Extensive numerical simulations on competitive growth between the Edwards–Wilkinson and Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality classes

Extensive numerical simulations and scaling analysis are performed to investigate competitive growth between the linear and nonlinear stochastic dynamic growth systems, which belong to the Edwards–Wilkinson(EW) and Kardar–Parisi–Zhang(KPZ) universality classes, respectively. The linear growth systems include the EW equation and the model of random deposition with surface relaxation(RDSR), the nonlinear growth systems involve the KPZ equation and typical discrete models including ballistic deposition(BD), etching, and restricted solid on solid(RSOS). The scaling exponents are obtained in both the(1 + 1)-and(2 + 1)-dimensional competitive growth with the nonlinear growth probability p and the linear proportion 1-p. Our results show that, when p changes from 0 to 1, there exist non-trivial crossover effects from EW to KPZ universality classes based on different competitive growth rules. Furthermore, the growth rate and the porosity are also estimated within various linear and nonlinear growths of cooperation and competition.

From the Subjectivity of Human Rights to the Universality of Human Rights——A Preliminary Interpretation of the Theory on the Subjectivity of Human Rights

Universality is one of the essential characteristics of human rights, but there is a substantive difference between idealism and realism in understanding the concept of universality of human rights. The concepts of radical universality and strong universality based on the concept of natural human rights are too idealistic and thus have a high risk of being alienated into a tool of international re-pression in practice. On the contrary, the theory on the subjectivity of human rights can effectively defuse this risk brought about by radical universality and strong universality. Advocating a transition from the universality of human rights to the subjectivity of human rights not only keeps in line with the actual construction process of international human rights, but can also effectively interpret the practical difficul-ties in the realization process of international human rights. Therefore, it can be used as another alternative theory on human rights beyond the theory of natural human rights.

从同文馆到北京大学:近代中国“Peking University”概念考论

从晚清到民国,“Peking University”的指称对象先后包括京师同文馆、汇文书院、京师大学堂、私立燕京大学和国立北京大学五所驻京高等教育机构,其中既有国立最高学府,也有私立教会学校。虽然部分属于非正式名称,但仍具有广泛社会影响。语言概念的重叠带来话语表达中的歧义,同时也投射出多元复杂的历史图景。依据档案、报刊、辞书、回忆录等材料,返回历史现场,梳理近代中国“Peking University”概念的生成和流变,从中考察新式教育的引入、中西观念的互动及文化空间的形成,有助于探求译名背后的知识建构、教育转型与社会变迁。

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope Project

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope(JUST)is a 4.4-meter f/6.0 segmented-mirror telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations.The JUST primary mirror is composed of 18 hexagonal segments,each with a diameter of 1.1 m.JUST provides two Nasmyth platforms for placing science instruments.One Nasmyth focus fits a field of view of 10′and the other has an extended field of view of 1.2°with correction optics.A tertiary mirror is used to switch between the two Nasmyth foci.JUST will be installed at a site at Lenghu in Qinghai Province,China,and will conduct spectroscopic observations with three types of instruments to explore the dark universe,trace the dynamic universe,and search for exoplanets:(1)a multi-fiber(2000 fibers)medium-resolution spectrometer(R=4000-5000)to spectroscopically map galaxies and large-scale structure;(2)an integral field unit(IFU)array of 500 optical fibers and/or a long-slit spectrograph dedicated to fast follow-ups of transient sources for multi-messenger astronomy;(3)a high-resolution spectrometer(R~100000)designed to identify Jupiter analogs and Earth-like planets,with the capability to characterize the atmospheres of hot exoplanets.

The “Dead Universe” Theory: Natural Separation of Galaxies Driven by the Remnants of a Supermassive Dead Universe

This article explores the dead universe theory as a novel interpretation for the origin and evolution of the universe, suggesting that our cosmos may have originated from the remnants of a preceding universe. This perspective challenges the conventional Big Bang theory, particularly concerning dark matter, the expansion of the universe, and the interpretation of phenomena such as gravitational waves.

Investigation of the Acceptability of Cultured Meat in University Students

Background: Over the past 20 years, cultured meat has drawn a lot of public attention as a potential solution to issues with animal husbandry, including inadequate use of natural sources, improper animal welfare practices, and possible risks to public health and safety. The novel method of producing meat through culture reduces the need for animals to produce muscle fiber, thereby obviating the necessity for animal slaughter. Apart from its ethical advantages, cultured meat presents a possible way to fulfill the expanding need for food among growing populations. The purpose of this research was to find out whether Turkish students would be willing to pay for and accept cultured meat. Technique: Method: 371 university students who willingly consented to fill out a questionnaire and provide demographic data make up the research sample. Questions from previous studies on the acceptability of cultured meat were compiled to create the survey. The research’s data collection took place in March and April of 2022. The research was completed in June 2022 after the data had been processed and analyzed. Results: The results showed that the majority of participants were female and had omnivorous eating habits. Based on the results of the Bonferroni correction test, students with a higher intention to purchase and consume cultured meat were those who received economics and business education. Students with two years of university education had a higher overall survey score than those with four years of education (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it is discovered that there is a negative correlation between the participants’ ages and their Factor 2 (using cultured meat as an alternative to industrial meat) and Factor 3 (consuming and purchasing it) section points (r = -109, p = 0.036) (r = -0.121, p = 0.019). In conclusion, university students generally have a negative outlook on health-related issues, such as eating cultured meat as an alternative.

Floquet spectrum and universal dynamics of a periodically driven two-atom system

We investigate the Floquet spectrum and excitation properties of a two-ultracold-atom system with periodically driven interaction in a three-dimensional harmonic trap.The interaction between the atoms is changed by varying the s-wave scattering length in two ways,the cosine and the square-wave modulations.It is found that as the driving frequency increases,the Floquet spectrum exhibits two main features for both modulations,the accumulating and the spreading of the quasienergy levels,which further lead to different dynamical behaviors.The accumulation is associated with collective excitations and the persistent growth of the energy,while the spread indicates that the energy is bounded at all times.The initial scattering length,the driving frequency and amplitude can all significantly change the Floquet spectrum as well as the dynamics.However,the corresponding relation between them is valid universally.Finally,we propose a mechanism for selectively exciting the system to one specific state by using the avoided crossing of two quasienergy levels,which could guide preparation of a desired state in experiments.

Therapeutic Compliance of Hypertensive Patients Followed in Ambulatory in the Cardiology Department of Kati University Hospital

Introduction: High blood pressure is a major public health problem worldwide due to its frequency and cardiovascular complications. Adherence to treatment for chronic diseases is a global problem. The aim was to study therapeutic adherence in hypertensive patients followed in ambulatory. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study with prospective recruitment that took place from July 1 to December 31, 2022 (6 months) in the cardiology department of the university hospital of Kati. The variables studied were sociodemographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, the possession of insurance and compliance (the Girerd questionnaire was used to assess adherence). Results: A total of 1182 patients were consulted, including 887 for hypertension, a frequency of 75%. Fifty-six patients were included in the study. The average age was 58.18 ± 13.25 years with extremes of 30 and 80 years. There was a female predominance (75%) with a sex ratio of 0.3. The majority of patients lived in urban areas (89.3%). Out-of-school patients accounted for 44.6%, more than half of patients or 55.4% had no income, patients with medical coverage accounted for 67.9% of cases. The main risk factors were physical inactivity (25%) followed by smoking 14.3%. More than 71% of patients had a compliance problem and the main reasons were forgetting to take the drug with 73.2%, followed by delayed treatment of 50% and drug discontinuation of 28.6%. Conclusion: Compliance is a real challenge and a major public health issue. This study allowed us to find a real problem of compliance in our hypertensive patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between drug adherence and forgetting to take the drug and drug discontinuation.

Comparison of vergence mechanisms between university students with good and poor sleep quality

AIM:To compare the vergence mechanisms between good and poor sleepers in university students.METHODS:A total of 64 university students were recruited in this study.The validated Malay version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire(PSQI-M)was used to measure the participants’sleep quality over the past month.Participants were categorized as good sleepers(n=32)and poor sleepers(n=32)based on the PSQI-M scores.Heterophoria and fusional vergences were measured at distance and near.Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare heterophoria,negative fusional vergence(NFV),and positive fusional vergence(PFV)at distance and near between good and poor sleepers.Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the relationship between PSQI-M score and PFV at distance.RESULTS:Both distance and near heterophorias were not significantly different between good and poor sleepers(P>0.05).There was a difference in distance PFV(P<0.05)between good and poor sleepers,but not in distance NFV,near NFV,and near PFV(P>0.05).Distance PFV was negatively correlated with PSQI-M score(rs=-0.33,P<0.05).CONCLUSION:University students with poor sleep quality demonstrates a reduced ability to maintain fusion with increasing convergence demand at distance.Sleep quality assessment during binocular vision examination in university students is recommended.

Solving the Olbers’s Paradox, Explaining the “Red-Shift”, and Challenging the Relativities by “Sun Matters Theory” and “Sun Model of Universe”, an Evolution of the Einstein’s Static Universe Model

Olbers’s paradox, known as the dark night paradox, is an argument in astrophysics that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the assumption of an infinite and eternal static universe. Big-Bang theory was used to partially explain this paradox, while introducing new problems. Hereby, we propose a better theory, named Sun Matters Theory, to explain this paradox. Moreover, this unique theory supports and extended the Einstein’s static universe model proposed by Albert Einstein in 1917. Further, we proposed our new universe model, “Sun Model of Universe”. Based on the new model and novel theory, we generated innovative field equation by upgrading Einstein’s Field Equation through adding back the cosmological constant, introducing a new variable and modifying the gravitationally-related concepts. According to the Sun Model of Universe, the dark matter and dark energy comprise the so-called “Sun Matters”. The observed phenomenon like the red shift is explained as due to the interaction of ordinary light with Sun Matters leading to its energy and frequency decrease. In Sun Model, our big universe consists of many universes with ordinary matter at the core mixed and surrounded with the Sun Matters. In those universes, the laws of physics may be completely or partially different from that of our ordinary universe with parallel civilizations. The darkness of night can be easily explained as resulting from the interaction of light with the Sun Matters leading to the sharp decrease in the light intensity. Sun Matters also scatter the light from a star, which makes it shining as observed by Hubble. Further, there is a kind of Sun Matters named “Sun Waters”, surrounding every starts. When lights pass by the sun, the Sun Waters deflect the lights to bend the light path. According to the Sun Model, it is the light bent not the space bent that was proposed in the theory of relativities.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Acute Coronary Syndromes at the Mother-Child University Hospital Luxembourg in Bamako

Introduction: Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are a diagnostic and therapeutic emergency. Objective: Studying the feasibility, difficulties and results of coronary angioplasty in acute coronary syndromes at the Luxembourg Mother-Child University Hospital in Bamako. Patients and Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study with prospective recruitment over 18 months from September 2020 to February 2022. All patients aged at least 18 years old admitted for SCA and having undergone PCI during the study period were included. Result: We collected 249 patients for SCA, of whom 160 underwent angioplasty, either an angioplasty/SCA ratio of 0.64. The average age of the patients was 59.54 ± 11.62 with extremes of 32 and 92 years. The age group of 45 to 65 years was the most representative. The predominance was male, sex ratio of 2.4. The main cardiovascular risk factors were high blood pressure (58.23%) and diabetes (45.78%). Persistent ST-segment elevation on the electrocardiogram was present in 71.48%. The treatment time was more than 12 hours after the first medical contact in 95.5%. The approach was radial in 96.5% of cases. Coronarography was pathological in 91.16% of our patients. The lesions were tri-truncular in 34.13% with the anterior inter ventricular as culprit artery in 72% of cases. The majority of patients (64%) had undergone angioplasty with implantation of an active stent. Angioplasty was performed successfully in 98% and per procedural mortality was 1.87%. Only 6.45% of ACS with ST elevation benefited from primary angioplasty. Conclusion: Percutaneous coronary intervention is performed routinely in our center with satisfactory results. Difficulties exist, related to the diagnostic delay of ACS and the high cost of angioplasty.

Knowledge of Risk Factors for Hypertension among University Students in Northwestern Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Obesity, excessive alcohol use, cigarette smoking, a lack of physical activity, stress, and an unhealthy diet are modifiable risk factors linked to hypertension. Non-modifiable risk factors for hypertension include older age and a family history of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to assess university students’ knowledge of hypertension risk factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at St. Augustine University of Tanzania. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Out of a total score of eight, a score of four or more was considered good knowledge, and a score of less than four was considered poor. All sociodemographic characteristics were included in logistic regression to calculate the adjusted odds ratio. Results: A total of 390 undergraduate students participated in this study. Most of the participants 266 (68.2%) identified stress as a risk factor for hypertension. The median (IQR) knowledge score was 2 (2 - 3). Overall, only 43 (11.0%) of the participants had good knowledge of risk factors for hypertension. However, none of the sociodemographic factors were associated with a good level of knowledge of risk factors for hypertension. Conclusion: Our findings highlight poor knowledge of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for hypertension among university students in northwestern Tanzania. Only stress and older age were known by more than half of the students as risk factors for hypertension. To reduce the burden of hypertension, it is crucial for prevention and control programs to target improving university students’ knowledge of risk factors for hypertension.

Epidemiological, Clinical, Therapeutic, and Evolutionary Aspects of Chronic End-Stage Renal Failure in the Nephrology Department of the University Hospital of Brazzaville in 2023

Objective: Chronic end-stage renal failure is a major public health problem in developing countries and is poorly documented. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic, and evolutionary aspects of patients admitted for end-stage renal failure to the Department of Nephrology at the University Hospital of Brazzaville. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study collecting prospective data that took place over 10 months. We included 128 patients who were exhaustively identified. Sociodemographic, clinical, therapeutic and developmental data were collected using a standardized and pretested pre-established survey form. The EPI info software enabled the analysis and processing of the data. Results: We reported a male predominance with a sex ratio of 2.5. The median age was 50 years. The first cause found was diabetes (55%) followed by hypertension (46%). The majority of patients had a dialysis emergency and half could not be dialyzed for financial reasons. Conclusion: Our results highlighted that certain epidemiological parameters of end-stage renal failure are constantly changing, such as frequency, while others remain static, including the main etiologies, gender, and age. However, mortality continues to increase and deserves more attention.

Evaluating the Impact of the Universal Test and Treat Strategy on the Survival of Patients in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Introduction: The main outcome of efficiently implemented universal test and treat (UTT) program is improved survival. UTT implementation has been ongoing in Cameroon since 2016 but evaluation data are scarce. This study aims to assess the survival of antiretroviral therapy (ART) patients initiated under UTT in Northwest region of Cameroon. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included HIV-positive patients initiated in 2016 at 27 purposefully selected sites and followed until 2021. Data was anonymously abstracted from ART registers and patients’ charts. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and Cox model were used to compare the survival of patients initiated under UTT with those initiated otherwise, using stata version 14.0. Results: In total, 2490 HIV-positive patients (median age 42.7 years, 94.7% adults, and 69.0% female) participated in the study. Of 1389 patients with viral load (VL) test results, 55% were initiated on ART late. The VL suppression rate of patients initiated late and those initiated early were similar. During follow-up, 1020 (40.9%) participants censored. The survival curves of patients initiated early on ART and those initiated late were similar during the first 2.5 years of follow-up but significantly (p Conclusions: This study confirms the expected impact of UTT. Programs only need to close existing implementation gaps along the critical pathways (diagnosis and treatment) of UTT, focusing more on males.

Dark Matter and Dark Energy from Lattice Model of Universe

The article considers a conceptual universe model as a periodic lattice (network) with nodes defined by the wave function in a background-independent Hamiltonian based on their relations and interactions. This model gives rise to energy bands, similar to those in semiconductor solid-state models. In this context, valence band holes are described as dark matter particles with a heavy effective mass. The conducting band, with a spontaneously symmetry-breaking energy profile, contains particles with several times lighter effective mass, which can represent luminous matter. Some possible analogies with solid-state physics, such as the comparison between dark and luminous matter, are discussed. Additionally, tiny dark energy, as intrinsic lattice Casimir energy, is calculated for a lattice with a large number of lattice nodes.

Epidemiology of Maternal Deaths from 2017 to 2022 in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the University Hospital of Tengandogo, Burkina Faso

Background: Although maternal mortality is declining in most countries, it remains a significant public health problem worldwide, with high rates, particularly in developing and insecure countries like ours. Objective: To study the epidemiological factors and factors associated with the occurrence of maternal death in the Gynecology-Obstetrics Department of University Hospital of Tengandogo. Method: It was a retrospective case-control study with a descriptive and analytical purpose over a period of 6 years from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2022. Cases were women with maternal deaths during the study period. Data processing and analysis were performed using Stata version 13 software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with Stata version 13 software, and logistic regression modeling was used to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR), their 95% confidence intervals (CI), and the threshold for statistical significance was set at a p value < 0.05. Results: A total of 372 patients were included in the study, including 146 cases of maternal death. The in-hospital maternal mortality rate was 1933 deaths per 100,000 live births. The average age was 28.5 years. 58.9% of patients lived in rural areas. Married patients accounted for 88.7% of cases. The average parity was 3. Direct obstetrical causes were the main causes of death, accounting for 72.6%. They were dominated by post-partum hemorrhage (24.2%), puerperal infection (18.6%), pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (16.1%) and retroplacental hematoma (8.9%). Chronic anemia (12.9%) was the main indirect obstetric cause. Risk factors associated with maternal death were primiparity (OR for paucigravida and multigravida at 0.05;P = 0.001);ambulance transport (OR for patients referred and brought in by personal vehicle = 0.3, p < 0.001) and vaginal delivery (OR for cesarean deliveries = 0.4, p < 0.001). Conclusion: To reduce maternal mortality in Burkina Faso, strategies such as educating women about danger signs during pregnancy and promoting women’s education can be adopted.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Refractive Errors among University Students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda

Introduction: WHO estimated that uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause of visual impairment and second leading cause of blindness globally. University students are prone to developing refractive errors due to their curriculum that requires a lot of near work affecting their performance and quality of life unknowingly. Genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role in the development of refractive errors. This study addresses the paucity of knowledge about refractive errors among university students in East Africa, providing a foundation for further research. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with refractive errors among students in the Faculty of Medicine at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study in which 368 undergraduate students selected using random sampling were assessed for refractive errors from March 2021-July 2021. Eligible participants were recruited and their VA assessment done after answering a questionnaire. Students whose VA improved on pin hole had subjective retinoscopy and results were compiled and imported to STATA 14 for analysis. Results: The prevalence of refractive errors was 26.36% with (95% CI) among university students especially myopia. Myopia is most predominant at 60%, followed by 37% Astigmatism and hyperopia of 3% among medical students. Astigmatism consisted of largely myopic astigmatism 72% (26) and 28% (10) compound/mixed astigmatism only. Student positive family history of refractive error was found to have a statistically significant relationship with refractive errors with AOR 1.68 (1.04 - 2.72) (95% CI) and P (0.032). Conclusion: The prevalence of refractive errors among university students, especially myopia, was found to be high and family history was associated with students having refractive errors.

Enhanced Temporal Correlation for Universal Lesion Detection

Universal lesion detection(ULD)methods for computed tomography(CT)images play a vital role in the modern clinical medicine and intelligent automation.It is well known that single 2D CT slices lack spatial-temporal characteristics and contextual information compared to 3D CT blocks.However,3D CT blocks necessitate significantly higher hardware resources during the learning phase.Therefore,efficiently exploiting temporal correlation and spatial-temporal features of 2D CT slices is crucial for ULD tasks.In this paper,we propose a ULD network with the enhanced temporal correlation for this purpose,named TCE-Net.The designed TCE module is applied to enrich the discriminate feature representation of multiple sequential CT slices.Besides,we employ multi-scale feature maps to facilitate the localization and detection of lesions in various sizes.Extensive experiments are conducted on the DeepLesion benchmark demonstrate that thismethod achieves 66.84%and 78.18%for FS@0.5 and FS@1.0,respectively,outperforming compared state-of-the-art methods.

Evolution of Viral Load in Patients Infected with HIV-1 at Point G University Hospital

Introduction: HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of the viral load in patients under treatment. Methodology: This was a study carried out from July 2017 to June 2022 at the Point G University Hospital laboratory. The determination of the viral load of patients was carried out by PCR on the ABOTT M2000sp/rt platform. Results: A total of 129 patients infected with HIV-1, aged 19 to 72 years with a mean age of 40.05 years ± 10.71;all on antiretroviral chemotherapy. The female gender predominated among our patients. The most common treatment regimen was 2INTI + 1INNTI with 72.9% followed by 2INTI + 1INI with 13.2%. As for the combinations of molecules, the combination TDF + 3TC + EFV and TDF + 3TC + DTG predominated, respectively 65.1% and 13.2%. 89.9% of our patients had undetectable viremia after 12 months of treatment (p < 0.005) with an average viral load which had evolved from 681315.65 copies/ml ± 1616908.484 to M0 at 5742.36 copies /ml ± 35756.883 at M12 (p Conclusion: Generally speaking, antiretroviral treatment had contributed to controlling viral loads, however the therapeutic combination TDF + 3TC + DTG had made it possible to obtain more patients with undetectable viremia instead.

Information Conductivity:Universal Performance Measure for Semantic Communications

As a novel paradigm,semantic communication provides an effective solution for breaking through the future development dilemma of classical communication systems.However,it remains an unsolved problem of how to measure the information transmission capability for a given semantic communication method and subsequently compare it with the classical communication method.In this paper,we first present a review of the semantic communication system,including its system model and the two typical coding and transmission methods for its implementations.To address the unsolved issue of the information transmission capability measure for semantic communication methods,we propose a new universal performance measure called Information Conductivity.We provide the definition and the physical significance to state its effectiveness in representing the information transmission capabilities of the semantic communication systems and present elaborations including its measure methods,degrees of freedom,and progressive analysis.Experimental results in image transmission scenarios validate its practical applicability.