Loss Imbalance Research Articles

How does vertical fiscal imbalance affect corporate green innovation? Empirical evidence from China

The vertical fiscal imbalance of local governments under the Chinese-style decentralization system affects enterprise decision-making in their jurisdiction. Using the data of A-share listed enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen, this paper finds that vertical fiscal imbalance can promote enterprises' green innovation. The analysis of the mechanism of action reveals that the vertical fiscal imbalance positively impacts enterprises' green innovation through tax reduction and government R&D subsidies. In contrast, vertical fiscal imbalance's loss of human capital is a negative channel affecting green innovation of enterprises. Further analysis reveals that the vertical fiscal imbalance has a threshold effect on green innovation; the political and environmental backgrounds of senior executives can significantly strengthen the vertical fiscal imbalance's promoting effect on green innovation activities; in addition, the vertical fiscal imbalance can improve the efficiency and quality of green innovation by enterprises. The research findings are significant for further deepening the fiscal reform and encouraging enterprises to achieve green, high-quality enterprise development.

Negative order sobolev cubatures: preconditioners of partial differential equation learning tasks circumventing numerical stiffness

We present a variational approach aimed at enhancing the training of physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and more general surrogate models for learning partial differential equations (PDE). In particular, we extend our formerly introduced notion of Sobolev cubatures to negative orders, enabling the approximation of negative order Sobolev norms. We mathematically prove the effect of negative order Sobolev cubatures in improving the condition number of discrete PDE learning problems, providing balancing scalars that mitigate numerical stiffness issues caused by loss imbalances. Additionally, we consider polynomial surrogate models (PSMs), which maintain the flexibility of PINN formulations while preserving the convexity structure of the PDE operators. The combination of negative order Sobolev cubatures and PSMs delivers well-conditioned discrete optimization problems, solvable via an exponentially fast convergent gradient descent for λ-convex losses. Our theoretical contributions are supported by numerical experiments, addressing linear and non-linear, forward and inverse PDE problems. These experiments show that the Sobolev cubature-based PSMs emerge as the superior state-of-the-art PINN technique.

Risks, Challenges and Strategies of the Creation of China’s “City of Events”– A Case Study of Hangzhou

From 2007, when Jinjiang proposed to build “China’s first sports city”, to the successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, an increasing number of first-tier cities have regarded sports events as an important strategic layout for urban development. The construction of the “city of events” is proposed by the first-tier cities in China based on the national development strategy, serving the demands of the times for urban development, people’s livelihood and well-being, economic growth and window display. Based on literature, expert interviews and case studies, the article analyzes the current situation of Hangzhou as one of the first “city of events” in Zhejiang Province, existing predicaments and potential risks, strategies and paths for risk aversion, and the risks and challenges of Hangzhou in creating a “city of events”. The results show that there are risks such as lack of culture, imbalance of profit and loss, and lack of core strength in the creation of “city of events”, and it is necessary to focus on multi-dimensional efforts such as sports characteristic positioning, professional events and mass sports cultivation to realize the differential order development pattern of sports events integrating urban characteristics, and thus deduce the action logic of the creation of “city of events”. Diverse urban culture determines the difference in the development orientation of sports cities, and the idea of synergy, profit and loss balance, risk avoidance, and facing the future with a more positive outlook is the meaning and inevitable way of the creation of the domestic “city of events”.

Hippocampal metabolic profile during epileptogenesis in the pilocarpine model of epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a common form of refractory epilepsy in adulthood. The metabolic profile of epileptogenesis is still poorly investigated. Elucidation of such a metabolic profile using animal models of epilepsy could help identify new metabolites and pathways involved in the mechanisms of epileptogenesis process. In this study, we evaluated the metabolic profile during the epileptogenesis periods. Using a pilocarpine model of epilepsy, we analyzed the global metabolic profile of hippocampal extracts by untargeted metabolomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry, at three time points (3h, 1 week, and 2weeks) after status epilepticus (SE) induction. We demonstrated that epileptogenesis periods presented different hippocampal metabolic profiles, including alterations of metabolic pathways of amino acids and lipid metabolism. Six putative metabolites (tryptophan, N-acetylornithine, N-acetyl-L-aspartate, glutamine, adenosine, and cholesterol) showed significant different levels during epileptogenesis compared to their respective controls. These putative metabolites could be associated with the imbalance of neurotransmitters, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell loss observed during both epileptogenesis and epilepsy. With these findings, we provided an overview of hippocampal metabolic profiles during different stages of epileptogenesis that could help investigate pathways and respective metabolites as predictive tools in epilepsy.

Loss Imbalance Effect on Inter-Core Crosstalk in Bidirectional Uncoupled Multi-Core Fiber Transmission

The effect of core loss imbalance on inter-core crosstalk (XT) is studied theoretically and numerically in long-haul bidirectional uncoupled multi-core fiber transmission. The coupled power equations are solved for two cores with imbalance of loss coefficients, and the solution is used to obtain expressions for direct, indirect, backscattered and bidirectional XT powers. These expressions generalize expressions reported by other authors to arbitrary loss coefficients. It is shown that, in the range of the loss coefficient imbalance from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-0.04$</tex-math></inline-formula> dB/km to 0.04 dB/km, the XT powers in decibel show approximately a linear dependence on the loss coefficient imbalance. In that range, differences of the indirect XT power of nearly 1.2 dB relative to the indirect XT power with equal loss coefficients can occur for the larger loss coefficient imbalance; for the direct and backscattered XT powers, the differences are even larger, reaching around 2 dB. These values of 1.2 and 2 dB of difference translate directly to the bidirectional XT power of long-haul 2-core fiber links, in case of dominance of indirect and backscattered XT, respectively.

Loss Balance and Transient DC-Bias Suppression Strategies in Three-Level DAB Converters Modulated With Five DoFs

In the three-level (3 L) neutral-point-clamped (NPC) dual-active-bridge (DAB) converter, both sides of the converter can adapt to higher DC bus voltage, and more control degrees of freedom (DoFs) are provided compared to the conventional DAB converter. In the PWM generating technique with 5 DoFs, loss imbalance may develop in inner switches and outer switches because the leading or lagging arm is introduced, affecting system reliability. In addition, the transient DC-bias issue may also arise in the 3L-NPC-DAB converter modulated with 5 DoFs, leading to the transformer saturation. In this paper, two strategies are proposed to suppress the loss imbalance and the transient DC-bias in the current stress and magnetizing branches. It is also general and applicable for SPS, DPS, and TPS modulations. Furthermore, the loss balance strategy and DC-bias suppression strategy are applied in the PWM generation technique simultaneously without additional components. With the proposed solutions, the loss imbalances of inner switches and outer switches are suppressed and DC-bias in the integral of voltages on both sides of the 3L-NPC-DAB converter is abolished. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is validated by a series of experiments conducted under varying situations.

Multifunctional antibacterial bioactive nanoglass hydrogel for normal and MRSA infected wound repair

Large-scale skin damage brings potential risk to patients, such as imbalance of skin homeostasis, inflammation, fluid loss and bacterial infection. Moreover, multidrug resistant bacteria (MDRB) infection is still a great challenge for skin damage repair. Herein, we developed an injectable self-healing bioactive nanoglass hydrogel (FABA) with robust antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ability for normal and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infected skin wound repair. FABA hydrogel was fabricated facilely by the self-crosslinking of F127-CHO (FA) and alendronate sodium (AL)-decorated Si-Ca-Cu nanoglass (BA). FABA hydrogel could significantly inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and MRSA in vitro, while showing good cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility. In addition, FABA hydrogel could inhibit the expression of proinflammatory factor TNF-α and enhance the expression of anti-inflammatory factor IL-4/ IL-10. Based on its versatility, FABA hydrogel could complete wound closure efficiently (75% at day 3 for normal wound, 70% at day 3 for MRSA wound), which was almost 3 times higher than control wound, which was related with the decrease of inflammatory factor in early wound. This work suggested that FABA hydrogel could be a promising dressing for acute and MRSA-infected wound repair.Graphical

Clinical frailty scale as a predictor of outcome in elderly patients affected by moderate or severe traumatic brain injury.

Older age is a well-known risk factor for unfavorable outcome in traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, many older people with TBI respond well to aggressive treatments, suggesting that chronological age and TBI severity alone may be inadequate prognostic markers. Frailty is an age-related homeostatic imbalance of loss of physiologic and cognitive reserve resulting in both limitation in autonomy of activities of daily living and vulnerability to adverse events. We hypothesized that frailty would be associated with 6-month adverse functional outcome in older people affected by moderate or severe TBI. This was a single-center prospective observational study. We enrolled consecutive patients aged ≥65 years after TBI with Glasgow Coma Scale ≤13 and admitted to our Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. Frailty was evaluated by Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Relationships between TBI severity, frailty and extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) at 6-month were evaluated. Sixty patients were studied, 65% were males, their age was 76 years (IQR 70-80) and their admission GCS was 8 (IQR 6-11) with a GCS motor score of 5 (IQR 4-5). Twenty eight were vulnerable-frail (defined as CFS ≥ 4). Vulnerable-frail patients showed greater 6-month mortality and unfavorable outcome compared to non-frail [87% vs. 30% OR and 95% CI: 15.7 (3.9-55.2), p < 0.0001 and 92% vs. 51% OR and 95% CI: 9.9 (2.1-46.3), p = 0.002]. In univariate analysis patients with unfavorable outcome were more frequently male and vulnerable-frail, had a higher prevalence of pre-existing neurodegenerative disease, abnormal pupil, lower GCS and had worst CT scan characteristics. At multivariate analysis, only CFS ≥ 4 and traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage remained associated to 6-month outcome. Frailty was associated with 6 month-outcome, suggesting that the pre-injury functional status could represent an additional indicator to stratify patient's severity and to predict outcome.

Balanced Loss Function for Accurate Surface Defect Segmentation

The accurate image segmentation of surface defects is challenging for modern convolutional neural networks (CNN)-based segmentation models. This paper identifies that loss imbalance is a critical problem in segmentation accuracy improvement. The loss imbalance problem includes: label imbalance, which impairs the accuracy on less represented classes; easy–hard example imbalance, which misleads the focus of optimization on less valuable examples; and boundary imbalance, which involves an unusually large loss value at the defect boundary caused by label confusion. In this paper, a novel balanced loss function is proposed to address the loss imbalance problem. The balanced loss function includes dynamical class weighting, truncated cross-entropy loss and label confusion suppression to solve the three types of loss imbalance, respectively. Extensive experiments are performed on surface defect benchmarks and various CNN segmentation models in comparison with other commonly used loss functions. The balanced loss function outperforms the counterparts and brings accuracy improvement from 5% to 30%.

Risk of Bias in Randomized Clinical Trials Comparing Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

Recent European Society of Cardiology/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (ESC/EACTS) guidelines highlighted some concerns about the randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for aortic stenosis. Quantification of these biases has not been previously performed. To assess whether randomization protects RCTs comparing TAVI and SAVR from biases other than nonrandom allocation. A systematic review of the literature between January 1, 2007, and June 6, 2022, on MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was performed. Specialist websites were also checked for unpublished data. The study included RCTs with random allocation to TAVI or SAVR with a maximum 5-year follow-up. Data extraction was performed by 2 independent investigators following the PRISMA guidelines. A random-effects meta-analysis was used for quantifying pooled rates and differential rates between treatments of deviation from random assigned treatment (DAT), loss to follow-up, and receipt of additional treatments. The primary outcomes were the proportion of DAT, loss to follow-up, and patients who were provided additional treatments and myocardial revascularization, together with their ratio between treatments. The measures were the pooled overall proportion of the primary outcomes and the risk ratio (RR) in the TAVI vs SAVR groups. The search identified 8 eligible trials including 8849 participants randomly assigned to undergo TAVI (n = 4458) or SAVR (n = 4391). The pooled proportion of DAT among the sample was 4.2% (95% CI, 3.0%-5.6%), favoring TAVI (pooled RR vs SAVR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.08-0.36; P < .001). The pooled proportion of loss to follow-up was 4.8% (95% CI, 2.7%-7.3%). Meta-regression showed a significant association between the proportion of participants lost to follow-up and follow-up time (slope, 0.042; 95% CI, 0.017-0.066; P < .001). There was an imbalance of loss to follow-up favoring TAVI (RR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28-0.55; P < .001). The pooled proportion of patients who had additional procedures was 10.4% (95% CI, 4.4%-18.5%): 4.6% (95% CI, 1.5%-9.3%) in the TAVI group and 16.5% (95% CI, 7.5%-28.1%) in the SAVR group (RR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.15-0.50; P < .001). The imbalance between groups also favored TAVI for additional myocardial revascularization (RR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.24-0.68; P < .001). This study suggests that, in RCTs comparing TAVI vs SAVR, there are substantial proportions of DAT, loss to follow-up, and additional procedures together with systematic selective imbalance in the same direction characterized by significantly lower proportions of patients undergoing TAVI that might affect internal validity.

Active Gate Driver With Turn-off Delay Control for Voltage Balancing of Series–Connected SiC MOSFETs

Connecting semiconductor switches in series is a way to increase the voltage rating of a power electronic converter. However, if two switches are directly connected without any special effort, an uneven voltage between the switches can occur due to nonidentical characteristics of them. A significant voltage imbalance may destroy the switches, and both thermal and loss imbalance also lead to the unstable system. Since a silicon carbide (SiC) metal–oxide–semiconductor field–effect transistor ( <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">mosfet</small> ) has a faster switching speed and higher voltage blocking capability than silicon (Si) devices, existing voltage balancing methods for Si devices may not be suitable. This article proposes a voltage balancing method that controls turn- <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">off</small> delay time of the switch by adding one bipolar junction transistor (BJT) on a gate turn- <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">off</small> path. Depending on the base voltage of the BJT, turn- <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">off</small> resistance and delay time are actively changed which mitigates the imbalance problem. The theoretical analysis of the proposed method has been discussed in detail based on the classical <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">mosfet</small> model. Both the simulations and experiments have been performed to verify the theory and the validity of the proposed method where the voltage imbalance is reduced from 22.4% to 3.2% as well as reducing the switching loss at the entire voltage and load conditions.

Component-Level Semiconductor Loss Balancing for IGBT Based High Power MMC Through Insertion Index Modification

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is the state-of-the-art converter topology in HVdc transmission applications. The reliability and lifetime of MMCs are strongly dependent on the health of the internal power semiconductors. The operating loss of power semiconductors, which is one of the dominant factors affecting component aging, is not uniformly distributed between the top and bottom switches in the same submodule (SM) due to the dc bias in the arm current. Such loss imbalance leads to differences in lifetime of semiconductors and reduces the reliability of SM. Especially under inverter conditions, the bottom insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) in SM is subjected to a severe thermal stress and has a relatively high failure rate for the thermal vulnerability of IGBT. To extend the lifetime and improve the reliability, this article proposes a component-level loss balancing method. It is achieved by insertion index modification based on a feed-forward gain controller. The proposed method can improve the loss distribution among the top and bottom semiconductors without side effects on ac and dc outputs. Its effectiveness and feasibility are validated through simulation and experimental results.

Inhibition of Cell Proliferation and Cell Viability by Sinecatechins in Cutaneous SCC Cells Is Related to an Imbalance of ROS and Loss of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential.

The term sinecatechins designates an extract containing a high percentage of catechins obtained from green tea, which is commercially registered as Veregen or Polyphenon E (PE) and may be considered for treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and actinic keratosis (AK). As shown here, treatment of four cSCC cell lines with 200 µg/mL of PE resulted in strong, dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation (20–30%) as well as strongly decreased cell viability (4–21% of controls, 48 h). Effects correlated with loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, whereas early apoptosis was less pronounced. At the protein level, some activation of caspase-3 and enhanced expression of the CDK inhibitor p21 were found. Loss of MMP and induced cell death were, however, largely independent of caspases and of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins Bax and Bak, suggesting that sinecatechins induce also non-apoptotic, alternative cell death pathways, in addition to apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were downregulated in response to PE at 4 h, followed by an increase at 24 h. The contributory role of initially reduced ROS was supported by the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine, which in combination with PE further enhanced the negative effects on cell viability. Thus, sinecatechins inhibited cell proliferation and viability of cSCC cells, which could suggest the use of PE for AK treatment. The mechanisms appear as linked to an imbalance of ROS levels.

Cu Clip-Bonding Method With Optimized Source Inductance for Current Balancing in Multichip SiC MOSFET Power Module

Cu clip-bonding is a promising packaging method for lower resistance, lower inductance, and higher reliability than wire-bonding. Previous studies only simply replace bond wires with Cu clips on an individual die. However, current sharing and thermal coupling issues among multichip modules are still big challenges in the clip-bonded silicon carbide (SiC) <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">mosfet</small> power module. In this article, a novel source inductance optimization method is proposed. Extra modification paths (MPs) on Cu clips are used in this method. A clip-bonded half-bridge multichip SiC power module is designed and fabricated to verify the superiority of the method. In a simple straight layout, the distance between adjacent dies is large enough to avoid heat concentration and junction temperature differences resulting from the thermal coupling effect. The MPs structure on the Cu clip is designed to optimize the power source inductances. Parasitic circuit model and mathematical analysis are derived to demonstrate the features of proposed MPs. Simulations and experiments workbench are conducted to analyze drain current sharing performance. Derivation and simulation show the highest branch's inductance is reduced. Test results show the current imbalance and loss imbalance are relatively mitigated, which proves that the effect of power inductances imbalance is suppressed by the proposed optimization method.

Topological engineering of terahertz light using electrically tunable exceptional point singularities.

The topological structure associated with the branch point singularity around an exceptional point (EP) can provide tools for controlling the propagation of light. Through use of graphene-based devices, we demonstrate the emergence of EPs in an electrically controlled interaction between light and a collection of organic molecules in the terahertz regime at room temperature. We show that the intensity and phase of terahertz pulses can be controlled by a gate voltage, which drives the device across the EP. Our electrically tunable system allows reconstruction of the Riemann surface associated with the complex energy landscape and provides topological control of light by tuning the loss imbalance and frequency detuning of interacting modes. Our approach provides a platform for developing topological optoelectronics and studying the manifestations of EP physics in light-matter interactions.

Cucurbitacin B exerts neuroprotection in a murine Alzheimer's disease model by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurotransmitter levels.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) type dementia encompasses diverse cognitive deficits marked by free radicals and pro-inflammatory cytokines mediated progressive neurodegeneration and vascular damage including the blood-brain barrier. Subsequently, an imbalance in neurotransmitters, excitotoxicity, and synaptic loss provide impetus to AD pathogenesis and perpetuate brain dysfunctions. Cucurbitacin possesses several biological properties and has shown potential in cancer, diabetes, and brain disorders. In this study, neuroprotective effects of cucurbitacin B (CuB) were investigated using the intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (STZ-ICV) AD prototype. Wistar rats (adult males) were injected STZ-ICV (3 mg/kg) bilaterally on day(s) 1 and 3. Rats were treated with CuB (25, 50 mg/kg, i.p.) or donepezil (1 mg/kg, i.p.) for 28 days daily starting from day 1. Behavioral tests viz. locomotor activity, motor coordination, and memory functions were conducted at different time intervals. After behavioral tests, biochemical markers of oxidative mutilation, inflammatory cell demise, and neurotransmitters were assessed in the whole brain. CuB attenuated STZ-ICV-induced decrease in spatial memory in novel object recognition task and long-term memory in passive avoidance test. CuB diminished protein carbonyls, lipid peroxidation, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and enhanced antioxidants in the brain of rats inoculated with STZ-ICV. A decline in inflammatory and cell death biomarkers was observed in rats treated with CuB and STZ-ICV. In neurotransmitter analysis, a decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity and glutamate levels indicated an increase in cholinergic and attenuation of excitatory transmission in the brain. GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) levels were enhanced by CuB treatment in the STZ-ICV rat model. Histomorphometry analysis disclosed that CuB treatment caused an increase in viable neuron density in the cortex and hippocampus of rats against STZ-ICV neurotoxicity. It can be inferred that CuB can afford a decline in AD symptoms. CuB protects neurons against STZ-ICV toxicity that improved memory functions in rats.

Compact DC to 110 GHz Crossover Based on Metallic-Nanowire-Filled Membrane

This letter presents an ultra-wideband crossover based on metallic-nanowire-filled membrane (MnM) from dc to 110 GHz. Two designs are proposed with reduced insertion loss and high isolation. Design Type 1 presents a 1.2 dB insertion loss and 19 dB isolation up to 80 GHz, with a phase imbalance of 14° at 80 GHz. This important phase imbalance is due to CPW that passes under the top microstrip (MS) line. To improve the device, a CPW was used in both paths. The improved design Type 2 shows a 1.5 dB insertion loss, 0.2 dB insertion loss imbalance, and 3.3° phase imbalance at 110 GHz. The latter presents a measured isolation of 38 dB up to 70 GHz and a simulated isolation better than 30 dB up to 110 GHz.

Highly Miniaturized Dual-band Power Divider based on HMSIW for 5G/ WLAN Applications

A highly compact dual-band power divider (PD) based on the HMSIW structure is investigated in this paper. The dual-band operation is achieved by incorporating an inner modified circular complementary split-ring resonator (MC-CSRR) and outer circular CSRR on the top metal layer of HMSIW. The operating frequency of the PD decreases due to evanescent mode propagation. This assists in miniaturizing the structure apart from the 50% size reduction offered by the HMSIW. By asymmetric placement of two output ports of a PD, it is possible to achieve an unequal PD with an arbitrary power division ratio. To exhibit the proposed idea, two dual-band PD prototypes, one with equal power division and the other with unequal power division are designed, fabricated and experimentally verified. The PD occupies a compact size of 0.128 λg× 0.122 λg, where λg being the guided wavelength at the first operating frequency. The proposed PD with advantages of lower insertion loss, better return loss, minimum amplitude and phase imbalance between the output ports is beneficial for 5G FR1 n78 (3.3- 3.8 GHz) and WLAN (5.17 GHz) communications.

A Simulation-optimization framework of vehicle relocation for one-way electric carsharing systems

In one-way electric carsharing systems (ECSs), customers can pick up an electric vehicle (EV) at one location and return it to any location, causing an imbalance of EVs and revenue loss for ECSs. In order to address this problem, a simulation-optimization framework is introduced to determine optimal vehicle relocation strategies. In this framework, the discrete event simulation model considers stochasticity and EV-dependent road congestion to simulate the operation of ECSs. And the optimization module is triggered by the simulation model to provide relocation strategies to the operator based on the genetic algorithm with the optimal computing budget allocation. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that the simulation model can reflect the operation of ECSs in the real world, and the joint relocation strategies achieve improvements in both the profit and the vehicle utilization rate and reduce the number of relocations concerning the single relocation strategies used in the ECS.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in autoimmune inflammatory diseases (Review).

Numerous recent studies reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also exists in the peripheral blood to regulate the proliferation, differentiation and survival of lymphocytes. Besides the role of BDNF in neuron repair, circulatory BDNF also enhances the proliferation and reduces apoptosis of lymphocytes. Peripheral lymphocytes express both BDNF and its receptors. Increasing evidence has indicated that altered BDNF serum levels significantly affect patients with autoimmune inflammatory diseases and may also be linked to the pathogenesis of diseases. For instance, systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune inflammatory disease involving multiple organs, is frequently linked to altered B lymphocyte function, imbalance of T-cell subpopulations and loss of immune tolerance, which dysregulates the immune regulatory network with excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The present review summarized studies that suggest a potential link between circulatory BDNF and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.