Global Actions:Following Up on the World Gonference on Women

TWO and a half years after the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing once again embraced women from all over the world. This time, the mission was to exchange experiences on implementation of the "Beijing Declaration" and the "Platform for Action" formulated at the Conference; to see how the governments had put into action the commitments that they made then.

Path Following Control of A Deep-Sea Manned Submersible Based upon NTSM

In this paper, a robust path following control law is proposed for a deep-sea manned submersible maneuvering along a predeterminated path. Developed in China, the submersible is underactuated in the horizontal plane in that it is actuated by two perpendicular thrusts in this plane. The advanced non-singular terminal sliding mode （NTSM） is implemented for the design of the path following controller, which can ensure the convergence of the motion system in finite time and improve its robustness against parametric uncertainties and environmental disturbances. In the process of controller design, the close-loop stability is considered and proved by Lyapunov＇ s stability theory. With the experimental data, numerical simulations are provided to verify the control law for path following of the deep-sea manned submersible.

Coordinated control between a grid forming inverter and grid following inverters suppling power in a standalone microgrid

Battery energy storage systems,fuel cells,and photovoltaic generators are being adopted in distribution networks to achieve CO;emission reduction.These power sources require inverters to connect to AC networks.However,sub-networks,such as a microgrids containing inverter power sources,may be disconnected from the utility network and operated in a standalone mode during extended blackouts.This study focuses on a standalone microgrid supplied by inverter power sources without a synchronous generator and proposes a new microgrid inverter control.In this inverter control,a single grid forming inverter is operated as a master power source to determine frequency and voltage,and other inverters,called grid following inverters,are operated as subordinate power sources with active and reactive power control.The necessary functions in the energy management system are examined,and the coordinated operation of all inverters in the microgrid is demonstrated via simulation.

Electro-acupuncture for STAT3 expression and nuclear translocation in hippocampal tissues of rats following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

BACKGROUND: It has been found in recent years that STAT3 widely distributes in nervous system, including hippocampal CA1-3 region, dentate gyrus and cerebral neocortex, etc. Ischemic brain injury can cause the release of some cytokines and growth factors, while electro-acupuncture may have multi-level, multi-channel and multi-target protective and interventional effects on ischemic brain injury. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electro-acupuncture on STAT3 expression and nuclear translocation in hippocampal CA1 region of rat models of brain ischemia/reperfusion. DESIGN: Randomized and controlled observation. SETTING: Staff Room of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Department of Acupuncture and Bone Injury, Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. MATERIALS: Seventy-two healthy SD rats, of clean degree and either gender, weighing (200±20) g, were provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. STAT3 monoclonal antibody was purchased from Santa Cruz Company, USA, and G-6805 electro-acupuncture instrument was purchased from Shanghai Medical Electronic Instruments Factory. METHODS: This experiment was carried out in the comprehensive laboratory of Department of Acupuncture and Bone Injury, Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine between September 2005 and February 2006. Seventy-two rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: ① control group(n =6): Untouched. ② Sham-operation group (n =18): Artery was isolated, but without inserting thread bolt.③ Model group (n =24): Rat models of local brain ischemia/reperfusion were established with modified suture occlusion. ④Electro-acupuncture group (n =24): Dazhui and bilateral Neiguan points were selected for electro-acupuncture treatment. No. 28 acupuncture needle of 3.33 cm was used in the treatment. A G-6085 electro-acupuncture instrument with continuous wave, frequency of 120 times/min, intensity of 1 mA, 30 min/time, was used. Acupuncture was conducted firstly at ischemia/reperfusion 3 hours, then once every 12 hours. STAT3 positive nuclear translocation in hippocampal CA1 region of rats was observed with immunohistochemical method at 24, 48 and 72 hours after brain ishcemia/reperfusion, and then STAT3 positive cells were counted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: STAT3 positive cells and nuclear translocation in hippocampal CA1 region of rats in each group. RESULTS: All the 72 rats were involved in the result analysis. ①In the control group and sham-operation group, STAT3 positive cells with light cytoplasm and nucleus were decreased , and nuclear translocation was not found. ② In the model group, STAT3 positive cells were mostly found in the cytoplasm of the hippocampal CA1 region at the ischemic side of rats after ischemia/reperfusion 24 hours. They were significantly more than those in the sham-operation group and control group [(18.00±2.68), (9.00±1.35), (8.00±1.22) cells/ mm2, P < 0.01], but cells with nuclear reaction were fewer; At ischemia/reperfusion 48 and 72 hours, STAT3 positive cells were increased, and they were significantly more than those of sham-operation group [(25.00±3.23), (35.00±3.52) cells/mm2, (13.00±1.93), (12.00±1.24) cells/mm2, P < 0.01]. Positive cells with nuclear reaction were found dark-stained. ③At ischemia/reperfusion 24, 48 and 72 hours, STAT3 positive cells were strongly expressed in hippocampal CA1 region at ischemic side of rats of electro-acupuncture group, and they were significantly more than those of model group [(25±3.52), (50±6.31), (75±8.09) cells/mm2, P < 0.01]. STAT3 positive cells were gradually enhanced with time, and considerable STAT3 nuclear positive reaction cells were found. CONCLUSION: Electro-acupuncture can activate STAT3 protein expression in hippocampal tissue of rats with local brain ischemia/reperfusion, promote STAT3 nuclear translocation and function its neuroprotective effect.

Changes in hemeoxygenase-1 and superoxide dismutase in the peri-hematomal brain tissues of rats following intracerebral hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced hemorrhagic brain injury is very complicated, involving the position-occupying effect of cephalophyma, ischemic factors, the toxic effect of hematoma components, the destruction of blood-brain barrier, etc. The expression and effect of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the cerebrovascular disease has been paid close attention. OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of HO-1 and change of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats following ICH. DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal experiment. SETTING: Department of Neurology, Yijishan Hospital Affiliated to Wannan Medical College. MATERIALS: Forty healthy male SD rats, of clean grade, weighing from 250 to 300 g, were provided by Qinglongshan Animal Farm of Nanjing. The involved 40 rats were randomized into sham-operation group (n =5) and ICH group (n =35), and ICH group was divided into 7 subgroups with 5 rats in each: ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 100 and 168 hours groups. Rabbit anti-rat HO-1 immunohistochemial kit ( Boster Co., Ltd., Wuhan) and SOD kit (Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute, Nanjing)were used in this experiment. METHODS: This experiment was carried out in the Department of Neurology, Yijishan Hospital Affiliated to Wannan Medical College Between April and July 2005. In the ICH group: Autologous blood of rats was injected into the head of caudate nucleus to create ICH animal models. In the sham-operation group, the same amount of normal saline was injected into the head of caudate nucleus of rats. The brains of rats in each group were harvested at different time points. The hematoma-side brain tissue was cut open in the coronal plane taking hematomal region as center, and the posterior part was fixed with 100 g/L neutral formaldehyde. 100 mg brain tissue was taken from anterior part. The number of positive cells in HO-1 and SOD activity in peri-hematomal brain tissue at different time after ICH were detected by immunohistochemical method and xanthine oxidation method respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① The expression of HO-1 in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH.② The expression of SOD activity in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH. RESULTS: ①The number of HO-1 positive cells in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours was (11.03±2.01),(16.47±2.98),(25.50±5.65),(51.57±7.05),(47.33±4.73),(26.57±5.12),(7.63±2.17) cells/high-fold visual field , respectively; The number of HO-1 positive cells in the ICH 12-120 hours groups was significantly higher than that of sham-operation group [(6.07±1.85)cells/high-fold visual field, P < 0.01]; The HO-1 positive cells were the most in the ICH 48 hours group and were still expressed a little in the ICH 168 hours group. ② The SOD in the brain tissue of rats at ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours was (404.46±8.14),(396.84±10.97),(387.74±5.32),(356.21±9.27),(307.95±10.15),(357.48±11.28) and (402.98±7.23) kNU/g, respectively; The SOD activity of ICH 12 to 120 hours groups was significantly lower than that of sham-operation group [(415.47±11.44) kNU/g,P < 0.01], and that of ICH 72 hours group was the lowest. There was no significant difference of SOD activity between ICH 168 hours group and sham-operation group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Following ICH, the expression of HO-1 in peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups is obviously increased, but the antioxidant ability of brain tissue is decreased. The changes of both maybe play an important role in the formation of ICH-induced hemorrhagic brain injury.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence for activated functional brain areas following acupoint needling in the extremities

Totally three articles focusing on functional magnetic resonance imaging features of brain function in the activated brain regions of stroke patients undergoing acupuncture on the healthy limbs and healthy controls undergoing acupuncture on the lower extremities are published in three issues. We hope that our readers find these papers useful to their research.

Persistent Hiccups Following Use of Oral Dexamethasone: A Report of Two Cases from Abakaliki, Nigeria

Hiccups are common, usually mild with no obvious cause and often resolve spontaneously. They are classified as transient, persistent and intractable depending on the duration. Drug induced hiccups have been reported in medical literature but not common and corticosteroids are often cited. This report involved 2 male patients who developed persistent hiccups following use of oral dexamethasone for inflammatory conditions. The hiccups were severe and intolerable and could not stop despite use of metoclopramide and chlorpromazine. The hiccups only stopped following discontinuation of the dexamethasone. It should be noted that low dose of dexamethasone was used. Management of dexamethasone induced hiccups involves discontinuation of the drug, steroid rotation if the patient is steroid dependent and use of metoclopramide and chlorpromazine. Clinicians should be aware of this known but rare adverse effect of dexamethasone as it could be severe, distressful and negatively impart patients care. There is a need for a high index of suspicion whenever a patient develops hiccups while taking dexamethasone.

A Novel Prescribed-Performance Path-Following Problem for Non-Holonomic Vehicles

The issue of achieving prescribed-performance path following in robotics is addressed in this paper,where the aim is to ensure that a desired path within a specified region is accu-rately converged to by the controlled vehicle.In this context,a novel form of the prescribed performance guiding vector field is introduced,accompanied by a prescribed-time sliding mode con-trol approach.Furthermore,the interdependence among the pre-scribed parameters is discussed.To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method,numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach.

Multi-circular formation control with reinforced transient profiles for nonholonomic vehicles:A path-following framework

This article investigates a multi-circular path-following formation control with reinforced transient profiles for nonholonomic vehicles connected by a digraph.A multi-circular formation controller endowed with the feature of spatial-temporal decoupling is devised for a group of vehicles guided by a virtual leader evolving along an implicit path,which allows for a circumnavigation on multiple circles with an anticipant angular spacing.In addition,notice that it typically imposes a stringent time constraint on time-sensitive enclosing scenarios,hence an improved prescribed performance control(IPPC)using novel tighter behavior boundaries is presented to enhance transient capabilities with an ensured appointed-time convergence free from any overshoots.The significant merits are that coordinated circumnavigation along different circles can be realized via executing geometric and dynamic assignments independently with modified transient profiles.Furthermore,all variables existing in the entire system are analyzed to be convergent.Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the utility of suggested solution.

Path-Following Based on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control with Adaptive Path Preview

This paper presents a Nonlinear Model Predictive Controller(NMPC)for the path following of autonomous vehicles and an algorithm to adaptively adjust the preview distance.The prediction model includes vehicle dynamics,path following dynamics,and system input dynamics.The single-track vehicle model considers the vehicle’s coupled lateral and longitudinal dynamics,as well as nonlinear tire forces.The tracking error dynamics are derived based on the curvilinear coordinates.The cost function is designed to minimize path tracking errors and control effort while considering constraints such as actuator bounds and tire grip limits.An algorithm that utilizes the optimal preview distance vector to query the corresponding reference curvature and reference speed.The length of the preview path is adaptively adjusted based on the vehicle speed,heading error,and path curvature.We validate the controller performance in a simulation environment with the autonomous racing scenario.The simulation results show that the vehicle accurately follows the highly dynamic path with small tracking errors.The maximum preview distance can be prior estimated and guidance the selection of the prediction horizon for NMPC.

Visual object-oriented application for lane following on intelligent highway system

A visual object-oriented software for lane following on intelligent highway system (IHS) is proposed. According to object-oriented theory, 3 typical user services of self-check, transfer of human driving and automatic running and abnormal information input from the sensors are chosen out. In addition, the functions of real-time display, information exchanging interface, determination and operation interweaving in the 3 user services are separated into 5 object-oriented classes. Moreover, the 5 classes are organized in the visual development environment. At last, experimental result proves the validity and reliability of the control application.

MICROPROCESSOR BASED MODEL FOLLOWING ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CSIM DRIVES

A model following adaptive control system for CSIM is presented in this paper. A dynamic mathematical model of slip control based system is obtained. With the help of model reducing technique, full order model is reduced to simplify the design without degrading much of the performance. Model following adaptive control laws in discrete form are derived. These laws satisfy the hyperstability condition for taking care of the load and machine parameter changes of the drive. A microprocessor 8098 is used to develop the speed controller. The implementation of the control system uses only available variables of the reference model and the controlled plant. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the good performance of the system.

Updates in version 2019 of CSCO guidelines for colorectal cancer from version 2018

According to the latest data from cancer registration center, there are estimated to be 3,929,000 individuals newly diagnosed with cancer and 2,338,000 deaths from this disease in China in 2015 (1). Among them, colorectal cancer (CRC) with 388,000 newly diagnosed cases and 187,000 deaths, stands the third place in incidence and the fifth place in mortality. The Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) has organized an expert committee to write and publish the Guideline for Colorectal Cancer in 2017. And its English version has already been published in March 2019 (2). According to the latest progress, the expert committee updated the guideline to the 2019 version in this April, and the summary of the main updates are as following.

Kinematics and Path Following Control of an Articulated Drum Roller

Automatic navigation of an articulated drum roller, which is an articulated steering type vehicle widely used in the construction industry, is highly expected for operation cost reduction and improvement of work effi- ciency. In order to achieve the path following control, considering that its steering system is articulated steering and two frames are articulated by an active revolute joint, a kinematic model and an error dynamic state-space equation of an articulated drum roller are proposed. Besides, a state- feedback control law based on Lyapunov stability theory is also designed, which can be proved to achieve the purpose of control by the analysis of stability. What＇s more, to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, simu- lation under the MATLAB/Simulink and experiments using positioning algorithm and errors correction at the uneven construction site are performed, with initial dis- placement error （-1.5 m）, heading error （-0.11 tad） and steering angle （-0.19 rad）. Finally, simulation and exper- imental results show that the errors and steering angle can decrease gradually, and converge to zero with time. Meanwhile, the control input is not saturated. An articu- lated drum roller can lock into a desired path with the proposed method in uneven fields.

Long term efficacy of plasma derived hepatitis B vaccine among Chinese children: a 12 year follow up study

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Adaptive sliding-mode path following control system of the underactuated USV under the influence of ocean currents

The path-following control of the asymmetry underactuated unmanned surface vehicle(USV) under external disturbances such as unknown constant and irrational ocean currents is discussed, and an adaptive sliding-mode path-following control system is proposed, which comprises a path-variable updated law,a modified integral line-of-sight(ILOS) guidance law based on a time-varying lookahead distance and adaptive feedback linearizing controllers combined with sliding-mode technique. A more accurate USV model without the assumption of having diagonal inertia and damping matrices is first presented, aiming at improving the performance of the path-following control. Next, the coordinate transformation is adopted to decouple the sway dynamic from the rudder angle, and the path-following errors dynamics without non-singular problem are presented in the moving Frenet-Serret frame. Then, based on the cascaded theorem and the adaptive sliding-mode method, the adaptive control law of position errors and course error are designed, among which the lookahead distance and integral gain are all computed as different functions of cross-track error to estimate and compensate the sideslip angle caused by external disturbances adaptively. Finally, according to the Lyapunov and cascaded theorem, the control system proposed is proved to be uniform globally asymptotic stability(UGAS) and uniform semiglobal exponential stability(USGES) when the control objectives are all achieved. Simulation results illustrate the precision and high-quality performance of this new controller.

Nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy plus lymph node dissection following segmentectomy for central type pulmonary masses

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. In the United States, it causes more cancer-related deaths than the next four causes （breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer） of cancer-related mortality combined （1）. About 30% of people have already progressed to stage III lung cancer and 40% to stage IV at the time they are diagnosed （2）. Although chest X-ray and sputum cytology, when applied in health check-ups, can identify some relatively small tumors, they are not able to lower the overall mortality （3）. More recently,

Inverse Optimal Control for Speed-varying Path Following of Marine Vessels with Actuator Dynamics

A controller which is locally optimal near the origin and globally inverse optimal for the nonlinear system is proposed for path following of over actuated marine crafts with actuator dynamics. The motivation is the existence of undesired signals sent to the actuators, which can result in bad behavior in path following. To attenuate the oscillation of the control signal and obtain smooth thrust outputs, the actuator dynamics are added into the ship maneuvering model. Instead of modifying the Line-of-Sight (LOS) guidance law, this proposed controller can easily adjust the vessel speed to minimize the large cross-track error caused by the high vessel speed when it is turning. Numerical simulations demonstrate the validity of this proposed controller.

Path following control of underactuated ships based on nonswitch analytic model predictive control

A path following controller is developed for underactuated ships with only surge force and yaw moment available to follow a predefined path.The proposed controller is based on nonswitch analytic model predictive control.It is shown that the optimal control law for a nonlinear path following system with ill-defined relative degree is continuous and nonsingular.The problem of ill-defined relative degree is solved.The path-following ability of the nonlinear system is guaranteed.Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control law.

A case of hypermature cataract formation following implantation of an implantable collamer lens with an Aquaport

To improve humor circulation the latest V4c Visian implantable collamer lens （ICL） was designed with a0.36-ram Aquapon. This design also eliminates the need to perform peripheral iridectomy before ICL implantation. Several authors reported rates of secondary surgical intervention related to insufficient vault in the presence or absence of cataract formation and excessive vault in the presence or absence of elevated intraocular pressure （IOP） after ICL insertion. Here, we report a case of rapid progression of a cataract to a hypermature state after implantation of an ICL with an Aquaport.