrics or the cost functions for these optimizations are chosen to be the energy usage of the plants during the closed-loop operation, maximum power requirement, and their dynamic responsiveness. Using this optimization framework, we can show a significant improvement in the energy usage of the actuators and slight improvements in their responsiveness. In the end, the actuators are compared in terms of their energy usage for sets of initial and optimized physical parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extraction of a broken tooth root is often a traumatic experience for both the practitioner and the patient. To extract broken roots, generally invasive approaches as open window surgeries or mucoperiosteal flap and/or removal of buccal bone are performed. Presentation of the hypothesis: Expandable micro-motor bur (EMB) is a hypothetical design of a dental instrument proposed for removal of broken teeth roots that cannot be extracted by the routine closed methods and in which common instrumentations cannot afford to accomplish. Implication of EMB would introduce a new technique in removal of broken teeth roots in which surgical trauma is minimized and so post-extraction disorders. It would eliminate surgical invasion to the surrounding tissues; and also it would eliminate profound hand forces by the practitioner, consequently reduces stress for both the practitioner and the patient. It would eliminate high risk aftermaths such as operative morbidity (due to bone loss), maxillary sinus exposure and probable need for additional surgery as are indicative of some conventional open access approaches. Testing the hypothesis: Further studies are needed to confirm its effect in clinical cases. The effectiveness of EMB should be verified firstly by animal experiments. The likelihood of its negative influence on nearby vascular and nerve system should be well evaluated. Implications of the hypothesis: Implication of EMB would be of interest to both patients and the surgeon due to the following main achievements: a) no need for mucoperiosteal flap, hence preservation of soft tissue, b) no need for osteotomy, hence retention of buccal bone, c) less risk of sinus exposure, d) minimum chance of post operative infections due to eliminated surgeries in soft tissues and bones and e) in terms of esthetics, it will have a special meaning for immediate placement of dental implants. EMB's structural components include Bur head, Spacers and Bur base. A micro motor would power its spin. In contrast to conventional surgical approaches, EMB procedure is conservative. It is anticipated that EMB would provide less traumatic and least post-operative complications in extraction of broken teeth roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methods are proposed targeting to reduce the numbers of both look-up table elements and embedded memory blocks in the logic circuit of a Moore finite state machine. The proposed methods are based on binary encoding of both classes of pseudoequivalent states and collections of microoperations. Examples of synthesis and results of investigations are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the future, the conventional hydraulic brake system in automobiles will be removed and replaced by an electrically operated brake system called brake-by-wire. The brake-by-wire units, such as the EMB (Electro-Mechanical Brake), provide better braking performance by directly controlling the brake motor and are environmentally friendly because they do not use hydraulic fluid. For implementation of the EMB systems, reliable and robust fault detection and diagnosis methods become increasingly important. In this study, a sensor fault diagnosis method is proposed with parity space and observer approaches to detect faults in the motor current sensor, speed (or position) sensor and clamping force sensor. The proposed method is verified through a closed-loop simulation using Matlab/Simulink, and the simulation result is compared with the HILS bench test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the way in which Islam has been cast as a political problem in Belgium and how Muslims have, particularly in Flanders, become framed by politicians and commentators in the media as a threat. The actual socioeconomic difficulties that Muslims (particularly those of Turkish and Moroccan descent) face are being redrawn as problems stemming from their culture and religion. State agencies are trying to shape the political organisation that will represent Belgian Muslims, as the issue of Islam is increasingly debated in terms of the ‘clash of civilisations’, and secularism and the Enlightenment are linked in public debate with a Christian Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Within the Extreme Male Brain theory, Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterised as a deficit in empathising in conjunction with preserved or enhanced systemising. A male advantage in systemising is argued to underpin the traditional male advantage in mental rotation tasks. Mental rotation tasks can be separated into rotational and non-rotational components, and circulating testosterone has been found to consistently relate to the latter component. Systemising was found to correlate with mental rotation, specifically the non-rotational component(s) of the mental rotation task but not the rotational component of the task. Systemising also correlated with a proxy for circulating testosterone but not a proxy for prenatal testosterone. A sex difference was identified in systemising and the non-rotational aspect of the mental rotation task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The class VI POU domain family member known as Emb in the mouse (rat Brn5 or human mPOU/TCFβ1) is present in vivo as a protein migrating at about 80 kDa on western blots, considerably larger than that predicted (about 42 kDa) from previously cloned coding sequences. By RT-PCR and 5′ RACE strategies a full-length Emb sequence, Emb FL, is now identified. Shorter sequences encoding the –COOH terminal, and an –NH2 terminal isoform, EmbN, were also isolated. Comparisons of Emb coding sequences between species, including the full-length zebra fish, POU(c), are presented, together with a compilation of the multiple transcripts produced by alternative splicing and the presence of different transcriptional start and stop sites, from the Emb gene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to analyze cardiac tissue and blood for viral genomes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to define the common viral etiologies of myocarditis by age group.: BackgroundEnteroviruses are considered the most common cause of myocarditis at all ages. Diagnosis relies on viral cultures, serology, and cardiac histology, which lack sensitivity, as well as PCR. However, in many cases enteroviruses are not detected.: MethodsCardiac samples were obtained for PCR analysis from patients with myocarditis (n = 624) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (n = 149). Patients were analyzed by age group, including neonates (n = 116), infants (n = 191), toddlers (n = 87), children (n = 110), adolescents (n = 92), and adults (n = 177). After nucleic acids had been extracted from an endomyocardial biopsy, an explant, or autopsy samples, PCR and reverse transcription PCR were performed to detect the genomic sequences of enterovirus, adenovirus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), parvovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A virus.: ResultsViral genome was amplified (adenovirus = 142, enterovirus = 85, CMV = 18, parvovirus = 6, influenza A = 5, HSV = 5, EBV = 3, RSV = 1) from 239 (38%) of the 624 samples from myocarditis patients, including 26 patient samples in which dual infection was found. Virus was detected in 30 (20%) of 149 DCM patient samples; only adenovirus (n = 18) and enterovirus (n = 12) were detected.: ConclusionsPolymerase chain reaction identified adenovirus as the most common virus in the myocardium of children and adults with myocarditis and DCM. Although enteroviruses are also found in these patients, they appear to be a less common cause of myocarditis than adenovirus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to determine the prognostic value of clinical data available at presentation and histology in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) and idiopathic giant cell myocarditis (IGCM).: BackgroundThe prognosis of patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy is partly dependent on the histologic diagnosis. Survival in IGCM is poor. The prognosis of a histologically related entity, cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), is less well established, and the prognostic value of the distinction between CS and IGCM on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is unknown.: MethodsWe identified 115 patients from the Multicenter IGCM Registry with CS (n = 42) and IGCM (n = 73). We compared the clinical data for these two groups using Cox proportional-hazards models to assess the association between histologic diagnosis and survival. In order to determine whether histologic features could reliably differentiate these two entities, two cardiac pathologists semiquantitatively graded the inflammatory infiltrate components and compared the results between groups.: ResultsBlack race was more frequent in the CS group (31% vs. 4%, p < 0.0001). Syncope and atrioventricular block were also more frequently observed in CS than IGCM (31% vs. 5%, p = 0.0002 and 50% vs. 15%, p < 0.0001, respectively). Left-sided heart failure was more common in IGCM (40% vs. 64%, p = 0.013). In CS patients diagnosed by EMB, the five-year transplant-free survival after diagnosis was 69.8% versus 21.9% for IGCM (p < 0.0001, log-rank test). In multivariate models, presentation with heart failure predicted IGCM, and presentation with heart block or more than nine weeks of symptoms predicted CS. Eosinophils, myocyte damage, and foci of lymphocytic myocarditis were more frequent in IGCM, while granulomas and fibrosis were more frequent in CS.: ConclusionsTransplant-free survival is better for patients with CS than for IGCM diagnosed by EMB. Presentation with heart failure predicted IGCM, and presentation with heart block or more than nine weeks of symptoms predicted CS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: ObjectivesWe investigated the prevalence of lamin A/C (LMNA) gene defects in familial and sporadic dilated cardiomyopathies (DCM) associated with atrioventricular block (AVB) or increased serum creatine-phosphokinase (sCPK), and the corresponding changes in myocardial and protein expression.: BackgroundIt has been reported that familial DCM, associated with conduction disturbances or variable myopathies, is causally linked to LMNA gene defects.: MethodsThe LMNA gene and myocardial ultrastructural and immunochemical changes were analyzed in 73 cases of DCM (49 pure, 15 with AVB [seven familial, eight sporadic], 9 with increased sCPK), four cases of familial AVB and 19 non-DCM heart diseases. The normal controls included eight heart donor biopsies for tissue studies and 107 subjects for LMNA gene studies.: ResultsFive novel LMNA mutations (K97E, E111X, R190W, E317K, four base pair insertion at 1,713 cDNA) were identified in five cases of familial autosomal dominant DCM with AVB (5/15: 33%). The LMNA expression of the myocyte nuclei was reduced or absent. Western blot protein analyses of three hearts with different mutations showed an additional 30-kDa band, suggesting a degrading effect of mutated on wild-type protein. Focal disruptions, bleb formation and nuclear pore clustering were documented by electron microscopy of the myocyte nuclear membranes. None of these changes and no mutations were found in the nine patients with DCM and increased sCPK or in the disease and normal controls.: ConclusionsThe LMNA gene mutations account for 33% of the DCMs with AVB, all familial autosomal dominant. Increased sCPK in patients with DCM without AVB is not a useful predictor of LMNA mutation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]