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Control applications that facilitate Demand Flexibility (DF) are difficult to deploy at scale in existing buildings. The heterogeneity of systems and non-standard naming conventions for metadata describing data points in building automation systems often lead to ad-hoc and building-specific applications. In recent years, several researchers investigated semantic models to describe the meaning of building data. They suggest that these models can enhance the deployment of building applications, enabling data exchanges among heterogeneous sources and their portability across different buildings. However, the studies in question fail to explore these capabilities in the context of controls. This paper proposes a novel semantics-driven framework for developing and deploying portable DF control applications. The design of the framework leverages an iterative design science research methodology, evolving from evidence gathered through simulation and field demonstrations. The framework aims to decouple control applications from specific buildings and control platforms, enabling these control applications to be configured semi-automatically. This allows application developers and researchers to streamline the onboarding of new applications that could otherwise be time-consuming and resource-intensive. The framework has been validated for its capability to facilitate the deployment of control applications sharing the same codebase across diverse virtual and real buildings. The demonstration successfully tested two controls for load shifting and shedding in four virtual buildings using the Building Optimization Testing Framework (BOPTEST) and in one real building using the control platform VOLTTRON. Insights into the current limitations, benefits, and challenges of generalizable controls and semantic models are derived from the deployment efforts and outcomes to guide future research in this field.

Point-of-care testing methods are essential for the large-scale diagnosis and monitoring of bacterial infections. This study introduces an integrated platform designed for the simultaneous detection of pathogenic bacteria. Users can simply inject samples into the system, which then conducts the entire procedure in a fully automated manner, eliminating the need for external power sources, all within 60 min or less. The innovative paper-based microfluidic system is capable of lysing bacteria and integrating loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with the CRISPR/Cas12a system, achieving this with minimal reagent usage on a single piece of paper. The reaction reagents are pre-fabricated as freeze-dried powder on the paper, allowing for long-term storage. A portable and cost-effective detection device has been designed to provide stable temperature control and analyze fluorescent signals, complementing the paper-based microfluidic system. This compact device measures 150 × 150 × 100 mm, weighs less than 1.8 kg, has an average power consumption of under 15 W, and supports external power supply. The device utilizes non-contact QR codes for information transmission, ensuring functionality even in areas without Internet connectivity. This platform is capable of simultaneously detecting five typical pathogenic microorganisms, with a detection limit of 1 copy/μL. It boasts several advantages, including miniaturization, lightweight design, low power consumption, portability, affordability, rapid detection, and ease of operation, making it highly suitable for on-site detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point-of-care (PoC) devices offer a promising solution for fast, portable, and easy-to-use diagnostics. These characteristics are particularly relevant in agrifood fields like viticulture where the early detection of plant stresses is crucial to crop yield. Microfluidics, with its low reagent volume requirements, is well-suited for such applications. Self-driven microfluidic devices, which rely on capillary forces for fluid motion, offer an attractive alternative by eliminating the need for external pumps and complex fluid control systems. However, traditional microfluidic prototyping materials like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) present challenges due to their hydrophobic nature. This paper presents the development of a reusable, portable, capillary-driven microfluidic platform based on a PDMS-PEG (polyethylene glycol) copolymer designed for the rapid low-cost detection of abscisic acid (ABA), a key biomarker for the onset of ripening of non-climacteric fruits and drought stress in vines. By employing passive fluid transport mechanisms, such as capillary-driven sequential flow, this platform enables precise biological and chemical screenings while maintaining portability and ease of use. A simplified field-ready sample processing method is used to prepare the grapes for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most software is originally designed for serial or parallel execution on CPU, and porting to GPU comes later in its development, GPUSPH was designed from the ground up to run on GPUs using CUDA. Making it accessible to a wider audience by introducing support for other computational hardware, and in particular CPUs, poses challenges that are complementary to the ones normally faced when porting CPU code to GPU. We present the approach we have adopted to support CPUs as computational devices in GPUSPH with minimal code changes and low developer effort. Detailed benchmarks illustrating the performance of the implementation and its scalability across multiple cores in both single‐socket and NUMA configurations show good strong and weak scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the most crucial issues in human society such that if it is not given sufficient attention, it can become a great threat to both humans and the Earth. Due to global warming, soil erosion is increasing in different regions. Therefore, this issue will require further investigation and the use of new tools. In this paper, a portable wind tunnel was designed and built for wind erosion studies using photogrammetry, which is a novel technique. This instrument consists of a working section, a fan, a portable voltage source inverter to control its angular speed, and a honeycomb to straighten the air flow in the working section. The eroded volume of soil is measured using photogrammetry by producing two 3D models and point clouds before and after the soil erosion test and calculating their volume changes. The results show that a 0.175 mm check distance precision is achievable under convergent imaging and with sufficient number of accurate control points which this value indicates the discrepancy between the anticipated and measured lengths of all the check distances. In addition, the features of this portable wind tunnel guarantee its easy portability, and its transparency enables the measurement of the threshold friction velocity. Additionally, this instrument, as an invention, has been registered at the Intellectual Property Center of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most self‐powered electrochemical sensors (SPESs) are limited by low open circuit voltage and power density, leading to a narrow detection range and low sensitivity. Herein, a photoinduced Zn‐air battery‐assisted SPES (ZAB‐SPES) is proposed based on cobalt and sulfur co‐doped carbon nitride with the cyano group (Co, S‐CN). The cyano functionalization remarkably enhances visible light utilization, and the cyano moiety acts as an electron‐withdrawing group to promote electron enrichment. Co and S co‐doping can create a p–n homojunction within carbon nitride, enabling the efficient migration and separation of carriers, thereby significantly improving the performance of the oxygen reduction reaction. The synergistic effects endow Co, S‐CN photocathode with an open circuit voltage of 1.85 V and the maximum power density of 43.5 µW cm−2 in the photoinduced ZAB. Employing heavy metal copper ions as the target model, the photoinduced ZAB‐SPES exhibited dual‐mode and sensitive detection. Furthermore, a portable detection device based on the photoinduced ZAB‐SPES is designed and exhibits high linearity in the range of 5 ~ 600 nM with a detection limit of 1.7 nM. This work offers a portable detection method based on the photoinduced ZAB‐SPES in the aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-level genetic studies are overwhelmingly biased toward European ancestries. Transferring genetic predictions from European ancestries to other ancestries results in a substantial loss of accuracy. Yet, it remains unclear how much various genetic factors, such as causal effect differences, linkage disequilibrium (LD) differences, or allele frequency differences, contribute to the loss of prediction accuracy across ancestries. In this study, we used gene expression levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines to understand how much each genetic factor contributes to lowered portability of gene expression prediction from European to African ancestries. We found that cis- genetic effects on gene expression are highly similar between European and African individuals. However, we found that allele frequency differences of causal variants have a striking impact on prediction portability. For example, portability is reduced by more than 32% when the causal cis -variant is common (minor allele frequency, MAF >5%) in European samples (training population) but is rarer (MAF <5%) in African samples (prediction population). While large allele frequency differences can decrease portability through increasing LD differences, we also determined that causal allele frequency can significantly impact portability when the impact from LD is substantially controlled. This observation suggests that improving statistical fine-mapping alone does not overcome the loss of portability resulting from differences in causal allele frequency. We conclude that causal cis -eQTL effects are highly similar in European and African individuals, and allele frequency differences have a large impact on the accuracy of gene expression prediction. [Display omitted] Population genetic studies often underrepresent non-European ancestries, reducing accuracy in genetic predictions. We found that cis -genetic effects on gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines are largely shared between European and African populations, and allele frequency differences in causal variants significantly reduce the portability of gene expression predictions across ancestries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation has been studied for many years, with many randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of robotic-assisted training on affected limbs. The current trend directs towards end-effector devices. However, most studies have focused on the effectiveness of rehabilitation devices, but studies on device sizes are relatively few. Goal: Systematically review the effect of a portable rehabilitation robot (PRR) on the rehabilitation effectiveness of paralysed upper limbs compared with non-robotic therapy. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted on literature that included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) obtained from the PubMed and Web of Science (WoS) electronic databases until June 2023. Results: A total of 9 studies, which included RCTs, were completed and a meta-analysis was conducted on 8 of them. The analysis involved 295 patients. The influence on upper-limb function before and after treatment in a clinical environment is analysed by comparing the experimental group using the portable upper-limb rehabilitation robot with the control group using conventional therapy. The result shows that portable robots prove to be effective (FMA: SMD = 0.696, 95% = 0.099 to .293, p < 0.05). Discussion: Both robot-assisted and conventional rehabilitation effects are comparable. In some studies, PRR performs better than conventional rehabilitation, but conventional treatments are still irreplaceable. Smaller size with better portability has its advantages, and portable upper-limb rehabilitation robots are feasible in clinical rehabilitation. Conclusion: Although portable upper-limb rehabilitation robots are clinically beneficial, few studies have focused on portability. Further research should focus on modular design so that rehabilitation robots can be decomposed, which benefits remote rehabilitation and household applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new development direction in exoskeleton research, wearable flexible exoskeleton systems are highly favored for their freedom of movement, flexibility, lightweight design, and comfortable wearability. These systems are gradually becoming the preferred choice for rehabilitation therapy, and enhancing physical performance. In this thesis, based on existing research in wearable flexible exoskeletons, we aim to design a lightweight wearable upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton that meets the needs of stroke patients with a high likelihood of upper limb impairment. The system should provide sufficient flexibility for comfortable and convenient use while minimizing the weight to reduce the user's burden during wear. Our proposed lightweight wearable flexible exoskeleton assists users in achieving rehabilitation exercises for both the shoulder (external/internal rotation) and forearm (flexion/extension) movements. The system consists of a flexible fabric section connecting the torso–shoulder–upper arm, a flexible fabric section for the forearm, and a back-mounted actuation device. The fabric sections primarily consist of elastic textile materials with a few rigid components. Emphasizing lightweight design, we strive to minimize the exoskeleton's weight, ensuring optimal user comfort. The actuation device connects to the fabric sections via tensioned wires, driven by a motor to induce arm movement during rehabilitation exercises. To enhance safety and prevent secondary upper limb injuries due to exoskeleton malfunction, we incorporate a physical limiter retricting the exoskeleton's range of motion. Additionally, we include tension-adjustment mechanisms and cushioning springs to improve the feasibility of this wearable flexible exoskeleton. After completing the structural design, this paper conducted a basic static and kinematic analysis of the exoskeleton system to provide theoretical support. Additionally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the exoskeleton system design were verified through dynamic simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The current practice in guideline development is to use the control group event rate (CR) as a surrogate of baseline risk and to assume portability of the relative treatment effect across populations with low, moderate and high baseline risk. We sought to emulate this practice in a very large sample of meta-analyses. Methods We retrieved data from all meta-analyses published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2003–2020) that evaluated a binary outcome, reported 2 × 2 data for each individual study and included at least 4 studies. We excluded studies with no events. We conducted meta-analyses with odds ratios and relative risks and performed subgroup analyses based on tertiles of CR. In sensitivity analyses, we evaluated the use of total event rate (TR) instead of CR and using quartiles instead of tertiles. Results The analysis included 2,531 systematic reviews (27,692 meta-analyses, 226,975 studies, 25,669,783 patients).The percentages of meta-analyses with statistically significant interaction (P

Lead ions (Pb2+) are classified as highly toxic heavy metals that pose substantial threats to both human health and environmental integrity. Consequently, the sensitive detection of Pb2+, particularly at low concentrations, is imperative for the purposes of environmental surveillance and safeguarding public health. Here, we introduce a Co/Pt/Si Schottky heterostructure for a rapid, portable Pb2+ detection sensor. One electrode of the heterojunction serves as a Pb2+ probe, and sensor processing circuits are integrated. The Co/Pt thin films were deposited via magnetron sputtering on a Si(100) substrate, followed by heterojunction fabrication using semiconductor process technology. The sensor is functionalized with a glutathione‐modified gold electrode, leveraging the sulfur‐donor properties of cysteine in glutathione and the electron‐acceptor behavior of Pb2+. This interaction modulates the surface potential of the gold electrode, altering the current‐voltage rectification of the Co/Pt/Si heterojunction. A two‐terminal configuration enables current signal readout without reference electrodes. The sensor demonstrates a linear response to Pb2+ concentrations ranging from 1×10−8 to 1×10−3 mol/L, with high selectivity attributed to the affinity of glutathione for Pb2+. The key benefits are the simplicity of its fabrication process and its portability, which are enhanced by the integration of measurement circuitry. This makes the sensor a promising candidate for rapid, on‐site detection of heavy metal ions in applications related to health and environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficiently simulating solid mechanics is vital across various engineering applications. As constitutive models grow more complex and simulations scale up in size, harnessing the capabilities of modern computer architectures has become essential for achieving timely results. This paper presents advancements in running parallel simulations of solid mechanics on multi-core CPUs and GPUs using a single-code implementation. This portability is made possible by the C++ matrix and array (MATAR) library, which interfaces with the C++ Kokkos library, enabling the selection of fine-grained parallelism backends (e.g., CUDA, HIP, OpenMP, pthreads, etc.) at compile time. MATAR simplifies the transition from Fortran to C++ and Kokkos, making it easier to modernize legacy solid mechanics codes. We applied this approach to modernize a suite of constitutive models and to demonstrate substantial performance improvements across different computer architectures. This paper includes comparative performance studies using multi-core CPUs along with AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. Results are presented using a hypoelastic–plastic model, a crystal plasticity model, and the viscoplastic self-consistent generalized material model (VPSC-GMM). The results underscore the potential of using the MATAR library and modern computer architectures to accelerate solid mechanics simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents software advances to easily exploit computer architectures consisting of a multi-core CPU and CPU+GPU to accelerate diverse types of high-performance computing (HPC) applications using a single code implementation. The paper describes and demonstrates the performance of the open-source C++ matrix and array (MATAR) library that uniquely offers: (1) a straightforward syntax for programming productivity, (2) usable data structures for data-oriented programming (DOP) for performance, and (3) a simple interface to the open-source C++ Kokkos library for portability and memory management across CPUs and GPUs. The portability across architectures with a single code implementation is achieved by automatically switching between diverse fine-grained parallelism backends (e.g., CUDA, HIP, OpenMP, pthreads, etc.) at compile time. The MATAR library solves many longstanding challenges associated with easily writing software that can run in parallel on any computer architecture. This work benefits projects seeking to write new C++ codes while also addressing the challenges of quickly making existing Fortran codes performant and portable over modern computer architectures with minimal syntactical changes from Fortran to C++. We demonstrate the feasibility of readily writing new C++ codes and modernizing existing codes with MATAR to be performant, parallel, and portable across diverse computer architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric (TE) cooling and heating are suitable for blood storage cabinet applications due to their portability, low power consumption, no noise, and being environmentally friendly. The temperature range for blood refrigerated storage is 4.0±2.0 °C then, before the blood is injected into the human body, it must gradually warm up to 37±1.0 °C within 10 minutes. However, it could be sensitive to environmental temperature control. Therefore, this study investigates thermoelectric cooling and heating to explore the temperature performance under various case studies, including operational voltages during cooling and heating, ambient temperature, and the load of the blood storage cabinet. The results demonstrated that the blood heater/cooler system can cool to 4.0 °C for 12 V power input and heat up to 37 °C for 3.0 to 4.0 V power input. It verifies that our novel thermoelectric system design can be applied in the blood storage cabinet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, there has been considerable interest in studying wine oxidation. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the molecular changes caused by oxidation in wine and how they affect wine quality. Simultaneously, the recent advancements in understanding the molecular pathways involved in wine oxidation are also discussed. The paper first explores the process of oxygen dissolution and the complex transformations that occur in polyphenols during oxidation. It then reviews the current methods of micro‐oxidation (MOX) and over‐oxidation (OOX). Subsequently, it introduces oxidation kinetics, and controls indexes for the degree of oxidation and the underlying principles. Additionally, it discusses the effects of oxidation on the sensory qualities of wine and analyzes the interrelationships between oxidation, functional components, and drinkability. The comprehensive review of the literature shows that OOX leads to the rapid depletion of polyphenols, reducing the overall antioxidant capacity of the wine and affecting its appearance and flavor. In contrast, MOX promotes a balanced matrix and enhances the complexity of the aroma. Polyphenols, particularly resveratrol, can interact with reactive oxygen species or activate endogenous defense mechanisms to mitigate diseases risks. However, the presence of oxygen can activate the antioxidant mechanism of resveratrol, resulting in decreased content and a diminished anti‐disease effect. Despite this, a clear distinction between OOX and MOX has not been established. Future research should focus on identifying and defining precise oxidation levels using control indexes for the degree of oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current practice in guideline development is to use the control group event rate (CR) as a surrogate of baseline risk and to assume portability of the relative treatment effect across populations with low, moderate and high baseline risk. We sought to emulate this practice in a very large sample of meta-analyses. Methods: We retrieved data from all meta-analyses published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2003–2020) that evaluated a binary outcome, reported 2 × 2 data for each individual study and included at least 4 studies. We excluded studies with no events. We conducted meta-analyses with odds ratios and relative risks and performed subgroup analyses based on tertiles of CR. In sensitivity analyses, we evaluated the use of total event rate (TR) instead of CR and using quartiles instead of tertiles. Results: The analysis included 2,531 systematic reviews (27,692 meta-analyses, 226,975 studies, 25,669,783 patients).The percentages of meta-analyses with statistically significant interaction (P < 0.05) based on CR tertile or quartile ranged 12–18% across various sensitivity analyses. This percentage increased as the number of studies or range of CR per meta-analysis increased, reflecting increased power of the subgroup test. The percentages of meta-analyses with statistically significant interaction (P < 0.05) with TR quantiles were lower than those with CR but remained higher than expected by chance. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that when CR or TR are used as surrogates for baseline risk, relative treatment effects may not be portable across populations with varying baseline risks in many meta-analyses. Categroization of the continuous CR variable and not addressing measurement error limit inferences from such analyses and imply that CR is an undesirable source for baseline risk. Guideline developers and decision-makers should be provided with relative and absolute treatment effects that are conditioned on the baseline risk or derived from studies with similar baseline risk to their target populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the portability of Cloud Computing (CC) services, specifically on the problems with the portability of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). We analyze the current state of CC with the intention of standardizing the portability of CC solutions. CC IaaS providers often use proprietary solutions, which leads to a problem known as "vendor lock-in". Another problem might appear during migration between two providers if huge scripts are written in a proprietary language. To solve the portability problem, we applied the Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) approach to propose the general IaaS reference architecture. Using a generic IaaS model, we are able to describe entities of the IaaS environment and then design necessary transformation rules for specific IaaS environments in a simplified but flexible way. Using this model, we continue designing transformation rules that define the transcript of IaaS services. The CC-portability problem is thus solved by transforming a specific IaaS service description from one description to another through the generic model. This approach is extensible and can be adopted for the evolution of CC services. Therefore, it can be used as a generic solution to IaaS-portability issues. Using this flexible approach, the introduction of a new CC environment requires only the design of a single transformation rule that prevents proprietary peer-to-peer full-mesh mappings. Thanks to the proposed model and the transformation rules described, we were able to experimentally confirm the functionality of the transfer of the environment description between three cloud providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article critically evaluates the controversial technology i.e. geo-blocking, through two related prisms, digital copyright (in particular, audio-visual services) and, EU Competition Law. Two EU Regulations are key to this analysis: the Portability Regulation and the Geo-blocking Regulation. Compellingly, there are both contradictions and tensions between these two Regulations when it comes to copyright-protected services. The discordant legislative provisions are not the sole quandary; the General Court’s ruling in the Groupe Canal + case is generally anti-geoblocking in tone. By ruling against absolute territorial protection in the context of pay-TV licences, the General Court indirectly challenges the geo-blocking clauses in the aforementioned licences. While the CJEU annulled the General Court’s decision on grounds of proportionality, concerns relating to the fate of geo-blocking clauses in licensing agreements still prevail. An analysis of the two contradictory Regulations and the Groupe Canal + judgment suggests an apparent diminishing role for geo-blocking technology in the context of copyright-protected audio-visual services. However, vigorous lobbying efforts by the audio-visual sector introduce an element of uncertainty, meaning that the rescission of the copyright carve-out in the Geo-blocking Regulation is not a foregone conclusion by any means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes PRANC as a theoretical framework to help rethink, understand, and deconstruct the monopolizing influence of mass media in this social media age. From Marxist perspective, mass media centered on and dominated capital accumulation through excessive culture production such as television drama programs. Mass media was also manipulated and controlled from the center with producer-consumer dichotomy. However, I argue in this article that through its affordances social media disrupts a centeralized information production and dissemination discouraging mass media's monopoly on capitalism and culture industry. Social media also serves as a platform with which societies challenge dictatorship, expose, and withstand various forms of oppression as has been witnessed in different parts of the world over the last decade. Portability of communication technologies enabled users to carry along their devices that enables them have access to social media anytime anywhere, while retrievability allows users to search and recover information shared on social media. Affordability is another social media feature that promotes broader participation in sociocultural and political activities, while networkability is the ability of agile social media to empower marginalized voices to stand united for a common good fighting oppression. On the other hand, customizability of social media enables users to conceal and shape their identities to protect themselves from attack due to the content they share or due to their engagement with contents users share. Social media viewed from PRANC framework offers a new opportunity for the powerless communities to struggle for their rights. It fosters inclusivity, democratizes cultural landscapes, and redefines how culture is produced, disseminated, and consumed in the digital age, challenging capitalism and culture industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union's (EU) ambition is to encourage clearing at EU Central Counterparties (CCPs) and with EU clearing members (CMs). This is to reduce reliance on systemic non-EU CCPs, and to build a more attractive and robust EU clearing market. To achieve this, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) 3.0 requires EU CMs and clients subject to the clearing obligation to hold active accounts at EU CCPs. Although it is very unlikely that the watered-down compromise will fulfil the EU's ambition, more importantly it still risks diminishing the competitive position of EU companies, leading to EU clients who do not fall under the clearing obligation to use non-EU CMs, and directing non-EU clients' euro-denominated interest rate swaps trading activity towards non-EU dealers. This seems contradictory to the policy objective of building a strong EU Capital Markets Union (CMU). With regard to supervision, EMIR 3.0 is a missed opportunity for a centralised supervisory framework. Just enhancing the current decentralised supervision mechanism, which is based on cooperation and information sharing between National Competent Authorities (NCAs), is not enough. A European centralised supervisor will not only strengthen risk monitoring and (eventually) minimise systemic risks but will also reduce supervision costs, the number of procedures, divergent interpretations of EMIR rules and the exchange of data. Whereas the main focus with regard to EMIR 3.0 was geared towards the active account requirement and whether or not to centralise supervision of EU CCPs, regulators and market participants would be ill advised to let discussions over third-country CCP equivalence issues distract them from other important and persistent challenges in the derivatives clearing markets. There are currently three pressing issues that require attention: clearing access and capital rules, portability and clearing models, as well as liquidity and collateral optimisation. A failure to address them risks undermining the key driver for derivatives clearing, which is increasing financial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine if patient‐specific IMRT quality assurance can be measured on any matched treatment delivery system (TDS) for patient treatment delivery on another. Methods: Three VMAT plans of varying complexity were created for each available energy for head and neck, SBRT lung, and right chestwall anatomical sites. Each plan was delivered on three matched Varian TrueBeam TDSs to the same Scandidos Delta4 Phantom+ diode array with only energy‐specific device calibrations. Dose distributions were corrected for TDS output and then compared to TPS calculations using gamma analysis. Round‐robin comparisons between measurements from each TDS were also performed using point‐by‐point dose difference, median dose difference, and the percent of point dose differences within 2% of the mean metrics. Results: All plans had more than 95% of points passing a gamma analysis using 3%/3 mm criteria with global normalization and a 20% threshold when comparing measurements to calculations. The tightest gamma analysis criteria where a plan still passed > 95% were similar across delivery systems—within 0.5%/0.5 mm for all but three plan/energy combinations. Median dose deviations in measurement‐to‐measurement comparisons were within 0.7% and 1.0% for global and local normalization, respectively. More than 90% of the point differences were within 2%. Conclusion: A set of plans spanning available energies and complexity levels were delivered by three matched TDSs. Comparisons to calculations and between measurements showed dose distributions delivered by each TDS using the same DICOM RT‐plan file meet tolerances much smaller than typical clinical IMRT QA criteria. This demonstrates each TDS is modeled to a similar accuracy by a common class (shared) beam model. Additionally, it demonstrates that dose distributions from one TDS show small differences in median dose to the others. This is an important validation component of the common beam model approach, allowing for operational improvements in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperparameter tuning represents one of the main challenges in deep learning-based profiling side-channel analysis. For each different side-channel dataset, the typical procedure to find a profiling model is applying hyperparameter tuning from scratch. The main reason is that side-channel measurements from various targets contain different underlying leakage distributions. Consequently, the same profiling model hyperparameters are usually not equally efficient for other targets. This paper considers autoencoders for dimensionality reduction to verify if encoded datasets from different targets enable the portability of profiling models and architectures. Successful portability reduces the hyperparameter tuning efforts as profiling model tuning is eliminated for the new dataset, and tuning autoencoders is simpler. We first search for the best autoencoder for each dataset and the best profiling model when the encoded dataset becomes the training set. Our results show no significant difference in tuning efforts using original and encoded traces, meaning that encoded data reliably represents the original data. Next, we verify how portable is the best profiling model among different datasets. Our results show that tuning autoencoders enables and improves portability while reducing the effort in hyperparameter search for profiling models. Lastly, we present a transfer learning case where dimensionality reduction might be necessary if the model is tuned for a dataset with fewer features than the new dataset. In this case, tuning of the profiling model is eliminated and training time reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are three major challenges to the broad implementation of energy storage systems (ESSs) in urban rail transit: maximizing the absorption of regenerative braking power, enabling online global optimal control, and ensuring algorithm portability. To address these problems, a coordinated control framework between onboard and wayside ESSs is proposed in this study, and the related control strategy is obtained by transforming the global optimization problem into a combination of rule-based and local optimization problems. The design process of the strategy is divided into three parts: offline optimization, rule extraction, and local optimization. First, a genetic algorithm is used to optimize the charge/discharge threshold curves under typical operational conditions. Then, the rules of offline optimization results are obtained from an expert system, and the nonlinear rules are mined with local optimization methods. Finally, a coordinated strategy is presented based on the outcomes of the three parts. A power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) experimental platform based on RTLAB is built, and the above coordination strategy is verified based on data for the Beijing Metro Batong Line. The experimental results show that the strategy can effectively improve the energy-saving rate and reduce the regeneration failure rate substantially, with the effect being close to the offline global optimal solution. The algorithm proposed in this paper achieves near global optimal energy-saving optimization results with lower computational costs, and has strong portability, providing a good solution for the large-scale application of onboard and wayside energy storage coordination control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to explore the factors which influence portability of indemnitybased health insurance policies. The researcher used a descriptive research design and collected primary data by surveying 385 Mumbaiker respondents who opted for health insurance policies in Mumbai city. The five portability related factors identified were (i) service quality, (ii) inadequate coverage, (Hi) claim related issues, (iv) customization of cover, and (v) lower premium. The most important factor influencing the choice of portability was service quality, followed by inadequate coverage, claim-related customization of cover and lower premium. It was assumed that these five factors should be considered by health insurers who can ensure to retain their policyholders and render the desired customer service promptly and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground Robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation has been studied for many years, with many randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of robotic-assisted training on affected limbs. The current trend directs towards end-effector devices. However, most studies have focused on the effectiveness of rehabilitation devices, but studies on device sizes are relatively few.Goal Systematically review the effect of a portable rehabilitation robot (PRR) on the rehabilitation effectiveness of paralysed upper limbs compared with non-robotic therapy.Methods A meta-analysis was conducted on literature that included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) obtained from the PubMed and Web of Science (WoS) electronic databases until June 2023.Results A total of 9 studies, which included RCTs, were completed and a meta-analysis was conducted on 8 of them. The analysis involved 295 patients. The influence on upper-limb function before and after treatment in a clinical environment is analysed by comparing the experimental group using the portable upper-limb rehabilitation robot with the control group using conventional therapy. The result shows that portable robots prove to be effective (FMA: SMD = 0.696, 95% = 0.099 to.293, p

Self-regulated learning has seen a large increase in research interest due to its importance for online learning of higher education students. Several ways to measure self-regulated learning have been suggested. However, most measurements are either obtrusive, necessitating time and effort from students and potentially influencing the learning process, or only partially portable across courses. In the current study, we develop clickstream-based scales of four self-regulated learning phases that we show are portable across courses. The final scales are based on the COPES model and include two strong and reliable dimensions, enactment and adaptation, one dimension that performs reasonably, task definition, and a weaker one, goal-setting. By considering portability as the main criterion in the scale construction process, we ensured reliable transfer to both similar and dissimilar courses. When considering convergent validity, the created scale has higher bivariate and partial correlations with final student grades than the often-used self-reported MSLQ-SRL scale. We discuss limitations and future research to improve the scale further and facilitate adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis is cultivated for therapeutic and recreational purposes where delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a main target for its therapeutic effects. As the global cannabis industry and research into cannabinoids expands, more efficient and cost-effective analysis methods for determining cannabinoid concentrations will be beneficial to increase efficiencies and maximize productivity. The utilization of machine learning tools to develop near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy-based prediction models, which have been validated from accurate and sensitive chemical analysis, such as gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LCMS), is essential. Previous research on cannabinoid prediction models targeted decarboxylated cannabinoids, such as THC, rather than the naturally occurring precursor, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), and utilize finely ground cannabis inflorescence. The current study focuses on building prediction models for THCA concentrations in whole cannabis inflorescences prior to harvest, by employing non-destructive screening techniques so cultivators may rapidly characterize high-performing cultivars for chemotype in real time, thus facilitating targeted optimization of crossbreeding efforts. Using NIR spectroscopy and LCMS to create prediction models we can differentiate between high-THCA and even ratio classes with 100% prediction accuracy. We have also developed prediction models for THCA concentration with a R2 = 0.78 with a prediction error average of 13%. This study demonstrates the viability of a portable handheld NIR device to predict THCA concentrations on whole cannabis samples before harvest, allowing the evaluation of cannabinoid profiles to be made earlier, therefore increasing high-throughput and rapid capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen daily scale ET0 calculation models were developed using the particle swarm optimization algorithm and random forest (PSO-RF) based on daily meteorological data collected from 24 meteorological stations in the Hanjiang dasin and it's vicinity from 1960 to 2017, and were compared with Hargreaves-Samani, Irmark-Allen and Makkink, which applicability and portability were evaluated. The results showed that: （1）the non-linear relation between daily ET0 and each input parameter can be well displayed by PSO-RF model. The PSO-RF2 established by Tmax, Tmin and Ra had sufficient accuracy (MAE=0.402 mm·d-1, RMSE=0.575mm·d-1, R²=0.863). With the increase of meteorological elements, the computational accuracy of PSO-RF model was improved（MAE decreased by 37.9%, RMSE decreased by 36.3%, R² increased by 6.78%）.（2）When the input factors and number of models are the same, the PSO-RF model had higher simulation accuracy than Hargreaves-Samani, Irmark-Allen, and Makkink models(MAE decreased by 43.6%, RMSE decreased by 34.5%, R² increased by 4.12%).（3）The PSO-RF model had strong generalization ability and portability in the Hanjiang basin. High accuracy was shown in mutual portability of PSO-RF models established in different zone (MAE= 0.159mm·d-1, RMSE=0.245mm·d-1, R²=0.974). Therefore, the model based on PSO-RF can be used as a recommended model for the calculation of daily ET0 in Hanjiang basin in the absence of meteorological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The data-driven transient stability assessment (TSA) of power systems can predict online real-time prediction by learning the temporal features before and after faults. However, the accuracy of the assessment is limited by the quality of the data and has weak transferability. Based on this, this paper proposes a method for TSA of power systems based on an improved extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model. Firstly, the gradient detection method is employed to remove noise interference while maintaining the original time series trend. On this basis, a focal loss function is introduced to guide the training of the XGBoost model, enhancing the deep exploration of minority class samples to improve the accuracy of the model evaluation. Furthermore, to improve the generalization ability of the evaluation model, a transfer learning method based on model parameters and sample augmentation is proposed. The simulation analysis on the IEEE 39-bus system demonstrates that the proposed method, compared to the traditional machine learning-based transient stability assessment approach, achieves an average improvement of 2.16% in evaluation accuracy. Specifically, under scenarios involving changes in topology structure and operating conditions, the accuracy is enhanced by 3.65% and 3.11%, respectively. Moreover, the model updating efficiency is enhanced by 14-15 times, indicating the model's transferable and adaptive capabilities across multiple scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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