Qualitative phase space modeling of non-linear electrical dynamic systems

The purpose of this paper is to combine the existing methodologies that describe non-linear dynamic systems, by using the phase space and the descriptions of qualitative behaviors of ordinary differential equations. The swing equation of a synchronous machine has been illustrated as an example.published_or_final_versio

Load forecasting by fuzzy neural network in Box-Jenkins models

In this paper, the use of FNN to identify appropriate Box-Jenkins models for the electricity load forecasting in Hong Kong is presented. FNN is found to be suitable to identify the Box-Jenkin model. By such model, we can forecast the load accurately.published_or_final_versio

Anaesthesia for emergency caesarean section in a patient with large anterior mediastinal tumour presenting as intrathoracic airway compression and superior vena cava obstruction

Anterior mediastinal mass is an uncommon pathology that presents significant anaesthetic challenges because of cardiopulmonary compromise. We present a case that presented in the third trimester of pregnancy with severe breathlessness, orthopnoea, and symptoms of superior vena cava obstruction. The patient had emergency Caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia with a good outcome. The paper discusses the relevant perioperative considerations for this complex scenario and reviews reports of similar conditions.published_or_final_versio

Supply chain quality management: an investigation in the Chinese construction industry

Recently, in China, the issue of poor quality construction has drawn much public attention. This problem is related not only to poor quality control on the part of the construction firm, but also to the use of inadequate materials and inexperienced subcontractors, that is, to poor quality assurance in the construction supply chain. The purpose of this article is to examine supply chain quality management (SCQM) in the construction industry. Using a case-study approach, this research focuses on a Chinese medium-sized private enterprise in order to determine the most efficient way to conduct a high-quality project when collaborating with material suppliers and subcontractors. To this end, we replicate and extend the SCQM practices to help develop a more refined SCQM conceptual model relevant to the construction industry. Based on the different perspectives of managers and engineers, two frameworks are presented to illustrate (1) the correlation between SCQM and purchasing function (PF), and (2) how to work with material suppliers and subcontractors; the proposed models also show how these aspects will influence and control the quality of projects. Although constrained by the limitations inherent in case-study methodology, this article consolidates the work in one particular area of supply chain management. It also succeeds in meeting two core challenges, namely to explicate the interaction between SCQM and PF, and to provide guidance to construction firms on how to deal with SCQM issues with material suppliers and subcontractors

A List Scheduling Heuristic with New Node Priorities and Critical Child Technique for Task Scheduling with Communication Contention

Task scheduling is becoming an important aspect for parallel programming of modern embedded systems. In this chapter, the application to be scheduled is modeled as a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), and the architecture targets parallel embedded systems composed of multiple processors interconnected by buses and/or switches. This chapter presents new list scheduling heuristics with communication contention. Furthermore, we define new node priorities (top level and bottom level) to sort nodes, and propose an advanced technique named critical child to select a processor to execute a node. Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective to reduce the schedule length, and the runtime performance is greatly improved in the cases of medium and high communication. Since the communication cost is increasing from medium to high in modern applications like digital communication and video compression, the proposed method is well-adapted for scheduling these applications over parallel embedded systems

Whole-Genome Array CGH Evaluation for Replacing Prenatal Karyotyping in Hong Kong

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The clinical impact of chromosomal microarray on paediatric care in Hong Kong

Objective To evaluate the clinical impact of chromosomal microarray (CMA) on the management of paediatric patients in Hong Kong. Methods We performed NimbleGen 135k oligonucleotide array on 327 children with intellectual disability (ID)/developmental delay (DD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MCAs) in a university-affiliated paediatric unit from January 2011 to May 2013. The medical records of patients were reviewed in September 2013, focusing on the pathogenic/likely pathogenic CMA findings and their “clinical actionability” based on established criteria. Results Thirty-seven patients were reported to have pathogenic/likely pathogenic results, while 40 had findings of unknown significance. This gives a detection rate of 11% for clinically significant (pathogenic/likely pathogenic) findings. The significant findings have prompted clinical actions in 28 out of 37 patients (75.7%), while the findings with unknown significance have led to further management recommendation in only 1 patient (p<0.001). Nineteen out of the 28 management recommendations are “evidence-based” on either practice guidelines endorsed by a professional society (n = 9, Level 1) or peer-reviewed publications making medical management recommendation (n = 10, Level 2). CMA results impact medical management by precipitating referral to a specialist (n = 24); diagnostic testing (n = 25), surveillance of complications (n = 19), interventional procedure (n = 7), medication (n = 15) or lifestyle modification (n = 12). Conclusion The application of CMA in children with ID/DD, ASD, and/or MCAs in Hong Kong results in a diagnostic yield of ∼11% for pathogenic/likely pathogenic results. Importantly the yield for clinically actionable results is 8.6%. We advocate using diagnostic yield of clinically actionable results to evaluate CMA as it provides information of both clinical validity and clinical utility. Furthermore, it incorporates evidence-based medicine into the practice of genomic medicine. The same framework can be applied to other genomic testing strategies enabled by next-generation sequencing.published_or_final_versio

Phase 2 Study of Anti-Human Cytomegalovirus Monoclonal Antibodies for Prophylaxis in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause significant disease in immunocompromised patients, and treatment options are limited by toxicities. CSJ148 is a combination of two anti-HCMV human monoclonal antibodies (LJP538 and LJP539) that bind to and inhibit the functions of viral HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) and the pentameric complex, consisting of glycoproteins gH, gL, UL128, UL130, and UL131. In this phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of CSJ148 for prophylaxis of HCMV in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. As would be expected in the study population, all the patients (100%) reported at least one treatment-emergent adverse event. There were 22 deaths during this study, and over 80% of the patients receiving placebo or CSJ148 developed at least one adverse event of grade 3 or higher severity. No subject who received antibody developed a hypersensitivity- or infusion-related reaction. CSJ148-treated patients showed trends toward decreased viral load, shorter median duration of preemptive therapy, and fewer courses of preemptive therapy. However, the estimated probability that CSJ148 decreases the need for preemptive therapy compared to placebo was 69%, with a risk ratio of 0.89 and a 90% credible interval of 0.61 to 1.31. The primary efficacy endpoint was therefore not met, indicating that CSJ148 did not prevent clinically significant HCMV reactivation in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02268526 and at EudraCT under number 2017-002047-15.)

Use of clinical chromosomal microarray in Chinese patients with autism spectrum disorder—implications of a copy number variation involving DPP10

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Family conflict and lower morning cortisol in adolescents and adults: modulation of puberty

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