Accounting textbooks in seventeenth century England

This article will examine John Collins\u27 textbooks, particularly An Introduction to Merchants Accounts, to consider the influence of merchants\u27 current trading activities upon the accounting texts of seventeenth century England

Characterization of solutions of the discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation based on quadratic difference forms

This paper is concerned with a characterization of all symmetric solutions to the discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation (DARE). Dissipation theory and quadratic difference forms from the behavioral approach play a central role in this paper. Along the line of the continuous-time results due to Trentelman and Rapisarda [H.L. Trentelman, P. Rapisarda, Pick matrix conditions for sign-definite solutions of the algebraic Riccati equation, SIAM J. Contr. Optim. 40 (3) (2001) 969–991], we show that the solvability of the DARE is equivalent to a certain dissipativity of the associated discrete-time state space system. As a main result, we characterize all unmixed solutions of the DARE using the Pick matrix obtained from the quadratic difference forms. This characterization leads to a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a non-negative definite solution. It should be noted that, when we study the DARE and the dissipativity of the discrete-time system, there exist two difficulties which are not seen in the continuous-time case. One is the existence of a storage function which is not a quadratic function of state. Another is the cancellation between the zero and infinite singularities of the dipolynomial spectral matrix associated with the DARE, due to the infinite generalized eigenvalues of the associated Hamiltonian pencil. One of the main contributions of this paper is to demonstrate how to resolve these difficulties

Computer-aided diagnosis of lung nodule using gradient tree boosting and Bayesian optimization

We aimed to evaluate computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system for lung nodule classification focusing on (i) usefulness of gradient tree boosting (XGBoost) and (ii) effectiveness of parameter optimization using Bayesian optimization (Tree Parzen Estimator, TPE) and random search. 99 lung nodules (62 lung cancers and 37 benign lung nodules) were included from public databases of CT images. A variant of local binary pattern was used for calculating feature vectors. Support vector machine (SVM) or XGBoost was trained using the feature vectors and their labels. TPE or random search was used for parameter optimization of SVM and XGBoost. Leave-one-out cross-validation was used for optimizing and evaluating the performance of our CADx system. Performance was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic analysis. AUC was calculated 10 times, and its average was obtained. The best averaged AUC of SVM and XGBoost were 0.850 and 0.896, respectively; both were obtained using TPE. XGBoost was generally superior to SVM. Optimal parameters for achieving high AUC were obtained with fewer numbers of trials when using TPE, compared with random search. In conclusion, XGBoost was better than SVM for classifying lung nodules. TPE was more efficient than random search for parameter optimization.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figure

Wide frequency tuning of continuous terahertz wave generated by difference frequency mixing under exciton-excitation conditions in a GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well

Continuous terahertz wave sources with narrow bandwidth and wide frequency tunability enable high-resolution terahertz spectroscopy and high-speed information communication. In this study, using the optical nonlinearity of excitons as the source of second-order nonlinear polarization, we realize a continuous terahertz electromagnetic wave demonstrating wide frequency tunability from 0.1 to 18 THz without a decrease in intensity due to phonon scattering. Because of excitation of two exciton states in a Ga As / Al As multiple quantum well using two continuous-wave lasers, terahertz waves are emitted as a result of difference-frequency mixing, where the intensity shows a square dependence on the excitation intensity. Using the inhomogeneous width of exciton lines, we achieve wide frequency tunability without phonon effects

New Types of Specialists in Higher Education : From the Viewpoint of Policy, Market and Occupational Ability

高等教育改革において新しい役割を担う「専門職」の必要が生じている。本論ではそのうち，ファカルティ・ディベロッパー（FDer），キャリア支援担当者，インスティテューショナル・リサーチ（IR）担当者，リサーチ・アドミニストレーション（URA）担当者，産官学連携コーディネート担当者を取り上げる。これらの「専門職」は養成の制度化がいまだに不十分であって，他の隣接分野からの移動という事例も見られる。また，雇用のための予算が改革を推進するための時限付きの補助金であることが多いため，雇用期限が定められていたり，職位・給与が低位であったりするという特徴がある。The current higher education reforms in Japan have created a demand for new types of specialists who have had important roles in most universities since around 2000. This article focuses on Faculty Developers, Career Consultants, Institutional Researchers, University Research Administrators and Technology Licensing Managers among such new types of university-related jobs. Due to the lack of formal education systems to become one of these professionals, most of the candidates do not have enough knowledge and skills, and tend to come from related academic or business areas. When they are hired by universities, funds for their employment often come from government money budgeted for a time-limited and specific educational reform project. As a result, they tend to be hired for only a limited period of time, and/or their position and wage levels are usually lower than more traditional professions in universities

99m-Technetium galactosyl human serum albumin scanning to evaluate liver function after stereotactic body radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report

The primary choice among treatment options for liver malignancies is surgery. However, if surgery cannot be performed, Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may be effective. 99m-technetium galactosyl human serum albumin (GSA) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is useful for the assessment of liver function before surgery. We report the case of a 77-year-old man who had undergone SBRT for hepatocellular carcinoma of the left lobe of the liver 2 years previously. Follow-up revealed a 15-mm hepatocellular carcinoma at the edge of the right lobe of the liver. 99m-technetium GSA SPECT was performed before SBRT to confirm that there was no accumulation in the left lobe and to ensure that there was good function of the right lobe. Three months after SBRT, the tumor had responded, and decreases in GSA accumulation were observed in line with the radiation beam. Because hepatocellular carcinoma often relapses, it is important to assess the anatomic site of liver dysfunction before and after radiation. This case demonstrates that 99m-technetium GSA SPECT is useful for this purpose

Cellular DBP and E4BP4 proteins are critical for determining the period length of the circadian oscillator

AbstractThe phenotypes of mice carrying clock gene mutations have been critical to understanding the mammalian clock function. However, behavior does not necessarily reflect cell-autonomous clock phenotypes, because of the hierarchical dominance of the central clock. We performed cell-based siRNA knockdown and cDNA overexpression and monitored rhythm using bioluminescent reporters of clock genes. We found that knockdown of DBP, D-box positive regulator, in our model led to a short-period phenotype, whereas overexpressing of DBP produced a long-period rhythm when compared to controls. Furthermore, knockdown and overexpressing of E4BP4, D-box negative regulator, led to an opposite effect of DBP. Our experiments demonstrated that D-box regulators play a crucial role in determining the period length of Per1 and Per2 promoter-driven circadian rhythms in Rat-1 fibroblasts

Scores of Child–Pugh Classification Impact Overall Survival After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Primary and Metastatic Liver Tumors

BackgroundStereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivers high-dose radiation to tumor tissues in few fractions, thereby reducing radiation damage to at-risk organs. There are more potential effects of SBRT owing to the higher biological equivalent dose delivered. Herein, we retrospectively analyzed its effectiveness and toxicity at our institution.MethodsData from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; n = 10) and liver metastases (n = 10) who underwent SBRT (total dose of 30–50 Gy in 5–10 fractions) between 2013 and 2016 were analyzed. Adverse events were recorded at the end of RT, 6 months after treatment, or upon death. Overall survival (OS) was calculated according to the biological effective dose (BED α/β = 10) and liver function (Child–Pugh [CP] classification 5 or 6 vs. 7 or 8) after SBRT, using Kaplan–Meier analyses.ResultsOf the 20 patients, 6 declined the CP classification score after SBRT; grade 3 adverse events were not seen in any patient. A higher OS rate was seen in patients receiving a higher BED and in those with better CP classification after SBRT. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis yielded a median OS of 401 days and 1- and 2-year OS of 45% and 15%, respectively.ConclusionThe higher BED was significantly associated with tumor control, and there were no differences in the tumor control rate between HCC and metastatic tumors. Changes in CP scores after SBRT also affected the survival rate. Good liver function may permit multiple rounds of SBRT