從廣東話學習者的角度看學習廣東話的需要

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Prolonged membrane potential depolarization in cingulate pyramidal cells after digit amputation in adult rats

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays an important role in higher brain functions including learning, memory, and persistent pain. Long-term potentiation of excitatory synaptic transmission has been observed in the ACC after digit amputation, which might contribute to plastic changes associated with the phantom pain. Here we report a long-lasting membrane potential depolarization in ACC neurons of adult rats after digit amputation in vivo. Shortly after digit amputation of the hind paw, the membrane potential of intracellularly recorded ACC neurons quickly depolarized from ~-70 mV to ~-15 mV and then slowly repolarized. The duration of this amputation-induced depolarization was about 40 min. Intracellular staining revealed that these neurons were pyramidal neurons in the ACC. The depolarization is activity-dependent, since peripheral application of lidocaine significantly reduced it. Furthermore, the depolarization was significantly reduced by a NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Our results provide direct in vivo electrophysiological evidence that ACC pyramidal cells undergo rapid and prolonged depolarization after digit amputation, and the amputation-induced depolarization in ACC neurons might be associated with the synaptic mechanisms for phantom pain

Experimental study on Shear capacity of cementitious composite RPC Beams using high strength steel

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is a special concrete where the microstructure is optimized by precise gradation of all particles in the mix to yield maximum density. Therefore, Reactive Powder Concrete exhibits ultra-high strength and durability. The high strength reinforcement (HSR) has high strength and good plastic deformation properties. The combination of RPC and high strength reinforcement can fully exploit their respective advantages. At present, there is little research on shear capacity of HSR reinforced RPC concrete beams, neither are design guidelines for this type of structure. Therefore, it is imperative to make detailed investigations on the shear capacity of this type of concrete. In this paper, thirty-two full scale shear tests of high strength steel reinforced RPC beams were carried out. The parameters affecting the shear capacity of this type of structures were studied, the major failure modes of this type structure due to shear are identified

Systematic review:genetic associations for prognostic factors of urinary bladder cancer

Introduction: Many germline associations have been reported for urinary bladder cancer (UBC) outcomes and prognostic characteristics. It is unclear whether there are overlapping genetic patterns for various prognostic endpoints. We aimed to review contemporary literature on genetic associations with UBC prognostic outcomes and to identify potential overlap in reported genes. Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases were queried for relevant articles in English language without date restrictions. The initial search identified 1346 articles. After exclusions, 112 studies have been summarized. Cumulatively, 316 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were reported across prognostic outcomes (recurrence, progression, death) and characteristics (tumor stage, grade, size, age, risk group). There were considerable differences between studied outcomes in the context of genetic associations. The most commonly reported SNPs were located in OGG1, TP53, and MDM2. For outcomes with the highest number of reported associations (ie, recurrence and death), functional enrichment annotation yields different terms, potentially indicating separate biological mechanisms. Conclusions: Our study suggests that all UBC prognostic outcomes may have different biological origins with limited overlap. Further validation of these observations is essential to target a phenotype that could best predict patient outcome and advance current management practices

Rural-urban differences of neonatal mortality in a poorly developed province of China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The influence of rural-urban disparities in children's health on neonatal death in disadvantaged areas of China is poorly understood. In this study of rural and urban populations in Gansu province, a disadvantaged province of China, we describe the characteristics and mortality of newborn infants and evaluated rural-urban differences of neonatal death.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed all neonatal deaths in the data from the Surveillance System of Child Death in Gansu Province, China from 2004 to 2009. We calculated all-cause neonatal mortality rates (NMR) and cause-specific death rates for infants born to rural or urban mothers during 2004-09. Rural-urban classifications were determined based on the residence registry system of China. Chi-square tests were used to compare differences of infant characteristics and cause-specific deaths by rural-urban maternal residence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, NMR fell in both rural and urban populations during 2004-09. Average NMR for rural and urban populations was 17.8 and 7.5 per 1000 live births, respectively. For both rural and urban newborn infants, the four leading causes of death were birth asphyxia, preterm or low birth weight, congenital malformation, and pneumonia. Each cause-specific death rate was higher in rural infants than in urban infants. More rural than urban neonates died out of hospital or did not receive medical care before death.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Neonatal mortality declined dramatically both in urban and rural groups in Gansu province during 2004-09. However, profound disparities persisted between rural and urban populations. Strategies that address inequalities of accessibility and quality of health care are necessary to improve neonatal health in rural settings in China.</p

Assessing the Quality of Reports about Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture Treatment on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the reports' qualities which are about randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture treatment on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Eight databases including The Cochrane Library(1993-Sept.,2011), PubMed (1980-Sept., 2011), EMbase (1980-Sept.,2011), SCI Expanded (1998-Sept.,2011), China Biomedicine Database Disc (CBMdisc, 1978-Sept., 2011), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, 1979-Sept., 2011 ), VIP (a full text issues database of China, 1989-Sept., 2011), Wan Fang (another full text issues database of China 1998-Sept., 2011) were searched systematically. Hand search for further references was conducted. Language was limited to Chinese and English. We identified 75 RCTs that used acupuncture as an intervention and assessed the quality of these reports with the Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials statement 2010 (CONSORT2010) and Standards for Reporting Interventions Controlled Trials of Acupuncture 2010(STRICTA2010). 24 articles (32%) applied the method of random allocation of sequences. No article gave the description of the mechanism of allocation concealment, no experiment applied the method of blinding. Only one article (1.47%) could be identified directly from its title as about the Randomized Controlled Trials, and only 4 articles gave description of the experimental design. No article mentioned the number of cases lost or eliminated. During one experiment, acupuncture syncope led to temporal interruption of the therapy. Two articles (2.94%) recorded the number of needles, and 8 articles (11.76%) mentioned the depth of needle insertion. None of articles reported the base of calculation of sample size, or has any analysis about the metaphase of an experiment or an explanation of its interruption. One (1.47%) mentioned intentional analysis (ITT). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The quality of the reports on RCTs of acupuncture for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy is moderate to low. The CONSORT2010 and STRICTA2010 should be used to standardize the reporting of RCTs of acupuncture in future

A Taxonomy of Explainable Bayesian Networks

Artificial Intelligence (AI), and in particular, the explainability thereof, has gained phenomenal attention over the last few years. Whilst we usually do not question the decision-making process of these systems in situations where only the outcome is of interest, we do however pay close attention when these systems are applied in areas where the decisions directly influence the lives of humans. It is especially noisy and uncertain observations close to the decision boundary which results in predictions which cannot necessarily be explained that may foster mistrust among end-users. This drew attention to AI methods for which the outcomes can be explained. Bayesian networks are probabilistic graphical models that can be used as a tool to manage uncertainty. The probabilistic framework of a Bayesian network allows for explainability in the model, reasoning and evidence. The use of these methods is mostly ad hoc and not as well organised as explainability methods in the wider AI research field. As such, we introduce a taxonomy of explainability in Bayesian networks. We extend the existing categorisation of explainability in the model, reasoning or evidence to include explanation of decisions. The explanations obtained from the explainability methods are illustrated by means of a simple medical diagnostic scenario. The taxonomy introduced in this paper has the potential not only to encourage end-users to efficiently communicate outcomes obtained, but also support their understanding of how and, more importantly, why certain predictions were made

Mild to moderate influenza A(H7N9) infections detected through China’s national influenza-like Illness sentinel surveillance system

Poster Session: News and Views from the H7N9 OutbreakBackground: The “clinical iceberg” phenomenon, where there are usually many more infected cases than is apparent symptomatically and even less so registered in the clinical setting, is a common feature of influenza disease. While this is certainly true for interpandemic influenza and the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, this appeared to be less substantial for the Dutch A(H7N7) outbreak, and with A(H5N1) being an acknowledged exception. It remains unknown whether the “iceberg” applies to the influenza A(H7N9) virus that emerged in early 2013 in China. While the majority of laboratory-confirmed A(H7N9) cases presented with a severe clinical picture to a hospital, a small number of laboratory-confirmed cases have been identified through the sentinel influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance system nationwide. The objective of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics of the complete case series of A(H7N9) cases as of May 15, 2013, that were identified through routine testing by the ILI sentinel surveillance system. Materials and Methods: ILI sentinel surveillance in China is conducted through a network of 554 hospitals across the country, with the total number of outpatient and/or emergency department visits and the number of patients fitting the WHO standard ILI case definition reported weekly online to the China CDC, and 10-15 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from ILI patients each week for routine laboratory testing and subtyping. All A(H7N9) cases detected through the ILI surveillance system by May 15, 2013, were identified by cross-referencing the laboratory-confirmed A(H7N9) line list with the routine sentinel ILI surveillance system. Demographic and epidemiologic data were extracted from field investigation records, and clinical and laboratory data were obtained from medical chart review. Results: Five (3.8%) of a total of 130 laboratory-confirmed influenza A(H7N9) cases reported as of May 28, 2013, were detected through the routine ILI surveillance system. Four (80%) of them were male. Mean age was 13 (range = 2-26) years and none had any underlying medical condition. Exposure history, geographic location and timing of symptom onset were otherwise similar to the general cohort of all laboratory-confirmed cases to date. All patients experienced only mild or moderate disease with an uneventful course of recovery. Among them three (60%) were managed only as outpatients and all quickly recovered after 3-5 days, with nasopharyngeal swabs tested positive for A(H7N9) only after their full recovery. Two patients (40%) were hospitalized for treatment. One was a 4-year-old child from Shanghai who presented initially as an outpatient with fever and mild rhinorrhea to a routine sentinel clinic, and was admitted on the next day for oseltamivir treatment after his nasopharyngeal swab was tested positive for A(H7N9). The other was a 26-year-old man from Jiangsu who presented initially with fever and productive cough to a sentinel clinic, being given ceftazidime without improvement. He was admitted 4 days later with radiologic evidence of left-sided pneumonia, and started on oseltamivir and moxifloxacin. Both remained clinically stable with quick resolution of symptoms within 10 days. Conclusions: Our complete case series of A(H7N9) cases detected through the routine ILI surveillance system provide contrasting clinical presentations to the generally much more severe clinical picture of the majority of laboratory-confirmed A(H7N9) cases detected otherwise. Our findings provide indirect evidence of a substantial proportion of mild disease and support the existence of a “clinical iceberg” phenomenon in influenza A(H7N9) infections. For the clinician, our findings reinforce vigilance to the diverse presentation that can be associated with influenza A(H7N9) virus infections. Our results also suggest that large-scale community surveillance networks can be useful as a population-based sampling tool to enhance understanding of the full spectrum of disease, especially in the early phase of an evolving epidemic.published_or_final_versio

Detection of mild to moderate influenza A/H7N9 infection by China's national sentinel surveillance system for influenza-like illness: case series

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Development of a Cryogenic Calorimeter for Investigating Beam-Based Heat Load of Superconducting Undulators

Superconducting undulators provide higher magmatic field to increase the brilliance and photon energy of synchrotron light sources. To quantify the amount of beam-based heat load of storage rings and optimize the design of cryogenic system, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) proposed a cryogenic calorimeter to perform the working condition of superconducting undulators. The calorimeter has been developed by Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) and installed on storage ring of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF). Also, online experiments started in September of 2012. This paper describes the cryogenic system and beam-based heat load measurement system. Also, some measurement results are given in the paper