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As the aging population continues to grow, the increasing number of disabled elderly individuals poses ongoing challenges to society in terms of healthcare and medical burdens. Grading disability is of significant importance for improving medical services and allocating social resources. Traditional grading methods using a single assessment scale tend to be subjective and cannot comprehensively and accurately reflect the real situation. This paper presents the NES (Needs assessment of Elderly care in Shanghai) scale, based on 33 quantified scoring items from basic surveys, to enhance the objectivity and accuracy of disability grading. Correlation analysis of observed items using the C4.5 decision tree algorithm is conducted, followed by an analysis and evaluation of the scale's performance. The data used in this study are derived from 266 questionnaires collected from eight regions in Shanghai and categorized into three classes: physiological (JKOM/BADL), psychological (BDI/SDS/SAS), and cognitive (CDR). The analysis results show that the NES scale exhibits better robustness in physiological assessment compared to the BADL and JKOM scales. In psychological assessment, the NES scale performs similarly to the SDS and SAS scales. In cognitive assessment, the NES scale's grading level is slightly higher than that of the CDR scale, demonstrating good comprehensive disability assessment capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude and frequency of induced seismicity increase as mining excavation reaches greater depth, leading to the increasingly severe damage to roadways caused by highenergy seismic waves. To comprehensively simulate the damage caused by dynamic loads, a synchrosqueezing transform and empirical mode decomposition method was developed, which effectively decomposed raw seismic wave signals into transverse and longitudinal components. This novel method produced more accurate results in terms of velocity, displacement, rock yielding patterns, and reflecting theoretically orthogonal oscillating directions of transverse and longitudinal waves compared to using raw mixed waves at the seismic source. Under the disturbance of transverse and longitudinal waves, the vertical displacement was much higher than horizontal displacement at the top position of the roadway, while the horizontal displacement was greater at the sidewalls. The particle vibration velocity, displacement and yielding zone of the surrounding rock of roadway were proportional to the energy level of seismic, while inversely proportional to the sourceroadway distance. The proportion of damage attributed to transverse waves increased with the energy level, ranging from 75.8% to 85.8%. Eventually, a roadway dynamic support design was optimized based on the proposed seismic wave processing and modeling methodology. The methodology offers guidance for roadway dynamic support design, with the goal of averting excessive or insufficient support strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credit scoring is an important process for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending companies as it determines whether loan applicants are likely to default. The aim of most credit scoring models is to minimize the classification error rate, which implies that all classification errors bear the same cost; however, in reality, there is a significant cost-sensitive problem in credit scoring methods. Therefore, in this paper, a new cost-sensitive logistic regression credit scoring model based on a multi-objective optimization approach is proposed that has two objectives in the cost-sensitive logistic regression process. The cost-sensitive logistic regression parameters are solved using a multiple objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm. In the empirical analysis, the proposed model was applied to the credit scoring of a Chinese famous P2P company, from which it was found that compared with other common credit scoring models, the proposed model was able to effectively reduce type II error rates and total classification error costs, and improve the AUC, the F1 values (reconciliation average of Recall and Precision), and the G-means. The proposed model was compared with other multi-objective optimization algorithms to further demonstrate that MOPSO is the best approach for cost-sensitive logistic regression credit scoring models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we take advantage of the bilinearization reduction method to consider the local and nonlocal reduction of a discrete Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur equation. Exact solutions in double Casoratian form to the reduced nonlocal discrete modified Korteweg-de Vries equations are constructed. The dynamics of soliton solutions are analyzed and illustrated by asymptotic analysis. Moreover, both semi-continuous limit and full continuous limit are applied to obtain the local and nonlocal semi-discrete modified Korteweg-de Vries equations, as well as the local and nonlocal continuous modified Korteweg-de Vries equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Transforming growth factor beta-induced protein (TGFBI) is an extracellular matrix protein induced by TGF-β. Previous studies have reported that the abnormal expression of TGFBI is related to the occurrence and development of some types of cancers, while the role of TGFBI in glioma is uncertain. Methods: The association between TGFBI expression and the prognosis of patients with glioma was analyzed based on data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. TGFBI expression was analyzed in 3 normal human brains and 57 cases of human gliomas by immunohistochemistry followed by an evaluation of the relationships between TGFBI expression and clinic-pathological features. Furthermore, the RNA interference plasmid pSUPER-shTGFBI was constructed and transfected into U87 and U251 cells to explore the effect of short hairpin RNA against TGFBI (shTGFBI) on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Western blot analysis was performed to examine the expression of proteins related to apoptosis and proteins in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Results: High TGFBI expression was found to be associated with poor prognosis in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Immunohistochemistry showed that TGFBI expression was significantly higher in glioma tissue than in normal human brain tissues. The expression level of TGFBI showed no significant correlation with age, sex, lymph-node metastasis, or pathological grade. sh-TGFBI could inhibit proliferation, invasion and migration and induce apoptosis in U87 and U251 cells in vitro. Furthermore, the phosphorylation levels of AKT and mTOR declined significantly in sh-TGFBI transfected U81 and U251 cells when compared with control. Conclusion: TGFBI was up-regulated in glioma cells and played a promoting role in the growth and motility of U87 and U251 cells. These results suggested that TGFBI has the potential to be a diagnostic marker and to serve as a target for the treatment of gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of nine piscine viruses recognized by the International Office of Epizootics, spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) is an important pathogen bringing high mortality to cyprinids. Up to now, there is no approved therapy on SVCV, making them strong public health threat in aquaculture. In this study, the anti-SVCV activities of 12 plant crude extracts were investigated by using epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells. Among these plants, Psoralea corylifolia Linn. showed the highest inhibition on SVCV replication, with an inhibitory percentage of 67.98%. Further studies demonstrated that bavachin (BVN), one of the major constituents of Psoralea corylifolia Linn., was also highly effective to SVCV infection. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) of BVN on SVCV glycoprotein and nucleoprotein expression were 0.46 (0.29–0.73) and 0.31 (0.13–0.55) mg/L, respectively. In addition, SVCV-induced apoptosis which may be negative to SVCV replication was inhibited by BVN. The apoptotic cells were decreased 21.42% for BVN compared with SVCV group. These results indicated that the inhibition of BVN on SVCV replication was, in some extent, via blocking SVCV induced apoptosis. Furthermore, cellular morphological damage induced by SVCV was also blocked by BVN treatment. Mechanistically, BVN did not affect SVCV infectivity and cannot be used for prevention of SVCV infection. Time-of-addition and viral binding assays revealed that BVN mainly inhibited the early events of SVCV replication but did not interfere with SVCV adsorption. In conclusion, BVN was considered to develop as a promising agent to treat SVCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that adaptive beamforming methods are susceptible to performance losses in the presence of model mismatches, especially when the training sample is contaminated by the desired signal. Here, in order to thoroughly remove the desired signal from the sample covariance matrix, the authors propose an iterative adaptive approach based on angular sector reconstruction algorithm to reconstruct the interference-plus-noise covariance matrix (INCM). Traditional INCM reconstruction methods are based on the Capon spectrum estimator to obtain the spatial power spectrum. However, the Capon spectrum cannot provide accurate power estimates because it is known to be sensitive to the array calibration error. Inspired by the excellent behaviour of the IAA algorithm, the authors use the IAA spectrum to obtain accurate power estimates which can be used to reconstruct the interference covariance matrix and revise the desired signal steering vector. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed robust adaptive beamformer outperforms previous works and the output signal-to-interferenceplus- noise ratios are close to the optimal values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title neutral mononuclear complex, [1-(5-bromo-2-oxidobenzylidene)thiosemicarbazidato](4-bromo-2-{[2-(pyridin-2-yl)hydrazinylidene]methyl}phenolato) iron(III), [Fe(C8H6BrN3OS)(C12H9BrN3O)] (I), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c and has two different planar tridentate ligands. The central FeIII ion is coordinated to three N, two O and one S atom, forming a distorted octahedral FeN3O2S coordination geometry. In the crystal, the complex molecules are linked by N--H. . .O and N--H. . .N hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions into layers parallel to (100). Magnetic measurements show that the central FeIII ion is in the high-spin state; this is also supported by the bond distances around the FeIII ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prove that an integrable nonlocal complex modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) equation introduced by Ablowitz and Musslimani [Nonlinearity 29, 915-946 (2016)] is gauge equivalent to a spin-like model. From the gauge equivalence, one can see that there exists significant difference between the nonlocal complex mKdV equation and the classical complex mKdV equation. Through constructing the Darboux transformation for nonlocal complex mKdV equation, a variety of exact solutions including dark soliton,W-type soliton, M-type soliton, and periodic solutions are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shelf-stable and easily convertible reagent for the preparation of diversified fluoroalkylthiolated compounds, [[(ethoxycarbonyl)difluoromethyl]thio]phthalimide, was developed. [[(Ethoxycarbonyl)difluoromethyl]thio]phthalimide is an efficient electrophilic fluoroallylthiolating reagent that reacted with electron-rich heteroarenes/arenes, β-ketoesters, oxindoles, benzofuranones, and thiols. More importantly, the ethoxycarbonyl group of the resulting fluoroalkylthiolated compounds could be easily converted into various other functional groups such as chloride, alkynyl, hydrocarbonyl, carbomoyl, hydromethyl, or heteroaryl groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural waste cow dung was used as feedstock for the production of a high value-added chemical levulinic acid (LA) in dilute acid aqueous solutions. A high LA yield of 338.9 g/kg was obtained from the pretreated cow dung, which was much higher than that obtained from the crude cow dung (135 g/kg), mainly attributed to the breakage of the lignin fraction in the lignocellulose structure of the cow dung by potassium hydroxide (KOH) pretreatment, and thus enhanced the accessibility of cow dung to the acid sites in the catalytic reaction. Meanwhile, another value-added chemical formic acid could be obtained with a yield of ca. 160 g/kg in the process, implying a total production of ca. 500 g/kg yield for LA and formic acid from the pretreated cow dung with the proposed process. The developed process was shown to be tolerant to high initial substrate loading with a satisfied LA yield. This work provides a promising strategy for the value-increment utilization of liglocellulosic agricultural residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent observation of some luminous transient sources with low colour temperatures suggests that the emission is dominated by optically thick winds driven by super-Eddington accretion. We present a general analytical theory of the dynamics of radiation pressure-driven, optically thick winds. Unlike the classical adiabatic stellar wind solution whose dynamics are solely determined by the sonic radius, here the loss of the radiation pressure due to photon diffusion also plays an important role. We identify two high mass-loss rate regimes (Ṁ > LEdd/c²). In the large total luminosity regime, the solution resembles an adiabatic wind solution. Both the radiative luminosity, L, and the kinetic luminosity, Lk, are super-Eddington with L < Lk and L ? L1/3k. In the lower total luminosity regime, most of the energy is carried out by the radiation with Lk < L ≈ LEdd. In a third, low mass-loss regime (Ṁ < LEdd/c²), the wind becomes optically thin early on and, unless gas pressure is important at this stage, the solution is very different from the adiabatic one. The results are independent from the energy generation mechanism at the foot of the wind; therefore, they are applicable to a wide range of mass ejection systems, from black hole accretion, to planetary nebulae, and to classical novae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most serious pathogens in the freshwater aquatic environment, Saprolegnia can induce a high mortality rate during the fish egg incubation period. This study investigated the anti-Saprolegnia activity of a total of 108 plants on Saprolegnia parasitica in vitro and Dioscorea collettii was selected for further studies. By loading on an open silica gel column and eluting with petroleum ether-ethyl acetate-methanol, dioscin (C45H72O16) was isolated from D. collettii. Saprolegnia parasitica growth was inhibited significantly when dioscin concentration was more than 2.0 mg L-1. When compared with formalin and hydrogen peroxide, dioscin showed a higher inhibitory effect. As potential inhibition mechanisms, dioscin could cause the S. parasitica mycelium morphologic damage, dense folds, or disheveled protuberances observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and the influx of Propidium iodide. The structural changes in the treated mycelium were indicative of an efficient anti-Saprolegnia activity of dioscin. The oxidative stress results showed that dioscin also accumulated reactive oxygen species excessively and increased total antioxidant and superoxide dismutase activity. These situations could render S. parasitica more vulnerable to oxidative damage. Additionally, when dioscin concentration was less than 2.0 mg L-1, the survival rate of embryos was more than 70%. Therefore, the use of dioscin could be a viable way of preventing and controlling saprolegniasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) 61A/G polymorphism has been analyzed in several studies, but results remain inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to quantitatively summarize the association between the EGF 61A/G polymorphism and the risk of HCC. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for studies published prior to May 1, 2014. The overall, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, version 2.2. In total, 12 published case-control studies, consisting of 2,095 patients with HCC and 3,766 control individuals, were included in the present study. Meta-analysis of the included studies revealed that EGF 61A/G polymorphism contributed to the risk of HCC under all four genetic models, consisting of the G vs. A (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.11-1.40), GG vs. AA (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.26-1.85), GG vs. AG + AA (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13-1.58) and GG + AG vs. AA (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.08-1.49) comparisons. Subgroup analysis further suggested that EGF 61A/G polymorphism was associated with the risk of HCC in patients and control individuals with liver disease, based on ethnicity and source of control, respectively. No other significance in residual subgroup analysis was observed. The present meta-analysis suggests that the EGF 61A/G polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of HCC and may be a potential marker for liver disease, such as hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection and liver cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a noise analysis method for inertial sensors, the traditional Allan variance method requires the storage of a large amount of data and manual analysis for an Allan variance graph. Although the existing online estimation methods avoid the storage of data and the painful procedure of drawing slope lines for estimation, they require complex transformations and even cause errors during the modeling of dynamic Allan variance. To solve these problems, first, a new state-space model that directly models the stochastic errors to obtain a nonlinear state-space model was established for inertial sensors. Then, a neural-extended Kalman filter algorithm was used to estimate the Allan variance coefficients. The real noises of an ADIS16405 IMU and fiber optic gyro-sensors were analyzed by the proposed method and traditional methods. The experimental results show that the proposed method is more suitable to estimate the Allan variance coefficients than the traditional methods. Moreover, the proposed method effectively avoids the storage of data and can be easily implemented using an online processor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Four mechanisms of contaminant removal in low-permeability lens driven by a GCW were explored. • A theoretical framework was constructed to describe the remediation process in low-permeability lens driven by a GCW. • The evolution process of contaminant removal rate was summarized and the critical state and critical condition of remediation were defined. • The effects of controlling parameters on the remediation process are analyzed and prioritized. In this paper, groundwater circulation well (GCW) was as used to remediate contaminant in low-permeability lens in aquifer, and a theoretical framework was constructed to describe the contaminant removal process in low-permeability lens driven by a GCW. In this theoretical framework, the evolution process of contaminant removal rate in low-permeability lens is summarized in a sequence of evolution stages in which several critical states and conditions are defined. Using oxytetracycline (OTC) as a representative contaminant, a finite-element numerical model based on COMSOL Multiphysics is established considering adsorption and biodegradation of the secondary contamination of groundwater. The theory is verified, and the parameter sensitivity analysis of the theory prioritize different factors influencing the contaminant removal process. The results are summarized as follows. The evolution process of contaminant removal rate driven by advection, hydrodynamic dispersion and adsorption includes four stages (initial stage, rising stage, falling stage and complete removal stage), and the evolution process of contaminant removal rate driven by biodegradation includes three stages (initial stage, falling stage and complete removal stage). The evolution paths of contaminant removal dominated by adsorption or biodegradation in the first stage were established, and they were divided into four categories (one-stage, two-stage, three-stage and four-stage evolution paths), totaling 22 evolution paths. Four evolution stages dominated by advection, hydrodynamic dispersion, adsorption and biodegradation were defined, and the critical states and conditions were defined. The influences of hydrodynamic parameters and solute transport parameters on evolution stage and critical moment are analyzed in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel zwitterion acting as both a functional monomer and a crosslinker with the protein-resistant ability concomitantly was synthesized for preparing water compatible diclofenac imprinted polymers. This new imprinted polymer showed high imprinting efficiency for template and strong anti-protein adsorption in aqueous medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: miRNAs are closely related to bone metabolism. Studies have shown that Erxian decoction can improve bone metabolism, possibly achieving this regulatory effect through miRNA targets. Netinfer was used to predict the miRNA targets of Erxian decoction for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and the results were validated by clinical trials. Methods: In this study, we identified possible targets of Erxian decoction in osteoporosis by means of network pharmacological analysis and bioinformatic prediction. Fifteen cases of postmenopausal osteoporosis with kidney Yin and Yang deficiency (In traditional Chinese medicine, kidney Yin nourishes and moistens the tissues of the internal organs of the body, while kidney Yang promotes and warms the tissues of the internal organs of the body.) were treated with Erxian decoction for four weeks, and serum bone metabolism indices (P1NP, osteocalcin, and ß-CTX) and miRNA-335-5p expression were measured before and after treatment. Results: The constructed miRNA postmenopausal osteoporosis related gene network of the effective compound of the Erxian decoction has 296 points and 981 edges. The 39 postmenopausal osteoporosis related genes regulated by miRNA-335-5p were enriched in ossification, while the signaling pathways were enriched in rheumatoid arthritis, the Toll signaling pathway, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling pathway. After taking Erxian decoction, the expression of the serum bone formation index (P1NP, osteocalcin) and miRNA-335-5p gene expression levels increased significantly. The alterations in P1NP and osteocalcin were correlated with the changes in miRNA-335-5p. Conclusion: Circulating miRNA-335-5p may serve as an important target of Erxian decoction in the treatment of postmenopausal women. The effect of Erxian decoction on bone formation is significant, but the underlying mechanism requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crude glycerol, an inevitable byproduct during biodiesel production, is emerging as a potential feedstock for fermentation, due to its availability and a reasonable price. Biological utilization of abundant crude glycerol to several value added products is contemporary research area with beneficial features. Solving the problem of proper disposal and raising economic viability of biodiesel industries. Several researches have been directed toward the production of numerous products by using Escherichia coli, an ideal organism for heterologous expression of various foreign proteins. In this fashion, recombinant E. coli strains were constructed for the simultaneous production of poly 3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) and bioethanol from crude glycerol. The incorporation of aldehyde reductase (Alrd) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (AldH) in recombinant strain showed 2-fold increment in crude glycerol utilization under aerobic condition. Moreover, these two enzymes introduced an alternative pathway leading toward the potential production of bioethanol which was more than redox-balancing steps. Acetate was accumulated as an intermediate product. Subsequently, acetate was utilized as substrate in the second pathway, which directly converted acetyl-CoA to P3HB. This strategy demonstrated a potential production manner of bioethanol as an extracellular product and P3HB as water insoluble inclusion bodies inside E. coli. The maximum production of bioethanol and P3HB in the recombinant strain was 0.8 g L−1 (17.4 mmol L−1) and 30.2% (w/w dry cell weight), respectively, which were higher than the parental strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laminar radial flow in the oil cavity of heavy-duty computer numerical control (CNC) machines is very complicated and has not been fully explored. Navier-Stokes equations have been applied through the whole flow region using finite volume approach to explore this complicated flow phenomenon, including the influences of the clearance height (h), inlet nozzle Reynolds number (Re), and geometrical aspect ratio (e) on flow behaviors. A fluid dynamic experiment has been conducted to study the flow structure by using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Numerical simulation results have been compared with the experimental results, finding a good agreement with the studied cases. The results suggest that there are complex vortices in the oil cavity. Flow field structure of the oil cavity largely depends on h, Re, and h. Re and e have a great influence on the size and amount of vortices, and h has slight effects on the size of the vortices. The lengths of primary, secondary, and tertiary isolated vortices have a linear relationship with h. The lengths of the primary and secondary isolated vortices increase linearly with ascending e as e is small. But when Re and e are large enough, the size of the three vortices decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we used a SlipChip microfluidic device to evaluate the performance of digital reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (dRT-LAMP) for quantification of HIV viral RNA. Tests are needed for monitoring HIV viral load to control the emergence of drug resistance and to diagnose acute HIV infections. In resource-limited settings, in vitro measurement of HIV viral load in a simple format is especially needed, and single-molecule counting using a digital format could provide a potential solution. We showed here that when one-step dRT-LAMP is used for quantification of HIV RNA, the digital count is lower than expected and is limited by the yield of desired cDNA. We were able to overcome the limitations by developing a microfluidic protocol to manipulate many single molecules in parallel through a two-step digital process. In the first step we compartmentalize the individual RNA molecules (based on Poisson statistics) and perform reverse transcription on each RNA molecule independently to produce DNA. In the second step, we perform the LAMP amplification on all individual DNA molecules in parallel. Using this new protocol, we increased the absolute efficiency (the ratio between the concentration calculated from the actual count and the expected concentration) of dRT-LAMP 10-fold, from ~2% to ~23%, by (i) using a more efficient reverse transcriptase, (ii) introducing RNase H to break up the DNA:RNA hybrid, and (iii) adding only the BIP primer during the RT step. We also used this two-step method to quantify HIV RNA purified from four patient samples and found that in some cases, the quantification results were highly sensitive to the sequence of the patient's HIV RNA. We learned the following three lessons from this work: (i) digital amplification technologies, including dLAMP and dPCR, may give adequate dilution curves and yet have low efficiency, thereby providing quantification values that underestimate the true concentration. Careful validation is essential before a method is considered to provide absolute quantification; (ii) the sensitivity of dLAMP to the sequence of the target nucleic acid necessitates additional validation with patient samples carrying the full spectrum of mutations; (iii) for multistep digital amplification chemistries, such as a combination of reverse transcription with amplification, microfluidic devices may be used to decouple these steps from one another and to perform them under different, individually optimized conditions for improved efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnS-based mechanoluminescent film has been widely used in the fields of stress visualization and stress sensing, due to its high brightness and repeatable stable luminescent characteristics. To evaluate the flexibleelastic deformation performance of ZnS-based mechanoluminescent film, both visual inspection and digital image correlation (DIC) are, respectively, employed for measuring the ZnS-based mechanoluminescent film. ZnS:Cu2+ mechanoluminescent powders are first mixed with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix to produce ZnS:Cu2+-PDMS mechanoluminescent film. Then, two measurement experiments are, respectively, conducted to investigate the mechanical response and the flexible-elastic deformation performance of the prepared ZnS:Cu2+-PDMS mechanoluminescent film. On one hand, the mechanical response performance of the ZnS:Cu2+-PDMS mechanoluminescent film is validated by visual monitoring of composite concrete fracture processes. On the other hand, the prepared ZnS:Cu2+-PDMS mechanoluminescent film is also measured by DIC to obtain its full-field deformations and strains information. The flexible-elastic deformation performance of the ZnS:Cu2+-PDMS mechanoluminescent film is well demonstrated by the DIC measured results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) is a nonlinear system with unknown dynamics and disturbances. The flowrate of the electrolyte is an important control mechanism in the operation of a VRB system. Too low or too high flowrate is unfavorable for the safety and performance of VRB. This paper presents a neural network predictive control scheme to enhance the overall performance of the battery. A radial basis function (RBF) network is employed to approximate the dynamics of the VRB system. The genetic algorithm(GA) is used to obtain the optimum initial values of the RBF network parameters. The gradient descent algorithm is used to optimize the objective function of the predictive controller. Compared with the constant flowrate, the simulation results show that the flowrate optimized by neural network predictive controller can increase the power delivered by the battery during the discharge and decrease the power consumed during the charge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peridynamics is a nonlocal formulation of continuum mechanics, which uses integral formulation rather than the spatial partial differential equations. The peridynamic approach avoids using any spatial derivatives, which arise naturally in the classical local theory. It has shown effectiveness and advantage in solving discontinuous problems at both macro- and microscales. In this paper, the peridynamic theory is used to analyze damage and progressive failure of concrete structures. A nonlocal peridynamic model for concrete columns under uniaxial compression is developed. Numerical example illustrates that cracks in a peridynamic body of concrete form spontaneously. The result of the example clarifies the unique advantage of modeling damage accumulation and progressive failure of concrete based on peridynamic theory. This study provides a new promising alternative for analyzing complicated discontinuity problems. Finally, some open problems and future research trends in peridynamics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance of mammalian telomeres requires both the enzyme telomerase and shelterin, which protect telomeres from inappropriately activating DNA damage response checkpoints. Dyskeratosis congenita is an inherited BM failure syndrome disorder because of defects in telomere maintenance. We have previously shown that deletion of the shelterin component Potib in the setting of telomerase haploinsufficiency results in rapid telomere shortening and fatal BM failure in mice, eliciting phenotypes that strongly resemble human syskeratosis congenita. However, it was unclear why BM failure occurred in the setting of Potib deletion. In this study, we show that Pot 1b plays an essential role in HSC survival. Deletion of Potib results in Increased apoptosis, leading to severe depletion of the HSC reserve. BM from Pot1bmice cannot compete with BM from wild-type mice to provide multilineage reconstitution, indicating that there is an intrinsic requirement for Potib the maintenance of HSC function in vivo. Elimination of the p53- dependent apoptotic function increased HSC survival and significantly extended the lifespan of Pot1b-null mice deficient in telomerase function. Our results document for the first time the essential role of a component of the shelterin complex in the maintenance of HSC and progenitor cell survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

this paper, we are working toward a problem of great importance to global health: determination of viral HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) loads under point-of-care and resource limited settings. While antiretroviral treatments are becoming widely available, viral load must be evaluated at regular intervals to prevent the spread of drug resistance and requires a quantitative measurement of RNA concentration over a wide dynamic range (from 50 up to 106 molecules/mL for HIV and up to 108 molecules/mL for HCV). "Digital" single molecule measurements are attractive for quantification, but the dynamic range of such systems is typically limited or requires excessive numbers of compartments. Here we designed and tested two microfluidic rotational SlipChips to perform multivolume digital RT-PCR (MV digital RT-PCR) experiments with large and tunable dynamic range. These designs were characterized using synthetic control RNA and validated with HIV viral RNA and HCV control viral RNA. The first design contained 160 wells of each of four volumes (125 nL, 25 nL, 5 nL, and 1 nL) to achieve a dynamic range of 5.2 x 10² to 4.0 x 106 molecules/mL at 3-fold resolution. The second design tested the flexibility of this approach, and further expanded it to allow for multiplexing while maintaining a large dynamic range by adding additional wells with volumes of 0.2 nL and 625 nL and dividing the SlipChip into five regions to analyze five samples each at a dynamic range of 1.8 x 10³ to 1.2 x 107 molecules/mL at 3-fold resolution. No evidence of cross-contamination was observed. The multiplexed SlipChip can be used to analyze a single sample at a dynamic range of 1.7 x 10² to 2.0 x 107 molecules/mL at 3-fold resolution with limit of detection of 40 molecules/mL. HIV viral RNA purified from clinical samples were tested on the SlipChip, and viral load results were self-consistent and in good agreement with results determined using the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test. With further validation, this SlipChip should become useful to precisely quantify viral HIV and HCV RNA for high-performance diagnostics in resource-limited settings. These microfluidic designs should also be valuable for other diagnostic and research applications, including detecting rare cells and rare mutations, prenatal diagnostics, monitoring residual disease, and quantifying copy number variation and gene expression patterns. The theory for the design and analysis of multivolume digital PCR experiments is presented in other work by Kreutz et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, digital quantitative detection of nucleic acids was achieved at the single-molecule level by chemical initiation of over one thousand sequence-specific, nanoliter isothermal amplification reactions in parallel. Digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR), a method used for quantification of nucleic acids, counts the presence or absence of amplification of individual molecules. However, it still requires temperature cycling, which is undesirable under resource-limited conditions. This makes isothermal methods for nucleic add amplification, such as recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), more attractive. A microfluidic digital RPA SlipChip is described here for simultaneous initiation of over one thousand nl.-scale RPA reactions by adding a chemical initiator to each reaction compartment with a simple slipping step after instrument-free pipet loading. Two designs of the SlipChip, two-step slipping and one-step slipping, were validated using digital RPA. By using the digital RPA SlipChip. false-positive results from preinitiation of the RPA amplification reaction before incubation were eliminated. End point fluorescence readout was used for "yes or no" digital quantification. The performance of digital RPA in a SlipChip was validated by amplifying and counting single molecules of the target nucleic acid, methicillin-resistant Sfcpkyiococcus aureus (MRSA) genomic DNA. The digital RPA on SlipChip was also tolerant to fluctuations of the incubation temperature (37-42 °C), and its performance was comparable to digital PCR on the same SlipChip design. The digital RPA SlipChip provides a simple method to quantify nucleic acids without requiring thermal cycling or kinetic measurements, with potential applications in diagnostics and environmental monitoring under resource-limited settings. The ability to initiate thousands of chemical reactions in parallel on the nanoliter scale using solvent-resistant glass devices is likely to be useful tor a broader range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hydrogen selectively reduces levels of hydroxyl radicals and alleviates acute oxidative stress in many models. Hydrogen-rich saline provides a high concentration of hydrogen that can be easily and safely applied. Aims: In this study, we investigated the effects of hydrogen-rich saline on the prevention of liver injury induced by obstructive jaundice in rats. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats ( n=56) were divided randomly into four experimental groups: sham operated, bile duct ligation (BDL) plus saline treatment [5 ml/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)], BDL plus low-dose hydrogen-rich saline treatment (5 ml/kg, i.p.) and BDL plus high-dose hydrogen-rich saline treatment (10 ml/kg, i.p.). Results: The liver damage was evaluated microscopically 10 days after BDL. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, tissue malondialdehyde content, myeloperoxidase activity, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and high-mobility group box 1 levels were all increased significantly by BDL. Hydrogen-rich saline reduced levels of these markers and relieved morphological liver injury. Additionally, hydrogen-rich saline markedly increased the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase and downregulated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)1/2 activation. Conclusions: Hydrogen-rich saline attenuates BDL-induced liver damage, possibly by the reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress and the inhibition of the ERK1/2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of cooperation among nonkin remains a puzzle, and almost no theoretical work has examined the timing of altruism, that is, when a behavior that benefits others at one's own fitness expense should be expressed in time. We present an evolutionary dynamic-game model to address the question of when, if ever, an altruist would voluntarily emerge in time in groups of non- relatives. Our model shows that when the benefit of having an altruistic leader decays with time, leaders will eventually emerge and will emerge later (i) in larger groups, (ii) when the cost of leadership increases, and (iii) when the assessment interval increases. The model applies to diverse situations in which time-decaying group benefits are obtained only after a group member assumes a leadership role at some cost to itself, including leader roles in foraging flocks and migration groups in birds and spiny lobsters and in high-risk foraging in desert ants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SlipChip platform was tested to perform high- throughput nanoliter multiplex PCR. The advantages of using the SlipChip platform for multiplex PCR include the ability to preload arrays of dry primers, instrument-free sample manipulation, small sample volume, and high- throughput capacity. The SlipChip was designed to pee- load one primer pair per reaction compartment and to screen up to 384 different primer pairs with less than 30 nanoliters of sample per reaction compartment. Both a 40-well and a 384-well design of the SlipChip were tested for multiplex PCR. In the geometries used here, the sample fluid was spontaneously compartmentalized into discrete volumes even before slipping of the two plates of the SlipChip, hut slipping introduced additional capabilities that made devices more robust and versatile. The wells of this SlipChip were designed to overcome potential problems associated with thermal expansion. By using circular wells filled with oil and overlapping them with square wells filled with the aqueous PCR mixture, a droplet of aqueous PCR mixture was always surrounded by the lubricating fluid. In this design, during heating and thermal expansion, only oil was expelled from the compartment and leaking of the aqueous solution was prevented. Both 40-well and 384-well devices were found to be free from cross-contamination, and end point fluorescence detection provided reliable readout. Multiple samples could also be screened on the same SlipChip simultaneously. Multiplex PCR was validated on the 384-well SlipChip with 20 different primer pairs to identi 16 bacterial and fungal species commonly presented in blood infections. The SlipChip correctly identified five different bacterial or fungal species in separate experiments. In addition, the presence of the resistance gene mecA in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was identified. The SlipChip will be useful for applications involving PCR arrays and lays the foundation for new strategies for diagnostics, point-of-care devices, and be- mobilization-based arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We constrain the distance of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) prompt emission site from the explosion centre R, by determining the location of the electron's self-absorption frequency in the GRB prompt optical-to-X/γ-ray spectral energy distribution, assuming that the optical and the γ-ray emissions are among the same synchrotron radiation continuum of a group of hot electrons. All possible spectral regimes are considered in our analysis. The method has only two assumed parameters, namely the bulk Lorentz factor of the emitting source Γ and the magnetic field strength B in the emission region (with a weak dependence). We identify a small sample of four bursts that satisfy the following three criteria: (1) they all have simultaneous optical and γ-ray detections in multiple observational time intervals, (2) they all show temporal correlations between the optical and γ-ray light curves and (3) the optical emission is consistent with belonging to the same spectral component as the γ-ray emission. For all the time intervals of these four bursts, it is inferred that cm. For a small fraction of the sample, the constraint can be pinned down to for . For a second sample of bursts with prompt optical non-detections, only upper limits on R can be obtained. We find no inconsistency between the R-constraints for this non-detection sample and those for the detection sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  A new dual simultaneous detector was developed for capillary electrophoresis microchip. Confocal laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and moveable contactless conductivity detection (MCCD) were combined together for the first time. The two detection systems shared a common detection cell and could respond simultaneously. They were mutually independent and advantageous in analyses of mixtures containing organic and inorganic ions. The confocal LIF had high sensitivity and the MCCD could move along the separation channel and detect in different positions of the channel. The detection conditions of the dual detector were optimized. Rhodamine B was used to evaluate the performance of the dual detector. The limit of detection of the confocal LIF was [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a common complication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and is associated with extremely poor prognosis. In this retrospective study, we first evaluate the application of percutaneous laser ablation as a treatment for PVTT due to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. 108 patients (2002.7–2005.12) that have adequate liver function and be in reasonably good general condition were enrolled at Eastern hepatobiliary surgery hospital. The thrombus was ablated via an optic fiber placed in the guide needle with the guiding of ultrasound. In the follow-ups, the serial imaging and laboratory routines were examined and the overall clinical progress was measured at regular intervals until time of death. In the clinical assessment, survival time and factors affecting survival time were analyzed. The changes of laboratory test (alanine transaminase and alpha fetoprotein) and clinical manifestation (ascites and diarrhea) of the PVTT patients before and after laser ablation were observed. Patency of the tumor-occluded portal vein branch is the only factor that affect the survival time, the longer the patency time, the longer the survival time. The long-term survivals of patients in our study are 55.56, 33.58 and 22.38% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. Both laboratory test and clinical presentations were improved. Αlpha fetoprotein in the positive patients decreased and alanine transaminase in the abnormal patients normalized at 1 month after the treatment. Ascites disappeared in 44.00% patients (11/25), and diarrhea ameliorated in 57.14% (12/21). Laser ablation might be a novel and effective treatment for PVTT associated with advanced HCC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new detector for direct sequence spread spectrum code acquisition in multiplicative and non-Gaussian noises is proposed in this article. Modelling the acquisition problem as a hypothesis-testing problem, a detector is derived for multiplicative and non-Gaussian noises, based on the locally optimum detection technique. Numerical results show that the proposed detector can offer substantial performance improvement over the conventional schemes in multiplicative and non-Gaussian noises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflict over reproduction is an inherent part of group living. In many social vertebrates, conflict may be reflected as allostatic load, or the costs of social status and dominance rank, which may be quantified by measuring glucocorticoid stress hormones. Here, we develop the first quantitative model of allostatic load based on the tug-of-war model of reproductive skew to generate insights into the mechanisms underlying reproductive conflict in cooperative breeders and to determine whether glucocorticoids can be used to assess conflict levels in group-living vertebrates. It predicts that subordinates have higher allostatic loads than dominants under most conditions, but when body condition is lower in dominants than in subordinates, dominants experience higher allostatic load. Group structure is also important, as dominants generally have higher allostatic loads than subordinates when there is a large number of subordinates in the group, but this cost can be reduced by increasing the number of dominants, as in plural breeding societies. Using glucocorticoid data from cooperatively breeding superb starlings Lamprotornis superbus, we found empirical support for both predictions. Our model is useful for understanding how the costs of social status influence reproductive sharing, and it suggests that glucocorticoids can be used to examine reproductive conflict and cooperation in social species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-cross-linking polyelectrolytes are used to strengthen the surface of calcium alginate beads for cell encapsulation. Poly([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride), containing 30 mol % 2-aminoethyl methacrylate, and poly(sodium methacrylate), containing 30 mol % 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl acetoacetate, were prepared by radical polymerization. Sequential deposition of these polyelectrolytes on calcium alginate films or beads led to a shell consisting of a covalently cross-linked polyelectrolyte complex that resisted osmotic pressure changes as well as challenges with citrate and high ionic strength. Confocal laser fluorescence microscopy revealed that both polyelectrolytes were concentrated in the outer 7−25 µm of the calcium alginate beads. The thickness of this cross-linked shell increased with exposure time. GPC studies of solutions permeating through analogous flat model membranes showed molecular weight cut-offs between 150 and 200 kg/mol for poly(ethylene glycol), suitable for cell encapsulation. C 2C 12mouse cells were shown to be viable within calcium alginate capsules coated with the new polyelectrolytes, even though some of the capsules showed fibroid overcoats when implanted in mice due to an immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug-eluting stents (DES) constitute a major breakthrough in restenosis prevention after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study compared the clinical outcomes of PCI using DES versus coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) in real-world. Methods: From January 2003 to December 2004, 466 consecutive patients with MVD underwent revascularization, 235 by PCI with DES and 231 by CABG. The study end-point was the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) at the first 30 days after procedure and during follow-up. Results: Most preoperative characteristics were similar in the two groups, but left main disease (24.7% vs 2.6%, P<0.001) and three-vessel disease (65% vs 54%, P = 0.02) were more prevalent in CABG group. The number of coronary lesions was also greater in CABG group (3.7 ± 1.1 vs 3.3 ± 1.1, P<0.001). Despite higher early morbidity (3.9% vs 0.8%, P = 0.03) associated with CABG, there were no significant differences in composite MACEs at the first 30 days between the two groups. During follow-up (mean 25±8 months), the incidence of death, myocardial infarction, or cerebrovascular event was similar in both groups (PCI 6.3% vs CABG 5.6%, P = 0.84). However, bypass surgery still afforded a lower need for repeat revascularization (2.8% vs 10.4%, p = 0.001). Consequently, overall MACE rate (14.5% vs 7.9%, P = 0.03) remained higher after PCI. Conclusion: PCI with DES is a safe and feasible alternative to CABG for selected patients with MVD. The reintervention gap was further narrowed in the era of DES. Aside from restenosis, progression of disease needs to receive substantial emphasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the breeding ecology of Taiwan Yuhinas (Yuhina brunneiceps) at the Highlands Experiment Farm at Meifeng, National Taiwan University, in 1995 and from 1997-2002. The Taiwan Yuhina is a joint-nesting, cooperatively breeding species endemic to Taiwan. Males had significantly longer wing chords and tail lengths than females, probably due to sexual selection. Males also had a longer residence time at Meifeng than their female mates, which could be explained by philopatry being greater in males. Alpha males had a significantly longer residence time at Meifeng than beta males, but this was not the case for females, because females did not remain in the same group as males did after their mates disappeared. The breeding season was approximately 6 months long and multiple brooding was common. Nest building took 3 days, egg laying occurred over 3-4 days, the average incubation period was 14 days, and the nestling period was 12 days. Breeding success did not decrease later in the breeding season. Maximum longevity was 12 years, and the estimate of average annual overwinter survival rate for adults at Meifeng was 74%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of reproductive skew can be classified into two groups: transactional models, in which group members yield shares of reproduction to each other in return for cooperation, and tug-of-war models, in which group members invest group resources in a tug-of-war over their respective reproductive shares. We synthesize these two models to yield a ‘bordered tug-of-war’ model in which the internal tug-of-war is limited (‘bordered’) by the requirement that group members must achieve a certain amount of reproduction lest they pursue a noncooperative option leading to group breakup. Previous attempts to synthesize these two models did not allow for the fact that the tug-of-war will affect group output, which in turn feeds back on the reproductive payments required by group members to remain cooperative. The bordered tug-of-war model, which does not assume complete reproductive control by any individual and allows for conflict within groups, predicts that the degree of within-group selfishness will increase as the noncooperative options become less attractive, e.g., as ecological constraints on solitary breeding increase. When the noncooperative option involves fighting for the group resource (e.g., territory) and leaving if the fight is lost, the subordinate's overall share of reproduction is predicted to be independent of its relatedness to the dominant and to increase the greater its probability of winning the fight, the less the value of the territory, and the greater its personal payoff for leaving. The unique predictions of the bordered tug-of-war model may fit skew data from a number of species, including meerkats, lions, and wood mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most evolutionary game theory models solve for equilibrium levels of some behaviour on the restrictive assumptions that players choose their actions simultaneously, and that a player cannot change its action after observing that of its opponent. An alternative framework is provided by sequential or ‘Stackelberg’ games in which one player commits to a ‘first move’ and the other has an opportunity to observe this move before choosing its response. Recent interest in the economic literature has focused on Stackelberg games which exhibit ‘endogenous timing’, i.e. games in which a leader and a follower arise spontaneously as a consequence of each player attempting to maximize its reward. Here, we provide the first demonstration of endogenous timing in an evolutionary context using a simple model of resource competition (the ‘tug-of-war’ model). We show that whenever two related individuals compete for a share of communal resources, both do best to adopt distinct roles in a sequential game rather than engage in simultaneous competition. Somewhat counterintuitively, the stable solution is for the weaker individual to act as leader and commit to a first move, because this arrangement leads to a lower total effort invested in competition. Endogenous timing offers a new explanation for the spontaneous emergence of leaders and followers in social groups, and highlights the benefits of commitment in social interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of group size on incubation effort in Taiwan Yuhinas (Yuhina brunneiceps) at the Highlands Experimental Farm of National Taiwan University at Meifeng, Nantou County, central Taiwan, during 2000 and 2001. The Taiwan Yuhina is a joint-nesting, cooperatively breeding species endemic to Taiwan. We compared differences in parental investment among individuals of different sexes and status, explored the effect of group size on group incubation effort, and investigated whether individuals show compensatory reductions in care with respect to the number of females laying. Constancy of incubation increased as group size increased. Alpha females exhibited a significantly greater incubation effort than other individuals, but effort was similar among other group members. Both alpha males and females decreased their relative and absolute incubation effort as group size increased (i.e., there was a compensatory reduction in parental effort). However, beta pairs maintained a consistent but low incubation effort when either gamma pairs or an extra individual joined the group. Our study also demonstrated a new potential group-size benefit for cooperatively breeding birds--an increase in the constancy of incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compute the temporal profiles of the gamma-ray burst pulse in the four Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) Large Area Detector (LAD) discriminator energy channels, with the relativistic curvature effect of an expanding fireball being explicitly investigated. Assuming an intrinsic ‘Band’ shape spectrum and an intrinsic energy-independent emission profile, we show that merely the curvature effect can produce detectable spectral lags if the intrinsic pulse profile has a gradually decaying phase. We examine the spectral lag's dependences on some physical parameters, such as the Lorentz factor Γ, the low-energy spectral index, α, of the intrinsic spectrum, the duration of the intrinsic radiation and the fireball radius R. It is shown that approximately the lag and , and a spectrum with a more extruded shape (a larger α) causes a larger lag. We find no dependence of the lag on R. Quantitatively, the lags produced from the curvature effect are marginally close to the observed ones, while larger lags require extreme physical parameter values, e.g. , or . The curvature effect causes an energy-dependent pulse width distribution but the energy dependence of the pulse width we obtained is much weaker than the observed one. This indicates that some intrinsic mechanism(s), other than the curvature effect, dominates the pulse narrowing of gamma-ray bursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a multichannel quartz crystal microbalance (MQCM) device, the key problem in design is to minimize the frequency interference between adjacent channels. In this paper, the effects of interchannel separation on the resonance frequencies and frequency interference of the device are studied. The results show that, for the channels with the same size, the resonant modes will appear alternatively, and the frequency interference keeps oscillating in a very small scope in the cases of large interchannel separations. Based on the studies, the considerations for MQCM design also are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the dissipation effects of an electroded AT-cut quartz resonator due to the intrinsic damping of the quartz plate and the surface damping of the coated electrodes. Results obtained which provide a theoretical understanding of the energy losses by the effects.

The multichannel quartz crystal microbalance (MQCM) is very attractive for biosensor applications. The principle of the MQCM design involves fabricating arrays of quartz microbalances on a single substrate, and it is important that the individual sensor performance is not influenced by the neighboring devices. Feasible ways to control the coupling of acoustical energy within a MQCM structure are to increase the difference in the resonance frequency between the electroded and unelectroded portions of the substrate; and a practical way to achieve this is to use mesa structures. In this paper, the frequency interference between two mesa-shaped quartz crystal microbalances is investigated using Mindlin's theory. The results show that even a very small mesa height (∼5% of the plate thickness) can greatly reduce the frequency interference and more effectively trap the acoustic energy. This allows for a broader design window and higher packing density for MQCM applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the averaged power density spectra (PDSs) of two classes of long-duration gamma-ray bursts in the recent classification by Balastegui et al. (2001) based on neural network analysis. Both PDSs follow a power law over a wide frequency range with approximately the same slope, which indicates that a process with a self-similar temporal property may underlie the emission mechanisms of both. The two classes of bursts are divided into groups according to their brightness and spectral hardness respectively and each group''s PDS was calculated. For both classes, the PDS is found to flatten both with increasing burst brightness and with increasing hardness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the importance of scattering characteristics in heterogeneously fractured reservoirs from waveform estimation. Usage of multiple signal classification; Distributions of heterogeneous fracture density; Function of both incident angle and azimuth.

A robust adaptive beamforming technique based on a reconstructed covariance matrix and array steering vector (ASV) estimation using low-complexity algorithms is proposed. The spatial spectrum estimator is used to reconstruct the interference-plus-noise covariance matrix and the ASV estimation process is used to calculate the correlation coefficients of the assumed ASV and the eigenvectors. Contrary to other robust adaptive beamforming methods, this approach has better performance yet does not involve any specific optimisation programme even if arbitrary ASV imperfections are considered. Simple implementation and significant signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio enhancement support the practicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the mechanisms by which proteins may be directed toward glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) secretion involving the human folate receptor type beta (FR-beta). Production of soluble folate binding proteins; Relationship between membrane-anchored and soluble FR-beta; FR-beta on cell surface; GPI signal recognition.