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Spatial-temporal graph modeling plays an important role in the fields of transportation, meteorology, and social networks. Traffic flow prediction is a classic spatial-temporal modeling task. Existing methods usually do not take into account the asynchronous spatial-temporal correlation in traffic data. In addition, due to the complexity and variability of traffic data, long-term traffic forecasting is highly challenging. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a new deep learning-based Asynchronous Dilation Graph Convolution Network (ADGCN) to model the spatial-temporal graphs. We mine the asynchronous spatial-temporal correlation in the traffic network, and propose the Asynchronous Spatial-Temporal Graph Convolution (ASTGC) operation to extract this special relationship. Furthermore, we extend the dilated 1D causal convolution to a graph convolution. The receptive field of the model increases exponentially with the increase of the network depth. Experiments are conducted on three public traffic datasets, and the results show that the prediction performance of ADGCN is better than the existing counterpart methods, especially in longterm prediction tasks.

To assess changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) 1 hour after pharmacological dilation in eyes treated with laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) and untreated fellow eyes of primary angle closure suspects (PACS).A prospective randomized, fellow-eye controlled trial.A total of 889 participants with PACS aged 50 to 70 years with LPI in 1 randomly selected eye and a fellow untreated eye were included. All participants underwent comprehensive examinations before and at 2 weeks, 6 months, 18 months, 36 months, 54 months, and 72 months after LPI. The IOP was measured using Goldmann applanation tonometry before and 1 hour after pharmacological dilation.The mean predilation IOP in the untreated eyes was 14.8 ± 2.7 mm Hg, which increased to 16.4 ± 2.7 mm Hg after pharmacological dilation (P.001). The treated and untreated eyes had similar predilation and postdilation IOP (all P0.05). The average postdilation IOP elevation was 1.5 mm Hg in the treated eyes and 1.6 mm Hg in the untreated eye, without significant differences (P = .802). Lower predilation IOP (P.001), smaller AOD500 (P = 0.001), smaller ARA500 (P = .030), smaller TISA500 (P = .043), and larger Iarea (P0.001) were associated with postdilation IOP elevation of 5 mm Hg and greater. Three untreated eyes (1.04 per 1000 pupil dilation) and 1 treated eye (0.34 per 1000 pupil dilation) developed acute angle closure (AAC) after dilation during the 72-month follow-up.Postdilation IOP elevation was similar among treated and untreated eyes, and the risk of developing AAC was very low, even among patients with PACS. Routine LPI before pupil dilation for people with PACS is not recommended.

The problem of cavity expansion from zero radius has no characteristic length and therefore possesses a similarity solution, in which the cavity pressure remains constant and the continuing deformation is geometrically self-similar. In this case, the incremental velocity approach first used by R. Hill in 1950 to analyse cavity expansion in Tresca materials can be extended to derive a solution for the limiting pressure of cavity expansion in other types of material. In this paper, a rigorous semi-analytical solution is derived, following Hill's incremental velocity method, for the expansion of cavities from zero initial radius in cohesive-frictional soils with limited dilation. In particular, the radius of the elastic–plastic interface c is used in this paper as the timescale and the solution for the limit pressure has been presented. Solutions are evaluated for a number of cases representative of a range of cohesive-frictional and dilatant soils. A comparison is also made between the solutions presented here and previous solutions for cohesive-frictional soils that have unlimited (on-going) plastic dilation. In particular, the influence of limited plastic dilation on the cavity limit pressure is identified and discussed.

In this letter, we adapt the dilation operator from mathematical morphology to propose dilation distances. These dilation distances are then used for band selection in hyperspectral images. It is shown that dilation distances between bands can capture the spatial distance between the objects. Hence, using dilation-based distances would select those bands which identify spatially separated objects. This is illustrated using both toy and real data sets. Furthermore, we compare the proposed approach with existing methods and show empirically that dilation-distance-based band selection provided competitive results outperforming several methods.

The author offers his approach to esophageal dilation based on 40 years of a practice specializing in swallowing disorders and esophageal disease. He discusses general concepts in the management of esophageal strictures and then provides an approach to dilation of different types of esophageal stenotic lesions.

Objective: To determine the difference in renal function and rate of surgical intervention between neonates with diffuse and segmental parenchymal thinning. Materials and Methods: First postnatal ultrasonography images of neonates with prenatal urinary tract dilation were evaluated and measurements taken. Neonates with parenchymal thinning were categorised into segmental and diffuse parenchymal thinning groups using the medullary to intermedullary ratio. A statistical correlation of differential renal function and rate of surgical intervention between the two groups was calculated and evaluated using an independent t-test and Kaplan-Meier curve with Log-rank test, respectively. Results: Of the 20 neonates, 10 had segmental parenchymal thinning, while the other 10 had diffuse parenchymal thinning. Mean differential renal function was 49.3% in the segmental parenchymal thinning group compared to 45.8% in the diffuse group (p = 0.400). Five patients (50%) from the segmental parenchymal thinning group underwent pyeloplasty in comparison to seven patients (70%) from the diffuse group (p = 0.430) Conclusion: There were no significant differences in renal function or rate of surgical intervention between neonates with segmental parenchymal thinning and diffuse parenchymal thinning. Neonates with segmental parenchymal thinning need to be monitored as closely as those with diffuse parenchymal thinning for early detection of renal deterioration and to identify potential need for surgical intervention.

A commuting triple of Hilbert space operators (A, B, P) for which the closure of the tetrablock $${\mathbb {E}}$$ , where $$ \begin{aligned} {\mathbb {E}} = \{ (x_1,x_2,x_3)\in {\mathbb {C}}^3 : \; |x_3

Cultural diversity around students can be integrated into learning mathematics in the classroom. Yet, Indonesian students still have difficulty applying mathematical concepts to solve problems related to everyday life, such as dilation and reflection in transformation geometry. Therefore, this study aims to design the dilation and reflection in transformation geometry learning trajectory using the motifs of bamboo woven. This context was used as the starting point in the learning process by applying the Pendidikan Matematika Realistik Indonesia approach. The research method used is design research consisted of three stages: preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis. This study describes how the motifs of bamboo woven made a real contribution for ninth-grade students to understand the concept of dilation and reflection in transformation geometry. The design experiments showed that this context can stimulate students to understand their knowledge of the idea of dilation and reflection in transformation geometry. All of the strategies and models that students find illustrate and discuss show how the construction or contribution of students can be used to help their initial understanding of the reflection and dilation.

Aim In Japan, the criteria of the latent and active phases of the first stage of labor have not been decided. The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) Perinatal Committee conducted a study to construct a spontaneous labor curve in order to determine the point of onset of the active phase. Methods The participants were women who had spontaneous deliveries at four health facilities in Japan between September 1, 2011, and September 31, 2019. Spontaneous delivery was defined as the spontaneous onset of labor at term (37 weeks, 0 days to 41 weeks, 6 days) with vaginal delivery of a mature fetus in a cephalic position without uterotonic agents or epidural analgesia. The time points for each "cm" of dilation were collected starting from the time of full dilation retrogradely. The relationship between time since labor onset and cervical dilation was expressed as a curve using a smoothing B-spline. Results A total of 4215 primiparous and 5266 multiparous women were included in this study. The spontaneous labor curve showed that in both primiparous and multiparous women, labor progress was slow until 5 cm cervical dilation, accelerating between 5 and 6 cm dilation, and steadily progressed after 6 cm dilation. Conclusion We propose that the active phase of the first stage of labor be defined as starting at 5 cm dilation of the cervix, and that it be divided into an acceleration phase (5-6 cm dilation) and a maximal phase (>6 cm dilation).

OBJECTIVE To compare, in terms of anatomical, functional, and sexual aspects, two types of treatment for women with vaginal agenesis: progressive dilation or surgical neovaginoplasty. METHODS Women with vaginal agenesis underwent either dilation treatment using the Frank method or surgical treatment using the modified Abbe-McIndoe technique with oxidized cellulose. Patients were evaluated 3-6 months after treatment for a follow-up including medical history, physical examination, general satisfaction, clinical aspect of the vagina, Female Sexual Function Index, and three-dimensional pelvic floor ultrasound. RESULTS In total, 20 women with vaginal agenesis were included in the present study; nine in the dilation group and 11 in the surgical group. A comparison between the groups (vaginal dilation and surgical neovaginoplasty) showed efficacy in neovagina formation after both treatments, with a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-treatment periods (P value pre- × post-dilation group

Video Video 1 Video demonstration of left hepaticogastrostomy with the assistance of an angioplasty balloon.

We study completely positive module maps on $C^{*}$-algebras which are $C^*$-module over another $C^*$-algebra with compatible actions. We extend several well known dilation and extension results to this setup, including the Stinespring dilation theorem and Wittstock, Arveson, and Voiculescu extension theorems., 13 pages

For a separable rearrangement invariant space X on $$(0,\infty )$$ of fundamental type we identify the set of all $$p\in [1,\infty ]$$ such that $$\ell ^p$$ is finitely represented in X in such a way that the unit basis vectors of $$\ell ^p$$ ( $$c_0$$ if $$p=\infty $$ ) correspond to pairwise disjoint and equimeasurable functions. This characterization hinges upon a description of the set of approximate eigenvalues of the doubling operator $$x(t)\mapsto x(t/2)$$ in X. We prove that this set is surprisingly simple: depending on the values of some dilation indices of such a space, it is either an interval or a union of two intervals. We apply these results to the Lorentz and Orlicz spaces.

Background Problems with pharyngo‐esophageal bolus flow have been reported following nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) treatment. While studies using videofluoroscopic assessment have shown balloon dilation can help address this impairment, the impact of dilation on pressure and bolus flow characteristics incorporating high‐resolution pharyngeal manometry (HRPM) has not been reported. Methods Five cases with pharyngo‐esophageal dysphagia post NPC underwent balloon dilation. Videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and HRPM were completed before and 1 month post dilation. Oral intake and dysphagia related quality of life were reported to 3 months. Results VFSS, manometry and functional outcomes revealed positive benefits from dilation in two cases. In the other three cases, two showed improvements on VFSS only. These three failed to make functional swallowing gains. Conclusions Where there was functional gain, both fluoroscopy and HRPM recorded improvement to UES function. Across the cases, response to dilation was variable and further work is needed to determine which patients would receive most benefit. Level of Evidence 4., The article is the report of a case series on 5 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer with balloon dilation performed. The article presents the outcomes from high resolution manometry (HRM), videofluoroscopic swallow study and functional swallow outcomes. This was the first study using HRM in the clinical population of nasopharyngeal cancer and as an outcome tool for dysphagia treatment and one of the very few treatment studies for dysphagia after chemo‐radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer.

Video action recognition is a vital area of computer vision. By adding temporal dimension into convolution structure, 3D convolution neural network owns the capacity to extract spatio-temporal features from videos. However, due to computing constraints, it is hard to input the whole video into the convolution network at one time, resulting in a limited temporal receptive field of the network. To address this issue, we propose a novel 3D temporal dilation convolution (3D-TDC) framework, to extract spatio-temporal features of actions from videos. First, we deploy the 3D temporal dilation convolution as the shallow temporal compression layer, enabling an effective capture of spatio-temporal information in a larger time domain with the reduced computational load. Then, an action recognition framework is constructed by integrating two networks with different temporal receptive fields to balance the long-short time difference. We conduct extensive experiments on three widely-used public datasets (UCF-101, HMDB-51, and Kinetics-400) for performance evaluation, and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework in video action recognition with low computational load.

Objectives The primary goal of this study was to examine how well findings of cervical esophageal stenosis on modified barium swallow (MBS) and esophagram correlate with clinical improvement following dilation in patients with a history of head and neck (H&N) cancer. Methods A retrospective review was performed at an academic hospital. The study population included H&N cancer patients with a history of neck dissection surgery who underwent esophageal dilation from 2010 to2018. Pre and postdilation swallowing function was assessed. The Functional Outcomes Swallowing Scale (FOSS) and Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) were used as outcome measures. Results The 95 patients were included. All patients had imaging prior to dilation. Post‐dilation FOSS and FOIS scores were significantly improved (P, The aim of this study was to determine the ability of the modified barium swallow (MBS) and esophagram to accurately predict cervical esophageal stenosis in patients with history of head and neck cancer that would benefit from esophageal dilation. A retrospective review was performed at an academic hospital of patients who had previous neck dissection surgery for cancer and underwent esophageal dilation from 2010‐2018. These imaging studies appear to have mixed reliability as predictors of response to esophageal dilation in this population that is high risk for cervical esophageal stenosis.

Dilation surfaces, or twisted quadratic differentials, are variants of translation surfaces. In this paper, we study the question of what elements or subgroups of the mapping class group can be realized as affine automorphisms of dilation surfaces. We show that dilation surfaces can have exotic Dehn twists in their affine automorphism groups and will establish that only certain types of mapping class group elements can arise as affine automorphisms of dilation surfaces. We also generalize a construction of Thurston that constructs a translation surface from a pair of filling multicurves to dilation surfaces. This construction will give us dilation surfaces that realize a pair of Dehn multitwists in their affine automorphism groups.

Video Video 1 This video case presentation highlights a 65-year-old woman with weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and a dilated gastrojejunal anastomosis who presented for endoscopic revision of her gastric bypass involving a plication technique, followed by gastrojejunal anastomosis stenosis dilation.

We study the space of all $d$-tuples of unitaries $u=(u_1,\ldots, u_d)$ using dilation theory and matrix ranges. Given two $d$-tuples $u$ and $v$ generating C*-algebras $\mathcal A$ and $\mathcal B$, we seek the minimal dilation constant $c=c(u,v)$ such that $u\prec cv$, by which we mean that $u$ is a compression of some $*$-isomorphic copy of $cv$. This gives rise to a metric \[ d_D(u,v)=\log\max\{c(u,v),c(v,u)\} \] on the set of equivalence classes of $*$-isomorphic tuples of unitaries. We also consider the metric \[ d_{HR}(u,v)=\inf\left\{\|u'-v'\|:u',v'\in B(H)^d, u'\sim u\textrm{ and } v'\sim v\right\}, \] and we show the inequality \[ d_{HR}(u,v)\leq K d_D(u,v)^{1/2}. \] Let $u_\Theta$ be the universal unitary tuple $(u_1,\ldots,u_d)$ satisfying $u_\ell u_k=e^{i\theta_{k,\ell}} u_k u_\ell$, where $\Theta=(\theta_{k,\ell})$ is a real antisymmetric matrix. We find that $c(u_\Theta, u_{\Theta'})\leq e^{\frac{1}{4}\|\Theta-\Theta'\|}$. From this we recover the result of Haagerup-Rordam and Gao that there exists a map $\Theta\mapsto U(\Theta)\in B(H)^d$ such that $U(\Theta)\sim u_\Theta$ and \[ \|U(\Theta)-U({\Theta'})\|\leq K\|\Theta-\Theta'\|^{1/2}. \] Of special interest are: the universal $d$-tuple of noncommuting unitaries ${\mathrm u}$, the $d$-tuple of free Haar unitaries $u_f$, and the universal $d$-tuple of commuting unitaries $u_0$. We obtain the bounds \[ 2\sqrt{1-\frac{1}{d}}\leq c(u_f,u_0)\leq 2\sqrt{1-\frac{1}{2d}}. \] From this, we recover Passer's upper bound for the universal unitaries $c({\mathrm u},u_0)\leq\sqrt{2d}$. In the case $d=3$ we obtain the new lower bound $c({\mathrm u},u_0)\geq 1.858$ improving on the previously known lower bound $c({\mathrm u},u_0)\geq\sqrt{3}$., Comment: 31 pages. A few minor corrections have been made and a new appendix (Appendix B) has been added. To appear in Journal of the London Mathematical Society

Obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction is a common health problem affecting both children and adults. Balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube is an increasingly popular treatment for medically refractory obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction and has widely been accepted in the treatment of adults. The procedure has traditionally been performed under general anesthesia. Performing balloon dilation under local anesthesia in an office setting provides advantages such as improved patient safety by avoiding the risks of general anesthesia, faster patient recovery and reduced treatment costs. The procedure itself is identical when performed under local anesthesia, but in order to accomplish a successful dilation there are certain details that have to be taken into account. We will describe a local anesthesia protocol and technique for safely and effectively performing balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube safely in an office setting. Local anesthetic, In office, Balloon Dilation of the Eustachian Tube.

Based on the analysis of “The contraction of time under the action of a gravi- tational field, in different references at rest”, we conclude that space does not contract. In view of the result obtained, we were obliged to analyze the found- ing principles of Einstein’s theory of relativity, the dilation of time and the con- traction of space, the two principles, structural pillars of the whole theory of relativity. We found problems in the model regarding the relativity of time in the direc- tion of displacement. It is proposed for the calculation of time in the stopped frame the contraction of time in the moving frame which is contrary to the model. We also analyzed Michelson-Morley’s experience and concluded that it does not respect the principle of time expansion for a K in the direction of dis- placement. Finally, we decided to look with double attention to the meaning of the expression of time dilation, concluding once again that space does not heal and that the principle to be retained is the constancy of space covered by ”light” in the equivalent times of all reference frames. We conclude that we have a new way of looking at physics, which will give rise to a new theory of relativity.

We study rational generating functions of sequences $\{a_n\}_{n\geq 0}$ that agree with a polynomial and investigate symmetric decompositions of the numerator polynomial for subsequences $\{a_{rn}\}_{n\geq 0}$. We prove that if the numerator polynomial for $\{a_n\}_{n\geq 0}$ is of degree $s$ and its coefficients satisfy a set of natural linear inequalities then the symmetric decomposition of the numerator for $\{a_{rn}\}_{n\geq 0}$ is real-rooted whenever $r\geq \max \{s,d+1-s\}$. Moreover, if the numerator polynomial for $\{a_n\}_{n\geq 0}$ is symmetric then we show that the symmetric decomposition for $\{a_{rn}\}_{n\geq 0}$ is interlacing. We apply our results to Ehrhart series of lattice polytopes. In particular, we obtain that the $h^\ast$-polynomial of every dilation of a $d$-dimensional lattice polytope of degree $s$ has a real-rooted symmetric decomposition whenever the dilation factor $r$ satisfies $r\geq \max \{s,d+1-s\}$. Moreover, if the polytope is Gorenstein then this decomposition is interlacing., 14 pages; v2: minor changes; v3: minor changes, accepted for publication in International Mathematics Research Notices

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) causes esophageal narrowing and strictures, but factors that modify the severity of strictures and requirement for subsequent dilation are not well described. The aim of this study was to identify characteristics that impact the need for repeat (> 1) esophageal dilations in EoE patients. This was a single center retrospective cohort study over a 12-year period (September 2005–October 2017). Patients were identified using ICD9, ICD10, and CPT codes for esophageal dilation, eosinophilic esophagitis, and esophageal obstruction. Data for EoE clinical characteristics, treatments, and BMI were extracted and correlated to the number of esophageal dilations and time elapsed between dilations. Of the 21 patients who met inclusion criteria, 11 (52%) had at least two dilations and 9 (43%) had three dilations. There was no differences baseline demographics between patients who needed ≥ 2 vs. those who needed one dilation. However, patients with a BMI > 30 had a significantly longer median time to second dilation compared to non-obese patients (4.9 years vs. 1.8 years; p = 0.027). Stratification by either high dose PPI or inhaled steroid use did not change this result. EoE patients with strictures who are obese have a reduced requirement for subsequent esophageal dilation. While the mechanism for this is not clear, increased attention of non-obese patients with fibrostenotic EoE is indicated as they are at higher risk for recurrent strictures.

In this paper, we propose a modified q-Dai–Yuan (q-DY) conjugate gradient algorithm based on q-gradient for solving unconstrained optimization problems. The q-gradient is calculated based on q-derivative that requires a dilation parameter q for controlling the balance between the local and global search. The strong global convergence of the algorithm is proved under standard Wolfe conditions, and numerical results show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Coronary ectasia (CE) is defined as dilation of the coronary artery, 1.5 times that of the surrounding vessel. Outcomes of percutaneous intervention (PCI) in patients with CE presenting as ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) remain a topic of debate.Studies comparing outcomes of PCI in CE versus no-ectasia (NE) STEMI patients were identified. Baseline angiographic characteristics include thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 0-1 flow, right coronary artery (RCA) involvement, and primary outcomes including thrombus aspiration, no-reflow, mortality, and TIMI-3 post-PCI. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.Six studies (n = 5746, CE-340 and NE-5406) qualified for the analysis. RCA involvement was more common in CE than NE, OR-1.39 (95%CI1.06-1.82, p-0.02). Pre-procedure TIMI-0-1 was of comparable results between the groups (p-1.13). Higher thrombus aspiration for CE (OR 2.18, 95%CI1.44-3.32;p-0.001). CE had higher incidence of no-reflow (OR 4.07, 95%CI2.42-6.84;p-0.001). TIMI-3 flow post-PCI was achieved less commonly in the CE group (OR-0.64, 95%CI-0.48-0.86;p-0.001). Mortality on follow-up was comparable (0.83, 95%CI0.39-1.78;p-0.63). Metaregression analysis did not show confounding effects from comorbidities.Coronary ectasia patients with STEMI had higher rates of PCI failure and no-reflow than NE; however, mortality during follow-up was comparable.

Understanding the pathophysiology of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) is necessary to reduce its harmfulness. Dilated perivascular space (PVS) had been found related to WMH. In the present study, we aimed to examine the topological connections between WMH and PVS, and to investigate whether increased interstitial fluid mediates the correlation between PVS and WMH volumes. One hundred and thirty-six healthy elder subjects were retrospectively included from a prospectively collected community cohort. Sub-millimeter T2 weighted and FLAIR images were acquired for assessing the association between PVS and WMH. Diffusion tensor imaging and free-water (FW) analytical methods were used to quantify white matter free water content, and to explore whether it mediates the PVS-WMH association. We found that most (89%) of the deep WMH lesions were spatially connected with PVS, exhibiting several interesting topological types. PVS and WMH volumes were also significantly correlated (r = 0.222, p

We study the coarse geometry of the moduli space of dilation tori with two singularities and the dynamical properties of the action of the Teichmuller flow on this moduli space. This leads to a proof that the vertical foliation of a dilation torus is almost always Morse-Smale. As a corollary, we get that the generic piecewise affine circle homeomorphism with two break points -with respect to the Lebesgue measure- is Morse-Smale.

Ischemic preconditioning attenuates the reduction in brachial artery endothelial function following an ischemia-reperfusion injury. Brief bouts of systemic hypoxemia could similarly mitigate the blunted vasodilatory response induced by an ischemia-reperfusion injury. The aim of the present study was to determine whether an acute bout of intermittent hypoxia protects against an ischemia-reperfusion injury in young healthy individuals. Brachial artery endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated dilation in 16 young healthy individuals before and after a 20-min upper arm blood flow occlusion to induce ischemia-reperfusion injury. Blood flow occlusion was preceded by either intermittent hypoxia or intermittent normoxia. Intermittent hypoxia consisted of three 4-min hypoxic cycles at an arterial oxygen saturation of 87 ± 3% separated by 4-min normoxic cycles. Intermittent hypoxia resulted in a lower arterial oxygen saturation than intermittent normoxia (hypoxia: 87 ± 3% vs. normoxia: 99 ± 1%

Postoperative dysphagia after anti-reflux surgery typically resolves in a few weeks. However, even after the initial swelling has resolved at 6 weeks, dysphagia can persist in 30% of patients necessitating esophageal dilation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of esophageal dilation on postoperative dysphagia, the recurrence of reflux symptoms, and the efficacy of pneumatic dilations on postoperative dysphagia. A prospectively collected database was reviewed for patients who underwent partial/complete fundoplication with/without paraesophageal hernia repair between 2006 and 2014. Patient age, sex, BMI, DeMeester score, procedure type, procedure duration, length of stay, postoperative dysphagia, time to first pneumatic dilation, number of dilations, and the need for reoperations were collected. The study included 902 consecutive patients, 71.3% females, with a mean age of 57.8 ± 14.7 years. Postoperative dysphagia was noted in 26.3% of patients, of whom 89% had complete fundoplication (p < 0.01). Endoscopic dilation was performed in 93 patients (10.3%) with 59 (63.4%) demonstrating persistent dysphagia. Recurrent reflux symptoms occurred in 35 (37.6%) patients who underwent endoscopic dilation. Patients who underwent a dilation for symptoms of dysphagia were less likely to require a revisional surgery later than patients who had dysphagia but did not undergo a dilation before revisional surgery (17.2% vs 41.7%, respectively, p < 0.001) in the 4-year follow-up period. The duration of initial dilation from surgery was inversely related to the need for revisional surgery (p = 0.047), while more than one dilation was not associated with additive benefit. One attempt at endoscopic dilation of the esophagogastric fundoplication may provide relief in patients with postoperative dysphagia and can be used as a predictive factor for the need of revision. However, there is an increased risk for recurrent reflux symptoms and revisional surgery may ultimately be indicated for control of symptoms.

BACKGROUND Choledocholithiasis removal via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) then followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has gradually become the principal method in the treatment of gallstones and choledocholithiasis. We use ERCP through the cystic duct to treat gallstones combined with choledocholithiasis, with the aim to preserve the normal function of the gallbladder while simultaneously decreasing risk of biliary tract injury. CASE SUMMARY A total of six cases of patients diagnosed with gallstones and choledocholithiasis were treated with ERCP. The efficacy was evaluated via operation success rate, calculus removal rate, postoperative hospital stay and average hospitalization costs; the safety was evaluated through perioperative complication probability, gallbladder function detection and gallstones recrudesce. The calculus removal rate reached 100%, and patients had mild adverse events, including 1 case of postoperative acute cholecystitis and another of increased blood urinary amylase; both were relieved after corresponding treatment, the remaining cases had no complications. The average hospital stay and hospitalization costs were 6.16 ± 1.47 d and 5194 ± 696 dollars. The 3-11 mo follow-up revealed that gallbladder contracted well, without recurrence of gallstones. CONCLUSION This is the first batch of case reports for the treatment of gallstones and choledocholithiasis through ERCP approached by natural cavity. The results and effects of six reported cases proved that the new strategy is safe and feasible and is worthy of further exploration and application.

Stimuli that are recognized from a prior encounter elicit larger pupil dilations than those that are not. This study tests an account of this recognition dilation response (RDR) that assumes newly encountered recognition signals, like new percepts, elicit attentional orienting responses. Because orienting is moderated by motivational significance and expectation, the RDR was tested for these properties; manipulating incentives for "old" versus "new" judgments, and isolating the effects of runs of "old" versus "new" decisions on the subsequent RDR, in two experiments. Whereas incentivizing "new" decisions largely eliminated the RDR, incentivizing "old" decisions amplified it. Moreover, the RDR was prominent following runs of "new" decisions, yet minimal following runs of "old" decisions. Thus, the pupil dilates more as recognition memory becomes more valuable and/or unexpected. This recognition-orienting response was functionally separate from an additional, late dilation linked to feedback expectancy. Thus, the pupil separately signals the salience of recognition evidence, and the expectation of post-decision feedback.

K3 polytopes appear in complements of tropical quartic surfaces. They are dual to regular unimodular central triangulations of reflexive polytopes in the fourth dilation of the standard tetrahedron. Exploring these combinatorial objects, we classify K3 polytopes with up to 30 vertices. Their number is 36 297 333. We study the singular loci of quartic surfaces that tropicalize to K3 polytopes. These surfaces are stable in the sense of Geometric Invariant Theory.

Cubic bipolar fuzzy set (CBFS) is a powerful model for dealing with bipolarity and vagueness altogether because it contains bipolar fuzzy information and interval-valued bipolar fuzzy information simultaneously. In this article, we define some new notions such as concentration, dilation, support and core of a CBFS. We introduce cubic bipolar fuzzy relations (CBFRs) and some of their types. As in statistics with real variables, we define variance and covariance between two CBFSs. Then, we propose correlation coefficients and their weighted extensions on the basis of variance and covariance of CBFSs. Later on, some properties of these correlation coefficients are discussed. We explore that their values lie in [−1,1]. Moreover, we discuss the applications of the proposed correlation coefficients in pattern recognition and clustering analysis. Numerical examples are provided for better understanding of the applicability and efficiency of proposed correlation coefficients.

Dysphagia concerns 10–89% patients after total laryngectomy; to a greater extent, it concerns patients receiving complementary radiotherapy. The disease mechanism is associated with anatomical changes after surgery (scope of surgery) or complications of adjuvant therapy (xerostomia, neuropathy, swelling of tissue, etc.). The above changes lead to: decreased mobility of the lateral walls of the pharynx and tongue retraction, the occurrence of lingual pumping, decreased swallowing reflex, weakening of the upper esophageal sphincter opening, contraction of the cricopharyngeal muscle, tissue fibrosis, formation of pharyngeal pseudodiverticulum, etc. As a result: regurgitation of food through the nose and oral cavity, food sticking in middle and lower pharynx, prolongation of bolus transit time. Upon the formation of tracheoesophageal fistula, there may be aspiration of gastric contents. The above changes considerably reduce patients’ quality of life after surgery. The diagnostic protocol includes: medical interview (questionnaires can be helpful such as: EAT 10, SSQ, MDADI, DHI), clinical swallowing assessment and instrumental examinations: primarily videofluoroscopy but also endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. In selected cases, multifrequency manometry is necessary. The treatment options include: surgical methods (e.g. balloon dilatation of the upper esophageal sphincter, cricopharyngeal myotomy, pharyngeal plexus neurectomy, removal of the pharyngeal pseudodiverticulum), conservative methods (e.g. botulinum toxin injection of the upper esophageal sphincter, speech therapy, nutritional treatment) and supportive methods such as consultation with a psychologis physiotherapist, clinical dietitian. The selection of a specific treatment method should be preceded by a diagnostic process in which the mechanism of functional disorders related to voice formation and swallowing will be established.

We introduce the prime coset sum method for constructing tight wavelet frames, which allows one to construct nonseparable multivariate tight wavelet frames with prime dilation, using a univariate lowpass mask with this same prime dilation as input. This method relies on the idea of finding a sum of hermitian squares representation for a nonnegative trigonometric polynomial related to the sub-QMF condition for the lowpass mask. We prove the existence of these representations under some conditions on the input lowpass mask, utilizing the special structure of the recently introduced prime coset sum method, which is used to generate the lowpass masks in our construction. We also prove guarantees on the vanishing moments of the wavelets arising from this method, some of which hold more generally.

Sign languages have their own linguistic structure, grammar and characteristics, and are independent of the rules that govern spoken languages. They are visual languages that rely on hand gestures as well as on bodily and facial expressions. Sign languages in different countries are vastly different from one another, so enabling easy communication is important: not just to break the barrier between hearing and deaf individuals, but also between people who do not sign in the same language. In India, sign language plays an important role in the field of communication among dumb and deaf people. There are different signs associated for communication in every country as per their convenient gestures. Automatic sign language gesture recognition is an approach for recognizing gestures and converts it to its actual meaning and convey either through speech or text as per requirements. Here the system is based on Prewitt Edge Detection that possesses the gestures of sign language and helps to recognize and assign their meanings. The Prewitt is second order derivative that has been used in image processing and computer vision, in the form of edge detection or extraction algorithms where it creates gradient of horizontal and vertical magnitude. System also uses certain pre-processing filtration technique such as morphological dilation for better feature extraction.

We consider the problem of the constancy of the minimizer in the fractional embedding theorem $$\mathcal{H}^s(\Omega) \hookrightarrow L_q(\Omega)$$ for a bounded Lipschitz domain $$\Omega$$ , depending on the domain size. For the family of domains $$\varepsilon \Omega$$ , we prove that, for small dilation coefficients $$\varepsilon$$ , the unique minimizer is constant, whereas for large $$\varepsilon$$ , a constant function is not even a local minimizer. We also discuss whether a constant function is a global minimizer if it is a local one.

Interconnection networks provide an effective mechanism for exchanging data between processors in a parallel computing system. One of the most efficient interconnection networks is the hypercube due to its structural regularity, potential for parallel computation of various algorithms, and the high degree of fault tolerance. Thus it becomes the first choice of topological structure of parallel processing and computing systems. In this paper, lower bounds for the dilation, wirelength, and edge congestion of an embedding of a graph into a hypercube are proved. Two of these bounds are expressed in terms of the bisection width. Applying these results, the dilation and wirelength of embedding of certain complete multipartite graphs, folded hypercubes, wheels, and specific Cartesian products are computed.

We prove that the set of extreme points of the set of dilation–invariant Banach limits is unclosed in the weak $ {}^{*} $ topology.

This article deals with structural controllability of a linear time invariant (LTI) composite system consisting of several circuits/subsystems. We consider subsystems with structurally similar state matrices, i.e., the zero/nonzero pattern of the state matrices of the subsystems are the same, but dynamics can be different due to different numerical values. Structurally similar subsystems arise in large circuits implemented using many similar smaller circuits and agent-based networks consisting of homogeneous agents. The subsystems may not be structurally controllable individually; however, structural controllability of the composite system can be achieved by sharing state information. Sharing of information among subsystems incurs cost and our aim is to design a structurally controllable composite system with minimum information sharing. Minimizing information sharing is the same as minimizing the number of interaction links between subsystems, referred to as interconnections . An optimal network topology is one with a minimum number of interconnections. This article presents a closed-form expression for the minimum number of interconnections for structural controllability and derives a polynomial time algorithm to find an optimal network topology. The algorithm is based on a minimum weight perfect matching algorithm and a so-called edge reconstruction process. The minimum number of interconnections required is formulated in terms of two indices we define in the article: maximum commonality index ( $\alpha _{{{\mathscr N}}}$ ) and dilation index ( $\beta _{{\mathcal {I}}}$ ). Loosely speaking, more connectedness of subsystems leads to a lower total value of $\alpha _{{{\mathscr N}}}$ and $\beta _{{\mathcal {I}}}$ . Further, $\alpha _{{{\mathscr N}}}$ decreases if the subsystems have fewer numbers of connected components. We apply and verify our general result to special cases that arise in control, where the minimum number can be more directly obtained. The special cases considered are structurally cyclic subsystems, irreducible subsystems, and subsystems in controller canonical form.

SummaryAn integrated modeling of the cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) at the Peace River heavy-oil/oil-sand deposits in Alberta, Canada, is challenging because of the presence of compositional gradient, faulting, and bottomwater pockets, and the variations in the oil viscosity, rock dilation, fracturing, and the pay-zone-thickness variation. Both gravity and viscosity are marked by declining quality with depth, biodegradation, and compartmentalization.The high oil viscosity and low water mobility at Peace River cause low initial injectivity. High injectivity during the CSS is achieved by high-pressure injection to fail the formation mechanically and trigger fracturing and pore deformation. Moreover, the pore dilation/recompaction triggers relative permeability hysteresis.History matching of high steam injectivities is challenging when reasonable fracture lengths and rock compressibilities are used. To match injectivities, most reservoir simulations have used either a larger compressibility (“spongy-rock” approach) or long fractures. The spongy-rock approach predicts a steady increase in injection pressure, whereas during the early time of the injection cycles, injection pressures increase and then level off for most of the cycle.We describe the enhancements made in an iteratively coupled geomechanical–flow model to incorporate the modeling of both pore deformation and relative permeability hysteresis to match the injection pressures, steam injectivity, and oil/water productions from CSS at Peace River that are otherwise difficult to reproduce. The geomechanical model explains surface heave and high injectivity caused by dilation attributable to shear failure, increase in pore pressure/formation compressibility, and decrease in effective stress. A dilation pressure is specified, below which the behavior is elastic and above which a higher compressibility is used. Above a maximum porosity, further dilation is not permitted. Also, the hysteresis model calculates gridblock relative permeabilities that lie on or between the imbibition/drainage curves, making it possible to use the laboratory-derived two-phase oil–water relative permeabilities and still match the field-measured water- and oil-production volumes.By combining an iteratively coupled reservoir–geomechanical model for the CSS with stochastic workflows, including the Latin-hypercube design (LHD) and response-surface methodology (RSM), the impacts of dilation/recompaction factors (fracturing pressure, maximum injection pressure, dilation pressure, recompaction pressure, and formation compressibility) are quantified through history matching the field results and automated stochastic sensitivity analysis and uncertainty assessment.