An Adaptive Modeling Framework for Bearing Failure Prediction

Rolling element bearings are a common component in rotating equipment, a class of machines that is essential in a wide range of industries. Detecting and predicting bearing failures is then vital for reducing maintenance and production costs due to unplanned downtime. In previous literature, significant efforts have been devoted to building data-driven health models from historical bearing data. However, a common limitation is that these methods are typically tailored to specific failure instances and have limited ability to model bearing failures between repairs in the same system. In this paper, we propose a multi-state health model to predict bearing failures before they occur. The model employs a regression-based method to detect health state transition points and applies an exponential random coefficient model with a Bayesian updating process to estimate time-to-failure distributions. A model training framework is also introduced to make our proposed model applicable to more bearing instances in the same system setting. The proposed method has been tested on a publicly available bearing prognostics dataset. Case study results show that the proposed method provides accurate failure predictions across several system failures, and that the training approach can significantly reduce the time necessary to generate an effective, generalized model.

Project Work in Moroccan EFL Classroom: between the Official Guidelines’ Recommendation and the Challenges of Implementation

Project work is used in several educational settings, including foreign and second language teaching contexts. In the Moroccan English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, the Moroccan Ministry of Education recommended implementing project work, and it is a common component of the Moroccan textbooks of English. Yet, there is a scarcity of studies conducted on the use of project work in Moroccan EFL classrooms. The main aim of the study is to investigate students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards project work. The study addresses the question about students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards project work and the factors behind those attitudes. It was conducted with sixty students and eight teachers belonging to two different high schools (Moulay Rachid and Abbas Sebti high schools) in Tangier. To collect data, the researcher made use of two data collection methods, namely the questionnaire and the interview. The results of the study showed that both students and teachers had positive attitudes towards project work. The results also revealed that not all teachers follow the steps of using project work. Based on the results, it was clear that the lack of technology is one of the most severe challenges that hamper the use of project work. The findings of this study could form the basis for further research and contribute to improving the learning and teaching situation in Moroccan high schools.

Permanent-Transitory decomposition of cointegrated time series via Dynamic Factor Models, with an application to commodity prices

We propose a cointegration-based Permanent-Transitory decomposition for non-stationary Dynamic Factor Models. Our methodology exploits the cointegration relations among the observable variables and assumes they are driven by a common and an idiosyncratic component. The common component is further split into a long-term non-stationary and a short-term stationary part. A Monte Carlo experiment shows that incorporating the cointegration structure into the DFM leads to a better reconstruction of the space spanned by the factors, compared to the most standard technique of applying a factor model in differenced systems. We apply our procedure to a set of commodity prices to analyse the comovement among different markets and find that commodity prices move together mostly due to long-term common forces; while the trend for the prices of most primary goods is declining, metals and energy exhibit an upward or at least stable pattern since the 2000s.

Capsaicin and TRPV1 Channels in the Cardiovascular System: The Role of Inflammation

Capsaicin is a potent agonist of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel and is a common component found in the fruits of the genus Capsicum plants, which have been known to humanity and consumed in food for approximately 7000–9000 years. The fruits of Capsicum plants, such as chili pepper, have been long recognized for their high nutritional value. Additionally, capsaicin itself has been proposed to exhibit vasodilatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and antinociceptive properties. However, a growing body of evidence reveals a vasoconstrictory potential of capsaicin acting via the vascular TRPV1 channel and suggests that unnecessary high consumption of capsaicin may cause severe consequences, including vasospasm and myocardial infarction in people with underlying inflammatory conditions. This review focuses on vascular TRPV1 channels that are endogenously expressed in both vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells and emphasizes the role of inflammation in sensitizing the TRPV1 channel to capsaicin activation. Tilting the balance between the beneficial vasodilatory action of capsaicin and its unwanted vasoconstrictive effects may precipitate adverse outcomes such as vasospasm and myocardial infarction, especially in the presence of proinflammatory mediators.

Metabolic Processing of Selenium-based Bioisostere of meso-diaminopimelic Acid in Live Bacteria

The bacterial cell wall supports cell shape and prevents lysis due to internal turgor pressure. A primary component of all known bacterial cell walls is the peptidoglycan (PG) layer, which is comprised of repeating units of sugars connected to short and unusual peptides. The various steps within PG biosynthesis are often the target of antibiotics as they are essential for cellular growth and survival. Synthetic mimics of PG have proven to be indispensable tools to study bacterial cell growth and remodeling. Yet, a common component of PG, meso-diaminopimelic acid (m-DAP) at the third position of the stem peptide, remains challenging to build synthetically and is not commercially available. Here, we describe the synthesis and metabolic processing of a selenium-based bioisostere of a m-DAP analogue, selenolanthionine. We show that selenolanthionine is installed within the PG of live bacteria by the native cell wall crosslinking machinery in several mycobacteria species. We envision that this probe will supplement the current methods available for investigating PG crosslinking in m-DAP containing organisms.

Mixed Germ Cell Tumour of Ovary WTH Chemotherapy Side Effect

Introduction: Mixed germ cell tumour is a very rare type of aggressive cancer, consisting of more than one type of germ cell components. The most common component reported was dysgerminoma, followed by endodermal sinus tumour, teratoma, choriocarcinoma and embryonal carcinoma respectively. This study focuses on the combination of dysgerminoma and endodermal sinus tumour (yolk sac tumour) along with the hearing loss as the side effect of chemotherapy. Clinical Findings: Pain in the lower abdomen (lump is visible and has occupied hypogastrium along with bilateral iliac region extending 2-3 cm above the umbilicus), backache, fever (100.6 °F). Later after the third chemo cycle, it was found that the patient has progressive mild hearing loss. Diagnostic Evaluation: HB= 9.7gm%, TLC= 10300/cumm, PLT= 5,49 lakhs/cumm, CA 125= 909 U/ML. Histopathology Report: Ascitic fluid along with thirteen containers containing right ovarian mass, right ovary with mass, right fallopian tube, bowel deposits as well as residual nodules and pelvic deposits were sent of which, the reports indicated mixed germ cell tumour of the ovary. Therapeutic Intervention: Packed red blood cells transfusion, Pre-chemo and post-chemo hydration, Pre-chemo and post-chemo drugs, BEP Chemotherapy (Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin). Conclusion: My patient aged 11 years old female was admitted to Gynaecology Ward No – 16, AVBRH on 27/12/2020 for the first cycle of chemotherapy with the complaints of lower abdominal pain, backache and fever. The patient was diagnosed as the case of mixed germ cell tumour, further had mild hearing loss as the side effect of chemotherapy The patient is on chemo and is advised for follow up care once a month.

Project Work in Moroccan EFL Classroom: between the Official Guidelines’ Recommendation and the Challenges of Implementation

Project work is used in several educational settings, including foreign and second language teaching contexts. In the Moroccan English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, the Moroccan Ministry of Education recommended implementing project work, and it is a common component of the Moroccan textbooks of English. Yet, there is a scarcity of studies conducted on the use of project work in Moroccan EFL classrooms. The main aim of the study is to investigate students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards project work. The study addresses the question about students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards project work and the factors behind those attitudes. It was conducted with sixty students and eight teachers belonging to two different high schools (Moulay Rachid and Abbas Sebti high schools) in Tangier. To collect data, the researcher made use of two data collection methods, namely the questionnaire and the interview. The results of the study showed that both students and teachers had positive attitudes towards project work. The results also revealed that not all teachers follow the steps of using project work. Based on the results, it was clear that the lack of technology is one of the most severe challenges that hamper the use of project work. The findings of this study could form the basis for further research and contribute to improving the learning and teaching situation in Moroccan high schools.

From Local to Global: Class Feature Fused Fully Convolutional Network for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Current mainstream networks for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification employ image patches as inputs for feature extraction. Spatial information extraction is limited by the size of inputs, which makes networks unable to perform effective learning and reasoning from the global perspective. As a common component for capturing long-range dependencies, non-local networks with pixel-by-pixel information interaction bring unaffordable computational costs and information redundancy. To address the above issues, we propose a class feature fused fully convolutional network (CFF-FCN) with a local feature extraction block (LFEB) and a class feature fusion block (CFFB) to jointly utilize local and global information. LFEB based on dilated convolutions and reverse loop mechanism can acquire the local spectral–spatial features at multiple levels and deliver shallower layer features for coarse classification. CFFB calculates global class representation to enhance pixel features. Robust global information is propagated to every pixel with low computational cost. CFF-FCN considers a fully global class context and obtains more discriminative representation by concatenating high-level local features and re-integrated global features. Experimental results conducted on three real HSI data sets demonstrate that the proposed fully convolutional network is superior to multiple state-of-the-art deep learning-based approaches, especially in the case of a small number of training samples.

Dependent Stress Generation Mediates the Relation Between Poor Cognitive Control and Repetitive Negative Thinking in Emerging Adults

Poor cognitive control has been associated with maladaptive thinking, like rumination and worry, that increase risk for internalizing psychopathology. However, little research has investigated how cognitive control is associated with commonalities between rumination and worry (i.e., repetitive negative thinking; RNT). The current study aimed to investigate how cognitive control predicts engagement in a common component of RNT over time via an indirect mechanism of dependent stress generation in a one-semester longitudinal study of emerging adult college students ( N = 224). Executive functioning task performance and self-reported attentional control (not working memory capacity task performance) prospectively predicted RNT, mediated by dependent stress, but did not predict change in stress or RNT from baseline. These findings suggest that aspects of cognitive control relevant for successful goal pursuit may be involved with maintaining levels of stressful life events and subsequent RNT.

Carney’s triad in an adult male from a tertiary care center in India: a case report

Background Carney’s triad is a rare syndrome comprising gastrointestinal stromal tumor, extra-adrenal paraganglioma, and pulmonary chondroma along with newer additions of adrenal adenoma and esophageal leiomyoma. The triad is completely manifest in only 25–30% cases, with most patients presenting with two out of three parts of the syndrome. Wild-type succinate-dehydrogenase-deficient gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor forms the most common component of Carney’s triad and is usually multicentric and multifocal. It usually demonstrates indolent behavior and resistance to imatinib; hence, the management remains predominantly surgical. Pulmonary chondromas are commonly unilateral and multiple with slow-growing nature, which allows for conservative management. Adrenocortical adenomas are found in 20% of patients and are usually detected as incidentalomas. Case presentation A 49-year-old Asian male presented with upper gastrointestinal bleed and was diagnosed with multiple gastric succinate-dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors. On evaluation, he was found to have left pulmonary chondroma and non-secretory adrenal adenoma, thus completing the Carney’s triad. He underwent surgery with sleeve gastrectomy and excision of the antral tumor nodule, while the adrenal and pulmonary tumors have been under close follow-up. Conclusion Literature regarding Carney’s triad is scarce, especially from the Indian setting. Our report aims to highlight the various manifestations of this syndrome with emphasis on management of wild-type succinate-dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Radical gastric surgeries do not offer a survival advantage in this condition; hence, more conservative modalities of resection can be adopted.