Uniqueness of iterative positive solutions for the singular infinite-point p-Laplacian fractional differential system via sequential technique

By sequential techniques and mixed monotone operator, the uniqueness of positive solution for singular p-Laplacian fractional differential system with infinite-point boundary conditions is obtained. Green's function is derived, and some useful properties of Green' function are obtained. Based on these new properties, the existence of unique positive solutions is established, moreover, an iterative sequence and a convergence rate are given, which are important for practical application, and an example is given to demonstrate the validity of our main results

Multiphase flow dynamics and mass transfer in different multiphase reactor for shear controllable synthesis process

In short, this thesis gives insight in detailed particle synthesis process modelling in two main multiphase reactors (IJR and SVFR) and experiments of synthesis of FePO4 and SiO2 aggregated particles are performed to analysis effect of hydrodynamics on particle properties. The attempt of combination of fast-mixer and external ultrasound field in micro/nano-particle synthesis has successfully intensified turbulence and such combination has positive effects on aspects of chemical reaction, mixing performance and mass transfer. Except for experimental work, the simulation work has been carried out to analyse flow patterns, turbulent intensity, chemical reaction as well as particle fluid interaction in particle synthesis process in multiphase reactors. Such investigation makes it possible to build correlations on hydrodynamic parameters and particle characteristics and helps to predict the behaviour and properties of particles. This is meaningful for design, upgrade and scale-up of multiphase reactor in synthesis process

Multiphase flow dynamics and mass transfer in different multiphase reactor for shear controllable synthesis process

In short, this thesis gives insight in detailed particle synthesis process modelling in two main multiphase reactors (IJR and SVFR) and experiments of synthesis of FePO4 and SiO2 aggregated particles are performed to analysis effect of hydrodynamics on particle properties. The attempt of combination of fast-mixer and external ultrasound field in micro/nano-particle synthesis has successfully intensified turbulence and such combination has positive effects on aspects of chemical reaction, mixing performance and mass transfer. Except for experimental work, the simulation work has been carried out to analyse flow patterns, turbulent intensity, chemical reaction as well as particle fluid interaction in particle synthesis process in multiphase reactors. Such investigation makes it possible to build correlations on hydrodynamic parameters and particle characteristics and helps to predict the behaviour and properties of particles. This is meaningful for design, upgrade and scale-up of multiphase reactor in synthesis process

A Review of the Ninth Forum of World Association for Political Economy

The traditional outlook on development is based on expanding physical production, which takes for granted that all economic growth is a good thing and ignores social development. It argues that gross domestic product (GDP) is the sole benchmark for evaluating different countries' economic performances. Such an outlook appears as the reflection of overweighed instrumental rationality and absent human values. On the contrary, a scientific outlook on development, based on Marxist economics, could be taken as a positive response to the shortcomings of the traditional outlook. It argues that scientific economic development should serve the people, and as a consequence, economic development should enhance comprehensive human development and elevate the well-being of the people, eventually improving the livelihoods of people worldwide and the fairness of economic development and income distribution. In May 2014, World Association for Political Economy (WAPE) held its Ninth Forum themed “Growth, Development, Social Justice.” At the forum, participants put out “A Fair Development” and suggested that all countries should put more emphasis on qualitative not just quantitative changes in the economy and consider the basic purpose of economic growth

Prefix-diffusion: A Lightweight Diffusion Model for Diverse Image Captioning

While impressive performance has been achieved in image captioning, the limited diversity of the generated captions and the large parameter scale remain major barriers to the real-word application of these systems. In this work, we propose a lightweight image captioning network in combination with continuous diffusion, called Prefix-diffusion. To achieve diversity, we design an efficient method that injects prefix image embeddings into the denoising process of the diffusion model. In order to reduce trainable parameters, we employ a pre-trained model to extract image features and further design an extra mapping network. Prefix-diffusion is able to generate diverse captions with relatively less parameters, while maintaining the fluency and relevance of the captions benefiting from the generative capabilities of the diffusion model. Our work paves the way for scaling up diffusion models for image captioning, and achieves promising performance compared with recent approaches.Comment: 11 pages,4 figures, 6 table

Sevoflurane Pre-conditioning Ameliorates Diabetic Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Via Differential Regulation of p38 and ERK.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly increases myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. During DM, cardioprotection induced by conventional pre-conditioning (PreCon) is decreased due to impaired AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. The current study investigated whether PreCon with inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane (SF-PreCon) remains cardioprotective during DM, and identified the involved mechanisms. Normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced DM mice were randomized into control and SF-PreCon (3 cycles of 15-minute period exposures to 2% sevoflurane) groups before MI/R. SF-PreCon markedly reduced MI/R injury in DM mice, as evidenced by improved cardiac function (increased LVEF and ±Dp/dt), decreased infarct size, and decreased apoptosis. To determine the relevant role of AMPK, the effect of SF-PreCon was determined in cardiac-specific AMPKα2 dominant negative expressing mice (AMPK-DN). SF-PreCon decreased MI/R injury in AMPK-DN mice. To explore the molecular mechanisms responsible for SF-PreCon mediated cardioprotection in DM mice, cell survival molecules were screened. Interestingly, in ND mice, SF-PreCon significantly reduced MI/R-induced activation of p38, a pro-death MAPK, without altering ERK and JNK. In DM and AMPK-DN mice, the inhibitory effect of SF-PreCon upon p38 activation was significantly blunted. However, SF-PreCon significantly increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2, a pro-survival MAPK in DM and AMPK-DN mice. We demonstrate that SF-PreCon protects the heart via AMPK-dependent inhibition of pro-death MAPK in ND mice. However, SF-PreCon exerts cardioprotective action via AMPK-independent activation of a pro-survival MAPK member in DM mice. SF-PreCon may be beneficial compared to conventional PreCon in diabetes or clinical scenarios in which AMPK signaling is impaired

Mycobacteria Infection in Incomplete Transverse Myelitis Is Refractory to Steroids: A Pilot Study

Incomplete transverse myelitis (ITM) of unknown origin is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. This prospective, open-label study was undertaken to determine whether antituberculous treatment (ATT) might help patients with ITM whose condition continues to deteriorate despite receiving IV methylprednisolone treatment. The study consisted of 67 patients with steroid-refractory ITM in whom Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was suspected clinically and in whom other known causes of myelopathy were excluded. The study occurred from January 2003 to June 2010. Patients underwent trial chemotherapy with ATT. Efficacy was assessed by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scoring system, the Barthel Index (BI) and the Hauser Ambulation Index (AI) at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Of the 67 patients enrolled, 51 were assessed and 16 withdrew. At 24 months, 49 patients experienced benefits as indicated by significantly increased ASIA and BI scores. The Hauser AI index also improved with markedly decreased abnormal signals in spinal cord MRI over time. The results from this prospective study provide beneficial clinical and MRI data on the efficacy of ATT in ITM patients and suggests mycobacteria may be an important and neglected cause of myelitis