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For area and power constraint applications in mission critical systems, the traditional fast Fourier transform (FFT) design requires huge hardware resources for data processing. In this article, we, therefore, present a low-overhead radix-2 FFT design that reduces hardware resources by simplifying the first two stages of the butterfly computations. Both the proposed design and the traditional design have been implemented in the MicroZus-20 (XC7Z020) platform. Their single-event performances have been compared through both fault injections and neutron exposure, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed design reduces the soft error rate by 53.8%. Also, the proposed FFT reduces the hardware resource consumption and circuit area by 64.8% when compared with the traditional design.

The Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) satellite consists of two small satellites. Each GECAM payload contains 25 gamma ray detectors (GRD) and 8 charged particle detectors (CPD). GRD is the main detector which can detect gamma-rays and particles and localize the Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB),while CPD is used to help GRD to discriminate gamma-ray bursts and charged particle bursts. The GRD makes use of lanthanum bromide (LaBr3) crystal readout by SiPM. As the all available SiPM devices belong to commercial grade, quality assurance tests need to be performed in accordance with the aerospace specifications. In this paper, we present the results of quality assurance tests, especially a detailed mechanism analysis of failed devices during the development of GECAM. This paper also summarizes the application experience of commercial-grade SiPM devices in aerospace payloads, and provides suggestions for forthcoming SiPM space applications., Comment: 13 pages, 23 figures

To investigate the correlation between clinical typing of coronavirus disease-19 patients and risk factors (age, sex, underlying disease), hematocrit (packed-cell volume), mean erythrocyte volume, standard deviation of erythrocyte volume distribution width, variation coefficient of erythrocyte distribution width and other peripheral erythrocyte parameters. Retrospective analysis from January 2020 to March 2020 were coronavirus disease-19, 82 cases of patients, according to the hospital condition grading assessment can be divided into normal group and the normal group (including heavy type and critically ill patients), using R*C chi-square statistics of gender and the presence of basic diseases, the binary classification Logistic regression analysis statistic average age, red blood cells deposited (packed-cell volume), red blood cell volume, red blood cell volume distribution width standard deviation, red blood cell distribution width variation coefficient, determine the correlation between. There were differences in age and presence of underlying diseases (p

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) has caused increasing number of infected cases globally. This study was performed to analyze information regarding the transmission route and presence of viral nucleic acids on several clinical samples. Confirmed 2019-nCov-infected cases were identified in Dongyang and were treated according to guidelines for the diagnosis of 2019-nCov infection released by the National Health Commission. Information regarding the contacts that the infected people had was collected to determine whether it caused clustered cases. A series of successive nucleic acid examination of feces, oropharyngeal swabs, and sputum was also performed, and the results were analyzed. A total of 19 confirmed cases of 2019-nCov infection were identified in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province, China. Five cases showed severe symptoms, and the remaining ones showed mild manifestations. Ten cases infected from two asymptomatic individuals were clustered into two groups. Among 14 cases with consecutive nucleic acid test results, four patients showed positive results in feces after their negative conversion in oropharyngeal swabs. Asymptomatic individuals with the virus could cause 2019-nCov clustered cases, and the clustered cases may differ from sporadic cases on age and length of hospitalization. In addition, nucleic acids in feces last longer than those in oropharyngeal swabs.

Zinc oxide thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates using RF magnetron sputtering by adjusting sputtering power. The film properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with ...

$\Omega$ -gated negative capacitance (NC) FinFETs, CMOS inverters and SRAM are fabricated and analyzed. Forming gas annealing (FGA) is performed and found to not only enhance ferroelectricity (FE) but also the NCFET electrostatics, in terms of higher $\mathrm{I}_{\mathrm{ON}}$ , smaller hysteresis and subthreshold slop (SS). The SS is less than 60 mV/dec for both N-FinFET and P-FinFET in this work. Moreover, the CMOS inverter shows more symmetric and larger voltage gain after FGA.

Based on the techniques of sound intensity analysis, incomplete wavelet packet analysis (WPA) and artificial neural network (ANN), a WPA pre-processing method for noise-based engine fault diagnosis (EFD), so-called WPA–ANN model, is presented in this paper. The noises of an EFI gasoline engine under normal and fault states are measured and their contours of sound intensity level (SIL) are calculated by interpolation approach to initially investigate the possibility of a SIL-based EFD. Furthermore, an incomplete WPA model, which consists of a five-level discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and a four-level WPA, is developed and applied to the measured noise signals for extracting fault features of the engine, as is a multi-layered ANN model for engine failure classification by using the extracted features of the noises. To verify the proposed approach, the WPA–ANN model is extended to recognize other noise-related faults of the engine. The results suggest that the noise-based WPA–ANN models are effective for engine fault diagnosis. Due to its time–frequency characteristics and pattern recognition capacity, the WPA–ANN can be used to process both the stationary and nonstationary signals. In view of the applications, the proposed WPA–ANN model can be directly used in vehicle EFDs, and may be extended to other sound-related fields for failure diagnosis in engineering.

With the further implementation of the "Internet plus" and "healthy China 2030" national strategy, the development environment of the Chinese herbal medicine industry has improved. In order to accurately understand the development situation of Henan Province's e-commerce platform of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and promote the development of the industry of TCM, this paper investigated the planting situation of TCM, the basic situation of Chinese medicinal farmers, the demand for technical services and the use of e-commerce platform of TCM in the main planting areas of Henan Province by means of on-site visits, questionnaires and expert interviews. The results showed that the development of E-commerce of TCM in Henan Province was still in the extensive stage, and the development of E-commerce was lagged behind.Therefore, this paper put forward that Henan Province's drug administration departments should actively promulgate supporting policies to establish a standardized and modern distribution system of TCM seamlessly joined by both producers and sellers, set up public trading platform and modern logistics distribution system of TCM E-commerce, and adopt the policy of assisting agriculture by science and technology to promote the communication between farmers and technical experts.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] is associated with initial stroke severity and infarct volume, using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.We studied a total of 235 patients who were admitted within 24 hours of acute ischemic stroke onset. Initial stroke severity was assessed using the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Infarct volume was measured using DWI. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to test whether 25(OH) D represents an independent predictor of infarct volume and stroke severity (NIHSS score of ≥6).Among 235 study patients, the median age was 64 years (IQR 56-75 years), and 125 (53.2%) were women. In multivariable models adjusted for other significant risk factors, 25(OH) D levels in the lowest and second interquartiles were associated with an increased risk of a NIHSS≥6 (with highest 25 (OH) D quartile as reference) with odd ratios (OR) 3.02(95% confidence interval [CI]:1.59-6.34) and 5.85(2.90-11.54). The median DWI infarct volumes for the serum 25(OH) D level quartiles (lowest to highest) were 12.35, 6.55, 2.44, and 1.59 ml. The median DWI infarct volume in the lowest serum 25(OH) D level quartile was larger than that in the other 3 quartiles (P0.001). The median adjusted DWI infarct volume in the lowest serum 25(OH) D level quartile was statistically significantly larger than that in the other 3 quartiles (P0.01).In conclusion, reduced serum 25(OH) D levels in acute ischemic stroke are an early predictor of larger volumes of ischemic tissue and worse neurological deficit (assessed by the NIHSS).

There are many problems about urban rail transit project features huge construction investment, long recovery period, high financing risk, numerous subjects participating in decision during financing decision-making, fuzzy opinions and difficulty in quantization. A new project financing fuzzy multiple attribute decision making model is built in this paper. This model has comprehensive influences on various factors of urban rail transit project financing decision making. Through triangular fuzzy linguistic variable quantization expert group opinion and with full considerations given to the consistency between authority of expert opinion and group opinion, automatic sequencing decision over various financing models are made through application of this model. According to the case inspection, it manifests that better decision-making effect could be obtained through this model. Meanwhile, decision-making reference could be provided for urban rail transit project financing.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are significantly upregulated after spinal cord injury (SCI). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reported to be widely involved in regulating gene expression. This paper aims to explore the correlation between ROS-induced cell apoptosis and abnormal miRNA expression after SCI. To profile the expression of miRNAs after SCI, miRNA microarray was applied and the result was verified by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). ROS production following H2O2 stimulation was examined using dihydroethidium staining and flow cytometry. The levels of miR-200c after H2O2 treatment were determined using RT-qPCR. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined in murine BV-2 cells transfected with miR-200c mimics, inhibitor or negative control. Immunofluorescence and western blot were used to further explore the effects of miR-200c on Fas-associated phosphatase-1 (FAP-1) expression. MiR-200c was showed to be significantly increased after SCI by miRNA microassay and RT-qPCR. ROS production enhanced miR-200c expression in a dose-dependent manner and induced significant apoptosis in BV-2 cells. The upregulation of miR-200c reduced cell viability and induced BV-2 cell apoptosis. MiR-200c negatively regulated the expression of FAP-1, thereby inducing FAS signaling-induced apoptosis. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the FAP-1-targeting small interfering RNA (siRNA) did not affect the level of miR-200c in murine BV-2 cells. In addition, suppression of FAP-1 by siRNA promoted apoptosis, even in cells that were co-transfected with the miR-200c inhibitor. The current data suggested that miR-200c contributes to apoptosis in murine BV-2 cells by regulating the expression of FAP-1. This proposes a therapeutic target for enhancing neural cell functional recovery after SCI.

The public address (PA) is a part of the passenger information system in an underground subway station. A sample station named Xingzhong Road on metro line 9 in Shanghai is considered in this paper. A ray-tracing model for acoustical simulation of the PA system is established. Verification is performed by comparing the simulated and the measured sound pressure levels (SPLs), early decay time (EDT), reverberation times (RTs) and clarity (C50). Several sound samples are simulated by changing the ceiling absorption materials of the subway station model. Jury tests of these sounds are conducted by using the paired-comparison method (PCM). We found that people prefer a shorter RT, which demands higher sound absorption materials. The relationship between the RTs and the averaged absorption ratios of the ceiling materials suggests that the RT around 1 s is the best in the Xingzhong Road station, and the values of the objective parameters, such as the SPL, EDT, speech transmission index (STI) and echo speech, are acceptable to PA system. The method presented in this paper can be regarded as a useful tool for acoustical optimization design of the subway station PA system.

The oil pump is an important part of vehicle engine, whose noise and vibration characteristics affect the engine performance significantly. The noises generated by both the pressure and flow fluctuations are the main contributors to the oil pump noise. Based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and the Lighthill’s acoustic analogy (LAA) algorithm, a hybrid simulation technique for noise analysis of an external gear pump, so-called the CFD-LAA method, is presented in this paper. The fluid pressure and velocity distributions of the flow field are firstly calculated by using a CFD model. The noises generated by flow field are simulated and their sound pressure spectra are obtained by using an LAA-based finite element (FE) model. The methodology addresses a numerical noise simulation method which combined the CFD and FE models. Experimental verifications suggest that the CFD-LAA method is effective and feasible for sound field simulation of the external gear pump. Furthermore, the noise characteristics of the gear pump under typical operating conditions are calculated and discussed. The technique presented in this paper can be regarded as a useful tool for optimization design of gear pumps in vehicle engineering.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has received increasing attention in the research community over the past two decades. Most of the relevant research focuses on linear structural damage detection. However, the majority of the damage in civil engineering structures is nonlinear, such as fatigue cracks that open and close under dynamic loading. In this study, a new hybrid AR/ARCH model in the field of economics and a proposed damage indicator (DI) which is the second-order variance indicator (SOVI) based on the model have been used for detecting structural nonlinear damage. The data from an experimental three-storey structure and a simulated eight-storey shear building structure model have been used to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm and SOVI. In addition, a traditional linear DI: cepstral metric indicator (CMI) has also been used to diagnose the nonlinear damage. The results of the CMI and SOVI were compared and it is found that there are advantages in using the SOVI in the field of nonlinear structural damage.

Foreign body aspiration (FBA) into the tracheobronchial tree is a common problem in children necessitating prompt recognition and management. This study aimed to report our experience in airway foreign body removal by flexible bronchoscopy in children. A total of 1027 patients with FBA were reviewed retrospectively. They were 626 boys and 401 girls aged from 5 months to 14 years with a median age of 17 months. The clinical manifestations, radiological findings, bronchoscopic findings and complications of the procedure were analyzed. Among the patients, only 53.4% had a definite history of FBA. The most frequent symptom was paroxysmal cough (84.3%), followed by stridor or wheezing, fever and dyspnea. Chest X-ray showed emphysema in 68.8% of the patients, atelectasis in 13.3% and bronchopneumonia in 56.3%. A bronchoscope was inserted intranasally in most children, but through mouth and endotracheal tube in 17 and 3 children, respectively. Foreign bodies were removed successfully by flexible bronchoscopy with disposable grasping forceps or biopsy forceps in 938 (91.3%) of the patients. The other 89 patients turned to rigid bronchoscopy. During the procedures, 132 (12.9%) of the patients showed transient hypoxia, which was alleviated by oxygen supplement and/or temporary cessation of the procedure. A small amount of bleeding was found in 17 patients and bradycardia in 3. Air leak and laryngeal edema were noted in 2 patients and relieved within 24 hours. Flexible bronchoscopy is useful and safe in retrieving airway foreign bodies in children. With skilled personnel and perfect equipments, flexible bronchoscopy could be considered as the first choice for the removal of airway foreign body.

The expression of the localization factor in the two-dimensional periodic systems is derived based on the plane-wave expansion, transfer matrix and matrix eigenvalue methods. A comprehensive study is performed for the wave localization in the phononic crystal which is composed of steel cylinders embedded in epoxy matrix with the randomly disordered rod size. From the results, it can be observed that with the increase of the disorder degree, the localization phenomenon is strengthened. Furthermore, the filling fraction has significant effects on the wave localization characteristics.

The organic-inorganic combined structural device (ITO/PVK:Eu/ZnS/Al) is fabricated based on layered optimization scheme. II–VI semiconductor material ZnS is acted as an electron function (transporting and acceleration) layer. The hot electrons which have been accelerated in the ZnS layer directly impact excitation europium ions through resonant energy transfer and then recombine with injected holes to form excitons in PVK or EuTTA2(N-HPA)Phen. Europium (Eu) ions may also be excited by intramolecular energy transfer from ligands. There are two kinds of excitation mechanisms: impacted excitation and injected recombination for the combined structural device. The electroluminescence (EL) intensity of the combined structural device is strongly improved and reaches up to 381 cd/m2 at 20 V compared with the pure organic structural device. It may be an effective method to improve the EL intensity of the lanthanide complex by using electric characteristics of inorganic semiconductor materials.

The sharpness of the image formed by a conventional lens is always limited by the wavelength of light. Recently, Pendry proposed a superlens, with a negative refractive index, such that the resolution is not limited by wavelength. Herein, we report direct experimental evidence of Pendry's superlens breaking the diffraction limit, in the microwave range of the X band (8–12 GHz), with a periodic array of split ring resonators and continuous wires; i.e. a meta-material with negative index of refraction.

In this paper, a simulated annealing approach is used to find the optimum schedule of the main transformer under load tap changers (ULTC) and shunt capacitors in a distribution system. The main purpose of this paper is to determine a proper schedule of the main transformer. ULTC position substation capacitor and feeder capacitors based on forecast hourly loads of each feeder and primary bus voltages such that the voltage deviation on the secondary bus can be decreased, the reactive power flow through the main transformer can be restrained, and the total feeder loss can be reduced. The constraints that must be considered include the voltage deviation limit on the main transformer secondary bus and along each feeder and the maximum allowable number of switching operations in a day for ULTC and each capacitor. In order to reach the objectives with these constraints on, a simulated annealing approach is employed to achieve a proper schedule. The presented approach can solve the complex and nonlinear optimal problem and reach a nearly optimal solution. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, main transformer ULTC and capacitors scheduling in a distribution system within a service area of Yunlin District Office of Taiwan Power Company is performed. It is concluded from the results that the proposed approach is very effective in reaching proper dispatching schedule.

Central conductor is one of the key components of ICRF antenna, it is usually formed by welding due to the complex structure. High level of welding seam quality and small deformation are very important to central conductor. Electron beam welding (EBW) have been chosen to be used. In order to meet EBW requirements and reduce the risk, Complex and high level of the accuracy welding fixture have been designed for central conductor EBW. Some samples were manufactured to do test and examination for EBW welding qualification before central conductor welding. Based on the welding parameters, thermal analysis using FEM for the welding seam have been carried out. One mock up of central conductor have been manufactured to do EB welding for proving welding parameters, In addition to some post welding process were employed after one central conductor EB welding, Results of examination and inspection of one central conductor using EBW are presented in this paper.

Summary This paper describes a new method for measurement of the three‐dimensional residual stresses in fillet welds using inherent strains, which are considered to be a source of residual stresses. The new method implies first the inherent strains being determined from a few measured elastic strains with the aid of a proposed inherent strain distribution function, and second the residual stresses being calculated through an elastic analysis when the inherent strains are applied to welded joints. The measurement method is called the TLyLz method when three types of T, Ly and Lz specimen are cut from the fillet weld, and the T method when only one specimen T is cut from the weld. The TLyLz and T methods are respectively used to measure three‐dimensional residual stress distributions on the transverse sections of single‐pass and multipass T‐type fillet welds. The residual stresses measured by the TLyL2 and T methods show good agreement with the ones directly measured on the surfaces of welded joints, thus d...

Many industrial inspection tasks can be performed satisfactorily by conventional image processing systems which utilise feature extraction and related feature measuring algorithms. However, for the inspection of parameters such as texture or colour, it also may be necessary to adopt an AI technique which involves the use of artificial neural networks. This paper outlines one such system (WISE) which incorporates algorithms for both conventional image processing used for position and rotation normalisation, and n-tuple processing for subsequent pattern classification. Since its initial implementation, WISE has undergone considerable development and is now capable of inspecting various types of pattern space such as 2-D shape space and 3-D colour space. Results obtained from the use of these pattern spaces are documented as are results for ‘travelling window inspection’, ‘zoned H-S-I inspection’, ‘retinal simulation’, ‘% inspection coverage’, ‘inspection sensitivity’ and ‘archetypal inspection artefacts’. I...

CdSeS nanocrystals were grown by annealing silica glass with supersaturated Cd, Se, S at temperatures of 550–800 °C. The linear absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and photoluminescence excitation spectra were measured. Sharp PL peaks superposed on broadened PL spectra were observed at room temperature in the samples grown at temperatures of 650–800 °C. The sharp PL peak energy was independent of the excited energy and nanocrystal growth conditions. The origin of sharp luminescence is discussed.

Photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO nanoparticles of different surface states and sizes grown by several methods has been measured. The origin of luminescence and dependence of the luminescence spectrum shape and intensity on 325 nm excitation laser power are studied. Strong ultraviolet emission at 3.26 eV, weak violet emission around 3.12 eV and weak green emission at 2.40 eV have been observed in 16 nm nanoparticles capped by octylamine grown by non-hydrolytic method. The nanoparticles are stable under high power laser radiation and their PL intensity increases nonlinearly with an increasing laser power. As the nanoparticle size decreases to 12 nm, high power laser produces nonradiative centers which may quench the luminescence in a degree. Nanoparticles of 8 nm capped by PVP and uncapped nanoparticles of 14 nm are unstable and their luminescence depends on the excitation laser power. High power laser can quench O vacancy emission and enhance ultraviolet emission in PVP capped nanoparticles while vacancy emission can not be quenched in uncapped nanoparticles.

This paper presents a technique for the recognition of objects which are both complex and coloured. The transformation of the colour cluster is designed to obtain a colour set which makes it possible to use the colour cluster information for n- tuple classification. Generally, if two objects have different colour patterns, their colour clusters will be different. Therefore, the colour cluster is an important characteristics for coloured object recognition. Further processing takes place, where some colour planes are sliced from the colour set, and every plane is sampled separately and applied to a classifier based on the n- tuple technique of pattern recognition. The colour cluster called ‘pure colour information’ is position invariant. Therefore, the system has one great advantage of position invariant inspection for coloured objects. The system interrogation time is always the same for whatever the complexity of the object, which is another advantage of the technique for the inspection of complex objects. Preliminary results using these techniques have shown promise in the classification and inspection of various artefacts.

A new computerised adaptive control constraint (ACC) system in turning with a constant cutting force constraint is described in this paper. It is shown that the ACC control system based on the fuzzy linguistic rules can achieve an automatic on-line adjustment of feedrate to optimise the production rate even under the variation of cutting conditions in turning operations.

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) were used to investigate the recombination process in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The results exhibited that the nonradiative recombination process can be explained by diffusion-controlled kinetic.

UWB has shown great potential for short-range low data-rate low-power wireless communications. Recently, wireless body area networks for wearable and implant devices are emerging, which require energy-efficient radios to sustain longer battery life and potentially enable power supplied by energy harvesting [1]. Some energy-efficient UWB solutions have been reported [2–6]. However, only RF transceivers have been presented and the publications did not show a complete radio except in reference [6]. Also, location awareness for ambient intelligent sensor networks becomes the next important feature to implement besides communications [7]. UWB offers unique merit for accurate localization by using the narrow and wideband pulses. In this work, we present a complete impulse UWB SoC radio including RF transceiver and digital PHY. It can be configured as communication or localization or both modes, therefore enabling a uniform energy-efficient radio platform for WSN, WPAN, and WBAN applications.

The electroabsorption (EA) of CdS0.1Se0.9 nanocrystals was measured under pulse-like modulated fields and recovered both with similar frequency (1f ) and with double frequency (2 f ) of the applied field. The EA properties and the effects of applied field form and recovered frequency on the EA properties were studied. Electric field induced strong change of absorption (10−3) was observed in resonant and nonresonant regions. The EA signal in the resonant region was due to the quantum confined Stark effects and the signal in the nonresonant region was due to the change of local field that resulted in the change of refractive index, the change of absorption. The quadratic dependence of EA signal intensity on the electric fields indicated that the nanocrystals had third nonlinear optical susceptibility. The EA signal intensity measured with 1f mode was about ten times of that measured with 2 f mode. Perhaps the lower response measured with 2 f mode was due to the measured mode and the different response coeff...

Gene therapy using adenoviral vector containing the endostatin gene is a promising strategy for advanced cancers. However, host immune response to adenovirus and the lack of the requisite coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR) in many primary cells limit the in vivo application. Liposome-complexed adenoviral vectors have proven to be useful for enhancing gene delivery in target cells that lack adenoviral receptors and avoiding a neutralizing antibody response. Here, we investigated antitumor effects of intravenous administration with PEG-PE cationic liposome-encapsulated recombinant human endostatin adenovirus (Ad-hEndo) on CAR-negative ovarian cancer. Electron micrography (EM) showed that these liposomes efficiently encapsulated the vectors, allowing CAR-independent adenovector transduction. The results showed that the complex enhanced transfection efficiency of recombinant adenovirus. Prolonged systemic administration was performed in immunocompetent mice and did not induce significant antibody response. The antitumor effect with PEG-PE cationic liposome encapsulated with Ad-hE (Ad-hE/lipo) was evaluated in the human ovarian cancer model. Systemic administration was well tolerated and resulted in marked suppression of tumor growth in an established ovarian cancer model, which was associated with a decreased number of micro-vessels and increased apoptosis of tumor cells. Our study shows that PEG-PE cationic liposome-encapsulated Ad-hE (Ad-hE/Lipo) can be administrated intravenously and lastingly to inhibit angiogenesis, thus showing promising clinical application.

Nonlinear ultrasonic techniques have shown great potential for evaluating accumulated damage early in the fatigue life, and ultimately for predicting remaining lifetime of a structural component. The acoustic nonlinearity parameter, a direct measure of the accumulated fatigue damage, is determined from the second harmonic amplitude in finite amplitude sinusoidal ultrasonic waves transmitted through the material. An absolute determination of the acoustic nonlinear parameter is notoriously difficult for several reasons. In this paper, a new experimental technique based on Rayleigh surface waves is presented for determining the absolute acoustic nonlinearity parameter of a relatively thin material specimen. Rayleigh waves are efficiently generated in a specimen by exciting at its edge, and the surface normal velocity of the propagating Rayleigh waves is measured with a laser interferometer system. The high efficiency of the excitation method allows us to drive the transmitting piezoelectric transducer as low as 60 Vpp, and thus to avoid the inherent harmonic distortion from the transducer. The absolute acoustic nonlinearity parameter is then determined from the measured magnitudes of the fundamental and second harmonic surface normal velocities. This technique is applied to determining the acoustic nonlinearity parameters of aluminum alloys 2024 and 6061; the results are compared with those available in the literature. The present technique is especially well‐suited for relatively thin components, and much simpler and efficient than the traditional longitudinal wave technique.

To investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of anthocyanins from cherries on Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) in rats.Arthritis was induced intradermally by injection with 0.1 mL of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the right hind footpad of male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Anthocyanins at 40, 20 and 10 mg/kg (body weight) were administered orally to the treated rats for 28 days after the injection. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) in serum and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in paws were assayed by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and anti-oxidative effects was assayed by measuring total anti-oxidative capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum.Anthocyanins at 40 mg/kg significantly decreased the levels of TNFalpha in serum and PGE2 in paws, simultaneously improving the anti-oxidative status of AIA. We found that at this dosage T-AOC was potentized, the activity of SOD increased and the level of MDA in serum decreased. However, anthocyanins at 20 and 10 mg/kg had less effect on the inflammatory factors and anti-oxidative capacity of AIA.Anthocyanins have potential anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects on AIA.

Background Only a small fraction of the heritability of coronary artery disease (CAD) has been explained by common variants identified by genome-wide association studies. Among the stones to be turned in the hunt for the missing heritability of CAD are gene-gene interactions. We investigated whether interactions between common alleles in genes and pathways of known importance to cardiovascular regulation may contribute to the heritability of CAD. Methods 2101 CAD cases and 2426 controls of Caucasian origin recruited into Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium were genotyped using 50 K IBC gene-centric array containing 45 707 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the highest biological relevance to cardiovascular system. After applying appropriate quality control filters, 11 332 common (minor allele frequency >10%), independent (r 2 linkage disequilibrium coefficient of ≤0.5) were included in pair-wise SNP-SNP interaction analysis using two complementary statistical approaches: logistic regression (PLINK and INTERSNP software packages) and Bayesian model (BEAM software). Results None of the analysed SNP-SNP interactions was statistically significant after correction for multiple testing (p=7.8×10 -10 ). The most significant interaction identified in this analysis was between rs727139 (KCNH8) on chromosome 3 and rs11167496 (PDGFRB) on chromosome 5 (p=2.45×10 −8 ). Analysis of subsets of SNPs pre-selected based on their nominal association with CAD (p Conclusion Our analysis suggests that common SNP-SNP interactions are unlikely to account for a large proportion of the missing heritability of CAD.

Epsilon waves detected by various electrocardiographic recording methods {#article-title-2} Objective We analysed the shape and distribution of epsilon waves by three various methods of electrocardiographic recording in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Methods Thirty-two patients who met recognized diagnostic criteria for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy were included in this study (24 men and 8 women; mean age, 42.3 ± 12.9 years). Epsilon waves were detected by standard 12-lead electrocardiography (S-ECG), right-sided precordial lead electrocardiography (R-ECG), and Fontaine bipolar precordial lead electrocardiography (F-ECG). Results We found three types of epsilon waves: wiggle waves, small spike waves, and smooth potential waves that formed an atypical prolonged R′ wave. The most common configuration was small spiked waves. In some circumstances, epsilon waves were evident in some leads (especially in leads V1 through V3), but notches were recorded in the other leads during the corresponding phase. These waves could be detected only by S-ECG in one patient, R-ECG in three patients, and F-ECG in five patients; the rates of epsilon-wave detection by these three methods were 38% (12/32), 38% (12/32), and 50% (16/32), respectively. However, the detection rate using combined methods was significantly higher than that by S-ECG alone (SF-ECG 56% vs. S-ECG 38%, P = 0.0312; and SRF-ECG 66% vs. S-ECG 38%, P = 0.0039). In addition, the rate of widespread T-wave inversion (exceeding V3) was significantly higher in patients with epsilon waves than in those without (48 vs. 9%, P = 0.029), as was ventricular tachycardia (95 vs. 64%, P = 0.019). Conclusion These three electrocardiographic recording methods should be used in combination to improve the detection rate of epsilon waves. # Displaying non-linear dynamic properties of the heart using a novel time-frequency analysis technique: the electro spectrogram (ESG) {#article-title-3} Analysis of self-regulating properties of the heart is complicated by substantial variability of the sources of electrical activity and their large temporal overlap. A new approach based on dynamic spectral analysis (DSA) and high-resolution fragmentary decomposition (FD) techniques resolves these limitations. Where previous methods by fast Fourier transformation (FFT) processed long stationary segments of the electrocardiogram (ECG) time series, this technique provides frequency-based ECG analysis for short recording windows of any length. We define the frequency domain images of these functional elements as the electro spectrogram (ESG). Methods A toolkit of ECG non-stationary time series analysis incorporating the algorithms of DSA and FD was developed to display dynamic components of conventional ECG signals. Surface 12-lead recordings were acquired in subjects with and without heart disease using a standard commercial recorder (Mortara Instrument, Inc.) at sampling rate 1000 Hz, with a frequency response of 0.03–300 Hz. Characteristic control parameters were identified as the natural frequency and damping ratio. ![Figure][1] Results Analysis of single and multiple complexes of various morphologies revealed distinct waveform sub-components within ECG segments. The temporal overlap of major ECG component waves was resolved and we identified discrete signal sources reflecting dynamic elements of underlying control systems. Conclusions The application of non-linear dynamic processing of conventional ECG signals produces a novel image display, the ESG, which promises the exploration of hitherto hidden diagnostic potential of electrophysiological signals. This may facilitate the analysis of dynamic control loops, correlation with mechanical properties of the heart, as well as provide insights into arrhythmogenic mechanisms. # Evaluation and prospect of electrocardiography, vectorcardiography and four-dimensional electrocardiography {#article-title-4} By integrating the key features of three methods electrocardiography (ECG), vectorcardiography (VCG), and four-dimensional electrocardiography (4D-ECG), a more comprehensive and precise understanding of the myocardial electro-chemical spreading can be achieved. This integrated method could reveal the most comprehensive, detailed, accurate, concise, practical, and unique inspection of cardio-electrical activities. Based on geometry concept in mathematics, it can classify the traditional electrocardiography into two-dimensional electrocardiogram (2D-ECG), the vectorcardiography into three-dimensional planar electrocardiogram (3D-ECG), and the orthogonal axis vs. time electrocardiography into four-dimensional electrocardiogram (4D-ECG). Although they use different lead systems, they can be integrated. The structure and conducting function of conduction bundles, myocardial cells, and the spreading electro-chemical activities produce the three-dimensional vector. The three-dimensional vector project on the frontal, horizontal, and side plane forms the planar VCG (first projection). The planar VCG from frontal and horizontal plane furthers the project onto certain angled-axis to produce linear ECG (second projection). In fact, 2D-ECG, 3D-ECG, and 4D-ECG all are recording bioelectricity activity from heart, but express in three different forms. Each of them has its strengths. We have successfully integrated various lead systems to produce one integral machine that records the electro-cardiac signals synchronically, interchangeable from all angle and all direction, thus providing better and clearer picture of the heart activities resulting in early diagnosis of most heart problems. # Heart rate variability of Uygur elderly in Hetian Region {#article-title-5} Objective It is believed that heart rate variability (HRV) has strong prognostic value in elderly. But there are few reports on HRV of healthy longevity. The heart rate variability of Uygur elderly in Hetian, including 108 longevity was studied, and the HRV characters of them were evaluated. Methods A total of 250 Uygur subjects ages from 60 to 109 years old in Hetian region were selected as study group and divided into three groups, including Uygur longevity group, Uygur pre-longevity group, and Uygur old group. Forty-two subjects from Han nationality were selected as control. All subjects were physically healthy with no history of hypertension, diabetes, and their routine blood chemistry, electrocardiography did not show any significant abnormalities. Holter records were obtained by using Japan Avionic Delmar Cardiorecorders. Subjects were asked to keep their daily activities during recording. Results No HRV differences were noticed among Uyghur groups, but the HRV between two nationalities were different. There were day to night and sex differences in Uygur groups. Conclusions The unique autonomic nerve balance is one of the causes of longevity in Hetian Uygur elderly. # The diagnostic work-up and clinical pathway of patients with syncope in clinical practice: results from PICTURE, a large, international, observational multicentre study {#article-title-6} Background and objectives Identification of the mechanism of syncope is often costly and time consuming, requiring extensive investigation. PICTURE aimed to describe the clinical pathway and burden of diagnostic tests of patients with syncope until a decision to implant an implantable loop recorder (Reveal®, Medtronic Inc.) was made. Methods PICTURE is an observational, international, multicentre study, carried out at 71 sites in 11 countries. Patients received their Reveal® on clinical indications, and were followed for 10 ± 6 months. Demographics, previous healthcare contacts, and tests were analysed. Results Five hundred and seventy patients (61 ± 17 years, 54% women) were included. In their care pathway, they met general and emergency medicine practitioners ( n = 357, 63% and n = 207, 36%), cardiologists and electrophysiologists ( n = 521, 91% and n = 166, 29%), Internists ( n = 214, 38%) and neurologists ( n = 270, 47%). An average of three (IQ 2–4) different specialists was consulted, and the median number of tests was 13 (IQ range 9–20). In PICTURE, 22% of patients received their Reveal® in the initial phase of the diagnostic work up. Once Reveal® was implanted, 78% of recurrent syncope episodes were diagnosed. Conclusions A high number of tests prescribed by an average of three different physicians represented a high burden on healthcare resources. The PICTURE results imply that an earlier use of Reveal® ILR might lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, while the number of diagnostic tests and physician visits could have been reduced. The PICTURE results support the recommendations in the ESC 2009 guidelines for the diagnosis and management of syncope. [1]: pending:yes

Background H. influenzae, N. meningitidis, and S. pneumoniae continue to be the leading causes of childhood bacterial meningitis, especially in regions where vaccination against these pathogens are not available. The etiology of meningitis has not been established in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. This study was carried out in an effort to assess the laboratory capacity and the etiology of bacterial meningitis among patients receiving care at the Children9s Central Hospital, a referral pediatric hospital in Georgia. Methods A retrospective laboratory-based study was carried out and included those patients who had a CSF culture submitted between January 2004 and May 2006. Results Of 693 CSF cultures performed during the study period, 77 (11%) were positive. Complete medical records were available and reviewed for 60 patients with a positive CSF culture. Among the 60 children with positive cultures, the following organisms were identified: CNS (11, 18.3%); S. pneumoniae (4, 6.7%); H. influenzae (3, 5%); gram-negative rods (26, 43.3%); gram-positive cocci (4, 6.7%); N. meningitidis (2, 3.3%); yeast (5, 8.3%); nonhemolytic Streptococcus spp. (1, 1.7%); Salmonella spp. (1, 1.7%); Pseudomonas spp. (2, 3.3%); and Klebsiella spp. (1, 1.7%). Fifty-eight percent (35) of the patients were male, and the mean age was 1.75 (range 0-13) years. The median CSF WBC was 304/mm3 (0-16,000); median protein was 575 mg/dL (33-4,310); and median glucose was 50 mg/dL (3-157). Mortality was quite high, with 20 (33%) children dying. Among those who died, the majority (18/20, 90%, p = .018) were under the age of 1 and had a median CSF WBC of 500/mm3, a CSF protein of 660 mg/dL (33-4,310), and a CSF glucose of 35 mg/dL (2.7-156.67). Death was primarily attributed to gram-negative rods, which could not be further characterized (12, 60%), followed by CNS, S. pneumonia, and yeast with 2 each (10%), and Pseudomonas and Klebsiella were each recovered from 1 patient who died (5%). Conclusions Microbiologic identification of common organisms known to cause meningitis in children is difficult in the Republic of Georgia due to limited resources available at the microbiology laboratory. Vaccine-preventable pathogens (H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis) accounted for 15% of positive CSF cultures, but it is likely that cases of bacterial meningitis due to vaccine-preventable pathogens are underdiagnosed due to laboratory capacity. Improving the infrastructure of diagnostic microbiology laboratories in resource-limited countries is critical to improve patient care by conducting appropriate surveillance.

Variable Air Volume (VAV) air-conditioning system presents great energy savings potential especially in hot and humid climate and has been recommended in the Building Energy Code of Taiwan since 1996. Simulation results indicated that the annual energy savings of VAV system in typical commercial buildings in Taiwan could be up to 70% of total fan power. A full-scale experiment has been performed which validated this result successfully, and would be adapted with the PACS index in the second phase of national Building Energy Code in Taiwan.

Spironolactone diminishes spontaneous ventricular premature beats by inhibiting the HCN4 expression in rats with myocardial infarction {#article-title-2} Hyperpolarization-activated current ( I f) is one of the major ionic currents contributing to the spontaneous diastolic depolarization of cardiac sinus node pacemaker cells. However, several observations support a potential role of HCN/If channel for the arrhythmogenesis of working myocardium under pathological conditions. Spironolactone, a classical aldosterone blockade (AB), may prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) caused by ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs) after myocardial infarction (MI). Here, we examined the effect of spironolactone on the expression of HCN/If channel and ventricular premature beats (VPBs) using a rat MI model. The VPBs was employed to evaluate the susceptibility of ventricular arrhythmia in experimental MI rats. Sprague–Dawley rats underwent coronary ligation to induce myocardial infarction and receiving spironolactone (80 µg/kg/day) or saline control for 7 days after onset of ischaemia. Compared with the sham group, HCN2 and HCN4 mRNA and protein levels increased in the infarcted border area. Treatment with spironolactone prevented the MI induced increase of HCN4 mRNA and protein levels (1.60 ± 0.11 vs. 2.19 ± 0.28 and 1.47 ± 0.16 vs.1.81 ± 0.21, P < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, the MI rats exhibited a marked increase of VPBs compared with the sham group (107 ± 17 vs. 3 ± 1 VPBs/h, P < 0.05), but the increase was abolished by spironolactone (53 ± 13 vs. 107 ± 17 VPBs/h, P < 0.05). In conclusion, spironolactone might prevent the ischaemia-induced ventricular arrhythmias by deceasing HCN4 protein and VPBs. # Duration of head-up tilt test for patients with suspected vasovagal syncope {#article-title-3} Background To investigate an appropriate duration of head-up tilt test (HUTT) needed to induce a positive reaction for patients with suspected vasovagal syncope. Methods Consecutive patients referred to the syncope unit of our centre for recurrent unexplained syncope were studied. HUTT included a 30 min passive basic phase and a 20 min sublingual nitroglycerin provocation phase if syncope did not develop during the passive phase. Results We studied 773 consecutive patients and 427 (55.2%) patients had a positive HUTT, included 46 patients (10.8%) during the passive basic phase and 381 patients (89.2%) during the nitroglycerin provocation phase. During the basic phase, a positive reaction appeared at 7.5th minute and the percentage of positive case arose with the extended duration, and reached to a peak (20.9%) at 22.5th minute, then decreased gradually. Most positive reactions (96.1%) occurred from 10th minute and 25th minute during basic phase. During the nitroglycerin provocation phase, however, the percentage of positive reaction arose rapidly after sublingual nitroglycerin, and reached to a peak (35.7%) at 10th minute, followed by a sharply decrease. Most positive reactions (96.1%) occurred in preliminary 15 min during provocation phase. Conclusions HUTT was a useful diagnostic test in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope, and sublingual nitroglycerin can increase the positive rate. The appropriate duration for HUTT required at least 25 min during the passive basic phase and 15 min during the nitroglycerin provocation phase. # Role of atrial substrate remodelling in inducibility of atrial fibrillation after pericardial ganglionic plexi ablation {#article-title-4} Background The long-term effects of ganglionated plexi (GP) ablation on atrial fibrillation (AF) after GP ablation have not been elucidated. Methods Thirteen dogs were randomly divided into sham-operated group and GP ablation group. All animals underwent a right thoracotomy at the 4th intercostal space. Induced AF and atrial effective refractory period (AERP) were measured by burst rapid pacing. After anterior right GP and inferior right GP ablation, AF and AERP were measured again in the GP ablation group. The animals were allowed to recover for 8 weeks, after which AF and AERP were measured again. The levels of ANP, TNF-a, and IL-6 in blood and atrial tissues were examined. Immunocytochemical staining of cardiac nerves was performed in tissues from the dogs. Results Atrial fibrillation was easily induced in the GP ablation group after 8 weeks while AF was not observed in the sham-operated group, and immediately after GP ablation. Atrial effective refractory period and dispersion of AERP (dAERP) were increased after GP ablation, while AERP recovered after 8 weeks. Compared with sham-operated group, the levels of ANP, TNF-a, and IL-6 in the right atrium increased significantly 8 weeks after GP ablation ( P < 0.05). In GP ablation group, the density of GAP43-positive, TH-positive, and ChAT-positive nerves in the right atrium was 821 ± 752, 481 ± 627, and 629 ± 644 mm−2, respectively, which was significantly ( P < 0.01) lower than the nerve density in sham-operated tissues (2590 ± 841, 1752 ± 605, and 3147 ± 886 mm−2, respectively). Conclusion Atrial substrate remodelling after GP ablation may be the mechanism of induced AF. # Prognostic value of premature ventricular contraction originating from different locations for patients with chronic heart failure {#article-title-5} Background Several studies have suggested that ventricular arrhythmias detected by ambulatory ECG (AECG) may identify patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) at high risk of cardiovascular death. However, few studies aim at whether different origins of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) can hold any prognostic value in CHF patients. Methods Ventricular arrhythmias were analysed and quantified by the use of pre-specified criteria on baseline AECG from 206 patients diagnosed with CHF and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%. After follow-up, the patients were divided into two groups: survival group and cardiac death group by an independent group. The relationships between cardiovascular mortality and AECG parameters were determined respectively by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Two hundred and six patients were enrolled and 198 (96.12%) patients completed the study. After follow-up, 37 patients died, of which 13 were classified as sudden death. A-V block, 24 h average heart rate, number of PVCs, presence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), frequency of NSVT episodes, fastest rate of NSVT, PVCs originating from left ventricular inflow tract (LVIT), NSVT originating from LVIT and LOWN grade were univariate predictors of cardiovascular mortality. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, 24 h average heart rate, number of PVCs, and PVCs originating from LVIT and frequency of NSVT episodes were significant independent predictors of cardiovascular mortality. Conclusion Determination of the location of PVCs by AECG can indicate the prognosis of CHF patients.

A real-time, TMS320C30 digital signal processor (DSP)-based implementation of a 4.3-kbit/s speech coder targeted for the E-TDMA half-rate digital cellular system is presented. The speech coding algorithm is based on code excited linear prediction (CELP) technology. It features a 25-bit line spectral frequency split vector quantizer for encoding the short-term parameters, a 7-bit adaptive codebook, and a 9-bit fixed stochastic codebook. The short-term parameters, i.e., the line spectral frequency vector quantization indices, are updated every 20 ms and the excitation parameters i.e., the adaptive and fixed codebook indices and their gains, are updated every 8 ms. An overview is provided of the speech coding algorithm, the hardware platform architecture, the firmware development methodology, techniques used for optimizing the firmware of the real-time critical section of the algorithm, and speech quality monitoring methods employed during the firmware development. >

This work presents a model for describing the shape of the spontaneous emission spectrum from a quantum-well structure. A function is introduced to specify the probability distribution for the effective band gap. Based on this model, the coexisting carrier thermal broadening and effective band gap broadening in the spontaneous emission spectrum can be separated from each other. Applying this model to the spectra of AlGaInP light-emitting diodes reveals that the probability distribution functions are almost Gaussian. Therefore, the emission spectra can be described by an analytical expression with fitted parameters. Possible reasons for this band gap broadening are discussed. The determination of the junction temperatures from the emission spectra and possible deviations of the results thus determined are also elaborated.

The effect of infusing the M-cholinergic receptor blocker anisodamine during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on granulocyte-mediated lung injury was evaluated in sixteen dogs undergoing CPB for 120 min with the aorta crossclamped for 90 min. The treated dogs (n = 8) received a total dose of 15 mg/kg anisodamine hydrochloride before and during CPB whereas the controls (n = 8) received saline only. A significantly reduced sequestration of granulocytes in the lungs was found in the treated dogs as indicated by a lower right-to-left atrium granulocyte gradient 15 minutes after pulmonary recirculation during CPB (p less than 0.05) and less granulocyte accumulation in the lung capillaries after CPB, as shown by histological examination (p less than 0.01). Moreover, oxygen free radical release as indicated by plasma malondialdehyde concentrations was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in the treated dogs than in the controls towards the end of CPB. Finally, a significantly reduced lung-water content was found 30 min after CPB in the treated dogs as compared with the controls (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that anisodamine administration in this experimental model significantly inhibits pulmonary granulocyte sequestration in CPB and the consequent lung injury induced.

The effect of blood activation on lung reperfusion injury during cardiopulmonary bypass was investigated in 20 dogs with the use of a bubble oxygenator (n = 10) or a membrane oxygenator (n = 10). In the bubble oxygenator group, significant leukocyte and platelet right to left atrium gradients were found 15 minutes after lung reperfusion (p less than 0.05, p less than 0.01) accompanied by a sharp increase in plasma malondialdehyde concentration 5 minutes after lung reperfusion, whereas no significant right to left atrium gradient of leukocytes or platelets nor significant increase in plasma malondialdehyde concentration was observed in the membrane oxygenator group. In both the bubble oxygenator and membrane oxygenator group, similar mild to moderate lung histological changes were found before lung reperfusion. After lung reperfusion, however, more endothelial cell swelling (p less than 0.05), leukocyte (p less than 0.01) and platelet (p less than 0.01) accumulation in lung capillaries, leakage of erythrocytes into the alveolar space (p less than 0.05), and type I cell damage (p less than 0.05) were found only in the bubble oxygenator group. Eventually, a significantly higher lung water content was found in the bubble oxygenator group than in the membrane oxygenator group (p less than 0.01) after cardiopulmonary bypass. This study indicated that lung injury during cardiopulmonary bypass starts mainly after lung reperfusion, which was correlated with lung leukocyte and platelet sequestration associated with different types of oxygenators.