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AbstractIn this study, two deep convective cloud cases were analyzed in detail to study their initiation and evolution. In both cases, all deep convective clouds were posi-tioned at the rear of the cold front cloud bands and propagated backward. Satellite data showed that prior to initiation of the deep convective clouds, thermodynamic and moist conditions were favorable for their formation. In the morning, a deep convective cloud at the rear of cold front cloud band propagated backward, the outflow boundary of which created favorable conditions for initiation. An additional deep convective cloud cluster moved in from the west and interacted with the outflow boundary to develop a mesoscale convective system (MCS) with large, ellipse-shaped deep convective clouds that brought strong rainfall. The initiation and evolution of these clouds are shown clearly in satellite data and provide significant information for nowcasting and short-term forecasting.

We propose an active target particle swarm optimization (APSO). APSO uses a new three‐target velocity updating formula, i.e. the best previous position, the global best position and a new target position (called active target). In this study, we distinguish APSO from EPSO (extended PSO)/PSOPC (PSO with passive congregation) by the different methods of getting the active target. Note that here EPSO and PSOPC are the two existing methods for using three‐target velocity updating formula, and getting the third (active) target from the obtained positions by the swarm. The proposed APSO gets the active (third) target using complex method, where the active target does not belong to the existing positions. We find that the APSO has the advantages of jumping out of the local optimum and keeping diversity; however, it also has the disadvantages of adding some extra computation expenses. The experimental results show the competitive performance of APSO when compared with PSO, EPSO, and PSOPC. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of treatment of integrative Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).Methods:The non-randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 447 SARS patients treated synchronously with western conventional treatment (WM group,n= 171) alone and ICWM (ICWM group,n= 276). The changes of the cases with normal level (≥95%) or abnormal level (<95%) SaO2were observed dynamically.Results: In the 3rd-14th day of the therapeutic course, the percentage of patients with normal SaO2 in the ICWM group was higher than that in the WM group (OR = 0. 5178,P= 0.0038), and this tendency was more evident in patients of the severe type (OR = 0.18,P= 0.0001). However, the statistical significance of difference was only shown in patients for whom the ICWM treatment started in the early period after the onset (<-7 days after it, OR = 0.3803,P= 0.006), but not shown in those who received ICWM treatment later in the mid-late period of SARS (P>0.05).Conclusion: ICWM treatment, particularly when it is used for intervention in the early stage, is beneficial for maintaining normal SaO2in SARS patients.

Objective: To understand the clinical manifestation of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and explore its effective treatment with integrative Chinese and western medicine (ICWM).Methods: The data of patients, whose diagnosis of SARS had been confirmed were summarized and analyzed, and clinical observation was conducted when the patients were treated with ICWM.Results: In the early stage of the 42 patients, the symptoms revealed were fever in 100% of SARS patients, headache in 92. 9%, aversion to cold in 76. 2%, chest stuffiness in 76. 2%, cough in 73. 8% and myalgia in 88. 1%; pulmonary lesion involves ≥3 lobes in 42. 9%, 2 lobes in 47. 6% and 1 lobe in 9. 5%; 61. 9% of them showed liver function abnormality (increase of ALT or AST), 47. 6% showed elevated myocardial enzyme (CK or CK-MB), 0. 48% showed an inclination of renal function (higher of BUN or Cr); in their T lymphocyte subsets, 91. 2% (31/34 patients) had lowered CD3and 76. 5% (26/34 patients) lowered CD4/CD8ratio. In the mid-late stage, the symptoms were lassitude and weakness in 85. 7%, scare in 81. 0%, short of breath or chest stuffiness in 71. 4%, loss of appetite in 64. 3%; light dark tongue proper in 52.4%, yellow and white tongue coating in 45. 2%, and yellow thick coating on the middle-root part of the tongue in 21. 4%. Most of them were asymptomatic when discharged from hospital, with 92. 8% of their pulmonary lesion, according to chest film, completely absorbed and liver function, myocardial enzyme and renal function all normalized. However, of the 30 patients who had CD3reexamination, 70% of the CD3showed lower than normal range and 36. 7% showed their CD4/CD8inclined to lower margin, follow-up should be done for these patients. Of the 42 patients, who received western medicine (WM) alone in the early stage and ICWM in the mid-late stage, 10 were severe cases and 3 critical cases, but none of them died. The mean defervescent time was 3. 52±0. 85 days, the time for complete absorption of pulmonary lesion judged by chest X-ray film was 26. 82±5. 98 days, and the mean hospitalization time was 33. 60±4. 37 days.Conclusion: The manifestation of SARS is multifarious, showing that there were damage in multiple organs. The T lymphocyte count percentage and its subsets, CD3and CD4/CD8ratio, are valuable for early diagnosis and follow-up in the rehabilitation stage. Majority of the patients could be clinically cured. Combined treatment of WM and TCM according to syndrome differentiation and psychiatric intervention are beneficial to remit partial symptoms and promote rehabilitation.

AbstractTo clarify the dynamic construction of Allomyrina dichotoma(Linné) elytra, the distribution of trabeculae and surface structures has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy and transmitted light. There are solid trabeculae in the elytron and under penetrating light these can be seen as black dots. It is clear that trabeculae arrangement is almost entirely irregular throughout the elytron, except for some approximately straight alignment near some trachea. This irregular arrangement is different from the longitudinal rows of striations that are well known in other species, and there are no hollowed striae (punctures) on the elytral surface of A. dichotoma. Throughout the internal architecture of the elytron, there are mesh‐like (honeycomb) structures. Each honeycomb usually has 1–2 trabeculae mainly distributed at the corners of the honeycomb. The number of trabeculae present on each honeycomb is dependent on the size of the honeycomb.

AbstractTo obtain new ideas on optimal composite material structure, the fine structures of the trabeculae of the elytra of Allomyrina dichotoma(Iinné) and Prosopocoilus inclinatus(Motschulsky) were investigated using scanning electron microscope. The shape and size of trabeculae, which form the internal bridges between the upper and lower surfaces of the elytra, depend on the species of beetles. Complex surface structures (stripes or bandings) were found in those of A. dichotoma, but less in P. inclinatus. The trabeculae consisted of three parts: the surface part, the cylindrical layer and the central part. The surface and the central part were mainly protein substances which could be dissolved by KOH. The cylindrical layer had many chitin fibers with different orientation, and they were embedded in a protein matrix, and were connected to endocuticle chitin fibers on the upper and lower parts of the lamination.

The effect of measurement errors on structural damage identification using artificial neural networks (ANN) was investigated in this study. By using back-propagation (BP) networks with proper input vectors, numerical simulation tests for damage detection on a six-storey frame were conducted with measurement errors in deterministic as well as probabilistic senses. The identifiability using ANN for damage location and extent was studied for the cases of measurement errors with different degrees. The results showed that there exists a critical level of measurement error beyond which the probability of correct identification is sharply decreased. The identifiability using the neural networks in the presence of modeling and measurement errors is finally verified using experimental data on a two-storey steel frame.