Acoustic noise radiated by PWM-controlled induction machine drives

This paper investigates the acoustic noise radiated from two nominally identical induction motors when fed from sinusoidal, and asymmetric regular sampling subharmonic and space-vector pulsewidth modulation (PWM) converters. The theory for analyzing the noise spectrum is developed further to account for the interaction between the motor and the drive. It is shown that manufacturing tolerances can result in significant differences in the noise level emitted from nominally identical motors, and that mechanical resonances can result in extremely high noise emissions. Such resonances can be induced by stator and rotor slot air-gap field harmonics due to the fundamental component of current, and by the interaction between the airgap field harmonics produced by the fundamental and the PWM harmonic currents. The significance of the effect of PWM strategy on the noise is closely related to the mechanical resonance with vibration mode order zero, while the PWM strategy will be critical only if the dominant cause of the emitted noise is the interaction of the fundamental air-gap field and PWM harmonic

A trend pattern assessment approach to microarray gene expression profiling data analysis

We study the problem of how to assess the reliability of a statistical measurement on data set containing unknown quantity of noises, inconsistencies, and outliers. A practical approach that analyzes the dynamical patterns (trends) of the statistical measurements through a sequential extreme-boundary-points (EBP) weed-out process is explored. We categorize the weed-out trend patterns (WOTP) and examine their relation to the reliability of the measurement. The approach is applied to the processes of extracting genes that are predictive to BCL2 translocations and to clinical survival outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) from DNA Microarray gene expression profiling data sets. Fisher’s Discriminate Criterion (FDC) is used as a statistical measurement in the processes. It is found that the weed-out trend analysis (WOTA) approach is effective for qualitatively assessing the statistics-based measurements in the experimentations conducted

EDN1 Lys198Asn is Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants in vasoactive and angiogenic factors regulating the retina vasculature contribute to the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: A case-control study was performed to study the genetic association between DR and polymorphic variants of EDN1 (Lys198Asn), LTA (IVS1–80C>A, IVS1–206G>C, IVS1–252>G), eNOS (Glu298Asp), and ITGA2 (BgI II) in a Chinese population with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A well defined population with type 2 diabetes, consisting of 127 controls and 216 DR patients, was recruited. Results: A higher frequency of the Asn/Asn genotype of EDN1 was found in individuals with at least 10 years of diabetes and no retinopathy (controls) compared with DR patients with any duration of diabetes (DR: 2.3%; control: 11.0%; p=0.0002). The Asn allele was also more frequent in controls than DR patients (DR: 16.4%; control: 29.5%; p=0.007). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the Asn/Asn genotype was the factor most significantly associated with reduced risk of DR (odds ratio=0.19; 95% CI: 0.07-0.53; p=0.002) and with late onset of diabetes (Asn/Asn: 59 years; Lys/Lys + Lys/Asn: 53 years; p=0.02). Moreover, the Lys/Lys genotype was more common among patients with nonproliferative (75.7%) than proliferative DR (56.9%; p=0.008). The distributions of Lys198Asn alleles in hypertension did not differ from normotensive subjects. No associations between DR and polymorphisms of LTA, eNOS, or ITGA2 were detected, and there were no detectable gene-gene or gene-environmental interactions among the polymorphisms.Conclusions The Asn/Asn genotype of EDN1 was associated with a reduced risk of DR and with delayed onset of type 2 diabetes

Dietary patterns during high school and risk of colorectal adenoma in a cohort of middle-aged women

Adolescent diet may be etiologically relevant for later risk of colorectal adenoma, a precursor of colorectal cancer. We aimed to examine associations between adolescent dietary patterns (derived using factor analysis) and risk of colorectal adenoma in middle adulthood. We analyzed data from 17,221 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study II, who had completed a validated high school (HS) food frequency questionnaire in 1998 when they were 34-51 years old, and had subsequently undergone at least one lower bowel endoscopy. Between 1998 and 2007, 1,299 women were diagnosed with at least one colorectal adenoma. In multivariable models adjusted for adult dietary patterns, a higher "prudent" pattern during HS, characterized by high consumption of vegetables, fruit and fish was associated with a statistically significantly lower risk of rectal (odds ratio [OR] highest vs. lowest quintile, 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.75, p-trend=0.005), but not colon adenomas. A higher "Western" pattern during HS, characterized by high consumption of desserts and sweets, snack foods and red and processed meat, was significantly associated with rectal (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.12-2.85, p-trend=0.005) and advanced (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.07-2.33, p-trend=0.08), but not associated with colon or non-advanced adenomas. This study suggests that overall eating patterns during high school may influence later risk of rectal and advanced adenoma, independent of adult diet. Our results support the hypothesis that diet during early life may influence colorectal carcinogenesis

Sexual violence against women and children in Chinese societies

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the reported patterns of sexual violence against women and children in China. It reviews the prevalence of and risk factors for various types of sexual violence and discusses community knowledge and perceptions of these violent acts. It also critically examines three major problems of sexual violence research in China. First, the diversity of findings and study methods reported by surveys and criminal reports reflects the problems in obtaining accurate figures on the scope of the problem. Second, precautions must be taken in reading studies on Chinese culture-specific risk factors for domestic violence. Third, the study of culture-specific factors should not focus solely on cultural factors in a vacuum but rather, should examine traditional culture in the context of modern societies and consensus international standards of human rights. Recommendations for future research are also discussed. © 2009 Sage Publications.postprin

Perubahan sosioekonomi komuniti orang Asli Jakun akibat Rancangan Penempatan Semula: satu kajian kes di RPS Runchang, Pahang

Masyarakat orang Asli merupakan masyarakat peribumi di Semenanjung Malaysia. Sehubungan itu, dalam menentukan indeks Kesejahteraan Hidup Malaysia, indeks kesejahteraan orang Asli perlu dikira bersama. Dalam usaha untuk mencapai kesejahteraan hidup masyarakat orang Asli, Rancangan Penempatan Semula (RPS) telah memindahkan mereka dari kawasan pendalaman ke kawasan pinggir bandar bermula pada Rancangan Malaysia Keempat (1980-1985). Program ini telah menyusun dan membangunkan pembangunan sosial dan ekonomi di penempatan orang Asli. Penempatan semula orang Asli ini membawa perubahan dalam kehidupan mereka terutamanya aspek ekonomi, kesihatan dan pendidikan. Pembangunan sosioekonomi ini menyebabkan berlakunya kemusnahan sumber hutan yang sebelum ini menjadi kebergantungan hidup kepada komuniti orang Asli. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti perubahan sosial, ekonomi dan kesan RPS kepada komuniti orang Asli Jakun di RPS Runchang, Pekan, Pahang. Bagi mencapai tujuan tersebut, temu bual mendalam telah dilakukan terhadap 11 informan untuk mengetahui perubahan kehidupan yang dialami oleh penduduk di RPS Runchang. Analisis data kajian ini menunjukkan terdapat perubahan sosioekonomi dalam aspek ekonomi, kesihatan dan pendidikan setelah program penempatan semula dilaksanakan. Aspek kesihatan mengalami perubahan secara menyeluruh berbanding dengan aspek ekonomi dan pendidikan. Sehubungan itu, bersama-sama dengan aspek kesihatan, aspek sosioekonomi yang lain ini perlu diberikan perhatian dalam proses pembangunan orang Asli di negara ini bagi memastikan peningkatan dalam indeks Kesejahteraan Hidup masyarakat orang Asli dan indeks kesejahteraan hidup Malaysia umumnya