In this letter, a novel SIW horn antenna structure loaded with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials is proposed. The metamaterial unit consists of metallized vias, which simplifies the design of the antenna while maintaining a planar structure. Combined with Drude model and S-parameter extraction method, the working frequency band of metamaterial with ENZ property is firstly determined. The results show that after the designed ENZ metamaterials structure is loaded into the SIW horn antenna, the proposed SIW horn antenna can greatly improve the impedance mismatch problem while ensuring high gain, and the relative impedance bandwidth of the antenna is increased to 24.8%. The measured results further verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis.

In this paper, we extend the gradient-dependent nonlinear sensitivity assumption of Keller-Segel-Navier-Stokes system [M. Winkler, Z. Angew. Math. Phys. 2021] to predator-prey and Keller-Segel systems in two dimensions. Under appropriate regularity assumption on the initial data, the global boundedness of classical solution is obtained.

In the actual traffic flow, vehicle driving is affected by many random factors. Gaussian white noise is introduced into the optimization velocity model to describe the random behavior, and a stochastic optimization velocity model is proposed. In order to improve the stability of traffic flow, the velocity difference of two successive vehicles ahead is considered, and a velocity difference feedback control model is established by taking the velocity difference between the vehicle and the target two vehicle as the control signal. Then, the stability conditions of stochastic optimization velocity model and feedback control model are obtained by using the moment stability theory. Last, Monte Carlo simulation is used to simulate the traffic. The results show that considering the random factor will reduce the stability of traffic flow, and the feedback control can effectively improve the stability.

The generic nonlocal fractal calculus scheme have been formulated in this work. A unified derivative operator which employs an interpolated characteristic between the generic nonlocal derivative in Riemann–Liouville and Caputo senses has also been derived. For being generic, an arbitrary kernel function has been adopted. The condition on fractional order has been derived so that it is not related to the γ-dimension of the fractal set. The fractal Laplace transforms of our operators have been derived. A simple illustrative example and practical ones have been presented. Unlike the previous power law kernel-based nonlocal fractal calculus operators, ours are generic, consistent with the local fractal derivative and employ higher degree of freedom. The inverse relationships between our derivative and integral operators can be achieved. The results obtained from the examples are significantly different from such previous operator-based counterparts and significantly depended on the kernel function. The unified operator displays an interpolated characteristic as expected.

An electron has not a corpuscular-wave dualism, but a dualism of an electromagnetic wave and energy, i.e. an electron can be an electromagnetic wave of energy depending on the state. The electrons of one atomic orbital transform tend to fill the entire orbital, evenly distributing space, with a spherical, hemispherical, sectorial-spherical electromagnetic wave according to the principle of minimum total energy, the direction of the molecular orbital depends on the state of the valence electron and is part of the atomic orbital. The electronic formula of the elements at rest and in the excited state has been developed An electron has a single charge, the momentum of which has a closed wave function without interruptions, a discretely equilibrium stationary form of an electromagnetic cloud, and is located in a stationary orbit singly or in pairs in cells with an opposite spin into which the orbital is divided, but in one orbit the cells cannot be arranged in layers, intersect and have various forms, for example, a dumbbell-shaped, ellipsoidal shape. The formation of atomic and molecular orbitals by pairing electron clouds occurs with a high order of electromagnetic waves with transformations. Therefore, we propose a theory of transformation of electron clouds, as an alternative to existing explanations for the formation of equivalent chemical bonds from equivalent electron clouds. A chemical bond always has a single character and is not divided into σ- and π-bonds. For a clear and simple explanation of the theory of transformation of atomic orbitals, you can use schematic projection methods for displaying atomic orbitals, which is in good agreement with the theory of valency.

Title: Sputum transcriptome analysis of co-regulated genes related to arachidonic acid metabolism in N-ERDShort title: Cluster analysis of sputum transcriptome in N-ERD

A hydrogen sensing transistor fabricated by a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) with an extended base (EB) formed by a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) hydrogen sensor is reported. The power consumption in stand-by mode is smaller than 2 μW. Common-emitter characteristics show that the sensing base (collector) current gains at 25℃ in 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1% H2/N2 are as high as 75 (512), 134, (977), and 233 (2.89  104), respectively. Low-power consumption and high-sensitive gains are indicative that our HBT together with planar-type MSM sensor is very promising for applications to hydrogen sensing transistors using one voltage source.

Large receptive field could exploit more information from an input image. To achieve high performance, recent works have expanded the size of receptive field. Attention has been mainly used to get large receptive field. However, the computation of attention costs extremely expensive. In this paper, we attempt to resolve this problem in other way which covers large receptive field. First, we exploit properties of layer/instance normalization methods. This optimizes parameters and features, reducing additional computational cost. In addition, we analyze low performance on small objects with vertical axis and propose vertical self-attention by adopting pooling with vertical direction on query and key. We achieve the mean Interaction-of-union(mIoU) of 73.1 and the frame per second(fps) of 191, which are comparable results with state-of-the-arts on Cityscapes test datasets.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an emerging tick-borne human disease in Spain. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and exposure risk determinants of CCHF virus (CCHFV) in animal models is essential to predict the time and areas of highest transmission risk. With this goal, we designed a longitudinal survey in two wild ungulate species, the red deer ( Cervus elaphus) and the Eurasian wild boar ( Sus scrofa), in Doñana National Park, a protected Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot with high ungulate and CCHFV vector abundance, and which is also one of the main stopover sites for migratory birds between Africa and western Europe. Both ungulates are hosts to the main CCHFV vector in Spain, Hyalomma lusitanicum. We sampled wild ungulates annually from 2005 to 2020 and analysed the frequency of exposure to CCHFV by a double-antigen ELISA. The annual exposure risk was modelled as a function of environmental traits in an approach to understand exposure risk determinants that allow us to predict the most likely places and years for CCHFV transmission. The main findings show that H. lusitanicum abundance is a major driver of the fine-scale spatial CCHFV transmission risk, while inter-annual variations in the risk are conditioned by virus/vector hosts, by host community structure and by weather variations. The most relevant conclusion of the study is that the emergence of CCHF in Spain might have been associated with recent wild ungulate population changes promoting higher vector abundance. Decreasing wild ungulate population densities could reduce vector abundance and thus virus prevalence and the risk of CCHFV transmission to humans.

Abstract Understanding how environmental factors affect the reproductive success of sentinel species is crucial for ecosystem-based management. The deposit-feeding amphipod Monoporeia affinis plays a key role in the Baltic Sea. Environmental contaminants in sediments can impact embryo development in Monoporeia, and assessing embryo aberrations helps monitor contamination levels and evaluate the environmental condition of the Baltic Sea. However, non-chemical stressors like food scarcity and bottom hypoxia can also influence the reproductive performance of these amphipods. Consequently, determining chemical pollution as a significant driver of reproductive health in wild populations across different basins facing multiple stressors is challenging. Here, we used PLS-SEM to analyze the links between reproductive health, sediment contaminants, environmental variability, genetic diversity, and nutrition in M. affinis. Our study encompassed data from 30 monitoring stations in the Western Gotland Basin and the Bothnian Sea. We found that amphipod reproductive health, assayed by embryo aberration frequencies, and resource utilisation, assayed by isotopic niche metrics, were directly impacted by chemical contaminants (metals and PAHs) and non-chemical factors (temperature). Additionally, the trophic niche played a significant mediating role in embryo aberration frequency. Furthermore, temperature moderated the relationship between chemical exposure and reproduction. However, we did not find any consistent variable representing genetic diversity using commonly applied metrics in population genetic analysis and mtDNA. Consequently, the contribution of genetics to reproductive health and trophic niche remains uncertain. Our PLS-SEM analysis reveals the significant impact of environmental contaminants on reproductive outcomes. Moreover, the connection between exposure and reproductive health is stronger in the Bothnian Sea compared to the Western Gotland Basin. These findings highlight the varying challenges faced by amphipod populations in these subbasins, emphasising the need to consider these differences in the overall environmental assessment. These results establish important relationships between pressure and indicators for sentinel species, supporting the effective and science-based use of biological effect indicators in the Baltic Sea.

Lake has an important role of Earth’s hydrologic cycle. The changing of lake water area shows the ecological health of lakes by instant feedback. Most analyses of long-term monitoring of lake area are not comprehensive enough, This study based on the remote sensing images from 1977 to 2021, combined with the Keyhole satellite data, hydrographic survey, meteorology monitoring and land use change survey, investigated the Poyang lake water area changes. Moreover, examined the response relationship between lake water area and the impact factor, analyzed the influence of river lake interaction on lake water area.The results showed that: (1) From 1977 to 2017, the water area of Poyang Lake in flood season (June to September) and dry season (November to Next February) showed a significant downward trend by years. (2) In flood season, runoff, sediment, precipitation has significant correlation with water area. In dry season, sediment showed a significant correlation with water area. (3) The Three Gorges Dam water impoundment at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River weakened eliminated the blocking or reversing flow from the Yangtze River, caused the water area decreased in advance at the end of flood season after 2005, and decreased rapidly in dry season after 2003. (4) The change of lakebed elevation caused by sedimentation and human activities also accelerated the shrinkage of water area. Result demonstrated that the variation of river lake interaction is the primary cause of Poyang Lake water area dramatic change.

While most deep learning approaches are developed for single images, in real world applications, images are often obtained as a series to inform decision making. Due to hardware (memory) and software (algorithm) limitations, few methods have been developed to integrate multiple images so far. In this study, we present an approach that seamlessly integrates deep learning and traditional machine learning models, to study multiple images and score joint damages in rheumatoid arthritis. This method allows the quantification of joining space narrowing to approach the clinical upper limit. Beyond predictive performance, we integrate the multilevel interconnections across joints and damage types into the machine learning model and reveal the cross-regulation map of joint damages in rheumatoid arthritis. Corresponding author(s) Email:   hyangl@umich.edu or gyuanfan@umich.edu

Granular materials exhibit unique secondary flow behaviors upon shearing. We demonstrate, using particle dynamics simulations, that the secondary flow patterns are controlled by a pressure exerted on the particle bed. The threshold pressure, at which vortex flow transitions to disturbed or chaotic flow, depends on particle shape, that influences interparticle contacts and rheological performance. Our results show that the flow patterns are essentially determined by a dimensionless term combining the pressure and granular temperature for all the spherical and Platonic particles explored. Particle mixing is promoted by the vortex flow or the disturbed flow with strong diffusion. The highest mixing rate under a specified pressure is obtained for cubic particles, due to the remarkable microstructural ordering near the boundaries causing a high gradient of packing density. These findings may shed light on optimal control of granular secondary flows and mixing by tuning the applied pressure and particle shape.

While decomposition techniques in mathematical programming are usually designed for numerical efficiency, coordination problems within enterprise-wide optimization are often limited by organizational rather than numerical considerations. We propose a ‘data-driven’ coordination framework which manages to recover the same optimum as the equivalent centralized formulation while allowing coordinating agents to retain autonomy, privacy, and flexibility over their own objectives, constraints, and variables. This approach updates the coordinated, or shared, variables based on derivative-free optimization (DFO) using only coordinated variables to agent-level optimal subproblem evaluation ‘data’. We compare the performance of our framework using different DFO solvers (CUATRO, Py-BOBYQA, DIRECT-L, GPyOpt) against conventional distributed optimization (ADMM) on three case studies: collaborative learning, facility location, and multi-objective blending. We show that in low-dimensional and nonconvex subproblems, the exploration-exploitation trade-offs of DFO solvers can be leveraged to converge faster and to a better solution than in distributed optimization

A document by chenyu chu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Scientists ought to apply universally accepted definitions to technical terms to enable precise communication and discussion. Throughout history, many definitions have shifted, such as those of important terms in evolutionary biology, modes of life, and the nature of interactions. Conversely, throughout history, important terms have been used without proper definition. Two such terms are parasites and pathogens. An extensive body of literature considers parasites and pathogens to be categorically negative, which has resulted in definitions that lack objectivity and limit a full understanding of the biology of these organisms. Different interpretations have resulted in shifting definitions, in turn causing confusion. Here, we present the remarkable history of both definitions, an overview of alternative definitions put forward throughout history, and a working definition for both terms. We find that the line between what is a parasite or a pathogen is often blurry, and is additionally complicated due to the multi-modal nature of interactions.

Our review want to identify most incident risk factors that determine the persistence of PGP at 3-6 months after childbirth in women with PPGP or PPGP and PLBP, because of about 1/3 does not recover after childbirth and continues to experience symptoms after three months and in some cases up to two years. The research was performed on the databases ofMedline, Cochrane, Pedro, Scopus, Web of Science and Chinal from December 2018 to January 2022 following the indications of the PRISMA statement 2009 - and updated according to the PRISMA 2020- including observational cohort studies and prospective questionnaires in English. Two authors independently selected studies excluding specific, traumatic, gynecological / urological cause PGP or isolated PLBP and studies that did not include the primary outcome (presence / absence of PGP); studies with an initial assessment in pregnancy / within one month of delivery and with at least a follow-up at least 3 months after delivery were included. Two independent authors then performed an evaluation of the ROB using the QUIPS tool. Finally, in-depth qualitative analysis was conducted, since due to high degree of heterogeneity in the data collection of the included studies and lack of raw data suitable for quantitative analysis, it was not possible to carry out the originally assumed meta-analyzes for subgroups. High levels of pain in pregnancy, high number of positive provocative tests, history of LBP / LPP, high levels of disability in pregnancy, neurosis and high levels of Fear Avoidance Belief are main predictors of PPGP.

Objectives To summarise current practices in the diagnosis and management of Deep Neck Space Infections (DNSIs) To inform future studies in developing a framework in the management of DNSIs Design This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021226449) and reported in line with PRISMA guidelines. All studies from 2000 that reported the investigation or management of DNSI were included. The search was limited to English language only. Databases searched included AMED, Embase, Medline and HMIC. Quantitative analysis was undertaken with descriptive statistics and frequency synthesis with 2 independent reviewers. A qualitative narrative synthesis was conducted using a thematic analysis approach. Setting Secondary or Tertiary Care centres that undertook management of Deep Neck Space Infections. Participants All adult patients with a deep neck space infection. Main outcome measures The role of imaging, radiologically guided aspiration and surgical drainage in DNSIs. Results 60 studies were reviewed. 31 studies reported on imaging modality, 51 studies reported treatment modality. Aside from a single RCT all other studies were observational (n=25) or case series (n=36). CT was used to diagnose DNSI in 78% of patients, Mean percentage of management with open surgical drainage was 81% and 29.4% for radiologically guided aspiration. Qualitative analysis identified 7 major themes were identified on DNSI. Conclusion There are limited methodologically rigorous studies investigating DNSIs. CT imaging was the most used imaging modality. Surgical drainage was commonest treatment choice. Areas of further research on epidemiology, reporting guidelines and management are required.

Objective To conduct a feasibility whole-genome sequencing (WGS) study in families to identify genetic variants relevant to unexplained pregnancy loss. Methods We conducted a pilot WGS study of four families with recurrent pregnancy loss, including parents, healthy live births, and losses, which included an embryonic loss (<10 weeks’ gestation), fetal deaths (10-20 weeks’ gestation) and stillbirths (≥ 20 weeks’ gestation). We used the Illumina platform for WGS and state-of-the-art protocols to identify single nucleotide variants (SNVs) following various modes of inheritance. Results We identified 87 SNVs involving 75 genes in embryonic loss (n=1), 370 SNVs involving 228 genes in fetal death (n=3), and 122 SNVs involving 122 genes in stillbirth (n=2). Of these, 22 de novo, 6 autosomal dominant and an X-linked recessive SNVs were pathogenic (probability of being loss-of-function intolerant >0.9), impacting known genes (e.g., DICER1, FBN2, FLT4, HERC1, and TAOK1) involved in embryonic/fetal development and congenital abnormalities. Further, we identified missense compound heterozygous SNVs impacting genes (e.g., VWA5B2) in two fetal death samples that were absent from live births and population controls, providing evidence for haplosufficient genes relevant to pregnancy loss. Conclusions In this pilot study, we provide evidence for de novo and inherited SNVs relevant to pregnancy loss. Our findings provide justification for conducting WGS using larger numbers of families and warrant validation by targeted sequencing to ascertain causal variants. Elucidating genes causing pregnancy loss may facilitate the development of risk stratification strategies and novel therapeutics.

Objective: To compare labour outcomes in a midwifery continuity of care (MCoC) model to standard midwifery care. Design: Matched cohort study. Setting: Public healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth, Stockholm, Sweden. Population: Women giving birth at Karolinska University Hospital site Huddinge in Stockholm between January 1st, 2019 to August 31st, 2021. Methods: Propensity score matching was applied to obtain a matched set from the standard care group for every woman in the MCoC model. Based on the matched cohort, we estimated risk ratios (RR) for binary outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main Outcome Measures: Interventions during labor, mode of birth, and preterm birth (<37 gestational weeks). Results: Compared with standard care, women in the MCoC model were more likely to give birth spontaneously (RR 1.06 95% CI 1.02-1.10), and less likely to have an elective caesarean section on maternal request (RR 0.24 95% CI 0.11-0.51). The risk of preterm birth was reduced in the MCoC group (RR 0.51 95% CI 0.32-0.82). Conclusions: The MCoC model was associated with fewer medical interventions and improved maternal and neonatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) is a definitive technology in neurosurgery that has been used effectively to maximize outcomes for transsphenoidal resection of pituitary tumors. IMRI has been seen to provide optimal visualization of surrounding vital neurovascular structures and has helped surgeons achieve gross total resection. The use of iMRI in the community hospital setting has not been documented in the current literature as of yet. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide insight into the experiences of iMRI use in a community hospital setting and add to the growing literature of iMRi use for transsphenoidal resection of pituitary tumors. METHODS: A retrospective review of 56 patients who underwent iMRI guided transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection at Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage Hospital (from November 2011 to April 2018) was performed. RESULTS: Gross total resection was found in 67% (n=37) of patients who underwent iMRI. 33% (n=19) did not achieve gross total resection of their pituitary mass. IMRi was used exactly one time during the case in 96% (n=54) of patients. IMRi was used more than once during the case in 4% (n=2) of patients. Post operative tumor residual was found in 32% (n=6) of patients who had available post-operative MRI studies (n=19). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that iMRI can be useful in a community hospital setting to achieve gross total resection during transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection. It also demonstrates the ability and need to utilize iMRI only one time during a case which lends itself to operative efficiency.

To optimize the extraction process and activity detection of total flavonoids from Ficus Pumila. A Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was employed to further optimize ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions for Ficus Pumila stems total flavonoids ( FPSTF). The results showed that optimized extraction conditions were ultrasonic power of 240 W, solvent concentration of 61%, ultrasonic time of 61 min and liquid-solid ratio of 25 mL/g. Under these conditions, the mean experimental value of extraction yield (1.07%) was achieved, which was about 2.14 times that of ethanol leaching extraction. As compared to FPSTF, FPSTF after purification ( FPSPTF) had higher purity of 11.09%, which was nearly 4.37 times higher than that of FPSTF (2.54%). As compared to FPSTF, FPSPTF had higher α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities as well as DPPH· and ABTS·+ scavenging activities with an IC 50 value of 0.005, 0.008, 0.22 and 0.08 mg/mL, which was 6.00, 16.50, 1.68 and 2.50 times higher than that of FPSTF (0.030, 0.132, 0.37 and 0.20 mg/mL). FPSPTF from F. Pumila could be considered as multifunctional bioactive ingredients to be used in anti-hyperglycemic pharmaceutical formulation and antioxidant.

RP7214 is a potent and selective inhibitor of human mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). This paper describes the results from a Phase 1 study that evaluated safety and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple ascending doses (SAD and MAD) and the food effect of RP7214 in healthy subjects. Target engagement of DHODH was also evaluated. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of single-dose (100, 200, and 400 mg QD) and multiple doses (200 and 400 mg BID for 7 days) followed by food effect at a single dose of 200 mg was conducted. A total of 18 healthy volunteers (HVs) (6 subjects in each of three cohorts) in the SAD part, 12 (6 subjects each in two cohorts) in the MAD part, and 12 in the food effect study were enrolled. RP7214 was well tolerated at all dose levels. None of the subjects reported any RP7214-related adverse events. RP7214 showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics after single and multiple dosing. Steady-state concentrations were reached within about 3–6 days. The mean plasma half-life of RP724 at steady-state was approximately 13h. RP7214 showed accumulation on multiple dosing.. Food did not impact the absorption of RP7214. RP7214 showed dose-dependent inhibition of DHODH as measured by analyzing accumulating DHO levels, confirming target engagement. The rapid absorption and high systemic exposure of RP724 with a favorable safety profile shows the potential for the development of RP7214 in SARS-CoV-2 infection and acute myeloid leukemia. (NCT04680429). Keywords: RP7214, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, SAD, MAD, HV

Background: The trustworthiness of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) is suffering a crisis of confidence. Objectives: We undertook an umbrella review of the research integrity literature concerning RCTs. Search strategy and selection criteria: Following prospective registration (https://osf.io/3ursn), two reviewers independently searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, without language or time restrictions until November 2021. We included systematic reviews covering any aspect of research integrity throughout the RCT lifecycle. Data collection and analysis: We assessed methodological quality using a modified AMSTAR-2 tool and collated the main findings. Main results: There were 55 relevant reviews summarising a total of 6001 studies (median per review 63; range 8-1106 studies). The overall quality of 53 (96.4%) reviews was critically low. Eight (14.6%) reviews focused on the general aspects of a RCT, 12 (21.8%) on the design and approval, 6 (10.9%) on the conduct and monitoring, 21 (38.2%) on the reporting of protocols and findings, one (1.8%) on post-publication concerns and 7 (12.7%) on future research and development. The integrity issues covered were varied, the most common being the importance of ethics (10/55, 18.2%) and transparency (10/55, 18.2%). Conclusions: Various research integrity issues covering RCT lifecycle, captured from mostly low-quality reviews, provided a broad overview emphasising the need for high level of ethical standards and professionalism. Many gaps in the RCT integrity landscape were also identified. There is a need to generate multistakeholder consensus to create specific RCT integrity standards.