Erratum: Chen, F. et al. A Space View of Radar Archaeological Marks: First Applications of COSMO-SkyMed X-Band Data. Remote Sens. 2015, 7(1), 24–50

In this paper [1], the author, Rosa Lasaponara, should have been numbered as 1 and 6, instead of only 6.[...

A New Stochastic Geometry Model of Coexistence of Wireless Body Sensor Networks

Stochastic geometry, in particular Poission point process theory, has been widely used in the last decade to provide models and methods to analyze wireless networks. It is a branch of mathematics which deals with the study of random point processes. There are various models for point processes, typically based on but going beyond the classic homogeneous Poisson point process. Poisson point process cannot be used to model the spatial distribution of the simultaneously active transmitters. A novel framework has been presented for modeling the intensity of simultaneous active transmitters of a random carrier sense multiple access wireless sensor network. This thinning rule uses a second-neighbors distance-dependent method, which controls too many nodes deleted of points close together

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate enhances key enzymatic activities of hepatic thioredoxin and glutathione systems in selenium-optimal mice but activates hepatic Nrf2 responses in selenium-deficient mice

AbstractSelenium participates in the antioxidant defense mainly through a class of selenoproteins, including thioredoxin reductase. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and biologically active catechin in green tea. Depending upon the dose and biological systems, EGCG may function either as an antioxidant or as an inducer of antioxidant defense via its pro-oxidant action or other unidentified mechanisms. By manipulating the selenium status, the present study investigated the interactions of EGCG with antioxidant defense systems including the thioredoxin system comprising of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase, the glutathione system comprising of glutathione and glutathione reductase coupled with glutaredoxin, and the Nrf2 system. In selenium-optimal mice, EGCG increased hepatic activities of thioredoxin reductase, glutathione reductase and glutaredoxin. These effects of EGCG appeared to be not due to overt pro-oxidant action because melatonin, a powerful antioxidant, did not influence the increase. However, in selenium-deficient mice, with low basal levels of thioredoxin reductase 1, the same dose of EGCG did not elevate the above-mentioned enzymes; intriguingly EGCG in turn activated hepatic Nrf2 response, leading to increased heme oxygenase 1 and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 protein levels and thioredoxin activity. Overall, the present work reveals that EGCG is a robust inducer of the Nrf2 system only in selenium-deficient conditions. Under normal physiological conditions, in selenium-optimal mice, thioredoxin and glutathione systems serve as the first line defense systems against the stress induced by high doses of EGCG, sparing the activation of the Nrf2 system

The development of clinical guidelines in China : insights from a national survey

Previous research suggests that the quality of clinical guidelines (CGs) in China is suboptimal. However, little is known about the methodology that CGs follow. We conducted a national survey of methods used by Chinese CG developers for CG development, adaptation, and updating. We used a previously piloted questionnaire based on methodologies of CG development, adaptation, and updating, which was distributed during September-November 2020 to 114 organizations identified from published Chinese CGs (searched 2017-2020), recommended by Chinese CG developers, and recommended by clinical discipline experts. We collected 48 completed questionnaires (42.1% response). Most organizations developed CGs based on scientific evidence (89.6%), existing CGs (75%), or expert experience and opinion (64.6%). Only a few organizations had a specific CG development division (6.3%), a CG monitoring plan (on clinicians 33.3%; on patients 18.8%), funding (33.3%), or a conflict-of-interest (COI) management policy (23.4%). Thirty (62.5%) organizations reported using a CG development methodology handbook, from international organizations (14/30, 46.7%), methodology or evaluation resources (3/30, 10.0%), expert experience and opinion (3/30, 10.0%), or in-house handbooks (3/30, 10.0%). One organization followed a published adaptation methodology. Thirty-eight organizations (88.4%) reported de novo CG development: 21 (55.3%) formed a CG working group, and 29 (76.3%) evaluated the quality of evidence (21 [72.4%] using a methodological tool). Nineteen organizations (52.8%) reported CG adaptation: three (31.6%) had an adaptation working group, and 12 (63.2%) evaluated the quality of source CGs (2 (16.7%) using the AGREE II instrument). Thirty-three organizations (68.8%) updated their CGs, seven (17.5%) using a formal updating process. Our study describes how CGs are developed in a middle-income country like China. To ensure better healthcare, there is still an important need for improvement in the development, adaptation, and updating of CG in China. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12961-021-00799-7

A heterogeneous signcryption scheme for smart grid with trusted multi-ciphertext equality test

Energy utilization rates have been largely improved thanks to the wide application of smart grids, thereby realizing the reliable, economic and efficient operation of the grids. However, such an application is also accompanied by many security issues. In response to the many problems within existing security schemes, such as not supporting the communication between heterogeneous cryptosystems, low security levels and a low data retrieval efficiency, a heterogeneous signcryption (HSC) scheme that supports a trusted multi-ciphertext equality test (MET) is proposed. The adoption of the HSC helps to identify secure communications from identity-based cryptosystems to certificateless cryptosystem, eliminates the certificate management problems in the traditional public key cryptography scheme, and ensures the confidentiality and authentication of power data. The introduction of the MET technology can avoid the high cost of equality test calculations after grouping ciphertexts in pairs. Using blockchain and smart contract technologies ensure the credibility of test results and eliminates the reliance on trusted cloud servers. Under the random oracle model, on the basis of the bilinear Diffie-Hellman, the computational Diffie-Hellman and the q-strong Diffie-Hellman problems, this paper proves that the scheme proposed herein meets the requirements of indistinguishability and one-way security under adaptive choice ciphertext attacks, and the unforgeability under the adaptive choice message attack. From the findings of the analysis, it has been shown that the proposed scheme satisfies more security attributes and requires lower computational overhead compared to similar schemes

Digital Heritage

Abstract Natural and cultural heritage, the common wealth of human beings, are keys to human understanding of the evolution of our planet and social development. The protection and conservation of natural and cultural heritage is the common responsibility of all mankind. Spatial information technology provides a new applied theory and tool for the protection and utilization of natural and cultural heritage. This chapter is divided into four parts. The first part elaborates the connotation of digital heritage, the differences and connections between digital heritage and physical heritage, the technology of digital heritage formation and the research objectives and content of digital heritage. Parts 2 and 3 discuss the contents and methods of digital natural heritage and cultural heritage, respectively, and some practical case studies. In the fourth part, the future development trends of digital heritage research in protection and utilization are described, as well as six research directions that deserve attention

Demonstration of Maxwell Demon-assistant Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering via Superconducting Quantum Processor

The concept of Maxwell demon plays an essential role in connecting thermodynamics and information theory, while entanglement and non-locality are fundamental features of quantum theory. Given the rapid advancements in the field of quantum information science, there is a growing interest and significance in investigating the connection between Maxwell demon and quantum correlation. The majority of research endeavors thus far have been directed towards the extraction of work from quantum correlation through the utilization of Maxwell demon. Recently, a novel concept called Maxwell demon-assistant Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering has been proposed, which suggests that it is possible to simulate quantum correlation by doing work. This seemingly counterintuitive conclusion is attributed to the fact that Alice and Bob need classical communication during EPR steering task, a requirement that does not apply in the Bell test. In this study, we demonstrate Maxwell demon-assistant EPR steering with superconducting quantum circuits. By compiling and optimizing a quantum circuit to be implemented on a 2D superconducting chip, we were able to achieve a steering parameter of $S_{2} = 0.770 \pm 0.005$ in the case of two measurement settings, which surpasses the classical bound of $1/\sqrt{2}$ by 12.6 standard deviations. In addition, experimental observations have revealed a linear correlation between the non-locality demonstrated in EPR steering and the work done by the demon. Considering the errors in practical operation, the experimental results are highly consistent with theoretical predictions. Our findings not only suggest the presence of a Maxwell demon loophole in the EPR steering, but also contribute to a deeper comprehension of the interplay between quantum correlation, information theory, and thermodynamics.Comment: Comments are welcome

The influence of adjunctive traditional Chinese medicine therapy on survival in primary liver cancer: a real-world study based on electronic medical records

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) effectively improves the survival rate and quality of life of primary liver cancer patients, but high-level evidence is lacking.Patients and methods: Patients were selected from 5 tertiary hospitals in Henan Province, China. Two thousand sixty-seven patients with primary liver cancer were included in the study. The electronic medical records (EMRs) of the patients were collected. Patients who received adjunctive TCM treatment and underwent treatment cumulative time for more than 1 month were classified as the TCM intervention cohort. Patients who did not receive adjunctive TCM treatment or underwent treatment cumulative time for less than 1 month were classified as the non-TCM intervention cohort. The main outcome indicators were the survival rate and overall survival time. The propensity score inverse probability weighting method was used to balance the differences between the groups.Results: The primary cohort comprised 2,067 patients, including 462 patients who received adjunctive TCM treatment and 1,605 patients who did not receive adjunctive TCM treatment. The results of the Kaplan‒Meier survival curve indicated that the survival rate and median survival time of the exposure group before and after propensity score weighting were greater than those of the control group (p < 0.0001). Univariate Cox regression analysis after propensity score weighting showed that adjunctive TCM treatment was an independent protective factor for survival [regression coefficient = −0.215, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.8066, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.6609–0.9844)].Conclusion: Adjuvant treatment with TCM has a protective effect on the prognosis of patients with primary liver cancer; it can reduce the mortality and prolong the survival time