The weakness of classical watermarking methods is the vulnerability to geometrical distortions that widely occur during normal use of the media. In this letter, a new image- watermarking method is presented to resist ...The weakness of classical watermarking methods is the vulnerability to geometrical distortions that widely occur during normal use of the media. In this letter, a new image- watermarking method is presented to resist Rotation, Scale and Translation (RST) attacks. The watermark is embedded into a domain obtained by taking Radon transform of a circular area selected from the original image, and then extracting Two-Dimensional (2-D) Fourier magnitude of the Radon transformed image. Furthermore, to prevent the watermarked image from degrading due to inverse Radon transform, watermark signal is inversely Radon transformed individually. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is able to withstand a variety of attacks including common geometric attacks.展开更多
Hernias are amongst the oldest afflictions of mankind. The tension-free mesh repairs revolutionized and radically changed the whole concept of anatomical tissue repairs. The introduction of mesh, though beneficial, po...Hernias are amongst the oldest afflictions of mankind. The tension-free mesh repairs revolutionized and radically changed the whole concept of anatomical tissue repairs. The introduction of mesh, though beneficial, posed a new set of postoperative problems with the mesh infection being the most morbid one. Laparoscopic surgery has been able to reduce the incidence of mesh infection as opposed to the open hernia repairs. The infection occurs mostly early but rarely does it present several years after the surgery. Herein we report our case of delayed mesh infection developing 6 years postoperatively. This is our first such case in a series of more than 1000 laparoscopic hernia repairs over a period of 6 years (2010-2016). The patient needed an open exploration which revealed a large preperitoneal cavity containing 770 ml of pus with a mesh floating in it. The mesh was removed and the thorough toileting of the wound was done.展开更多
Recent geochemical and geophysical data from the Moon enable a revision of earlier interpretations regarding lunar origin, structure and bulk composition. Earth and Moon show many similarities among their isotopic com...Recent geochemical and geophysical data from the Moon enable a revision of earlier interpretations regarding lunar origin, structure and bulk composition. Earth and Moon show many similarities among their isotopic compositions, but they have evolved in totally dissimilar ways, probably related to the deficiency of water and volatile elements in the Moon as well as the vast differences in size and internal pressure. Some global geochemical differences from the Earth such as volatile depletion based on K/U ratios have been established. However, all current lunar samples come from differentiated regions, making the establishment of a bulk composition more reliant on bulk geophysical properties or isotopic similarities; it remains unclear how the latter arose or relate to whole Moon composition. The lack of fractionation effects among the refractory and super-refractory elements indicates that the proto-lunar material seems unlikely to have been vaporized while the presence of volatile elements may place lower limits on proto-lunar temperatures. The apparent lack of geochemical evidence of an impacting body enables other possible impactors, such as comets, to be considered. Although the origin of the Moon remains currently unknown, it is generally believed that the Moon originated as the result of a giant impact on the Earth.展开更多
Acupuncture as a vital component of traditional medical systems of the Far East has been used to restore and maintain health for over three millennia. However, the neurobiological correlates of this therapy remain lar...Acupuncture as a vital component of traditional medical systems of the Far East has been used to restore and maintain health for over three millennia. However, the neurobiological correlates of this therapy remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effect of enpishin acupuncture (press tack needles (PTN)) on autonomic function, WBC count, and oxidative stress between subjects that received either verum or placebo PTN treatment. Twenty men (mean(SD) age: 36.7(5.1) years) who provided oral consent were randomized to receive either verum PTN (n = 9) or placebo PTN (n = 11). Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) was used to select the acupoints for each participant. Autonomic function and oxidative stress level were analyzed before and after the treatment via heart rate variability (HRV) and free radical analysis system (FRAS4), respectively. Pre- and post-treatment WBC count was also evaluated. Verum PTN group had a statistically significant increase (p = 0.008) in Ln TP, an index of overall autonomic activity. Subjects in this group also had a significantly greater (p = 0.006) variation in Ln TP than the placebo PTN group in response to the treatment. Similarly, Ln HF of subjects receiving verum PTN showed a marked increase (p = 0.0026) after the treatment. Moreover, a significantly greater (p < 0.001) variation in mean Ln HF before and after the treatment was noted in the verum group than the placebo group, reflecting a greater parasympathetic activation in the former. In contrast, sympathetic activity was not significantly influenced by verum PTN based on the lack of observed changes in LF/HF ratio. In addition, both groups failed to demonstrate significant variations in pre- and post-treatment mean Ln LF/HF ratio. Further, no significant intergroup difference was found with regard to mean variation in Ln LF/HF ratio. Verum PTN did not induce significant changes in WBC count and markers of oxidative stress, namely reactive oxygen species (ROM) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP). However, a comparison of variations in pre- and post-treatment mean WBC count showed a significant difference (p = 0.020) between the two treatment modes: verum group showed a slight increase (225 ± 384.5), while placebo group showed a minimal decrease (–190 ± 272.6). Our findings suggest that PTN increases overall autonomic activity, particularly the parasympathetic function.展开更多
Liposomes are known to have considerable potential as drug carriers such as liposomal suspension, freeze dried and cream-based systems among many other liposomal formulations. In this study a new drug-in-adhesive patc...Liposomes are known to have considerable potential as drug carriers such as liposomal suspension, freeze dried and cream-based systems among many other liposomal formulations. In this study a new drug-in-adhesive patch was fabricated using liposome-based nanocarrier. Transfersomes as ultra-deformable liposomes are based on phosphatidylcholin 95% (phospholipon 90G) and phosphatidylcholin 50% (phosal 50PG) were prepared and further optimized in a final acrylic patch system for effective adhesion. The prepared liposomes were added to an acrylic adhesive to obtain a new hybrid transdermal patch termed as “lipo-drug-in-adhesive” patch system. The sodium diclofenac was selected as a model drug and the permeation of the drug across rat skin was evaluated (P > 0.05), using the lipo-drug-in-adhesive patch system with various percentages of transfersomes (4% - 8%w/w) and constant concentration of the drug (2% w/w). The peel strength and tack value of samples were also examined and quantified. The maximum flux of sodium diclofenac was observed in samples containing 8% (w/w) phosphatidylcholin 50%. The peel strength and tack value in samples containing phosphatidylcholin 50% were lower than those samples containing phosphatidylcholin 95%. It was observed that with increased amount of liposome in drug-in-adhesive patch system, the rate of skin permeation of the drug was also increased. It can be concluded that the developed lipo-drug-in-adhesive patch system enhances the drug release potential of transdermal delivering systems.展开更多
Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)has emerged as a safe and sufficient method of treatment of superficial lesions in the gastrointestinal(GI)tract.Advances in endoscopic closure techniques have developed alongside ...Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)has emerged as a safe and sufficient method of treatment of superficial lesions in the gastrointestinal(GI)tract.Advances in endoscopic closure techniques have developed alongside improvements in resection methods.Recent innovations,such as endoscopic hand suturing and new through-the-scope clips and systems,are transforming the field.Along with new devices,the combined methods of closure are developed.Embracing these new techniques can lead to enhanced recovery and reduced complications,marking an important milestone in medical practice.In fact,the European Society of GI Endoscopy recommends against routine closure of the ESD defect,except in duodenal ESD;however,endoscopic closure is strongly advised for immediate perforations.Furthermore,the American Gastroenterology Association provides a detailed expert review on managing perforations in the upper and lower GI tract based on endoscopic closure techniques.On the other hand,the most common postprocedural complications following ESD are delayed bleeding,delayed perforation,and stricture formation.According to recent literature,properly managing the post-ESD defect may reduce the risk of these complications.This review aims to explore novel approaches for managing post-ESD defects and intraprocedural complications to enhance safety and improve long-term outcomes.展开更多
Underwater wireless sensor networks(UWSNs)can provide a promising solution to underwater target tracking.Due to limited energy and bandwidth resources,only a small number of nodes are selected to track a target at eac...Underwater wireless sensor networks(UWSNs)can provide a promising solution to underwater target tracking.Due to limited energy and bandwidth resources,only a small number of nodes are selected to track a target at each interval.Because all measurements are fused together to provide information in a fusion center,fusion weights of all selected nodes may affect the performance of target tracking.As far as we know,almost all existing tracking schemes neglect this problem.We study a weighted fusion scheme for target tracking in UWSNs.First,because the mutual information(MI)between a node’s measurement and the target state can quantify target information provided by the node,it is calculated to determine proper fusion weights.Second,we design a novel multi-sensor weighted particle filter(MSWPF)using fusion weights determined by MI.Third,we present a local node selection scheme based on posterior Cramer-Rao lower bound(PCRLB)to improve tracking efficiency.Finally,simulation results are presented to verify the performance improvement of our scheme with proper fusion weights.展开更多
Higher requirements are put forward for interlayer bonding property with the increase of traffic load, including bearing capacity and durability. Typical diseases caused by insufficient adhesion between layers are sli...Higher requirements are put forward for interlayer bonding property with the increase of traffic load, including bearing capacity and durability. Typical diseases caused by insufficient adhesion between layers are slippage cracking, de-bonding and pavement deformation. The correct characterization of bonding property becomes necessary with evolving concerns of interlayer failure and material innovations. In the past forty years, many researches have focused on the evaluation of interlayer bonding property, and some valuable conclusions have been drawn. In this review, the mechanism, evaluation method and influencing factors of the interlayer bond strength are reviewed. The common test equipment can be classified into the shear, pull-off and torsion test. Different influence factors are analyzed including tack coat property, temperature, asphalt aging and surface condition. It is recommended to select the appropriate tack coat rate, and apply the tack coat under the conditions of clean, dry, high surface texture and good compaction. However, the interlayer failure mechanism and the interaction between the different influencing factors need to be further studied. The future work can focus on the correlation between different test methods and evaluation parameters, which would address the lack of harmonization or consistency among various evaluation approaches. Meanwhile, it is significant to add the evaluation of interlayer bonding property into the system of pavement design.展开更多
It is a common practice to apply a tack coat usually in the form of bituminous emulsion over an existing bituminous surface before laying another bituminous layer.The boundary between these two consecutive bituminous ...It is a common practice to apply a tack coat usually in the form of bituminous emulsion over an existing bituminous surface before laying another bituminous layer.The boundary between these two consecutive bituminous layers is the layer interface and the pavement stress distribution is highly influenced by the adhesion conditions at this interface.Poor adhesion causes adverse effects on the structural strength of the pavement system.A number of premature failures such as slippage failure and delamination failures result thus defeating the construction objectives.In the absence of a standard method and apparatus to address this field problem,an attempt has been made in this study to develop a simple testing arrangement to be used in a laboratory to determine the interlayer bond strength.Normal Marshall procedure has been used to prepare the specimens consisting of two different types of bituminous materials in lower and upper part of the same specimen.It is observed within the scope of study that Cationic rapid setting(CRS-1)emulsion applied at 0.25 Kg/m^(2) offers the best results of interlayer bond strength.展开更多
文摘The weakness of classical watermarking methods is the vulnerability to geometrical distortions that widely occur during normal use of the media. In this letter, a new image- watermarking method is presented to resist Rotation, Scale and Translation (RST) attacks. The watermark is embedded into a domain obtained by taking Radon transform of a circular area selected from the original image, and then extracting Two-Dimensional (2-D) Fourier magnitude of the Radon transformed image. Furthermore, to prevent the watermarked image from degrading due to inverse Radon transform, watermark signal is inversely Radon transformed individually. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is able to withstand a variety of attacks including common geometric attacks.
文摘Hernias are amongst the oldest afflictions of mankind. The tension-free mesh repairs revolutionized and radically changed the whole concept of anatomical tissue repairs. The introduction of mesh, though beneficial, posed a new set of postoperative problems with the mesh infection being the most morbid one. Laparoscopic surgery has been able to reduce the incidence of mesh infection as opposed to the open hernia repairs. The infection occurs mostly early but rarely does it present several years after the surgery. Herein we report our case of delayed mesh infection developing 6 years postoperatively. This is our first such case in a series of more than 1000 laparoscopic hernia repairs over a period of 6 years (2010-2016). The patient needed an open exploration which revealed a large preperitoneal cavity containing 770 ml of pus with a mesh floating in it. The mesh was removed and the thorough toileting of the wound was done.
文摘Recent geochemical and geophysical data from the Moon enable a revision of earlier interpretations regarding lunar origin, structure and bulk composition. Earth and Moon show many similarities among their isotopic compositions, but they have evolved in totally dissimilar ways, probably related to the deficiency of water and volatile elements in the Moon as well as the vast differences in size and internal pressure. Some global geochemical differences from the Earth such as volatile depletion based on K/U ratios have been established. However, all current lunar samples come from differentiated regions, making the establishment of a bulk composition more reliant on bulk geophysical properties or isotopic similarities; it remains unclear how the latter arose or relate to whole Moon composition. The lack of fractionation effects among the refractory and super-refractory elements indicates that the proto-lunar material seems unlikely to have been vaporized while the presence of volatile elements may place lower limits on proto-lunar temperatures. The apparent lack of geochemical evidence of an impacting body enables other possible impactors, such as comets, to be considered. Although the origin of the Moon remains currently unknown, it is generally believed that the Moon originated as the result of a giant impact on the Earth.
文摘Acupuncture as a vital component of traditional medical systems of the Far East has been used to restore and maintain health for over three millennia. However, the neurobiological correlates of this therapy remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effect of enpishin acupuncture (press tack needles (PTN)) on autonomic function, WBC count, and oxidative stress between subjects that received either verum or placebo PTN treatment. Twenty men (mean(SD) age: 36.7(5.1) years) who provided oral consent were randomized to receive either verum PTN (n = 9) or placebo PTN (n = 11). Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) was used to select the acupoints for each participant. Autonomic function and oxidative stress level were analyzed before and after the treatment via heart rate variability (HRV) and free radical analysis system (FRAS4), respectively. Pre- and post-treatment WBC count was also evaluated. Verum PTN group had a statistically significant increase (p = 0.008) in Ln TP, an index of overall autonomic activity. Subjects in this group also had a significantly greater (p = 0.006) variation in Ln TP than the placebo PTN group in response to the treatment. Similarly, Ln HF of subjects receiving verum PTN showed a marked increase (p = 0.0026) after the treatment. Moreover, a significantly greater (p < 0.001) variation in mean Ln HF before and after the treatment was noted in the verum group than the placebo group, reflecting a greater parasympathetic activation in the former. In contrast, sympathetic activity was not significantly influenced by verum PTN based on the lack of observed changes in LF/HF ratio. In addition, both groups failed to demonstrate significant variations in pre- and post-treatment mean Ln LF/HF ratio. Further, no significant intergroup difference was found with regard to mean variation in Ln LF/HF ratio. Verum PTN did not induce significant changes in WBC count and markers of oxidative stress, namely reactive oxygen species (ROM) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP). However, a comparison of variations in pre- and post-treatment mean WBC count showed a significant difference (p = 0.020) between the two treatment modes: verum group showed a slight increase (225 ± 384.5), while placebo group showed a minimal decrease (–190 ± 272.6). Our findings suggest that PTN increases overall autonomic activity, particularly the parasympathetic function.
文摘Liposomes are known to have considerable potential as drug carriers such as liposomal suspension, freeze dried and cream-based systems among many other liposomal formulations. In this study a new drug-in-adhesive patch was fabricated using liposome-based nanocarrier. Transfersomes as ultra-deformable liposomes are based on phosphatidylcholin 95% (phospholipon 90G) and phosphatidylcholin 50% (phosal 50PG) were prepared and further optimized in a final acrylic patch system for effective adhesion. The prepared liposomes were added to an acrylic adhesive to obtain a new hybrid transdermal patch termed as “lipo-drug-in-adhesive” patch system. The sodium diclofenac was selected as a model drug and the permeation of the drug across rat skin was evaluated (P > 0.05), using the lipo-drug-in-adhesive patch system with various percentages of transfersomes (4% - 8%w/w) and constant concentration of the drug (2% w/w). The peel strength and tack value of samples were also examined and quantified. The maximum flux of sodium diclofenac was observed in samples containing 8% (w/w) phosphatidylcholin 50%. The peel strength and tack value in samples containing phosphatidylcholin 50% were lower than those samples containing phosphatidylcholin 95%. It was observed that with increased amount of liposome in drug-in-adhesive patch system, the rate of skin permeation of the drug was also increased. It can be concluded that the developed lipo-drug-in-adhesive patch system enhances the drug release potential of transdermal delivering systems.
文摘Endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)has emerged as a safe and sufficient method of treatment of superficial lesions in the gastrointestinal(GI)tract.Advances in endoscopic closure techniques have developed alongside improvements in resection methods.Recent innovations,such as endoscopic hand suturing and new through-the-scope clips and systems,are transforming the field.Along with new devices,the combined methods of closure are developed.Embracing these new techniques can lead to enhanced recovery and reduced complications,marking an important milestone in medical practice.In fact,the European Society of GI Endoscopy recommends against routine closure of the ESD defect,except in duodenal ESD;however,endoscopic closure is strongly advised for immediate perforations.Furthermore,the American Gastroenterology Association provides a detailed expert review on managing perforations in the upper and lower GI tract based on endoscopic closure techniques.On the other hand,the most common postprocedural complications following ESD are delayed bleeding,delayed perforation,and stricture formation.According to recent literature,properly managing the post-ESD defect may reduce the risk of these complications.This review aims to explore novel approaches for managing post-ESD defects and intraprocedural complications to enhance safety and improve long-term outcomes.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61531015,61673345,and 61374021)the NSFC-Zhejiang Joint Fund for the Integration of Industrialization and Informatization(Nos.U1609204 and U1709203)
文摘Underwater wireless sensor networks(UWSNs)can provide a promising solution to underwater target tracking.Due to limited energy and bandwidth resources,only a small number of nodes are selected to track a target at each interval.Because all measurements are fused together to provide information in a fusion center,fusion weights of all selected nodes may affect the performance of target tracking.As far as we know,almost all existing tracking schemes neglect this problem.We study a weighted fusion scheme for target tracking in UWSNs.First,because the mutual information(MI)between a node’s measurement and the target state can quantify target information provided by the node,it is calculated to determine proper fusion weights.Second,we design a novel multi-sensor weighted particle filter(MSWPF)using fusion weights determined by MI.Third,we present a local node selection scheme based on posterior Cramer-Rao lower bound(PCRLB)to improve tracking efficiency.Finally,simulation results are presented to verify the performance improvement of our scheme with proper fusion weights.
基金supported by Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central College of Chang’an University (No. 300102219316 and 300102219308)National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFE0103800)。
文摘Higher requirements are put forward for interlayer bonding property with the increase of traffic load, including bearing capacity and durability. Typical diseases caused by insufficient adhesion between layers are slippage cracking, de-bonding and pavement deformation. The correct characterization of bonding property becomes necessary with evolving concerns of interlayer failure and material innovations. In the past forty years, many researches have focused on the evaluation of interlayer bonding property, and some valuable conclusions have been drawn. In this review, the mechanism, evaluation method and influencing factors of the interlayer bond strength are reviewed. The common test equipment can be classified into the shear, pull-off and torsion test. Different influence factors are analyzed including tack coat property, temperature, asphalt aging and surface condition. It is recommended to select the appropriate tack coat rate, and apply the tack coat under the conditions of clean, dry, high surface texture and good compaction. However, the interlayer failure mechanism and the interaction between the different influencing factors need to be further studied. The future work can focus on the correlation between different test methods and evaluation parameters, which would address the lack of harmonization or consistency among various evaluation approaches. Meanwhile, it is significant to add the evaluation of interlayer bonding property into the system of pavement design.
基金grateful to Director and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering of National Institute of Technology,Rourkela,Odisha,India,769008 for their constant support in undertaking this work.The authors also acknowledge with thanks the support received from the laboratory staff namely,Shri S.C.Xess and Shri Hari Mohan Garnaik.
文摘It is a common practice to apply a tack coat usually in the form of bituminous emulsion over an existing bituminous surface before laying another bituminous layer.The boundary between these two consecutive bituminous layers is the layer interface and the pavement stress distribution is highly influenced by the adhesion conditions at this interface.Poor adhesion causes adverse effects on the structural strength of the pavement system.A number of premature failures such as slippage failure and delamination failures result thus defeating the construction objectives.In the absence of a standard method and apparatus to address this field problem,an attempt has been made in this study to develop a simple testing arrangement to be used in a laboratory to determine the interlayer bond strength.Normal Marshall procedure has been used to prepare the specimens consisting of two different types of bituminous materials in lower and upper part of the same specimen.It is observed within the scope of study that Cationic rapid setting(CRS-1)emulsion applied at 0.25 Kg/m^(2) offers the best results of interlayer bond strength.
