ON A REGULARIZATION OF INDEX 2 DIFFERENTIAL-ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS WITH PROPERLY STATED LEADING TERM

In this article, linear regular index 2 DAEs A（t）[D（t）x（t）]＇ ＋ B（t）x（t） = q（t） are considered. Using a decoupling technique, initial condition and boundary condition are properly formulated. Regular index 1 DAEs are obtained by a regularization method. We study the behavior of the solution of the regularization system via asymptotic expansions. The error analysis between the solutions of the DAEs and its regularization system is given.

Combined Median Score Increasing Sensitivity of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common of all focal neuropathies. Electrodiagnostic (EXD) of CTS has advanced to include Combined Sensory Indexes (CSI) improving the specificity and sensitivity of EXD by employing intra-hand comparative data. Ultrasound (US) is a popular tool for the assessment of CTS. Cross Sectional Area (CSA) is the most consistent US parameter, but as a single test, it has a similar false negative profile to EXD. This study describes a dual method of CTS interrogation by EXD and US with the results applied to a single numerical score;the Combined Median Score (CMS). This is the product of CSA of median nerve at Carpal Tunnel inlet and CSI. In a series of 100 suspected cases, standard EDX identified 89 positive cases, CSI identified 92 positives, CMS identified 95 positives. This new method further reduced the false negative rate in CTS.

Multiple Communication Channels in Literary Texts

The statistical theory of language translation is used to compare how a literary character speaks to different audiences by diversifying two important linguistic communication channels: the “sentences channel” and the “interpunctions channel”. The theory can “measure” how the author shapes a character speaking to different audiences, by modulating deep-language parameters. To show its power, we have applied the theory to the literary corpus of Maria Valtorta, an Italian mystic of the XX-century. The likeness index , ranging from 0 to 1, allows to “measure” how two linguistic channels are similar, therefore implying that a character speaks to different audiences in the same way. A 6-dB difference between the signal-to-noise ratios of two channels already gives IL ≈ 0.5, a threshold below which the two channels depend very little on each other, therefore implying that the character addresses different audiences differently. In conclusion, multiple linguistic channels can describe the “fine tuning” that a literary author uses to diversify characters or distinguish the behavior of the same character in different situations. The theory can be applied to literary corpora written in any alphabetical language.

Effect of a basic Chinese traditional diet in overweight patients

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the effect of a basic Chi- nese traditional diet （BTCD） in overweight patients on body mass index （BMI）, lean mass, sense of hun- ger, and eating behaviour. METHODS： A total of 694 enrolled subjects （218 male and 476 female） were divided into two groups： group A undergoing a 1200-Kcal BTCD, and group B undergoing a 1200-Kcal standard western diet. RESULTS： From TO （before treatment） to T1 （6 weeks after treatment）, BMI was lowered in group A from （32.33±5.51） to （31.96±5.56） kg/m2, and in group B from （31.62±6.29） to （31.36±6.47） kglm2. After treatment, patients in group A lost more weight （0.37±0.52） kg than group B （0.26±0.79） kg （P=0.0044）. From TO to TI, the mean lean mass of group A decreased from （16.48±5.50） to （16.27± 5.45） kg. In group B, mean lean mass decreased from （16.93 ± 6.49） to （16.44 ± 6.29） kg. The differ- ence was significant （P=0.0078）. CONCLUSION： The two diets could lead to lowerBMI, improve lean mass as well as eating behaviour and sense of hunger. However, the BTCD was signif- icantly better than the western standard diet.