Search results for " function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Microbiome and Diseases: Hepatic Disorders
2018
Intensive research efforts aim to understand the multifaceted molecular mechanisms underlying disease onset and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD). Taken together, NAFLD and ALD are the most common liver diseases worldwide, and universally accepted therapies other than lifestyle interventions either focusing on weight reduction and physical exercise or alcohol abstinence are lacking. During the last decade, alterations of intestinal microbiota composition and intestinal barrier function leading to an increased translocation of bacterial endotoxin and of metabolites originating from an altered intestinal microbiome are emerging as …
Changes in pharyngeal aerobic microflora in oral breathers after palatal rapid expansion.
2006
Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to investigate in oral breathing children the qualitative and quantitative effects on aerobic and facultatively anaerobic oropharyngeal microflora of respiratory function improved by rapid palatal expansion (RPE). Methods In an open clinical trial, we studied 50 oral breathers, aged 8 to 14 years and suffering from both maxillary constriction and posterior cross-bite. At baseline, patients were examined by a single otorhinolaryngologist (ENT), confirming nasal obstruction in all subjects by posterior rhino-manometric test. Patients were evaluated three times by oropharyngeal swabs:1) at baseline (T = 0); 2) after palatal spreading out (T = 1…
Optimization of the straightness measurements on rough surfaces by Monte Carlo simulation
2013
Summary The straightness error of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is determined by measuring a rule standard. Thanks to a reversal technique, the straightness uncertainty of the CMM is theoretically dissociated from the straightness uncertainty of the rule. However, stochastic variations of the whole measurement system involve uncertainties of the CMM straightness error. To quantify these uncertainties, different sources of stochastic variations are listed with their associated probability density functions. Then Monte Carlo methods are performed first to quantify error and secondly to optimize measurement protocol. It is shown that a 5-measurement distance from 0.1 mm to each measurem…
Sacral neurostimulation and neuromodulation in urological practice
2000
The problems associated with treating various forms of lower tract dysfunction by electrical stimulation are reflected in the many years of basic and clinical research in this area. However, better understanding of both neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, and development of new technologies have led to further application of electrical current to restore impaired bladder function. Contemporary knowledge of the potential for both sacral neurostimulation and neuromodulation as a therapeutic option for lower urinary tract dysfunction is reviewed.
IMPROVING CNC MACHINE TOOLS ACCURACY USING MODELING AND COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUES
2007
Abstract The position was one of the first parameters that required the introduction of automatic control process. One of the most representative applications is represented by the feed drives of the computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools. Today, it is possible to use computer simulation techniques in analysing and synthesising position control systems. Thus, the behaviour of the CNC machine tools feed drives can be treated much more realistically. It is the purpose of this paper to show how simulation can be used to accurately represent, predict and improve the performance of a CNC machine tool feed servo drives.
Frequency Regulation of Hybrid Power System by Optimized Adaptive Fuzzy PID Controller
2020
In this study, an adaptive fuzzy PID (AFPID) regulator has been proposed for frequency control of hybrid power system. For controller parameter optimization, an upgraded Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) has been employed. In the proposed Upgraded WOA (UWOA) technique, a cosine function is incorporated in the original WOA for determining control parameter to manage the position of whales throughout optimization procedure. Furthermore, scaling factors are employed in original WOA to adjust the travel of whales in search procedure. Proposed UWOA technique is employed to design an AFPID controller for frequency regulation of a hybrid power system It is demonstrated that UWOA technique out per…
Economic Robustness Analysis of Adaptive Chart Schemes for Monitoring the Total Nonconformities Number in Inspection Units
2015
In recent years, a variety of enhanced schemes for the c chart have been developed aimed at the effectiveness improving of the related statistical process control (SPC) procedures. However, the performance of such chart schemes can be very sensitive to values assumed for some operating and cost parameters, in particular to the considered process shift magnitude arising from out-of-control conditions. In such a circumstance, the effectiveness of such chart schemes can be subjected to substantial reductions when they are implemented in operative contexts given that, in practice, such value is unknown and it can be very difficult to accurately estimate. For this reason, in the present paper i…
A Multi-Objective Design Approach for the c Chart Considering Taguchi Loss Function
2013
The present paper proposes a multi-objective design approach for the c chart, considering in the optimization process of the chart parameters both the statistical and the economic objectives. In particular, the minimization of the hourly total quality related costs is the considered objective to carry out the economic goal, whereas the statistical objective is reached by the minimization the out-of-control average run length of the chart. A mixed integer non-linear constrained mathematical model is formulated to solve the treated multi-objective optimization problem, whereas the Pareto optimal frontier is described by the e-constraint method. In order to show the employment of the proposed …
Estrogens and Stem Cells in Thyroid Cancer
2014
Recent discoveries highlight the emerging role of estrogens in the initiation and progression of different malignancies through their interaction with stem cell compartment. Estrogens play a relevant role especially for those tumors bearing a gender disparity in incidence and aggressiveness, as occurs for most thyroid diseases. Although several experimental lines suggest that estrogens promote thyroid cell proliferation and invasion, their precise contribution in stem cell compartment still remains unclear. This review underlines the interplay between hormones and thyroid function, which could help to complete the puzzle of gender discrepancy in thyroid malignancies. Defining the associatio…