The trend of digital information transformation has become a topic of interest.Many data are threatening;thus,protecting such data from attackers is considered an essential process.Recently,a new methodology for data ...The trend of digital information transformation has become a topic of interest.Many data are threatening;thus,protecting such data from attackers is considered an essential process.Recently,a new methodology for data concealing has been suggested by researchers called coverless steganography.Coverless steganography can be accomplished either by building an image database to match its image subblocks with the secret message to obtain the stego image or by generating an image.This paper proposes a coverless image steganography system based on pure image generation using secret message bits with a capacity higher than the other traditional systems.The system uses the secret message to generate the stego image in the form of one of the Intelligence Quotient(IQ)games,the maze.Firstly,a full grid is generated with several specific rows and columns determined from the number of bits of the secret message.Then,these bits are fed to the full grid to form the maze game stego image.Finally,the generated maze game stego image is sent to the recipient.The experimental results,using the Bit Error Rate(BER),were conducted,and confirmed the strength of this system represented by a high capacity,perfect performance,robustness,and stronger hiding system compared with existing coverless steganography systems.展开更多
Objective To evaluate the effect of modified Maze lines plus pulmonary vein (PV) isolation created by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial wall guided by a novel geometry mapping system in the treatment o...Objective To evaluate the effect of modified Maze lines plus pulmonary vein (PV) isolation created by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial wall guided by a novel geometry mapping system in the treatment of elderly patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Methods After regular electrophysiological study, transseptal punctures were achieved twice with Swartz L1 and R1 sheaths. PV angiographies were conducted to evaluate their orifices and branches. A balloon electrode array catheter with 64 electrodes was put in the middle of the left atrium. Atrium geometry was constructed using Ensite 3000 Navx system. Two RFCA lesion loops and three lines (modified Maze) were created on left and right atrial walls. Each lesion point was ablated for 30 seconds with preset temperature 50 (ae) and energy 30W. The disappearance or 80% decrease of the amplitude of target atrial potential and 10 to 20(|), decrease of ablation impedance were used as an index of effective ablation. Results A total of 11 patients (7 male and 4 female, mean age, 68.7±5.1 years) were enrolled. PAF history was 7.9±4.5 years. PAF could not be prevented by mean 3.1±1.6 antiarrhythmic agents in 6.3±3.4 years. None of the patients had complications with structural heart disease or stroke. Left atrial diameter was 41.3±3.6 mm and LVEF was 59.2±3.7% on echocardiography. Two loops and three lines were completed with 67.8±13.1 (73-167) lesion points. Altogether 76-168 (89.4±15.3) lesion points were created in each patient. PAF could not be provoked by rapid burst pacing up to 600 beat per minute delivered from paroxysmal coronary sinus electrode pair.Complete PV electrical isolation was confirmed by three-dimensional activation mapping. Mean procedure time was 2.7±0.6 hours and fluoroscopy time was 17.8±9.4 minutes. Patients were discharged with oral aspirin and without antiarrhythmic agents. During follow up of 6.5±1.8 months, seven patients were PAF symptom free (63.6%). PAF attacks were decreased more than 70% in two patients (18.2%). PAF frequency did not change in another two patients (18.2%). Conclusions Ensite 3000 Navx guided modified Maze lines plus PV isolation on the atrial wall is safe and feasible in the elderly patients. It has the advantages of exact procedural endpoint, shorter X-ray exposure, fewer complications and satisfied long-term effect PAF control.展开更多
One of the most interesting applications of genetic algorithms falls into the area of decision support. Decision support problems involve a series of decisions, each of which is influenced by all decisions made prior ...One of the most interesting applications of genetic algorithms falls into the area of decision support. Decision support problems involve a series of decisions, each of which is influenced by all decisions made prior to that point. This class of problems occurs often in enterprise management, particularly in the area of scheduling or resource allocation. In order to demonstrate the formulation of this class of problems, a series of maze problems will be presented. The complexity of the mazes is intensified as each new maze is introduced. Two solving scenarios are introduced and comparison results are provided. The first scenario incorporated the traditional genetic algorithm procedure for the intended purpose of acquiring a solution based upon a purely evolutionary approach. The second scenario utilized the genetic algorithm in conjunction with embedded domain specific knowledge in the form of decision rules. The implementation of domain specific knowledge is intended to enhance solution convergence time and improve the overall quality of offspring produced which significantly increases the probability of acquiring a more accurate and consistent solution. Results are provided below for all mazes considered. These results include the traditional genetic algorithm final result and the genetic algorithm optimization approach with embedded rules result. Both results were incorporated for comparison purposes. Overall, the incorporation of domain specific knowledge outperformed the traditional genetic algorithm in both performance and computation time. Specifically, the traditional genetic algorithm failed to adequately find an acceptable solution for each example presented and prematurely converged on average within 54% of their specified generations. Additionally, the most complex maze generated an optimal path directional sequence (i.e. N, S, E, W) via a traditional genetic algorithm which possessed only 50% of the required allowable path sequences for maze completion. The incorporation of embedded rules enabled the genetic algorithm to locate the optimum path for all examples considered within 5% of the traditional genetic algorithm computation time.展开更多
3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine （MDMA; also known as ＇ecstasy＇） has been shown to impair learning and spatial memory in adult and neonatal rats. Many studies have focused on the acute effects of MDMA on memory....3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine （MDMA; also known as ＇ecstasy＇） has been shown to impair learning and spatial memory in adult and neonatal rats. Many studies have focused on the acute effects of MDMA on memory. In the present study, we intraperitoneally administered MDMA （0, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg） to adult male rats to investigate the effects of different doses on rat spatial memory in the Morris water maze, body temperature, and mortality, twice a day, for 7 successive days. The results indicated that MDMA impaired spatial memory dose-dependently, with the highest dose （20 mg/kg） exerting the strongest effects. In addition, MDMA also caused hyperthermia and increased mortality in rats展开更多
Learning processes are extensively studied in behavioral neuroscience. As experimental models, Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Spontaneous Alternation (SA) represent two of the most frequently used laboratory tests to res...Learning processes are extensively studied in behavioral neuroscience. As experimental models, Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Spontaneous Alternation (SA) represent two of the most frequently used laboratory tests to respectively address spatial vs non-spatial tasks. Several factors have been shown to impact on those learning, including strain, gender, apparatus, conditioning, vision, lighting conditions and stress level. In order to focus on the later, we compared the acquisition of two learning tasks (MWM and SA) in BALB/c and A/J mice, which are known as fearful and stress-sensitive strains. Here, we report that BALB/c mice exhibited higher performances than A/J mice in the MWM (i.e. spatial reference memory task), whereas A/J mice performed better in the SA (i.e. spatial working memory task). These results indicate dissociated processes in the acquisition of spatial vs non-spatial tasks, and emphasize a varying influence of emotional reactivity on different forms of cognition.展开更多
The present study evaluated risk factors related to persistent atrial fibrillation(AF)at discharge(AF-d)and recurrent atrial fibrillation(rAF)and all-cause death after the maze IV procedure.Two hundred nineteen patien...The present study evaluated risk factors related to persistent atrial fibrillation(AF)at discharge(AF-d)and recurrent atrial fibrillation(rAF)and all-cause death after the maze IV procedure.Two hundred nineteen patients(63 female,aged 52.5±8.8 years)with valve disease and persistent AF undergoing valve surgery and the maze IV procedure in our center between 2015 and 2016 were included.Baseline demographic and clinical data were obtained by review of medical records.The median follow-up period was 27 months(interquartile range 21-34 months)in our patient cohort.The primary end point was all-cause death.The secondary end point was AF-d or rAF.rAF is defined as AF recurrence at 3 months or later after the procedure.Twenty-eight patients(12.8%)died during follow-up.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,a larger right atrium,AF-d,and rAF were independent determinants for all-cause death after the maze IV procedure after adjustment for age,sex,and clinical covariates,including New York Heart Association class III/IV disease,hypertension,and aortic regurgitation,while valvular disease duration and left atrial diameter greater than 80.5 mm were independent determinants for AF-d,and thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,higher mean pulmonary artery pressure,and AF-d were independent predictors for rAF.In conclusion,thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,an enlarged right atrium,AF-d,and rAF are independent predictors of all-cause death in patients undergoing the maze IV procedure.展开更多
Hereby we describe a case of LAF developed after a surgical Maze procedure that demonstrates the importance of a systematic approach to mapping and ablating atypical atrial flutter to prevent a recurrence of symptomat...Hereby we describe a case of LAF developed after a surgical Maze procedure that demonstrates the importance of a systematic approach to mapping and ablating atypical atrial flutter to prevent a recurrence of symptomatic arrhythmia. In patients with previous cardiac surgery procedures, and in particular after a surgical maze, there are many different potential LA reentry circuits that involve various pathways. Both activation mapping and entrainment mapping were performed in order to identify the critical isthmus of the circuit and to effectively terminate the arrhythmia.展开更多
Nematodes are microscopic, soil-dwelling worms that navigate through soil particles in search of food or a suitable host. Most nematode species employ a myriad of physical and chemical cues that define their navigatio...Nematodes are microscopic, soil-dwelling worms that navigate through soil particles in search of food or a suitable host. Most nematode species employ a myriad of physical and chemical cues that define their navigation strategies. Here, we demonstrate a microfluidic method to observe and characterize the physical aspects of nematode navigation at real-time. The microfluidic devices comprise a series of interconnected T-maze or cylindrical structures of varying geometry. At each physical intersection, nematodes are given the choice to migrate left or right. We found that this decision-making of nematodes is influenced by the angle of intersection of T-maze structures. We further showed that nematodes can be passively directed to move in a linear direction by carefully adjusting the position and spacing of cylindrical obstacles in its path. The experiments were conducted on two nematodes (non-parasitic C. elegans and pigparasitic Oesophagostomum dentatum) and in the absence of any chemical or electrical stimulants.展开更多
基金Taif University Researchers Supporting Project Number(TURSP-2020/239),Taif University,Taif,Saudi Arabia.
文摘The trend of digital information transformation has become a topic of interest.Many data are threatening;thus,protecting such data from attackers is considered an essential process.Recently,a new methodology for data concealing has been suggested by researchers called coverless steganography.Coverless steganography can be accomplished either by building an image database to match its image subblocks with the secret message to obtain the stego image or by generating an image.This paper proposes a coverless image steganography system based on pure image generation using secret message bits with a capacity higher than the other traditional systems.The system uses the secret message to generate the stego image in the form of one of the Intelligence Quotient(IQ)games,the maze.Firstly,a full grid is generated with several specific rows and columns determined from the number of bits of the secret message.Then,these bits are fed to the full grid to form the maze game stego image.Finally,the generated maze game stego image is sent to the recipient.The experimental results,using the Bit Error Rate(BER),were conducted,and confirmed the strength of this system represented by a high capacity,perfect performance,robustness,and stronger hiding system compared with existing coverless steganography systems.
文摘目的总结Wolf Mini-Maze手术治疗单纯性心房颤动的临床经验,并评价其安全性和疗效。方法自2010年11月起,我科采用AtriCureTM干式双极微创射频消融系统经胸腔镜对2例单纯性心房颤动患者施行了双侧肺静脉隔离及左心耳切除术。结果 2例手术过程顺利,消融术后即刻恢复窦性心律。术后随访3～17个月,维持窦性心律,无卒中及其它并发症发生。结论 Wolf Mini-Maze手术治疗单纯性心房颤动具有微创、简单、安全、高效的特点,值得推广。
文摘Objective To evaluate the effect of modified Maze lines plus pulmonary vein (PV) isolation created by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial wall guided by a novel geometry mapping system in the treatment of elderly patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Methods After regular electrophysiological study, transseptal punctures were achieved twice with Swartz L1 and R1 sheaths. PV angiographies were conducted to evaluate their orifices and branches. A balloon electrode array catheter with 64 electrodes was put in the middle of the left atrium. Atrium geometry was constructed using Ensite 3000 Navx system. Two RFCA lesion loops and three lines (modified Maze) were created on left and right atrial walls. Each lesion point was ablated for 30 seconds with preset temperature 50 (ae) and energy 30W. The disappearance or 80% decrease of the amplitude of target atrial potential and 10 to 20(|), decrease of ablation impedance were used as an index of effective ablation. Results A total of 11 patients (7 male and 4 female, mean age, 68.7±5.1 years) were enrolled. PAF history was 7.9±4.5 years. PAF could not be prevented by mean 3.1±1.6 antiarrhythmic agents in 6.3±3.4 years. None of the patients had complications with structural heart disease or stroke. Left atrial diameter was 41.3±3.6 mm and LVEF was 59.2±3.7% on echocardiography. Two loops and three lines were completed with 67.8±13.1 (73-167) lesion points. Altogether 76-168 (89.4±15.3) lesion points were created in each patient. PAF could not be provoked by rapid burst pacing up to 600 beat per minute delivered from paroxysmal coronary sinus electrode pair.Complete PV electrical isolation was confirmed by three-dimensional activation mapping. Mean procedure time was 2.7±0.6 hours and fluoroscopy time was 17.8±9.4 minutes. Patients were discharged with oral aspirin and without antiarrhythmic agents. During follow up of 6.5±1.8 months, seven patients were PAF symptom free (63.6%). PAF attacks were decreased more than 70% in two patients (18.2%). PAF frequency did not change in another two patients (18.2%). Conclusions Ensite 3000 Navx guided modified Maze lines plus PV isolation on the atrial wall is safe and feasible in the elderly patients. It has the advantages of exact procedural endpoint, shorter X-ray exposure, fewer complications and satisfied long-term effect PAF control.
文摘One of the most interesting applications of genetic algorithms falls into the area of decision support. Decision support problems involve a series of decisions, each of which is influenced by all decisions made prior to that point. This class of problems occurs often in enterprise management, particularly in the area of scheduling or resource allocation. In order to demonstrate the formulation of this class of problems, a series of maze problems will be presented. The complexity of the mazes is intensified as each new maze is introduced. Two solving scenarios are introduced and comparison results are provided. The first scenario incorporated the traditional genetic algorithm procedure for the intended purpose of acquiring a solution based upon a purely evolutionary approach. The second scenario utilized the genetic algorithm in conjunction with embedded domain specific knowledge in the form of decision rules. The implementation of domain specific knowledge is intended to enhance solution convergence time and improve the overall quality of offspring produced which significantly increases the probability of acquiring a more accurate and consistent solution. Results are provided below for all mazes considered. These results include the traditional genetic algorithm final result and the genetic algorithm optimization approach with embedded rules result. Both results were incorporated for comparison purposes. Overall, the incorporation of domain specific knowledge outperformed the traditional genetic algorithm in both performance and computation time. Specifically, the traditional genetic algorithm failed to adequately find an acceptable solution for each example presented and prematurely converged on average within 54% of their specified generations. Additionally, the most complex maze generated an optimal path directional sequence (i.e. N, S, E, W) via a traditional genetic algorithm which possessed only 50% of the required allowable path sequences for maze completion. The incorporation of embedded rules enabled the genetic algorithm to locate the optimum path for all examples considered within 5% of the traditional genetic algorithm computation time.
基金a grant from the Substance Abuse and Dependence Research Center University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, No. 313-126417Tehran University of Medical Sciences, No. P/664
文摘3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine （MDMA; also known as ＇ecstasy＇） has been shown to impair learning and spatial memory in adult and neonatal rats. Many studies have focused on the acute effects of MDMA on memory. In the present study, we intraperitoneally administered MDMA （0, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg） to adult male rats to investigate the effects of different doses on rat spatial memory in the Morris water maze, body temperature, and mortality, twice a day, for 7 successive days. The results indicated that MDMA impaired spatial memory dose-dependently, with the highest dose （20 mg/kg） exerting the strongest effects. In addition, MDMA also caused hyperthermia and increased mortality in rats
文摘Learning processes are extensively studied in behavioral neuroscience. As experimental models, Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Spontaneous Alternation (SA) represent two of the most frequently used laboratory tests to respectively address spatial vs non-spatial tasks. Several factors have been shown to impact on those learning, including strain, gender, apparatus, conditioning, vision, lighting conditions and stress level. In order to focus on the later, we compared the acquisition of two learning tasks (MWM and SA) in BALB/c and A/J mice, which are known as fearful and stress-sensitive strains. Here, we report that BALB/c mice exhibited higher performances than A/J mice in the MWM (i.e. spatial reference memory task), whereas A/J mice performed better in the SA (i.e. spatial working memory task). These results indicate dissociated processes in the acquisition of spatial vs non-spatial tasks, and emphasize a varying influence of emotional reactivity on different forms of cognition.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(nos.81670269,81500355,and 81500226)the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province(no.2019JJ40438).
文摘The present study evaluated risk factors related to persistent atrial fibrillation(AF)at discharge(AF-d)and recurrent atrial fibrillation(rAF)and all-cause death after the maze IV procedure.Two hundred nineteen patients(63 female,aged 52.5±8.8 years)with valve disease and persistent AF undergoing valve surgery and the maze IV procedure in our center between 2015 and 2016 were included.Baseline demographic and clinical data were obtained by review of medical records.The median follow-up period was 27 months(interquartile range 21-34 months)in our patient cohort.The primary end point was all-cause death.The secondary end point was AF-d or rAF.rAF is defined as AF recurrence at 3 months or later after the procedure.Twenty-eight patients(12.8%)died during follow-up.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,a larger right atrium,AF-d,and rAF were independent determinants for all-cause death after the maze IV procedure after adjustment for age,sex,and clinical covariates,including New York Heart Association class III/IV disease,hypertension,and aortic regurgitation,while valvular disease duration and left atrial diameter greater than 80.5 mm were independent determinants for AF-d,and thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,higher mean pulmonary artery pressure,and AF-d were independent predictors for rAF.In conclusion,thrombocytopenia,elevated serum total bilirubin level,an enlarged right atrium,AF-d,and rAF are independent predictors of all-cause death in patients undergoing the maze IV procedure.
文摘Hereby we describe a case of LAF developed after a surgical Maze procedure that demonstrates the importance of a systematic approach to mapping and ablating atypical atrial flutter to prevent a recurrence of symptomatic arrhythmia. In patients with previous cardiac surgery procedures, and in particular after a surgical maze, there are many different potential LA reentry circuits that involve various pathways. Both activation mapping and entrainment mapping were performed in order to identify the critical isthmus of the circuit and to effectively terminate the arrhythmia.
文摘Nematodes are microscopic, soil-dwelling worms that navigate through soil particles in search of food or a suitable host. Most nematode species employ a myriad of physical and chemical cues that define their navigation strategies. Here, we demonstrate a microfluidic method to observe and characterize the physical aspects of nematode navigation at real-time. The microfluidic devices comprise a series of interconnected T-maze or cylindrical structures of varying geometry. At each physical intersection, nematodes are given the choice to migrate left or right. We found that this decision-making of nematodes is influenced by the angle of intersection of T-maze structures. We further showed that nematodes can be passively directed to move in a linear direction by carefully adjusting the position and spacing of cylindrical obstacles in its path. The experiments were conducted on two nematodes (non-parasitic C. elegans and pigparasitic Oesophagostomum dentatum) and in the absence of any chemical or electrical stimulants.
