Microwave Measurements of Dielectric Properties Using a Closed Cylindrical Cavity Resonator,"

Abstract -A low loss measurement technique for complex permittivity, using a closed cylindrical cavity resonator, is investigated. The measurements are made at the resonant frequency of the TE 01δ mode with a new modified field model, which provides a very simple and clear description of the field distribution within the resonator. The various aspects of the conductor loss are studied. The perturbation methods and their accuracies for calculating the conductor loss and the energy factor are compared with the traditional calculation methods. The improvement of the modified field model to the unmodified is justified by experimental results on dielectric constant measurements

Diversity and wiring variability of visual local neurons in the Drosophila medulla M6 stratum

Local neurons in the vertebrate retina are instrumental in transforming visual inputs to extract contrast, motion, and color information and in shaping bipolar-to-ganglion cell transmission to the brain. In Drosophila, UV vision is represented by R7 inner photoreceptor neurons that project to the medulla M6 stratum, with relatively little known of this downstream substrate. Here, using R7 terminals as references, we generated a 3D volume model of the M6 stratum, which revealed a retinotopic map for UV representations. Using this volume model as a common 3D framework, we compiled and analyzed the spatial distributions of more than 200 single M6-specific local neurons (M6-LNs). Based on the segregation of putative dendrites and axons, these local neurons were classified into two families, directional and nondirectional. Neurotransmitter immunostaining suggested a signal routing model in which some visual information is relayed by directional M6-LNs from the anterior to the posterior M6 and all visual information is inhibited by a diverse population of nondirectional M6-LNs covering the entire M6 stratum. Our findings suggest that the Drosophila medulla M6 stratum contains diverse LNs that form repeating functional modules similar to those found in the vertebrate inner plexiform layer. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

A Robust Single-Machine Scheduling Problem with Two Job Parameter Scenarios

In many real-world environments, machine breakdowns or worker performance instabilities cause uncertainty in job processing times, while working environment changes or transportation delays will postpone finished production for customers. The factors that impact the task processing times and/or deadlines vary. In view of the uncertainty, job processing times and/or job due dates cannot be fixed numbers. Inspired by this fact, we introduce a scenario-dependent processing time and due date concept into a single-machine environment. The measurement minimizes the total job tardiness in the worst case. The same problem without the presence of processing time uncertainty has been an NP-hard problem. First, to solve this difficult model, an exact method, including a lower bound and some dominance properties, is proposed. Next, three scenario-dependent heuristic algorithms are proposed. Additionally, a population-based iterated greedy algorithm is proposed in the hope of increasing the diversity of the solutions. The results of all related algorithms are determined and compared using the appropriate statistical tools

Is Zolpidem Associated with Increased Risk of Fractures in the Elderly with Sleep Disorders? A Nationwide Case Cross-Over Study in Taiwan.

We conducted a study using a case-crossover design to clarify the risk of acute effects of zolpidem and benzodiazepine on all-sites of fractures in the elderly.Case-crossover design.Elderly enrollees (n = 6010) in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database with zolpidem or benzodiazepine use were analyzed for the risk of developing fractures.After adjusting for medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and diuretics, or comorbidities such as hypertension, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and depression, neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was found to be associated with increased risk in all-sites fractures. Subjects without depression were found to have an increased risk of fractures. Diazepam is the only benzodiazepine with increased risk of fractures after adjusting for medications and comorbidities. Hip and spine were particular sites for increased fracture risk, but following adjustment for comorbidities, the associations were found to be insignificant.Neither zolpidem nor benzodiazepine was associated with increased risk of all-site fractures in this case cross-over study after adjusting for medications or comorbidities in elderly individuals with insomnia. Clinicians should balance the benefits and risks for prescribing zolpidem or benzodiazepine in the elderly accordingly

Flowchart for the selection of the sample from the National Health Insurance Research Dataset.

<p>Flowchart for the selection of the sample from the National Health Insurance Research Dataset.</p