Validation of the English and Chinese versions of the Quick-FLIC quality of life questionnaire.

A useful measure of quality of life should be easy and quick to complete. Recently, we reported the development and validation of a shortened Chinese version of the Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC), which we called the Quick-FLIC. In the present study of 327 English-speaking and 221 Chinese-speaking cancer patients, we validated the English version of the Quick-FLIC and further assessed the Chinese version. The 11 Quick-FLIC items were administered alongside the 11 remaining items of the full FLIC, but there appeared to be little context effect. Validity of the English version of the Quick-FLIC was attested by its strong correlation with two other measures of quality of life, and its ability to detect differences between patients with different performance status and treatment status (each P<0.001). Its internal consistency (alpha=0.86) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation=0.76) were also satisfactory. The measure was responsive to changes in performance status (P<0.001). The Chinese version showed similar characteristics. The Quick-FLIC behaved in ways that are highly comparable with the FLIC, even though the Quick-FLIC comprised only 11 items whereas the FLIC comprised 22. Further research is required to see whether the use of shorter instruments can improve data quality and response rates, but the fact that shorter instruments place less burden on the patients is itself inherently important

Safely dissolvable and healable active packaging films based on alginate and pectin

Extensive usage of long-lasting petroleum based plastics for short-lived application such as packaging has raised concerns regarding their role in environmental pollution. In this research, we have developed active, healable, and safely dissolvable alginate-pectin based biocomposites that have potential applications in food packaging. The morphological study revealed the rough surface of these biocomposite films. Tensile properties indicated that the fabricated samples have mechanical properties in the range of commercially available packaging films while possessing excellent healing effciency. Biocomposite films exhibited higher hydrophobicity properties compared to neat alginate films. Thermal analysis indicated that crosslinked biocomposite samples possess higher thermal stability in temperatures below 120 °C, while antibacterial analysis against E. coli and S. aureus revealed the antibacterial properties of the prepared samples against different bacteria. The fabricated biodegradable multi-functional biocomposite films possess various imperative properties, making them ideal for utilization as packaging material

Skeleton and fractal scaling in complex networks

We find that the fractal scaling in a class of scale-free networks originates from the underlying tree structure called skeleton, a special type of spanning tree based on the edge betweenness centrality. The fractal skeleton has the property of the critical branching tree. The original fractal networks are viewed as a fractal skeleton dressed with local shortcuts. An in-silico model with both the fractal scaling and the scale-invariance properties is also constructed. The framework of fractal networks is useful in understanding the utility and the redundancy in networked systems.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, final version published in PR

Optimal Control of SOAs With Artificial Intelligence for Sub-Nanosecond Optical Switching

Novel approaches to switching ultra-fast semiconductor optical amplifiers using artificial intelligence algorithms (particle swarm optimisation, ant colony optimisation, and a genetic algorithm) are developed and applied both in simulation and experiment. Effective off-on switching (settling) times of 542 ps are demonstrated with just 4.8% overshoot, achieving an order of magnitude improvement over previous attempts described in the literature and standard dampening techniques from control theory

Complete trails of co-authorship network evolution

The rise and fall of a research field is the cumulative outcome of its intrinsic scientific value and social coordination among scientists. The structure of the social component is quantifiable by the social network of researchers linked via co-authorship relations, which can be tracked through digital records. Here, we use such co-authorship data in theoretical physics and study their complete evolutionary trail since inception, with a particular emphasis on the early transient stages. We find that the co-authorship networks evolve through three common major processes in time: the nucleation of small isolated components, the formation of a tree-like giant component through cluster aggregation, and the entanglement of the network by large-scale loops. The giant component is constantly changing yet robust upon link degradations, forming the network's dynamic core. The observed patterns are successfully reproducible through a new network model

Traffic on complex networks: Towards understanding global statistical properties from microscopic density fluctuations

We study the microscopic time fluctuations of traffic load and the global statistical properties of a dense traffic of particles on scale-free cyclic graphs. For a wide range of driving rates R the traffic is stationary and the load time series exhibits antipersistence due to the regulatory role of the superstructure associated with two hub nodes in the network. We discuss how the superstructure affects the functioning of the network at high traffic density and at the jamming threshold. The degree of correlations systematically decreases with increasing traffic density and eventually disappears when approaching a jamming density Rc. Already before jamming we observe qualitative changes in the global network-load distributions and the particle queuing times. These changes are related to the occurrence of temporary crises in which the network-load increases dramatically, and then slowly falls back to a value characterizing free flow

Diversity, Distribution and Biological Activity of Soft Corals (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) in Singapore

The Southern Islands of Singapore are known to contain coral reefs which are high in biodiversity. However, the diversity of soft corals had received little attention to date. This study was conducted to determine the soft coral diversity in Singapore reefs as well as to conduct preliminary bioactivity tests on the organic extracts from these soft corals. A 100-meter line transect was used to survey soft corals at a 3m depth at ten different sample sites. Sclerites from samples were used to identify the soft corals to the generic level. This study uncovered the following genera of soft corals: Carijoa spp., Cladiella spp., Sinularia spp., Lobophytum spp., Sarcophyton spp., Stereonephthya spp., and Nephthea spp. In addition, an unidentified genus of soft coral was observed at Kusu Island. Cladiella spp. yielded the highest number of colonies, and Sarcophyton spp. had the highest coverage in terms of total colony diameter. The brine shrimp (Artemia salina) toxicity assay was carried out to screen for toxicity of the soft coral extracts at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 ppm. Results showed high levels of toxicity in extracts of Sarcophyton spp. and Cladiella spp., indicating that these soft corals are potentially good sources of bioactive compounds for drug discovery

A simple procedure for the production of large ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016. Epsilon cobalt (ε-Co) nanoparticles in a number of octahedral morphologies have been synthesised. The particles are polycrystalline, with sizes in the order of 30 nm. Magnetic studies reveal the particles are ferromagnetic, with a room temperature saturation magnetisation of 131 emu g -1 . Unlike other large cubic ε-Co syntheses, we have not added an additional co-surfactant. Instead, we have modified the heating regime and reaction agitation. This alternative method highlights the complex chemistry associated with the formation of cobalt nanoparticles by thermal decomposition