Cost-effective 3D-printed rotatable reflectors for two-dimensional beam steering.

In this paper, we have developed a 2D optical scanning module comprising cascaded 3D-printed one-axis rotating mirrors with large areas (30×30m m 2 for the X-direction scan and 60×25m m 2 for the Y-direction scan). Each mirror device contains a square or rectangular silicon substrate coated with aluminum, serving as the mirror. A 3D-printed structure, including the mirror frame (with four embedded mini permanent magnets on the backside), torsion springs, and base, is combined with the mirror; two electromagnets are situated under the mirror as the actuation mechanism. We apply DC voltage to the electromagnets to create magnetic force. The electromagnets can interact with the permanent magnets to make the mirror rotate. The X scan of the 2D scanning module can achieve a static optical scan angle of ∼11.8deg at the -X corners, and the corresponding Y-scan angle is ∼4.5deg, both with 12 VDC. Moreover, we have observed a fan-shaped distortion, a phenomenon not thoroughly studied previously for combining two single-axis scan mirrors. Therefore, we also perform a simulation to establish and demonstrate a correlation between the simulation prediction and experimental results. The 2D scanning module can be a low-cost alternative to the expensive conventional galvanometer scanners, and it can be used to upgrade a rangefinder to a simplified LiDAR.

Global, regional, and national burden and trends of migraine among women of childbearing age from 1990 to 2021: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

BACKGROUND: Migraine, a neurological disorder with a significant female predilection, is the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in women of childbearing age (WCBA). There is currently a lack of comprehensive literature analysis on the overall global burden and changing trends of migraines in WCBA. METHODS: This study extracted three main indicators, including prevalence, incidence, and DALYs, related to migraine in WCBA from the Global Burden of Disease(GBD) database from 1990 to 2021. Our study presented point estimates with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). It evaluated the changing trends in the burden of migraine in WCBA using the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and percentage change. RESULTS: In 2021, the global prevalence, incidence, and DALYs cases of migraine among WCBA were 493.94 million, 33.33 million, and 18.25 million, respectively, with percentage changes of 48%, 43%, and 47% compared to 1990. Over the past 32 years, global prevalence rates and DALYs rates globally have increased, with an EAPC of 0.03 (95% UI: 0.02 to 0.05) and 0.04 (95% UI: 0.03 to 0.05), while incidence rates have decreased with an EAPC of -0.07 (95% UI: -0.08 to -0.05). Among the 5 Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, in 2021, the middle SDI region recorded the highest cases of prevalence, incidence, and DALYs of migraine among WCBA, estimated at 157.1 million, 10.56 million, and 5.81 million, respectively, approximately one-third of the global total. In terms of age, in 2021, the global incidence cases for the age group 15-19 years were 5942.5 thousand, with an incidence rate per 100,000 population of 1957.02, the highest among all age groups. The total number of migraine cases and incidence rate among WCBA show an increasing trend with age, particularly in the 45-49 age group. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the burden of migraine among WCBA has significantly increased globally over the past 32 years, particularly within the middle SDI and the 45-49 age group. Research findings emphasize the importance of customized interventions aimed at addressing the issue of migraines in WCBA, thus contributing to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 3 set by the World Health Organization.

[Efficiency Characteristics and Evolution Patterns of Urban Carbon Metabolism of Production-Living-Ecological Space in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region].

This study explored the carbon metabolism efficiency of a production-living-ecological space system, which is of great significance for regional factor integration and spatial optimization. In this study, the material flow analysis method was introduced to establish a framework for evaluating the carbon metabolism efficiency of the production-living-ecological space system, and the super-efficiency DEA model and Malmquist index were used to empirically analyze the spatio-temporal distribution, dynamic change, and evolution patterns of the carbon metabolism efficiency of production-living-ecological space in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, China, from 2000 to 2020 on the basis of the urban metabolic perspective. The results showed that:① the carbon metabolism efficiency of the production-living-ecological space showed a fluctuating growth trend, indicating the significant spatial differentiation of carbon metabolism efficiency in each city. There was a low overall carbon metabolism efficiency level, with a distribution pattern of being high in the middle and low in the north and south. ② The Malmquist index showed that the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of carbon metabolism efficiency was greater than 1, and both the Technical Change (TC) and Pure Efficiency Change (PEC) were less than 1, in which the TFP showed an increasing trend, whereas there was no significant contribution of technological progress or pure technical efficiency to carbon metabolism efficiency. The total factor productivity of more than 50% of the cities showed an improving trend, only 38.46% of which made technological progress in improving carbon metabolism efficiency, and more than half of the urban pure technical efficiency showed a decreasing trend, in which the technical efficiency change and scale efficiency change were greater than 1 in most cities. ③ There were different types of carbon efficiency characteristics in each city, and according to the movement rules of the corresponding points in the quartile map, the evolution patterns of tourism industry efficiency were classified into stable, reciprocating, progressive, and abrupt. Therefore, local governments should adopt differentiated strategies to reasonably allocate spatial resources of production-living-ecological space and improve the technical level and scale efficiency, so as to improve the efficiency of urban carbon metabolism.

A comparative analysis of energy expenditure and substrate metabolism in male university students with overweight/obesity: Tabata vs HIIT and MICT.

Introduction: Exploring the energy expenditure and substrate metabolism data during exercise, 10-minute recovery, and 20-minute recovery phases in Tabata, HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training), and MICT(Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training). This study explores the scientific aspects of weight reduction strategies, examining energy expenditure and substrate metabolism from various training perspectives. The aim is to establish a theoretical foundation for tailoring targeted exercise plans for individuals within the population with overweight/obesity. Methods: This study used an experimental design with fifteen male university students with overweight/obesity. Participants underwent random testing with Tabata, HIIT, and MICT. Tabata involved eight sets of 20 seconds exercise and 10 seconds rest, totaling 4 minutes. HIIT included four sets of power cycling: 3 minutes at 80% VO2max intensity followed by 2 minutes at 20% VO2max. MICT comprised 30 minutes of exercise at 50% VO2max intensity. Gas metabolism indices were continuously measured. Subsequently, fat and glucose oxidation rates, along with energy expenditure, were calculated for each exercise type. Results: During both the exercise and recovery phases, the Tabata group exhibited a significantly higher fat oxidation rate of (0.27 ± 0.03 g/min) compared to the HIIT group (0.20 ± 0.04 g/min, p<0.05) and the MICT group (0.20 ± 0.03g/min, p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the HIIT and MICT groups (p=0.854). In terms of energy expenditure rate, the Tabata group maintained a substantially elevated level at 5.76 ± 0.74kcal/min compared to the HIIT group (4.81 ± 0.25kcal/min, p<0.01) and the MICT group (3.45 ± 0.25kcal/min, p<0.001). Additionally, the energy expenditure rate of the HIIT group surpassed that of the MICT group significantly (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study finds that male college students with overweight/obesity in both exercise and recovery, Tabata group has lower fat and glucose oxidation rates, and energy expenditure compared to HIIT and MICT groups. However, over the entire process, Tabata still exhibits significantly higher rates in these aspects than HIIT and MICT. Despite a shorter exercise duration, Tabata shows a noticeable "time-efficiency" advantage. Tabata can be used as an efficient short-term weight loss exercise program for male college students with overweight/obesity.

The burden of brain and central nervous system cancers in Asia from 1990 to 2019 and its predicted level in the next twenty-five years : Burden and prediction model of CNS cancers in Asia.

BACKGROUND: Primary brain and central nervous system cancer (collectively called CNS cancers) cause a significant burden to society. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the trends in the burden of CNS cancers from 1990 to 2019 and to predict the incidence and mortality rates and the corresponding numbers for the next 25 years to help countries to understand the trends in its incidence and mortality, and to make better adjustments or formulation of policies and allocation of resources thereby reducing the burden of the disease. METHODS: The 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study provided incidence rates, death rates, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) data in Asia from 1990 to 2019. To reflect the trends in the age-standardized incidence, mortality, and DALY rates, the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was determined. The Bayesian age-period cohort (BAPC) model was employed to predict the burden of CNS cancers in the next 25 years. RESULTS: The incidence, death, and DALY rates of CNS cancers all increased from 1990 to 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) for CNS cancers increased from 9.89/100,000 in 1990 to 12.14/100,000 in 2019, with an EAPC of 0.69 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65, 0.73). The ASDR and the age-standardized DALY rate both decreased, with EAPCs of - 0.08 and - 0.52, respectively. Before 2005, the age-standardized DALY rate in East Asia was much greater in females than in males, while in Central Asia, the age-standardized death and DALY rates in males both increased sharply after 2000. In contrast to 1990, the caseload increased for the 55-70 years age group. The number of deaths decreased sharply among individuals aged younger than 20 years, especially in East Asia, accounting for only 5.41% of all deaths. The age group with the highest mortality rate was > 60 years, especially in Japan. The ASIR will continue to increase in Asia from 2020 to 2044, and the ASDR will gradually diminish. The incidence and number of deaths from CNS cancers in Asia are expected to increase over the next 25 years, especially among females. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified an increasing trend in morbidity, mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with differences in age-standardized morbidity rates for different population groups. In addition, it is noteworthy that the burden of disease (as measured by disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs)) is higher among women in Central Asia compared with other regions. ASIR will continue to increase over the next 25 years, with the increase in female cases and mortality expected to be more pronounced. This may need to be further substantiated by additional research, on the basis of which health authorities and policymakers can better utilize limited resources and develop appropriate policies and preventive measures.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in urban road dust of Shanghai, China: concentrations, source apportionment and human exposure assessment.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminants that have been found in various environmental media. The objective of this study was to determine concentrations, spatial distribution, possible sources and potential health risk of SCCPs and MCCPs in urban road dust collected from Shanghai, China. The concentrations ranged from 9.74 to 11,400 ng g-1 for ΣSCCPs, 44.1 to 49,900 ng g-1 for ΣMCCPs and 53.9 to 61,400 ng g-1 for total CPs, respectively. MCCPs were the dominant component in all road dust, averagely accounting for 82.8% of total CPs. The concentrations of CPs in dust collected from traffic and commercial areas were significantly higher than those from campus, industrial, park and residential areas (p < 0.01), which could be attributed to tire wear in heavy traffic. All dust samples were divided into two groups by hierarchical cluster analysis for both SCCPs and MCCPs, and the most abundant homologue groups in most samples were C10Cl7-10 and C13Cl7-9 for SCCPs, and C14Cl7-9 and C15Cl8-9 for MCCPs. Correlation analysis showed that all carbon homologues in road dusts were highly correlated each other, suggesting SCCPs and MCCPs in dust maybe came from similar sources. Three sources for CPs in dust samples were apportioned by the PMF model; their relative contributions to the total CPs burden in dust were 25.6% for factor 1 (commercial CP mixture), 13.7% for factor 2 (long-distance transport) and 60.7% for factor 3 (commercial CP mixture). The median estimated daily intakes of total CPs via road dust were 1.78 × 10-5 for children and 3.0 × 10-6 mg kg-1 day-1 for adults, respectively. Quantitative risk assessment using non-cancer hazard index and total margin of exposure of total CPs indicated that total CPs at the present level in road dust pose no significant risk for both children and adults in Shanghai.

Low-cost and simple fabrication of hierarchical Al nanopit arrays for deep ultraviolet refractive index sensing.

Herein, we proposed a simple non-lithographic way to fabricate hierarchical Al nanopit arrays performed as deep ultraviolet (DUV, 200-300 nm) refractive index sensing. Only by adjusting the Al deposition thickness on the Al nanopit array, the hierarchical Al nanopit arrays with tunable plasmonic properties in the DUV region were obtained. The prepared hierarchical Al nanopit arrays are of very good time stability and its RI sensitivity and concentration detection limit of adenine ethanol solution reach 311 nm/RIU and5×10-6M,respectively, as the Al deposition thickness is 60 nm. Furthermore, the electric field distribution simulation results show that high RI sensing characteristic are mainly attributed to the local surface plasmon resonance. This investigation provides a facile way to develop low cost, high efficient and easily fabricated Al-based RI sensor in the DUV region.

The fern economics spectrum is unaffected by the environment.

The plant economics spectrum describes the trade-off between plant resource acquisition and storage, and sheds light on plant responses to environmental changes. However, the data used to construct the plant economics spectrum comes mainly from seed plants, thereby neglecting vascular non-seed plant lineages such as the ferns. To address this omission, we evaluated whether a fern economics spectrum exists using leaf and root traits of 23 fern species living under three subtropical forest conditions differing in light intensity and nutrient gradients. The fern leaf and root traits were found to be highly correlated and formed a plant economics spectrum. Specific leaf mass and root tissue density were found to be on one side of the spectrum (conservative strategy), whereas photosynthesis rate, specific root area, and specific root length were on the other side of the spectrum (acquisitive strategy). Ferns had higher photosynthesis and respiration rates, and photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency under high light conditions and higher specific root area and lower root tissue density in high nutrient environments. However, environmental changes did not significantly affect their resource acquisition strategies. Thus, the plant economics spectrum can be broadened to include ferns, which expands its phylogenetic and ecological implications and utility.

Occurrence, source apportionment, and carcinogenic risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban road dusts in Shanghai.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as a class of important environmental pollutants, have received considerable concern due to their widespread existence and biological toxicity. The main purpose of this study was to determine concentrations, spatial distribution, possible sources, and potential health risk of PAHs in urban road dust in Shanghai, China. The concentration of Σ26PAHs ranged from 53.0 to 28,700 ng g-1 in road dust samples from Shanghai, which is at the low to medium level compared with other areas around the world. PAHs with 4-5 rings were predominant components in road dust. The level of PAHs in road dust was significantly higher than those in soil and river sediment in Shanghai. Six possible sources of PAHs were apportioned by PMF model. The contribution of pyrogenic PAHs accounted for 91.3% of the total PAHs in road dusts. The motor vehicular emission, natural gas, and coal combustion were main sources for urban road dust PAHs from Shanghai. Four dibenzopyrene (DBP) isomers were contributed averagely 75% of total TEQBaP concentration. DBalP, BaP, DBaiP, BbF, and DBA were main contributors to total carcinogenic potency, which totally contributed from 69.6 to 91.8% (median 89.1%) to total TEQBaP in urban road dusts of Shanghai. The results of incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk (ILCR) assessment showed that the total risk values exposed to 24 PAHs in road dust were lower than 10-4 at all sampling sites, indicating that exposure to dust-bound PAHs at present level was unlikely to result in high carcinogenic risk for both children and adults in Shanghai.

Energy consumption, environmental pollution, and technological innovation efficiency: taking industrial enterprises in China as empirical analysis object.

Facing increasingly serious environmental problems, technological innovation has become the key for industrial enterprises to coordinate energy conservation and emission reduction constraints and achieve steady growth of the industrial economy. Considering the impact of energy consumption and environmental pollution on the technological innovation efficiency of industrial enterprises, this paper incorporates industrial energy consumption, pollution control, and wastewater and exhaust emissions into the technical inefficiency equation. Based on the panel data of industrial enterprises in 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China from 2009 to 2016, the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model is used to study the effect of energy consumption and environmental pollution on technological innovation efficiency of industrial enterprises. The research results show that reducing energy consumption and increasing pollution treatment investment both have a significant driving effect on the improvement of industrial enterprises' technological innovation efficiency. Industrial wastewater and exhaust emissions have the opposite effect; unreasonable input mode of pollution control and personnel allocation have hindered the improvement of industrial enterprises' technological innovation efficiency. The average annual trend of technological innovation efficiency in industrial enterprises shows a curve of first rising, then falling, and rising again. The average values of Chongqing, Zhejiang, and Hunan rank in the top three, and the average values of Qinghai, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia rank the bottom three. The average values of other provinces are higher than 0.9, and the difference is small. A suitable incentive mechanism should be established for industrial enterprises to save energy and reduce emissions and strengthen pollution control, improve the training program for environmental protection technical personnel, and provide important support for improving the green competitiveness of industrial enterprises.

Highly sensitive and rapid isolation of fetal nucleated red blood cells with microbead-based selective sedimentation for non-invasive prenatal diagnostics.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) has been an emerging field for prenatal diagnosis research. Carrying the whole genome coding of the fetus, fetal nucleated red blood cells (FNRBCs) have been pursued as a surrogate biomarker traveling around in maternal blood. Here, by combining a unique microbead-based centrifugal separation and enzymatic release, we demonstrated a novel method for FNRBC isolation from the blood samples. First, the gelatin-coated silica microbeads were modified with FNRBC-specific antibody (anti-CD147) to capture the target cells in the blood samples. Then, the density difference between microbead-bound FNRBCs and normal blood cells enables the purification of FNRBCs via an improved high-density percoll-based separation. The non-invasive release of FNRBCs can then be achieved by enzymatically degrading the gelatin film on the surface of the microbeads, allowing a gentle release of the captured target cells with as high as 84% efficiency and ∼80% purity. We further applied it to isolate fetal cells from maternal peripheral blood. The released cells were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction to verify their fetal origin and fluorescent in situ hybridization to detect fetal chromosome disorders. This straightforward and reliable alternative platform for FNRBC detection may have the potential for realizing facile NIPD.

Handwritten Chinese/Japanese text recognition using semi-Markov conditional random fields.

This paper proposes a method for handwritten Chinese/Japanese text (character string) recognition based on semi-Markov conditional random fields (semi-CRFs). The high-order semi-CRF model is defined on a lattice containing all possible segmentation-recognition hypotheses of a string to elegantly fuse the scores of candidate character recognition and the compatibilities of geometric and linguistic contexts by representing them in the feature functions. Based on given models of character recognition and compatibilities, the fusion parameters are optimized by minimizing the negative log-likelihood loss with a margin term on a training string sample set. A forward-backward lattice pruning algorithm is proposed to reduce the computation in training when trigram language models are used, and beam search techniques are investigated to accelerate the decoding speed. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method on unconstrained online handwritten text lines of three databases. On the test sets of databases CASIA-OLHWDB (Chinese) and TUAT Kondate (Japanese), the character level correct rates are 95.20 and 95.44 percent, and the accurate rates are 94.54 and 94.55 percent, respectively. On the test set (online handwritten texts) of ICDAR 2011 Chinese handwriting recognition competition, the proposed method outperforms the best system in competition.

Assessment of right ventricular function for patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis by 64-slice multi-detector row computed tomography: comparison with magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction ensues due to rheumatic mitral stenosis (RMS). The evaluation of RV function is clinically important for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for patients with different degrees of RMS. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the 64-slice multi-detector row computed tomography (64-slice MDCT) can assess the RV function in RMS with high accuracy and reproducibility when compared to MR imaging (MRI). METHODS: Right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (RV-EDV and RV-ESV), stroke volume (RV-SV), ejection fraction (RV-EF), cardiac output (RV-CO), and wall mass (RV-Mass) were measured with dedicated cardiac analysis software on 64-slice MDCT and compared with values measured with MRI in 43 consecutive patients with RMS. Agreement between MRI and 64-MDCT results were compared with Bland and Altman analysis and linear regression analysis. Repeated measurements were performed to determine intraobserver and interobserver variability. RESULTS: No significant differences were revealed in calculated RV function parameters between the two methods. RV-EDV, RV-ESV, RV-SV, RV-EF, RV-CO, and RV-Mass by 64-slice MDCT were similar to those by MRI (P > 0.05). There were good correlations (r = 0.98, 0.97, 0.96, 0.96, 0.95 and 0.77, respectively) and close agreement (bias = -0.2 ml, -1.0 ml, 0.8 ml, 0.5%, 26.1 ml, and 0.5 g, respectively, P > 0.05). The variability in 64-slice MDCT measurements was similar to that in MRI values. CONCLUSION: ECG-gated 64-slice MDCT could assess the RV function in RMS with high accuracy and reproducibility when compared to MRI.

[Bidirectional effect of MnSOD overexpression on the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a recombinant lentiviral vector for manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene expression, and observe its effect on the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells in vitro. METHODS: Chemical methods were employed for synthesis of the MnSOD cDNA sequence sections, along with the attB sites. Target gene fragment was constructed on the pMD-18T vector, and the recombinant plasmid pDONR221 was obtained after BP recombination reaction. Sequencing was followed by LR recombination reaction between the plasmid and DEST to obtain the lentiviral vector, which worked with helper plasmid for co-transfection of human embryonic kidney epithelial cells (293T cells). Amplification was done to determine its titer, and both transfection and selection procedures were made to get two stable transfected esophageal cancer TE-1 cell lines with medium MnSOD expression (TE-1Mm cells) and high MnSOD expression (TE-1Mh cell), and empty vector cell (TE-1Mn cells). Reverse transcription polymerase chine reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence, immunocytochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the target gene with respect to its expression in the TE-1 cells. Additionally, colorimetric 3-[4,5-dimethy thiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, agar colony formation assay, annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry experiments were also conducted as to observe the influence of the medium and high MnSOD overexpressions on the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells. RESULTS: RT-PCR indicated that the transfected TE-1 cells showed positive MnSOD expression at different levels. Immunofluorescence, immunocytochemistry and Western blot suggested that TE-1Mm cells and TE-1Mh cells had MnSOD protein expression at different levels. MTT assay indicated that TE-1Mm cells had a significantly decreased survival rate compared with that of the two control cells (TE-1 cells and TE-1Mn cells), and TE-1 Mh cells had an significantly increased survival rate (P<0.05). The colony formation ability of TE-1Mm cells was (23.0 +/- 2.7)%, and that of TE-1Mh cells was (45.3 +/- 4.5)%, significantly different form the (34.7 +/- 4.2)% in TE-1 cells and (33.7 +/- 4.7)% in TE-1Mn cells (P<0.05). Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining experiment of the stably transfected cells cultured for 48 h showed that the early apoptosis rate in TE-1Mm cells was (10.6 +/- 1.0)%, significantly higher than (2.6 +/- 0.2)% in the TE-1 cells, (2.5 +/- 0.6)% in the empty vector cells and (1.0 +/- 0.1)% in the TE-1Mh cels (P<0.05). The fluorescence index (FI) of mitochondrial apoptosis of TE-1Mm cells was 0.948 +/- 0.019, significantly lower than that of TE-1 cell (1.000 +/- 0.022) and empty vector The fluorescence index of TE-1Mn cells (0.997 +/- 0.023) and TE-1 cells (1.000 +/- 0.022) were significant different from that of 0.948 +/- 0.019 in TE-1Mm cells and 1.076 +/- 0.022 in TE-1Mh cells, indicating a significant difference of mitochondrial apoptosis between the cell groups. FCM results indicated that the ROS fluorescence index of TE-1Mm cells was 0.859 +/- 0.040, that of TE-1Mh cells was 0.763 +/- 0.039, significantly lower than that of TE-1 cells (1.000 +/- 0. 042) and empty vector cells (1.002 +/- 0.047) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Stably transfected cell lines with MnSOD expression have been successfully established. MnSOD overexpression shows bidirectional effect on the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells.

Prevalence and predictors of parental grief and depression after the death of a child from cancer.

PURPOSE: To investigate patterns of grief and depression in a sample of parents whose child had died of cancer, and to examine factors related to burden of illness and end-of-life care as potential predictors of parental grief and depression outcomes. METHODS: Fifty-eight parents completed standardized self-report questionnaires measuring prolonged grief disorder (Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised [ICG-R]) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition [BDI-II]) and participated in structured interviews designed to elicit their perceptions of their child's end-of-life care and burden of illness. The majority of participants were mothers (84%) and the mean length of time since child death was 4.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.4) years (range, 1.0-9.8 years). RESULTS: Rates of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) were similar to those reported in other bereaved populations (10.3%); however, 41% of parents met diagnostic criteria for grief-related separation distress. Twenty-two percent of parents reported clinically significant depressive symptoms. Time since death and parental perception of the oncologist's care predicted parental grief symptoms but not depressive symptoms. Perceptions of the child's quality of life during the last month, preparedness for the child's death, and economic hardship also predicted grief and depression outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: A minority of parents met criteria for PGD and depression, however, almost half the sample was experiencing significant separation distress associated with persistent longing and yearning for their child. Time since death is a significant predictor of parental psychological distress. This study also highlights the importance of end-of-life factors in parents' long-term adjustment and the need for optimal palliative care to ensure the best possible outcomes for parents.

Proposal of managerial standards for new product portfolio management in Brazilian pharmaceutical companies / Proposta de normas gerenciais para a gestão de portfólio de novos produtos em empresas brasileiras de produtos farmacêuticos

New Product Portfolio Management is aimed at helping decision-makers better select projects for new products based on key criteria for the manufacturer. The Brazilian pharmaceutical industry has been undergoing change due to stricter sanitary requirements following the enactment of the Generic Law in 1999. This paper presents the results of a research study aimed at clarifying the rationale employed by national pharmaceutical companies in selecting and prioritizing their new product development projects. Consequently, proposals for an analytical structure that could help these companies better select their products were produced. The research was carried out using case study methodology in which four different companies were investigated. The results of the field study confirmed that these companies had a non-structured Product Development System and that the selection of new product development projects was made on a non-systematic basis. The research also identified key criteria for the selection of projects of new pharmaceutical products, which provided the basis for the preparation of a proposal for a managerial standard for application of New Product Portfolio Management.

A gestão de portfólio de projetos de novos produtos visa a auxiliar os tomadores de decisão a selecionar projetos de novos produtos considerando critérios importantes para a organização. A indústria farmacêutica brasileira tem passado por transformações devido ao aumento das exigências sanitárias após a Lei de Genéricos, de 1999. O objetivo deste trabalho foi entender como as indústrias farmacêuticas brasileiras selecionam seus projetos de desenvolvimento de novos produtos e propor uma estrutura que possa auxiliar estas empresas a selecionar seus projetos de produtos. Foi utilizada a metodologia de estudo de caso e uma mostra de quatro organizações foi investigada. Os resultados indicam que essas empresas apresentam um desenvolvimento de produtos não estruturado e que a seleção de projetos de novos produtos é realizada de forma não-sistemática. Critérios importantes para a seleção de projetos de novos produtos foram identificados e utilizados para elaboração de um padrão gerencial para aplicação da gestão de portfólio de projetos de novos produtos.

Sampling strategies for occupational exposure assessment under generalized linear model.

OBJECTIVES: Occupational exposure assessment is a major task in industrial hygiene studies. Although statistical analyses for magnitudes and variations of exposures to various types of working populations based on existing data sets are extensive, relatively few discussions on study designs appear in the literature, especially for sample size determination and number of repeated measurements. METHODS: In this paper, we propose a general framework of sampling strategies on sample size requirement together with the number of repeated measurements using the mixed-effects generalized linear model (GLM). As illustrative examples, we discuss sampling strategies separately under the log-normal assumption for hypotheses testing on (i) mean exposure differences of multiple worker groups and (ii) presence of a long-term exposure trend. RESULTS: Given a specified alternative hypothesis, the desired significance level and statistical power, the number of repeated measurements, within-worker and between-worker variances, and a correlation structure, we have derived and tabulated an explicit sample size requirement of the two hypothetical cases under log-normal distribution assumption. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the tabulated outcomes, the sample size requirement is much more dominant than the number of repeated measurements for a group exposure comparison. Thus, in this case, recruiting more workers with fewer repeated measurements may be more economical than the opposite approach. For testing the presence of a long-term exposure trend, the sample size required decreases substantially with the number of repeated measurements. Also, equally spaced sampling times would be optimal because the effect of between-worker variance is algebraically cancelled out in sample size calculations.

Rapid preparation of total nucleic acids from E. coli for multi-purpose applications.

Separate protocols are commonly used to prepare plasmid DNA, chromosomal DNA, or total RNA from E. coli cells. Various methods for the rapid preparation of plasmid DNA have been developed previously, but the preparation of the chromosomal DNA and total RNA are usually laborious. We report here a simple, fast, reliable, and cost-effective method to extract total nucleic acids from E. coli by direct lysis of the cells with phenol. Five distinct and sharp bands, which correspond to chromosomal DNA, plasmid DNA, 23S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and a mixture of small RNA, were observed when analyzing the prepared total nucleic acids on a regular 1-2% agarose gel. The simple and high-quality preparation of the total nucleic acids in a single tube allowed us to rapidly screen the recombinant plasmid, as well as to simultaneously monitor the change of the plasmid copy number and rRNA levels during the growth of E. coli in the liquid medium.

Online recognition of Chinese characters: the state-of-the-art.

Online handwriting recognition is gaining renewed interest owing to the increase of pen computing applications and new pen input devices. The recognition of Chinese characters is different from western handwriting recognition and poses a special challenge. To provide an overview of the technical status and inspire future research, this paper reviews the advances in online Chinese character recognition (OLCCR), with emphasis on the research works from the 1990s. Compared to the research in the 1980s, the research efforts in the 1990s aimed to further relax the constraints of handwriting, namely, the adherence to standard stroke orders and stroke numbers and the restriction of recognition to isolated characters only. The target of recognition has shifted from regular script to fluent script in order to better meet the requirements of practical applications. The research works are reviewed in terms of pattern representation, character classification, learning/adaptation, and contextual processing. We compare important results and discuss possible directions of future research.