Search Results (3)

Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port, as the top two ports in China in terms of port cargo throughput, play a crucial role in facilitating international trade and shipping. The accurate forecasting of the cargo throughput at these ports is essential for the government planning of port infrastructure and for the efficient allocation of resources by shipping enterprises. This study proposes a novel combined forecasting method for port cargo throughput, integrating the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model with the zonotopic Kalman filter (ZKF) to address the limitations of traditional forecasting models in terms of accuracy and timeliness. First, an ARIMA model is established to perform the preliminary forecasting of the cargo throughput time series, generating a state–space representation that captures the underlying patterns in the data. Subsequently, the ZKF is applied to filter the ARIMA predictions, dynamically adjusting the forecast intervals based on the hypercube feasible set to optimize the estimation of port throughput. The results indicate that the ARIMA–ZKF combined model significantly mitigates the effects of asynchrony and lag, achieving a high prediction accuracy and robustness. This innovative approach offers an effective new method for forecasting port throughput, providing valuable practical guidance for port development and resource management. Full article

This work presents a data-driven approach for diagnosing sensor faults and leaks in hydraulic pipelines using neuro-fuzzy Zonotopic Kalman Filters (ZKF). The approach involves two key steps: first, identifying the nonlinear pipeline system using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), resulting in a set of Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy models derived from pressure and flow data, and second, implementing a neuro-fuzzy ZKF bench to detect pipeline leaks and sensor faults with adaptive thresholds. The learning phase of the neuro-fuzzy systems considers only fault-free data. Fault isolation is achieved by comparing zonotopic sets and evaluating a fault signature matrix. The method accounts for parametric uncertainty and measurement noise, ensuring robustness. Experimental validation on a hydraulic pipeline demonstrated high precision (up to 99.24%), recall (up to 99.20%), and low false positive rates (as low as 0.76%) across various fault scenarios and operational points. Full article

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is well known for its wide-ranging functions, not only in the vascular system, but also in the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). To study the role of VEGF in neuronal protection, growth and maturation processes have recently attracted much interest. These effects are mainly mediated by VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Current studies have shown the age-dependent expression of VEGFR-2 in Purkinje cells (PC), promoting dendritogenesis in neonatal, but not in mature stages. We hypothesize that microRNAs (miRNA/miR) might be involved in the regulation of VEGFR-2 expression during the development of PC. In preliminary studies, we performed a miRNA profiling and identified miR204-5p as a potential regulator of VEGFR-2 expression. In the recent study, organotypic slice cultures of rat cerebella (postnatal day (p) 1 and 9) were cultivated and VEGFR-2 expression in PC was verified via immunohistochemistry. Additionally, PC at age p9 and p30 were isolated from cryosections by laser microdissection (LMD) to analyse VEGFR-2 expression by quantitative RT-PCR. To investigate the influence of miR204-5p on VEGFR-2 levels in PC, synthetic constructs including short hairpin (sh)-miR204-5p cassettes (miRNA-mimics), were microinjected into PC. The effects were analysed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and morphometric analysis. For the first time, we could show that miR204-5p has a negative effect on VEGF sensitivity in juvenile PC, resulting in a significant decrease of dendritic growth compared to untreated juvenile PC. In mature PC, the overexpression of miR204-5p leads to a shrinkage of dendrites despite VEGF treatment. The results of this study illustrate, for the first time, which miR204-5p expression has the potential to play a key role in cerebellar development by inhibiting VEGFR-2 expression in PC. Full article