A User-Centred Approach Exploring the Potential of a Novel EMG Switch for Control of Assistive Technology

This study examines the potential application of an EMG technology as an assistive control method for individuals with severe physical disabilities. The usability and acceptability of a prototype EMG switch was evaluated with health care professionals, researchers and end users using participatory approaches

The Methods to Improve Quality of Service by Accounting Secure Parameters

A solution to the problem of ensuring quality of service, providing a greater number of services with higher efficiency taking into account network security is proposed. In this paper, experiments were conducted to analyze the effect of self-similarity and attacks on the quality of service parameters. Method of buffering and control of channel capacity and calculating of routing cost method in the network, which take into account the parameters of traffic multifractality and the probability of detecting attacks in telecommunications networks were proposed. The both proposed methods accounting the given restrictions on the delay time and the number of lost packets for every type quality of service traffic. During simulation the parameters of transmitted traffic (self-similarity, intensity) and the parameters of network (current channel load, node buffer size) were changed and the maximum allowable load of network was determined. The results of analysis show that occurrence of overload when transmitting traffic over a switched channel associated with multifractal traffic characteristics and presence of attack. It was shown that proposed methods can reduce the lost data and improve the efficiency of network resources.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, 1 equation, 1 table. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1904.0520

Controlling the betatron oscillations of a wakefield-accelerated electron beam by temporally asymmetric laser pulses

Based on two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we investigated the electron beam's transverse oscillations by temporally asymmetric laser pulses in laser wakefield acceleration. Of particular interest in this article are the effects of ultrashort laser pulses having sharp rising and slow falling time scales. In this situation, the accelerated electron beam interacts directly with the laser field and undergoes transverse oscillations due to a phase-slip with the laser field. This oscillation can be matched with the betatron oscillation due to the focusing force of the ions, which can lead to a large transverse oscillation amplitude due to the resonance between them. Furthermore, in this case, the electron beam can be microbunched at the laser wavelength, which may provide the possibility for generation of a coherent synchrotron radiation.open6

The new 8th edition of TNM staging and its implications for skin cancer:a review by the British Association of Dermatologists and the Royal College of Pathologists, U.K.

The 8th edition of TNM (tumour, node and metastasis) has numerous and important changes compared with the 7th edition. Public Health England and the Royal College of Pathologists, U.K., have adopted the 8th edition of TNM (TNM8) published by the Union for International Cancer Control for skin cancer staging. These changes will have an impact on the management and commissioning of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). The T1–T3 categories for NMSC staging require the clinician to measure the maximum dimension (usually diameter) of every potential invasive cancer. For squamous, basal and adnexal carcinomas, but not Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), the T1–T3 categories are defined by new 20-mm and 40-mm divisions based on the maximum dimension of the lesion. In addition, new risk factors upstage T1 or T2 to T3. For melanoma, mitotic index no longer influences separation of pathological stage (pT1). There is a new, additional stratification level at 0·8-mm Breslow thickness. Subdivision pT1b, with a negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) of pN0, is now stage IA compared with the previous IB. For MCC, SLNB is now included specifically in the pN staging system. The pT1 subdivision requires clinical information as to whether histologically involved nodes were clinically occult or detectable. For both melanoma and MCC the clinician must state whether the lymph nodes are occult or clinically detectable. Eyelid carcinoma continues to have a staging system different from that in general skin and the system is substantially revised in TNM8.</p

Conditional Reverse Tet-Transactivator Mouse Strains for the Efficient Induction of TRE-Regulated Transgenes in Mice

Tetracycline or doxycycline (dox)-regulated control of genetic elements allows inducible, reversible and tissue specific regulation of gene expression in mice. This approach provides a means to investigate protein function in specific cell lineages and at defined periods of development and disease. Efficient and stable regulation of cDNAs or non-coding elements (e.g. shRNAs) downstream of the tetracycline-regulated element (TRE) requires the robust expression of a tet-transactivator protein, commonly the reverse tet-transactivator, rtTA. Most rtTA strains rely on tissue specific promoters that often do not provide sufficient rtTA levels for optimal inducible expression. Here we describe the generation of two mouse strains that enable Cre-dependent, robust expression of rtTA3, providing tissue-restricted and consistent induction of TRE-controlled transgenes. We show that these transgenic strains can be effectively combined with established mouse models of disease, including both Cre/LoxP-based approaches and non Cre-dependent disease models. The integration of these new tools with established mouse models promises the development of more flexible genetic systems to uncover the mechanisms of development and disease pathogenesis

Leaf spot on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) caused by Stemphylium solani, a new disease in Malaysia.

In June 2011, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) plants cultivated in major lettuce growing areas in Malaysia, including the Pahang and Johor states, had extensive leaf spots. In severe cases, disease incidence was recorded to be more than 80%. Symptoms on 50 plants were initially water-soaked spots (1-2 mm in diameter) on leaves, which then became circular spots spreading over much of the leaves. Main lettuce growing areas infected by the pathogen in the aforementioned states were investigated and the pathogen was isolated onto potato dextrose agar. Fourteen isolates were identified as Stemphylium solani based on morphological criteria. To confirm morphological characterization, the DNA of the fungus was extracted from mycelium and PCR was conducted using universal primers ITS5 (5′-GGAAGTAAAAGTCGTAACAAGG-3′) and ITS4 (5′-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3′), which amplified the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA. The sequencing result was subjected to BLAST analysis, revealing a 99% similarity to other published sequences in the GenBank database (GenBank accession nos. AF203451 and HQ840713). This is thought to be the first report of Stemphylium solani on lettuce in Malaysia

Forecasting Player Behavioral Data and Simulating in-Game Events

Understanding player behavior is fundamental in game data science. Video games evolve as players interact with the game, so being able to foresee player experience would help to ensure a successful game development. In particular, game developers need to evaluate beforehand the impact of in-game events. Simulation optimization of these events is crucial to increase player engagement and maximize monetization. We present an experimental analysis of several methods to forecast game-related variables, with two main aims: to obtain accurate predictions of in-app purchases and playtime in an operational production environment, and to perform simulations of in-game events in order to maximize sales and playtime. Our ultimate purpose is to take a step towards the data-driven development of games. The results suggest that, even though the performance of traditional approaches such as ARIMA is still better, the outcomes of state-of-the-art techniques like deep learning are promising. Deep learning comes up as a well-suited general model that could be used to forecast a variety of time series with different dynamic behaviors

Quantum-inspired interferometry with chirped laser pulses

We introduce and implement an interferometric technique based on chirped femtosecond laser pulses and nonlinear optics. The interference manifests as a high-visibility (> 85%) phase-insensitive dip in the intensity of an optical beam when the two interferometer arms are equal to within the coherence length of the light. This signature is unique in classical interferometry, but is a direct analogue to Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference. Our technique exhibits all the metrological advantages of the quantum interferometer, but with signals at least 10^7 times greater. In particular we demonstrate enhanced resolution, robustness against loss, and automatic dispersion cancellation. Our interferometer offers significant advantages over previous technologies, both quantum and classical, in precision time delay measurements and biomedical imaging.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure