A Mathematical Model of Communication with Reputational Concerns

We investigate a mathematical model where an expert advises a decision maker for two periods. The decision maker is initially unsure about whether the expert is biased or not. After consulting the expert on the decision problem of period one, the decision maker updates belief about the expert’s bias and consults the expert on the problem of period two. We find that more information is delivered in the model’s first period than in the one-period situation of communication

On two conjectures of Sun concerning Apéry-like series

We prove two conjectural identities of Z.-W. Sun concerning Apéry-like series. One of the series is alternating, whereas the other one is not. Our main strategy is to convert the series and the alternating series to log-sine-cosine and log-sinh-cosh integrals, respectively. Then we express all these integrals using single-valued Bloch–Wigner–Ramakrishnan–Wojtkowiak–Zagier polylogarithms. The conjectures then follow from a few rather non-trivial functional equations of those polylogarithms in weights 3 and 4

Quality evaluation of cortex berberidis from different geographical origins by simultaneous high performance liquid chromatography combined with statistical methods

Purpose: To develop an effective method for evaluating the quality of Cortex berberidis from different geographical origins.Methods: A simple, precise and accurate high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was first developed for simultaneous quantification of four active alkaloids (magnoflorine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, and berberine) in Cortex berberidis obtained from Qinghai, Tibet and Sichuan Provinces of China. Method validation was performed in terms of precision, repeatability, stability, accuracy, and linearity. Besides, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to study the quality variations of Cortex berberidis from various geographical origins.Results: The proposed HPLC method showed good linearity, precision, repeatability, and accuracy. The four alkaloids were detected in all samples of Cortex berberidis. Among them, magnoflorine (36.46 - 87.30 mg/g) consistently showed the highest amounts in all the samples, followed by berberine (16.00 - 37.50 mg/g). The content varied in the range of 0.66 - 4.57 mg/g for palmatine and 1.53 - 16.26 mg/g for jatrorrhizine, respectively. The total content of the four alkaloids ranged from 67.62 to 114.79 mg/g. Moreover, the results obtained by the PLS-DA and ANOVA showed that magnoflorine level and the total content of these four alkaloids in Qinghai and Tibet samples were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those in Sichuan samples.Conclusion: Quantification of multi-ingredients by HPLC combined with statistical methods provide an effective approach for achieving origin discrimination and quality evaluation of Cortex berberidis. The quality of Cortex berberidis closely correlates to the geographical origin of the samples, with Cortex berberidis samples from Qinghai and Tibet exhibiting superior qualities to those from Sichuan.Keywords: Tibetan medicine, Cortex berberidis, Origin discrimination, Quality evaluation, Magnoflorine, Palmatine, Berberine, Jatrorrhizin

Behçet's syndrome in children and young people in the United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland: a prospective epidemiological study

OBJECTIVES: To define the incidence and prevalence of Behçet's syndrome (BS) in children and young people (CYP) up to the age of 16 years in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI). METHODS: A prospective epidemiological study was undertaken with the support of the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) and the British Society of Paediatric Dermatologists (BSPD). Consultants reported anonymised cases of BS seen. A follow-up study at one year examined progression of disease and treatment. RESULTS: Over a two-year period, 56 cases met International Criteria for Behçet's Disease. For children under 16 years of age, the two-year period prevalence estimate was 4.2 per million (95% CI 3.2-5.4) and the incidence was 0.96 per million person years (95% CI 0.66-1.41). Mucocutaneous disease was the most common phenotype (56/100%), with ocular (10/56; 17.9%), neurological (2/56; 3.6%) and vascular involvement (3/56; 5.4%) being less common. Median age at onset was 6.34 years and at diagnosis was 11.72 years. There were slightly more female than male children reported (32/56; 55.6%). The majority of cases (85.7%) were white Caucasian. Apart from genital ulcers, which were more common in females, there were no significant differences in frequency of manifestations between male or females, nor between ethnicities. Over 83% of cases had three or more non-primary care healthcare professionals involved in their care. CONCLUSION: BS is extremely rare in CYP in the UK and ROI and most have mucocutaneous disease. Healthcare needs are complex, and coordinated care is key

Preparation and Characterization of Gummies Loaded with Melatonin and Lycium barbarum L.

In order to expand the application of melatonin in gel food, convenient gummies loaded with melatonin and Lycium barbarum L. were developed in this study. The comprehensive effects of gelatin dose, Lycium barbarum L. powder level and drying time on the properties of melatonin gummies were investigated by color difference analysis, texture analysis, low field NMR analysis and sensory evaluation. The results showed that the gummies containing with 0.4% Lycium barbarum L. powder, 18% gelatin, 5% carrageenan, 17.5% sorbitol, 17.5% erythritol and drying for 18 h were elastic and palatable with smooth surface. The gummies had moisture content less than 20% and melatonin retention rate of 92.0%~97.7%, and high sensory evaluation with potential practical application

The fate of steroid estrogens: Partitioning during wastewater treatment and onto river sediments

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.The partitioning of steroid estrogens in wastewater treatment and receiving waters is likely to influence their discharge to, and persistence in, the environment. This study investigated the partitioning behaviour of steroid estrogens in both laboratory and field studies. Partitioning onto activated sludge from laboratory-scale Husmann units was rapid with equilibrium achieved after 1 h. Sorption isotherms and Kd values decreased in the order 17α-ethinyl estradiol > 17α-estradiol > estrone > estriol without a sorption limit being achieved (1/n >1). Samples from a wastewater treatment works indicated no accumulation of steroid estrogens in solids from primary or secondary biological treatment, however, a range of steroid estrogens were identified in sediment samples from the River Thames. This would indicate that partitioning in the environment may play a role in the long-term fate of estrogens, with an indication that they will be recalcitrant in anaerobic conditions.EPSR

Uncovering regulatory pathways that affect hematopoietic stem cell function using 'genetical genomics'

We combined large-scale mRNA expression analysis and gene mapping to identify genes and loci that control hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. We measured mRNA expression levels in purified HSCs isolated from a panel of densely genotyped recombinant inbred mouse strains. We mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with variation in expression of thousands of transcripts. By comparing the physical transcript position with the location of the controlling QTL, we identified polymorphic cis-acting stem cell genes. We also identified multiple trans-acting control loci that modify expression of large numbers of genes. These groups of coregulated transcripts identify pathways that specify variation in stem cells. We illustrate this concept with the identification of candidate genes involved with HSC turnover. We compared expression QTLs in HSCs and brain from the same mice and identified both shared and tissue-specific QTLs. Our data are accessible through WebQTL, a web-based interface that allows custom genetic linkage analysis and identification of coregulated transcripts.

Randomized controlled trial of a good practice approach to treatment of childhood obesity in Malaysia: Malaysian childhood obesity treatment trial (MASCOT)

Context. Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity have taken place outside the Western world. Aim. To test whether a good practice intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity would have a greater impact on weight status and other outcomes than a control condition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods. Assessor-blinded RCT of a treatment intervention in 107 obese 7- to 11-year olds. The intervention was relatively low intensity (8 hours contact over 26 weeks, group based), aiming to change child sedentary behavior, physical activity, and diet using behavior change counselling. Outcomes were measured at baseline and six months after the start of the intervention. Primary outcome was BMI z-score, other outcomes were weight change, health-related quality of life (Peds QL), objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior (Actigraph accelerometry over 5 days). Results. The intervention had no significant effect on BMI z score relative to control. Weight gain was reduced significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (+1.5 kg vs. +3.5 kg, respectively, t-test p < 0.01). Changes in health-related quality of life and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior favored the intervention group. Conclusions. Treatment was associated with reduced rate of weight gain, and improvements in physical activity and quality of life. More substantial benefits may require longer term and more intensive interventions which aim for more substantive lifestyle changes

A Privacy-Preserving, Accountable and Spam-Resilient Geo-Marketplace

Mobile devices with rich features can record videos, traffic parameters or air quality readings along user trajectories. Although such data may be valuable, users are seldom rewarded for collecting them. Emerging digital marketplaces allow owners to advertise their data to interested buyers. We focus on geo-marketplaces, where buyers search data based on geo-tags. Such marketplaces present significant challenges. First, if owners upload data with revealed geo-tags, they expose themselves to serious privacy risks. Second, owners must be accountable for advertised data, and must not be allowed to subsequently alter geo-tags. Third, such a system may be vulnerable to intensive spam activities, where dishonest owners flood the system with fake advertisements. We propose a geo-marketplace that addresses all these concerns. We employ searchable encryption, digital commitments, and blockchain to protect the location privacy of owners while at the same time incorporating accountability and spam-resilience mechanisms. We implement a prototype with two alternative designs that obtain distinct trade-offs between trust assumptions and performance. Our experiments on real location data show that one can achieve the above design goals with practical performance and reasonable financial overhead.Comment: SIGSPATIAL'19, 10 page

Direct synthesis of ultrafine tetragonal BaTiO3 nanoparticles at room temperature

A large quantity of ultrafine tetragonal barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles is directly synthesized at room temperature. The crystalline form and grain size are checked by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that the perovskite nanoparticles as fine as 7 nm have been synthesized. The phase transition of the as-prepared nanoparticles is investigated by the temperature-dependent Raman spectrum and shows the similar tendency to that of bulk BaTiO3 materials. It is confirmed that the nanoparticles have tetragonal phase at room temperature